Jeanne clasped her shaking hands together. Her breathing labored and thoughts unable to pull themselves together since Leonidas was brought back to The Bellamy and seen to by the ship’s collection of doctors. Kveldulf stepped out of the lower decks, his flamberge slung over his shoulders and spotted her where she was.

He sat next to her, calmly placing his weapon to his side. “Doc should be fine. Nothing more than a concussion. No fractures or anything of that sort.”

Jeanne said nothing, only seeing her partner laying deathly still on a ship’s deck. Out in the sea, where he was anything but happy. On an errand of vengeance, he had no part being involved.

“Jeanne?” Kveldulf asked, leaning forward.

She was still silently, tears running down her face.

“Jeanne,” Kveldulf repeated, nudging her shoulder.

She turned to him, still saying nothing before looking back out to the vast sea around them.

“Jeanne, he’s going to be fine.”

“He shouldn’t be here,” she finally said. “None of you should be here.”

“Jeanne –”

“No! This is my mess, my fight. None of you should be having to go through any of this.”

“That’s a hell of thing for you to say,” Kveldulf said insulted.

“But it isn’t. You didn’t create this mess, I did.”

“And when we faced Baeron? There wasn’t a single reason why any of you should have risked your lives to stop him. Let alone restoring my house’s reputation. But you did. And why was that?”

Jeanne looked down for a moment before turning back to Kveldulf. “Because you’re my friend.”

“Exactly. You and the others are the only thing I have to call a family. To me, you are a sister, bound by honor and all the trials we’ve endured together. And I will not let you walk down this path alone. I wasn’t there the first time, but I will be here for this one.”

Jeanne pressed her hand against her head. The emotions beginning to overwhelm her. “I just don’t know what to do, Kel. It just won’t stop.”

“No one said you have to have a solution to every problem from the beginning, Jeanne. And you can let us shoulder some of the burden you’re going through,” Kveldulf said as he placed his arm over her shoulders.

“I just wish some days all this was a bad dream,” Jeanne said in a weak voice. “That I had just done nothing and stayed in my village.”

“We all wish for day when things were simple, cares were few, and ignorance colored our perception. But I know you Jeanne, and you’re not one to stay still when there is a fight needing to be fought, a coin to be earned, and a face deserving of a stone covered fist. And I can assure you, no one in this group regrets coming with you for this.”

Jeanne forced out a chuckle, only able to give a sad smile to Kveldulf.

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“Come,” Kveldulf said patting her knee as he stood up, “I think there’s still some of the cook’s stew left to eat. You haven’t had anything since Storzen stopped by.”

“I’m surprised he and Denis haven’t been hashing out a deal to handle what happened.”

“I don’t think Sotrzen was too displeased with his guest getting his comeuppance, especially after he took the rest of his payment for the voyage.”

“And he wasn’t upset we took his passenger?”

“I think that might’ve been a condition to keeping on Storzen’s good side.”

“And tying him to the figurehead?”

“That … I wasn’t going to ask about. Figured was best left to the captain and Cid.”

“I heard my name spoken by the whisps of the wind,” Cid said as he came to the upper deck, pipe in hand and lighting its contents with a match.

“Always with an entrance,” Kveldulf said to him.

“Well, I can’t help I have impeccable timing.”

“Anything new on the good doctor?” Kveldulf asked.

Cid turned to Jeanne, giving her a warm smile. “He’s awake, sporting a bit of a shiner, and suffering from a bit of a headache. Otherwise, he seems to be on the mend.”

Jeanne looked down, letting out a relieved exhale.

“And he’s been asking for you, Jeanne.”

Jeanne stared up to Cid, feeling her skin chill at the thought.

“I think you should go see him,” Kveldulf said to her.

Jeanne took a deep breath, trying to steady herself as she rose to her feet.

“You want us to come with you?” Kveldulf asked.

Jeanne shook her head. “No, I would like some privacy,” she said before moving down into the lower level of the ship. Deep within the bowels the light had been reduced to mere flickers of the candlelight. The stench of sweat, grime, supplies, scents she dared not fathom touched her nose making her face scrunch for a brief moment as she acclimated to the putrid aroma.

Jeanne moved through to the stern of the ship, to a little room on her left with its door slightly ajar. Peering inside she saw a single candle light illuminating the small chamber. Resting on a cot was a familiar figure, his forearm resting over his head and the other across his stomach. He breathed slowly, peacefully, as he laid there. A chair was situated next to him, its shadow stretching over most of the wall.

She quietly moved into the room, sitting on the chair and gently caressing his hair from his forehead. “I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “I don’t know what’s been happening with my lately. And I’m angry, I’m scared, and nothing seems to be making sense. What I hate the most is I can’t just punch the problem away and it’ll leave me alone. The more I fight, the more it fights back.”

She felt a hand touching her knee. Looking down, she saw Leonidas gently stroking her leg as he looked at her with one eye. “Sometimes attacking directly isn’t the best approach.” He say himself up in his cot, trying to negotiate as the bed swayed back and forth.

He patted the space next to him. Sitting next to him, she embraced him tightly. He kissed the top of her head. “Remind me never come between a Marais and her prey ever again.”

“That’s not funny,” Jeanne replied.

“I’m the who got slugged, I can make that joke.”

“Don’t make me feel worse, please.”

“Well if you’re gonna say that with those green little eyes.”

She squeezed him tightly. “I thought I …” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

“Kill me?”

She nodded silently.

“Well, it would be a bit of a laugh, considering everything else I’ve survived over the years.”

“It’s not funny.”

“Could be I have a dark sense of humor.”

“I don’t care,” she insisted. “It’s not funny.”

“Oh,” Leonidas said lovingly, placing his hand on her arm. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s just, you weren’t moving and,” she paused, taking a short breath to steel herself. “I was afraid you wouldn’t wake up.”

“Oh, I don’t think a little bump on the cranium is enough to end this mad doctor.”

Jeanne looked up, smiling at him before nestling his shoulder once more. “I’m just glad you’re better.”

“I’ll be more so when we get off this damned ship.”

“You really don’t like sailing, do you?”

“I’d rather be slugged unconscious than spend another day on this wretched vessel.”

“Do you want to go up and get some air?” Jeanne asked.

Leonidas looked at her with a shocked look in his eyes. “I thought we had something special, and now you do this?”

“Oh shut up,” she said. “Come, the air will do you good.”

“You know I wasn’t joking about the hit to the cranium,” Leonidas said, reluctantly following her to the upper deck.