Day 4 of Midwinter, Sunrise

Dockyard 1, Gorias

Annwn

We pulled into port just after sunrise on Christmas Eve morning. The amount of effort that went into slowing down a brig with a crew of six was intense. We scrambled around the deck to follow Fern’s shouted orders. Sweat stained my clothes and my hands were torn from pulling on halyards, sheets, brails, vangs, lines, warps, whips, and jackstays.

“You aren’t paying me enough for this chet!” Fia called to Fern as we scrambled to slow the ship.

“I’m not paying you at all!” Fern shouted back.

Looking up from my tasks, I was mesmerized by the sights before me. The city appeared to grow out of the stone of cliffs and expand upward. The rooftops of the buildings stretched into the horizon for as far as I could see to either side. But it was the color that truly captivated me.

The rooftops of many of the towers dotting the landscape were an earthy brick color, and the other boats in the harbor combined into a fleet of ruby and magenta. On most of the ships, the sails came to curved points, reminding me of the flickering of flames. Between the sea of different shades of red, and the reflection of the morning sun, the port of Gorias appeared to be ablaze.

Morias came to stand next to me, gazing at the sight. “Gorias was the first capital of Annwn.” His eyes were full of either nostalgia or wonder…possibly both.

“It is beautiful.” I couldn’t help but stare.

After doing his part to slow the ship, Tadg came to join us in marveling at the city before us. “This may have been the center court of High King Bres, but the heart of the city has and always will be Breo-Banríon.”

“It means Fiery Queen,” Fí said, anticipating my next question. She hovered close to me, leaning a portion of her weight on my shoulder. I pretended not to notice, but I couldn’t help thinking about how much she had warmed to me in the last two days. It felt right having her next to me.

“Brigid isn’t the queen any longer,” Morias said. “But old habits die hard.”

Tadg huffed in annoyance.“Especially on Emain Ablach.”

A line of similar ships approached us from the city. Their movements were coordinated and began to fan out and surround us as they neared The Stern Beauty..

“Coastal cutters,” Fern shouted from the helm. “They will take us all the way in.”

“Is that standard practice?” I wondered if we had somehow stumbled into more trouble.

Tadg nodded slowly. “It’s not unusual. Especially in times of trouble. They are either expecting raiders…”

Fí watched the cutters closely. “Or we weren’t the only ones that had a run-in with the Bánánach.”

It took longer than I would have thought to make it fully into the harbor. The cutters had a mooring in mind for us, and sent three smaller boats over to pick up our crew.

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I hung back to take in the sights as the naval officers came aboard and questioned Fern and Tadg about how and why we came to arrive in Gorias.

Looking around, I had no idea how these ship captains could find their way around the harbor. Each nook and outcropping of the inner harbor looked exactly the same to me. I was just thankful that I didn’t need to take a boat into the docks (wherever they were amid the wash of buildings and seemingly endless hulls).

“Your name?” One of the naval officers asked me, checking a list that they clearly had assembled from their conversation with Fern. Were they checking her story?

“Bren Búachaill.” The man looked up from his writing, assessing me. He gave a faint smirk before moving onto Nosy.

“Come on, tough guy.” Fí was back at my side. She motioned to the dinghies that would take us to shore. I saw that everyone on The Stern Beauty was getting off the ship, even Fern.

I turned to Morias, once we were on the dinghy. “What’s the plan now?”

“I suspect Fern will be parting ways with us,” he said quietly, so only Fíadan and I could hear. Fí chuckled and hit me in the arm.

“Yeah, that’s cool.” I tried my best to act nonchalant. He had actually answered my real question, but I pretended that he had misunderstood. “I meant, where are we going now…to meet with The Dagda?”

Fí seemed excited at that. “Yep. We are gonna head up to Caisleán Saighead and have some good food… OH, and some of Lugh’s special reserve cider. He knows how much I like that…” She trailed off, muttering to herself in excited whispers.

“Translation?” I asked, leaning toward Morias.

“Castle Arrow.”

Stepping onto the docks in Flamebright felt odd after being on the water for an entire day and night. I felt like I was still moving, but the ground needed to get with the program and stop being so stationary. We followed a contingent of navel officers up the long wharf. Fí kept chattering to herself as she flew slightly ahead of Morias and I. Walking behind me was Tadg and Nosy, and behind them came Fern and a few more naval officers. I wanted desperately to stop and wait for Fern, but the collective inertia of the group kept us moving forward.

I was wondering to myself how I might be able to work my way back to stand next to Fern, when I ran into the back of Fí. The procession had come to a halt.

“Easy, chief,” Fí said.

“Sorry. Why did we stop?”

We stood at the end of the wharf at a fair-sized clearing. Other merchants and sailors had been cleared from the area and stood a stone’s throw away, on the outside of the officers. I saw our escorts begin to thin out and head back the way we came. Replacing them, in my field of vision, were a dozen Ellyllon fairies wearing what must have been the house red of Bres and Brigid.

Next to me, Morias held his breath. I looked to Fí for some guidance on how I should react. Her expression was stormy. “What the hell is going on here?”

“These are the Queen’s Guard,” Morias whispered.

The lead fairy came forward to address Fí directly. She sported a Cyndi Lauper, red-orange side-do. “The Breo-Banríon was expecting you.”

“Well, I ain’t here to see Brigid,” Fí retorted.

“You are to come to the castle with our company and speak with the Breo-Banríon immediately.”

Fíadan visibly bristled and her hands moved to a neutral position near Stick. Seeing this, the other fairies collectively moved to an arc around her.

“And if we don’t?” Fí’s hand twitched closer to her weapons.

“We have an appointment with The Dagda,” Morias said, smoothly stepping forward.

“The lady knows.” The Cyndi Lauper fairy hadn’t even spared Morias a glance. “The Ellyllon, the human, and the Sage are to come with us. The rest of you can go on your way.”

Tadg’s voice rang through the clearing. The volume and formality of his words made it clear that he wasn’t only speaking for the Queen’s Guard to hear, but also the onlookers. “I am Tadg Mac Nuadat. My father, Nuada Airgetlám, has sent me to speak with Lord Bres about matters of court. I will be accompanying these fine folk to the castle, without delay.”

The lead fairy furrowed her brow and eyed the people watching the increasingly more interesting spectacle. She appeared to weigh the damage of disobeying her lord versus offending an important servant of the crown.

Her face looked pinched as she made a decision. “Of course.” The fairy pointed a thin arm to the back of our line.“But those two remain behind.”

I turned to see Nosy, looking relieved, and Fern, who was staring directly at me. She held my gaze for a few moments, then promptly turned and disappeared into the crowd.