Chapter 15 - A Barbarian, a Baby and a Boat

The sun’s oppressive heat burned down and torched the barbarian’s skin. Blistering, suffocating. He was drenched in the sun’s blaze, with nothing to protect him from its assault. Not even dipping his hand into the cool water and splashing it across his shoulders could alleviate it.

Aven’s muscles screamed as he rowed. Every so often, his eyes would flick down to the little wrapped bundle on the rowboat floor, as though double checking to make sure she was still there before returning his attention to the sea. The boat’s crudely carved oars dragged through the ocean, pulling it forward across its calm surace.

The barbarian and the baby had only put half a day between themselves and the pirates. While Aven had left their vessel utterly decimated, he wouldn’t put it past them to somehow track them down. Especially considering how furious Kalazure must be with him.

Kalazure’s fury however paled in comparison to the wrath of another. Aven had half a mind to let himself simply die at sea and be picked away by sharks and seagulls, if not for the baby. With a low, long breath, Aven’s rowing stilled and he tilted his head back, gazing up at the hot sun.

How long would they have to keep this up.

Aven was by no means a sailor. He couldn’t tell where they were by looking up at the stars, didn’t know how to track land and navigate. He was just a dumb barbarian in a boat with a baby.

Damn it. Why did he think he could do anything right.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a baby’s cry. Elissa thrashed and squirmed about in her blankets and Aven sat up. “Shh, shh,” he murmured, reaching down. He drew her up from the ground to place her in his arms. Her little nose was burnt red and she rubbed her tired eyes. His throat constricted. “Elissa… was that your name?” he hummed, rocking her about.

It didn’t alleviate her discomfort. Whines turned to cries and she thrashed about in his arms, hot and tired and hungry. Aven grimaced, lifting his eyes to gaze out over the sea. Desperately hoping for a ship, for land, for something. But there was nothing. Simply the vast emptiness of open ocean. “Lucian’s going to kill me,” he murmured.

He’d managed to grab a few of the baby’s belongings before fleeing. Several bottles, a blanket.

But was she hungry? Did she have a bad sunburn? Did she miss the others from the ship? He hadn’t the faintest idea.

“Oh, fucking hell, Aven,” he uttered to himself as he lofted up a bottle. “You don’t know how to take care of a baby…” he shook it about in front of the baby’s face. “This? Food? You want food?”

Elissa’s cries stifled. Warm, brown eyes widened and she reached out for the bottle, tiny hands grabbing. “Guess that’s it,” he said. He laid her on his chest, bottle tipped upwards for her to drink. “There, eat the…. whatever this is.”

With the baby finally quiet as she ate, Aven groaned and tipped his head back, his hair falling over the edge of the boat.

Even in the early morning hour, it was blistering with the promise of a scorching noon and a cloudless blue sky with a glaring yellow sun. Not a bird in sight. Even the wind was still, offering no breeze to cool Aven’s blistered skin.

Aven flexed his jaw. His mouth felt like paper and he sighed, pushing himself up… and stilled.

Brown eyes followed a dorsal fin that touched the surface and curved around the boat. Aven drew Elissa closer to his chest, body tense, ready to spring… before the fin disappeared beneath the water. It didn’t remerge.

For the next day, it was all Aven could do to simply survive. He swallowed down the nausea of seasickness. On two separate occasions, the waves rushed over the boat and threatened to tip it. The second of them snapped his oar in two, leaving him with only one.

Aven kept himself busy however he could. He tried to learn fruitlessly how to navigate, before swiftly learning that endless sea looked the same in whatever direction he looked. He kept the baby entertained, bouncing her when she cried and staying still when she slept.

Finally, Aven simply laid back against the edge of the boat and drew the ring from his pocket. It was still stained with blood, flecks of silver woven into the golden band. He turned it around in his blistered fingers, squinting at the words etched into the side.

As he stared, the letters swam together and flipped like a cork in the water. When his head began to ache, Aven grimaced and closed the ring protectively back in his fist. No. Simply staring at it wouldn’t discern what the letters meant. He’d need Lucian for that.

… he’d been ‘needing’ Lucian quite often, it seemed. He couldn’t help but ache for the Prince, and worry for his safety. Had Lucian managed to rescue the Mindulgulph by now? Was he captured? Surely the pirates would punish Lucian for Aven’s transgression. What if he needed him right now and Aven was stuck here at sea?

He grit his teeth and let his hand dip into the water. Damn it.

Something grinded against his hand, cutting into his fingers like hard stone. “Fuck!” hissed and jerked upwards, rubbing at his bleeding knuckles. “The hell…” he looked down.

Coral had stretched up from the ocean’s depths and all the way up to the surface. It was a palace of colours, from flaming red to deep sea green. And swimming amidst the sea castle’s pillars and spires was a menagerie of marine wildlife. Fish, eels, sharks. A school of fish swam beneath the bottom of the boat, making it oscillate from side to side a bit.

Aven couldn’t help but be amazed at the rich diversity of the sea. Atop the deck of a ship, in chains or otherwise, he saw perhaps the stray dolphin leaping up from the water or the shadow of something perhaps larger beneath the vessel. But nothing like this.

The baby’s gurgling had Aven looking up. “Do you want to see?” he hummed, reaching over. He lifted the baby up into his arms and tilted her over a bit to get a look at the sea below. “See the fish?”

The baby babbled. Hands reached down, splashing at the surface and giggled as a startled fish darted away. It was enough to make Aven, just for a moment, smile as he gave the baby a bounce. “Like fish? I do too. They taste good,” he conversed.

… conversing with the baby. Gods, he was losing his mind.

He lifted the baby away from the water when he spotted the daunting shadow of a hammerhead below. A grim reminder of the danger pressing in around them. With a sigh, he took up his single oar in hand and pushed them away from the coral and back out into sea.

Another grueling day passed with the sun wildly ablaze at its peak in the sky. Aven had taken to building a ledge of shade at the bow of the rowboat for the infant bundled in her swaths. She slept soundly, filled with food from her dwindling supply he’d managed to steal on his way off the ship.

Several dirty diapers had made their way into the ocean in that span of time and once he’d run out, he’d taken to using his shirt as the next victim. It left him heaved over the edge of the boat, shoulders and face reddened with sunburn with no protection left to cover tanned skin.

He was dehydrated and starved more than usual.

Back in the arena, going days without food had been normality when his owner decided to save a few crowns, but after months of dining with the Prince, it felt as if his stomach were going to coil in on itself. A growl tore from his insides and Aven reared his head up from the ocean’s warm reprieve.

Soaked curls hung around his face as water droplets rolled down his cheeks and clung at a stubbled jaw. By no means was the water cool at the surface, but it beat cooking in the heat. Strong, calloused hands raised pushed tiredly over his features and a gaze landed on the baby at the other end of the rowboat.

With how things looked, dying at sea was becoming an increasing threat.

Aven swore to himself, tearing his gaze away from Elissa as he pointedly surveyed the horizon again. Still nothing. No ships, no land, no anything. He couldn’t sit here any longer waiting for the next wave to knock them overboard or the sun to finally claim them.

Fingers dove to the scorching belt holding his trousers at his waist, unclasping it and tossing it to the side with a clatter atop his axes. He shoved them down, wriggling into nothing but undergarments before tossing his body over the edge of the boat.

It rocked dangerously as his weight left and he plunged into the water. While the surface sat warmed by the sun, as he straightened himself rightside up, his feet tickled the border of coolness where the deep ocean threatened to claim him.

He kicked up, head breaching the surface with a gasp of air. A hand lofted to curve at the wooden boat, steadying its drift. Inside, baby Elissa still slept soundly. Good. The time to himself was a welcome reward. Aven pushed a foot away from the side to dip back beneath the surface of the water.

Beneath, eyes burned with strain as he opened them to the salty torrent of water, peering through its murky visage around him. The expanse of the ocean made his head swim with worry of possible threat. As far as his vision could reach, it was desolate. Not a single fish to be found, no coral reefs or banks of ocean floor. Under him, it seemed to stretch down for miles until disappearing into darkness.

He’d never felt so vulnerable. Not even up against Lucian’s piercing gaze.

Aven twisted his body to look the other directions. Strong arms milled through the water every so often to keep him afloat. He’d nearly made a full circle looking around when his final swing brought him face to face with a suspiciously equine form.

Bubbles poured from his mouth in panic on an inhale and he tore himself back, lashing feet to propel him back to the surface. When he broke the surface again, salty water sprayed from his mouth, gaze frantically searching down into the water where he’d seen the creature. “What the hell?” he gasped.

All he could make out was a trail of bubbles where the thing had fled. He kept the boat in the corner of his vision and dove back down. The sting wasn’t as bad this time and quickly he caught sight of it again.

A few yards away, it floated in the midst of the ocean, watching him. Its upper half resembled that of a horse, flowing mane replaced with long, translucent fins and a speckle of scales lining skin. Its lower half, however, drew out into a long, arced fish tail. Powerful body wound around and ready to flee at a moment’s notice.

Aven had not a clue what it was, taken aback in wonder of its beauty. He reached a hand cautiously out to it, feet kicking him closer.

With every forward stride he made, it skittishly drew more distance. The back and forth quickly exhausted the barbarian as he drew out his breath as long as it’d allow. When he could hold it no longer, he surged for the surface to gulp down another few breaths of air. By now, the boat had drifted a few feet away, but he didn’t worry quite yet.

He ducked down again, searching for the creature that had vanished from its place. Gone. Disappointment washed over before a snout knocked against his hair from behind. His position in the water stilled, tension lining his shoulders.

The equine sniffed at him curiously, seeming to be just as curious of the form in its domain as Aven was of it. Drawing its head back, it sneezed, sending a torrent of bubbles washing over the man from behind. A shrill noise clicked from its chest and in a single push of its tail, it shot around him.

Darting and winding around his body, making several laps that spun him in its created current. Then all at once it stopped before him. Its head tossed in another snort, finned hoof pawing forward.

Aven was met with fitful amusement. A smile broke beneath the water, bubbles rising from the corners of his lips and he reached for it again. Careful, slow. He scarcely looked as fingertips neared its snout and it met him halfway. His palm flattened over smooth scales. Brown eyes locked with it again.

It didn’t run this time, allowing his hand to move up along its snout.

He couldn’t help but marvel at it. It was beautiful, wild. Something dawned. His eyes widened as they washed over the creature. Maybe he could use it. Maybe if he could find something, it could pull the boat. They could go somewhere. Anywhere. Hope spread like a fire through the man as his hand parted from the equine.

All he needed was air. He could get back to the boat and fashion something to toss around it.

Aven quickly kicked himself back to the surface, looking about for the boat and swimming for its side again. His fingers curved to the wood siding, heaving himself up to gaze around the contents within. His axes, clothes, baby supplies- rope. It was frayed at the ends from where he’d cut through to disembark from the burning pirate ship, but he’d make it work.

Leaning further in, he snatched it up, beginning to tie a loop at the end of it. “Come on, come on,” he muttered to himself, fumbling to knot it.

Finally it pulled tight and he dove again, rope in hand. Only this time… it really was gone. He searched every way, turning multiple circles before allowing the realization to sink in. Whatever it had been had either left, or was never there to begin with.

Hopelessness weighed on him like a pile of stones in his stomach. The last of his strength oozed out and with a helpless sigh, twisted around to lay on his back in the water. Brown locks floated about his head. The gentle ocean waves splashed over his burned chest. And his eyes stung. They burned red and he took a breath, letting them ease shut.

Why did he think that might work. He never ‘hoped’ for things before. Back in the arena, he simply survived at the hand of his own raw will and skill. Not by ‘hoping’ that something might come along to save him. His time with the Prince had made him soft. Weak.

And now… now he was going to die here at sea.

Aven was half tempted to just sink down when he heard the deep rumble of thunder. Aven kicked his legs, rightening himself and threw his arms over the edge of the boat as he looked out over the horizon. Where there had only been clear skies several hours earlier, there was now dark clouds pooling in the distance.

“Shit,” he hissed, heaving himself into the boat. They could not get caught in a storm. He’d been struck by several large waves, and even on a clear and perfect day it nearly capsized them.

This would kill them both.

He took up his single oar in hand and drove it into the water, turning them around. There was no way he could outpaddle a storm, but he could put as much distance between them as possible.

The clouds that had gathered over the next few hours were dark and unyielding, smothering the hot afternoon sun. The storm reached them in a torrent of rain. First, a couple fat drops of water fell from the sky and splashed across his bare arms and chest. Then another, and another. Soon, it streamed down from the dark sky, pricking at his skin and soaking his hair. Elissa began to sob. She thrashed about on the floor and Aven grit his teeth, reaching over.

“I know, I know,” he soothed, voice trembling in a panic as he drew the blankets over her face, to give her some kind of shelter from the coming tempest.

The sky looked ready to collapse upon them. Gravel grey, they blotted out any blue of the sky, the rain pouring down and splashing into the sea. The temperature dipped. Shadows were cast across the sea and the boat began to tip from side to side, oscillating in a gut wrenching motion.

Aven tore his oar into the sea, desperately trying to steady it. His muscles ached with exhaustion, his head swam with fatigue, and the moment the first wave smashed into them, his oar snapped in half with a crack. “No!”

Aven made a desperate grab for the oar, and both pieces were ripped from his hands and beneath the tide.

The rain passed over them in a torrential veil. Wind ripped it about, making the shower slam into his face like tiny needles. The wind roared and threatened to knock him on his side and Aven made a grab for the edges of the boat, fingers latching on to keep himself steady.

The rowboat heaved and tossed in the rising swells and crashes of the storm.

A powerful wave slammed into the side of the ship. Aven’s grip on the boat was torn away as he was thrown against the side, head cracking against the edge. He couldn’t tell if he was bleeding. Blood was washed away by the rain and his head spun, the boat filling with water.

Elissa.

He made a grab for the baby, dragging her up from the ground and held her tight against his chest. She sobbed, her cries drowned out by the deafening thunder and screaming waves.

Panic. The fear of his own mortality swallowed him whole. There was no enemy to strike with his axes. No man he could put down and tear the life from. He was completely at the mercy of the sea itself, and the sea cried out for blood. Lightning charged across the sky in a snap and Aven pushed the baby’s face into his chest as another wave swept over the boat, nearly tossing them over.

“Damn it!” Aven snarled. One arm held Elissa to him while the other grasped for dear life onto the edge of the ship. He was nothing but a cork in the sea. The weight of a man meant nothing to the mountainous waves that crashed against their side, twisting them about, spinning them across the sea’s surface.

There was no direction. He could see nothing past the torrent of rain.

The clouds coiled and writhed above. The storm shrieked, screamed like an animal unlike anything Aven had ever heard. Then, it rose from the sea. A monstrous wave that reached upwards above them, and came tumbling down. Aven curved his body around the baby for only a moment before they were ripped apart.

He lost all sense of direction. What was up, what was down. The boat might have been a mile away for all he knew as salt water burned down his throat, his nose and filled his lungs. He dared to open his eyes. Dark waters sloshed and churned, turning him about and pulling him away from the surface. Panic enveloped his thoughts. He had to swim. Had to survive. The baby. Elissa.

He pushed to the surface. He was able to drag a single breath before the waves pulled him under. Another stream of lightning surged across the sky - and there she was. Small bundle, sinking beneath the waves. He kicked his legs, his arms curving around the baby and with the last of his strength, kicked up towards the surface.

Elissa choked and cried as their heads came above the water. Aven’s teeth slammed together, squinting against the rain as he held the baby aloft, searching desperately for the boat. He found only splinters of wood floating across the surface. Gone. It was gone. Fuck.

He managed to find the biggest plank of wood and pushed the baby’s bundle upon it. It wasn’t strong enough to hold them both. Aven clung on to the edge, gasping for breath, his muscles screaming.

They were going to die here. Elissa would never see the dawn. And Aven… Aven would never see Lucian again. Grief strangled his heart. Why. Why did he think he’d be able to do anything. Aven pressed his face into the plank of wood, tears squeezing past his eyes. “Lucian,” he choked. “I’m so sorry.”

Another wave pulled him away from the plank of wood. It crashed over his head and filled his lungs, his desperate grabs for something to keep him afloat reaching nothing as he was dragged under. Through the dark water, he could see lightning cutting across the sky above. His legs would no longer kick. His arms would no longer thrash.

He was so tired.

Vision blurred. Lucian… Numb, his hand reached through the water towards the surface.

Please.

A hand reached through the water, grabbed his arm and pulled him to the surface.

Aven’s lungs screamed with effort as he drew a breath. Sea water spewed from his lips as he coughed and choked, blinking through the rain, the storm as the figure above him came into view. “Lucian?”

Lucian sat on the back of his summoned hippogriff. His hair, his cloak, his robes, they snapped about in the wind and Lucian grit his teeth, one arm holding the baby to his chest while the other reached down for Aven. “Aven!” He shouted. “Grab my hand!”

Aven’s mind spun. Was this real? Was Lucian really here? He could barely find the strength to even keep his head above water, let alone grab for Lucian’s hand. But as another wave came over his head and nearly sucked him under, Aven ground his teeth, reached and clasped his fingers around Lucian’s.

Lucian heaved him out of the water, Aven scrambling for feathers as he pulled himself atop the hippogriff’s back. “Elissa,” he gasped out.

“She’s all right,” Lucian said. The hippogriff screeched in protest as winds buffeted it to the side. “Aven, you have to stay awake! Hang on to my robes!”

Stay awake. He couldn’t. His eyes fluttered, his hand dropped and he heard Lucian calling out for him through the storm as black flooded his vision.

—————————————————–

When Aven regained consciousness, every part of him ached. He still felt as though he was at sea. Numb. Weightless. Even lifting his head sent a rush of pain shooting down his back and Aven groaned, peeling his eyes open. His mouth felt like sand. His skin burned to the touch. But… he was alive.

He was wrapped in bandages, a strange, cooling balm covering his burns.

He lay on top of a bedroll alongside a beach… no. It was the beach inside the cove. Where it was once crawling with pirates, it was now dominated by Mindulgulph, carrying supplies, licking their wounds. A ship that once bore the symbol of the Scourges of the Swordcoast now flew the Mindulgulph banner. So Lucian managed to do it….. Lucian! The baby! Aven shot up, hissing in pain as he drew a hand to his gut.

“Careful." Lucian leaned against the cave wall beside him. He looked… tired. A sword wound across his cheek was in the process of healing. His arm was bandaged.

“Lucian..” His mind still swam. His hands pressed into the sand. “You… you found us.”

“Of course I did. I had to cast a spell to find you. Imagine my shock when I realized you were in the middle of the fucking ocean instead of in your cell.” Aven’s cheeks burned. Lucian knelt down beside him and Aven averted his gaze. “Would you mind explaining to me why the hell you were in the middle of the ocean with a baby.”

Aven flinched. Somehow, the storm seemed less terrifying than this. “I just wanted to help,” he said lamely. “I thought I could do it. It was just a single job but… but the girl they wanted to capture, she was a baby and..”

“And what.”

“I found one of the soldiers protecting her.” His hand went to his pocket where he felt the weight of the ring. “They made me kill him but he… he knew I could protect her. He gave me the ring, but I couldn’t read what it said.” He rambled. His voice wavered. Tears flooded his eyes. “I took her and blew up the pirates.”

It was a mistake to look up into Lucian’s eyes. Cold fury locked Aven into place. Pain suddenly exploded across Aven’s cheek as the back of Lucian’s hand struck his face. Wordlessly, Lucian pushed to his feet and walked away. Aven stared after him in shock. His cheek stung, but the pain was nothing compared to the immediate wrench of his heart.

———————————————————-

Aven slept through the day. Someone must have been tending to his wounds, for every time he woke, a new layer of balm had been rubbed over his burns and his injuries were freshly bandaged. Finally, Aven managed to pick himself up and carry himself across the beach.

The Mindulgulph filled him in on what they could.

Lucian had taken the form of a pirate and released them one by one. He then released the few other beasts the pirates had kept sheltered with the fallen hydra, and while they caused chaos and began to turn on its masters, the Mindulgulph swept through and took them by surprise. No pirate was left alive.

Aven shouldn’t have been surprised. Lucian Arceneaux, while not the greatest warrior nor the greatest mage had a talent for utilizing the resources and strengths of others. And it was with the Mindulgulph that he found Lucian once again. Inside one of the pirate’s shacks built alongside the cove beach, Lucian stood with a Mindulgulph over a map and they murmured to one another softly until Aven entered. All conversations died. The lizard folk looked between the two, apologized under his breath and swept out before he was caught up in their storm.

Aven was the first to make a move. He swallowed the pit of anxiety in his gut and stepped forward. “…I wanted to thank you for saving us.”

“Barely.” Lucian’s palms were pressed into the map. “Both of you were half dead by the time we found you. You’re looking much better. Well, save for your cheek, of course."

Aven’s gaze darted off. "Yeah…” he murmured. His voice was weak. “You gonna hit me again?"

"That depends on you.” Several swift strides brought Lucian to him. The Prince’s fingers snatched his jaw and forced Aven to look him in the eye. He searched Aven silently. “…I’ve seen you cut down countless men. You’ve been whipped, beaten and raped your entire life. Never have I seen you cry. Now that you’re not delirious…” His eyes softened. His fingers fell. “What happened, Aven.”

Aven shifted. “Their alliance wasn’t worth the filth they’d have smothered upon that baby’s life,” he said simply. “So I blew them up. The whole ship."

"You mentioned a ring. Do you still have it with you?"

Aven drew the ring from his pocket and pressed it into Lucian’s hand. Lucian turned it about, eyeing the inscription carved into the inside. "Alikiir,” he read. “It must be the name of the man who owned this ring."

"Boy.” The sick twist of his stomach had returned. “He…Alikiir was just a boy."

Lucian nodded. "There’s an insignia here as well. It looks like the symbol of the Vanderboren family.” Lucian paused. “I’ve heard of them. Elissa…her parents are both mages in Athkatla. She showed early signs of arcana. The father was slain, and her mother was sent to Spellhold.” Lucian’s eyes met Aven’s. “Alikiir and the others must have been attempting to get Elissa out of the country before the Cowled Wizards found her.”

The gears in Aven’s head turned. “…The pirates said they wanted her for the ransom from her family but..” his fists curled. “There was no family. Just the wizards. They lied to me."

Lucian scoffed. "Are you surprised?” He said. “They would have been hired by the Cowled Wizards, I imagine."

Aven rubbed his head. He leaned back against the cave wall and sighed. "I’m sorry. I’ll leave the decisions to you."

"That’s for the best.” Lucian paused. “…are you all right?"

"Yeah.” Aven’s lips spasmed. As though he had something to say. But a sigh simply replaced his words. “Could use some water."

He moved to walk past Lucian when a hand grasped his shoulder. "What is it?"

Aven tensed at the hand. "I..” He gave a fit of nervous laughter. His face was turned from Lucian. “I think you’d smack me again if you said it."

Red blossomed upon Lucian’s cheeks. His fingers fell from Aven’s shoulder. ”…I shouldn’t have hit you. I’m sorry. I won’t strike you again.“

Aven’s gaze softened at the reassurance. His heart raced at the idea of speaking his mind. Before he lost courage, he swept Lucian’s hands up into his, turning face to face with Lucian. "I think I love you."

Lucian’s only response was an arched brow, eyes searching Aven’s face for a few moments. "Did you come to this conclusion before or after I struck you?” He asked. “For if it’s the latter, I have a few concerns."

A heavy blush rose across Aven’s face. "Before. But it didn’t change even after."

Lucian was quiet. Like he was calculating an equation in his head, or playing an unseen game of chess, eyes focused on Aven’s face without really seeing. Then, he pulled his hands away. "As long as your emotions don’t continue to tamper with our mission, you’re free to feel whatever you like.”

Aven didn’t have time to feel the pang of rejection. A female lizardfolk approached, looking utterly exasperated. “Which of you found the little one?” She asked.

Aven sighed. “I did."

"She won’t stop crying."

"That happens. Did you feed her?"

"Yes."

"Diaper?"

The lizardfolk woman nodded. Lucian tucked some of the parchments from the table under his arm. "Well, Aven,” he said. “Looks like you’re going to be quite busy. Off you go."

"Wait,” Aven scowled. “What are you doing? Maybe I can help."

"Oh, I think you’ve helped quite enough. Zhavaa, this is Aven. He’s going to be the official babysitter.” Lucian leveled Aven with an icy look. “Given their compatible levels of self restraint and carelessness, I imagine they’ll get along well.”