Nomad

Dark Kingdom

"Hey, Sunshine, check it out!" Eugene called.

"Hm?" She looked up from where she had been playing a flute with Varian playing guitar and got up to see what he needed. "Eugene?"

Eugene grinned and pointed to an island they were passing. "Remember when I said I wanted to buy an island? That's it right there! Think we can talk Quirin into stopping to check it out?"

"Hm...I'm interested too, but we're on a pretty direct course and he doesn't seem to want to deviate." Rapunzel pouted a bit. "I wanted to go to Neserdnia while we were on the sea and he said 'no'."

"Yeesh, he's strict." Eugene looked over at where Quirin was standing at the wheel of the ship. "But, he does seem to be pretty fixated on going to the Dark Kingdom."

"He seems nervous, too." Rapunzel nodded. "But when I ask him about what the plan is, he just assures me that everything will be alright, that I'll find out when everyone else does."

"Starting to think that Varian is the only one in that family that doesn't have 'enigmatic' as a second language." Eugene said dryly.

–

"How much longer until we get to the Dark Kingdom?" Varian asked.

"Soon, Varian. We're making good time." Quirin assured him. "The wind is on our side, and the moon has been in our favor. The seas have been calm, too."

Varian nodded. "So...you really think that everything will be okay?"

Quirin smiled and rubbed his head gently. "Don't worry. Soon, you will understand what I mean."

Varian shrugged and walked off to join Clyde and Soul, who were looking at some big fish they were passing by. Well, Soul was looking at a fish, Clyde was looking at Soul.

"Do you think that we'll see any mermaids?" Soul asked excitedly.

"If we do, I doubt I'd even notice." Clyde admitted, smiling at her.

Varian chuckled. "Who needs a mermaid when we have such a cute girl with us?" He kissed Soul's cheek.

She blushed and covered her face with her hands.

–

The voyage continued on, with Quirin keeping them on-track, and Varian was sitting in the crow's nest when he suddenly gasped and got up. "Dad!" He called, looking over at him. "Dad, there's some huge...thing over in the distance there! It's HUGE!"

"Hold on!" Quirin left the wheel to someone else and climbed up to join him. "Ah, that's the Great Tree." He explained. "That's where your Uncle Hector lives."

"Once we pass it, we're in the territory of the Dark Kingdom, right?" Varian looked at him.

"Right." Quirin nodded. "It won't be much longer before we reach the dock."

"That is really a big tree." Varian said in awe. "I bet he has the best view from the top of it."

"Mmhm. Maybe I'll take you there, once we're settled in." Quirin said, chuckling a bit as he went to go back down.

"That is a biiiiiig tree." Varian nodded, then followed him down.

"Varian, what were you calling to your dad about?" Rapunzel asked, walking over to him.

"Climb up into the crow's nest, you can see a big tree!" Varian said, climbing up again. She climbed up after him and gasped. "See? It's a big tree. Dad says that's the Great Tree my uncle Hector lives in."

"Oh, wow...that means we're so close to the Dark Kingdom." Rapunzel said softly.

"Actually, now that we've passed it, we're in the area of the Dark Kingdom, dad said." Varian informed her. "Well, the outskirts. According to what he's told us, this is where they evacuated to when the Moon was, uh...in a bad mood."