Away from her home in a human town that held a fairly sturdy truce with the Elves, Myn, a young Elf girl on the brink of womanhood (and an arranged marriage), continues her studies. She has a craving for knowledge, and has long since devoted her life to learning and implementing her knowledge. When the town she lives in is raided by rogue Elves, Myn becomes desperate to return home. She comes across a human who captains a ship, though he is unlike any ship captain she has ever met before. To start, he is a pirate. A man no older than thirty, and yet his grey blue eyes hold lifetimes of knowledge. He is full of mystery and clearly is not one to be trifled with, but he is also kind. He promises to ensure Myn safe passage to her home, for no payment. When Myn agrees, the captain puts her under the care of his quartermaster, an honorable soul who is also an Elf. Myn trusts both captain and quartermaster, though her curiosity about the man who has agreed to help her remains an unending mystery. And she is not wrong, for Captain Alveon Valdair does indeed have a secret…
The light of the white moon above reflected on the smooth surface of the Amarenthine Sea, which was peaceful tonight. Alveon kept a gentle hold on the Winter Hawk’s wheel, steering as was needed. With how calm the sea was, however, little effort on his part was needed. A gentle, cool wind filled the maroon sails enough to propel the ship through the dark water. It was already into the third watch of the night, and the rest of the crew had long since retired below deck.
Alveon’s grey blue eyes looked about the empty deck with a bit of melancholy, thinking back to the days when he had been a cabin boy, running about with the rest of the crew. His father would watch from the wheel, laughing and calling for him, showing him how to sail. All of that had been so long ago…ages ago. Now, all Alveon had was the solace of the night, the moon’s light to guide him when he sailed. He couldn’t even remember what it felt like to feel the sun’s warmth on his skin – not without it burning, anyway.
The wind picked up for a few moments and a bit of his dark brown hair whipped in his face. He smoothed it back slowly, the metal of his father’s ring rubbing against the side of his head. The ring didn’t fit his slender fingers quite the way it had his father’s hand, but never once did he think to not wear it. It was too much a part of him to let go. It was something to hold onto, to remind him that he had once been human, however long ago it might have been.
The faintest sound of a latch clicking open reached his sensitive ears, and his eyes turned down to the deck as he saw a figure come up from below deck. Even with his keen eyesight, he wasn’t sure at first who it was. The first speck of white hair made him assume it was Kamden, his quartermaster and the closest thing he had to a friend, but when he also saw red he realized it was in Myn. The young Elf girl had only been aboard the ship for less than four days, but she had already become accustomed with moving about easily enough. Kamden had said that she was accustomed to traveling by sea when she would return home for the summers. These waters were familiar to her then, though no one could be more familiar with this sea than Alveon.
He watched as Myn came up to the deck, and looking around for a moment. She was clearly not used to seeing the ship’s deck so empty and silent. The look on her face showed how much it unsettled her, but she did well to keep her composure. She turned her head and saw him watching her in silence. This didn’t surprise or unsettle her. Hands clasped in front of her, she began to walk towards him. Her slender, Elven body moved with grace across the deck, her dark blue dress flowing with each step. Her pale skin was illuminated in the moonlight, as was her white hair. The red streaks, known most commonly as “blood streaks” stood out more than normal – the only bright color in the otherwise black night.
Alveon continued to watch as she walked slowly up the steps. “Have you found it difficult to rest tonight?” he inquired as she neared him.
Myn paused as she leaned against the rail to the side, her purple eyes eyeing the captain from head to toe. He was tall and slender, wearing black sea boots and sturdy dark pants. His shirt was a light tan color, but it couldn’t be seen much from underneath his long, dark coat. His long, slender fingers were curled around the ship’s wheel, and she noticed a sliver ring on his right index finger. When she saw him in the daytime, he always kept the hook of his jacket up and pulled as far down over his face as possible, but in the night he kept it back, and it left his face in her full view. He had a narrow face and high cheekbones, thin lips and a pointed nose. His jaw was firm and strong, and the bit of scruff around his face left him with a rugged appearance. His grey blue eyes seemed to scan the darkness with a perceptive gaze, as though not even the shadows could hide anything from his sight. His semi long, dark brown hair was a little messy, as it always seemed to be. For a human, he was certainly attractive.
