Under a Dark Moon [Oneus AU]

Accident

Luella had never been on a boat before. She never had any reason to be since she never left the country, much less the continent of Oliasis.

It was actually sort of cute for the others to watch her struggle to find her sea legs. Moving about the ship at all required someone to be at her side to help steady her. This made the eighteen hour long journey across the sea a little more unbearable than she had anticipated.

Thankfully, she got to send a goodbye letter to Nellie once they reached port, before they boarded the ship. She felt relieved that Nellie would know that she was safe, as well as that her father was gone.

Luella even included some rare coins that her father owned so that Nellie would have a little money to take care of her family with. It was the least she could do for the woman who helped raise her after her mother passed away all those years ago.

While she was sad to leave behind her childhood home, her father's grave, and all of the memories attached to both, Luella was also excited about travelling to new lands far away from those she knew. It was a new life for her, though she wasn't quite sure what that meant yet.

Sometimes, it felt like she stepped right into one of Nellie's novels, and now she was sailing away with six handsome men from foreign lands.

For some reason, she seemed to stick particularly close to Keonhee while they were on the ship. She sat beside him, followed him to and fro, and let him help her move about the ship when she needed.

In fact, she had practically been attached to him since they left the manor the morning prior. Youngjo didn't feel that pang of jealousy when he watched her lay her head on Keonhee's shoulder.

What truly bothered him was the way Seoho seemed to avoid looking at them altogether, as if it bothered him to see her so close to another man. Seoho seemed jealous, and that sparked a similar feeling within Youngjo, though he felt he had no right to feel that way.

His suspicions of what happened with Anisa only grew with time as well. Youngjo couldn't stop his thoughts from running wild.

What if Seoho married her before the tribe that morning to spare them? What if he had truly wounded her, and she sent warriors after them for revenge once she recovered? Youngjo wondered what consequences Seoho's decisions would bring.

Regardless, they were on their way home. They would be much safer there, and that was a relief. Youngjo tried to push all those negative thoughts to the back of his mind. He chose instead to watch Luella fawn over the ocean in childlike wonder.

At some point in the night, he noticed Luella drag Dongju out onto the edge of the ship. She leaned against the wooden railing and pointed down at the water to something only she and Dongju could see.

Youngjo looked out at the moon hanging above them, a little sliver of silver in the sky. It barely provided enough light for him to see Luella's big, sparkling eyes.

"Look," she whispered to Dongju. "The fish are following the ship. Aren't they beautiful?"

Luella watched in awe as the moonlight glittered against the scales of their backs just below the water's surface.

"Beautiful," Dongju repeated with a nod of his head.

He grinned over at her, admiring how much she enjoyed the little things in life. She had truly been sheltered all her life, and for the first time, she was beginning to really see the world outside of her family's dusty old manor.

"The water is so clear," she mused, leaning further forwards. "You can see so much."

Dongju became worried she might fall right over the edge if she leaned up anymore, so he reached over to grab a handful of the skirt of her dress to hold just to make sure she stayed planted on her feet.