The Book of Terrus: A Land of Sunlight

Chapter 14 - From the Depths

"I...oh stars...Jath, marry you?! But it was only just a kiss! We haven't known each other but a matter of weeks, barely even months." The resigned sadness emanating off of Jath made Lhara curious. No man of Trosk would have reacted in such a way to such a reasonable – practically predictable - rejection. "Is...is that how they do such things in Vaelona?" she asked gently.

"Not usually." Seeing Lhara's honest confusion, Jath seemed to revive a tiny bit. "Amongst Vaelonese nobility, most marriages are arranged by the families before the bride and bridegroom come of age. In fact, it's often the style for young men and women to make a joint celebration of their wedding and their twentieth birthday. When a couple does choose each other out on their own though, they don't usually show overt affection until they're either engaged...or soon intending to be."

"But how do they know they're interested in each other unless they show affection??"

Now it was Jath's turn to look incredulous. "There are other ways to express interest besides physical affection. Spending time alone together, talking, sharing hobbies, playing games, those sorts of things. In fact, most young nobles don't even spend that kind of time together until their engagement is secured between their families. And even then, the couple is usually supervised by an older relative." A pink blush began to crawl up Jath's cheeks again. "Being alone together without a chaperone is considered...well...very intimate, to say the least."

Comprehension tinged with amusement was beginning to break through in Lhara's mind. "So...the whole trip from Trosk to Falerik, when we were alone together, talking and playing the Tale of Tales..."

"The very definition of Vaelonese courtship. Far more so, in fact."

Whether by design or honest need, it was then that the bosun Irbu came down the ladder from the quarterdeck nearby. Sweat was already dewed across the top of his bald head like mountain dew on volcanic rock. At Lhara and Jath's questioning looks, he gestured to the rigging behind them.

"Just need to get to checking the pulleys for salt...This boat's been at sea a while." He indicated the lines behind where they stood. Sure enough, a fine white crust of salt could be seen around the grooves of the blocks and turnbuckles.

"Oh! Sorry!" Lhara exclaimed. "We didn't mean to be in your way."

"Ts'fine, no problem. Madame Kiiss paid for your passage anyhow, so you needn't worry about feeling underfoot."

Seeing Reyson hard at work amongst the sailors and Yidu helping to carry the breakfast dishes back down to the galley, Lhara and Jath both squirmed self-consciously anyways. A quick glance at one another confirmed that they were, indeed, underfoot and feeling guilty about it.

"Would you like any help cleaning the pulleys, Irbu?"

Lhara's offer seemed to be precisely what the bosun had been fishing for. Beaming at the two of them, he clapped them on the shoulders and nodded.

"Well if you're offering, then yas, that would be grand! Go find yourselves buckets of water with a splash of vinegar from the galley, as well as some hard-bristled brushes. We'll set you to work on the main deck first."

"First?" asked Jath cautiously.

"Sure, tackle the big deck first. Then there's the fore-deck, the quarterdeck, the poop-deck..."

Suddenly, the StormRider seemed an enormous vessel. Lhara recalled wishing it were bigger when she had first seen the size of the bunks in the hold. Now, she thought they could have cheerfully made do with a simple dhow.