‘Doubt thou the stars are fire;
Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love.
Shakespeare
Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love.
Shakespeare
42 Ymiden 716
It is dangerous not to count the days at sea when sixty-three stand between then and soon to be, not doubled yet if the man were to point his compass home, and sail back into loving arms. Malcolm lay on his back in the cabin bed, staring into the lightless room, a darkness to rival his own at the thought of being so far already from the woman he loved, the woman he should have defied an immortal for. Burly fingers went through slick, wet hair, the pillow damp beneath his palm, liquorice curls twisted tightly about the lost digits. Quickened, his body experienced the echoed reaction to an impending vision, one that saw him sit up on the bed, eyes closed and brow furrowed. He had seen the man before, red of hair and hot of heart, his inner turmoil swirling behind glassy, knowing eyes. Vakhanor, yes that was his name, the smith from Andaris Elyna had befriended and invited to their wedding. Malcolm smiled, at least she had taste he supposed, though this did little to ease the sting of her actions.
On his feet he took to the deck of the ship to lean again the rail and look out across the ocean in the direction of Rynmere, not yet far enough from the coast to lessen the chance of spotting Mer, most of which seemed to prefer the shallow waters south of the kingdom. The sun was setting, orange, purple, and gold beyond the horizon, light carried across the calm waters, mirroring the beauty of dusk.
The ship slowed for the captain to navigate the sandbar and Malcolm stared down at the lapping tide, appearing an oily black colour, cast in the shadow of the vessel and lowered sails. He needed something to take his mind off of home, the distraction of a game of cards perhaps with some of the crew, or other citizens bound west. He had brought a bottle of ale for the journey and retreated to his cabin to find it before going in search of the onboard dinning room.