Chapter Text
Nara Windrunner's POV
A couple of months after we’ve retrieved the Granite Ram, and a few weeks after Monte has returned to Sunset Tower and renewed his vows, we finally return to Greenhaven. Once the sailors yell out that they see the island, I run out to the bow.
Scout’s dormant again, he and ships really do not get along. Even without him, I can still see pretty well. The seawater splashes up at my face, as I lean over the edge. I laugh, and reach my hand down. As the spray of seawater hits my hand, the outline of Greenhaven Castle becomes clearer.
We sail for a few more minutes, before docking. It’s dark still, and the sun shouldn’t be rising for a few hours at least. After we’ve docked, I practically run back into the cabin and wake Tarik, Conor, Rollan, Meilin, and Abeke. When I wake them, Conor says,
“What’s going on? It’s still dark outside.”
I grin, “We’ve docked at Grreenhaven!”
“Why are you so excited?” Rollan asks.
I smirk, and shrug. I haven’t had my cloak on because I didn’t want it to get wet. But I cross over to the peg where my cloak hangs, and take it down. I pull it around my shoulders, and clasp it around my throat.
Once the others are done getting ready, we all head outside to the deck. The captain walks over to us, and says,
“I thought you all would be sleeping on board again tonight.”
“Nara woke us up,” Tarik says, “She’s been wanting to get back for a while.”
The captain laughs. “Well, I’m sure you aren’t complaining.”
“Definitely not,” Rollan says. He and ships get along about as well and Scout and ships do.
We walk off the ship, off the dock, and then mount up onto six horses. The only safe way up to the castle, is on horseback. We have to ride up a steep trail, and that’s the safest route.. The only other way up, is climbing up the cliff face. And it’s a very, very long drop.
We ride up the trail to the castle, I’ve released Scout so that he can run around too. Olvan left Sunset Tower before we did, actually, he and Lenori left a few weeks before we even got to the tower. When we docked, the captain sent a messenger on the fastest horse down at the docks. So when we arrive at the castle, Olvan and Lenori are waiting for us.
I swing off my horse, and land on my feet easily. A stablehand runs up, and I give him the reigns. Tarik and the others dismount, and more stablehands run over to take their horses from them. I walk over to Olvan and Lenori with a smile on my face.
“Olvan. Lenori. Nice to actually be able to see you again. At least while we’re alive.”
Lenori smiles, “It’s nice to see you again, Nara. And it seems that going on this mission has healed you in ways that no one could have guessed.” Scout growls from beside me. ”And Scout too.”
“It has,” I say, reaching down to scratch his head. “And you can thank Conor, Meilin, Rollan, and Abeke for it as well. Being around them helped me realize that I can’t keep from being a big sister, but I also can’t live in fear for the rest of my life.”
Lenori nods with a smile. Tarik gives Olvan the full report of what happened in Amaya, while Lenori and I take the kids to their rooms. We climb the staircases, and leave the kids at the rooms as we walk through the castle.
After Lenori leaves to go to bed, I run up the stairs and end up outside of a tower room. I hold my arm out to Scout with a question in my eyes, and with a small flash, a tattoo appears on the inside of my forearm. Then I pull my necklace out from underneath my shirt.
I knock on the door gently. After a minute, the door opens. I smile when I see the man who opens it. He grabs my hand, and pulls me into his room. He then wraps his arms around me, and rests his head on top of mine.
“Nara, you’re back.”
“Safe and sound, just like I promised I would be. You really shouldn’t doubt me so much, Finn.”
Finn chuckles lightly, and I wrap my arms around him.
“I know. But you know we’re both a little paranoid now.”
“True. I missed you though.”
“I missed you too.”
I relax, and lay my head on Finn’s chest. He tightens his grip around me, and I pull my arms up to hold onto his shirt. We stay like that for a while. After we stop hugging each other, we both sit down against the wall. I curl up into his side.
“Did you get my letter?” he asks.
“I did. I kept it with me the whole time too. I would read over it at night on the way back. Reading what you wrote, and imagining that you were saying it, helped me to remember who I was, and how much we really do love each other.”
“Good, I’m glad. Now, tell me about your mission.”
I laugh lightly, “All right. I did say that I would, after all.” I take a breath, and start the story, “First we went to Trunswick, we got Conor and Briggan out quickly and with no trouble, and then went on our way. Lenori sent us a message telling us to go to Xin Kao Dai, instead of the port city we had planned to go to. We got Meilin and Jhi, and while we were there, I sent you a letter.
“We took a ship from Xin Kao Dai to Concorba. After we docked in Concorba, we made our way to Sunset Tower. While we were there, Conor had a vision of a raccoon and a bear leading him to Arax. Lenori and Olvan interpreted it as two former Greencloaks, Barlow and Monte, leading us to Arax. We rode out from Sunset Tower, and a week later arrived in Boulder City. We persuaded them to join us, and then headed out into western Amaya.
“After a few weeks of traveling, we encountered a tribe of Ravens. Meilin beat their champion, and we left them. A few days after that, we found Arax. When we asked for his talisman, he got angry. Abeke and Uraza were found by the Conquerors, so we were up against them too. Zerif was with the group. I fought him, but neither of us won because Arax got so angry because Abeke had taken his talisman. Barlow, the man with the bear, threw Arax off the side of the ledge we were on. Zerif stabbed him in the back afterward. Abeke left their side, and joined ours. I also told them about why I hate Zerif so much.”
Finn blinks a few times, then says, “Figures. Your first mission would have to be crazy.”
“It was. But, it was nice too…” I trail off.
“Nara, you don’t have to not tell me stuff just to spare my feelings. I want to know how your bond with Scout is now. Is it better?”
I duck my head, and feel my cheeks get warm. “I forgot how well you can read me.”
He smiles. “We’re engaged, Nara. I probably know how to read you better than anyone.”
“I know. And okay, I’ll tell you. During the weeks traveling to find Arax, and back to Sunset Tower… I don’t really know. I felt more like myself than I had the entire trip. And when the battle came, I realized that mine and Scout’s bond felt the same as it did before.”
“Good, I’m glad.”
We keep talking for hours. But eventually, I start to nod off. Being curled up next to Finn, knowing that we’re both safe, is by far, the most relaxing thing to me than anything else in all of Erdas. As I start to succumb to my exhaustion, Finn whispers in my ear.
“I love you, Nara.”
“I love you too,” I whisper back
Finn pulls a blanket down from somewhere, probably his bed, and pulls it over us. My exhaustion from the past couple of months, combined with how safe I feel right now with Finn’s arms wrapped around me, the warmth of the blanket, and the happiness and relief that I feel… I start to fall asleep.
Just as I fade into sleep, I feel a gentle kiss on my forehead. My heads tilts over to the side, and my ear ends up directly over Finn’s heart. The steady beat of his heart, pushes me even further to the edge of sleep.
I’ve had my hair up in a long braid down my back, it reaches nearly to my mid thigh, but Finn starts to pull it out. He gently, but quickly, pulls each link of my braid out. He reaches the crown of my head relatively quickly, since he has had practice with this. After he’s pulled the last link of my braid free, and has combed my hair to fit with my natural part, he starts to brush though it with his fingers.
Combining the gentle pull of Finn’s fingers through my hair, his heartbeat, the blanket, the safety I feel, and my exhaustion soon pushes me right to the edge of sleep.
“Go to sleep, Nara. Don’t worry, you’re safe.”
My eyes were open, but after Finn says that, they flutter close. Just before I completely succumb to sleep, I feel Finn press his lips to the top of my forehead, right on my hairline. Sleep comes as a dark wave, and I welcome it now. Sleeping in Finn’s arms, even on the floor of his room, is the best night’s sleep that I’ve had in a long time.