Around noon, the narrow grass track curved around a hill and gave an expansive view of the ocean. Fandri gasped with shock at the enormity of blue-green sea to the horizon. “Wow. I never guessed the sea was so big. It goes on and on forever.”
“Ah, your small-town heritage is obvious. Reloria is an island surrounded by oceans and you have lived fourteen years before your first viewing.” Varl laughed and reached out to grab his friend by the shoulder. “I assure you, there will be significantly less appreciation of the ocean once you have experienced the coming storm aboard a ship.”
Varl pointed east, where dark storm clouds approached, thick with rain and tinged with green. Even as they watched, a gust of wind buffeted poor Fandri-La out of Fandri’s hand. “Catch her, quick!”
Screaming with fright, the fairy was carried along by air currents out over the cliff. Fandri chased her as fast as he could and tried to stop at the cliff’s edge. His feet stopped, but the momentum kept his body moving and he fell over the edge.
“Ahhh…hhh.” His shout hung in the wind as he disappeared off the cliff.
The silence that followed was deafening.
“Fandri, Fandri, can you hear me?” Varl rushed to the cliff’s edge.
He looked down, expecting to see the halfling’s lifeless form, but his jaw dropped to see only jagged rocks below.
“Woohoo.” A blue-maned horse flew past the squire’s ear, with his friend holding on tight and grinning with glee. “This is amazing.”
The winged horse landed beside the squires who clapped with enthusiasm. Fandri climbed down with his fairy safe in his hands.
Varl cheered. “Huzzah, huzzah.”
Telmane gripped young Fandri hard on the shoulder and spun him around. “It is difficult to protect you when you go jumping off cliffs, halfling.”
Fandri felt the heat as his face turned a bright beetroot shade and he hung his head with shame. “I’m so sorry to disobey you, Telmane. But the thing with the halfling and fairy bond is that, if we are separated, our bond will be broken and we will both die. Falling off the cliff was honestly the only thing that kept me alive.”
Telmane’s laughter broke the tension between them, and he ruffled Fandri’s hair with affection. “Just don’t make a habit of jumping off cliffs, youngster.”
This made Fandri laugh as well. “That, I can definitely promise.”
“Now that you have finished wasting my time, can we make our way down to the ships? It amazes me how troublesome this halfling boy can be. I still think we ought to leave him here in the South Lands.” Celdar-Moon was his usual disagreeable self and scowled at Fandri while pleading his case to the king.
Phelaeron-Sky shook his head. “The lad stays with me.”
“Remind me to go on the other ship, then. He’s bound to try to drown everyone who travels with him.” Celdar-Moon’s words hung in the air as he spurred his stallion down the trail leading to the beach below.
Queen Liara-Star sighed. “I will board with him and most of the elves, thus leaving the knights and Telmane with you, my dear. I think myself and Juline-Mist are the only ones able to appease his temper when he’s riled like this. Come my dear.” The queen gestured to one of her handmaidens with long pale hair and calm green eyes. The elves followed the prince down to the beach, with the knights trailing behind them.
Varl brought his horse in next to Fandri’s small pony. “I believe we will be on the same ship, my friend. This will be enjoyable.”
Two tall ships with furled sails, the Voyage and the Pennon, awaited them a short distance out to sea. Fandri looked with trepidation from his pony to the row boats waiting on the shore. “You expect our mounts to get into those rocking boats?”
“Yes, we will blindfold them until we reach the ships and stow them in the hold. They travelled thus from the Western Outpost along the coast to River Haven. I am sure the mounts will behave well on this occasion.”
It took several trips to carry all the frightened mounts. After much bucking and snorting, they were all loaded safe in the cargo holds of the ships, then the passengers all boarded.
Artwork: ‘Tsunami’ painting by Michelle Rene Goodhew