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For a year and a half, the title of captain felt hollow for Vasco. He always felt that it is never pleasant for a captain to abandon his ship. And despite having his loyalty proved to the Nauts, what use is a captain if he’s away from the sea?
Now, standing at the fore of his ship, the Sea-Horse, Vasco felt… right. He breathed in the familiar salty scent of the sea and felt the cool ocean mist spraying on his face as the waves crashed against the ship.
Looking at the seemingly endless horizon in front of them for one last time, Vasco turned his back to perform some routine checks elsewhere. Walking the length of the ship, Vasco nodded and smiled at the other Nauts who turned to greet him as he passed by. He was about to descend from the main deck when his attention caught something, or rather, someone .
And there she was, like a beacon that guides sailors to their way home - Lady Vestia de Sardet, the legate of the Congregation of Merchants. The person who made him conquer the fear of sinking and whom he trusted to sail this bitter sea with him to the very end. His tempest .
She leaned on the aft deck, the soft glow of the sunset casting an orange halo around her dark brown curls braided in a crown. While it painted a picturesque sight of her, Vasco knew leaving the island was a heavy decision despite being welcomed by the natives, her own kin, to stay. Vasco walked in her direction and stood beside her, close enough but not touching to give her some personal space. Behind them, he saw the other Nauts move away out of earshot to give them some privacy.
“I was wondering where you might be,” Vasco said, gazing at her longingly.
Vestia turned and offered him a smile, but the look in her eyes was laced with sadness and grief. “That is kind of you to keep me in your thoughts, captain,” she answered a bit playfully, though her voice still sounded downcast. “Or is it commander already? I believe congratulations are in order.”
Vasco returned her smile despite accepting the promotion half-heartedly. Still, he was genuinely glad to hear that Vestia was happy for him. He just partly felt guilty to have a cause for celebration while Vestia is dealing with her own grief and still believed that she terribly failed the people on the continent.
“I couldn’t have attained it without you,” he sighed, getting lost in the memories of everything they went through as they locked gazes with each other. He felt the mood shift into a more somber one. “I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that our lives changed so much in such little time from when we first set sail together in Serene and landed on Teer Fradee.”
Vestia turned her head away and looked back at the island. Vasco mirrored her gesture and for a long moment, they just stood silently watching the island as it gets smaller until it looked like a speck from the distance.
He studied Vestia from the corner of his eye and saw a sad smile form on her lips, probably thinking about some distant memory.
“You know, Constantin and I always loved to read novels as kids,” Vestia started, her voice soft. “Him even more so than me, I believe. He especially loved those stories that told of magic, fighting monsters, and gallant knights rescuing their princesses.”
She laughed at the thought, sniffling lightly as she wiped some stubborn tears that fell down her cheeks. Vasco listened quietly, smiling sadly at her words while he imagined her and Constantin as innocent children sharing a book between them as they read together. “He always loved the thrill of adventure.” Vestia solemnly added, almost in a whisper.
“Sometimes, I just wish that I’ll wake up and realize that this is all just a dream,” Vestia continued, her voice breaking as her emotions started to burst free from the dam she put up while she kept to her responsibilities as a diplomat. “That it will take me back to the time when we were just 10-year-olds secretly sneaking to his room past our bedtime just to read those stories together. That I’ll whisper, ‘good night, sweet prince’ as I tuck him into bed before I return to my own quarters instead of -”
Vestia stopped speaking as violent sobs racked her body. Vasco pulled her towards him and hugged her tightly, feeling her shoulders shaking while she cried it all out.
From the moment he met both cousins on Serene and during their trip aboard his ship, he always knew that Constantin and Vestia shared a special bond. The man was more than just a cousin to her, but also someone she considered a brother.
They shared a deep sense of connection and understanding with each other. Even a skeptic like Vasco could be made to believe that each person can have their soul entwined with another, as far as the old stories tell. Which also meant that Vestia buried a part of her soul on that island.
Vasco held her and they remained that way for a long time until he felt Vestia start to stir. He kissed her softly on the forehead and murmured reassuring words to her before releasing her to give her a moment to compose herself.
“I’m really sorry, my tempest,” Vasco offered. The concept of grief was not foreign to him as they lost some of their Naut brothers and sisters, but he never knew what it was like to mourn someone dear to him that he could consider family. “I don’t really know the right words to say, but I’m here. And I’ll be by your side to act as your anchor. Always.”
“I’m afraid, Vasco,” she said, her voice raw from crying, leaning her head on his chest. Vasco wrapped his arm around her to keep her steady. “I’m in deep trouble with the Congregation and the Crown. Word of what happened would reach Serene ahead of us and I’d be lucky if my uncle is lenient enough to allow me to be put to trial first. Not to mention that the rival families would be more vicious than ever as the Prince lost his only heir. I don’t know if I have the strength to face all of them at once.”
Vasco shushed her gently. “We will weather this storm together, my tempest. And with us Kurt, Petrus, Aphra. Siora would cross the sea to the continent in a heartbeat if you’d ever need her support too. We’ll do everything to keep you safe.”
“There’s no guarantee that they’ll let me go that easily.”
“I’d whisk you away and we’ll set sail to somewhere they can’t reach us. The offer stands. Or if you want, we could live as pirates.”
Vestia laughed softly as she looked up at Vasco. It was the first time Vasco saw her smile reach her eyes since that mournful day in the sanctuary.
“You’d make a terrible pirate, Commander Vasco,” she pointed out, scrunching her nose at him. She stood on her toes and kissed Vasco, which took him pleasantly by surprise. Regaining his composure, he leaned down to deepen the kiss.
They only broke free from each other after a while to catch their breaths, their foreheads remained touching each other.
As the last remaining light of the day shone on the horizon, they held each other as they let the waves carry them home.