06| Departure

Eustace had apparently turned out to be Mel's mother-in-law and this panicked her to some extent. But the old woman's good graces, soft countenance, and charisma set Mel and her whole family at ease. Although her brother, Enmel, was somewhat aloof, he didn't have much of a presence. The castle received the guests from Orion with morbid curiosity. While Eustace and Enmel were tall and slender-figured, some of the Orions that came to rest in the castle were huge.

This left Mel questioning what her husband would look like, but she was too shy to ask the old woman, and Eustace didn't say much about her son. The reason they had taken such a long time to get in contact with Urn in regards to the union was that they had encountered a few inconveniences on their end. That aside from the fact that some of their men had to go deep into the woods to hunt for rare creatures and materials that only appeared during a certain time frame within the span of every few decades.

Eustace apologized for the delay and brought along numerous gifts for Mel's family, which led to a small send-off party for the young lady. Contrary to what had been expected, Mel had a pleasant evening that day, and the rest of the after-party was spent dining with Eustace, Enmel, and the rest of her family.

And for the first time since she was little, Mel spent the night in her parents' bed, as a last goodbye.

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The forest floor was trampled by the heavy hooves of large, muscled horses, weighted down by their equally large riders. The evening breeze swept through the hair, rustling the trees as the horses stepped out into the vast clearing, a grey field spreading out before them. Bjorn Beowulf's white hair ruffled with the wind and his blue-eyed gaze narrowed at the large settlement a great distance away. His home.

"This was a fruitful week," Dov commented, riding his mount to Bjorn's side.

Bjorn nodded in answer, the murmurings of fellow hunters behind him breaking his momentary peace and concentration.

"At long last!" Dov slapped Bjorn's back with a boisterous laugh as he spoke loudly, "We shall finally meet our Chief's sweetheart! Isn't that right, boys?"

The men roared with a jovial outcry and Bjorn glowered at his best friend. Dov shrugged innocently and kept laughing, ignoring Bjorn's searing gaze. "Lighten up, man," he added, "This is a joyous occasion."

"I wonder how far Sprite is," one of the men commented.

"Not too far enough," Bjorn growled, wishing the travel would take far longer, eternity even. He had been pushing off this union for the past ten years only for his mother to put her foot down and head all the way to Sprite herself to bring back the young woman.

Bjorn gave his mount a light kick and trotted ahead of the others, eager to be away from the jeering men. They hadn't mentioned such nonsense during the hunt. Maybe it had been the excitement from having the clan in sight that roused such unpleasant behaviour from them.

"You have been putting this off too far enough, dear friend," Dov chuckled, his horse darting forward to join Bjorn's. "No need to be spiteful about it."

Bjorn merely grunted in reply.

"Really, at least try to be welcoming. Coming as a stranger to a different place can be unsettling for a lot of people. I wonder if her father has even told her the circumstances of her coming here."

"Don't," Bjorn warned, darting Dov an annoyed side glance. "Don't even…" His lips turned down in a disturbed frown and he stopped talking.

"I guess you would like the evening to yourself?"

Bjorn nodded. "Yes, Dov. I would. Very much."

Against better judgement, Bjorn could feel his stomach churning. He didn't know how to describe the feeling, but he didn't want to call it nervousness. All he probably had was this evening and tomorrow if his mother wasn't staying overnight at Urn.

"Even if she arrives, I hope her family made the sensible decision of raising a proper woman well able to watch over my domain in my absence… and one who would respect my privacy."

Dov raised a brow at his friend and looked away, a smile playing at his lips as he tried to stifle a laugh. "Oh, Bjorn." Dov shook his head. "There is little to no privacy between married partners unless you want your woman to be 'very' lonely." Bjorn frowned but Dov continued, "Then again, I am sure she must be a capable woman."

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Mel stood on deck, looking down at the potted peach-coloured flower her mother had given her mere minutes ago. As she held the clay vase in her hands, she recollected Harriett's trembling hands as her mother gave her the gift.

Anna stood beside Mel, silently watching the young lady trying to make sense of her mother's parting gift.

Mel looked up and glanced back at her mother, her eyes widening as she noted the growing distance between the ship and the harbour as they took to the sea. Harriett stood still, watching the Orion ship depart with her daughter, and Mel's eyes watered, her chest beginning to tighten as she realised she was finally leaving her family behind.

"My lady," Anna whispered, wrapping a comforting arm around Mel's shoulders and drawing the young woman to her side. "It will be alright."

Mel gently shrugged off Anna's hold, holding back her tears with a shake of her head. The wind snapped at her face and she sniffed. She had to be strong. Weeping now on what was supposed to be a joyous occasion would feel like an insult to her new family, and she didn't want to be disrespectful.

"It is a sad thing having to leave a family you've known all your life."

Mel stood at alert and eyed the approaching woman. Eustace stopped in front of Mel and lightly touched her shoulder. "Come in, it will be cold outside the further we go towards the Northern seas."

Mel cradled the pottery to her chest and quietly followed the old woman into the ship. From time to time, she eyed the working men who stole brief glances at her, earning a sharp look from Eustace which made them rush about their business. Some sheepishly greeted the new bride-to-be and went about their way. They walked through the polished wooden confines of the ship and she and Anna followed Eustace into a wide cabin. The walls seemed to shine and Mel stood, marveling at the beauty.

There were barely any wooden constructions in Urn except their ships and vehicles, and only the richest of clans built a few wooden structures. Then again, those were for plants and vines to climb for support. They were never this elegant.

"Here, sit down." Eustace guided Mel to one of the posh divans and the young woman sat down, gesturing at Anna with a nod to sit beside her.

Eustace sat on another divan facing Mel and her maid.

"That is a beautiful piece." Eustace nodded at the potted plant in Mel's grasp.

A sad smile adorned Mel's lips and she nodded, gazing longingly at the lone budding flower protruding from one of the green stems. "This is her favourite plant… was-until it became mine when I was born."

Eustace looked at her silently, a fond look coming across her features. She took a long indrawn breath. "Do you mind if I sit beside you, Mel? I would like for us to be closer since we will become family very soon."

Mel nodded. "Yes. I don't mind." She slightly shifted and so did Ana, even though there was more than enough space for Eustace to sit by her.

Eustace stood up from her seat and eased herself beside Mel with a sigh, facing her.

"Will-will my parents be able to come for the wedding?" Mel summoned the courage to ask. Then she paused, her heart beating rapidly in anticipation. Then again, under the circumstances of this union, would there even be a wedding.

'I should have paid more attention back when mama was educating me about Orion.'

Eustace sucked her lips in and eyed the plant, unable to meet Mel's eyes. "You see, under these circumstances, your family cannot come." She touched Mel's arm and patted it, a sad look on her slightly wrinkled face. "That is how we do things in Orion. However, your family can come anytime, Mel."

Mel fought back the tears that built their way to her eyes and unable to hold back she sniffed and rubbed at her eyes with her sleeves. Anna took the potted vase from the lady's app to prevent it from falling off.

"No. No. I'm sorry. Please don't mind these… tears." Mel laughed nervously rubbing at her eyes.

Eustace enfolded her in a warm hug and Mel wrapped her arms around the old woman, her chest swelling as she vented out her pent-up feelings onto the embrace of her mother-in-law.