Lucky to Find It

Writers: Devin, Kaysea
Date Posted: 5th June 2009

Characters: Royani, Marod
Description: Marod remembers the voyage North as he and Royani share a pleasant day.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 3, day 1 of Turn 5
Notes: Northern Continent

The hill gave a wonderful view of the bay below, and of the busy harbor. Merchants, sailors, travelers and various local folk moved about in the late afternoon sun. Marod put an arm around Royani, sea salt and the smell of her hair in his nose.

"It all looks so... so peaceful and beautiful from up here." Royani said, her voice full of wonder and awe, the view always took her breath away, but more so on such a lovely day.

"We were lucky to find such a perfect place." He could spend candlemarks up here, watching the hold below.

"We were... Makes me wonder if you didn't grow up in a place similar to this?" she said, realising not for the first time, just how little she still knew about the man she had fallen in love with.

"It wasn't this nice." He offered her a brief smile before turning back to the scene below them.

"North or south?" she asked curiously.

A long moment passed before he answered, "South."

"You don't want to talk about it, do you?" her voice was soft, as she rested her hand on his arm.

"No." He twined his fingers with hers. "Someday, I'll tell you, but I'm not ready yet."

"Shall we go down?" she asked, nodding an understanding she really didn't feel. "I want to be a part of that." she said, indicating the scene below.

"Okay." He stood and helped her up. He felt a lump of guilt for keeping his past from her. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her, it was because he didn't want to bring up the memories by talking about it.

"I've upset you, haven't I?" she asked, looking up at him with a worried frown on her face.

"Don't worry about it." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "It's too nice a day to be upset."

"Okay." she smiled at his endearing kiss. "It is a beautiful place, isn't it?" she said again, "I can't believe we were lucky enough to find somewhere we could settle in for a while..." she said, not letting go of his hand as they wended their way down the hillside to the harbor below.

Marod looked out at the ships, full of goods and passengers going one way or the other. They _had_ been lucky.

~ ~ ~

The sea was rough tonight and Marod lay awake, listening to the ship creak. He wished he could have gotten them more, even a tiny room, but passage and meals were all he'd been able to barter.

Royani tossed and turned, not coping with the rough seas, someone had placed a pail beside the cot she was laying in, and she occasionally felt the bile rising in her throat. She wondered how Marod was dealing with the weather and the rocking of the boat they had boarded earlier in the day.

When she turned again, Marod shifted to face her. "Trouble sleeping?"

"Yes..." she answered quietly, gulping at the air again in an attempt to stop the nausea rising again.

He rubbed her arm. "The sickness will pass. The first day or two is the worst."

"I hope so." she smiled wanly into the dark. "Marod?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think it'll ever be safe for us to go back home, again?" she asked; emotions rose within her and she had a hard time keeping her voice steady as she asked the question that had been uppermost in her mind since... Since they'd left Klegan and Boesyn behind.

Us ... she included him as if Amber Hills was his home as well. "I'm sure it will be, in time." The problem was, they didn't know if what they'd heard was true or not. Running away was, unfortunately, the safer route.

"I hope so. I...I don't want to leave you - but I also would like to go home - one day." she said, snuggling back into him.

"Yes, one day." He promised himself that if it was safe, he would take her home. No matter what the consequences for him were.

~ ~ ~

"The boats are coming back in to dock. Maybe we could buy some nice yellowfins for supper tonight?" she asked, squeezing his hand softly.

"That sounds good." He squeezed back, smiling.

"Tubers or cold vegetables to accompany them?" she asked, as they began the descent to the harbour below. "I'm beginning to enjoy cooking - something I would never have thought possible a short turn ago."

**And I'm enjoying an honest life ...** To Royani, he said, "Tubers, and we'll get a few fresh spices, too."

"Done..." she nodded happily.

Last updated on the June 15th 2009

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Lucky to Find It