20. Bronwyn

20

brONWYN

I grip the ship's railing, my knuckles turning white as I stare at the vast expanse of lavender sea before us. The gentle rocking of the vessel sends waves of unease through my stomach. I've never been on water before, let alone a body this immense. The sheer magnitude of it all overwhelms me, and I feel my breath quicken.

"You okay?" Zyx's deep voice rumbles close to my ear, his warm breath tickling my skin.

I turn to face him, forcing a weak smile. "Just a bit... out of my element."

His midnight blue wings rustle as he steps closer, wrapping an arm around my waist. The contact instantly grounds me, and I lean into his solid frame.

"I got you," he murmurs, his silver eyes meeting mine. "Is it the seasickness? I have vials for that."

I shrug, swallowing hard. "I think it's more the feeling of not being able to escape and the fear the ship could go down. I don't like not having any contingencies or ways to protect myself. Orcs and other nasties."

Zyx's grip tightens slightly, a protective gesture that sends a flutter through my chest. "Well, no orcs here. Just us and the open sea."

As if on cue, the ship lurches, and I stumble. Zyx catches me effortlessly, his strong arms steadying me.

"Shit," I mutter, embarrassed by my clumsiness.

Zyx chuckles, the sound vibrating through his chest. "You'll find your sea legs soon enough. Here, let me show you a trick."

He guides me to the center of the deck, positioning himself behind me. His hands rest lightly on my hips, and I feel heat rise to my cheeks at the intimate contact.

"Spread your feet shoulder-width apart," he instructs. I comply, feeling slightly more stable. "Now, bend your knees slightly. Good. This stance will help you move with the ship instead of fighting against it."

As we stand there, swaying gently with the motion of the waves, I gradually feel my anxiety ebb. Zyx's presence, solid and reassuring, anchors me. I lean back against him, savoring the warmth of his body.

"Better?" he asks, his lips brushing against my ear.

I nod, turning my head to meet his gaze. "Much better. Thank you."

Now that I'm settled, I walk back toward the railing, gazing out at the endless expanse of lavender sea. The wind whips my hair, sending strands dancing across my face. I've never seen anything like this before - the sheer vastness of it takes my breath away.

The water stretches as far as the eye can see, meeting the twilight sky at a hazy horizon. Waves crest and fall in a hypnotic rhythm, their peaks catching the ethereal light and glimmering like scattered gems. The air is thick with the scent of salt and something else, something magical that I can't quite place.

I'm so lost in the view that I nearly forget Zyx's presence beside me until his arm slides around my waist. His warmth seeps into me, a stark contrast to the cool sea breeze.

"It's incredible," I breathe, leaning into him.

"Yeah," he agrees, his deep voice rumbling through his chest. "Never gets old, no matter how many times I see it."

I turn to look at him, struck by the way the twilight plays across his features. His silver eyes reflect the shimmering sea, and for a moment, I'm not sure which view is more breathtaking.

"I never imagined anything like this could exist," I admit, my voice barely audible over the crash of waves against the ship's hull. "On Earth, the oceans were... well, they weren't like this."

Zyx's arm tightens around me, a gesture of understanding and comfort. "Tell me about them," he urges gently.

I take a deep breath, the salty air filling my lungs. "They were blue, for one thing. And dangerous. Most people avoided them if they could. But I remember stories... stories of how they used to be, before the orcs came. Beautiful and teeming with life."

As I speak, a school of bioluminescent fish leap from the water, their scales glowing with an inner light. I gasp in delight, and Zyx chuckles.

"Looks like Nythorra wants to show off a bit," he says, a smile in his voice.

We stand there in comfortable silence, watching the sea and sky meld into one vast, shimmering canvas. The ship rocks gently beneath us, and for the first time since boarding, I find the motion soothing rather than unsettling.

But the silence of the ship doesn't last long. Once all the patrons are settled, the revelry starts up. It seems everyone is celebrating Nati early.

We stay on the edge of the ship, though, while Naia and Kairos weave through the crowd. The idea of being surrounded by so many people right now makes me nervous. And it's almost like Zyx can tell as he tries to distract me, pointing out various creatures in the lavender waters, his excitement contagious.

"Look there," he says, gesturing to a group of shimmering forms gliding alongside our vessel. "Those are moonwhispers. They're said to sing to the moons, to help us judge time."

I squint, marveling at the ethereal beings. Their bodies seem to shift between solid and translucent, leaving trails of bioluminescent light in their wake. "They're beautiful," I breathe.

Zyx nods, a smile playing on his lips. "Wait till you hear them. It's like nothing you've ever experienced."

As we sail on, Zyx teaches me about the stars and how the noctari use them for navigation. His hand covers mine as he guides my finger to trace constellations I've never seen before.

"That cluster there? We call it the Hunter's Bow. It always points towards Terramyst," he explains.

I lean back against his chest, feeling the rumble of his voice. "How do you account for the perpetual twilight?" I ask, my analytical mind kicking in.

Zyx chuckles, the sound vibrating through me. "Good question. We use special crystals that amplify starlight. Here, let me show you."

He leads me to the ship's wheel, where a complex array of instruments sits. The Captain greets him with a smile, letting the two of us step up in front of the wheel. At the center is a large, multifaceted crystal that seems to pulse with an inner light.

"This is a stellarcore," Zyx explains, his fingers hovering over the crystal. "It absorbs and magnifies starlight, making navigation possible even in the deepest twilight."

I lean in, fascinated by the play of light within the crystal. "It's incredible," I murmur.

As days pass, my sea legs improve, and I find myself eagerly awaiting each new lesson from Zyx. We spend hours discussing the intricacies of Nythorran marine life and the magical properties of the sea itself.

One evening, as we stand at the bow of the ship, Zyx points out a school of creatures that look like a cross between fish and butterflies.

"Flutterfins," he says, his voice full of wonder. "They migrate across the entire sea, following currents of magical energy."

I watch, mesmerized, as the creatures leap from the water, their gossamer fins catching the twilight and sparkling like stained glass. Without thinking, I reach for Zyx's hand, intertwining our fingers.

I gesture to the sea around us, to the flutterfins dancing on the waves. "I appreciate you sharing all of this with me."

Zyx's expression softens, and he pulls me closer. "Bronwyn," he murmurs, his voice low and intense. "Sharing this world with you... it's like seeing it all for the first time again. Through your eyes, everything is new and wondrous."

And it is. Like later, when I stand on the deck with Zyx, my eyes wide as I take in the breathtaking canopy of stars above us once the cloud cover finally moves. It reveals a sky unlike anything I've ever seen on Earth. Countless pinpricks of light twinkle against the inky backdrop, some pulsing with colors I didn't even know stars could possess.

"It's incredible," I breathe, my voice barely above a whisper. "I've never seen so many stars."

Zyx's hand tightens around mine, his thumb tracing soothing circles on my skin. "The view from Terramyst is spectacular, but out here on the open sea? It's something else entirely."

I lean into him, savoring his warmth against the cool night air. "On Earth, we lost most of our stars. Light pollution, then the chaos after the orc invasion... Seeing a sky full of stars became a luxury, then a distant memory."

Zyx wraps an arm around me, pulling me closer. "I can't imagine a world without stars," he murmurs. "They're such an integral part of Nythorran life - for navigation, for magic, for our stories and myths."

"Tell me about them," I urge, tilting my head to look at him. In the starlight, his silver eyes seem to glow, reflecting the celestial beauty above us.

Zyx smiles, lifting our joined hands to point at a cluster of stars. "See that formation there? We call it the Twilight Crown. Legend says it was formed when Oltyx cast his crown into the sky to guide the first noctari."

As Zyx continues to share the stories written in the stars, I feel a profound sense of gratitude wash over me. Here I am, worlds away from the harsh reality I once knew, learning about constellations I never dreamed could exist. And beside me stands this incredible being who's opened up not just his world, but his heart to me.

"What are you thinking?" Zyx asks softly, noticing my silence.

I turn to face him fully, our hands still intertwined. "I'm thinking about how incredible it is that we…that I ended up here," I admit, my voice thick with emotion. "I thought I was destined to die at the hands of an orc."

Zyx's free hand comes up to cup my cheek, his touch infinitely gentle. "I'm very glad that is not what happened."

And as he leans in for a kiss, I have to bite back the question that's starting to plaguing me.

But what will happen to me next?