Shadow

Raedwulf Dolph

Idonia and Olen say all their goodbyes before we ride for port. Olen can't ride a horse yet, so we sits with Rikki as we go. It takes about half a day ride down to the port. There we are assured by the Port Master of clear skies and a peaceful journey. A servant that has rode with us to port helped load the travel trunks and three horses onto the ship.

Then we met our Captain named Trygg. He bowed to us, "My Khanel, Khanelea, and these must be..." he looks down at the small Olen.

"Viker and Viker in training," Idonia refers to each before greeting Captain Trygg. "Which one is your ship?"

"The Hollowed Waters, she is my prize, your greatness. If you do not take offense, I know you're a Torbet by blood but your given name has slipped me."

"Khanelea Idonia Torbet-Dolph," she states with the utmost pride.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, your greatness," Captain Trygg bowed once more, taking my mate's hand and planting a gentle kiss there. "And you're Khanel Raedwulf Dolph. I have reserved the Captain's quarters for you two. Consider my ship and my men at your command."

"Thank you, Captain," I told him.

"If you'll excuse me." I nod and he leave our small party.

"It is strange being here again without Danal," Rikki looks around the port, remembering our arrival here.

"No, but we have two more," I grab the hand of Idonia before pulling her close to hold her. "Possibly three," I speak privately to my mate through our bond. Since we completed the bond, neither of us have tested our connection. Our beasts now consider us one, one heart, one soul, one mind. Therefore we can speak through our minds.

"I'll take Olen on the ship, settle him into our quarters."

"I've never shared a room before," Olen states.

"You'll get used to it," Rikki grumbles, giving me one more glance before helping the boy aboard.

"I think Olen just found a new older brother," Idonia states. I grab my mate around her waist and pull her close to my chest.

"Olen shall have many new brothers as a royal Viker," I inform her. "Brothers that treat him better than your brothers. Don't think I missed that use used my name."

"I am your mate, your Khanelea, your name will be the name our pups have, I should have it as well."

"We are fully mated, my name is your name, if you wish it."

"Obvious I do," as she speaks, they call for us to board the ship.

"Do you get sea sick?"

"I've never been on a ship before."

The answer, as I found out, was yes. Two hours into our journey, Idonia bent over the main deck and was vomiting out all the food she'd had that day. The sky is blue, the boat hadn't been rocking bad, but still my mate is having the most retched time on the trip.

I still stood beside her, holding back her hair as she continues to suffer. "My love, do you need anything?" I rub her back.

"There is nothing to do," she coughs a few times. I grab one of the crew mates, asking him for water and to have the kitchen staff to prepare tea and have it sent to the Captain's quarters. He brings back some water, which I help Idonia sip. Once the glass is empty, I help her back to the room.

We sit to have our tea and Idonia seems to get some color back. "How is Olen and Rikki?"

"They are both fine. Captain Trygg is teaching Olen to sail, and at night he is going to learn star navigation," I inform her, making her smile. It is week, but the small gesture makes my heart leap.

"It's good he's not homesick yet."

"Are you homesick yet?"

"I am sea sick," she comments. "I am going to miss my mother and father, maybe Ingolf, but not any of the other brothers."

"Have Eske and Egil always treated you like that?"

"Yes," she scoffs. "I tried to be their equal by hunting a shadowbeast, but it didn't help. In fact, when I came back with all the Viker dead they treated me worse."

"So none of them know you shifted?"

"Miss Osmund knows, you know, and that's it. My father knows what happened to his Viker, Olen likes hearing my stories, but neither of them got told the whole truth."

"Why not?"

"You didn't really believe me, I didn't think he would either. Plus I'm sure he would have told Eske who would have told every Viker, Master, and servant in the homestead. I would be a laughing stock." Idonia coughs a bit, covering her mouth with a napkin.

"I do believe you."

"I shifted in front of you."

"I believed you before that."

"I know," she sighs. I move next to her and kiss her forehead.

"You know my mother will be so excited to meet you, she knows how long I've been looking for my mate."

"And your-- Khannun Kol?"

"I don't know how he'll feel. My father will be overjoyed though, I'm sure you two will get along well. You know, he's killed a shadowbeast?"

"In Theris?" her eyebrows furrow. "When?"

"No, in Minxa."

"He went to Iiesha?"

"Is there not dark north of Minxa?"

"No, if you go shadowbeast hunting there, you sail up to Iiesha. Not even I have been that far north. It is much further up than Theris, much colder and wilder."

"He never told me much about it, just that he had."

"I very much want to meet your father," she grabs my hand and squeezes. "He sounds like an amazing male."

"He is, he is very committed to being our Uncle."

"I can't imagine how it is for you."

"It can be hard, sometimes I wish I didn't know but then I think about everything I would miss out on with him. He took me on a lot of adventures after I found out. Every winter solstice, he would take me up into the mountains on Bethlianna to this hot spring. We would look at the stars and he would tell me about our ancestors, his battles, growing up. Things that meant more to me coming from my father than my uncle."

"I would like to go there some day, it sounds lovely."

"I would love to take you there. Father always told me that it was better to go with a mate then a son."

"He could never take your mother there," she says pensively. "Do you think they are true mates?"

"Like I said, I don't know. Mother never told me and Father refused to speak about it." She stood from the table, I follow quickly concerned she is going to vomit again. Instead her hand cup my face and she leans me down to kiss her.

"It doesn't really matter," she reminds me. "Just my own curious mind. You're the only thing that matter, and you are wonderful."