The prow of the mighty Aegeir cut through the swells of the Northern seas. Even at night, the seas were restless this far north. The proud ship rose and fell on the whim of the waters, its timbers groaning in protest as all ships do. The tall masts swung back and forth, white sails shimmering in the pale moonlight. The air was filled with the clean smell of the salt water, and a fine mist sprayed into the air when the prow bottomed out between waves. Caught for a moment in the same moonlight, they hung like white gems before being recalled to the sea by the inexorable pull of gravity.

The night watch on the decks was sparse and engaged in a game of bones near the wheelhouse. They were too busy to give more than a passing curious glance to the beautiful woman who stood in the forecastle, along the port side rail, quietly looking out over the water.

It was easier at night, the darkness cloaked the endless expanse of sky and sea, and for once it was Li-eira's friend. Her day had been spent in her cabin, lying as still as she could on her bed, trying to keep her nerves and stomach under control. Coren had checked in on her, and encouraged her to get out for some fresh air. The furthest she had managed before the night fell was to open her door and feel swallowed by the vastness that met her eyes in every direction.

When the darkness settled, her tiny state room became almost unbearable, suffocating even...and she finally managed to take one small step after another into the cool night air. It was the rolling of the vessel under her feet that took her to the rail and now that she was there, she clung to it tightly and looked into the stars.

Janus had been listless at nights since the night of the ambush, doubts had plagued his mind, and when things quieted down while everyone else drifted to sleep, his mind whirled. How had their enemies found them? Had all his plans and their extra precautions gone for naught? If they were being scried upon from afar, how was he to lead his friends safely to the end of this mess? He had been convinced at the outset that he was not the man for the job he had, but bolstered by the faith of his mentor, he had tried to take control of the situation.

Now those convictions returned. He was supposed to be out in the forest making sure the flora and fauna was thriving and healthy, but here he was on board a ship, leading good and noble men and women to their doom. He wished, not for the last time, for the Wisdom to find a way to see them all alive at the end of it.

He gave up on sleep. Perhaps a night flight, over the sea would help to clear his mind of the doubt. He rose and pulled on his boots and wrapped a cloak around his shoulders, moving through the door and up the narrow steps to the deck. His blue eyes swept the deck looking for signs of trouble, finding that all seemed in order, he took note of the small form standing in the bow, golden hair caught in the breeze, silver moonlight bathing her in its shimmering aura.

Li-eira.

She had plagued his nights and thoughts as well. She had come to him and shared his blanket and pillow. It had been a platonic night of closeness, but when he closed his eyes even now, he could smell her hair. He had played the words of Aislinn again through his memories a thousand times in the last three days. Encouraging him to be bold, to indulge in the very emotion that stood as antithesis to the hatred of their enemies, there was wisdom in her counsel.

He wrapped the cloak tightly around his chest, deciding to forego the night flight in the form of a bird and instead to soar in her presence. He moved forwards and climbed the steps to the forecastle, clearing his throat as he approached her.

"Ahem... is this a private viewing? Or would you care for some company under the stars?"

The sparkle in Li-eira's eyes when she turned to regard him was enough to tell him that he was welcome. Even a blind man would have been hard pressed to miss the way she brightened when Janus was around. She released her precious hold on the rail with one hand and held it out to him invitingly. "Please join me. A whole day without your company has been long enough, I assure you."

Her eyes held his for a moment before she forced them away. Unsure that she wanted the intuitive druid to know just how much she'd missed his company. It was almost a shock to the system, going from spending an entire day of traveling with her companions, to a day of solitude. And when she was left alone for any amount of time with her thoughts, they invariably strayed to Janus; it was the most secure way to keep the heavier thoughts of their quest and Tech Loch at bay.

Janus took her soft hand in his, and with his other kept his cloak pulled tightly about him. A hand on the rail may have been prudent, but he had found his sea legs quickly and had no fear of falling over the side. If that happened, he could change to a duck and fly back to the ship after all.

He stepped to the rail, their hands dropping into natural place between them as he laced his fingers in hers, and looked up at the inky blackness of the sky. "The first time I was ever on the sea, I was struck by how many stars you could see out here. Like looking up into the sky during a snow storm and trying to count the flakes."

Li-eira's gaze followed his to the storm of stars and she smiled. She had always loved star gazing, even as a child it provided her an escape from her otherwise dismal existence. Sharing them tonight with Janus was enough to push the unpleasantness of the sea voyage out of her mind. "I've always been taken by the night sky. I spent some of my first few years at the tower in tutelage under The Astrologer of the Circle. You met him briefly, he was the Llyrigorn Magus, Tuigyth."

"The stars speak to those with the craft...but I could never get him to read my stars for me. I have some skill at it...but I've never tried to read into my own future. The more I learn of prophecies, the less I like them." Her tone was light and her mention of the scroll was nothing more than a passing comment. "At the time, the idea of seeing into my future seemed...fun." She looked over at him briefly and smiled, "...now it just seems foolish."

Janus nodded silently for a moment, his thumb lightly caressing Li-eira's in their clasped hands. "There are some things that we shouldn't know. The whole thing hurts my head. Like Aislinn, I believe we make our own fates. But how then was the poet able to foresee things? It’s an endless chicken and egg riddle that makes me feel inadequate."

The path mage was too preoccupied by the feel of Janus' hand around hers to think properly on the matter. She was so distracted by her crush at times that she felt utterly useless, reading pages of a book only to realize that she couldn't recollect a single word or the vacant look she'd give to Aislinn in response to some question that she should have been paying attention to. She was grateful that silly feeling left her when she was alone with him, the feelings that replaced it were far more enjoyable, even if they were a bit confusing.

Janus fell quiet again for a moment, wanting desperately to change the subject, and shift it away from prophecies, and the doom he was leading them into. "In the highlands, we don’t use stars to read the future, we use them to record the past."

Li-eira turned away from the sky, pivoting a bit closer to him as she did so, her pale blue eyes finally coming to rest on his. The slight tilt of her head made it obvious that he had piqued her interest. "Is that so...? By telling the stories of the constellations and the history of the Gods?"

Janus returned his blue eyes to the here and now, as he felt her turn to him. His eyes were drawn away from the heavens, to the most appealing thing in his vision. "Yes, though they are more legends and cautionary tales, than stories of the Gods, though Tob's people do worship them as a sort of guiding totem. We must seem very backwards to you, but the stars are constant. Scrolls and written histories can be burned and destroyed, as long as parents tell their children the stories, the legends of our people will live on."

A sudden smile spread across Li-eira's face as she responded. "Perhaps if I hadn't met you I could judge more harshly, but backwards doesn't fit you at all. Tob perhaps, but not you. The idea of legends and stories outlasting physical records is most certainly a valid point." Her smile became a grin as she continued, "I'm just sorry that the legend of the berryshine didn't get passed on faithfully enough."

The smile on his face matched hers in genuine joy. His tone was quiet, though strong as he responded. "Oh, I'm plenty backwards, snowflake. But I thought you weren't too keen on spirits, why do want me to have the recipe?" His eyes held a mischievous air in them, as if he knew good and well why.

A bit of warmth crept into Li-eira's cheeks at his question. "Well...I...uh...he...I mean, you." She stopped abruptly, as she always did on the rare occasion that her tongue tied itself into a knot. She narrowed her eyes at him accusingly, completely off put by the way he made her words run away.

"You seemed very set on getting that recipe, and your Master indicated that it belonged to a certain Nymph. I can't say that quest is one that I'd want you to have to undertake on your own. Those nymphs are notorious for their beauty...and Goentryx, well... he made it seem like it might be a...a... challenge, or a price." The flush of her cheeks only grew deeper as she explained herself, completely missing that Janus already knew the answer to his question.

He couldn't help but chuckle, at her fumbling for words, and trying to dance around the crux of her troubles with the idea. He tried to stop himself, for he didn’t want to bruise her feelings, but the mirth tumbled from him, till he could gather himself. When he did, he squeezed her slender hand in his, and with his free hand curled an index finger under her chin and inclined her face up to meet his eyes, so that she could see the sincerity in them.

"If it causes you such consternation and worry over my safety, snowflake, then I will forego any claim to that recipe and never seek it. Though I think I would be perfectly safe, for a Fae beauty has already charmed me and stolen my heart."

The troubled look fell off of Li-eira's face at his comment and both breath and words fled from her. Her gaze didn't falter but the look in her eyes filled with the same pleasure that flooded her body.

The moon hung in the sky, the stars seemed all waiting, gazing down upon the two friends perched on the tiny island of wood on the vast sea. There were no memories coming unbidden now, no inebriation induced sleep to interfere. No guard duty to be stood and no secrets between their eyes. There was only the depth of feeling and invisible static electric chemistry.

Janus pushed her hand in his to the small of her back and the finger uncurled from under her chin, his palm cupping her cheek as he closed the distance between them. His lips touched hers, softly at first, closing on them, pulling away for a heartbeat and embracing them again. A hunger long denied and a passion long stifled passing between them, as he first tasted of her lips.

Li-eira closed her eyes and parted her lips invitingly as she reclaimed the breath that he had stolen from her. She was lost in his presence and light headed with her emotion. Her hand let go of the rail and slipped over his shoulder, as she entwined her fingers in his hair. At first her lips were timid, showing the life time that had passed since her last kiss, but as the sensuous feelings from the long anticipated kiss swallowed her, she gave herself to him. She had never kissed another man with such acceptance and intention.

She clung to him now, her hand on his neck encouraging him as her virginal innocence pressed against him. The lingering feeling continued to build between them, it was something akin to her magic, except it grew stronger and didn't dissipate after it was cast. She fed his hunger with her own, until he could almost taste the last remnants of her innocence as a soft moan of pleasure tickled his lips.

Janus drew her tightly against him with their hands still clasped at the small of her back, he was not an overpowering man, but his hunger for her gave him strength. The moment seemed frozen, and though he knew it wasn’t possible it seemed the rest of the world had stopped frozen in time. The only things that moved were the two of them in their subtle dance of desire and exploration.

The dainty hand that had been entwined in Janus' hair, slid softly down the side of his neck as she finally allowed his lips to leave hers. Their eyes met for a moment, her breaths were becoming more labored as she lost herself in this foreign passion. As she watched he dipped his head and she felt his hot breath tickling the base of her neck. Her head rolled backwards and her mind fought hard to find a reason to stop him, but the only thing to be found were the intoxicating sensations that were seducing her to want more.

Janus reluctantly pulled back from the smooth flesh of her neck, nearly intoxicated by the taste and smell of her, the way she had melted against him. Blinking his eyes to try to regain some focus, movement in the water caught his eye.

"Li-eira, look" He said breathlessly, pointing off the port rail. There, just a few yards away a pod of Dolphins leaped and played in the wake of the Aegeir. A dozen or more of them, frolicking in the moonlight.

Long blond hair whipped in the breeze as she brought her gaze around to look where Janus was pointing. Once she found the objects of interest, she relaxed her body into his and laid her head softly on his chest, watching them in wide eyed wonder. She had never seen these creatures before and tried to recollect from her studies what they might have been. It was obvious by the sound of her voice that they had captivated her attention. "They're following us! I've never seen such large fish... It's like they're playing in our wake."

Janus smiled and guided her to the rail, as close to the dolphins as they could get. "Actually, they aren't fish. They breathe air as you and I do, see the air hole above their heads?" He stopped quickly, interrupting himself before he gave a long and boring treatise on the creatures. Instead he took a different tack.

Li-eira leaned over the rail, holding on with both hands and secure in the knowledge that Janus was right behind her. Her quizzical nature happily came to the surface as the remnants of the moment they shared, slowly ebbed out of her. There were no regrets, she was as genuinely happy as she could ever remember. She felt blessed by the gods to have him by her side as she enjoyed the remarkable site of the dolphins.

"They are keenly intelligent, too. There are many stories of them saving drowning mariners, by pushing them back to the surface, or defending them from sharks. It’s widely considered to be good luck to have them swimming along with a ship."

"Oh, Janus. That's fascinating!" She watched them a few moments in silence, as the light of the moon glittered on their bodies, and caught the splashing droplets as the creatures leapt from the water and knifed back into it. Pale silver highlights lending a magical air to the scene.

Janus smiled at her enthusiasm, normally when he spoke about animals, and their ways, anyone within earshot got a blank look on their faces, and paid polite attention at best. "Perhaps one day, we’ll be able to assume their shapes together and experience their world. Swimming the depths and frolicking in the wake of some ship, while lovers watch us."

Li-eira let Janus' words sink in for a moment before turning around to regard him. Her face had become flushed again and all of a sudden she became startlingly aware of his closeness. "I...uh...I..." She clamped her mouth tightly shut for the second time that evening and bowed her forehead into his chest.

Her comment was hurried off of the tip of her tongue as she looked up at him again. Her blue eyes met his briefly and it was plain to see her heart in them. "I should get some sleep." She stood up on the tips of her toes and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek, before hurriedly taking her leave

Janus watched her nearly flee from the forecastle of the ship, his brows furrowed in puzzlement. What had he said? He replayed the scene and the words in his head and couldn't pinpoint the trouble. He strode to the most forward point of the ship where the port and starboard rails came together and leaned forward, his hands gripping the rails in a white knuckled grip bone of frustration.

Maybe I need to take flight after all... I certainly won’t be sleeping in this condition. He thought. Just then, at that moment when his thought had completed, the ship topped a swell and the bow plummeted into the valley behind it, hurling up a great geyser of the icy waters, which arced in the moonlight and swamped the forecastle and the Druid with it. He flinched and shivered at the bracing shock of the water, and otherwise didn’t move a muscle, till he looked up at the stars and said aloud.

"Good one, Beldrem......good one."