The Song of the Sea

37. Aftermath

There was a sombre mood around the table that evening, where Jacob's entire crew sat to eat a much deserved meal of beef stew and dumplings. The somber mood was due to the exhaustion that followed a bloody battle, and also the fact that three members of Jacob's crew had suffered some serious injuries and so were currently being taken by Doug in a small boat to the nearest port to get medical attention. But despite this, there was also a level of calm and belonging in the group that Raephier hadn't experienced before.

There wasn't the usual banter and teasing that often dominated when they were all together, but instead they were sharing stories of home, and talking of what they planned on doing in the future. It was only in this exact moment, with Jacob's leg pressed firmly up against his own, that Raephier realised that he wasn't the only one who'd buried away any thoughts of a future in the fear that there wasn't anything there to look forward to.

"What about you Raephier?" James asked. "Do you miss your home?"

Raephier found himself a little flustered by the question. Not for any other reason than he didn't quite know the answer himself.

"I think I miss what could have been," he eventually settled on saying. "But the home I knew is not there to go back to, so it's not the same. For me, saying I miss my home is like saying I miss my childhood. Yes, I do think back to it with fondness, but there is no point in wishing for the impossible. I'll never be a child again."

Raephier felt Jacob's hand slide onto his knee and give it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing your home," Raephier told the men, to try to lighten the mood again.

"Yeah, well I wish I could grow a tail for a day and see under the water like you do," James said, smiling at Raephier.

"Yeah, me too!" Gabriel added from the far end of the table while a few others nodded in agreement.

Raephier felt a warm glow inside at the fact these men were making him feel included, and in their own way were letting him know that they were ok with who he was.

And so Raephier shared a few stories of his own. Nothing too personal, and nothing that would give too much away about his tribe and homeland, for as much as he trusted these men, he knew that sometimes all it took was too much ale for things to slip out.

The men slowly drifted away from the table to turn in for the night, and while Jacob was doing his last turn of the ship making sure everything was in order before he went to bed, Raephier found himself standing on the deck, staring at the cloudless sky, watching the stars sparkle and dance to some unheard song.

There was the sound of footsteps walking past him, and Raepheir turned to see Lyle heading towards his quarters for the night.

"Lyle," Raephier said, getting the man's attention.

Raephier walked over to where Lyle had stopped.

"I haven't had a chance to thank you," Raephier said.

"For what?" asked Lyle looking confused.

"For saving my life," Raephier replied, but if anything Lyle's frown of confusion deepened.

"Saving your life? When?" he asked.

On any other day, Raephier would have thought he was just being deliberately obstinate, but after feeling the general mood of the crew, coupled with the genuine look of surprise on Lyle's face, Raephier was beginning to think that maybe his memory loss went further back than when he first heard Raephier's song.

"You don't remember stopping me?" Raepheir asked.

Lyle sighed, starting to look frustrated.

"Stop talking in riddles boy, obviously I don't remember."