A Court Of Moondust And Shadows (Azrielxoc)

stories

   'Singing yo-ho! You can beg me, bring wine
But yo-ho! You are wasting your time!'

 The man rested his leg on an empty chair, leaning forwards as he sang. The crowd seated on the deck watched his every move in awe. It was a calm night, only the full moon and a few lamps to give them light. Most of the crew, the autumn refugees plus the new ones they managed to get out of Summer Court just in time were seated on the harsh wood, not seeming to care about the cold wind.

  It was a storytelling night, as Rayna would call them, a night of comfort and community. Everyone gathered in a circle, taking turns telling stories, half song, half made up words.

  'So you did not take the princess's deal?' A small voice, a child sitting on his mother's lap asked.

 The crew member leaned further down, his singing stopping. He looked from side to side as if he was spilling a secret.

   'As badass as I seem to sound, I did eventually cave in, for the princess was the fairest of maidens and I was only a mare sailor.' He confessed, earning some laughs.

 Rayna scoffed, leaning back on the railing. She had heard that story coming out of his mouth a thousand time and each time it ended differently. All of them pretty lies. As he returned to his singing she closed her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the feeling of the wind brushing her skin softly. The closest feeling to freedom she would ever get.

  The journey to Summer Court went, mostly, well. She frowned, remembering how she almost ran into the Shadowsinger by accident, how close to everything being found out she had been. If he had only looked- No. She would not think of it, not on a storytelling night.

    'How about our beloved Captain. Voice of a siren that one!'

 Rayna's eyes flew open, finding everyone already staring at her. The crew man pointed in her direction, calling her over.

   'Come on, Ray. I adore your stories.' He persuaded.

 Rayna sighed, but indulged him. Pushing herself off the railing, she made her way through the crowd, careful not to step on anyone as they were all laying in on the floor. Once she reached him, the crew man bowed to her, pretending to pass her an invisible microphone.

   She scoffed at his theatrics. She scanned the crowd, most new faces. She noticed Eris sitting somewhere in the back, arms resting on his knee. After the storm incident, they had shared more heated moments. Rayna did not know what to think of it yet.

   She didn't have to think of what story to say, it was the same one every time. The crew for sure had gotten sick of it by that point. It was a story of loss and hope and life itself.

    'This story is about a little girl and a boy.'  She sat down on the chair, her long coat falling behind her, brushing over the floor. 'It begins with the little girl. She was raised by the darkness itself, in a basement under a big house. She knew nothing of the world as we know it, only those for walls. She wasn't aware there was anything but that until one day the door cracked open and she saw the light for the first time. The light came in the form of a little boy, no young, no older than her.'

  A small smile appeared on Rayna's face.

   'He asked her who she was, she told him the only truth she knew. That she was nobody. The boy laughed, everybody is somebody. Realizing she did not enjoy being made fun of, the girl slapped him.'

 A few surprised looks and laughs echoed through the crowd.

   'Since then the boy came everyday to see her. He told her how he was not allowed to leave the house in fear of danger, what danger neither knew. They were both stuck. But unlike hers, his room had books. He started telling her about what he would read about the history of the world and what's beyond. He wasn't stupid, neither were. With the small knowledge they held, they understood how cruel the outside world must be and feared it terribly. One day the boy sat down next to the girl and confessed what he had been thinking for awhile.'