Thinking of the Past

Fresh from a battle Darius tries to put his feelings into words.

The Eagle Parrot sailed under calmer skies now, but a tense stillness clung to the deck. The encounter at Black Hollow Bay had left its mark on the ship, the crew, and especially Darius.

Below deck, away from the others, Darius sat at a small wooden table with a battered journal open before him. A single candle flickered beside him, casting long shadows across the page. His hand moved slowly, scrawling lines of a poem he barely realized he was writing fragments of feelings he couldn’t speak aloud.

"A shard of darkness planted deep,
In crimson waters secrets sleep,
The past a chain I cannot sever,
Bound by silence, bound forever."

He stared at the words, heart heavy.

Footsteps echoed on the stairs. Elara appeared, her usual armor stripped down to a simple tunic and trousers, Rockford padding quietly behind her. She didn't speak immediately, just leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.

“You missed dinner,” she said eventually, voice softer than usual.

“Wasn’t hungry,” Darius muttered, closing the journal halfway.

Elara walked over, tilting her head to catch a glimpse of the page. “You write poetry now?”

He gave a humorless chuckle. “Not on purpose.”

She sat down across from him, setting a small bundle on the table a glimmer of green caught Darius’s eye. Inside, nestled in cloth, was a smooth piece of jade, carved into the shape of a budding plant.

“Found this in the supply crates,” Elara said. “Figured you could use some good luck.”

Darius touched the jade lightly, the coolness of it grounding him.
"Thanks," he said, voice low.

Elara leaned back in her chair. “You’re not the only one carrying seed of old secrets, you know.”

They sat in silence for a while, the candle burning lower.