A journey home

[thorandike]

As she steps off the ship Isiolia takes a deep breath and looks around the busy elven port. She was returning ?home? for her brother Llymeirium?s wedding. Despite some hesitation about having to listen to endless lectures from her parents, she was looking forward to seeing her brother and meeting his bride. She was a little surprised at how good it felt to see her homeland again.

She turns and walks over to the ship?s captain. ?Thank you, Captain Brooks, for a safe and uneventful trip. I will be ready to make the return voyage as we discussed. In the meantime, since you will be returning to Sundren before I do, could you please deliver this letter for me??

?I?d be ?appy to Miz Izzilala,? the sea captain said with a leer as he yanked the letter out of her fingers. ? ?n I be seein you on me next trip ta? these lands of yers.? With this, he gave Isiolia a swat on the behind that nearly sent her tumbling over the railing and swaggered off to oversee the loading of goods.

Torn between going to give the captain an earful about manners and sinking her toes into some fresh grass, she chooses the latter. She is surprised to find that she is actually looking forward the visit. She knew her parents would try to talk her into staying and be disappointed in her when she didn?t? but they were family after all.

Dearest Sakamoto,

I have arrived in my homelands safely. The crossing seemed to last for ages and I am not looking forward to the return journey, but I will be on the next ship back to Sundren as I promised.

Please be careful ? you know I will be worrying about what trouble you might get into while I am away?

I will see you soon. Take care of yourself.

Yours truly,

Isiolia

((to be continued))

[thorandike]

With one last look at her homeland, Isiolia boards the ship. The visit had gone well. Her brother?s wedding was beautiful; his new bride was perfectly suited to him. Isiolia and her brother had always gotten along well and he enjoyed hearing about all the adventures she had gotten into since they last saw each other.

Her parents however, would rather see her at home, writing poetry and learning the arcane arts and had taken every opportunity in the first several days to talk her into staying here with the family ?where she belongs?.

Her family tried a few attempts at matchmaking but gave up after seeing that it wasn?t going to work. Isi finally had to explain that there was a man in her life, which initially pleased them? until she further added that he was a human. This caused them to shake their heads with disappointment. Her mother vigorously tried to explain that any relationship with a human had no future. Isi didn?t want to go into why this relationship in particular was likely doomed from the start and so held her tongue.

When her father added that no good elven man would want Isi after she had wasted herself on this human, Isi had already shut them both out. To them, it was another example of her defiance to their ways. To Isi, it was another instance of how her family did not accept her.

Then one sunny afternoon they were walking in the woods toward a neighboring village when a giant orc came roaring out of nowhere. While her parents fired off a volley of mostly ineffective arrows, Isi produced a pair of blades from seemingly thin air and dispatched the orc in short order. They couldn?t believe what they had seen ? where had she learned to fight like that?

After that day, a tentative peace had begun to form and they were all able to enjoy the rest of the visit a little more. Her parents still didn?t understand how they had raised such a child. No one in their village would have fought the orc at such a close distance with nothing but a pair of blades. They lamented that she would likely never settle down to marry a good elven man or have any children as they had hoped. But they were slowly coming to accept that she was her own person and they weren?t going to be able to change her.

When it was time to board the ship for her return voyage, Isi realized that she was actually going to miss her family. They all promised to write more often and she agreed to come home occasionally. They parted with more love between them than before and best wishes for each other, and so she was glad to have made the journey.

[thorandike]

the return home

The return voyage had been a nightmare! The sea was stormy for practically the whole journey. The boat was overcrowded and everyone on board was seasick ? including half the sailors! When the long journey was finally over and the ship had pulled into the Sundren docks two days late, Isi hadn?t managed to keep any food in her stomach or a decent reverie in nine days. She was exhausted.

What surprises her is how glad she is to be back in Sundren. She had expected to enjoy seeing her friends again, but it was the place itself that had become important to her. More important than just the place where Sakamoto lived. While the forests of her home were beautiful and peaceful, in Sundren she felt? alive. Needed. She felt like her life made a difference ? that the work she did here was important to these hard-working, long-suffering people. Their children deserved to grow up in a safe place free from gnolls, orcs and undead.

She stumbles along with her eyes half closed until she reaches the Four Lanterns. With a sigh of relief she passes through the tavern door and is heading straight for the stairs when she spots Sakamoto pacing in front of the bar (much to the displeasure of the barman, for he had chased off most of the night?s customers) and stops with a warm smile. Dropping her things on the closest table she is swept into his arms.

After a long embrace, Saka examines her worriedly. Her eyes are red and she is much too pale ? it looks as if a strong wind might knock her over. She assures him that with a good meal and some rest she will be back to her normal self. He sits her down in front of the fire to dry the salty sea air from her long hair and clothing while he goes to fetch her something to eat.

She tells him of her visit and the terrible seas, but with the warmth of the fire and the food in her stomach, soon she can hardly keep her eyes open. Saka scoops her up into his arms, and despite her half-hearted protests he carries her up the stairs. Once inside his room she gratefully slips under the covers and immediately falls into a light sleep for several hours. Saka chuckles quietly as he sees that for once he is the wakeful one and she is the one asleep.