• Memory • Thunderstruck

[Sabine]

Thunderstruck

Timestamp: 60th of Ymiden, 708 AV – 15th Break
Location: Andaris Coast

A storm was coming.

Sabine stood on the edge of the Andaris Coast and scanned the darkening horizon with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. She held a deep respect for storms, especially after her family’s voyage from Rharne to Rynmere. They’d experienced more than one night where she’d wondered if she would live to see the shore again, thanks to the twin violence of sky and sea.

Cold seawater sprayed her skin from the harsh ocean waves that lapped furiously against the coastline’s jutting rocks. She shivered and rubbed her arms vigorously for warmth.

The afternoon had taken an unexpected turn. When Sabine had left Andaris that morning for a day trip to the coast, the Ymiden weather had been hot, sunny, and entirely free of clouds. At the time, she had thought her thin white blouse and brown linen pants may have actually been overdoing it. Now, as goosebumps pimpled her arms, she was beginning to regret not having brought a jacket.

But, on the plus side, she had remembered the booze.

As if I would forget. Her parents hadn’t raised a fool.

The wind picked up as the storm clouds rolled in, and the smell of impending rain grew stronger. Sabine clutched her bag close to her side and debated her options. Staying out in the open, amongst the rocks and the grass and the water, was an open invitation to the lightning that would no doubt arrive, but she was much too far from the city to get back before the rain began.

Maybe she could make it to one of the coastal caves she’d spotted on her way in?

Maybe.

If she ran.

Sabine shoved rogue strands of hair from her eyes and broke into a quick jog. Thunder bowled heavily across the sky, urging her on. Now that she was in a race against time, the caves seemed much farther away than her memory had promised. Her calves strained and pebbles rolled beneath her sandaled feet as she pushed forward.

In the distance, a bolt of lightning flashed and struck the sea.

Come on, 'Bine. You got this.

As she drew closer to the caves that lined the shore, she spotted a lone figure – a girl – standing near a trio of rocks. The girl’s straw-coloured hair was a stark contrast to her grey surroundings and the rapidly blackening sky, like a beacon of light.

Sabine's eyes lit up. There was a strange satisfaction that came with not being the only one stranded on the coast.

She hesitated for only a trill before jogging nearer, pulling her own whirling hair back from her face as she approached.

“Hey!” she yelled, hoping her words would carry over the howl of the wind. “You just gonna stand there? I’m trying to find somewhere to wait this out. Come with me!”

[Beatrice Qe'ryn]

Her very intention had been to get a good day fishing, hoping to net herself a good couple of fishes either to eat or to sell, probably more of the latter as she still had plenty of better food back home. There was simply no way that this could go wrong, the weather was lovely and perfect for a day out with its sunny Ymiden weather filling her with both confidence and excitement. Looking up at the sky with her hand shielding herself from the bright rays of the sun, Beatrice thought to herself, What could go wrong? Well, everything it seems. Several breaks later, the stark confidence she had left her home with had all but evaporated.

With no boat of any kind, the girl had resorted to fishing with a rod that she had fashioned herself, taught by her parents much earlier in her life, and wedged somewhere up in the rocks she had climbed up to. Her basket only held two fishes within and that was highly disappointing for her. She had expected to get four by this time, but it looks like the fishes weren’t exactly biting today, perhaps something had scared them away, they were active earlier. In a matter of bits, what used to be a sky of sunny white puffy clouds was now transformed into a grey foreboding sky, it’s greyish clouds now swollen with rain.

What a quick turn of events, though it wasn’t exactly unexpected. Beatrice had been expecting a weather change, for the creatures of nature were especially aware of the change of the world’s weather, and that was usually more accurate than any instrument man might have. The girl could have headed home much earlier at the first sense of a storm approaching, but she had decided to challenge her luck with little results.

With both the tide and the wind increasing at a furious pace, the girl was mostly soaked with frequent sprays of cold seawater. Though no stranger to being splashed with seawater, that didn’t meant that she didn’t feel cold. As she shivered, she knew she had to hightail it out of here, she was way too exposed out here on the rocks. With this kind of storm, lightning and thunder was a certainty, that she knew for sure.

Strapping the flax basket securely onto a belt she wore at her waist, Beatrice started to make her way down the rocks. A bright flash appeared in the sky, followed by the fork of lightning striking the sea a distance away in the horizon. The sound startled her as always, nearly making the girl lose her grip and foothold on the rocks. She’d better make it down before another one comes. She doubt she’ll be so lucky the next time. It didn’t exactly help that the rocks were all now slippery, wet from both the rain and the seawater. Beatrice was soaked but at least she had finally made it onto solid ground.

Resting and catching her breath on the side of the rocks for several bits as locks of her hair whipped and whirled around her face, Beatrice heard the voice of someone else, shouting against the wind and the crashes of the waves. The voice belonged to another girl, and asked her to follow her somewhere to wait this out. With nothing else to lose, she followed the other girl. Hopefully she knew where she was going, and that it led to a good enough shelter. Probably the caves. That felt like the only sensible option right now.

[Sabine]

The rain began with a warning.

A few drops fell as Sabine approached the girl near the rocks, spattering on her clothes and rolling down her cheeks. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision and waited for the girl to join her before offering her a pleased smile and turning back towards the caves.

Sabine walked quickly, forgoing her jog so her new companion could keep up. She led them both towards supposed shelter, always staying a half-step ahead in her urgency. As they crossed the damp patches of grass and dirt, the rain increased to a steady sprinkle.

And then a roar.

Within just a half-bit, the skies opened and the black clouds began to pour out their grievances. The rain fell so heavily that it seemed as though some Immortal or another intended to drown the island and send its inhabitants to a place of legend and memory.

Sabine didn’t know whether to curse or to laugh. Despite her best intentions, she was utterly and perfectly soaked. Her long brown hair was matted to her forehead and her sandals slipped against her feet with each wet step. It took only a quick glance at her companion to see that the other girl was in the same boat.

A boat. That’s exactly what we’ll need if this rain keeps up.

Drums beat as another clap of thunder sounded – this time, right above Sabine’s head. A flash of lightning followed only a moment later, highlighting the caves and the shore in an eerie white light. They were so close.

Sabine reached back to tug on her companion’s thin wrist before breaking into a run. Her pulse spiked as she fought through the wind and raindrops that drove at her like little daggers. They were targeting a small hollow embedded in a misshapen, and deeply welcome, formation of dirt and rock.

Her bag slapped heavily against her side as they sprinted towards the cave and skidded over the waterlogged ground into the dark, dry haven. Sabine threw out her hands to keep from falling, and landed heavily against the cold cave wall. The pair were just steps from the entrance, which allowed the frequent flashes of lightning to filter in. Beyond them, the cave trailed off into complete darkness.

“Whew!” Sabine blinked rapidly to clear water from her eyes. Her chest was heaving, her clothes were drenched, and her leather sandals would likely never recover. Still, in spite of everything, a rebellious laugh bubbled up and she found that she was unable to keep it contained. She turned, met her companion’s eyes, and burst into laughter.

“That… was… the worst!” she said, forcing out words between giggles and grins and shaking shoulders. She dropped her bag on the ground, kicked it off to the side, and began to wring water from her hair. As water dripped off her hair and her laughter slowed, she took a better look at her companion. The girl looked younger than Sabine, and could have been mistaken for a drowned mouse if it weren’t for the basket and fishing rod she carried.

Sabine didn’t look much better.

She began to comb her tangled hair through her fingers. “I’m Sabine,” she said, and smiled widely at the other girl. “Are you from Andari-” She broke off, having spotted the girl’s pointed ears. “Wait wait wait. You're biqaj? I’m half-biqaj! That’s so cool! That means we're basically sisters, you know.”

One hundred percent fact.

[Beatrice Qe'ryn]

Beatrice followed the older girl towards wherever she was going, hoping that she was indeed intending on taking the both of them in a place that was sheltered from the raging storm that was growing by the bit. With the rain gradually increasing in strength, visibility was getting poorer, and she was doing all she could to not lose the other girl in the increasing storm. Thankfully, she was not moving too fast, and the younger girl managed to keep up with her. What was a steady sprinkle soon turned into a downpour.

The rain poured down in sheets, and visibility was almost none now. Beatrice kept as close as she could to the only other person besides her out here. Both her clothes and her sandals were utterly soaked, not to mention her long blonde hair which was matted against her forehead just like the other girls was. A sudden flash of lightning almost made her jump, but cringe was all she did. The older girl then tugged onto her wrist, pulling her into a run.

She had no choice but to follow, being pulled along and all, but she was more than happy to follow if that included getting out of this furious storm right now. Visibility was poor but intermittent flashes of lightning illuminated the area for brief seconds, allowing her a glimpse of what the pair were heading for, a hollow embedded in a cluster of rock.

If she would have to take a guess, that would most likely be an entrance to one of those caves she had heard so much about. Sprinting and sliding through the gap, the two girls slided against the cold and hard cave wall with an oof.

Beatrice heard a sigh out of relief from the girl before she burst out in laughter as their eyes met. Unable to contain hers as well, she burst into a laughter herself. “One of the worst definitely! But I’ve been in worst!” As the older girl began to wring out the water from her soaked hair, Beatrice mimicked her, doing the same, revealing her slightly pointed ears in the process. Now that they weren’t in any impending danger of getting stuck in the storm, the girl realised that her companion wasn’t as old as she thought she was.

Probably just a few arcs older, that’s all. She finally introduced herself as Sabine, and the younger girl did likewise, returning her smile. “I’m Beatrice.” Bea was then queried if she was a Biqaj, and she simply nodded. The younger girl giggled and grinned when Sabine excitedly said that they were sisters because she was a half-Biqaj, which prompted her to say “A sister!? I've always wanted a sister! That's wonderful! I've never had any siblings.”

[Sabine]

“You’ve been in worse storms?” Sabine looked from Beatrice to the relentless flood of rain and back again. “That’s a story I want to hear.”

She nodded in agreement as the younger girl asserted her wish for a sister. “I’ve always wanted a sister, too! I have a brother, but he’s a lot younger than me and he’s such a pain. He’s always stealing my things. My hairbrush is constantly ‘disappearing’, and I keep finding it under his bed.” The one upside to her brother’s bad habit was that, while he was a thief, he wasn’t a particularly good one.

Sabine eyed Beatrice critically, as if gauging whether or not the girl was also a secret kleptomaniac. She seemed innocent enough, but one never knew with siblings - even pseudo-siblings.

“It’s really annoying,” she said emphatically, in case the point wasn’t clear. Satisfied that Beatrice wasn’t going to steal her bag and take off, Sabine dropped her hands from her hair and began to wring out the bottom of her blouse. Outside, lightning flashed and lit up their faces in a sickly green shadow.

“So what are you doing all the way out here?” Sabine squeezed water from her clothes onto a growing puddle on the floor, careful to avoid her toes. “Just fishing? Did you catch any-”

She broke off, and gestured urgently for Beatrice to be quiet.

A shuffling noise started from the back of the cave, in the unexplored blackness. It began softly, and could just barely be heard above the constant patter of rain. Sabine had almost convinced herself that she had imagined it, until the noise started to grow louder.

And closer.

Sabine’s breath caught, and she glanced worriedly at her companion. Was it a bear? A bandit? A cave lion?

Are cave lions a thing?

She edged closer to Beatrice and positioned herself slightly in front of the younger girl. If they were sisters, even just for the night, then she couldn’t very well let the girl go and get herself attacked. “Who-“ Sabine cleared fear from her throat, and started again. “Who’s there?”

A lone pebble rolled out from the darkness and landed at Beatrice’s feet. Sabine flinched and curled her fingers into fists.

“Get ready to run,” she whispered. “On three, okay? One…”

The shuffling grew louder, and a shadow stretched out into the faint light that shone ominously from outside the cave.

“Two…”

A foot - a human foot - came into view. So, not a bear or a cave lion, but potentially just as dangerous. Sabine reached a protective arm in front of Beatrice and bounced nervously on the balls of her feet.

“Three!” Sabine moved to push Beatrice into action when a boy’s voice rang out.

“Wait!”

[Beatrice Qe'ryn]

“I’ll tell you all about them someday! I don’t think now’s a good time to tell them.” Gazing towards the pouring rain, Beatrice shuddered at the thought of them. “Just thinking about them right now is enough to make me a whole lot colder than I already am.” As Sabine began to tell the younger girl of her experiences with her sibling, she could only listen, for she had never had a sibling and therefore had no such stories or previous experiences to tell. For most of her early childhood, she had been with just her parents, not including the few times she had mixed around with her clan back when they were still part of the fleet of ships together. After her parents left her in Andaris, she was stuck with her guardian, Bennon, who was more of an uncle than a sibling.

As Beatrice came back from her thoughts, she saw the older girl eyeing her critically, and she placed her hands up. “I’m no thief, honest! I take nothing, not now, not ever.” Thankfully the message seemed to have gone across, as Sabine began wringing the water out of her blouse. Realising that her own blouse was in a similar shape, Bea did the same once more, mimicking the actions of the older girl and her new-found sister.

“What was I doing out here? I was fishing, or rather trying to. It’s really embarrassing to sa-” She was about to finish speaking but was abruptly shushed by the older girl. A new sound could be heard, and Bea could feel the two of the them in a state of alert as their eyes and ears strained to pick up whatever sight or further sounds that could be heard of origin of the noise. Whatever it was, it seemed to be getting closer. As Sabine questioned the darkness, a lone pebble thrown was its answer. The girl flinched and instructed Bea to get ready to run. She didn’t need to be told twice. Her legs were ready, and she was more than ready to sprint at a moment’s notice. The countdown started. Beatrice was had almost sprung into a run, when she heard the voice of someone shouting “Wait!”

[Sabine]

Sabine froze mid-step.

“Easy. I’m not going to hurt you.” A dark-skinned boy stepped out of the shadows with his hands raised, as if he was calming a pair of skittish horses. He was tall – taller than both Sabine and Beatrice – and wore a brown cotton cloak which was, oddly enough, completely dry.

“Who’re you?” Sabine asked sharply. She kept her arm raised in front of Beatrice and hoped the girl had enough sense to run if he attacked. “Why were you hiding back there? I’ve got a knife, you know, and I’m not afraid to use it.”

Untrue on both counts.

He pulled down the hood of his cloak, revealing close-shaven black hair and a cautious expression. “I’m Bram,” he said. “Bram Haywood.”

“Go on…”

“I wasn’t hiding. I spotted the storm coming about a half break ago and ducked into this cave to wait it out.” He looked from Sabine to Beatrice anxiously, careful to keep his eyes focused on their faces instead of the soaked blouses that clung awkwardly to their frames. If there had been any light in the cave, the girls would have seen his cheeks turn red.

Sabine turned to Beatrice. “Do you think we should believe him?”

He huffed and crossed his arms. “Why would I lie?”

“I don’t know, Bram – if that’s really your name.”

“Of course it’s my name-”

“Well, why would you only reveal yourself now if you had nothing to hide?” She crossed her arms in a mirror of his. “Seems kind of suspicious, right Bea?” Rain pattered heavily against the rock and splashed inside the cave’s entrance.

Bram rubbed a hand roughly against his forehead. “Okay, look. It’s kind of embarrassing.”

“More embarrassing than sneaking up on two girls? Two totally innocent girls who were just looking for a safe place to escape the rain?” Sabine was laying it on thick, half-enjoying the look of immense discomfort that had settled onto the boy’s face.

“I wasn’t sneaking-“

“Sure, okay ‘Bram’. What’s your excuse, then?”

“I… fell asleep.”

Thunder clapped, and Sabine looked at him incredulously. “You’re telling us you fell asleep. In this storm.”

“Yes.”

The small smile on her lips grew wider and wider until she was giggling uncontrollably. “What are you, a hibernating bear or something?”

“I told you it was embarrassing.”

“Yeah, that's pretty bad.”

Bram rolled his eyes. “Thanks.” He glanced at Beatrice and began to remove his cloak, revealing a plain white cotton shirt and brown pants beneath. “Oh man, you look cold. Here, take my cloak.”

His eyes flickered to Sabine for approval before stepping closer to the younger girl. If Beatrice accepted his offer, he would drape the cloak around her shoulders. “You're Beatrice, right?”

"Creepy..." Sabine muttered.

"I heard you talking, okay?" he said defensively, and turned back to Beatrice. "You said you were fishing. Did you catch anything?"

[Beatrice Qe'ryn]

It turned out to be a voice of boy, a tall dark-skinned boy to be exact. Taller than the both of them. He wore a cotton cloak that looked both awfully warm and dry. Surprisingly, it was dry compared to the soaked clothing the two girls found themselves in. The voice said that he wasn’t going to hurt them, but what did they know really?

They knew nothing about this stranger and his dry clothes in the middle of the storm. Either he had the magical ability of teleportation, being impervious to the rain or had simply hid in this cave long enough to be dry. Sabine asked the question both of them had on their minds, questioning the identity of the boy in front of them. Who was him indeed. Beatrice gave the boy an affirming nod as the older girl warned him that she had a knife and would not be afraid to use it. If Sabine hesitated, Beatrice had no problems taking up the role instead despite her young age. What she lacked in age, she made up for with bravery.

The dark-skinned boy introduced himself as Bram Haywood, and the stranger was now visibly less mysterious than before now that he had a name. He confirmed her theory of hiding in the cave, and not the one where he possessed magical powers, which was a pity in itself. Oh well. Beatrice turned to face the older girl as Sabine asked her a question.

“I say we do until we feel that we don’t need to. It is kind of suspicious, but it might be true as well.” Bea then continued watching, her eyes darting to-and-fro as Sabine and Bram went back and forth with witty jabs at each other. The shocker came as he revealed that he had fallen asleep in the cave. What happened next took her by surprise though. He removed that warm little cloak and draped it around her, and she felt a sense of warmth envelope her body. That felt great. She didn't exactly cared why he did that.

“Yep, that’s me! I caught two little fishies, but I tossed them back into the sea, as there is nothing good I can do with them now that we are stuck in the storm. I wanted to sell them, but stale fish is bad fish.”

[Sabine]

Bram nodded in agreement. “True enough. Stale fish would definitely be a hard sell.”

“Oh, now you’re a fishing expert too?” Sabine’s eyes twinkled in jest as Bram once again opened his mouth to defend himself. “Relax. I’m just kidding.” She winked at Beatrice. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the cave, eh.”

“I’ll show you the wrong side of the cave…” He lunged as if to tackle Sabine, who squeaked and darted out of reach. His laughter filled the cave as he watched her flail away, and he grinned at her flushed cheeks. “Ah, not so brave now, are we?”

She stuck out her tongue. “So you do know how to joke.”

“Maybe,” he admitted. “I just prefer not to make jokes when I’m trying to avoid being stabbed by two strangers.”

Sabine smiled and glanced innocently at a jut in the rock walls. “Enh. Would have been hard to stab you without a knife, anyway.”

“…I should have guessed.”

The rain had begun to slow, but still fell heavily enough to keep even the most ambitious fool from attempting the long walk back to Andaris. A rogue shiver ran down Sabine’s spine, and she rubbed her hands along her arms for warmth. Much as she was pleased that Bram had offered Beatrice his cloak, her own selfishness flared as the cold began to set in her bones and she eyed the younger girl with envy.

Until she remembered the whiskey.

“Looks like we may be stuck here for a while longer,” Sabine said. She walked over to her forgotten bag and crouched down next to it. “Lucky for you, I know a way to pass the time.” Her voice dropped to a mumble as she began to dig through the bag. “I’ve got just… the… thing!” She grabbed her flask of whiskey and held it up triumphantly for both Bram and Beatrice to see in the dim lighting.

“Who wants a drink?!”

Bram lowered himself to the ground and leaned back against the cave wall. He spread out his legs and shook his head at her offer. “I’m good, thanks.”

Sabine tsked disapprovingly. “How ‘bout you, Bea?” She held out the flask for Beatrice to take. “Wanna share?”

[Sabine]

Sabine shrugged as Beatrice declined the drink and took a swig from the flask herself before sliding down the wall next to Bram. Warmth spread from her throat to her stomach as she drew her knees to her chest and leaned her head back, eyes looking critically at the boy beside her. “So ‘Bram’-”

“I really wish you would stop doing that,” he said, raising an eyebrow at the mock quotations she’d made with her fingers.

Sabine grinned. “What brings you this far from Andaris?”

Bram’s spine straightened and his chest puffed out. “I’m a Squire.”

“Uh huh. And they sent you on a recon mission to gather some rocks…?”

He immediately deflated and rolled his eyes. “What? No. I mean, I’m not technically a Squire yet-”

“Aha! Caught in another lie.”

“I’m going to walk right out into that rain if you keep this up.”

Girlish laughter filled the cave as Sabine flapped her hand at Bram in a half-hearted attempt to erase her earlier words. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Continue.”

He shook his head but couldn’t hide the amusement that crinkled his eyes as he glanced her way. “I was accepted into the Iron Hand as a Squire, and I start tomorrow. I wanted to get outside the city and see the sea before my life became all training and service.” Bram gestured to the rain. “It was supposed to be a nice trial, but…” He shrugged. “Well, here we are.”

“Here we are.” Sabine took another swig of whiskey and rubbed her arms together for warmth. They sat in silence, watching the endless rain. As the water began to flow from puddles into skinny rivers that snaked into the cave, Sabine shifted her eyes back to her newest companion. “Congrats on the Squire thing.”

He stared at her.

“What! I’m serious. I don’t know much about the Iron Hand, but the Knights back home were really important people.”

“Back home?”

“Rharne,” she said. “I’m from Rharne. Just moved here. My father wants to open his own brewing business.” Here, her pride mirrored his.

Bram nodded to her drink. “That explains the flask.”

“A true Rharnian never goes anywhere without alcohol,” she said solemnly.

“But you’re a Ryn now.”

She shook her head. “My mum says Ilaren is always with you, no matter where you go. Think that means I’m still a Rharnian.”

He looked at her for a long moment before leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes. “You like to argue, don’t you.”

“And you like to sleep, don’t you.”

He smiled. “Wake me up when the storm passes, will you?”

Sabine nudged him with her foot. “Sure thing, Bram.”