#reijka

from @willtheweaver <3 back on my salt and brine bullshit

salt and brine

Reijka’s fingers stumble over a knot and Kamon reaches over to gently correct her. She’s frowning more intently at her net now, and he sets his down. “What’s on your mind, darling?”

She looks up at him. “Why do some daddies yell?”

Kamon feels his heart stutter in his chest, heavy and sudden. He blinks, trying to find the Hassa words. “I will never, ever yell at you,” he finally says, running his hand over her hair, “or hurt you. That’s not what daddies are supposed to do. The ones who do aren’t real daddies, they’re…” His vocabulary is far too limited for the words he’d like to use for the man that fathered her. He finally settles on, “They’re bad men.”

Reijka nods, the furrow in her brow smoothing out.

from @akindofmagictoo <3 my word is GENEROUS, nice and long to match my allergy to shutting the fuck up <3 <3

salt and brine

G: Grandfather and Reijka are in the garden, Reijka running around with Bugs held aloft as his long tongue flicks out to catch the mosquitoes and flies that hover around their heads. Grandfather seems content to rest on the edge of one of the stone benches, watching her with an amused smile.

"Grandfather," Kamon says, pausing to bow his head.

"Baby Kamon," Grandfather chuckles. "Your little fishie has more energy than you ever did at her age. I can't keep up."

"That's okay," Reijka says, slowing to stand in front of him with a wide grin. "Me and Bugs can be fast and you can stay still so you can see the bugs better!"

E: Eventually, he clears his throat.

“I don’t suppose you’ll tell me your name,” he says cautiously. Meja keeps her eyes on the sewing in her hands and focuses on not reacting. He sighs. “I have always been told that I talk enough for two people, so this might work out quite well.”

Meja smiles at her sewing.

N: "Nothing is going to hurt you when I’m here, okay?”

Meja almost doesn’t hear Reijka’s reply. “I think…I think I just want to look at the stars,” she whispers.

“That’s alright,” Kamon says, and Meja opens her eyes to see him tuck Reijka more securely against his side, wrapping her in his cloak. “I love to look at the stars with you.”

E: Eventually he pulls back again, still caressing her face. “Let me take you away from here,” he says, softly and urgently. “I know you’re unhappy.”

Meja feels tears burning her eyes and closes them. “I…I can’t.” She gulps, gripping him tighter when he starts to pull away. “I…”

“You don’t trust me,” he says, and she shakes her head. He pushes his thumbs over her cheekbones. “Then why?”

R: Reijka holds up seven fingers.

“Do you miss your father?”

Before Meja can pull her away, Reijka frowns and glances up at Kamon. “My baba is right here,” she says to the envoy.

“Your father in Hasal,” the envoy presses, even as Meja tries to pull Reijka away from him.

“There was the bad man that we had to hide from,” Reijka says, her brow still furrowed as if the envoy is trying to trick her. “But we found my baba so we didn’t have to hide anymore.”

O: Old wounds ache. “I know this Hass legend.”

“Intriguing.” Fila flicks a card down and Leshen groans, tossing four silver into the pot. “I don’t think I know many Hass stories. Do tell.”

Kamon tries to ignore the memory of Meja’s hands ghosting along his collarbone. “There was an outsider once, on the border, who wanted to join the tribe. He knew they wouldn’t speak to someone who wasn’t one of them, so he decided to build a small house along the road into Hasal, within sight of a Hass village in the foothills.” Meja’s hair, tickling his nose, and her soft, musical laugh. “He observed them, so he could learn their ways and demonstrate his intentions.”

U: "Until she has told her story, I am placing you under arrest."

Kamon sucks in a sharp breath as a guard steps forward, pulling a pair of shackles off his belt. Meja's eyes dart to him and widen. She looks at Kamon, fear bleeding into her expression.

"Your Majesty," Kamon says, gripping Meja's hand. "Please, allow me to tell her what is going on."

S: She uses a crate to prop the outsider up and offers him the bowl. He eyes it hesitantly. She smiles, taking the bowl back, and sips from it. The outsider’s wide brown eyes watch her for a moment, as if ensuring that she’s not going to fall over gasping, before he takes the bowl. He drinks greedily until the bowl is empty. She helps him lay back down and leans over him to tuck the furs more securely around him.

A featherlight touch on her lip makes her freeze. The outsider brushes his fingers over the fading bruise, something like sympathy crossing his face. Meja’s heart pounds as she is trapped in that wide brown gaze for a heartbeat that lasts an eternity. He licks his lips and opens his mouth to speak.

from @oh-no-another-idea <3 looking for need, nothing, enough, and extend in salt and brine. i feel the need to remind everyone that i'm allergic to shutting the fuck up

need(s)

She busies herself warming a few large stones in the hearth. Stian won’t notice if she slips one of the furs from the main room into the cellar to keep the outsider warm. She carries two down the stairs to the cellar. The outsider is still conscious but fading fast. She needs to get his wet clothes off. Stian’s fillet knife is sitting on the table. Meja picks it up, flinching at the flash of light off the blade. She'll think of something later to fix the man’s clothes, but for now she’ll have to cut them off. The outsider is mumbling what sounds like a prayer, or perhaps an apology, when Meja returns with the knife. His gaze slides to her, glassy and dull. There is no fear now, only quiet resignation.

nothing

“You’re the best navigator a captain could ask for,” Kamon says proudly, and Reijka preens. “Normally, we would go that way, but this time we’re going to be sneaky and go around to the other side of the island to get past some people who might not want us to leave.” Reijka clutches her serpent tighter and steps closer to him. “Are we... do we have to play a game?” Meja closes her eyes, shame rolling through her. “Only if you want, darling,” Kamon says. “If you want, I can do the hard part and you and I can just look at the stars. Nothing is going to hurt you when I’m here, okay?” Meja almost doesn’t hear Reijka’s reply. “I think...I think I just want to look at the stars,” she whispers. “That’s alright,” Kamon says, and Meja opens her eyes to see him tuck Reijka more securely against his side, wrapping her in his cloak. “I love to look at the stars with you.”

enough

He finishes his coughing fit and collapses back onto the sand, his breathing ragged and shallow. Meja takes a small, shaking step towards him and his eyes flick to her, widening. His feet scrabble on the sand as he tries to drag himself away from her. He doesn’t get far, his shaking limbs refusing to hold him. Words spill from his lips, a slurred mess of trading tongue. Meja’s fingers tighten around her makeshift weapons. He is a trespasser. He is dying. She takes another trembling step towards him. He chokes out something else, holding up one hand to protect his face. Meja has to kill him. She’s close enough now to see the depthless brown of his eyes. He can’t be much older than her, maybe even younger. She hesitates. The outsider struggles to move again and collapses. She could leave him here, let the cold kill him. He will die soon without help. Meja is still standing over him, shivering nearly as much as he is. He looks so scared.

extend -> continue(s)

Stian is sitting on their chopping block, staring out at the ocean. Meja offers him the stew wordlessly, afraid of saying the wrong thing again. He takes it with a grunt and sips. Meja wrings her hands behind her back, waiting for him to speak. “The full red moon is in a week,” he finally says. He continues to eat, so Meja folds her hands in front of herself. “I want to be sure we have something to celebrate this time.” Meja doesn’t flinch or blink. A good wife listens to her husband, trusts him and his judgment. She certainly doesn’t complain or cry when her husbands asks her to perform her duty.

taglist (ask to be added <3): @oh-no-another-idea @k--havok

from @oh-no-another-idea <3 my words were utterly, until, uneasy, and independent. this is across the whole cycle :)

the raedoran cycle

utterly -> entirely (the knight of lacuna lake)

As the desserts are coming out, Stiofan pushes in a sculpture made entirely of sugared buns, shaped into a galloping mare. Maura squeals with delight and runs around the great table to get a closer look. She pulls one of the buns off the horse’s chest, biting in as the room holds its breath. She laughs with delight, throwing her arms around Stiofan. “Peach,” she says. She scarfs the rest of the bun down and Keelan sees her nearly bring her fingers to her mouth before she reaches over to the great table and picks up her napkin. “My favorite, but of course you knew that.” Stiofan bows. “I’m glad you are pleased, princess.”

until (the witch of the west)

“How did Fabin find you?” she asks quietly. Birdie’s hand closes around the stone, hiding it from view. “It’s…he and I…we did a spell.” Before Emilia can ask her to explain, the door opens and a servant comes tumbling into the room, stumbling over apologies and hauling an armful of dresses and undergarments along with her. Fabin follows, looking severely unamused as he carries a large trunk nearly half the size of his human body. He sets it down with a loud thud in front of the hearth and Birdie laughs. The servant pulls her to her feet and glares at Fabin, snapping at him to avert his gaze immediately, “until the good lady is dressed.” Fabin looks ready to commit a fourth murder, but he turns away and crosses his arms behind his back. Emilia helps sort through the clothes, pulling out a shift and a skirt that look around the right size.

uneas(il)y (salt and brine)

“Baba?” Reijka’s sleepy voice asks. Meja opens her eyes to see guilt and regret written all over Kamon’s face, his eyes fixed over her shoulder at where Reijka was sleeping. “Mama?” Meja turns, pulling up a smile, and Reijka’s gaze bounces between the two of them. “What’s going on?” “Nothing, darling, it’s okay,” Kamon says, his voice soft and soothing. Meja’s chest aches. “I’m just going to the market to see Joni and get some elderflower jam, and I’ll be back soon.” Reijka nods, though she still looks uncertain. Meja runs her hand over the boy’s hair again and Reijka notices him, her eyes widening. “We have a guest,” Meja says, ignoring the small noise of irritation that Kamon makes behind her. “Will you help me get dinner ready for everyone?” Reijka looks between her and Kamon uneasily. “Okay,” she says slowly.

independent -> separate(s) (the knight of lacuna lake)

They leave the city and Maura urges her horse faster, galloping along the road through the northern plains until a shadow appears on the horizon. Keelan catches up to her and she pulls her horse to a stop next to the withered old farmhouse on the side of the road. “This is the place?” Keelan asks. She nods and dismounts. He ties their horses to the falling-apart fence that separates the house from the road. Maura is already halfway up the path. He jogs to catch up with her, flexing his fingers at his sides as she examines the splintered front door. “Do you really think it’s haunted?” She smirks at him a little. “What, are you afraid of ghosts?” Keelan doesn’t laugh. “Yes.” Her smirks softens into a real smile and she slips her hand into his. “I’ll protect you.”

a mildly old one from @oh-no-another-idea <3 tagged to find omen, occupy, open, and orange salt and brine is back baby

(m)omen(t)

Kamon’s face lights up as Meja rounds the corner into the cove. He reaches her in three long strides, before she makes it much further than the entrance, and cups her face. He pulls her close to press his lips to hers, only for a moment, but long enough to make Meja’s head spin. “Meja, love,” he murmurs against her neck. “It’s been an eternity since I saw you last.” She laughs, curling her fingers around his arms. “You saw me last night, silly man.” “As I said.” He nuzzles into her neck. “An eternity.”

occupy couldn't find :(

open

“I’ll be in when I’m finished eating,” Stian says. Meja acknowledges the dismissal with a short nod and goes back inside. She gets Reijka in bed and sings her a lullaby, but she can feel herself detaching. Even Reijka’s hand in hers feels unreal, like there is a wall of ice between them. This is why she keeps failing, why she can’t seem to give Stian what he wants. She is always so distant from herself, as if watching it play out from afar. She hears the back door open and close. She gives Reijka one last kiss on the forehead, making sure to tuck the blankets over her head and shut her door tight as she leaves. Stian is already in their bedroom, and he looks annoyed at being made to wait.

orange

"A messenger came from Metharom Manor today," Kamon's mother says, stirring a cube of sugar into her tea. Kamon butters a slice of bread for Reijka and pats her on the head as he passes it to her, smiling at her giggle as she bites in. "Oh?" he says, only half-listening. Meja is peeling an orange with wide eyes, turning it over in her hands as the peel slowly spirals to the table. She glances at Grandfather, then splits the peeled orange into sections. She pops one into her mouth cautiously, then another quickly after. Grandfather chuckles at her clear delight, passing her another orange. "Yes," his mother says, a note of irritation coloring her voice. "Apparently, there is an envoy from Hasal there to speak with the Good Lady." This catches Kamon's attention, and Meja's as well. She pauses, her expression hardly rippling, but Kamon sees the way her fingers tighten around the orange, juice dribbling down her fingers. He clears his throat, turning to face his mother. "What did the envoy want with our mistress?" he asks, trying to keep his voice even and calm. Reijka hasn't noticed the conversation yet, and he wants to keep it that way. "He told a quite distressing story," his mother says, her eyes narrowing at him across the table. "A spearfisherman from a poor fishing village is searching for a crew of merchants, who he claims kidnapped his wife and daughter."

filling out at least a small percentage of my tag backlog tonight <3 this one is from @oh-no-another-idea <3 for dream, wake, sleep, and snore. digging through some salt and brine just because i love her and also because the snippet i instantly thought of for snore in the regular cycle is full of spOILERs--

the raedoran cycle

dream

She’ll nurse him back to health and send him back where he came from. No one ever has to know about this weakness of hers, this treachery. No, someday this will be a secret she thinks of only late at night, when she is tending her bruises and dreaming of another life.

wake

“Daddy, Daddy!” Kamon jerks awake at the urgency in Reijka’s voice. His gaze swings around, landing first on Meja, sitting at the tiller with an amused smile. Reijka bounces into view wearing a beaming smile and Kamon relaxes. “What is it, darling?” “We’re almost to the magic rivers!” He follows her pointing finger to the shadowed masses rising from the horizon. Relief crashes through him. They’re near Penny, almost to the Raedoran Bay. Safety, within reach.

sleep

Reijka will be with the village elders until sundown. Meja has plenty of time to get to the cove and back. She finishes her tea and gets up, some of her aches fading with her excitement for going to the cove. She grabs a bag and steps out the back door, inhaling the fresh spring air. She can smell the ozone from the incoming storm on the wind, the sharp sting of it returning her to Stehasik. When she was a girl, she would lay awake listening to the thunderstorms blowing in from the Fierodian plains. The distant rumbling always soothed her to sleep.

snor(ing)

Kamon is half-asleep on the desk when she returns to the room. Reijka is snoring on the bed, her foot dangling an arm’s length away from Eima’s crib. Meja sets down the things from the market and lets the boy sit on the end of the bed. He’s staring around the room in wonder, as if he’s never been in such a lovely place. Meja remembers the feeling well. “Meja?” Kamon mumbles, roused by the sound of her ruffling through their food. “You’re back.”

@kaylinalexanderbooks tagged me to find star, moon, sun, and space. from salt and brine

star

It's Reijka. It has to be. He never saw her, never met the girl that lit up Meja's face every time she spoke of her, but he would stake his life that the child in front of him is Meja's daughter. Her brightest star. She's the spitting image of her mother.

moon

“I'm going to check the traps,” Meja says, keeping her eyes on her hands. Stian just grunts, still focused on the fish on the table. She slips out the back door and inhales deeply, letting the spring air clean her lungs. It will be summer in half a silver moon, and Stian will be on longer trips for the migratory season. She loves the summer. Kamon is already in the cove when she arrives, leaning against the rock wall and staring out at the sea. His face breaks into a smile when he sees her and he pushes himself away from the wall. “I brought you something.”

sun(light)

Kamon moves to stay in his path when Stian tries to step around him. Stian's scowl intensifies and he pulls the spear out of its harness, leveling the point at Kamon. The crowd parts around them, murmuring nervously. Kamon grabs the rigging knife out of its sheath on his belt, the familiar curved blade flashing in the sunlight.

space

“I'm sure Jungso won't mind an extra set of hands around the galley if you really want,” Kamon says, frowning a little. “But you don't have to. You're a guest here; nobody expects you to work.” She smiles, looking down at her hands. “I don't...I would feel useless if I did nothing. Your captain is already making space for me here; it would be ungrateful of me to not help out in return.”

gently tagging @serenanymph @zmwrites and @k--havok to find shrug, nod, shake, and smile.

salt and brine is on an enforced break right now for editing/unblocking purposes but i can still Think about them. tagged by my lovely @oh-no-another-idea to find change, grace, escape, and mine <3. we got kamon pov exclusively today

change

Kamon pulls the Hass woman's shawl around his shoulders, hunkering down against another gust of cold air. He can't stop thinking of her expression when he offered to take her with him, the way shock had faded into fear, how she'd closed her eyes and stepped away. He wonders if he had asked again, if he went back—would she change her mind?

grace

Reijka has spotted the beach. She tugs on Kamon's sleeve and points with wide eyes. He crouches next to her and shakes his head. “You won't like it,” he says. “It's very cold.” She tilts her head to the side, unbothered, and he glances up at Meja and the merchant, engrossed in their negotiations. He stands and catches Meja's attention. “Reijka wants to see the Freezing Beach. We won't be gone long.”

She nods and turns back to the merchant, her jaw set in a stubborn way. Kamon offers his hand to Reijka and she takes it, skipping gracelessly alongside him. They make their way down the gently sloping hill, stopping where the grass fades into the strange white sand. Reijka looks up at him questioningly. He crouches down. “Touch it, see?” He puts his hand on the sand and has to pull back immediately, the cold so intense that it burns. “Too cold.”

Reijka slowly sets her hand atop the sand. She cries out, pulling her hand back, and he reaches out to steady her. “It's okay. It won't hurt you. It just doesn't feel good.”

She looks from her hand to the sand, then up at him with wide eyes. He smiles at her, a lump in his throat. He can't imagine how Stian could have wasted so much time hoping for another child while ignoring the beautiful one he already had.

escape

Reijka is sitting on the bed, speaking quietly to her hands while Eima gurgles happily in her cradle. Kamon pauses in the doorway. “Reijka? Who are you talking to?”

Reijka looks up, beaming. “What I was trying to show you earlier!” She holds out a disgruntled-looking frog, clutched tightly in her hands. “He tried to escape but I caught him again.”

Kamon blinks, registering the creature slowly. Meja runs a hand over Reijka's hair, saying something encouraging that Kamon doesn't manage to translate.

“Oh,” he finally says. “That's nice, darling.”

“Do you know what he is?” Reijka turns the frog over in her hands, examining it curiously. “I've never seen one before and neither has Mommy.”

“Oh.” Kamon shouldn't be so speechless about a frog. He thinks he might be in shock. His back hurts. “It's called a frog. They eat bugs.”

“I like bugs!” Reijka says, delighted.

“Of course you do,” Kamon says faintly.

mine

“Right on time, Kamon,” the captain's voice calls out, and the crew backs away to let her pass. She grins at him and gestures with her pipe. “What the hell happened to you, then?”

“Which version of events would you prefer?” he replies. “Leshen doesn't believe mine.”

“Oh?” the captain chuckles.

“He met a beautiful Hass woman who hid him in her cellar and nursed him tenderly back to health under the nose of her scary husband,” Leshen says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The crew roars with laughter and the captain takes a long puff on her pipe, grinning around it. “What really happened, Kamon?”

He shrugs. “That about sums it up.”