"Thomond, son of Surond, struck the guardsman, and fell into the fray. And although the guardsmen were many, Thomond and his knights drove them off, winning the tower for themselves. They had succeeded in rescuing Giselle, but the sly King of Cats, Tybalt, surrounded the tower with soldiers and wretched mantygers. Thomond's knights spoke among themselves, and grew fearful. They lamented how far from home they were, and grew afraid they would never see home again. At this time Giselle rallied the men, reminding the brave sons of Mide of their holy task. Hearing the chosen of Midel speak, the knights were stirred to glory, and readied their arms once more."

Hana sighed, closing the book, "I think that's enough for tonight, don't you? What do you think of Thomond? He's following the wishes of Midel, yet it's cost him so much." Glancing down, she saw that her pupil had fallen asleep. She had been worried the entire time he'd been gone, a quiet concern that she'd hid. Hana knew little about mermaids, beyond the stories told by explorers, Elbar had little knowledge of mermaids. That the boy the boy was unharmed surprised her. She'd thought mermaids dragged tricked sailors underwater. Rio could just turn into a fish. The things that boy could do continued to surprise her. He was borderline feral, but he had heart. And if an ancient epic could inspire him to read, so be it. The fire had ran down, and the Captain had gone on a stroll, enjoying the night air. 

Letting the boy lay where he was, Hana carefully extracted herself from the log she had sat on. She was careful not to wake the boy. The stars were out, circling overhead, and she could make her way easily to the canvas tent that she'd used on the trail. It wasn't the prettiest, but it was well made and she'd enchanted it to make it comfortable. The underappreciated side of magic was how much easier it made life. She'd already worked waterproofing into the other tents, and had decided she was going to try and enchant the bugs off the [i]Borealis.[/i] Her last thoughts as she drifted off were about the spells she'd bring up to the Captain.

---

Pieter whistled as he guided Uban down to the shore. Though the moon was out, Pieter carried a lamp with him. Noticing the growing concern on Uban's face, he said, "Don't worry, Ubey. Just going for a spot of fun." With cheerful determination, he led Uban away from the safety of the camp and towards the chilly waters. They navigated a rocky path down to the shore. Uban had grown silent, driven by loyalty and trust to the old sailor. The beach was a scrap of sand filled with driftwood and rotting seaweed. A crumbling cliff wall lined the beach, pines clinging to the soil. The water was still, waves brought up by the wind lapping and bumping into the debris. A cold wind went through them, and Pieter shivered as he crunched across the sand to a suitably heavy stump. Setting the lamp on the stump, he turned to Uban, his face flickering in the lamplight, "We're going to meet mermaids now, and I'd like you to tie this rope around your waist."