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North Blue
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Luna awoke to find her world swaying and wooden. It took her a few moments to realize that she was on a ship out at sea. She sat up a little too fast and winced as pain lanced her side. She placed her hand over her wound and found that, underneath the t-shirt she now wore, her waist was neatly bandaged up. Taking it easier, she stood up and made her way over to the door just as it opened. On the other side was a young man, probably a couple years older than her, with close-cropped blond hair, tanned skin, deep green eyes, and freckles that dotted his cheekbones. He wore light tan shorts and a deep red, sleeveless shirt, exposing his well-toned arms. [color=lightblue][i]I remember him from the party…Rufus?[/i][/color] “Oh, good, you’re up,” he said with a smile, though Luna could see the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

[color=lightblue]”Where is he?”[/color] she asked, her voice raspy, as if she hadn’t used it in days. She started to take another step, but Rufus placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Easy, Your Hi–” He shivered at the glare he got and quickly backtracked. “E-easy, Luna,” he said, “you’ve been out for a couple of days and you’re still recovering.” Before she could argue, he quickly said, “I won’t tell you to go back to bed. You deserve to be here for this just as much as any of us.” With that, he slipped Luna’s arm over his shoulders and added, “Just lean on me, okay?”

Luna relented, mostly because she knew she could barely stay on her own two feet after being out for so long, and let herself be guided to the top deck of the sloop, where the rest of the crew was gathered. The ones nearest heard the door open and turned back to see Luna being supported by Rufus and parted, clearing a path to the center of the deck, where Marcus laid.

He was dressed in his armor, his hands clasped around a sword Luna didn’t remember him using, and his body lay upon a wooden pallet. Off to the starboard side was one of the ship’s jolly boats, suspended over the water by a davit. “Unfortunately, we can’t give him the proper rites he deserves,” a voice said next to Luna. She looked over to find that it was the ship’s doctor that spoke up. Galen, she remembered from the party. He had dressed out of his armor and now wore a short-sleeved, yellow shirt with an image of a winking sheep on the chest. “Proper practice would be to take him back to his home and cremate him there, but we all know that’s impossible…” He sighed, then turned to Luna. “I know you probably didn’t know him very long, but if you’d like to say your goodbyes, then go ahead. We’ll send him off afterwards.”

Luna hesitated for a moment, then removed her arm from Rufus’ shoulders. She took a step and staggered, but held her hand up when he tried to help her again. She took a breath, straightened up, and closed the distance between her and Marcus’ body. When she was standing next to him, she placed her hand on his arm and then noticed the smile on his face. She let out a quiet chuckle and muttered, [color=lightblue]”Were you really that happy to die fighting by my side, you old bear?”[/color]

She let out a shuddering breath as her grip tightened on his arm. [color=lightblue]”I didn’t know you all that long…but during that party the night we met, I felt like I was actually home. After the night we all lost everything, I was lucky to be taken in by some great people, but that feeling I had after meeting you and the others…it was like I was back on Eclipsis with my father, listening to you old soldiers tell your stories…”[/color] She sniffled and wiped her eyes before she continued, [color=lightblue]”Thank you, Marcus. I’ll find Sol…and we’ll make things right, again.”[/color]

She stepped back and returned to her place between Galen and Marcus. A few people stepped out of the crowd and carried the pallet bearing Marcus’ body over to the jolly boat. They secured the pallet to the boat and lowered it to the water, where it was caught by a passing current. Luna and the crew watched as the boat drifted away from the ship, bobbing gently on the waves. Once it was a ways away, one of the crew, a tall slender woman that Luna remembered as Aquila, raised her bow, nocked with a flaming arrow. She let it fly and Luna watched as it trailed through the air and embedded itself into the side of the jolly boat. Before long, the boat, and the body of Marcus Istria, was engulfed in flames. Seeing that, Luna wanted nothing more than to curl up and cry, but she knew Marcus wouldn’t want her to do that. She had a job to do, after all.

She and the crew continued to watch the cremation at sea until the small boat sank beneath the waves, taking the former prefect to his final resting place.