Lost at Sea

A Story by elwelcs

Luciano stood in the midst of the party, the sounds of music and conversation and laughter swirling around him. Parties were overstimulating, they wasted his time, the types of people they attracted were unsavory and likely to overstep, and the drinks led to silly situations that could easily have been avoided. And his brother loved them.

Eligio twirled toward Luciano in the finishing steps of the dance he had been enjoying with his current dance partner -- only one of the many who would surely ask for his company. This one was now looking at him with the admiration they all seemed to exhibit. “Are you enjoying the party, Luci?” He asked, smiling brilliantly. His cheeks were flushed, though he hardly seemed winded from the exertion.

“It’s alright.” Tonight he had agreed to join the festivities for a time to please Eligio, but Luciano soon grew weary of it as he always did. “I never know what to do at your parties, Eligio,” he said.

The music began to swell up again. Though his partner tugged at his hand, Eligio did not follow them into the next dance just yet, smiling apologetically. “The people love you! There must be countless who would love to fill your time, doing whatever you would like. Don’t you think so?” His partner, now listening halfheartedly, looked dubious.

“I was considering retiring for the night.”

Sympathy flashed in Eligio’s eyes. He finally relented to his partner’s tugging, and called over his shoulder, “Perhaps next time we can find some games you’ll like!” And he was swept up in the tide of dancers, where he shared sweet smiles and idle conversation with his partner, interspersed with occasional worried glances in his brother’s direction.

Luciano watched for a time, then turned and quietly cut through the hoards of people to reach the sidelines of the party, heading purposefully away to where it would be quieter.

As the sounds lessened and the crowds thinned, Luciano felt a little more able to breathe again, and to enjoy the palace grounds. It was a beautiful night with a full moon. It painted the broad leaves and delicate petals of the decorative plants all in silver, and shimmered on the draping fabrics that were hung to frame entryways and windows. Eligio did know well how to go about choosing the particulars of his parties.

Someone with a head of carefully-tended golden curls -- it must have been one of the partygoers -- seemed to appear from the shadows cast by the strong moonlight and planted themself directly in his path.

He stopped and frowned. “Yes?” Well-trained in etiquette, he kept the twinge of irritation out of his voice.

“Prince Luciano, correct?” The partygoer asked without a trace of shyness or reserve. The faint traces of a smile played over their lips.

He nodded.

They bent at the waist, their fierce blue eyes turned up to meet his directly, and offered a gloved hand to shake. “The name’s Valheo.” They stayed there for a time, but when Luciano did not respond or take their hand, they withdrew it and straightened. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I…” they wavered and broke off, seeming to suddenly rethink what they had been about to say.

“Yes?” He prompted again, bringing them back to what they were saying.

They looked at him, their smile and easy manner draining away. Their next words were so contrastingly serious as to be unsettling. “I was sent here to trick you. Well, the younger one, Eligio. But he’s surprisingly hard to get a hold of.”

Luciano's frown deepened. “Who are you?”

“I’m-- I didn’t give you a fake name. It’s Valheo.” They were speaking quickly and stiffly now. “There’s a cult. They’re all criminals. They worship the Ocean, and they want royal support. So they sent me to recruit you. I’m telling you because I want nothing to do with them. I need out.”

Luciano stared at them as he tried to make sense of what exactly they were asking for. “Criminals after my brother and I. And you want them incriminated.” He considered this carefully. “...Come with me. You will speak to my father and the guard about what you know.” He swept past them to continue up the path without looking back to see if they followed, though following a moment's pause he heard their footsteps hasten after him before lengthening to a stride that matched his own.

The path led to an entrance into the palace. One of the guards stationed there broke off at Luciano’s signal to follow close behind, only to peel off again at his command to find the captain of the guard and request their immediate presence at the great hall.

The passages through the palace interior grew wider until they entered the great hall, where Luciano heard Valheo’s quiet gasp. The room was lit from above with candles hung to imitate the shining of the stars. Great pillars lined the sides and were joined at the top to form massive archways from which woven tapestries and drapery were hung and adorned with little shell beads. Sat at the room’s head and turning to face them now was his father, the King, crowned in silver and gold and abalone.

Luciano halted before the King, who looked him over before turning his disdainful eye on Valheo. They quickly bowed. “Who is this you have brought in?”

“Father.” Luciano inclined his head in a stiff show of respect. “This is a…” he trailed off as he realized he did not know their occupation and cursed himself for not being more thorough.

They smoothly picked up the slack. “I’m Valheo, Your Majesty. I’m a sailor. I was forced into a plot to woo your son into supporting a group of pirates. They call themselves the Rain’s Ascendant. I need them dealt with quickly before they realize I’ve sold them out instead.”

The King stared down at them, calculating, and they stared right back. “How quickly?” He finally asked.

They considered. “They gave me two weeks.” The King snorted, and Luciano found he could not fault him for it, but Valheo continued without faltering. “They’ll be expecting me to report back occasionally. To be making progress with the plot. I’ll probably need lies to carry back to them, and we’ll need to act faster than they can figure it out.”

The King nodded to the guard captain as they entered the room, and then asked, “And how do you expect to contact them?”

Valheo turned to see who was behind them before snapping their attention back to the King. “Going down to the dock. My captain’s ship is anchored there now.”

“Then we can parade down there with the guard tonight and be finished. Luciana, this was not worth my time.”

“You can’t,” Valheo insisted. “Mine is not the only captain. They act in coordination. If something happens to one, the others will know.”

The King sighed. “Where are the others?”

“I don’t know,” they admitted, “but the Ocean watches. She’ll know, and She’ll tell them. I think that’s why they stay at sea.”

“How many men?” The guard captain asked, clever enough to piece the situation together from the pieces they heard.

Valheo thought for a moment, and then settled on, “There must be hundreds of crew. I think there are three captains. Maybe four.”

“It grows late,” the King interrupted, “and this situation sounds unwieldy.”

Valheo’s expression turned first startled and then incensed. “You’re not stopping here. I don’t have all the time in the world. We need to make progress now -- ” the King raised a silencing hand, and scowled when they did not stop “ -- before they find out I’m a rat and make good on their threats. You can drag me out of here. I’ll come back tomorrow and make you--”

“Of course you’ll come back.” The King raised his voice and laid his words down harshly to make himself heard. “I will have some rooms prepared for your stay at the palace tonight. It will be some time, so occupy yourself until then preparing what you will say tomorrow. Maybe our next meeting will go quicker.”

Valheo paused, appearing speechless. “Alright. Thank you,” they finally managed, sounding genuinely grateful.

The King seemed first surprised and then cross at their unquestioning compliance. “You said yourself that you were working for your Rain’s Ascendant. You will stay at the palace under guard to ensure you aren’t up to anything unsavory.”

Valheo nodded agreeably and turned to leave, saying almost carelessly over their shoulder, “If it pleases you, but it’ll be a waste of their time.”

“Wait.” Luciano halted them with a word. “I wish to speak more with you, if you are not busy.”

They watched him for a moment before letting a smile touch their lips, replying, “I’m not. Talking to you was all I was supposed to be doing tonight.” They continued walking as if expecting him to follow.

Luciano allowed himself to be led out of the entrance hall and to the palace grounds. Valheo never stopped or even hesitated, though they couldn’t know where they were going. Unless that Rain’s Ascendant somehow had much more information than they should.

Though it was growing very late indeed, the sounds of music and good cheer still echoed distantly from deeper within the palace and the grounds. Valheo stopped beneath a tree, leaning against it with an easy grace and crossing their arms. “Well?” they asked. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

Luciano stood tall before them, ever the regal prince. “You said your Rain’s Ascendant had you under threat. I wanted to ask what they were threatening.”

Their face went expressionless except that their eyes met his sharply. They didn’t speak for a long time. “You might be overstepping, Your Highness,” they finally said coolly. “Maybe you have to earn my trust, too.”

This reaction made Luciano hesitate. “If I know what the danger is, I can help to fend it off. To protect you and buy time.”

“I’m not giving you that information until I know I can trust you with it.” Their words became clipped.

He nodded slowly. “Understood. I will do what I can to help you in the meantime, though my father holds most of the power.”

“Well, I’d expect him to have a stake in this, too. Assuming he values his people and his world. I’ll get to it in more detail tomorrow,” Valheo added in response to his questioning look. “I was serious earlier about reporting back to them. I was originally intending to take you down to the docks, show you around the ship. Now that I have you captive here, I can ask. Would you still be interested in something like that? Might help with keeping up the act and give you a chance to take a look at anything you might want to see. A little espionage.”

Luciano frowned, considering. “Perhaps. Once we have discussed it more, I will know what we might need to look for.”

Valheo appeared again before the King the very next morning. They had not requested an audience, apparently having slipped away from the guards who were supposed to be watching over them and made their way back to the great hall.

Luciano looked sideways at the King as he cursed them. “I can’t be at your beck and call, answering your every whim, sailor,” he snapped.

Eligio, standing at the king’s left, stepped forward to take Valheo’s arm and lead them away, saying merrily, “You will have your time, dear sailor, I promise! If you just ask in advance, then my father will be able to welcome you in as soon as possible.”

Valheo shot a fierce glare over their shoulder as they were led away, but obediently waited until they were called in again later that day.

There, they explained how the Rain’s Ascendant worshiped the ocean and shared her wish that she would cover the whole world. How they sacrificed people, supposedly to further this goal. “We raid small towns, for their supplies and for their peoples’ lives,” Valheo said.

Luciano shared a glance with his father. “We have received reports from some dukes of towns on the smaller isles appearing to have been pillaged and emptied,” the King reluctantly mused.

By the end of it, they had still not made progress on just what they were to do, but they did have a grasp on what they were up against. Against so many hundreds of pirates, so ruthless, and willing to kill countless in order to drown an entire world, what could they do? Luciano stewed in thought. They were many, but surely the royal guard were greater in number, strength, supply, and organization. Though the Rain’s Ascendant did, of course, have the entire Ocean supporting them.

Valheo turned on their heel, but did not yet begin to leave, looking sideways at Luciano and asking, “Know what to look for now?”

He nodded.

“If you’re free tonight or tomorrow, then, we can head down there,” they told him, flashing a grin.

Luciano glanced out a wide open window to see the sky. The sun was dipping beneath the sea, but not yet swallowed by it. “Let’s go now,” he told them.

As darkness approached, the people in the streets of the city were thinning, the daytime bustle dying down to a lulling hum. When the docks had just come into view, Valheo stopped, saying, “How good an actor are you? They will expect me to have made some progress with you, if you’re trusting me like this.”

“You have,” Luciano said, but added at their incredulous look, “If you have earned my trust and respect, it is no act.”

Valheo eyed him speculatively before turning and continuing again. “Don’t cause trouble.” They spoke in a low voice now. “Only espionage for now, remember. And I don’t know who will be on board. Look, there she is.”

The ship they gestured to was massive, certainly crewed by a hundred sailors or more. She had three masts that would surely look impressive when hung with sail, but the rigging had been brought down to let her rest easy at anchor.

Luciano startled as an arm snaked around his waist and Valheo walked close beside him. They raised their voice again grandiosely, sweeping their other arm wide at the ship. “Big, isn’t she? She’s over a hundred feet bow to stern, and in height, too. Her main mast must reach a hundred and a half hundred more.”

“What are you doing?” Luciano hissed stiffly.

Valheo rolled their head back to give him a pointed look, but only went on announcing, “And look at the shape of her bow. Shaped like an arrow. Do you see? Compare it to this ship here. Rounded and bulky and slow in the water. But ours cuts through like a fish. She’s fast.” They put a sharp emphasis on the last word that thrust Luciano back to attention. Ah. This was why they had brought him here.

As they urged him to climb up the side and get on board, a cry went up on deck that froze them both. A head peered over the rail down at them. “Brought someone back with you, Val?” they called.

“Aye,” Valheo shouted back, “just for the evening, to show off our beauty of a ship.” They nudged Luciano again, telling him, “Go on up. I’m right behind.”

“Where you been, anyhow?” the sailor on deck went on, watching them climb up without interest.

“Staying with him. Oh, f**k off,” Valheo replied as laughter sounded. Luciano clambered onto the deck and Valheo, true to their word, followed close behind. As soon as they got their footing, they shoved the sailor, saying, “Say a word on that and I’ll stick you. Now, leave us be. He’s getting the grand tour.”

Valheo guided him above deck and then below. See how much sail powers her, they said. See how she boasts thirty-two cannon. This is where I sleep with the others at sea, the bedding endless and yet still cramped. See how large the stores are (though lessened by her bow’s blade-sharpness, of course). And if they continued to hold him close and make eyes at him and guide his hands over the shape of important components of the ship, he could ignore it in favor of the important information they were giving him. The capabilities of the Rain’s Ascendant, their speed and power and number. Information they could use.

Valheo began demanding audiences with the King every evening, and Luciano frequently approached them afterward to speak in more detail. Eligio giggled when he caught wind of that. “If you and Father are worried about whether you can trust them, I may have to speak with them myself. I could get to know them very well, after all,” he said teasingly.

“No,” Luciano said shortly, and Eligio laughed and let the matter go. Luciano was not worried about trust, but he continued speaking with Valheo. They had interesting and important things to say that could not all fit in to his father's allotted meetings.

As time went on, the meetings grew more strenuous. Valheo was becoming increasingly tense about their upcoming deadline, and the King increasingly obstinate and intolerant of their flippant and occasionally commanding manner. One evening devolved into shouting when neither would back down from the others’ challenges, tempers flaring. When Luciano tried to speak with them about it later, they refused. He pondered on that, understanding warring with disappointment. He had only meant to tell them how well he sympathized with their frustration.

Valheo went down to the docks, then, boarding their ship and rapping at the captain’s chambers to dully deliver their false report. Imagine their shock when their captain told them their two-week due date would be extended. “You’re doing important and good work, Val,” the captain said, “the fruits of this will be sweeter than sweet. Such a task, of course two weeks would never be enough. But you sound to be making good progress. I am willing to give you more time to finish this well.”

Relief flooded Valheo's voice as they relayed the news, and for the first time in days their audience went without a hitch.

“They're threatening my family,” Valheo confessed that night, head bowed in the starlight so that their hair fell in ringlets about their face. "They offered me a position on that ship. It was like a dream come true. Then once we were at Sea, they said they would kill my family if I didn't do as they say."

One evening as they were holding their audience, a page appeared at Valheo’s side. By the time they realized it the child was bouncing on their toes, anxious to get on with their day. Valheo received their small package and, Luciano noted, paid them no more mind. He gestured to one of his attendants to get the page paid for their time and away. They swept out of the room, leaving Valheo standing alone in the center again, staring at the parcel. They appeared frozen.

“Well?” the King demanded irritably. “How much of an interruption must this be?”

Valheo slowly opened the paper wrapping and seemed only to get a glance at its contents before they dropped the whole of it to the floor, looking horrified. The King’s sound of annoyance snapped them into awareness enough to glance up as if only just realizing again where they were and in whose company. Like a frightened rabbit, they turned and fled.

The King lowered his face into his hand with a sigh, and Luciano stepped up to fulfill the commanding role. “We should return that parcel to them at our earliest convenience,” he told his servants, walking to the center of the room where it now lay. There he hesitated, for he had intended to pick it up, but the paper was stained and water-damaged. Still, he bent to pluck it carefully off the floor and attempted to close it back up without seeing what was inside -- the sailor deserved their privacy -- however, this proved difficult when it was so bulky, and he hardly wanted to be touching the packaging with its off-putting blue stains besides. He fumbled and, to his dismay, accidentally spilled some of the contents out. His father snorted derisively, but Luciano hardly heard as he registered what now lay at his feet. Two severed ears, and a third was still wrapped in the paper.

He struggled to find his voice. “What the f**k is this?” Alarm rose sharply and he whirled to face his father, forcing determination into his words. “Someone sent proof of a killing. The coercion?” He tried to fit the pieces together in a way that made sense, even with his head ringing with shock.

The guard flocked to him and took the parcel from his hand, for which he was grateful, and the King stood, looking imperiously down at them all. He seemed to take every inconvenience as a personal slight. “Or they are still involved in criminal business. Don’t look at me like that, Luciana,” the King snapped, “we can’t come to any one conclusion from this. What is it, anyway?”

Luciano interrupted any response the guard might have had for the King. “We may not know yet what it means, but we will find out. Identify those as best you can,” he instructed, gesturing to the parcel. “I am going after the sailor.” And so saying, he strode from the great hall, ignoring the words his father flung after him.

In the entrance hall he stopped, hesitating over where he might look for them. Nearby, a pair of palace employees were cleaning the floor, one just arriving with a bucket of water to splash over the floor while the other waited with a mop. “A sailor with golden hair just passed through here. Did you see where they went?”

Both workers bowed, and the one with the mop rose with a forlorn expression. “Yes,” they said miserably, “they went out the front and vomited on their way.”

Luciano nodded to the two of them and hurried through the front entrance that opened onto the city. Because the palace was set at the top of a hill, he could look out over Stellar and down to the Sea. The streets bustled with people seeking evening enjoyment after the day’s work. Would Valheo hope to find distraction in those types of pastimes? When he asked them anything they deemed too personal, they would always look at him with those sharp blue eyes, almost like a challenge. They could switch on a dime from their casual, easy manner to that predatorial guardedness. But what set them at ease?

He set out determinedly down the hill in the direction of the docks, intending to start high and work his way downward. Weaving between buildings, people stepped out of his way and bowed as he passed. The din was beginning to make Luciano itch with a low urgency. It was too easy to lose someone in these crowds.

He stepped out into a clearing to get his bearings. He could track a specific person more easily from a distance than when in the thick of the busy roads. Down there, the hill leveled for a ways before dropping off to the sea in a sheer cliffside, leaving a perfect outcropping for looking out over the water. And there sat a figure in a rich purple coat, the evening sun gleaming orange on their curls.

Their head turned slightly as they heard his approach. Then they rubbed their face with their hands and quietly cleared their throat, but only spoke after a long pause. “Sorry for leaving like that.”

He came to stand beside them. “I saw what was in that parcel,” he said. “I can’t blame you.”

“They found me out,” Valheo said hollowly, “probably a long time ago.”

Luciano was silent for a long while. “I’m sorry, Val,” he said at last, and then he asked, “What will you do?”

Another pause. “Do you care?”

“I would not ask if I didn’t,” he assured them.

They finally stole a glance at him, eyes flashing like waves in the sunlight. “You’re a prince. Why should you care? You’re above me or whatever. So you’ve proven when I came to you asking for help to save my family, my everything, and you took too long. You were… what? Too busy? Dealing with things that were far more important than one kid and their family. Right? Running an entire kingdom.”

“Valheo.” He said it more sharply than he intended, shocked by the bite to their tone and words. “I would not lie, either. I am asking because I want to know what you intend to do.”

Valheo stood. “Join them?” they suggested. Luciano could not decide if he was more cut by the cruelty they deliberately injected into their tone or the thought that they might truly mean their words. “Give myself to the Ocean.”

“Do you not want to stop your cult?” Luciano watched them, chilled. “We believe you. We have seen the repercussions. I believe you,” he said softly. “We can still stop them from inflicting any more harm.”

“You can,” Valheo said, turning away. “I don’t care what you do or don't do about them.” They shoved their hands deep into their coat pockets and marched away, back in the direction of Stellar proper.

“What are you going to do?” Luciano called after them, his voice near to desperate. They did not even turn back to look at him again, only continued until they were lost among the buildings of the city.

Valheo stopped asking for audiences with the King. While he seemed relieved to have one less annoyance to deal with, Luciano grew more concerned with each passing day.

“We should keep using this time to work toward resolving the issue with the Rain’s Ascendant,” he told his father.

“It will be resolved,” he scoffed, “in due time.”

“Time is past due now, isn’t it?” Luciano asked stiffly.

That evening, he went to tap at their door. Perhaps it was to be expected that there would be no response. “Valheo. It’s Prince Luciano,” he said softly through the door. “I wanted to ask after your health.”

After a few more moments of silence, there came a sigh from the other side, and the tapping of footsteps toward the door. It swung open. “I guess I have to let you in, Your Highness,” Valheo said, their voice low and flat. He had not seen them outside of their room for days, but they appeared weighted with exhaustion. He had never seen their hair so unkempt, either.

“You don’t have to,” he assured them, “I only hoped to check on you. If there is anything I can do for you -- ”

“Not anymore,” they said, easing the door closed again.

He continued checking in on them regularly, tapping gently at their door. Most days they turned him away immediately. Sometimes they entertained him for a time first.

One evening he found their door wide open, and halted there in the hallway. The room had been emptied of Valheo’s few possessions and tidied in preparation for a new visitor.

Recovering from the moment of shock, Luciano turned and strode away down the hall, pondering.

“Luci!” Eligio called, and Luciano looked up, coming back to himself. “Where have you been? The west wing?”

“I was looking for the sailor, Valheo,” he admitted, “but they seem to have left. Do you know what happened?”

Eligio hesitated nervously, then ventured, “Well, I believe that they requested passage back to their hometown.” He gave a sympathetic smile. “I know how much you’ve worried about them. You’ve been doing your best to help them, so it must be difficult for them to leave all of a sudden.” He continued, taking Luciano's hand, “But I’m sure it must be good for them to go somewhere familiar after all this! They'll do better.”

Luciano cast his hard gaze downward. “They told me something else. So they either lied to me, or they lied about going home.”

They were long gone, and that was that. But in the suddenly quiet evenings, Luciano’s mind continually wandered back to Valheo.

Greetings, Sailor Valheo,

Some time has passed since I heard news of your departure. It took me by surprise, as I was not previously made aware that you had asked my father for a ship back to your home. I write in the hopes that you have by now returned safely, and to ask after your health. I understand that you are dealing with tragedy. We did not have much time to speak during the last days of your time in Stellar, so I now send you my deepest condolences and well wishes. There is coin attached as well, should you need it. If there is anything else you require, do not hesitate to ask.

Perhaps you would like to know that we are continuing our investigations of the Rain’s Ascendant. Because they terrorize peoples of all nations, we have reached out to the rulers of Solar and Lunar to request their assistance in this matter. Even a small army such as theirs will not stand long against the combined forces of Celestial. Their fearsome reign will soon end, and I hope that then you and your family will be able to rest.

This is a terrible thing to have to face. Though the nights may look bleak and dark, guiding stars still patiently shine. It will take time, but I hope you will be well again.

Sincerely,

His Royal Highness

Prince Luciano

of the Stellar Isles

Dear Valheo,

I hope my last message reached you, but if not, I am sending a follow-up to be sure it was not simply an error on the part of the sender. I hope you are doing well, and would like to receive news of how you fill your days. How do you pass the time in your hometown? Perhaps you intend to return to sailing again?

I am sorry for our part in this tragedy. You expressed frustration toward the crown for inaction, and you may have been right to do so. If there is anything we can do to ease the pain, I would be glad to hear it. We can honor your family members’ passing here, if you wish. What were their names?

I have attached some copies of manuscripts on historic ship design that I hope will be of interest to you. They seem to be from a reputable source and highly informative. I found them in the palace library and had them copied with the intention of sending them your way. Perhaps their company would be welcome with you.

Sincerely,

Prince Luciano

Val,

I cannot help but remember your words to me on the evening that you received the cruel news from the Rain’s Ascendant and wonder what has become of you in all these weeks of silence.

I have heard that it gets cold in your hometown this time of year, and recall how you marveled at the grandeur of the palace and its riches. I am sending along a scarf woven from gold thread. I worry about you.

Prince Luciano

Luc,

You’ve been writing me a lot. I have to admit my surprise that you're still thinking of me, let alone sending me all these nice things. I guess that’s because you’re a kind man. Maybe I didn’t give you enough credit while I was there.

You asked about my family’s names. My oldest sibling was Nhadian. Next was Llivius, and then me. My dad was Avolhiyn. I used to have a younger sibling called Athe, but they’re long gone.

I can’t stand being in this empty house with the blood on the floor (not much, I don’t think they were killed in here. Their lives were probably bled out into the sea the way the Ascendant loves to do it). So I’m going. Don’t bother writing anymore.

Valheo