The Lore Wain and Her Nephew Pt. 42

"Wait..." Ramger said with narrowed eyes before them becoming wide. "Sefton? You're..." He suddenly becomes angry. "YOU'RE SEFTON THE PIED PIPER?!" Kinabrick came up from behind Ramger and grabbed one of his shoulders. "Ramger, leave it alone." "My name is Clef now, not Sefton." Clef replied to Ramger. Ramger shrugged Kinabrick's hand off his shoulder walked right up to Clef, sizing him up. He glared into Clef's blue eyes with a surprisingly deep hate. "Get off this ship." Ramger said this with a surprising low rumble in his tenor voice. Clef's eyes were worried at first before becoming serious and blank. "No." He slowly folded his arms. "Get off this ship!" Ramger shouted with anger. Clef's eyebrows furrowed a bit as he just stared at Ramger. Kinabrick quickly got between Ramger and Clef and tried to talk to Ramger. "Ramger, don't-" "Kinabrick, get out of my way! That scoundrel has to go!" Ramger didn't hesitate to yell in his brother-in-law's face. "He's not Sefton anymore, Ramger!" Celeste spoke up in defense of Clef. "He turned his back on crime for good, I promise-" Ramger's angry eyes shifted to Celeste. "I don't CARE if he's reformed or not. He has to go. NOW!" "What's your problem?!" Celeste yelled at Ramger in anger, "We literally almost died back there and you're STILL not giving anyone a chance! Why can't you just trust my judgment?!" "BECAUSE I TRUSTED MY WIFE'S JUDGMENT AND NOW MY SON IS GONE!" Ramger shouted so loud his voice cracked. Clef's eyebrows raised in shock and his mouth opened partially. He slowly unfolded his arms. As for Celeste, her angry expression faded immediately. "Your son...?" She asked with level tone. Ramger's angry demeanor quickly melted into great sorrow. His blue eyes flooded with tears like that of a broken dam and he took out a handkerchief to quickly wipe the tears away. Kinabrick sighed and patted Ramger's back. "Ramger, what about your son? I didn't know you had a family." Celeste asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "He's gone now. That's all you need to know." Ramger replied as clearly and sternly as he could before walking off in retreat to the Captain's cabin. He wanted to recuperate and check on Echo. Kinabrick went with him, trying to calm him down. Celeste and Clef stood there bewildered, trying to process what just happened. Celeste looked at Clef with worry in her eyes. "Do you... think someone killed his son?" Alagatha could be heard emerging from the lower cabin stairs. "That's not what happened to his babe..." She must of heard the loud conversation from below deck. "What happened to him?" Clef asked Alagatha, seeming surprised that she knew Ramger's story. "His son was taken by stranders when he was just an infant a... about twenty-four years ago... Poor man hasn't seen his son since. Give him a lil' grace... I can't imagine his pain." Alagatha sighed. "Stranders took his son twenty-four years ago...? His son would be about my age..." Clef looked shocked for a moment before remembering the actions of other horrible stranders in Skree. "But I shouldn't be surprised... The most evil stranders kidnap children..." His eyes looked toward the floor. "My father included, apparently..." "Aye, Captain Sealen Silver-eye is a snake if I ever seen one. Wicked man. I can't imagine what he was like as a father to ye." Alagatha remarked like she would punch Sealen if he were in standing front of her. Clef looked at Alagatha with a strange apathy, "Hardly a father at all, truth be told. He only became interested in me once I was old enough to carry and swing a sword. From then, he taught me to be just as wicked as he was." "I'm sorry, Clef." Celeste took one of his hands in hers. "I can't say I understand your experience because I grew up in a castle but... I'm proud of you for turning away from that life you were raised in." Clef smiled slightly at Celeste, seeing her kindness. "Not of my work, I'm just as glad as you that the Maker redeemed me." - "Tilly, my dear, where have you been all these years?" Beebus asked her. "In some trees." Till took a deep breath before continuing. "I've come in behalf of our kind. Our thieving ways must stop. Our greed must stop." Quanka huffed, "Stupid girl! You don't know anything about governing a people such as ours!" "Quiet yourself, Quanka." Beebus hissed at her before looking back at Till. "If this is about that farming idea, Tilly..." "It's different this time." Pummi said, stepping forward and revealing the packets of seeds that Nala had given him. "A human has agreed to help us start our farm and provide us with fruit until we are self sustaining. In exchange for her kindness, I offered our protection from the other tribes of the forest." Quanka huffed again, "Pummington! You used to hate her idea!" Beebus hissed at Quanka again, "Silence, Quanka!" He looked at Till an Pummi and sighed. "You really made a deal with a human?" Pummi nodded, while anxiously tapping the packets in his arms. "She was kind to me. Do know who she was?" "No, who is she?" Beebus asked. "She's the woman who owns the orchard an hour out from the sea. The same one of whom we killed her husband." Pummi said, feeling a bit more bold to see the shocked looks on the elders' faces. "She forgave us for killing her beloved. She's a widow because of our greed and she's offering to help us." Ambersa started to sob on the spot, "Oh, it's like Palma and Lint!" "How can... We can't possibly believe forgiveness like this is real, Pummington." Beebus remarked with shock shifting into disbelief. "She must be up to something." "No, sir. She has only a son left." Zarabean reassured Beebus there was no trickery. "She's sincere. She wanted to give the seeds and fruit freely for us. Pummi was who gave her a trade." Beebus thought a moment with a deep and old sounding hum noise. Quanka groaned and mumbled to herself. "I hate humans so much." "Grandpa, please." Till pleaded before looking at all the other elders. "Accept her forgiveness and help. She believes in the Maker." The counsel started to murmur. Some of those who were against the story of Palma were now at an indifferent stance because of the testimony of Nala, who forgave an impossible wrong done to her at their hands. After a moment of discussion, a verdict was given. "Let's try it." Beebus said reluctantly. "If it doesn't work out, we can always find another way... but if it does, it would be good for both of our races." Till gasped with excitement and looked at Zarabean and Pummi. Pummi seemed so relieved. "Thank you, counsel." "And let Beanie go! This was a fools chase anyway." One of the elderly women shouted from the group. Zarabean was let go and seemed very thankful for such. To his surprise, Till shot over and gave him such a big hug that he was lifted off the ground. "Success! Success!" Till cheered excitedly. Zarabean laughed nervously as he felt his cheeks warming up. "Please put Zarabean down..." Till set him down and laughed awkwardly. "Sorry..." Zarabean cleared his throat and looked at the counsel. "Well, I should be leaving once again. I must help my friend and her people. I hope all goes well while I'm gone." "Wait, Beanie!" Ambersa got up from her chair and hobbled over on her cane. She gave him a big hug. "Oh, Beanie... My Baby Bean..." Zarabean could hear Till laughing at the nickname his mother gave him and this made him feel quite embarrassed. With red cheeks, he hugged his mother back. "I will return when our adventure is over... Until then, I will send messages on the homing crows... If I find any where I'm going." Ambersa started to cry, "My son, please don't be gone too long... I'm old and I want to see you married before I die." Zarabean's face completely lit up in a bright red hue. "Mother! Zarabean is forty years old, he's far past marriage!" Ambersa looked over at Till and wiggled her wrinkled eyebrows before erupting into a wheezy laugh. Zarabean gasped when he realized what Ambersa had just done. "Mother!!!" Till laughed in hysterics for at least three minutes. Pummi couldn't help but laugh too. He walked over to Zarabean and his mother. "I'll miss you, Bean. Thanks for everything." After regaining his composure, Zarabean gave his brother a hug. "I'll miss you too, Pummi... Stay out of trouble and... Perhaps lay off the berries?" "I might have to if I have to farm my own." Pummi chuckled nervously and shrugged. "I'll um... I'll miss you too, Bean." Till spoke up after her laughing fit. "I haven't known you real long but... I hope you're safe out there." Zarabean smiled at Till. "I'll look forward to it, Tilly. Once he had said his goodbyes, Zarabean left his tribe for the last time.