Standing Steady in the Storms Ch. 3

Here is chapter 3! I've been meaning to post it, but I've had A LOT of school work. Hopefully this is edited enough....

Chapter 3: Contentedly Sailing on the Dak Sea

The breeze was cool and the sun was warm as the little sloop drifted out into the open sea. Kalmar and Janner stood together at the stern, Kal holding the ship’s wheel steady and  Janner peering over his brother’s shoulder, trying to gauge their destination.

“Where are you aiming for?” Janner finally asked after twenty minutes, when he had come up short of any locations. They were heading west, and there was nothing nearby but open water. Janner couldn’t see the purpose in taking Galya out into the middle of nowhere. Now if I were taking Sara out, he reflected. It would be a splendid idea. Simply sailing with her would satisfy both of us. 

“Nothing in particular,” Kal stated absently, squinting at what lay ahead (which was essentially nothing).

“Kal,” Janner cocked his head sideways and looked at his brother. “I suggested that you take Galya somewhere she would like and propose to her there.”

“Shh! Keep your voice down,” Kal hissed, eyed Gayla and Sara, who stood against the rail on the main deck, laughing together.

“Sorry,” Janner apologized. “Where was I? Oh, yes. I suggest taking her somewhere nice for it. You fail to do so. Instead, you take her out into the middle of nowhere. Not only that, but I tell you to not back out of it, yet you come running to Sara and I, interrupt our afternoon stroll, and make it nearly impossible for you to even go through with the proposal!”

“SHHHHH!” Kal hiss-shrieked this time, causing the girls to look up at them both with curious expressions on their faces. Janner waved awkwardly until they shook their heads and went back to talking. 

“Kal, get a grip! Are you going to ask her or not?” Janner eyed him. “Because if you think you’re ready, then don’t let anything stop you. You never have before. But if you aren’t, then don’t rush it. Sometimes, waiting is best.”

Kal smirked. “Sure. Like you and Sara waited any longer than you needed to.”

Janner rolled his eyes at his brother’s teasing. "That was different, and you know it! We’ve known each other for years, and everyone has known about us for years. There was no point in putting it off.”

“Well, maybe I’ve cared for Galya all this time and I just haven’t told anybody,”  Kal retorted. 

Janner looked at him in surprise. Kal had spent six years after Anniera’s renewal saying that he didn’t care for anybody "like that.” He had spent the past seven years teasing Janner relentlessly about his feelings for Sara, and that was before Kal really even knew her. 

“Have you  been crushing on Galya since you met her?” Janner asked in utter disbelief. 

Kal hesitated and shifted his gaze towards Janner briefly before looking away again. “Sort of,” he said, in a voice an octave higher than normal. 

“Well, then,” Janner placed his hands on the ship’s wheel. “You get down there and start talking to Galya. I’ll take over here.”

“No, no, no!” Kal flung Janner’s hands off the wheel, causing the ship to turn slightly to starboard. He quickly adjusted and looked back at Janner. “Can’t you send her up here? It’ll be the best view.”

Slightly miffed at Kal’s rough protest, Janner ignored his question and instead found a way to annoy his little brother. He glanced at Kal’s gloved hands and smiled. “Oh, would you look at that? You’re wearing the gloves this time. I suppose what happened last time was enough of an incentive for you to actually find yours.” 

Kal scowled at him, and Janner laughed. Steering the ship unending for hours was a daunting task and often turned into a painful one. The blisters really were dreadful, and Kalmar had forgotten to wear them the last time he steered the ship. Or, rather, he had simply hadn’t because he managed to lose his pair. Kal had paid for it in his share of nasty blisters. Janner had empathized with him, but the fact remained that it was entirely Kalmar’s fault.

“Yes, Janner, I managed to find them,” Kal huffed, rolling his eyes. “They were in my desk drawer, underneath my paints. Now, will you please get Galya? The view will be amazing!”

“What view?” Janner asked, puzzled. He looked out at the water again. There was nothing. There weren’t even any Sea Dragons. Hulwen and the others still kept up their annual migration, because some of the dragons’ wings had not been healed during the battle.  They were in the sea somewhere. Hulwen said they traveled beyond the edges of the map, since the waters stretched all around the world of Aerwiar. Janner longed to see those places, but at the same time, he knew that he wanted to be with his family in Anniera more than anywhere else in all of Aerwiar. 

“You’ll see,” Kal replied, a smile on his face. Janner shook his head. Apparently, he would have to wait until Kal was ready to reveal his secret. 

“Fine. I’ll go get her. But no complaining tomorrow morning about candlelight flickering during all hours when Sara and I stay up reading in the library tonight, alright?”

“Okay, okay. I won’t. Just go get her!” Kal waved Janner on impatiently. 

Janner shook his head and laughed, taking the steps down to the main deck. “Miss Galya,” he greeted her pleasantly, and Galya dipped her head in response. “The High King has requested your presence by the ship’s wheel. Would you like an escort?”

“Why, thank you, kind Sir,” Galya played along. “But I will manage.”

Galya walked up to where Kal stood at the ship’s wheel and began talking to him. Their words were inaudible, but by the looks on their faces, Janner could tell they were enjoying themselves. 

He joined Sara where she stood, leaning against the main deck’s rail, her forearms resting on it. The sky was beautiful, the water was choppy but not too rough, and the breeze was pleasant and cool out on the open sea.

“It’s a gorgeous day, isn’t it?” Sara said, looking out into the water.

“Mhm,” Janner replied absentmindedly. “And it’ll be even more beautiful once the sun sets a bit so we can actually see. We’re sailing directly into blinding light.” 

“Janner,” Sara pretended to be cross with him. “I set you up perfectly for that one.”

Janner realized his mistake and took her hand gently. “Oh, love, patience. I was going to add: it’s only gorgeous because you’re standing here beside me.”

Sara slapped his shoulder gently and giggled when he tugged her hair a bit. 

They stood there for a little while, looking out at the sparkling, blue sea and admiring the way the sunlight danced upon it. Suddenly, Sara sucked in her breath quickly, almost as if she was in pain. 

“What’s wrong?” Janner asked, worry immediately flooding over him. He turned away from the water and squeezed Sara’s hand tightly. “Are you alright?”

Sara pulled her hand out of Janner’s and took hold of his wrist, placing his hand on her swollen abdomen. “Do you feel that?” She asked, a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes.

Janner closed his eyes and held his breath. There was nothing. Then he felt it. A kick. A tiny one. A tiny kick from a tiny foot. The tension drained away from his face and wonder took its place. “That’s our baby,” he whispered. 

“Our son,” Sara corrected as Janner went back to standing peacefully at the rail, or at least as peacefully as he was capable of being. 

He furrowed his brow a bit at her comment. “How do you know the baby’s a boy? For all you know, we could be having triplets — all girls.”

Sara laughed merrily. “Oh, Janner. I promise you, I am not having three of anything — boy or girl. If there were three little lives growing inside of me, I would know it.”

“Are you sure about that?” Janner asked playfully, closing his eyes so he could listen to the sound of the waves and the ripple of the sail above without being blinded by the light bouncing off the water. 

“Yes. And you know how I know?”

“How?”

“The kicks would be much more frequent if there were three babies inside of me.” Sara stated pointedly. “So I hate to break it to you, but your dreams of triplet girls have been dashed to bits.”

“On the rocks, I suppose,” Janner sighed, opening his eyes again so he could look at her. 

“On the rocks,” Sara repeated.

Janner looked into her lovely blue eyes that twinkled like the sea and couldn’t resist teasing her just a bit more. “What if it’s twins?”

Notes: I may end up posting a second chapter depending on whether or not this gets approved.

p.s. here is a link to chapters 1-2