Whenever she laid on top of Riftan’s chest, she felt so close to him, as if even their souls merged to become one. His soft breath tickled the top of her head, and the pounding of his heart against her chest fest as if it was her own. At that moment, Max realized that she could no longer live without him, her heart desired to possess him completely. She needed Riftan, much like a newborn chick, blindly chasing its mother hen. However, to her dismay, the moment of goodbye drew closer with time.

  Riftan, who returned from the deck after speaking with the captain, instructed her with a serious expression. Max was sitting on the bed, reading a book, and looked up at him in surprise.

  Riftan walked over to the where his armor was sitting for days now and wore them piece by piece. Max grew more and more agitated at the sight.

  Riftan tightened his belt and fastened the cuirass, then turned to her and frowned when he saw her. He sighed and touched her face which had a pale complexion.

  Max swallowed hard and her throat felt tight. Sirens were monsters infamous for wrecking ships and drawing the souls of sailors with their seductive voices. She had completely forgotten about monsters, given how peaceful things had been lately.

  Riftan fastened his scabbard around his waist and left the room again, so Max was left alone. She anxiously rummaged through the bookshelves and peered out of the porthole. On the silver horizon, a thick veil of mist slowly crept up.

  Are we passing through the Siren’s Cove right now? Max wondered as she looked up at the tall ivory rocks covered in moss. Her spine shook and she closed the porthole. Contrary to what they feared, there were no sirens that appeared even as the ship passed between the rocks of the cove.

  Max relaxed a bit and sat back to read her book; however, she could not focus and understand the words she read. For a long time she flipped through folk tales, which she read twice passively. She was overwhelmed with the need to see what was happening and slipped out of the cabin. Then, she heard faint voices singing from somewhere.

  Nervous that it might be the tantalizing calls of the sirens, she walked towards the sound. As she got closer, the song became clearer, and her tensed shoulders relaxed. It was the voices of the sailors singing. Unable to overcome her curiosity, Max hurriedly made her way up to the deck.

  The roaring voices of the sailors echoed loudly over the reddish sunset lit deck. The men carried large buckets of water and were busy pulling ropes and adjusting the sails while they sang in chorus, briskly stomping their feet to a rhythm.

  ♫ ♪ ♫


  Hey-ya, hey-ya, row the oars.

  Through the waves high as Mt. Taesan, we’ll sail to the end of this sea.

  To the place where the sun sleeps,

  To the end of the shining horizon where Adrina’s Pardise might be.

  Though a typhoon hits, no one can stop us

  Hey-ya, hey-ya, row the oars.

  We’ll sail to the end of this sea!

  ♪ ♫ ♪


  Max was puzzled at the booming voices that filled her ears. A young knight in armor who was patrolling the railings spotted Max and strode towards her. She recognized him, he was a young knight named Jacque Briman. He looked at her with a serious expression and calmly reprimanded her.

  The knights squinted at the singing sailors.

  Max’s eyes widened and the young knight smiled bitterly.

  Max gazed out at the bright red sea that sparkled gold, as she listened to the roar of the men echoing over the rippling waves. As the young knight explained, with such powerful voices the captivating songs of the sirens would unlikely be heard.

  Max returned to her cabin while the sailors continued to sing even after the sun had set. She ate the food one of the servants brought her as she listened to the loud singing. The song was crude and could never be called sweet, but the sailors’ lively voices meant that everything was safe. Soon, the singing served to calm her.

  After finishing her meal, Max went to lay on the bed and tried going to sleep. However, as she sank deeper into the night, her mind only became more and more anxious. She tossed and turned all night, and when the bluish glow of dawn peeked in, she immediately jumped out of bed and ran onto the deck.

  The sailors still sang to the melodies played on shawm and mandolin. However, they were so exhausted from staying awake all night long that they didn’t sing as loudly as the day before. Max quietly listened to the melodies echoing in the dark and turned around from the deck and headed to the ship’s stern.

  There, she saw sailors sitting in the middle, forming a circle and using overturned wooden crates as chairs. The knights, on the other hand, guarded the railings and had quivers strapped to their back, filled with long arrows.

  Max looked around and saw Riftan among them, then walked away. However, as if Riftan had felt her presence, he turned his head around and frowned when he saw her, then followed Max.

  Max was startled with his sudden approach, then snuggled closely next to him. She squinted her eyes, looking out at the dark sea. At a distance, above the roaring waves, were high rocks surrounded by a thick mist.

  Hebaron, who was leaning against the railings, suddenly intervened. He yawned loudly and indiscreetly, and smiled mischievously at Max.

  Riftan grunted unpleasantly and bared his teeth, but Hebaron didn’t even flinch.

  Riftan replied with a bark and placed a hand on Max’s back, leading her towards where the knights and sailors gathered.

  As they approached the large cauldron, a sailor poured the thick steaming stew into a clean bowl and handed it to Max. She gratefully accepted the steaming bowl and sat on a large crate. Riftan sat next to her with his own bowl, and they sipped their meals. She stirred the soup with her spoon and looked at the sailor’s faces.

  After a long night, everyone seemed exhausted from singing all night. Most of their faces were gaunt, but some of the sturdier sailors continued to hum tunes near the stern. A young sailor playing a mandolin approached Riftan while she was gazing at them.

  Max’s eyes flew up at the sudden request, and Riftan, who was drinking soup, stopped and scowled at the sailor. The sailor continued politely.

  Riftan looked at him silently and then turned to Max.

  Suddenly, all the sailors and knights turned to look towards her. Max shook her head.

  Max looked at the sailor’s face, full of anticipation. She couldn’t refuse, her face scrunched to a difficult expression as she tried to think. When she was still at Castle Croix, there were many songs performed by the bards, but when asked directly what song she would like to hear, nothing occurred to her. Max searched her mind, looking side to side. Then suddenly, she remembered the song performed during the Anatol Spring Festival.

  The sailor tilted his head at her vague request.

  She hummed some verses she remembered hearing, as she struggled to search her memories. Then, the sailor’s face lit up with a wide smile as if he recognized it.

  The sailor adjusted his posture and began to strum the mandolin in his hand. Max smiled as the familiar tone restored her warm nostalgia for spring. The tempo was slower compared to what she heard from the festival, and Max was taken aback by the melancholic melody.

  Soon, the young sailor’s charming baritone voice resounded softly.

  ♫ ♪ ♫


  The knight kissed the nymph’s face

  And flew far into the distant sky

  The oak tree he loved

  Left alone on the hill

  Amidst the wind

  Its delicate branches swayed

  Please dragon,

  take his shattered broken body

  to the land of eternal rest

  From this chaotic land

  Darling, far away

  Aah~

  Darling, I will love you

  Until the day I breathe my last breath.”


  ♪ ♫ ♪


  Max leaned on Riftan’s shoulders as she savored the resounding delicate tune of the mandolin. It wasn’t that long ago, but the moment when she was dancing on the fields felt so far away.

  Note –

  : Hebaron scoring points again hahaha. The legend is bothering me though, I feel like it has a deep connection to the story and its yet to be revealed. HMMM