A Mother's Ring

Three days and four hours later Raymonde and Katrina find themselves within two hours of Xam. Lildöris still sleeping in a catatonic state, maybe it was something the Tiefling race did often, he didn't know as this was the second-longest time he had spent with one, he just shrugged it off. They both head down into the crew quarters and find Llorva still unconscious on the bed, sweat gleaming her forehead, her bandages soaked of blood, the colour of her skin is the same lively pink.

Katrina walks over to her and removes the blood-soaked bandages to see that the trident had struck her in the abdomen leaving three, two-inch holes. She tosses the bandages into a bucket across the room as she packs new clean bandages into the wounds, her hands now soaked with blood.

"What did this to her." Said Katrina as she stands and backs up from the bed, "What can throw a trident with such pinpoint accuracy, to pin her to the side of the boat without us noticing?" She looks at Raymonde to seek an answer out of him.

"I do not know." He says while wiping the blood from Katrina's hands, "The only thing… or person I know who can do something like this is." He pauses as his eyes go wide at the realisation, "Is… Khoysus."

Katrina's eyes go wide as she says, "You mean to tell me is that the god of the ocean did this to her?" Shock crosses Katrina's face.

"No, I am not saying he did this." He pauses long enough for it to become uncomfortable, "Don't forget he is also the god of storms… and your uncle.

"I know." She says as she looks at the ground and starts scratching her face, drawing blood, "But it doesn't mean I am related to that piece of shit."

Raymonde snatches her arms and wipes off the blood from her face, "I know." He says comfortingly, Katrina leans into him and takes in every smell she can, "But he is still your uncle, which means he is family." He begins rubbing her arms, he lifts her chin so her face was facing his, "I swear on Taanke, the Goddess of Vengeance I will get my revenge." Katrina gives him a look of concern, she responds with a hug.

----

As Xam reaches viewing distance Raymonde says, "Alright, we need to prepare for docking." As he finished his sentence the one crew member on the ship begins to unite the mainsail.

Raymonde jumps down to help as the man says, "No need, I've been manning this ship for as long as I can remember. So I have this one." As he speaks Raymonde realises it is the first time he had heard him speak since being on this boat.

"Alright." Raymonde replies, "Just as long as you know what you are doing." He heads down below deck.

He meets up with Katrina who is still in Llorva's chambers keeping an eye on her, "How is she?" Raymonde asks as he places his hands on Katrina's shoulders.

"She isn't looking too well." She answers while grabbing Llorva's hands, "Even though her skin has maintained all of its colours. I am afraid she won't last long if we don't get her to a healer soon." She turns to face Raymonde, his eyes start to flash between red and emerald, "Hey, everything will be okay." She says as she stands and places a hand on his cheek, "I swear everything will be okay." She kisses him on the cheek.

As the boat pulls into port they are met by four armed guards, three supporting shields and longswords, and the biggest of the four wields only a great axe.

"Where is your town's healer?" Raymonde asks holding Llorva in his arms while walking down the ramp, "We need one desperately."

The guard that looks at them in horror answers, "Um, there is one in the centre of town." His face leaches of all colours as he says, "If you can't find it ask around. And another thing, where is Llorva Skypeak?"

"This is Llorva Skypeak!" Raymonde screams in anguish, his eyes glowing bright red, "How did you not know this was Llorva!" He says shouting at the four men.

The guards stand in shock as Raymonde pushes through them and heads towards the centre of town, they stand in place for a moment before they follow behind Raymonde.

They reach the healers' door, which consists of dirty old rags, Raymonde pushes his way through the door and enters the building, the biggest of the four guards follow them in.

"Are you able to help her?" Katrina asks the healer at the front desk, "It is urgent!"

The healer stands to see Llorva bleeding profusely in Raymonde's arms. She gestures for them to follow her down the hall. She enters a room and pats the bed, Raymonde follows her through and places Llorva on the bed. The healer's hands begin to glow white as Llorva's wound begins to close.

"Is she going to be okay?" Raymonde asks kneeling beside the bed. The healer nods, "Good… good." He stands and attempts to pick Llorva up from the bed, the healer grabs at Raymonde's arm and looks at him wide-eyed, "It is okay. I know what I am doing." He continues to pick Llorva up, "Anyway, she likes the boat better. She would like to stay on the boat." Raymonde picks her up and heads out the door and back towards the docks.

----

Raymonde boards the boat and when he does Llorva shifts in his arms, he looks down to see that her trembling has calmed down, he heads below deck and places Llorva on the bed that she has spent the last three days in.

"You will be fine now Llorva." He says stepping back towards the door, "until you find out what I did for you." He mumbles to himself as he leaves the room.

He ascends the stairs to see Katrina heading into town about one hundred feet from the docks, he rapidly departs the boat, "Keep an eye on her." He says to the guard that stayed with them the entire time.

His bronze scales glistening in the post-storm sun, "Will do." The Dragonborn answers.

Raymonde runs after Katrina down the main road of Xam, as Raymonde begun to close the distance Katrina entered a building on the right-hand side of the road.

As he got closer to the building he notices that it is a tavern named the Sad Duck Inn, he enters to see a packed bar with patrons of all different backgrounds, from hulking females to scrawny fragile males.

He spots Katrina at the bottom of the stairs in the corner of the room, he jumps into a little jog as Katrina climbs the stairs with a felines grace.

He reaches the top of the stairs not to see Katrina but an empty hall, a few moments pass before he feels a slight breeze on his neck causing every hair to stand, he turns to be faced with Katrina, her face a few inches from his.

"So," Katrina says while tugging his shirt and pinning him on the wall, "What do you want to do?"

"You know exactly what I want to do." He said as his lips meet hers.

Katrina opens the door behind them, and they fall to the ground of the room. Raymonde loosens Katrina's shirt and removes it from her body then he removes the piece of cloth covering her breasts. He leans in to caress her neck with his tongue.

Katrina spread her hands over his chest, tugging his black shirt over his head.

Katrina remembered herself enough to say, "Someone might come looking for us."

Raymonde huffed a laugh against her neck. "Something tells me," he said, his breath skittering along her skin, "you might not mind if we were discovered. If someone saw how thoroughly I plan to love you."

Katrina met Raymonde's stare and said clearly and baldly and without a speckle of doubt, "I love you, I am in love with you, Raymonde. I have been for a while. And I know that there are limits to what you can give me, and I know you might need time—"

His lips crushed into hers, and he said onto her mouth, dropping the words more precious than rubies and emeralds and sapphires into her heart, her soul, "I love you. There is no limit to what I can give to you, no time that I need. Even when this world is a forgotten whisper of dust between the stars, I will love you."

Katrina didn't know when she started crying when her body began shaking with the force of it. She had never said such words­­—to anyone. Never let herself be that vulnerable, never felt this burning and unending thing, so consuming she might die from the force of it.

Raymonde pulled back, wiping away her tears with his thumb, one after another. He said softly, barely audible over the humming of the patrons a floor beneath them, "Soulfire."

She sniffed back her tears, "Bloody bastard."

He roared a laugh and she let him pick her up and lay her down of the bed with a gentleness near reverence. His sculpted chest heaved slightly as he ran an eye over her now bare body, "You… are so beautiful."

She knew he didn't just mean the skin and curves and bones.

But Katrina still smiled, humming, "I know," she said lifting her arms above her head. Her fingers digging into the soft bed as she arched her back in a slow stretch.

Raymonde tracked every movement, every flicker of muscle and skin. When his gaze lingered on her breasts, gleaming with sweat, his expression turned ravenous.

Then his gaze slid lower. Lower. And when it lingered on the apex of her thighs and his eyes glazed, she said to him, "Are you going to stand there gawking all afternoon?"

----

A few hours pass while they are in the room, Raymonde rises from the bed, his scar covered chest raises as he says, "What is that?" Asking Katrina pointing at the bruise on her ribs.

"It most likely happened when I got pinned to the wall by the bed a few days ago." She answers him half yelling—half concerned about it.

Raymonde stands from the bed and grabs his shirt from where Katrina had tossed it after removing it from him and puts it on. He walks to Katrina's side and gingerly touches the bruise. As his finger made contact her eyes go wide and start to spill blue light, the room is devoured by the light.

"What the fuck." He says backing up from her, looking run down, "I am so sorry Katrina." He hugs her picking her up from the bed.

"It is okay Raymonde," she says looking deep into his emerald eye, "I know you didn't mean to hurt me. It is not in your nature to hurt someone you love." She kisses him on the cheek as he lets her down, "Alright, let me get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs for something to eat."

Raymonde leaves the room and heads downstairs. Katrina follows him after getting dressed.

----

Aboard the Lords' Beauty Llorva is still being watched by the Dragonborn guard that had elected to stay with her to keep her company, "Alright Llorva," he says, his voice deeper than that of the caverns of Mountain Pass in Eternal Expanse, "Let us get these bandages changed."

As he attempts to grab to bandages off her she wakes and grabs his claw-like hand in a heartbeat, "Who are… oh it is just you," she says letting go of his hand, "I came here looking for you." She attempts to get out of bed.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he says sitting next to her, "I don't think Raymonde would want that." He grabs her hand.

"Raymonde did this for me?" She asks while looking at her bandages.

"Yes," he says standing up, "Anyway I have been down here for too long now, must go back to my post." He starts to head to the door.

"Lorxan," Llorva expresses, he turns to face her, "Thank you. For being here for me." He gives a nod and heads for the deck.

He ascends the stairs to see four assailants standing on the deck, he reaches for his great-axe as a females voice resonates from the helm, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Just save both of us the trouble and surrender now." Lorxan lowers his axe as the others raise their swords towards him.

----

As the sun sets down upon the city of Xam, seated upon a hill at the far end of the city they now understand why this place is called the city of light.

"This is beautiful," Katrina says ecstatically, looking at the sunset over the horizon and towards Raymonde, "Is there anything more beautiful?"

"Nope." He answers, Katrina gives him a look of disbelief. Raymonde glairs over and chuckles, "There is nothing more beautiful than this."

Katrina punches him in the arm, "Hey." She hollers pushing him about, "So how about we get going huh?" She says standing from the grass, she holds her hand out for him, he just waves it off.

He stands and says, "Yeah, we should get going," he brushes the dirt and grass from his jeans, "Need to see how Llorva is doing." He begins walking down the hill and pauses to look back at Katrina, "Are you coming or what?"

In a heartbeat, Katrina begins to follow. It takes them twenty minutes to walk to the docks from the other side of the city.

As they reach the docks Raymonde feels a chill run down his spine, "Something doesn't feel right." He states as they approach the boat, "Where is the Dragonborn that was on guard?"

He begins scanning the boat to see if there is any movement, "Thank the gods." He says letting out a heavy breath, "He is on the boat."

As they board the boat they aren't faced with the Dragonborn, they are faced with five assailants, at the sight of the five figures Katrina and Raymonde both draw their weapons, four of the figures draw their swords.

"Woah." The female in the back voices, "Put your swords away men. We don't want to hurt our guest now do we?" Her voice is calm and collected, the four figures lower their swords, "I suggest you two drop your weapons and surrender."

They lower their swords and drop them to the ground.

"Tie them up with the others." They are both lead down below deck and into Llorva's chambers, they are tied to chairs opposite Llorva and the Dragonborn.

"What the hell happened here?" Raymonde asks as he is forced into a chair.

"Isn't it obvious?" The Dragonborn answers, "They jumped the ship when I was down here tending to her." He jerks his head towards Llorva, who is unconscious in the chair.

"By the Gods'." Katrina swears, "Anyway, I don't think we have met before kind sir." She says facing the Dragonborn, "I am Katrina Deathsworn, it is a pleasure."

His eyes go wide, "Are you the Katrina Deathsworn?" he says loud enough for only them to hear, "The daughter of Aas?"

She nods.

"Oh—oh well…" he swallows hard, "My name is Lorxan Jerynomonis." The gaze that he is giving Katrina is strong enough to burn a hole through her.

As Katrina opens her mouth to voice something the guard says, "That is enough talking from the two of you." He walks over to them and gags Katrina. As he attempts to gag Lorxan he just snaps his jaw and he restrains from putting one on him, "If a single word comes out of any of your mouths I have direct orders to kill every one of you."

----

A few hours pass while they are below deck tied to chairs. Llorva comes to consciousness, she lifts her head to see everyone tied in chairs, she jerks her entire body to attempt to get out of her bindings.

As she jolts she lets out a cry of pain. Raymonde looks over at her and gives her a look to say, 'Are you okay?' She nods and starts to look around the cabin and sees one guard at the door, she stops struggling in her chair and sits still.

As Llorva sits still Katrina glances at Raymonde with a worried look on her face, 'I am sorry,' it seemed to say, 'I am so sorry.'

"No!" Raymonde yells as Katrina looks at the ground then back up again.

A few moments pass before Katrina's eyes and skin begin to glow blue. Katrina ignites into blue flames, she burns off her bindings. The guard turns to see her standing in the room fully engulfed in blue flames, he begins to approach her drawing his sword.

As his sword left its sheath he lit up in flames from the ground up, he drops to the ground screaming out in pain.

Katrina leaves the room to see three more guards rushing towards her, they all swing their swords at once, all of which melt before contacting her skin, she burns them all to ashes before advancing to the main deck.

----

As Katrina crests the stairs the female who is still sitting at the helm spots Katrina on the deck, she jumps from the helm and rushes her. The female got within five feet of her and swung her sword for the neck.

As the sword got within a foot of her skin the blade began to glow red in her hand, she drops the sword as it began to burn her hand. The blade hits the floor and continues to become a heap of molten metal on the deck.

Katrina raises her hands, a ball of blue flames begins to emanate from them, the female leader drops to her knees, her face showing signs of pain as her knees crashed against the hardwood. She begins to pray.

*"I have turned your friends to ash."* Katrina says in a tongue the female doesn't understand, *"Now it is your turn."*

----

Raymonde rushes up the stairs to see Katrina standing over a female on her knees, seemingly praying.

He rushes over as a fireball of blue flames forms in Katrina's hands, he slides in front of the female, *"Katrina!"* He yells in the same tongue Katrina used, *"Stop this at once."* A tear begins to form in his eye.

Katrina lets the fireball dissipate in her hands, the blue inferno surrounding her dies down. As it stops she collapses.

In the blink of an eye, Raymonde lunged forward to catch her as she fell. He holds her until he sets her on the ground. She lays there unconscious.

"You!" He turns to face the female, "Why couldn't you just raid a different boat?" His eyes begin to flicker between red and neutral.

"When I heard that Raymonde Hawkstride was coming to Xam on a boat named the Lords' Beauty, I knew I had to capture him and claim the bounty for myself." Tears begin to roll down her face as she smiles wickedly, "And it looks like the rumours are true."

"What rumours?" He screams, his eyes now a solid red colour.

"That the Order has completed their experiments on one individual." She says standing to be at eye level with Raymonde, "That the Order of The Crimson Ring has completed their research on one Raymonde Hawkstride. So what are you going to do with me now?"

Raymonde's eyes begin to glow redder and red smoke begins to spill from them and before the female could take one step towards him she is ignited into orange and gold flames. She screamed as her body began to turn to ash. The flames die down as one of her arms was burnt off, "Leave now, or it won't just be your arm that I burn off." The woman leaps off the boat as best she could with only one arm, and she ran for the horizon.

He turns to see Katrina standing upright wide-eyed and frozen in place to what she just saw, "Katrina?" He asks as he takes a step towards her.

Katrina's eyes roll into the back of her head, she faints. Raymonde attempts to catch her before she hits the ground. A loud thud echoes throughout the night as Katrina hits the ground.

"You." He says pointing at Lorxan as he ascends the stairs, "Get a large bucket of water. Quickly." As the words leave his mouth Lorxan walks at a quickened pace to find a bucket of water.

As Lorxan arrives back with the water, his stumbling walk spills some over the rim, he hands it over to Raymonde. As Raymonde grabs hold of the water he pours it on Katrina's face.

She wakes as the water touches her face, some of which evaporates as it does, "Katrina." Raymonde says struggling to keep his voice from trembling, "I thought we had… I had lost you."

Katrina gives him a regretful look and holds his hand in hers, "It will take more than that to get rid of me." She replies struggling to get the words out.

Raymonde looks into her eyes and catches a glimpse of her Soulfire, he wraps his arms around her, "Katrina?" He asks, she glances at his face, "I have something to give you."

He pulls back from the embrace and reaches for his right index finger and removes the ring from the finger, "It was my mother's ring." He says holding his hand out to Katrina with the ring laid on it, "And I want you to have it."

"I can't take that." She replies sounding startled, "I don't want to lose the only reminder you have of your mother." As she finished her sentence Raymonde reaches for her hand and slides the ring on her finger.

"Katrina Deathsworn." He says sounding formal, "I will love you to the end of the earth, I will care for you," he pauses, "and I will tear down the gods' peak from which they stand to prove that a mere mortal can defeat a god."

Katrina grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls him in for a kiss, "I love you too, Raymonde Hawkstride. With all my might."