Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 197

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.

“Don’t leave the room tonight.”

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.

“W-what happened?”

“It’s nothing, I’m just preparing for possible danger.”

“D-Danger?”

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.

“The ship will sail through a cove of sirens. If we aren’t fortunate, a battle might erupt.”

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.

“Lady Calypse, you shouldn’t be wandering alone.”

“I-I know. It’s just… I heard the s-singing and… I was wondering w-what was going on.”

The knights squinted at the singing sailors. “It is said that this is the most effective way to drown out the songs of the sirens and prevent sailors from being enchanted and ramming the ship into the reefs. They will be singing all night long until we pass safely through the siren’s territories.”

“All… all night?”

Max’s eyes widened and the young knight smiled bitterly. “I understand it’s very loud, but please endure it. We must put safety as our top priority. It is said that if they continue singing loudly, not only sirens, but mermen as well won’t approach near our ship.”

“I s-see.”

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.

“Why are you already out here? It’s still not safe yet.”

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.

“Even if… we’re this far… it’s still not s-safe?”

“There’s no way to know if we are safe. There are rare cases when ships get chased…”

“Don’t be so uptight, Commander. Even if they do chase us, there will be no problem as long as we drown the siren’s singing with ours.”

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

“I have been listening all night to the loud voices of men, my head hurts. Doesn’t the lady have something to say? I need to clean my ears with the lady’s gentle voice.”

“Stop with the b*llsh*t and get lost.”

Riftan grunted unpleasantly and bared his teeth, but Hebaron didn’t even flinch. “Don’t be so prissy, Commander. You should know, a man’s heart must be as wide as the great, vast seas…”

“Shut your mouth before I throw you into the sea.”

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

“We made a meat stew to eat as replenishment for the energies we lost from staying awake through the night. While you’re up here on the deck, have a bowl of it too.”

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.

“Great Knight, may I offer to play a song for your beloved wife?”

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.

“It’s sickening to repeatedly hear the songs of the sea we sang all night… If there is a particular song the Lady wishes to hear, then I will put all my heart into singing it.”

Riftan looked at him silently and then turned to Max. “Is there a song you would like to hear?”

Suddenly, all the sailors and knights turned to look towards her. Max shook her head. “N-nothing in particular…”

“I am well-versed with a lot of folk songs as well. I’ll play any song that the lady will request.”

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.

“I don’t know it’s t-title… but it’s a song I heard at a village festival…”

“Does the Lady remember the lyrics?” 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.

“That is Adelian’s poetry. It is a folk song that has been sung since the founding of the Roem era. It is also my favorite song. I shall sing and play it well for the lady.”

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 – LF: 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