On a rockbed, overseeing the Saltstand shore , sat a lonely figure.

He hugged his knees close to his chest, to brace himself against the cold and gusty wind. The wind bullied him, messing up his long , dark hair. It whipped mercilessly against his cheeks until they flushed red.

But his eyes were bright, widened in awe. Infront of him was the vast expanse of shimmering darkness. Moon glowed down on water, painting it a bewitching tapestry of silver ripples, stretching as far as eye could see.

The sea!

Waves rolled in and crashed against shore , a sound so loud yet so pleasant to ears. He was starting to realize the sheer magnitude and beauty of this uncharted world and how little of it he had seen.

Who else could this be, if not River Verlice ?

He had been ten,when he first read about sea. It was a rather thick book called Adventures of Captain Seraphina. He did not understand majority of the plot about the fiesty sailor who cruised the tyant seas,back then.

It was only after he read the book again,many years later,he finally understood why.

The book was filled with filth his pure, ten year old self had no business witnessing !

Despite the scarring,the book always struck with River. It left him breathless, engrossed in its vivid descriptions about the violent,untamable body of water that streched out till the end of the world.

He spent many hours,daydreaming ,trying to fathom how such a thing could exist.

Now, it was right infront his eyes. And it was more beautiful than he could have ever imgined it to be.

Another figure approached him in the dark , his steps nimble as he jumped from one rock to another. River turned around to see the Southern king looming over him , his gaze fixated on the enchanting view before him.

He silently sat beside River and held out something to him. "Eat"

It was a fried...some kind of animal...or a bug..skewered on a wooden stick. It had a revolting amount of legs...? Are those legs?

"Its an fried octopus" Raven rolled his eyes "now tell me you have never eaten one "

"Im ..not hungry "

Raven was in a pair of loose black pants and a white shirt with puffed long sleeves. His hair was in its customery low messy tie, eye patch in place.

God probably hand made this man and mass made rest of humanity. He appered to be carved of marble under moonlight. From the bridge of his nose to slightly fuller bottom lip to angular and sharp bone structure.. no matter how much River stared he couldnt pick out a single thing disagreeble .

Gods really do not make flaws.

Raven ripped out a large chunk of the fried creature with his teeth, smearing the oil and sauce all over his lips and chin . Before River could protest he wiped it with his pristine white sleeve .

Never mind.

River thought back to previous day. He had asked for a day to consider if he is going to help Raven with his search.

"You have a day " Raven had said untying his binds. "Im going to put a sigil on you meanwhile "

River and Aithan both looked at him with widened eyes. " I cant afford having you run away "

He hovered two of his fingers over River's forehead. A blinding light shone and he felt a burn between his brows. It went away as quickly as it came.

"Done " he said smugly " you can run. but there is nowhere you can hide from me now."

River touched his forehead but felt nothing. "What happens if I refuse to help you?"

Raven had regarded him with his russet brown eye. It had almost looked red under sun. He then smiled sweetly , his sharp canines on full diaplay.

"Then Ill have no reason to keep you alive"

River surpressed a shiver.

"Give our Missy here something to eat and more comfy clothes, Aithan . " he instructed . "And get her out of that hideous face paint . She'll look much cuter without it "

"Im a man " River deadpanned.

"He'll look much cuter without it " Raven repeated without missing a beat. Then he swaggered out of room leaving him and Aithan behind .

Aithan helped him out of the getup and promised to clean and put everything away safely for him. He then very kindly brought him food and a black shirt, pants of same color and a hair ribbon. All made of same soft material.

They had to pin the pants at the waist because they were a size too big. Aithan had completely forgotten about shoes,which he repeatedly apologized for. So River kept his wooden sandles on , despite how uncomfortable they were.

"So ," Raven shouted over the sound of wind picking up, snapping him back to present "what are you going to do?"

"I'm not keen to die, My Lord"

"Is that a yes?"

River nodded. "Ill come"

Silence resumed between them. River turned his attention back to sea.

If he really didn't want to follow the Southern king in his journey, hanging his petty life over his head wasnt going to be enough to persuade him.

As precious as life is to people,it is something they will eventually lose. One should not let the fear of losing it dictate how they live.

If Raven Alistair had use of him,he could not abandon River. If he didn't, River could live out side the reach of his family. He could go to places,experience things, meet new people.

Find out who his mother was. If fate allowed it.

"Have My Lord been to lot of places ?" River asked.

Raven was silent for a few seconds. He took the remaining meat off skewer, stuffed it in his mouth and licked his fingers clean.

"You could say that" he answered.

They listened to waves crashing .

"I wish to see them " River told. " If I help My lord with his search , he have to take me "

Raven scrutinized his face " I dont have time " he said " Im a king "

"My Lord owes me " River urged.

"Fine " Raven sighed "take Aithan , we have a deal"

River liked the sound of that. "Ill take Lord Aithan"

"Send him back though. He has duties " Raven reminded.

You will probably accidentally set fire to Southern sea without him keeping watch on you.

"I never got your name" Raven asked suddenly.

"I do not have a name I can give ,My Lord " River said grimly.

"What does your ol' man call you?"

"He doesnt talk to me , no one does" River replied.

Raven made a face " brother ?"

"Its something he made up when we were kids "

" so like a pet name " Raven tapped his chin "whats written in the family register?"

"Im not in family register" River sighed. "But they made a memorial tablet for me. It has a name, River"

"So you do have a name, stop whining" Raven paused "wait , why do you have a memorial tablet?"

"I think it was a misunderstanding " River didnt elaborated and Raven didnt asked him to.

"But a name's purpose is to be used by others. A name not called is not a name " River sighed.

"Aaaaaaaa its not that fucking deep" Raven said getting up "River is River"

With that he was gone, leaving the younger man alone with his thoughts.

River is River

He was six ,when his nanny first took him to Verlice ancestral hall. He knelt before the wall , where all the tablets of past Verlice heroes  hung and paid his respects.

He had grasped the concept of death , even at that tender age. His mother was dead. Dead means gone, never to come back again. He scanned the wall, at the last somber remnants of all those gone people.

Top tablets belonged to oldest, bottom tablets for the people who died recently. He pointed at the wooden slate at the very bottom.

"Aunty, what does that say?" He had asked his nanny.

She paled a bit "River Verlice"

"River.." he repeated "who is that?"

She had not answered. River scanned the wall again.

"Which is my mother's?"

Nanny grimly shook her head "I do not know"

When River turned 10 it was decided he no longer needed a nanny. He had learnt to write and read , basic math
and etiquette,so a master was not needed either. Both were removed from East wing.

Later he found they were killed .

He was allowed an annual trip to the ancestral hall where he paid respect to dead and another to the Vorine shrine where he prayed to the deathless.

Year after year he would go to ancestral hall and read all the tablet from top to bottom and bottom to top. But he never found a tablet that could be his mother's .

In his childhood his father had once called him River.That's how he knew the tablet was his.He didnt know why wasn't it taken down from the wall or why it was put there in the first place .

Maybe they did funerals rites for him at his birth. Then named him River. That way he would have a name of sorts, without actually having a name.

River felt that his hands have gone numb in the cold. He got up and left . Moon watched him quietly .

Author has something to say

Character trivia(spoiler free)

River Verlice

Name meaning

River / a bright blue colored six petaled flower endemic to North, widely known as River Blues. Verlice / translates to "bringer of victory"

Age -19
Height -165 cm
Eye color -bright blue
Hair color- black /hip length

Favourite food- Frucois- a fruit found in North and some Eastern regions ./tea/ rice porrige with meat/ soup
Hobbies -reading /collecting political gossip/ desinging artifacts