The wailing cut through their silence like a jagged knife. A sound so small, yet it carried through the temple's cold stone corridors, reverberating off the towering pillars. It was a sound that didn't belong here.
Ceremus' hand instinctively resting on the hilt of his sword. Hael, standing beside him, stiffened. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was the distant crash of waves outside—constant, steady—before the cry rose again, thin and shrill, like a plea.
"That…" Hael murmured, his brows knitting together. "That's a baby."
Ceremus exhaled slowly, glancing toward the dimly lit hall ahead. "It would seem so."
Hael turned to him, searching his expression. "Should we—"
"I suppose we should investigate." Ceremus sighed, already striding forward.
Hael grabbed his hand, stepping in front of him protectively as he guided him towards the direction of the sound. The wailing stretched longer as they advanced, its echoes warping in the vast emptiness of the temple. The sound was disorienting, making it difficult to pinpoint where it was coming from. The deeper they went, the colder the air became.
They finally arrived at this mini prayer room that looked empty and desolate. However, the sound of the baby's cries was coming from the very room they were in.
Hael narrowed his eyes as he scanned the place when he caught sight of a piece of fabric peeking out from under a table. Approaching the table, his discovery surprised him.
He turned to look at Ceremus, a troubled expression on his face. "What is it?" The king asked.
"…You better come and look for yourself." He said gravely.
Ceremus furrowed his brows. He couldn't help but wonder what it could've been Hael saw to cause him to look like that. He slowly approached the table and crouched down, following his line of sight.
He found a wailing baby atop a pile of cloth, next to whom sat a frail-looking woman with her eyes closed. From where they stood, it looked as if the woman was unresponsive. Hael carefully brought a finger under her nose and felt a steady stream of air coming from her nose.
He sighed in relief and looked over at Ceremus, confirming his suspicions. "How long has she been here? And the baby?" Hael wondered.
Ceremus shrugged. From what he could tell, the temple had been her home for quite some time. The real question was how she could even get inside the temple when there were those birds guarding the doors. She and the baby looked uninjured, slightly undernourished, but uninjured.
"Should we wake her? That thing has been crying for a while now." The king said.
Hael cast him a look. "The baby, you mean. And yes, I think we should."
The guard gently shook the woman, making sure not to put too much force so as to not startle her. They both took a step back and watched as the woman slowly opened her eyes.
She seemed disoriented at first, but after regaining her senses, she realized the baby was in distress and immediately picked the child up, cradling him into her arms, whispering words of assurance.
She didn't notice their presence until Hael cleared his throat. The noise startled her. She instinctively clutched her baby closer to her, causing Ceremus to roll his eyes.
"We're not going to steal your child," He said in a chilly tone.
Hael shot him a pointed look, which the king ignored. Though his words and tone were harsh, it was enough to give the woman some assurance, but she was still on guard as she warily stared at the two men. The young man crouched down, softening his expression as he addressed the mother. "Are you and your child alright? How long have you guys been living inside the temple?"
The mother looked at Hael with wide eyes and didn't know how to respond. Ceremus who was standing behind the guard tilted his head as he observed her with narrowed eyes. "Is she perhaps hard of hearing?" He wondered.
The mother whiffed her head. She cleared her throat before answering. "... I am alright," she said in a soft voice. Her voice cracked a bit, most likely from dehydration. "I've been living here with my child for twenty days now."
"Twenty days?!" Hael repeated in surprise. "What happened?"
The mother lowered her head, her hands gripping to her child. It was hard to tell what she was feeling with half of her face covered by a shawl. Her eyes were the only thing they could see properly—a mix of blue and green, both stunning and enchanting, easy to get yourself lost in their unique colour. Even Hael found their gorgeous hue surprising.
"...I-I was stranded by my child's father on this island. With no way back to the mainland, we've been stuck here." She admitted.
Ceremus frowned. "How did you even manage to get inside the temple? The stymfalides were surrounding the building." He asked skeptically.
The mother's face darkened for a brief moment, but before she could answer, they were interrupted by Euphorion, who let them know that it was starting to get dark and dinner was about to be served. The king turned to look at his guard, and the concerned expression on his face was hard to miss. He let out a deep sigh. "It looks like you haven't had anything to eat besides old offerings for the past three weeks. I suppose…you may join us..if you'd like."
The woman looked up to the king with wide eyes before getting up and embracing the now stunned Ceremus with all her might. Grateful tears streamed down her cheeks and thanked him profusely.
An expression Hael had never seen appeared on his face, making the guard have to bite back a laugh. Ceremus shot him a glare before politely pushing the woman off him. They left the little worship room and made their way back to the main room of the temple where the other crew members were preparing dinner with the provisions they had acquired from the ship.
They laid out bread, dried meat, and fruit for everyone to enjoy, along with a delicious fruit cake they had saved for the halfway point of their voyage. Wine, pickled vegetables, as well water was served to cleanse their palates after eating the dried meat.
Ceremus watched as Hael served the mother and son their meal, making sure to include a small portion of milk that had been leftover. Their new guests surprised the crewmen, but didn't dare to question the king's decision to bring them along. They sat and enjoyed their meal until there was no more food left to consume or wine to drink. Since the temple was large enough to accommodate all thirty of them, they all picked a room to rest in.
Ceremus informed them that they'd be at the temple before setting off again. As he was about to leave, he felt something tug at the hem of his tunic. He looked down and saw the mother looking up at him, face still covered as her brows furrowed. "I apologize, sir," she started to say but stopped herself out of fear.
The king stared at her and felt troubled. He never really cared for what people thought of him or about the fact that people feared him—in fact, it delighted him to know that people trembled whenever he was near. It showed he held power over his people, it behooves any king to show dominance over others, but ever since Hael came into his life, he realized that commanding power through fear wasn't the best tactic a leader should implement over his citizens. Seeing this poor and defenceless woman shaking just at the mere thought of addressing him, he felt a pang in his chest and tried his best to soften his rigid expression. "Yes?"
She looked up again, and seeing the relaxed look on his face made her feel a little better.
She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and spoke up. "I would like to thank you for giving my child and I some food to eat… I was wondering if possible, could we perhaps stay with you all during your time here?" She asked.
Having been alone for so long, it was nice being in the company of others, even if they were strangers. Everyone had been so kind to her that she was starting to warm up to the group. Being separated from them left her feeling lonely. Even without saying anything, Ceremus could understand what she was feeling and so he reluctantly agreed. "That's… quite alright."
He was starting to feel uncomfortable with the look of admiration in her eyes. He wanted nothing more than to leave. Luckily, Loki flew in when he did, bringing her attention to the bird. She let go of his tunic and gazed at the bird with great interest. There was a mixture of awe and curiosity, but Ceremus detected a knowing look mixed in. As if she knew exactly what Loki was.
"Well, I believe you ought to retire to your…" he started to say, but couldn't find the right words.
The woman turned her attention back to Ceremus, a small smile on her face. "... abandoned prayer room?" She offered.
The king cleared his throat. "... Yes…that."
The mother bowed her head, giving the king one last smile before excusing herself. Ceremus watched as she walked off with a frown. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something odd about her. Call it an instinctual feeling, but he felt as if there was more to this woman than met the eye. However, before he could think further on the issue, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
He looked up and Hael's soft eyes met his. He felt his heart almost skip a beat at the sight. "W-What is it?"
The guard shook his head. "Nothing. We should also find a place to sleep in." He said.
The king paused before nodding. "Right, we probably should."