-Journey of Despair-(Micayla, Jazz)

[Desperanza]

The ship was rocking back and forth. There were no supplies aboard. There was nothing there. There had been a bit of bread that had been shared with the couple as well as the crew aboard and otherwise, there was nothing. Micayla’s throat was parched by the time they approached the shore of Ellsinora. Finally, the trip seemed as if it was almost over. But as they approached the shore, she felt the tinge of doubt that somehow they were not on the right track. The forest was burned to ash. The landscape was barren and scarred. A light layer of snow spotted the ground and a few trees. Was this Ellsinora? They had left Murate only to be dropped off here? She pondered briefly whether they had been betrayed, whether the crew aboard the ship was dropping them right back off at Murate again. She winced at the thought and held her breath as she tucked the holy cover closer around herself.

Taking a deep breath, the woman had finally been allowed to the deck of the ship where she now stood bare foot and in one of her simple cotton dresses as she leaned against the railing and glanced out towards the shore line once again. Doubt was clouding her mind as she stared across at the landscape. She was feeling better then she had when they had first boarded the ship and she was recovering with speed at this point. Her wounds had been treated and Ishmael and Shara had taken good care of her. The couple had sent a care pack of herbs for her to ingest to continue her healing and now she was beginning to look a lot more like her old self as well as feeling more like her old self.

Now, as she glanced out at the shore, she heard a splash below in the water past the simple churn of the waters at the face of the ship as it pushed through the water and this time, it was a mermaid. She gasped, surprised but the mermaid was a native to the waters of the Dirya sea and of course, curious. She had come up with curious thoughts of finding a man but this one was a woman. The mermaid and the woman gasped as the mermaid leaped in and out of the water. Her bright hazel eyes were peering up at the ship as she settled herself and simply swam alongside of the ship as it pushed forward. Micayla caught a brief glance of her beautiful golden tail. The look of the woman on deck sparked curiosity within Micayla’s gaze and she smiled. She lifted a hand and waved to the mermaid below who blinked curiously with a smile. Micayla however began to feel inferior to the mermaid’s wild and wicked beauty. The mermaid was far more beautiful than any woman she had ever seen and after a moment, she backed away from the railing and turned to lean against it as her hands brushed over herself. She glanced over herself thoughtfully for a moment with a wince before she sighed and glanced over the side of the ship once again and there the mermaid was disappearing beneath the waves of the sea water once more.

As Micayla pulled her gaze from the water once again she glanced towards the shores of the landscape once more as they drifted closer. A man of the ship wandered out on deck as the ship drifted closer and he nodded curtly and motioned to the shore, “We are almost there.” He muttered gruffly with a curt nod towards the shoreline before he turned and motioned to the captain at the helm. A few minutes ticked by before the boat lurched gently and Micayla grasped the railing for a moment as the boat slowed to simply float over shallow water. The man approached Micayla and arched a brow, glancing over her thoughtfully and he would easily admit that he was not the most honest of men, his thoughts were dirty towards the woman but he said nothing and glanced around for Jazz, knowing that he had been with her. However, he wandered towards the side of the chair and lowered a few planks of the side to make a walking planks of sort. He motioned Micayla out, “No boat, must swim.” He muttered gruffly. His hand reached out to take hold of Micayla’s arm to move her out onto the plank, or something else, she pulled away with a frown, swatting at his hand with a huff, “Keep your hands off me, pig.” She muttered. She would not let anyone touch her without permission. She could get to the plank herself. However there was one man that she would allow to touch her without problems and that was of course Jazz, the one man that she had fallen in love with. She smiled to herself and sighed softly but the man gave her a sudden shove towards the planks when she turned to glance around for him and she screamed briefly as she fell into the waters with a sudden splash. The cackled laughter of the man could be heard all the way from the ship when she briefly surfaced from the water.

She gasped, coughing. Sea water filled her lungs from the sudden entrance into the water. She could swim but she had not been prepared and suddenly another mouthful of sea water filled her lungs and her head disappeared beneath the waters. She winced, closing her eyes tightly to the salt of the water as she sank beneath the surface, beginning to drift downwards even as her hands and legs flailed to get her back to the surface. Somehow it seemed as if everything had been turned upside down, and she couldn’t find up. She feared for a few long moments as she fought to reach the surface again and yet she couldn’t find it and seemed to only sink lower. After a few long moments suddenly, there was a rather strong hold around her. It was not the hold of a man because the arm was slender and yet it held an obvious flare of strength and the creature that held her zipped back to the surface. Suddenly, the surface of the waters broke and she suddenly gasped, coughing sea water from her lungs. “Hush, hush human, almost there…” it was a woman’s voice. It was a beautiful melody, a wonderful song and at first Micayla wondered if she had drowned and suddenly she was being sung to heaven. She felt like weeping at the prospect of being separated from Jazz so quickly but suddenly, there was sand at her back and the sea lapped her toes.

She turned over in the sand and her palms pressed into the grains as she coughed up more sea water. Her eyes were tightly closed still but eventually, they drifted open with a gasp as she took in a breath and shifted slowly to sit up. Her green eyes suddenly fluttered open as she took her first solid breath of fresh air and as she turned to gaze upon her rescuer, she gasped with a squeak. Nerissa sat there at the shore. Her slender hands were pressed into the sand and her golden sunset colored tail was flicking behind her, glittering with the rays of the sun that reached her. Micayla stared wide eyed at the beautiful woman once again as sea water circled the mermaid’s tail before Nerissa bid Micayla a brief farewell with a wave of her hand and suddenly, the mermaid was gone and Micayla was left searching for Jazz.

[/font]

[Deidra]

The trip had been long and rough hardly a thing to eat but Jazz had thought it worth it for they would soon be at the shores of Ellsinora and in his mind a better future still. The tall dark haired man stood from where he sat in the insides of the ship and made his way to the deck just as the ship lurched to a stop. We must already be here Jazz thought and looked up onto the deck to look for his beloved Micayla so that they could leave together but the sight he saw angered him to a point that he was beyond rage. That man had dared touch her like that and then push her out to sea?! This did not fly with Jazz and he was soon bearing down upon the man who stared up still laughing at him while all the rest had shut up in his advance. A sort of growl escaped Jazz’s mouth as he took the man by his arms and pressed him up against the side of the deck. “You sir seemed to not have gotten the memo that men do not handle women in such a fashion. So I believe this should teach you a lesson in proper etiquette.” Jazz said dangerously quiet and let go of one of the mans arms only to pull his arm back and bring it crashing against the mans scull. The force was not hard enough to nock the man unconscious but boy would it leave a mark for days and a nasty headache, then Jazz proceeded to toss the man overboard. He looked about to see whether anyone else wanted to bother him before he went to the hold and grabbed his stallion Kaspar. He and the horse had made an escape similar to this years ago but this time this horse was not afraid to take a dive into the water below and Jazz followed the black stallion into the water. Jazz had not taken the time to look upon the land that had once been his home during his rage but as he came to the surface of the cold water and he looked out to search for Micayla he thought his eyes were deceiving him for surely this could not be the Ellsinora he had love but yes he could see old familiar landscapes in the charred land. He felt like weeping for he hated that he had possibly brought Micayla to an even worse place and then at the thought that his sister could be dead now. He grabbed hold of Kaspar’s tail and the stallion brought him in to the shore and finally he caught sight of Micayla and he rushed to her. Their clothes now soaked but he wrapped her in a hug as Kaspar wandered farther onto the shore. Jazz placed a kiss on her forehead and then, looking into her eyes he said quietly “I am so sorry I brought you here, I had no idea it would be like this, I’m so sorry.” He took her face in his hands and pressed his forehead to hers kneeling down beside her he tried his best to keep the tears from coming now as he held her face in his hands. He loved this woman and he wasnt going to give up hope now, definitely not now.

[Desperanza]

Micayla’s eyes scanned the beach to either side. Now that the mermaid was gone, she began to scan the landscape around herself for a moment instead. The beach stretched to either side of herself, eventually rolling back into the trees that dotted the countryside that had once been lush and full of life and that was now dead and barren. Her brows furrowed and she held her breath for a moment. She had heard stories of Ellsinora but never stories like this. Those stories told of a beautiful landscape full of life and beauty and joyous people. This was a far cry from what her imagination had whipped up. She sucked in a breath and wrung a bit of water from her hair as she straightened a bit and glanced over herself for a brief moment before she raised her gaze again and glanced out towards the water instead as Jazz approached the shore.

She caught her breath and smiled, breathing a sigh of relief at the sight that he was safe. She gathered her feet once more and brushed a bit of sand from her wet arms and legs and came to gaze up at Jazz. Her expression was curious, questioning and confused and yet love was always evident there for this man as well. For Jazz had easily stolen her heart and though it wasn’t the very first meeting, it had not taken long for this king hearted man to prove a warm hearted beacon in the endless light of Murate. He was a good hearted man that cared deeply for her and it was always easy to see the love that he felt for her in every one of his movements, the way he looked at her, the way he cared for her. She would never feel unsafe again and in return, she loved him with all her heart.

She sighed softly and hurried forward to meet him. Her hands hovered forward over him, gently brushing her fingers over him for a moment to be sure that he was not hurt. Smiling with relief, her head inclined as she lifted forward to meet him with a kiss for a moment before she sighed softly with a faint smile. As she peered up at him with emerald eyes, salty drops of water rolled down her cheeks and neck, down her arms and her cotton dress was soaked thoroughly. Despite that fact she came to look up at him for guidance. Fear touched her gaze for a moment and she took a breath before releasing it once more as she glanced up at Jazz.

His reply to her however let her know that he had not expected what they saw either. It told her that he was just as shocked as she was. It told her that he too had expected a landscape that was far from the one that laid out before them. His apology woke her a little bit and she gasped softly before a patient smile crossed her face and she offered an understanding look as she lifted her hands to rest them over top of his own with a soft smile. She folded her hands within his own and brought them before herself before she glanced up at him once again with a small nod. Though she was still confused as to what on earth was going on, she realized that they couldn’t just sit there and wait around for the answer to reach them.

She cast a glance around herself to either side of herself for a few moments before she glanced back to Jazz again. She came to rest her cheek against his chest for a moment with a soft sigh as she glanced off towards Kaspar with a slight smile before she glanced ahead once more as she turned her gaze back towards Jazz again. As she met his gaze, she shifted and straightened herself a bit, “Perhaps we simply docked at the wrong area. Perhaps if we go further in then we will find what we are looking for. We should reach town if we start heading north towards the capital. Come love, we will take Kaspar and head inland and see what we find. We can make this work I’m sure.” She murmured softly to him with a light smile, nodding slowly, “It will be just fine.” She stated gently to him this time as she looked up at him before she turned a bit and whistled gently for Kaspar before glancing back to Jazz once more with a slight smile.

[/font]

[Deidra]

Jazz smiled at her words and though he wanted desperately to believe that they had been dropped in the wrong pace his memories would not allow him. It may have been years since he had seen this country but he knew deep in his heart that they were indeed in Ellsinora. But he did agree that they must not stay where they were for it would be growing dark soon and with nightfall the cold would come and he had no desires to have Micayla out in the cold with her thin clothing. Nodding her walked forward and wrapped his arms gently around her and whispered “I agree, love, we must keep moving. Perhaps we can find my sister’s home and we should be welcome there I am sure of it.” Though he left out the part where he was not entirely confident that Marlena was still alive for he could not bare to allow that thought enter his mind at the present moment. Jazz had to look out for Micayla, she was the only thing he was sure of in that moment and he would protect her above all else.

Smiling encouragingly her let go of her for a moment to walk over to Kaspar. Carefully he took of the nice saddle and bridle from the stallion and laid them beside a good sized rock, it pained him to be leaving the nice riding equipment behind but he felt that it might only draw unwanted attention to him and Micayla if it were as he feared and Murate had indeed taken over his beloved country. He pulled from a smallish pack a rope halter a lead and attached it to Kaspar before leading him over to Micayla and taking her hand in his. Jazz bent to place a gentle kiss on her forehead before smiling down at her and saying softly. “Are you ready to travel or would you rather ride for awhile?” his question soft and his eyes kind as he looked down upon the woman had stolen his heart so completely.

[Desperanza]

Micayla's eyes remained gentle and she smiled softly as she glanced into Jazz's vibrant eyes that seemed to capture her so completely. As she took in a deep breath, she released it once more as she glanced out towards the leafless trees before turning her gaze back to Jazz once more. She reluctantly released his hand once again as he drifted towards Kaz to prepare the stallion for travel. Taking a deep breath, she glanced out to the ocean waters and there, a few yards from shore, she spotted her saviour, the mermaid Nerissa seated upon a rocky out cropping out in the ocean, running a golden brush through her beautiful hair. Micayla sighed softly with a light smile before glancing back towards Jazz once again. The mermaid was indeed beautiful and her sunset gold scales glittered in the sun. The woman however was riveted back to her lover once again. Her own green eyes glittered softly with adoration but not for the mermaid but for the human man instead. Nerissa was gorgeous as she had heard that most mermaids were but nothing could compare to him, to Jazz, the man that she would some day marry that is if it he took her and she figured that he would. She knew that he adored her and loved her with all of his heart. She itched to stroke that tanned skin, the corded muscles along his chest and body. She yearned to feel those arms wrapped around her once again and as she thought over the feeling, she felt that undeniable yank of desire lighting a fire from the core all over again. She trembled at her blazing thoughts and nibbled at her lower lip before releasing a soft sigh as she glanced towards Kaspar to distract herself. She smiled lightly at the stallion and slowly trailed forward, not quite trusting her knees but she gave it a try. Somehow, she made her way to the stallions' head and came to stroke his delicate nose. She adored Kaspar and was thankful that Jazz had been able to keep his companion. It was a shame that they had to leave his tack behind and not to at least be able to sell it. Perhaps they should have attempted to sell it to the pirates but it was too late for that now. Shrugging, she turned back to the horse once again with a smile and though she was not quite steady from her sea legs yet, she wanted Kaspar not to have to take a load the whole way into Kiyer, wherever the hell that was for she had no clue where it was or how long it would take to get there. She trusted that Jazz knew where he was going so as she came to glance up at him with a smile, she nodded slowly and lowered a hand to slide it into his free hand with a soft sigh, "I am ready." she murmured softly to the man at her side, her green eyes glittering softly once more as she came to gaze up at him lovingly.

[/font]

[Deidra]

The whole time he had been working on getting Kaspar ready for travel he had been casting glances back at Micayla. The woman was his heart and soul, without her he would still be in Murate, still stealing for everything he ate or needed. But that was behind him now as he had made a promise to himself that it was all going to be by legal ways that he provided for her. Jazz a man of his word and he would make sure that he kept to it throughout their life together. Everything in his life now revolved around the red haired, green eyed woman in front of him. She was soft, caring and loving which made him even more proud that he could call her his own. To him she was a Queen, and he would treat her as such.

As she placed her hand in his Jazz pulled her gently into him, holding the hand holding hers to his chest while the other wrapped around her back he kissed her, gently. First on the forehead, then the right cheek, then the left cheek, the tip of her nose, and finally on her sweet delicate lips. His arm tightened a little on her back as his eyes flitted closed for a moment before he pulled away whispering “Now we can go, My Love.” His electric blue eyes shining happily down at her as his free hand came up to gently caress her cheek before dropping and grabbing the rope on Kaspar’s halter. The journey inland would most likely be tough on Micayla, but he would let her walk, for now. But if he even suspected she was growing tired he would place her up on Kaspar despite her arguments for he could not have her falling ill on him again, his heart wouldn’t be able to take that pain again. So it was that he clicked to the stallion and began to walk forward, his hand still holding Micayla’s firmly but gently, here and there rubbing his thumb gently across the back of her hand in a loving gesture.

[Desperanza]

The young woman walked along at her future husband's side. Her slender fingers curled to his hand, holding his hand was something that she wouldn't give up. As long as she had him at her side she knew that she would be fine. Taking a breath, she turned her gaze again as she wandered closer to Kaspar with a smile, stroking the dark neck of the stallion before she turned back to Jazz once more. She smiled softly as he pulled her closer and she came to wrap her arms around him for a moment. She pressed a kiss to him in return as he met her mouth. She grinned as she peered up at him thoughtfully, feeling a numbing flutter flooding her body for a moment. She took a breath and lifted her arms around his neck for a brief moment before she slowly lowered her hand to slide it within his hand once more.

His touch began to stir that now familiar flare of desire within her and she shivered vaguely, fearing that her knees would not carry her but she took a steadying breath, offering him a soft smile as she glanced up at him thoughtfully. She was beginning to ponder their future together. She could imagine beautiful little children running about their feet and riding Kaspar and her eyes misted slightly with emotion at the thought. The thought of them getting married and building a home and family of their own was something that she dearly wanted with Jazz and the thought seemed to sweeten the sad sight of the world around them. The thought that the world had been burned to the ground, that they could be heading into a situation that was not much better then what they had left that had initially struck her was gone now, softened by the guiding touch of the man at her side. She glanced to Kaspar thoughtfully before turning her gaze ahead once more as she glanced towards the forest as they wandered in now. "Where are we going, Jazz?" she inquired thoughtfully as she glanced up at him briefly before lowering her gaze again as she glanced around them thoughtfully once more.

[/font]