Fan Fiction |
by geeky girl
Part 1
The boat creaked gently as the waves slightly rocked against it, creating much difficulty for the boatman to row it towards the shore. The boatman was a simple man who had made a decent but honest living over the past twenty years by rowing passengers to their destination. He did not possess much in life; however, he was beyond content. The wisdom which he accumulated over the past forty five years taught him that true happiness could only be found from within. He silently sighed to himself, for today, he would also be experiencing exhaustion. He underestimated the winds that morning and it appeared that this trip would take him four hours longer than he had anticipated. Ordinarily, he would refuse to travel that much distance in a day; however, today was different because the circumstance was special.
He looked at the only passenger on his boat and observed her silently for a minute. Despite his age, he was a man after all. What man could resist such beauty before his eyes? One could not call the maiden young, but one also could not call her old. She looked about twenty seven. The breeze blew against her dark ebony hair, making her appear more frail. Her dark black eyes shone brilliantly, and her pink full lips were set in their natural pouting position. She must be from a wealthy family because her skin was as white as snow, unlike the peasants whose skin darkened from working rigorously out in the fields. The boatman had seen more beautiful women in his lifetime, but none possessed the same aura which she gracefully carried. Shaking his head, he chuckled silently to himself as he thought, “You fool. What will your wife think if she finds you eying a younger lady?”
The maiden continued to look out into the ocean quietly. Since she and the boatman left the dock that morning, neither had spoken a word to one another; nevertheless, the boatman was the least of her concerns. Seeing the vast emptiness of the ocean, she unconsciously pulled out a hairpiece from her garment and tightly held on to it.
The boatman finally broke the peaceful silence. “Miss, we will get there after the sun sets.”
Although absorbed with her thoughts, the maiden detected the subtle hesitation in his voice. Without tearing her eyes away from the ocean, she announced, “Elder, consider your debt paid off once I arrive at the island.”
The sound of her voice was hauntingly wondrous; it almost made the boatman regret the silence during the trip. Almost.
As if suddenly realizing the hairpiece in her hand, the maiden fixated on it with such intensity that it piqued the boatman’s curiosity.
“Miss, what sentimental value does that hairpiece have?”
Although the maiden heard him, she remained silent because she did not know from where to begin her explanation.