The strong salty wind, the sound of water splashing, the sight of seagulls flying everywhere, everything was amazing. This all still felt like a dream to her.
"Are you enjoying yourself, my Queen?"
"Yes. I never thought I would be doing this."
"With me, you will get to do everything that you dreamed of, and even those you never thought of."
Seren smiled from ear to ear under her veil as this happiness could not be contained too easily. His words were assuring and she knew he would do everything he had promised to her.
Acting coy to his previous words, she asked, "But how will you decide on the things that I had never dreamed of?"
"I just need to do everything that would make my Queen happy. And it's so easy to make you happy," he replied.
"Easy?" she raised her brow.
"You are still like a child my Queen that I wish to give all the happiness in the world to make that child inside you happy."
She pouted under her veil as if complaining, "I am a grown-up woman."
"That I will decide on after we consummate our marriage once you are of age," he answered with a light smirk.
A light blush covered her cheeks as she tried to figure out how to change the topic. Something came to her mind as she looked at the sea.
"Uhm, Dray...?"
"Yes, my Queen?"
"I read that the sea has storms, and sometimes, ships can't handle it and it sinks." She gulped. "Do storms appear in this sea at this time of the year? What if we face a storm?"
"I can take you safely anywhere. You know I can..."
"What about others? Will we leave them to die?" she interrupted him.
"In that case, I might take the entire ship away from the storm."
"The entire ship?" she exclaimed and turned her head to look at him, who was standing behind her. Her eyes stared at him in disbelief. "Can you really do that?"
He looked at her with a light playful smirk on his lips. "Do you want me to show you right now, my Queen, so you can believe me and be rest assured if we ever face a storm?"
"Right now?" She could not even begin to imagine how that would unfold and shook her head in denial. "No, no, uhm, not now. To move something this big would surely exhaust your powers. Save it for when it's needed."
"As you say, my Queen."
She sighed in relief and looked ahead once more, delighted by the peaceful sight of the sea.
After letting Seren enjoy it for a while more, Drayce asked, "You must be tired of simply standing here."
"Umm, a little."
"We can leave it to the captain and you can enjoy watching from the deck. We can arrange seats with shade or we can have some snacks. We can even roam the other parts of the ship."
"That seems like a good idea."
Drayce guided her way down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, they met the captain of the ship who paid them a polite greeting before positioning himself behind the wheel.
On the deck, Drayce noticed that Slayer was talking to a familiar man. "My Queen, let me introduce you to someone."
Seren followed his gaze and saw an unfamiliar silver-haired man. She had never seen him around and he didn't look like he was a servant or a knight from the royal palace. He also wasn't dressed as a sailor.
"Who is he?" Seren asked as they walked towards him.
"A friend."
As they walked closer, she noticed he was a bit different. The first thing anyone would notice was his outstanding appearance. His face looked so beautiful, if not for his build, based on his face alone, one would think he was a woman. Not to mention, his silver hair that shone under the sun looked like liquid silver--it was eye-catching precisely because its owner looked like a young man and not an elderly grandfather.
"He is a bit... different?" Seren said, curiosity coloring her voice.
Her hunch was further strengthened when his pointed ears caught her attention.
'He doesn't look like an ordinary human? I think he looks more like those characters in fairy-tale books...'
Before Drayce could answer, Yorian turned to look at them while Slayer bowed to them. Seren continued to look at this strange man, and when she realized she could sense the essence of his powers surrounding him, she confirmed his strangeness.
'It is because he is not human.'
"I am different because I am an elf," she heard Yorian answering her question in Drayce's stead.
"E-Elf? Truly?" Her purple eyes stared at him in wonder. Although she did suspect he might be one, it was still surprising for him to openly admit he was a creature she had only read about in fairy tales and the handwritten books Esther left behind for Drayce.
"Yes, Queen Seren," Yorian confirmed.
She looked at Drayce to which he nodded. "His name is Yorian and he is a High Elf."
"Oh!" was all she could say, her eyes brimming with curiosity, and she was surprised to hear Drayce talking to the elf casually.
"Finally, you are here."
"Seems like I made you wait."
"Not really. When my wife is around, I can hardly think about other people."
The elf chuckled at the man's shamelessness. "Seems like it."
Seren didn't know what to say or react to this comment as she felt a little embarrassed. There was no stopping her husband when he wished to show his affection to her.
Seren had so many questions about the elf and wished to know why he was with them but refrained herself from asking it. For now, she was still wrapping her head around the idea that she was seeing an elf for real.
'An elf! A High Elf! I wonder if I will get to see more of the supernatural beings written in Queen Esther's books...'
Yorian gazed at the still bewildered Seren. "I believe that while we travel together, we will get to know each other well."
"Huh? Yes," she replied as his remark left her a little surprised and then she looked at Drayce who offered her a light nod, saying it's fine.