Two of Hearts

Star A heart shaped locket and a letter was all his fiance had left, the letter held only 2 words ‘I’m sorry’. Nothing had felt real after Kai had found them waiting on the bar downstairs. He was at a loss for what to do, how to continue on without the fiance who still held a deathgrip on his heart. His mother had always warned him against courting the kind of folk who traveled from settlement to settlement. ‘They have a bedmate at every stop, they’ll never settle down’ she had warned, but Kai hadn’t listened. He’d fallen deeply in love with a captain of one of the airships who brought supplies to the settlement he’d come to call home.

An airship was one of the safer ways to travel. Travel by ground has become nigh impossible since the calamity had occurred. Now there were monsters who lurked in every corner of the woods, every cave and every crevice. The monsters that roamed were only one of the survivors’ concerns; after all, humans could be far more terrifying monsters. Traveling on foot was an option, however the risk far outweighed the benefits. Though airship travel was costly, it was the only fast and safe way to travel now. Not long after his coming of age, Kai had stowed away on one such ship, leaving behind his family and friends in search of something bigger, better. He had wanted a future beyond ending up a spinster in a small settlement on the edge of existence. Perhaps this was his comeuppance for leaving without telling them as well, though at least he’d left a better note and written home since his arrival.

A familiar ache blossomed in his chest and he did his best to ignore it. He was suddenly thrown back into what were once happy memories by the loud thrumming of an airship engine passing over the building. Kai and the Captain had voyaged together several times on the Captain’s airship, seeing things Kai could have never imagined in his life. All the wonder and excitement of seeing a world most people never saw more than a small fragment of. Instead they chose to stay home in the safety of high walls and town guards. Those moments now were like shards of broken glass, glistening beautifully when light was shown on them, but when touched the sharp edges cut deeply.

Brushing a loose strand of his pink hair out of his face, he looked up from where he stood behind the bar of the Compass. It was the bar they’d built together with plans to call it home between voyages. He swallowed hard as his fingers lightly touched the heart shaped locket he now wore, they had chosen matching ones to symbolize the engagement and now they lay together pressed against his heart. One publicly and the other tucked safely under his shirt.

“Are you sure you want to do this? There’s a strong possibility you could die out there.” He looked over to his right where the regular barkeep, Kieran, stood. His expression had softened to one of genuine concern, as Kai gave a weak smile and nodded. The two of them had bonded closely through the various trials of survival in a large well known settlement like the one the Compass was in. They had a certain kinship, having both hailed from a much smaller town originally. The first time they’d met had been in battle to protect their new home, the same day he’d first met the Captain.

“Yeah I’m sure, even if I didn’t want to go after him, my heart isn’t giving me a choice.” His voice was soft as he continued to run his fingers over the locket, he would probably wear down the engraving of their initials before he found the Captain at this rate. “You do crazy things when you’re in love, and quite frankly I couldn’t forgive myself if I gave up on him.”

“Give up on him? Kai, he's the one who gave up on you.” The voice was sharp, it was another one of the regulars who knew the Captain just as well as they knew Kai that had spoken up. As Kai's determined expression faltered, his shoulders curled inwards as tears welled up in his vibrant green eyes. He tried to focus his breath, he couldn’t cry here, not now. “Sorry kiddo, I know you’re hurting but it’s true. He doesn’t deserve you and you should move on. You’re a competent healer and a decent fighter, I’m sure there’s plenty of eligible young folk who’d take interest in settling down with you.”

“I can’t, not right now. I need my answers and then maybe I can. However, for now, I’m going to find him.” Kai took a deep breath forcing himself to straighten up, and wiped a stray tear from his eyes. His determined expression came back within moments as he resolved himself of his path. Walking over to an alcove, he began strapping on various pieces of armor.

“I won’t stop you, but you’re being a fool, boy.” The regular threw back the rest of his whiskey before getting up. “Though I suppose they often talk about a fool in love. Best of luck, don’t lose your head out there.”

Kai nodded to him and then looked to Kieran, “I should get to the air-docks, I’m guessing that noise is my ship out of here.” He spoke gently but firmly, he took another deep breath with a hint of a smile on his face. “I’ll be home as soon as I can, take care of her while I’m gone.”

“You got it brother, but before you go,” Kieran walked out from behind the bar, having produced a bundle that he’d been hiding under the bar. “..I have something for you.”

“I appreciate you looking out for me.” Kai accepted the bundle and set in on the bar, unfolding the cloth. He carefully unwrapped it to reveal a pair of intricately made swords within it. “They’re beautiful, where did you get them?”

“They were supposed to be both your wedding presents. However there’s no point in letting them rust under the bar. Use these to keep yourself safe and bring our Captain home.” He squeezed Kai’s shoulder only to be met with a tight hug from Kai.

The two stood embraced for a long moment, Kai’s eyes shut tight. Was he really abandoning everyone just to go find the man who had left him? No, it wasn’t abandoning them, he’d come back they knew he would return. “I’ll come home, I promise. With any luck I’ll have our beloved Captain with me.”

“That’s the spirit. You best keep your word to me Kai, otherwise I’ll have to find someone else to watch the bar and drag both your asses home.” Kieran nodded as Kai strapped the blades to his belt.

“You can bet I’ll be back.” Kai nodded, turning to leave, he paused at the door one last time to look back. This was his home, they were his family, but they weren’t complete without Captain Jae and Kai would find a way to bring him home.