The first thing Marcus noticed was the birds.

They always sang before sunrise.

Long before the first rays of light reached the cave, the forest had already begun to wake.

Somewhere beyond the trees, waves rolled lazily against the shore.

A cool breeze drifted through the entrance, carrying the scent of salt and pine.

Marcus opened his eyes.

The thin sphere of water surrounding him dissolved into scattered droplets that quietly returned to the cave floor.

Nothing had disturbed it.

No footsteps.

No unfamiliar rhythm.

Only the night.

Leon remained exactly where Marcus had last seen him.

The great lion sat near the cave entrance, watching the horizon as dawn slowly painted the sea in shades of gold.

The first sunlight touched his mane.

It shimmered.

Almost imperceptibly, Marcus noticed Lucius’s breathing deepen.

More relaxed.

More effortless.

Leon’s gift had begun working long before either of them had awakened.

Marcus allowed himself the faintest smile.

“Morning.”

Lucius groaned beneath his blanket.

“…Five more minutes.”

Marcus nudged his boot.

“We’re Legates.”

“Exactly.”

Lucius buried his face deeper into his cloak.

“We’ve earned five more minutes.”

Leon looked over.

Then, to Marcus’s surprise…

The lion gently nudged Lucius with one enormous paw.

Lucius sighed dramatically.

“Traitor.”

Marcus almost laughed.

Almost.

He shook his head and stepped past Leon, ducking beneath the low ceiling of the cave.

The morning greeted him with cool ocean air.

The first rays of sunlight spilled across the forest floor. Somewhere in the distance, gulls circled above the cliffs, their cries swallowed by the steady roar of the waterfall.

Marcus paused just outside the cave.

For a brief moment…

He simply listened.

No hurried footsteps.

No clashing steel.

No unfamiliar rhythm hidden among the sounds of the waking island.

Only then did he kneel.

His index finger rested lightly against the damp earth.

He drew a slow, measured Breath.

The world answered.

Only Fish.

Small animals.

Lucius.

Leon.

He exhales.

“Clear.”

Breakfast was simple.

The nearby stream provided fresh water.

The forest provided fruit.

The river provided everything else.

Lucius was already waist-deep in the current before Marcus had even finished filling their water skins.

“You know,” Lucius called over the sound of the rushing water, “for someone who controls water, you really don’t like getting wet.”

Marcus knelt beside the river, calmly observing the river flowing.

“I never said I didn’t.”

“You avoid it whenever possible.”

“I avoid unnecessary discomfort.”

Lucius laughed.

“Same thing.”

With surprising speed, he plunged both hands beneath the surface.

A heartbeat later, two silver fish burst from the water, thrashing wildly in his grip.

“There.”

He held them up triumphantly.

“Breakfast.”

Marcus looked at the fish… then at the river.

The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.

Without a word, he set the water skins aside and crouched near the riverbank.

He slipped one hand beneath the surface.

The current flowed around his fingers.

Marcus drew a slow Breath.

The water answered.

The river didn’t surge.

It didn’t splash.

Its course shifted ever so slightly, creating a gentle current that curved through the deeper pools downstream.

Moments later, one fish…

Then another…

Then three more…

Drifted harmlessly toward the woven basket resting beside him.

The current lifted them just enough for them to tumble neatly inside before returning to its natural path, as though nothing had happened at all.

Marcus exhaled.

The river continued on as it always had.

Lucius stared at the basket.

“… Show off!”

Marcus glanced over and smirked. 

Lucius climbed onto the bank carrying his own fish before dropping them into the basket with an exaggerated sigh.

“Sometimes I forget how unfair your affinity is.”

Marcus looked down at the wriggling catch.

“It only works because they’re swimming with the current.”

“So?”

“If they were swimming upstream…”

Marcus shrugged.

“…I’d probably still be hungry.”

Lucius laughed.

“There he is.”

Marcus frowned.

“What?”

“That almost sounded like a joke.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Their laughter echoed softly through the forest.

Once they had gathered enough for the journey, Marcus unpacked a small cedar box from their supplies.

He rested both hands lightly against the lid.

Another slow Breath filled his lungs.

A cool mist formed around his fingertips.

Delicate frost spread across the inside of the container, coating the wood in a paper-thin layer of ice.

One by one, he placed the fish inside.

The ice slowly wrapped around them, not solid enough to freeze them completely, but just enough to preserve them until their next stop.

Lucius leaned over his shoulder to inspect the box.

“You know…”

Marcus closed the lid.

“…one day you’ll actually be good at that.”

Marcus fastened the container shut.

“I’m improving.”

“Barely.”

Marcus slung his pack over his shoulder.

“We should move.”

The hidden cove lay four miles away.

The forest was quiet.

Morning sunlight filtered through towering pines, painting shifting patterns across the moss-covered ground.

Leon walked beside Lucius at first, but before long the lion slowed and glanced over his shoulder expectantly.

Lucius smiled.

“You want to carry me?”

Leon lowered himself just enough.

“I was hoping you’d ask.”

With practiced ease, Lucius climbed onto the Guardian’s broad back.

The great lion rose effortlessly before breaking into an easy stride through the forest.

Marcus kept pace beside them.

His footsteps were almost impossible to hear.

Every few moments his eyes drifted toward the trees.

The ridgelines.

The river.

Listening.

Always listening.

Lucius watched him for several minutes before shaking his head.

“You know…”

Marcus didn’t look away from the forest.

“…one day your face is going to get stuck like that.”

“What face?”

“The one that says you’re expecting the entire forest to attack us.”

Marcus answered without hesitation.

“It only takes one.”

Lucius laughed.

“I’ll worry enough for both of us.”

“I know.”

“That’s why we’re still alive.”

Eventually the trees began thinning.

Ahead, towering cliffs overlooked a narrow cove hidden beneath layers of stone.

Their boat rested exactly where they had concealed it several days earlier.

Marcus stopped.

Lucius noticed immediately.

“What is it?”

Marcus looked toward the cliff rising above the cove.

“I’ll meet you below.”

Without waiting for a reply, he disappeared into the trees.

Lucius watched him go before smiling to himself.

“He checked the island twice.”

Leon let out a quiet rumble.

“I know.”

“…He’s going to check it again.”

The climb was steep.

Loose stone shifted beneath Marcus’s boots as he worked his way toward the highest point overlooking the cove.

Unlike the waterfall where yesterday’s battle had begun, this cliff served only one purpose.

It watched the entrance.

If anyone had discovered their boat…

Marcus intended to know before they did.

He reached the summit.

The sea stretched endlessly before him.

The hidden cove rested hundreds of feet below.

Still untouched.

Marcus lowered himself onto one knee.

One finger rested against the cool stone.

He inhaled slowly.

The world grew quiet.

Moisture hidden within the cliffs, trees, streams, and earth answered his breathing.

Invisible ripples spread outward.

Across the shoreline.

Through the surrounding forest.

Over the cliffs guarding the cove.

One mile.

Three.

Five.

The pressure inside his lungs steadily increased.

His chest tightened.

The island answered.

Waterfalls crashing. 

Rivers flowing. 

Trees. 

Bears.

Lucius.

Leon.

Nothing else.

Marcus slowly released the breath.

The invisible ripples dissolved into silence.

The pressure inside his chest faded.

Still…

Five miles wasn’t enough.

One day…

He wanted to hear an entire battlefield.

He stood.

“Clear.”

Far below, Lucius looked up from beside the boat.

Marcus raised one hand.

A simple signal.

Lucius returned the gesture.

Everything was clear.

Only then did Marcus descend toward the hidden cove.

The boat remained hidden exactly where they had left it.

Nestled beneath an overhanging cliff, protected from both the sea and curious eyes.

Leon leapt aboard first, settling comfortably at the bow.

His golden mane danced in the morning breeze.

Lucius untied the ropes.

Marcus climbed aboard last.

The sea was completely still.

No current.

No wind.

The boat refused to move.

Marcus stepped toward the stern.

He crouched and rested his fingertips against the water.

He inhaled.

Slowly.

Patiently.

The sea did not resist him.

It welcomed him.

Tiny ripples expanded beneath the hull.

They circled once.

Then again.

The current shifted.

The boat gently rotated toward open water.

Without a single sail catching wind…

It began to drift.

Lucius leaned comfortably against the railing.

“I’ll never get tired of watching that.”

Marcus kept his eyes on the water.

“You’ll have ten days to.”

Lucius smiled.

“Good.”

The boat drifted away from the island. 

Marcus remained at the stern, one hand resting lightly against the sea as gentle currents carried the ship toward open water.

Lucius leaned against the railing. 

The wind finally caught the sail.

Marcus withdrew his hand.

The island slowly became smaller behind them.

 Lucius stretched his arms overhead.

“You hungry?”

Marcus looked over.

“We just ate.”

“I know.”

“I’m hungry again.”

Marcus shook his head.

“You eat too much.”

Lucius pointed toward the bow.

“So does he.”

Marcus followed his finger.

Leon lay sprawled across the front of the ship, asleep beneath the morning sun.

One ear twitched.

One enormous paw hung over the edge.

Marcus smiled.

“…Fair.”

The waves rolled quietly beneath them.

For a while…

Neither spoke.

The sea carried them South.

A cool breeze drifted across the deck, carrying the scent of salt and open water.

The morning sun rested warmly against their faces.

Not hot enough to tire them.

Just enough to make the journey feel effortless.

Marcus closed his eyes.

Lucius did the same.

The wind slipped through their hair, and for a little while…

Neither thought about the Empire.

Neither thought about assignments.

Neither thought about war.

There was only the rhythm of the waves beneath the boat.

The cry of distant seabirds.

The endless blue stretching toward the horizon.

For a brief moment…

The world felt quiet.

Peaceful.

Eventually, Lucius spoke without opening his eyes.

“You know…”

Marcus hummed in response.

“I wish it always felt like this.”

Marcus listened to the water for another moment.

“…Me too.”

Lucius smiled faintly.

“I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t preparing for something.”

Marcus finally opened his eyes.

“We started training when we were ten.”

Lucius nodded.

“Back then, the battles were just stories.”

Marcus looked toward the sea.

“They stopped being stories when we turned sixteen.”

“Our first assignments.”

Lucius let out a quiet laugh.

“I remember thinking I’d finally become a real warrior.”

Marcus glanced at him.

“And?”

Lucius’s smile faded.

“I learned that real warriors spend more time burying friends than celebrating victories.”

The wind carried the silence between them.

Neither had an answer.

After a while, Lucius looked toward the horizon.

“They tell us the war protects our borders.”

Marcus nodded.

“And our people.”

“They’re right.”

Lucius rested both forearms on the railing.

“…I just hope one day there won’t be anything left to protect them from.”

Marcus watched the sunlight dance across the waves.

“I hope we live long enough to see it.”

Lucius smiled.

“I’ve heard White Cove feels like this every day.”

Marcus began to get excited. 

“So have I.”

“They say people from every kingdom walk the same streets.”

“Eat at the same tables.”

“Trade without reaching for a weapon.”

Marcus looked toward the endless sea.

“If even half of it’s true…”

“…I’d like to see it.”

Lucius laughed softly.

“We’ll need supplies anyway.”

“Fresh fruit.”

“Medicine.”

“Maybe a decent meal that isn’t dried fish.”

Marcus gave the smallest smile.

“…That alone makes the trip worth it.”

The laughter faded with the breeze.

Another comfortable silence settled between them.

Only then did Lucius reach beside him and unfold a worn map across the wooden crate.

He studied the southwestern sea for a moment before tracing a finger across a wide stretch of open water.

“If the currents haven’t carried it too far…”

“…White Cove should be somewhere around here.”

Marcus looked over.

“…we should find White Cove in about three days.”

Marcus nodded.

“If it wants to be found. I’ve heard sailors search for weeks. Some never find it.” 

Lucius glanced over with a grin. 

“That’s what makes white cove so famous”.”

The island disappeared beyond the horizon.

Only open sea remained.

Leon slept peacefully at the bow.

Lucius rested against the mast.

Marcus stood alone at the stern, watching the endless ocean stretch toward home.

For the first time since their assignment…

The sea was calm.

He hoped the Empire would be too.