Petaltide Love Blossoms
(Petaltide Love Blossoms)
Petaltide Love Blossoms
Twilight Roses and Twin Smiles
The sky turned dark with the Lighthouse Eye turning its gaze away. With new twilight, cheers rang out, kegs popped, and jovial music sprang to life. The once quiet island of Nasturtium now boomed with song, dance, and drink as the legendary Nemo 8 crew celebrated 49 years together and their recent triumph over the dreaded Captive's Menagerie crew just four hours prior. Despite only being eight members strong, the crew could party like an entire nation. Even if the night was bloody and the sea ablaze, each crewmate would be brimming with life and joy. At the center of this jolly crew stood Seazar Lack, the Everglad Captain. His smile was sharp as a cutlass, and his laugh was as contagious as a dream.
Seazar stood on the rocky cliff overlooking a sea of flowers. Even high above the shifting meadows of vibrant colors and smells, he could still smell the sweet symphony of flowers carried by the sea breeze. While the crew had only been sailing the seas of Petaltide for a week, they had already placed it in their top ten favorites. Cirro, the Hallowed Gunman and lead musician, claimed the waters of Petaltide to be unrivaled in their beauty and inspiration. The islands jutted like great spires from the sea and offered a splendid view of the rolling tides of flowers. Yet, bit by bit, Seazar slowly looked away from the prismatic fields and into the grand darkness of space.
As Petaltide lay on the second layer of Thalasso, known as Impetus, the sky above was not space but another sea altogether. Seazar contemplated what ocean hung above him in the dark. Just as he began to return to the party, the waters above shimmered with the kaleidoscopic lights of massive jellyfish and other wonders. The sea beasts above cast their lights to Petaltide like stars. Seazar bowed briefly before returning to the bustling party. His usually busy mind was now exploding with hundreds of thoughts and outcomes for what would come next.
Upon arriving at his crew’s celebration, Seazar tallied the attendees. Nautilus, the Spirit Whisperer and crew chef, sat by the fire, intently gazing into the blaze. The flames of the bonfire reflected off his diving helmet—casting him as some sort of angel. Perhaps he was, but none mustered enough courage to pry his helm from his hulking body. Beside him, Episko, the navigator and ship doctor, lay asleep as if she wasn’t an inch from waking up in the cradle of the bonfire.
Seazar stepped past the bonfire and into an alcove in the rocks, where he heard more of his crew talking. He found Prismo, the shipwright, resting neatly on a pile of coins and jewels plundered from the Captive’s Menagerie ship. Prismo’s crab claws clacked together as he silently slept. He was probably dreaming of some new absurd addition to add to the ship. Mirra, the cartographer, and Nita, the scribe, sorted the coins into sacks and chests while discussing what they would spend their new bounty on. Both had fine chalices of exquisite wine, but neither woman could get drunk. Mirra was a Spindlekith, a peculiar species incapable of intoxication, while Nita just had the alcohol tolerance of a hundred men.
“Salutations, ladies. Say, have any of you seen Cirro around lately?” asked Seazar.
“You sure you don’t mean Klo?” Mirra responded without looking up from the haul.
“You saw right through me. However, I do have to find Cirro at some point. If he keeps playing that violin, it will be as easy as shooting the spines off a Needlewinged,” Seazar laughed.
“Easy for you, maybe, Mr. Everglad Nevermiss,” retorted Nita.
Nita stepped away from the coins and splattered the wine across the rocks with a swift swing. She laughed as the wine sizzled on the stones like coals.
“Well, captain? Is tonight the night you propose to Klo?” Nita asked.
Seazar’s grin grew wide like the moon.
“It sure is. She told me long ago I better propose to her before 50 years passed. Else, she would leave me.” Seazar said.
“Oh, captain. I can’t believe you actually believed her. But it is precisely like you to wait 49 years and some spare days before proposing,” Nita laughed.
Seazar thought back to the day when he first set sail. The clouds conquered the sky that early morning, and the waves crashed with rage. Amidst the rampaging storm and sea, Seazar commanded his mighty crew of two with his shimmering smile. There on the abysmal deck rushed the young Klo, the first mate and Seazar’s future love. The duo pushed through the tempest together, driven by the burning passions of teens chasing a golden dream.
“Say, Nita darling, anyone fall in your scopes lately?” asked Mirra.
“You know for a fact my gun broke two seas ago!” responded Nita.
“Not that kind of scope.”
“Then what kind of sco-”
“Darling, ignorance may look cute on you, but it doesn’t age well.”
Nita started stacking coins, careful not to catch any of Mirra’s many eyes. But the spider woman was hard to deter—her prey never leaving her sight nor her web.
“I-it doesn’t matter! And what of you? Huh?” Nita retorted.
“Haven’t found anyone worth it yet. You know, our kind mate for life,” responded Mirra.
“M-mate? L-like…”
“I think once I find the one, I’d like to come back here for a human honeymoon. Many call it the ‘Lover’s Sea’ because of its pretty sights and relatively peaceful nature.”
Mirra clutched her shoulders tightly and swayed from side to side.
“I can just imagine her plucking the flowers from the sea and putting them in my hair. And then I get defensive and comment about the water messing up my hair. Then I push her, and we start to argue and then by the end of the night, we are making love under the dazzling moonlight. Can you imagine it too, darling?” Mirra asked.
“Her?” Nita asked.
“I meant he. And him. And shut up.”
“Sure… and my name isn’t Nita Wyvern.”
“Yes it is.”
“That… was a joke. Anyway, I was reading somethi-”
“Another of your human love books?” asked Mirra.
“N-no. Yes. But they are just regular love books to me.”
“Go on.”
“There is a legend about a peculiar mythical flower that supposedly brings everlasting love to couples. It is described as two roses that grow intertwined in a couple’s reflection in twilight,” said Nita.
“Perfect for a certain smiling bastard…”
“Thank you, Mirra and Nita! This is my best chance to win Klo over. Decades of buildup for this moment. I have to get it exactly right,” said Seazar.
“Win her over? Seazar, you silly human. You two are practically married with how much you are on top each other. By Spindlekith standards, you two have been married for at least 20 years,” replied Mirra.
“We still have a good couple hundred years before we make it to the bottom of Thalasso and answer The Call. I don’t want to lose Klo before then. I want to show her I want to take her to the end with me. I want to show her my heart and I want to show her just how important to me she is,” said Seazar.
“Cirro and Klo are on the ship,” said Nita.
Seazar pet Nita on her head and messed up her already chaotic hair. Nita slumped into Seazar and clamped around him in a great hug. Mirra paused her coin counting and smiled at the duo holding each other.
“You are important to me too. Don’t leave me behind,” said Nita.
“Nita, Mirra, and Prismo, if you are awake, I don’t plan on leaving any of you guys behind. We agreed we would reach the bottom together,” said Seazar.
Seazar gently let Nita go and stepped out of the alcove. He bowed with such speed his head tapped against the stone floor. Just as soon as he had gone down, he rose and grinned. Seazar carved his way through the thick vegetation of the island to the coast where his ship was docked. On the grey coast, the great Uroboros Aphelion swayed with the flower tide. It was a mountain of a ship and one of the greatest currently in Impetus. High in the crow's nest, Cirro hung over the lip, playing his violin. His song drowned out the crashing waves and breeze. Seazar knew better than to shout for him.
Seazar sauntered across the gangway and looked into the darkness across the sea. He couldn’t help but imagine what could go wrong with his proposal. Perhaps a storm would form and catch the dinghy, or a beast would pop out. Maybe a rival crew would pass by and kidnap him and Klo. Or, worst of all, maybe Klo would reject him. Before he could shake the gripping unease that ensnared his mind, Seazar stumbled onto the deck. The floorboards were littered with bullet holes and gashes from the day’s battles. The smell of gunpowder and blood hung strong on the ship. Seazar shifted his weight and let out a heavy sigh. He assured himself this was Nemo 8’s ship, and he was the captain—there would be nothing to worry about. Through all the hardships Nemo 8 held together, he never failed in his role. But this was not a quest in need of completing, a beast in need of felling, or a foe in need of besting. Somewhere in the comfort of his ship, his best friend lay waiting for his response.
He descended into the ship’s hall lit with the glow of dozens of bottled Lumdri jellyfish. Each one shone a different color and had a name written on a label—all named by Klo. As Seazar made his way through the hall checking each room for Klo, he heard the faint shrill of a blade echo around him. He gave up delaying the meeting and crept across the boards to Klo’s room—hoping they wouldn’t betray him. He stood before Klo’s door and pinpointed the metal scraping to be coming from her room. For a moment, he pictured Klo waiting with her blade to lunge at him. Shaking his head, Seazar knocked twice and waited.
“Knocking? That isn’t like you, Seazar,” said Klo.
Seazar pushed the door open and stepped into her room. Starlight seeped into the room from an open window. In the casted light, Klo sat crosslegged in a golden robe with her glistening blade and a whetstone.
“You missed most of the party. Everyone is winding down now,” said Seazar.
“We will have something else to celebrate in due time. Besides, Dinlily asked me to sharpen her form again,” said Klo.
Seazar stared at Klo as she continued to sharpen her sword. Even though she had not physically aged in decades, she still showed the scars of time. Her eyes harbored memories—both good and bad. Seazar wondered where Klo would be if he had never asked her to join him on the seas. Where would he be without her? Seazar boldly pointed at Klo and struck his signature heroic pose.
“Fair maiden clothed in starlight, I have come extending an invitation to join me for a wondrous viewing,” said Seazar.
Klo stopped sharpening her blade and looked at Seazar. She shot up and cast the whetstone into a corner.
“Ok, Seazar. First the knocking, and now the silly knight talk? Are you drunk?” asked Klo.
“Drunk on your beauty,” Seazar shot back instantly.
Klo flicked Seazar’s face and laughed.
“Goofball. Lead the way, sir gallant knight. This defenseless maiden needs someone like you to escort me to a supposed wondrous viewing,” said Klo.
She strapped a belt over her robe and sheathed her sword. She extended her hand in a grandiose and prolonged manner. Seazar gently grabbed her hand and led her through the ship’s hall. The Lumdri lighting the path glowed in their jars like gems and danced like butterflies. All Seazar could think of was not messing up the upcoming big moment.
The duo navigated the deck to the dinghies and found the rest of the crew waiting for them. Cirro promptly began playing a lovely and calming song on his violin while the others prepared the dinghy for the sea. Seazar spotted Nita barely containing a violent laugh behind her hands.
“Nita, what di-,” Seazar started before being shushed by Nautilus.
“Episko needs some special flowers that only blossom right now. Can you two go get some real quick?” asked Mirra.
Klo looked around, completely puzzled. Seazar stepped into the dinghy and softly brought Klo in as well. Nautilus lowered the dinghy into the water while chuckling. Upon hitting the water, Seazar grabbed the oars and rowed the small boat off the coast into the deeper waters. The ship and crew grew smaller with each stride, leaving Klo and Seazar increasingly alone with the stars and flowers.
“Klo… how are you?” asked Seazar.
Klo placed her hands into the sea of shifting flowers and lifted an orchid from the water.
“Tired. Tired and confused. Why was everyone there?” asked Klo.
Seazar looked to the twilight horizon on each side and stopped rowing. He stood tall and turned away from Klo—smiling in fear.
“Seazar? Is something out there? Did you find the flower?”
“49 years.”
“What?”
“49 years we spent together on the seas. 49 years of pains, sorrows, and oh so many tears. But also 49 years of joys, laughs, and smiles. 49 years of triumphs, gold, parties! 49 years of you. 49 years I…”
Seazar turned and sat in front of Klo. He stared into her curious eyes and lifted her hands into his. His smile died, and he calmed his breath. His heart beat loudly and rhythmically like a drum. This was his last shot, and he knew it. All the horrible outcomes he feared overwhelmed his mind, but one memory shone like a lighthouse in his soul and pushed him forward through the tides of fear.
“Klo, even with the sea of stars dancing above us, you outshine them all. In this vast sea of flowers, you are the bloom that holds my heart. No treasure I’ve found could ever compare to you. You are the greatest gift life has ever given me. Since the beginning, you have been my guiding light, my wings to fly.”
Klo rolled her eyes and smiled.
“Ok, Seazar. I love you too. I would be dead without you. I owe you my life and more.”
“Klo, my love for you could drown out the stars. I would have never made it this far without you by my side. You are my blade, protecting me from the world. There is nothing I could do to show you how much I love you, but I will try unto eternity.”
Klo fell into Seazar—wrapping herself around him. The two embraced and listened to the rocking of the boat on the gentle tide. Seazar felt Klo’s heart beating in anticipation. Seazar thought back to when he first met Klo—her ragged appearance met with an anguished face scorning the world. He remembered just how far the two had gone together over the past half-century. It was time.
“Klo, will you marry me?”
Klo laughed into Seazar’s shoulder before locking eyes with him.
“You dummy. That isn’t a question. There has never been a time when I would have said no. I can’t put it into words like you, but you are so important to me. You are my captain and I would do anything for you. You saved me from my old life all those years ago. You gave me a future with a smile. I would dive into the furthest reaches of Exodus if it meant I could stay with you forever,” said Klo.
The two pressed together, hands held tightly and kissed. Seazar felt Klo’s scarred back as he held her.
The two gently drifted apart and sat upright, full of embarrassment. While they had kissed before, this time, something was different. Seazar’s grin paled compared to Klo’s flustered and joyous smile. Her eyes danced across the sea to the sky to Seazar and all around as she frantically searched for a distraction. Seazar clutched his heart and exhaled into a laugh.
“Sorry, I didn’t do this sooner… my wife,” said Seazar.
“I am pretty sure you don’t get to call me wife until you beat me in combat,” laughed Klo.
Klo looked into the sea and noticed a mystical glowing rose sprouting from the water. She plucked the rose and found another wrapped around it, hidden beneath its petals. The two intertwined roses caught the starlight in their cups and shone like space’s reflection upon the sea.
“My love, unto eternity.”