NOVEL WEB Chapter 7: Sothis
Byleth tilts his head to the side ever so slightly as he watches the sleepy girl before him nuzzle herself against his hand like a cat.
‘My love? What does that mean?’
Curious, he asks her the same thing aloud, however he gets no response as she continues nestling up to him. Contemplating the question, he instinctively and delicately caresses her, running his fingers through her soft hair.
The moment is cut short though as he reflexively pulls back when she reaches out a hand to grab him, causing her to purr in annoyance while he opens his mouth to speak, “Who are you?”
Hearing his question, it’s her turn to tilt her head as she stares at him and blinks her eyes.
Slowly the fog begins to clear from her mind as her gaze becomes a bit sharper and she begins to lightly mutter under her breath. Then, a large yawn escapes her lips as she raises her arms up high in a stretch and sits upright on the throne.
Now more properly awake, she formally rests her gaze on the boy in front of her and appraises him, as if truly seeing him for the first time.
“Oh my. What could’ve brought you here?”
Her first reaction is surprise, not having expected to see anyone else in this place as her slim eyebrows scrunch up in confusion.
“Hmm… I have not seen the likes of you before. Who are you, anyway?”
The young lass gazes at him with captivating emerald orbs that glow like twinkling stars in the dim light.
‘Wasn’t she talking to me earlier? I guess she was still half-asleep, like when father talks to himself.’
Thinking back on the etiquette Zane taught him, he gives a light bow. “Pleasure to meet you, my lady. My name is Byleth Eisner. With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?”
The words flow from his lips in an unrushed cadence, a far cry from his usual behavior, however he finds himself not minding, even to say that stiff greeting.
A small approving smile forms on her lips as she rests her chin on her hand.
“Byleth is it? You’re quite the little gentleman, aren’t you?”
Her eyes then adopt a strange glimmer as she gazes into the tenebrous distance.
“This all feels so familiar… yet also different? Haah, this is rather vexing...”
The boy silently watches her as she stares into the horizon, fully content to wait. Eventually, she returns her attention to him with a sigh of resignation, “You wanted my name correct…? Hmm, I believe that it is… Sothis!”
Pleased with having remembered she sits up a little straighter as her gleaming white teeth flash in a breathtaking smile.
“Yes, that’s right, you may call me Sothis. However, I am also called ‘The Beginning’.”
Learning her name, he can’t help but feel that it sounds vaguely familiar for a fleeting moment but ignores it.
Gazing at her pretty face lost in thought he takes a minute to fully capture the sight of her, the person that has plagued his dreams for nearly his entire, admittedly brief, life.
Sothis appears to be a young girl somewhere around ten years old, her stature seeming slightly larger than his own.
The combination of her mesmerizing glowing emerald eyes that captivate him within their gaze as well as her lengthy flowing hair of the same color draping down her back to the waist is bewitching. Never has he seen someone with that mixture of colors but to him it’s beautiful rather than strange.
Her long hair has two braided portions in the front laying across her virtually flat chest with red and white ribbons tied in that match the ones she has on her wrists, while her head is adorned by an ornate golden headdress with small blue tassels and a star-shaped drop that rests on her forehead.
A complex and revealing form-fitting dark blue dress with some flowing parts makes up the base of her attire.
This dress shows off large swaths of her smooth milky white skin across her body: Dainty arms tied with ribbons on the wrists, lovely long legs from the upper thighs all the way down to her tiny bare feet decorated with anklets, her small, almost flat, upper chest, and nearly the entire frontal midsection from just below her chest to a ways under her belly button, everything is exposed to the air to see.
Her upper back is also largely uncovered, though the dress continues to drape down to the ground aside from that on the rear. Laying over the dress is elaborate jewelry and ribbons crisscrossing her body with an intricate and lengthy golden tassel sitting across the front.
Overall, her clothing and adornments are both revealing as well as complicated in the most extreme of ways.
Taking this all in, Byleth admits with absolute certainty that she is undoubtedly the most attractive girl he has ever seen as his gaze seems naturally drawn to her, even if she doesn’t carry many of the more nubile feminine charms that he often hears many of the mercenaries talk about as being desirable, whatever that means.
Additionally, there’s a certain quality surrounding her that is quite intriguing.
At first glance, she merely gives the impression of being a beautiful fairy-like demoiselle, but the strange thing is that the longer he looks, the increasingly unsure he becomes regarding her age.
It’s true that her height and overall shape are that of a girl, but the air surrounding her and certain aspects of her body alludes to an additional mature aspect hiding in the shadows.
He’s fairly confused, just how old is she? It appears to be nigh impossible to tell.
Snapping out of his daze, the boy realizes that he's been staring at her for a long time but as he goes to apologize, he notices her closed eyes and relaxed demeanor.
Getting closer, he sits down directly below her throne and watches as she sleeps, the slow rise and fall of her chest easing the turbulent emotions coursing through him.
‘She may seem much older when she’s awake, but she sure looks like a little girl now.’ Thinking this, his lips curve upwards ever so slightly as he brushes a strand of hair from her face, soon curling up below her.
Before long he falls asleep listening to her steady breathing in the otherwise silent dreamscape.
***
Waking up on the sandy beach, Byleth feels the cool wetness of the waves tickling at his feet. Relaxing for a moment while looking at the puffy clouds above, he soon rises from the ground while stretching and brushing the sand from himself, soon beginning to make his way back to the inn.
On the way there he stares up into the early morning sky, pondering on the events of last night, ‘Did that actually happen? It was all so strange, but it certainly felt real…’
Remembering the few words he exchanged with the mysterious maiden named Sothis causes an unknown feeling to appear in his chest, but it disappears soon after.
Heading to the room where they held the party, several sleeping forms littering the ground greet him as he walks in. The space reeks of alcohol, evident by the many half empty bottles strewn throughout, while the collective snoring seems as if it could drown out even a heavy storm.
Tiptoeing around, he looks through the sleeping faces but pauses next to the counter to read a small note that catches his eye. The bill for the previous day’s extremely eventful evening. A rare noise escapes him as his trembling eyes look closer at the amount listed on the bottom, but he eventually turns away with a shake of his head.
Looking around the room, the boy can’t find who he’s searching for so instead heads back out towards an open section on the outside of the inn. There he discovers Zane cloud gazing seemingly in thought.
Hearing the footsteps, he turns and grins as he sees the teal-haired youth, “Hey there buddy, did you sleep well?”
Receiving a nod as his response, the ginger hops to his feet and motions for the youngster to join him.
“Right then, let’s get started!”
***
A few hours later, both Byleth and Zane are resting on the ground sweating profusely. Rubbing a special cream onto the red marks on his skin, the teal-haired kid notes to get rid of any possible sand inside his clothes prior to any future training.
Pausing to take a long drink of water, he almost chokes as he hears thoughts not at all his own ring inside of his head, ‘You’re quite the active child, aren’t you? That was a rather impressive display of mastery for one as young as yourself. Say, how old are you anyway?’
Ringing in his mind is the unmistakable and melodious voice of the girl, Sothis.
Coughing out the water in his mouth, Zane looks at him with a slightly creased brow, “Are you all right? You shouldn’t drink so quickly.”
As the youth is about to respond he hears her again, ‘You should know that he did not hear my words. Due to the link we share they are for you alone, albeit I do not know how such a thing came to be… Anyway, if you wish to speak to me then you need only voice your thoughts in your mind, it is not necessary to speak aloud. Know that I am always with you now so please do not be so shocked when next I appear.’
Somehow easily calming listening to the sound of her voice, the boy responds as instructed.
‘I don’t know my exact age, but we had a party to celebrate my birth last night.’
Her incredulous tone resounds in his psyche, ‘What do you mean you don’t know your age?! Though I suppose I’m no better…’
A long sigh echoes in his mind and he can almost picture her subdued image. ‘No matter, just carry on as you have. I’m suddenly feeling … quite… sleepy…’
Her speech is interrupted by a loud yawn and soon turns into the shallowed breathing of sleep before disappearing entirely as if it was never there. Nevertheless, he can still feel her presence in the fringes of his cognition, akin to a slight tingle. It’s an odd feeling to be sure.
Although it’s quite a weird situation, Byleth was never one to dwell too much on things and simply accepts that he somehow has an enigmatic figure tagging along in his head, though something she said keeps popping up in his thoughts, producing a lingering doubt that he immediately stamps out.
After the training, the two clean themselves up prior to eating with the newly awakened and groggy mercenary group, the youth trying to ignore the usual derogatory glances and hushed remarks directed at him. Then Zane teaches him for several more hours, also beginning to introduce the basics of Tuatha which the boy soaks up like a sponge.
It’s strange at first, hearing words so foreign sounding from his own, but the ginger broaches the subject at a pace that is easy enough for the youth to follow. Learning has always been one thing that he loves to do and so he has no complaint whatsoever about spending further time with Zane teaching him.
Sometime in the afternoon, the deputy concludes his instruction for the day and lets Byleth go free. Finally having some time of his own he doesn’t waste a moment in heading for a secluded beach he had discovered his first day in the area.
It’s so different from anything he has ever seen, the water seems to stretch on forever and the sand is different from the usual dirt of the ground.
For a time he merely walks around, gazing out at the vast sea. Doing so, the glimmer of something lying in the strand catches his eye and he quickly jogs over to see what it is.
Scooping up the strange object, he examines it, fingering the curves and contours. Curious, he shakes it in the water for a few seconds to rub off the sand and marvels at his discovery.
The outside of the fairly large object is a rather coarse and spiky white while a sizeable opening on one side reveals smooth pink folding into the inside of it. Turning it around in his hands he’s surprised at the unique shape and feel of it, finding it rather beautiful looking.
Experimenting with it he blows into it to try and make a noise and also attempts to peer into the inner folds of the strange item before eventually raising it to his ear, deciding to see if anything was hiding inside. At first, only silence greets him but listening closely he can faintly make out a low sound, almost similar to the sounds of the waves.
Thoroughly impressed by his new discovery, the peripatetic youth walks aimlessly along the shore, allowing his feet to sink into the wet sand. Staring absentmindedly at the ground while walking he suddenly stops and looks closer at the many small rocks littering the beach.
Crouching down and picking a couple up he realizes that many of them are simply smaller versions of the item he has in his hand. A hint of excitement flashes in his eyes as he gazes out at the wide expanse of beach before him.
Sometime later he’s sitting contently in front of a fairly large pile of differently shaped objects.
“I wonder what they are…”
Whispering to himself as he lines them up, he pauses as he feels something in the rear of his mind as another voice interrupts his solitude, ‘They are called seashells Byleth.’
Now less surprised than the first time, the boy simply responds after a beat of silence.
‘Seashells?’
He can practically hear the smile in her voice as she responds, ‘That’s right, they are the remnants of life in and around the sea. For some, they are essentially homes or armor but they look rather pretty don’t they?’
He merely nods while wondering what kind of animal could live in these strange seashells.
Not bothered in the slightest by Byleth’s silence, Sothis speaks once more, ‘Well you have certainly gathered quite the collection here. What do you plan to do with them?’
He thinks for a moment, unconsciously playing with the sand below in his hands.
‘I’m not sure, I didn’t really have any plan for them.’
‘In that case, why not give them to your parents? I’m sure your mother and father would be delighted to receive them.’
He briefly considers that idea, then nods. ‘Okay.’
Grabbing his bag, he begins to put the shells in as a loud yawn echoes in his brain.
‘Wonderful, then I’m going to retire for now. I hope it goes well, whatever it is you decide to do.’
As her presence once again recedes, he continues putting away the shells, happier than he was earlier.
***
“Any luck finding work?”
Seated around a table at the local tavern Jeralt is surrounded by his top men in their band.
“No captain, at least not any you’d be interested in.”
Downing his mug and raising an eyebrow appreciatively at the taste, he then looks towards the man who spoke.
“Oh? What does that mean?”
The older man with a large grisly scar crossing the bridge of his nose glances throughout the room before responding in a hushed tone.
“Well from what I’ve heard, seems that there’re a few livin’ here who don’t exactly take kindly to their foreign neighbors. I’ve heard tell that some anonymous sources are offerin’ fair coin to… take care of the problem.”
A loud bang causes everyone seated to look over to the ginger-haired young man with a deep scowl on his face.
“What trash! I absolutely loathe these xenophobic arseholes that get a big head just because they might be wealthy or have a crest! Their elitist attitudes towards foreigners and commoners alike makes my skin crawl. They’re-”
“All right Zane that’s enough, calm down.”
Interrupting him in a harsh tone, Jeralt gives the younger man a piercing look that he can only look away from.
The deputy’s fiery gaze slowly cools and after a short period of silence he responds in a hushed tone, “Sorry about that captain, I get a little carried away sometimes.”
Another of the men snickers while looking teasingly at the apologetic deputy.
“I don’t understand half of what you just said boy, but it seems even Jeralt doesn’t want to hear your whining.”
The second in command regains his scowl, “Oh shut it gramps, I’m surprised you could even hear what I said.”
The two men proceed to start bickering back and forth as the other men cheer and encourage the argument, bringing up their mugs in amusement while ignoring the alcohol splashing out. Chuckling at the rowdy antics, Jeralt simply relaxes in his seat and enjoys the lively atmosphere.
Later on things have relatively calmed as a few of the mercenaries left to join other tables. Talking between themselves, Zane feels his stomach rumble in desire and looks to flag down a passing hostess.
Vision passing over the large wooden door, he’s right in time to watch it slightly open as Byleth slips inside. The boy scans around the room and finds them almost immediately. The ginger watches as the youth makes his way to them unhurriedly, not at all fazed by the drunken chaos and clamor surrounding him as he maneuvers through the sea of packed tables and hurried waitresses.
“Well look who it is. I was just about to get dinner, come have a seat.”
“Okay.”
The youngster merely responds with his usual laconism, sitting in an empty chair and nodding to the other men at the table prior to closing his eyes and resting on his palm. The mercenaries present are ones that get along well with Jeralt and so they only return the nod, knowing that talking to the child would be rather futile.
Soon enough a teenage girl with amber skin comes along and they prepare to order their food. As the pretty waitron lists their menu, the ever stoic child wonders about the exotic sounding options that he’s never encountered before.
Perhaps sensing his curiosity, Zane leans over to whisper regarding how the menu here is rather unique for Fódlan since it takes heavy inspiration from the cuisine of Brigid across the sea.
The adolescent thanks him, observing that this isn’t something that any of the others at the table are particularly bothered about as they smoothly order foreign dishes.
The talk at the table continues as it was previously, and he eventually comes to learn that there is another tavern that travelers can go to across town that has more traditional Fódlan foods which a portion of the mercenaries went to instead, which makes sense since he only sees some of them here. In fact, he learns that nearly the whole town is divided this way.
Apparently, a large number of people are accepting of the Brigid influences and that is reflected in the vibrant and expressive markets and environment facing the ocean, while those who are against this fusion of foreign culture or are simply not interested in it live in a smaller yet wealthier section of town that is further inland.
For Byleth, Jeralt, Zane, and the rest here it’s a novel experience since you would never find such foreign influence in the rest of Fódlan, except along some places on the border such as this.
After finishing his third helping of a particularly tasty dish, the teal haired adolescent gets up to go.
“Thanks for dinner.”
Jeralt grunts in acknowledgment as his son gets up and leaves after exchanging a few words with Zane concerning their morning training.
Walking through the moonlit streets, he glances around at the interesting town. It’s still quite lively out despite being nighttime as people laugh and have a good time with their friends and family.
The wooden and stone homes all seem to be in good repair and he can’t spot even a single person that strikes him as overly wanting, though admittedly he has yet to see the whole area.
Eventually, he finds himself standing in front of the inn they had rented rooms at but instead of going inside he turns towards the small forest behind it that was next to the beach.
The outdoors has always felt more comforting to him, preferring to stare up at the radiant night sky than the dull brown of rotting wood over his head. The noise at night also seems to help him fall asleep, bathing in the sound of nature.
Finding a good tree to climb, he nimbly scales the branches and creates a makeshift bed on one he finds to his liking. Laying back he takes it all in, especially enjoying the soft crashing of waves in the distance.
Soon enough he slowly drifts to sleep, thoughts of a green haired girl on his mind and excitement for what sort of interactions they may have tomorrow.
