“A boat,” Jem answered helpfully. “And before that, the sea.”
His snark was wasted on Erik, who sniffed. “Well, wherever it is, they obviously do not value intelligence there.”
Casper shrugged. “Considering what I just saw, you would fit in nicely.”
“As my dear Mormor used to say,” Jem added, “‘A wolf in sheep’s clothing might think himself smart, but he’s just pulled the wool over his own eyes.’”
A quickly smothered snort drew his attention briefly to Daland’s daughter, who was looking at him with wide eyes and her hand covering her mouth. Casper kept his face cold and impassive. Jem, he was sure, was smirking in satisfaction.
The elf sneered at him. “I have better uses for my time than standing here and listening to this inane dribble.” He locked eyes with Daland. “But I’ll be coming back, and when I do, I expect your full cooperation.” With a final sniff of contempt, he stalked down the path, shoving Casper roughly to the side as he passed. At the brief moment of contact, Erik’s head swiftly spun to look down at him, and Casper knew that he must have felt the unnatural chill that seeped through his jacket.
Erik’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth as if to say more, but Casper held his gaze with a challenging one of his own, and the elf abruptly clamped his lips together and continued on his way.
“Good riddance,” Daland muttered as their unwelcome visitor disappeared from sight. He turned to his daughter. “What was that all about? What was he doing here?”
She sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the action drawing Casper’s attention once more to her face and the dark, tired circles under her eyes. “It’s a long story. I’m guessing you have one, too?”
“There’s not really much to it.” Daland clasped his hands behind his back and rocked back and forth on his heels. “We got caught in the storm and the ship was going down. We were fortunate Captain Helmrud and his men were nearby to help us.”
Casper let out a small, relieved breath that the fisherman had decided to stick to their story. It wasn’t that he wanted to lie to the fae of Nivem…but it also was much easier to blend in for their allotted week if it wasn’t widely known that for the 363 weeks following, they would closely resemble ghosts. As it was, he was hopeful that if the truth did get out, everyone would just assume Daland’s men had swallowed a bit too much seawater than was good for them.
Daland’s daughter graced him with a gentle smile, and the world around him stopped for a moment. His mind was a buzzing, empty space as she moved towards him. She offered her hand, and he took it dumbly, forgetting that his hands would be icy and cold until the warmth of her own small fingers wrapped around his. To his surprise, she didn’t even flinch—just squeezed his hand with a firm, heartfelt pressure.
“Then I can’t thank you enough, Captain Helmrud. I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to him.” She gave Daland a fond smile before looking back at him. “My name is Sienna, by the way. I don’t think Papa finished his introductions.” She dropped his hand and shook Jem’s as well.
Sienna…like the sea that’s in her eyes.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sienna,” Jem was saying, giving Casper a wide smile.“See?”his eyes seemed to say,“You might be able to break this curse after all.”
Casper cleared his throat, shoving all thoughts of sea blue eyes deep, deep into the recesses of his mind. The last thing he needed was to let Jem’s ideas and his own unexpected reactions give them false hope. “It’s just Casper. And I’m glad that we were close enough to help.”
“Casper, then. And…Jem, was it?” She turned toward the house, beckoning for them to follow. “Why don’t you come inside and have something warm to drink. You both seem like you could use it.”
Jem nudged Casper with his elbow as they slowly followed. “Seven days!” he hissed, his words just barely loud enough for Casper to hear. “You have to at least try. If not for yourself, then for us.”
“It’s a week. No one can fall in love in a week.”
“Certainly not, if you keep making faces like that. Smile. Be charming. She doesn’t have to love you…just promise fidelity unto death.”
Casper shot him a baleful look. “Thanks for that encouragement.”
Jem clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s why I’m here. Don’t worry; I take my role as match-maker very seriously.” Without waiting for an answer, he quickened his steps to catch up to the fisherman in front of them, who was just entering the house.
Casper let out a long breath.
That’s what I’m afraid of.
A sudden warmth wrapped around him as soon as he stepped over the threshold, and Casper very nearly wept with joy. Sailing on the Winter seas was a cold and dreary business, and being half a ghost the majority of the time meant that his body did notretain heat very well. It had been so long since he had actually, truly feltwarm.
Seven years, to be exact, though Jem was the one who was really interested in counting.
Casper looked around the cozy home in interest. It was small, though not cramped, and his eyes eagerly drank in the green leaves of the herbs that grew in the kitchen window and the vase of pale pink flowers on the table, unused to the color of anything other than the water and sky.
Jem and Daland were already sinking into two chairs beside a crackling fire, and his first mate sighed in contentment as he leaned back his head and closed his eyes. “Daland, you might be a fisherman and a lighthouse keeper, but to me you are a hero.”
The fisherman’s response was lost to Casper as Sienna appeared at his side, enveloping him in a cloud of something fresh and floral. “Go sit down. I’ll get some tea started. Are you hungry?”
He looked down at her face. He was not a particularly tall man, even by human standards, but the top of her head barely came up to his shoulder. From this close, he could clearly see the shadows of exhaustion in her face. She smiled, but it was with effort.
