Firigin slapped his hand to his forehead and shook his head, "Oy! You people are terrible at following directions. First you whisper your secrets when you should shout them, then you sing about rowing your boat instead of singing the Ballad. Surely you know it, yes? The last time I was in Axis, even the street urchins were singing it. Granted, it was a horrible rendition, but nonetheless!" He breathed a deep sigh, "I am no prima donna, but I will sing it for you to remind you of how it goes." Closing his eyes, he tapped his hand against his thigh to keep time and began:
A maid there was who dwelt alone
Beside a cold and laughing stream --
Which ran from distant, silent stones
Between the mountains and the sea.
A man there was who wandered far
O'er many long and tireless leagues,
And followed many erring stars
Between the mountains and the sea.
They met beside the laughing brook,
And loved each other tenderly --
There pledged their troth and took their oath
Between the mountains and the sea.
"Nevermore away I'll roam,"
He swore and kissed her tenderly,
"But here will dwell amid the stones
Between the mountains and the sea."
"And here I'll dwell no more alone,
And from your side I will not flee.
Beside this brook we'll build our home --
Between the mountains and the sea."
But wand'ring sickness took the man --
Of lands beyond that quiet lee --
And far away at last he faired
Beyond the mountains and the sea.
The maiden still, she waits alone,
Beside a cold and silent stream,
And stands as cold as a standing stone
Between the mountains and the sea.
And there she waits and keeps her oath
Until her love o'er tireless leagues
Will come again and find her stone
Between the mountains and the sea.
As the song went on, the sound of the tapping blossomed in Jeremiah's mind, and he was reminded of his time in the forge. Hammer had clanged against anvil and the bellows had whooshed air in time with the tune that had flowed from Shivoln's gruff voice.
At the third verse, Jeremiah began singing along with Firigin, and the boat shuddered to life. When the last note of the song dissipated in cool, evening air, the boat scraped along the shore of the stream until the natural buoyancy of the craft took over. It slid into the water and began to coast toward the sea. Behind them, Firigin began jumping up and down excitedly, "It works! It works! I'm a genius!" He stopped his splashing as the realization that Inigo must be alive settled in. A thoughtful expression crossed his face and he called out, "Bring Inigo back to me as I have some questions for him! Good luck!"
He faded into the darkness as the distance between him and the boat grew and the sun finally set. The boat continued a good pace, the prow cutting a small wake in the water, as it carried its cargo unerringly out to sea.
OOC: We're going to do another travel montage, so the next round of posts will need to be in this order:
1. Jeremiah
2. Nyil
3. Blackstar
#1 will need to provide a situation you all encounter on your way to wherever Inigo is. #2 will provide the solution to #1 and a situation for #3, and so on. #1 will post last and provide the solution to #3.
Also, give me another round of Icon Relationship rolls.
I have to give a shout-out to my friend, Richard, for penning the ballad.