248 Search Continues

Duncan's face hardened as he leaned forward to look into Haf's eyes. 

"What did you say?" He demanded. 

"I believe you heard me well, or you would not react so," The Commodore replied calmly. 

"That… but your eyes," Duncan looked between his son and Haf. Roland knew from his father's comments on the subject that his eyes looked much like his mother's. 

For himself, he thought he far more resembled his father, but as he had no memory of his mother, he could not impartially opine on the topic. 

"My elder sisters, Songslet and Liberty, went missing after walking in the forest some forty-five years ago. Though they were never seen again, I've been informed that you might be able to shed light on what happened to them." Haf had had time to emotionally prepare himself for this exchange.

Duncan had not. He looked as if he'd been kicked in the stomach. 

"Let us go take some refreshment and discuss this somewhere comfortable," Cora put in diplomatically. She shot her husband a sharp look for bringing up the subject prematurely instead of broaching it gently. 

His answering sigh was one of longsuffering. Roland had heard him say to her earlier that delaying news didn't make it any easier to receive. 

The group convened in Haf and Cora's hut around their comfortable table. Duncan sat down with a dazed look on his face. 

His eyes would wander toward Haf, looking for the family resemblance, briefly rest on Caspian, and then move back toward the ground in thought. Roland sat next to his father, ready to support him in whatever way the man needed. 

"Can it be?" Duncan asked after a moment, turning to Roland again. 

The younger man shrugged. How could he know? It was long before he was born. 

"I do not remember my sisters, I only know their names and the tale of their disappearance. When your son spoke of his mother and her sister being foundlings, I could scarcely believe it. I had hoped you would have more information about them to compare." 

Duncan's brow creased in thought.

"I was young when they were found, wandering in the woods. There was a storm, I think. After such events, as we would often go towards the areas hardest hit to glean useful items or abandoned animals from destroyed villages. Occasionally there would be a child to take in. Two were found that day. 

"Songslet was the elder. She spoke little, and never once of where they'd come from. It's possible no one asked. Small outlying villages on the borders of Klain weren't uncommon. The younger, Liberty, was barely walking. When we married, she had no memories of where she'd come from before being found." Duncan looked as if he were trying to come up with any more helpful details. 

"Songslet remembered enough to sing me a Cetoan lullaby," Roland offered. 

"She often had strange little songs, as I recall…" Duncan mused. "I always thought them rather silly. Liberty liked them quite a bit, but I didn't realize that they came from anywhere. I assumed Songslet made them up. I had wondered if she'd gotten her name because of it." 

Roland took in this new information about the woman that had raised him through his early childhood. His memories of her were relatively few, and dim, but she was the closest link he had to his mother, and he relished any details about her. 

"Her name was a traditional one, a reference to the songs of the sea," Haf's voice was soft in memory. 

"Can we be sure she was the same as your missing sister?" Duncan narrowed his eyes slightly. 

"The coincidence would be almost unbelievable, would it not? My sisters disappeared and never found, and you found two girls of the right ages at around the same time, with the same names. Do I bear them no family resemblance whatsoever?" 

Roland recognized the tactic. One of Duncan's first remarks was that Haf looked familiar. Haf continued speaking after a pause. 

"Of course, perhaps we are the ones who should be suspicious of the coincidence. Perhaps some grand plot by Rhone to take over by learning of the heirs long-missing and presumed dead, and then placing their only prince in a position to claim one as his mother." Haf tapped his finger to his chin thoughtfully. 

"They'll think you're serious, Haf. You know you don't believe that for a second." Cora chided. 

"We would be fools if we had not considered the possibility." Haf patted her hand. "But my wife is correct, we do not believe that to be the case. Roland does not seem so great a liar as that, and the lullaby he sang was the one my mother used most often at night. Perhaps I too often see the good in people, but I am satisfied that the man is indeed my nephew, and you, King Duncan, my brother-in-law." 

The king heaved a sigh heavy with memory, and slowly nodded his acceptance. 

"This is a lot to take in. You'll forgive me for using some time to absorb your words and their implications." 

"Of course. We have had several days to think through all this, and what to do about it." Cora answered gently. 

"Is there something to do about it? Either it's true or it's not." Duncan frowned. 

"Apparently their lines of succession have been rendered somewhat dubious by the fact of my birth." Roland explained. 

"Why? You have sons, do you not?" The king clearly did not like where this was going. 

"Daughters carry equal right to inherit leadership as sons," Cora grimaced. "If Roland had been born here, he would be Commodore instead of Haf." 

"And now, one son has been enchanted and lost his wits thanks to Brenna, and the other is highly reluctant to take on leadership unless he has to." 

This last part was news to Roland. 

"Has Caspian said so?" He asked. 

"He has expressed a desire for us to keep the position of presumptive heir vacant for the time being." Haf shook his head. "That tells me enough." 

"But why wouldn't he want to lead?" Roland knew the question was a little hypocritical; he didn't want to lead either. But the situation was a little different as Caspian at least knew these people and had been raised in close proximity with an example of how the governmental system here worked. 

Roland still struggled at times with Klain's political system, let alone any others. 

"Leadership is a heavy burden. Those who truly desire it are often the ones who shouldn't have it. Those who wish to avoid it are usually the ones that would do it best." Haf's contemplative statements drew Duncan's attention, and the two seemed to share a moment of understanding. 

Roland wondered briefly whether his father had wanted to lead, or simply wanted to free the people from Titania's rule. He'd never worked up the courage to ask the question.

"So what is your decided course of action?" Duncan eyed the other leader. 

"I think it is in the best interests of all to–" Haf was interrupted by an urgent knock at the door. 

"Come!" He called. 

"Commodore, sir!" The panting soldier at the door had obviously sprinted from the beach, from the sand on his feet. "The messenger is returning from the Easternmost settlement. Their signal flag indicates news of Edmar!" 

As one, the grouping stood and moved to the door. 

"Have they caught him? Do they have him?" Cora asked. 

"I know not. I ran to fetch you as the boat was still afar off, but they waved the green flag of bearing news!" 

Roland had learned over the past several days about the Cetoan methods of signaling other ships, or people on land. Various colored flags communicated different messages. Those who were sent to search for Edmar were to display green on return if they had information or succeeded in the search. 

The Commodore and his family rushed out the door, maintaining an air of dignity even as they hurried to the shore to meet the boat when it came aground. Roland and his father followed, with Roland whispering a more detailed explanation of the past days, the search, and the flag method of communication at sea. 

Duncan nodded as the information was given without a word of response. Roland felt a little guilty that he was expected to take in so much so quickly after his arrival, but there was nothing to be done about that at the moment. 

The group arrived at the shore, coming to a rock outcropping where a wooden dock extended out to the sea. It was there where the medium-sized boats such as this messenger sailboat came to be tied. 

"What news?" Haf demanded as the first mate jumped to the dock and began securing the vessel. 

The man seemed torn between completing his duty and responding to the Commodore's question. 

Thankfully, another man followed to take the rope from him and resume the task. 

The seaman touched his chin in the Cetoan method of salutation. 

"Commodore, Edmar went to the Easternmost settlement after leaving here days ago." He began. 

"Is he with you?" Cora's eyes were still scanning the decks fruitlessly.

"No, ma'am. He ordered the preparation of the three largest ships, and they set sail the day after his arrival. We missed them."