Full of Grace
by Leah Kindsey

Bryn fell against her bed in despair. "Why...why?" she wheeped.
A pleasure trip to Basra had ended in disaster when Rumina resurfaced and revealed that she was Bryn's older sister.

Bryn couldn't deny it...hearing this had triggered a catalyst in her mind and slowly she was beginning to remember her past. She knew she wasn't a bad person...but she had been pressured by her sister a few times to do bad things.

She remember being a young teenager and killing someone for the first time...
"Rumina, you know I don't like doing these things!" she had protested.
Rumina cocked her head to the side sneering a little, "Come on Bryn. Daddy makes very sure we learn out magick, you don't want to disappoint him!"

She bit her lip, she didn't want to.

"Just hit him a little," Rumina said, pointing to a frightened farmer boy she had cornered.

"J-just a little," she stammered and reached out with her magick...just trying to let a little out. Suddenly Rumina screamed, "GO!" and Bryn jumped, loosing her concentration. Too much flowed out and the boy screamed as yellow flames engulfed him...

"WHY!" Bryn screamed into her pillow as she cried. The crew had turned to her with aghast looks. Even Sinbad...Allah, Sinbad looked so horrified and betrayed! She had bolted and ran back to her inn room, where she flung herself onto her bed and cried.

In the hallway, she could here Sinbad and Doubar talking.
"How do you know we can trust her?" Doubar argued, "She could be a spy for Rumina!"

Bryn refused to hear anymore, "All I've done...hasn't that made any difference!" she moaned. "I'm not! I'm not evil!" she punched into the mattress. Consumed and exhausted by grief, she allowed herself to collapse and crumple to the floor. The anger melted into pure grey depression. "Why now..." she whispered, "We were so close..." The affection she and Sinbad shared was blossoming to love. She was going to tell him she loved him that night...but how could she now? Softly, she began to sing...

The winter here's cold...and bitter
It's chilled us to the bone
We haven't seen the sun for weeks
Too long too far from home
I feel just like I'm sinking
And I claw for solid ground

Pulled down by the undertow
Never thought I could feel so low
And oh darkness, I feel I'm letting go...
If all of the strength and all of the courage
Come and lift me from this place
I know I can love you much better than this
Full of grace...my love...

She lifted her head and sighed, "I can't stay her anylonger. I need to find out more about who I was...and prove to them...to Sinbad that I'm not a bad person. I'm not evil. I have to show them..."

In the morning Sinbad slowly rose from bed, resting his head in his hands. He knew he had to talk to Bryn...and right now. He rose and donned his clothes and walked to the door. Suddenly he noticed a note on the floor, as though it had been slid under the door. He picked it up and read it...

So it's better this way, I said
having seen this place before
where everything we said and did
hurts us all the more
its just that we stayed, too long
in the same old sickly skin
I'm pulled down by the undertow
I never thought I could feel so low
oh darkness I feel like letting go

If all of the strength
and all of the courage
come and lift me from this place
I know I could love you much better than this
full of grace
full of grace
my love

He dropped the letter in horror and bolted downstairs to the innkeeper. "Have you seen a woman with shoulder-length black hair, wearing a yellow dress?" he pleaded.
The innkeeper nodded, "Yeah I saw her this morning. The pretty girl with the hawk. She had asked me about a boat that was sailing out."

Sinbad took off running before he could finish the sentence.

He returned tired and forlorn. The boat had left already. Bryn was gone. Doubar met him at the door. "Sinbad, where were y-"

"She's gone," he sighed.

"What?" Doubar asked.

"Bryn's gone. She left me a note. She's gone to Belyrie."

"What are you going to-"

"I'm going after her!" he interjected, "I'm taking the next boat to Belyrie and I'm going to find her!"

"But Sinbad-"

"Brother I'm not going to argue this. I'm making you Captain for now. In three months I want you to come back for me. Ok?"

Doubar nodded, "Aye, but why?"

"I love her, Doubar," he sighed, "I love her and I don't care about her past. I know who she is, and she's not Rumina or Turok. I love her and I'm going to find her."
Doubar nodded sadly as Sinbad walked away. "I'll find you Bryn," he said, "No matter what it takes!"

The End