<i>It had been so sudden. A loud boom, and suddenly all that could be scorched was lit up like a candle. It had been night and he had been alone in his room, when he awoke to the tongues of flame spreading down the hallway. Everything tasted like soot and smelled like ash. Alone he had ran down the other side of the hall, as fast as he could on his small legs, fleeing from the monstrous heat that was devouring the wood of his home. Far, far away over the crackling of fire he could hear a long, bloodcurdling scream. The voice of his mother. The skin of his face had gone pale and he had halted in his running, paralyzed with terror. But that moment of pause let the inferno that had been chasing him catch up, and his lower back was engulfed in heat. The next scream was his, a agonizing scream that to his ears transformed into a draconian roar... the fire that licked at his side turned him into ash, and soon he faded away into darkness.</i><br/><br/>With a startled inhale, Snow awoke. But not in the room of his dream, but the cabin of a ship. The cabin was small and furnished, with a straw mattress elevated from the floor by a sturdy maple frame, beside it a desk crafted out of oak. He was lying on the mattress, wrapped up in a blanket and sweating coldly. There was no fire, no soot, no ash - just the salty scent of the sea and the chill of the cabin.<br/><i><br/>
That dream, </i>he thought.<i>It's been so long since I've had it. </i>It had been years since he had that dream. He wiped the fatigue from his eyes, cupping his face in his hands. "Haah..."<i>What am I to make of that dream? It... </i>Someone rapped their fist against the lumber of his door. "My lord?" The familiar voice of his vassal Diens came from behind the door. "Morning has come. Have you risen from bed?"<br/><br/>"I have, Diens. But, I'm currently occupied." Snow wasn't busy in the slightest, but the moments just after waking he liked to spend alone.<br/><br/>"Then I'll be on deck." Diens left him to himself, with the sound of his footsteps and the creaking of the ship's floor under his feet growing quiet as he walked away.<br/><br/>The blanket that he had been sleeping with crumpled over his groin when he sat up. Rising from his straw mattress, Snow reached over to his clothes, which he had folded and placed at the foot of his bed. He was completely nude - which he typically was, when sleeping. Sleeping in bed nude was his preference for the most part, when he could assure his privacy. The cool air on his skin was pleasant, and he relished the time he could spend before he drifted into sleep where he could enjoy the comforting chill. It was never too cold for him to sleep without clothes. But now it was time for him to rise, and present himself with dignity.<br/><br/>In due time he was dressed in a tunic of forest green, along with trousers of gray. The colours that a Siennought ought to wear. Over his clothes he wore a cloak of wool, dyed a rich onyx - gifted to him by the King. Closing the door, he made his way up the stairs to the decks of the ship. Once his head poked above the floor, he could see Diens standing by the railing. Diens swiveled around to face him, as if he instinctively knew that Snow would appear.<br/><br/><i>"My lord, are you finished with whatever you were doing within your cabin?"</i><br/><br/><i>"I have. There was little to do, anyhow,"</i>Snow replied.<i>"Now that I'm without worries for the time being, I'd like to spend that time with you."</i>Pattering steps brought him over to the railing, where he gazed out to the blue behemoth before him.<i> "... It's very beautiful. The sea."</i>He relaxed against the railing of the ship, letting out a faint sigh, followed by a slow inhale of the fresh air heavy with salt.<i>"No wonder sailors sing about it so often. I do wish that Milchen was here to admire it, though."</i><br/><br/><i>"I as well. But I suppose that it wasn't to be. She was never good with ships - even the slightest shaking made her ill. One ship ride in her life was enough to ground her, however much she wishes to visit our sons,"</i>Diens commented.<i>"Perhaps another time, if we are ever blessed with another time, she might come."</i><br/><br/><i>Another time, </i>he thought.<i>That would be nice. </i>Igna's End was a humble land compared to the capital, filled with humble laborers and loyal men. Better than the capital, where in jaded eyes the grandeur was truthfully a breeding ground for foul nobles, trying to sweep him up in their politics and vies for power. His eyes scanned over the water, when he spotted something peaking out of the water.<i>What is that?</i>Leaning on the railing as far as he could go without tumbling overboard, he stared at the strange oddity that had caught his attention.<br/><br/>It was a barrel, draped in white and yellow. But as he looked at the sight more, a chilling realization came to his mind.<i>That's not just a barrel, it's a person. </i>A yell burst from his lips. ""Stop the ship... stop the ship! There's someone in the water!"<br/><br/>Soon a crowd of sailors had amassed near the railing, to see who had fallen overboard. The ship had gone stagnant, as if it knew that it should stop sailing.<br/><br/>"Who is that?"<br/><br/>"That ain't one of our passengers."<br/><br/>"Nor one of our crew."<br/><br/>"Has he been marked for death by drift? He's clutching onto a barrel."<br/><br/>"It's a woman."<br/><br/><i>"No, a mermaid!"</i><br/><br/>"We have to save her."<br/><br/>"No. A lady so far away from shore, soaking<i>in the water?</i>Dead or a mermaid, and neither we should save."<br/><br/>Diens interjected among all of the sailors' bickering. "Are you cowards or simpletons? Will you let a lady die because you suspect she is a mermaid?<i>Save her. Somebody grab me a rope."</i><br/><br/>Obediently one sailor came forward with a long length of rope, long enough that it could feasibly wrap around the ship's width several times, handing it off to Diens. Diens tossed it overboard, grasping one end of it tightly. The rope splashed into the water close to the lady's arms, where she could easily reach forward and grasp it. But she didn't, allowing the rope to sink beyond reach. Diens reeled the rope back up, the rope scraping against the side of the ship.<br/><br/>A sailor shook his head. "She's dead. The dead can't grasp a rope."<br/><br/>"No," Snow argued. He had been standing back from it all, listening. The sailors were more familiar with the ways of a ship than he was, and he thought it better to wait for their solutions. But their doubt, he could not tolerate.<i>You would leave a lady to die here?</i>"I will not bear to leave a lady in need behind. We will save her."<br/><br/>The same sailor spoke again. "And how do you suppose that? By sending a man overboard so that he can carry the body up?"<br/><br/>He removed the cloak from his body, folding it in two, handing the garment to Diens in exchange for the rope. "That is exactly what I wish." He began to tie the rope around his waist, making sure that the knot was sturdy and tight.<br/><br/>"That will not work.. The water's too cold, a man would hit the water and freeze. Then a man would drown." the captain declared sternly. He was taller than Snow, and more broad at the shoulders. "I will not send one of my men to die in the water."<br/><br/>"Then I will go."<br/><br/>"Are you mad? Do you wish to die? This is madness!"<br/><br/>"Are you? You are a man of Weiss... this shouldn't be cold." Snow looked over to Diens, who was clutching part of the rope tightly. He turned to face the captain, with his back against the railing of the ship. "None of your men will die, if I choose to bear this burden... is it wrong of me to have faith that you'll ensure I will live?" Without another word Snow jumped over the railing, tumbling into the cerulean deep below. As he tumbled off the edge of the ship he could hear the captain scream for someone to stop him, but he had gone before any could react. The captain had watched him tied the rope to his waist, but hadn't expected him to truly jump over.<br/><br/>Snow hit the water hard, with a loud splash. The water was comfortably cool, like a refreshing flask of melted snow. The water soaked into his clothes, rendering them what would've been cold as ice to a normal man. But to Snow there was nothing freezing about the water. He had grown accustomed to cold water long ago. For him, the concern was keeping his head over the water, while waves were trying to engulf him. He managed it well. Swimming over to the barrel in a few short strokes, he reached for the barrel with a hand, pulling the barrel close to him.<br/><br/>Now closer he could more clearly see the woman. She was a beautiful one, with long golden hair that now clung to her face like slimy swamp vine. Her body was wrapped with blood-stained linen. Just barely were her eyes open, lazily watching her surroundings. Snow shifted the barrel, turning it so that he could grab hold of the figure's body. He hooked his arms underneath her arms, wrapping himself around her bodice; it was inappropriate, but of little concern when her body was pitifully devoid of heat.<br/><br/>Treading water, Snow turned his head and looked up to the decks at Diens, signalling him to begin pulling. He could feel himself being pulled backwards, as he struggled slightly to keep both his head and the drifter's head above the waves. The tugging grew harder as Diens recruited the help of the sailors, who didn't want the death of one of their passengers in the slightest.<br/><br/>Finally Snow felt himself hit the side of the ship, covered in barnacles that themselves were covered in ice. "Throw me another rope!" Snow yelled. Before long another rope had been tossed over the side, coming to dangle beside his head. Snow carefully grabbed hold of it, looping it around the lady's waist. "Pull us up!" Moments after his command Snow could feel himself being hoisted into the air, the rope sliding up his body and coming to settle below his ribs. In his arms he clutched the woman tightly, so that she wouldn't slip and fall. As he slowly ascended, he came to see that all of the sailors were pulling him up, divided equally among the two ropes.<br/><br/>Soon he was against the railing, and he planted his feet on the first foothold he could find. "Help her first," Snow urged, arms straining to support the woman now that he lacked the support provided by the rope. Two sailors came up and took her from him, as he climbed over the railing and planted his feet firmly on deck. Diens wrapped his cloak around him for warmth, and he grasped onto the soft fabric tightly.<br/><br/>A murmur of confusion came from the sailors, surrounded around the woman. Once they had taken her from him, she was set on the floor, a blanket wrapped around her. "What... whatever is the matter?" Snow queried, coming to join the company around the clammy cold dame.<br/><br/>"She is a he. He has a cock, did you not notice?"