The Journey Home [Travel / Solo]

It’s been four long months since Aoife left the comfort of her home village. All the servants, all the popularity, it was gone in an instant the second she walked into the hallowed walls of Magnostadt and, like everyone else, was a simple magician. How she longed to return and show her childhood friends the fruits of her studies! What she could do before was impressive, sure, but what she could do now was far more magnificent than anything her self-taught magic could muster. Aoife gripped the letter from her parents in her hand--their twentieth anniversary! As a child, Aoife never really paid much attention to silly dates like “anniversaries” and “birthdays,” it all seemed so natural to her, like there was no reason to celebrate the occasion. Now that she’s spent time away, it made sense to her now and she was excited to see everyone again.

“Oy, lady, the ship might hit some nasty weather, you’re best to come down below deck, yeah?” A man said. He seemed to be dressed in uniform, same as the rest of the crew. She bowed to him and thanked before grabbing her things to walk down to the inner part of the ship. What a world this ship was...so many uncouth characters. Still, it was what she should brave in order to visit home again. She overheard the mumblings of a group nearby, talking about a “raid” on a fishing village in Reim. Aoife couldn’t help but want to eavesdrop further--she edged in, hoping to catch more information.

“I heard that bandits are storming villages all around Reim--it’s terrible out there...a few haven’t been attacked yet but..I’m not stepping outside the capital that’s for sure…” A woman explained, holding her child close to her body as a few burly men walked around the inside of the ship. Aoife’s heart sank in her chest, feelings of dread swallowed her whole as she swirled into a panicked frenzy.

“P-please! Tell me! D...do you know what villages have been attacked? I’m fr-from...I’m...I’m from…” Aoife couldn’t spit out the words, she couldn’t put sound to what terrified her most. The group speaking about the villages did nothing but frown at Aoife in pity. They had no words to say...no kindness to impart. They couldn’t empathize because they’ve never felt this paranoid pain before. For however long they lived, they have not known the suffering of loss.

“Oy! We’ve docked at Reim! All passengers please leave ship!” The captain yelled, his voice booming below. This was it...this was the start of the end. The rest of the ship’s customers left, leaving Aoife alone, standing doe-eyed in the hull of the ship. A crewmember came up behind her and escorted her off the ship, leaving her staring at the capital city with absent glare.

“No. No it can’t be true.” Her heels clacked against the stone as she walked toward her home village. Nothing could stand in her way, and if she found her hometown harmed in any form, no bandit would be safe from the indignant fury of her revenge.