DISCLAIMER: The author's imagination and passion are the only sources of inspiration for this novel, which is a work of dedication. Parallels between these pages and the past or present may be apparent to some readers, but they are completely coincidental. You are free to interpret this art anyway you see fit, and it is meant for your enjoyment.
Killian Thorne chose the most grounded aspect of all—the Earth beneath their feet—while the others tried to impress Reinn with palaces, fortresses, and technology. He didn't come with a horse or a carriage. He just showed up at her window at first light, smelling of cedarwood and salt, with a playful sparkle in his eyes that had evolved into something more profound.
"Pack a bag, Lioness," he muttered. "We're going somewhere the 'Genre' can't find us."
On the far western frontier of the Hylde land, he guided her to a secret, sun-drenched cove. There was a little, solid home nestled between the sapphire sea and the white rocks. Made of native stone and hand-hewn oak, it had a large porch that caught the evening wind and was neither spectacular nor majestic.
"I've been on a ship that was literally made of ghosts for a hundred years," Killian remarked, pointing to the residence. "I realized that if I'm going to have a family with you, I can't be a man who's always half-disappeared. I needed to build something that wouldn't drift away."
He showed the inside to her. Vases from the Southern Isles and rugs from the Silk Cities were among the many treasures he had found throughout his travels, but a big, strong dining table he had constructed himself served as the focal point.
"In my world, a pirate's life is about the next treasure. But look at this," he remarked, gesturing to a tiny area of land behind the residence where he had awkwardly planted vegetables. "I want to be the man who stays for the harvest. I want our children to know the sea is there for adventure, but the hearth is here for safety. I want to be a father who isn't a legend, but a constant presence."
For Killian, the change from "Ghost King" to "Homeowner" had not been totally seamless. His inexperience with land-based physics was evident as he attempted to demonstrate his work to Reinn.
He pulled a lever on the roof and boasted, "I've installed a state-of-the-art rainwater collection system."
Killian was suddenly drenched, and his colorful pirate helmet flew into the ocean when a huge, pressured burst of water erupted from a pipe rather than gently flowing into a barrel.
Killian wiped tears from his eyes and said, "I forgot that gravity on land is much more... insistent than it is on the Banshee," as Reinn burst out laughing. "I may have used a spectral pressure valve by mistake."
"Killian," Reinn gasped, "you've turned our 'romantic cottage' into a water park.
They sat on the porch as the sun started to set, coloring the sky in shades of gold and violet. The sound of the waves against the coast was like a steady heartbeat.
With a serious tone, Reinn remarked, "You've been a wanderer for so long, Killian. The sea is in your blood. Can you truly handle a life where the most exciting thing you do is watch our children grow up? Won't you feel like you're in a cage?"
Taking her hand, Killian traced the ink on her wrist with his thumb. "I used to think freedom was having no destination. But after I met you, I realized freedom is having a place you actually want to return to. A cage is only a cage if you're trying to get out. I'm not looking for an exit, Samantha. I'm looking for an anchor."
He glanced at the tiny, hand-carved toy boat he had placed on the porch railing as a present for an unborn kid. "I want to be the man who teaches them how to sail, yes. But I also want to be the man who tucks them in at night and tells them that the greatest treasure in the world isn't gold—it's the person sitting at the other end of the table."
Reinn gave the pirate a look. He promised a life focused on the unadulterated, exquisite joy of the present moment rather than obligation or statistics. The only person who could make the future seem like an exciting journey without a sword was him.