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Life in Nestoria was rarely surprising. The sun would rise, and the fishers would take to the shores and the warriors would take to training. Achillean Nestoris was one such fisher – even as a child. However, he was a fisher who encountered a surprise, for one day, he spotted something – or someone – unusual wash up on the shore before him. Nothing like that ever happened in Nestoria.
It had been three days and Achillean still hadn’t come to terms with a Voltaris living among the Nestoris. In fact, he wasn’t so sure he would ever come to terms with it. It seemed so wrong – as though he would find himself in deep trouble if anyone ever found out. After seeing how Master Aegus had mercifully allowed a Voltaris to live among them, Achillean resented his own decision to call it in. The Voltaris boy had since thanked him for saving his life and wished to get to know him better, but something was still tugging at his insides, telling him something was wrong.
Ingressus was his name, and he was very keen in settling in with the rest of the Nestoris and Achillean could see it. He looked odd in yellow. He was the same colour as everyone else in the territory, yet Achillean could spot him from a mile away, as though he stuck out like a sore thumb and no one else knew. No one else could know. But even sore thumbs can heal and the memory of them could fade.
Achillean was fishing again – as he did everyday – and Ingressus had tried to learn the art of fishing from him once before, but due to the circumstances of his upbringing, he found it somewhat difficult, and so he watched from afar on a fallen tree trunk on the shoreline as Achillean sat on the very edge of the pier. Achillean was aware that he was there. He didn’t need to look. He was always aware. Ingressus followed him around with almost every step he took, but he didn’t want to acknowledge him – he hoped he would take the hint and leave him alone. But after all this time, he figured there was no use in trying to hide from him all the while he still lived with them.
He turned to see Ingressus twiddling his thumbs on the tree trunk, looking rather solemn and lonely. The fishing rod sank in his hands as he realised that the Voltaris boy wasn’t going to go away any time soon. Achillean turned to the ocean and looked at the geology of the stacks that lined the shore – how still and silent they stood against the water – watching as the flora swayed with the light ocean breeze, the Ardoni shrine towering above him on top, finishing the powerful look of the coast. He closed his eyes and listened to the quiet whispers from the waves as they brushed against the shoreline, lapping at the rocks around him. He felt the gentle rhythmic tug of the rod as the lure danced to and fro with the waves and he opened his eyes and saw his reflection bright with the same vibrance as his markings, staring at that which returned his thoughtful gaze, rippling with the water. He sighed heavily. The least he could do was keep the lost boy company.
Achillean wasn’t one for hanging around people so much and he certainly wasn’t all that social. He kept to himself for the most part and having the new boy follow him around so persistently was unnerving to him and he wasn’t particularly willing to get used to it, either. Ingressus seemed so awkward to talk with – almost too keen and energetic, almost optimistic… But today seemed different. Achillean may have had a hand in that…
As Achillean turned to Ingressus again, he noticed that he was doing the same thing – eyes closed and listening to the whispers of the waves. He allowed himself a small smile. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad…
He pulled the line back in and placed the rod on the pier next to his empty bucket and twirled around on his knees. He didn’t want to shout and draw any unnecessary attention to himself from the surrounding Nestoris fishers, so he waited patiently for Ingressus to become paranoid that he’d been left behind and open his eyes directly into Achillean’s line of sight. He beckoned him to come over onto the pier.
At first, Ingressus was hesitant after the last time he sat with Achillean on the pier and the awkwardness that ensued. He would never show it, but he could take a hint – he could sense the Nestoris child was uncomfortable around him. He pointed to his chest, gesturing at himself in confusion, hoping Achillean would nod in clarity. As he did, Ingressus shot up onto his feet and bounded across the shoreline to the base of the pier before stopping abruptly. He looked to the start of the wooden ground and back up at Achillean and then back down at his feet, shuffling on the spot.
Achillean cocked his head, unsure of what was holding Ingressus back. Then he remembered; the Voltaris boy had washed up on shore and naturally would be wary of the ocean. He got to his feet and walked to meet him at the start of the pier and smiled wryly as he met his gaze. Ingressus was unsure of what to do until Achillean held out his hand to further beckon him to join.
Ingressus took it and Achillean hauled him up onto the wood and walked him over to the edge. As he sat with his little feet dangling only inches from the waves’ reach, he noticed Ingressus was not sat next to him, but rather, he was sat only a few feet behind him, hugging his knees to his chest, his eyes fixated on him, curious as to what he was going to do. He cocked his head again, eyes locked with Ingressus’ before patting the wood next to him.
Ingressus looked between Achillean’s hand and Achillean’s eyes.
“It’s okay…” Achillean reassured quietly.
After hesitating for a moment, Ingressus slowly shuffled forward. He wasn’t this awkward or this quiet when he and Achillean had first properly been introduced, but he could sense Achillean was being cold with him at first and he took the hint. But with no one else to turn to, he also felt Achillean was the only person to be around – especially since Aegus was often travelling between the territories and wasn’t around all too much to help him with settling in.
He still didn’t sit right at the edge like Achillean, but instead slightly behind still hugging his knees and just watched quietly as he fished.
A few hours had passed and neither of them said anything. Neither of them exchanged glances at one another, nor did they move even once. Achillean thought for a moment before turning to Ingressus again. He brought the line back in and looked at the rod before moving to pass it over.
“…would you like another go?” he asked, shyly.
Ingressus’ eyes lit up slightly as he looked between the rod and the Nestoris fisher, attempting to hide his surprise, unsure of whether he should take the rod or not.
“It’ll be better this time…” Achillean wasn’t sure if his words were hollow at this point, but he felt he was at least trying.
Ingressus shuffled forward again, this time to meet the rod, took it from Achillean’s hand and carefully dangled his feet over the edge of the pier one at a time, staring at the water below. He gulped. Achillean could see his nervousness and wondered why he wasn’t saying anything this time.
“I’m right here.” It was a feeble attempt at reassurance, but it was something better than nothing.
As he looked to Ingressus, he noticed half a smile inch across the Voltaris boy’s face as he gripped the rod tighter in both his hands. He prepared to cast it, but with the wrong technique and Achillean stopped him before he could continue, grabbing his closest arm. Ingressus’ face immediately turned to worry as he shot a look of fear at Achillean.
“No, no, no… Not like that,” he said as he repositioned the rod in Ingressus’ hands. “Hold it like this and angle it like this.” He moved Ingressus’ shoulders in the motion to show him how to cast safely. They exchanged looks and Achillean could see Ingressus still looked nervous. He smiled a little. “It’s okay, Ingressus – just try again.”
Ingressus exhaled as Achillean let go and he gripped the rod again, this time exactly as Achillean had shown him. He swayed his shoulders gently in the motion that he was shown, practicing his aim before giving it his all and casting the line.
While the rod moved where he wanted, the line was nowhere to be seen and Ingressus looked to the water, confused. Achillean scrunched his face and began looking around him. Ingressus didn’t move.
Upon looking behind the two of them, Achillean could see the hook had gotten caught in the wood behind where they sat.
“I see,” he said to himself and he leant around Ingressus to detach the hook from the pier. He presented the hook back to Ingressus and smiled. Ingressus was not impressed by his failure. “Try again.” Achillean didn’t feel like he had the right to lecture the boy on his mistakes, but what else was he supposed to do? He had never taught fishing to someone of the same age.
Ingressus took a deep breath in and prepared to try again. This time when he cast, the hook had gotten caught on the bucket next to Achillean and it had been dragged into the water along with the rest of the line, splashing the boys as it landed.
Having narrowly escaped being gashed by the hook, Achillean sat motionless staring at the water, Ingressus in mirror position. He jerked when he turned to see Achillean shocked at his near-miss and realised what could’ve happened. He hunched over himself and tensed, slightly panicked.
“I didn’t… I’m…” he struggled to find the words for fear of being cast aside as he was when he first arrived.
Achillean relaxed. “It’s alright. The bucket was empty anyway,” he chuckled as he slid himself off the edge and dangled half in the water, attempting to fish the bucket back out. As he sat back next to Ingressus, he shook himself off and emptied the bucket, detaching the hook from the wood again and handing it back.
Ingressus breathed a sigh of relief.
“Sorry,” he began. “I thought I’d remembered what you taught me from last time…” he looked down and his posture drooped as he sighed. “I guess not…” He shuffled closer to the edge again and allowed his feet to dangle more freely next to Achillean’s.
Achillean could see that this Voltaris boy was certainly not used to something that required such patience and wondered why he was so keen to learn to fish before remembering what he’d said about welcoming a change of pace and then he felt bad for giving him the cold shoulder for so long. He half-smiled and patted Ingressus fondly.
“It just takes a bit of patience. Give it another go.”
Ingressus acknowledged Achillean’s pat and his heart warmed at the touch of another Ardoni in such a friendly manner – something he was so unfamiliar with. He set the rod in his hands again, gripping it tightly and reminding himself of the motions that Achillean had shown him minutes before. He inhaled and cast the rod again.
This time, however, the line did not go into the ocean at all. He didn’t catch Achillean, nor the bucket next to him. The hook had gotten stuck again, only this time, it was not on the pier behind him, but rather unfortunately, it had gotten stuck in the back of his shoulder. He winced at the pain and his eyes watered.
Achillean quickly worked out what had happened, and he crawled behind Ingressus and carefully began escorting the hook out of his shoulder, but it was becoming fiddly as Ingressus had gotten antsy.
“Hold still – this is going to sting a little…”
Ingressus bit his lip trying not to yelp, but this was the first time he had allowed himself to exhibit emotions and he could feel himself losing his grip on them – all over a little hook wedged in his shoulder.
Achillean could hear Ingressus trying not to whimper as he separated the hook from his shoulder, and he look at the boy with concern. He hadn’t considered his emotions the entire time and, now that he could, he slowly realised what he had been through to still be sitting there with him – Voltaris or not.
“It’s out. You’re okay,” he said quietly.
Without hesitation, Ingressus took this and stood up, dropping the fishing rod and brushed past him on the floor, his body tense, stomping down the pier.
“Ingressus? What’s wrong?”
Ingressus growled. “I’m useless!” he yelled through gritted teeth. “I can’t do anything right! How am I supposed to just continue like this? I can’t even do something as simple as fishing!” He paused as he heard his own voice break. This made him angrier. He felt he couldn’t show emotion like this. “I can’t do this!”
Achillean still knelt on the floor holding the fishing hook, listening to Ingressus becoming more and more tense as his words became more and more hurt.
He tried to kick a stone sat on the side of the pier but, in all his emotion, was unsteady and missed, instead stubbing his toe on one of the supports. This time, he yelped and dropped to his knees, rubbing his foot.
“Ingressus…” Achillean began. “It’s okay. Fishing isn’t as easy as it looks. It took me months to get it right. Time and patience…”
To his surprise, Ingressus shot a glare at Achillean from across the pier. This was how he envisioned the Voltaris to behave – fuelled with rage.
As Achillean opened his mouth to continue, Ingressus cut him off.
“It’s not about the fishing, Achillean!” He stood back up, and was swinging his arms about in anger, pacing up and down the wooden board, half-limping. He became breathless in his rage as he desperately tried to piece together his thoughts. “Do you not understand?! I’m not supposed to be here! You know this! You have made this very clear! I have a second chance at life…somehow and yet I am burdened by something that no one can ever understand – because they don’t want to!”
Achillean was left astounded by how much pain Ingressus carried on his back – and all it took was a hook to get stuck in the back of his shoulder for it to all come flooding out. But with the sheer distress that he presented, Achillean wasn’t sure what to do, for he worried he would be attacked if he tried to calm him down.
Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so cold to him at first, and then maybe comforting him wouldn’t be such an issue – he wouldn’t have had the extra emotional build-up to hide…
“You still don’t understand, do you?” Ingressus prompted, his hands in tightened fists as he stormed back over to Achillean, knelt on the edge of the pier.
“N-no… I don’t…” he became nervous by how close the Voltaris was getting and how he found himself inching closer to the edge of the pier, dropping his fishing equipment, and raising his hands ready in defense. He looked between the water and Ingressus, watching as the water got closer with each slide he made across the wood.
“No… You never will because you are a Nestoris! Not a Voltaris! You don’t know what I’ve seen-” Ingressus gasped as he cut himself off, realising his hands were in fists and seeing how Achillean looked away in fear, cowering too close to the edge. He clapped his hands over his mouth, stopping any more regrets from escaping him and his eyes faded from anger to shock.
He slowly backed away from the Nestoris child, his eyes never leaving him, trying to calm himself down. He had tried so hard all this time not to let his rage escape, but in failing at the one thing the Nestoris were known for, he feared so much that his life was spiralling out of his control and barrelling towards an exile of his own, whether Aegus was there for him or not. It was a complete overreaction, but it helped him to see where his weakness lay. The last thing he wanted to do was scare away the only person who had paid him any attention – the only person who had shown him any kindness, no matter how small – and there he was trying to stop himself from doing something he knew he would only regret soon after.
He turned away from Achillean to hide his tears and whimpered quietly.
Achillean would be lying to himself if he thought, for one moment, that he wasn’t afraid of Ingressus. This boy had washed up in Nestoria for a reason – one such still unknown to him – and he could only imagine what it was, but after listening to his voice when he questioned him, he knew it couldn’t have been good. If anything, it only cemented the fact that Ingressus needed him now, more than ever, above all else.
“I- I… I didn’t mean to- I don’t know…” he huffed and stormed away, kicking that stone off the side of the pier and Achillean watched it skim the water surface; one bounce, two bounces, three…
Achillean sighed.
“Ingressus…”
He had almost made it off the end of the pier by the time Achillean had called out to him.
For a moment that seemed to stem for hours, both Achillean and Ingressus stood apart from one another in silence, Ingressus still turned away, hiding his face. Once more, the waves could be heard whispering against their ears, lapping up on the shoreline against the rocks and the gentle breeze caressed their faces. The world was calm again and Ingressus could feel his heat die down with the air around him, his breathing more relaxed and his posture less tense. Achillean stood up and looked around.
He knew the boy would have a lot of baggage to work through before he became more comfortable and rage episodes like this would happen again. All he needed was someone with a little patience – like he had with fishing. The least he could do was give him some of that patience – give him the benefit of the doubt – and work with him, even if it didn’t feel right at first.
If he let him walk away now, who would show him the same kindness and where would he end up? It wouldn’t be an outcome Achillean could live with if he let him leave in such a way. Certainly, Aegus wouldn’t be okay with it…
“Come back. Sit. We won’t leave here until you get it right.”
Ingressus took his time, but he turned back to Achillean, his eyes still a little watery. They reminded Achillean of little wolf puppies that he would often see wandering the woods near the shore, except these eyes showed gratefulness towards him. He smiled. This made Achillean smile.
Sheepishly, Ingressus walked back down the pier as Achillean settled back on the edge, his feet dangling again. This time, Ingressus didn’t hesitate to do the same. As he sat down, Achillean set the rod in his hands again and reminded him of the motions he should use when casting the line. He could feel Ingressus tense up, but he had somehow developed a belief in the Voltaris boy.
He let go and let Ingressus do his thing. It took him some time to pluck up the courage to cast again, but eventually, he gave it a go.
The first couple of new attempts were just like the last – close calls and near-misses – and Achillean could see Ingressus trying not to lose his temper again as he grunted in frustration.
“I can’t-”
“You can. Relax,” he began. “Look out to the water and imagine the line travelling forever, following the horizon with the wind. It is just you and the rod. No one else.” He took Ingressus by the shoulder and gestured to the skyline past all the stacks in the ocean to where the waves rolled as one and the sound was more ferocious, and the wind was more powerful. Ingressus closed his eyes as Achillean continued helping his focus and his shoulders dropped and his breathing chilled into a deep, rhythmic pattern.
After a while, both boys were relaxed around each other and Ingressus set the rod in his hands for another attempt. He felt good about this one.
To their surprise, as he cast his line, it followed through. Achillean checked his shoulders. Both intact. He checked behind Ingressus. No new gashes, and the hook wasn’t caught on the pier and the bucket was still next to him. He looked out to the sea and saw the lure bobbing lightly with the waves of the ocean and his eyes lit up with pride. He turned to Ingressus and saw him focussing on the line, a smile beaming across his face.
He turned to Achillean, eyes bright.
“I did it!” he exclaimed. Achillean smiled just as brightly.
Ingressus’ feet swung giddily off the edge of the pier, occasionally kicking against the water that splashed up against them and he swayed with excitement, waiting for his first catch.
A few hours had passed in total silence apart from the nature around and the sun had lowered along the horizon in front of the boys and Ingressus’ swaying became slower, his feet no longer swinging with excitement and his face no longer beaming. He had grown tired of the emptiness that followed. Even Achillean had grown tired and he was trying not to fall asleep next to him.
The rod sank in his hands and Achillean had noticed. He placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t get so down. Sometimes I will go days without catching something…”
Ingressus sighed. “I will not be satisfied until I catch something.”
“One step at a time.” He patted his back as he prepared to stand up by gathering his things. This made Ingressus wary.
“You’re leaving?”
“This has been quite an eventful day and I am exhausted.”
Ingressus couldn’t hide his disappointment and he turned back to the ocean where the lure still bobbed with the water, calmer than before. Achillean did the same before sighing in defeat.
They had both come so far in such a short space of time and far be it from Achillean to be the one to disrupt it all.
He paused as he and Ingressus continued sharing the view of the ocean. He noticed that he was no longer fearful of the water that he had washed up with and he seemed at peace. He didn’t know this Voltaris boy very well, but he was overwhelmed with this feeling of pride – brotherly pride.
Achillean was startled out of his thoughts by Ingressus flinching at the sudden tug of the rod in his hands. He dropped everything and knelt down next to Ingressus as he fought against the force pulling away at the line, shock washing over his face. He grabbed the rod with him and they both began pulling against it together, straining – this was something that Achillean wasn’t used to. It seemed like something far bigger than he’d ever caught before.
With one giant heave, almost knocking the boys onto their backs, the pair hoisted the lure back to the pier and Ingressus hastily began pulling at the line while Achillean rushed to fill the bucket with water, dipping it in the ocean over the edge.
Ingressus jumped up at the sight of the fish on the end of his line and he turned to Achillean, eyes bright with excitement and Achillean stood shocked at his catch, nearly dropping the bucket in surprise.
He looked between Ingressus and the fish, his face slowly inching into a proud smile. His first fish as a Nestoris. His first fish was the biggest Achillean had ever seen, let alone caught himself.
“I… I… I did it!” Ingressus stumbled in disbelief.
“You did it!”
“I did it!”
“You did it!”
Both boys began jumping up and down on the pier as they put the fish in the bucket. After setting it down, Achillean hugged Ingressus on impulse, proud of his achievement.
At first, Ingressus was rather taken aback by this, used to only shoulder pats beforehand – and dry ones, at that – but after a moment, he returned the hug and they resumed jumping up and down in excitement.
Aegus had returned from his trip to Kaltaria and arrived on the shoreline to see the two young Ardoni celebrating on the edge of the pier. He smiled at this newfound brotherhood, for he knew the two would connect. He had all the faith in the world in the both of them. He knew they would, together, make something great of themselves.
Ingressus paused in the celebrations after catching a small glint in the water – the sun going down – and he turned to watch the horizon as the sky filled with colours, mesmerised by the reflections on the surface of the water and the glitter that rolled with the waves. He promptly sat down with his legs crossed, clutching his knees.
Achillean was confused by his insistence on watching the sunset, but he figured it wasn’t his place to ask anything. Instead, he watched on as the Voltaris boy sat hypnotised by the setting sun.
Peace filled the air, and the gentle ocean breeze resumed its touch against their faces, the waves speaking of nothing and everything as they hit the supports on the pier beneath their feet. Only the water stirred until the sun had completely vanished and Ingressus let out the deepest sigh all day.
He turned to look at Achillean surprised that he was still stood with him, waiting patiently for him, carrying all his equipment in his arms, also looking at the skyline before them. He smiled.
Achillean smiled back, handing Ingressus the bucket. Both of them beamed.
That was all he needed, all this time:
Someone to try.
Someone to care.
Someone to call a brother.