A Sight Unlike Any Other

"Not too much farther…"

Under the quiet night sky, I make a mental note of our location on the map. Scrolling together the parchment, I poke around the campfire to keep our light source from fading. My gaze follows the embers up as they dance into the air.

"So this world has stars too…"

Obviously life would not be possible without the sun, but that doesn't mean that there need be thousands of others in the expansive beyond. These various dots of light create a stream among the black that seems to travel forever. Even in the darkest corners of Earth, it wasn't possible to see this many all at once.

"They're much brighter atop the Sedile."

Bailey moves her blanket aside and sits up from her spot beside the sleeping mule. About half an hour ago, her breathing told me that she wasn't asleep. Now I can only hear the light snores of Peo who lies just beside me.

The young woman runs a hand through her openly flowing hair before joining me close to the campfire.

"Unable to sleep?"

"I have always been something of a light sleeper."

She wraps the blanket around her shoulders after shivering among the midnight wind. Shadows are cast over her face as she leans closer to the flames.

"You speak as if you've never seen stars, Mr. Clark?"

"Never this prominent. Where I'm from, you can barely make out one hundred stars, much less thousands."

"Interesting…"

Light dances within her eyes as she stares into the warm light of our flame. She would likely appear much more beautiful when cast under the pale light of the stars, yet she doesn't look upwards even once.

"I would quite like to see a place like that…"

"Trust me, it would not look quite as nice as here."

"That's fine."

Her words leave me in a state of wonder, unsure as to the reasoning behind her desires.

"Wouldn't a sky without stars be something of a sight? Not simply clouds obstructing our view, but a true black sky."

It's not something that I had ever considered before. In the city, you're at the mercy of city lights. Out in the fields and forests, you have the moon and stars shining above. A night with only pitch black in all directions. I can't be sure that such a sky exists.

Bailey watches me fall into a deep thought, soon breaking my concentration with her quiet laughter.

"Strange, right? To wish for fewer stars?"

A cold breeze pulls her flowing hair into the light of the fire. A colour not unlike copper glows all around her.

"Seeing the stars is nice, but they are always there. It is almost as if to remind me that I haven't traveled far from home."

"Would that not be a pleasant feeling?"

If there is one thing that humans fear, it is the unknown. Lands far from home come with unexpected threats and a sense of straying adrift in this massive world. Seeing the familiar sky can be the difference between reaching your foreign destination or caving under pressure and returning in failure. That may be the case for most humans, but Bailey does not appear to agree.

"My parents, their parents, and those who came before, they have lived atop that mountain. Were I to live a similar life, I would never leave either."

"So you wish to become a merchant?"

"I would have rather become an adventurer."

Bailey pretends to hold a sword and sweeps away the tiny floating embers. Her face flushes after realising the embarrassing display, but she still doesn't release the invisible blade.

"Traveling the world, exploring ancient caverns and crypts, saving the world from gargantuan threats. Doesn't that sound like quite the adventure?"

She poses that question with a smile, one that soon fades with the sparks as they burn up in the starlit sky. It makes her laugh. However, there is little joy to be had when she releases the dream within her hands.

"Unfortunately, that was never possible. However, I can at least accomplish one of those goals."

Bailey pats the mule sleeping soundly at her back, hands brushing through the brown hide. It feels as if even the old wagon behind them is chiming in with its creaking in the wind.

"A merchant must be able to build connections around the continent. Mr. Odart has been kind enough to teach me some of his skills, so maybe one day I will have explored the entire map!"

"I see no reason why your plan need fail."

She looks surprised at the confidence in my voice. I'm not one to offer blind encouragement, so that isn't what this is. I simply believe that her choice of occupation is perfect for accomplishing that one tiny dream.

"There is not a man in the entire world with greater reach than the owner of a flourishing business. Borders that start as walls become gateways for goods, and each negotiation becomes funding for the next venture."

I face her uncertainty with an indifference that gives way to objectivity. This isn't a feeling born from fantasy, this is insight born from experience and history.

"You made a wise decision."

"Y-You think so?"

"It assumes that you are successful, but there is no reason to declare it an impossibility. Goals require work, and that is what you are currently doing."

Bailey stares with wide eyes before quickly averting her gaze away from my declaration. I can't tell her complexion well in the shadows, but the smile on her face is clear as day.

"So I just might find the sky unlike any other…"

"I'm unaware of such a place's existence, so I cannot guarantee that you will."

"Please don't say that!"

She puffs out her cheeks with a playful frustration. The tense hands that were once holding her tightly within a cocoon of doubt are now resting as fists against her lap. Her blanket, once used for comfort, has fallen to the ground in an obsolete state.

"I must say."

Bailey leans forward and rests her head in her hands. Those blue eyes burning with life narrow in envy.

"You organised this journey in one evening and left the following morning. It must be quite nice to be able to travel so freely. Perhaps I should have become a knight!"

"Your resentment is unwarranted."

With my mind out of unanswered questions, I return to poking at the struggling flame.

"Every decision is determined by your employer, and many put your life in active peril. I have more freedom than most, but that does not give me the ability to move completely as I please."

"Doesn't a high ranking knight such as yourself earn quite the sum of gold? We have too little profit for frivolities, but you may be able to save for future endeavours."

"That may be true, however…"

My hand stops as I stare into the withering blaze. Despite its dwindled power, the end of my stick is slowly turned black.

"This is a journey without ambition. I'm simply doing my job. Nothing more, nothing less."

There is nothing that I'm absolutely adamant about pursuing at the end of this road. The boss will give me a mission and I will complete it. Once that is done, I will be given another. That is how I lived back then and how I will live now. No matter how far down the tracks you search, there is no definite end to this cycle.

Bailey watches as I continue to prod at the campfire. It's now her turn to become lost in attempting to understand the machinations of her fellow human.

"Do you not wish to prepare for retirement? You cannot fight as a knight forever."

"Perhaps, but focusing on anything other than the task at hand would be foolish. When the time for my body to fail arrives, I will assess my options."

"If you can't think of anything…"

The budding merchant rises to her feet and points down at me, the starry sky serving as her backdrop. Her face isn't looking down trying to avoid the light above anymore. She's looking past the sky of today and charging forward to the sky of the future.

"Then I shall allow you to work for me once my name and wares are known around the world! You may no longer draw blade, but your wisdom will be more than useful."

"Pfft…hahaha!"

I'm unable to hold back my laughter. She jumps at my sudden outburst, but that doesn't make her any less brilliant to my eyes.

In this moment, Bailey is shining brighter than any one of those stars. She's young and filled with an ambition that I never had. Maybe, just maybe, she will be able accomplish everything she sets out to do. Even the items she had previously crossed out don't seem all that impossible with this strength.

I wipe the tear attempting to roll down my face and regain my composure.

"I will certainly keep your offer in mind."

"You will not be forgiven if you were to forget!"

With this declaration, she returns to her bed to rest and the night moves on.