Bell woke up very early in the morning.
For a moment, she didn't realise where she was.
The previous night's events invaded her mind.
They had played games and had fun all night, and she had fallen asleep.
She was in Ryan's bed.
She felt slight disappointment when he wasn't next to her.
She took a peek at the bed next to her.
Eragon was sprawled across the too-small bed, and Ryan was sleeping on the floor.
He didn't have a pillow or blanket.
She stood up and knelt next to him.
After a deep breath, she gently shook him awake.
His eyes snapped open.
"Is something wrong?"
She gave him a stern look as she answered.
"Yes. Why are you sleeping on the floor?"
He sat upright, a confused look on his face.
"The beds were taken."
She sighed.
"Get in the bed."
He followed her order and climbed into the bed.
When she followed, he sat up straight.
"What are you doing?"
She smiled as she lay down next to him.
"I am going back to sleep."
As he took his place next to her, he stuttered.
"Um, g-good night."
"Good night, and no more sleeping on the floor."
As she started drifting away, she had a thought.
Having the feeling of a person sleeping next to her was nice.
She was content as she drifted off to sleep.
When Ryan woke, he felt a weight on his chest.
When he looked down, he saw Bell's arm.
He was anxious, but he didn't move.
His nervousness was less important than her slumber.
He moved his eyes to look at her face and was greeted by a mess of red hair.
This scene made him chuckle slightly.
At this noise, he heard Eragon's voice.
"Good morning, Casanova."
This made Bell wake up and remove her arm.
Ryan mentally called Eragon every curse word he could think of.
As she stood up and tied her hair back, she looked at the time.
"Morning, guys. See you later."
As she stood up, she smiled at Ryan as she walked to the door.
"I enjoyed last night."
Ryan's voice was caught in his throat as Eragon laughed.
He threw his pillow at the Draconian.
He easily caught the pillow and threw it back.
Eragon stood up and stretched.
"Whatever you did, it's working."
Ryan was confused.
"What do you mean? I didn't do anything. She invited me into bed."
Eragon laughed loudly.
Ryan blushed when he realised how he had phrased his response.
"Don't worry, dude. She obviously likes you. After we get back from the Orc village, you can take her out on a proper date."
Ryan grinned as he walked to the bathroom.
As he looked at the mirror, he remembered what they had to do.
Later that morning, the trio got together with Grizzly and Eena.
They all went to the docks.
There were fewer Orcs ready to go home than Ryan thought.
Many of them were busy working as they always did.
This time, however, they were singing and laughing.
The Orcs waved and whistled as they walked past.
Grizzly spoke as Ryan looked at the scene.
"This is all some of them know, but this time they receive some respect."
Ryan wasn't satisfied with the comment, but he kept quiet.
On the docks, there were roughly two dozen Orcs.
One broke off from the group and approached them.
He went down on his knees and placed his forehead on the ground.
What caught Ryan's attention were the deep scars on his back.
At this sight, the marks on his own started burning.
He spoke in his Orcish, and Eena spoke back to him.
He stood up, bowed and rejoined his group.
Eena then turned to the group.
"He thanked us and apologised. He doesn't want to speak the language of his oppressors."
Ryan nodded.
"I understand. They have been through a lot."
Eena smiled as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
She led them to the ships where the Orcs would board.
The leader Orc, spoke with the group while Eena translated.
"I would like to introduce myself. My name is Karn, the son of the Barren tribe Chief."
Ryan listened as he continued.
The Orc turned his attention to Ryan and Grizzly.
He bowed deeply to each of the men.
"I know that you freed us, and for that we owe you a great debt. I will speak with my father so that you may be rewarded."
Ryan looked back at Bell and Eragon, who had been silent the entire time.
They were listening intently to what the Orc said.
He realised that these Orcs also kept their distance from Eragon.
He patiently waited for the meeting to end.
At the conclusion, they learned the location of the Orc village, as well as a crude alliance between the Orcs and the Blood Rose.
Ryan stretched.
It was mid-afternoon, and they were ready to start flying.
In the end, they only needed two ships.
Eena and Grizzly flew in the larger ship with the Orcs, while Bell, Ryan and Eragon took the smaller ship.
An enthusiastic Femur greeted them.
He clanked towards them and saluted.
"Good afternoon, Lady and Gentlemen!"
The men saluted back while Bell just waved awkwardly.
"Shall I follow the other ship, or is there an alternate destination?"
Eragon spoke while at attention with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Follow that ship; we are to escort them home."
"Understood, Sir!"
Femur broke his salute and took his place at the helm.
Their ship then followed the Orc transport.
The trio spent their time playing games and having fun.
Ryan decided to go to bed early.
When he woke up, he decided to get some fresh air.
As he went above deck, he heard singing.
To his surprise, it was Femur.
He couldn't make out the words, but his voice was deep and low.
Out of curiosity, he walked closer.
As he approached, he heard Femur's voice clearly.
"For my love, I shall move the sea,
So that her feet may remain dry.
For I hope she only sees me,
I will do all I can so she may never cry."
He stood next to Femur.
"Who are you singing about?"
Femur kept looking in the distance.
"I had a loved one many years ago. Unfortunately, she passed away before I could tell her of said love."
Ryan was stunned.
He placed his hand on the skeleton's shoulder.
"What was she like?"
He heard Femur chuckle.
"She was strong, kind and fearless. She also humoured my eccentricities."
After a moment, he sighed.
"Before I could gather the little courage I possessed to know her properly, I lost her in a fire."
There was silence for what felt like an hour between them.
Femur then continued.
"As penance for my cowardice, I went to Aleksandar and sold my soul so that she may not be forgotten."
Femur put his hands on Ryan's shoulders, turned him around, and pushed him to the door that led below deck.
"Do not be like this old bag of bones. Be brave. Be daring. Be happy!"
Ryan walked to his friends in a daze.
The old skeleton had a depth he didn't realise.
When he went below deck, he saw Eragon and Bell play games.
He stood between them.
"Eragon," he held out his hand for the controller.
The Draconian wanted to protest, but relented when he saw the look in Ryan's eyes.
Eragon stood up and stretched.
"I'm going for some fresh air. See you guys later."
He left with a quick thumbs-up to Ryan.
Ryan took a deep breath and spoke while staring at the screen.
"Isabelle. After our mission, would you like to go out on a date with me?"
At his words, she dropped her controller and looked at him.
"U-um… I-um," she took a few breaths and noticed how his eyes were closed.
She sat next to him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Yes. I would like that."
Ryan smiled at her answer and took another deep breath.
"I will need some help from you. I have never gone on a date before."
She laughed at his confession.
"That won't be a problem."
They kept playing games until they went to bed.
Ryan was smiling the entire night.