This fan fiction takes place during the book Oathbringer of the Stormlight Archive series, written by Brandon Sanderson. Taking place during the first sea voyage after arriving in Shadesmar. If you haven't read that far into Oathbringer there may be some minor spoilers. If your not familiar with the series some things may not make sense but I think you'll still enjoy the story. Any constructive criticism, or praise, is greatly appreciated.
*****
What Happens in Shadesmar Stays in Shadesmar...
Caladin sat crosslegged on the deck of the Spren trading vessel, eyes closed, torso upright moving against the keel of the ship, facing an endless sea of tiny blue spheres that was the analogue of an ocean in this strange place. He and his companions had traded for passage to a busier port city where they hopefully would find transportation to a "Perpendicularity", their best chance to return to the human world. They had hoped the voyage would provide a small opportunity to rest and take their minds off being stranded in the realm of Spren, there were more immediate problems however.
Controlling his emotions wasn't an easy thing for Caladin, his natural personality certainly didn't help and the hard knocks of his short life gave him a brooding nature. He had improved with experience and maturity, but for the last few months he felt especially off balance, even more so when they had arrived here. Unsure if it was a property of where he was, Shadesmar, or if it was due to recent events, Caladin was fully aware how irrational his feelings were lately. They had been in Shadesmar for days now but he still had flashbacks of recent events, bringing with them flares of anger and frustration. Knowing how irrational his emotions were only made them worse. He knew he was being too hard on himself but Storms! he couldn't help it.
Normally Caladin was able to suppress his feelings, not here, in Shadesmar regardless of how deep he forced them down they always bubbled to the surface attracting their corresponding Spren. It happened to all humans here and in the real world, Shock Spren when surprised, Joy Spren when happy, and in this case Anger Spren when mad. In the physical realm the Spren would simply appear as images representative of what that person was feeling, intangible and innocuous, except for what it revealed to others. Usually it wasn't an issue, just embarrassing occasionally, the people of Roshar had learned to control extreme and socially unacceptable emotions in most settings. What made things dangerous was that in Shadesmar Spren were just as tangible as he was and still attracted by emotion, the only saving grace was that they didn't just materialize out of the air like in his world. Strong emotion still attracted any nearby Spren, but in Shadesmar negative emotions drew dangerous Spren, anger Spren being some of the worst.
That's why Caladin cursed under his breath every time he looked to the aft of the ship. Anger Spren had been following them for some time now, since this morning they had grown in number and shortened the distance between them and the ship. He hoped they wouldn't follow into the ocean but they had no such luck, the Anger Spren weren't bothered by Shadesmar's version of water. The horde was far away but moved at a slightly faster pace than their ship. It would take a few days for the anger Spren to overtake them but if something didn't change it would happen before they reached land.
"Stupid Anger Spren" Caladin cursed to himself "why are they following me, I'm not really angry I have no right to be, i'm still alive..."
Dwelling on how, once again, it would be his fault his friends were fighting for their lives when he should be the one protecting them, was something Caladin found more and more difficult to control. Thinking that rest would calm his mind, or at least slow down the dangerous Spren's advance, Caladin kept his face neutral as he walked by his companions and below deck.
Syl was standing next to Aedalin as Cal walked past. Concern in her eyes, Cal's mask of impassivity was a waste on Syl, she knew him too well. Adealin was facing the opposite direction, staring out at the vast Ocean, he noticed Caladin from the corner of his eye.
"See you in the morning Cal" he casually said.
Caladin grumbled an unintelligible response on his way down the stairs, once he was out of earshot Aedalin let out a sigh of helpless sympathy.
"I imagine his brooding nature is part of the Bridge Boy's charm but it's pretty inconvenient considering where, we, are..." Aedalin vaguely gestured to the realm of Shadesmar and the pursuing Anger Spren.
"He's so angry lately and I feel so powerless to help him, the most frustrating part is there's nothing he could have done, yet he still insists on punishing himself for it! I just want to do something to take his mind off things, just for a little while, I think it would make him feel better to just not think..." replied Syl in frustration but with sympathy in her voice.
"Maybe if I tell him a good joke, or come up with a prank we can pull together, that always cheers me up! Or maybe some wind running, flying through the air with nothing holding you down would improve anyone's mood..." Syl trailed off in thought.
"There's a little problem with those ideas. Knowing Caladin, he may laugh for half a second then redouble his brooding once he realized what you were doing, and second we're low on stormlight. Shalon could make an illusion but using it to fly would be frivolous. No, we need something more visceral and immediate. I think you're partially right, he's going to have to unconsciously let go of his anger" replied Aedalin.
Lost in thought Aedalin's words brought up memories of his fingers wrapped around Saddius' throat followed by the satisfying feeling of plunging a dagger through that tratorous bastards eye. Aedalin's mind snapped back to the present as a potential solution dawned on him. He remembered how great he felt after killing Saddius, at least for a while, and although he couldn't pass that pleasure onto Caladin, who had more reason to hate Saddius than even he, a much more enjoyable solution came to mind.
Turning away from the ocean, Aedalin took a good look at Syl. In the real world Aedalin couldn't see Sil, only Caladin could, but even to Caladin she was an ephemeral honor Spren who could be heard and seen but not touched. In Shadesmar she was as tangible as he and the rest of his companions. When they first arrived and Caladin was almost catatonic with grief, she helped bear his weight as they trekked across Shadesmar. In the physical realm she appeared as a small woman almost a girl maybe 12 inches in height, in Shadesmar she was only a little shorter than the average Alethi female, and as beautiful as any noblewoman.
Syl's slightly wavy black hair fell to her waist, her face had beautifully youthful features and light blue eyes, she was slender but her figure was distinctly feminine, she was more pear shaped than hourglass. She wore a flowing red dress that clung in the right places, it wasn't intentionally alluring but form fitting enough to see her curves.
A small smile spread across Aedalin's face, "I think this idea might work," he thought "besides, I do owe him one..."
"I think I know exactly how to fix his attitude Syl," said Aedalin, reigning in his smile and replacing it with a more serious expression. "I'm going to have to rely on you though to carry out my plan, there's no one else how can, our lives may depend on your determination."
"No pressure huh? You're kind of worrying me with that creepy smile, but i guess we don't really have a choice," Syl replied, "we can't fight those Anger Spren if they catch up to us and I can't bear to see Caladin in such pain even if it makes me mad how stupid and stubborn he's being for acting like this."
"I can't think of any other way that will work as quickly or effectively, we're slowly running out of time, besides it'll be fun..." Aedalin said, repressing his grin. "Now Syl, this can't be a half measure, you're going to have to ask yourself how far your willing to go for Cal."
"I'm not sure what you're getting at but even though I'm physical here I can't really feel discomfort the way you do, I'm an embodiment of power. I don't need to eat, drink, or really even breathe, breaking our bond is the only way Caladin could hurt me and no matter how down he's feeling I know he wouldn't, we've already been through that before" Syl replied.
"Good!, that'll make me telling you what you have to do and you doing it alot easier. You may have to say some strange things to Cal but trust me, they'll have the intended effect. For this to work your going to have to get Caladin to look at you in a way he hasn't before, at least not that he's aware of. Here's what you have to do, ask questions and I'll give you some tips that have always worked on me..." Aedalin trailed off whispering the details in Syl's ear. Syl let out a few gasps as Aedalin explained the details of his plan, occasionally looking at him sidelong, when he was done she stepped back and narrowed her eyes at him.
"This sounds like another weird thing humans do to each other, for some reason I feel I'm being tricked..." Syl said suspiciously. "... but, if it's really what human women do, it could be fun...I guess. I bet I'll be the first spren to have ever done this! I won't have another opportunity when we get back your world anyway. If this really helps Cal then I'll do it, are you sure he'll be willing? He's pretty stubborn especially if it's something for his own good."
"We can give it a trial run if your nervous" Aedalin said with his most disarming smile.
"No... that's ok," Syl again eyed him suspiciously "Cal will just have to be satisfied with whatever effort I give him, besides I don't think Shalon would be too happy about that."
"Spoken like a real human woman" Aedalin replied sarcastically.
"What's that supposed to mean, oh nevermind, let's get this over with" Syl adjusted her clothes, shook her hair out and with her head held high walked down to the lower decks.
"I hope this works," Aedalin said to himself.
Everyone else was either on deck or had retired to their rooms on the second floor, Caladin's room was on the lowest level of the ship. There were 3 other rooms on the same level but were either unoccupied or designated for storage. Caladin was perfectly happy with his lodging choice, what everyone else saw as the "least desirable" room gave him the isolation he preferred.
Syl tiptoed down the second flight of stairs to Caladin's door, she knocked lightly then waited few seconds before entering. The accomodations were spartan but clean and were almost luxurious in light of what they had been used to since entering Shadesmar. There was a solid wood bed, with a decent mattress, a few lit candle sconces that gave the room a warm, intimate feel, a wooden chair, cupboard and table. Caladin didn't need more and had felt comfortable with much less
Laying on the mattress, Caladin was using his forearm to cover his eyes, resting but not asleep. Closing the door behind her Syl sat down. Looking at Caladin her heart broke a little seeing him so depressed and angry.
"Cal," she said softly, "I don't think you should be by yourself right now, it's not good for you to be alone and angry all the time."
