Lost at Sea by StarSpray

One

"All right, but can you fix it?" The elf stood in the middle of her small boat which had absolutely not been designed for ocean voyages, with her hands on her hips and her dark silver-streaked hair falling out of its twist of braids at the back of her head. Her eyes were green as summer leaves as she glowered up at Uinen. It was a fearsome scowl, but the effect was somewhat lessened by the two dozen piglets squirming about the boat with her, having somehow gotten out of their cages, and the fact that the boat was slowly rotating, caught in competing currents, so the elf had to keep shuffling around to continue facing Uinen, passing in and out of the moonlight it illuminated in bright silver the Straight Road West.

"But how did it happen?" Uinen asked. She had never seen such a thing before.

"I don't know!" snapped the elf. "I was asleep! Are you not the lady of the deep sea currents? Is not your husband the coast lord?"

"It is not our task to guide your boat if you fall asleep at the sails, little one," Uinen pointed out. "But how can one find the Straight Road unless one seeks it? Are you sure you don't wish to sail into the West?"

"No!" The elf waved her arms, startling several of the piglets into squealing. They were no less unhappy with the current situation than their mistress. "I want to go to River Hill for the season's trading! Why would I want to take the Moon Path? Why would I want to take pigs with me if I did?"

Uinen raised her own hands in helpless confusion, splashing foam over the boat deck and further distressing the piglets, one of whom did not squeal so much as scream. "The ways of you Children are often strange to us!" she said. But if you truly do not wish to pass into the West, I will aid you."

"Thank you!" said the elf.

Uinen nudged the boat carefully away from the currents of the Straight Road, which were strong and steady and unchanging, unlike the less predictable currents and tides of the world. The elf scurried about, securing her piglets and tugging on ropes to adjust the sails, and muttering to herself about meddling Powers and just wanting to get to the summer market.

Once the boat was back on its way east, with Uinen's blessing so that it would arrive on time and in one piece, Uinen sank beneath the waves with a sigh like the wind over the waves.