Siren

Pasts and resolutions

---Orion's POV---

Waking up in a solid bed that didn't slowly rock along with the waves was unnerving after spending so long at sea. Land sickness was not unheard of in a time and era where most of the travel happened on sea.

Due to spending time under the water instead of on a vessel subjected to the whims of nature, I hadn't really felt it myself up until now.

After having spent weeks, or heavens knows how long on Cain's ship, my body had become accustomed to the rocking sensation. To be forced to brace yourself against every motion of the waves that toyed with the wooden vessel beneath your feet.

Now, laying in a bed that was unmoving, I found myself nauseous. Groaning, I rolled over in bed and instantly regretted the motion, as it felt as if my own head was spinning around mercilessly.

There was a chuckle and a gentle, reassuring pat on my shoulder before Cain sat up, muffling a curse of his own as the room spun around. "You get used to it. Takes about a day or two before your body settles once more."

I grumbled, sitting up slowly to avoid any sharp motions with my head. "Does this mean that when you embark after a while on land, the crew gets sea sick?"

Cain's smirk widened, eyes sparking with amusement as he grinned. "We're still only mortal men that sail the seas. Anyone is bound to get sea sick in one point of their lives. Some get over it quickly, others experience it with every day spent on sea."

I didn't need to hear the unspoken words; those that couldn't get over their sea sickness were sailors that lost their jobs the second they reached a nearby port.

No ship would use people that got sick at the slightest of motion in a world where the sea was unpredictable. They needed all the hands they hired, and didn't need to lose people to baby the few who were too weak to stomach the sea.

"There are a few tricks though." Cain murmured, smiling as we heard the giggling of kids running past the room we shared. "Focusing on the horizon for one. Some try to lay down but that just worsens the effects." He shrugged, "Best you can do is focus on the horizon and the task at hand."

He made a little sound as he motioned with his hand, clearly remembering something. "I've learned a trick or two from other captains. They would always hold some gold to the side to buy a particular spice... ginger, I believe they called it. Works like a charm according to her."

"Her?"

The shock must've been clear in my tone of voice but Cain didn't take any offence. After all, many sailors were superstitious about women aboard a ship.

Everyone avoided to bring a woman on board of a crew of only men. Not only because she distracted the crew from their tasks and unintentionally caused tempers to brew, but her mere presence supposedly angered the sea gods.

Having a woman on board of your vessel once you've set sail, would infuriate the gods to the point where the seas grew rough and storms billowed, racing to swallow the offending ship.

I remembered the sad story of an incident where a vessel tried to defy those superstitions, and set out to sea with several women on board.

The ship hit a terrible storm almost instantly in their journey and when the storm refused to relent, the crew had started to throw the women overboard in an attempt to appease the gods.

All for naught, as the majority of the crew perished when the ship sank. The few who survived were lucky that there were other vessels nearby to rescue the survivors.

So to hear of a female captain, ordering a group of men aboard a ship, was quite unheard of.

"Yes, her. She's even more ferocious than most male pirates I've encountered. Seems to have a knack for picking out wealthy male merchants and targeting their vessels when they depart."