Just like that the years passed. Lucia still cruised through waves, but now with a new captain on board. The boy had grown up and as he had said, he became the ruler of the sea, replacing his father on deck. His father had spent decades on the sea and it had worn him out until he was just skin and bones. He had started bringing his son with him on his sails soon after the boy had become a little older. He taught him all of his tricks and ways around the water. He finally left Lucia's legacy to his son, who was already the most skilled sailor the old man had ever seen during all his time at sea.
The boy had grown up to make a name for himself. People would fight, push and pull just to get a glimpse of him walking by. They told stories about his bravery and skill. The creatures he had fought, the new routes he had discovered that had made sailing easier for so many other ships. Kings would offer him the highest ranks in their naval fleets, but he would always turn down their offers. He wasn't made for the expensive lifestyle with castles, luxurious jewelry, and large boats. Lucia and his crew were all he needed to be happy, and happy he was.
That simple way of living he had chosen for himself, always shocked many. He could afford a better ship, a better job, maybe even a lady to stay by his side. But, the only love he had was for the sea. It would call out his name every time he walked on dry land.
The captain left his cabin wearing a dark green shirt and black pants. On his head stood his sailor cap, now fitting perfectly. The sword on his belt wasn't a wooden toy anymore, but one made of steel, with a sharp edge, ready to slice through the flesh of danger. He had jet black hair that sometimes would fall over his eyes since it had been a while since his last haircut. He was tall and had a good physique from always being on his feet. His eyes were a rich brown that were always on the move, analyzing the surroundings. His gaze was intense and could intimidate and make even the strongest of people quiver in fear.
His crew greeted him with waves and cheers. They were all busy with the roles already assigned to them, but never too busy to show their admiration and appreciation for their captain. Some of them knew him since he was a young boy and couldn't believe what a man he had become. The captain started walking across the deck, his intense stare shifting from one crew member to the other, checking whether everyone was doing their tasks correctly and not slacking off in some corner.
Counting the heads he noticed someone missing, the new sailor he had just brought in a month or so ago. His shoes tapped against the floor as he passed by the usual nooks his crew enjoyed to snooze off. The rest of the crew caught on and started looking around, hoping to find their friend before the captain. Not having any luck on deck, the captain went down the stairs to the supplies storage. Sitting on the floor, with his back on one of the boxes, lay asleep his young sailor. The captain let out an amused breath before rolling up his sleeves to his forearms. The rest of the crew waited on the deck for the show to start. It started with screams and fast footsteps rushing towards their way.
The poor sailor was climbing the stairs with all fours, tripping on his way with the captain following calmly behind him. The sailor sat on the floor and looked up at his beloved captain.
"Cap, please! I can explain!" The young boy laughed nervously while the captain crossed his arms, waiting for the explanation. "I was up late last night."
"And how is that my fault?"
"I wanted to sleep but there was this thing keeping me awake." The sailor exclaimed and the rest of the crew started laughing, while the Captain raised his eyebrow in confusion.
"Not that again!" The first Mate commented walking towards them. "Cap, this guy has been saying that someone was singing late last night."
"Singing?"
"Yes, yes and it was a woman's voice I swear!" The boy was becoming more frantic with every word. The captain meant no big harm to him, only to intimidate him a little, but he didn't want to see anyone on his team in such distress. He lent a hand to the sailor on the floor and helped him up.
"I'll look into it," He patted the sailors back. "But I want you to be useful around here and not just sleep over boxes."The sailor hastingly thanked him and went to do his work.
"You really believe him?" The First Mate asked. The captain looked back at his sailor. Even though the boy was young, he was old enough not to come up with fairytales. Up until that point he had been diligent and hard-working, so something must have really messed with his head the previous night.
"How much more until we reach Windin?" The captain asked, his voice booming through the air. The men that were staying around looking at the scene immediately went back to their places.
"We will be there at dusk." Someone reported back to him. The captain's eyes went up to the sky. The sun was starting to lower and get closer to the horizon.
"Is everyone ready for our arrival?"
Everyone confirmed in unison and the captain nodded in approval. They had been hired to sell barrels of rum to a famous tavern in the city. All of the barrels had to arrive in pristine condition or else it would be cut from their pay. The captain was personally counting and checking each and every one of the barrels for any leakage or if anyone had dared to take a taste of the drinks inside.
By the time he finished, the coastline was in sight. The light blue of the sky had meshed with violet and orange as the sun was setting. Even with the beautiful sight, there was no time to spare. One by one the barrels filled with the delicious beverage were transported out on the ship and into a carriage. With the transaction done, the captain received the payment from the tavern owner and went back into the ship, to give each sailor their share of the money. With the sun already gone and their muscles sore, they decided to sleep the night in the comfortable beds of an inn and start sail the next morning.
The captain let his crew decide on the place. The building was small and only had two floors; the first one was a small tavern and the second one had the guestrooms. The rooms were small and only had the basics, if not less. It was enough to satisfy them though. Not every crew member liked to spend all their life at sea, but life could be cruel. For our captain, the moment he stepped on land was the moment he wanted to get back on the ship. The ground was too still, the comforting roaring of the sea wasn't as close as he prefered.
The first thing the crew did was go into the inn's tavern while dragging their captain with them despite his protests. He didn't like to celebrate, dance, or have fun e for that matter as the sailors would say and always push him to do otherwise. The captain never complained, it was the only battle he knew he didn't mind losing.
The tavern was packed, the word had gone out that Lucia was coming that night. On one side of the tavern there was the bar. A shelf was built against the wall and bottles of alcohol were placed in a row like soldiers. On the other side, there were tables scattered around. The lights on the candles were dim and did justice to the tavern. You couldn't notice the filth and the actual poor condition it was in.
Everyone split up and the captain was left alone. He decided to sit at the bar on the further, more quiet corner. Some people would steal glances his way as he was passing, some wouldn't even try to hide it and would start whispering as he walked by. Some would even greet him, but the only thing they would get in return was a slight, respectful nod.
He sat down and asked for a glass of rum. The person on the other side of the bar immediately introduced themselves as the owner of the inn. The captain shook his hand briefly. The innkeeper was well-fed, with a big round belly and a big mustache hanging above his lips. His eyes were big and his head was already completely bald, even though he didn't give the impression of being a day past forty five. The man went to grab a glass and one of his special, selected rum for his customer. The captain thanked him and wasn't planning on continuing with the conversation, but the innkeeper had other things in mind.
"Did you have a safe trip?" He asked, smiling ear to ear.
"As safe as it can get."
"Are you planning on staying here for long?"
"Just for tonight. Starting sail tomorrow."
The man wasn't very delighted by the short, dry replies the captain was giving him, so he tried to move to a more interesting topic.
"Have you heard about that captain that got killed nearby?" The captain was mid-sip when he stopped and put the glass down. Whether he liked it or not, the man with the mustache had caught his attention.
"Which ship?" Asked the captain.The innkeeper grinned at his success.
"Black Pearl. The captain was quite young as well, maybe around mid-thirties. The ship had just left the coast when tragedy struck. Nobody knows what happened, but when another ship went by, they said the sea was a bloodbath." The innkeeper looked around and leaned over the bar and spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. "Some say that those men got killed by the sirens."
The captain let out a scoff. "Do you actually believe that?" He raised an eyebrow at what he thought was nonsense coming from the man in front of him.
"Yes," The man smiled wickedly. "I think they took them to become free creatures of the sea and live as immortals."
The captain wanted to laugh in the innkeeper's face but restrained himself. He was there to spend the night, not start a fight. There were many other explanations for what could have happened. All of them involved sea creatures that have been seen and proven to exist.
"There is no such thing as sirens" He took a sip of his drink and looked back at his crewmates. They were dancing on top of tables, either already drunk or getting there . Other customers joined in on the dance.
"So you think all the legends are lies?" The man frowned and looked offended at the answer he received.
"Exactly so." The captain grabbed one side of his jacket and pulled out a few gold coins from his inside pocket. "Thanks for the story."
"It's real!" The man shouted as the captain retreated to his room.
"Just a bunch of fools." The captain said while shaking his head at the stupidity he had just heard.