'So we sneak into the palace, get the locket, and we're out,' said Jake.
'Not that simple,' Wren said, stuffing jeans and shirts into her bag. All three of them, her, Jake and Ladislaya, were in Wren's wardrobe that was the size of her own room, packing. Wren slid open the dress compartment.
'Ooh!' squealed Ladislaya in delight. 'Look at these dresses! It's marvellous!'
'Yeah, I'd swap for jeans any time,' said Wren, disappearing into the many gowns and dresses. 'I just thought we'd need a proper gown, yeah? In case we're going to any formal occasions.'
'Like the ball,' Jake said helpfully.
'Like the ball.' Wren nodded. She beckoned Ladislaya. 'You and I are around the same size. Have your pick.'
Ladislaya gasped. 'You aren't even joking right now.'
'I'm not.' Wren took one emerald-black ball gown off its shelf. Gold butterflies sparkled and trimmed the skirts of the gown - it had a transparent neckline that showed off her shoulders and neck - the arms were emerald green gloves. She stuffed it into her bag that had an Enlarging Spell on it and heaved up the whole thing.
'And we'll need a suit for you, Jake,' she said. Jake patted his bag. 'Got it.'
'You came in prepared,' Wren remarked.
'I did,' he said, sounding dignified. 'So, are we ready, then?'
They reached a bay, with ships of all shapes and sizes docked along the pier. The salty air filled their lungs, and the sound of seagulls echoed in the distance. Wren scanned the ships and spotted a large vessel with the a flag hoisted high above the mast. The flag featured a white background with a golden sunburst in the center, symbolizing the power and radiance of the sun.
They'd spent the night hiking through the forest. It was morning, around six, perhaps - and Wren's feet were killing her - she was as tired as a worn out shoe. Ladislaya seemed to be the only one excited.
'That's the Iridian flag,' Ladislaya breathed. 'Pretty, isn't it?'
'Very,' Wren replied with a slight smile.
They made their way to the dock, and a grizzled old sailor greeted them. 'They made their way to the dock, and a grizzled old sailor greeted them. "Looking to board to Iridia, are ye?' he asked, peering at them suspiciously.
'Yeah,' Jake said. 'How'd you know?'
'Kids nowadays,' the man grumbled. 'They yell so loudly that the other end of the globe could hear 'em.'
'We matured, young adults,' Jake corrected him, looking dignified.
'All righ', I get it,' the man grunted, waving them aboard. They made their way onto the ship, eagerly anticipating the journey ahead. The salty breeze whipped their hair, and they watched the port fade into the distance as they set sail for Iridia.
'One o' my ol' friends gon' get you there,' the man grunted. 'Good ol' chap, that Elias. He's a mighty good sailor, so pay up now. Trip to Iridia will be -' the man paused, counting on his fingers, '- twenty-three gold coins.'
Jake gaped. 'You've got to be kidding me!'
'Don't blame me, kid, you goin' to Iridia, that's the cost you gon' pay for!' the man shouted, jabbing his finger in the air. 'Iridia's worth goin' to, see? So pay up!'
'Could we at least get a discount?' Ladislaya asked hopefully, making her eyes round and wide. The man looked at her, disgruntled and said, 'No.'
Ladislaya huffed. Wren dug out her pocket of coins and counted twenty-three gold cons exactly and handed them over to the man.
'Oi, Elias!' the man called. 'There's three kids here, wanting to go to Iridia. You don't mind shippin' em' to Iridia for a bit, do you?'
'No!' shouted back a voice from inside a small brick house. Jake looked at him indignantly.
'Shipping us to Iridia? We're not shampoo products you mail to kingdom after kingdom everyday, you know!'
'Shut up and get on board,' the man grumbled.
'We already are on board,' Wren interjected.
The man sighed. 'ELIAS!' he bellowed.
'Coming!' the voice shouted. A man came running out of the brick house, dressed in a white coat, floral shirt and beach shorts. He had sunglasses perched upon his nose, and, Wren thought - he looked like a normal guy in the normal, ordinary world. He was in his mid-40s, maybe. He
'Hello, chaps!' he said brightly, saluting up to them. Wren, Jake and Ladislaya peered at him from above. Jake waved his hand wildly in the air. 'Ahoy!' he yelled. Elias kept grinning up at them. 'Ahoy!' he shouted.
They stayed like that for a few seconds, Jake grinning down at him and him grinning up at them three. Ladislaya and Wren watched witch scrunched-up noses, and the old man watched Elias from behind with folded arms.
'So you gonna breathe and get a move on or what?' he shouted to Elias.
'Oh! Right,' Elias said, climbing on board the ship with Wren and the others. 'Iridia, is it?' he shouted. 'Might take four to five days to get there. Y'all stay patient, and that's the key.'
'Four to five days,' repeated Ladislaya. 'Wow.'
'Wow,' echoed Wren.
'Yes, and don't worry, this is a double-decker ship with bedrooms beneath the ground of the ship,' Elias said, grinding his foot on the bottom of the ship. 'Or whatever it's called. So you see this trapdoor,' he said, gesturing. 'You climb down, you find a ladder, you find beds, you go there for the night. All this is underground the ship.'
Wren squinted through the blazing sunlight. 'It's called a deck,' she shouted over the wind.
'Yeah. Whatever it's called. I'm bad at describing things.'
'Yeah,' Jake said, who, too, was squinting. 'You - you came to terms in that pretty quickly, and it's quite disturbing.'
'Yeah. Sorry.'
'No problem, mate.'
'You got this.'
'Is that all?' Ladislaya cut in.
'Yeah, that's all!' Elias said enthusiastically. 'Isn't it great? You get to go underground! Uh - I mean the deck.'
'Where's the toilet?' Jake asked loudly.
'There's no toilet. Who needs a toilet when you've got the sea?' Elias cradled his hands around his head like a halo. 'You just find some privacy and do whatever you need to do.'
Jake peered at the waters around them. 'Uh ... okay. So that's all?'
'Yeah. There are five cabins underground this ship. So we'll just need four cabins for the four of us, and we'll probably throw the fifth one out. I don't know. We can stuff our things and bags there.'
'You can't throw a cabin out,' Ladislaya said, cringing.
'As I said, I'm bad at describing things,' Elias reminded her. 'Anyway, I'm rather good at steering ships, so I'm in control of this steering wheel, which is called a helm in proper, sailor language.'
'So you just do the sailing and we just chill here?' Jake asked.
'Yeah. That's the whole point. Unless one of you midgets know how to sail.'
'Fair enough. We don't know how to sail and we paid twenty-three gold coins for a trip to Iridia,' Ladislaya said, heaving her backpack and satchel on the deck of the ship. 'I'm gonna go underneath the ship for a bit.'
'You do what you want and I'll pull away from shore,' Elias shouted as Ladislaya lifted the trapdoor and all three of them climbed down. Wren felt the ship pulling away from shore as it creaked and groaned as it gained momentum. Elias steered the ship up North.
'You know where you're going, sir?' Jake shouted. 'We don't want to land in some different kingdom or anything, you know. D'you have a map? Or a compass? Or a -'
'Yes, yes, I've got a map and a compass,' Elias said dismissively. 'You'll be fine, and we'll reach Iridia in around five days. If we're lucky and if the waves aren't too strong, we'll probably reach in three days. There's a lower chance of reaching in three days though, mind you!'
Wren clambered under the deck of the ship as it rocked here and there upon the waters. Wren had never been on a ship before, and it was pretty fun. She found herself in a cabin, with simple bunker bed against the far wall and a wooden chest at the foot of it. A porthole let in a faint light, casting the room in a soft glow, and a small table with a lantern stood in the corner. The walls were made of polished wood, and a few hooks hung from them.
'We can share this room if you want,' Ladislaya said eagerly.
'Why not?' Wren said. 'There's a lot of space in this cabin. What about your cabin, Jake? Jake?'
Wren turned around but Jake had disappeared. A familiar voice sounded the room. 'In here!' Jake's voice called excitedly. Wren and Ladislaya made their way through a narrow door and into a smaller cabin. 'I bag this room,' Jake announced.
Jake's ship cabin was smaller than Wren and Ladislaya's, and a small porthole let in a sliver of light. A narrow bed was pressed against the wall, with a thin blanket and lumpy pillow. A small wooden table was bolted to the floor with a wooden chair tucked into it.
'Might be small, but it's big enough for me and my bags,' Jake said, setting down his backpack. He stretched, sighing. 'Ah! Much better.' He tumbled onto his bed, sighing in satisfaction.
'Alright, Jake, we're going to leave you here and we'll enjoy our room,' Ladislaya said amiably. She shut the door. 'Don't you think this cabin is just the perfect size?'
'For two people, yes,' Wren agreed. She yawned. 'I'm exhausted,' she said sleepily. 'From all the walking and all.' She curled up in the bottom bunker, feeling the gentle sway of the ship beneath her. As she closed her eyes, she felt a sense of peace wash over her. 'I'm ... so ... tired ...' she yawned. 'I'll be ...'
No one knew what she would be, for she drifted off into a deep, deep sleep.