"This isn't at all what I expected," Astryd mumbled under her breath as she sat on a tall barrel leaning against the main mast.
They were now far out at sea with no sign of Esterbell behind them. The waves rhythmically crashed into the side of the smaller than average ship, and the sun was setting over the horizon. It would seem peaceful to most aside from the hustle and bustle of the crew, but all Astryd could concentrate on was her untidy hair being tossed in her face by the fierce wind. She crossed her arms and let out a huff as she once again removed a lock of hair from her face. Kincade was nowhere to be seen since setting sail and left Astryd to fend for herself in an environment completely alien to her.
The falling sun cast long shadows over the Crescent, as that was the ship's name, and the breeze made the temperature drop significantly. Astryd shivered slightly, bringing her arms closer to her body. She could go below deck and evade the chilling wind, but she hadn't dared venture down there yet.
She knew nothing of the crew or their roles on the ship. She didn't even know her own role on the ship—if she even had one. Why would Kincade leave her here without instructions on what to do?
When Astryd stepped foot onto the Crescent for the first time, she thought she found her escape, her freedom. She thought that this was her way out of her old life. But here she was, sitting on a ship surrounded by water with nowhere to go. Once again...trapped.
Astryd clenched her teeth. "Can't depend on him," she told herself. "Better go figure out what to do myself."
She slid from her barrel and landed with a thud on the wood planks. She strode her way over to the stairs that led below decks. Astryd paused at the top of the stairs, just now noticing that she was one of the only people left up on the top deck. Everyone seemed to leave in a hurry. Below the gangplanks was the soft glow of a lantern stretching out from an unknown room, and occasionally a roar of excitement came from the room. She took a deep breath and could smell the odor of smoked meat that made her stomach grumble. She hadn't eaten all day.
Astryd let the smell guide her along the dark hall until she found herself in a room packed to the brim with sailors. Most of them were too busy with their plates of rations to talk much, but that didn't stop them from speaking with their mouths full anyway. Occasionally, a man would stand from his table and merrily shout, "I'm the man!" for reasons Astryd hadn't learned yet. Longingly, she took in another long breath of the smell of smoked food wafting from the corner of the room. She let her eyes drift in the direction of the smell to find a young man about her age standing behind a large bin stacked with beef.
Astryd hesitantly approached the boy. He smiled at her for a moment, and Astryd smiled awkwardly without saying a word.
"Ah, a newcomer!" the boy finally broke the silence. "Ya hungry?"
Astryd blinked and then managed to form the word "Yes."
The young man pulled out a plate, slapped a pile of beef on it, and handed it to Astryd. Astryd gave a thankful smile before turning back to the crowd of men.
She glanced around the room to find a place to sit. Every single table was crowded with men shouting and laughing. So many unfamiliar faces filled the room, and none of them were eager to welcome her. If Kincade didn't care to introduce her to them, why should she care to talk to them? Anger boiled up inside her as she thought of Kincade. For once, she put her trust in someone, and he leaves her to fend for herself.
Never mind, I'm better off alone, she thought to herself.
Back up the stairs she climbed and back onto her familiar barrel. The sun had set now. All that was left was a few lonely lanterns and a lone sailor taking his shift at the helm. She gobbled down a few bites of her rations only to be disappointed at the lack of spices and flavor. In reality, it was just rubbery, flavorless meat. Astryd couldn't complain though, given the circumstances.
Another gust of wind flew by and nearly whisked away Astryd's precious sustenance. She gripped her platter tighter and brought it closer to her body as she scowled at the mischievous wind as if it were against her too. The invisible force beat her this time. It was just too cold up there now.
With a huff of resistance she was forced back to the lower decks, still carrying her now cold plate of meat. Astryd peered into a few rooms along the hallway, but every room had dark shadows lying across the ground or simply no light at all. Astryd wasn't about to find herself alone in a suspicious room. The only inviting place below deck at that moment was the mess hall she visited earlier. Hesitantly, she ventured forth into the crowd once again.
She hoped she could find a nice empty spot in a corner away from all the strange people, but none was found. The room was full, save a few scattered empty seats. Astryd sighed. She had to pick one.
Her search for a seat was interrupted when a blur of fiery red hair caught her eye.
Kincade.
Astryd snapped her head around in the direction of the red hair, but the hair did not belong to Kincade. The red hair led down to the person's waist. A woman?
Curiosity overcame Astryd. There was an empty seat next to the flaming hair. Astryd got a glimpse of the woman's face as she claimed the empty seat and sat her plate on the table.
The woman whisked her head around to see who had sat down. Her eyes brightened. "You must be new. It'll be nice to have another woman aboard! Not that there's anything wrong with you fellas," she added in the last sentence at the looks she got from her male companions. "Name's Carmen," she introduced.
"Astryd."
"Never been on a ship before I take it?" said Carmen.
"What?"
"You look a little out of place is all."
Astryd was a little taken back by the woman's bluntness. Was it that obvious she didn't have a clue what she was doing? Instinctively, Astryd reached for the satchel around her waist and gripped it protectively.
"I was just...looking for a change." This wasn't necessarily a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth. "I don't even know where we're going," Astryd added truthfully.
Carmen gave a quick reply, but she could not be heard over the roar of merry laughter coming from the table behind them, which was crammed right up against them. They appeared to be playing a game of cards.
"What was that?" Astryd shouted over the noise.
Carmen held up a hand while she took a large gulp of the tankard in front of her. She swallowed then said, "I said that we're headed out to open sea."
"Well that's obvious," Astryd muttered to herself so that Carmen did not hear. Why is everyone around here being so vague?
"Eat up," Carmen nodded to Astryd's full plate of food. "We're getting an early start tomorrow by the looks of it."
Astryd poked her pile of rubber with her fork.
"Better enjoy it while you can. We won't have the chance to eat meat for very long, goes bad after a week or so, so we don't have much on board. After that the options won't be so appetizing."
This was appetizing?
"Well," Carmen stretched and yawned after finishing up her plate, "think I'll turn in for the night."
Deciding not to linger, Astryd forced a few bites of meat in her mouth and followed Carmen out of the small dining area. Astryd did not feel graceful exiting the room because the waves were becoming relentless and the ship was rocking more than ever. Suddenly, Astryd regretted eating at all.
She followed Carmen into a corridor she had not yet ventured through and into a low ceilinged room. Astryd's head cleared the ceiling, but she noticed Carmen was ducking under each rafter as they passed. The room was very large despite the low roof. It seemed to be filled with cargo in any available space, and hanging from the ceiling were many hammocks that looked like they were made from scrap canvas. Astryd followed Carmen into the corner where there was a lonesome hammock and climbed into it.
"There's an extra hammock there," said Carmen absentmindedly, pointing to the ground where there was a lump of canvas.
Astryd picked up the cloth and a rat scurried out of it in a hurry. Astryd glared at the rat as it ran off. She inspected the cloth carefully as she unraveled it, but the room was too dark to see much. Taking a chance and hoping she won't find anything else unpleasant, Astryd hung up the hammock on some hooks in the support beams and tried to get comfortable inside it. It wasn't much different from her home in Esterbell, if you could call it a home, considering she was previously living in an abandoned shack that was bound to collapse at any time.
Still, the situation could be worse. Astryd could have been captured by the royal guard and sent to prison, or possibly even executed, for what she did to the king. Astryd made the king very angry because of something she stole, but she couldn't take back what she stole now. It was her ticket to freedom.
Astryd pulled her satchel closer to her side to reassure herself it was still there. The hammock she was lying in was swaying back and forth to the movement of the ship, making Astryd nauseated. A tight knot in her stomach she couldn't get her mind off of. It didn't look like she'd be getting much sleep. But tomorrow was a new day. What could go wrong?
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That's a very good question, what could go wrong? What do you think?
Sorry for such slow updates, I'm slow on writing and editing. But I'd love to hear what you think so far of the story!