Cole woke up by the sunlight shining through the little round window above his head. At first he wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but the realization that he was on a ship on his way through the Therison canals made him sit up instantly.
He looked out the window and realized the sun had just reached above the horizon.
Hopefully he had not overslept.

He got out of bed and opened the tabletop that worked like a lid on the small sink. After plugging the drain he poured some water from a jug into it and washed his face. He had a small towel hanging next to the sink to wipe his hands and face on.
Straightening his back, he met the gaze of his reflection in the mirror above the sink. The mirror looked a bit foggy and had small brown stains in the glass. His eyes almost looked black in it and not its usual nut brown color. Same thing with his hair.

He hung the towel on the hook and tried to get his hair in a shape that felt right. A lifetime of backslick had robbed him of the individual choice.

Trying different things was quite fun, but his hair seemed to prefer a side part style with a strand of hair hanging over his forehead.
He leaned back and took a good look. The look was more him than any other hairstyle.
He gave his reflection a childish smile before he closed the tabletop on the sink and got dressed.

A strong breeze hit him when he stepped out on deck. Some seagulls passed over the ship and the wind filled the sails in the warm morning light. Cole couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t feel so seasick. A bit dizzy maybe, but a lot better than the day before. For a moment he thought he might have gotten used to the sea, but seconds later he realized the ship didn’t move as much as the day before. He probably had a few more days before he could say he had found his sea legs. Still, he was grateful for the calm sea and decided to enjoy it for as long as it lasted.

Vock was already in the kitchen when Cole came down below.
“Morning, cabin boy. Here for the captain’s breakfast?”
“Yeah. I hope I didn’t oversleep or anything? I don’t know what time the captain wants his breakfast.”
Cole grabbed the kitchen counter just in case. He had learned that the ship didn’t always move the same way in a steady pattern. A wave could suddenly be bigger than the others and surprise him with a wild swing.
Vock took out a tray and a plate.
“Honestly, I never got any requests about routines. He rarely complains. Sometimes when I brought him the tray he sat at his desk and sometimes he was still in bed. If he was in bed, I simply left the tray on his desk and left. Never heard anything about it.”
The smell of freshly baked bread filled the room when Vock opened the oven and took out a baking tray.
“What did the cabin boy before me do?”
“There never was a cabin boy before you. The captain did most himself and the rest was up to me. He must have decided that he needed a cabin boy when he saw you.”
Cole raised his eyebrows.
“It’s not the first time the captain has accepted strays”, Vock continued, “We are all strays, more or less. Track came first. I heard the captain just got his ship when he came across a Taur in a bad fight. Track was beaten down by three big trolls and two bulls. The captain interrupted the fight. Being a royal and all, the brutes listened to him and let go of Track. The captain paid Track’s debt and offered Track to work it off here on the Valkyrie. Track asked if he could bring his cousin and that’s how Vu joined the crew. To my knowledge, Track had borrowed money trying to keep a roof over his parents’ heads. When the parents died, he was left with nothing besides the debt. Vu was just homeless as far as I know.”
“How did they sail with just two sailors and a captain?”
“The Valkyrie can sail with just three people. Barely, but following safe routs and avoiding bad weather it’s manageable.”
“Really?”
Vock shrugged.
“Absolutely. It takes a bit of work, but they handled it. A few months later the captain found me at the docks in Edori. Unemployed, dirt poor and pretty much a cripple. He dropped a coin in the cup at my feet and asked if I needed a job. At the time I had only one horn. My left horn was broken in an accident on the last hip I worked on. My horns stood out and up”, Vock paused to gesture in front of him how the horns had grown, “With just one horn I could barely balance my head.”
“So you didn’t get the other horn removed straight away?”
Vock shook his head.
“Removing horns is expensive. Especially if you want painkillers. The captain paid for it, just like he did with Track. I worked my debt off with in a year, but after that ... Why would I want to go somewhere else?”
Cole nodded.
It seemed as if he was the latest stray the captain had taken in.

“Enter.”
Tan answered the same way he had done the day before.
Cole carefully walked through the door with the tray on his arm.
“Good morning, captain.”
Tan gave him a smile.
“Good morning. Just put the tray on the desk.”
He gestured to the same spot Cole had left the tray before.
Cole glanced at the map on the desk while he put the tray down. It looked quite interesting.
“Do you know anything about trading routes?”
Cole met Tan’s gaze.
“Not really. I know how to read maps, but not sea-maps.”
Tan gave him a crooked smile.
“Nautical maps are called charts, but the one I’ve got here is a bit different. It shows all of Marmoris, but only the cities connected to the sea with a harbor. Smaller cities have a white middle. Bigger cities have a dark middle and bigger markings.”
Cole nodded while he looked at the map.

After a few seconds he noticed that Tan was smiling at him.
“Would you like a closer look?”
Tan gave Cole a gesture to go around the desk and stand next to him.
Cole followed the instruction and leaned over the map.
“We are here and heading to Nara.”
Tan pointed on the map.
Cole noticed the parts of water in a darker shade on the map.
“We’re going through Middvatter?”
“Yeah. In three days we’ll pass the border of Dark water. Then it’s about four days in the territory before we exit the Dark water and travel about three more days to Nara.”
Cole nodded while he followed the rout on the map. If he travelled through Dark water, no one would know where he was and no one would follow. The thought of crossing the border felt unnerving, but at the same time it was perfect.

Cole cleared his throat and straightened his back.
“Is there anything you need today? Besides my regular chores I mean.”
Tan looked amused.
“Not really, no. It’s still just the beginning of your job as cabin boy, so just settle in and find your routines.”
“Speaking of routines ... Do you have any preferred time when you want your meals or anything in particular done?”
“Not that I can think of. As soon as we cross the border to Dark water I will start sleeping during the day, so there won’t be much for you to do those days. I will leave my laundry outside my door before I go to bed, but besides that, you’ll have to do your chores in here after I get up around dinnertime. There is no need to tiptoe in here while I’m sleeping.”
Cole nodded.
“Right. I’ll adapt to the circumstances.”
Tan smiled again before he tilted his head.
“There is something about you that I can’t quite put my finger on”, he mumbled.
Cole felt a slight increase in his heartbeat, but he kept a calm face.
“What do you mean?”
Tan held his gaze for a moment.
“I don’t know yet ... I’ll let you know if I figure it out.”
Cole gave Tan a nod.
“Very well. Enjoy your breakfast, captain. I’ll come back after the tray later.”
Tan smiled a little and nodded.
Cole gave Tan a bow before he left.

Cole met Track and Vu on the stairs down to the kitchen. He quickly stepped aside to let them pass. They barely looked at him, but it felt like they were less annoyed with him when he made sure to respect their higher status. He was the new stray after all, and Track was second in command. Knowing one's place were important and not something to disrespect.

“For you”, Vock said and placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of him.
“Thank you.”
“Want something on it?”
“What have you got?”
“Sugar, brown sugar, jam, some fruit, milk, honey and some nuts and berries. Whatever you fancy.”
“I’ll have some jam and milk if it’s alright?”
“I wouldn’t offer it if it wasn’t all right.”
Vock took out a jar and a jug.
“Any plans today?” he asked when he placed a spoon in front of Cole.
“Not really.”
“You could help me do the dishes.”
Cole nodded.
“Sure.”

It was actually kind of fascinating to do all those chores he never got to do before. Tiring, but interesting.
After doing the dishes, he helped to scrub the deck, wash some clothes and swab the kitchen floor.
After visiting the toilet down by the kitchen he was grateful cleaning that one was not one of his tasks. One of the others, probably Ezur, made a serious mess in there. Thankfully he could avoid the stains by sitting on the edge. The only toilet he needed to clean was Tan’s and Tan were surprisingly tidy. Cole never saw any stains in there. Not even on a windy day.

Cole soon started to take the opportunity to use Tan’s bathroom himself when he could. He was going to clean it any way, and it was a lot nicer than the other toilet on the ship. However, it was custom to simply go outside if the weather was decent and there was no full pants down situation. Cole never saw Tan do that business over the railing, but he had his own bathroom after all. A captain had his privileges and rightfully so.

“Boy!”
Cole looked up from the deck he was mopping.
Track raised his arm and pointed.
“Entering Dark water in just a moment.”
Cole turned and spotted the beacon standing on a cliff near the shore. The white light probably came from magic, meaning it would never go out or need any work. He held the mop and just looked at the white stone pillar with the pulsing glow under a small roof at the top. It felt so simple but ominous at the same time.

They slowly sailed pass the beacon and steered further out to open water to go straight for the passage between Caleum and Orison. Cole had to confess he had almost expected to see darker water around the ship, but of course, everything looked the same. Still, it felt different. Maybe it was nothing more than his imagination, but he could have sworn there was something in the air, or perhaps in the water.
Something observing them.