I swept my skirts over my pointed leather shoes and leapt aboard the ships boarding steps.
“Good morning Madame Alice!” I heard someone yell out at me. I tried my hardest not to turn my head and see who it was. My Uncle explained to me that when I was on the ship from this point on that I wouldn’t’ be allowed to even acknowledge the crew. I felt eyes on me. The new crew members were probably wondering what a woman was doing on the ship. The older members knew me as a little girl who grew up with her uncle aboard “The Uprooted” a traveling ship.
I made my way over to the captain’s cabin to see my uncle arguing with a man dressed in the Kings colors standing outside the doors.
“The king cannot afford to send you with that much cargo. You need to get rid of something to make a lighter load.” The shaking short man yelled at my uncle
“You do realize that I’ve been traveling on this ship for at least 30 years correct? I know how much my ship can and cannot hold. Now, if our King wants me to travel this Journey than he will have to agree with me, understand?” My uncle was in deep contrast to the red faced man. He stood tall and brave talking in a quiet voice. I never heard him yell, besides the time that the orphanage wanted to take me away for him because they thought that it was improper for a girl to live on a boat with full grown men and no “proper education”. When in reality I was learning how to use math to chart our map. Reading, for my uncle had a starvation for rare books. And how to run a ship. My uncle, although several people told him that I couldn’t, wanted me to take over the ship when he retired. I agreed, I couldn’t imagine a life without the salty wind messing up my hair, and the boisterous crew singing songs, and the adventure.
Suddenly the small man spotted me staring at him and my uncle.
“Is this your niece? The one who you’ve been told several times not to bring on the ship, and here she is right now, staring at us. Come over here.” He wagged his chubby finger at me with a frown on his face. I looked over at my uncle. A person who doesn’t know him, might see that he was expressionless. But after years of experience I could tell that he was annoyed at this man.
“I really must be going, I have to check my cabin, to make sure everything is in check.” I tried my hardest to sound lady-like and somewhat light headed
“Okay I suppose, I will discuss this with your uncle” he said huffing, seemingly disappointed that he couldn’t scold someone new.
I glanced at my uncle and we both gave each other a hidden smile. I walked away making sure that my blue skirt wasn’t dragging through anything dirty. As soon as I turn the corner out of view of the grumpy man, I let go of my dress and let myself slouch. I let myself stare around at the members of the crew. I saw Hemlock sweeping the deck, getting rid of any foods that had fallen the night before when we had it transported. He was rather handsome, he had a long pair of legs that gracefully connected back to his shorts torso. I felt my eyes linger on his strong shoulders, then he looked up from his job and made eye contact with me. I blushed and looked away dodging his warm blue eyes. I ran out of view from his blond, curly, head. I finally made it to my cozy cabin. I expected to see Cobalt in the room, but she was nowhere to be seen. So I waited for her my taking out the map that my uncle and I drew out the day we started to plan our travels. I was entrusted with this map, for it says how we are going to get to India and how we are going to get back. Several people would kill to have this map, it’s the only one of its kind. We had the help of our master map maker, Daniel, we are the first to find this route. Or at least that’s what we are assuming. Suddenly the door of the cabin opened as Vanadium flounced it with his black hair curled around his sharp triangular face.
