The Journey To Acre

Chapter 4

It was safe to say that the crew of the Mary Peel were not fans of their guests.

Vaisey accused Guy of having no way with people but could hardly claim to have one either. Boredom made him snarky and demanding. The men tolerated him, (they had no choice in the matter), but because their lives were filled with the toil of keeping the boat on course, they had little time for his caustic manner and sarcastic comments.

Guy was another matter. First impressions had not been favourable, but slowly, he'd begun to earn begrudging respect amongst the men. This was of course thanks to Sully, whose opinion held weight with his colleagues. Added to that, Guy had proved he could hold his drink and didn't cry like a baby when 'welcomed' on board by Archie. Lately however, his surly demeanour and tendency to snap at the slightest provocation reversed any gains he'd made. The men tiptoed around him, uninterested in whatever might be troubling him, which suited the knight perfectly, leaving him ample room to wallow in his misery.

Were it not for a straight-talking older man who had as little inclination to leave him be as his cat did.

"Starin' at the rain won't make it go away yer know?" Sully grins.

"I was hoping you would go away."

"No you weren't, you were thinking 'bout yer missus again."

Guy opens his mouth but then shuts it again. Of course he had been. Not that she was his missus - no, indeed, that was the crux of the problem.

"Miss her do yer?"

Guy did not reply but then he didn't have to; his pained expression spoke volumes. Yes, he missed her. He knew it was absurd, considering that she was only a short walk away, but with the current situation between them being what it was, it might as well have been a thousand miles. Their exchanges were reduced to a bare minimum - the fault for this lay with him because he found he could neither look nor speak to her at present. Good hearted as she was, she tried to clear the air but Guy never was one to let a matter drop when he could beat himself over the head with it. The way he saw it, all the discussion in the world wasn't going to change the fact that she favoured Hood over him.

"Well, yer in good company my friend, coz if it's one thing we knows about on this boat, it's missin'..."

Guy notices that faraway look on his companion's face once more, and recalls the reason for it, which brings on a pang of remorse for as hopeless as things are with Marian, at least she's not dead.

"Aye, missin' an waitin' - me an' the lads could make a career of it I reckon. Waitin' to arrive, waitin' to depart... waitin' to see the family, waitin' to get away from 'em! Waitin' for pay day, a decent meal, a comfy bed, a bonny bedfellow..." Sully winks and it looks so silly, Guy can't resist the urge to smile.

"Waitin' for fair winds and following seas, the rain to stop an' the sun to shine... for good cheer, good hope an' good song... oh yeah, an' fer the captain to let us 'ave a go at the decent brew, amen."

Guy laughs at this, surprised how Sully has managed to get him this far despite his black mood, but not surprised that that they were holding out on the good stuff.

Archie makes an appearance then, with a butt of the head and a meow in greeting for both men before making himself comfortable curled up next to Guy's boot. The younger man shakes his head, still unable to fathom what the cat sees in him. Sully pats Guy on the shoulder and gestures to his feline friend,

"He's the only one of us who knows how to live, I keep asking 'im to tell me his secret but he never does."

Both men nod and share a comfortable silence watching the cat. Fond smiles. Pensive sighs. Thoughts of how good life could be.