As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor

Mariel - 12 Sun's Dawn, 1246 A.D.

I observed him quietly as he read his instruments and scratched the spikes on his chin, completely absorbed in his thoughts. He muttered to himself in a concentrated fashion as he did some sort of calculation, then drew a decisive line upon the page before him. I was curious to ask how it worked but didn't want to break his focus, not just because I didn't want to disturb him but also because his face was rather attractive when it was set in that way. I so rarely got a chance to see it since he always seemed to be in more of a lighthearted mood around me. I didn't mind that, but seeing this aspect of him was a pleasant treat. He glanced in my direction, and immediately his expression changed to one of his more familiar ones as I flinched and quickly looked away.

"Be I so interestin' to ye?" He asked with a chuckle.

"You were so focused. I just didn't want to interrupt..." I admitted, much like a caught child.

"But I like when ye be wantin' of my attention." He said with a wink, "Come here."

I felt my cheeks flush. "Okay..."

For some reason, being commanded by him made me warm and confused, but not in a bad way. I got up from my seat carefully to meet him halfway as he helped me to the navigation table where he'd been before. He had me stand in front of him, then pressed himself against my back gently. I knew he'd done that because I didn't have what he called 'sea legs', but after having known him, it was hard to be this close and not be tempted by impure thoughts.

"This here be a sextant. Be used to find yer latitude and longitude usin' the sun, moon, or stars, so ye know where on the brine ye be." He explained as he demonstrated the object to me, "So, ye look through here with yer wee eye and adjust yer angle here till the sun be even with the horizon to find yer figures."

"Can I try it?" I asked, mostly to distract myself from my own thoughts.

"Aye, go on." He replied with a smile.

I carefully took the instrument from him and held up the looking glass part to my eye, fiddling with the angle to move the sun's image into view. The device was wholly ingenious, and while I didn't really know what latitude and longitude were, it was entertaining to slide the mechanism from one end to the other and see the image change. Still, I did my best to be careful with it as it felt expensive, and I didn't want to break it.

"It's clever." I replied as I set the device down and looked up at him.

"Aye. Where be we then?" He asked good-naturedly.

"Umm..."

I looked down at the map and found it completely scrawled over with Hamatian and other lizard languages. Perhaps I would have used the silhouettes of the different lands to guess where we might be, but the way that his chest rumbled against my back when he spoke was very distracting.

"R-Right here." I pointed near a tiny island, selected only because it had been close to one of my fingers.

He snaked an arm around my waist and leaned over my shoulder with a frown before glancing at me. "Really?"

"Y-Yes." I said, trying to hide how nervous he was making me.

He laughed. "We be here. Nay so close to where ye pointed."

"N-No, but you didn't teach me how to find our place..." I pouted softly.

"Ye nay asked." He teased with a chuckle.

"Then you must show me." I complained quietly.

"Aye. As I said, will form ye into a pirate proper, ye will see." He replied, kissing me on the cheek.

I reddened and shied away from him.

"Where be ye goin', ey?" He asked with a chuckle as he tightened his grip on me.

"N-Nowhere." I said as I continued to draw into myself.

"Aye, that be true..." He whispered as he tried to coax me to look at him.

"Axtapor!" I complained nervously.

"Aye, fine, will let ye alone." He laughed, "But would ye want to go there?"

"Where?" I asked, peeking in his direction.

"There. Capos." He said, pointing to the island near my failed guess.

"What kind of place is it?"

"Nay know. Never been. But that part of the sea be quiet, nay be near trade routes and the like. We can go there if'n ye wish to. Might be a fit place to hide for a time too." He mused.

"How long would it take us to get there? What if we need more supplies?"

"If'n the wind be right, 'haps four days?" He said, observing the chart with a thoughtful expression, "Nay think we be needin' of anythin' else, but if'n we be, I have gold enough to procure anythin' ye wish."

"Anything?" I asked, wondering just how much he might have if he was so confident he could afford 'anything'.

"Aye, five thousand pieces be a right sum. And if'n we manage to spend it, I have more hid about." He replied with a cool shrug.

I resisted the urge to drop my jaw to the deck. "F-Five th-thousand?"

"Aye." He said plainly.

Even in my highest-paying position, I'd only made about twenty silvers a week. , he carried with him just over fifty times what I would make in a year and spoke about it as if it were pocket change!

"H-How much d-do you have h-hidden?" I asked nervously, unsure if I was prepared to hear his response.

He did the sums in his head for a moment. "Reckon it be 'bout three-fifty of free flowin' gold."

"Th-Three hundred and fifty?"

He barked a laugh as if I'd asked a stupid question. "Nay, three hundred and fifty thousand."

I steadied myself on the navigation table and did my best to catch my breath.

"Oi, steady on." He cautioned as he held me up.

No wonder he had no issue with me being his burden! He would hardly notice the meager upkeep that I required! Of course, he must be in possession of fantastic quantities of gold since he was a nobleman, but the amount he had was unfathomable to me! And now that I thought about it, it might make him the wealthiest man I'd ever met aside from the Third Prince.

"Nay knew ye to be so faint at the mention of gold." He teased as he allowed me to lean on him, "'Haps, I would have said somethin' 'bout it sooner if'n I knew ye be after that."

"I-It's quite the sum s-so it caught me by surprise, that's all." I admitted, suddenly feeling embarrassed by my reaction.

He laughed. "So I ask ye again, do ye want to go to Capos?"

"Y-Yes." I responded with a shy nod.

"Anchors aweigh it be." He replied with a wink.