Legacy

eight

While Alessa would have preferred to go to the docks alone that morning following Marcus' odd behaviour and subsequent silence, he remained steadfast by her side. She had tried to strike up a conversation with him the night before but he had simply rolled over, feigning sleep long before he actually drifted off. Jonas watched him from his own bed, somewhat concerned but she knew he would never admit it aloud. He had stayed, eyes fixed on Marcus for a long time, until he too rolled over and fell asleep, snoring loudly. It took much longer for Alessa to drift off, eyes unable to close and staring at the skylight, specks of moonlight drifting in.

A year prior, she had been the only one to accompany Alyosha; it had been too hard for her mother and she remained in bed much later than usual, entirely wracked with sadness. It had been Alessa's job to tend to the farm alone for about a week after that day, despite being in pieces herself. Marcus' words from their initial argument rang through her mind as she walked, she had tried to be helpful. But the longer time went on, the more content she was to simply exist, rather than live.

The walk was much quicker than the journey over, with them all being escorted by various people Alessa had never seen before. Despite his silence, Marcus remained close, their arms brushing every few steps before she yanked her arm back, keeping the distance between them. She had spotted Jonas a few people ahead, trying to regale a guard in an epic tale of his, but the guard didn't respond with more than a few grunts. Not to be deterred, Jonas continued, practically shouting at that point. He would shoot Marcus a curious glance over his shoulder every so often and give Alessa a wink whenever he was caught.

Despite her attempts to remain hidden, received many weird looks as she made her way onto the boat. Thankfully, no one confronted her about it, for which she was grateful. She leaned over the railing once she had gotten on, staring down at all the mothers waving goodbye to their sons and women waving goodbye to their husbands. She waved absentmindedly, pretending there was someone down there, rooting her on. She wished her mother was there.

While there wasn't a set age limit, it often ranged from manhood to deathbed. Most people's parents wouldn't let young men enter and many men were too old to move, let alone traipse around on a boat. There was a portly, elderly man sitting by the railing, not looking out into the docks and not waving to anyone. He toyed with the wisps of his beard absentmindedly, deep in thought. She didn't approach him.

Before long, the alcohol appeared from somewhere and the men were heartily drinking. Alessa couldn't help but look on and laugh, deciding to sit in a circle mostly made up of young men near her age. Marcus followed her silently, perching himself onto a barrel and fiddling with the skin of his knuckles. Alessa revelled in the warmth of the fire, allowing the crackling blaze to wash over her, almost like a warm embrace.

She would normally be fearful of such a large group of strange men, but she knew they would not hurt a fellow contestant, there had to be some sort of penalty for that. Though she had not seen a god since they had arrived on board. Even so, Marcus, while still uncharacteristically silent, refused to move from her side. Oddly enough, they appeared to be nice, welcoming her warmly and pulling up a barrel for her to sit on. No one seemed to have any qualms with the fact that she was a woman. She accepted a drink she was handed and drank away, happy to pretend things were normal for one final, fun night. Before long, the men had begun to sing, a song she had never heard before.

"We are one and we are all,

We will refuse to fall.

Upon the hearty seas we sail,

We know that we shan't fail.

Across the seas, to the end

At least I know I have a friend.