Sham of the Sea

Chapter 1

The skies cried on that fateful day.

Y/N's hair was plastered wetly against her forehead; her head bowed in retaliation against the strong winds pulling at her frame. She guided their horse with one hand; the other one held the palm of her mother, keeping her in the less windy security behind her frame.

They had long since given up upholding their conversation, every breath needed in the suffocating storm. Their boots were unstable on the slippery and muddy path.

The dark twilight of the sky had not lifted yet; the sun was just about to rise and shoo all the clouds away. A market day never was fun when the weather toyed with the merchants' health.

Without a signal, Y/N's mother stumbled and let out a warning yell. Y/N whipped around to catch her before she could tumble down into a ditch. After she made sure her mother had regained her balance, they kept going; their hands cold and clammy in each other.

Y/N could already see the town wall growing closer, like a looming shadow. She pitied the few soldiers that manned the ranks, their torches dancing like little fireflies under the dim and angry sky.

Lightning was seen in the distance, splitting the heavens above the ocean in the east, and thunder followed soon after. Y/N cursed under her breath and threw her dripping hair back. Cold, the rain seeped into her collar.

When Y/N and her mother passed the open gates, and the rhythmic pitter-patter of hooves on the rough paving accompanied them instead of the dull thumps on the earth, Y/N sighed. She absolutely loathed having to travel through the rain with her mother. Her mother would get sick again and work too hard, making Y/N worry incessantly.

The rain pattered down on them ruthlessly, but the sky started to clear up after a long night of feeding the earth. Through the thick blanket of clouds in the distance, some rays of sunshine peeked through, like god's grace coming to earth. Maybe it could become a beautiful day still.

Y/N's clothes were soaked and stuck to her limbs as she led them under the roof of some inn. With murmured praises, she patted the horse while her mother wrung out her wet locks.

Her mother's eyes were pleased as she met Y/N's gaze. Relieved by her daughter's delight, Y/N smiled distortedly. They were wet and still at risk of getting sick, but they had made it to the town in one piece.

"We made it, don't look so downtrodden." Her mother had to stretch a bit to pinch Y/N's cheek, lifting her mood again.

With a bigger smile, Y/N copied the gesture. Her fingers on her mother's cheek were even more tender than hers. "Don't you dare get sick. I won't be able to work more than I normally do," she warned her mother, not mad at the weather, and gripped the cold reins securely in her hand.

"I won't, dear. Come on; we still have to set everything up and bring our beloved Jimmy to Jimmy."

Jimmy was their indulgent horse, but Jimmy was also the stable boy the family entrusted Jimmy with every Friday.

Y/N led the way again, walking close next to Jimmy, who still had to pull their heavy cart. Few people roamed the streets; just some cloaked figures rushing through the rain with heavy curses on their lips. She was positive that the clouds would disappear soon.

They arrived at the central marketplace not long after. As soon as they did, Y/N's mother wandered off to chat with the nice butcher lady from one village over. Y/N relieved Jimmy of his burden and rewarded him with an apple. Once the horse was calm and happy, she took him to the other Jimmy.

Jimmy loved Jimmy (both did), and the human one promised Y/N to take care of the horse until the day was over. He gave Y/N a sympathetic glance, wishing her luck with the weather and their sales for the day.

Y/N returned to their mud-caked cart and busied her hands with setting up their cosy little stand. Soon, she
sorted the thankfully dry loaves of bread into a neat order as a display on the cart. They had been baking them all week long, preparing for Friday in order to sell them here. It was a lot of work, rolling bread all week to trade them all at once. The trek from their home to the town was long, about 3 hours on foot, but it was rewarding all the same.

Also, Y/N had grown to like this place; the bustling market with its colourful stands. Each time they came here, she saw interesting people in curious clothing travelling from the sea.

Putting everything together did not take long, and soon the last faint rain stopped to let the first rays of sunlight touch upon the wet streets.

Y/N shook out her drying hair while her eyes searched for her mother. Her mother had greeted all of her friends by now and returned over to Y/N to thank her for her help.

"Now, shall we get to work? I've heard there are a lot of ships this week, the chances are good for us to sell a lot." Her mother seemed delighted, nudging Y/N over with her hip to get to the middle of their cart.

With a chuckle, Y/N plundered their bags for their breakfast. "I can't wait. Here, your meal." she gave her mother a share and nibbled on her moist portion herself as she entertained her eyes with the first people that milled around on the place. As bad as the day had started, right now, it looked as if it still might become a good one.

"Oh, I forgot! A nice naval gentlewoman asked earlier whether we could bring one loaf of bread to the docks for her! Can you hurry there, Y/N? I will finish up here."

The day had been a success, as Y/N had predicted. Most of their pieces of bread had been sold, and the last few they had exchanged with other merchants for their goods. They now had fresh vegetables, fruit, and meat, enough to last them through the week. Y/N was quite content. Fridays made all the hard work worth it.

"Sure, did you put one aside for her?" Y/N asked.

"Yes, take it." Her mother handed her another loaf. "She told me her ship was a merchant one as she was just travelling these days. You should find it on the main docks. She already paid and will expect the loaf by the end of her busy day."

Y/N saluted, amused by her mother's skill to collect gossip and hastened off to catch the woman before it turned completely dark out. The way home was a long one, after all.

The way down to the docks was enclosed by inns and shops. Delicious smells wafted to Y/N from all around her and had her mouth water. Her stomach rumbled in question and urged her to go just faster. On their way back, she could eat some of their fresh goods. She looked forward to that and to returning home to sleep for about five days.

Down at the docks, there was only a single ship anchored in the main area. It was a sleek schooner with neatly reefed sails. Since it was a beautiful vessel, Y/N declared it was fitting, not knowledgeable enough about seafaring to identify if this was a merchant's ship. She saw no flag indicating otherwise, so it had to be the right one.

With quick steps, she scaled the plank and peered around on deck. No soul around. she did not know who she was looking for, but if the woman had paid, she could just leave the bread in a dry place.

After a glance at the treacherous skies, Y/N strode over to a scuttle leading down to a storage area. The ship's belly was dark; four steps disappearing in the dark steeply. She left the hatch open as she cautiously stepped onto the creaking boards.

"Anybody here? I am supposed to bring bread!" Y/N shouted but saw nothing in the obscure darkness, just the silhouettes of several hammocks and barrels. Then, at once, something moved in the blackness.

A moment later, it dashed in her direction.

Y/N fell backwards with the bread lifted in defence, yelling out a warning.

A just as panicked yell answered her, and then a tall woman emerged from the shadows into the ray of light falling from above. The woman held a wooden mace above her head, ready to strike. Her anger-drawn features scared Y/N.

Y/N screamed as the weapon came down upon her with no signs of halting. Pain flared in Y/N's temple as it hit her, hard.

Dark spots danced in front of her eyes, and she stumbled around her whitened sight. The stairs met her back before she fell to her knees and lost consciousness.