Storm and Silence (FANFIC)

11. What's an Empire? A Ship.

The ride to the docks had been fairly silent. Karim was in a separate chaise behind us, since there wasn't much room on ours. When he caught sight of me, he was surprised to say the very least. But he didn't question it, and neither did I. He didn't really need to know what actually happened.

For most of the ride to the docks, I stared out the window, excitement bubbling in my stomach. I tried my very hardest not to show that excitement, but I couldn't help it. I'd randomly grin on occasion and then, for some peculiar reason, my ears would start to burn.

When we finally arrived, I found myself staring at a massive ship. The entirety of its exterior was made up of a dark metal, one I couldn't recognise. On the hull was one simple word, written in white. Empire. That was it. Any other person who didn't know the truth would have thought that the owner of the ship was just full of themselves. But not in Mr. Ambrose's case.

"Quit wasting time gaping at the ship like an idiot and get on, Mr. Linton." Mr. Ambrose snapped.

"Wh-? Oh, sorry sir." I replied sheepishly. "It's just that the ship is..." Pretty? Dark? Cold? Distant? Massive? "It's massive."

"It is supposed to be, especially when I came on this ship with my entire empire."

"E-entire empire?" I squeaked. I then remembered something told to me eons ago. "Landed out of the blue... Port of Dover... Biggest ship they've ever seen... Army of servants... Armed guards..." I remembered Anne and Maria telling me this. And now I was looking at the real thing.

"Yes. An empire that came from the colonies. Do you have any more time-wasting questions Mr. Linton?"

"N-no sir."

"Good. Now get on the ship." He walked towards the ship and tapped it with his cane. A ladder was brought down carefully and then Mr. Ambrose started going up the ladder, moving as agile and graceful as before.

"How the bloody hell does he do it!?" I muttered to myself and started to make my way up as well. Behind, or rather... underneath me, as I was still going up the ladder, Karim was following me. I may have been wearing Uncle Bufford's clothes, but that didn't mean that my derrière was out of sight. It was most certainly slightly less... Generous than before, that I did not deny. But either way...

My worries immediately vanished when I finally reached the main deck of the ship. Mr. Ambrose was nowhere in sight but I saw a pair of double doors across from me and I had a feeling that he had gone that way. I walked across the deck and my hand clasped the dark metal doorknob, starting to turn it when Karim called out from behind me.

"What are you doing Ifrit?" he asked.

"I'm going inside. What else do you think I'm doing?"

"I do not know. But be careful. Most of the items inside are not allowed to be touched by anyone, let alone a vi.. person like you." I turned, hand still on the knob, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You need not warn me of anything. I'm more careful than you, a mammoth of a man who might as well break something you brush upon. I am surprised that hasn't happened yet." My eyes shifted to the floor underneath him and he sucked in a breath. He was about to respond but I didn't let him. I turned the doorknob and entered, closing it shut behind me.

The interior of this ship was huge, though obviously not as big as the exterior. There was a bannister nearby that was actually made out of wood rather than metal, and it led down... Somewhere. Across from me, around five or more feet away was a closed door. I walked over to it and tried the knob. Locked. I turned back around and then decided to go down the stairs, and hope that I'd find Mr. Ambrose there.