An Epic of a Knight and Valkyrie

Chapter 4

The sea breeze was soothing as we sailed through the English Channel with the wind in our sails.  Though the sun was out and bright, it was far from feeling warm with the water spraying over the sides of the ship. The shipmates were busy at working, keeping an eye out and doing various other tasks to keep the sea vessel sailing. They joked and talked as they worked, looking right at home. I suppose that wherever they were, they were fine so long as they had the seas. Their gaiety was almost tangible, too. Even as I watched the shores of England vanish in the distance, I felt calm and serene. Perhaps this wouldn’t be as difficult as we thought.

I was quickly proven wrong as I headed to my cabin to get some rest before we arrived to land. I heard the captain and Roy arguing on the deck, with Wendy involved, and I wandered over, curious.

“It’s madness, I say!” The captain was insisting angrily, face purple with rage. “It’s completely unwarranted!”

“Don’t be so cowardly.” Roy grimaced stubbornly. “You’ll only be coming near enough so we may row to shore.”

“That’s far too close to that blasted country! You’d all be killed if you set foot on that soil with your posh accents!”

“The alternative is being killed in a whole different way.” Wendy murmured bitterly.

“What’s going on?” I asked as I approached. The captain turned on me.

“Sir Sebastian, please talk some sense to this man! He wants to sail to France!”

“It’s closest, after all.” Roy added.

“It’s the homeland of our enemy! We should go to Belgium, or the Netherlands!”

“And I tell you, we can’t!” Roy rolled his eyes at me.

“I’m afraid he’s right, captain.” The captain glared at me as I took Roy’s side. But I had to. Facing furious Frenchmen would be a lot better than facing whatever force of nature is keeping Wendy from the Norse countries. “We need to go to France or else this entire ship with be in danger.”

“Bull! What could be so dangerous that it would endanger my vessel?”

“Who knows?” Wendy shrugged. “The spirits of wandering warriors, perhaps. Or maybe the waves themselves will be your demise. Do you really care to find out?”

“You suggest spirits? Hah! What a farce! Why would they attack us?”

“Because you carry a cursed woman on your ship.” Wendy glared at him fiercely. “One that can overpower whatever effort you may make to go to either Belgium or the Netherlands.”

“Curse?” The captain’s face turned purple. “You mock me.”

“Do I look as if I am mocking you?”

Apparently not, the captain seemed to decide. He took a step back and mumbled angrily to himself as he strode off to the navigation room.

“Will spirits really come after us?” Roy asked curiously.

“I had been caught in an oversees blizzard near Norway and was attacked by a sea dragon. Too much can happen.”

“Why do they want to keep you from Norse country?”

“As I said; I am cursed. I turned my back on Odin, and so I am paying for it. Now, if you will excuse me, I am in need of rest.” She turned her back to us and headed toward the cabins. Roy just shook his head.

“Now I’m quite interested in what would happen.” He murmured. I gave him a leveled look.

“What troubles a Valkyrie may very well kill us, Roy.” I reminded him. He laughed.