My papa had wished me to stay at our home, and bring order to his trade. He would allow me to choose the man I would like to marry as long as he could always place bread upon the table and never make me shed tears.
He had taught me to read, and to write. I began to write down his trips, and how much trade goods he was taking into a book he had bought for me. I had only one entry in that book, and I threw it into the port's waters when he never returned. I was to work for only one tradesman, and his name was always going to be Maximilian Handelaar. I had wished so much that I could follow his wishes. Bring order to our families trade, marry the man I chose but instead our families trade disappeared as much as the man I wanted to marry did.
"BRYONY!" Sasha's voice pierced through the walls into the kitchen.
"Go, I'll do it." I gave the order to Malori, and removed my apron as I walked to the grand entrance. It was a long walk that used to make me breathless and burn my legs but I had become used it as many things in the house I did.
"Yes?" I asked her, and her back was facing me. "Yes?" I repeated and she turned around. She held in her hands a letter, her eyes looked at me with a sadness that made my entire chest feel light.
"A letter has arrived, it is from Bremerhaven."
"The port city?" She nodded, and stretched her hand out to me. I nearly ripped the letter in half as I opened it, my hands had begun to tremble violently, and my heart felt icy.
A ship by the name of Wolk has been found in our coastline, the closest kin we found of the captain was a woman by the name of Bryony Handelaar the daughter of the captain. One of the ship men has mentioned you, and he ask for you arrival promptly.
I ran through the doors, it had begun to snow but the snow was nothing to me. I ran, my papa. My papa and his ship, I would run to him if I had to. A year with my papa but a morsel of a memory to me. The cold air was striking my face making it sting, my eyes weep, and my lips became dry. I felt nothing, all I felt was the urge to go to my papa.
"CHILD!" I did not know how far I had run, and when I turned to see the manor was no longer at my sight's view. Only Jacob on his carriage, and the black horses causing the snow to jump around them as their legs ran towards me.
He stopped a few feet in front of me, and I stepped into the carriage. Within it were my cloak, and a small bag holding what I could only know was my pay and more. I put on my gloves and surcoat along with my cloak. I was prepared to run again, and more.
He took me to the nearest village, where he paid another coachman to take me to my destination with a warning of who I was.
"She is a lady of the master's house." He warned the young man who nodded so rapidly I thought his head was to fall off of his body. "Care for yourself Bryony, and we expect you to return." I smiled at him, and gave him a hug. "It is not going to be as warm as it was with you if you do not return child. Now go, and seek the ending of your pain."
I had changed carriages three times, each time the young man warning the other of who I was. They neither spoke to me nor looked at me, only meeting with me to help me out and into the carriages. I did not allow for any stops, I was needed promptly.
When we arrived, I gave the young man a thank you and more of what he deserved for how quickly he brought me to Bremerhaven.
It was not very different from Emden. It's homes were more distant, and they had beautiful churches. The ships roamed the seas like ants in a colony.
"It's down there," The young carriage driver said to me, I followed where he pointed his long red finger to. The snow made me go slower, or I would have been running carelessly.
