Rage and Rebellion (Histories of Havenhearth)

3.1 Wynemere

The call of "Up and out, up and out!" punctuated her sleep, followed immediately by Tanden's annoyed voice. "I will never get over these early mornings," she groaned. There was a heavy bang on the door and a moment later it was flung open.
"A good morning to you too. Capitaine is up already so out of the bunks. We sail today and there's lots to do." It was Brushhill, the boatswain, who disappeared down the alleyway to knock on other doors. Tanden slammed it shut, "This is an unspiritly hour. Even the rooster sleeps, not that we'd hear him anyway," she tried to stretch in the cabin, and then she yanked the blankets off her two cabin mates. "Up and out ladies!"
Wynemere grabbed her tunic and trousers, pulling them over the underclothes, and then popped on her boat shoes. By the time she had done that, Kody had just stood up. More shouts demanding their presence could be heard, so up the narrow steps she hurried on deck to what would be her first full day on the job. Fortunately she did not have time to feel nervous since everything was already in full swing. Overvalley was shouting, deck hands had started moving gear around, but they had to wait for the tide and customs clearance before they could sail. The morning was a dull one, grey-yellow and overcast, not the start at sea she had envisioned..

Capitaine shook hands with the customs official and she stepped onto shore. "Safe voyage," Wynenere heard her say before she walked over the plank back to the dock, and all and everything was aboard that would stay aboard. Eventually they likewise received tide clearance by the port master and Capitaine Pickfordshelm called something out to Overvalley, who saluted and picked up a loudspeaker, a long cone to amplify her voice. "Cast off!" She called out. "Stand by for rowing." She lowered the cone and made her way to the bow of the ship, the commotion stopped, everything seemed momentarily quiet. A splash indicated that the rope holding them to shore had been tossed into the water. Wynemere was part of the crew that was pulling it in, dripping with the cold, murky water, hand over hand, and coiling it up on the deck and removing the only remaining link to land. The quiet resumed as they waited for the order to let go the sails. Wynemere glanced at the woman at the helm, standing tall at the wheel, looking up the mainmast out of habit, since the great sails had not yet been loosed and would not be until they were well out of port, and then they would be away across the sea for Cassion.

Wynenere felt tension, apprehension, anxiety, excitement of this amazing and wild departure which was about to happen, but nobody else seemed to care. Those waiting on deck appeared bored and there was nobody dockside to see them go other than the seagulls who circled, crying out in their search for garbage as food. Their three night journey to Loutouse was nothing special. It happened daily, and they were one of many which would depart for this type of ordinary and common journey in the same day. But for Wynenere, it was something else entirely. A new life, a new career where she'd be able to travel the world, experiencing things she could not yet even imagine, returning a new person. Nothing would be the same.

It had started to rain again, the rowers working below decks now as they exited the port basin and out into the stream, heading outwards for the mouth of the bay and into the sea. The air was damp and cold and the water flat, but pockmarked by the rain. The buildings of Albion and the dock warehouses drifted slowly past and away. Still the deckhands, looking bored, waited for the breeze. Capitaine kept her eyes up to the sky, or down to the water, and Wynenere could not imagine the reading she was doing in either. A banner, as kind of a wind gauge, hung limp from the mizzen mast. As soon as this moved, the sails would be pulled down, Wynenere had learnt. The women and men would climb up the masts, out onto the yards and foot ropes and untie the ropes keeping up the sails, both of which Wynemere still had to learn. She had no idea which ropes were which and what they were for. This would come in time, but she wondered if she should have maybe studied just a little bit beforehand. There were so many ropes that crisscrossed everywhere, from deck to masts, between masts, to the yards, to the sails, to something called a boom.
"Stop dreaming greeney! It's time to work!" Wynemere jumped at Overvalley's voice, assuming she was talking to her. However, she was speaking to Kody, who was leaning against a guardrail.
"There's nothing to do!" She called back.
"I beg your pardon?" Prudena was speechless, taken aback, her mouth dropped open.
"Stand up straight," she barked, Kody obeyed, but did not meet the gaze of the mariner. "Ms. Meadowmoss, I'd love you to sing us out!" Kody exhaled, figuring she was off the hook. "But before you do, please pass the brush to greeney
over there and she can clean the lavatories." Kody's eyes widened and  now they looked at Prudena, straight in the eyes, but she didn't look back. "Immediately." Kody slumped off to get the brush, resigned to her punishment, with the lesson learned that there was always something to do on board a ship at sea.

The rowing continued, and the waiting continued, and the breeze did not come. But minute by minute they edged away from Tainland and out into open sea, and the world. And nonetheless, Meadowmoss cleared her throat and sang, the crew who knew the tune joining in, in strong voices that were used to calling out commands and replies over open spaces. Surprisingly, it was Prudena Overvalley who sang best of all, in an opera soprano which gave Wynemere goosebumps, and whose eyes were wet and shiny.

When the wind is right, the canvas tight, that's paradise, you'll see.
innocence and tranquility,
upon the waves, you'll be free,
The serenity, the reverie, at sea is where I'll be.
But it's home, yes it's home that to my heart, holds the key.

And as they sang, the banner moved, a small breeze, but enough. The Capitaine reacted first, calling the direction of the  wind to Overvalley, followed by "make sail, if you please!" Prudena did not need to issue any orders- although that didn't stop her shouting- when the crew heard the direction, they sprung into action, as if a beehive had just woken up after a long winter's sleep. Men and women swarmed up the ropes and the masts, climbing out along the yards. Wynenere noticed Tanden was one of the first climbers, inching out along the highest yard on the mainmast. Overvalley called out that Wynenere and Kody should attend to the braces, which they both found out, mean a rope which rotated a yard, one on each side of it. But until the sails were down and the Capitaine got precise feedback on the wind, there was no rotation needed. So Wynenere continued to watch the climbers and those unrolling the sails to be pulled out along the yards. Nearly ready to be set at the bottom. More shouting. All canvas was up now, being addicted to the conditions- of the wind and where they wanted to go. This was called trimming and it was Pickfordshelm's call. Wynenere was sent to haul one of the yards to the proper angle, and found herself immediately sweating. But it was over just like that and the sails were up and off they went, south towards Havenhearth's continental mainland and Cassion. But their jobs weren't finished yet, because all the deck hands, Wynenere only now realised that this is what she was, had to meet at stern in order to choose watch shifts for both port and starboard. When she wasn't selected for watch immediately, she thought they might be sent back into their cabins, and those not on watch were indeed sent below, but not to their cabins- rather they had to help the cook with making food. And as soon as that order had been announced, Wynenere's stomach complained, as it felt like a long while since she had last eaten. The cook worked as a deck hand too, when it was time to set the sails. So now Wynenere, Kody and Tanden went to help peel and chop vegetables.
The cook turned out to be Meadowmoss, who had led the song just earlier, who asked "how's it feel?"
"Fine, thank you."
"Careful next time- with your feet- you stepped in a curve of rope, and  never know what might happen if it gets pulled somewhere and your foot ends up caught within it. You did a good job with the braves though,"
Tandem chimed in now, "This was nothing today- it was easy- no wind, no waves, no swell, just slightly ruffled water, no ice, barely wet from drizzle. It was the easiest it could be."
After the cooking, and the eating and the cleaning, Wynenere thought that maybe then she could have a short rest, but she was then ordered, along with Kody to do some work with Tanden. After that morning, and seeing Tanden climb, Wynenere knew what was in store- they too were going to climb. Prudena came over to give some advice, "don't grab on to the rat lines- they are for your feet, your footholds. You grab onto the shrouds for your hands. If not, any wind or rain or change, and you're done by."
It seemed to Wynenere, that there were many ways to die on a ship, and that she'd better learn all these ropes and sails and things soon, to avoid death moreso than understanding how a ship works.