The Unblessed Child

Chapter Thirteen - Rachida's Wrath

The rest of the week passed in similar fashion to the first day aboard. Aardriyah awoke from whatever dream she had the night prior, scribbled it all down and had fast meal with Sekher and Rachida each day. She would finish her kitchen duties in the morning, before moving on to scrubbing floors and decks awash with gull poo. Past peak sun she would take the laundered uniforms from the water blessed in the washers dorms, drop them off to the air blessed who dried them out and then passed them on to the fire blessed who smoothed them with a block of iron heated by their hands. Then came the duty of dropping every uniform off to every staff and servant on board. She saw Master Keelie every now and then, who would monitor her work and offer up any criticism he could. Her fever seemed to have faded after the first night on board and she did relish the opportunity to say to Rachida,

"I told you so."

The end of the day, before last meal, was her favourite time as she would pick up Kit from Princess Kibo's chambers and enjoy some time with him, teaching him new tricks and playing hide and seek. As usual, the princess remained silent in almost all of their exchanges, simply nodding and smiling where needed, but otherwise keeping to herself in her chambers. Aardriyah had noticed the princess was an avid reader and had a new book on her bedside table each day. On her first day off, she decided she would garner the courage to ask Princess Kibo if she could borrow a couple, to pass the weeks that remained at sea.

When Aardriyah awoke on Lullday, the one designated day of the week where she was able to truly rest, she realised she hadn't had a dream the night before and could start her day quicker than usual. She kissed Kit gently on the forehead, looked over to Rachida who was snoring loudly, legs wrapped between the blankets and arms hanging off the bed, and decided to let her sleep in. After all the temperature onboard had still been quite cold, and all the fire blessed seemed well passed exhaustion trying to keep the rooms at a temperature that would ward off illness.

After grabbing two bowls of the fast meal on offer, one for herself and one for Kit, she sat at the usual table and took in how few people were awake at this time of the morning on Lullday. Perhaps all the blessed relished the opportunity to have a later start to the day. First light had only just dawned on the horizon an hour prior, and so only those that were required to prepare meals needed to be up at this time of the day. Apparently, Master Keelie had also risen early and taking in the few tables, he spotted Aardriyah and sat across from her.

"Blessed day." He said, to which she responded the same. She hurried to finish the last morsels of porridge in her bowl, not wanting to be in his presence or make unnecessary conversation if she could avoid it.

"It's your first Lullday aboard, how do you intend to spend it?"

Aardriyah had just taken a mouthful and tried to awkwardly swallow the food quickly so she could respond. She choked slightly on her food, before saying through coughed spluttering,

"I was going to read, actually."

He raised his eyebrows,

"You brought some books with you?"

"Sadly, no. I was going to borrow some from Princess Kibo actually. Well I mean I was going to ask, I'm not sure if she will let me."

"She let you travel halfway across the world without any experience or ascertainable talents, I'm sure a book is nothing in comparison." He very nonchalantly replied, sipping his hot tea and looking off into the distance.

"Why do you feel the need to constantly bring me down?" Aardriyah raised her voice, sick of dealing with his constant negativity and judgement. On the island only the blessed had treated her so poorly, but on the ship, it seemed the opposite - the unblessed, or at least this unblessed man, treated her with no respect or dignity.