The star of the morning was beckoning to the bowsprit of the anchored ship, boasting in front of the huge mast as if trying to compete with its height. The dawning sun started to unwind her golden braids across the smoothed wood of the sleeping ship giving life to the eyes of the carved goddess adorning its front as the cool breezes the goddess seemed to be breathing and lulling the water of the sea with was tickling the soft skin of the young man heading in a small boat toward the huge ship. He was hiding his shivers beneath his much larger coat, and held tightly with both hands a carefully warped letter; his new assignment. The three - branched spear the goddess was holding seemed to be protecting the ship from any intruders yet the small boat heading straight at it didn't stop until it faced the ship. The soldier standing next to the shivering young man poked him pointing at the front of the ship, the young man's eyes glittered childishly amazed by the fancy craftsmanship.
Noticing this, the soldier commented:
" Here she's, Albert... there's no sailor on the face of the earth who wishes not to sail on board of it."
"I can understand why now, sir Vincent. She's truly amazing!"
The young lad exclaimed failing to control his excitement, despite the rigorous efforts he had spent for the last week practicing a stern cold face, before the noise of the rudely thrown ladder pulled him away from his admiration. His friend smiled whispering teasingly in his ear:
" Unlike the nice ship, the crew doesn't seem that friendly!"
" They will have to accept our presence; we're directly hired by his majesty."
The young man's tone suddenly sharpened; he spoke like a ranked officer, more like an aloof aristocrat and started to climb the ladder without hesitation. Albeit, his heart was bouncing more than ever… this was his first official assignment; he was a direct representative of the king himself despite still being eighteen - year old and that's why he had to act tough and responsible so that no one onboard this ship could take him lightly. He was convinced that as long as he was holding the royal seal no one would dare oppose or mock him. He took his first step on the ship surface getting his first glance of the crew obviously composed of rough muscular men who experienced the danger of the stormy sea as many times as a man could count. He felt surrounded by them, and despite their clean simple uniform their eyes were deriding the man's neat royal clothes, or deriding the man in them, he couldn't tell. And while he remained still, seemingly unfazed by the glares he was receiving, he couldn't prevent his eyes from rushing his much older friend who was climbing steadily.
The crew made a sudden movement as they spared some space allowing another man, dressed differently from the sailors, to come out and face the new arrivals. He seemed reasonable enough for young Albert to address him, and prepared to introduce himself but the new man wasted no time to start the conversation:
"So this is the royal officer, this brat!"
Albert face didn't drop the clam expression he wore; he replied while getting out his paper of assignment:
"I'm Albert Hudgson; I'm to be on board this ship by his majesty's will…"
But the paper was quickly plucked and thrown on the ground by the man Albert thought of as the chief of the crew, or the vice-captain. He followed the thrown paper with his eyes then turned angrily at the chief, and said trying to maintain his temper:
" You're defying his majesty…"
The young man was cut off by the crew's laughs. The first mate approached steadily from him as the sailors enjoyed seeing their brave chief showing an aristocrat his true place onboard this ship. Albert's friend rushed to his help as the chief held Albert from his white collar saying:
" Look my men; this spoiled noble brat is trying to impose himself on us. He thinks he can act all tough and mighty because of a mere paper with a seal on it!"
Vincent, Albert's companion, put his hand on his sword's handle but didn't need to draw it as Albert grasped the chief's hand ready to twist it but a punch from the chief's other hand threw the youngster down. Albert rubbed his swollen cheek while Vincent unsheathed his sword only to get the seamen angrier. They dropped their sneering smiles and crackled their fingers ready for the fight as their chief was preparing to deliver another strong punch to the man lying on the ground before a loud sharp voice stopped them:
"Let it go, men!"
Albert and Vincent raised their head to see the person who could stop these thirsty for fight men with a simple order delivered by a soft yet demanding tone.
Vincent sheathed his sword and bowed his head gently as a young woman stood in the middle separating between the two fighting parties; she put her hands on her waist as she scolded the men like a mother scolding her misbehaving children:
" What do you think yourselves doing? Didn't the captain forbid you from bullying the royal officer? What will you do if I told him about what happened now?"
The men's raised fists were quickly lowered as if this (captain) word was magical, even the thrown young man frowned when he heard it. The men quickly started to flatter the lovely woman as they scattered in every direction, heading back to their business. But the first mate turned at the newly assigned officer before leaving as well and said:
" If it weren't the captain's orders you'd have regretted setting a foot on this ship!"
Vincent sighed relieved that the situation didn't get any worse, while the woman who managed to stop the fight turned to Albert giving him her hand as she said:
" And you call yourself a royal officer? You should curse your fate for being assigned to this ship!"
The breezes that were tickling the young officer's skin earlier this morning were tangling the woman's long dark tufts. Her simple beauty was inspired from nature itself; the damp rich soil gave her extremely long hair both the color and the nice smell, while the round cheeks seemed like two ripe peaches. She was the same age as the young officer who hesitated to take the hand extended to him but finally, pushed by Vincent looks, didn't want to embarrass the girl and seem rude. He said to her while bending to get his thrown assignment:
" Thank you, miss…"
He didn't go on because the girl wasn't even listening, her eyes were fixed on his name written down the unfolded paper, she moved her eyes quickly between the man's name and his face then throwing away all boundaries that should exist between a royal officer and the ship cook , she held his hands pressing them tightly and shouted childishly:
" I can't believe this! Are you really Albert Hudgson? When they first told me the new officer's name nothing got into my mind but now when I look closely at you, I know it's you, Albert!"
The girl dropped all the titles and spoke with ultimate confidence that could only emanate from a true friendship or long acquaintance. The two men stared at her surprised yet she kept smiling shaking Albert's hands and even when she noticed that the young man did not seem to remember her, her smile did not waver, as she admonished him instead:
" Don't you remember me? I am Alice, from eight years ago!"
Albert looked closely at her, he'd seen this shining smile somewhere before. He gasped shocked as the memory of his old childhood friend suddenly flowed his mind:
" Alice… is this really you? What are you doing on board this ominous ship?"
" Didn't you know? I've been working as the cook of this ship for about five years! They can't manage a thing without me here!"
" The cook, on this ship all alone?"
Failing to understand the reason of his surprise, she explained like a little child:
"The men here are so gentle and respectful and the captain allowed me to cut anyone's head if he dared to bother me. Plus, I'm the one who begged to work on this ship!"
She said the last sentence with a low voice that neither of the two men could heard her, tilting her head slightly in a shy sweet act. Driving the subject away from herself, she turned at Albert eyeing him from head to toe:
" Those clothes suites you will! I see you've changed in these past few years! So, have you given up on that crap of discovering new seas and worlds?"
Albert bowed his head sighing while his friend, the older soldier, looked at him waiting for the youngster's answer; it was the first time he'd heard that Albert had such dreams. Albert's eyes shone like the sun beams that guided his boat to this ship while saying:
" No, I haven't forgotten. Being assigned to this ship is the first step!"
" Then I haven't forgotten either!"
Alice spoke winking at him and warming his fidgeting heart with her famous smiles. And before leaving to attend her business, she turned at Albert again and said:
" It's nice to meet someone you know on your first job, consider that you've found yourself an ally here!"
The two men smiled, her words were sweet and friendly yet they also meant that they were totally unwelcome on this ship. Acknowledging this fact from the earlier welcome he'd received and certifying it with his childhood friend's words, Albert was still determined to impose upon everyone his respect. This notion reminded Albert of something important, he rushed behind the girl, stopping her with a gentle hand on her shoulder questioning in concealed anger:
" Where is the captain of this ship? He hasn't come to welcome me yet!"
" You want the captain of this ship to welcome you? Thank god that he hasn't thrown you to the sea yet!"
Alice replied in a tone that reflected that he should really be grateful, but Albert demanded nervously:
" He can't do that! I'm a royal officer and he has to respect me! Where is he?"
Albert sounded really angry this time that Alice wanted to ask what had happened to him but a strong yet gentle voice echoing throughout the ship interrupted them:
" Get ready to set off now, men!"
Alice nudged Albert to follow her eyes that were glittering, and announced to him:
" That's the captain you're asking about; Alex Walcott."
The two men followed her gaze with two different looks; Vincent's eyes maintained their calmness while Albert couldn't conceal the anger and tension brewing in them as he looked at the tall imposing figure that stood in the middle of the ship surrounded by his loyal crew. And while Albert's hair glowed with the sun's color, the captain's hair glittered with moonless darkness. The sun has kissed his skin which smelled of the salt of the sea he had faced countless times, and in his almond eyes one could feel the clam that precedes the storm, a storm similar to the one that was agitating in the young officer's eyes. The captain noticed the two new arrivals in their royal suits, he looked at Albert guessing that he was the officer sent by the king yet said nothing and his eyes quickly ignored the young man staring at him with piercing eyes.
As soon as the men heard their captain's orders they rushed like a beehive preparing to leave the port. The giant white masts were all set like the wings of a swan strutting on the surface of a blue glassy painting. The carved goddess seemed to be splitting the small waves dancing around the shape base with her holy three - branched spear. And with her heavenly eyes she was summoning blessed weather as the Amphitrite, the sea goddess, sailed through the ocean lying ahead.