A Captain’s Opinion
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“Captain?” Lieutenant Bors said. “We are approaching the rendezvous point.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” I replied. “You have done a good job today. I am proud of your work.”
“I’m just glad we’re back on schedule and that everything went according to plan.”
“It’s because you were so diligent in getting us here on time,” I told him. “Your efforts did not go unnoticed.”
Lieutenant Bors beamed with pride. He was a good officer. We had worked together for several years now, and he always did his best to do his part when it came to the mission at hand.
“I’ll let you get some rest now,” I said. “I’ve got to prepare myself for my meeting with the king.”
“Will he be able to help us find those people who stole our ship?”
“That is why I am going to meet with him,” I replied. “He has been very helpful in the past when it comes to matters like this. If anyone can help us, then he will be the person to call upon.”
“Good luck, sir!” Lieutenant Bors said as he saluted me. “Be careful out there!”
“I’ll see you soon,” I told him as I returned his salute.
I exited the bridge and made my way down to the lower decks where I would be spending the night. It was late, but I still needed to get some sleep before I met with the king.
I entered my cabin and quickly changed into some fresh clothes. Afterward, I grabbed the bottle of wine I had brought along with me from home and poured myself a glass. The alcohol helped calm my nerves, which were already running high due to the upcoming meeting.
My mind began to wander back to my family, and how I hadn’t seen them in months. They were the only ones that could make me feel better right now.
The last thing I wanted was to disappoint my parents, especially after they had gone through so much trouble in order to bring me here.
I took another drink of wine as I thought about what I should say to the king when we first met. I didn’t want to come off as rude or disrespectful, but it wouldn’t hurt to let him know exactly how I felt.
After all, I wasn’t asking him to give me anything; I simply wanted to know if he knew anything about my father and his crew.
I couldn’t believe I was actually going to ask the king for help. I had never done that before in my life.
But I guess that was one of the perks of being captain. You got to decide who gets to live and who dies.
I chuckled to myself as I finished my glass of wine.
I walked over to the bed and laid down on top of the covers. My eyes grew heavy as I closed them, and within minutes I was fast asleep.
***
I awoke the next morning feeling refreshed. I had gotten plenty of sleep, which was something I hadn’t been able to do since I left home.
I stood up and stretched, letting out a yawn. My body felt sore from sleeping on the hard wooden floor, but it was worth it to wake up feeling well-rested.
As I made my way to the bathroom, I noticed my reflection in the mirror and was surprised by what I saw.
I had always tried to stay in shape, but lately, I hadn’t really been doing much exercise. Now that I looked at myself in the mirror, I realized how much weight I had put on over the past few months.
My belly was bigger than I remembered it to be, and my arms were covered with thick, dark hair.
I shook my head and sighed. There was no need to worry about such things right now.
I finished washing my face and brushed my teeth before heading downstairs to the mess hall. I sat down at an empty table and ordered some food for breakfast.
While I ate, I watched the other soldiers eating their meals. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, even though they were far away from home.
I couldn’t blame them for being happy, though. I would be just as excited if I were in their shoes.
“Hey, Captain,” Sergeant Bors said as he approached the table. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” I replied. “Just got some decent sleep last night, thanks to you guys.”
Sergeant Bors nodded. “Yeah, you sure slept well.”
“I guess I needed it after yesterday’s excitement.”
“Well, I hope you have a good day today,” Sergeant Bors said. “You’re meeting with the king later today.”
“Yes, I am,” I replied. “It should be interesting.”
“Oh yeah? What does he usually talk about when you meet with him?”
“He mostly asks me if there is any news that needs to be passed along to him from back home,” I explained. “He also likes to hear stories from us about our adventures. Most of them are pretty funny.”
“I bet they are,” Sergeant Bors said with a smile. “I wish I could go back home for a while.”
“You’ll get your chance soon enough,” I told him. “We’ve been lucky so far, but it won’t be long until we run into pirates again.”
“True,” Sergeant Bors replied. “I just hope we can survive this time.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I will do everything in my power to protect you guys from harm.”
Sergeant Bors smiled and gave me a quick salute before he headed off to finish his breakfast.
I finished my meal and went to take care of the rest of my morning chores. By the time I was finished, it was time to leave for the meeting with King Jorgen.
I walked into the throne room and saluted the guards that were standing outside. Once they returned my salute, I made my way inside.
King Jorgen was waiting for me at the front of the room. He was sitting on his throne with his hands folded in front of him.
“Captain,” he said as he stood up and walked towards me. “Thank you for coming. Please, sit down.”
I followed his instructions and took a seat across from him.
“So, what did you think of the palace?” the king asked. “I hope you enjoyed your stay here.”
“It was nice,” I answered. “But I don’t plan on staying much longer. I’m only here to meet with you about a business matter.”
“Oh?” the king asked. “And what might that be?”
“I want to hire you to lead my crew,” I said bluntly.
The king looked surprised by my answer. It seemed like he wasn’t expecting me to make that request so quickly.
“Hire me?” he said. “To lead your crew?”
“That’s right,” I replied. “I’m willing to pay you ten gold coins for each of them.”
The king laughed at my offer. “Ten gold coins? Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am,” I confirmed. “If you agree to these terms, then I will give you five gold coins now to start your work immediately. The remaining five gold coins will be paid upon completion of the job.”
“Are you sure about this?” the king asked, still laughing.
“Absolutely,” I replied. “I know that you have never hired anyone to lead your crew before, but I can guarantee that you will not regret this decision. In fact, I expect that it will end up saving you money in the long run.”
The king looked at me curiously for a moment before he spoke again.
“Very well,” he said after a short pause. “I accept your offer.”
I took out a small pouch of gold coins and handed it to the king. He counted through the coins and handed them back to me.
“This is all the money you need to begin your new duties,” he explained. “However, please keep in mind that this money will be deducted from your pay once you return to your ship.”
I nodded and thanked the king for his help. Then I rose to my feet and turned to leave.
“Wait!” King Jorgen called out to me. “There’s one more thing you should know about.”
I paused for a moment and turned back to face the king.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I have recently received word that a pirate fleet has been spotted in the area,” he explained. “They appear to be heading straight for this city.”
“Where exactly are they going?” I asked.
“They are currently heading east,” King Jorgen answered. “It looks like they may be planning on attacking the city of Larken.”
“Why would they attack a town like that?” I asked.
“Because it is a major trading hub for the entire region,” the king answered. “If they can destroy or rob the goods that are being shipped in and out of the city, then they will be able to make a lot of money.”
“That makes sense,” I said. “But why would a pirate fleet bother with such an unimportant town?”
“Perhaps because they want to steal some of the valuable cargo that is being transported there,” King Jorgen suggested. “Or perhaps they plan on looting the city itself.”
“Either way, it doesn’t sound like they’re planning on stopping at any other towns along their path,” I said. “So, if they are heading towards Larken, then they must intend on hitting it hard.”
“Indeed,” King Jorgen agreed. “Which means that we could use your help.”
“Me?” I asked. “But I’m no fighter.”
“You don’t need to fight them,” the king assured me. “Just get yourself and your men away from the city as quickly as possible. If the pirates manage to reach the city, then you will have plenty of time to escape.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll do my best to make sure that my crew gets safely away from the city. But what happens when they hit it?”
“We will deal with that problem when it arises,” the king said. “In the meantime, I suggest that you head back to your ship and prepare for battle.”
“Right,” I said. “Thanks again for your help.”
I left the palace and made my way back to my ship. As soon as I stepped foot on deck, I was met by my first mate, who had been watching the city while I was inside talking with King Jorgen.
“Well?” he asked. “Did you talk to the king?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “I talked to him and I think I have a plan.”
“Good,” he said. “I was hoping you would.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I’ve noticed that your crew is getting tired of sitting around doing nothing,” he explained. “They’re starting to complain about how bored they are, and it’s starting to take its toll on morale.”
“I know,” I sighed. “And I hate it too. But I haven’t figured out yet exactly where we should go next. We could sail south towards the city of Sorelle, but that would put us right in the middle of a war zone. Or we could sail north towards the city of Darmoon, but that would also put us in the middle of a war zone.”
“So what do you suggest?” the first mate asked.
“I think we should just continue sailing east until we find a place that seems safe enough to settle down,” I decided. “Then we can figure out what to do from there.”
“Sounds good to me,” my first mate said. “Do you want to tell everyone else, or should I?”
“Tell them,” I told him. “I need to speak with Captain Rynn.”
The first mate gave me a questioning look, but he didn’t say anything. He simply walked away and began shouting orders to my crew. Within moments, most of them were gathered on deck and waiting to hear what I had to say.
“Alright,” I said. “Here’s the plan.”
I outlined my strategy to my crew, and they all seemed to agree that it sounded like a good idea. The only real question that remained was where exactly we should set up our base camp. It took several hours, but eventually, we managed to come up with a suitable location.
Afterward, I went over to talk with Captain Rynn. She was standing near the stern of the ship, looking out at the sea. I joined her and she turned to face me.
“So, where exactly are we headed now?” she asked.
“East,” I replied. “We’re going to head east until we find a place that feels safe enough to settle down.”
“Sounds good,” she said. “Are you sure you’re not just running away?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I’m not running away. This is a calculated risk. We’re going to head east until we find somewhere that seems safe enough to live. Once we do, then we’ll decide what to do from there.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Captain Rynn nodded. “So what are you going to do once we reach our destination?”
“I’m going to try and get a message to my father,” I said. “Hopefully, he’ll be able to send some reinforcements to help us against the pirates.”
“That could work,” Captain Rynn said. “But even if he does send help, it might not arrive in time.”
“I know,” I admitted. “But it’s worth a shot.”
Captain Rynn looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking again.
“I have another suggestion,” she said. “Why don’t you try to negotiate with King Jorgen? You said that he has a fleet of ships. Why don’t you ask him to join forces with you and help you defeat the pirates?”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” I said. “It does sound like a good idea, though. Maybe I should talk to him after we reach our new home.”
“I suppose so,” Captain Rynn agreed. “I just hope he agrees to help.”
“Me too,” I said. “But I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
***
After leaving the palace, I went back to my cabin and started packing up our things. By the time I finished, it was late afternoon, and my crew members were beginning to show signs of restlessness. They’d been cooped up inside the ship for weeks, and they were itching to stretch their legs. Sooner or later, someone was bound to start causing trouble, and I wanted to be ready for it.
When I was done packing, I went to see Captain Rynn, and together we went over to the main deck of the ship. There, we found a large crowd of people gathered around one of the cannons mounted on the bow of the ship. Captain Rynn and I joined them, and we watched as a young man climbed up onto the gun and prepared to fire it.
“What do you think he’s doing?” I asked Captain Rynn.
“Shooting off a cannonball,” Captain Rynn shrugged. “I assume he’s trying to impress his friends.”
“I doubt that he will,” I chuckled.
A few moments later, the young man pulled the trigger, and a large cannonball shot out of the barrel of the cannon and sailed through the air. It flew straight towards the ocean, and then vanished into the water as soon as it hit.
“Did he really think that would work?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Captain Rynn said. “He’s probably just having fun with it.”
“You have a point,” I sighed. “If he wants to have fun, then why doesn’t he just let us go?”
“I don’t know,” Captain Rynn shrugged. “Maybe he’s trying to keep us occupied while the rest of his men sneak aboard the ship and attack us.”
“That makes sense,” I said.
After a few more cannonballs were fired off, the young man came down from the gun and rejoined his friends. Captain Rynn and I watched him talking animatedly with his friends for a few minutes before we decided to leave him alone.
“Come on,” I said to Captain Rynn. “Let’s go back to my cabin.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “I think we’ve seen enough of this for today.”
Once we got back to my cabin, Captain Rynn and I sat down at my desk and began writing letters to my father. The first letter was short and simply told him that I had escaped from the pirates and was on my way to find him. Then, we wrote a second letter telling him that I had reached our destination safely and was preparing to make contact with King Jorgen.
After we finished writing the letters, we sealed them in envelopes and addressed them to my father and to King Jorgen respectively. I took them along with me when I left the ship the next morning, and I gave them to the captain of the guard who was standing watch outside the palace gates.
The following day, I waited anxiously outside the palace gates for King Jorgen’s reply. When the captain of the guard returned with the letters, I opened mine immediately and read it.
Dear Prince Evan,
Thank you for your kind words regarding my daughter’s wedding. She truly was a beautiful bride, and I am sure that her husband will make a fine king someday. I am sending you a copy of the marriage certificate, which you may use if you wish.
As for your request, I must respectfully decline. While I appreciate the offer, I believe that it is best for everyone involved if I remain where I am. If I were to return to the kingdom now, there would be an uproar among my subjects, and they would demand that I take action against the pirates. However, if you defeat the pirate threat yourself, then no one will question my decision to stay away from the battlefront.
The End