I yawned as I paced downstairs slowly with my wrapped sole, heading towards the dining table for brunch. I overslept and was very displeased with it. Somehow, I couldn’t keep my head right since that I was still pondering about the dream I had dreamt just now before Captain Kenny left the room. Who’s Anna? Was the dream was just a dream or there’s something that I couldn’t manage to remember when I was young. My head was about to explode. I kept thinking about it and couldn’t put my mind at ease.
“Already awaken, sleeping beauty?” Captain Kenny nonchalantly pulled out a chair in front of me and sat there.
“No. I’m still sleeping here. Can’t you see that both my eyes are shut tightly?” I said bluntly.
“Your sarcasm still doesn’t cease even after I saved you. How’s your sole? Any better than last time?” He asked monotonously without looking at me whilst pulling a journal and began to read it.
“What? You want to offer another ride? What’s wrong with you recently?” I asked just to make sure that he didn’t bump his head or something.
“Nah, just not into that mood yet... Maybe that I’m not on board that I don’t feel like myself,” He replied briefly while turning the journal pages to pages.
“That’s rare to hear? Don’t feel like yourself? Don’t make me laugh? You’re obviously hiding something,” I pulled out a bed of bread and began to cut it a quarter before eating it.
“You’re sharp. Nice one, tomboy,” He put down the journal and began to clap his hands.
“Listen here, Homo! Just spit it out already! I’m sick of waiting and your acting is giving me goose bumps ever since... recently!” I shouted boldly.
He abruptly stood up, without looking back, he walked a few paces heading towards the door way before spurting out, “Sorry for the kiss.” and left the room, leaving me in bewilder.
“Though the sea parts us apart,
But from within there’s a bond,
Binding us together,
From those envious creature,
Who envy us for our pure love,
The only reason of my life,
Is only you.”
“Recited by Lilianna, The Unrequited Love,” I read it and finally closed the book hastily and lay down on my bed inside the inn. Was I being too harsh on him? He did apologise so, I think it’s better for me to forgive him. How on earth would he return my first kiss? Impossible wasn’t it? So, I made up my mind to meet him and apologise for being rude to him.
Having walking difficulties was the worst thing when you wanted to walk from a place to another. Hardy did tell me to prevent from walking and he didn’t mind if he was to carry me since that my sole was not yet recovered due to the last incident. I lost my count of how many times I had fall that day from walking. I lost track of time and was walking for hours to search for that nasty old captain. Howard and Ronn saw me walking and rushed towards my figure that was walking desperately.
“Hardy told you to rest, right?” Howard asked.
“Why aren’t you on bed, mate?” Ronn pulled out an anxious expression.
“Well I’m just having a tour inside this inn before we set sail. Well, it’s kind of boring to remain at the same place for a long period,” I blurted out such refine statements without a second thought.
“Your reasoning is kinda indistinct, mate. Better not move much or you’ll have that wound of yours tear up once again,” Ronn replied.
“I won’t. Don’t worry,” I grinned.
“I’m worried of that ‘Don’t worry’ of yours. No wonder Capt’n can’t take his eyes off of you,” Howard gave himself a face-palm.
“Sorry. But, I really can’t stand staying at the same room,” I paused for a minute. “Where’s everyone?”
Both of them looked at each other, exchanging looks while giving their smiles towards me.
“Capt’n is working them all,” Ronn replied with a sneer carved on his face.
“Violently,” Howard added.
“Why?” I asked curiously.
Howard drew his face towards my right ear and whispered, “We are to set sail this evening without anyone noticing it.”
“Whaa.... What for?!” I retorted, almost screaming.
“Not so loud. Capt’n doesn’t like people crediting us for what we had done. We are pirates, not knights,” Howard put his fore-finger at his lips.
“He’s one weird guy,” I muttered obnoxiously.
“That’s our capt’n. Let’s get going, girl,” Ronn gave me a piggy back as we headed towards where all the rest was working their backs off.
“Capt’n, special delivery!” Ronn said mischievously.
“Put ‘it’ back to where ‘it’ belongs. ‘It’ can do us no good since ‘its’ sole is unworkable,” Captain Kenny replied without looking at me which he was calling ‘it’.
“Firstly, I still have my hands to do works and secondly, I’m not an ‘IT’ to begin with. I’m a she,” I corrected him furiously.
“Yes, yes, save your blabs for later on. I’ve many unsettled business to be done,” He gestured his hand as if he was ‘shoo-ing’ me.
“Perhaps I need to remind you that our food-supply is about to finish by now. Someone needs to shop all those stuffs and you’re not expecting me to go alone with this sole?” I mocked.
He gave out a heavy sigh and stared at me for quite a while, “Listen girl, as you can see all of my men are busy here and you’re expecting any of us to accompany you?”
“Fine, if you’re hoping for us to have fishes as our dishes all the way towards our next port then I don’t mind. That is ‘if’ you can bear with it since no one knows how long we might be able to reach another land and it might as well take for about days or weeks. How about it, boys?” I grinned sadistically as I gave a slight glare of satisfaction towards that so-so mannered captain.
All of them groaned to show their dissatisfaction towards my statement. Captain couldn’t fight back instead offering himself as my accomplice to assist me in shopping for some groceries. Well, he still couldn’t trust his mates to make sure of my safety. Had he any choice?
We finally made our way towards the market place to shop and of course, I was on wheel chair since my sole was still sore. Vendors were shouting for customers, sellers were checking for their items to be sold, peoples all around, crowding the narrow streets with their baskets filled with money and groceries and etcetera. Since I was used to it, it wasn’t a bothersome but I could see that Captain Kenny was not so happy with the current situation of being in a crowd.
“I find it quite amusing that there are so much things to be seen here compared to what are sold in my previous home,” I started a conversation.
“I find it quite suffocating to be meddling in the middle of the crowds with weird odours lurking through the atmosphere,” He added, giving one of his scornful expressions.
“Can you not cope with the delicacy of being satisfied with anything in front of your eyes?” It was heart-breaking to hear him complaining about being in crowds.
“How can I ever be satisfied when I never get what I want from the very beginning?” He replied hastily without even looking at me.
“What you want? Then, what you want then?” I asked.
He gazed at me and looked away, muttering, “It’s no use. It has passed and there’s nothing to look forward to it.”
“The past is nothing. What is more important is what lies ahead of us. Mammy always told me that...”
“One must not look back to create a future because what you will be is what you do today,” He interrupted with my speech.
“How did you...?”
“Mammy’s like my second mom?” He replied.
“I see. How come you’ve known mammy for so long and not knowing of my existence?” I asked.
“Actually, I...” Before he could finish his statement, a vendor came interrupting our conversation.
“Excuse me, are you a couple? If you are then you two are lucky that today, we have a special offer for couples,” He paused for a while and took out a dagger whilst his fore-finger was pointing towards a bull’s eye that was hung somewhere inside the stall. “If your boyfriend managed to strike this dagger towards that red spot on the bull’s eye, you will receive this beautiful hairpin.”
“Ridiculous, why should I bother myself to strike that easy length thingy for a hairpin?” Captain Kenny raised his eye-brows with the look of disgust.
“You are a weird couple. How un-gentleman of you to treat your girl that way... Don’t waste that beauty of hers or she’ll find another guy. Or, you’re scared?” The vendor gave one of his sly looks.
“If you think this expression is the look of a chump, you better prepare a grave,” He threatened.
“That’s what you want, but what about her?” Both their attentions went towards me.
I was speechless at first but then I decided to speak, “Please, if you don’t mind.”
“See?” The vendor gave him a cunning smile.
“Whatever makes you pleased,” He said with a large scowl carved on his face.
He took the dagger and threw it swiftly. Not only the dagger hit directly towards the appointed place, it went right through it! Everyone was jaw-dropped to see him being so skilful. The vendor took out the hairpin with broad-smile carved on his face; he then gave it to Captain Kenny.
“Apply it on her. She’ll look grand,” He said.
“How beautiful will it be to see a lady on wheel chair wearing a hairpin?” Captain Kenny frowned.
“A beauty is still a beauty. Just wear it for her. How about it, my lady?” The vendor winked.
My face turned ruddy as an apple. I swiftly turned my face away from facing both of them. I didn’t know what to answer. But then I felt my hair was brushed backwards and I could feel the hairpin was being applied to my hair. As I turned backwards, applause arouse from the crowds as I see his hand were jerking back away from my face.
“An apology gift I presume,” He retorted without looking at me while pushing the wheel-chair.
“It’s okay. I’m not angry anymore. It’s not like you can return it anyway,” I replied.
Silence took place for quite a long time until we reached a bay where the wind blew refreshingly, brushing off my red wavy hair. His caramel-coloured hair too was swaying due to the sea-breeze which ahead of us, the greenish-blue sea was singing its nature song.
“The sea feels so good,” He closed his eyes as if his body was absorbing the atmosphere.
“Yeah, the beauty of the blue-sky with the greenish-blue sea, such beautiful complexion can never be seen anywhere,” I shifted my hair from covering my eyes.
“Would you like to dip your feet inside the sea-water? Don’t worry, it won’t hurt,” He offered.
“Sure,” I replied him with a smile.
He carried me all the way towards the sea and dipped both my feet inside the water. He chanted something, “As your lord, the Devil of the Sea, I command you to heal the wound and leave no scar on it.” Though it was kind of itchy at first, but then he carried me off the shore and told me to un-wrap my bandage. I did what was told and found my sole was completely cured without any scar. I was too happy that I quickly hugged him and said my thank you numerously without stopping.
Suddenly, something round was carried off-shore. I released my hold from hugging him and had my attention towards that oval-shaped stone which the colour was oddly peculiar. It was ocean-blue! How fascinating to be able to see such beauty nature that probably might’ve been swept away by the waves all along its way.
“What’s this? Could it be a coral?” I asked.
“The possibility for that thing to be a coral is outrageous. There’s no way it can be a coral with that kind of shape,” He replied.
“Then what is it?” I asked.
A voice replied my question with a refine answer, “It belongs to the sea. It’s now your subject Mr. Rogers.”
“How shocking to see a ‘supposed to be dead’ old man being alive,” Captain Kenny uttered in great displeasure. “I was caught a fool for believing a very old wizard to die that easily.”
“I’ll keep that as a compliment. Though I have the knowledge but I have not enough prowess to fight its fearful fire-breath. It is what to be expected from an old me,” He replied.
“You’re saying that this thing is magical?” I answered.
“That’s not a thing, my lady. I might not be able to address you that way in future though,” He paused. “Yes, it is magical but it’s not a thing. It is what you humans call creature.”
“How on earth that oval-thingy be a creature? It doesn’t look like one,” Captain Kenny took the thing from me and was observing it carefully.
“It is related to your title, my young man. You own it and you’ll keep it. It sought great caress and is very ferocious and deadly as it can be. Though it is not by fire but by water can it be as deadly,” He explained briefly.
“What kind of creature is it?” I asked overwhelmed with curiosity.
“It shall be known after it hatches. The name’s Penelope. Since that you’re the new owner of the Excalibur it cannot be helped. If you can guess what creature it is to be then you are his dominion from this very moment,” The dragon-lord replied confidently.
“I guess the egg consists of a small infant of a certain creature that is widely known as the sea-serpent though it was a sea-dragon. I’ve witnessed one with my very own eyes,” He replied.
“Then, shall it be,” He dragon-lord vanished through the thin air, leaving both of us in bewilder.
“I guess, this babe is under your care now,” I smiled.
“You’ll take care of it in my stead,” He started to pace away from me.
“What am I to do? I’ve never raised anything,” I retorted in panic.
“Then learn. If not then how are you going raise your own child in the future? Don’t you want to have any?” He asked monotonously.
“Of course I want too but this is different! It’s a dragon and how am I to raise a baby DRAGON?!” I panicked that the thing that I was holding could be the one to kill me in the future.
He held both my hands which was holding the egg and said, “Then let’s raise it together then.” Then he walked away.
I was stunned by his action and my heart was thumping like mad. The way he stated it was like we were married and was having a child. Well, it was too good to be true. But why did my heart thudded non-stop? Maybe I was too shocked to raise something that was not a human child. Well, who knew what it might be next.
