Everything was ready and what was left was to set sail towards the wide blue sea where there the sea-gulls were calling, the gust of breeze were singing the most beautiful song that a man could hear, the sun shone brightly as the clouds formed the look of cottons floating in the air. It was already noon and by evening we would sail our full course towards our next destination as our voyage was random.
“Are we ready for our next port?” Captain Kenny asked the whole crew.
“Aye, aye capt’n,” All of their voice synchronised in the air.
Merry smile were carved on their faces. Everyone couldn’t wait for their next journey to seek for new adventures that lay ahead which was remained unknown. As for me, I was still holding the egg and took my full attention towards it since that the egg was fragile and would break anytime if I was careless.
“Hey, Eleanor, how about a giant omelette for dinner?” Captain Kenny would say those weird ideas of frying it, cooking it, making it as an omelette or any other things that could be related into making the egg as food.
“No, you are not permitted to have feast on your very own minion just like what the wizard told us before!” I held the egg tightly.
“Though how much you want to keep it, it’ll eventually destroy us without us even knowing it,” He replied.
“What’s the use of having the title if you can’t even make a dragon bow to your foot?” I mocked.
“At least I’m not stupid enough to raise the thing that could be lethal to all of us,” He replied nonchalantly.
“At least I still have my humanity to even raise an infant. Where’s that promise of yours in raising it together? Big-talk without actions,” I took out my tongue at him.
“You little rascal,” He retorted fiercely.
Suddenly, the inn-owner came and offered us for our lunch. Scrumptious, that was what he had promised to all of us as we paced towards the dining hall somewhere nearby the west-wing where it was still under construction after the fire had been lit by the fire-breath caused by the dragon. Everything was already set on the table where there, tomato soup, grilled meats, soft and mouth watering loaves of breads, the nice fragrance of cheeses, freshly picked salads, grilled sea-foods and many more.
“Now then, please accept my hospitality. You all have been a great help in getting rid of that beast,” He bowed courteously.
“Your hospitality is accepted but we may not stay for more than a day or so,” Captain Kenny pulled out the chair and sat on it.
“Yes, yes. It has come to my knowledge that you shall flee without a word that I made this feast to celebrate our partings,” He replied with a slight smile carved on his face.
“Let me guess, an ancient-tongued with reddish worn-out cloak old man told you so, did he not?” Captain Kenny asked as if he had known it from the very beginning.
“I am not to spill the beans for what my old mate had told me so. But, yes he did. We had traversed far and wide. Name the land or the sea, we’ve been there. All of it! He was a great wizard of Ele Kingdom years back when our princess was kidnapped,” The Inn-owner finally started his tale. “Back then I was a knight. The kingdom is still mourning over the loss princess though a new prince was born weeks after then.”
All of the crews including me were paused from continuing our feast and had our ears on to hear the sad tale of Ele kingdom which the story was into my likings. Knights, wizards, dangers, princess... all of them was real and almost like some sort of fairy tales. Captain Kenny took a sip of the rum and was tearing the bread bits to bits and dipped each of them inside the soup before starting to chew them all.
“Eleanor, you have that letter I gave you, right?” The Inn-owner asked.
“Oh, yes. You asked me to deliver it to a knight known as Ale deFloid. Is he an acquaintance?” I asked.
“More than that, he’s my own flesh and blood. A son is what you might recognise him as. I left the land to find the princess since he was twelve and now, what a lad he had turned into...” He said proudly. “It seems that my blood does run inside his vein. He took the test to be a knight and there he is, a sturdy brave knight. But, I’m not going to recommend him to you. You’ll have a better husband in the future.” He winked.
I could feel that my face was red from the embarrassment. Most of the crews were giving meaningful grunts as they knew what was meant by the word given by the Inn owner.
“Sorry that I have not yet introduced myself properly. John deFloid is what to address me,” He bowed towards the crowds again. “John I’d say the best to call me. I’m aware of my very own age and you can as well address me Uncle John. I don’t mind that.”
“What happened to the princess? How did you lose her?” I shifted the plates away from me and crossed my finger while my elbows were on the table while my chin rested on my fingers.
Uncle John took a deep breath and started the tale, “One cold and purely white night covered in snows, the whole kingdom was alarmed by the princess’s absence from the castle. Bells were rung and our men were set to work in search for her but couldn’t find any trace. The king blamed Anna, the princess’s attendant, for her leaving the castle two days before her kidnapping. She got back a day after the incident.”
The word ‘Anna’ made the hair behind my neck stood up. Was it related to my dream or it was just a coincidence. I hid my fear and continued asking anything that was related to the story, “Well, have you found the trace of where she might be?”
“We did found it. But it was useless. The whole village was burnt right after we went there. It was burnt because there was this blight infecting the whole villagers. Since the princess was long dead, we don’t have much gut to return and inform the king about the death of his beloved daughter from his beloved queen. So, we patiently waited for someone who would have the gut to deliver this letter the Ele kingdom. And that person is you, thank you my lady,” He finally finished the story.
Everything was clear now. It was just a coincidence. The princess was long dead when I finally thought that I had finally found my past. My heart broke to pieces as I stood up and uttered, “Well, I better pack up everything since I’ll be making dinner for tonight. I’ll be having my leave now.”
As my stature started to diminish out of their sight, tears fell drip by drip. When I finally thought that I had finally found my past yet the wicked fate had played me that bad that I almost lose my own self for the day. The contempt feelings inside me was enormous as if it was shouting, “You’re stupid! How could you believe that you’re the lost princess when it was just a coincidence?”
Not long after that, we bid our farewell towards the inn owner and had our journey carried on. I did whatever was necessary to be done on deck. The window was a bit cloudy, YES! It needed to be wiped off! I took the damp cloth and wiped it out until it sparkled. I did whatever I could to clear off the tangled feelings inside me, the feelings of being an utter idiot for believing something that I wasn’t just because of a single and unreal dream I had. I was lost in my own pace of wandering into my own fantasies.
My behaviours which were obviously odd continued for like two weeks right after we left the town that was known as FaintLight. Captain Kenny came to realise it and finally went towards where I was daydreaming, at the hind deck.
“You didn’t look quite right. Why were you crying 2 weeks ago as you left us behind?” His masculine voice was somewhat soothing.
“I wasn’t,” I replied hastily, hiding my true frailness.
“You might be able to hide it from the others but you can’t hide it from me. I saw your tears,” Captain Kenny gestured his hand to reach my eyes and wiped it soothingly as if to comfort me.
“You won’t understand,” I shoved his hand slowly away from my face and looked away like those wonderers looking out towards the blue-sea.
“You expect me to understand without you explaining anything?” He raised one of his eyebrows. “Need a shoulder to lean on?”
“I thought you hate me?” Due to the shock, I retorted almost screaming.
“It was a history. You’re different from the others I guess,” His voice sounded kinder than usual.
“Well then, if you don’t mind,” I leaned my head slowly on his sturdy shoulder as tears rushed out of my eyes.
He took out his right hand, patting my head softly. His warm hand was big and comforting and that was the first time I had ever thought of it. He wasn’t bad after all nor was he a delinquent. He was just protecting what he thought was necessary and he had this kind heart though wielding the title of a devil.
The sound of footsteps were drawing near, Captain Kenny dragged me somewhere people couldn’t see us and it was literally just ‘US’. He peeked through the creak from the door from the empty room and saw Rio, Sweeney and Sylvester were walking with laughter and merry atmosphere emitted from them.
“Thank god they didn’t see us,” He heaved a sigh of relieved.
“That was something,” I added.
“I’m waiting,” He uttered.
“Don’t bother yourself waiting,” As I tried to break free away from him, he suddenly blocked my path from pursuing any more steps.
He raised one of his eyebrows and let out a slight scowl, “You aren’t going anywhere without any explanation little missy. I’m not to have my dinner with tears as my side-dish.”
“Leave me alone,” I begged.
“Not without an explanation,” He insisted.
“I thought I had finally found my past just because the dream I dreamt was just the same as what had been told by Uncle John. But then, it’s gone. The princess’s dead,” My violet eyes were avoiding their gaze from meeting his hazel eyes.
“You mean your dream was like a fragment of your memories?” He asked doubtfully.
“That’s what I thought but unfortunately, it was back-fired,” I replied with my voice chocking my throat.
“When was it that you experienced that dream of yours?” He asked again and this time, a little tension was casted on his voice that it sounded deeper than his usual tone.
“Well, it was 2 weeks ago when you were revived from your slumber and I was asleep next to you without me even realising it,” I explained briefly, pushing my brain to remember every detail of the incident.
“The dragon’s blood!” He shrieked. “You stay here, obediently while I go and find Hardy for your cure.”
I was unable to reply him since without a slight delay, he fled away, dashing out of the room which into my knowledge that he’s getting Hardy for something that I didn’t know what it was. I sat obediently there, sitting on the cold wooden floor which was not into my likings. It was literally cold that it could freeze an egg. Wait, the EGG! I left it in my room and I wondered how it was doing. It might be cold even though I wrapped it with numerous blankets. The weather wasn’t getting any warmer since it’s nearing winter. How maliciously cold it could be that it might not let a single egg hatch. Once again I disobeyed his order and trotted towards my chamber which was in the middle of the ship that the room was located near Captain Kenny’s.
Minutes later, Captain Kenny went back to the empty room with Hardy by his side. My figure was no longer there. He balled his hands into fists that he was very displeased with my act of disobedience, “Can’t that missy just listen to me for once at all?” Hardy’s answer was merely a shrug.
I flung the door of my room open and it made a very loud ‘bang’ that it made me jolt from the noisy noise. I swiftly shifted the blankets away and found the egg’s pieces. The egg had finally hatched without me realising it! I searched for the so called water dragon which the name was Penelope. Not in the wardrobe, I closed it again and searched for it under the bed but all I could see was pile of dusts. I headed on towards the book rack but couldn’t find anything peculiar about it and finally, the last stop was under the table. It was there!
“It’s alright there. I’m an acquaintance, a friend. Do not fear my presence. I won’t hurt you,” I gestured my hand towards him.
“Mhmm... Mhmm...” Penelope was murmuring something indistinctly that I couldn’t make out the word at all, perhaps he was mumbling.
“Pardon please, Penelope?” I drew my ear nearer towards where he was hiding.
“You’re a female right?” He asked with full of curiosity and I replied him with a single nod.
“You took great caress of me in my master’s stead, right?” He asked again as his brilliant black eyes were staring into my violet widened eyes which were staring at him in great disbelief.
“Then, you are my guardian. Shalt I not forget thy kindness and mercy,” He bowed courteously for a stature of a snake-like water dragon.
“You... talk,” I wondered since when my jaw was dropped from the intense shock.
“Yes, I’m a mythical creature and of course I talk as I hatched. Ye milady had saved me numerously when he asked a feast out of me, you saw me when he was blinded, I could not repay thee enough than just a thank you as my gratitude for your hospitality,” He gave out one of his kindest smile. “I dare vow upon the name of my master that I will not harm those who are allied with my master and bring mishaps to my master’s foes. My tongue talked more than I’ve been allowed to and I’ll have it shut for now and it’ll speak again whenever the necessity is.”
My door room was flung again that made me jerked in alert. There stood the image of two sturdy men standing at the doorway, gaping furiously at my timid stature.
“Have you got yourself a responsibility in obeying to your Captain’s order?” His hazel eyes shone fiercely.
“Captain...” My voice sounded off from its current tone. “Penelope... hatched and... he talked.”
Penelope was gaping at his master, blinking numerously and courteously nodding his head as if he was honouring his arrival. Captain Kenny took out a dagger and pointed it towards his new subject, exclaiming, “If you are my minion, recite an oath.”
Penelope stature stiffened, his black eyes portraying his fears though his character remained calm. He abruptly climbed into my hold into a hammock. He snarled at me before he gave out a yawn and slept in my hold. Captain Kenny sighed and took away the dagger, seeing it as pointless. I wondered what it might turn out to be in the future.
