It Starts With a Single Step

by BronyBrozly

Chapter 6: Captain Blackart

“By the gods,” I grunted as I hobbled down the dock of Port Osglen. The weight of my saddlebag became much heavier since Rose insisted that we had to prepare ourselves before heading towards the Griffon Kingdom. My ears twitched as I heard the potion bottles clattered inside my saddlebag with every step I took. We used the jewels that I had brought from my hut back home as we traded them with the necessary items such as medical instruments, food and -- with Ivy’s suggestion -- protective armors.

“Stop whining,” Ivy commented from behind me. I looked over my shoulder, glaring at the griffon. She was holding what looks like a large sack over her shoulder. I could hear the metal plates of the armors that we bought clattered against one another resonated from it. She noticed that I was glaring at her and returned it with a shrug, looking elsewhere.

“I’m sorry if your saddlebag is getting heavy. I could help you if you want,” Rose offered from behind me, smiling sheepishly. My eyes wandered onto her newly bought saddlebags fastened onto her sides that were filled with our food supply. She kept insisting that she wanted to pull her own weight and wanted to do it by carrying some of the stuff. Therefore, Ivy and I decided that she’ll be carrying the lighter items such as food and water.

“No, it is fine,” I lied, wincing to the weight of the saddlebag pressed onto my still-fresh burn injury as I looked the way I was hobbling. I bit my lip to keep myself from hissing in pain. Toughen up, I thought, reminding myself what Ivy had told me at the beach the night before.

“So, which ship should we take?” I heard Ivy asked from behind. I stopped and looked at the large ships that docked along the wooden walkway. Many ponies, griffons and zebras were hauling wooden crates and barrels into and from the ships. The sound of the captains barking orders and the loud thuds of the load dropped onto the wooden walkway filled the dock.

“I... do not know,” I muttered, my eyes darted in confusion. It was my first time for me to even know what a dock was. Large ships that docked next to us loomed over me, filling me with anxiety by their massive size.

“What?!” I heard Ivy screamed from behind me. She was clearly shock to my unexpected answer. She suddenly swooped in front of me and pulled me closer by my robe to meet her glare, dropping the sack she was holding with a thunderous clang. “I thought you knew what you were doing,” she hissed.

“This is my first time that I ever leave my tribe and this is also my first time to see a real ship up close. I only hear about them whenever the elders told us during story time,” I answered as pushed her claws to the side. She had disbelief in her eyes, looking at me with her beak opened in shock. She shook her head then looked at Rose over my shoulder.

“Do you know what sh--,”Ivy cut herself in the middle her sentence, probably remembered by the fact that Rose was... blind and also she might not know about ships as well. “Ugh,” she groaned, slapping her forehead with a loud thwack.

“Aren’t you supposed to know or prepared about these types of matter? You did say you are a professional mercenary. You must know at least a few ships that might travel towards our destination,” I replied, looking at her with my eyebrow raised questioningly.

“Brut—I mean, my employer often arranges these kinds of stuff,” she answered, looking to the side as her expression turned somber. I kept my silence, looking over my shoulder. I saw Rose was pawing the wooden walkway with a hoof, looking uncomfortable by the situation.

“Ahoy, me hearties,” I heard a gruff voice called in an unusual and cheery way. We all turned our heads towards the voice above the ship to our right. I saw a burly old grey earth stallion with a long brown grizzly beard on his chin as he was smoking a wooden pipe. He was wearing a blue long sleeve jacket and a red bandana on his head. He smiled at us; his dark blue eyes sparkled under the afternoon sun above. “It seems ye have a bit of a trouble there,” he chuckled.

“Yes, we need to find a ship that is heading towards the Griffon Kingdom,” I replied, my eyes were squinting as I looked at him from the walkway.

“Ye be headin’ towards Grifca?” He asked, looking somewhat shocked.

“Yes,” Rose answered from behind me.

“I suppose ye can tell me yer reason for young lad and lasses such yerself be headin’ to such dangerous place?” he asked as he blew a puff of smoke from his pipe, looking amused.

“He’s trying to find his mother,” Ivy quickly answered before I could open my mouth, picking up the sack. She slings the sack over her shoulder with me barely able to dodge the sack from hitting my nose as I glared at her.

“Ye searchin’ for yer mother?” he asked again. My patience was wearing thin by the second.

“Yes,” I groaned with annoyance crept into my voice.

“I suppose I could visit there to trade some of me spices,” he mumbled to himself, scratching the back of his neck. “Aye, I can take yer to Grifca,” he offered, chuckling. I looked at Ivy with worried expression, feeling unsure what do to. She noticed it and her eyes darted downwards in thought, tapping her beak with a claw.

“Hey, old pony,” Ivy called out. “Who do you work for?” she asked with a questioning eyebrow.

“Aye, I’m Captain Blackart and this is me tradin’ ship,” he answered, smiling warmly at us.

“A-are you friendly?” I heard Rose asked again from behind, sounding worried.

“Aye, lass. Don’tcha’ worry about ol’ Cappy Blackart. I am another trader that sails around the seven seas,” he answered with a smile plastered across his face, puffing out smoke from his pipe. I exchanges glances between Rose and Ivy and saw both of their faces were riddled with doubt. To tell the truth: so was I.

“I have to speak with my companions to listen to their opinion first,” I demanded, looking towards Captain Blackart.

“Aye, do yer thing. I understand,” he chuckled, puffing out a cloud of smoke from his mouth with a smile beamed from his face. I nodded and walked towards Rose. Then all of us huddled, whispering.

“What do we do?” I whispered, looking at Ivy.

“Can you trust that old geezer?” the griffon whispered back, looking at Rose.

“He sounds nice enough,” Rose commented softly.

“Ask him about what he wants in return first. If it is nothing too fishy, we take his offer,” Ivy suggested as she looked at me. I nodded in respond, jingling the bell on my neck. Then, we broke our little circle.

“What do you wish to ask in return?” I asked, looking at Captain Blackart with a questioning eyebrow.

“Aye, I only need a small payment fer supplies. It will be long journey, lad. We need food if we want to live another day,” he answered, chuckling. I exchanged glances with Rose and Ivy once more. Both of them nodded in agreement. I looked back at Captain Blackart who was leaning against the railing of his ship with a smile on his face.

“We accept your term,” I called out.

“Aye.” He grinned. “Drop the bridge!” he barked, looking over his shoulder. Then a large wooden plank bridge dropped on the side of the ship with a thunderous thud as it hit the wooden walkway. I saw Ivy gave me a shrug and flew lazily into the ship’s deck above. I slowly walked towards Rose and held her hoof, helping her walked up the wobbly wooden plank bridge.

“Thank you,” she said softly as she landed on the ship’s deck, smiling. I smiled back in return.

“Welcome, me hearties,” Captain Blackart chuckled, hugging me tightly with a hoof over to my shoulders. I slowly pushed him away as a strong smell wafted from his coat. I tried my best not to show my discomfort by rummaging through my saddlebag.

“Here,” I said, offering a hoofful of assorted jewels. I saw his eyes widened in shock.

“Blimey,” he gasped, his eyes sparkled. “This can feed me crew fer a whole month,” he explained, looking at me with disbelief in his eyes. “Ye be serious fer paying me in such large amount?” he asked, his mouth gapped in shock. I only responded by putting the jewels in his hoof with a smile on my face. Then he returned my smile, laughing as he hugged me closer. “I knew ye be a good lad,” he chuckled, releasing me from his embrace.

“All hands on deck!” he yelled, walking towards the middle of the ship’s deck. Suddenly several ponies, a couple griffons and a zebra trotted in a single line. They all stood diligently in line, waiting for inspection. “Aye, matey,” he said, looking at us as we arrived at the deck. “These are me loyal workers. Not many yet loyal to the teeth,” he chuckled, waving his hoof towards seven crewmembers in total.

I saw several earth ponies who had pastel colored manes and coats and a couple of burly griffons but the one who had most of my attention was the zebra. She had a long spiky mane -- which was hidden under a black bandana -- and tail to match. The zebra had golden yellow eyes, radiating with determination. I think Ivy saw my gaze as I felt her elbow nudged on my side. I looked at her and saw she had a teasing smile on her face. I glared at her, trying my best not to blush.

“Right,” Captain Blackart started as he coughed into his hoof. “Yer rooms will be down under the deck. Me men will head to town to resupply and yer get yerself comfy. This will be a long ride,” he chuckled. We all looked at each other and nodded.

---

It was late in the afternoon but the sun was still well above the horizon, the sound of crates thundered with a loud thud and the barking orders of Captain Blackart echoed in the walls of the ship. I felt a searing pain on my back as I carried a barrel of – what the crewmembers called – ‘rum’ onto the ship. I did not tell them about my injury as I did not want them to pry more than they should know the reason I wore my robe the entire time. I grunted, setting the barrel down onto the deck as I wiped my brow from sweat. In the corner of my eyes, I saw Rose had her magical dome activated, sewing a ripped sail as she happily hummed to herself. I smiled, happy to see that she had something to do while we were doing some work.

“All the supplies are on board, captain!” I heard Ivy barked. I looked up and saw she was sitting inside of a small rounded space, her head darted around. From what I asked Ivy about ships before the captain’s crewmember returned from the town, I think it was called a “Crow’s Nests”.

“Aye, lassie,” I heard Captain Blackart replied. I turned to look and saw he was standing in front of the ship’s ‘wheel’. He looked at me with a grin. “Weigh the anchor and hoist the sails, me hearties. We be sailin’ right now,” he chuckled with an amused grin on his face.

“Aye, aye, Captain,” I heard the crew answered simultaneously, saluting to him. Just like they have been practicing for their whole life, they immediately attend to their duties. I heard metal grinded against metal as the anchor was pulled from the depth of the ocean and a loud fwoooph as the sails were hoisted. I felt wind brushed against my coat and mane, as well as the sail. In just a second, we started to sail. Sail towards Grifca, the griffon kingdom and to my mother.

“Ye first time sailin’, lad?” Captain Blackart called out, looking at me as he puffed out a smoke from his pipe.

“Yes, captain,” I chuckled, smiling as I looked over my shoulder to look at him.

“Well, don’tcha’ worry. This will be a smooth sail,” he replied with a smile on his face as he gave me a wink. I nodded and looked towards the sea in front of us. It was not long after we depart from the port and the sun was already set under the horizon, giving way for the silver moon to rise. The lanterns around and inside the ship were lit, keeping the ship’s empty deck lit under the darkness of night.

We were all in the mess hall under the deck. The sound of laughter and clattering plates filled the mess hall as most of the crewmembers – including Ivy, were intoxicated by the ‘rum’. Rose was standing in the middle of the room; her beautiful and soft voice rang throughout the mess hall, replacing the loud laughter with her beautiful singing.

“Your voice in the wind, and I hear you called my name,” Rose’s voice rang in my ears with the divinity of a thousand angels. Then, Captain Blackart played a violin, accompanying Rose in her song. The crew started to rhythmically stomping their hooves and claws to the song as a couple of them dance joyously together on the dining table, laughing. I had a big smile on my face, seeing my companions and the crewmembers were having a good time.

I put down my mug of water and walked towards the stairs that led towards the deck. I felt the cool night air brushed gently on my coat and mane through my robe as I stood in the middle of the deck. I closed my eyes, filling my lungs with fresh air as my mind started to clear. I slowly opened my eyes, looking into the starry night above. The array of stars above glittered the night sky, painting it with multitude of colors, lighting the dark sky.

I walked towards the left side of the ship, leaning against the rails. My eyes widened as I looked into the sea. The stars from above were reflected on the surface of the water, creating an illusion that we were floating in the sky. I felt a smile tugged onto my face, looking at the wondrous scenery. “You’re injured,” a voice whispered behind me.

“Gyah!” I yelped, turning around as I clutched my chest. My eyes widened, my heart literally skipped a beat and my breathing became ragged. I blinked and saw the one who startled me. It was the zebra mare. She had an unreadable expression. I cannot tell if she was bored or sleepy as she looked at me with half-lidded eyes. I swallowed nervously, trying to calm myself down.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone if it is supposed to be a secret,” she said nonchalantly, leaning against the railings next to me as she looked into the ocean.

“I... uh..,” I mumbled between breaths. I immediately closed my eyes, filling my lungs once more to calm my nerves. I slowly opened my eyes, turning my head towards the other zebra. “How did you know?” I asked as I slowly leaned against the railings as well, my eyes fixated on her.

“For one, you were hobbling the entire day and you wince every time you sit down,” she answered, shrugging.

“Oh,” I said, my ears drooped as I hope no one realizes that as well.

“No other crewmember knows... even the captain,” she spoke up. My eyes widened on her unexpected answered, looking at her with a frightened expression plastered on my face. “No, I did not read your mind. But your face is tells everything that I needed to know,” she spoke up again with a grin on her face as she looked at me.

“Am I that easy to read?” I asked, looking at her with a questioning eyebrow as I started to feel uncomfortable by the zebra’s astounding perception.

“Not actually. It is just my talent,” she answered, her gaze fixated into the ocean. I nodded, looking in the distance. “You wish to see my glyph mark, aren’t you?” she said teasingly. I let out a loud cough, surprised by her words. Then, I heard she giggled. It was soft yet elegant at the same time – which surprised me yet once more. I glared at her as I could feel the blood streamed into my cheeks in embarrassment. “It’s okay, boys will be boys I guess,” she chuckled, looking into the distance. Then, I took the opportunity to look at her glyph mark. It was in a shape of a mask that had a smile on it.

“What’s your name?” I asked as I followed her gaze.

“Vyenya,” she answered. “But the other crewmembers call me ‘Vie’,” she continued, grinning.

“Nadir,” I chuckled.

“Well, Nadir. I think it is better for me to go now,” she whispered as she turned away, walking towards the other direction.

“Why?” I called out with confusion plastered across my face. She answered by nodding towards the stairs. I looked and saw Ivy was staggering towards me with a mug of rum in her claw. When I tried to look back at Vie, she was gone.

“Heeeeeeeeey, Rose. Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the... the... oh, the mess hall,” Ivy asked, slurring.

“I am not Ro--,” my replied was cut as Ivy pushed the mug against my mouth.

“Come on, Rose. Let’s have a drink,” she slurred, as she leaned against the railing on her back with her head bobbed lazily.

“I do not drink such beverages,” I answered, lightly pushed the mug away as I wiped my mouth with a hoof. The strong scent of rum wafted from her fur.

“Hey, Rose. I want to tell you something,” she slurred as she looked at me with half-lidded eyes. “Come closer,” she whispered, beckoning me to come closer. “Closer,” she whispered again, waving her claws. I was intrigued on what secret she might tell, so I put my ears closer to her beak.

“I...” she started, hiccupping. “I...” she slurred.

“What is it?” I whispered impatiently, my brows furrowed.

“I.... am i- bluuuaaarrgggghhh.” At that moment, I really and wholeheartedly wished to jump off the ship.

Author's Note:

Helpful feedback is always welcome.

Comments

[BronyBrozly]

Additional Note: This was the song that I referenced in this chapter. Just an extra info, is all. Anyway, enjoy reading!