Seas of Affliction

I watched her from afar, scrubbing the deck with a little too much force. There had been something different in the way she was holding herself, in a literal sense. I hadn't seen much of the altercation between her and Wick but I knew how strong he was, that he could still manage to do something to her. I was still secretly impressed by how broken she had gotten his nose though. After trying a few different times, that thing is going to stay a little crooked for the rest of his life most likely. I can't deny that I haven't wanted to clock him a few times myself but never had a good enough partitioning to do so.

“Did you want me back up on the ropes, captain?” Nikolai questioned, making me break my gaze from Florence.

“Yes. Sharp eyes, now.” I reminded him. He nodded quickly before scurrying off.

When my gaze went back to where Florence had been, she was gone. Her scrub brush still on the deck, water soaking into the wood panels. I looked around not seeing her in sight.

You don't have to know where she is every moment. Take it easy.

The words floated through my head repeatedly. Though it didn't sway the feeling. I turned and walked back below deck into the navigation room, wanting to put my mind to good use. The past few days had been quiet and as much as a good thing that was, it was also deterring. The places that we had talked over had put me on alert, waiting and watching for any signs of their impending arrival. The Yellen territory had been underwhelming; the sea waters lapping and hitting against the ship just as they would in any other part of the sea.

She… she wouldn’t be lying to me? Had I been so gullible? So naive? It’s become a habit to never assume anything about Florence. How much of a sheer force of nature she could be is not to be tested– such as Wick had learned this the hard way. She could easily deceive anyone one of the poor saps aboard this ship, me included. Only her legs were human, I couldn’t forget what she truly is and what she’d do to protect that. Could she prove to be so heartless and cunning by leading us all straight into a trap? For all I knew, we were sailing towards our maker.

The map in front of me slid across the table with the lean of the ship. I had long reached the room, only to splay myself out in a chair and return to the continued thinking I had come down here to escape. I repositioned the map, tracing our point of location. There’d still be a few more days in Yellen territory with the added threat of krakens approaching soon as well.

The door to the navigation room busted open, Nikolai looking as if he’d just thrown up his stomach, looked at me with panicked eyes. “You’re needed on deck immediately, sir. I’ve spotted some sort of beast two miles out and approaching fast.”

I was already off my feet before he had a chance to flee back to the upper deck in frenzy of nerves. The spyglass was handed to me as I followed Nikolai’s shaking finger to the place it was spotted. I watch and saw nothing of a sea beast, but I knew Nikolai wouldn’t have been three shades past a corpse over nothing and waited. Before long, my arm started to tire of its rigid holding position until I saw push of water crest over in the distance. It was too quick to be a rogue wave. I focused harder, waiting. And then a large dorsal fin, bigger than any sail, slammed against the water in its retreat back under the surface. I could see the scales glinting in the sun well enough to know it wasn’t a whale of sorts. I handed the spyglass back to Nikolai, ordering him to keep a constant eye on it as I went off to find Florence.

To my surprise, I didn’t have to go far. She was leaning against the side of the ship, looking in the direction of the sea beast with intentness. I was only a few feet away when she turned, looking expectantly to me as I stopped in front of her.

“Nikolai has spotted something in the distance. I don’t know what to make of it, some sort of finned serpent from the looks of it.” I couldn’t keep my fingers from tapping against my hip in anxiousness.

“I’ve heard of a few men saying it’s a leviathan.” She surprised me as I saw her fight the tugging of her lips in secret amusement.

“By the look you’re wearing, I’m assuming it is not the sea giant that swims around hell’s door.”

“Oh no, it is a sea serpent, just not a leviathan.” She looked back out in time to see the back of the serpent breach the water’s surface in an eerily smooth motion.

“Brilliant,” I impatiently chaffed.

“No need to be so short with me, captain. The serpent is harmless if not provoked. Though it is odd how far from its normal migrating waters it is; that is the only troubling fact.” I didn’t have the time to wonder about the concern on her face as I marched back over to Nikolai.

“It’s a sea serpent, in which Florence says is harmless unless it is provoked.” His head was nodding painfully fast, feet taking off as soon as I stopped speaking.

“Mr. Wick!” I called, catching his attention with a few other men.

“No provoking of any sort to the sea beast, it is harmless.” I commanded, thinking I wouldn’t get fought on it.

“Is this based only off the word of that plague of a woman?” Wick’s hotly toned question bristled my irritation more than I cared to admit.

“Well, if you are so acutely educated on the form and temperament of sea serpents, by all means load a harpoon up and take that risk. Otherwise, I suggest you suppress that stubborn ego a little more before it gets us all killed.”

I knew if I was not the captain of this ship, there’d be a bloody fight I was about to partake in. Thankfully, I just had to endure Wick’s face falling into an unsettling shade of red. “Aye, captain.”

Nikolai had spread the order it seemed, as the brimming chaos had cooled down to fearful curiosity. Florence was still where I had left her and against my better judgement, I approached.

“Something is wrong.” Her low speaking voice was distant when I placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped in surprise.

“I’m sorry.” I never would’ve thought I would startle Florence in any lifetime.

“My mind was someplace else, no apologies are needed.” Her eyes casted back out the the considerably closer sea serpent. “I can’t shake the feeling that the poor creature is in trouble.”

“Well, again I offer my apologies. The sails need adjus– ,”

“This is something I can’t ignore. I need to bid it to us.”

I balked. “Absolutely not.”

“I’m not going to explain the ways of my intuition again, captain. The crew and your ship will be in no danger, you have my word.”

“And what is it you’re going to do? Call it over for a casual chat?”

“More or less.” She all seriousness.

“Oh for the love of– fine.” I ran a hand over my face, knowing I would come to regret in a matter of minutes.

“Thank you.” She smiled and for a moment, any knowing of regret floated away– that is until she suddenly had my knife in her hands again.

“What did I say about you taking my weapons!” I scolded, grabbing for it.

Florence cut her a part of her wrist quickly before I could take it back. I grimaced at the sight, watching as she pressed her thumb next to the wound to increase the flow of blood that dripped into the waters below.

“What in sweet hell are you doing!” Burke’s alarmed voice came from behind us.

“I am aiding a fellow sea dweller, Mr. Burke.” She answered, never tearing her eyes from the water.

“You mean that serpent? Are you mad, girl!” He blustered.

“I don’t expect anyone aboard this ship to understand my reasoning but all I ask is that no one approaches us unless they have a death wish.”

“Captain! You’re letting this happen?” Morani’s voice complained suddenly.

I turned, seeing that an audience had gathered. I inwardly cursed, knowing I should’ve been more firm and harsh. “Please, men! Return to your posts, there is no danger.”

“No danger? She’s baiting that beast with her blood!” A voice, one of whom I couldn’t identify readily yelled from the back.

Before I could respond, sea water rained over us in buckets, a shadow coming with it. My eyes looked above, seeing the head of the sea serpent towering over us. This is where the regret reared it’s all-knowing face at me, mocking my ludicrous fall to just about being tightly knotted around Florence’s finger. The thoughts scattered when the serpent lowered itself level with her, eyes the sharpest and deepest hue of yellow that I have ever seen.

The tense atmosphere of the crew had all but diminished into a silent cowardice on the other side of the ship, some having even left the deck. My feet couldn’t move though, watching what is a sea monster to me acting like an old acquaintance towards Florence. Reflexes had me jumping back when it suddenly rose up again, the murmurings Florence had been exchanging with its silent response had initiated something to happen. It turned completely around, the webbed and prickly fin that ran along its spine had been cut down to its armored skin in numerous different places.

“Merda.” She cursed, hand reaching over the railing towards something just out of my sight. The serpent suddenly let an echoing cry out, stinging my ears enough to leave them ringing and muddled. The noise didn’t seem to deter her though, as I had again reflexively jumped back, just about scared gutless.

I could see her arm working to pull something free, though I didn’t dare approach to stomp out my growing curiosity. In the next minute, she was practically hanging halfway over the railing, both hands now pulling at whatever it is. She leaned back up onto her feet, saying something in a tongue that no doubt didn’t exist in a human form. My heart stuttered when she looked to me. I was already shaking my head.

“Captain.” She crooned knowingly, my aversion to whatever she was about to ask of me was displayed openly on my face. “I need leverage.”

“I’d rather not be a toothpick in the next coming moments, Florence.” I retorted in a quick whisper, almost smacking myself in remembering that the serpent could understand me as much as I it.

“It’s alright. I’ve advised him of your assistance, there won’t be any danger.” She encouraged.

“I’m not anymore comforted that you’re on a first name basis.” I grumbled.

“If you do this it won’t be forgotten, this will be most rewarding should you encountered another serpent in your future sailing days. You will be known as a friendly.” She was growing impatient under her calm words. I steeled myself, already regretting my steps forward to stop under the dripping shadow of the serpent. I waited for her instruction.

“Good. Wrap your arms around my waist.” She ordered and for the first time, and from not in any recent memory, I felt an embarrassing heat creep up my neck.

“Your waist? I don’t–,” I started but she rolled her eyes and yanked forward and wrapped my arms around her, absolutely and unwittingly blind to the inappropriate social conduct. Merchant or not, I was a captain, and I like to think, a gentleman.

“I need you to keep my steady and pull back as I try and dislodge this harpoon tip.” Again, Florence didn’t give any indication of awkwardness of her request, speaking as I would perhaps in giving orders.

“Okay.” I nodded dumbly, moving with her a little as she reached back over the railing. And then she started pulling at the harpoon tip, and in turn I provided the counterforce to help her along.

“It’s coming loose, just a little more.” I heard her muffled voice say. And whether her voice was muffled from speaking away from me or the blood running in my ears, it didn’t quite reach all the way through to my head as I put all my concentration on not to concentrate that she was practically flushed against me precariously.

Then, all at once, the harpoon tip dislodged. Florence was set crashing down onto me with a shriek of surprise, again it being something that didn’t deter her from the task at the moment. I on the other hand, scrambled to my feet and gave myself my own task of not daring to turn around to see what the expressions on the crew looked like. Damn it to hell, I can't be worse off than before.

The serpent had lowered itself back down, facing Florence once again as she held up the bloodied harpoon tip triumphantly before chucking it off into the awaiting waters below. She spoke a few moments more, hand gesturing lazily back towards me at one of those moments, causing the gaze of the serpent to land on me long enough to feel my stomach approaching a swift exit from fear all over again. Then without an warning, it disappeared back under the sea, its long form breaking the surface of the sea in even strokes of retreatment.

“It thanked you.” She said, turning to me, speaking as if it was just another person we had dealt with.

“That was one of the more terrifying moments of my life.” And also one of the most confusingly awkward as well, not that she ever needed to know.

“My sense of something not being right was correct. Hunters have been in increasingly unpredictable locations. He had gotten flagged by a harpoon that wasn’t strong enough for him to be brought down by but it was large enough to embed itself pretty deeply. Removing it ensures that he’ll survive and heal completely.”

“This is great and all but let’s not do that again? You’re reaching the limit of how many times my crew can be put in danger without something going wrong.” I sighed, allowing myself to finally turn back to whoever was still on the deck. Mr. Burke, a very greenish-pale Nickolai, and Morani were the only ones remaining. It was as much of a relief as I could get.

“I can make no promises.” She shrugged slightly, her hand gripping her side cautiously, leaving me to my own thoughts before I could ask about it.

My mind raced, feeling as if another limit had been surpassed, the one of trust. Florence had put her trust in me in that moment as I did in her when I allowed her to hail the sea serpent closer. My chest knotted at the realization, that things had quickly turned into something new– that it was I that was in more danger of Florence than my crew would be from this moment on, that she had my trust and something more and unwillingly given, that she was the harpoon tip embedded deep into my muscle, leaving no room for it to be removed without causing pain to the both of us.