Zz Part One --My First Day at the Sea--

*Well to start off, who I even am. Good morning, or Good noon, or Good Afternoon, or Good evening, or Goodnight, or Good midnight, depending when you are reading this. My name is Arthur H. Jeremiah. And I am frail and weak, unless it comes to stick fighting. Or even swordsmanship. But that’s not a friendly introduction. I live in the world, more specifically in the Grand Isles, or Grandeur Isles (If your from Erstanduer). Or even more specifically in the Kingdom of Valeraenia, the most beautiful large island in the whole of Ansaria there is. And worry even more, this isn’t the last time I’ll talk like this.*

*So here’s how this big “mess” started off, it started good, but ended miserably, for myself and my country, both were victims.*

*February 10th 1787*

I woke up on a windy day in Ferriston with joy because it’s the first time I will sail on a ship! I ran outside of the green door of my house. The strong stormy gale tried to push me towards the turquoise sea from the cobblestone docks. I used my full force to prevent the wind from pushing me towards the bay of Valeraenia. I managed to overpower the wind, and then I ran towards my father with force enough to avoid the gale.

*"Can you recognize what ship did I brought yesterday?" Dad said to me giving that happy look with his amazing hair and his large cheekbones while everyone's hair and clothes where flying like a flag on a tall flagpole. My elder sister, Amelia Madeline, with her ugly nose covered with a mountain range of freckles laughed at me when I was thinking intensely. And I gave up. "I forgot" I said. Amelia and dad laughed at me so hard. "Where's mom?" I spoke. "Arthur, she is buying the cargo." Amelia told me. "Also, what ship did you buy, dad?" I asked him. "It's not a schooner like before, it's a Barquentine!" He answered. "A Barqunt- Barqenti- Dang it!" I spoke. "A barquentine" Dad corrected. "It's so hard to say it!". I'm normally not satisfied with anything, so I always ask questions. "What cargo is mom buying?" I questioned dad.*

*He answered, "Sugar and Cotton".*

*"But why?"*

*"Do you really need an answer for this? Cotton and Sugar are cheap wares in Ferriston currently, if we sell it to Trufiya -our destination- where they're expensive wares, we'll get rich."*

*"What's Trufiya? where is it? and who owns it? tell me everything about it!" I asked dad. "It’s south of Seraphine, north-east of Valereena, and a close ally of Valereena. It's owned by Chin-Hwa Baye, and it was founded by Xi Zhengese settlers." Dad answered. "Interesting" I said without knowing anything about that Xi Zhengese part.*

*"Let’s board the Starlight" Dad said.*

*The Starlight was a beautiful vessel. A single gundeck with way-too obvious looking fake cannons, a mighty forecastle decorated with stars and fish. I turned my head towards the masts, two of them where gaff-rigged with staysails connecting between them. The foremast hade three topsail and the bowsprit had a spritsail. Between them was the jib and a staysail. And telling you those meaningless names and terms of the rigging wasn't possible if my dad and school hadn't helped.*

*As we boarded the vessel, I saw many people on the ship who were rigging the sails. I learned in school about riggers and their duty, they work hard to raise and lower the sails, the flags, and trimming the sails under specific conditions. We set sail after we were on board.*

*"How much cargo we purchased?" Amelia asked to my mother. "About 83" Mom answered. "How much of a profit would that give?" Amelia asked. "83 barrels of sugar and cotton is worth a doubloon each, so it's easy math, it'll cost around a jolly 830 doubloon profit for us," Dad replied "Well that's more money than a deckhand has ever dreamt of having on his hammock below deck!" He continued. Everyone chuckled.*

*"Also, there is a cabin aft of this ship, if you want to take a rest" Dad said. "It's where you will sleep tonight, there is a huge map there too". "Really?" I asked. "Yes, go check it yourself." replied dad. So, I did the very obvious, the cedar door to the cabin was at the very end of the ship, decorated with engravings of dolphins, clams and eels, it kind of reminded me of cave paintings for some reason. I opened it using the seashell shaped door handle. The entire inside was made out of pine. A giant map of Ansaria. It was just the grand isles, which I already know, so there was not much to learn from it. There were also three elm doors. One led to my father's quarters. One led to where I would sleep, and one led to where Amelia would. I checked everything out and then went outside a few minutes later.*

*I looked everywhere but I always saw the same thing, the crew working, always onto something. Watched by the rank above theirs. I went towards the bow of the vessel. I stared at the turquoise domain of Poseidon; colorful fishes were dancing over the waves in their formations, a stingray jumped from the water, showing its magnificence, then came the eel with its slippery tail, followed by the endless waves of the ocean. It was calm, beautiful, relaxing, but I knew one thing that I would most likely sea-sick and bored not after too long.*

*"Captain, there's a ship in the horizon" A crewmate said to my dad.*

*"Mr. Dunkworth, check the flag!" Dad ordered. Mr. Dunkworth, whoever he was, looked through his golden spyglass from the quarterdeck.*

*"It's a Merysian corvette." He said, looking through his spyglass "The gun ports are open, about 26 guns, the rigging looks damaged, yeah, they might me coming to warn us about something"*

*"I'm sorry? Merysia? The Serpish use that!" Dad held his brown beaver fur tricorne in confusion.*

*The corvette had a reddish-orange striped sides and a black hull, quite typical, the rim was yellow, and the cabin was surprisingly not decorated. It was following us, maybe to end or journey, or save it. The sails were raised, the anchor was dropped. I also took part in heaving the capstan, whatever it was, it was synchronized by the stamp of feet. The corvette sailed besides us on our left and put a plank to make a bridge. The captain of the ship boarded our ship. He had a large black beard and a weird hat; I think their called a turban, he wore a long white full sleeved garment that extended to his feet.*

*"Greetings" Dad welcomed him.*

*"Salaamualaikum" The Captain responded.*

*"Sir, may I ask why you are here?" Dad asked him.*

*"I am here to inform you that many Serpish Sixth-Rates are patrolling the way, and a few privateers too, I was given command of protecting your vessel to your destination, an escort." The captain said, scratching his beard.*

*"Very kind of you sir, and of your nation, I am delighted of this service, is there any payment for this?" Dad smiled.*

*"My name is Hussain Akthar, What's yours sir?"*

*"My name is Frank Jeremiah" Dad replied.*

*The captain then went on to talk to someone else in a different language I didn't knew. I had a question though.*

*"Dad"*

*"Yes" He replied.*

*"What did he mean about "Salamualaikum"?" I asked. "That means peace be unto you in their language" Dad answered.*

*"Also why is his name so weird?" I asked him.*

*"He's a Muslim" He replied, clearly irritated.*

*"Oh, got it, sorry"*

*After a couple of hours of smooth sailing with the corvette who was on our, um, “Larboard", it got to nighttime. The moon was covered in the clouds, so I couldn't see anything, the lanterns were not effective at all. Too dim and only three of them, one aft, one amidships and one at the bow near the bell.*

*"Go to your beds" Mom said to me and Amelia. "Okay" We replied. As we went to our hammocks in different rooms, I heard weird noises like a nail scribbling on a wooden plank, the wood was creaking, heavily. I climbed up my hammock and shut my eyes, the sound of the waves and the wood creaking was too much, annoyingly too much. Until the waves got a bit calmer and soothing. And I tried to ignore the creaking, I had a bad night's sleep.*