Pirate's Tail

Chapter Six

Ace felt the first bell resonate in his chest. He leapt to the deck of the Visp and started readying himself for the day. He reported to Captain Alph's cabin and went about his daily task of retrieving the Captain's coffee.

"Mr. Lynx, midday today we'll make port in Jayoria to restock our supplies before continuing on the remainder of our mission. We'll spend two nights in port." Captain Alphs looked at Ace with his hard brown eyes. "Every crew member has duties to attend to regarding the restocking of supplies aboard this vessel. Your only duty is to accompany me on an official visit to the Prince of Jayoria's palace. Your presence will help me. We'll go to the palace immediately upon arrival in port and will eat dinner there."

"Yes, sir," Ace said, envisioning himself inside the grand hallways of a palace similar to the one outside of Haiglin. He looked down at his shabby sailor's clothes, suddenly worried about his appearance. "What shall I wear?"

"Your clothing will be provided."

Ace went about cleaning Blassy's perch, then left the Captain's cabin. The chores were cut short because they soon arrived in Jayoria, and for this Ace was thankful. There was a certain buzz going around the ship about reaching a new destination, and it was infectious. The anticipation of reaching port caused the crew to lose focus and made most of the typical ship work impossible. Ace had never been to a country outside of his home of Menquin, and he was excited to set foot on another land. He spent most of his morning roaming the main deck of the Visp looking for a first glimpse at this new land. Ace found his way to the Quarterdeck, where he ran into Mr. Bahnhoff, who was supervising the helmsman as they steered their course toward Jayoria.

"Ever been to Jayoria, Mr. Bahnhoff?" Ace asked.

He nodded. "A few times. It's an interesting place, it is. A different culture."

Ace pondered this. "What do you mean, a different culture? Give me an example, sir."

"Well, for example, their homes are made of rope," Mr. Bahnhoff informed him.

"Rope?" Ace asked, unsure if he'd heard Mr. Bahnhoff correctly.

"Aye. Jayoria is mostly grassland without any trees for lumber. Jayorians make the most beautiful rope out of their grass, and they use it to fashion their homes. Mind you, when I say home, most of their home is underground. The rope's just a roof," Mr. Bahnhoff explained.

Ace was in awe. He'd always assumed that most of the world was like Menquin. He'd never dreamt that it could be so different. Ace had difficulty imagining that people lived underground with rope roofs. He began to wonder how different the palace would be from the palace in Haiglin.

"They're good sailors, though. We would have been lost in the Great War without them. They're good people," the helmsman commented.

"Tis true. We should be able to see her almost, shouldn't we, Mr. Hampter?" Mr. Bahnhoff asked the helmsman.

A half hour later a dull outline of land appeared at the horizon. The shape grew larger as the Visp approached. Ace was brimming with excitement. The closer the ship got to Jayoria, the more he could see. It wasn't long before he could see the flatness of the countryside. The brown and green flat earth spread as far as the eye could see. As the ship neared its destination, Ace made out the harbor. The harbor was man-made and had rock jetties guarding its entrance. Each jetty had a word in rope written on it. The left jetty read: Jayer. The right read: Victus.

"Jayer Victus? What's that mean?" Ace wondered aloud.

"It's Jayorian for peace, safety," Mr. Bahnhoff answered.