A/N: Like you haven't heard this one before, but this is my first Fan fiction… I was inspired by the question "Where did the Court of the Rogue originate from?" So, I had the idea to write about it: Welcome to Chapter One of "Origin of the Rogue"
Aiden looked out over the bow of the ship Adamant. All he could see was a vast blue plain of sea. After three days on the water, he was past his initial seasickness and could finally explore the deck. He looked down, watching the sleek gray dolphins dart in and out of the ship's wake, and wondered what it would be like to swim with them, racing the ship and cutting through the water without a care... If only he could just slip away into some other world...
"Dublais! What are you doing up here? Why aren't you in the galley? Dublais? Are you listening to me?"
The bark of the first mate shook him from his daze. "Sorry, sir! I just needed some fresh air, that's all."
"Aye, ye've been yackin' up a storm ye poor lad." For all his salt, the stocky sailor had taken pity on the boy who had come aboard wanting passage to Tortall. And even though the boy had had no coin with which to pay for the journey he had bartered passage, saying he could cook... So far though, the kid had been too sick to even stand. Now that he was out and about, he could finally start earning his keep. "If ye've had yer fill of brine air, go help Bridge in the galley. She's got her hands full down there, with only her and Shrimp workin' the stoves, they've been laggin', the fodder's been barely tolerable these past nights..."
"Yessir Master Scove, I'll get right to that!" exclaimed Aiden and he hurried off to the galley. His tall lanky body had finally adjusted to the constant motion of the ship. As he loped through the dark halls of the lower decks his inquisitive green eyes searched for the right room.
Once in the galley, Bridge, a swarthy blonde who looked as if she could hold herself in a fight, handed him a spoon and told him to make stew. Before he could even ask where the carrots were, she was off after what ever tasks needed doing.
"Zeh fixin's iz ofher zhere." The strangely accented voice startled Aiden; it seemed to come from nowhere. He looked around for whoever had spoken, but saw no one.
"Down 'ere."
Looking down, and to his surprise, Aiden saw a small man pointing to his right. "Thanks," said Aiden warily.
"Any time, juzt azk," the little man said as he scurried off to bake hardtack. Aiden had had his first encounter with Shrimp.
About a week later, Aiden was roused in the middle of the night by a strange dream. He'd been standing in front of a gaping cave, just staring... Then he'd heard a deep harmonious male voice calling to him from somewhere deep in the cave... All of the sudden there was a great yellow flash and he was drawn into the cavern... That's when he woke sweating with anticipation and a strange feeling of restlessness...
"So, now zat ve are at port, vere vill joo go?" Shrimp asked.
"To tell you the truth, I have no idea... But I've been having a dream about this cave... I have no clue where it is, but I think I have to find it... And I think it's important..." replied Aiden with a perplexed look on his face.
"Vell, it soundz like joo 'ave an adfhenture befhore joo," Shrimp said. The pair had become easy friends, talking for hours in the galley. And even though Aiden sometimes couldn't understand what Shrimp was saying, he still enjoyed the tiny man's tales of sea monsters and islands inhabited with strange people. But of all the stories Shrimp told, Aiden's favorite was Shrimp's own narrative.
"I 'ave been troo diz vorld, and 'round deez seaz many, many timez." He'd been sold as a child to a troop of wandering entertainers who used him as "The Smallest Man in the Realm" to draw in customers. He was then shanghaied by pirates and sold as a slave to a rich Tusainian family. Their youngest son had demanded him to be his personal playmate, but the spoiled child had soon tired of him and had him sent to work in the coal mines... That was when he began to forget who he was and where he was from. He even began to foget his own birthday and his age... After years of hard labor and slack food rations, the mine fell in, ending in a massive break out of prisoners. It was not long after the captain of the Adamant discovered him in a dirty little bakery and hired him as a cook. So once he was aboard the ship, Scove began calling him Shrimp because he couldn't remember his name "And zat iz 'ow I ended up 'ere." Shrimp would say with mock disgust, and they'd both laughed.
Later that day, once the ship had been moored, the whole crew came off to do thier supply shopping. A few remained to wish Aiden farewell, some (Bridge and Scove) more tearfully than others. Apparently, some of the crew had grown attached to his easy-going personality and kind manner. They liked how he'd listened to their tales and worries, no matter how trivial, and how he'd made them feel important and wanted. Even for a two week trip, the crew had grown accustomed to this quiet yet charismatic youth.
"I'll find you blokes again someday... I promise..." he said, trying to stifle a sniffle. "You were all so great to me. I will repay you when that day comes..." his voice lifet him for a moment.
"A break from Bridge's cooking's worth for a lifetime of voyages!" one of the deckhands Aiden had played dice and cards with bellowed.
"Watch your soup, mate; she's bound to slip you a rat tail or something for that quip." Aiden warned, trying to keep his voice light and steady.
He gave his final handshakes and hugs, and with a last wave he was off. Tortall was a big realm so finding the cave would be a hard task, but he was up for it. Maybe he'd find a place for himself as well...