The bustling trade port of Alexandria, Egypt was crammed with traders, merchants, and fishermen, all pressed together against each other, moving in swirling herds through the crowded streets. Deals were made in hurried foreign speech, money exchanging hands faster than the untrained eye could detect.
From a small, unremarkable inn, two strangers watched the activity from a window, three stories above the streets.
"Look, brother. That ship has the crest of the Winner Company. Do you remember them?"
"Of course I remember them. Father was surprised when Master Winner arrived at the palace, looking just as white as any European."
His sister chuckled.
"I wonder where they're going," she said, dropping her elbow to the window sill and catching her chin in her palm.
"Let's find out."
The brother and sister left their inn and wandered through the crowd, pressing through bodies until they approached the docks, where the large Arabian ship was tied up. Along the side, the name of the ship, Sandrock, was painted in white. A gangway had been set up, and many men with dark skin and loose clothing carried crates, boxes, and barrels from the docks onto the ship. An even bigger man with a roughly trimmed beard stood beside the gangway, his large arms folded over his chest.
While the brother and sister waited, another man joined him, this one smaller and thinner, but with the same dark skin, hair, and eyes. Strangely enough, they spoke English, though heavily accented.
"This should be the last of it. The cargo hold is nearly full as it is," the smaller man said. "Is Master Quatre back on the ship?"
"He is. He would like to cast off as soon as we're done loading. He's anxious to get to Port Royal," the larger man said. With a sour look about him, he added, "I have to say I agree."
"Not a fan of Alexandria?" the small man asked with a grin.
"Not a fan of this many people in a small area," he replied. "Too much opportunity for danger." The small man smirked and shook his head.
"I'm going to round up the boys. Then we can weigh anchor," he said. The large man nodded, his eyes still darting warily around the crowded docks.
"Port Royal? Where's that?" the sister asked.
"The Caribbean somewhere, if I recall correctly. An English settlement," her brother replied. He turned and grinned at his sister. "Far enough away, I'm sure, to make father happy." She rolled her eyes.
"Aren't the Spaniards in control of the Caribbean?" she asked.
"They control a large portion, though the British have managed to hang on to a few spots. At least, I think we'd fare better in an English settlement than a Spanish one. I don't know about you, but I learned little Spanish from the tutor," he said, and his sister nodded in agreement.
"It wasn't the language, but the tutor," she commented. Glancing up, she met her brother's icy blue eyes. "Do you think we could barter passage on the ship? I want to leave this city, but I'd prefer to do with somewhere other than the brig… again." Her brother tapped his chin with a finger.
"Possibly. It's worth a try, anyway," he said. "Come on."
They moved casually from behind the stack of crates and wandered through the crowd, heading towards the large man who seemed to be guarding the gangway up to the Winner Company ship.
"Excuse me, sir," the brother said, extending a hand towards the large man,who regarded him with suspicion, but gripped the brother's hand briefly before retracting arm back to its place across his chest.
"Yes?"
"My name is Zechs Marquise, and this is my sister, Lena. We've been trying to find a ship out of Alexandria, but have so far been unsuccessful. Are you, by chance, heading east?" The man's frown deepened.
"We are. Port Royal," he replied reluctantly. Zechs clapped his hands together.
"The exact location we're trying to reach. We have family there, you see…" The man raised an eyebrow, clearly growing tired of the conversation. "Could my sister and I perhaps purchase a small place on your ship?" Lena smiled up at the man, hoping to charm him into allowing them on the ship. The man shrugged, turned, and called out to one of the men on the ship, speaking a language neither sibling could identify.
"Wait here."
The man continued to stare while Zechs and Lena shifted uncomfortably, waiting for - whatever it was they were waiting for.
Finally, a young man emerged at the top of the gangway. His very blonde hair reflected back the sunlight. He was dressed in loose fitting trousers, a white shirt and a vest. He looked very young, though it could have been his stature and beardless face. He moved down the gangway with a strange grace and stopped beside the large man.
"You needed something, Rashid?" he asked, addressing the large man. His voice was soft and kind, like his aquamarine eyes. The man called Rashid nodded towards the brother and sister.
"These two want to buy passage to Port Royal," he said. The young man turned his attention to them, seeming to appraise them, but not unkindly. Beside her, Zechs shifted back into action.
"Sir, my name is Zechs Marquise, and this is my sister Lena. We're trying to make our way to Port Royal, and have been unsuccessful these past few months," he said, extending his hand towards the young man.
"An excellent change meeting," the young man replied with excitement. He too extended his hand and shook with Zechs. "My name is Quatre Winner. I'm heading to Port Royal to work a trade deal with the governor there, as he has control over the English settlements in the Caribbean."
"Are you Master Winner's son?" Lena asked, and the young man smiled and nodded.
"Yes, but he's busy managing some problems back home, so he sent me along in his stead," Quatre answered. He glanced between the siblings. "I'm sure you have luggage. Why don't you bring it here, and we'll load up. After we set off, we can work out the cost of your passage to Port Royal."
Zechs and Lena released a collective sigh of relief. With many thanks, they bowed to Quatre and disappeared into the crowd, finally liberated from the crowded city.
Lena and Zechs spent about an hour drinking tea and negotiating with Master Winner, or Quatre, as he insisted on being called. When they came to an agreement, Zechs paid the young man out of his pocket, then excused himself and his sister. Together, they left Quatre's rooms and headed topside. They stood together at a railing, watching the water skim along the ship.
"We're almost out of money," Zechs said to Relena, once they were sure no one was around. Relena frowned.
"I assumed. What are we going to do once we reach Port Royal?"
Zechs leaned his arms on the railing and sighed. "Not sure. Perhaps we can talk to the governor of the city. If we used our real names…"
"They might report back to father," Lena hissed. Zechs glanced up at his sister.
"It would take months for any word to reach him. We could be long gone by then," he said. A devilish glint shone in his eyes. "We made it this far. Perhaps in Port Royal we could just… borrow… a ship." Lena suppressed an unladylike snort.
"That worked out so well for us last time," Lena replied. "We're lucky they kicked us off the ship in Alexandria and not on a deserted island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Or threw us overboard to drown."
"I already admitted that you were right about that one." Zechs stood up straight and gripped his sister's forearms. "But we can try again, and prepare this time." Lena rolled her eyes.
"Why can't we just join a crew, instead of trying to steal a ship?"
Zechs gave her an indignant look. "That's not as fun."
Lena threw her hands up in the air. "You're impossible!"
The storm ebbed as The Winged Zero plowed through the waves towards clearer skies. Quartermaster G sighed and pulled his hat out from under his arm, where he'd stowed so it wouldn't end up in the ocean.
"We were blown off course, so we're days from Port Royal," he commented. Captain Jay nodded his head, tapping his hooked hand on the wheel.
"Aye." Jay glanced at G. "We need supplies anyway. I wouldn't mind some company either." G smirked, then looked over the deck. Slowly, the crew was coming back to life after the tossing of the storm.
"Oi, set this ship to rights!" he shouted. The crew scrambled to comply, still looking a little dazed from the bucking of the ship during the storm. He glanced at Captain Jay once more.
"That storm nearly did them in," he commented. Captain Jay nodded his head.
"They're still green… and almost too young," he agreed. "But we'll break 'em in."
A/N: Thank you to the reviewers and story followers! I love hearing your thoughts!
-Scarlet Eve