Author's Notes:  Okay, chapter 3.  This chapter takes place in the past, as well.  A continuation of chapter 2, if you will.

Chapter 3: Life After Death

            The port was busy upon Marin's arrival.  It was only shortly after midday, and the people of the city were hard at work.

            'It would be terribly easy to get lost in the crowd here,' he mused, surveying the bustling scene before him.  It wasn't difficult to tell where he needed to go; he had to get as far from Aurel as he could, and the best way to do so would be to sneak onboard the next ship out of port.  Looking out toward the docks, he could make out the figures of many men, walking up and down the gangplank with crates and barrels filled with cargo.

            'That's the one,' he thought to himself, nodding slightly for his own benefit.  And with that in mind, he slipped, unnoticed, into the throng and headed for the ship that had claimed his attention.

            When finally he had reached the appropriate dock, he paused to consider how he would get onboard.  His best bet would be to slip in among the cargo being loaded, and to sneak inside the ship as soon as he got a clear opening.  However, he would never see his plan put into action, for it was at that moment that one of the sailors caught sight of him, crouching behind one of the dock-posts.

            "'Ey! You there!" the sailor shouted, dashing toward Marin.  The accused held very still, praying that it wasn't he that was being addressed.  Unfortunately, the sailor had other plans, apparently, because now he was motioning his comrade over, and the index finger of his other hand was being used to point to a now-alarmed Marin.

            "You... yeah, you, kid! C'mon out here where we can see you!" the man hollered, and Marin complied slowly, stepping out from his hiding spot.  By now, the man's comrade had appeared.

            "What've we here?" the second man asked, raising an eyebrow.

            "This kid was hiding over at the end of the dock!" the first responded.  He sounded outraged.

            "I can see that," the second groaned, before turning to Marin.  "What's your business here, kid? You shouldn't be wandering around underfoot; it's dangerous!"

            Marin squared his shoulders and tried to look as much like an adult as he could manage.  "All right," he said, his eyes narrowed in what he hoped was a threatening manner, "I'll tell you.  I was waiting, there, for an opening that would allow me to sneak onboard your ship so that I might stowaway in the cargo hold until the ship reaches its destination, where, upon arrival, I will change my name and make a new life for myself someplace where nobody knows who I truly am."

            The two men looked at him, then at each other, and then at him again.  He could tell that his explanation had confused them, and he was about to try a different one when the first sailor cut him off.

            "You're one strange kid, kid," he said, shaking his head.

            "Must be daft," the second said, more to his friend than to Marin.  "Get on out of here boy; this is no place for someone like you to be gallivanting about as if you own the place. Go home."  And without another word, the two sailors departed back to their duties.

            Marin stared after them, dumbfounded.  'They just... let me off, after I told them that I was planning on sneaking onboard their ship?' he wondered.  He didn't have long to ponder, though, for the cargo was nearly loaded, and it was now or never.  With a quick glance at his mother's ring, he gained the courage he needed, and when the men's backs were turned, he ducked into the hold.  As he hunkered down between two crates, he heard the sailors closing the door.  'This is it...' he thought, trying to find a reasonably comfortable position to sit in.

            As the ship left port and began its journey, the toll of the morning's events began to wear on him, and he felt exhaustion set in, and he let out a tremendous yawn; his eyes drooped closed and he rested his chin against his chest.  Had he known that the ship he had chosen to sneak upon was headed on a month-long voyage to the Caribbean, he may have thought twice about hopping onboard. As it was, however, he fell quickly asleep among the ships' cargo, completely unaware of where the ship was going, nor what fate had in store for him.

~~~

End Notes:  If anyone cares to correct me on the length of time it takes to go between Britain and the Caribbean, feel free.  XP  Please R&R!!!

Oh, and Aithne…? ARE YOU QUITE HAPPY NOW?!?! I'LL BE IN MY QUARTERS! *stalks off*