Every ten years or so, a fleet departed from the Old World to the New. Several ships filled with supplies and hopeful young people. Adventurers, risking the perilous voyage with nothing but the hope for a better future. The New World was not a kind place, they've been told. Wildlife was as untamed as it could possibly be, or so they said. Whoever wished to leave their comfortable lives behind to try their luck in the New World was either incredibly brave or unbelievably stupid. Quite possibly both.
Abroad one of the ships, the ambiance was cheerful. The long journey was nearly over; they would reach the capital Astera by daybreak. Food had been rationed for the weeks, but a feast would be held tonight. Anyone not needed on deck would be there. Tonight was the last night the Fifth Fleet would be together like this. Tomorrow morning, each would go their own way.
Among those young, foolish people were Meira and Bergen. Despite being recently married, many would consider emigrating to Astera a poor choice of honeymoon and rest of their lives together. And so, having spent all of their money for passage on this ship, all they had was each other and the clothes on their backs. A true fresh start, though maybe not entirely willingly, settling in the dangerous and uncharted lands of the New World.
Surrounded by noise and beer sat our young, married couple. A curly redhead was propped against the hull of the ship, flicking through an old tome, which had, by no doubt, seen better days, judging from the several missing pages, as well as those that had been sewn back in. Across from her, a tall male stood, singing some sea shanty he vaguely knew the words of. The original lyrics had likely been lost, as the song changed every time it was sung. His brown beard had grown scruffy as shaving on a ship was altogether a bad plan.
A wave rocked the ship, causing Bergen as well as some other unfortunate party guests to stumble As a result, he spilled some beer over the book Meira had been reading. With a startled cry, she leapt up, fruitlessly trying to wipe the foamy liquid off.
"Oh no, oh no! Damn it! Be more careful, will you?!" She snapped at him, while squinting up to glare at him. Lit by only a few oil lanterns, the entire space was dark as twilight, comfortably so for the party goers.
"Take it easy, Meir. You've read that book tons of times by now. It's all you do. I'm sure you know it by heart," Bergen replied, grinning before drinking what's left of his beer.
Meira crossed her arms, still feeling a bit upset about the loss of the book, which was a soggy mess by now. The chapter on hazardous flora was nearly illegible by now. "Yeah, well… It's good to be prepared."
Bergen stroked her face, marvelling quietly once again at how soft she kept her skin, even on this ship. "You are, honey. No one will be able to beat the two of us. We'll make it in Astera. I promise you." He softly kissed her forehead.
With a sigh, she left the ruined book behind and allowed herself to be led well into the party. Dancing to music merely consisting of singing, clapping, and stomping, Meira couldn't help smiling as Bergen twirled her around. Many had called them crazy, but moments like this made the decision to emigrate to Astera worth it.
Light had not yet begun peeking through the porthole when the bells rang. "Land ahoy!" This phrase was shouted once and whispered among the passengers. Land ahoy. They were nearly there, and although the ending of one journey could be bittersweet, it had the ability to lead to another, bigger adventure. One that could muster more thrills and treasure than the one before.
Meira and Bergen shared a room. The space was small, and the bed was tiny. The only way for both of them to be under the sheets was to cuddle together quite cosily, a situation neither of them particularly minded. The bell toiling had woken Meira instantly, yet her husband did not seem to agree. With a groan, he tightened the arm around her waist and pulled her closer.
"Land ahoy, sweetheart. Time to get up," she whispered sweetly. Bergen groaned, nudging her braided hair aside to kiss her neck, causing Meira to giggle. Then she cast off the bedsheets and slid out of his embrace and out of bed. "Come on! We have less than an hour to get ready to move. Don't forget, we're rooming with Kaltain and Vulir, and I don't want the last to pick a bed. Come on!"
With a sigh, a headshake, and a fond smile, Bergen followed his wife out of the cabin and into their new life.