Stew again.

Alek despised stew. Of course they never served such rubbish back home in Prague, but back home in Prague they didn't have to feed a crew of hungry men on ship supplies.

Still, the stew was disgusting. It was nothing more than cabbage, fish and broth. He supposed he had liked it the first seven or eight times it had been served, but by now the dish was beginning to offset his stomach. It reflected his current mood; dreary and miserable.

The weather was behaving in a similar matter. After a few days of excruciating heat, the front had rolled through followed by wicked thunderstorms and winds. It was too dangerous to send the Leviathan adrift, so the ship had been forced to quarantine for another few days outside of Turkey.

Alek watched the branches of a nearby tree whip back and forth across the window. The rain was so thick he couldn't see further than a few meters. Looking through the tiny ship window of the mess hall, he wondered if his mood would ever change. Just the other day he had rescued Dylan from drowning. However, the rescuing attempt had turned out to be nothing but a joke. The midshipman had been faking the accident only to spite Alek. It made his mouth turn sour and Alek pulled his head away from the window to look back at his soup in disgust. He couldn't comprehend what was worse, the sight of Dylan drowning after he pushed him in the water, or the idea that Dylan had faked the entire thing.

He grumbled a curse and stirred the stew slowly with his spoon.

"Hello, Alek. You mind if I join you?"

He turned around to stare down the deserted table only to see the very midshipman he had been trying to avoid. It had been easy to stay away from Dylan these past two days since the boy seemed to be avoiding him as well. Yet it appeared that Dylan was looking for Alek's company again because he was standing in front of him with a tray of food, waiting for Alek to let him sit down.

Guilt got the best of him and Alek pushed out the chair across from him with his foot.

"Go ahead." He said gruffly as Dylan quickly grabbed the seat.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Alek poked at his stew and Dylan stared out the window. It was strange to see the boy not eating. Alek knew that something must be really bothering Dylan if he didn't have an appetite.

"So," Dylan finally ventured to break the silence. "they made fish stew again."

Alek nodded his disapproval.

"I know how much you hate it, so I brought you something else instead."

Alek looked up from his food in surprise to see that Dylan had, in fact, a few plates of something other than stew. He watched carefully as the boy pushed his tray to the center of the table between them.

"Bangers and mash." Dylan pointed to an iron skillet filled with what appeared to be potatoes and sausages. "It's a favorite from back home."

Dylan started on his own portion then, ladling spoonfuls of mashed potatoes into his mouth with slow procession. It was odd to see Dylan eat so sluggishly. The boy usually piled everything into his mouth as if the world would suddenly end and there would be no food left. Currently, Dylan was too busy watching Alek to eat anything quickly.

Apparently he was waiting to see if Alek enjoyed the Scottish dish. He was staring at Alek, contemplating every move the prince made.

But Alek didn't touch the food. Even if Dylan made it himself, even if it looked and smelled amazing, Alek wasn't about to give in and consume the meal. If he did he would be giving in to whatever Dylan was trying to do.

"Gonna starve yourself then, aye?" He asked after a few more minutes of silence. "Because I know you won't touch the fish stew either."

It was probably meant to be a rude comment but there was no heart in it. Especially since Dylan had stopped eating after a few timid bites.

"I'm not hungry." Alek said. He pushed the plate away and was about to stand when Dylan spoke.

"Alek, I'm sorry."

Another long awkward silence. Alek sat back down to hear what else the boy had to say. Dylan didn't look him in the eye and started fiddling with his spoon.

"You were saying?"

"I feel awful about the other day, you know I do. I didn't want to make you mad. Honestly, it was meant to be a joke."

"I didn't think it was very funny."

"Of course you didn't! And now that I think of it, I probably would have been just as angry had you done the same thing to me. The whole thing was barking insane! I only did it cuz I was upset that you pushed me in the water. At the time I thought it would be a good way to get back at you."

Alek crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Dylan.

"You wanted to get back at me? I tossed you into the lagoon as a harmless act of fun, partly because I was worried you'd overheat yourself, and you had to get back at me? Most people aren't bothered that much if they get their clothes wet."

Dylan continued to pick at his spoon without making eye contact so Alek kept speaking.

"For what it's worth I thought I had drowned you, Dylan! Can you even begin to imagine what that is like?"

No answer. Alek was about to say more when he realized the strange expression on Dylan's face. The boy's cheeks had gone puffy and red and he was wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. Alek had never seen the midshipman cry before. It was strange to even imagine that the boy could cry. Dylan was such a strong character that showing any form of weakness was unthinkable.

"Forget I mentioned it." Alek said. He rose from his seat and started walking away when he felt someone grab his wrist.

"Alek, I…"

Dylan had stood and followed him. He had wiped most of the tears from his face but a few fresh ones had tumbled out of his eyes. The effect made Alek a little ashamed.

"Whatever it is, Dylan, I don't need to hear it. You already apologized."

The boy shook his head frantically, releasing even more tears.

"I feel horrid. I can't stop thinking how I've made you mad with me. Please don't go yet."

Alek sighed. He really hadn't considered how upset Dylan might be. He had made quite a big deal out of nothing. No one had actually drowned and there wasn't any physical harm done. Shaking his head with a smile, Alek pulled the other boy into his arms.

Dylan shuddered from the embrace but Alek continued to hold him. Perhaps it was an awkward time to hug him, what with them being in the middle of the mess hall and Dylan's face full of tears, but Alek felt it was the right thing to do.

Finally Dylan pulled away. He sniffed back the last of his tears and returned to the table without a word. Alek joined him a second later.

"I think I will try some of that….what did you call it again?"

"Bangers and mash." Dylan beamed. He pushed the skillet over. "And you better eat every bite of it, you ninny, the cook doesn't know I stole the ingredients."

Alek happily filled his plate and began to eat. He couldn't remember having a more delicious meal.