Seamus swallowed thickly as he looked out over the Alexandria. Though it was still his fathers' ship, he would be acting captain for this voyage. He felt someone step up beside him.
"Nervous?" Jim asked.
"You have no idea."
Jim laughed, "I wouldn't be so sure of that. Popa Vedal only started letting me be active captain last year."
"True. But you, at least, had his crew." Seamus looked over at the people waiting on the dock, "I can't remember the last time I saw some of these people."
JIm shook his head, "Just remember, all of us have spent nearly our entire lives on our parents' ships. We all know what we're doing and I am here for a reason." He slapped Seamus on the back. "Now, come on. You have to address your crew."
Seamus stumbled and nodded. He followed Jim over to the gangplank.
"Um. Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Alexandria." He began, "I am Seamus Johnson and I will be acting captain for this voyage. This is Jim Strickler, also known as Atlas, and he will be my first mate."
He wait for a reaction of any kind from the crew. They adjusted their holds on their bags and looked among each other. He swallowed.
"Our-Our voyage is simple." He continued, "We'll travel to the Arcadia port to pick up new recruits then head to the smuggler's island to pick the cargo…If there's no questions, head in and get settled in your bunks. We'll head out in two hours."
He stepped away from the gangplank and watched as everyone began to file onto the ship.
"That was a good speech, Sea."
He jumped and turned. Blinky and Arrrgh stood behind him, Cordelia held gently in Blinky's left arms. Their glowing sunlight medallions hung around their necks to allow them the time needed to visit Seamus during the daytime. The baby troll had only just hatched, and she hadn't been the only baby born recently. It was exactly that that had prompted King Walter's decision to have all the 'heirs' go on a voyage together.
"Good. Short."
He smiled sheepishly, "Thanks. I promise I won't let anything happen to the ship."
"We're less worried about the ship and more worried about you." Blinky put one hand on his shoulder, "There will be at least one full moon during this voyage. Do you have everything?"
"I do. To be honest, that's the least of my worries," Seamus admitted, "I don't exactly know this crew very well."
Blinky and Arrrgh nodded.
"True. But all good." Arrrgh assured him, "And Seamus smart. Trust crew. Trust Atlas. All good."
Seamus nodded and reached out to take Cordelia from Blinky, "And you behave for your Da and Pa, ok? I'll be back before long."
Cordelia simply cooed and slapped at his face. Seamus chuckled and kissed her cheek.
"Um, Captain?"
He nearly jumped out of his skin as he realized they were talking to him. He turned to face the crew member.
"Yes. Sorry. T-Toby? Right?" He offered.
The other boy nodded, "That's right. Eli and I just wanted to let you know that our sister, Mary, will join us about halfway to the port. She's been talking with the mermaids for a few weeks."
Seamus nodded, "Alright. Once you both get your bunks squared away, come meet me and Jim in the stateroom so we can figure out an approximate location we'll be meeting her."
Toby nodded and turned back to the crowd filing under the deck. Seamus sighed and handed Cordelia back.
"I should get back to work. I may be settled in but I want to go over everything one more time and, apparently, I have a meeting to get ready for now."
Arrrgh nodded and backed down the gangplank. Blinky took Cordelia back, squeezed Seamus's shoulder once more, and turned to follow his husband back into the village. Seamus watched them go before turning and heading back to his office. He unrolled his maps and placed his compass and pens on the desk. He double checked the route they had already planned and pulled out his compas to double check how long it would take.
The Alexandria was smaller than most of the ships in the Avalonian Armada and wasn't among the fastest. They were typically in charge of pickups for crew and the smuggling island. The Alexandria was not rated for speed or action.
He looked up as the door creaked open. Jim led Toby and Eli in.
"Hey, Captain, Tobes and Eli two said they had some arrangements to make?"
Seamus nodded and waved them closer, "That's right. I have our route charted right here. Do you two have an idea for where we'll meet Mary?"
Toby and Eli looked over the map and whispered together. Then Eli pointed to somewhere in the open ocean.
"Probably around here." He explained.
"We dropped her off over here so she'll have to meet us on the proper route." Toby added.
Seamus nodded and walked the compass across the map. He made a note and nodded again.
"Thank you both, very much. At the average speed The Alexandria travels, we should meet her in about a week." He rolled up the map, "Do you have a way to contact her and let her know?"
Eli nodded, "Yes. We'll let her know once we leave port."
Seamus gave them both one final nod, "Alright. Thank you for your time. I'll see you both on deck."
"Aye, Captain!"
Toby and Eli filed out of the office and Jim closed the door behind them. Seamus sighed and sat back in his chair.
"You alright?" Jim asked.
"It's going to be a long trip…"
LLB
Seamus stood at the helm and watched as the crew scurried around. They were minutes away from cast off and, while he had helped his father's many times before, this was yet another first for him. Looking to his left he was able to see members of everyone's families waiting and waving from the pier. Blinky held Cordelia up and waved one of her hands. He waved back shyly and took a deep breath.
"Prepare for cast off!" He ordered. "Mr. Strickler! Mr. Scaarbach! Raise the anchor!"
"Aye, Captain!"
Jim and Toby hurried to the winch and pulled the crank.
Ms. Nunes! Cast off the mooring line!"
"Aye, Captain!" Claire leapt from her spot and used her magic to pull up the mooring line.
Every other member of the crew either climbed up the ratlines or simply flew up the mast. Seamus took the wheel and wait for the signal from Jim and Toby.
"Release the sails!"
One by one, the sails of The Alexandria unfurled. The ship moved slowly from it's dock. Seamus wait until they were a safe distance away.
"All clear, Mr. Pepperjack?"
"All clear, Captain!" Eli called down from the crows nest.
"Very good. Mr. Scaarbach, Ms. Terron, Mr. Terron, I want all three of you to put a little wind in our sails," He ordered, "Just until we make it into the open water."
"Aye, Captain!"
Aja and Krel removed their amulets and all three dragons transformed. They took to the air. They used their wings to pump wind into the sails. The ship jerked forward as it sped up. Seamus held tight to the wheel to maintain to controle. In only a few minutes, they were well past Avalon's bay and out on the open ocean.
The dragons returned to deck and pulled their amulets back on. The crew began stepping into their positions. Jim joined Seamus at the helm.
"Not bad for your first launch," he noted, "Better than mine went, that's for sure."
Seamus chuckled and shook his head, "I'll be honest, I wasn't entirely sure the idea with the dragons would work."
"Well, I think it turned out great. I'll have to remember that when I get back to The Heartstone."
Seamus smiled and looked over the crew. It wasn't much. They would be picking up the rest so it was little more than a bare bones crew at the moment but magic helped. Eli was staying up in the crow's nest for the time being and much of the rest of the crew was simply milling about. Seamus stepped aside and let Krel take the wheel. They still had a long way to go but Avalon was already a little more than a shadow on the horizon.