Creating something new, day 12

Asta & Ring Sundial

It's a bit embarrassing when I wake up and realise I'm lying on my side with my arm around Iselin and my head pressed against her breasts. But I feel her hand starting to caress my scalp and she doesn't seem to mind. We have done so much more so why am I somewhat embarrassed about this? But it's so nice just holding Iselin. My divine fiancée.

Ciara press herself against my back even though there are a bit of problem with her arm around me. Apparently her breasts are no longer sore, as I feel them against my shoulders, or she just doesn't care that its sore to be able to hold me. Ask if it's time to get up, but Iselin says it's early and I can just fall asleep again. I almost do that, until I realize what I have in front of my face and mouth, and I just can't help myself. Ends up as a very nice morning for all of us.

Its still morning as we board my ship 'The Millennium Eagle', and set sails from Borgarsandr. The ships compass works well, but a dampening spring would be nice to keep the compass needle more steady. I take the sun height at noon with the sextant, and try to calculate what the sun height should be, try to correct the formula and it matches up quite well. I need to be in a fixed place for the last correction.

It will be interesting to see what has happened at the Islands, its only been 9 days since we last saw it, but since we're in the neighbourhood... ...passing we might as well visit. I really need to learn to say things correctly and use the right expressions for their culture. Its so damn easy to use familiar expressions no one understands, but it helps that their language has such different words when you leave the basics. Their language lacks so many words I just take for granted, because if the word 'energy' never existed, how can anyone be energetic, deprived of energy or saving energy? To say that the compass needs a spring gives me weird looks when there are no mechanical springs at all, and the Swedish word for spring is the same as feather, so they think of bird feathers, or pillow stuffings, and dampening for them is more padding of clothing or armor. I'm going to introduce so many new words I'm a bit sad that their language will change, and they will have a mix of Swedish and English words.

As far as I can tell, Asta does a good job as Captain and Navigator, and I try to avoid putting her in a bad social position in front of both the crew and my company. She is very careful around me - respect mixed with fear. But she's hardly alone in that, I bet most of Elves in Borgarsandr is the same. I don't like it, but I accept that reality. We talk so I can get to know her and try making her more comfortable, and she cautiously wonders if I chose her as Captain because she's a woman, and if her continued position as Captain will require bed company as well. Of course, she hasn't missed that my company is only women, and she heard what the man said. Most did.

I directly reply that I don't want her company in bed - that was not why she was hired - and my careless way of saying it, force me to clarify that it has nothing to do with her looks, size or general desirablity, but precisely because she is my Captain. I avoid having sex with anyone working for me, and that include my guards and future maids as well. I explain that Iselin is my fiancée, a precursor relationship based on love for a possible future marriage. Ciara's highest wish was to become my concubine. Kari was given to me as concubine by King Aeriksson, because she really wanted it and I needed a capable and socially knowledgeable woman like her in my life. All the guards are Shieldmaidens because it is smarter to have important women protected by women, instead of men. Its a bigger chance that male guards will lead to problems, especially since I'm a Sejdmann, and I try to avoid situations like the one that led to the duel. Alith and Bodil was the first Shieldmaidens to seek service for me and protect me, but also Iselin, Ciara and now Kari too. Hillevi and Gunhild protected Kari before the King gave her to me, and they chose to come along to serve me, and the others.

I explain that Asta is the first person I have chosen for an important position, but for me it has nothing to do with her being a woman, except that she probably wouldn't have been available to seek work for me if she were a man. If Asta were a taller muscular man with exactly the same knowledge and apparently 22 years of age and other things, she would probably already have had a good job on a ship. So that she is a small woman and thus misjudged by others, only gives me get a good Captain and Navigator. The fact that others havn't been able to see beyond her sex and size for a position where it doesn't really matter, means that I can get a competent person as Captain. I try to base work on merit, and as Captain she usually won't help with the sails, anchor, cargo handling and so on. She just seems to need a chance from someone to prove it, and a boost in selfconfidence. But other Captains or Shipowners mistake, is mine and her gain.

She is very curious and fascinated by the ship compass I attached on the mast infront of the rudder, and she's impressed with my knowledge about navigation. She has many times been on ships lost in fog or had a hard time keeping the course on a cloudy rainy day. She's quite proud to show me that she has a 'sun stone' in a leather cord around her neck, that she use to find the rough position of the sun on even a cloudy day as long as the weather isn't too bad, and she quite confident in her skills at navigating after the sun and the stars. The weather is good, but she lets me try using her sun stone, which is a fun experience, but it only gives an approximate position on the sun. However, it would have been useful enough with an okayish clock if there was no compass. Its kind of fun to try something I've only heard about before. I can't help but smile as I again think of the graphical novel 'Sunstone', which is about something completely different.

Asta managed to buy a few sun stones when she visited what I think of as Iceland a few years ago, as they're more common up there, and they are useful. The sun compass is another development that has extended further south in use, but only among the seafarers who cross the seas in the north, and as with sun stones, they're a bit of secret among the Norse. Not much use of either down south as they mostly follow coasts, or east where they follow rivers and lakes, and the sea there is easier to navigate if you know what you're doing and have area knowledge. But, then again, that applies to most things.

I show Asta a map of the region, and I can see how she tries to interpret it and follow how she has seen coastlines and find landmarks as I explain. I manage to pull her off the map when I show the compass rose at its top, and she understands more, so I let her use a North Arrow. I again explain that this ships purpose is transportation and cargo, but it will also be a training ship and eventually for experiments. In the future, ships will be built to specifically test something, or just test a completely different shipdesign with a different sail solution. If she continues to be my Captain, Asta will need to train people in both sailing, handling different ships, sails and everything life onboard include, as well as train future Navigators and Captains. And probably test completely new types of ships. I let Asta use the North Arrow and my monocular for the rest of this voyage. I shows her my sextant and we begin to discuss how it is intended to be used.

When she really understands what my future plans include, like more things for easier navigation, maps etc, she becomes ecstatic. When she realise that I want her to learn everything first, so she can educate the next generation in the most advanced techniques and accessories... I do believe that she will be quite loyal to me for the rest of her professional life, as her name will be famous and synonymous with the one who teaches others. Talk about revenge on everyone who ignored her and didn't even want her on their ship. I think she and the crew might be even more loyal when they eventually see my plans for their life, and the relative comfort they will have most of the time.

Too reinforce her commitment I tell her that if she does her job well enough, if she one day want to become a mother, she will be able to live on the Academy's islands and teach the basics in a classroom instead, and on the immediate sea around the islands, because someone has to learn the basics for beginners. Just because she leaves the ship, she doesn't have to leave the seafarer life. Do a good job. Be an efficient, skilled and a good Captain. She has a lot to learn, both a new and more advanced math, but also handling instruments I make and help me improve them.

I ask Ciara to make two more copies of all the maps, as her previous copies will stay on the ship, and I ask her to continue marking them with her symbol. It feels like I'm using her, but she's so happy to do it and she wants that niche just for herself.

I sit down and start assembling three ring sundials. So I file edges and build while Ciara starts working on the maps. I think we both appreciate the other is there, but each working by ourselfs. A special closeness. When the first ring sundial is finished late in the afternoon, I try it out, and I can read that the time is about 1710. Compare with the wristwatch in my side pocket and its only 15 minutes wrong. On a slightly rocking ship with north taken from the ships compass and from a handmade portable sundial. I'm pleased with that. Sure it can be improved, especially with better maps with magnetic correction and better knowledge of the suns movement and so on, but right now this is completely 'okay'. So I start building two more. Iselin and Kari doesn't seem to understand why I am so happy all of a sudden. Ciara, on the other hand, begins to understand me, because she wants to help me finish the last two ring sundials. She can't really make maps if the ship rocks and sways too much, and she wants to do something instead of just watching or being social on deck.

Its late in the evening when the ship anchors off my islands and we see several ships that are anchored or pulled ashore and seem to have been unloaded, and the workers. I explain that these islands are mine, and home for my future Academy. This is my furstdome, and this ship is part of that. If the crew didn't understand before, that should make it clear that I didn't joke about being unbound.