After a few days, the homing pigeon arrived at Portos. It soared and perched on Arden’s hand. He opened the seal and read it.

To my son, Ramos,

The king wants to see you. Head to Kingsford with Gladys and Eric. The knight will take care of you during the journey.

signed,

Gideon

Arden smiled at a glance as he headed to Ramos’ chamber. It wasn’t a long wait for him until Ramos opened the door with wondering eyes. “Any news?”

Arden nodded as he handed over the letter.

Reading such news, Ramos couldn’t hold his excitement. “This is great! When can we leave?” Ramos cheered with a large smile like a child who got a box of candies.

“Two more days. Prepare everything you need,” said Arden. He then left to deliver Mr. Gideon’s message to Eric and Gladys.

Meanwhile, Peter seemed to have lost his enthusiasm for training. In the last few days, his abilities seemed to be underdeveloped. His mind was distracted by the mystery of his father’s death. He couldn’t understand why his father—who had a good reputation—turned into a traitor.

He asked his mother, Muriel, but she couldn’t give a satisfying explanation. She was equally disbelieving as Peter. However, she had no choice. There was no evidence to support that her husband had been slandered. Therefore, she had to accept his life as a servant. Gideon, who succeeded his brother as ruler of Portos, was kind enough not to have Muriel executed.

“We’re leaving for Kingsford in two days,” said Eric to Peter during his unfocused practice.

“Should I come along?” Peter felt uncomfortable having to be near Ramos during the trip.

“Well… I think you need refreshment. Staying around here isn’t getting you anywhere. Maybe you can find some clues about your father during the trip.”

Peter was silent for a moment. His gaze wandered off into the distance. “Alright then,” he answered with a soft sigh. Though he wasn’t completely sure, he felt that there was some truth to what Eric said. Staying at Portos would bring him no closer to the fact of his father’s death. He then helped his knight prepare the goods and supplies to be brought.

“If my father was a mage, could it be that I am too?” The question just slipped out of Peter’s mouth.

“Maybe. I don’t know.”

In the afternoon, after helping Eric prepare everything, Peter was invited by his mother to visit his father’s grave. The two of them went out of the city to an area with many tombstones. Each of them bears the names of those who were buried.

Over there was a quiet atmosphere. Only sounds of crows were occasionally heard. Peter followed his mother down the path and came to a simple tombstone. There was a name carved over there :

Hans Cornell

785-820

Peter was silent for a moment, his hands clenched tightly as his eyes closed. He tried to imagine how was his father looked like. However, there was no figure he could picture in his mind.

“Ask for protection for your trip tomorrow,” said Muriel. Although Peter didn’t really believe that a dead person could protect him, he just obeyed.

The wind blew, caressing his face. All kinds of speculation about what happened when the father died swirled in Peter’s mind.

A few moments later, the boy sighed heavily and wrapped his arms around Muriel as he could see the corners of his mother’s eyes were watery. Losing a husband at the birth of her child, plus being accused of being a traitor, was not a light burden for any woman.

“Thank you, Mom,” Peter whispered to his mother.

Muriel stared at her son. “Thank you for being my good son.”

The two of them hugged tightly for a while before returning to the castle. Orange hue coloring the sky, accompanying the two of them on their way back to the city.

That night, Borin and Peter prepared everything they would take with them. Nothing special. Just some old clothes.

“It’s a good thing that Eric also invited you, otherwise I’d be lonely there,” said Borin as he tucked a piece of his tattered shirt into a bundle of cloth. As a servant, he must accompany his master wherever he goes.

“At least we can still be together,” said Peter with a faint smile. “Is she going too?” Peter glanced at the hooded girl across the room.

“Yes, it seems so. I heard she will accompany Miss Gladys on the journey. Being the only female during the trip would not be pleasant for the princess.”

Hearing that, Peter felt quite good. At least his best friend, along with a pretty girl he’s attracted to, will be around for some time.

“Get some rest. Tomorrow you will leave early in the morning,” said Muriel to Peter.

“Okay, ma’am.”

Peter then closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep. Although his body was tired, he didn’t fall asleep really soon. His heart was beating too fast and his thoughts were all over the place. This will be his first adventure away from Portos.

On the contrary, Borin had already fallen asleep. That boy never had sleep difficulty. Something that sometimes Peter envy of.

***

The day of departure arrived. Peter and Borin helped to carry things on board. Peter doesn’t know what Ramos brought. It was so heavy as he struggled to help Borin carry a large bag.

After everything was ready, the captain gave a signal to the officers on the ground to release the rope tied to a wooden pole. Arden waved while standing on the pier to let them go. In the meantime, he will be in charge of governing Portos.

“Good morning, Mr. Eric, Mr. Ramos, and Miss Gladys. I’m Berinon, captain of the ship,” said a hideous-looking man with a thick beard and a scar on his face.

“Let me walk you to your room.”

After receiving two bags of gold coins from Eric, the captain offered his services to Ramos and Gladys.

“Okay, let’s go.” Berinon then signaled his crew to unfurl the sails, making the ship move slowly away from Portos towards the north.

The ship had two rooms, one for Gladys and her maid, and one for Ramos, Eric, and Berinon. Meanwhile, Peter, Borin, and the rest of the crew remained on deck.

A few moments passed, and the ship continued to move further into the open sea. The wave was getting stronger and splashed onto the deck. Not minding getting a little wet, Peter sat on the edge, feeling a refreshing breeze blow against his black hair. The blue sky mingled with the expanse of white clouds stretching as wide as the horizon. The seagulls fly in groups to fill the void in the air.

It turns out that the sea is not as scary as people say, he thought. On the other hand, Borin didn’t seem to enjoy anything at all. His face was pale and sweaty.

“What’s wrong with you?” asked Peter.

“I-I…” Before finishing his sentence, Borin vomited into the sea.

“Water….”

Peter then handed him his water bag.

“He has seasickness,” said Eric while turning up on the deck. “This is going to be difficult. Ramos called him to clean the room.”

“But he’s not feeling well,” said Peter. “Let me.”

“Are you sure?”

Peter just nodded slowly. Although he knew Ramos would not take it well, letting Borin do his job would only make things worse.

“Alright, let me talk to the young master. If he agrees, I’ll call you.” Eric then went into the room while Peter stood waiting in front of the room. Incidentally. his eyes were drawn to glance at a gap in the slightly open door in front of him.

At that very moment, the hooded servant came out from the opposite room, right in front of Peter’s eyes. For a split second, they both stared at each other. The girl’s eyes were beautiful, light brown. Her chin is small and her cheeks are slightly plump, framed by shoulder-length straight hair. His thin lips smiled and suddenly Peter felt his heart sink. No words were spoken during those awkward moments.

A moment later, Miss Gladys came out of the room and walked to the deck of the ship to just enjoy the sea view. Her maid followed while Peter stole a glance at the two girls from the corner of his eye.

“Alright, Ramos has agreed to make you a temporary servant.” Eric appeared and interrupted Peter’s thoughts.

“Eh… I… yes…” said Peter. He stammered and rushed into Ramos’s room.

“Excuse me, sir, I’ll be—”

“Just do it! Fast!” cut Ramos.

Although feeling irritated, Peter had no choice. He had to get to work cleaning the young master’s chamber.

The room was stuffy and dimmed by the light of a few candles. The small window on one side of the room adds some light intensity. Heedless of anything else, Peter hurried to get a broom and duster. He just wanted to get back on the deck with Borin.

Meanwhile, Gladys’s maid saw Borin struggling with seasickness. She then asked permission from her young lady to help the poor boy.

Gladys nodded as she agreed. The maidservant then gave a bag of liquid to Borin, who looked pale. “Drink. It will make you better.”

Without hesitation, Borin drank the water the girl gave him. The taste is slightly sweet and spicy. The liquid slid down his throat and making his stomach feel warm.

“Thank you, Miss…?” Borin looked at the maidservant asking her name.

“Anna,” replied the girl with a gentle smile

“I’m Borin.”

“Keep this in case you need it later.” Anna handed him her water bag.

“What is this liquid?”

“Water boiled with herbs. I usually take it with me when traveling. It’s good for reducing nausea.” Anna then stood and left Borin to rest.

That night, Peter complained about his job of cleaning Ramos’s room. The young master didn’t leave a speck of dust behind; while Borin recounted his encounter with Anna, who helped him when he was suffering from seasickness.

His best friend’s story made Peter jealous. The boy wished he was the one who got the chance to have a one-on-one conversation with Anna, instead of sweeping the arrogant young master’s stuffy room.

At that time, the scenery was exquisite. Stars were scattered across the sky. Something that would at least lessen the irritation in Peter’s heart. It didn’t take long for the two friends to fall asleep.

Despite spending a lot of time on deck in the following days, Peter didn’t get a chance to have a private conversation with Anna. Since Gladys was always by her side, the boy had no reason to approach Anna.

Meanwhile, Borin was getting used to the shaking of the ship. Although he still felt nauseous from time to time, he could return to serve Ramos because of the liquid that Anna gave him.

For several days, their voyage went smoothly. However, one night, a flash of lightning seemed to strike in the distance. A few seconds later, the sound of thunder followed to break the silence.

“Looks like a storm is coming,” Berinon muttered. His face had a hint of concern. He sighed and went to find Eric. Berinon knew the capacity of the ship. It can face bad weather and regular storms. However, what he had just seen was not something he had encountered before. It would take great luck to make it through the night. Berinon then ordered his crew to close the sails.

A few hours later, the wind blew harder and harder, accompanied by a drizzle of rain that fell on the ship’s deck. Lightning flashed in response to the thunderous sound. The ship shook back and forth harder. Borin was the last person to wake up when everyone was already showing extreme anxiety.

“Oh, no… we’re going to drown.” Borin’s voice choked as his face turned pale.

The waves that were only one meter high had now reached almost five meters. The seawater gushed into the deck.

“HOLD ON TO ANYTHING YOU CAN!” Berinon shouted, giving instructions. Not long after, the ship swayed at an increasingly sharp angle until it almost reached ninety degrees. Several crew members who failed to hold their grip fell and were thrown into the sea.

For nearly three hours, the hurricane and rainstorm continued mercilessly. In a loud crash, Peter’s grip slipped. Luckily, his body was restrained by the mast. He felt grateful though his back hurt excruciatingly from hitting the hardwood. There was no time to moan. The ship had swayed the other way and thrown his body into the sea.

Luckily, Borin caught Peter and hold him tight until the ship swung back the opposite way. If Borin had been a second late, Peter might have fallen in. With great difficulty, the two friends returned to the deck, trying to endure the storm.

However, the ongoing extreme conditions made Borin feel exhausted. His eyes were dizzy and his head hurt. Moments later, he fell unconscious. By then, Peter was urged to hold his best friend’s body so as not to be thrown into the sea.

Peter himself was exhausted. His feet and hands were numb. Plus Borin, whose safety now depends only on him, Peter really feels that his end is near. However, the boy did not give up for the sake of his friend. No matter what happened, he struggle with all his might.