Anne woke with a start just as the sun was beginning to paint the sky beautiful.  Not knowing what had caused her to waken so abruptly, she sat up on the deck and began to rub the haze from her eyes.  Slowly, everything began to come into focus.  She released a strained yawn and stood to find out what was happening. 

As she approached the group of men standing less than ten feet away, she saw Lindsey at their center.  “Morning, Lindsey.”  Her voice made a few of the men jump.  She broke through a side of the masculine wall while rubbing the dull ache in the back of her neck. Sleeping above deck could be hard on your body.

“You know this boy!”  Anne couldn’t believe that even this early in the morning Kenward was such a grump.

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she decided to ignore the question all together.  “Lindsey, please excuse my comrades.  I fear they don’t socialize outside the crew too often.”

“What do you know of what we do and what we do not,” Dyson fumed.  “Less than a week on board and he thinks he knows everything about us!”

Looking to Dyson, Anne stretched making her voice sound a bit tense… thin.  “I know all I wish to know about you, Dyson.  Now,” she was feeling her mind clearing of the last wisps of dreamy visions, “I employed this young lad to make a few deliveries last night.  I told him to find me here when the job had been completed to receive the rest of his pay.  I am truly sorry if his presence has alarmed you any way.”  To her relief, many of the men who’d gathered, took their leave.  Kenward did not.

“What sort of delivery was so important that it could not wait until morning,” suspicion in his voice.

“My personal affairs have nothing to do with this ship.  And if you don’t mind, I would like to keep my work and life separate.”

“You just make sure they remain so, for if they do mingle, I’ll be there to set you… I apologize… things right.”  He then turned and walked away.

Anne wasn’t quite sure how or why Kenward believed he had so much say in what went on aboard the ship.  However, unlike Dyson she knew he was not the type to make idle threats, but there was no time to think on it now.  Looking at Lindsey, she could tell the young man had been frightened.  “Are you all right?”

He nodded and then went into a low graceful bow.  Driven by panic, Anne quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him upright.  When his eyes shot up to hers, they were full of surprise and a great deal of confusion.  Noticing him now, Anne realized his eyes were not dark as she had believed the night before.  They were clear. She remembered she had thought of them as pools; she believed now that it had been a very good description.  His eyes seemed to be made of liquid.  She couldn’t tell whether they were blue or green for they were so light in color, but there was a pale green halo about the irises.  His hair was very fine and flax colored, and he was rather slim.  Feeling anxious, as though she believed he were looking through her and not at her, she tore her eyes from his and looked over his shoulder as she spoke.  “I’m sorry about that, but if you haven’t noticed people here do not treat me that way.”  Then, looking at him once more she asked, “Do you have the signature sheet?”

He nodded and reached into his outer most jacket pocket to produce the paper.  “Thank you.”  Anne looked over the sheet to see Laveda’s scrawl and her sister’s fair hand, then at the bottom the seal of the royal family with the viscount’s name next to it.  “You’ve done well.”

Lindsey’s eyes were trained on her face, silently questioning her.  When Anne noticed the question, her breath caught in her throat.  She looked away and busied herself with extracting his gold coin from her coat.  However, before handing it to him, she forced herself to meet his eyes. 

“Listen, I haven’t the slightest idea how you know what you know about me, but you must keep it to yourself.  Here, amongst these people, my name is Andrew.  They know me as the newest addition to their crew, and all other information about me I keep to myself.”  She handed him the coin with a firm glance telling him silently that the matter was closed, and he should refrain from bringing it up again to her or anyone else.

Lindsey took the coin from her without looking at it.  He nodded his understanding as well as his thanks.  He wasn’t sure why such a lovely lady would desire to stay amongst such ill-mannered brutes but knew better than to ask.  She obviously didn’t want to talk about it.  Instead, he took a few moments to remember her face for when their paths crossed again, and then he turned to leave. 

The men on the ship were loading some cargo as he made his departure, making it a bit difficult not to get hit in the head or side with either their arms or large boxes, but he made it down without too great an incident.  When safely on the dock, he looked up to see the lady looking back at him; he waved and then ran up the wharf.

Anne was relieved to see Lindsey go.  She couldn’t have someone ruining her escape.  Soon she would be far away from this port and completely on her own; free to explore new places and experience life to the fullest.  Taking in a deep breath, and smiling to herself, she decided it was indeed time to start the day.  Although, she thought, first things first… she must see the captain. 

Anne looked down at the signature sheet she had made and ripped off the piece containing the royal seal.  After all, she didn’t want the captain to know to whom she had written.  Afterward, she placed her piece in her pocket and set out to see Doran.

Doran had only been up for half an hour when a knock came at his door.  He was nearly finished shaving his neck and almost cut his throat when he jumped.  A bit angry he bellowed for the person to come in.

Anne heard Doran’s reply to her knock and began to wonder if this was a terrible time to stop by, but just as before, she was here now and may as well enter.  Upon opening the door, Anne caught a glimpse of Doran’s bare back before swiftly turning her head.  Perhaps she should come back later.  “Sir, I apologize, I had no idea you were preoccupied.”  She kept her eyes averted and began to back out of the cabin.

“Nonsense!”  Doran was shaking his head as he turned to face her.  “Please, Andrew, do sit down.  I was just shaving.  It is one thing to have a beard, but it is quite another to be as hairy as an ape,” he chuckled, “So, how can I help you?”

Oh, how Anne wished he would put on a shirt, she had never seen this much of a man’s body before and assumed the heat she felt rising within was due to her great embarrassment.  Keeping her eyes on his face she decided the quickest way to handle this was to inform him of his letter’s delivery and be on her way.  “Sir, I wish to tell you I sent a messenger to deliver your correspondence last night.  I also asked him to bring back proof of the delivery and would like to hand it to you presently.”  She put forth the portion of the sheet that contained the royal seal.

Doran accepted the paper from Andrew wondering what sort of proof he had received from the messenger.  To his astonishment, upon the page, he saw the royal seal and the viscount’s signature next to it.  Never before had anyone he employed thought to hand him proof they had done the task he had set for them.  “You asked the messenger to bring you the seal as proof that the letter made it to the palace?”

Confused he would find such a request odd, Anne, decided to tread lightly.  “Of course… sir.  I was too weary to deliver the letter myself, and as I was going to employ another to do what you had asked of me, I wanted to be sure the task was actually done.  It would not be difficult to say that one made the delivery without having truly done so.”

Doran couldn’t believe Andrew had gone through so much trouble as to hire someone to take care of the letter.  Most everyone he knew would have delivered it themselves or would have waited until the regular messenger came ‘round the next morning.  “Thank you for your… efficiency, Andrew.  I honestly hadn’t expected you to go to so much trouble.  Surely you must have paid a fair amount to have the letter delivered and signed for.  Pray tell me how much it set you back, so that I might reimburse you.”

Standing from the seat she had taken when motioned by him to do so, Anne began to take her leave.  “Sir, it was my choice to handle the situation in this manner.  Besides, the young man not only delivered  your letter but mine as well; therefore, I see no need in accepting more than my regular payment; especially since you would not allow me to pay you for the supplies I needed.” 

Remembering, that she still had his quill and ink, she removed them from her pockets and placed them on the table.  “Thank you again, sir.”  She made her escape.

 Ethana was still reeling over the letter she had received earlier that morning.  They finally had word from Anne.  Although, her heart was saddened by Anne’s dismissal of their parents, at least they could take solace in the fact that Anne was still alive.  Dressing quickly, Ethana wanted to let her parents know Anne was fine.  Letter safely in her pocket and still combing her hair; Ethana made her way out of her room and down the hall.  She did not stop to knock on her parents’ door. 

“Father, Mother, I have heard from Anne,” she shouted.  Her parents were still in bed, their curtains still drawn.  Ethana was happy to see they were lying in one another’s arms. 

“Ethana,” yawned Thaniel, “what on earth are you shouting about?”

 “Father, I have heard from Anne!  She says she is well and would like us to stop searching for her.”  With that explanation, both Reyna and Thaniel were up and out of bed.  Ethana thought they might knock her over in their excitement, so she took a few steps back as they came toward her.  “Wait,” she threw up her right hand.  “I have the letter she wrote, but I don’t want you to get too excited.  She is still quite upset with the both of you, and I’m not sure whether she wanted either of you to see the message.”

Reyna looked at Thaniel as fresh tears began to spring forth and slide down her face like a babbling brook down a smooth hill.

Thaniel merely shook his head.  Then after a few silent moments had passed, he sighed, “Well, Reyna, what did you expect?  Of course, she is angry with us.  Why else would she run off and not send us word?”  Then, turning to Ethana, “Tell me exactly what she said.” 

After Ethana had finished reading the letter to her parents, her mother began a new round of weeping, and her father looked as though someone had ripped his heart from his chest.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Thaniel turned glassy eyes on his remaining daughter.  “None of this is your fault, Ethana.  I know this is just as hard for you as it is for us.”

“Why didn’t you ask the messenger where he met her,” Reyna’s scream suddenly cut through the thick air of sadness. Blame deeply imbedded in her voice.  “Why did you not ask him where we could find her!”

Ethana stood back and watched as her father took hold of her mother.  Never before had she seen her this way.  Fighting back tears of her own, Ethana tried to explain, “The messenger could not tell me anything.  He could not speak.”

Thaniel smiled to himself then looked up at Ethana.  “A mute messenger.”  He chuckled.  “Leave it to Anne to find such a person to deliver a letter.” 

He then gave a hearty laugh before burying his face in Reyna’s shoulder where he began to cry.  “I miss her, Reyna.  I want my little girl back.”

Ethana, close to tears, retreated from the suite to return her parents privacy.  She had to continue to be strong and being surrounded by such sadness would only weaken her resolve and turn her into a puddle of nerves.  Besides, she needed to write the princess requesting she to call off the search, and Sophie need to be tended to.  “Come on, girl, chin up,” she spoke to herself.  “No time for tears, you’ve a girl to look after.”