TW// Mention of violence
It was like this for almost two years. Gerold would teach Elias to fight and despite all the wounds and how much his body would hurt after they were done, Elias grew fond of the sparring. Once Gerold gave him daggers to throw, and he quickly figured out that Elias was good at it. Since then, they would practise that as well every few days.
Some men on the ship were good to Elias - Theo, the cook, would sometimes give him bigger portions, while repeatedly reminding him that as he grew older it would need to stop. There was also Filp, who would always hum lovely melodies while working and tell stories to others every night. Elias would listen to them from afar. Filp would also bring him oranges from the shore. And there was Ed who had once shown him how to get up on the Crow’s nest, where Elias would then spend most of his days, when he wasn’t attached to other duties on the ship.
And then there was Nick. First few days of training with Gerold, he would come to Elias’ hiding spot and help Elias clean and patch up his wounds. Eventually, after some time Elias would just go up to the helm and sit down in some shade and silently signal Nick to help him patch up the wound. In the meantime, Nick would tell him stories - of an island, Dalelry, how it came to be and the saint protecting it, he would tell him of the many battles of this ship, of his home and his sister.
However, not everyone was good to Elias. They were pirates after all. Some would purposely crash into him or push him to the ground. Some would steal portions of his food, mocking him and when Elias would come to Theo, he would merely tell him to be careful next time, but he didn’t give him another portion.
So, Elias learned to be stealthy. He would steal things back and if he was hungry, he would sneak into the galley. He realised that he was rather good at being quiet and going unnoticed.
When fights started - either among the crew or upon being attacked - Elias was ordered to stay low and hide. Kian would say that it’s just for now and that he wasn’t yet ready. Elias didn’t mind. With time he learned that Kian was Sabur’s right hand and the crew had to obey him when he gave orders just as if he was Captain himself.
He was also forbidden to step foot on and whenever they would anchor on shore. The first time they docked, he couldn’t help himself. All he saw was a chance to escape, a chance of freedom.
He didn’t make it far before they caught up to him. And this time the punishment wasn’t just one punch - it was far worse. Sabur beat him so hard that Elias had to pause lessons with Gerold and would only lay in his net in pain for three days. After that, he knew better than to attempt to escape again.
When Elias wasn’t able to sleep, because of the dreams that would never let him forget, he sat on deck at the ship's railing, his feet dangling above the infinite blue. He would fidget his father’s dagger in his hand, tracing the lines on the handle down to the crossguard and down the blade. He would stare at the red ruby glinting in the moonlight. He tried not to think of home or his parents. He figured that it would be better to forget about it, for he might never have a chance to go back to Parahill.
One of those nights the door to the Captain’s cabin opened. Elias looked over his shoulder to Sabur slowly making his way to the other side of the ship. Sabur almost never left his cabin. The only time he did was under the cover of night.
Elias’ gaze followed him. He was looking at his scarred face, his metal leg. Elias always wondered what might’ve happened to him. Suddenly, as if Sabur could hear his thoughts, he stopped and looked at Elias. They stared at each other, neither of them averting their eyes. After a minute Sabur removed his gaze and continued his way around the ship and then returned to his cabin.
Elias sat there for some time and when he was beginning to dose off, he put the dagger back into his coat and stood up to go to his net. He was just about to go inside, when suddenly became aware that he was being watched. Elias looked up at the mast.
The man with the big earring hanging from his right ear was intently observing him. Elias had learned from the crew that this was Pit, the mapmaker, and the navigator. He wasn’t particularly popular amongst the crew, but when there was a brawl to be had, most of the time he was in the middle of it.
Pit was tying down the sails, but his eyes didn’t leave Elias. Elias was used to the men looking and staring at him - some in resentment or annoyance, some even in awe and expectation and some in fear. But Pit’s look was different. Elias couldn’t pinpoint why, he just knew it didn’t sit well with him.
Elias decided he wouldn’t pay him any mind and disappeared below deck.
The following day they landed on an island. It wasn’t a particularly big chunk of land. Elias could see a small village by the coast and then a vast forest covering the island.
When the ship docked, Elias sat by the railing, taking in the island, bluntly aware that he wouldn’t be allowed to step foot on it. Nick came to him and leaned his hands against the black wood.
“This is Dalelry. We’ll be staying here for two weeks.” He paused, the silence between them being disturbed by seagulls. “I’ve talked to Sabur. You can go on shore and explore it.”
Elias jerkily turned his head to him. “He allowed it on condition that you don’t run away. I assured him you won’t.” He cleared his throat. “Either way, there is no way you can leave the island.” He leaned on the railing and said in a low voice. “Believe me, I’ve tried.”
He left him to sit in silence. Elias’ heart started racing.
He could go on shore!
He could leave!
Elias looked over his shoulder and instantly locked eyes with Sabur, seemingly looming in the shade of the ship’s architecture. Elias’ body began to ache. Suddenly, he remembered the pain that Sabur had caused him.
He knew better than to run away.
Elias found himself afraid to step on the shore. He hasn’t felt solid ground underneath his feet in nearly two years. He hesitated at first and after a deep breath warily made a step forward. He looked at his feet steady on the ground in disbelief, rapidly blinked twice and suddenly found himself running down the cobblestone path up to the village.
His smile grew wider with every stride.
Elias stopped at the main road leading up the village. He noticed some of the men from The Rose Sparrow, hugging the women who were waiting for them in the entryways of the houses. Nick had explained to him that some men still had families here. Other members of the crew were carrying bags and barrels of food and provisions they raided into a bigger building, which Elias guessed to be some kind of storage room.
Elias continued up the road and stumbled upon someone picking apples from the tree that grew by their house. The woman noticed the kid staring, so she picked one of the apples and threw it to Elias with a smile. Elias looked down at the fruit - he hadn’t had one in years. He looked back to the woman and grinned.
As he was walking, he admired the village while munching on his treasured fruit. The further up the road he went, more of the houses looked abandoned. There was also a bigger building that looked like a church. Elias remembered the story Filp and Nick told about the saint protecting this island. This must’ve been the church built for him.
Where the village ended a dense forest started. Elias looked over his shoulder at The Rose Sparrow, boasting at the pier, the sun setting behind it. Nick said he was allowed to explore and that they would be here for two weeks. Yet, he was still afraid that Sabur would beat him if he didn't return at night. Something told him that Nick would also get into a lot of trouble if he didn't return.
He once again glanced at the forest and then turned around to get back to the ship.
When Elias returned to the ship it was already dusk. Nick looked down at him and asked. “Thought you would want to sleep on the island?” When he saw Elias’ confused face he added. “You don’t need to come back to the ship every night.”
Elias slightly nodded, not sure if that was true. He didn’t think about it too much. If he was already on the ship, he would sleep on it today and then return to the shore tomorrow. As he was about to go to his net, he caught Sabur in the shadow by the door of his cabin. He slightly nodded and returned into his dark abode.
Elias' mind spiralled with questions.
Was this a test?
Did I pass?
Elias shrugged internally and went down the ship. He would find out in two weeks' time.
He got up before the sun, excitement rushing through his veins. Elias grabbed a bag, he found lying in a storage area and went to the kitchen where he quietly picked up some food. He fastened his dagger to the belt of his trousers and went up on deck.
There was no one up on the deck except for Nick drowsing off on his shift. When he noticed Elias on the deck he nodded towards him. Elias waved back and then headed straight to the shore.
He quickly made his way up the village to where the forest started. He stopped before it, took a big breath and entered the forest.
As the sun hasn’t fully risen yet, the forest was almost pitch black. Elias figured that the remaining locals who lived here hadn’t stepped into the forest in a long time - there were no paths, no cleared out areas. Elias had to use his dagger to make it through the dense greenery.
He didn’t know where he was going, but that didn’t stop him. He hasn’t felt this excited and happy since- well, in a while. It felt like the first time he was allowed to explore Parahill all alone.
There were so many trees and flowers Elias had never seen before. He was particularly fond of little blue flowers scattered across the ground just by the village. He came across fruits, familiar and new. Elias gathered the ones he knew in the bag and made sure to pay attention to which of the unfamiliar ones animals would eat.
As he was making his way through the woods, he stumbled upon a forest clearing where short grass grew. At that time, the sun had already risen, illuminating the clearing with the first rays of sun.
Elias went further in the forest, where the terrain became steeper. From the ship he could see a hill and he figured if he got there, he could see the whole island from there. The climb wasn’t too arduous, and he rapidly made his way to the top.
Elias stopped, taking in big gulps of air, and finally taking in the view. He was right, you could really see the whole island from up where he stood. The sun shone down on the waking nature, the seagulls soaring gracefully in the air. They were so close that Elias felt like he could almost touch them. He could hear faraway buzz of the village and the crew from the shore.
And he heard a river. Elias scanned the terrain to find it. He could just barely see it down the hill, so he went to it.
It was more of a stream than a river, though it was still wider than the length of Elias. He grabbed a canteen and filled it up, while also reaching his hands to drink it. The river must end somewhere, thought Elias, so he walked along with it. At first it wasn’t hard but as Elias got further down it, it became impossible to continue. Elias also didn’t want to go in the water and swim along it - the current of it was too strong.
And he now realised, he could hear a waterfall.
Elias looked around to find a tree he could climb up. He returned his dagger to the belt and climbed up a solid looking tree. When he got up he looked to see if he could see the waterfall he was hearing. It was hidden behind trees and Elias could barely see the rock wall where the water was falling down.
He had to find a way to get there.
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