Elwin pnned to nap briefly, the gentle rocking of the boat swayed him to a rexed dreamless sleep. However, when he woke up the pillow was hot against the side of his face and his body felt like it had been dragged down by an anchor. He knew then that he had slept a lot longer than pnned.

  Prin was beside him, squeezed in between the wall and Elwin, though there were three other beds avaible. Elwin was gd though, like this he couldn’t have gotten up and left without him knowing. The door had a little window, with a privacy panel that was left open, allowing some light into the room.

  Prin’s form, shadowed by the upper bunk, looked as soft and sweet sleeping there as a little mb. Elwin kissed the bck curly top of his head, thinking of the nursery rhyme. “Baa baa bck sheep, have you any wool?” He sung softly.

  Prin opened his eyes. The blue of them glowed unearthly in the dim light. He smiled. “Did you have a good rest?”

  “I don’t know yet.” Elwin admitted. He felt heavy with sleep, half dead with it still. “I think we were out for a long time.”

  Prin caressed his cheek. “I think I dreamt I was flying.”

  “No wonder you’re in such a good mood.” Elwin teased. He kissed Prin’s forehead. “I better let you get back to it then. I’m gonna go see how Aster’s doing and I’ll see if I can find us some lunch – supper? Something to bring back.”

  “Okay.” Prin murmured before turning towards the wall and falling back to sleep again.

  Elwin patted his back before quickly leaving, vowing to himself to return again before Prin woke up for real. He carried his medical satchel with him to the captain’s chambers.

  There was a heavy, te afternoon quality to the air, supper it was then. No one stopped him on the way, so he walked right up to the captain’s chambers and opened the door.

  He almost backed out again slowly and closed the door when he saw what he was intruding on.

  Both Captain Lucien and Aster were on the bed, and undressed down to their knickers. Well, in Aster’s case it was knee length bloomers and in the captain’s case it was undershorts and a tshirt, both in vibrant blood red color.

  Lucien was standing up on the bed, gesticuting wildly with a wicked grin on his face. Aster was sitting cross legged in front of him, eating fruit from a basket and watching him with rapt attention.

  “And then, he recited every word of his part! Perfectly. Turns out he was some sort of cssically trained actor! The dy just screamed. A lot.” Lucien put his hands around his mouth like a megaphone. “Help! Help! She wasn’t really very good.” Lucien made a face. “Captain Thompson let them both go, he was so impressed with the man’s performance. But not before he was offered a spot on the crew!” He colpsed onto the bed in a fit of ughter.

  Aster ughed too. “Do you ever put on any pys?” She saw Elwin standing there and smiled in his direction, holding out a strawberry in offer.

  Sometimes, but not like Cornelius could do.” Captain Lucien said.

  “Lucien was my captain’s cabin boy!” Aster said gleefully.

  “Started as a cabin boy and worked my way up.” Lucien corrected.

  “Of course.” Aster said.

  Elwin cautiously entered, a little afraid he would be drawn into something he wanted no part of. He shut the door behind him anyway, taking the chance.

  “Oh, hello!” Captain Lucien shifted position on the bed to sit cross legged across from Aster. Although a brief flicker of disappointment crossed his face, probably due to his alone time with Aster coming to an end, he gave a friendly smile to Elwin. “Where’s your other half?”

  “Oh he- he’s still resting.” Elwin said, slightly startled to have Prin referred to like that. Although he didn’t dislike it.

  “Sit beside me bunny’s bunny, come on over.” Aster patted the bed beside her. Her voice had a slightly slurred quality and, sure enough, there was a bottle of some sweet smelling liquor on the bed beside her. “I bet you don’t want a drink.”

  Should he take a sip? “Maybe better not.” Elwin said. He sat down beside Aster.

  “Lucien was regaling me with tales of fun and adventure on the high seas.” Aster said.

  “Oh come on! You don’t drink?” Captain Lucien picked up the bottle and waggled it in front of Elwin. “A strapping young thing like you?”

  “Well, it’s not that I don’t ever.” Elwin said. He couldn’t help but think of that other boat, and that other situation he had gotten into. Which had ended very badly. Still, Aster was here and he trusted Aster. Elwin took the bottle and sipped.

  He immediately started coughing as orange-honey fvored liquor as strong as a swift kick in the guts burned its way down his throat.

  “Its good, right?” Aster patted his back. “Light weight.” She giggled.

  “Never trusting you again.” Elwin choked out between coughs.

  “Oh poo.” Aster said. She handed him a gss from the bedside table.

  Elwin balked, eyeing it suspiciously.

  “It’s just water,” Aster said, “silly.”

  “What’s this?” Lucien took Elwin’s bck bag and opened it up without asking, and began rifling through the contents. “You a doctor?”

  “Not really.” Elwin said once he had taken a drink of water and caught his breath. “Although I’ve done a lot of bandaging up and nursing over the years.”

  “You’re not here to pick on me, are you?” Aster stuck out her lower lip and pyfully turned away from Elwin. “I’m just fine now, I don’t need any doctoring. Or nursing.”

  “Aster . . . Let me see it.” Elwin said. “It can’t be all better already.”

  “What’s the matter?” Lucien asked.

  “Just a little scratch on my arm, it’s nothing.” Aster insisted.

  “I did notice there was a bandage there.” Lucien said. “But I thought it might be rude to ask about it.” He poked Aster’s arm, right in the center of the thick bandage that covered the lower half of it.

  Aster’s face bnched of color, making the freckles stick out like spots on a bird’s egg.

  “Dear me.” Captain Lucien said softly. “Doesn’t seem like nothing. Let the doctor do his work!” He pushed the doctor’s satchel toward Elwin.

  “I am not a professional,” Elwin said. He took Aster’s arm in his hands gently, untied the edge of the gauzy bandage, and slowly unwrapped it.

  “Really, this isn’t necessary.” Aster said, although her voice was weaker than before, taking the bite out of the protest.

  “Here, little angel.” Lucien pressed the bottle to Aster’s mouth and she downed a swig.

  “What’re you talking about Elwin? This drink is so nice,” Aster said.

  Aster’s arm still looked like two pieces of a patchwork quilt sewn together, and the area around the stitches was red and swollen, with a dark color spreading out from the wound.

  “Ahhh . . . you need something stronger.” Lucien said.

  “Talk to me. Tell me a story to distract me.” Aster commanded. “Make it a good one.”

  Elwin dug in the bag and came out with a blue gss bottle with an elegantly handwritten bel that read, Take one capful for pain. He poured some thick, acrid smelling liquid into the cap and handed it to Aster.

  Aster drank it down quickly and it was her turn to cough and gag. She swallowed down another swig of liquor to drown out the taste and turned her face away from Elwin, so as not to see what he was doing. “Well – commence with the distracting.” She waved one be ringed hand in the air.

  “Okay!” Lucien stood up, then thought better of it and sat back down on the bed staying still. “Okay – Jeeze that does not look good.”

  “Lucien!” Aster yelled.

  “Alright! I love it when you call my name.” Captain Lucien winked at Aster.

  Elwin agreed with the captain’s assessment of the wound and knew he wasn’t really qualified for this. However, they were on a ship in the middle of the ocean, so he would have to do until someone better came along. Probably on nd.

  He dug through the bag and pulled out antibiotic salve and fresh bandages. He now knew why Captain Thompson had been so insistent he take this bag of supplies.

  “Hmm, alright! I’ve got one.” Lucien said. “So one night there was a hell of a storm. If you’ve never experienced a storm at sea, you’ve never seen one at all. This happened shortly after I had been promoted from cabin boy to REAL crew member and I was feel damn pleased with myself. Cut of the loot, full participant in all of the fun . . . Anyway, so the storm was an all hands on deck type of affair and it was the middle of the night before the sea finally wore herself out from the tantrum and finally took a rest.

  Captain Thompson, he had to be as tired as the rest of us. But that man always had stamina, I’ll give him that. Does he still . . ? Never mind. Anyway.”

  Elwin rubbed the salve over Aster’s stiches, flinching when she sucked in a sharp breath at his touch. This was definitely infected. “I’m sorry.” He said.

  “Look at me.” Lucien made a funny face, sticking his tongue out like he was entertaining a child. He took Aster’s face in his hands and looked into her eyes. “Still with me?”

  “I’m fine, for the st time,” Aster said. “He does. Still have stamina.”

  Captain Lucien ughed. “I figured, I figured.”

  “The storm ended?” Aster prompted, hissing through her clenched teeth.

  “Right, so Cornelius wanted to do the rounds of the ship, check her for any damage. The parts we could see anyway. Right then and there.

  So I went around with him holding the ntern. He starts telling me this story of this cabin boy who got washed overboard in a storm. Just a little old thing he was, not even ten years old.

  After he disappeared into the sea. . . The ocean will take her piece once in a while, you know? The sea will demand her bit of man flesh. In tribute.

  Anyway, after the boy died, went missing, they would hear his ghostly moans and dragging of his weak foot, had been injured in the foot some time before and had a distinctive walk, so they said? Every time a storm was coming . . .

  So, he was getting a good scare into me, tellin’ me this tale. And when we got to the galley, we heard it. Moan, moan, scraaaape . . .” Captain Lucien drew out the words for effect.

  Elwin unwrapped a fresh roll of bandages and began to wrap them around Aster’s arm. He was scared of doing it too tight, but he didn’t want them to be loose and fall off. So, he had to wrap the arm firmly in bandages.

  Aster took it stoically. She was clearly trying hard not to show pain, but couldn’t control the expressions of her face very well.

  “It was coming from the pantry!” Lucien said. “But definitely not the ship’s cat going after a rat. Though I had been scared by that one before. Slowly the two of us walked across the galley, tip toeing, like we were afraid of scaring the ghost off! When we got to the pantry door, Cornelius nudged me in front of him. He was going to make me confront the ghost! I tried to back away . . . I was so terrified I would have pissed myself but I couldn’t stand Captain Thompson to lose all respect for me. He was really handsome.” Here Lucien grinned rakishly before continuing the story. “I decided it was up to me! And if the ghost was gonna jump out and force someone overboard into a watery grave, it was better me than Cornelius! So I threw open the pantry door, with only a ntern in my hand and no weapon to fight off a supernatural ghoul!” His face started to crack a smile before he even got to the end of it.

  “It was only the cook and Lord Eaglestone, one of the prisoners turned crew, getting it on. Thinking that would be a nice secret pce. Knocking stuff over, really going at it.” He ughed uproariously. “You shoulda seen the looks on their faces!”

  Aster ughed weakly. “He knew what it was. Corny did. Or he wouldn’t have sent you in first. Not if he really thought there was anything dangerous.”

  “I suppose you’re right, I never thought of it that way.” Lucien said. “Are you rallying, love? Feel any better?”

  “I think it’s kicking in.” Aster said, putting her hand to her forehead. “I feel all loopy doopy.”

  Captain Lucien ughed. “That could also be the drink.”

  “At least the pain has abated.” Aster said. “Thank you, honey, I didn’t mean to be ungrateful.” She touched Elwin’s arm. “You’re a doll.”

  “O-oooh, honey is it?” Lucien winked pyfully at Elwin.

  “Guess that’s my cue to get out of here.” Elwin stood up. Everyone was too drunk and touchy feely for his taste. He wondered if he should worry about Aster. Prin would, but to Elwin she seemed pretty comfortable. “Do you want to come and nap with Prin?” he asked. If Aster didn’t feel as comfortable as she looked, this would give her an out.

  “No, I think I’ll stay right here.” Aster’s eyelids fluttered. An almost matching flutter of movement caught Elwin’s eye from above a curl that rested over those sleepy soulful eyes.

  “You keep an eye on her and let me know if she needs me.” Elwin told the fairy.

  “Huh?” Lucien asked.

  “Oh! He’s probably talking to Ruby. Never mind it.” Aster said drowsily. “My little fairy friend that follows me around all the time.”

  Captain Lucien just ughed. “Ya’ll are something else.”

  Elwin waved his goodbyes and took his doctor’s kit with him out the door.

  As he was pushing on the door he almost knocked someone over who was standing there.

  Staring and gring at the captain’s door.