Chapter 11 Divided Loyalties

Three days later, they moor their ships in the Ithacan capital. Exhausted at regulating the tiller half the night, Captain Homer takes his rest in a hammock below decks. He commands first mate Carter and quartermaster Rusty to negotiate with the arriving merchants to replenish supplies for the ship. He awakes to find a quiet ship rocking back and forth with most of the cargo missing.

“Carter,” Homer cries out to hear no reply. “Rusty. Trent. Fletcher. Gavin. Nicolai. Levi. Dusty. Devin. Todd. Tanner. Thor. Reece. Ilio. Jack. Chloe. Is anybody here?”

Still silence. He hears footsteps on the docks and climbs the ladder to reach the deck. He finds a woman resembling his wife Ishtar sitting on a chest with her feet resting on a box.

“I am impressed you know all the names of your crew.” says the woman.

“Where are they?” inquires Homer.

“I let them go promising to guard the ship until you awoke,” declares the woman before tossing a bag of coins to him. “Carter says this is your half.”

“Who are you and what are doing on my ship sprawled out like a harlot?” asked Homer.

“Is that anyway to speak to to speak to your wife? Harlot indeed.” demands the woman.

“People passing by can see right up your robes look-like-my-wife-but-I-know-you-are-not woman and my wife would never dismiss my crew like this.” replies Homer.

“Oh she wouldn’t,” scoffs the woman rolling her eyes.

“Besides, if you are my wife then tell me what I said during our first kiss.” replied Homer.

“It was such a long conversation, Homer, before or after you kissed me?” answers the woman.

“We barely spoke a word,” confirms Homer raising his eyebrow.

“Fine have it your way,” responds the look alike changing into Queen Lexie.

“What do you want, Lexie?” inquires Homer.

“Is that any way to address me, Captain?” demands Lexie.

“When you dismiss my crew and transform into my wife, yes.” replies Homer.

“I trust your voyage was successful,” commands Lexie.

“Yes, Majesty.” answers Homer with a bow.

“And you brought back a gift for me?” asks Lexie.

“I kidnapped his queen in the process of escaping. The opportunity came and I took it. I plan to ransom her to the new King of Nubia. Amazingly, she hasn’t tried to escape since we left. Perhaps, she realizes she has no place to go except down to the seahorse realm.” replies Homer.

“The Happy Sea god Gwyn would be so pleased to meet her.” adds Lexie.

“Yes, Majesty.” retorts Homer.

“And you believe the Nubians will pay the ransom and not hunt through my islands searching for her while killing mermaids and elves in my charge.” asserts Lexie.

“We burned and damaged their ships sitting in the harbor. I believe they will pay to have her back.” avers Homer.

“But not the ships at sea at the time, did you?” confirms Lexie.

“We robbed two of them at sea, hence our treasure along with what we stole from the farmers, fishermen, and Nubian colonists along the way.” affirms Homer. “And you recall Dracon sent us plenty of ships to distract the Nubians away from your islands when they retaliate. Which leads me to wonder what my men did with the captives from Ramis.”

“Let me make myself very clear here, nephew. That woman is forbidden to set foot on my islands putting my mermaids and my refugee elves in danger. Understand?” declares Lexie.

“Does that include my island with the princling fortress? I can drop her over the wall if they dare beseige it” avows Homer.

“I heard you have a liking for her,” questions Lexie.

“Queen Chloe is my prisoner and I can not ransom a disgraced queen so I keep her from the men as much as possible, if that is what you mean.” asserts Homer.

“Chloe is her name? She took off in Fletcher’s chariot.” confirms Lexie.

“What! That scoundrel. Lexie, please guard my ship while I go reprimand a sailor.” orders Homer.

“I don’t feel like it. Farewell Homer.” says Lexie waving her arms above her head and disappearing.

Homer stewed on the chest Lexie sat upon grumbling about Fletcher until Ilio and Jack returned with the captive girl. They informed the captain that most of the crew were at the brothel or drunk at the tavern nearest the docks. The captives were split up. The elderly fisherman joined an Ithacan trading ship. Two maidens joined the palace servants while another joined a baker’s household with another joining a jeweler’s household. One older boy joined a carpenter’s household while one joined a blacksmith’s family with the other boy joining a family with a vineyard outside the city. The mother and her baby joined the household of the royal tailor. A few wealthy merchants offered so little for the young girl that Ilio refused their offers and decided to keep her. She can serve the Nubian queen. Homer ordered them to get proper attire for the captive girl if she were to stay. They further explain the King of Ithaca came down in a chariot and bought everything on their ship taking two maidens with him. They handed him his share from the other ships who sold their cargo to the shopkeepers. The king has invited all the captains and the royal captive to the evening meal in the great hall. Fletcher took the queen to his family’s house to obtain new clothing for the meal. Ilio said he took her to the marketplace for new shoes and herbs for her constant seasickness. Homer orders Ilio to bring Fletcher back with Chloe and Jack to the palace to ask for lodgings for the royal prisoner until they can replenish supplies for the ship. Ilio takes off with the captive girl. While they were off, Homer decided to check the leftover chests to find the jade pieces he had been carving for Ishtar’s Midsummer festival gift and his dress robes, cloak, sash, and boots. He placed on his dress robes for the evening invitation and Jack returned to oil his suede boots. Ilio appeared with an aplogetic Fletcher and a humored Chloe, the captive girl remained on the weather deck.

Without a word, Homer placed a linen headband covered in beads displaying his heritage across his forehead. Fletcher looked down and stepped away. Ilio placed on his father’s sash and amulet necklaces. Jack tied his boots and pinned on his cloak. Chloe stood still in Fletcher’s mother’s spare dress robe and gold ivy leaf diadem with shoes from the marketplace and jewelry the Elf king gave her. Finally, Homer spoke.

“Leave us.”

Everyone but Fletcher climbed up the ladder onto the deck.

“What are you doing? I did not give you permission to take the prisoner anywhere nor did I give consent to parade her around the marketplace. I trust this will not happen again.”

Fletcher nodded.

“You can not have her as a lover. The new King Nubia will kill you if you follow her back home. And I may kill her if the Nubians refuse to pay a ransom or beseige my fortress to reclaim her. Now get off this ship and bring my crew back. I don’t care what state they’re in.”
Fletcher scampered up the ladder and Chloe descended.

“You look very nice, for a pirate king. Where are you going?”

“We are going to the evening meal at the palace and you will remain there as a guest until we leave in two days. Is something going on between you and Fletcher? You seem in good spirits all of a sudden.” replied Homer.

“His father’s chariot came by to take him home. He showed me all over town and we ate an afternoon meal with his family in his father’s house. His mother and sister gave me clothes and jewelry to wear since you only have moth-eaten robes to cover me. In the marketplace, he had a cobbler make me some simple shoes. They heard news of a bull baiting that will take place the next day. Fletcher thought I needed time off this ship to recover my health.” answered Chloe.

“Very nice of him. Word of caution about your benefactor. He has woman in every port so do not take his attentions towards you too seriously. You are just one of the many who fall under the charms of sail master Fletcher.” finished Homer.

The two climbed up the ladder where Ilio and Jack were pointing out chariots were coming. Homer counted twenty-three. A messenger announced the escort to the palace. Chloe and Homer were guided to their chariots. The other captains hopped on theirs and were paraded to the palace where the king’s guard welcomed them into the great hall. Homer asked what the tall wooden contraption was doing in the great hall, it resembled nothing he had seen before. A guard answered it is a water clock to measure time with buckets of water dripping onto a pan. They use it to know when to change the day and night guards. Days are long in the summer and short in the winter so the clock evens out the time for the guards. A large fire burned in the center of the room with tables aligning the walls of the great hall. The captains sat on stools next to nobles and princesses dressed in their finest. Musicians and dancers entered the room followed by jugglers and acrobats. Homer arose to give his account of the attack on Tanis, murder of the king, and capture of the queen. Every captain in the room was mentioned in the epic. Chloe was introduced and the King of Ithaca gave her a pearl necklace. The captains were presented bronze daggers by the Queen of Ithaca.

Homer stashed his gift inside his boot commenting how his son would love it. Bronze is very expensive because tin resources have been declining the past five years. Iron tools are often regarded as cheap peasant decorations in the South Sea cultures. Iron is not only widely found and melts at a lower temperature burning less wood in the furnaces, but it is not as strong as well cast bronze. Iron can also be sharpened, whereas bronze has to be reforged to bang out the dents making it very unnerving to poor peasants. With the North Sea cultures copying Caledonia in adding wood ashes to melted iron, the steel that comes out of the mold is actually stronger than bronze weapons that the poor nomadic tribes love. Now they have to figure a way to forge it into armor and they could be rulers of the seas. So far they can only copy the bronze overlapping plates attached to padded leather jerkins that make the South Seas armies look like a glittering school of scaly fish. The Nubian ambassador was presented and bowed to Queen Chloe. Homer allowed her to send a message to her family declaring she was still alive. He included his own message demanding his ransom and threaten to kill her if any attempt to rescue her ensued. He would send envoys in three months to collect the first ransom payment out of 5000 gold pieces demanded.

Homer sat back down with Chloe and a singer with a harpist came out. The evening meal finished, the ship captains bowed to His Majesty and departed with the guards. He will send his boys Jack and Ilio with her things tonight. The king will take her horseback riding and the queen will taking her hawking the next day. Fletcher is allowed a visit to teach her elf words to communicate with the crew. Homer left with the sun reaching for the horizon. Settling down into his hammock, Homer took his sleep as Fletcher took the first watch. The next day Fletcher returned from his lessons with Chloe to recite that she is learning much about the pirate Firefox. The royal family retires into the drawing room after the evening meal where they take up different activities. One princess named Mariah took up a harp to practice. She told the visiting queen that she is betrothed to Homer’s son Ilio and will live on the Mermaid Islands when she grows up. Homer had sent his nephew Patrix to tutor her in elf ways since the North Sea is very different from the South Sea, he was in his bed chamber at the this time. The king interrupted declaring the pirate king Firefox was harming his shipping and his people began to starve when supplies from the colonies were stagnated. He made a pact with the demon born from sea foam to stop the raiding with a betrothal of his daughter since nobody can find his fortress of Vassily, though it is rumored to be near the Blythan city of Kara. His island country does flourish with trade from elves and mermaids. Chloe asserted his men call him Captain Homer and serves a mermaid Queen Lexie. This puzzled the royal family but they did not speak any more about him. Homer disapproved of this mystery solving on who he is and where he makes berth, but it was too late now. He orders his men to keep quiet on places and people they have contact with. The King of Ithaca is an susceptible to the King of Nubia and must keep from having knowledge about him.

The next morning, the captive girl in her used elf clothes came up to him bring his bowl of mush. Ilio has been teaching her elf and she asked if he was her new papa. Homer was unsure what to say when she described watching her parents get killed trying to protect her from the pirates. He agreed that he was her new father. Ishtar appeared with Serena on the docks and asked to come aboard. Homer was leery of his wife coming to join him so soon. Ishtar asked why he was acting so distant. Homer described his encounter with Lexie the day before.

“Oh,” Ishtar said. “You said to look at you when you first kissed me. Lexie told me all about it. I came to tell you that you have been invited to Dracon’s harvest games.”

“You came all this way to tell me that. He has already invited us to them when he invited Lexie.” replied Homer.

“I mean to be in them. He wants members of the royal family, guards, and generals to race each other prior to the contests. He said Valnar, Ricky, King Oskar, General of the Palace Guards, General of the City Guards, you, and himself race then Queen Andromeda, Queen Lexie, the Generals’ wives, and I race next. The winners receive a wreath of flowers handed by the Princesses Phoebe and Edwina. The newly born Princess Sarah is too little.”

“Alright, I was just surprised to see you that’s all. Come in and have a seat on the smoked fish casks.” offered Homer. “I presume Lexie told you about the prisoner.”

“She mentioned it,” affirmed Ishtar. “She said the queen is forbidden to touch her islands but you insist your fortress is impregnable.”

“Also the Nubians don’t know where the pirate king Firefox sails from or they would have besieged us a long time ago.” assured Homer.

“This is true,” agreed Ishtar. “I guess I’ll go see Ilio and Jack before going home to wait for you there. I heard they kept a girl captive because she failed to sell at a good price.”

“Now, there is no rush is there?” Homer explained taking Ishtar’s hand and leading her to the below deck ladder. “You are here. I am here. The crew is off buying supplies or sleeping in the brothels. We have the ship to ourselves for a few moments.”

The crew comes back with canvas and threads to repair the sails. They cheer at viewing their captain cuddled with his wife. Homer shoos away the men and hooks the bed back onto the wall brackets. He kisses Ishtar good-bye and she places her cloak hood on her head to disappear. Homer gazed upon the stars searching for omens of their voyage. He found nothing to curb his insecurities. Ilio returned to announce the king has invited the men to the chariot races held in their victorious honor. The sailors paraded in chariots, straddled on horses, and marched on foot raising their weapons to the cheering crowds. The king and queen bestowed them seats in the center of the arena where many important people sit. They climbed the stairs to the bright sun and raised their weapons to the cheering crowds as they take seats. The parade horses and chariots reentered the starting gates. Drums pounded into the morning air and horse riders with banners began their parade around the racetrack with the chariots following. Pipes, drums, rattles, and flutes played to gait of the animals. The line was set and the music stopped. Rapid drumbeats ensued and the horses stirred in anticipation. A flag was raised and then dropped to start the race. Horses sped down the track and circled back. Chariots bumped into each other and one driver was thrown when he crashed into the wall. The crowds enjoyed the race so much they never noticed the heated argument between the Nubian ambassador and Captain Homer. He was certain the new king and queen would rather seek out his home island and destroy his allies than to pay for the return of a widowed queen. Homer grabbed Chloe’s hair and placed his iron dagger next to her neck declaring that there would be no reason to keep her alive if a ransom payment would never arrive. The ambassador changed his position and promised to consider what he could accomplish with the new king. Homer liked his approach to the matter.
Children soon appeared riding ponies after the first race was completed. They jumped over short obstacles set up and pranced in various gaits to the amusement of the spectators. When the next chariot racers were ready at the gate, the children galloped away and another race began. After the third race, the bets were paid and the crowd dispersed. The evening tide came in the harbor and it was time to go. The royal family said their farewells and Ilio exchanged gifts with his betrothed Mariah. The king quietly declared to Homer that on the surface he does not support his attack on Nubia, only giving a kidnapped queen a chance to speak to her ambassador and relay any messages her family. Under the surface, he begs to take in his betrothed daughter and any others if his kingdom is attacked because the queen was here. Homer owes him that much. Homer cringed at hearing his name, but agreed to allow refugees sanctuary on Bear Island with assurance that his nephew Patrix could locate his home island. He knew the king was prying for information to his home base to give to the Nubians if his kingdom was attacked, but there were too many lives at stake to speak freely to an ally. No one knew where the Firefox makes berth and he wished to keep it that way. Then the king spoke on the lessons of his daughter and conversations with Chloe. He knows the elf word vassily is used to describe human ramparts around their cities. Connected with the mermaid queen Lexie who holds no humans nor ramparts, the king guessed his home island was Marinara just across from the fortress Kara. Homer was relieved his ally was obviously unaware of the Kadacian fortress Adea in the heart of the Mermaid Islands that Dracon ceded to Lexie. Homer informed the king he guessed wrong and wishes to keep his secrets a secret. The king spoke no more of his guesses.

Sailing along back home, Homer offered a pipe and harp for Chloe to play to make the time pass. Sailors sang or worked in silence. Fletcher brought his younger brother Mishca from home to join the voyage. The eager warrior questioned the captain’s aloof behavior towards himself consistently, after all he is a lord’s son and brother of a favorite. He should be training to be a captain, not learning to tie knots with nomadic sailors. Fletcher tried to explain he must learn ever sailor’s job to be a captain, but his brother didn’t want to hear it. He just wanted to practice fighting, pillaging, and shouting orders to indigent fishermen. Interrupting the conversation, Homer asked the eager lad how many towns he has destroyed, how many men he has killed, and how many battle scars he has survived. None of course. Homer clarifies that if he thinks himself better than any of these tried and tested men he can find himself another ship to float on. Otherwise, he is to follow his brother’s instructions for Homer is too busy navigating to pay much instruction to a waif of a sailor. Fletcher assured Homer he will not be pestered by his little brother. Homer replied that was a good thing for he throws slackers overboard, he is a pirate after all. Mishca practiced swordplay with Jack and Ilio between the oars while Fletcher sat back and gave verbal directions. Otherwise, Homer worked on his jade carvings or played a lute singing softly to himself. He started over and repeated verses often. Chloe asked what song he was singing, it sounded like a man bestowing favors on his betrothed. Homer answered he was composing a song for his wife. Chloe was quite surprised at his effort, he is already married with children so what was the point of courting her now. Homer explained men in his country never stop courting their women. They express their love for them every day in song, by gifts, and riding horses together just to watch the pronghorns graze. Chloe was bewildered at this country, men and women after marriage in her country live mostly separate lives getting together during meals with the whole family. For Chloe’s amusement he sang a verse he just finished.

“I’ll be your sun. I’ll be your moon.
I’ll be your shooting star.
Anything to make you smile up at me.”

“That’s pretty, Father.” whispers Ilio.

“It doesn’t rhyme,” pointed out Chloe.

“I’m still working on it,” replies Homer.

The queen and the pirate continue for days on the differences between their two cultures Chloe was accustomed to hairless men, slaves serving her every whim, animals obeying commands, being carried in a litter whenever she rarely left the palace, entertainment during meals, and court artisans arriving with their finished products for her to choose from. Homer explained elves do not own people or animals and both are respected, he is capable of doing every job on his ship, spoke to his crew or family throughout the day, and traded for things he could not make himself. Since he trades so vastly over the North and South Seas: alliances, friendships, treaties, and paying wages are important things to accomplish in order to be successful. Chloe had no need of friends since everybody obeyed the queen. Homer easily believed that. Her king and his ambassadors made alliances between cultures so she only heard the outcomes of treaties. Homer detested her ignorance, but understood it given that Queen Andromeda was not much different. He wondered what Ishtar was going to think of her. She is a very strong and independent goddess in command of a few thousand mermaids, elves, and people on twenty-three islands in his absences: subservient she is not. Her tenacity and resilience were the things he admired in his wife as children. Chloe was almost afraid to meet such a strong elf woman. Two days out at sea, a storm hit making the queen seasick. Homer believed this was punishment for the human viewing their secret ceremony in the woods. As half the crew tried to eat in the shaky boat, a loud crack and crash tipped the ship on its side. Everybody and everything flew over hitting the upper deck. Water rushed from the weather deck. The sailors struggled to step over their floating cargo to get to the door. Then a mighty punch flipped the ship over and completely breaking off the damaged mast. Next a large snake encircled the sailors in a black mist. Sailors cried out how they are doomed and a servant of the sea underworld god Gwyn was going to take them away. Homer ordered them out the door. One man remained still shivering in fear. Homer pushed down on the new floor to cause him to loose balance. The sailor fell over with a scream and Homer pulled him through the door. Out in the storm, Homer saw what had occurred, the mast was struck by lightening to tip the boat over as it fell and then a wave must have fully capsized it. He ordered his men to get on the floating sail. Chloe nor the captive girl can swim so Homer dove to retrieve their drowning bodies and carried them limpness to the sail. Homer assured a coughing Chloe the canvas is tied to wooden poles that float to make them safe. The girl remained unconscious so Jack held on to her. The mighty swells thumped down upon the striving crew to stay afloat on the sail.

All members accounted for, Homer swam back inside to obtain a barrel. He ordered Jack and Ilio to wait until he got some help from another ship. He paddled towards a shadow of a ship he saw when lightening flashed. The crew were quite surprised to see him crawl up the side of their ship. They followed his instructions and tied the fallen boat to them. They searched for a place to make another mast and ran into a sandbar the next morning. They were blown off course to unfamiliar islands Homer was hoping to avoid. Tales of monsters and marooned outcasts lived here. While they were stuck here, they decided to search for supplies while waiting for the tide. Mishca fainted straight away at the appearance of the giant man with horns like a goat, mane like a horse, and fur like a bear. The monster walked on two feet and held a spear with his claw-like fingers screaming like a cougar. Calm as the sea after a storm, Homer approached the goblin.