Chapter One: Sweet William
Eglantine Sangreal, eighteen-and-a-half years old and full of the sea, sat comfortably on a coil of hemp rope on the deck of the Lenore, her parent’s clipper ship. Today, they’d made port outside of Jaradin, and taken on a few new deckhands. One of them, a young man, had completely captured her attention. As she calculated the weights and measures of the new cargo they’d taken aboard, she kept stealing glances at him as he He wasn’t beautiful, at least the way men in the penny dreadfuls that her mother bought by the trunkful were. His hair, neither golden nor black, hung in a brown hank cut raggedly at the shoulders. Bleached a bit by the sun, it was bound back with a leather thong into a snarled ponytail that spilled over his muscular neck. Was she watching him too closely? Oh yes. Did she feel any shame in the matter? Oh no. After all, Eglantine was on friendly terms with all the crew; why should this new one be any different? Besides, it was her job to get to know the crew of the ship; she was in charge of the register, the log, and all that went with them. Knowing people was her job, and it would soon be time to do it. As the bell clanged for dinner, Eglantine leapt up from her coil to head down to the galley, the big common dining area of the ship. Everybody would eat together tonight while the ship was still docked. Through some careful finagling, she found herself a seat near where the new crewman was sitting with a trencher and tankard. Not wanting to appear too eager, she sidled in next to him as the other places filled, making it look as though she was only sitting there because it was convenient. She pushed her plate out in front of her and waited until he stopped eating for a bit. Leaning over, she tapped the man on the shoulder. “Excuse me sir, but I’m getting faces to put with the names on the register and in the log and such- payroll, that sort of thing. Please forgive the abruptness, but dinner is usually an ideal time for this- it’s about the only time where I know for sure a person will be. So,” she said, looking into his face and noting the general lack of lines and the pale stubble. He couldn’t be much older than her; probably this was a family trade for him. “Could I get your name, please?” She flipped open her book and took the pencil down from behind her ear, ready to write it down. As she did, she could feel him watching her. She hoped that he couldn’t see through her to her rather vested interest in this position. If he did, however, he was polite enough not to mention it. Instead, he nodded and smiled at her.
“Of course. My name’s Wil, Wil Halferst,” he said, extending a large, calloused hand for her to shake. “And I already know you’re Miss Sangreal; might I have the honor of your first name?”
“Eglantine,” she said as she shook his hand, slightly self-conscious about the name. It was awfully fancy for her tastes; but then again, there were always ways to shorten it. “Though everybody- and I do mean everybody, Mr. Halferst- calls me Eg.”
“And everybody calls me Wil,” he said as he smirked, a light flashing in his eyes. “So you’re in charge of the register and the log, and, more importantly, that makes you in charge of the payroll. So tell me, Miss Egg. Are you as smart as that makes you sound?”
Eglantine blushed. She wasn’t the type to brag about herself, but how could she answer this without sounding like a fool or a braggart? She chuckled nervously to buy a little time, composing an answer that wouldn’t make her seem boorish. “I suppose so- I mean, I’ve had quite a bit of decent teaching. Mum’s university-educated, and she’s taught me and my six brothers. And while I don’t read a lot, I know the stories in all the books aboard the ship, and I can do basic sums right proper.”
“So, you’ve had your book learning. I suppose that makes you a right proper egghead, then. The question is, are you a good egg or a rotten egg?” His smirk had grown to a wide, playful grin, matched in intensity and brilliance by the girl across from him. She realized now what he’d been setting her up for, and she’d walked right into him. A defiant shine in her eyes, she shot at him right back.
“I’d say I’m a good enough egg to crack you up a bit. Best be careful, or I’ll make you into an omelet.”
Laughing, Wil tossed his hands in the air in an exaggerated gesture of surrender. “Oh, now, see here! I didn’t want to go about breaking any eggs!”
The kenning brought a grin to both their faces. Wil blushed as Eg shook her head. “That... that was bad.”
“I know,” the man said, running his fingers over the top of his head, creating shallow, rough furrows in his thick, tawny hair. “But what can I say? Puns are maybe the lowest form of humor, but one thing can be said in their defense- they make everything less awkward.”
“What do you mean awkward?” Eg narrowed her eyes at the sailor curiously. Was he one of those who didn’t appreciate the company of others? But if that was so, then why had he been so amusing? Was it that he didn’t care for women, or thought himself above being friendly with girls? She rather hoped neither of these were the case- he was funny, and interesting, and if nothing else, he would be good to talk to during the coming months. It wasn’t often they picked up somebody so young; most of the crew was in their middling twenties to early thirties, and she often felt uncomfortable around them. She said nothing, however, for Wil continued.
“Well, you’re the captain’s daughter. I don’t want to offend you, or anythin’, an’ no offense, I know how young ladies can be. I’ve met my share, y’see, Miss Eg, and while I can tell from your face and handshake you aren’t one of those painted porcelain dolls, I wouldn’t want to be offending you with my nature. But puns make everybody groan, even the average landside young lady.”
“I,” the girl stated definitively, arms akimbo, hands firmly on her hips, which was somewhat difficult while perched on a stool on a rollicking ship, “am not your average young lady.” She knew about ‘young ladies’. She knew how they were supposed to act, or at least how they were shown acting in novels, and she knew how some of them spoke to her older brothers in the port cities. She wanted nothing to do with the silly, flirtatious behavior that the young women exhibited- she had better things to do than act like an idiot, flinging herself at a boy she’d never again see, just because he was dressed nicely and had a foreign accent. While she had to admit that she was this interested in Wil Halferst because he looked interesting, she also knew that they’d be seeing a lot of each other over the coming months. That was the beauty and the curse of living shipside- you never really met anybody new. It was one of the reasons her father was so selective in the hiring process- after all, problems escalated when space was tight, and somebody who was a minor annoyance today would be a huge problem by the end of the voyage. The ship could sail for months at a time without seeing land; it was important that she got to like everybody. And she really, really wanted to get to like Wil Halferst.
“Begging your pardon, Miss Eg- I didn’t mean to insinuate that you were.” It was quite charming to see the young sailor blushing, she thought, though she didn’t mean to fluster him so. As she remained silent, Wil continued to become even more bothered, hemming, hawing, and finally sighing. “And shall you my fond pageant see? Lord, what a fool this mortal be!”
“Hmm?” Eglantine said, wrinkling her nose. “What’re you talking about?”
“Oh, nevermind- I’m just making an idiot out of myself and attempting to salvage myself before I put my foot any further in my mouth. So, to make myself look better, I was quoting. That way, if I sounded stupid-”
Eglantine quickly interrupted him. “You didn’t, and you didn’t make that much of an idiot out of yourself. We run a fairly loose ship around here, and if I couldn’t put up with a little teasing, I’d have left ship to stay with my grandparents a long time ago.” She smiled at him as the fluster went out of his face. “Honest, I’m not offended.”
“Well then! Never you mind, and consider that quote a segue into a new topic!” Wil smiled again, shaking his head as the blush receded. “What I said was from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s one of Shakespeare’s plays. Do you like Shakespeare?”
“Honestly, I can’t ever say I’ve heard much of him. Mum’s not got many of his plays aboard- she says they’re better seen than read. The one I’m familiar with is Romeo and Juliet, and I was never much fond of that one. It always bothered me how Romeo married her, then, just when the families were ready to end the feud, he left her for somebody prettier. I mean, she should have taken warning- after all, he only knew her for a few days before he married her, and he’d just been left by Rosaline; but if I was in her situation, I would never have gone with Romeo in the first place. He’s an awful cad*.”
“And who would you have gone with?” Wil propped his chin in his elbow as Eg leaned on the table, their dinner momentarily forgotten.
“Oh, easily Mercutio. He was my favorite character- so wise, yet so funny. That’s the best thing in a man, is when he’s witty and bright to go with it.” Eg giggled; Mercutio, in the play, one of the last characters left standing after Romeo’s treachery, was just as humorous as he was smart. And he had common sense, too, something often missing in Shakespeare’s characters.
“So, it’s humor and intelligence you’re after. Well, then, I suppose it’s in my best interests to inform you that I was top of my secondary school class, and the only reason I didn’t go to university is that I loved the sea and wanted to continue in my father’s footsteps.”
So I was right- it is a family thing. Eg was reveling in her little mental victory that she almost missed the fact that Wil was... flirting? Was he? It sounded like that. The girl had little experience with that kind of thing; what was she to say? Should she attempt to be seductive, or should she just keep going the way she had been? Seductive wasn’t her, so she decided to just continue to act as she had been. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” she said with a grin before returning to her stew. This Wil was every bit as interesting as she had hoped. “You can demonstrate to me sometime by relating more of that Midsummer dream to me. But right now, I’d say we ought to eat, before the stew gets cold.”
Weeks passed- some days boring and mundane, others exciting and adventurous. But whatever the days brought, one thing was exceedingly evident: Eg and Wil were practically inseparable. Every time he had a shift on the deck, she made sure she had one, too. They took their meals together, sometimes eating in the galley, sometimes having a picnic in the crow’s nest. They watched the stars together, and they shared their hopes and dreams. He read to her from books of plays and poetry, and she made dozens of sketches of him and came up with little ditties to make him laugh. The quarters were close, being at sea, and being at sea, they saw each other at their smelliest and sweatiest. But neither of them cared; that was the beauty of being a sailor. When the ship docked at a port, they took their entertainment together, a fact which Eg’s brothers noted in due course. While her parents were quiet on the matter, her brothers teased her ferociously about the sailor they perceived as her boyfriend, and for once, the hotheaded girl had nothing to say in return. The truth was, Eg had found herself in a highly utenable position. Despite her best intentions and despite the awkwardness of Wil being one of her father’s employees, Eg had to come to terms with it.
In one way or another... she was in love.
*Yes, I know that this is not how the story actually goes, but if this is an alternate universe, I figured some bits of literature would get changed up, too.
Eglantine Sangreal, eighteen-and-a-half years old and full of the sea, sat comfortably on a coil of hemp rope on the deck of the Lenore, her parent’s clipper ship. Today, they’d made port outside of Jaradin, and taken on a few new deckhands. One of them, a young man, had completely captured her attention. As she calculated the weights and measures of the new cargo they’d taken aboard, she kept stealing glances at him as he He wasn’t beautiful, at least the way men in the penny dreadfuls that her mother bought by the trunkful were. His hair, neither golden nor black, hung in a brown hank cut raggedly at the shoulders. Bleached a bit by the sun, it was bound back with a leather thong into a snarled ponytail that spilled over his muscular neck. Was she watching him too closely? Oh yes. Did she feel any shame in the matter? Oh no. After all, Eglantine was on friendly terms with all the crew; why should this new one be any different? Besides, it was her job to get to know the crew of the ship; she was in charge of the register, the log, and all that went with them. Knowing people was her job, and it would soon be time to do it. As the bell clanged for dinner, Eglantine leapt up from her coil to head down to the galley, the big common dining area of the ship. Everybody would eat together tonight while the ship was still docked. Through some careful finagling, she found herself a seat near where the new crewman was sitting with a trencher and tankard. Not wanting to appear too eager, she sidled in next to him as the other places filled, making it look as though she was only sitting there because it was convenient. She pushed her plate out in front of her and waited until he stopped eating for a bit. Leaning over, she tapped the man on the shoulder. “Excuse me sir, but I’m getting faces to put with the names on the register and in the log and such- payroll, that sort of thing. Please forgive the abruptness, but dinner is usually an ideal time for this- it’s about the only time where I know for sure a person will be. So,” she said, looking into his face and noting the general lack of lines and the pale stubble. He couldn’t be much older than her; probably this was a family trade for him. “Could I get your name, please?” She flipped open her book and took the pencil down from behind her ear, ready to write it down. As she did, she could feel him watching her. She hoped that he couldn’t see through her to her rather vested interest in this position. If he did, however, he was polite enough not to mention it. Instead, he nodded and smiled at her.
“Of course. My name’s Wil, Wil Halferst,” he said, extending a large, calloused hand for her to shake. “And I already know you’re Miss Sangreal; might I have the honor of your first name?”
“Eglantine,” she said as she shook his hand, slightly self-conscious about the name. It was awfully fancy for her tastes; but then again, there were always ways to shorten it. “Though everybody- and I do mean everybody, Mr. Halferst- calls me Eg.”
“And everybody calls me Wil,” he said as he smirked, a light flashing in his eyes. “So you’re in charge of the register and the log, and, more importantly, that makes you in charge of the payroll. So tell me, Miss Egg. Are you as smart as that makes you sound?”
Eglantine blushed. She wasn’t the type to brag about herself, but how could she answer this without sounding like a fool or a braggart? She chuckled nervously to buy a little time, composing an answer that wouldn’t make her seem boorish. “I suppose so- I mean, I’ve had quite a bit of decent teaching. Mum’s university-educated, and she’s taught me and my six brothers. And while I don’t read a lot, I know the stories in all the books aboard the ship, and I can do basic sums right proper.”
“So, you’ve had your book learning. I suppose that makes you a right proper egghead, then. The question is, are you a good egg or a rotten egg?” His smirk had grown to a wide, playful grin, matched in intensity and brilliance by the girl across from him. She realized now what he’d been setting her up for, and she’d walked right into him. A defiant shine in her eyes, she shot at him right back.
“I’d say I’m a good enough egg to crack you up a bit. Best be careful, or I’ll make you into an omelet.”
Laughing, Wil tossed his hands in the air in an exaggerated gesture of surrender. “Oh, now, see here! I didn’t want to go about breaking any eggs!”
The kenning brought a grin to both their faces. Wil blushed as Eg shook her head. “That... that was bad.”
“I know,” the man said, running his fingers over the top of his head, creating shallow, rough furrows in his thick, tawny hair. “But what can I say? Puns are maybe the lowest form of humor, but one thing can be said in their defense- they make everything less awkward.”
“What do you mean awkward?” Eg narrowed her eyes at the sailor curiously. Was he one of those who didn’t appreciate the company of others? But if that was so, then why had he been so amusing? Was it that he didn’t care for women, or thought himself above being friendly with girls? She rather hoped neither of these were the case- he was funny, and interesting, and if nothing else, he would be good to talk to during the coming months. It wasn’t often they picked up somebody so young; most of the crew was in their middling twenties to early thirties, and she often felt uncomfortable around them. She said nothing, however, for Wil continued.
“Well, you’re the captain’s daughter. I don’t want to offend you, or anythin’, an’ no offense, I know how young ladies can be. I’ve met my share, y’see, Miss Eg, and while I can tell from your face and handshake you aren’t one of those painted porcelain dolls, I wouldn’t want to be offending you with my nature. But puns make everybody groan, even the average landside young lady.”
“I,” the girl stated definitively, arms akimbo, hands firmly on her hips, which was somewhat difficult while perched on a stool on a rollicking ship, “am not your average young lady.” She knew about ‘young ladies’. She knew how they were supposed to act, or at least how they were shown acting in novels, and she knew how some of them spoke to her older brothers in the port cities. She wanted nothing to do with the silly, flirtatious behavior that the young women exhibited- she had better things to do than act like an idiot, flinging herself at a boy she’d never again see, just because he was dressed nicely and had a foreign accent. While she had to admit that she was this interested in Wil Halferst because he looked interesting, she also knew that they’d be seeing a lot of each other over the coming months. That was the beauty and the curse of living shipside- you never really met anybody new. It was one of the reasons her father was so selective in the hiring process- after all, problems escalated when space was tight, and somebody who was a minor annoyance today would be a huge problem by the end of the voyage. The ship could sail for months at a time without seeing land; it was important that she got to like everybody. And she really, really wanted to get to like Wil Halferst.
“Begging your pardon, Miss Eg- I didn’t mean to insinuate that you were.” It was quite charming to see the young sailor blushing, she thought, though she didn’t mean to fluster him so. As she remained silent, Wil continued to become even more bothered, hemming, hawing, and finally sighing. “And shall you my fond pageant see? Lord, what a fool this mortal be!”
“Hmm?” Eglantine said, wrinkling her nose. “What’re you talking about?”
“Oh, nevermind- I’m just making an idiot out of myself and attempting to salvage myself before I put my foot any further in my mouth. So, to make myself look better, I was quoting. That way, if I sounded stupid-”
Eglantine quickly interrupted him. “You didn’t, and you didn’t make that much of an idiot out of yourself. We run a fairly loose ship around here, and if I couldn’t put up with a little teasing, I’d have left ship to stay with my grandparents a long time ago.” She smiled at him as the fluster went out of his face. “Honest, I’m not offended.”
“Well then! Never you mind, and consider that quote a segue into a new topic!” Wil smiled again, shaking his head as the blush receded. “What I said was from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s one of Shakespeare’s plays. Do you like Shakespeare?”
“Honestly, I can’t ever say I’ve heard much of him. Mum’s not got many of his plays aboard- she says they’re better seen than read. The one I’m familiar with is Romeo and Juliet, and I was never much fond of that one. It always bothered me how Romeo married her, then, just when the families were ready to end the feud, he left her for somebody prettier. I mean, she should have taken warning- after all, he only knew her for a few days before he married her, and he’d just been left by Rosaline; but if I was in her situation, I would never have gone with Romeo in the first place. He’s an awful cad*.”
“And who would you have gone with?” Wil propped his chin in his elbow as Eg leaned on the table, their dinner momentarily forgotten.
“Oh, easily Mercutio. He was my favorite character- so wise, yet so funny. That’s the best thing in a man, is when he’s witty and bright to go with it.” Eg giggled; Mercutio, in the play, one of the last characters left standing after Romeo’s treachery, was just as humorous as he was smart. And he had common sense, too, something often missing in Shakespeare’s characters.
“So, it’s humor and intelligence you’re after. Well, then, I suppose it’s in my best interests to inform you that I was top of my secondary school class, and the only reason I didn’t go to university is that I loved the sea and wanted to continue in my father’s footsteps.”
So I was right- it is a family thing. Eg was reveling in her little mental victory that she almost missed the fact that Wil was... flirting? Was he? It sounded like that. The girl had little experience with that kind of thing; what was she to say? Should she attempt to be seductive, or should she just keep going the way she had been? Seductive wasn’t her, so she decided to just continue to act as she had been. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” she said with a grin before returning to her stew. This Wil was every bit as interesting as she had hoped. “You can demonstrate to me sometime by relating more of that Midsummer dream to me. But right now, I’d say we ought to eat, before the stew gets cold.”
Weeks passed- some days boring and mundane, others exciting and adventurous. But whatever the days brought, one thing was exceedingly evident: Eg and Wil were practically inseparable. Every time he had a shift on the deck, she made sure she had one, too. They took their meals together, sometimes eating in the galley, sometimes having a picnic in the crow’s nest. They watched the stars together, and they shared their hopes and dreams. He read to her from books of plays and poetry, and she made dozens of sketches of him and came up with little ditties to make him laugh. The quarters were close, being at sea, and being at sea, they saw each other at their smelliest and sweatiest. But neither of them cared; that was the beauty of being a sailor. When the ship docked at a port, they took their entertainment together, a fact which Eg’s brothers noted in due course. While her parents were quiet on the matter, her brothers teased her ferociously about the sailor they perceived as her boyfriend, and for once, the hotheaded girl had nothing to say in return. The truth was, Eg had found herself in a highly utenable position. Despite her best intentions and despite the awkwardness of Wil being one of her father’s employees, Eg had to come to terms with it.
In one way or another... she was in love.
*Yes, I know that this is not how the story actually goes, but if this is an alternate universe, I figured some bits of literature would get changed up, too.
