I had spent the better part of two months having my wounds tended to buy the ship's healer, and doing small odd jobs around the ship itself.
I never really thought to ask Captain Marianne Laflamme, the tiefling commander of this sailing vessel to take me home, let alone ask if she knew where I was from. Many people don't usually react too well when they find out you're an Ulfguardian. Their primary response is either fear or hatred. For context, many many years ago perhaps even before my great grandfather was born refugees of various races from another far-off land came in these large sailing vessels, much bigger than any frigate or merchant ship, even a ManO'War could compare to the size of these ships. The races varied from humans, elves, half-elves, halflings, gnomes, and dwarves to more monstrous races like Dragonborn, orcs, and half-orcs.
Over the years the land had started to become more and more like a small society, free to all, no matter who you are or where you came from, you could be a part of something greater. However, further along, the west behind a wall of mountains there was a great empire that did not approve of Ulvenguard's methods, laws, and traditions. They saw them as savages, uncivilized creatures that will let anyone become a citizen. They had the misfortune of declaring war against them. The first and possibly only war the empire had lost severely. The empire's soldiers may have had greater numbers and strategies that could beat any adversary but Ulvenguard, struck fear into the hearts of those soldiers. When they were on the battlefield they fought like beasts. Their swords cleaved bodies in half, their axes severed limbs, their shields blocked volley after volley of arrows, their spears skewered bodies, and daggers pierced hearts. Little to no Ulvenguard natives died on those fields of battle, but the empire and those in the surrounding lands knew the strength and power that these men and women had. They had feared them since.
Should I tell where I'm from it's likely the crew would want me dead or off the ship sooner rather than later. I kept it quiet for the meantime, best to tell them when they ask, perhaps on an island close by or rather a decent walking distance. Captain Laflamme was a strict but very fair captain, though my wounds have begun feeling much better and have been healing for some time now, she still only gives me small and simple tasks, clean this, carry that, tie this, dust that. Not that I'm complaining but I would rather have a more complex job I've I'm to remain here another few months or so. That day soon came when we pulled into the dock of a small island for supplies and repairs, as we got comfortable at the local Inn the captain overheard the barkeep mention a lost treasure on an abandoned island far east of the island. The crew and I along with the captain became much more interested in the man's story, he told us that hidden on the island were mountains of gold and jewels that would set anyone up for life. A true dragon's horde as he called it. Excited over this bounty we pulled out all the maps that would show if the man had been telling the truth or if he was sending fools to their watery graves.
He was speaking the truth, there was an island far east of our current location, the only problem was that it was in the middle of the infamous "singing sea" even as a child my father and mother have told us the stories of the sailors and pirates alike all going mad out in the singing sea. It earned its name due to the supposed sirens that inhabit its waters, hundreds of thousands of them in fact, all of which hunger for the flesh of foolish sailors willing to enter their territory. There are also tales of which that include an enormous sea beast that uses the siren's song to bring in large ships to feed itself and the sirens who used their song to lure them in. Others say it is the thick fog that drives them all mad making them believe they hear something hen in reality they have lost their senses and have given into fear and cause their ship to crash into some nearby protruding rocks, sharp and deadly like a row of teeth.
The captain was a brave woman, strong and beautiful as well. So it didn't surprise me when she accepted this hunt. It was here I needed to tell her where to take me. It was here I wanted to tell this tiefling woman who I was and where I belong. Before I could even open my mouth to say anything the captain ordered us to go to our rooms and get as much sleep as we can, for the next time the sun began to dawn we would be on our way to fortune and glory. Like the others, I did as she asked. What else is a 13-year-old kid like myself going to do? I had made my way up to my room. Surprisingly, it was next to the captain's, as I took off my clothes to make myself a little more comfortable I heard the captain's heels walk up the stairs along with someone else's footsteps I did not recognize. Through the peephole of my room's door I watched as the captain dragged along a handsome, but very rough and tough-looking human man by his beard. She had a devious smile on her face as she took him into her room. I thought nothing of until perhaps very late at night when I heard her voice and the man's voice, they were talking about something, and that something was me. "What of the boy? Do you believe he will survive out in that maddening sea?" "Oui mon cher, I do believe he has the heart and soul of a sailor." "but will you take the boy home?" there was a pregnant pause. "I will when he is ready. He is quiet. He does not speak of where his home is. I am afraid he does not have one, more so if it is someplace many dare not go." "Like where?" another pause. In a whisper, I can just barely hear, "Ulvenguard." After that, there was nothing but silence. Even after months of sailing with her, seeing how brave she is in fighting off waves and storms to keep her whole crew alive, even she fears my homeland. Perhaps I should tell her should we survive our final venture.
It is nearly dawn and I have hardly slept. Thinking about what the captain said had kept me up for the most part. I felt it was best to tell her now rather than later, so I made my way over to her room, but as I knocked the door was already slightly open and when the slight force of my knock pushed against it I was met with a nearly dressed Captain Marianne Laflamme. She of course had her boots and pants on but her shirt was open down to the middle of her chest, on her chest was a large black tattoo of a heart covering an anchor along with large angelic wings. I looked away before she could notice me. When she did, however, she asked me, "Mon Cher, what has happened? Are you alright?" I panicked and answered, "Yes, I was just...checking in to see if you were almost ready to leave." I couldn't tell if she knew I was lying or not, but I felt her hands on my shoulders and rub them slightly, "Do not worry, I will be on the ship shortly, please wait with the rest of the crew young one." and she walked away. As I made my way back to the ship, I had wondered when and how I was going to tell not only the captain but the crew as well of where I home from, many sailors feel that being anywhere near an Ulfguardian native would bring them bad luck should they have one on board. It was too late for me to say anything as the captain had gotten on deck and we made our way towards the singing sea.
It wasn't too long of a journey, but it did take us a few weeks to get there. When we did, it was almost too unreal to describe. It was a clear cloudless day, but in front of us seemed to be like a thick wall of fog. It did not move closer or farther away. The crew was silent, we heard no singing and no noise from the gulls. There was nothing but an eerie silence, one you could feel in your chest. As we made our way into this wall, I had immediately lost sight of anyone who was in front of me, and anyone above me climbing the rigging. The air was dry and cold. There was no sunlight, and we could all barely see the rocks protruding from the water. Surprisingly everything was going well. We heard no singing, nothing else was in the water beside us, and we had managed to make it to the island safely, I was told to stay on the ship while a search party went to go find the treasure and keep the ship safe from whatever might be on land. It was here that the fabled singing had started. Ethereal and beautiful, it overpowered the very sound of the waves. A shiver ran up my spine as this beautiful voice felt as if it were in my ear, and mine alone. It called to me, it sang of a peaceful existence of a warm hearth and a beautiful home, no danger, no death, simply peace and love. But a voice rang out. A voice so familiar I could not mistake it. It was the voice of my father, he was screaming my name not in agony, not in anguish or pain, but anger and authority, like a general to his men. He had told me to ring the ship's bell to get the attention of the captain who was finally returning to the ship with her prize. As fast as I could I ran to the ship's bell and rang it, the crew were still hypnotized by the song that was playing in their minds, the ones on land had begun swimming into the sea and were dragged down to their watery deaths.
To my surprise and relief, the captain had made it back on the ship with four large chests, possibly heavy and filled to the brim with gold and jewels. But now was not the time to gawk over riches. Now was the time to flee this place and avoid as many deaths as possible. Whatever not hypnotized crew was available to work the rigging and other parts of the ship was small and not a quick as a full crew, as I looked back I noticed thousands of ripples of what seemed to be aquatic creatures, all of them getting closer and closer, the singing soon returned as it became louder and louder as if they were forcing us to listen. Once we were out of the fog, the air grew silent, there was no more singing there was only the sound of waves and the pounding of my beating heart. As the ship celebrated, I had to be the one to break the news. "Mon Cher, we have made it, we are Rich! Why do you look so sad? Have the deaths of some crew scare you?" I shook my head, "No, I need to go home." "Very well, but-" "Let me finish. I need to go home. Back to Ulvenguard." A stunned silence filled the ship. Finally, the Captain spoke. "Very well...to Ulvenguard...or somewhere safer and closer," I said nothing. Whatever came out of my mouth now would likely end up being met by silence.