Early evening, сaptain Iglesias stood at the side of his carrack sadly looking at the small ripples of water. His mood was lousy. There was not enough food and the sailors had to make forays into nearby villages for robberies. Of course, without his order, Enrique was too noble to give such an order, but he turned a blind eye to it, they needed something to eat.
And then he saw a woman swimming towards the ship. Enrique rubbed his eyes in amazement and took another sip of wine, the woman did not disappear, but as she swam to the ship, she waved her hand to him.
"These waters are full of devilry and witchcraft," he thought, "it's probably a mermaid."
Enrique threw her a rope ladder and woman dressed only in a chemise climbed aboard his ship.
A passing sailor dropped his beer mug in surprise when he saw his captain with a naked woman. It must be said that his captain also stood dumbfounded and could not help but utter a word.
Finally, the captain recovered from his stupor. "Higgins! Pick up your mug and get into the hold!" he ordered the sailor.
"But sir! What if this witch kills you?"
"Nonsense, Higgins! No witch can handle a devout Catholic!"
The sailor shrugged, picked up his mug and trudged into the hold.
"Your Majesty Manuel, if I'm not mistaken?" the woman asked Enrique looking straight into his eyes.
"No, of course not, I'm captain of 'The Spring'. And what should the King personally do here?"
"Yes, I was joking, I see that you are not The King, of course! My name is Irene, I live in a villa over there beyond the Big Island."
"My name is Enrique. Let's go to my cabin, you need to put something on."
***
"So, what brings you to our ship in such an extravagant manner?" Enrique asked Irene when they drank a wineglass.
"Your sailors are just some kinds of robbers! They are robbing civilians of everyone in the area!" Irene flushed, raising her voice.
Enrique silently and patiently let her speak. When Irene fell silent, he began to speak. He began to talk about great Portugal. About the great mission of bringing light and establishing trade with distant Asia.
He unfolded the map and showed her in general terms how Portugal was establishing civilization along the shores of Africa and southern Asia for safe trade with India and China.
Overland trade is very expensive, throughout the territory between Europe and India there are parasitic states that want to live by fee the caravans of merchants passing through their lands.
Irene was amazed at the depth of Portugal's plans.