When Henry VIII came to power, England had only a small navy. During his reign Henry spent a great deal of money building up a large fleet to defend the kingdom.
On the galleons there was a young man named Damian Wood, who was a voyager. He had blonde hair, sideburns, green eyes, he wore a white linen shirt, a brown jerkin, brown breeches, red socks, and black boots. He was strong and sturdy, life on board can do that to a man, and his quite handsome too. He was a good man, who loved to see the world and have adventures, that's why he joined the voyaging crew, following orders by Captain Kaden Carter.
Life at sea was dangerous and risky but at least it offered fame and riches, they would sail towards a daring dangerous expeditions. Of course the food on board was terrible and it caused them scurvy, and the tides and storms were strong, but like any strong man they survived the sea trip. They would sail to new worlds like Asia, the North and South America, not just to become rich and famous by finding new places to live, to practice their religion in freedom, or to find and trade expensive goods, but also for the thrill of adventure and freedom, for the excitement of traveling to new places where no British has ever been.
One day, after a successful voyage, the ship sailed back to England, and docked at the nearest port. They brought back some valuable goods like: spices, silk, and precious metals.
The crew went to a tavern to settle for some ale and beer, treated by their captain, to celebrate their successful voyage. They sang a sea shanty called Tudor Dynasty:
For many years we've sailed the open sea
To find a new world for our community
As we sail across the shore
To a place where no British has been before
Whatever the ocean has in stored
We will succeed in the war
For we are voyagers, explorers
Who fight for the Majesty of Tudor Dynasty
Though life at sea is hard and risky
And our backs are always sore
Our guarantee for our society is worthy for more
And though the food on board is awful
And the ship is cramped and filled with mice
All the hard sacrifice is for our people to have a peaceful paradise
For we are voyagers, explorers
Who fight for the Majesty of Tudor Dynasty
All we can do is pray to God to take away our pain
To have faith as we are true to our dedication
For we will succeed in our missions
For we are voyagers, explorers
Who fight for the Majesty of Tudor Dynasty
They danced the Morris dance, telling jokes to make each other laugh, some of them played the instruments like the lute, Vielle, recorder, flute. They drank their beer and finally ate the freshest, most delicious foods land has to offer, like meat of a boar, chicken, deer, they ate the freshest fruits and vegetables, warm bread and sweet sugary honey. They also told their life stories too, not just about life at sea, but also their previous lives before they joined the voyaging trip.
Like the young man with the brown hat, named Thomas, he was a woodcutter. The the guy with the beard called Grayson, he was a farmer. The man with the fancy moustache, he was an actor called Jackson, and Fredrick playing the lute used to be a musician. Now Damian, when he was a young lad he used to be a hunter, with a knife and a crossbow, he learned to hunt animals for food and clothes like deer, ducks, foxes, hares, birds, boars, bears and of course wolves. He loved venturing into the woods, hunting for sport, climbing the highest mountains to see the view of the land, but he wanted to see more of the world, so he joined the voyaging trip, sure it was a hard job and the food was awful, it's cramped inside, and it's infested with mice, but hardships are part of the life of an adventure.
After a drink with the crew, one of the men would like to go to the theatre globe to watch the ballet dancers perform. After a long sea trip they could use some entertainment, all of them agreed, including Damian.
They watched the ballet show in the yard around the stage, and they saw the ballerinas performing "Swan Lake", they danced gracefully on stage like real swans. The men were enchanted by their dignified dance moves, the way they do a sophisticated tendu and releve, a dashingly strong grand plie, the way they saute like actual swans, and they pirouette like the wind. Yes their dances were exquisite, they danced in line beautifully, especially that Prima ballerina dressed in white, the one with blonde hair and blue eyes and a lovely smile. She danced with love and passion, such grace, she caught the attention of the audience, especially Damian who couldn't take his eyes off her, he was charmed by her.
When the play ended, Damian waited patiently for the other performers to get off stage so he can have a chance to meet with the prima ballerina. He searched all over in the sea of thespians, and at last there she was, about to enter her dressing room. Damian approached her before she could get in. "Wait!" He called out to her. And she turned to see the handsome stranger.
"Yes?" she asked cautious and curious.
Damian had never felt this new feeling before in his life. His heart was beating faster and louder, he was weak in the knees, he couldn't say a word to her, he didn't know what to say to her, he barely uttered a word. "Uh... I... um..."
"Yes...?" The woman was getting impatient.
"I'd like to... congratulate you on your successful performance" He stuttered a bit. "You were incredible, your dance was enchanting."
The woman was flattered. "Oh, why thank you."
Damian smiled shyly "I'm Damian Wood" he introduced himself to her.
The woman smiled back at him and said "My name is Isabelle White" she introduced herself to him too.
Damian had mixed feelings of excitement and worry, he couldn't stop smiling from this sudden happiness and pleasure. Isabelle just giggled at his etiquette.
Damian got himself together and spoke to her. "I'd like to buy you a drink. Would you be interested in joining me to 'The Lovely Rose' tavern, where they sell the finest wine there?" he asked her, hoping she would agree.
Isabelle just smiled funny and said "Sure, I'm thirsty anyway."
Damian was overjoyed to hear that. "Great, let's go then!" he said, excited.
Isabelle slowed him down. "Slow down there adventurer, I need to change my ballet outfit to my favorite comfortable dress, if you don't mind waiting."
"Oh, yes, of course, I will wait for you" Damian agreed, coming back to his senses.
While Isabelle was changing, Damian stood out waiting, thinking of this new strong feeling he has for Isabelle. "Is this... love?" he asked himself. "Am I in love with the Prima Ballerina? My heart is so full, feeling to burst than ever before! Well what do you know, I'm in love! Looks like I have a brand new adventure, with Isabelle, and that's LOVE!"
When Isabelle finished changing her ballet outfit into her favorite blue dress, black cloak, held together with her favorite brooch, and blue shoes, her blonde hair was neatly groomed, her blue eyes sparkled like diamonds, and her sweet smile lit up her beautiful face. She was ready to go out with Damian.
Together they went to the finest tavern Damian knew, 'The Lovely Rose' it's called, where the best wine is served from France.