Albion's POV

I walked behind the other three as we walked through the city. I was taking my time to look at everything we passed. The others knew the city fairly well, or at least better than I did. It was so curious and overwhelming walking along unfamiliar streets. Some of Sindri's crew followed behind us, so I felt the need to hurry a little bit.

The docks were a whole other story in comparison to within the city walls. After stepping down about fifty stairs, we turned the corner to a wide and open scene that I hadn't seen in at least five years. I had almost forgotten what the sea looked like, and the strangeness of the docks filled my heart with a sense of childhood excitement.

I didn't have to be told which ship was Sindri's. Most of the other boats and vessels here were either smaller fishing boats, or shipping boats. Sindri's boat was called 'The Red Star', which was dedicated to its previous owner, who also had red hair and who ventured out to look at the night sky all around the world. I also thought it was fitting given Sindri's hair and the fact that his name meant 'sparkle', a fact I ruthlessly teased him about when we were younger.

"She's beautiful as always," my mother said as we approached. She had already stated several times she wasn't actually going to get on the ship, due to her poor balance and the sure fatality if she fell whilst doing so. Mara wasn't as apprehensive, as she quickly boarded the ship with the help of a crew member she had gotten to know when she was on her way back from the toilet.

"Did you expect anything less?" Sindri questioned rhetorically as he stood beside my mother, one arm around her shoulders and the other on his hip. "I take extremely good care of my ship and crew, and soon, I'll be taking good care of my nephew." He glanced back at me and used his free hand to gesture me forward. "How are you feeling?"

I hesitantly stepped forward. "Tired, aching, and intimidated." My words were blunt and honest as I stated my emotions, looking up at the mast of the ship. "I know nothing about sailing, or ships, or the ocean."

My list could've continued if Sindri hadn't chuckled and shook his head. "You will learn," he assured me. "I didn't know anything about it until I began sailing. Now I'm an expert. You can't learn everything from books."

"Don't discourage him from reading," my mother scolded. "But yes, you need to experience things for yourself to actually understand them."

She knew that me and reading had a complicated relationship. I struggled to read for a long period of time, and it was rare that the stories in the village kept my interest for long enough to invest time into reading. Besides, I read my father's diary, and I didn't have any other spare time during the day.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure that he learns all that he can." Sindri squeezed my mother's shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want to come aboard? I could carry you."

My mother looked at him sceptically. "Like I used to carry you when you were a little babe?" she questioned. "I don't think so."

I stepped forward and let them have their small argument, moving over to the edge to look down at the water below. The water here was murky and really not very interesting. I liked watching the waves move back and forth, making the water seem alive.

I was vaguely aware of Sindri and my mother ending up on the ship whilst I continued to look at the water, moving to sit on the ground, thinking about what I could possibly see on my adventures. I felt a bit sick being here, at the very thought of not being in my little village with my mother, knowing what jobs I had to do. But I also felt the strange anticipation which came with the unknown.

"Cursed," a woman said from a short distance behind me, causing me to jump out of my skin and turn my head. "Cursed, very cursed."

The woman's glassy green eyes were staring at the ship, running over it time and time again. She had frizzy white hair and wore dirty and torn clothes. I knew immediately what kind of person this was, and my heart ached for her.

"Do you need any help, miss?" I asked quietly, getting to my feet slowly. "It's not the safest out here." I could just imagine her tripping and accidentally falling into the water, unable to get help.

She shook her head. "Cursed ship, very cursed. I'm fine. I'm fine." Her eyes slowly moved to me, and she reached forward, grabbing my upper arms in a tight grip. "Don't go on Cursed. They will take you. Ship is marked."

"Marked?" I questioned. I knew that I probably shouldn't play into this. I was a superstitious person as it was. The way she spoke truly made me believe that there was some kind of curse attached to the vessel which I'll be residing on for the foreseeable future. "What do you mean, miss?" I had to admit, my voice was a little higher in pitch than it usually was.

"Don't go on Cursed. You will be pulled into the depths. You will be pulled into the abyss!" She shook me quite vigorously; my hands moving to her arms to try and soothe her and push her away.

"Miss, please calm down. Everything's fine. There's no need to worry about me or the ship." Her grip was tightening, and so my panic was rising. "Please let go of me."

"You will be in grave danger, boy. The sea has marked your ship. You are doomed."

"Hey!" a man called as he jobbed over, pulling the woman away from me. "Crazy lady, leave the boy alone."

"It's alright," I tried to say as I shook my head. "She was just trying to warn me about something. She's alright." I didn't like the way he was holding her arms and throwing her about like she weighed nothing, like she was a ragdoll.

"No, she's not. She's been doing that for a few years around 'ere. Scares some men so much they don't leave. The others she warns are too frightened to come back. We never see their boats again."

I paled at the implication.

"They drowned. They sank. The ships are no more because they were marked," the woman insisted, not even wincing as the man shook her fragile-looking wrist harshly.

"Shut it," the man hissed before turning to me. "Have a safe voyage, boy. Don't let her words spook ya."

"I'll be careful," I replied for both the man and the woman's sake. I slowly turned and made my way on board the ship. It was strange that being warned not to travel on the ship made me want to get on it quicker. I heard the woman calling out to me, her voice getting even more distressed, but I tried my best to ignore it.

I felt a difference almost immediately. The feeling of the wooden deck beneath my feet and the sound of my boots hitting against it made me feel like I was in a story, as though I was already sailing.

I made sure not to touch anything as I passed, not knowing the purpose of any tools or apparatus for the ship. A few of Sindri's crew were walking along the deck, talking and working, some were even playing games whilst sitting on crates.

"There you are," Sindri said as he appeared behind me. "Your mother doesn't really like the boat. We're not even moving and she's feeling a little ill, so she and Mara are getting some food. I said we'd join them once I found you."

I nodded, fidgeting a little with my fingers. "Yeah, she doesn't like feeling unsteady. She wouldn't even go in the treehouse with me when I was a child." The treehouse in question was something most of the children in the village used to entertain ourselves. We also kept some toys up there so anyone could play with them. "She said she always felt disconnected."

"That's something I don't quite understand." Sindri glanced around the deck with a sense of familiarity and warmth. "I've never felt more connected to this plane of existence than when I'm on this ship, facing the harsh waves and being able to see the stars clear as day."

I nodded once more. "I don't know how I feel about it yet." I glanced up at the sky, as though I would see something besides light grey clouds.

"I'm sure that you'll quickly figure it out." Sindri wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "And it's my job to keep you safe and show you all the wonders that the world has to offer."

I was not embarrassed to say that I cried when I was saying goodbye to my mother. I didn't care if a few of Sindri's crew laughed at me as I was saying a heartfelt goodbye to her. The memory was a blur, but I was soon left standing on the deck of the ship with a locket clenched tightly in my hand. My fingers ran over the inscription 'to live is to live' over and over again.

"It means that in order to fully experience life and to live, you have to take chances and experience new things," my mother had told me as she held my hands in hers. "I inherited it from my grandfather and now it belongs to you. The fabric inside is from one of my dresses, one of your father's shirts, and from your blanket you were wrapped in when you were a baby. There'll always be a part of me with you, just like there's a part of you in my heart."

With my other arm I waved quickly at her figure which became smaller and smaller as we set sail.