Page 37 of Viktor at Sea

Manny moved over to take the wheel, his hand trembling.

“What does that do?” He asked, glancing down at the pedal I was stepping on.

“It controls the oars at the bottom of the ship,” I answered. “Back in my old island, we had to physically have men sit at the bottom of the ship and push the oars to get the ship to move. But after we took The Serpent off some pirates, Chip invented this button which when pressed, rows all the oars for us.”

“This one button does the work of ten men?” Manny asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

“My reaction exactly when Chip showed me how it worked,” I chuckled. “I don’t know what we would do without him. He’s got such a magnificent brain. We’re lucky to have him.”

“He’s always been so brilliant. I would argue that he’s gotten smarter since you’ve been here.”

“How so?”

“You give him something to do. Since you’ve been here, you’ve guided the crew on so many successful missions and brought back so much grand bounty. Helping you with stuff for the ship gives him something new and challenging to work on, and I’m always in awe of what he comes up with. I know he’s recently been working on a mechanism to attach a smaller rowboat to The Serpent.”

“Yes.” I grinned at Manny’s excitement. “I’m excited for him to be done with that soon. He says that it will be ready for our next mission.”

Manny’s eyes clouded with thought, and he was silent for a few minutes before he said, “My parents want me to join you on the next mission. As part of the crew.”

“And you don’t want that?”

“I thought I didn’t,” he murmured. “But I think I’m starting to change my mind.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” I grinned. “And I would be honoured to have you as part of my crew for the next mission.”

Manny was in better control of the wheel than he gave himself credit for. I thought I would need to monitor him, but soon enough, he looked right at home. I even spotted him smiling, proud of himself for conquering his fears and steering the ship with ease.

However, Manny having such good control meant there was less for me to do and more space for my mind to wander.

I truly loved the sea. I could picture myself on the sea or in the water for the rest of my life, whether that be tomorrow or on my deathbed. When my time finally came, I wished to die in the water. Floating and free, and with the entirety of the beautiful blue sea awaiting me.

Perhaps it sounded morbid to some, but to me, it was a dream.

Whenever I got onto the sea, like earlier today, I couldn’t picture myself ever returning to land. It was a very difficult urge to resist when I used to live elsewhere, but as of recently, I always found myself eager to head back to Jorvik.

When I was younger, I wished for nothing more than to be a traveller of the sea. To spend the rest of my life on a boat, travelling all over the world, only stopping on land for necessary provisions and restorations to the ship. I had planned to do exactly that when I dropped by Jorvik for the first time. In fact, I planned to engage in one mission for the Chief, Barden, in exchange for a relatively large sum of money, and then I would be off to pursue my dreams of travelling the world on my boat. One mission quickly turned into two and then three, and before I knew it, I was Captain Viktor of The Serpent and no longer had plans of leaving Jorvik.

At first, I fooled myself into believing that I was only sticking around because Barden had crowned me Captain and was paying me handsomely with a portion of the bounty and other provisions, but I couldn’t keep lying to myself for long. Now that I was no longer in denial, I knew the answer.

Astrid.

Astrid was my answer to everything.

I returned to Jorvik, time and time again, for Astrid. I abandoned my childhood dream of travelling the Seven Seas and seeing the world for Astrid because she was worth it. The blow was softened because Barden often sent me off on long trips where I could see some of the world and still had a hut in Jorvik to return to.

For Astrid, it was all worth it.

I had proclaimed my love for her, had granted my heart to her to do with as she pleased, and all I could do now was sit and wait patiently to learn what she would do with my love.

Manny’s words from lunch yesterday with him and his father rang clearly in my ears.

Astrid did not love Crosby. They were merely acquaintances so there was slim to no chance she would accept him as her husband. Not without getting to know him and even then, I was confident she wouldn’t like what she saw.

However, things became a little murky when it came to me and Astrid. I didn’t believe that she returned my love, but I was confident that she at least felt something for me, even if it was just a slight romantic inclination.

For such a young boy, Manny was very perceptive. Perhaps, the more perceptive person I knew. His father, too, was rather perceptive. Barden was right to send me on this short day trip to Isle. Being back on the sea cleared my mind, and I was already feeling like a new man. No longer ridden with anxiety and insecurities but soaring with freedom.

I knew Astrid would pick me. I could feel it in my heart. And even if she didn’t, I would spend the rest of my life proving to her that no other man could ever make her as happy as I could. That no other man would love her as fiercely as I did.

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