Page 8 of Viktor at Sea

“But it’s my birthday present!” Roscoe protested. “If anyone is to know what it is, then it should be me.”

“Oh, my dear Roscoe,” I chuckled and patted him on the back. “Have you forgotten what I taught you about patience?”

“No,” he sighed dramatically, and despite the upset expression on his face, he reached out to swipe an egg off my plate. “Good things come to those who wait.”

Just the way Daewon mentored me, I mentored Roscoe. He would make a fine seaman one day. He had all the makings of one.

He was a strong swimmer and was able to steer a boat. I even let him steer The Serpent a few times when we went on short trips to nearby islands, and he always handled it fine. He was good with a sword because his father had trained him since he was a young boy. His fishing could do with some improvement, but that came with time and experience. The only thing holding him back was his young age and random bouts of immaturity, though I suspected that came from the influence of his peers because he was always intelligent and mature when around me.

“If you’re going to make me work to get my own present, then you’re going to have to give me something in return,” Roscoe bargained with a calculated expression on his face.

“And what’s this something?” I asked, quirking a questioning brow at him.

“You have to tell me a story from your recent sea mission.”

“There are a lot, but I’ll tell you my favourite one,” I grinned. “One night, Odin’s ears were burning, and we both know what that means.”

He nodded, his eyes wide, attentive and eager. “Wind.”

Garth may be the wisest on the ship, but it was Odin who had an inkling for navigation. He somehow always knew where to goand how to get to our destination, regardless of how lost the rest of us felt. On top of that, he could predict the weather. When his ears burned, it meant wind, and in that particular case, it turned out to be a lot more than a strong gust of wind.

“Of course, Dagfinn didn’t believe Odin and the next day, he wore his favourite hat.”

Roscoe shook his head and laughed, already giddy as he predicted the end of the story.

“Dagfinn never believes Odin about the weather, even though Odin is always correct.”

“Something to do with his pride, I’m sure,” I agreed with a chuckle. “Anyway, he woke up the next morning in a jolly mood, wearing his favourite hat that his wife had hand-stitched. And what a lovely hat it is, of course, but it is a rather light sort of thing. The wind wasn’t even at its strongest when it went flying off his head.”

“And he never saw it again?” Roscoe laughed.

“That would have made the story far less memorable. Instead of the hat disappearing, or drowning in the water, it ended up on top of the sail, covering the flag,” I laughed at the memory. “Odin’s ears started burning up again, and the winds got stronger. Instead of heading inside like the rest of us, Dagfinn was determined to climb up the sail and retrieve his hat before it went flying again, and he lost it permanently at sea.”

“That’s silly. Any hat is not worth risking his life against strong winds.”

“It’s dangerous as well,” I added. “We tried to stop him, but the man was determined. A bunch of us were forced to come out from hiding from the wind and stand around the base of the sail, ready to catch him when he fell. We were all certain that the man was going to fall, and we would have to return his broken bones to his wife.”

“Did he manage to get his hat?”

“He tried,” I laughed. “He actually managed to climb all the way up to the sail, but the moment he reached for it, his fingers just about grazing it, a gust of wind blew the hat away, and we all watched as it dropped into the water. By the time we jumped in to retrieve it before Dagfinn decided to do anything else stupid, a dolphin bobbed up and stole the thing from under us.”

“That’s the greatest story I’ve ever heard!” Roscoe threw his head back and laughed loudly. “And to think, it could have been entirely avoided if Dagfinn had listened to Odin in the first place.”

“My words exactly! But not to worry, I hear that Rosie is already working hard to stitch him a replica of the hat.”

“Including the hole at the bottom?”

“Dagfinn may have to do that part himself again,” I snickered.

“I always love hearing about your sea stories,” Roscoe chuckled, but the sound was strained, and his expression quickly grew serious. “You must let me come with you next time, Viktor. As part of the crew.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Roscoe,” I murmured, hoping to let him off easy.

As much as I adored Roscoe and enjoyed spending time with him, parting my wisdom on him, I did believe him too young for the sea. Too young and too innocent. Perhaps in another year or two, but certainly not on our next trip.

Roscoe shook his head. “That’s not fair. You say that every time, Viktor. Please let me come with you on your next mission. I’ve been keeping up the sword fighting with my father. We have even increased our sessions to four times a week. I have also been practising my fishing, and while I haven’t mastered it yet, I’m a lot better now. I don’t care what I have to do to get on The Serpent, even if it’s scrubbing the deck every morning and night.All I care is about being onboard that ship with you the next time you head out on a mission.”

“I can’t promise you anything, but I’ll think about it,” I fibbed because Roscoe didn’t look like he was ready to give up anytime soon.

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