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This journey had been fairly smooth sailing, despite the inevitable bumps and rough seas along the way.
Though she was a bit seasick, she was doing relatively well.
The people who had kidnapped her were all unfamiliar faces, and the language they spoke was jumbled and hard to understand.
They refused to make any contact with her, handing over food and drink through a small opening in the door, as if feeding livestock.
...It reminded her of the days she had been confined in the Doge’s Palace, only the treatment here was far worse.
Hedy waited silently for many days, acting submissive and numb.
She knew that this was the only way to lower their guard.
Ships always needed to dock for supplies, and she had to use that opportunity to figure out a way to send a message.
Around the sixteenth day, the ship finally docked near the port.
The chaotic sounds of people coming and going, along with the noise of goods being unloaded, blended together like a crowd dispersing outside an opera house.
She waited for this chance. Before the food delivery man arrived, she collapsed on the floor, pretending to have an attack and holding her breath.
The man clearly noticed something was wrong, knocking on the door and shouting something in a foreign language.
She remained in a state of unconsciousness, giving no response.
The sailor suddenly grew anxious, calling loudly and rushing off, seemingly to fetch someone to come and help her.
The heavy iron chains were fumbled open, and the old lock made a screeching noise as it was unlocked.
A few older women lifted her onto the deck and called for a doctor to come and examine her.
Sharp-smelling smelling salts were held to her nose, and shecoughed slightly before weakly opening her eyes, looking pale and frail.
This was a strange harbor, and it seemed to be near Pisa.
A maid came over to help her sit up, and someone tried to bring her a bowl of hot soup to drink.
In the distance, a small boy was swiftly running errands for the adults, occasionally glancing in her direction.
After a short while, a customs officer arrived to inspect the documents, and many people rushed towards the port.
The maids in charge of caring for her busied themselves with towels, fetching water, and searching for any other medicines she might need.
The little boy quietly approached, speaking in the Tuscan Italian dialect: "Are you about to die?"
It was indeed a good question.
Hedy watched the cautious guards in the distance, maintaining her sickly appearance, and quietly asked, "Where is this ship going?"
"I don't know. I heard it's going toward Rome," the boy observed her expression, adding, "They said you should get some sun."
"Indeed." Hedy sighed softly, then slowly said, "Are you one of the crew on this ship?"
"Yes and no. Everyone here knows me well— but my family lives on the shore." The boy smiled, "My father always sells fish and oysters to them. We're all old friends."
It seemed he was helping with unloading the cargo.
Hedy tilted her head slightly, observing the gazes of others, and with one hand, she removed her rings and bracelets.
