The Third Voyage

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"Hey, welcome back." My mother greeted, shifting the soup around with care. She pulled out seven wooden bowls before pouring the desired amount into each one. My family, Sinbad, and his friends sat down in our seats. I was right across from the handsome sailor, which made my ten year old anxiety spike. Before Sinbad and his friends could dig in, my father cleared his voice and put his hands together in prayer. Our guests were confused by the actions before they put their hands together out of respect. My mother started the prayer, "Dear Lord, we thank you for the meal that you have so graciously given to us through a time of poverty and hardship. We pray that you will protect us and give us hope, no matter how small. And we pray that you will watch over our kind guests. In the Lord's name we pray, Amen." After which, we started to eat. The everything soup was the same as usual. It tasted like everything, which wasn't that appetizing, but beggars can't be choosers.

I looked up from my meal a couple of times to look at a serene Sinbad. Unlike most, he quietly ate what was given to him without a single hint of disgust written on his features. A sad look hanged heavily in his amber eyes, as he gently smiled into the soup. He looked up to meet my gaze. My eyes shifted almost immediately, before I slugged down whatever was left. Rinsing my dish, I ran to my room and huddled in the corner. I tried to get rid of my pink blush, but it wouldn't go away. Eventually, I fell asleep in said corner, as a conversation began. "Did I... do something to upset her?" Sinbad asked, looking toward my giggling mother and my stern father.

"You did nothing wrong, dear. She's just a little shy." My mother answered, smiling gently at the sailor. Sinbad saw his own mother in her, which almost made tears prick his eyes; However, he brushed off the feeling before she continued, "Now then, how long will you be staying? I hope not too long. Oh! Sorry!! I didn't mean to be so rude."

"It's okay. He knows." My father commented before glancing at Sinbad and company, "You should leave as soon as possible. Under no circumstance should you remain here for another day. Chaos is about to ensue after all." Sinbad opened his mouth to say something, yet he remained quiet for a moment. Ja'far and Hinahoho gazed at their valiant leader with no visible expressions written on their features.

"What about your family? The women, the children... What will happen to them?" He asked, feeling concerned about not just mine, but every woman and child's wellbeing; However, Sinbad's words didn't affect my father in the slightest. He grunted for no specific reason.

"Don't take me as a fool, dear boy. I don't intend on leaving my family behind, nor anyone else for that matter. Now, off with you before curfew ensues. We wouldn't want you dying on us." Before Sinbad could say another word, Hinahoho lightly clasped the purple haired sailor's shoulder. It was time to leave, but Sinbad felt a need to say goodbye to the first person he met; However, I was fast asleep. With a swift farewell, they left. The house was back to being a hollow shell. Before the sun could even rise over the walls, someone shook my sleeping figure awake. I saw my father's gorgeous eyes as he softly smiled at me. "(Y/N), we have to go."

"Where are we going?" I mumbled, rubbing my tired eyes. Without an answer, I was thrown over my father's broad, slightly misshapen shoulder. He motioned for me to keep quiet, as he carried me out of my room. Kara and mother were standing by the door with a single bag in hand, "W-What's going on?" I whispered, as my father met my gaze eye to eye.

"Away from Janah. Now, let's go." My mother tightly grasped my hand as we disappeared into the shadows. We walked along the backroads, occasionally hiding from patrolling soldiers. The dark, early morning was quiet and cold. Goosebumps formed on my arms and legs; However, I knew that complaining would likely be the death of me, so I sucked it up. For my father's sake. The further we walked; The more families appeared. Once at the docks, there was a whole army of the impoverished and hopeful which stood behind us. There were plenty of ships docked at the harbor, however, only one was ready to sail. The others looked like they were slowly sinking. The board was cast down, as people started to flood onto the ship. I was the only one, along with mere toddlers, who did not understand what was happening. Once everyone was on board, my father took the ship's wheel before sailing the entire lower class out of Janah. I sat near the wheel with my father. With one breath, he whispered, "Do it." The coup d'état pointed flaming arrows at the Janah. They fired and with little to no time to waste, the home that I had spent my whole life in exploded. The higher class and the King were awoken by the explosion. They looked out to the only sailing ship. My father let out a hearty laugh at the scene behind him. He never looked back at all the destruction. He only looked forward, to the great sea that seemed endless.

"Boss, we have a problem!" One man stated as he hurried over to my preoccupied father. My father didn't answer. All he did was turn his head around to see a fleet of Janah military ships approach. "What should we do?" My father didn't answer the man. Instead, he looked out toward the vast ocean. A hopeful man would believe that my father was merely conjuring up a brilliant plan; However, I knew better. Though I was only ten, I knew my father's facial expressions to the slimmest mark. At that moment, he was greatly concerned. Kara huddled me closer to her for any sort of comfort on both our parts. Surprisingly, I wasn't scared. In fact, I was out of it. A voice within my brain was telling me, 'take the wheel and go south, toward the storm.' This sound kept growing louder. 'We'll both die if you don't take the wheel right now! Take it damnit!!'

"F-Father." I spoke. The voice finally seceded. He looked at me with cold, yet sorrowful eyes. Surrender was on his mind. He picked me up and asked, 'what is it?' I looked toward the great storm that hung heavily over the ocean over yonder. I brought up my hand and pointed at the thunderous clouds, "Let's go through the storm. We can lose them if we do." A certain light shined brightly in my (E/C) eyes. 'This light...' My father thought, 'will this light lead us to greatness and prosperity?'

"(F/N)! We can't go through the storm!! You'll risk everyone on board getting killed!! We should just turn back, and surrender-" A crisp slap was heard, and a flat silence followed. My father's eyes held great amounts of disappointment and anger.

"You speak of suicide. If we don't take a risk, then we will certainly be killed." My father spoke earnestly, before his eyes met mine once more. Everyone who was on board gazed at me and my father questionably. In my direction, he nodded slowly in understanding. Why he trusted my ten year old gamble so quickly, I have no idea, but he took us south. Very quickly, the King's ship lost us. The sails flailed about, ripping apart at the seams. The raging waters crashed around and upon the ship's extensive deck. Inexperienced men pulled at the various ropes and posts in order to keep the ship from sinking. The storm challenged my father's minimal sailing experience, and many thought he was crazy; However, the voices in my head kept telling me that everything would end up fine. At the end of the storm, the waters returned to a bright blue and the sky was clear. The sun started to rise over the ocean which made my heart soar as high as the clouds.

"Look father. We made it." I commented, looking upon the calm waters. My father remained behind the steering wheel as he gazed down upon my small figure. 'Such a young girl conquered the storm,' He thought, before his eyes softened tremendously. "Father? Why are you crying?" He shook his head, denying the fact that he was indeed crying.

"My dear child... You saved the good people of Janah. And you made your father proud." He stated, before he walked over and gave me a hug. "Now, where should we go?" I looked upon the great sea to see nothing but water. I pointed south and my father complied. As a people, we were finally free from the grasps of Janah, but a new problem was facing us. Three days after our daring coup, there was still no sight of land. We still had a weeks' worth of supplies left, but it was imperative to find somewhere to station the people. As I looked out to the waters, I noticed a couple of strange aquatic creatures dancing about. I looked to see where they were going but found something of greater interest. It was land. I was too late to mention it since everyone was cheering with great enthusiasm at the find.

"Land-ho!"

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