Honor, Oath, & Blood

Chapter 3

The first two days of sailing the orcs spent getting their bearings. Very few, if any, of them had experience sailing a ship. Saurfang was no seafarer either, but he knew more about it than the rest of the orcs on the ship. He'd given out some initial instructions before noticing the elf watching, not necessarily in amusement, but she had a look about her that suggested she was withholding some...advice.

The sun was hot, and she wore no coat or shirt, only a leather vest. He noted the strength in her arms as they were crossed in front of her. Of course, he'd seen them before, but that was at the creek when she was... Saurfang cleared his throat and strode toward her, casting aside whatever he might have been about to ponder.

"Have much nautical experience?" He asked her a little gruffly. She glanced up at him, nodding.

"I do."

"Would you be willing to lend some instruction? Much of this rigging is unfamiliar to me." He folded his own massive arms watching various orcs looking confused but trying to work the lines for the sails.

"Will they actually listen to me?" She flashed a grin, watching the same thing he was.

"They will if I tell them to."

It was difficult for Saurfang to take his eyes off Gylledra as she effortlessly scaled the rigging and delivered instructions in clear orcish. She led with the ease of a natural born leader and in such a way that those she commanded paid attention and followed directions. At every turn she defied expectation and had not ceased to surprise him. Perhaps there was a reason she was among them now; though he didn't care for the idea of fate. It was not a concept he could accept because it meant all their people suffering in those filthy camps for all those years, all the horrors he'd witnessed...had been meant to be.

Something was happening, though, as Gylledra worked with the orcs, the way she spoke to them as equals, and how she accepted suggestions and ideas when they gave them, answering questions without belittling or making anyone feel foolish. He saw more than one orc nod to another in approval. She'd already helped them by ensuring safe passage to the ships and now she showed them how best to pilot the vessel they'd absconded with. Gylledra was even able to teleport herself to the ships nearby to assist them as well.

Saurfang was impressed, and he felt good about the decision to bring Gylledra and her strange companion to Thrall. Though she was a caster, her magic didn't require any sacrifice of life, and while the orcs, Saurfang included, had a strong mistrust for magic, hers did not seem as much cause for concern.

Interestingly as well, the orc who had challenged Gylledra to fight seemed to have become quite friendly with her. Saurfang saw them speaking together frequently. It made sense, a sense of honor often bound individuals in friendship.

The initial rocky days of the voyage had become smoother and easier sailing. The skies were clear, and the winds were strong. Saurfang had claimed for himself the quarters that would have been for the ship's captain. The ceilings were a bit low, considering how small humans were, but it was comfortable enough. The captain's quarters were comprised of a main room with a nautical map inlaid on a large wooden table, a library with a desk, a privy closet even a small orc wouldn't fit in, and a bed chamber. In the interest of keeping Gylledra and Nasorya out of trouble, he offered them the bed chamber. He was content to sleep on the floor of the library after shoving the desk out of the way.

It did not take long for diversions to run out. There were very few things on a ship to keep the mind occupied and Saurfang found his thoughts turning too often to the elf. She didn't care for the intensity of the sun on deck and had mostly been in the captain's quarters going through whatever books she found in the office-library.