Rage and Rebellion (Histories of Havenhearth)

3.7 Wynemere

When Prudena left, Tanden asked, "got it?" and both trainees shuffled their feet. "A shroud is the rope or rigging that holds the mast up from side to side," she pointed. "Some connect at the top, and others partway down." Wynenere noticed they were tied to metal plates, which were tied into the boat itself. "And rattlins?" Kody asked.
"Those are the ropes tied between the shrouds, as Overvalley said, for your feet, I'll show you."
Up she climbed to the little platform above the mainyard on the mizzenmast, the shortest of the three. Kody followed immediately, scurrying up like a monkey, catching up with Tanden in no time at all, who offered her congratulations by a clap on the back. "Your turn!" She called down.
Wynenere sucked in a deep breath, and looked up towards the top platform, from where their two faces peeked over the side down at him. She started her climb, making sure that her hands were on the shrouds and her legs on the ratlines, although she had no idea why it had to be like that. The ratline ropes were slack, swinging and slippery from the tar that coated the hemp. When she neared the platform, she got stuck. How on earth do I get myself into the platform from here? Just hanging from my arms and then pulling myself up? There's no way I can do that. "Come on wynemere!" Tanden said, but she wasn't cheering her on, rather her voice sounded impatient. Kody even gave a little giggle.
"The water is flat. This is as easy as it gets."
"Just a second!" Wynemere called up, injecting as much chill into her voice as she could. She looked down, knowing she wasn't supposed to, but it happened without even thinking about it. And that didn't help her at all. The deck seemed miles and miles away, she could see the boat splitting the water in half, from where she was. It even felt like they were going so fast. But she hung on, looked up to the hole in the platform, why can't I just go through there? It's easy and safe. But mariners did not use that way for some reason, and she did not want even more negative attention. So she leaned backwards, out to the ropes, gravity pulling the length of her body, willing it towards the deck. She hung on and climbed up the ropes that attached to the outer edges of the maintop platform. Her heart pounded, her hands sweaty, and she knew she was no more than one second from falling. And passing out. I'm going to pass out. Deep breath. Last push. Her hand reached a rope on the main top, and she knew she had made it. She pulled herself up over the edge and lay there, panting, looking up at other ratlines which extended to the sky, which had started to clear, in a sign which she took to mean that the worse was over - for the day at least.
"A bit slow," Tanden said, "but you made it. Both of you." She seemed pleased. "It'll be better the next time, since you know you've done it before. Ready for the topmast?"
Wynemere turned white, the colour of the sea creaming and frothing astern as the ship cut through it.
"Just give me a second to catch my breath." She looked up at the ratlines which were much closer to the mast and hung more vertically. She could feel the wind from up here, which came in gusts, on and off, making it difficult to keep balance without holding on to something. She could hear the wind whipping at the canvas, and the rattle of the metal holes by which they were attached. "Me first, you next Wynemere, ok?" Without waiting for an answer, she reached up for the shroud, pulling herself up onto the ratline, a perfectly smooth movement she must have done many times. Gingerly, with fear, Wynemere followed, every step an effort against the wind that seemed bent on ripping her grip away. It was not as long a climb as the first, and she quickly reached the shrouds that connected to the outer edge.
"Catch your breath for a moment." She followed instructions, and repeated the terrifying, gravity-defying climb to the platform, never letting go for fear that the wind would toss her off. Incredibly, there was even a third topmast above that one, but above that was just the bare pole with a couple of ropes on it. Tanden started her way up, just as confidently and as smoothly as before and Wynemere's heart sank even lower than it had the previous time, figuring that she would be next. She really wanted to, needed to prove herself, and if Tanden asked her to climb, she was going to do it. This was not a very unique desire among trainees, but she was young enough not to be aware of it and that's what she focused on while she sat on the top last, clinging to the shrouds.
She looked out to sea, to the small white crests forming on top of little waves, and towards visible land, a low and dark line of Tainish hills, already in the distance and already she felt as if she had been away from Elsa for ages.
Away from the green fields dotted with little thatched cottage farmhouses, and stone walls. And the remote shores of Maralea where the waves crashed into rocky shores or left clear quiet pools in the rocks for playing amongst. But Kody reached Wynemere, and brought her back to the present, where the wind continued to hum against the canvas, pulling at the rigging of the sails. And Tanden joined them as well, and to Wynemere's relief said, "Well done to you both, back to deck." And she descended as if she had done it at least once before. Throughout the afternoon, Pickfordshelm checked the barometer, the instrument which measures air pressure, and the skies, whose clouds reaffirmed what she knew from the barometer and had suspected anyway. Heavy weather was on its way, which she had hoped would be avoided with the short journey time and trainees on board. But it seemed it wasn't to be, and her readings suggested worse than normal for this time of year, and this area. Because of this, she called for all hands, despite the unusual hour to do so, so that adequate preparations could be made aboard Alvalerion. The preparations, Wynemere learned, meant securing everything below decks to prevent it from shifting, and on deck, checking everything and doubling up on knots. Since she did not have expertise enough to do either, she was tasked with following Overvalley to the cargo hold for inspection, and then on deck, where all of the skylights were battened down and covered with secure tarps, and all doors were caulked to prevent any sudden rush of water. The Capitaine was at the wheel now, offering the occasional order to roll up some of the sails, but not too many. She spoke often to the helmswoman and occasionally put her own hands to the wheel in the wind, which had become erratic. After the work had been completed, Capitaine Overvalley and Underbush met for another full inspection of the ship. As reward, everyone was ordered to rest, or a hot drink. Wynemere chose both and was grateful for the steaming liquid in her mug, which she sipped in her bunk across from a pale and exhausted-looking Kody.
"The calm before the storm," she said. Wynemere looked at her, "hmm?" staring out the porthole to an oily looking swell in the fading light which made her feel threatened and unnerved. "It's not a good sign."
Flowerfield entered, also looking strained and tired, leaving the door ajar, and Wynenere could hear the sound of canvas flap against wood. "It'll be all hands any moment now," she said, and a pang of fear shot into her belly. "Don't forget, one hand for work, and one hand to keep you on board," she said, in yet another reminder of the many chances there were to die. She didn't stay, going upstairs to wait. The other two shrugged at each other, and waited for the call, realizing when it came why Flowerfield has gone early- there was a jam as everyone hurried out. Prudena sent them to help with the deck hands in the job of unbending the mainsail, which meant to unfasten it from it's yard. It seemed like they had just gotten it fastened and now they were taking it down. To do this Wynemere has to ascend the shrouds to the main yard, and she found that with a job to do, she barely even noticed the climb this time. She looked behind her, and noticed that the Capitaine's partner was on deck with her, talking together, though Aima did not keep her eyes on her interlocutor, as hers were on the sails, perhaps looking for the direction from which the storm wind was coming. The sea still looked pretty flat to her, despite the swells they went up and down on. It was still daytime, but a long line of dark cloud just ahead of them had formed, and the cloud cover blocked out any sun. Wynemere reflected on the weather just hours ago, noting how changeable it was out here. As she looked at this bank of cloud, which seemed to increase in size before her eyes, something strange started happening to the water's surface: white ruffles appeared suddenly and moved directly towards the ship as if it were an intruder. There was a shout from somewhere below. "Overboard!" Wynemere heard and saw the long heavy log she had learnt was called a boom swung across the deck. And something in the water, it was the white face of one of her shipmates staring up from the water, arms flailing. She called out "overboard, portside" with no real idea of what she was supposed to say. Immediately a figure leapt into the water, diving somehow, a perfect swan dive towards the figure in the water. Somebody, Flowerfield perhaps screamed out, above the sound of the rising winds ""It's the trainee! It's Whitefalls!" The swell was now breaking, with spray coming off of the tops of the waves as the wind began it's attack. A life ring was expertly thrown to the swimmer, who grabbed it and a moment later reached the one who had first gone overboard. Overvalley ran to help the hands prepare the dispatch of the lifeboat, Underbush and Meadowmoss has gotten the boom under control, lashing it down to prevent further damage. Others were working frantically to take down any remaining top sails. "Secure the lifeboat Prudena! No lifeboat!" Pickfordshelm yelled. She doesn't realise who is in the water! Overvalley thought, and continued with releasing it from it's lashings. "Cease your action at once!" Pickfordshelm screamed, "but your partner!"
"At once!" The wind continued it's onslaught, with sudden viciousness, gusting strongly and hitting the ship with blows as if from a fighting pit. Wynenere kept her eye on the swimmers now, who were getting further and further away. It hadn't even been a full minute since Kody had gone overboard, but because some canvas was still up the ship kept moving ahead. Overvalley grabbed a line, spun it out perfectly towards the lifebuoy. The two swimmers fought, probably for their lives, to reach it, grabbed it, and those on deck heaved on the line to pull them in. That's when Wynemere realised, it wasn't Kody that had fallen in, it was Kody who had dived in to rescue the Capitaine's partner. The Capitaine hurried over to help. Another line was sent down the side of the ship and Kody skillfully put it around the man and herself. Together they were hauled up to deck, collapsing onto the planks. Capitaine took her partner in her arms, and Kody too, as soon as she sat up.

A minute later, the winds struck again. Wynenere was ordered towards the bow to unbend more sails, sails for which she still didn't know the names of. She barely knew which way was which in the furious banshee of a wind whipping her face and body, accompanied by a horrible shriek. As she struggled to get there,
cold spray continued to whip into her face from the tops of waves, and the bottom of them swept over onto the decks in an attempt to take her with it.
Then she went under, as a wave crashed over her, pounding her down into the deck. She hung on for life on the aptly named lifeline. She figured she was dying if that struck her as funny at this moment.
But she got there. But by the time she did get there, substantial damage had already been done. Some canvases had ripped off and had been blown away into the darkness. How could anyone know any one rope from the next in this mess? It was like one hundred spider webs weaving amongst each other. Overvalley was there, straining to the edge of he strength to get the sails down. And she did it too. But even when the sails were finally all secured, the ship hadn't eased up much and was being tossed and turned, the masts bending under strain and flipping back straight, but the hands nonetheless tasked with tidying up the mess left on board. A huge sudden lurch sent Wynenere sprawling, sliding towards the side. Prudena grabbed her by the arm, getting a handful of clothing, and just in time too, because although Wynenere held tight to one of the lines, it would not have done her much good when hanging off the side. Prudena and Wynenere both gasped in relief when the ship straightened up. Some, including Wynenere were ordered to go below, soaked, spent. Dirty water sloshed around the floor of her cabin as she shivered in her bunk, hearing rather than listening to the wind rage on, wondering what the other two were doing. And as for Kody, she, who did not want to be there, was a hero now. Wynemere felt jealous, and so ended her first full day at sea.