Sol dozed fitfully throughout the night. He didn’t want to admit the princess had been right about his needing sleep. He’d slept so soundly the storm didn’t wake him until it threw him off the pallet and onto the sleeping girl below.
Hopefully he hadn’t hurt her, but everyone was bound to be a bit bruised and battered today.
He left Meena sleeping—still curled in the corner of the bed—and went to see how the rest of the ship fared.
The calm water looked like glass, as though it had not been an angry tempest the night before. Walking around the deck, he could find no sight of the shoreline. The wind had taken them back out to safety.
“It’s a good thing we reinforced the hull,” a sailor said from further down the deck. “That scrape could have done us in.”
Sol stepped toward the talking crew mates. He avoided a pool of water and stooped to pick up a tangled length of rope. His fingers pulled at the knot as he continued his way across the deck.
“You survived the night, your highness?” the captain called out to him.
Sol nodded, stiffly. Being called by his newly acquired title was disconcerting.
“Are we far off course?” Sol asked, looking over the torn sail the two men were mending.
“No,” the captain replied. “Nothing a little tacking can’t fix.”
Sol knew tacking referred to moving a ship into the wind, but he had never understood how the actual maneuvering worked. The sailors seemed to enjoy talking with Meena, perhaps they would not mind explaining it to him. He loosened another knot in the tangled rope, keeping his hands busy while he thought of the words to ask his question.
“Your highness.” The other sailor stepped forward, taking the rope from Sol. “You needn’t concern yourself with cleaning the ship. The captain’d have our hide for letting royalty take over our responsibilities.” He winked at the captain.
“I don’t think the fresh bread survived the storm, but there’s still plenty of stew and porridge to keep you sated. Head below and find some food, your highness.”
Sol did not pride himself on conversing easily with people, but he did know when he was not wanted. With a nod to the sailors, he made his way below decks.
The other two members of the crew nodded politely when he entered. Just like the previous morning, they hurried up the ladder as soon as possible.
Sol ate quickly. Usually, he preferred to be alone, but something about the confined spaces of the ship weighed in on him. He finished eating and went back up to the captain’s cabin.
Knocking gently, he waited for Meena’s invitation before he opened the door.
Her cheerful face greeted him with a welcoming smile.
Sol closed the door behind him. His shoulders relaxed, though he had not noticed they were tense.
Meena sat on the edge of the bed, plaiting her hair into a braid. “Good morning,” she said cheerfully.
“Good morning,” Sol responded, leaning his lower half against the bed, leaving as much space as possible between them. “Did you sleep well?” Sol’s mouth quirked into a smile as he realized his question was a silly one.
“The most relaxing night of my life, I think,” Meena responded with a smile. “Although I cannot figure out why every part of my body aches.” She stretched her arms over her head and winced. “I think my arm and shoulder are one giant bruise thanks to this slat of wood here, but I must admit, I’m very glad it was there to cling to. Though it does seem like an odd addition to the room.” She looked around the room, the rest of which was quite simple in its construction.
“I think that’s its very purpose,” Sol said.
“Oh!” Meena touched the handle with what looked like a new appreciation. “That makes so much more sense. I suppose if one sails often, they would know to expect stormy seas.”
Sol nodded, enjoying her cheerful temperament. He did not take correction well from others, and here she was, amiably learning something new from him after nearly dying at sea the night prior.
“Were you being humble yesterday?” she asked. “You said you don’t know much about sailing, but you seem to be quite knowledgeable on the topic.”
Sol shook his head. “Truly, I know nothing about sailing. I wish I actually did. But because I knew how to swim, learning the ropes of a ship was never a necessity for me.”
She wrapped the braid around her head, tying it in place with a large kerchief. “Do you never learn things that are not a necessity?”
Sol frowned. He’d never thought of it that way. “When your constant survival is threatened, you don’t get much of a chance for learning things for the enjoyment of them.”
Meena frowned back at him. “I’m sorry. If I knew anything about sailing, I’d tell you all I know.”
