MYRLLEN

"Don't hurt me!" Myrllen jolted awake, his indigo eyes wide and his hooded ears flat in fear. His frantic breathing slowed as he looked around, his fear slowly becoming confusion. "Where... what? Why am I in a bed?" He panicked and quickly checked his hood and clothes, then slightly relaxed as relief washed over him.

However, Myrllen's stress quickly elevated as he looked around his environment. The young Stellan's eyes roamed the white-walled room with its single dresser, bathroom, and porthole. There's only one exit; I hope no one is guarding the other side.

The Stellan's eyes widened as he looked through the circular window and noticed the brown hull of a large ship. "I'm on a boat?!" He burst out of the bed, then yelped as his foot tangled with one of the blankets and slammed him into the planked floor. The scared Stellan quickly recovered but didn't stop to think why his tumble didn't hurt as he hastily freed himself.

As he stood, he hesitated. If this is a boat, why isn't it rocking? Is this one of the houses with its own dock? It looks fancy enough. Myrllen quickly shook his head. No time to focus on that; I need to get out of here. That is too good to be true: it has to be a trick of some kind. 

Myrllen nearly leaped for joy when he saw his pack next to the bed and quickly snagged it. He frantically tore it open, then sighed in relief that the food inside was also unharmed. As the teen lifted the bag, he noticed it was heavier than he remembered, but he assumed adrenaline caused the difference. The Stellan quickly tied the cloth container up as he stood, then bolted towards the door.

The Stellan wildly swung the unlocked door open, then gasped in panic as he spotted a surprised human man standing in the doorway. Without a thought, indigo magic sailed out of his hands.

The thin man's eyes widened in panic as the wild sparkling magic sailed towards his face. Vertical planks of wood suddenly erupted from the floor and protected him; the indigo energy harmlessly shattered into an array of sparkles. Both males froze in shock as the planks melted away.

"Please do not attack my Captain." Myrllen spun on his heels to face a silver sea serpent materialized from the wall. He stood, briefly mesmerized by the graceful creature as she stepped out as if she had just seamlessly walked through it. Her blue eyes appeared to be perfect star sapphire spheres that shimmered with life. "He will not harm you; he was offering you breakfast. I apologize for putting you under a sleeping spell, but you were too scared to quiet down while I made sure the men after you wouldn't associate your disappearance with me."

Myrllen hesitated, "why are you helping me? What do you want from me? You foreigners going to sell me to the slave trade?"

"Oh Lihania, no! By the stars, I would never do that to anyone, Stellan or not." The silver serpent held one of her four front limbs over her heart. "My previous captain was a Stellan; I understand your plight. I just wished to help you."

"Heard that before..." Myrllen mumbled under his breath and looked away. "Lots of people want to 'help.'"

With a frown, the serpent spoke, "I want to help."

Myrllen somehow sensed the conviction in the creature's words; it hung in the air and resonated through the fibers in the wooden planks beneath his feet. Looking closely, he noticed the serpent herself appeared made out of wood. That can't be right. He mentally shoved the idea aside.

She soon continued. "My name is Paragon, and Captain Travis and I would like to offer you a paid job. As a magic ship, a mage like you could help explain my magical capabilities in ports that would not accept me as I am. While onboard, you will have full access to all of the spellbooks in my library and a designated place for you to practice. You will have some responsibilities at ports, but you will be mostly free to do whatever you wish."

A coin pouch appeared in Paragon's hand, and she held it out to the young Stellan. "Whether you accept the offer or not, this is for you." Paragon smiled in assurance as Myrllen stared at the object with distrust. "I would also like to extend the offer to your family and anyone else who wants to come, a free trip to Draconia, where all creatures, even Stellans, can live as equals. Everyone can bring all of their belongings; there's plenty of room and beds for everyone."

That sounds too good to be true. Myrllen shook his head. "I'm not going to fall for those tricks; just let me go home."

Paragon seemed disappointed but nodded as she pressed the coin pouch into his hand. "Still, take this with you."

Myrllen paused as he felt the coins through the cloth, hesitant. "Fine," he eventually grasped the pouch, then slipped it into the bag clutched against his chest. "Now, I'm out of here."

"Here, take this with you as well," The human moved away from the door as he offered the plate, which held an egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich. "We'll be in port until two mornings after today after the sun fully rises if you change your mind. Feel free to tell everyone about the offer to go to Draconia. It's a relatively young country, but Queen Horizon has made it a safe place for everyone."

Myrllen hesitated, then snatched the free meal as his stomach growled. "See ya," he bolted through the door, then down the hall. Now, to get out of here and never see them again. Good riddance, I hope no Stellan ever falls for your tricks, you slave traders. He mentally scoffed as he quickly ate the food.

For a second, he sensed a foreign feeling of hurt but quickly pushed that feeling aside as he continued down the hall.

"The door to the deck is in the other direction!" The human's voice called from the door to the room he had just vacated.

"I knew that!" Myrllen quickly changed direction.

"It's the door at the end of the hall; you can't miss it!" The human called again. As if in response to his voice, the door in question opened on its own.

Myrllen burst through the door and ran full-speed into the dawning light as fast as his feet allowed. Relief washed over him upon seeing the empty deck. He swiftly raced down the gangplank; his pounding footsteps rang on the wooden dock.

A silver form caught his eye as he ran; he nearly tripped as he looked up to the serpentine shape on the bow. The indigo-eyed Stellan paused and looked up to the still figure. Just the figurehead. He shook the itching feeling that it somehow wasn't there before. Who has the figurehead of themselves? Especially of a slimy, barbaric sea serpent who isn't even the captain.

With a shake of his head, Myrllen resumed his dash down the docks. As he ran down the streets, he was grateful that they were still empty in the dawning light.

After running for a few miles, Myrllen passed into the farmland beyond the city and dove into the nearest field. Holding the bag of food in a more relaxed grip, he swiftly navigated through the rows of purple and orange corn plants intermixed with dense plots of grains.

Eventually, he neared the leaning wooden building that was his home. He slowed to a walk as he looked up to the small thatch-roofed building. Worn cloth strips that waved in the slightest breeze covered the windows. Time had warped many of the boards on the walls to the point they bent out of place. I need to hammer some of the planks on the walls back again. I wish I had better magic so I can permanently fix everything.

Paragon's offer briefly rose into the forefront of his mind, but he quickly shoved it to the side. No, it's a scam, like everything else in this world. Not even the stars speak to us anymore.

The wooden steps creaked and heavily bowed under his weight but held as he climbed them. He pushed the door open, "Mamaa! I'm home!"

"Myrllen? Oh my little night sky, thank the stars you're home!" A Stellan woman rushed over to him from the other side of the one-room building and embraced the younger Stellan. "Oh my boy, I was so worried about you."

"Mamaa, I'm not a boy, I'm a man. My eighteenth birthday is only a few months away." Myrllen slightly whined as he blushed at the nickname. "I didn't plan on being out all night, but I brought food!" He wormed his way out of the hug and opened the bag as he offered it to his mother.

"I wish you wouldn't risk your life." Mamaa carefully took the bag and carried it to the table by the fireplace, then started to take all of the food out. "This, this is a massive amount of food!" A smile of conflicted relief formed on the woman's face, then froze as she found a pouch of coins. "Myrllen, please don't tell me you stole money. Food from the waste bins is one thing, but money?" She released a nasal sigh.

Before she could speak again, Myrllen hurriedly responded. "Someone gave it to me! I didn't steal it! A weird sea serpent working on a ship gave it to me." He quickly assured his mother's disbelief, "I know it sounds weird, but that is what happened! They gave me this before they let me go."

"Someone captured you?!" Mamaa jumped and quickly clutched her son. "Did they hurt you? Threaten you? Oh, my poor boy!" She held Myrllen in a tight hug as she fought to hold back worried tears. "Thank goodness you're safe."

"It was the weirdest experience I've ever had." Myrllen hugged the near-sobbing woman. "The sea serpent offered to give Stellans a free ride to some country called Dragonic or something like that where everyone lIvEs As EqUaLs." He scoffed. "It was a scam to trick us into slavery. They even offered me a job as a mage on the ship!" He laughed. "Like I would fall for that."

Myrllen paused when his mother remained silent, then partially released her so he could look the dark-eyed Stellan in the eye. "Mamaa, you can't seriously be considering that fraudulent offer." His shoulders sagged as a frown formed on his face. "It's a trick from a scummy human, nothing more."

"But... it's a nice thought..." Myrllen's mother slowly admitted. "Myrllen, we could lose the farm any day now; the landlords raised the rent again. Soon we'll have to sell everything we grow, and that still might not meet bills." She glanced at the loose gold coins and the pouch of money on the table. "The gold you brought will help, but even that won't last forever."

"Mamaa, we can stay here; we've managed for years." Myrllen insisted.

Mamaa slowly shook her head, then looked at her son, "Which ship gave you the offer? Are they still there?"

"Mamaa!" Myrllen yelled in near-exasperation. "You cannot be serious! It's a scam! There's no re—"

The older Stellan silenced him with a raised hand. "—I won't go to them; I want to ask the dock workers if they know anything about it. Did you see the ship's name? Do you know when it will leave?"

Myrllen sighed in frustration, then slowly looked toward the coins on the table. "I didn't catch the name of the ship, but it was white with a sea serpent as the figurehead. The captain's name was Travel or something like that, and the serpent's name was Paradragon?" He shrugged. "I was kinda focused on ignoring their lies and escaping. They said they were going to be in port until sunrise two days from today, but I still think it's a scam; you shouldn't go."

"I appreciate your worry," Mamaa lovingly patted her son's head, "You are growing into an excellent young man, but I know what I'm doing." She smiled to Myrllen, "now, go do your chores while I put all of this away. And make sure your brother and sister get to bed tonight while I'm at the docks."

"Yes, Mamaa." Myrllen slowly nodded, though he still believed his mother's idea was terrible.