Waking God: Rising

My earliest memory comes from when I was six. I have vague memories of some things before that, but they're too blurry to trust, so I'll stick to what's clear to keep this story true.

We were on a ship, my mother and I, among thousands of others taken as prisoners of conquest. But we weren't treated like prisoners. We had our freedom to move around, good food, and our own small sleeping area.

One night, bored with nothing to do and no one to play with, I went up to the deck. My mother was often away at night. The crew mostly ignored me, except for some teasing by the younger ones. They called me 'dumb fuck' because I never reacted much to their taunts.

I moved about the deck aimlessly. Out of nowhere, a man grabbed me by the neck. He had pale skin, dark eyes, and a face scarred from some illness. He lifted me off the ground without much effort, restricting my airflow so I couldn't breathe, but I didn't struggle.

"Aidra," he shouted, "seems like one of the slaves found a way out. I'll take him back before the commander wakes."

"Alright, Mouk, just hurry up and get me an orange from the—" Aidra startled, but his words died in his throat when he saw me. His eyes widened in shock.

"By the gods, Mouk, let him go!" he yelled.

Mouk, confused, dropped me. I hit the deck hard, struggling to catch my breath as the world spun, and tears blurred my vision.

Aidra rushed to help me up, his face full of worry. "You alright, lad?" he asked, patting my head. "My mate didn't know who you were. That's a mistake on his part."

Mouk shifted nervously behind him.

Aidra lifted my chin and inspected the bruise on my neck. Frowning, he pulled off a scarlet scarf from around his neck and handed it to me.

"This is my daughter's," he said. "She made it for me when she was about your age. It's a good luck charm, though I can't say for sure if it worked. I've been in some tight spots, and well, it didn't hurt to have it."

He wrapped the scarf around my neck. "I'll let you keep it for a few days, eh?"

I couldn't explain why, but I felt oddly connected to the scarf. The soft fabric, the weaves and patterns, felt like something important.

Aidra took Mouk aside, whispering, but I could hear them clearly. "Do you know who that is, you fool?" Aidra hissed.

"No," Mouk replied, his voice nervous.

"That's the commander's mark child. Her son. The boy's untouchable, you hear me?" Aidra's voice dropped low. "Don't mess with him."

Mouk started to panic. "I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't," Aidra snapped. "But you're going to apologize, and you're going to make nice. You'll act like a fool if you have to. Got it?"

They came back. Mouk knelt and ruffled my hair. He forced a smile, but it only made my skin crawl.

"Sorry, kid. I didn't know you were the commander's whore... no mark's child," he said. Then he pulled out an apple and wrapped some sweets in paper. "Here. Take these. No hard feelings."

He gave me an apple and sweets, the tantalizing treats made me forget about my neck pain for a short while.

Aidra let me keep the scarf for three days, which made me happy. I felt a strange connection to it.

That night, Aidra and Mouk taught me about sailing. They explained the North Star.

Mouk talked about the wind, "It can change fast. You've got to feel it." They showed me how to handle the sails and read the compass - North, East, South, West. Mouk was busy with the rigging, his rough voice cutting through the air. "The wind's a friend, but it's tricky. You gotta feel it, know its moods. These ropes, these lines—they're how we talk to it."

They showed me how to use the ropes, adjusting them to the wind. Each movement had its effect, small but surprising.

We gathered by a table where the charts almost flew away in the gusts. Aidra pointed at one of the routes. "This is where we're heading. But the sea doesn't always follow the plan. Currents, tides, the wind—it can change fast."

They showed me the compass and shouted the directions over the noise of the ship: North, South, East, West, and all in between. Above us, the stars shifted in the dark sky. Mouk pointed to a few patterns, teaching me how to navigate by the stars.

There wasn't time for long lessons. The air was cold, and the sea was loud. Each lesson was quick and sharp, but it stuck. We also talked about reading the clouds and how to sense the weather change just by the feel of the air.

By the time the first light of dawn painted the sky, I was exhausted but happy with what I'd learned.

Mouk led me back to my quarters. My mother wasn't there yet. He apologized again and asked me to keep quiet about the night's events.

I didn't say anything but nodded. That was enough. He smiled again—this time it was more genuine. I smiled back as he left.

I went to bed and fell asleep immediately.

When I woke up at midday, my mother was there, looking relieved. She hugged me tight, worried I hadn't woken up earlier.

Later, despite the Mouk's and Aidra's requests, I told her everything that happened.

My mother was furious. She grabbed my wrist, and we marched to the commander's quarters, bypassing the guards who were too slow to react.

The commander was inside, reading at his desk. He looked up, surprised, "What's this about?"

My mother launched into a heated speech, but to my young ears, it was mostly noise. She was upset about a broken promise - that I was to be protected. She showed him the bruises on my neck from where the scarf had been.

The commander's face darkened. He donned his combat gear, sword in hand, and led us back to the deck.

The crew quickly gathered around us, forming a circle.

I watched as he stood, the wind blowing his long, flaming red hair. He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at my mother, "That woman is under my protection, and so is her child. You touch them, you touch me. One of you has touched me. Step forward, now."

I saw Mouk amidst the small crowd; he was sweating nervously. He stared at me, shock written on his face. Then he looked at Aidra, who refused to meet his questioning gaze that was a plea for help.

He knew he was alone now.

He made his way to the front until he stood face to face with the commander, "Me lord," he said with barely suppressed fear, "I... I didn't know the brat was your mark ser. I swear. I beg your forgiveness."

The commander didn't respond. Instead, he said, "Prepare yourself."

Mouk sighed realizing he had no choice but to fight, "Come on then, you bastard. Let's get this over with."

He pulled out two knives from his shoes and got into a fighting stance.

It was over in an instant.

Dear reader, in the years to come, I would see feats that matched the commander's and many that surpassed it, but they were all supplemented with magic. Here, the commander used no special abilities; this was simply his natural strength.

I saw Mouk's head fall to the ground before I even noticed the commander had moved. I was still staring at where he had been. There were scattered gasps from the ship's crew as they too began to realize it. The commander's soldiers didn't look surprised; they'd seen it before.

The commander came towards me, his sword dripping with blood. I took a step back, my heart racing.

"Who else?" he asked.

I looked at Aidra, who was shaking his head in terror. I still held onto the scarf; I didn't want to return it. I pointed at him.

Aidra panicked and pleaded, "I didn't touch him, my lord. It was Mouk, and Mouk alone."

When he saw the commander start to approach, he said, "I have a daughter, sir, a family, please. Mercy."

The commander ignored him, raising his sword. Aidra ran, leaping into the ocean, but the commander's sword was faster, and Aidra fell into the sea without his head.

"Coward," the commander muttered in disgust. Then he went back below deck; we followed him as people eyed us warily.

The scarf was now mine, but I felt a darkness settle in me, a shadow of guilt that would haunt me for years. The rest of the journey was quiet; even the bullies kept their distance.

Eventually, my fascination with the scarf faded, and one day, I tossed it into the sea.