#book!corlys was not afraid to criticize and speak up

[thevelaryons]

I wonder if the show will ever have Corlys confronting Rhaenyra about killing his son?

Somehow, most of the problems in Corlys’ characterization in HOTD can be traced to the complete change in his relationship with Laenor in season one.

Although, even their “relationship” in the show can be summed up as Corlys glaring at Laenor like he’s some dirt beneath his feet, so I suppose it’s not too surprising that Corlys is willing to overlook Laenor’s death.

HOTD centralized Rhaenyra too much in Laenor’s story when Corlys was supposed to be the central character there.

[ask-de-writer]

SEA DRAGON’S GIFT : Part 23 of 83 : World of Sea

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to World of Sea

SEA DRAGON’S GIFT

Part 23 of 83

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

140406 words

copyright 2020

written 2007

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

//////////////

Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users   of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may   reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information   remains intact.  They may use the characters or original characters in   my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical   compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

///////////////////////

New to the story?  Read from the beginning.  PART 1 is here

///////////////////////

Chapter 6: A Problem of Ship’s Business

Kurin sat in the shade of her small toy booth, as she had for every Gathering market since Cat had gone back to the sea with her mate, Dark Iren.  The wind fluttered the dagged edge of her awning, making the embroidered birds and fish seem to fly and swim.  In front of her were toy fishing boats and small sailing boats that would actually work.  There were also soft flexible Strong Skin fish and Glue Fish, Wing Rays, lobsters and crabs.  All the creatures were fashioned out of a modified form of glue and the Strong Skin scraping dust left over from boat building. Behind her, on prominent display, was a large model of the Longin under full sail, with all sails and rigging neatly done.   As usual, there was a knot of children and a few adults in front of her booth, and trade was brisk.

Quietly, the crowd parted.  Approaching her booth were the woman and man that she had seen come from the Dark Dragon and the Soaring Bird.  They stopped in front of her booth and seated themselves cross-legged, regarding her curiously.  The woman’s big scabbards were no longer empty.  The odd looking one on her right leg held an ax like none that Kurin had ever seen before.

“Are you not Kurin Behar Longin of the Naral fleet?” asked the Captain of the Dark Dragon, tilting her red-brown head curiously.  Her lively green eyes had taken in the toys on the board and she was studying them intently.

“I am.  May I get you something?” asked Kurin.  “I can send for food and water, if you wish it.”

The two Captains regarded each other a moment.  “That would be appreciated.  It is well past noon, and we have not yet had a chance to get food.  You are most courteous.”  The woman gestured towards herself, “Allow me to introduce us.  I am Captain Sula Corin Dark Dragon of Winternight, guest of the Corlis fleet and this is the Honored Captain Huld Barsan Soaring Bird of the Barant fleet.  We have come from the other side of the world to get news of a ship and crew favored by the presence of a Great Sea Dragon.  Every one that we speak to, says this or that and then adds speak to Kurin.  She knew the Dragon best.  So, we have come to speak to you.”

Just then, a large red haired man jostled Captain Sula aside and started to point at one of Kurin’s toys with a long knife with large jagged teeth down the cutting edge.  Kurin knew the style of weapon and thought little of it.  A show-off’s toy, prone to breakage.  “Give me that one,” he demanded.  “I know someone who wants it.”

“Mister Kotance,” she said sharply, “I would like you to meet Captain Sula Corin Dark Dragon.”  Meanwhile, Sula and Huld had risen to their feet.

Kotance turned to Captain Huld and said, “Sir, my apologies for bumping into your wife.”

Sula took Kotance’s knife hand, the front of his shirt and stamped across his instep as she pulled the startled Kotance from his feet. As he hit the raft face first, she wrapped his knife hand around behind him and pushed up, her knee in the middle of his back.  She wasn’t even breathing hard as she said, “I am Captain Sula.  Drop the knife or I break your arm.”

Kotance made an abortive attempt to break free of her hold then dropped the knife as Sula began to press his arm against the joint.  She immediately released him and stepped back, ready.

Sula smiled the coldest smile that Kurin had ever seen as she said, “You have interrupted the business of Captains.  Please put away your toy and leave us.”

Kotance, scowling and rubbing a sore shoulder, put the knife into its scabbard and left.

“I’m sorry about that,” said Kurin. “Just a moment while I get someone to watch the booth for me, then we can talk — — Hey! Roper!  Will you watch my booth for a bit?  I’ll give you lunch and a toy off the board.”

The boy that she called to came up and slid into place behind the counter.  “Done.  Can I get the lunch right away?  I’m starving.”

Laughing, Kurin went with the Captains to Marad’s food booth.  He and some apprentices were preparing fresh shellfish and other delicacies on the spot.  “Hi, Marad.  Would you send some water, a pair of fish cakes, a slice of crab cake and some redweed salad to Roper?  He’s watching my booth.”

“Sure, Dragon-hair.  What will you have?” he answered, turning to adjust the reflector of one of the solar heaters used for steaming and boiling crab, lobster and shrimp.  It was made of large, highly reflective, side-jumper scales, glued to a backing of Strong Skin.

“The same for me.  What will you have, Captain Sula, Captain Huld?” she asked turning to them.

She saw Captain Mord and Alor discussing the morning’s Council session at a nearby table.  She overheard Alor saying heatedly, “If the Captains can’t even make it illegal, we Pursers will have to do something!  It’s costing hundreds of Skins a Gathering!”  Kurin made a note to ask about it later.  For now she had another fish on her line.

They took their lunches and Sula and Huld led the way to the Council Pavilion.  Seating themselves in its shade, they began to eat.  

Sula asked, “What did your cook mean, calling you Dragon-hair?”

Kurin pulled her sea-foam white hair over her shoulder.  “This, Captain Sula.  It was my parting gift from Cat — — that is Blind Mecat. My hair used to be almost black.  It reminds me of her because now it’s the same color as hers was.”

“I see,” said Huld, writing in a blank book made of supple paperfish parchment.  “Know her how did you come to?”

“She was always a part of the Longin, as far back as my memory goes, Captain Huld.  We didn’t know that she was a Great Sea Dragon until the end.  The Longin picked her up from the open sea as an infant, drifting in a tiny boat, about twenty four Gatherings ago.  She was made the foster daughter of Alor, our Captain’s mother, who is also the Longin’s Purser.  About six and a half Gatherings ago, my father died, and my mother went mad from grief.  I was too filled with my own heartache even to cry.  

“Cat took care of me like a Wide Wing with a chick and helped me to get over it.  While she was at it, without trying to, she taught me that I could do anything.  Because of that teaching, I’m not an apprentice boat-builder anymore.  I’m a full journeyman and consequently a legal adult.  I also work in the rope-walk, the weaving shop, the net shop, the galley, and the Captain is teaching me how to navigate with instruments and arithmetic.

“Cat just did anything that needed doing anywhere on the ship.  She worked up in the rigging, and in every shop.  She fished and dove for shells.  Whatever she did, she showed me or shared with me.  She always had time for me.”

“Position in crew she had what?  Did she so much?” asked Huld with great interest.

“Oh, she wasn’t in the crew, Captain Huld.  Her name kept her out.  They were afraid of bad luck from her name, so they never gave her a position in the crew.”

“This Honored one, would find honor more if Huld you call him,” he said with a small bow.

“As always, Honored one, you lead me in courtesy.”  Turning to Kurin Sula added, “Please, call me Sula.”

“Name Cat unlucky how was?” asked Huld, critically inspecting his bone pen point

“It was short for Mecat.  Her name goes back to how the Longin found her. A storm blew the Longin off course, way north, to the Dragon Sea. There, they found a little boat,” Kurin gestured with her hands, about three feet apart, “with a baby in it.  On the boat, someone had written Mecat.  She told me that she always hoped that whoever wrote it there was asking the Dragon to look after her instead of wishing her ill.

“Everyone knows that it is bad luck to name someone with a Great Sea Dragon’s name, but fleet Law and naming Custom left no choice.  With no mother name first, and no father’s clan name second, all that was left to her was a ship name, and that was Mecat, the Dragon’s name. She contrived to make me feel sorry for her, with her crippled name.  That was the start of my healing.”

Just then, a few young deck-hands from the Fauline came up, raucously, they called, “Hey, White-hair!  Teach us to feel the bottom, too! Do you feel it with your own arse?  Do the crabs pinch?  I’ll bet that’s how you know where they are!”  One of them felt the other’s bottom and gave a pinch, in imitation of a crab.  They were near doubled over with laughter at their witticisms.

Without getting up, or seeming even to look, Sula reached up behind her and grabbed the shirt of the ringleader.  Before he could brace himself, he was slammed to the deck in front of her, on his back, stunned. She leaned over him, speaking venomously,  “You are rude.  You interrupt the talk of Captains.  If this were my command, I would hang you over the side of the Dark Dragon and feed you to a hungry Strong Skin, feet first.  Now, your name, your ship and your Captain!”

“Thelo, deck-hand of the Fauline, Captain Skua,” he replied in shock, struggling to get his wind back.

“You will be reported, Thelo,” Sula said grimly.  Effortlessly she picked him up as she rose to her feet.  She threw him into his cronies, knocking them down like nine-pins.

Kurin was startled at this display of skill and raw strength, though nowhere near as much as the young ruffians who were picking themselves up off the deck, and scrambling away.  What they said penetrated through her surprise.  Looking worried, she excused herself, “Sula, Huld, I must find my Captain.  Someone has been spreading Ship’s Business where it should not be.”

TO BE CONTINUED

<==PREVIOUS   NEXT==>

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to World of Sea