Alice Del Carchetore

Here is the new story concerning Alice and Blair.

Nobody was going to Norway, not a single ship. Blair stood lost on the docks looking around, where should she head to first? She had no clue.

"All of you pick up the pace! The sooner we hoist anchor the sooner we leave!" Blair heard a strict sounding woman off to the far end of the dock.

It was rather commanding, and she had a very strange accent, Blair slowly walked over to that side and found her standing on a ship that looked different from the others, in the side of its hull it had square holes, almost like windows, the men rolled barrels of water up the gangway with haste, she even kicked one to speed him up.

"Uh, excuse me? Might I ask where this ship is off to?" Blair cautiously asked, the woman had, what Blair could now figure after traveling by ship a lot, a captains hat and uniform, but she never saw the colors before.

"To Norway Indian! But this is not a passenger ship! So don't even ask to come aboard!" She almost yelled at Blair.

"I'm sorry captain, I don't mean to be rude, but no ship is going there, I need to get there"

"You'd be stupid pendego! There is a sickness spreading across Norway, we are on the way there to bring medicine, this is a battleship, not a passenger liner!"

Blair hung her head, she had to make sure she gets onto this ship, no matter what.

"Please captain, I will pay all the money I have" Blair said opening her leather pouch and revealing the ample dollars still inside.

"Little Indian girl? What part about 'this is not a passenger ship' don't you understand!?"

"I... I think I might know what's wrong in Norway, I might have a cure" Blair said trying her luck that way, the woman turned to her and folded her arms.

"You are a stubborn purta aren't you?'

"P... Purta?"

"What do you have that can cure that, the best thing there is is medicine and rest, if your immune system is strong, you survive, if not you die, there is no cure"

"I bring knowledge from my Cherokee tribe about medicinal herbs, we have heard about a sickness similar to the one in Norway, and I think I can cure it"

"What is the sickness then?" The captain asked.

Blair was caught out "Uh, um..."

The captain gave her a glancing pat over her head "You don't know do you! You liar!"

Blair got angry now, she stepped close to her and whispered "It's called Pesta"

This had the captain woman frown "Pesta?"

"It spreads illness and disease of all sorts, usually all of it results in death, I need to go there to stop it"

"Pesta is a new name, I've not heard of it before, maybe you just could be the one to fix it, fine then little Indian girl, you may come aboard, but you stay out of the way of my men, do you understand?"

"Yes captain"

"The name is Alice, you will refer me by that"

"I'm Blair, thank you for your effort"

"Get on" Alice twitched her head and Blair quickly trotted up the gangway.

Blair sighed in relief as the ship left the port, she stood on it's nose again, a favourite spot as it came to be since she started her voyage. Apart from that, this spot was also well out of the way, so she wasn't in the way of the crew.

Thinking now it's a straight trip to Norway she turned back to the ship to watch the crew work, but flinched when she saw Alice approach her with pace.

"Blair, please accompany me to my quarters" She said sternly and swung back leaving.

Blair felt an odd vibe as she followed, the men watched her, she could feel their eyes on her, even If she didn't look at them.

Alice entered the door and stood aside so Blair could pass, as she did Alice threw the door shut making Blair hop.

"Take a seat" Alice then said going to her desk and sitting down. Blair cautiously obeyed, she could feel something was off.

Alice took out a log book and wrote in a date "B l a r e... That's how you spell your name right?" She asked.

"No mam, it's B l a i r"

Alice wrote it down, then looked at her "Let me give you some interesting facts about this ship, its name is the Due North, a battleship, and it's class is a corvette. It's not the biggest ship on the waters, but its fast thanks to it's small size..." Alice dipped her feather pen in the ink again and continued writing as she spoke.

"Unfortunately thanks to it's small size it's hard to keep things silent on here, one of my men overhead our conversation about this Pesta you spoke of, and you know what he told me?" She finally placed the pen down, Blair shook her head.

"Pesta is a thing of fable and folklore, it's a load of rubbish, you fooled me girl!"

Blair's eyes shot wide "I, I didn't!"

"Not? Then you better have a damn good explanation, otherwise I lock you up as a stowaway"

Blair swallowed, this woman is strict, straight forward, and honorable, there's no way she'll keep a secret from her men, or government, wherever she's from, Blair decided to bite the bullet.

"I, can't explain mam"

"Very well" Alice yanked a rope that came through the roof of her cabin then seconds later a man came in.

"Yes captain?"

"First mate, take this girl below deck and lock her up please"

"Yes captain, meals?"

"One a day" Alice said and pointed at Blair "Leave those bags in here, you won't need them"

Blair stood up sadly and allowed the man to lead her down below, he locked her up and left without a word, she sighed and sat down looking around, she figured this was right below Alice's cabin, and upon looking up she saw there was even a grid to look through, Alice was still at her desk, but said nothing.

Blair lied on her back, the bed was comfortable at least, she peeked at Alice "Uh, what does the term first mate mean?"

"Silence" Was all Alice said.

Blair felt rejected, but oh well, at least she was still in her way to Norway regardless of being locked up.

She closed her eyes and decided she'll take a nap, drifting off she visioned how it would be once she's done with the creatures, maybe she'll find a boy she can marry, have kids, get her own land somewhere in the Apelacian mountains, she rather liked it there.

A loud Boom woke her up and she fell from her small bed, there was suddenly too much sunlight in her cabin, turning she saw a hole, a hole! But not neat, it looked like someone kicked it through.

Then there was more boom's coming from this ship, then more from somewhere else, what the hell was going on!?

She flew up and looked through the hole, there just about fifty yards away was another ship, but it was much bigger than this one, and the men on top firing with muskets looked... Scary, they 'yaare'd' and snarled like animals, on it's rear the man with a huge grey beard, and captain's hat held his hand high.

"Fire!" He screamed.

"Fire!" She heard someone relay the message down below, then suddenly, from those window like holes she saw... Pipe like things already sticking out, they boomed with clouds of smoke and Blair heard something hit the ship she was on hard!

"Sh, shit! What madness is this!?"

"Fire!" She heard Alice scream from somewhere above.

"Fire!" The message was relaid, ad the corvette also boomed away, but Blair could hear there were nowhere as many booms as the other, neither was this ship as big as that one!

She looked behind her, the gate of the cell was damaged badly, at its foot lied a large iron ball, she picked it up with effort, it looked like a huge musket ball! Is this what they're shooting!? This ship is made of wood! How long will it float if this keeps up!?

She had to do something, there had to be something she could do! But what!?"