Follow the rhythm of waves

"Now the question is, how are we expected to get there?" Hermes inquired. Their excursion to Terraya proved to be the most important hint on this tour. Thanks to Gerald and Gia, they learned exactly where they needed to go. They were on their way to Antares, but the secret island was in the north, close to the pole. Since it had already been six years, they wanted to move quickly and take a direct path home. However, they were unsure of how long it would take this time.

"We'll have to stay in Antares for a bit before renting a ship or a boat."

"But a ship cannot be handled by just the two of us, and a boat cannot handle the dark ocean waves." To operate every aspect of a typical sailing ship properly, at least ten personnel are needed. A boat can quickly sink during high tides and maritime storms. They required something sturdy and manageable that could withstand tidal waves and ocean storms and could readily be transformed into a steep terrain like the jagged mountains. Alaric groaned and placed his arms on the ship's railing as Hermes turned to face him.

"It's going to take longer than we anticipated." He gave a wry chuckle. "We need to form alliances and persuade them to join us without telling them why." The two of them have thus far succeeded in getting this far, but going forward, they must build an ally. an ally who would be courageous enough to travel with them despite being aware of the risk to their lives. So far, everything has gone smoothly, with only a few minor hiccups, but Antares is where the majority of the voyage begins. "I'm going to take a nap at the cabin." Alaric gave a sorrowful smile. Hermes could see that Alaric was exhausted—weary of the entire journey, tired of running and being far from his family. Hermes was aware that Alaric was exerting every nerve in his body to maintain serenity. Alaric was fighting back tears while attempting to maintain his composure, but he could feel his inner turmoil eating away at him.

Hermes rested against the railing where Alaric had been and closed his eyes. His face was being touched by the gentle breeze, and anytime the ship was hit by water, his figure would also wave. The atmosphere was peaceful and cool as the sun slowly sank. How comical it was. Everything was quiet, including the weather. Hermes spun around to saw smiling smiles everywhere. Few of the passengers were traveling with their families and were having the time of their life. He wondered if these people hid their deepest sorrows behind those smiles. He recalled his time spent in the Josen Kingdom, the greatest known kingdom and the land of fire. It is hardly shocking that the King adopted a new name everywhere he traveled. As he considered his monarch—the king who had spent the previous six years living like a commoner—his smile faded. keeping his newborn daughter, who is now five years old, and his family at a distance. "I can't even recall how many years have passed." His cheek was flushed with a tear. "I can't even begin to think how it's impacting him if it's affecting me this badly." The ship continued to be struck by the moderate waves as it headed toward Antares.

"Why are you sad, Mr.?" He didn't notice as a tiny girl approached him with a smile on her face. "Does this ship give you motion sickness?"

Hermes gave a soft giggle before turning to see her parents standing nearby and watching over her. He spoke while stooping to her level. "Yes, just a bit." His fingers were making a gesture.

"It makes me sick as well, but my father told me something that helps me feel lot better."

"Really? What is it?"

The girl hummed as she contemplated whether or not to reveal it while resting her index finger on her chin. "Since you seem like a good man, I'll help you." Hermes closed his eyes in response to her signal, which she made by waving her hand over his face. "Follow the beat of the waves while keeping your eyes closed." The girl began humming a lovely tune. Hermes eventually felt a little more at ease after following the girl's instructions. His frowns vanished, and his lips curled upward in a smile. "There you have it, it works." Hermes jolted up at the sound of her shrill voice, and he smiled.

"I really appreciate that, little girl."

"I am Amalia." She answered.

"She can be difficult, sometimes." Hermes looked up to see Amalia's parents coming toward them.

"No, no, everything is OK." said Hermes.

"Are you on the voyage for business?" Hermes considered for a moment, but he didn't want to appear doubtful, so he simply nodded. "Us too. I immediately boarded this ship after hearing from my brother, who works as a merchant there, that he could obtain me a job "he declared.

"My Uncle builds ships," Amalia yelled out.

That young girl had no idea that the knowledge she had given Hermes was crucial and that he needed it. Now that he knew it, he was grateful for the entities up there. God assists individuals in so many various ways. This was an excellent opportunity to forward the plan for Alaric and Hermes as they needed an ally and a ship they could borrow. Now all they needed was a reliable crew, but the man in front of him had a family and couldn't risk compromising their safety. Nevertheless, there was a beginning of hope. They were drawing close.

"Father, I'm hungry." Amalia's words cut through Hermes' train of thought.

"Yes, let's get moving. It was pleasant meeting you-."

"Hermes."

"That's right, catch you in Antares." The man moved to the opposite side of the wharf, where there was a staircase leading to the ship's cabins, holding his daughter in his arms.

The sun had already set when Hermes decided to approach Alaric and notify him of the newfound information. He moved in the direction of the cabin where they were staying while sporting a nice smile on his face. He heard some screaming and weeping coming from the cabin, which caused him to abruptly stop walking. His eyes widened as he hurriedly raced to the room and loudly banged open the door. Alaric was slumped where he was lying on the bed. He was accompanied by their cabin mates, who surrounded him as Alaric cried his eyes out. As soon as possible, Hermes pushed those men away and sat next to Alaric, massaging his back. "You've returned." Alaric muttered while holding a whiskey glass and his eyes were partially closed. From him, Hermes removed the glass and set it on the desk. When he turned to look, he noticed two whiskey bottles on the ground, both empty, and one on the table, almost empty. He was surrounded by equally drunk men who pleaded with him to go on. To what do we proceed next? Hermes pondered what they were specifically discussing in this situation. "Yes, so I asked her to marry me." Alaric yelled while spreading his arms widely. Hermes made every effort to hold him in place, but it was ineffective.

"That's all for today, I guess." The drunken men around Hermes whined as he clapped his hands. "The story has ended. Tomorrow, we'll talk."

"You're so boring." Alaric nodded and shouted along with one of them. Hermes was aware that he couldn't manage them all alone.

"All right, I've got a brand-new bottle of whiskey for us, but I'll only give it if you all swear to go to bed right now." Hermes yelled once again. The inebriated guys gazed at Hermes and then at each other before reluctantly nodding and scurrying away into their bunk beds. Hermes grinned to himself, believing his strategy had succeeded, but when he looked again, he noticed Alaric hadn't moved an inch. His head was tucked down while he was sitting.

"Alaric, what is it? Don't you want to go to bed?"

"I wonder whether they even remember me after being gone from my family for so long," Alaric said. " What if my funeral had already been held since I failed to show up?" Alaric grunted. He refused to move when Hermes tried to put him to sleep. "No, what if I come back and no one recognizes me, or worse, what if I never come back?"

"Why would you say That?"

"I guess it would be good. I guess they forgot about me. I shouldn't return." Alaric sobbed once again, tears running down his face and into his eyes. He was in such a damaged and hurt state that Hermes almost had trouble recognizing him. "And my daughter, is she even-?" As Hermes immediately held him, he was unable to finish because he knew Alaric was intoxicated and would likely forget everything the next day. Hermes' hold on Alaric grew tighter, stifling his voice as he eventually fell asleep.

"To give you some good news, we discovered someone who could get us the ship. We'll chat tomorrow."

"Yes, the ship. We'll depart from the ship." Alaric continued to mumble about unrelated topics while Hermes burrowed him under the covers.

"Good night."

Alaric was groggy when he woke up with a throbbing headache, and he felt even worse when he smelled alcohol in the air. Holding his head up, he stood up and tried to recall what had truly happened the previous evening. He was having brief flashes of inebriation while discussing his wife, home, and kingdom. Panic flashed through his mind as soon as he opened his eyes. In his intoxicated state, did he reveal his identify to everyone? He quickly rose to his feet and began to scan the area. In contrast to how it appeared the night before, the room was tidy. Hermes wasn't in his bed while his cabin mates were sound asleep and snoring loudly. He hastily moved in the direction of the bathroom to clean up before looking for Hermes. His robe was stained yellow from the alcohol that had been soaked into it and dried. His bile started to rise to his throat at the smell. And as he fought to put on clothes, his headache did the finest job of making him feel dizzy and nauseous. The dock was nearly empty, with only a few crew members scattered here and there and near the rigging, as it was still early in the morning and the majority of the passengers were still asleep. Despite his excruciating headache, Alaric cautiously walked around the dock in search of Hermes. Hermes wasn't there when he got to the west side of the pier, next to the mizzen. He then dragged his feet to the main mast, where people typically sat and talked, but he wasn't there. He felt motion sick due to the ship's gentle waves, but he was able to restrain himself from puking on the deck. The foremast region was all that was left. He moved without paying attention to the ship's motion or the surrounding water. Surprised, he looked around the foremast only to find Hermes absent. Where is he now? He never went without telling me first. Alaric muttered to himself. Then, as he was about to take a step back, he noticed a familiar figure in the area of the fo'c'sle where the sailors mainly stayed. With his eyes closed, Hermes was leaning against the railing while the sun's soft rays gave off a honey-hued light on his face. He had never seen Hermes this at ease, taking comfort in the quiet surroundings; Hermes had always been the "Ready to Throw a Sword" kind.

"Enjoying the early morning sunrays." When Hermes heard a voice suddenly from behind him, he didn't recoil; instead, he hummed in response. Alaric stood next to him while keeping his eyes closed, imitating his movements.

"Just follow the rhythm of the waves." Hermes suggested this because he knew Alaric must be dizzy from his small liquor party the night before. "Better, no?" Alaric hummed as he peeled back his eyes. "We're nearly there." Hermes made a gesture toward a very distant landmark. Although it would still take two days, they were getting close.

"You mentioned something about a ship last night." Despite being very inebriated, he was aware of his surroundings and remembered Hermes mentioning someone.

"Come meet them, I say."