Dancing in the Legendary Sea - Chapter 11 Part 1

Since then, Lokira had fallen asleep. No, she was unconscious. Every now and then the rocking of the boat woke her up, but soon her consciousness sunk to the bottom. Each time she woke up, the day became darker and darker. When she woke up after a long time, the blue waves had turned orange. ‘The sea is changing, too, isn’t it?’ She thought vaguely.

The sea was no longer the vast expanse of water that it had once been. Uninhabited islands passed by every now and then, and a galley line ran along the horizon. She knew faintly that she had entered coastal waters where people come and go. After a day’s rowing in this small boat, they had finally made it into the inhabited space outside the sanctuary.

“It took such a long time to get out.”

“Long? This is a quick ride with just a paddle. You can do this in the Aegean Sea because the islands are so close together. “

Orion carefully estimated the remaining amount of the water in the pouch and drank some of it. When he turned his head to the side, he saw Lokira rolling her eyes at what he said. He twisted his lips because it was a bit funny.

“Beyond the two pillars of earth over there is the true ocean. It’s full of salt water reaches the end of the world. You should know that this is only a front yard… young lady,” he said.

“I’m surprised because I’ve never been outside before.”

She felt he was conceited, and pursed her lips. In this day and age, she could not have known where to locate the Atlantic Ocean beyond the Strait of Gibraltar. She had known long ago that this man’s background was not shabby, but why was he so nasty with his words? Every time she heard his derisive tone, she burst into rage. She concluded that he must be underestimating her, who knew nothing about him.

Orion, on the other hand, was just thinking that it was not boring to see the girl in front of him sometimes cry or get startled. This was better for him, as he was wary of the sort whose intentions and emotions were hidden. So, without much concern about her facial expressions, he pointed to one way.

“Anyway, as promised, we’re here. That’s Naxos.”

The horizon disappeared and the black water gradually closed in. As they got closer to the harbour, they could see the boats better. In case someone saw the horns, Lokira quickly pulled the cloak over her head. Other than that, she could make out buildings, tents and boats lined up in the distance. There was no mistaking the landscape. It was the outside world she had seen from Mount Kintos which she had only seen in pictures and heard of only from stories. Naxos was a prosperous island especially for international trade. The main harbour here was gorgeous, even in her eyes. Unlike Delos, which had the solemnity of a sanctuary, these buildings were vibrant and colourful.

“There are so many houses here. And ships!”

“That’s nothing. Atlantis is even more amazing than here.”

Unlike Lokira who was excited, Orion was nonchalant. She ignored the man’s reaction and became absorbed in looking at the whole splendid scene. Aside from the land which she had not yet seen, she wondered about the procession of tents which presumably was the market. In the meantime, the boat passed by a long stretch of land that reached out towards the sea. The temple of Apollo was built there. Just looking at the design which symbolized the light, a barrier in the shape of “ㅠ” towered up and welcomed travellers. She felt heavy pressure again thinking of Roxias. In fact, it was not the time to get excited about the scenery in front of her but the reality of not knowing what would happen in the future suddenly became heavy. In the end, she felt a little dejected and sullen.

They walked around the pier, trying to find a place to dock the boat. Orion suddenly shouted out, as if he had just realized something.

“Wait a minute. Did you come all the way here?”

Lokira looked away, wondering what was going on. Across the harbour lay a three-decker ten times larger than the ship they were on. The bow, high and vertical, fluttered its flag. She found a spear pattern engraved on it, symbolizing Poseidon. Underneath it, one of the men looked down from the ship with his hands behind his back. At first, with his back to the setting sun, all she could see was a black shadow. As Orion approached closer, the backlight gradually disappeared and a face was revealed. It was a young man in a long garment, and a crown was on his head. Suddenly, he scolded Orion.

“You know, there’s no end to the accident you caused, Orion. Isn’t that the tracker you sent from Chios and Delos?”

Lokira crouched as low as she could under her cloak. Orion, on the other hand, replied with a laugh.

“Let’s save our words…”

“Now, Come on up and tell me what happened in the meantime? I’ve been waiting a long time!”

Then several men came running and lowered a rope under the ship’s berth. Orion, who had anchored the boat over there, said to Lokira, as he arranged his things:

“Get up! Get up and climb aboard,” he said. “It’s a ship from Atlantis. I thought that since we had come all the way to Naxos we might run into it, and it seems that we’re in luck.”

Orion grabbed the rope with one hand. Lokira came closer to the ship, straightening her cloak.

“I don’t know if I can do it by myself… “

“I don’t expect you to do it all by yourself either. Excuse me!”

Orion grabbed around her waist and held her in his arms. She clung to his neck before she had time to prepare herself. He also carried a bow on his shoulder and a bag of goods in his other hand. Balancing himself with only one hand and two legs, he started climbing up the three-leveled hull. Suddenly they started getting higher and higher. Fearing that she might fall, Lokira involuntarily hugged him tightly. His clothes were pulled together, exposing his brownish upper body. His chest was wide and square, unlike those of a woman. It raised up and down with every breath. Experiencing the gender difference that she knew only through knowledge, she thought it was amazing and forgot fear.