Channel Crossed Lovers
She was stunning. The only woman on the ship, but easily worth a whole crew. He saw her on her first journey north, back when she was just a deckhand. Each time their ship made port, she would sit on the bowsprit. Wind blowing her hair, her legs dangling over the water below. It was plain to see that she loved the sea.
He was brilliant. Light on his feet and so full of life. She saw him each time they made port. Just a dockworker, but so much more. She saw how he looked at her. She saw how he treated every day as special. The first time she saw him, he exaggerated being ‘shocked by her beauty’ and he actually fell into the water. He resurfaced with the biggest grin, and she couldn't help but laugh.
They couldn't speak publicly. His scarlet sash marked him as a worker of the northern kingdom. Her Navy blue collar marked her as southern. Any relationship would have been forbidden. They only load or unload the ship, and head off again across the channel. But over time, they begin to lock eyes more often. When he handed her crates, his arm lingered for just a moment too long. They started slipping letters into crates marked with chalk.
They became parts of each other's lives. She comforted him during his mother’s death. He helped her study to become a navigations officer. He knew her father’s political ambitions, She knew his fear of crowds. They cherished every detail of the other's life, in a way no one had before.
A few rare occasions they found time alone. Fractions of a moment where no one else was there. In the cargo hold, in the storage room, or on the docks then no one else happened to be walking by. Seconds that lasted forever. They never risked a kiss, for fear of getting caught. But occasionally, once a blue moon, they stole a moment. And it was enough for them.
He looked forward to her ship’s arrival. Once every two weeks. It became the highlight of every month, until suddenly, she didn't show. No chalk marked crates came for him, no woman sitting on the bowsprit. Weeks passed, and she never came. The docks became cold and empty. He feared the worst, that someone found out about them. But surely he’d be arrested too, right? After three months of silence, of not knowing what had become of her, he joined the crew of a local ship. He worked his way up to deckhand, and waited for them to ship out south for a delivery.
The channel crossing passed quickly, despite the wind and waves, stale bread, and watered ale. Not knowing what awaited him, he watched the shore approach, the dock slide next to the ship.
He jumped before the ropes were fully tied, his crew shouted for him to help unload cargo, but he hurried onto the shore. Faces blurred as seamen and merchants filled his sight. Each face another disappointment, another pit to his stomach, he cannot find–
She’s there. Sitting on a bench like she once had the bowsprit. Noble clothes suited her well. He saw the ring. Diamond larger than a coin. Her bag was emblazoned with the navy blue royal insignia.
She saw him. She would never mistake that face. She began to cry.
His crewmates found him standing in the square. Berating him for not helping unload the ship. They tried to pull him away. But their words held no power over him. Nothing in the world held more power than watching her cry. He shoved through his own men and through the crowd.
She stood as he got close. Her eyes met his. Her perfume was rich and delicate. His ratty clothes were wrinkled and coarse. He tried to say something, anything. But she shook her head.
City guards walked up towards the pair and stood between them, as if to protect her. He looked around and suddenly noticed the attention his scarlet sash drew. The crew grabbed him once more, and he allowed himself to get dragged back, pushed in toe by the guards. Just over their shoulders, he could see her. Watching with regret in her eyes while he was dragged away. The guards mention something about distressing ‘the bride’ on the week of the big wedding.
He was confined to the ship for the duration of their stay. He watched the crew haul crate after crate to land, he looked over the large city to which they were docked, beautiful and thriving. He saw the church, the large and ornate church clearly designed for big events. It sat near the edge of a steep cliff overlooking the water, just around the shore from the docks. He realized he may never see her again. They would never let him on a ship again. He realized that the ship had a spare anchor in the hold. He pulled out his pocket knife.
The anchor would have taken too long to raise, but cutting it took less time than he thought. The ship came free and he began uniting the ropes to the dock before anyone noticed what he was doing. The gangplanks fell between the docks and the ship, splashing into the sea as he began to drift sideways. Crew and guards shouted, even crossbow bolts flew through the air. He tossed all the bags belonging to the crew he could find to the docks –though some landed in the water– as well as his entire wallet, he brought almost his entire life savings on this trip. Not nearly enough to pay for a ship, but he couldn't hear their complaints once he lowered the sails.
The wedding Aisle was shorter than she imagined. Just like the days prior, passing too quickly. She was almost shocked to find herself standing at the Altar. Her veil was removed and she looked into the blue eyes of the stranger standing in front of her. They said that he’s charming, clean, and proper. He is all of those things. But she found him too perfect. A stone with all its detail and character polished away. Blank.
The reverend’s voice filled the room, and she missed the words. The groom said something, then the priest again. Suddenly the room fell silent as they all looked at her. She knew the words they wanted to hear. “I...”
The doors slammed open. A boy in tattered clothes and scraggly fuzz face looked down the aisle towards her. His scarlet sash, a stark contrast to the southern royal blue of the nobility, who were all dressed in fine, formal attire. He stood in the doorway, hand outstretched towards her. The guards hustled towards him and threw him back outside the church. He fell on his back on the ground outside.
This time, she found the Aisle impossibly long. Each step, she quickened her pace more. She pushed aside the surprised guards, and helped him out of the dirt with a single arm.
They stood there. Standing closer than they ever had before. She looked into his tired, baggy, brown eyes. They were perfect.
The guards parted once again for the groom, who saw the two of them standing in the dirt, her dress already stained.
And they ran.
She kicked off her heels as they ran up the steep hill. Hand in hand they kept ahead of the guards, who did not dare use weapons on potential nobility. He brought her along the cliff's edge and towards the peak. Then he stopped at the lip. She frowned at him, and he smiled. Then he simply let himself fall off the edge. His grip was loose enough that she could let go if she wished. But in that single fraction of a moment, she had no doubt.
Rocks flew upwards and the wind pushed her hair and dress back. Mid-air, the pulled each other in. She clung to his coat for dear life, and he wrapped his arms around hers, turning them so they were feet down. The sun seemed to set unnaturally fast as they fell below its light. The red sky disappeared, replaced with the underside of waves. They resurfaced and began treading water, started towards shore, but he swam towards the sunset, towards the ocean, towards the ship floating in the sea.
They dried off once aboard. She borrowed a crewman's outfit and felt far more comfortable. He raised the anchor and turned the ship towards the channel. She found a captain's hat and put it on. He bowed, only half joking. He gave her a sextant and map, She gave him the wheel. It was hard to sail this large of a ship with only two, but they managed. She was easily worth a whole crew. They opened a bottle of wine, and sat on the stairs as they drifted into the sunset.
They laughed and cheered, they smiled and toasted.
It slowly fell silent.
She looked at her fathers necklace, a wedding gift. He looked out at the vast ocean, no land in sight ahead.
They would never go home. They couldn't.
Twilight shifted into night, and they were still on the ship, hair still wet. Neither of them had a single coin on them.
They turned a ship in a direction. And never looked back.
