Fishing Trip

Naomi stood unsteadily on the deck of the ship. The rowboat over had been shaky enough, but she was sitting the whole time… at least until it was time to come aboard the larger vessel.

The rope ladder up the side was deemed untenable with her long skirts, and so the men used a rope and pulley like they did for the foodstuffs and other cargo. The rope was tied around her, and she clung to it for dear life as she was hoisted aloft.

She shut her eyes tightly against the sight of the dark blue water beneath her.

Maybe she should have learned to swim before agreeing to come to sea!

Thankfully she reached the deck and was deposited onto it without incident. The large boat was anchored in a semi-enclosed section of ocean where a rocky outcropping of land jutted out like a long arm as if to scoop the water into a hug.

Caspian patiently explained several things about the boat to her: what an anchor was, the masts, the sails, the deck, starboard, port, stern, bow… there were so many new words it boggled her mind!

Still, she eagerly learned all she could, and her husband seemed to absorb her enthusiasm, or perhaps he had plenty of his own.

Naomi had prepared herself to face irritation or impatience, but with each of her questions he added more detail and smiled more readily.

"And how does the fishing part of things work?" She asked next. Everything was loaded and someone was shouting commands.

Since Haf had not planned on letting Caspian join this voyage, his normal tasks had already been assigned to another, and he was free to stand with Naomi unless some particular need came up.

She appreciated not being left to her own devices, afraid she would inadvertently get in the way of all the work.

"Weigh anchor!" Haf called from the back of the boat, which she learned was called the stern.

"That means they're going to take the anchor up, so that the ship can move into deeper water." Caspian spoke quietly to his wife.

"How deep does the water go?" She asked with a bit of worry in her voice. She hadn't been able to see the bottom of the water since a short distance after they left shore.

"No one knows, exactly. Far deeper than we can dive," Caspian shrugged. More shouts were relayed, and the sails filled with wind.

The boat moved from the sheltered cove into open water and the waves grew significantly in size. Before, there had been a gentle unsteadiness beneath her feet. Now it had become a challenge to stay upright at all.

As the ship went up a larger swell, she swayed and grabbed for the railing to steady herself. Her hand missed, but Caspian's arm came around her waist to keep her from falling.

"Steady. The sea is unpredictable, but you can try to anticipate it," He said near her ear.

She was suddenly breathless at being so close to him. Maybe it was the exhilaration of the salty air rifling through her braided hair combined with the rush of adrenaline and fear from losing her balance so close to the edge of the boat?

"Thank you," She whispered once she could inhale enough to speak, and turned to look at her husband.

He looked more alive than she had seen him before. His hair was whipped by the wind where it peeked out from under his knit cap. His eyes sparkled with exhilaration as he looked out across the water. There could be a statue of him looking just like this.

"I see why you love coming out here so much," She said, and he glanced at her. Just as he did, a wave hit the side nearest to them, causing them to be unexpectedly showered with a spray of ocean.

He had opened his mouth to reply, but the sudden rush of moisture drenched his face and side, freezing him in place. Naomi met the same fate with a very different reaction.

She burst into laughter. Peals of delighted giggles filled the air as he looked at her in amazement. She couldn't help it, it was such a strange and delicious sensation! 

"You're all wet!" He said, as if she couldn't discern that fact on her own. She couldn't quite stop laughing. First he smiled, but soon he couldn't help himself and joined her.

She brushed a wet lock of stray hair out of her eyes, and smiled up at him as her finally laughter subsided.

"I love it," She said. "It's amazing out here. It looks like it goes on forever like the desert, but instead of heat and death, there's life and water and freedom and adventure."

He swallowed, searching her face for something, and seemed perplexed by the result. She had no spare capacity to wonder at it; she was exhilarated and overjoyed.

"The sea is also dangerous," He warned. "A rogue wave larger than this ship could spell the end of us all. There are creatures in the deep, bigger and stranger than you can dream. Beauty and danger walk hand in hand here."

Her expression sobered as she considered his words. "Can the dangers be avoided?"

"Sometimes, but not always. The most exciting things in life always involve at least some danger, don't you think?" He grinned at her.

"Yes, I agree," She swallowed with a little difficulty. He had kept his arm around her to keep her steady, and now guided her closer to the side so that she could see over the edge.

With the sun now fully risen, the water sparkled and rippled as the ship cut through the waves.

"We'll be coming to the fishing ground soon," Caspian explained, indicating the crew of men pulling out and setting up huge lengths of net. "On this voyage, they will let down the nets as the ship continues to sail. Once enough fish are trapped in them, we will haul in the nets and sort the catch."

"Sort it how? Is that something I could help with?" Naomi asked. She wanted to be useful, but wasn't sure there was anything for her to do other than try to stay out of the way.

"Fish too small or damaged are tossed back into the ocean, along with anything we didn't want to catch. Some sea creatures are not edible, or at least not enough to be worth eating." Caspian explained. "Since you aren't familiar with them, you are not well-equipped to help sort."

Naomi nodded. That made sense.

"What are the strangest things you catch?" She asked.

"There are things I can't even describe, especially further out to sea on the longer voyages. Of course…" He paused, and then changed the subject. "They're ready to drop the nets. We should stand back."

He pulled her with him, and she almost fell as another wave rocked the ship. Having nothing nearby to cling to now that they had stepped away from the side, she turned toward Caspian and wrapped both arms around his waist for stability.

__________

Caspian stiffened, and looked down at his wife. It had felt so natural to hold her stable that he'd forgotten he was doing it. Now that she clung to him as the ship rocked, he was keenly aware of her body pressed against his. He frowned, but her head was ducked into his shoulder and she did not see it.

He resolved to let her stay where she was. The crew was sending the couple curious and suggestive glances, and it was better for morale to let them think that he was besotted with his foreign bride.

It would encourage them to take up their own wives as soon as the women arrived. After all, that was the point of his marriage: to encourage other men to do the same. This was an easy way to accomplish that goal with the mere appearance of affection.

He tightened his arm around Naomi and sent a possessive glance at the staring men. He didn't quite like how they were looking at her. They turned away and went back to their tasks, unwilling to invoke the ire of the Commodore's son. Haf caught the exchange and gave an approving smile.

Edmar looked something between angry and jealous. That was interesting. Edmar hadn't been jealous of anything Caspian had ever had or done. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling to have his older brother looking at him like that.

Usually it was Caspian who was left in the dust, desiring to do what his big brother was doing, or have what he had. The reversal sat well with him, and his wife's touch, he had to admit, was far from distasteful.

"It's all right," He said quietly to Naomi. "I won't let you fall."

"I can't swim," She said suddenly. "I never learned."

"Don't worry about that, I'll dive in after you should you decide to go overboard." Caspian assured her, confident that she would do no such thing.

She looked up at him with such trust that he suddenly realized it wasn't Naomi who was in any kind of danger.

It was himself.