One For Another

They spent that night aboard Lord Manderly's ship, who conveniently had all ingredients prepared for Joe to cook his famous burgers. It turns out Lord Manderly listened VERY VERY closely when a drunk and passionate Joe regaled his burger recipe during the feast of Winterfell.

They ate, drank, and sang. All the while, Joe and Lucas got to know each other better. The fun continued to the morning, with no wink of sleep for anyone.

They all stood at the pier, "Thank you for the meal, Lord Snow," said Lord Manderly before he boarded his ship, "And for your company, as always."

Joe responded with the same funny tone. He and Wyman were close enough to call each other on a first-name basis, but they had fun role-playing the pompous bullshit reminiscent of their first meeting, "It is I who should be thanking you, Lord Manderly. You are one of the most gracious men I've ever met."

The two bro hugged before Lord Manderly asked, "Are you sure you two will manage? I could arrange a ship for you—"

Joe scratched the head of Void, and Cookie neighed behind him, "We are four, not two," corrected Joe with a smile, "But no, thank you. Lucas and I can manage by ourselves. You've done more than enough. Good luck, my friend."

With that, Lord Manderly gave a determined nod before climbing the plank steps to his ship. He and Joe waved each other goodbye until Lord Manderly's ship disappeared around the sea cliffs.

"Right," said Joe as he planted a fist in his palm, "I suppose we need a ship and crew."

"We can get by with just us two for now," said Lucas casually, "So long as you're not a fool who can't follow instructions."

"A fool, perhaps, putting my faith in you."

Joe thought for a silent moment, stroking his chin. Then he hummed, seemingly pleased with his idea, "Let's see if there are any assholes with a ship they won't miss."

With that, Joe strode off with conviction, Cookie and Void at his side.

Lucas Leonard scoffed as he watched the back of Joe, and thoughts of his father streamed into his mind. It felt like Lucas traded one ocean current for another.

'I wonder where these tides will take me.'

Finding the ship owned by the scummiest delinquents in Gulltown proved an easy task for Lucas. When you spend years at sea, you learn to identify which ships on the horizon are friend or foe, which ships you can outrun, and which have bountiful plunder. So when they happened upon a small, run-down cog, its crew dirty with grime, Lucas knew.

"How do you want to play this?" asked Lucas as they scoped from a distance.

Joe shrugged, "Keep it simple, I say."

With that, Joe strolled to the ship with a whistle, Void skulking beside him. "Ahoy me hearties!" he called as he walked up the brow.

"Who the fuck are you?" spat a nasty-looking pirate. His brown coat implied he was the captain.

Void snarled, showing his sharp white fangs. "How dare you? This is my ship, don't you know?" said Joe, and his warm amber eyes turned a hateful cold.

A crowd gathered as they noticed the scene, emboldening the pirate. The moment his hand reached for the blade, Void pounced, tearing at his neck with savagery.

The rest gasped and took fearful backward steps.

Joe massaged the ridge of his nose, and the lack of sleep hit him like a tonne of bricks, "Look, I'm not in the mood. I suggest you all get the fuck off the boat unless you want to end up like your friend here. . ."

Lucas watched with amazement as the crew of pirates exited the ship in a single orderly line, clutching what little belongings they had, like children dislodged from their homes.

On deck, Lucas inspected the ship's condition, "She's not much, but she'll do."

Joe couldn't resist, "Is that what the girls say when they see your pecker?"

"Shut it and help me out. We leave with the tide."

The two got to work, preparing the ship under Lucas' strict instructions. Joe was immediately impressed. Lucas swanned around the ship with speed and grace, tying foreign knots Joe didn't even know could be possible. The more Joe observed, the more he realized he was now a baby embarking on a new frontier.

It didn't take long for Lucas to get annoyed by Joe's lack of ship know-how. "Could you be any more shit?"

Joe rolled his eyes dismissively, "Calm down, Karen. I'm a virgin at this."

"Only this?"

"Whatever, cunt. How about I drag you into the forest and see you try to hunt? Do you even know how to shoot an arrow?"

That's when a dagger skimmed past Joe's face, stabbing into the mast behind him. The dagger was so sharp that any closer, and Joe was convinced he'd no longer have a nose.

Joe turned his head side to side, his face ripe with a comical veil, "Something I said?"

"If I'm to captain your ship, such talk will only fan the flames of mutiny among the men."

"He's a poet too, now?" This time Lucas remained serious and un-answering "Okay, okay. . ," Joe relented, "you're the expert."

The duo had the cog well and ready by the tides were favourable. Lucas stood at the helm, the breeze in his hair, the ocean spray on his face. He looked up to see a blue sky dotted with clouds. He saw a White Raven perched at the top of the mast and joked that they literally have a crow's nest.

The Bay of Crabs was calmer than usual, and the wind was on their side.

"Perfect conditions to set sail," said Lucas. Soothingly, the ocean seemed to have a relaxing effect on him.

"Of course," replied Joe. He held the reins of Cookie, as the poor horse had terrible sea legs, "The vibes have willed it."

"What's our course?" asked Lucas. He asked this question probably a hundred times last night, and each time Joe would have a stupid smile and say, "I'll tell you tomorrow," or "No spoilers."

But this time, Joe gave a resolute answer.