New Legacy

Ch.8

Brom had underestimated his old friend. Sure, it was cramped, but I was used to sharing space with Saphira and I wasn’t going to object to being more physically close with Katrina and Arya. We were sharing one of the guest rooms with the guys all in the other.

It had turned out that none of Jeod’s ships were in port at the moment and he was waiting for one to return. Said expected arrival time wasn’t for a few weeks since his shipping manifest was a bit purposefully skewed to throw off suspected pirates who might be using his ledger to plan the raids that had suspiciously targeted his ships along with the ships of his co-conspirators.

So it was that we were put up with Jeod much to his stuck-up wife, Helen’s, disapproval. We paid for our food and board despite Jeod’s attempt to waive compensation, but he clearly had fallen on hard times as of late and none of us save Murtagh had any intent to avoid repaying him.

So...we all got jobs. Going by the name Pearl, I was aided by Jeod in finding students. I may not know about local history as much as a local scholar, but I could read, write and teach. I was a fucking university professor, damn it! I almost had to bribe my way into even a non-tenure teaching position and I’m damn-well going to use my skills in some way here!

Ahem.

Anyway, I spent the weeks teaching the children of moderately well-off merchants and lower nobility how to read, write, recognize grammar structure, things that I only knew because my minor in college was in language studies, which was important if I was going to be teaching history. Context is key to understanding, after all.

Despite this, I only had a few students. Micah was a bit of a brat, but he absorbed my lessons like a sponge. Lily was an air-head, no ifs ands or buts about it. I did manage to get her literate, which her parents felt was enough since they too acknowledged her...difficulties. Carmine was my favorite though, she was intelligent and funny. Even if she understood she would be stuck wed to another noble for political reasons, she appreciated my lessons and my risque philosophies.

I would’ve taught Eragon too, but Brom insisted he be the one to teach him. I left them to it, seeing it as a strong chance for them to bond.

Instead, I and Arya helped teach Katrina when she wasn’t cooking or butchering for the household as her own contribution. She knew basic numbers and weights, but that was because butchers needed to know those things for business and food prep. While spirited, Katrina must have a learning disability. She wasn’t nearly as bad as Lily, but by gosh did Katrina have it rough learning to read and write.

“What does this word even mean?!” Katrina pulled on her coppery mane and grit her teeth in earnest frustration. She was just trying to learn the word ‘causality’. It may seem an advanced word, but without knowing it’s meaning, it’s a lot harder to understand many things.

“Causality: the relation of cause and effect. If you blew on that quill, what would happen?” I questioned her and Katrina wrinkled her snout.

“It’d flutter off the desk. What does that have to do with anything?” Katrina demanded and I licked my lips.

“What caused the quill to fall?” I stressed, trying to lead her on.

“Nothing, it’s sitting on my desk.” Katrina even pointed at it and I clutched my hands tightly.

“Katrina that was- *breathe in, breath out* -Okay. Okay. Let’s try this again.” I flicked her quill off the desk. “Why did it fall?”

“You flicked it.” Katrina huffed and I whipped my tail against the floor with a loud *crack!* that made her flinch.

“Yes, but did you consider why it fell?” I stressed further, begging her to at least connect the dots.

“Because you’re irritated?” Katrina half-asked and I nodded.

“Yes! You get it! I was irritated, so I acted on flicking your quill to the floor. The Cause was my irritation, the Effect was my action. Thus the causality of the situation. Like say...if you were to cut out the spine, what would happen with the rest of the carcass?” I asked and she perked up.

“The lack of the spine would splay the body open more fully than to remove the sternum because of the weaker bones and tissues of the ribs being all that holds the torso together. I see. Cause and effect, causality…” Katrina wrote it down with my given example underneath and I sighed in relief. I think I found a subject to use for educational metaphors.

*knock, knock* “Sorry to interrupt.” Murtagh poked his head into our room, not shy to invade the domain of a female unlike the other guys. “But Jeod says his ship arrived a day ahead of schedule, we need to pack up and leave.”

“Well, then I guess I’m ready.” I don’t have any personal belongings besides a few sets of clothes I wore. Those were stored in my fancy Inventory space that Elric had taught us how to use. It was something intrinsic to his people’s dimension, but they’d long figured out how to share it with people in other dimensions. It was irritating that I can only access it in anthro form.

“This magic is so odd, but all magic is weird.” Katrina huffed while she was stuffing her belongings into her cleavage. It was a fairly amusing sight, but didn’t detract from the fact that it was beyond useful. The fact that everyone has this storage space in Elric’s home dimension was a bit mind boggling. How did police and security scan you for weapons or contraband when you had an infinite dimensional pocket for all of your stuff?

“You won’t find me complaining, even if I had compunctions against stowing my sword in my trousers at first.” Murtagh snorted and left our room.

Breathing out a sigh, I looked out of the window down at the stone-cobbled streets and out towards the outer wall of the city. Teirm was small by the grand scheme of things, but it was a fortress, a safe place, a home. Something I felt a distinct connection to. It was a quaint place on the coast and was well-kept. I often fantasized about living someplace like this in retirement in my previous life. Somewhere on the Mediterannian or someplace similar.

Roran sent me feelings of sympathy and understanding, followed by determination. Thank you, Roran. I wasn’t attached to Carvahall like I am to Teirm. I’ll be having some of that strength of yours to help me leave this charming little city. At least now I personally understand the aching longing you felt for having to leave Carvahall instead of vicariously through our connection.

In any case, I also couldn’t wait to get back to our journey. I’ve been stuck anthro aside from my weekend hunting trips with Saphira, Eragon and Murtagh. Roran was too heavy for me to carry along with any catch, so he opted to remain in town and keep working at the mill powered by the Toark River’s outlet. The meat we brought home fed us all for a few days and lessened the strain on our collective purses feeding so many mouths.

Well, aside from Arya, who still staunchly insisted on being vegan, which I was disappointed about after I had shared my past and knowledge with her. At least it was because meat made her physically ill rather than any philosophical reasons. Other than that, with the combined efforts of Elric and I, we seem to have thoroughly converted her from grim atheism to being agnostic. A good mindset to have when magic and the multiverse is involved.

Goodness knows I was agnostic before and I still am. Whether or not Elric’s goddess is real, I’m not about to worship her, not even for even bigger boobs. I’m fine where I am. Well...I think I am? I could go without excessive back pain and my draconic body has the muscle density to ignore a bust as large as mine, but I don’t want to push it. Besides, if they get much bigger, my options for combat will shrink even further in my anthro form.

“All packed, ready to go?’ Katrina asked and I was about to respond positively, but through Roran, I heard that it would be a few hours before the ship was done unloading anyway. I would have the room to myself for the first time this whole month…

“I’ll catch up. I want to come to terms with leaving the first real home I ever had.” I half-Honestly told her and she patted my shoulder in understanding before she left. I felt a bit guilty for manipulating Katrina like that, but I haven’t been able to masturbate in a month! Roran flushed hotly and quickly deflected away why he was suddenly flustered when I pulled up my tunic and began to work myself over. Unf, oh~ I needed this…

🥚

A few hours later I was perky and full of energy for obvious reasons, which I waved off as being because I got to be on a ship. Which was also half-true, because I’d never been on a proper ship before! Sure, I went on a fishing boat once or twice with my uncle, but I never got to be on a proper ship. Said ships in my world were massive metal monstrosities though, not this charming sail-driven schooner! At least it was still bigger than that dinky fishing boat.

One look at the side supplied the name Silver Sail. Not very original, but it served its purpose. The fact the sail canvas was treated with a silvery lacquer helped add character to an otherwise unremarkable ship.

“This is so amazing!” Eragon cheered as he, Roran, and Katrina looked about eagerly. This caused Arya to smile at them as she helped the crew of the ship with something. Arya went from a cold distant bitch to being much warmer with my intervention. She was a person now~! I was kinda worried about how her people would react to the new her, but at the same time the rest of elven society could go fuck themselves on the thorny branches they all had shoved up-.

“What is it?” Arya asked me and I blinked, realizing I’d been staring at her. She may be under her earth pony glamour, but over the month it had become less of an illusion and more her somehow. Like I could see the real her through it, or something. Then again, when you’re stuck sleeping in the same bed with someone, you tend to notice they’re taller and not the same shape as the person you can see. “Is something wrong with my glamour? Can you see?”

“H-huh? No. I’m just lost in thought.” I shook myself and looked around for Saphira. She was at the bowsprit, poking the silvery faux-metal figure of a bird’s head, likely not understanding it was just painted to look like silver.

“Well, you have the journey to Reavstone to let your mind wander, get below deck and find a hammock.” Arya chided me and I rolled my eyes before doing as suggested. Are ships supposed to be this cramped inside? It seems most of the space is reserved for the cargo, are we bunking with the sailors?

When I asked one of said sailors, he laughed and commented that bringing a woman on a ship was an ill omen and he wasn’t going to be sailing with us. I was infuriated by this, but avoided assaulting the stallion long enough to ask another sailor, who also muttered about misfortune, but told me that I would be staying in the ‘guest cabin’ which was essentially a separate, smaller barrack for passengers.

“Can you believe these superstitious idiots?” Saphira huffed when I encountered her in said cramped room with hammocks hanging in doubled ‘bunk’ space between support struts. “They call us ill omens because we’re female? What nonsense. They are lucky I cannot kill them for their insolence.”

“At least that’s all you had to deal with. Arya and I had to deal with their lecherous leers and sexist jeers.” Katrina snorted angrily where she was sitting in a hammock. The knotted rope hammocks looked both comfortable and uncomfortable. Resting in one, all of the yes. Sleeping in one, all of the no. Thank goodness they were padded by thick blankets.

“I’m not surprised, but I am disappointed. As a historian, I knew ships were considered things solely for males in the past, both for practical and social reasons. However, it doesn’t make it right. Especially since the social stigmas of the past to the modern day still forces ships to be male-only in staff unless it’s a pleasure ship. From what I learned, it was because sexual tension on the sea/ocean was very high, so to keep the crew on task they eliminated potential outlets for it. Ironically this also caused the first instances of gay marriage, among pirates!” Ah, pirates, pioneers of so many things that impacted society later on, but still scum for sure.

“Don’t talk about pirates.” Elric sighed from where he knelt before his portable shrine. “Whatever, too late now. We’re fated to encounter them on this voyage.” Elric muttered in irritation. He’d been unable to change his gender or species for a month and he was getting more agitated by the day. Hopefully he doesn’t lose his mind in the two weeks until we’re supposed to reach Reavstone, Surda’s largest port city nearest their capital.

“Can’t you make more potions?” Katrina asked the stallion and he snorted.

“It’s not that I don’t have more potions, it’s that I can’t freely alter myself without putting you all at risk.” Elric grumbled and kept praying to his goddess. I think I heard him praying for his sanity.

“Oh.” Katrina mumbled and lied on her hammock. “Well ladies and sometimes-lady, we’re stuck on this ship together for a couple of weeks. What will we do to pass the time? I didn’t think to get any card or board games before we got on board.”

“We can worry about that when the captain is done using our Riders and other male companions as extra crew.” Saphira huffed and I nodded, annoyed that the captain of the ship would apparently only let us on if the guys would work on the ship along with the payment we’d pooled together to pay for passage. Wait, why is Elric down here-.

“Urp!” Elric rushed to the nearest porthole and poked his head out to vomit into water. Uh...ew. Okay, so he got seasick easily…

🥚

Sailing was so far both very liberating and confining. Sure, we were on the ocean blue, the sky vast above us and the ocean spanning to the west with the coast’s mountains a line of distant ridges on the horizon to the east. It made me feel incredibly small and the night sky out here was somehow even brighter than on land despite the fact there isn’t any excessive light pollution. However, this sense of adventure was tempered by the feeling of entrapment.

We were stuck aboard this dinky tub on our journey to Surda with the sexist commentary from the crew and captain being both unwanted and disgusting. At least from what I’ve gathered, this portion of Alagaesia’s coast from Narda to Aroughs north to south is actually about as long as the United Kingdom. However, from what I can remember, the whole continent is as wide as the United States. Thankfully, that meant from Teirm to Reavstone was between 400 to 500 nautical miles. Not far by 20th century naval navigation, but a fair trip on a sailing ship.

However, this was assuming we were going straight there. Oh no. This vessel was doing a full journey, stopping at Kuasta, Feinster and Aroughs before stopping at Reavstone and doing the same on its journey back. The Silver Sail was a seasoned vessel that has traveled the coast for years on the same route without fail. She was in fact Jeod’s main source of mercantile income.

“Has anyone gone far past the coast?” Eragon asked from where he was looking west out to sea since We’d passed Sharktooth island. When I asked, I was told Sharktooth was an isolated place with only a few ships running chartered trips to the coastal village on the east shore. Crass and sexist the sailors may be, but they were eager to share info on the sea and shore.

“Not since before Du Fyrn Skulblaka, otherwise known as The Dragon War, not the one that ended the Riders, but the one that resulted in their founding. Sea serpents eat most ships that go out too far.” Brom told him with a shake of his head. “They are distant relatives of the Dragons, but unlike their skybound brethren, the sea serpents to this very day maintain their hatred of us invaders. They forever regret not sinking the ships of those who came here from the west. The only reason they do not assault us right now or attack coastal settlements is because of their treaties with the Hippocampi.”

“So, we have seaponies to thank for us not being dead right now.” I commented with a look down at the dark waters. Alagaesia was not tropical in the slightest, so there was enough iron in the water for plankton to darken the water so. “Hey, Brom. Are there any islands or continents south of Alagaesia that anyone knows of? Considering it’s cold to the north, we’re in the northern hemisphere of the planet.” I still dream of the tropics, after all.

“I am afraid such knowledge escapes me. I do not believe anyone has ever bothered to try. I fear the Dragon Riders did not see much point in expansion, something I see in hindsight was part of their undoing.” Brom said obliquely, since crewmembers were still about even with calm seas and steady winds. “Perhaps you will discover for yourself, one day?”

“Perhaps.” Eragon muttered and I looked at him in bemusement, before I gasped and remembered something incredibly important!

“Eragon! Did you meet a mysterious enigmatic mare named Angela who read your fortune using dragon knucklebones?” I whispered harshly and Brom coughed up the smoke he’d been inhaling from his pipe while Eragon looked at me agape before he sighed and his ears wilted. Had his wings not been hidden by a glamour, I’m sure they’d be wilting too.

“Yes. In summary: a Long Life, Freedom, The Death of a Loved One, Cursed to Wander, An Epic Romance and to be Betrayed by Family.” Eragon’s admissions filled me with dread. No! Have I done nothing to avert fate?! Have my attempts to change things been in vain?! Wait, hold on. One of those is slightly different!

“Cursed to Wander?” I asked the colt and he nodded.

“The way Angela put it; I am to be an eternal Nomad. While my heart may rest in one place, I will be unable to stay long lest misery find me. I don’t think that’s too terrible unlike the Death and Betrayal ones. Nothing said I couldn’t come back to someplace I’d been before, but...I think it’s true. I haven’t been happier than when we began traveling. Being stuck in one place, it makes my wings itch.” Eragon muttered as he looked over the water with curious eyes.

“Wait, Angela was in Teirm?” Brom demanded with a quiet hiss and Eragon nodded before he looked at me furiously. “Why did you not say anything?”

“I forgot, okay! I’m not perfect. I also got a bit wrapped up in teaching. I used to be a university professor…” I muttered and wrung my hands nervously at his powerful glare.

“Harumph! At least I can still send her a message, since I know she’s within range of a private scrying spell.” Brom stormed down into the ship and I sighed while patting Eragon on the back.

“At least you’re not fated to leave these lands forever. If you do, it will entirely be by your choice and not because fate forces you never to return.” I then stiffened and grit my teeth. A passionate moment between Katrina and Roran just began below and I wasn’t prepared for it. “Unf...damn it Roran, I told you to warn me.”

“Eugh, they’re at it again?” Eragon screwed his face up in disgust and I nodded. “I get it, I do, but I couldn’t possibly imagine getting intimate in such confined space. The risk of being caught would be too much for me to enjoy it.” Eragon admitted and I nodded in agreement.