A Journey of a Million Steps...

[Jack Stone]

"...starts with one."

"I know, Jack, I remember what Caius said just as well as you do. But I'm not going through with it!"

Silence fell between the siblings. He stood only a few inches taller than her, a point he had always been sore about. He ran a hand through his hair and lowered his head, avoiding her pleading eyes.

"And neither should you, Jack."

"Yes I should," he said slowly, resolutely, as he lifted his head back into place above hers. "I have to."

"But why?" she responded, her voice sounding clear and innocent over the sounds of the noisy dock. Her brown hair was ruffled by the salty breeze, but never overtook her amber eyes.

"I'm ready," he responded, his own green eyes readying for the tears, his throat tickled by the words. "I need to see for myself what it's really like out there." The hood of his cloak rested loosely on his back, revealing his rigidly short hair. The wind hit him, too, slapping his cloak rhythmically against his lower legs. Their horses stood by patiently, somewhat nervous from the activity of such a busy place.

"But I'm not ready to see you go."

She broke, then, and those amber orbs filled with liquid sadness, and she just stared at him imploringly. "Please don't go..."

He had always been like this. It was so easy to set him off. He had become good at hiding his feelings from the public, but there were certain things he couldn't handle. And his sister was one of them. He, too, began crying, and in a rare display of brotherly affection, reached out and pulled his sister towards him. He enveloped her in what he guessed might be their final embrace. He guided her head onto his shoulder and nestled his eyes against her hair, burrowing his head by her neck. She returned the hug and they squeezed hard.

They both knew this was goodbye. He had made up his mind to set forth into the world, and he knew he couldn't allow himself to be swayed now. And she was finally beginning to realize just that: There was no way he was coming home today. But she held on to that faint hope that their paths would one day bring them together again, whether by his steps or by hers, and she did her best to dry her eyes and be brave.

They backed off a step and he took a big breath, making sure he got a good mental image of her to carry with him. And even though she made him think of home, of that privileged lifestyle with servants and friends and his sister and-

But he was leaving. And he wouldn't think of home anymore until he was on that ship. Because then it would be too late.

"Well, why don't you go and try to return your ticket. They might give you your money back."

"Forget it. It was Dad's money, anyways. Besides," she continued, forcing a smile, "I'll keep it to remember you."

He fought that swelling in his throat, that tingling in his eyes. "Ha. You do that."

He reached into his pocket and took out his own ticket. Just a little piece of paper, but he knew it stood for so much more. It wasn't just a ticket onto a ship; it was a ticket onto the greatest adventure of his so-far sheltered life. He pondered the humor of it as he looked down for a moment. Then he straightened up once more and took hold of his horse's reins.

"Guess I'll see ya around," he said, a bit awkwardly.

"Can you write me a letter? You know where I'll be."

A small smile sprung to his face, and he nodded once. "I'll see what I can do."

"All right. I guess this is goodbye, then."

"I guess so." His sorrow and his excitement battled with his nervousness until he felt numb to the entire situation. He took one deep, final breath. "Take care of yourself."

"I will. You too."

"Thanks." He patted his horse's face and turned to go.

"I love you," she called after him.

He only half turned, but looked her in the eyes. "I love you, too." She smiled, and so did he. Then he turned and walked away.

In all the stories his tutor, Caius, had ever told him, the adventurer never looked back. He always walked off into the sunset, or entered the cave, or left the town, but not once did he look back. Jack never understood why. And just before he melded with the throng of people on the bustling Coronian docks, he turned his head to look back at his sister.

Oh, he thought. That's why.

And he wiped away the lone, sparkling tear that the wind-swept image of his sister had elicited from his soul and led his horse onwards.

[Jack Stone]

It wasn't the busiest day the docks had ever seen, but the scene still impressed the young Jack Stone. He joined the flow of sailors, merchants, travelers, and a few well-wishers on their way towards a certain ship docked a few hundred yards away. His horse, Lily, followed behind, her leather reins clutched tightly in the young man's hands. Even without looking back, Jack knew she was nervous; her head whipped from side to side as the strange, exotic sounds of the shipyard cried out. Grommets clanged against metal poles; winds whipped through and cracked huge white sails; waves lapped against wooden hulls of the berthed ships; bells clanged from unseen distances; and all around, voices heralded the arrival of ships, the departing of ships, the search for ships, ships needs for crews, and other directions and requests.

Through it all, the runaway walked, leading his steed over first the dirt path, then the wooden planks of the docks proper. His horse's shoes clicked and clacked behind him, though he didn't notice for the thoughts and emotions which raged through his mind.

Just take a deep breath. Just one. Ok, one more. You're ready for this, come on. Just find the ship, get on, and you're on your way. You can do this.

He was excited for his adventure, but he was understandably nervous as well. He had spent the first 19 years of his life living basically in the lap of luxury. His father was an up-and-coming governor who didn't have all the time in the world to spend with his children. Jack's mother, as well, didn't devote a lot of attention to Jack and his younger sister, Sarah. His parents meant well, he assumed, but were too busy to raise the children by themselves. Jack had been brought up mostly by servants, nannies, and tutors, his favorite being Caius. Caius had been Jack's teacher during his adolescent years, and had filled the boy's head not only with math, science, and language, but also with stories fraught with excitement and adventure. It was these stories which had ultimately led to Jack's departure from his home.

His sister had planned to accompany him, but apparently she thought it was just a plan to explore for the day. He had told her of his plan to go on an adventure, and she jumped at the chance. Caius had taught her, as well; same stories, different lessons. Sarah was five years younger than Jack, but they always got along and usually acted more like friends than siblings. The two had saddled their horses, strapped on their quivers, packed their saddlebags with food for them and the horses and set off. Sarah had seemed to enjoy it until they bought the tickets. But Jack was going through with it. He would have his own adventures.

He was old enough to understand the gravity of his decision; that's why he was so nervous. He was also old enough to understand that "adventures" could end in a horrible death. But he had enough of that youthful gung-ho to figure that he could be smart about adventuring. He could learn the lessons from Caius' story and transform himself into one of the good ones; one of the ones with the happy endings. He had even started doing push-ups and sit-ups in his room at night in preparation for the hardships of the road.

But he was nowhere near prepared.

He eventually found his ship, The BizWhanger, and handed his ticket to the steward.

"You pay for the horse at the station, too?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so. Doesn't it say on the ticket?"

"Yep, you're right, it's right here. Well, you can just take it on up the ramp there and Chucky'll show ya where she goes. Alright? Have a nice trip."

"Thanks."

Everything seemed surreal to Jack. The steward didn't seem to understand the importance of Jack's journey; he merely turned to assist the next passenger in line. Jack led Lily up that solid wood ramp with almost no feeling in his whole body, besides the pit of his stomach. Each step felt like a mile and an inch, all at the same time. He was getting too far from home, but it was taking too long. It was a strange sensation, and Jack didn't really know how to deal with it. He merely moved along until Chucky snagged ahold of the wayward traveler.

"Mag cleared the horse? Alright, you're gonna wanna take her right down there, in the back, and put her in that big hut sorta thing. That'll keep her outta the rain and shit, hopefully she won't get seasick. Does this horse get sea-sick?"

"..I don't, really know...She's never been on a ship before."

"Well, I hope she doesn't, cuz ol' Chucko here'd have to clean it up. And you wouldn't wanna clean up horse vomit, wouldya?"

"N-"

"Naaww, I didn't think so. Alright, then, off ya go, yer holdin up the line a bit there."

Jack made his way across the spotless deck, just like any other passenger on board. He even saw another man with a horse, which made him feel a little more comfortable. His nerves had been compounded by the thought that he would stand out with Lily, but now that he was on the ship, he figured he'd fit in just fine. There were all sorts of passengers, from families on vacation, to soldiers, to fat women in fancy dresses, and everything in between. No one would notice Jack, son of a governor, walking now beside his horse. He told himself that he had to look after Lily, but in his heart (and maybe in hers, too) it was known that he needed her as much as she would need him; maybe more.

There was a wooden main mast and a few secondary wooden masts, there was that hole in the deck where all the passengers and provisions go, and then there was the above-deck storage and stables, as well as the captain's quarters. The ship was one of the biggest he had ever seen, but he had expected as much; all of Caius' stories were based on reality, and he had done well to inform Jack of the real world outside the mansion's gated wall. Jack found his way into the stables, and another busy sailor assigned him a stall for his horse and offered to show Jack down to the passenger's quarters. Jack politely declined, and helped get Lily set up. He took off all the horse's gear and brushed her tan coat. There was a white spot on her back right leg, but she was tan everywhere else. After he gave her a good brushing, he sat down in the hard hay that would be her bed. He ignored the activity from outside the stall and leaned his head in the corner of the wooden slats. He closed his eyes and just felt the rocking of the ship. It was very gentle rocking here in port, and it soothed Jack's nerves.

It would be too late soon. The ship would set off to Raiaera and Jack would be on his way. He could write his sister a letter if he got lonesome, and he could talk to Lily if he needed: She had always been a good horse.

The ship rocked back and forth, back and forth. The young man listened to the muffled sounds of the boarding passengers. Back and forth. His head rolled gently between the slats. Back and forth. Lily quietly flicked her tail. Back and forth. Everything was going to be all right.

[Jack Stone]

He woke with a start. He pushed himself off the ground and spat out the piece of hay that had found itself inside the sleeping boy's mouth. He blinked his eyes and looked around, somewhat confused. Lily, startled by the sudden movement, whipped her head around and snorted at the waking figure by her back legs.

He had that dry, yucky feeling in his mouth, which wasn't eased by the dirty hay. His lower half was all on his left leg, but his torso had twisted when he pushed himself up with his hands. His right hand rubbed all over his face, rather hard, and then rode up to scratch his hair, dislodging more bits of hay. He rolled his hips so that he was sitting on his butt and leaning back, supported by his elbows. He looked up to Lily's face as he took a moment to wake up. He tongued some piece of something stuck in his teeth until it came loose and he swallowed it. He sighed and brought himself to his feet, careful not to bump to hard into Lily.

Once upright he brushed off his black cloak. It was a fairly nice fabric, nothing fancy, and it felt warm and safe around him. He reached under it and scratched at the cotton cream-colored cotton shirt on his back. He looked over each shoulder to check his back for hay, then sort of fell against Lily as the floor shifted beneath him.

"What the hell..."

Oh yeah. It's a ship.

He regained his balance and patted Lily apologetically.

"Sorry, Lil. Forgot where we were."

As he rubbed her muscular back, he looked around the stable area. There were only three other horses, and the rest of the pens were just filled with luggage, or plain empty. A few dark brown barrels rose out from a far-off pen, and several crates were nestled in a pyramid in the corner, smaller ones on top.

The whole room was probably only thirty feet by fifteen feet, maybe a ten-foot ceiling. There were about ten stalls, side by side along the thirty-foot part, and they were all the same; three thin, wooden, parallel slats made up three of the walls, and the gate was in a similar fashion, only there was one long slat running diagonally across the front. It wasn't crude craftsmenship, but there wasn't a single fancy element in the entire room. There were two circular, dirty windows on the starboard and larboard sides of the room, and four black metal sconces spaced evenly throughout the room. The sky outside the windows was turning dark grey, and a man opened the single flat-latched door with a burning torch clutched in his hands. Jack watched over Lily's back as the man removed the coverings from each lamp and lit the wick inside before replacing the dirty covers. The man didn't seem to notice the boy and left the room when his task was complete.

Jack looked down at his stuff. His bow and quiver leaned up in one of the corners of the pen; the saddle bags and other tack lay in a heap behind Lily. The pen was a bit crowded just by the horse, and he wondered where he had fit during his nap. He crouched down and began to pile the assorted leather in a more ordered fashion. It wasn't clean, but it gave the pen a less cluttered feel. He basically stacked things until he figured there was enough room for Lily to lie down in, even though he knew she probably wouldn't.

When he finished, he realized he was getting hot. "I'm gonna step outside for a minute, ok? See what's goin on out there. Be a good girl, yeah?"

He had always asked her to "be a good girl, yeah?" though she never seemed to have an answer.

[Jack Stone]

The first thing he noticed as he stepped through the stable door and onto the deck proper was the smell. The salty air practically assaulted his nostrils, and his eyes widened in surprise. The odor was even more powerful here than on the dock. The second thing he noticed was the people on deck. Or rather, the lack thereof. He noticed the same man who had lit the torches in the stable continuing his work around the ship, now lighting the torches about the stern. He noticed one sailor way up in the crow's nest, but other than that, the dock was empty.

He closed the stable door behind him before he made his way over to the railing. Since he had gone to sleep as soon as he'd gotten on the boat, he hadn't been able to develop his sea legs. This lack of experience was evident immediately as he rocked and stumbled the majority of the way to the side of the ship. He gripped the wooden handrail and just stared out at the vast ocean. There no lights out there, save for the moon and its shimmery reflection. A sudden panic overtook him, and Jack whipped his head around to look behind him. No lights over there, either. He looked to the rear of the ship, and saw a faint consortium of light far off on the horizon. He ran (as best he could) to the back of the ship, managing his way up a dozen stairs with the help of the railing. He stood now atop the stables, and he stared off into the distance, towards his last view of home.

At least he hoped it was home. He really only knew that there were some lights far, far away. It didn't necessarily have to be home, but it was his only chance to say goodbye; there was nothing else to see on the vastness of the rocking ocean. A sudden stiff breeze kicked up, and he used one hand to secure his cloak around him.

Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Dad. Goodbye, Caius. A deep breath. Goodbye Sarah. A second's thought. Goodbye home.

"Pretty from so far out, ain't it?"

The teenager jumped, startled by the sudden sound. He looked up to his side at the candle lighter. The man's shirt and pants whipped in the wind, but he didn't seem to share Jack's cold.

"Is it Corone?"

The man laughed quietly, almost too quiet to hear over the wind and the rushing wake beneath the pair. "Course its Corone, how far do y' think we've travelled in a few hours?"

It seemed rhetorical, and it had been an answer besides. Jack gazed back out over the now black sea, the lights of the distant place glittering in his eyes.

"You eat dinner already?"

"What?" the boy replied, as though pulled form more private thoughts.

"Dinner, down in the mess hall. You eat already?"

"No, sir, I actually just woke up." His stomach growled as though it had just woke up. "I didn't know there was a stomach."

"Didn't get the tour, huh? Well, there's a room downstairs, which is probably where everyone is right now. Dinner's served every night at sundown." The man shifted his lantern between hands and clapped the empty one on the boy's back. "You must be hungry, then. Come on, me too, I've finished up up here anyways."

Jack took one last look towards Corone before his stomach and the man's knowing arm guided him down to the mess hall.