Chapter Text
The swaying of the boat made my stomach turn and I force the vomit down.
I could not embarrass myself in front of the women rowing me to the ship.
We arrive alongside the ship and I look up at the man staring down at me.
“Jump! You’ll be alright!” He shouts.
Oh god, it was a long way up.
I take a deep breath and grab onto the ladder.
There is a second there when it seemed like I was going to fall into the ocean but I manage to hold on.
I make my way carefully up the ladder and onto the ship.
“Welcome to purgatory.” The man says.
He sounded far too cheery for my taste.
I look around.
My god.
Here I was standing on the deck of this magnificent ship and all I wanted to do was bend over and vomit all over the beautiful wooden deck.
I refrain from answering the young man.
I felt that if I opened my mouth, what little there was in my stomach would come spewing out.
Not the best way to introduce oneself.
I follow him towards the two officers.
“Mister Eccleston, sir.” The young man says.
The two gentlemen look at me.
“Come aboard, sir.” I say.
“You’re name?”
“Horatio Hornblower, sir. M-midshipman.”
I clench my teeth together and pray that I do not embarrass myself.
“Eccleston. First Lieutenant.” He nods at the gentleman on his left. “Mister Chadd, Lieutenant and officer on the watch.”
I incline my head.
“Did you bring your dunnage aboard with you?” Eccleston asks.
“My sea chest, sir.” I hate that I am stuttering. “It’s coming aboard for’rard.”
“I’ll see it sent below.”
I nod.
“Where you should get too. Get out of those wet clothes.”
“Yes, sir. I mean. Aye, aye, Sir.”
Lieutenant Chadd looks amused.
I salute Eccleston and he returns it.
I am sure I appeared distracted and I was. I was trying not to vomit.
“Mister Kennedy, take Mister Hornblower down to the midshipman berth.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
I follow Mister Kennedy down into the bowels of the ship.
“Mind your step.” He smiles.
The smell and noise assaulted my senses at once and it made me feel even worse.
I press the back of my hand to my mouth.
I try breathing through my mouth but it was no use.
I was going to be sick, very soon.
“Difficult to say who smells worse.” Mister Kennedy shouts over the noise. “The men or the beasts in the manger for’rard. But one gets used to it.”
I very much doubted that.
My hat hits the beam and I am glad it wasn’t my actual head.
“Watch your head.” Kennedy instructs a little too late.
“There goes His Majesty’s latest bad bargain.”
I turn my head to look at the man who had spoken.
“Belay that, Styles.” Kennedy says at once. “Unless you want to find yourself at the gratings.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” Styles says.
He smiles at me and I know he is not sorry at all for what he said.
Kennedy grabs my arm and we continue on our way.
“They are not bad men for the most part.” He says taking the lead once more. “Provided that they are kept busy. But this endless waiting. Most of us have been here six months already. Discipline, you see. Things will be different once we transfer onto a fighting vessel I don’t doubt. But who knows when that may be. Our only…our only hope at present is that the unpleasantness in France might come to something. You’ve heard the latest rumors, of course? That Louis was captured just before Christmas? What do you think they’ll do with him?”
I shiver and wipe the cold sweat off of my forehead.
Kennedy continues on, not waiting for my answer.
“You can’t kill a King.”
I follow quickly behind, trying not to lose him among the throng of men.
Finally we seem to arrive to our destination.
The men sitting at the table look at me.
I press a shaky hand to my stomach.
“Allow me to introduce the midshipmen of His Majesty’s Ship of the line Justinian.” Kennedy says.
“Who’s this, Archie?” One of the men asks.
“Another mess mate, gentlemen.”
“And whose pretty arse did you neglect kissing to find yourself among the fleets forgotten, aye?”
I swallow down the saliva filling my mouth.
“Well speak up!” The man demands.
“My name’s Hornblower.”
“What an infernal piece of bad luck for you.” Another says.
Oh God, I was going to be violently ill.
“How old are you Mister Hornblower?” One of the men asks me.
“Seventeen, sir.”
“‘Seventeen, sir.’ You hear that Cleveland?”
“If you wanted to be a seaman, boy, you should have started at twelve.” Cleveland says.
“I doubt he even knows the difference between a head and a halyard.”
The men stare at me again.
“No.” I manage to say. “But I’ll make sure it’s the first things I look it up....in Norris’s Seamanship.” I swallow the vomit back down but it comes back up with a vengeance. “Now gentlemen if you’ll excuse me I-”
I hurry to the other side of the partition as I can no longer keep myself from being sick.
I can hear the men laughing as I empty my stomach on the floor.
I cough, the bile burning the back of my throat.
I wipe my wet eyes with a shaky hand.
One of the men helps me off my hands and knees.
“Come on. It’ll pass. You’ll get used to the swaying soon enough.” He says leading me to where I will be sharing lodgings with the other midshipmen.
“I doubt it.” I pant.
He chuckles.
He removes my jacket and shoes and helps me onto the hammock.
I grab the man’s hand as he covers me with the blanket.
“Your pardon, sir.”
“Ah. Just lie quiet till you feel yourself again.”
I watch him leave and thankfully the rocking of the ship sends me to sleep instead of making me feel ill.
**************************
The next morning when I wake, I can hear the bells announcing the time and I hurry out of my bed.
I dress quickly and grabbing my hat, I hurry on deck.
I take my place next to Mister Kennedy.
Eccleson looks at me and I expect for him to start reprimanding me but he just faces forward again.
“The Captain’s coming aboard.” Kennedy tells me.
“Captain Keene. If ever a man was wrongly named. He looks frailer by the day.” The man who helped me yesterday says.
“I must thank you for your earlier kindness Mister….”
“Clayton.” He supplies.
The men announce the presence of the Captain.
“You mustn’t mind Hether and Cleveland, it’s just their way. Until they get used to you.”
I nod.
“Present arms!”
I raise my arm in salute as the Captain finally steps onto the deck.
He returns the salute before limping to his office.
I look at the men.
I have to admit that I was oddly disappointed.
I expected him to make some grand speech.
I sigh.
Kennedy pats my back.
“The Captain is too ill to be out in the cold for long.” Clayton tells me quietly.
“I understand.”
“Mister Hornblower! The Captain requires your presence.” One of the Lieutenants tells me.
I swallow.
Why would he need to see me?