"Thank you for bringing me that message. If you see the Captain again you can also tell him I'm willing to help should there be anything he may need.", Feyra answered offering a bright smile.
The sun was shining and it was in the mid of spring. Almost everyone who passed broke out in a smile.
"Spring is nice, isn't it?", a younger boy asked coming over with a bucket. "It's the perfect weather to clean. Oh I'm Michel by the way. I'm honoured to meet you."
Feyra smiled back at him. "I'm also honoured to make your acquaintance. Indeed it's nice weather and perfect for cleaning. But... Isn't the ship a bit big for you alone to clean?"
Michel looked at her and cast his gaze down. "My partner who usually cleans with me is sick. Only the Captain has paid him visits. We don't know what he has and also have no idea if it's contagious. The plague is still a danger too especially whenever we visit the kingdom."
He explained further the dangers and also since when his partner had been sick.
A few weeks ago he had already complained of being short of breath and feeling exhausted. Lately he had been drinking more and more water and only since a few days ago has he been constantly lying down and sleeping most of the time. He didn't have any appetite or energy to move.
Feyra also cast her gaze down as she pondered about the symptoms Michel had been describing.
If my suspicion is correct he has no time left to live. But perhaps it's also something else. I wouldn't wish such a disease on him but I also know the world is too cruel as to spare someone. I should go ask the Captain if I can visit him.
Feyra wanted to go and look for the Captain as he came to her himself.
"I heard from Holger that you seem to have vast knowledge.", Buck said stopping right in front of her.
"Who is Holger?"
"The guy with the crippled nose.", Buck said showing to his own nose.
Feyra nodded in understanding.
"I have a request. There is a guy of our crew who has been sick lately and given you have seen so fast that Holger had a broken nose I was wondering if you could take a look at him. Though I'm also not sure how far your knowledge goes.", Buck said with a serious look on his face.
Feyra nodded again. "What a coincidence. I was just wanting to look for you and ask if I could take a look at him. Michel has told me about him and his symptoms already but I want to see for myself if I was allowed."
Buck nodded in agreement and led Feyra to the room the patient was staying in.
As Feyra entered the room she saw a young boy lying in a bed shivering although he already had multiple warm blankets for the winter over himself.
This doesn't look good. It seems even more like my suspicion is correct.
Feyra went over to the bed and looked at the young boy. He was pale and couldn't stop shivering.
Buck stood in the doorway looking how Feyra checked on the boy's condition. After a while she knelt next to his bed and took his hand.
"I was sadly right in my suspicion.", she said with a tear rolling down her cheek. She tried to hold it back but even her voice was shaking a bit.
"I see. Tell me about it once you've calmed down a bit.", Buck said in understanding and shortly left Feyra and the young boy alone.
Feyra started crying slightly knowing this young boy's time was running out faster than expected.
"Ugh... It's cold...", the young boy complained barely having the strength even for his words.
Feyra continued to hold his hand until she had calmed down a bit.
Buck already stood in the doorway again. "So what does he have?"
"First I would like to know if you know how old he is.", Feyra said turning to Buck but not letting go of the boy's hand.
Buck walked further into the room and took a chair to sit down. "He should be 15 now."
"I see... Then he has no time left. The disease he has is diabetes. To be precise type 1 diabetes. Sadly there isn't a cure known as of now and even treatment for this disease is not available on every planet or in all places.", Feyra explained having calmed down a bit.
Buck looked at the boy and his face got sadder.
"I see... This is a shame. How do you know about this?", he asked also looking at the boy now who was still shivering.
"Where is grew up there were quite a few books I wasn't allowed to read. As you can see I have still read them. One of these books was about medicine and described various diseases as well as conditions. Some of them were quite detailed and had cures or treatments noted down too.
"However, for certain diseases the cures or treatments were noted down to only exist in a few places or were hard to get. Such is the case for diabetes. We would need to get insulin from somewhere but at this stage this young boy's time is running out too fast. Even if we could get insulin it might be too late or he may still...", Feyra didn't want to say the last part but her and Buck knew exactly what she wanted to say. This young boy would die in a few days.
"Besides that I don't understand a lot about medical things and also have no idea what this insulin is. I'm still sad knowing that such a disease has befallen one of us. Though one thing I still want to know... Is it contagious?"
"It's not contagious. This type of diabetes is also more present in children. For adults there is usually another type of diabetes which is known as type 2 diabetes.
"Though I guess you'll know for yourself that sometimes there are some exceptions. I have read in detail how to discern these two types and everything around them. Sadly on our planet the treatment for this disease doesn't exist yet given we aren't advanced enough.", Feyra explained.
Buck nodded before also taking the boy's hand and looking at his shivering figure.
Feyra saw a tear running down Buck's cheek too and left the room quietly.
Michel continued cleaning the ship as he saw Feyra came back out again.
"Oh? Did you find something out?", he asked hiding his eyes from the sun that was shining even brighter and warmer now.
"I did... But I don't think you'll ever be able to clean with him again.", Feyra said breathing in the smell of the sea. She needed to get some of these thoughts off her mind.
Nature is truly cruel. Seeing a child like this... I can't stop myself from crying. I've already seen so many die of the plague and other diseases yet the ones that always made me emotional was when I saw children getting sick.
Michel seemed to sense that Feyra didn't want to talk anymore and left her alone in her thoughts. He took his bucket and moved over to another place and told the other people to leave her alone for a while.
Time passed on and the sun set until Buck came back out and looked for Feyra.
"We're going to eat now. Do you want to join us?", he asked.
Feyra looked a little longer at the sea thinking before giving in. "I guess doing anything with an empty stomach won't work. Is there bread?"
Buck nodded and led her inside the ship to a room with a table. The whole crew was cheering and talking about various things.
Buck showed Feyra a place between Michel and himself and put a piece of bread on her plate.
"Enjoy your first meal with us!", Michel said raising his cup.
"Is that alcohol? How old are you again!?"
"No need to worry. The older guys drink some beer sometimes but I only get water or juice. I'm still underage.", he answered seeing that Feyra had been quite scared.
Feyra relaxed visibly knowing he didn't have any alcohol in his cup and proceeded to eat her piece of bread.
Buck chuckled slightly seeing that she was so concerned about people and also poured himself a drink.
"To a quiet and peaceful journey!", he said and everyone raised their cups again in cheers.
Feyra, having no cup, raised her piece of bread instead to have also something to cheer with them.
"Let's hope no storms will come.", Michel said downing the contents of his cup and digging in a piece of bread with some jam.
After they had eaten, most of the crew either went to their room or stayed and played some cards. By now it was dark outside so they lit the lamps and huddled together to be able to see what everyone had on their cards.
Feyra went outside again and looked at the moon and stars. The sky was clear and she saw various constellations and further away even some other planets.
"It's pretty, isn't it?", Buck came to her and also looked at the stars. "To think that there are existences in space when we are always told we can't live there... I don't know what to make of that still."
"Aren't Fallen Angels also able to live in space?", Feyra asked wondering if the information she had was right.
"They should be. But I doubt you've ever been there."
"That's true. I've never been there. However, perhaps I can visit space once I have found what I'm looking for and once I've found all the truths."
Buck looked at her. He seemed to think about something. "What are you even looking for? You went out of the kingdom that fast. I wonder if you already know where you want to go."
"I think I know what I'm going to look for. I want to visit an old friend. Therefore I'll need to find their grave. So I guess my goal would be to find an old friend's grave.", Feyra answered smiling slightly.
Having seen that life is cruel and that death comes for everyone she thought back on a specific day. That day was when the Princess died.
"An old friend... I wonder... Who is that old friend?"
"Princess Loreen. The Princess of the kingdom from centuries ago."
Buck seemed surprised. The name didn't ring a bell for him but hearing that Feyra was speaking about someone from centuries ago made him think back too.
In the old days the crew was consisting of a lot of other people but most of them had to take their leave. Some died at the hands of pirates while others died of illness.
"Humans have a short life span in your eyes I guess. Even I have already seen countless of my people leave. Sometimes it was illness and sometimes pirates. Sometimes it was also just a dumb accident but various factors come together and one is gone. Such is life. My life span is short too. How do you see these things?", Buck talked about the past and his past crew members.
"Life? I haven't seen a lot of it yet. I was mostly controlled and watched by the church and after becoming a Fallen Angel I was immediately locked away. I have no idea how I'm seeing life. If just anyone remembers Princess Loreen I would be happy.", Feyra answered. Perhaps on the journey she planned to take she may find a better answer to this question.
"You know... From the original crew that once started to sail with me the only one left is old Zott. He and I have sailed now for decades. Everyone else has joined later. Knowing I have to... Ah forget it... I don't want to drag the mood down. It may be best to rest early today. You have a lot behind you now.", Buck said before also going inside to rest.
Feyra thought a bit about it before also going inside and asking Michel if there was a room she could rest in.
"We have a room free here. It's not the best but it'll do. If you need anything just ask.", he said before closing the door behind him and leaving.
Feyra sat on the bed and turned on the lamp in the room before taking off her leather armour and looking at her wrists.
I should change them tomorrow. But for now I'll rest.
Yes I should sleep now. May nothing bad happen and everyone stay healthy.