It took a week from receiving the plea for help to gather the resources to move the company north and relieve Alfric, but it was as quickly as could be expected. Food needed to be bought and packed for the journey, the kitchens were baking hard loaves for the voyage, and the smiths forged spare blades and arrowheads that were packed into barrels and sent to the port where they were kept in a warehouse Galin rented on the quay. Letters were dispatched to other companies of Highlanders in the southern cities, offering any men that wanted to join Galin in the relief a bonus in silver for the length of the expedition and thirty more men at arms joined Galin, along with half again as many archers and light infantry. Aelle, who had wintered in Adeluna, offered his ship to transport the men north and his crew could join the attack if they wished. Galin was glad of Aelle’s help, as he and the ship master had served together the last time Galin went north and fought at Crannog’s Pass against the orcs. The two could not have been more different but Galin always liked the rogue and especially liked his taste in spirits.

Aelle, who stood a head taller than Galin and let his blonde hair hang untied down to his shoulders, poured the soldier another cup of wine as the finalized their discussion about the hire of the Maker’s Fury. “Alfric will pay, of course,” Galin promised, “but in case the tight fisted prick refuses, I guarantee the cost from the company’s funds or any plunder we take in the north, whatever you’d prefer?” He extended his hand to Aelle, who shook it, sealing the arrangement.

“So tell me, little man,” Aelle said with a smirk as he saw Katja among the troopers loading supplies into his ship’s hold, “do you always find pretty women and put them in armor? Or is it the armor that puts life in your old sword, you strange bugger?”

Galin sputtered as he sipped his wine and glared at the pirate-turned-patriot. “What I do in my spare time is none of your concern, you low country bastard,” Galin said without any rancor. “She’s a specialist, if you will. Tried to steal from me but got caught. May not be a master thief but she can do better staying hidden and slipping through siege lines than me, you, or Cooper could. And make sure your pirates keep their hands off or they’ll lose them,” Galin said civilly, but let his hand drop subtly to the hilt of his long fighting knife. “I mean it now, Aelle. She’s off limits.

Aelle laughed and hauled Galin out of his chair like a man lifting a child and grinned at him with a mouth full of surprisingly white, even teeth. “I understand, you old dog. Might want to mark your territory though, get her something nice so the lads know she’s your’n. In my experience, something expensive and shiny tends to send the message and get a girl naked all in the same go. Actually, come to think of it…” Aelle pushed open a small chest on his sideboard and rifled around until he found what he was looking for. “Think quick, you mountain sheepfucker,” he shouted and tossed a small, silver ring to Galin.

Galin’s hand snaked out and he grabbed it midair. “You’re too kind, after you raked me over the coals to hire you,” Galin chuckled and held the ring up to inspect it. It was Highland made and covered with finely carved knot-work that was common in the North, and set with a polished piece of jet. “But thank you, this ought to do the trick.” Their business concluded, Galin left Aelle to his own devices and headed back onto the dock to supervise the end of the loading process. Aelle’s sailors made sure the weight was properly distributed but Galin was concerned with keeping the blades and arrowheads from rusting in the bilge. He leaned against one of the elm pilings next to the ship’s gangplank so he could look into the hold turning the ring over in his hand so it caught the light.

“A mite hasty, sir, but I do like a man with a sense of whimsy, so I do.”

Galin turned and reddened as Cooper stood behind him, laughing heartily at his commander’s discomfort. “Oh go boil your arse, Cooper. It was just something Aelle thought she’d like and we both know I’m shite at this sort of thing, but… Actually, I am going to rephrase that. Just go boil your arse and forget the bleeding rest. There’s nothing there but a leader giving a gift, as our old ways teach us. Nothing else. Nothing. Got that, you muck savage?”

"Oh aye, sir, and so I do. I just hope the young lass behind you knows about the old ways of the north and doesn't get the wrong idea. It is wrong, right, sir? You haven't a feeling in that shriveled little heart for her, have you?"

As Galin spun around, Cooper hopped back into the hold of the ship, just out of sight and sniggered as he helped position the cargo as it was lowered down on ropes. Galin, flushed in the face and cursing Cooper under his breath, fumbled with his tunic as he tried to hide the ring as Katja approached, carrying a barrel of arrowheads. He was just able to get the ring into his pocket as she reached him and he smiled broadly at her. "Ready for your first voyage? Here," he continued, taking the barrel from her, "let me take this and you get aboard and into the hold." While she staggered aboard the gently swaying longship, Galin put the barrel into a net along with a few others and used the net to lower himself into the hold along with the barrels.

When his boots thumped on the oak strakes, he guided the net down and began to pass the barrels down a line of men to stow them in the bow of the ship. He ended up next to Katja and, as he worked, struck up a conversation. "So, this is a bit of a change of plans, but I think we should be fine. You've trained plenty, of course, and you're not standing in the battle line, so this should be a grand trip, don't you think? And," he said, leaning close and whispering conspiratorially and winking, "Aelle's given me his stern cabin, so we can always duck away in there once this loading's done."

Several members of the company had been tasked with loading supplies onto the hired ship, Katja included. When the opportunity had risen for her to prove her worth, she had jumped on it. The other recruits she had been training with were always quick to remind her that she was a woman, and with that reminder it seemed they expected her to fail at every corner, and she rightfully enjoyed proving them wrong time and time again. She mingled herself in with the men loading the company’s weaponry on to the ship, hoisting a barrel of arrowheads up and making her way towards the ship’s hold.

Katja was stopped rather abruptly by a pair of hands yanking the barrel roughly from her grasp. Cormac, the very same man who’d given her the now mostly-faded boot shaped bruise on her ribcage, had taken the barrel from her. “Think them’s the wrong supplies what you should be loadin’,” he said, a smug grin on his face as he set the barrel of arrowheads back down. He pointed with a dirty finger towards another stack of supplies - sacks of grain, flour, and crates of other food and kitchen essentials for the company. “Those need bringing to the galley, they do,” he said, his words accompanied by a few sparse chuckles from the men around them that had stopped what they were doing to watch the scene unfold.

Turning her attention to the supplies, Katja shrugged her shoulders. “Suppose you’re right, Cormac,” she said, and walked over to the supplies. She grabbed one of the sacks of flour, and walked back over towards Cormac. Without any warning, she shoved the flour sack into his arms, where he was so taken aback that he grasped it to keep it from falling. “I’d love some biscuits with dinner this evening, if you don’t mind,” she said, giving Cormac what could have been a genuine smile. “If you’ll excuse me, though, they’ll be wanting these to load in,” she added before returning to the barrel of arrowheads and picked it back up, making her way towards the ship’s hold, leaving Cormac surrounded by the roaring laughter of the other men who had been loading supplies.

When she was aboard the ship and making her way towards the hold, Katja spotted Galin and walked over to him, the barrel still held in her arms. She caught the smile on his flushed face, mentally wondering what had caused the ruddiness in his cheeks, but thought better of asking, instead returning his smile. “Oh, thank you,” she said, allowing him to take the barrel from her grasp. She flexed her fingers slightly. “I don’t know that I would say I am ready,” she said, her gaze drifting to the side of the ship. It was clear that she was attempting to mask the fact that she found it rather hard to feel stable, even with the gentle rocking of the ship- she was internally dreading what it would be like once they were in open water. She made her way into the hold at Galin’s command.

When Galin had taken up a place next to her, she turned her full attention to him, making an attempt to ignore the swaying of the ship. “I’m not worried about a lack of training, to be honest,” she began. “But it’s probably a damn good thing I’m not in the battle lines - I’d be dead in minutes, let’s be honest,” she said, laughing a bit. “I’m not too keen on the way this boat rocks back and forth,” she said, her voice lowering enough so the other men in the hold wouldn’t be able to hear her admission. “I’ve never been on a ship before - that I know of,” she admitted, giving him a rather sheepish grin.

Katja’s face reddened at Galin’s next comment. “Someone’s going to hear you,” she said quietly, though it was coupled with a soft giggle. “But I wouldn’t be opposed,” she added.

At that moment, a few more men made their way into the ship’s hold. One of them, Niall, made his way over to Katja and Galin for a brief moment. “Sir,” he said, addressing Galin first and giving him a respectful nod. He clapped Katja on the soldier. “You’ve got a quick wit on ya, you do,” he said, a grin on his face. “Cormac’s still out there, holdin’ that sack of flour like it’s the love of his life. ‘Course, maybe it is, don’t think Cormac’s ever had the pleasure of beddin’ a woman rightfully,” he added, roaring with laughter again. He quieted, after a moment, and turned back to Galin, addressing him with a bit of a more serious tone.

“Heard me some interesting bit of a story today,,” Niall began, speaking to Galin but not making any effort to keep Katja from hearing him. “Don’t know if you’ll recall, sir, but a while back there was that nasty bit what with folks in Adeluna’s city proper getting poisoned by some nasty apothecary? Well, Tevin says he’s heard from one of the tavern maids that it’s happenin’ again,” he added. “Said the door to the tavern flew open and in stumbled a bloke with blood dripping from his eyeballs, though I’m thinkin’ that tavern maid mighta’ been embellishin’ on the truth,” he added. “Course, Tevin also said the very same tavern maid saw a three headed dog, so she might have been drinkin’ a bit on the job.” With a shrug, Niall excused himself and went to help the line of men passing the barrels down the ship, leaving Katja and Galin to speak as they had been before.