Osa and the Orangemen
Copyright© 2025 by Osa Oladapo
Chapter 9: Freeport
Osa rides south at a comfortable pace; the first four days she is concealed in the woods that Johnathon and Amelia protect. An occasional bird will land on her horse and squawk at her. Osa presumes that they were sent by Amy to check up on her.
Early in the morning on Osa’s fifth day of riding, she exits the woods and is no longer visited by the random birds. The path she had been following becomes a large road that travels east and west. Osa stretches out her senses, feeling for the nearest large body of water. What she discovers is to the east is the largest body of water she has ever felt. She thinks to herself, it could be the ocean or a massive inland sea. Osa turns her horse in that direction and hopes that when she gets there she can find a faster way home than horse riding.
Three days later, Osa arrives at a fair-sized port city named Freeport. It is just outside of the null of High Prince Rindell but still under the eye of the Orangemen, who roam the streets like a gang of thugs. Osa does her best to avoid them, and when that is not possible, she hides her face under the hood of a cloak that John gave her.
Osa makes her way to the docks to inquire about travel back to her homeland of Kwararafa. Every time she is giving the same answer, it will take most of 6 weeks, and the cost is 10 silver coins per week. She is stunned to hear such long times and such high prices. There is no way she could have been unconscious that long; she could only have been out for a day or two at most. She must have been brought to the castle by some sort of magic device.
Osa decides she is going to have to come up with the coins somehow. If she sells the horses and equipment, she can add 21 silver to her 15, giving her 36 silver coins. Somehow she will have to earn another 24 silver or travel by land. As long as she travels near the ocean, she can make clean water and pluck fish from the ocean.
She decides to try a third option and negotiates with the captain to take her and her horses on board for 15 silver and working as a shiphand. The captain agrees to 2 weeks of passage, which will save her three weeks of riding and get her away from High Prince Rindell’s influence for the time being.
Osa leads her horses to the ship, and the crew takes them aboard. Then, as she follows up the ramp, on deck, dozens of men leer at her; some whistle while others make remarks under their breath. She ignores them and follows the horses down to a cargo bay.
She makes note that the underside of the ship has three sections: the rearmost area is where the crew sleeps, the center area is where the crew stashes their personal possessions, and the front half is for cargo. Osa and her horses are being stowed here, along with crates that are being delivered to other ports along the way. She also sees a set of baggy man clothes that the captain has left for her to wear so that she is not so much of a distraction to the men. She gets dressed in the clothes the captain left her, but she keeps her Zentai concealed underneath.
When she went up to the top deck, standing near the wheel was a tall man with a big sword who she assumed must be the captain. The captain asks her if she wants to be a lookout or pilot; she tells him she has never done those before, but she can make the ship go by controlling the water. He takes her to the wheel of the ship and teaches her how to steer. Then the captain signals the first mate to call for cast off. The crew scrambles when his order is called, and then the captain looks at Osa and says to take the ship out. Osa closes her eyes and bows her head. When the ship starts moving, she opens her eyes and spins the wheel like the captain instructed her, and the ship turns and heads out to sea without sails up.
Once significantly away from land, the captain calls for the sails to be raised, takes over steering, and has Osa and the first mate on deck to either side of him. Throughout the day, Osa learns other jobs around the ship, helping where she can, including relieving the lookout in the crow’s nest and helping cook the meal. She was invited to dine with the officers and was given a fancy dress to wear. The ship’s captain, shipmaster, first mate, and doctor were there, and the cook and two other men served the meal and then left.
After dinner, the shipmaster, first mate, and doctor said their goodbyes; the captain walked them to the door, then locked it after they left for their cabin. The captain walked slowly toward her, and he looked her up and down, evaluating. She knew that her nipples had hardened in the cool night air, poking out prominently through the thin fabric of the dress. The captain did a complete circle around her, surveying her from all angles.
She slowly sat up on the bed and surveyed her surroundings. The room was large. There was a chair and desk by big bay windows and a table and chairs for eating off to the side. A bowl of apples and a carafe of wine sat on it. The bed she was sitting on had lush coverings and was comfortable. A chamber pot and basin were in the other corner. The room was bright, with a dozen candelabras lit. It had everything one would need to survive comfortably at sea.
She waited for him to acknowledge her, but he took his time. She watched him remove his sword and belt, then his leather vest. He slipped off his boots and kicked them carelessly into the corner. She watched him slosh wine from the carafe into two goblets. He approached her and offered her one. She hesitantly accepted.
“What’s your name, girl?” His voice was much gentler than his crew members’, and it surprised her. He took a big gulp of wine as he awaited her answer.
“Osa,” she said quietly. The captain was making intense eye contact with her again, so she took a sip of her own wine to break the tension.
“I’m Captain Vulkarias,” he responded. She didn’t know how to respond, so she took another sip of wine. This was much stronger than what she was used to drinking.
He was still silently staring, so she decided to stare back. The captain wasn’t a bad-looking man. In fact, he was quite handsome, beneath all the dirt and scruffiness. She couldn’t quite discern his age, but she guessed he was somewhere between thirty and thirty-five. He was quite tall and had dark brown hair with a matching beard. His eyes were dark as well. Mysterious.
“What are your intentions with me?” she asked, the strong wine making her a little bolder. The captain took another long gulp of his drink, finishing it. He set the goblet down and started unlacing his shirt. Her throat suddenly turned very dry.
“Well,” he began, pulling off his shirt. “If you warm my bed, pleasure me, and do as I ask, Osa, I’ll make sure my crew doesn’t touch you. I’ll provide you food and comfortable shelter during your voyage.” She stared at him, bare-chested now. He was muscular. Hairy. Manly. She’d seen Adunbi without clothing, and he was much darker and smooth-skinned.
“All right,” she said. What else could she do but agree?
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