The Misadventures of Darius and Elara

Sea Battle Aftermath

The aftermath of the battle with the sea serpent left the Eagle Parrot in rough shape. The deck was slick with seawater, bits of shattered wood, and the occasional squashed fruit from Henry’s ill advised attack strategy. The crew worked tirelessly to repair the damage before the morning tide.

Darius was hauling a broken plank toward the railing when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

“Do you need help?”

He turned to see Elara, arms crossed, eyebrow raised. Rockford sat at her feet, panting, his tail thumping lazily against the deck.

Darius smirked. “You offering, or just here to supervise?”

Elara shrugged. “Depends. If I help, do I get first pick at dinner?”

Henry, who was nearby trying to gather the remnants of his fruit basket, groaned. “No one gets first pick. We’re rationing until we make port. And I don’t want to hear a single complaint about the hardtack.”

Elara made a face. “That’s motivation not to help.”

Darius chuckled and dropped the plank into place. “Fine, then stand there and look intimidating.”

She rolled her eyes but stepped forward anyway, grabbing the other end of the plank to help him secure it.

Around them, the crew continued their work; Darla and Finn were patching the torn sails, Lyle was busy recalculating their course (with hopefully more accuracy this time), and Henry had given up on cleaning and was now muttering about how no one appreciated his cooking. While Rook and Corin secured the canons.

As they worked, the night sky began to fade into the soft hues of dawn.

Elara glanced at Darius. “Think we’ll actually make it to port in one piece?”

He grinned. “If we don’t, at least we’ll go down with a very interesting story.”

Written for: "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge" 
Prompt Words: Write a story that includes the line: “Do you need help?”
Word Count: 290