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Doubar awoke to the strong delicious aroma of sticky buns. He eagerly opened his eyes and soaked in the sun's warm rays that shone upon him through his open window. He heard the comforting sound of the early morning waves gently lapping against the side of the ship. The fresh sea breeze filled him with a sense of peacefulness, and he wished he could just lie there all day.
Despite his yearning to stay in bed, he reluctantly got up anyway. He took his time getting dressed, listening to the gentle sounds of the seagulls. Doubar finally finished and looked at his reflection in the small mirror. Satisfied, he opened his cabin door and headed into the galley.
He stood quietly in his doorway, smiling warmly as he watched his friends talk softly amongst themselves. Sinbad was sitting at the head of the table, looking vibrant and fully awake. He was adjusting his red headband as he reached across the table for another bun.
Maeve, however, was not as much of a morning person. In fact, she looked like she was still half-asleep. Her fiery colored hair was pulled back in a loose braid, and she was only looking at her delicious sticky bun on her plate. Rongar sat down as he put another plate on the table. The moor had recently discovered his hidden talent--cooking. He had been cooking lately as the Nomad's usual cook took a small vacation, not that anyone minded, of course. Rongar's food was beyond delicious.
Firouz hurried out of his cabin carrying an odd shaped package. His hair was a frazzled mess, but he didn't even seem to notice. The inventor nearly jumped a mile when he saw Doubar standing in his doorway. Firouz hid the package behind his back.
"Good morning, Doubar!" he greeted loudly, more to announce it to his friends than to Doubar.
Dermott flew down below deck through the open door. It was such a beautiful day, that the crew had kept the door open, allowing the lower deck to be filled with the sunshine and fresh air. The crew all looked up from their meal and smiled. Today was a very special day for Doubar.
"Good morning everyone." Doubar happily greeted.
"Happy Birthday Doubar!" Sinbad exclaimed with a grin.
"We made you a special breakfast in honor of your birthday!" Firouz announced. "How old are you now?" he added mischievously.
"That's not really important Firouz!" Doubar joked.
The large man took a seat beside Maeve. He reached across the table and eagerly grabbed a sticky bun. The heavenly cinnamon smell was almost overwhelming, and he didn't even hesitate before taking a big bite out of the luscious treat.
"You guys didn't have to do this!" he said after he swallowed his bite of the bun. "There are presents aren't there?" he said good-naturedly.
The crew chuckled as they each pulled out a package.
"Me first!" Firouz exclaimed as he eagerly handed Doubar an oddly shaped package.
Doubar quickly ripped off the paper to find himself looking at a few pieces of wood neatly attached together with two blades sticking out the top. He knew that it was another crazy invention of Firouz's, but as he looked up at his friend's proud face, he would willingly listen to one of his boring lectures.
"Thank you Firouz for this wonderful..." he trailed off uncertainly.
"Solar Powered Beard Trimmer!" Firouz proudly finished.
Doubar silently groaned. He remembered Firouz's 'Solar Powered Hair Trimmer'. That contraption had nearly turned his head into a torch. This was an invention he didn't care to retry.
"It is my new modified version of the Hair Trimmer. I noticed how you hate to trim your beard, so now with this, it will only take a few seconds."
"Thank you Firouz!" Doubar replied sincerely, knowing that his friend had worked hard on this for him.
"Here's mine." Maeve said as she handed Doubar a neatly wrapped package.
"Thanks!" Doubar replied. He carefully tore open the gift and inside he found a soft green wool snow cap and scarf.
"I bought them in Basra." Maeve said. "They're for when we go to Norse!" she added as she shot a glance at Sinbad.
Doubar chuckled to himself. He knew that Sinbad was deliberately putting off their trip to Norse. Sinbad didn't want Maeve to like Eyolf any more then she already did. Doubar thought that his Little Brother was foolish not to admit his feelings for her. He had never had a real love, so he would tell anyone who even came close exactly how he felt right away. Doubar's thoughts were interrupted as Rongar handed him yet another gift.
"Thanks!" Doubar replied. Inside was a new leather sword belt and several small pieces of paper.
"Good for one meal of your choice." Doubar read. "From Chef Rongar." he finished. "Aww, isn't that nice!" Doubar exclaimed.
"Rongar made breakfast today." Sinbad said. "You should be thankful that Maeve didn't give you that gift!" he joked.
Doubar wasn't surprised when he saw Maeve shoot a dirty look at him. But even he had to admit that she was a horrible cook. She really could make good meals if only she tried a little harder. It was almost as if it was painful for her to do it, and Doubar was thinking that something from her past was keeping her from trying. He saw her quietly stroking Dermott's soft feathers, so he decided to change the subject.
"Well Sinbad? Where's your present?" Doubar asked.
Sinbad handed Doubar a small package. He unwrapped the paper to find a small shiny silver medallion inside.
"Read what's on it!" Sinbad suggested.
"To my brother Doubar on his birthday. May we celebrate many more happy ones together. Love, your Little Brother, Sinbad." Doubar read. "Thank you everyone. This has been my best birthday yet!"
"And we haven't even finished eating breakfast yet!" Firouz exclaimed.
"Don't worry Firouz! I haven't forgotten!" Doubar joked.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After Doubar finished his delicious breakfast, he went updeck to join his Little Brother. As he opened the door, he noticed that his brother manning the tiller. He looked so young and vibrant, with the sun shining on him and the gentle wind ruffling his hair. Doubar examined Sinbad's thick, silky hair, and then felt his own rough beard. He was saddened as he watched Sinbad. He was so young and spirited, Doubar was afraid that he wouldn't be able to keep up with him much longer.
"Doubar!" Sinbad called. "Just because you're the birthday boy doesn't mean you don't have to hold the tiller!"
Doubar groaned. "But it's my birthday." he grumbled.
"Here you are!" Sinbad said cheerfully as he handed over the tiller.
"Where are we headed Little Brother?" Doubar asked.
"Don't you remember Big Brother? The Caliph is throwing you a late birthday party! We're going to Baghdad." Sinbad replied. "I see you're wearing my gift." he noticed.
Doubar simply nodded.
"Are you all right Doubar? You look a little depressed." Sinbad observed.
"Oh I'm fine. I was just thinking about how I might not be around to see you reach my age."
Sinbad chuckled. "Doubar, you're not that old! We're going to live many, many happy more years together." Sinbad added with a grin.
Doubar paled as he saw huge menacing storm clouds coming up from behind Sinbad.
"Little Brother! We'll be lucky if we can live to see tomorrow!" he exclaimed.
Sinbad swung around to find one of the biggest storms he'd ever seen rapidly approaching the Nomad. His eyes widened and he squeezed his brother's shoulder reassuringly.
"Doubar, hang on to the tiller! I'll be right back!" he said as he ran down the stairs.
Doubar watched the crew members begin to run about, preparing the ship for the storm.
"Crew! Lower the sails! A storms coming!" Sinbad shouted. "Firouz, get over here!"
Firouz ran up to him. "Firouz, I want you to go down below deck and get your water pump ready." Sinbad ordered.
Firouz scurried below deck. Doubar looked at the darkening sky and wished he was the inventor. Firouz always got to go below deck while Doubar had to stay above. Sinbad saw Maeve over by the door. He hurried over to her.
"Sinbad, this storm isn't done by magic. I don't sense any evil here!" she told him.
Sinbad nodded and quickly pet Dermott before hurrying over to the men who were trying to bring down the sails. Maeve sent Dermott below deck so that he would be safe. Suddenly, the storm hit full force. Huge waves were washing over the deck and rain poured out of the darkening sky.
Above the shouts of the crew, and orders of Sinbad, loud claps of thunder shook the Nomad and lightning lit up the otherwise dark sky.
Sinbad ran up to Doubar and grabbed the tiller. "Doubar! Go check on Firouz!" he shouted.
Doubar hurried below deck and found Firouz in one of the back rooms.
"How's the pump working Firouz?" Doubar asked quickly.
Firouz was lost in thought as he scoured over some papers on the desk. He didn't even hear Doubar come in. Doubar sighed and tapped his friend on his shoulder. The inventor jumped a mile as he was brought back to the real world.
"Firouz! The pump!" Doubar repeated loudly.
"Oh! It's working excellently Doubar!" Firouz exclaimed. "But we haven't even begun to take on much water! I estimate, in about three hours, we'll be swamped!"
"I'm going back up to see if Sinbad needs me!" Doubar said.
He ran back updeck. The harsh rain stung his skin, and he had to use his whole body to shut the door to the lower deck. Doubar searched the dark sky for any sign of the storm letting up. When he found none, he just hurried over to his brother. After a long struggle, he finally made it over to him. When he approached him, a huge wave smashed against the ship. Doubar grabbed tightly onto the rope near him, so that he wouldn't loose his balance.
"Well?" Sinbad asked hopefully.
"It doesn't look good." Doubar replied.
"I set the course for Balsar, the nearest port," the young captain added.
Just then, Doubar saw the biggest wave he had ever seen rising out of the ocean. The water threateningly hovered over the Nomad, and it must have doubled the ship in size.
"Hold on for your life!" Sinbad yelled to his crew.
Doubar watched as everyone grabbed on to the ropes and braced themselves for the impact of the wave. He gripped tightly onto the railing and made sure his little brother was hanging on too, before tightly shutting his eyes.
The wave brutally smashed onto the Nomad and Doubar felt himself lose his grip.
"Sinbad!" Doubar helplessly pleaded as he washed over the side of the Nomad.
Sinbad quickly blinked the rain out of his eyes and ran to the railing where he last saw his brother. Sinbad jumped up on the railing and steadied himself with the ropes as he scanned the waves. Doubar was no where in sight.
"Sinbad no!" Maeve shouted as she saw her friend hop onto the railing.
He only paused a moment before leaping off the Nomad. The freezing water stung him as he plummeted underneath the choppy waves. Sinbad frantically thrashed around in the frigid dark water searching for his brother. Suddenly, he felt a strong hand grasp his own as he was pulled up to the surface.
"Doubar!" Sinbad happily realized. The brothers shared a quick embrace before quickly swimming back to the Nomad. "Go!" Sinbad ordered.
Doubar quickly climbed up the ropes and then reached down to help his little brother.
"Sinbad!" Maeve joyfully shouted.
Sinbad ran up to the tiller where Maeve was standing. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder before grabbing onto the tiller that Rongar was desperately trying to hold still. Huge waves continuously engulfed the Nomad and sometimes carried an unfortunate crew member back down with them to a watery grave. Doubar knew that Sinbad didn't lose hope very easily, but he was beginning to sense that his brother was.
"Land ho!" a crew member yelled.
It was only a matter of minutes before Doubar heard Sinbad telling him to put down the anchor. Doubar ran over to the railing and thrust the heavy anchor over the side. Sinbad quickly tied down the tiller before heading to the side of the ship.
"Come on guys! Everyone's going into Balser! We only have four usable longboats, and I'm going last. Rongar, go get Firouz and then you two will go in the first longboat." Sinbad explained.
Rongar nodded and headed below deck.
"Sinbad?" Maeve began. "Don't we need to make repairs to the Nomad?"
"Aye. But we'll have to do it in the morning. It's dark and still raining pretty hard." Sinbad decided.
Rongar and Firouz came up and Doubar suddenly realized how wet they all were. Firouz was below deck the whole time and he was almost completely dry. The storm had eased up a little bit, the pitch black sky had turned a light gray, but porting was still the best decision.
"Hurry up!" Sinbad ordered. Firouz, Rongar, and a few crew members boarded the first longboat. "When you get to the beach, leave the boat and head to the village." he instructed. "Find us a place to stay for the night. Then wait for us in a tavern."
They boarded it and headed for the shore. The second boat held Maeve, Dermott, and some of the crew while Doubar was told to go into the third.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As soon as Doubar stepped out of the longboat, he smelled food.
"Come on guys! Let's go get something to eat." Doubar suggested to his friends. Hameed, Salam, Bailey, and Darwin were the crew members in his boat.
Doubar looked into the darkness to make sure his little brother was coming. He could just make out the shape of his longboat in the distance.
"Well, let's go!" Doubar said.
The rain was still pouring out of the night sky and Doubar was extremely happy to be on 'dry' land. The five men plodded along through the small town until they came to a what appeared to be a tavern.
"The Dragon Tavern." Doubar read off the sign posted on the building. "Let's go in." Doubar suggested.
It was a small room only lit up by a few candles scattered around it. Doubar spotted a soaked Maeve and Rongar seated at a table by a window. The rest of the crew were all seated at various tables throughout the tavern.
"Hi guys!" Doubar greeted as he approached his friends.
"Hello Doubar." Maeve replied.
Rongar nodded. Just as Doubar sat down, Sinbad walked in. He looked around the tavern and smiled as he spotted his friends.
"Ah! There you are!" Sinbad said as he pulled up a chair and sat down. "Where's Firouz?" Sinbad asked.
"He went to rent us rooms at the inn like you told him too." Maeve answered.
Just as Maeve finished speaking, Firouz also entered. "I got us rooms!" Firouz proudly stated as he sat down.
"How many?" Sinbad asked.
"Well, I used our emergency fund, and I was able to get six rooms. We have about forty gold pieces left over for food and repairs to the ship." Firouz explained.
"We have rations on the Nomad. They'll have to make-do. We need that money to repair the ship." Sinbad reasoned. "But right now, we're going to catch our deaths sitting here soaked like this. Do you guys want some soup?"
His friends all exhaustedly nodded.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next morning, Sinbad awoke to find himself in a tacky little room. The storm had passed, but the sky was still grey. He was trying to remember why he was sleeping on the floor, but his thoughts were interrupted by loud snoring. Sinbad remembered that he was sharing a room with Doubar and a crew member named Bailey.
As Sinbad sat up, he noticed that Doubar was still asleep in the bed. Bailey's blanket and pillow were still on the recliner that he had slept on. He probably went to go get something to eat. Sinbad heard a low rumbling in his stomach, so he decided to get up too. He stood up, neatly folded his blankets, and pulled on his boots. As he was pulling on his damp vest, he heard a quiet knocking on the door.
"Sinbad?" Maeve whispered as she opened up the door.
"Yes?" he asked as he adjusted his red headband.
"Do you want to go and get something to eat?" she asked.
"As long as you don't mind eating regular old sea rations!" he replied with a smile.
"Well actually, I just wanted to talk." she added.
"Sure. Why don't we go down to the tavern for something to drink?" he suggested.
"Okay, here." she said as she handed him his saber.
Sinbad grinned in thanks as they headed outside to the Dragon Tavern.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Inside the tavern, Maeve and Sinbad were seated across from each other at a wooden table.
"Well, it's about Dermott," Maeve began, "there's something I want to tell you about him."
Maeve was about to tell Sinbad about Dermott being her little brother, after the previous night, she realized how much she wanted to get it out in the open. When she had seen Sinbad jump overboard for Doubar, she had realized that she almost never had a chance to tell him. Just as she opened her mouth to tell her big secret, Doubar walked over to them.
"Hi guys!" Doubar greeted.
"Sinbad, I'll tell you another time." Maeve said. "I'm going for a walk. Come on Dermott." she said as Dermott landed on her gloved hand.
Sinbad was angry that Doubar had just interrupted them like that. Maeve was just about to tell him about Dermott. He respected Maeve's privacy, but he wished she would just tell him already! It was a secret that she obviously wanted only him to know.
"Maeve, don't be too long please. We need your help to repair the ship." Sinbad beseeched.
Maeve nodded and walked out of the tavern.
"So, how does it feel to be a whole year older, Big Brother?" Sinbad asked, just a bit miffed at being interrupted with Maeve.
"Not any different than last year." Doubar answered with a smile, not even sensing his brother's curtness.
Sinbad shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry your birthday was ruined." he said.
"Oh, it's not ruined!" Doubar replied. "It would have only been ruined if something had happened to you. The more I think about it, the more I realize that this was probably one of my best birthday's ever!"
Sinbad grinned back. "Well, if you feel that way, then when we leave later today for Baghdad, this could be the best birthday ever!"
Doubar jumped up from his seat. "Well, let's get a move on! I can't wait for my party!"
Doubar happily ran out of the tavern. Sinbad smiled and ran off after his big brother. If he had a good birthday when the Nomad was in a storm, he couldn't wait to see Doubar at the party!
~*~The End!~*~