Title: Chance, a bedtime story

Fandom:Liveship Traders

Prompt and challenges: fan_flashworks challenge #235 prompt(s) « Ship »

Characters and relationships: Amber, Paragon, OC

Length: 950 (words)

Content notes: reference to past injuries, AU (the way Amber heals Paragon is different)

Author notes: I read this a longish time ago and I don't really remember how it happens in the book. Initially I only wanted to exploit the idea that there's no reason for ships to have a gender and have genderfluid Amber free him from this cage as well. As usual though, they both did as they wished without listening to me.
I didn't know it until I wrote the last few lines but I was probably influenced by the recent discory of Pride Dragons by Kaenith which can be seen here (design and craft) :)

Summary: Newly recarved Paragon comes back to port at last and meets its first crew member.



"You know," said Amber carefully, "I think you should choose another name."


"Why? People will know it's me. They won't let me in their ports. They think I'm jinxed."


"You're not," said Amber absentmindedly.


"So what, I'm no the paragon of anything?" said Paragon after a while, voice heavy with sarcasm.


"Don't be childish, I just think it's a good way to start a new life. You have a new face, you should have a new name to go with it."


Paragon stayed silent a long time and Amber got back to sculpting one of the tiny pieces she'd carved out of the main frame of the ship.


"Breeze." Paragon's voice was barely more than a whisper.


Amber nodded. It was a good name. It suited them. "Breeze."


She rose and reached up. "Bend your head please."


"What are you doing?" said Breeze curiously.


"You'll see... Of course, you might want to actually open your eyes for that," she added in a cajoling tone.


Breeze gruffed, huffed and puffed but she knew she would convince them eventually.


"You're gorgeous you know."


"No, I'm not." Breeze voice was guarded. The pain of axes wielded by men driven mad by slaughter was still fresh on their mind, even though it happened years ago.


It took a long long time to entice them to open their eyes and an even longer time to make them look in the mirror. Breeze studied their reflection for hours, only setting the mirror down with the sunset and then lost themselves in the pink and purple darkening sky until stars twinkled merrily.


---


Silence crept along the docks eerily, like a chill taking over the usually loud and busy port. Liveships stared with bulging eyes, sailors and merchants stopped what they were doing, crates and transactions forgotten. A liveship was entering the bay, its colors unknown but its face unmistakable. Paragon was among us. Who would be so crazy as to sail this cursed ship? Who repared the wreck and convinced him to accept passengers again? The silence was ominous as the liveship glided smoothly in a free spot and docked. A lithe figure landed and secured ropes swiftly, a gangplank was set and people stared waiting for what was next.


Before I knew it, I was stepping forward, coming closer to look at the delicate carvings, the stunning new face he wore.


"Hello" I said before I could stop myself.


The ship looked at me curiously and I stayed there, frozen by my own boldness. I was about to bolt and run when a smile broke on the wooden face.


"Hello. I'm Brezze."


"Oh," I said, nonplussed. "You're very beautiful, you don't look like a boy anymore and I like the necklace, are these starfish? Where are you going to sail? Where is your crew?"


"We don't have one yet, as for our destination, I should keep it secret for the time being." The voice coming from my back was androgynous and when I turned I saw it was the charm maker, Amber.


"Did you finish the carvings? He's gorgeous!" I clamped a hand on my mouth to shut myself up.


"Thank you. Like you said though, Breeze is not a boy. You can use they/them when you speak of them."


"Okay. Nice to meet you Breeze."


It started like a low rumble and for a split second I feared Paragon was going to unchain his wrath once again but the low growl turned into a pearly laughter, carefree and joyous. It was rather contagious and I joined quickly, oblivious of the crowd staring from a safe distance.


"How old are you?"


"Sixteen."


"No you're not. Family?"


I shrugged non-comitally.


"Wanna enlist for an adventure?"


"Hell yeah! I ah, sorry, I mean, yes please."


The charm maker chuckled.


"Come on then, let's meet your new captain. What's your name?"


"Chance."


She winked and led me up the gangplank. I followed without a spare glance to the life I left behind.


---


"And this my dear children is how your grand-mother became a sailor."


I blinked and sprawled, making myself more comfortable beside my brother.


"But Granny, was Breeze a boy or a girl?" he asked.


"Neither silly, it was a boat," I answered.


"I know it was a boat but it must have been one or the other."


"Why?"


"I don't know, it's just the way things are!"


"No it's not!"


"Is!"


"Not!"


Granny stopped us before we went into full scale sibling bickering. "Liveships are sentient, like we are, like many creatures. They can decide for themselves and so can you. No one can decide for you whether you're a boy, a girl, a bit of both or neither or something else entirely."


"Well, I'm a boy!" piped my brother.


"So am I," I added decidedly.


"No! You're a girl! You're my sister!"


"Enough with that, if he says he's a boy then he's your brother, not your sister. You don't get to decide for him and neither do I. Now back to bed both of you!"


"Granny, please! Tell us another tale of your adventures with Breeze!"


"Not tonight. I'll tell you one tomorrow."


"Granny! Pretty please?"


"No, you're already way past bedtime. Now, do you need anything before I turn off the lights?"


"Kisses!" "Cuddle!"


She hugged us both and left us to sleep. That night, I dreamt of men with makeup and women with beard dancing on a deck, being drenched by a big wave and emerging each in the body they really should have had when they were born, men in women's bodies were turned into real men and vice-versa and some people were turned into dragons and they were all very happy.