A salty spray of sea breeze caressed the tanned face of Demicles as he leaned over the railing of his ship, The Olympus. Running a hand across his stubbly countenance, he turned around and gazed lazily at his crew bustling around the deck, preparing boxes of goods for trade. His crew was a colorful one, consisting of men from many different lands and cultures, most from the Mediterranean. Their voyages to the Indian Ocean from the Mediterranean were very strenuous and lengthy and required a lot of men for assistance. Many were recruited during the voyages at several crucial stops along foreign coastlines. Amazing how they all seemed to get along…

“Captain Demicles! Captain Demicles, sir!” Demicles turned his head to find his best friend and first mate, Phaeclus, jogging towards him.

“What is it, Phaeclus?” He asked.

“Sir, we’re coming up alongside the Somalian coast. Are we to make berth here and stay a while, or is our visit only brief?” His ashen blue eyes sparkled with anticipation as he not so subtlely glanced at the coast. Demicles knew his friend loved the land of Somalia and all of its inhabitants. He found their culture and language enticing, not to mention their women.

“Phaeclus, how many times must I tell you not to call me ‘sir’? You’re my most beloved companion and I’ll not have you addressing me as your superior.”

Phaeclus wrenched his eyes away from the golden Somalian coast and looked at Demicles with a smile on his smooth face.

“Sorry, my friend. You are my captain after all, so it can’t hurt to address you as one…SIR,” Phaeclus joked. He paraded away, laughing at his own joke, leaving Demicles grinning amusedly behind.

He perused the coastline once more, examining the familiar docks and ports as his crew prepared to dock The Olympus. He observed the many sailors and merchants loading and unloading ships while conversing and making important transactions. Farther inland from the coast and away from the ports, Demicles could see the village huts and native Somalians through the sparse foliage. He marveled at the dark coloring of their skin, so different than his own. He was accustomed to seeing darker hues due to his intense and frequent sea-faring, but the rich, warm mocha color of the Somalians had always appealed to him.

“Demicles, should we start unloading now and go about our trading expertise?” Phaeclus inquired with a playful smirk upon his soft, angular features.

Demicles chuckled and slung a finely muscled arm across his friend’s shoulder. “Since when do you address me as ‘Demicles’, instead of ‘sir’?”

Phaeclus shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner and yawned, becoming quickly bored of the joke as he laid eyes on the Somalian huts. Demicles ran a hand through his shaggy black hair.

“You know what, Phaeclus, tell the men to take a break and find rest and recreation in the village. They all look like they need it.” Phaeclus’s eyes lit up and he flashed Demicles an appreciative smile before he began to walk towards the bulk of the crew.

“Demicles, my friend, you look like you could use the rest as well, you know. With you being captain and all…”

Demicles watched as Phaeclus strode away to relieve the crew of their duties. After being stuck on a ship for two weeks since their last stop on the South African coast, Demicles needed time to himself without the interruptions of the boisterous men on his ship.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is something that I wrote for my AP World History class that was supposed to just be for an easy daily grade. I decided to write a fiction/romance that included the Mediterranean/Indian Ocean trades, hoping that it would perhaps end my chronic writer’s block. Surprise, surprise!! The “block” is steadily falling and I just might go somewhere with this. This is only the intro but believe me, the romance WILL come. Once again, this is an interracial fic because I LOVE them with a passion. That reminds me, I want a lot of people to review writer262003’s The Unicorn ChroniclesBook OneBetween Worlds because I’ve fallen in love with that story and they won’t update it! They wanted reviews and I REALLY want them to continue! Speaking of reviews, I’d like to see some for this one! And as for Mankind’s Biggest Oxymoron, I’m stuck on what to write and I’ll try my best to think of something so I can update it! I have some words written down that were meant to be in the 2nd chapter so I guess I'll put those up since I know I've been disappointed a lot of people. Sorry! AndI'll do the best I can for this one!Review, review, review!