.5 - Time Trip Pt. 04

Time Tripping part 4 is the fourth part of many stories of the past lives and dreams of some of the main characters of the hinted at and more throughout the Road Tripping series. All of this story takes place deep in the past and the previous Time Tripping parts lead up to this one. I hope all have enjoyed this sub-story so far. Any constructive feedback is appreciated for these long ongoing tales. Many thanks to all my readers. S. L.

There is use of "Hemp products and magic mushrooms in this story. All sexualized characters or over 18.

Myrine hardly slept the night the strange ship was anchored off the reef near the entrance to harbor passage to Cortinarius. Her and Zephyra's lovemaking had calmed her enough to get to sleep and stay that way for a short time, but she was awake and at the balcony long before the sun rose.

Zephyra soon joined her at the porch to look out to sea at the ship. Just the bow and stern lamps were lit on the ship as most on board her were also fitfully sleeping too. To many years of dreams and visions for many here were now all coming together, after as many as ten years in Myrine's case.

Her dreams of the tall stranger had begun with the night of Zephyra's and Jonas's joining ceremony. Myrine was too young at the time to fully participate and join in the eating of the sacred mushrooms of insight, but she did consume much of the mushroom infused wine.

This was also her first night designated as protector of the priestess of the land, and she was now sleeping in the chamber that was just outside of Zephyra's. On the night of Zephyra and Jonas ceremony she slept to the happy sounds of their joining nearby, on a night filled with dreams of other times and a first look at the man she was destined to join with.

The first part of her dreams of the future and the man she was destined for came to her that night vividly. In her first dream she was an adult in this land watching an unusual ship approaching their harbor.

It had a varied crew and passengers. She could see an older man at the tiller. At least two from Egypt, one finely dressed. A very dark-skinned man likely from Nubia or deeper in the great land to the south. Two women, both who appeared to be working with the crew. A young man of about eighteen, was talking with the Egyptian. Near the bow next to the Nubian man was a tall, lighter skinned man with a touch of fire in his red-brown hair and deeply blue eyes, almost as unusual here as Zephyra's green ones.

His eyes, wide easy smile, and tall and strong looking body made Myrine's heart long for him like no other male she knew in her small land.

Later dreams of the stranger showed this and other times between them. Myrine watched herself as an adult in a strange land, in another time, with the tall stranger and Zephyra.

They were in a great open area, with huge buildings in the distance. There were hundreds of people all around them with all kinds of music and drums being played. Food and herbs were being cooked and burned everywhere about them also. Hundreds of low shelters were arrayed all close rows together with the large crowds of people.

She watched herself dressed in a strange but beautiful outfit with swirling blue and green colors in it, follow Zephyra, also colorfully dressed, and the stranger place sacred stones all around the unusual small and low structure, that was mostly white painted metal with thick silver and black wheels. The three of them entered the structure to perform another crystal ceremony like the one for the fisherman of their land.

Once this was done Zephyra handed them a pouch which contained six of the sacred mushroom caps for her and the stranger to share.

The second part of this dream was of her, and the stranger engaged in fierce, passionate lovemaking in a cloth shelter. There were tremendous storms flashing and crashing all around them as they made love in a way she sometimes heard and saw Jonas and Zephyra when they were together.

They were in an unusual bed on the ground that was unable to fully protect her from hurting a little with the strength they were both showing, but this was quickly covered by the pleasure she felt from them coming together.

She saw half of her outfit from earlier hanging from the poles in the ceiling of the structure alongside his blue and red garment. Both outfits were being illuminated by the flashes of lightning and along with the crystals hanging around her neck. They bathed the shelter in the many colors reflected from all inside with each wild flash from outside.

Myrine saw and felt the skirt from her outfit still bunched up around her waist. It felt to be of the softest cloth she had ever known. Like the cloth that came from far in the east from beyond the roof of the world.

These dreams had left her deeply confused and with her hand buried in her sacred places, bring herself the pleasures as Zephyra had taught her.

Over the next ten years these dreams and others had haunted and excited Myrine and now here at last was the ship and hopefully the man of her visions.

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When the first glow of dawn began to brighten the clear, black skies, both the ship and the buildings above began to stir.

Leandros was awakened well before the dawn when the night watch noticed a change in the wind direction. Half of the crew woke with the change in feel of the ship. All of the rest of the crew and passengers were awakened to give them some time to prepare before they began their run into the harbor.

Nikephoros was put in charge of the safety of the envoy from Egypt Metpat. If they had a serious problem, he was to get him into their small boat and do his best to get him to shore safely.

Leandros had taken on the unusual request from the court of the pharaoh. Along with the pharaoh's envoy he had three story singers with him. One from the court of the pharaoh and two others. One who had been visiting the court for a year and was ready to move on and another who had been with Leandros on their journey for the last three years, along with his uncle who was as good a teller of tales as any of the others.

They carried a varied cargo of higher value items, not easily obtained in the eastern Mediterranean and goods they had traded for in Egypt. From the Pharaohs court they had many sealed messages. Some of these were to be opened upon their meeting with the leaders of the land ahead of them, Cortinarius. Three carried cartouches that Leandros knew were for his eyes shortly. He had learned to read some of the hieroglyphs and one of the court scribes had shown him the cartouche for his name in their hieroglyphs.

The youngest among their passenger/crewmembers was Tika. A young Egyptian female Mew which had adopted Leandros shortly after they first landed in the upper Nile Delta for fresh water, a little over half a year earlier when a half-grown kitten. Within seven days of her arrival onboard, there were no more vermin on their ship and no new arrivals lasted to the next day with her onboard. Now she was at the prow of their ship determined to lead her humans on their mission to Cortinarius.

All were anxious to begin their run into the harbor ahead. For over four years they had traveled from north of the pillars at the end of land all throughout the great sea, trading and taking some passengers in their sturdy ship. She had first been built by Leandros' father and their family when he was a child and she had served them well.

Twice they had the planks on her ribs and keel replaced. An unusual design for this time, but one that added some strength and flexibility to their hull and allowed for the adoption of the two-masted rig. Her hull was painted white at her re-planking with cedar in Tyra two years ago, to keep her cooler and to make her less visible on the water to pirates. A scourge as old as mankind's first days upon the seas, it seemed.

The new rig adapted from the ships the sailed the Nile, gave them more speed and the ability to sail closer to the wind. It also gave them a better chance at this port under less-than-ideal conditions.

In this time most captains avoided the open sea, mostly staying within sight of land since navigation in the open sea was VERY DIFFICULT!!

There was no need to talk of sea monsters in this time. The seas teamed with large fish, sharks, whales, and many other creatures that could easily overturn many smaller boats and awaited any sailors' mistakes to add to their food supply.

Leandros had an advantage few captains in this time enjoyed. His father had given him a stone that had unusual properties. When an iron needle was rubbed against it and the needle floated in a small bath of quicksilver it would point to the north stars.

This device was rare but not unknown in these times. The court of the Pharoah was aware of this device and did have a few of these "Magic/Magnetic" stones in their possession for this and other uses they would not tell them of. It was this along with the strong ship they commanded that helped persuaded the Regent to send them on this mission without interference from local officials and their conflicting interests.

The commission paid very well and allowed Leandros' access to items usually not sold to foreigners. He was paid half of his full payment before they left, and the rest would be paid after he took the envoy to their full embassy in a major port to the north after planned visit at Cortinarius of thirty to forty days depending on the weather and sailing issues.

The best charts in the archives showed a very difficult approach to the harbor along a narrow reef and rock bordered channel for quite a distance. Leandros and his uncle looked over the maps and copied what they were allowed to for their mission but both men knew they would not really know how difficult sailing into the harbor would be until they saw it with their own eyes.

The trip had gone well from leaving the Pharoah's summer palace south of Memphis and quickly sailing up the Nile with one stop near the end of the Delta to fill their amphora with as much fresh water as they could. If needed they could stop at other places along the way, but they had arrived outside Cortinarius with a week's water still on board along with plenty of food and fine Egyptian Wines and Beers.

Their mixed "Square and Nile Rigs" were readied to be changed quickly depending on the winds. Their ten strong sweeps, replacements and shorter stouter sticks were handy on the rails for fending off rocks and coral heads. It was a clear morning, and the moderate breeze was steady from a favorable direction with their Nile rig once inside their harbor channel Leandros and his uncle, Hector figured. The Light of the Sun reached the edge of the Earth over the sea to the east as their anchors were hoisted and their Square rig was raised for the best sailing in this direction.

Just before their turn to the harbor, they would have to change to the Nile rig for the close sailing down the long, narrow, channel. Their sweeps would help make the turn sharply with the well-trained crew they had and Leandros and his strongest crew member at the bow to fend off any obstacles. The tide had turned and was running in and higher into Cortinarius' harbor.

On Shore all were having a relaxed meal and making their final preparations for the ships arrival. Myrine was dressed in her ceremonial robes with her short bronze sword at her waist. All of the Archers under her command were set hours early and enjoying the view and watching what ninety percent were saying were friends coming in. Either way there was going to be a banquet for all in the land tonight. To either welcome new friends, celebrate their victory over pirates coming to invade and steal from them, or a memorial for those who had died on their dangerous shores.

Reports from lookouts on all points told Myrine and the other leaders they saw no other vessels in sight except distant fishing vessels from other larger islands over the horizon. Jonas was already on board one of two ships that would go out to a point that could only be reached from the harbor and was near the channel where they could talk with the inbound ship and ascertain its intentions. Several others were ready on shore, ready to go out to quickly try to rescue survivors if there was a shipwreck.

Zephyra, Basilia, and the rest of the spiritual and political leadership of the land were dressing in their own welcoming or warrior uniforms for the day. Zephyra's sister Hyacinthe, who was to succeed her Mother one day as leader, was to lead any attacks from above called out by Jonas and Myrine from their forward observations.

Myrine, their guards captain and four well-armed guards in leather and bronze uniforms and carrying shields, would be with her on the pier and another twenty Soldiers above, were ready to finish off any problems the archers did not. Hyacinthe and the rest under her command also mostly agreed they were friendly and the last two days counted as a round of seasonal training if there were no problems.

All were ready when they saw the ship make the turn after one more distant pass and look at the passage. On their second closer pass there was almost a gasp from all watching as they quickly dropped their square rig and put out two Nile rigged sails and use sweeps to sharply turn the ship and begin their run into the harbor.

Once they had their direction set correctly, Leandros ordered the rear triangular sail lowered to slow them for their approach. His ship was strong enough to handle some small scrapes off the rocks and he and his crewman, Amaros would be at the bow to fend off any rocks and coral heads they could. Tika had now moved to the small boat on the deck for a clear look from this higher perch

Leandros saw the small boats heading to a side passage to meet and talk with him and find out their intentions. Assuming they survived that far. It was not an easy entrance at all.

Barely twice as wide as their long ship they came in a little close on Amaros's side and Leandros was over quickly to aid in working them to the center of the channel with only a light rasping once on the hull. They had themselves centered on the channel shortly and kept up a slow speed watching both sides closely. There were two short turns they had to take but after about a third of the way in the channel appeared straight and two of the fishing craft were waiting to talk with them.

Jonas' boat and the other had arrived at the meeting place in the reefs and got to watch them work up close now to avoid the last two coral heads that had caught many ships who relaxed too soon. He could see two men at the prow of the ship waiting to exchange greetings and watching for more obstacles. Once he felt they were within shouting distance he called to them in the language of the local islands and Egyptian which he knew they should know some of with their diplomatic pennant flying.

Jonas could speak two other languages well and roughly communicate in half a dozen others. It was one of the things that made him so valuable to their whole island. This was a time when those who traded and traveled had to be able to communicate with many others in the world they traveled in.

The lighter skinned man called back to him with a friendly greeting in a slightly halting version of their language and said they were carrying an envoy from the court of the Pharoah of Egypt and many messages for their leader. They had with them three story singers to exchange tales and histories along some goods and items for trade if they were interested.

Jonas had seen more the fifty ships over his thirty-three years attempt the passage and had called out the four ships of pirates in the past eighteen years he had gone out to be a greeter of strangers. These were no pirates. He could see these people were clean and did not carry many weapons out and looked to be what they said. The Egyptian Envoy it appeared called out from near the bow and offered greetings from the Pharoah to Basilia, from their leader to the leader of this land of insight and education.

Jonas ordered the hoisting of the purple pennant from the fishing vessels mast to let all know these were friends and that they should prepare for diplomatic reception when he hoisted a second purple flag to join with the first in the breeze.

All on shore visibly relaxed when the first flag shown. With the second one all preparations took on a more festive mood. Zephyra put on her finest robes and had her eldest daughter and niece pinning her appropriate headpiece into her braids. The inlay and crystals shown in the sun surrounded by surprisingly light gold and silver frame holding it all above her head and almost blending with her blonde hair.

She would greet them when Myrine and the guards captain led them up the great staircase to the main market and reception area for their land. All but the three groups of archers on the wall and the twenty soldiers began to make their final preparations for the reception to begin.

Hyacinthe and the others would still watch over all as they landed in case of trouble and then act as an honor guard for the guests before joining in the festivities.

On the pier out at its furthest point Myrine and the guards captain who recently became joined with her younger sister looked out and relaxed a bit at the signal from Jonas. The second one led him to order his men to prepare to help tie the ship up and act as escorts for any high-ranking diplomats on board.

As he went to talk with his men and set the details up Myrine looked out to the ship approaching at a leisurely and safe pace into their harbor. When they had passed Jonas, she began to see some of the details of who was on the ship. The resemblance to her dreams was uncanny in many ways.

At the bow were two men talking with Jonas as they drew to their nearest point and the three boats began to roughly parallel one another into the harbor. The two men still using sweeps to keep clear of some of rocks they passed nearby.

One man was tall and very dark skinned, likely of Nubia or further south into Africa. The man of the same height next to him was the man in her dreams that made her heart and soul flutter like the butterflies she loved to watch in their gardens. His skin was had a touch of red in it to from long hours in the sun and his complexion was more like those of the north and west. His long tied back hair and trimmed beard had some red in with the brown she could see as they pulled closer

There was an older white-haired man at the Tiller and several others handling the rigging or watching the sides and keeping their sweeps handy. A Mew went and leapt onto the clothed shoulders of the man of her dreams as he went to talk with others and make his way to talk with the man at the tiller.

As he returned, the Mew joined the two men on the bow for head scratches. Myrine could not help laughing to herself telling her brother-in-law that there was now the captain of the ship pointing out the Mew looking out to them.

He laughed and told his men to line up and be ready as soon as they reached shouting distance of those approaching. It looked like today would be a good one for the land and people with items from the outside lands to trade for and News of the world around them.

Leandros looked out at the piers he was heading for and saw the now sandy bottom under them now and allowed himself to relax a little and look out at those waiting to receive them. He could see many looking out from the cliffs above the harbor. Many looked to be archers or those clothed in leather and bronze, but they had a very relaxed look about them. They had been prepared for trouble but now were ready to receive the envoy from Egypt.

On the completely cleared docks there were just six awaiting his arrival, as the two smaller craft were just landing ahead of them further down the long beach their other fishing vessels were beached on.