I been a sailor my whole life. I was born in Korvosa, and as my folks weren't too well off, so they sent me as a wee boy to sail on the House Leroung merchant ships and learn my trade. Growing up on the sea made me tough and quick, and I learned to find my place in the ship. It was soon clear that when ya spend months all with a whole buncha halflings in tight quarters you gotta have some code to live by or none of us'd live long. None of us talked about rules, 'neither what we could 'r couldn't do, it was just somethin' we all knew. And there's consequences if'n you go and break that bond. I 'member first time we caught a boy pluckin' apples from a barrel in the hold - 'e got off next port and never saw him again - his ride there was none too pleasant, too!
Years I spent wit none but the sun and sea fer parents, ah, but I did love that sea! She be trecherous and quick to punish, but there ain't no beauty in any land so fair as that great blue lady. Many a dawn an' dusk from the nest I saw...there just ain't no words that can tell what I saw. Then one stop in port cap'n takes on a human. Don't know what made 'em do it, but glad I was he did. I ne'er seen any of the big folk take so kindly to us as 'e did. Strange fellow, 'e was. Never once told us a name to call 'em by. Since only few humans ever came on board, we called 'em giant. Giant was every bit as quick 'n nimble as us wee folk. Once I fell from the rigging - and this feller raced clear from aft ta fore an' caught me! After that 'e took me under his wing - guess giant didn't wanna catch me all the time, so 'e taught me all mannera teachin's. Told me ta balance tha mind ta balance tha body, an' how ta focus yer spirit. Aye, 'e was a good feller. Ha, never did fall again after that. Few years later we took to port an' Giant vanished without'a word. No idea where 'e might be now.
Wit' Giant gone, I was lonely now I had just tha sun an' stars ta talk to, but a sailor lass caught my eye once after I swiched crew. A beauty she was this Bellis, an' strong as any man on board. I set about ta court 'er, an' earned 'er love 'fore we set in fer tha next port. Then nigh a fortnight ago cook says food's gone missin'. Cap'n set extra watches ta catch tha thief, an' late that night when my turn came up, I saw Bellis sneaking into the hold! Ah, but it broke my heart! Next mornin' I marched right ta th' Cap'n ta tell 'im I knew who was takin' the food. I said I jus' coulnd't stand the guilt no more and that I'd been doin' it. They tossed me in tha brig an' let me off at tha next stop. Said Bellis cried a day an' a night outta shame for me.
So 'ere I am in port, can't work a boat no more. Gotta find work somehow, though.
