Tiana looked longingly at the small window of her room. One could look down on the foaming sea from the estate, which had been built on a hill. Sometimes the admiral's daughter wished she could just take one of her mother's ships and set sail. While there were few rules the girl had to obey, those few were particularly cruel. At least that's how Tiana felt.

With a sigh, she supports herself with her arms on the window sill. Even if the girl couldn't hear the sound of the waves at that moment, she imagined it. The song of the waves was her favorite sound, for something about the sound of the sea calmed her. She couldn't say exactly what, though. It wasn't just the waves that appealed to her. The sea itself possessed an almost magical attraction. One day I will be sailing with Sunja and the others on the sea, she thought to herself, I want to see all known countries and discover new ones. Yes, she wanted to be an explorer.

With this thought, Tiana's thoughts of Sunja got stuck. The grown woman was her best friend among the sailors, after all there were few children on her mother's islands. Unlike her own skin, the woman's skin was dark. She used to be surprised when she was a small child, but then the seafarer told her the reason for her different skin color.

In the very early days of mankind, the god of fire, Ritor, loved his firstborn so much when he created all people that he always had to hug them. As a result, her skin became darker and darker.

Of course she knew that story was nonsense. After all, she was already twelve winters old and at twelve winters you know a lot about the world. Old Kalvin explained to her that the officer's darker skin was due to the sun's rays. She is a protection against the merciless heat on the high seas. Only the most experienced sailors would know that and after all she had often gone sailing with her mother in the bay. So she was probably one of the experienced seamen.

Actually, she didn't care about the woman's skin. It didn't make any difference either way because Sunja was one of the nicest members of her mother's team. She always brought her something sweet from the distant provinces and you could always see true joy in the woman's narrow blue eyes. The seafarer wasn't above playing with her either. Many of the old sea dogs just growled sullenly when Tiana asked them to play with her. Would a little game of tag kill her? While she didn't have an answer to the question of tag, Kalvin certainly did. Thinking about the chef on her mother's flagship again, the girl remembered why she was watching the sea through her window. She was looking for that very ship.

In the morning she had tried to play with Marik to pass the time. Unfortunately, the sixteen-year-old boy had a hard time understanding the principle of play. Again and again she had tried to explain the rules to him. It couldn't be that difficult if even she understood it. It was seemingly impossible to teach the guy a game. However, the blond boy made an effort to live up to her standards, which Tiana gave him credit for. On the other hand, she had spent the entire afternoon looking at the waves, but nothing was to be seen. All in all, this sunrise had been uninteresting.

Sobered, she dropped her shoulder when nothing happened. Actually, the lady of the high seas should have already arrived, but there was nothing to be seen on the blue horizon. Does it maybe last another sunrise? She pushed listlessly off the windowsill and trotted out of the room.

On the way out of her mother's residence, she hung her head in disappointment. She walked through the harbor with her hands in the pockets of her dark pants. Now and then one of the sailors would greet them. Once she was even approached by a vendor who wanted to give her something sweet, but Tiana kindly declined, saying, "No thanks, my mother says I shouldn't accept anything from strangers. Have a nice sunrise.”

The most wondrous things could be seen in the port of Malnesia at any time. In addition to colorful towels from all provinces, there were delicacies from the most remote corners of the world. Sailors, mercenaries and merchants with jugs in their hands staggered out of numerous taverns.

It always smelled a little strange in there, but Tiana had gotten used to it. She knew passing the merchant piers was worthwhile. This was the only way to get to the quays of the fleet. There, she was aware, there were real treasures to be admired. The important thing was not to attract attention. The crews of the ships did not like having children among them at all, though that was less because of the men and women in their mother's service than because of their mother herself.

Kelvin, the Lady of the High Seas' old cook, occasionally reported of her mother's unbridled temperament. Sometimes she saw the seafarer so angry that she feared her, but that was seldom. The girl, in most cases, was the reason for this. There had been times when Tiana ate something that turned her mother from a loving heroine into a monster to flee from.

Lost in thought, she walked down the main road that would lead to the military ship docks. At its end, the road that ran past the quays ended in a narrow wooden bridge. It stretched out under palm trees over a small bay. Tiana was aware that this belonged to a river that had its source on a mountain in the middle of the island. The girl knew from stories how tiny the trickle was that later became a large river. Tiana searched for the name of the river in her mind and remembered that it was called the Dream Eater. She couldn't remember why, though.

The palm trees on the bridge provided protection from the sun's rays. The girl tried to strut across the bridge as confidently as she could. It had been her experience that if you acted like you had a right to be where you were, you were less likely to be bothered. To her own surprise, it worked surprisingly often.

Only a few sailors met her. All of them seemed so preoccupied with themselves that they didn't notice the figure crossing the bridge. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Tiana reached the quays. The hustle and bustle of the men and women who put the big ships to sea stretched across the entire military port. Although she had seen this spectacle many times before, she was sure that it would never lose its appeal. People hurriedly scurried back and forth between the docks.

Ships were unloaded with impressive barge cranes while men brought heavy boxes from the jetties to agreed storage locations. They made, at least Tiana thought, the funniest facial expressions from the effort. Keeping a straight face was usually a matter of honor for these tough guys, but it was a different picture on their home island. She knew that most of these sailors had made countless voyages around the world.

Many of the sailors sported the same dark skin as Sunja. Often this went hand in hand with black or brown hair. Whether the hair was tied in a ponytail, cropped or bald in the manner of the inhabitants of the distant province of Darania, there was no limit to creativity. Sometimes they wore tattered, sometimes noble clothes on their bodies. All in all, the team was a motley crew. Everyone was welcome as long as he or she was willing to endure the hatred of all the provinces for freedom.

Her mother explained it often enough that it was now burned into Tiana's mind. In her mind she repeated the doctrine:

Freedom is the greatest good to be defended. Protecting you is our highest duty. Her tutor, Mr. Masív, often claimed that this sentence was nonsense. He always said: "Freedom is not a duty, it is a burden and a treasure at the same time."

She didn't quite understand what he meant by that herself, but it was certainly something clever. The man was constantly trying to teach her knowledge that most people didn't have. She was already very good at arithmetic and reading, which the girl was particularly proud of. She was still struggling a little with writing, but it was sure to get better. She understood early on the power of stories.

Suddenly a murmur went through the busy crowd. Curious, Tiana looked in the direction of where the commotion was coming from. Some of those present pointed to the horizon, over which in the distance the deep blue sails of a ship billowed in the wind. A red flag flapped above the crow's nest. Her heart leapt with joy. Only the Lady of the High Seas, her mother's ship, had a red flag. The other ships in the fleet displayed gold flags. Excited, she tried to sneak through the crowd to the pier. The salty scent of the sea wafted through her nostrils while the light breeze caressed her curly brown hair.

After what felt like an eternity, she reached the jetty. The ship was still far away, but she could already make out individual members of the crew. She recognized the cabin boy Jonár by the figure on the bow, a gigantic cat of prey. Grinning, the boy waved to the sailors gathering ashore, some of whom were Leorans. In the past, she had often been afraid of the tall people from the mainland, because they made a pretty scary impression at first sight. They had the appearance of extremely strong, upright cats and usually grew much larger than humans, but they no longer frightened the Leorans. Tiana had learned that they were no better or worse than humans.

By now she even spotted lookout Lem, a thin fellow who was often seen either in the Crow's Nest or on the way there.

Waves foamed and burst under the force of the ship's hull. The mistress plowed energetically through the shimmering sea. The wind gently caressed the head of the young girl, who was now waiting at the end of the jetty for her mother to arrive. "Reef the sails and prepare the anchor!" rang out the mistress on board as she approached the pier, and it wasn't long before the crew's reply rang out: "Aye Aye, Cap'n!" Cheers and jeers followed according to the daughter of the admiral.

Finally, with a splash of the massive anchor, the mistress docked in the harbor. This only increased the cheers. A gangway was lowered, from which sailors immediately poured onto the jetty and began hooting their friends. Beaming men and women hugged each other.

A few kissed long-lost husbands, until finally a harsh voice rang out on the pier, "Your admiralty has come home, you drunkards!" As the crowd turned at First Officer Sunja Whirlwind's voice, Tiana's mother strode down the descent. With renewed cheering, she stepped onto the jetty. Grinning, the admiral bowed deeply to her entourage, then called out, "What are you still doing here? The taverns are waiting to be filled. Let's party, friends!"

When the crowd responded with more shouts and songs of praise, Sunja shouted, laughing: "You heard the admiral, take your gold to the barmaids!" The sailors hurriedly disappeared into the city.

Only now did the tall woman notice her daughter on the dock. She glared at the child with a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing here, Tiana?" She asked in a serious tone.

"I don't know how many times I've told you not to come to the docks. You have no business being here.”

Tiana frowned at her shoes. The mother walked towards her with firm steps. Meanwhile, she continued to scold her: "It's dangerous on the quays. This is no place for children.” Tiana nodded in concern when a hand suddenly fell on her shoulder.

"Nevertheless, I'm glad to see you."

Her mother's voice suddenly softened.

"Now give your elderly mother a hug."

The girl slowly raised her head and saw her mother's smiling face. Beaming with joy, she wrapped her arms around the admiral, who immediately returned the gesture. Lost in immeasurable joy, the admiral lifted Tiana up just enough to throw her off the ground, only to spin her in place. Buried in the woman's long brown hair, she felt a kiss on her head. As a feeling of comfort spread through her, Tiana realized how much she had missed her mother.