It wasn't news to Ollie that they would be reaching the port of Ynnis today. There had been whispers of land long before it had been sighted, but the morning had dawned with a stiff west wind that filled the sails and sent the Amaranta barreling forward. All day they had sailed until they heard the familiar cry of *land ho!* from above, and the entire crew had leaped to their feet, whooping and cheering like they had discovered a new world.
Indeed, for many of them, landing in Ynnis amounted to as much. Though several of the more experienced crew members had weathered the treacherous journey to Itona before, most of them were poised to see this new land for the first time. The excitement was palpable across the ship's deck as Ollie crossed to the bow and leaned across the gunwale, hinging at the hip as far as he could to squint at the dark shadow of land in the distance.
"Oi Ollie, don't you lean too far," a rough voice sounded behind him, softened with a gravelly chuckle. A strong hand, weathered by decades of pulling ropes and oars alike, clapped Ollie on the shoulder as the blond-headed young man turned around with a grin splitting his pointed face.
"Ah, don't you worry about me, Jarus," Ollie said with a laugh, straightening up off the gunwale. He brought a hand up to push back the chin-length blond hair that framed his face, cheer-worn eyes crinkling at the edges as he grinned over at the older sailor. "This close to land, I could swim there as fast as the boat could sail, I'll bet."
Jarus gave him a hearty laugh, turning his wise gaze out toward Itona as well. "Did you ever think you'd be sailing across the East Sea to Itona, then, Ollie boy?" he asked, heaving a full-body sigh as he leaned his palms against the gunwale. There was a wistful look in his eyes as he looked out at the new continent, as if dreaming of his first voyage across the sea, his first time alighting in the port of Ynnis.
"I never thought, but my brother probably did," Ollie said, observing the look in Jarus's eye with a twinkling curiosity. "Then again, I never did have much thought in my head."
That elicited a loud guffaw from Jarus. Ollie turned his gaze back onto Itona, growing closer and closer as the day ticked by, and he couldn't help but rock up onto the balls of his feet to lean back over the gunwale, reaching his arm out toward the continent. "Even the air smells different here, Jarus," he said, breathing in long and hard. "Like... crisp fruit. Fresh leaves. Cut grass."
"And don't forget *riches*," Jarus added with a knowing look. "You know what they say about Itona. It's the land of progress and the land of opportunity. Now me, I'm too old to take advantage of any of that, but you. Why, there's a whole world out there for you."
Ollie grinned, letting out a whoop as he swung a leg up over the gunwale and sat astride, feeling the wind sweep through his hair. "You're right, Jarus, and I plan to see what this place has in store for me. I mean - we all are, even you. At the very least, I expect you'll do a thorough exploration of Ynnis while we're moored here in the new land."
He swung his leg back over and hopped off the rail, swinging an arm around Jarus. "Come on, it's time to stow the sails."
Within hours they were there, the Amaranta moored just off the docks as the crew piled into smaller dinghies to row their way ashore. Ollie sat at the bow, pulling his oar eagerly through the water, and when they finally nudged up against the wooden planks of the dock, he barely waited long enough to pull the oars in before he leaped out of his seat and onto the dock. Hands tucked on his hip, he heaved a sigh and breathed in deep, savoring the mingled smells of sea air, fish, food and dirt as the bustle of the port came flooding to his ears.
"This," he said, listening to the rest of the crew clamber onto land. "I could get used to this." Excitement course through him, and he looked back once to catch his friends' eyes, reveling in the shared thrill of landing in this new place. There was only one question left - where should they begin?
![[Handler] Ollie Tiller](https://itona.io/images/gallery/0/1_vE7N67j6dX.png "Click to view larger size")
