The Tale of Captain Killian Calnick Maverick
It's an old worn down story of a gallant cocky pirate, betrayed by his beautiful wife, who married a Prince. There are several stories and insights about the Pirate and several different versions of the same story. Some give details about his wife and how she and Maverick met and the sad truth of their "love". Some stories focused on the life that Prince Astros and his wife had. They are said to have been married after three days and deeply in love with each other and had five children together.
While some authors placed their own twist on Maverick's story, writing of his life after he was tossed into the ocean. Some wrote that the man sunk to the bottom and lived a life in anguish as a tortured soul, others say he survived and lived his life as a lonely man in some distant land. While the most popular belief is that a curse was taken upon him and he was turned into a sea demon, the very creature the captain would slay.
The never-ending and ever-changing Tale of Captain Killian Calnick Maverick
My fingers drummed against the wooden railings of the ship; my form supported by the railing. Watching my friend write frantically against his notebook, writing the newest story idea that came to him, destined to become the next hit selling novelist and become world-renowned. I watched him write his thoughts and speak incoherently to an invisible person, which wasn't out of character.
Adam Gillen, a young knight, and guard, personally chosen, sent on this formal business trip to the land of Astrolia. A nation that had been closed off to outsiders since the murder of King Kastro, the firstborn son of King Helio Astros. A murder that took place nearly 300 years ago. It was any writer's dream to visit the Kingdom and to be able to write about the extensive and endless beauty of the nation, to be an outsider and take advantage of the beautiful untainted city.
Adam Gillen was no different, a man well equipped with both the quill and blade.
This trip was meant to bring the Kingdom of Astrolia and the Kingdom of Cornelia to positive terms with each other and began trading goods and information between the two major nations. Astrolia is one of the world's biggest islands and controls one of the world's biggest and most dangerous oceans and was in easy possession of a rare ore called Atrolium, one that enhanced weaponry and technology. The reason for its rarity was due to the fact, that the ore was only found within the Calm Belt, which was known for the existence of large and undefeatable sea creatures, but Astrolia was located inside the Calm Belt and could tame such beasts of the dangerous ocean.
"It is all so exciting—To sail the seven seas."
Adam moves to my side silently, having finished writing his notes. A grin on his lips as he looks out into the ocean waves, the breeze rustling his dark brown hair, yet his green eyes remained optimistic. "Just imagine Pirates living this life. Every day." Adam has always loved the sea, and all that comes with it, a part of him since childhood wished to be a pirate, seeing as his father was one, but settled down with a woman, years before Adam's birth, leaving the rough sea life behind.
"You still have a chance..."
I mutter into the air, and Adam shakes his head with a grin.
His father and mother were put on trial and executed. The man for being a pirate and his past crimes and his wife, trialed and executed for loving one and not turning the pirate in. Adam is the final existence of the two, the only one that can remember them. I wonder if it ever bothered him, cause it never seemed to bother him.
"I'd be doing a disservice to Lord Rhodon. I am thrilled with the life I have built—I have no regrets, at least I don't think I do." Adam lets out an awkward laugh and speaks with a grin and he turns back to the ocean, deeply inhaling the sea salt air, before exhaling with just as much energy.
Lord Rhodon was Head Knight, the commander of all the military under King Henry, the one that oversaw everything and knew everything. He was a quiet but compassionate man. Some would even place him in the category of emotional. Majority of the military were orphans or runaways, people that needed work and Rhodon took them in with a smile on his face.
A part of me is jealous, to have such a kind Lord such as Rhodon. Even despite his reputation of being compassionate and loving, he wasn't the type of man to allow women to work as a knight, due to his own fears and past, and instead sent women or men weak or unable to Lord Ventura. The Head Assistant and the Personal Advisor of the King, the one that focused on the Kingdom's overall happiness and cleanliness.
A man, the exact opposite of Lord Rhodon, a man known for being cruel and abusing his power, stripping orphan children and runaways of their name and instead, forcing upon them the name of a number, and if you refused, then you'd be sent away or locked within the cells.
"12. You zoned out for a bit, you, okay?"
Adam stared at me with worry. I shook my head with a small smile. "You stare at the ocean and get lost in its blue." Speaking aloud, staring at the beautiful blue of the ocean, a color found nowhere else. I cross my arms and lean over the railing.
"They say mermaids and sirens swim in these waters."
The voice of Lord Rhodon made both me and Adam jump in surprise and fear. A sheepish grin on his tanned face, his long black, and gray hair pulled into a ponytail, one deep magenta eye peering at us. A large scar ran through the left side of his face, going from his forehead down to his chin, forcing his left eye close, and running through the corner of his lip.
"Didn't mean to scare ya'..."
We both bow to the man as he walks closer to us with an apologetic grin, flipping his black eyepatch down and back in its original position over his left eye. "Lord Rhodon, forgive me if you needed something, you needn't walk—" The man waves off Adam's frantic talking, staring out into the ocean.
"I'm just explorin' before Ventura forces me to sign paperwork."
We let out a soft laugh at the man. Lord Rhodon was known for avoiding doing his daily work, which earned some passive-aggressive comments from Lord Ventura during dinner. "Even on vacation, Ventura got me workin'." He lets out a dejected sigh and me and Adam glance at each other, forcing back a laugh.
"Oh! Wait, you mentioned Mermaids and Sirens!"
Before I could even utter a word, Adam was already scrambling his notebook in his hands, reading his ink pen, staring up at Lord Rhodon with wide excited eyes, as if he was a child again. I leaned against the railing, watching Lord Rhodon pat Adam's head before taking a seat on a wooden crate, where he could look at both of us.
I sink to the floor, my back against the side of the ship, while Adam kneeled, both knees on the ground and his journal on the floor, ready to scribble all the things Lord Rhodon said.
He's not a man well-versed in many things, unlike my Lord. Rhodon is very specific on what he commands and what information he contains. Sometime within his career, he lead to a lot of captures of pirates and spent most time amongst them, learning all that he could about the Pirate life. Adam's blood runs with that of pirates and Lord Rhodon is the closest that Adam will get to experience the "pirate life".
My gaze shifts over to my childhood friends, watching him writing with messy quick letters, a grin on his face, I look up at Lord Rhodon, who speaks of sirens and mermaids with rather ease. Always willing to share his information with others.
They're famous creatures. Creatures that are known worldwide, despite the many differences between them.
Mermaids are aquatic creatures with the head and upper body of a human and the tail of a fish. They are kind but selfish, playful creatures that on more than rarer occasion befriends humans. They swim all across the world and different varieties exist, depending on location.
While Sirens, there are said to be two types, ones that fly and ones that swim. Both lure sailors and pirates into the rocky shores with song. Sirens with wings lured sailors into rocky shores and crashed their ships and consume the men, some say that if a siren's song fell on deaf ears, their wings would be torn from their sides, and without wings, the siren would fall off their cliff and fall a fatal death.
While sirens that swam would swim towards ships and climb aboard, placing the illusion of human legs and being a frail maiden, and once a man got close to them, the siren to latch onto the man and jump into the sea. And if the men didn't fall for it, the siren would fling its body into the sea and never be seen again.
The sea air is frosty and I find myself shuddering in my seat, watching Adam and the others celebrate together, unbothered by the cold. Both Lord Ventura and Rhodon sat together, conversing amongst themselves. Everyone aboard the ship was happy and optimistic. Tomorrow at midday, the ship would arrive just outside the calm belt and we would be transitioned over onto an Astrolia ship and spend two days and three nights on sea, within the calm belt before arriving within the Kingdom. So, everyone wanted to celebrate together, one last time. Before the splitting up, those who boarded the Astrolia ship wouldn't return to Cornelia for 30 days.
This was the last stretch before the eventual goal rested inches away, unity between two nations. I find myself happy listening to the idle chatter of everyone.
Yet the existence of Sirens and Mermaids lingers on my mind, my gaze shifts out into the darkness of the sea, the full moon illuminating the sea, it was a beautiful view, mesmerizing and I find myself standing up walking towards the wooden railing of the large ship. The air is cold and crisp and the taste of salt lingers on my tongue.
Come closer to me~
Near the edge of a ship
Dipped in gold'
You see
Drown and dance in the depths
With Me~
The voice of a man, his song, drifts from the depths and I lean further over the railing. 'Come to me~' The song drifts through my ears and brands my mind. It echoes and wraps around me as if controlling me. My eyes land on the form of a gorgeous man. With glowing crimson eyes and long thick black hair at want all the way down his back, with streaks of white.
He looks soaked, and yet he smiles. His gorgeous shark-like toothy smile knocks the wind out of my lungs and I find myself speechless. The air and the sound of the sea disappear, the wind seems to stop and nothing else matters. I wonder if I'm still alive. He reaches out a hand, opening his lips again.
'To swim amongst the ocean's sea~' His voice sends shivers down my spine and I feel myself reaching downward, trying to accept the man's offer. The world seems dull and slow.
"Hey!"
The muffled shouting of a voice and unknown numb forcing on my arm yanks me backward, a pained grunt leaving my lips and alerting the others. With an incoherent shout in displeasure, shoving the man off me and scrambling to my feet, and nearly tossing my body over the railing, the beautiful man was gone. My heart drops and I feel indescribable misery.
"12! What are you doing!?"
Unable to speak, Adam pulls me from the railing and everyone surrounds me, staring at me in concern. "I...I..." My face falls as I come back to my senses. All sounds return and my gaze focuses on a concerned Adam. His warm hands grip my arms, making a heavy breath leave my body. Before I could speak, Lord Ventura cut me off with an icy glare and spoke in a stone-cold tone.
"12. A word with you."
"But she-"
Lord Rhodon shook his head as if saying 'let it be' and Adam pulled away, a displeased look on his face as I stood up, following Lord Ventura inside the ship and to the room in which he was staying. The door closed with a slam and before I could apologize, Lord Ventura spun on his heel and with a full slap smacked my face, the hit seems to rattle my brain, a pained gasp left my lips and the force knocked me over. My side slammed into his tall dresser, the wooden handles jabbing my back painfully.
"You are unquestionably an embarrassment."
His words are like venom as he scolds me, glaring at me with soulless black eyes, with his long black hair in a ponytail. He was younger than Lord Rhodon, who turned 39, earlier that year, while Lord Ventura was someplace in his 30s. I crumbled to the floor. "You should be humiliated. To act such a way." Feeling my eyes gloss over, I feel myself on the verge of crying, I nod my head. Lord Ventura no matter the situation never raised his voice, never screamed, never yelled, but only insulted you to the point of unrecognition. I heard him scoff, grabbing my arm and forcing me to my feet.
"Get up 12. Do not start crying, you are an adult."
His pale hands grabbed my face, aggressively drying my eyes. Before sending another slap to my face, lighter this time, that only jerked my head to the side. "I need you to remember that you are tied to me and portray me—Look at me while I am speaking." I turn my head and face him, unable to keep the scowl from my face as tears leaked from my eyes. He clicks his tongue; his index and thumb pull and push my head to either side like a doll. His anger diminished as he made fun of me.
"Do not look at me like that 12. You know how much I enjoy making people cry." His grip shifts to where he held my face, his palm covering my mouth as a pained cry leaves my lips as he squeezes. "I am beyond furious. You have time and time again shamed me," he forced me back, purposely slamming my head against the dresser.
"12. Do not embarrass me again."
It's a threat, and he pulls away with a cruel smile.
He is anything but kind, a hidden sadist, one that personally tortured all those that named him. He leaves the room with a grin. The door closes behind him, making me sink to my feet. A heavy breath leaves my lips. Lord Ventura was always a cruel man, even since my childhood.