Chapter 1, The Raid
by Joel Brewer

The war had lasted for years, and the rebellion only grew stronger as the great Captain sailed from port to port with his fleet of warships. It was difficult to remember the times when the man who'd become the Queen's greatest enemy was actually her most trusted adviser and leader of the Royal Navy. No-one knows for sure how it all started, but a few key pieces of evidence show that it was not originally intended to have the impact that it did. One thing that we know is that it was the Captain who had fired the first shot by destroying the Queen's statue.

The Captain was a very talented man, intelligent and kind. No matter what clothes he wore, he always set his long black coat over them, and strangest of all: he always smelled of limes. The Queen was quite different from the Captain, she was very dignified and always showing prowess. A good example for the people of Atecia to follow.

As the two sides grew more competitive, others joined the side they thought to better. The Queen had amassed followers from all over, but the Captain had a few exceptional individuals at his command. Sir Ephriam, leader of the Royal Guard and son to the Queen herself, was the Queen's main defender against the Captain and his crew of pirates. The Captain's first mate, Heart, was a courageous soul, who defied the order of her mother, the Queen, and join the rag-tag group of mercenaries.

It was a crystal-clear night, the moon shone brightly down on the dark, stone streets. I looked up at the sky to admire the stars, and my head drifted down to the docks. A ship was pulling in, but it was no ordinary ship, it was the ship that belonged to the infamous Captain, the Trinity! The Pirates had come into the port of the small town looking for new recruits. They were not hostile, they were only looking for brave volunteers. I had heard of the Captain's adventures and decided that I wanted to join him.

I asked around town to see if anyone had seen them, and I found that they had stationed themselves at the inn. I ran through the streets, hoping that I could catch them before they left back to their ship. As I ran through the dark alleyways, the sky grew darker and the sounds of thunder roared in the distance. The rain came pouring down like a tidal wave, and I was drenched within seconds.

Looking to get out of the rain, I ran even faster until I made it to the inn. The streets were soaked, and I was unable to slow myself before running head-first into the door of the inn, making an incredibly loud *thud*. As my face collided with the hardwood door, it opened, and I fell down onto the dry inn floor. I picked myself up to see that everyone in the room had stopped to stare at me, but the silence was only broken when the Captain came over to help me to my feet.

Slowly, he walked over and stuck out his hand, "C'mon, on y'ur feet. Ya' don't walk on y'ur face, do ya'?"

I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up with force. He looked me in the eyes, his piercing gaze was terrifying, and I was unable to speak.

The Captain let go of my arm and looked at the storm through the open door. "It's a good thing ya' got out of the storm when ya' did, the weather can be unpredictable."

His pirate's accent was a little hard to understand at first, but I soon grasped what he was saying. I snapped out of my nervous behavior and agreed with him. He closed the door and turned to sit back at his table. He looked just like you'd imagine him to look like from the stories. Long black coat, tan-white skin, and his silver eyes with a tender, yet feirce glow.

The main hall of the inn was a very cozy-looking room. The front desk was a few feet from the entrance, and the clerk always kept his desk clean and tidy. To the right was a staircase that lead to the upper rooms, and to the left was an open dining hall, where the Captain and his crew were being served.

I still felt awkward from my sudden arrival, but I shrugged it off and walked into the dining hall, to hear all of the chatter that was going on. There was only a large arch-way to separate the dining hall from the front office. There were dozens of tables, a bar at the west end, and it even had a small performance stage. The whole room glowed with the reflecting flames of the three large chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. The tables were packed with people, most of which were from the Captain's crew, but at the end of the room near the bar, there was the Captain's table where he sat with his first mate and another one of his crew members.

I made my way to the Captain's table, dodging all the mugs that were being swung around, and attempted to talk to him while he drank from his over-flowing mug.

"S-sir?" I stuttered, "I, uh... I heard that you were looking for men?"

The Captain lowered his mug and stood out of his seat, "Aye, but what do ya' know about the sea? I can't be taking on lads that don't know how to follow orders."

His First Mate joined the conversation, "Or perhaps you've got a special skill that you'd use to aid us?"

The sudden sinking feeling filled my chest, and I nervously answered, "No, I've never sailed before, but I'm good at several other things. And even if there's something that I don't know; I'm a fast learner!

The First Mate looked at the Captain, as he sat back in his chair, with a look of approval. The sinking feeling left as he called for another mug and pushed it to my end of the table. He gestured for me to sit down, and I did as he wished. A waiter came to the table and filled both of their mugs until they over flowed with foam. The drink was thick and sweet, like a syrup, but less sticky.

The Captain raised his mug and called for a toast, "A toast! To the newest member of our fine crew...!"

I suddenly realized that I had not given him my name, and blurted, "Mark."

"Mark!" The Captain repeated.

After my name was given everyone in the room chugged what was left in their mug, and some of the crew members started to play music with their instruments. Many of them started to move the tables, and with a cleared floor, others started dancing to the music. Even the Captain got out of his chair and started to dance with them. I stayed at the table and just watched. My thoughts were racing, I had just become a part of the infamous pirate crew that seems to always be at odds with the Queen. I shook my head and stopped thinking about it. What's done is done, there's no going back now.

The pirates' celebration lasted for another few hours before they all decided to turn in. Most of the crew were ordered to head back to the ship for the night, but the Captain offered to rent a room for me in the inn. Only the Captain, the First Mate and I stayed at the inn, and we were each given our own separate rooms. The next morning, I was awoken before sun-rise and the three of us made our way onto the greatest ship to sail the seas, the Trinity. The Trinity was like no other ship on the planet, as is was not built, but discovered.

The main body of the ship has two floors, not including the main deck. It was obvious that the ship was made to sail into battle, as it was also equipped with 40 cannons, 8 on each side of the lower levels, and 3 on each side of the main deck. The ship had two masts, one on the main deck and one positioned up the stairs, near the wheel. The sails stretched from mast to mast, making a sort of slanted, arrow roof over the deck. The unique aerodynamic positioning of the sails made it pierce through any weather conditions, and thus making it the fastest vessel in the world. It was very much like the Van Eltia in its structure. Truly a mighty vessel.

We departed from the port just as the sun started to rise, and the golden rays of the sun reflecting of the ocean mist was beautiful. I looked over the side of the ship, my hands locked onto the wooden guard rails, and stared in awe at the ocean. Across the deck and up the stairs, near the wheel of the ship, the Captain shouted, "Get ready lads! We're headed for Alastar!" All of the crew roared with their battle cries and readied the ship for a battle. They loaded and repositioned the cannons and started moving barrels of supplies down into the lower decks of the ship. I hesitated to think that I would be thrown into a battle so soon, and an unshakable feeling of worry washed over me like a wave.

The First Mate hurried through the decks checking on the progress of the crew's duties and spotted me. She approached me, and I could tell that I was making it obvious that I was shaken.

She punched my shoulder and spoke with a chuckle, "What's with the shocked face? Have you never been in a sword fight before?"

I gulped and shook my head.

Her joking mood faded, and she handed me one of her blades, "Let's hope you weren't lying when you said you were a fast learner. For your sake."

I grasped the blade and felt the warm leather handle settle in my hand. Without warning, she struck first, and I was barely able to block her sword from striking my arm.

"Not bad." She said smiling, "But you'll need more then that where we're going."

We spent the next few hours practicing on my swordsmanship skills, and thankfully, I was a fast learner. Once we had tired ourselves out, she showed me down to the lower decks, where I was given a sword of my own. I was also given a bandana with the Trinity's marking on it. I wrapped it around my head and felt a strong sense of pride. I set my new sword in its sheath, and was escorted back to the main deck, where I helped the crew with the remaining tasks. The day passed as soon as it had started, and the stars of night began to glow in the darkened sky. The trip to Alastar was only a few days, and I spent that time working on my sword skills.

The time finally came when we neared the sea fortress, and a dense fog covered the surface of the water. I looked out into the grey void, and looked back at the Captain, who was steering the ship.

"How can you navigate through this fog?!" I shouted over my shoulder, "We need to break until this fog settles, or we'll go off course!"

The Captain remained silent, and simply steered on. A strange screeching noise echoed through the air, and the Captain gave the order to ready the cannons. The crew dropped cannon balls down the shafts of the cannons and pounded the explosive powders down with them. The others drew their swords and held their pistols, waiting for the order to fire. Suddenly the fog started to fade, and a large shadow could be seen in the distance.

The Captain walked down from the wheel onto the main deck, "The First Mate and I will infiltrate the fortress and open the gates, the rest of ya' stay here and sail through as soon as those doors open. We'll be waiting for ya' on the other side. Fire on anything that comes close, we can't take any chances."

The Captain took off his coat, and he and the First Mate jump into the foggy seas. The fog continued to clear, and I could now see how massive the fortress really was. I had read about it before, but I never expected to see it in person. The Sea Fortress of Alastar. An enormous water gate that guards the river that leads into the Bay of Atecia. Hundreds of cargo ships pass through the gates each day, but all are required to be searched for illegal goods, or other smuggled things. The fortress itself was a huge stone castle-like structure with two connected towers on each side of the river, with the wooden, steel gate filling the space between them. The great gates don't only protect the capital of Atecia, but also its own famous port city of Alastar lied just beyond the barrier. A wealthy, thriving city, famous for its produce of both the sea and the land.

I could've stared at it forever, but it soon dawned on me why the crew had drawn all of their weapons. If I could see the fortress, then they could see the ship! The blasting sounds of

horns were blown from the two towers, and the crew fired the upper cannons at the walls of the fortress. Knights lined up at the walls of the fortress, and warships were sent into the water.

The crew started shouting and giving their war cries, they started firing the cannons, and the Trinity started sailing right for the enemy ships! The other ships were no match for the Trinity's offensive maneuvers, and they were all sunk with only a few shots each. I looked up to the walls of the fortress to see the knights were fighting something else: The Captain! Knights were being thrown off the sides into the water as he and the First Mate charged their way into the control room.

The gates started to open, and the crew cheered as we changed course for the opening, but waiting on the other side was another ship, not like anything I've ever seen before. We turned out of the way and the winds carried the ship as the monstrous vessel entered the shore. It fired its cannons and came close to hitting the Trinity, but our speed was superior, and we successfully maneuvered our way out of range. Then the gates opened again, and the path was clear; The Captain had been successful in his mission, but with the other ship guarding the gates, we had no way to get through.

I turned to the crew mate in command, "We need to get past that ship! The Captain is waiting for us!"

"The only way past, is through!" He shouted from the wheel, "Prepare yourselves, lads! This is goin' t'be a bumpy ride!"

He turned the ship around and prepared to ram the enemy vessel, but they were also charging straight for us! The collision of both of our ships would end in us both being taken down!

"We can't do this!" I shouted, "We'll both be destroyed if we hit them head on!"

He seemed to be too caught up in the moment to think about the consequences of his actions.

"I need to act fast!" I thought.

I ran over to one of the side mounted cannons at the front of the Trinity, and aimed at the chain holding the anchor. I closed my eyes and fired! Within a moment their anchor had sunk to the bottom of the sea floor, and the enemy ship was yanked back and forced to turn to the side. We charged forward and rammed their side breaking the boat clean in two, and we didn't stop after that! We sailed straight through the gates, and the crew gave their cheers for their glorious victory!

Inside the wall was a very different place. Stone and wooden houses covered the areas surrounding the riverbanks, and further inland were the farms and animal ranches. It seemed like a paradise. The Captain and First Mate were waiting at one of the docks, and once they were aboard, we headed upstream towards the capital and the Queen.

We journey upstream to the Bay of Atecia took a few days, a few days that I had to relax. It was a clear, star lit night once we made it to the end of the river. We could see the capital across the bay, and it was like a glorious crown upon the land which it rested--Like a painting brought to life.

All across the shoreline there are houses and fields, and even some large cliffs that overlook the water. All of the city was lit up with the flames of lamps and torches. Then there was the palace of the Queen of Atecia, Rivkah I. A grand building of marble and other valuable materials. The Shipyard was positioned down the cliffs from the palace, and the ships that dock there are beyond counting and of all shapes and sizes.

There was also the Atecian waterworks facility on the largest of the cliffs. The natural waterfall was a prime location to crank the huge water wheel. The dim sky lights reflected off the lush greens and bright whites of the city. As well with the deep blues of the water and dark grey rocks of the cliffsides. I looked up into the sky and enjoyed the sights of the grand city, as the sun started to rise.

Suddenly the tranquil beauty of the land was broken by a loud clanging sound, metal against metal, in a very fast manner. Then the sun began to become a blinding white light, and it kept growing until all I could see was a white void. I closed my eyes out of fear and felt as if I was sitting down. I felt someone grab my shoulder and shake my body, and I opened my eyes. I was in a class room, and the bell was ringing. Then my memory was flooding back to me.

"Did I fall asleep in class again?" I wondered.

The teacher, Mrs. Holland, walked over to my desk, "Don't forget, your paper is due next week."

I tried to look up at her, but my eyes were still adjusting to the bright room. I took a deep breath and rubbed my eyes until I could see better.

"Sorry, but I had a nice dream." I replied, still half asleep.

To be Continued...