»
Main Forums
»
Passions in Prose
»
The Red Queen - Chapter I, The Sinking of the Sarah's Grace
| Passions in Prose |
|
The Red Queen - Chapter I, The Sinking of the Sarah's Grace |
|
|
Kosetsu Member
since 2001-03-10
Posts 450Alabama, USA |
Cannon exploded into the fog of gunsmoke as they sent their heavy iron projectiles hurtling towards a massive sailing ship, followed shortly by the crash of shattering wood as they found their mark. The smaller ship’s barrages of fire had already crippled the Sarah’s Grace. The merchant vessel had obviously been caught off guard by her attackers. Cries of battle sounded over the open sea, then a woman's voice rang out clear over the noise, shouting out orders of command. "Cease cannon fire! Emilio, bring us alongside her! Ready the boarding planks!" The Rebellion eased up alongside the far larger vessel, and her crew quickly secured the boarding planks in place, rushing up them onto the deck of the Sarah's Grace. Swords flashed in the light as they were drawn from their scabbards, and a battle ensued, the crews of each ship fighting for their lives. Through the fray darted a smaller, feminine figure, her own sword already tainted with blood. Though horribly outnumbered, the pirate crew threw the defenders back again and again, apparently led by the red haired female. And suddenly they stopped. The woman stood between the two sides, his rapier in her hand. The brisk sea wind rippled through her flowing red hair. "Enough of this!" she snapped. "I'll not see another of my men die here today!" Her garb was loose – a simple silk shirt, leather boots, and a pair of breeches. A tall gentleman, apparently a high ranking officer of the Sarah's Grace scowled at her. "You're surrendering to us? Better for you to die here. You pirate scum wouldn't get any mercy from us," he replied, a pale hand gripping the hilt of his sabre. A deadly silence fell between the two factions as the woman quietly approached the officer. A mirthful laugh escaped from her lips. "Surrender, my dear fellow? I think not. I stopped this battle to give you a chance to surrender to me." The man shook with frustration, his mustache soaked with his own sweat. "Pirate wench! The Sarah's Grace is the pride of the Loraia merchant fleet! We'll never surrender to you!" he growled, then spat upon the woman's boots with a sneer. Her emerald eyes slowly closed, and an odd grin played across her lips. She leaned close to the man, opening her eyes. Her lips parted, and a single whispered phrase was uttered. "…then you'll die." A blast of ignited gunpowder shattered the silence as the pistol that had found it's way from the man's belt into her hand exploded into life. The man's eyes grew wide in shock as he crumpled to his knees, his sabre clattering to the ground; his hands clutched at the entry wound in his gut. A drawing of breath ran through the crew of the Sarah’s grace, but none stepped forward to avenge their captain. The pirate woman tucked the pistol into the red sash that adorned her waist, then turned and faced the crew of the Sarah's Grace once more. "I give you one final chance! If one of you can defeat me in a duel, my crew and myself will return to our ship. However, if I defeat this challenger, you will all surrender to me!" she declared, crossing her arms over her breasts, her rapier dangling from her fingers. A murmur of hushed whispers sped through the uneasy crew. Soon a wiry young man stepped forwards. "I will face you," he said softly, clutching in one hand a bent and battered rapier. The lad could not have been more than fifteen in age. He wore only a pair of pants, with a simple rope to keep them up. Dirt and grime smudged his face, and he swayed slightly with fatigue, but a look of grim determination played across his lips, and fire danced within his eyes. The woman eyed the boy, an intrigued smile playing across her lips. "A deckswabber? Your courage is admirable, boy. However, I will not fight you when you wield a blade as crude as that." She turned to her crew, and picked a man, removing him from his blade. The red haired woman turned again, tossing the weapon to the boy. "T’would not have been a fair fight otherwise." The boy caught the weapon silently, tossing his own to the deck. His eyes drifted along the blade, and he tested its weight a moment, then nodded in satisfaction. "To the death?" he inquired solemnly. "Do you think me a barbarian, boy? We fight to the blood. Are we agreed?" she replied. "Aye." "Then have at you!" she snapped, stepping forward to thrust her sword at the boy's torso. He stepped to the side, forcing her blade down with his own. His bare foot came up, and smashed down heavily into the side of her knee. The pirate woman grimaced as the knee buckled, and through the haze of pain she saw the boy's blade rise. Her own flicked up and met the weapon inches from her face. She let out a cry of rage, shuffling to get out from under the boy and to again rise to her feet. She shook her head slightly to clear it, favoring her knee. She had but a moment to catch her breath before the young swordsman struck again, but she turned the weapon aside with her own, then reached out to grip the boy by the shoulder. She stepped in quickly, unlocking her weapon from his, and bringing it around to graze against the back of the boy's neck. With a triumphant grin, she shoved him away, then spoke once more. "I win. You and your crewmates will surrender to me," she said confidently, again crossing her arms. By the Shades, she’d not expected him to be that proficient. No matter. She had won. But the boy shook his head slowly, and lifted his sword to pointing her face. "I think not," he replied softly. "Touch your left cheek." His face was expressionless. The fresh cut along his neck didn’t matter to him. Her eyes flashed slightly, and a gloved hand slowly reached up to the cheek, brushing along the flesh. Those same emerald eyes lowered to the fingertips as she drew the hand away. Blood stained them, and she now felt a faint sting of pain from the area. A smirk of intrigue crossed her lips. "I'm impressed, boy. What is your name?" Shades…she’d not even felt his cut! "My name is Weiland Prester." "Well then Weiland, I am--" "I know who you are. You're Catalina Esparanza. The so-called Red Queen. You killed my father," he said quietly, his eyes clouded slightly, a tight frown upon his lips. "Did I now? Then you have my apologies. However, I gave my word that we would return to our ship if you defeated me," Catalina replied. She turned to her crew, and motioned for them to return to the Rebellion. She followed them, then paused at the end of the boarding plank. "Mr. Prester! Should you survive the voyage to the mainland, perhaps someday you'll consider becoming a sailor on my ship!" she calls out to him, pausing for an answer. "I'd rather die!" the boy snapped back, throwing the sword towards her and spat upon the deck. The woman shrugged. “Suit yourself, Mr. Prester,” she replied softly. She walked to the helm as the ship pulled away. A vague grin crossed her lips once more, and her lips parted. "Resume cannon fire." --------------------- This is the first of hopefully many such stories revolving around one of my roleplaying characters, Catalina Esparanza. This particular chapter was written entirely by me, as will the others, however, credit will be given to various people for the actions of their characters. I will simply be converting their actions into a more story-ish version suitable for posting. -Adam "If life is so significant, then why do we die?" |
||
| © Copyright 2002 Adam Kamerer - All Rights Reserved | |||
|
AngelPoet87 Member
since 2001-04-21
Posts 280Indy |
*snickers and wanders off to read Chapter II* Liefhe alle ten spijte van duivel... A tes souhaits... A tes amours... Qu ils restent. J'ai t'adore. Je t'aime. |
||
|
|
⇧ top of page ⇧ |
|
| All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format. | ||
