Seafarers Part I: Journey

Prologue

Laughter echoed across the walls of the alleyway in the small city of Fenrir. Two children were running down the street, one with a basket in hand. Several guards were chasing after them. The raven-haired boy then turned around and threw a few small pieces of cobble from the street at the guards. "Stop boy!" they yelled as they were pelted with stones. The boy only laughed as he and the girl ran further down the alley. Soon however, the children were stopped by the alley's end. They could see the shadows of the guard drawing nearer, spears raised. Suddenly, a rope came down from the other side of the wall. Knowing it was someone they could trust, the two children scrambled up the rope as fast as they could. They just barely made it over when they heard the guards reach the corner they were just at, and were trying to stifle their laughter as they heard the confused guards' voices. Both children let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much Espiol!" The raven-haired boy exclaimed. The brown-haired 13 year-old boy who had just saved them laughed it off. "I never would have thought you two would be ones to steal directly from under the guards' noses!" The quiet, blonde-haired girl blushed. "It was bound to happen, considering how the wealthy aristocrats teach us!" The raven-haired boy shot back. Espiol sighed. "Aven, you need to be just a bit less impulsive. After all, we have one of those 'aristocrats' with us," Espiol said, motioning towards the quiet blonde. The raven-haired boy, Aven, stopped, and looked at the girl apologetically. "Um...sorry Amersia. I was just kind of pissed at the guards and other aristocrats. N-not you, of course, you're our friend!" Aven hastily said. "I see," Amersia murmured quietly. "Hey, now wait a second. Aren't you two supposed to be home?" Espiol asked, changing the topic. Aven stared past him. "...Huh?" It was already dusk, and nighttime in the city was dangerous. "Aven," Amersia started, "I need to get back soon, or my parents will be concerned and might come looking." Aven nodded, and took her hand. "Alright then," Aven replied. "Espiol, thank you so much. We would have gotten into serious trouble if it weren't for you." Espiol only nodded in acknowledgement. "Hey," he started, "what did you even steal?" Aven looked at Amersia, then brought out the basket. They lifted the cover, and inside was a golden compass. "Impressive," Espiol muttered. It was truly astonishing to him that two 12-year olds had managed to steal it. "Well, you two should probably start heading out if you wanna make it back before nightfall." "Mmm-hmm," was Aven's response. "See ya," Espiol said as he slid across the other side of the wall they had just gone over 10 minutes before. Amersia clutched Aven's hand, and Aven held back. "Ready?" he asked. Amersia nodded, and they began running back down the streets, golden compass in hand.

~ ~ ~

After Aven had said goodbye to Amersia, he began to walk back home, whistling a tune his mother had sung him as a child. While he was walking, a shop window caught his eye. As he peered inside, he saw a long, silver telescope. He shook his head in disappointment when he saw the price, and continued walking down the cobble streets home. Inside his pocket, the golden compass he and Amersia had strived so hard to attain. He chuckled to himself. Tomorrow was his father's birthday, and this compass his present. His father was a well-known sailor-merchant and the leader of a group known as The Silver Flags. Luckily for Aven, his house was three buildings down from the building that housed the Silver Flag's base. He could stop on his way home, and hide the present so his father would find it when he came back from his voyage tonight. What Aven didn't know however was that his father was going to be late from the expected arrival, and not greeting him at home as he usually did. Aven's father never came home that night. Or for the following three years.