Secret Love

secret love..chapter one: the set up

The water was calm and still as the sun rose. Mermaids loved sunrises and sunsets because the light reflected off the water beautifully. The beach was always empty in the morning. A few years ago pirates had become a major problem in the area. They come and robe the people on boats. Especially the government ones. One ship called the 'Ravens whisper' was filled with blood thirsty, old, smelly pirates who give there enimys no mercy and no quorter. They go from Relm to realm and kidnap women and girls to work on their ship. They also will take the jewls and maps from the Government and Navy ships. The Captain of this vessel was the worst pirate of all. His name, Bloddy Baxter. He had a beard down to his chest and Eyes as dark as midnight. His long hair was topped by his Hat, the hat befitting a Captain. It had long silver feathers that gleamed off the moonlight.

The captains crew was made up of twelve men. One Pirate, the captains right hand man, was a cold, soul hearted person. He was not loved by his parents and when he was seven his father sold him to the captains ship. He has worked as a pirate for eighteen years ever since. When he was ten he was told to go below deck and watch the prisoners. Sense he was so young and innocent he felt bad for the prisoners and let them go. Captain Baxter was not pleased and when he found out he called to the captains quarters where he was attacked from behind. The captain hired three men to cut off his hand. Fourtunitly he was quicker and smarter so he moved just in time and the blade only hit his pointer finger. He fell to the ground with a thud after he went uncontious from being

Later he woke up on his cot with his blanket covered in blood. He flinched as the pain returned to his body. He looked at his hand and had to blink twice. Then the captain walked in.
"Feeling better?"
"I guess?", He said shaken.
" I had to keep the boys from tearing ya' limb from limb while ya' were out.", The captain smirked. "Although I did let them beat ya' for letting the prisoners go.", His voice became more serious. His scowl matched his words.
" why did you do this? Also why am I alive?", the boy looked at the captain. He calmed his smile and said,
"I let you live because...", the captain took a breath. "Because you remind me of a young me. When I was young I made a mistake like this and my captain made me clean the whole ship at night by my self. When we hit a storm I fell overboard no one would help me and I would have been dead if it wasn't for...." His voice trailed off. "Never mind, as for ya' hand I did that, thought it would make ya' tougher." The boy held up his hand that had a blade tied to his wrist to replace the missing finger. He moved it in shock.
"Thought we could call ya' claws", The captain laughed and started to leave the room.
"wait!", the boy screamed.
"What?", the captain spun around.
"Who saved you?... In your story someone saved you who was it?", the boy looked at the captain. They stared in silence for a little bit then he answered.
"night claws.", he walked out of the room and claws fell to sleep with his question unanswered.

Eight years later and it was claws's eighteenth birthday. He hasn't celebrated since he was seven. Right before his father sold him to captain Baxter, he gave him one last birthday gift. A neckless, a very special neckless that had a coin on it. The back of the coin had an inscription on it. Every year on his birthday he would read it to himself. It was the only thing that he had left of his past.
" Claws!", the captain yelled from above deck. "Get out of your bed and come take care of the prisoners!", the captain stomped his boot over his sleeping quarters. The wood bords on the ceiling shook and let dust fall. Claws came upstairs to the top deck. He looked at the prisoners tied to the post, they were children. A boy and a girl. Both of them were dirty and short. Claws looked at them confused then looked back at the captain.
" Please let us go! We don't have anything our father is just a miller!",the girl wipped her blond hair and a tear from her face.
"Now, now ladies must not lie!", the captain screamed in her face. "But I'm not lying!", she cried more.
"Your father is not just a miller. He is a very valuable man.", the captain looked at claws. " take them to the cells. " claws started to lead them downstairs when the girl stopped.
"If he isn't a miller, then what is he?", the captain sighed "a gatekeeper."
"A what?", the children looked at the captain. " please tell us. If your going to kill us why does it matter?" , the captain sighed again then took a long pause to think.
"Fine! The gatekeeper is someone who guards the entrance to different realms. Now off to the dungen!", claws took the kids down to the prison.
"He won't...kill us right?", asked the girl.
"I don't know, and don't care.", claws stated. He went back upstairs to meet with the captain. They hollered orders at the crew. A few hours later they sailed right to a great rock arch. There was a design inbeded in the rocks that only certain people can see. They reveled a code. The captain looked at the rocks then at his paper.
" Thou pays the price of enter! Thou make no trouble! Thou go threw the gates to Rembli!", the captain raised his hands and the gates didn't budge. They stayed tight.
"Rembli?...The realm of dreams?", Claws asked the captain.
" I. Now get the prisoners!", claws left to get the children. When he came back the captain grabbed the boy. He trembled at the captains tight grip. The boat shook.
"Stop! Don't do this! Please!", a loud voice growled. " Please those are my children!"
"Then I assume you will do what is necessary to get them back. Right?", the captain smirked. Claws did not like the methods the captain used but had no choice but to follow.
"Which realm do thou wish to enater?", the voice asked.
"Realm number six.", the captain said. The gates shook as did the ground. The boat started to move through the gates.
"Now my children?", the voice asked.
"here I hate good children anyway.", the captain through the children infront of him. They fell to the ground unconscious.
" what happened? ", asked claws.
"memory wipe, you don't think this has not happened before? They will wake when they get home.", the voice drifted off and the 'Raven's Whisper' went through the gate into the realm of dreams.