The Captain's Journal (Shay Cormac x OC Fanfic)

Chapter 9

My Father's homestead was a beautiful sight. Crafted from strong wood, the shaded patio spanned the front of the house while the back of the homestead's patio had no roof for sunlight, and this was my favorite place to relax, read, write and sketch my drawings. The house's chimney and fire places were all built of stone and very large to warm up the estate during the harsh winter.

Father's basement was the office for which he did his work with the Templars and also kept his cellar. Wine, rum, whiskey, brandy and other liquors filled every inch of the walls. In the middle of the cellar was a large bar for entertaining company.

Inside, our estate was as spacious as possible; our Father had parties quite frequently, so room to roam and mingle with guests was a must. Upstairs was for our rooms, storage, my library and the attic. Hunter was the oldest child, Seraphine the youngest and I was stuck in the middle. I had the attic to myself, Hunter had and shared the larger bedroom with his sister. There was also a room for our Mother and Father. The housekeeper and butler, an old happily married couple, stayed in the upstairs room next to my parents' room. Our guest bedrooms were on the bottom floor.

The butler and housekeeper have been friends with Father since before Hunter was born. Geoffrey and Dorothea Steele. They were a married couple of 57 years. Geoffrey sounded rough around the edges, but he cared for me and my siblings very much. He wore a pair of glasses identical to his wife's and silky, medium-length grey hair with darker shades underneath. He always had stubble on his face and wore a black waistcoat, long sleeve shirts, pants and shiny black boots. His wife dressed very elegantly, always wearing her colonial dress with heels, white gloves and her long, flowing silvery hair was always in an updo or bun with satin or silk ribbons flowing from the back. Geoffrey was with the Templars for quite some time and he stayed with my Father, keeping him up-to-date with his affairs and business with the Order.

Our cook was a former black slave my Father freed while traveling in the south. William Jones. At a ripe, old age of 83, he still found his way around our house and still providing for us. Wearing a loose-fitting, long sleeve shirt and warm, cotton pants held up with suspenders underneath his apron. He had a very dark complexion with darker freckles on his face; grey mustache and beard; and soft, short, curly grey hair. He only wore glasses when reading.

We had some fruits and veggies grown around our homestead, along with a few trees and fenced area for our animals to roam around.

Our horses roamed our land freely and retreated to their stable at night. Our stableman and his close friend helped us with caring for the animals and looking after our crops that we sometimes sold in the market. Timothy Gideon and Samuel Anton kept our land looking its best. Tim was a stout, rounded man with a round, careworn face that had a big heart. He cared for the animals as if they were his children. He didn't have much wrinkles, except for crow's feet around his eyes and a few bags under his eyes. His forehead had a few pronounced, wavy lines in it, too. He liked to keep his hair very short, sometimes bald if it was during the harvest months. Both Mr. Gideon and Mr. Anton were in their mid 60's early 70's and they kept themselves very fit with all the hard work they do for us. Mr. Anton kept his grey hair medium length like our butler did, but unlike Mr. Gideon, he only had forehead wrinkles and bags. His face was remarkably smooth and aged well. He had a tall and full figure, neither thin nor plump and he kept on his person a ring from his marriage to his late wife and a cross necklace he wore at all times. Mr. Gideon had an antique pocket-watch with his wife and son's name carved into it.

By the time the first week of November rolled around, I still hadn't heard anything from the docks about anyone arriving. Then Friday arose and Sera sent me a message to me via Artemis and said that she saw the Morrigan being docked this afternoon and that she and Hunter would be bringing him to the homestead. I couldn't wait to tell everyone the good news.