Swashbucklin' Seas

Prologue

 I hated living in this place. I really didn't realize how much I did. But seriously, this little island of Cikaos, that any old commoner would see as a beautiful getaway... I called it the Island of Shit.

Not because the trees weren't beautiful, or the water wasn't a brilliant shade of blue (so blue that I could blend in with it), or the mountains blocked my view of the sunset- that was the good stuff about this island. But, the problem was, that was the only good stuff. Everything else was... well, shit.

I had such great parents. They were wonderful people. My dad, especially. He just loved me so much, because I'm a blue fish-person, I guess. My parents were humans, but for some reason, they gave birth to a blue fish-person. And they loved that. They loved me. It was great.

Then, one day, my dad tied the noose. We never knew why. He seemed so happy, but he just got snatched away to the locker, just like that. I was crushed.

Life just... Well, it changed from there. My mom never worked, so she just had to make ends meet by growing a tiny garden in the backyard, and selling the shitty produce that came from it. We lost everything. We had to sell our house and live in a little wooden shack that I helped her build. I didn't go to school, I didn't work- I didn't do anything. I just felt useless. That's when the island I once loved turned into the Island of Shit. Sleeping for fourteen hours a day while my mom would try to sell half-spoiled fruit. I had nothing left.

I could never enjoy feeling the ocean breeze, or exploring the woods, or falling asleep underwater and letting my hair dance around in the sea- because the island itself turned against me. In truth, it was just the problems of my life that clouded my vision and my happiness, but from then on, I just couldn't help but see a disgusting mess when I looked back at this stupid island.

I reached a point where I just couldn't bear it anymore. I just wanted to leave everything behind. Even my poor mom. I just didn't care anymore. For as long as I was on this island, my life just felt like a big fucking shipwreck.

And that's when the dice of fate were rolled, and luck finally came in my direction.

I forget what day it was, but that's not important. It was a while ago. I was 21 years old at the time. Way too old to be spending my life doing nothing and living with my mom. Whatever, none of that is important.

It was a sunny day, the same as any other sunny day. I was trying to relax by the beach, but I saw a huge ship with black sails off in the distance. Of course, it was on its way to the harbor of Gedros City, so I started packing my bags. I at least wanted to see the ship, it wasn't every day that you'd see something special like that.

So, I went inside and started to gather my things. I had a bag that I would carry around if I ever went out into the woods or to the city. I would go out a lot. The harbor was only about a ten minute walk away, so I went there all the time. I'd never miss the rare occasion that a ship passed by. This was a ship of a kind I'd never seen before, so I really wanted to check it out. So, I grabbed my bag and made my way over to the door.

I didn't even want to say bye to my mom, but she was over in the kitchen, cooking up dinner. I still remember the smell, but I can't tell what she was cooking. Anyway, of course she saw me heading out, and she wouldn't let me go outside without asking me where the hell I'm going.

"Neraida, dear," she said to me, "where are you going?"

"To the harbor," I told her. "There's a ship sailing in, I want to go check it out."

"Oh," she replied, with a faintly disappointed tone in her voice. "Alright. Come give me a hug."

So I did. I remember her hugs were the best. It was a short one, though.