Caravel

CHAPTER 1 Excitedly John ran down the staircase holding tightly the compass Mrs Potts just gave him. His eyes glittered like tiny pecks of diamond had been engraved in them and his lips curved up into a smile that shone as the sun. His mother was not in the study or the living room or anywhere else she would normally be. A wave of disappointment soon overwhelmed him, he wanted so much to show his new gift to her. With his head bowed he walked back up the staircase and headed into his room. On the porch the air was cold and night still, a sort of quietness loomed over the mansion. Rays of moonlight peering through the clouds illuminated the wide expanse of land and stars twinkled magnificently in the sky.There was no ball at the mansion tonight and so no carriages lined up in front or servant walking briskly in and out their entrance bearing different things still it was a beautiful night. As he ran his finger along the rail, he thought of moments when his mother was up there with him.She would run her fingers through his hair,plant kisses on his forehead and lift him up in her arms to tell of great adventures.He loved these moments even more he loved her. Suddenly two figures emerged on the grounds below him and it seemed there was an argument. Lights from a large window fell on them and he could not believe what he saw it was his parents. In the end, his mother got into a carriage and rode off. It was the last time he ever saw her. *********************************** ``A good morning to you Diego,it’s a beautiful sunny day and yet I find my friend locked away here ‘’ came a voice that rang loudly and drew closer .Diego raised his eyes from the maps lying in front of him to look in the direction of the sound he had heard,it was pedro walking towards him wearing a bright smile across his face .``a cartographer’s work is his passion my friend and ours is a life of mysteries and new adventures so the sun above this lands makes no difference to me except over a different horizon” Diego said as he rose to greet pedro who was dressed in a white linen shirt,doublet and hose. ``the sun is good for you Diego just as important as your work.i bring news that I am sure you will be eager to hear” ``what news? Please do tell:” The smile on pedro’s face widened as he moved towards the chair across Diego and sat down he motioned to Diego to take a seat as well. ``I was at the court this morning when news of Prince Henry’s victory and the fall of Ceuta came’’ ``Ceuta has fallen?’’ ``indeed Diego but that is not the news’’ ``what other news could be bigger than this pedro at last the war is ended’’ ``be patient and listen,Prince henry learnt of gold traded across the desert at the fall of Ceuta and now seeks to sponsor voyages for exploration to discover the source of this gold.” Pedro leaned closer to Diego and whispered in his ears ``you my friend has been invited to join the elect crew as chief cartographer”pedro said whilst giving him the invitation,a paper rolled up and bearing on it the unbroken seal of prince Henry.A wide astonishment filled Diego’s eyes as the broke the seal and unrolled it,his eyes ran swiftly through the lines and then up to met pedro’s eyes which had not stopped gazing at him waiting to see what his reaction would be. ``this is the moment you spoke about Diego,the one that changes everything” ``the one that changes everything”Diego thought to himself again as a thousand different memories filled him that seem to be drawn by the words pedro just said indeed a thousand different memories ``why do you look unhappy?”pedro’s voice came swiftly as an arrow piercing through his thoughts ``unhappy? Why my friend I could never be at such glorious news,infact a wonderful news.I am delighted it came from you pedro”Diego smiled ``I wish you the best on this trip infact I hear Prince Henry has ordered the building of a new ship for this voyage.They are calling it THE CARAVEL and I hear it would be the beauty of the seas.I must take my leave as I have other pressing matters to attend to.Goodluck dear friend” Pedro rose from the chair and started towards the door,slowly he turned around to give Diego one last look,the sight of him staring blankly at the walls made him wonder if indeed he had given Diego wonderful news or not .He wanted to say something but decided against it as he figured Diego might need sometime by himself.It felt odd though walking out of the house alone without being followed behind closely by Diego and watched as he rode away in his carriage as diego always did on other days. As the carriage rode through the narrow streets the air filled with the smells and the sounds of the city.People moving up and down the road that seemed to go on endlessly for miles.Everything appeared to be like a dream from long ago,reminiscences of the day fate brought Diego to him it was same as the sight before him.The sun was up high in the sky,an endless stream of women in beautiful long gowns walking with smiles that lit up like fireflies, some made sounds of laughter so gracious that men stole long glances at them obviously caught in their spell. One scene ruined this precious sight of his city,something that drew a large crowd and made it impossible for his carriage to keep moving.He soon discovered it all revolved around one person, Diego. ****************************************** The caravel stood proud and tall like a gallant soldier in his armour prepared for battle ,it had three long mast with triangular lateen sails.Developed from the old fishing boats,it was smaller and had a shallow keel.The sight was a wonder to behold a much bigger one than those told in the rumors that brought Diego to the docks. ``what a beauty! I have never seen anything like it”Diego found himself saying out loud in wide amazement to no one in particular. ``indeed, I’m calling her THE WHALE such a beauty” Diego turned around to see who it was that said those words.It was tall man with a long white beard, he wore a wide smile and stood almost as proudly as the caravel itself. ``I am Fernando,captain of the caravel” ``Captain Fernando? I have heard so much about you.I am Diego and the carterographer on your crew” ``Diego! Nice to finally meet the brilliant cartographer I have heard so much about” Sound of waves crashing on the shore brought a moment of stillness on the docks and soon enough the sound of fishermen calling out from their boats as they arrived from fishing trips rang loudly again.ml ``I must say captain I am really exicted to be on your crew.Your legend is one that will certainly outlive you” Fernando responded with a roaring laugh. ``I am a very simple man you see I live entirely by one and that is to be kind to everbody no matter who they are or what they do“ ``really captain? ” ``Diego every man would always remember an act of kindness except if written over by unkindness” ``little wonder your work is legendary” ``I’ll be seeing you on board Diego,it was delightful to meet you” ''I am even more delighted,I cannot wait to see how the inside looks" Fernando smiled ''I'll order the guards to let you in" He patted Diego's back and walked away leaving Diego amazed at their conversation.He took a moment to admire the caravel for a while before getting on board to see the interior and it was even more breathtaking.As his eyes took in the view he finally understood what Captain Fernando had talked about because he realised he was so anxious to tell Pedro about him and it made him smile. ''So this is how the legend spread"he said aloud. Cape Sarges in all it's magnificence bold and tall rose across the horizon blinding everything else in it's view.Prince Henry in the mist of various scholars;navigators, cartographers and inventors gave Fernando a feeling that he could not overcome, a strong sense that he was part of history about to be made.voices raised in loud deliberations made his entry totally unnoticed as Fernando walked in and took a seat quietly. Final preparations for the exploration were being made, maps upon maps were checked to ensure that the right routes had been chosen next were the demonstrations of the newest inventions made specifically for this journey. As was his custom Prince Henry sat quietly listening, he was last to speak giving either commendations, or asking questions. When the deliberations were concluded, Prince Henry restated the aim of the voyage pacing as he spoke and nothing else was heard except his voice resounding up to the roofs.He stopped sharply,picked up the maps and contraptions from the large table,walked up to Fernando and placed them in his hands . ''Goodluck"he said and walked out .Everyone else rose quietly and followed after him. Fernando sat still staring at nothing in particular. ''The feeling never changes no matter how often we do this does it?"Fernandez said placing his hand over Fernando's shoulder.Fernando smiled in return. Fernandez was his friend but in the eyes of everyone else, they were twins,from the first day they met at cape Sarges and indeed they shared a whole lot in common from their undying passion for the sea to their looks something that caught on the more people called them ''THE TWIN CAPTAINS". There was always this silent competition between them that caused each to strive for perfection and indeed they attained it.Notably the best Captains in the entire realm, it was cape Sarges that was the symbol of their friendship and the bond they shared. Fernando was a kind and gentle man, his love for people was just as deep as his love for the sea.It was said he was the calm waves that washed slowly on the shores. Unlike him,Fernandez was a hard man his passion left him short of any humanity he was described as the high torrents that beat the rocks into submission. There was a secret joke among the other captains at cape sarges that loving Fernando was the last onuce of humanity left in Fernández. ''Come with me Fernández" Fernando pleaded with a longing look in his eyes ''I miss the land and I cannot bear yet again the endless time at sea besides there is no ship ever built that can handle the twin captains. you'll have to do this on your own". Hearing Fernandez say he missed land was strange, it was something he would never say.Fernando did not have the right words to say so he decided on something different instead ''I hear Gomez is furious at prince Henry's choice of me for this voyage and that's the reason for his absence at today's deliberations" Fernando said straightening his shirt. The concern on Fernando's face caused Fernandez to laugh heartily ''You care too much about the feelings of others and I will say as I have before it changes nothing and this time will not be different" Fernandez said as he rose to his feet and Fernando followed. There was silence between them yet so much was said, things that were far beyond words and when their moment was passed they walked out together leaving cape sarges behind. ****************************************** Dark skies sprinkled with twinkling night stars and the gentle breeze that caressed the trees always made John enraged.The echoing music disturbed the stillness of the night,there was another ball at the mansion and as always long lines of carriages graced the driveway.John opened the stable doors revealing stalls that extended right to the end each containing a horse . His favourite horse was a black stallion called knight, it was his mother's gift to him, a young horse then but as John grew so did his horse.He pushed open the stall door. ''We are going on a long journey knight, you and I are leaving this place"he said caressing it. John picked up a saddle as he lead his horse out of the stable. The carriage he prepared was hidden under a tree behind the stables. It took several weeks, he had convinced the duchess to let him would work in the stable alone.Finding the most suitable carriage, he began stocking it for weeks with all he needed waiting patiently for the right moment to make his move and indeed it came. The grand ball in honor of his father's achievement in business was to be held. It was a night when dignitaries from across England would be in attendance to celebrate his father, it was going to be the biggest ball ever held in the mansion and John was ready to make his exit unnoticed. His father Francis was the biggest jewler in all of England and he had just been named THE PRIME JEWELER OF ENGLAND by the King.His amazing pieces were worn by every duchess and even the Queen.Francis was astute but a very proud man who would gladly take any opportunity to give a grand display of his wealth and power . John hardly saw his father he almost did not know how he looked like these days especially with the arrival of the duchess. ,''that slimy woman" he thought. The first time he saw her,John would never forget.Her pearl coloured gown and glowing neckpiece he was sure his father designed made him feel strange. His father was standing beside her holding her hand tightly bimming with bright smile as he introduced her to John. ''She's going to be your new mother" Those were the words that made everything in the room come to a stop especially the air around him. He remembered gasping for air and it did not seem enough ''Where is mother? When is she coming back?"John could remember screaming at the top of his lungs. ''I'm sorry son, your mom left and she will not be coming back"his father replied .John searched for any expression on his father's face that says he was joking but found none. He remembered searching for words to say but the words never came too. ''Mrs potts take John to his room" Sometimes,John wished he could go back to that very moment so he could comfort his younger self because days afterwards no one else could, not even Mrs potts and this make her very worried.He would not eat or drink anything and spent most of his time on the porch remembering the one night that changed everything. Changing into his disguise,he drove the carriage making his way through the tress and onto the driveway. He joined the line formed by other carriges carrying guests that were leaving the ball, as they moved on slowly he could feel his heartbeating loudly. When he finally got to the gate,the guard stared continuously at him and John feared he might be recognised ''What's the hold up?" Said a voice from the carriage behind John ''I'm sorry ma'am" the guard responded as he let John pass. Once he was out of sight, he tugged on rims and the horse rode faster into the darkness and he hoped to be out of the city before the break of dawn ''I can not be caught"John thought. He needed to get to a place beyond the reach of his father's influence, he needed to get away no matter what. There was nothing left to keep him here,nothing at all. It was on a bright and sunny day a week ago, he just turned fifteen and Mrs potts had promised to make sure he got the biggest cake anyone had ever seen and a special present. Mrs potts was the only one who seemed to care about him.The duchess had ensured he was locked up in his room all the time and John could not understand why his father would allow it maybe he was away again or he was just tired of him and never wanted to see him.Mrs potts would not have it, she always let him out and hide him away in the kitchen untill the duchess leaves the mansion and she always did and then he was free to do what ever he wanted. Mrs potts was the house keeper and it was her job to ensure that the mansion ran smoothly on daily basis. John thought she was some sort of magical creature who had powers to solve every problem. One time he had asked her if he had done anything so terrible for which he had been imprisoned. ''Oh little one you have done nothing wrong why would you think like that. I'll let you on a little secret, I made the duchess scared of you"she said with a beaming smile ''Really Mrs pott?"John said wide eyed ''Of course she is, you're the young master and you can send her off at anything and that scares her to her bones" Those words brought comfort to him, the feeling that he had some sort of power and not utterly helpless made being locked easier. Mrs potts had that effect on everybody indeed, she turned the entire servants to one big happy family but on that day though the sun graced the blue skies, it's beams seem not to shine through the large windows of the mansion, Mrs potts had passed quietly in her sleep.John remembered racing to her room when he heard the sound a scream coming from her room.One of the maids had found her lying lifeless on her bed. She felt so cold when he touched her,he had not realised how old she really was how could anyone realise that, her age was always masked behind her bright smile and kind heart but at this moment without both her aged self was unveiled. Slowly he buried his head on her shoulder and wept. The duchess ordered Mr Kent, the gardener to pulled him away from her and take him back to his room when she walked in. ''Do take a bath when you get there I do not want you spreading the infection in my house" John had never been sadder in his life.It was then he decided there was no reason left to stay.He was going to find his mother. The moonlight was enough to see the path ahead,as the streets gave way for trees and soon a canopy of trees it was cut off.Shining fireflies dotted the darkness with faint embers and John hoped he would make it through the night. **************************************** ''You've had enough Gomez, I think it's time you head home" said the waiter pulling the cup away from Gomez who almost fell over . ''It's enough only when I say so,I'm not done yet.You have one simply job and that is to refill my cup so do it quietly"Gomez replied drowsily. The bar was only scarcely filled with people ,It had several round tables and each housed four chairs. Gomez lifted the cup to his mouth and gulped down all its content, he let out a roaring belch and smiled to no one in particular. ''After such hardwork, they push me to the side for someone younger" said Gomez while trying to stand to his feet but fell back down into the chair and he laugh loudly, swinging his hands in the air. ''Does anyone else think I'm not good enough?Come on I'll you,I'll show them" He saw Diego walk in and try to find a seat, Gomez pulled himself to his feet staggering as he made his way across the room bumping into tables and people alike till he got to Diego ''You! You're one of them .how can anyone think any of you are better than I am.I am Gomez, tamer of the wild waves"He said as he got a hold of Diego's shirt Diego pull his hands away ''you have had too much to drink and I think you should head home" '' you do not tell me what to do, I'll see to it you all pay for this.You all will wish I was made captain of the Caravel" Diego said nothing only walked away silently.Gomez was furious,he grabbed Diego's shoulder and throw a punch that caught his cheek and sent him staggering back. In what seem like split seconds, Gomez was up in the air and sent crashing down to the ground.Diego continued his assault until he was pulled away, Gomez laid passed out on the ground. Diego stormed out of the bar and into the streets, He was furious more with himself than with Gomez. ''I should have known better, he was simply drunk" he thought but Diego knew he was not a man that had any control over his temper. He could lash out at anyone the moment he was enraged sadly he always regretted his actions and this time much more than he regretted anything else. He knew his actions were going to cost him the exploration, he was going to be kicked off the crew as a punishment for hitting Gomez a more older members of Cape Sarges than him. How would he defend himself? there was clearly nothing to excuse his actions. ''I should have known better" he said out loud. Diego imagined what the look on pedro's face would be like when he finally hears about what had happened he did not want to think about what he would say, the mere thought made him feel a pit in his stomach and a pain in his chest . The walk home was like a journey that stretched on for many long years and time passed slowly.When he finally got home, Diego got into his bed, tossing and turning as sleep was far from him.Flashes of the fight appeared before his eyes everytime he tried to shut them, things he wished he could forget . Starring at the ceiling he laid awake watching the hours fly by, it was going to be the longest night of his life.