How it all began...
The elegant woman in fancy dress stood in the middle of the cabin, the light of the nearest candle illuminated her face and the frontal part of her white dress, her long hair was braided behind her shoulders. Zarela was before a younger woman, sited on a chair dressed in loose shirt and black trousers, her boots were still on, her face was shadowed by the dim light. They were in the captain´s cabin of the Stoirmskeda, moored at Farcrag island, which Zarela owned. She was reaching her forties, still her voice seemed older, a price for being the boss of an island filled with pirates. Although there was only a lit candle in the cabin, the place was warm. The wet wood squeaked by the light movement produced by the waves and there seemed to be a low-pitched guttural sound when the place appeared to be filling with vapor.
“I thought I´d see my best captain at dinner, but I had to find you here.” said Zarela.
“You know I do not enjoy spending time with them. What brought you here?” asked the captain calmly.
“I need a favour from you. I want you to fetch someone for me, from the castle of Derrick …” Her captain set her piercing green eyes on her at the mention of the place.
“That´s a month´s trip at least. It´d need to sail dangerous waters…”
“I´m aware of it, Sienna. And I am sorry you didn´t have time to rest properly from your previous trip, but this is very important, I wouldn´t ask you if it wouldn´t be. I need you to bring me the youngest heir, the princess. I´ve studied the course, I know it´s a dangerous trip, but it needs to be done.” Sienna started to be uneasy, Zarela could tell because her eyes were fixed at some distant point, her mind analysing the odds; Siena knew the seas better than no one.
“What you´re asking, it´s almost suicidal. You´re my boss, and I´ve accomplished most of the things you´ve ask of me, but I can´t ask my crew for this…” she rose walking some steps away with the proposal still wandering in her mind.
“You have to Sienna, please. She´s my daughter.” Sienna looked at her with shocked eyes. The story of Zarela´s lost, and then thought dead, daughter was fresh in her memory. She´d seen her boss overcome pain and desperation before she´d resigned herself to accept her loss. For all those years, and for many other things, she knew there was no choice. At last, Zarela saw determination within Sienna´s green eyes.
“All right. I´ll find a way to bring her back.” She said nodding, fully understanding the importance and danger of her task. “We´ll leave tomorrow morning.”
