After reading through the initial seven basic plots I decided to try writing a novel, basically to see if I could create a story from one of the seven basic plots. What I ended up writing is below, however it technically only counts as a novella and isn't finished.
There she stood, as she had always. So long her service to the coastal metropolis of Parrway as an ever present guardian, a stalwart bastion of defense. The peninsula of Castella, a jutting and jagged cliff settled equidistantly in the center of the large crescent moon shaped port of Parrway, had long ago been re purposed into an intricate bunker of defense for the port. Its natural jagged surface which grew caked in the slime of the ocean with every wave had been a natural deterrence to the penetration of the island, in turn the island's troops could see fit that not a single boat would pass into the hallowed port. However the peninsula jutted out higher then any tactical advantage could follow, and upon the peak of Castella sat a beautiful spherical villa with strongly contrasting bright marble walls. The structure sat like the beacon of a lighthouse and when the sun hit upon its walls ships from miles around immediately could see the Castella beacon, Siren to the beauty of Parrway.
High above the marching drums of fort Castella this palace was home to the noble family which had long ago claimed ownership of Castella. Obviously a powerful family since their land was the first and main defence Parrway had from costal attack. The family benefited from a large amount of money for allowing the structure of a fort and constant defensive position on their land, this and a voice in the councils many hearings made the family highly respectable and desirable.
However this had never been a comfort to the only daughter of the family, she saw her name and nobility as a collar which kept her controlled. She had always been a little cold and disenchanted by a life, she seemed to feel as though none of it had been her choice and in that sense none of it was worth as much as whatever she could have chosen for herself. This realization had come to her long ago after her mother was taken before her time, back on a cursed night when the wind riled itself up against Castella. Her mother had been long complaining of a strange fever which often left her tired and delirious. She would rave about her waking nightmares of assailants without faces who would drag her away from her daughter and force her to watch as she wastes away. These visions became far too intense for her and after one faithful night she threw herself to the ocean of the East, leaving her daughter and bereaved husband to tend to the Castella Beacon.
The daughter was renamed by her father at the funeral "Kerstell" which translated roughly into 'Flower of rocks'. The daughter had been given no say in the matter and did not in the least bit like it. She felt above all that her mother had betrayed her that day, her father might have got Parrway to accept his story of fever and insane babble but she had seen her mother the night of her suicide. She could remember every time she looked upon the Bare willow tree that commemorated her mother as clear as it had happened that night all those years ago, the storm had frightened her and she had rushed to her mother for safety only to find her mother weeping. She could still feel the blinding shock a child feels when they see their parent, the one who is supposed to defend them in need of protecting."what is wrong mother?" She has sheepishly asked "are you afraid too?""Yes my child, but not of the storm" She spoke in quivering attempts at a reassuring voice."Then what are you afraid of mother?" The child asked climbing into the large bed and tucking herself within her mothers arms."I am afraid of..." She paused, the child could feel her face contorting to clench back the sobbing, she didn't want to scare her child. "n-nothing...Just my bad dreams. Nothing for my precious daughter to worry about." She held on tight to her daughter as if she expected somebody to contest her at any moment."Don't worry mother, your bad dreams are not real" The child repeated the reassurance her father had offered her once long ago, the mother felt warmed by her daughters attempts to care for her.After that the daughter had awoken again after she had fallen out of bed onto the hard marble floor, distressed she called out for her mother but there was no reply. The empty room echoed her cries for a brief moment before the thunder erased the call. After searching frantically all around the house the child caught a glimpse of her mother outside on the villa grounds by the edge of the cliffs. Just as she called out to her mother she saw her begin to disappear over the edge..."You abandoned me mother..." The aged Kerstell bitterly remarked while looking at the tree of remembrance grown to honour her mother, she felt the venom of her mothers abandonment swell up in her gut until she finally hawked it against the side of the tree and watched as it ran down the intricate carvings her father had placed upon its bark."Kerstell!" A gruff voice bellowed from the other end of the courtyard, "Stop that at once! Do you not feel shame disgracing your loving mother like that!?". Her father emerged onto the sun baked courtyard and hobbled towards the Cliffside as fast as his legs and staff could carry him, Kerstell saw a flash of the sky as her eyes rolled in her head in anticipation of what would be another waste of her time."Why do you test my patience so Kerstell? Is this some sort of punishment? have I not given you everything you have asked me to give?" Her father Temo was a stout man who was only as tall as Kerstell's shoulder, he had made all of his money trading different types of wool from the many creatures which you could get wool from. After meeting the lady of Castella at a banquet he had handmade a robe for her which she had been so fond of she agreed to let this man court her, no small feat since she had turned down near half the metropolis before this date.When he was angry however he would turn a slight shade of peach which contrasted heavily against his curly white beard."Is there a reason you are interrupting my time with my mother?" She satirically asked him, speaking as dryly as she could while being audible above the winds. The father leaned on the staff and waved his hand in the air in frustration at her daughters attitude, she had been the same most of her adolescence and Temo's patience and understanding were both wearing thin."Believe it or not your mother suffered from horrible night terrors and a severe flu, she was not herself when she jumped and that is the truth! Now if you are quite done defacing her memorial we must leave for the mainland before the tide swings low". With that Temo left his daughter grinding her teeth in the midday sun, when he and his guards were out of sight once more she turned and kicked the tree, part to get even with her father and part to let out her rage.
After a brief interlude where servants rushed a still smouldering Kerstell down the tall stairway down to the Fortress, a place Kerstell always disliked being taken through. She found the forced and aggressive organisation of the military base to be too reminiscent of how she felt treated. Unable to pursue her own life and choices in favour of the ones that the 'Lady of Castella' is required to choose. The figures of authority bellow out orders to the meagre, weak willed grunts and soldiers who tirelessly relent the tasks day in and day out until they have become the very officers they came to despise. Kerstell felt as though she was destined to fill out this pattern herself, albeit not in such a noble and manual profession.However she did take a certain pleasure from seeing that she wasn't alone in her suffering. She looked upon the many young men lifting sacks, at the dockside. Dragging them over to a cart as their officer looked upon in dismay at their speed, she felt a kinship with them that she could not find any closer to home. She even caught the eye of one of the younger recruits as he picked up a sack, however upon looking into his eye she could tell he was not suffering as she was. Not yet."What news from the Porathsus?" Her father finally asked his associate, Miser Bellemue once their ship had left the shadow of Castella."News?" The portly man replied, he seemed preoccupied with the content of the docks waters "Well the word has not changed too much, the Faceless armies of Nircin have begun to move along both coasts, it seems they could not find more to enslave further west on the continent."By the stars! How can the council pretend this is not our concern?" He rubbed his furrowed brow, tired as it was from all of the eyebrow raising events he has had to deal with in his life."You know Borin and Farlow will vote against anything which might threaten the northern and western boarders of the city. And since a vast majority of the nobles Live on the Northern edge of the city they will have the support." Miser Bellemue took a bite from a hand sized watermelon, the juices running onto his luxurious finery."It wont matter where they live if the Nircin armies pass into the docks of Parrway Bellemue, will it? If they set their sights on the Castella beacon they will surely have it if Parrway do not reinforce her. Once Castella falls to them they shall have the whole of Parrway before the sun may set". Temo knocked his head against his staff to illustrate how very foolish he believed the situation was being handled, Bellemue had been a constant friend to Temo and knew when he was becoming too frustrated for his own good. While dedication and passion were great allies to the process of Diplomacy when they become stubbornness and arrogance they halt it all together."Now now Temo" He pointed to him to catch his eyes, "There has never been a motion easily passed in the council of Parrway but you and I have passed more then any other nobles, why don't you remember not two months ago when we got the whole council to agree to stop attempting a tax on Porathsus? We prevented its destruction! Not to mention the time we-"Miser Bellemue was cut off at this point when Kerstell, sick of listening to the two of these old men bicker on about the council meeting they were on their way to visit had began humming the tune to a poem she had once heard the dockworkers singing. When they had continued to talk she had gotten progressively louder until finally she was almost singing the tune herself when Bellemue finally conceded to her distraction."Daughter of mine is there some reason you impede my conversation?" Temo attempted a more diplomatic voice, however he was already very inflamed by the content of his discussion, the tone he addressed his daughter with was of almost unbridled resentment. Kerstell responded in kind to her father, "I see that I am to assume the role of furniture while I am in your company father, really if my only purpose is to be seen then why did you not bring a statue of me?" she did wonder why her father had decided to bring her along to this council meeting at all. She had been happily divorced from the social and political aspects of her fathers life for most of her existence, resigned to her many teachers and books upon Castella, she had rarely visited Parrway and was not fond of the idea anymore now. "You know very well that next week you come of age, I am taking you into Parrway so you may mingle with the respectable noble men of this great metropolis before you are asked to pick one to marry you." The very words sent shivers down her spine.Their vessel's destination was the private docks of the council palace. A sprawling estate built of an obnoxious golden-tinted stone, each brick of enormous dimensions. Two slips of this golden stone made up the palace's private dockside, cut off from the rest of the mainland by large outcropping walls topped by carved visages of fierce beasts. By the time they reached the dock Kerstell had been bored to tears by her father and his pitiful ravings of the state of Parrway. For a man so avidly invested in the developments of the city he spent an awful amount of time distanced from it, as a matter of fact most of her fathers time was spent reading letters and notes from far away lands in his room. He seemed to leaf through them like a man attempting to dig for treasure in sand, frantic and frustrated every time he reached the bedrock of his desk. He had never saw fit to allow Kerstell his attention, while he did see to it she was never alone with her classes and tutors and handlers. By this point in her life Kerstell could not care less that her father did not have time for her, she would not have time for him if she were allowed her way. She dreamt so often of engineering an escape from the tower, befriending that boy from the fort and getting him to take her across the ocean past horizon and to the western continent. However she had never had the true nerve to abandon her father.The boat thudded unceremoniously against the coils of rope placed against the edge of the dockside, two sturdy workmen helped tie the vessel to the docks before Temo, Kerstell and Miser Bellemue made their way off of the boat.Upon the overly decorated dockside stood a man who you could tell had no intention of being decent."Ah!" Miser Bellemue began to introduce the man "Councillor Borin, how kind of you to take it upon yourself to welcome the delegate of Castella. May I present to you Kerstell, the last lady of Castella." Kerstell found herself unable to look this man in the eye, although his robe was of the brightest embroided linen his decrepit skin and sunken features depicted him as a mere skeleton, a heartless apparition of a human wearing the remains of a better man. Kerstell did all the rules of social conduct would allow her to do and bowed her head, focusing her eyes upon the floor beneath her, she then recited the greeting her tutors had drilled into her."Humbled by your presence Councillor Borin". Her voice was monotone and dead, she felt a wave of relief once her eyes had stopped perceiving his crooked smile, it was wicked and devious. Her relief however was short lived as she felt the bony finger of Borin pushing against her chin, urging her to raise her head and look into his eyes. She gulped back her disgust and brought her head back to eye level, again facing the visage of mortality which now had eyes beset with a smouldering desire. Borin's dry lips parted as he slowly said "The pleasure, dear Kerstell, is all mine". She did her best to smile, to hide her desire to openly reject the leering old man, however she had been taught of the punishments which went along with insulting one of the 5 councillors of Parrway."Is there a reason that you have graced us with your presence Borin?" Her father piped in, breaking Borin's snake-like gaze upon Kerstell much to her pleasure."Ah as always Temo, as direct as you can be aren't you? I indeed have sufficient reason to be here. It has come to my attention that you plan to declare a vote to the public in regards to the locations of our troops." Kerstell watched as her fathers thin veneer of warm spirit and reasoning drained from the look on his face, becoming stern and as solid as stone, Borin however continued to smirk at Temo " I just thought it was only fair I warn you that Grand Councillor Farlow has decided that if things come to a vote he plans to pull the extra soldier patrols from Castella". At this Temo's face went from a stoic stillness to a ill-hidden rage, the kind which looked as though it could bore through a storm, Borin closed his eyes and nodded, still his smirk persisted as though he were agreeing at the audacity of it all while being the one charged with the deliverance of the message."Now my friend" He spoke in hushed tones, placing a hand upon Temo's shoulder " I would be more then willing to back you on a proposal which would shore up the defences of Parkway's coast so long as you would be willing to hear out a few of my proposals before the meeting of the council."Her father had a look which signified he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. he eventually closed his eyes and nodded slightly, much to Borin's delight."splendid! Now young Kerstell if you would do me the honour of accompanying Miser Bellemue to the Palace gardens I am sure you shall find yourself quite enchanted with the beauty of the Blazing Orchids" Kerstell had been till this moment lost in her own thoughts, looking out over the ocean and imagining the freedom it could bring to her. When she heard Borin address her she snapped back into things with another well recited phrase "thank you your grace", she then bowed her head slightly and begin following behind the rotund Miser Bellemue.In an act of defiance she muttered under her breath "thank the stars I am away from the heinous wraith""What did you say dear child?" Bellemue had been downwind and heard the murmurs"Nothing Miser" She replied, her heart fluttering at the rush of almost being caught.At the other end of the palace laid an extravagant collection of gardens, dotted with statues and sublime fountains this section of Eden had become a hot spot for the higher end of Parrway society to get away from the reality of the city streets and feel as though they truly had value to the political system in the city. Here you found pretentious peddlers of wealth and title bleating to others of their kind about brave new ideas they have apparently conceived and hope to catch the ear of the council with. A grand amount of them are not even as wealthy as they claim, they just have the funds to look the part. Kerstell felt like she was at a masquerade ball where the theme was Pretentiousness, the parties had been her burden to bear ever since she had hit the tender age of 13. She had never found kinship with the other 'privileged' of Parrway, perhaps it was because of her views on the governing systems which they based their ambitions upon. However she had gotten to know the faces much to her dislike. She had even managed to maintain a outward appearance as humble and quiet, listening to those who spoke to her and not often uttering much of a response back. She had been told that if she did anything to jeopardise her fathers reputation she would be forced to live with a tutor until she had grown up."Dearest guests may I present to you Lady Kerstell of Castella" Miser Bellemue uttered in his ever professional tone, he then turned and departed from the group he had lead Kerstell to. Kerstell did not know the people with which she was faced, however she could tell that she would almost immediately grow to dislike them. It did not take long for this prophecy to come true as the first one came forward to introduce himself to her, a young man with the complexion that only had purpose on a marble statue, dressed in audaciously bright and fancy attire and a hair style that looked as though it took hours to perfect. "Too long have we been kept apart my fair Lady of Castella." He kidnapped her hand from where it comfortably lay by her side and brought it up to his lips, so she could feel his breath with every word. "I am the Young Lord of Tartarus, Alistair. I am humbled by your proximity fair lady" With that he pushed his lips against her fingers, slowly allowing them to be pulled away by Kerstell. Who could not believe the audacity of this Vain imbecile, she let her hand in the air between them unsure of weather she should strike the man or bring it back down to her side. To fill this time of indecision she replied to him as calmly as she could "The pleasure is-" Before the words could escape from her flustered cheeks a more robust boy to Alistair's left interrupted her with his own greeting. Obviously too eager himself to ensure that his presence had been noted by the newest Lady on the green. "My lady, may I just say that as you approached I thought it were an eclipse, for only a star could have shone so brightly as you radiate our presence right now. I am the lord Rayne of the Mayre" Kerstell was at first taken aback, she was not used to such flowery descriptions of her beauty. However upon looking into the eyes of young Rayne she could tell without the slightest amount of doubt that the beautiful metaphor of poetry was not one born of his mind. She could tell that he had bought the line from a poet hoping it would be all the charm he would need, she decided to punish him for his mistake."Oh Lord Rayne," She replied in her most patronising voice "you definitely are a poet and a charmer, what else would you say of me?". She watched in amusement as his face went from simple minded glee that his plan was working to slightly hidden shock as he fumbled for a response to the question he should have anticipated."Really now you two might as well be throwing roses at her feet" A shrill voice piped up from the remaining lords and ladies. Thin lady in baby blue garments approached Kerstell with a confrontational intention to her walk, Kerstell felt her inside knot slightly as the possibility for conflict mounted in the back of her mind. The lady held out her hand waiting in expectance for Kerstell to hold it, once she had taken hold she said simply and sternly " I am Lady Ahmn of Terra, do not let the adulation of these boys over inflate your ego. So far they have fawned over every available lady in Parrway, you are simply the only one left who has not rejected them." With this confrontational message the Lady of Terra began to strut away from the group, toward a smaller circle of people."Please pay her no mind dear lady of Castella" A bald boy in exotic finery spoke up, the last of the group yet to speak to her, "she is yet to be courted by any noble and has become quite sharp as a result" Kerstell looked on to the last of the group awaiting his inevitable introduction " Erin of Herisos" He finally remarked, he seemed to focus on a small piece of wood he was working on with a long, thin implement. For some reason Kerstell did not find the boy as utterly repulsive as the rest of the lords and ladies, who seemed obsessed with acquiring more power by any means necessary."It is an honour to meet you Lord of Herisos" She remarked back, with a little more of the grace she had had drilled into her by her many etiquette tutors. "That was an impressive interpretation of somebody who cares to be here lady Castella, I do sincerely hope that it was simply performance".Kerstell laughed shyly under her breath, she didn't expect to meet anybody with wit in this sort of atmosphere, however she couldn't deny his existence in front of her. She was not the type for getting her hopes up however and decided to treat the young lord Erin with suspicion, he could easily be playing the outcast to try and make her a fool."Well now lord of Her-...what was your name again?" she turned to face another person in the group only to realise they had both departed, sure that she was interested in Erin and therefore not worth their time. She caught a glimpse of the lord Rayne rushing toward a group of girls similar in appearance to her age, a small part of her felt bitterness towards the boy for even wasting her time in the first place. "Aren't you glad they are gone? Stains of men, hardly worth the air they breathe. I swear you can always tell the ones that are alive simply to fill the void of incompetence when their parents finally depart this land. Perhaps its the smell of their clothes, No.. Its in their eyes, vacancy where intent should lie. I swear they are worth nothing more then beasts of burden truly." Kerstell stood listening to Erin's stinging review of the boys and felt a small resonance in her chest, she was sure it was exactly what she would have said about them in her diary when she finally returned home."I do apologise, you shouldn't have to listen to my venomous ramblings" He stood up pocketing the blade into a sleeve sheath " You know my father used to say that I spat so much venom that he pondered looking for the fangs every time I spoke, I don't care what he thinks though this city's upper class are nothing more then rodents clambering over one another for a few seconds in the lime light. They don't care who they are standing on so long as they don't drag them down." He shrugged, Kerstell had become ever so slightly enchanted by the boy, however she was beginning to suspect he was implying that she herself was one of these shallow types with nothing more then the lust for power driving her. She couldn't contain the frustration of being told by somebody who barely knows her at all that she was everything she despised, finally she let out a retort to this attack "Do you think I am like them?" Her voice sounded raised, as though she was trying to make an order at a crowded restaurant. The boy noticed the raised tone in her voice, breaking away from her more muted and taught polite tone. "I do not remember insulting you Kerstell. No in answer to your question I don't lump you in with those rodents, in fact I think you a little more aware of the situation, if you were like them you would be with them instead of standing on the sidelines with myself. We don't stand out because we want to dear Kerstell, we are simply different and therefore cannot blend in with the heard."It was at this point Kerstell began to see a distinct difference between herself and Erin, he was arrogant, so much so that he thought himself better then everybody in the room. That self decided importance was something that made her feel uncomfortable in his presence, she could not shake the feeling all of a sudden that he wasn't conversing with her more then he was looking down at her from his imagined high horse. However even as she said that she felt no other connection to anybody in the area, she gave a quick glace to the horizon to perceive her demographic. She saw them all, couples which sat talking endlessly on topics forced upon them by their parents, small groups of would be kings chatting about their own self importance and finally those yet to grow up, Manic and excitable as if life was but a dream and the only concern in their lives was which flavour of wine to commission for their next gathering. She had no fealty to any of these groups, the closest connection she could fathom in this group was the young lord Erin. Finally she gulped feeling her heart twisting forcing its way up her oesophagus as she prepared to make her first legitimate attempt to bond with another human being. "Lord Erin, I was wondering what on earth that carving was in your hand" She gestured to the piece of wood he was examining, the item resembled a oval disk similar in proportions to a very thin egg. On one side he seemed to have intricately carved a set of lines and grooves which seemed to spell out different things each time she glanced down at it."Oh this? This is something my mother taught me to make, these patterns are used to help you see the truth of things. You see the lines here can make any word in our language depending on how you look at it, you shall see the answer to any question, here look upon the pattern."He held out the stone to her for her to take, she felt her skin flush slightly unable to shake the fact that he was gifting something he had made himself to her. as if touched her hand she noticed that it was considerably heavy for a chunk of wood. Her eyes darted over the mess of shapes looking frantically for any sort of sign."Have you thought of a question at all? what is it?"Kerstell realised that she hadn't remembered to ask a question, let alone one she was willing to tell Erin, she thought quickly to herself. Then remembered the ocean, she saw no harm in Erin knowing of her desire to sail the oceans one day.
"What will I feel when I finally cross the oceans?" She finally asked looking down at the stone, however feeling Erin's gaze upon her like the light from a fire, warming her.
"Now look at the markings and relax your eyesight, tell me when you finally make out a word"She did as instructed, letting her vision blur and shapes merge as her eyes relaxed out of focus. What she immediately noticed was that the shapes on the locket did not become less focused as everything else but more moved around and weaved into one another, until finally they spelled out as clear as day one word.Fear.In the far distance the sound of a bell rung by hand rang out shattering Her concentration. It was the bell which announced the commencement of the grand meeting of the council of Parrway, it was expected at this point for every member of every noble family to attend the meeting hall...The meeting went on for hours and consisted of nothing more then people arguing and never actually accomplishing anything. She saw that Erin felt the same when he audibly sighed "well it looks like its time for me to nap in a room full of human shells, how will you be fulfilling yourself for the next few hours Kerstell?" "I shall most likely be trying to discern which if any of my peers dressed themselves this morning" They shared a look of mutual distain for the event, then smiled awkwardly. "Please keep the carving Kerstell, I make many of them and usually do little more then give them away to strangers. It would be nice to give them to somebody I had an intention of furthering my affiliation with" With that he began to walk away from Kerstell before she had even replied, she found this final act of distancing to be a little confusing but remarked it down as most likely a way for him to produce an aura of self sufficiency. He couldn't allow her to think of him as needing her for anything including the ending of a conversation.
As Kerstell made her way towards the large entrance where the rest of the nobility had already funnelled into she heard in the distance a feint call "Kerstell!" It was unmistakably from her father, she turned to see him rushing to her at a pace that immediately caused her to worry. She had never seen her father hurrying for anything, she set off at a brisk walking pace towards him "What ever is the matter father?" She tried to keep her civil voice however it was hard to maintain when communicating across a courtyard. "No time for queries! We are leaving this instant!" She felt herself calm slightly, this had happened once before, her father often became enraged with the other council members and demanded they left in a rush. However he seemed to have a pair of armed guards with him, perhaps he was being escorted from the palace this time. Either way he seemed in no mood to speak of what was bothering him, Kerstell decided to count her blessings that she didn't have to suffer through the long drawn out meetings and could finally return home where she could exercise a small amount of freedom.By the time Kerstell and her father had reached the open water she had noted a distinct level of fear in the way her father had been acting, she had expected anger but not fear, never fear. "Father" She finally worked up the nerve to ask him "Why are we leaving at such great pace? What are we running from?" She did not wish to ask who they were running from. Her father seemed to have been awaiting the question and had a lie ready to reply "We are simply getting away from those incompetent wind bags who have absolutely no idea of what is good for Parrway!" He tried to instil passion into this otherwise hollow statement, hoping that since it was almost exactly the thing he had said last time they had horridly departed that it would seem true enough for his daughter to believe. She however noted strongly the fear in his lungs, she could not help but notice that only a pair of the council's honour guard had accompanied them on their voyage home. She felt an anxiety building up knowing that her father was deceiving her but she had absolutely no way to find out the why, in her hand she felt the hand carved locket in her hand and decided that she had no reason whatsoever not to try using it. In her head she held the question "Who is my father running from?" She then let her eyes relax as she had been instructed, however the message she received back seemed a little bizarre. she made out the words "Honour guard" Before a shadow was cast over her. She looked up in time to see the hilt of a sword rushing toward her face blocking out the sun.The world went black and she felt the boat hit her limp face, she fell into a dreamless darkness.Kerstell felt cold, terribly cold, as if she had been pressed hard against a block of ice, her toes were numb and so cold they felt as though they were burning. She could feel water washing against her cheek and the lower half of her body as the boat moved back and forth. However at the point where she thought of her face she became aware of her forehead, a splitting pain as though she had a drill slowly grinding in her head overwhelmed her causing her body to shake and sweat even though she felt cold. she attempted to bring her knees up to her torso so she could warm herself, however both her arms seemed dead, she could not locate them. Her legs felt heavy, they were bound by a thick rope by the ankles. Kerstell began to panic, her head began to feel heavy and lobbed back towards the floor, she felt her stomach up welling and her throat going dry, saltwater splashed against her and injected itself up her nose causing her to go into a coughing fit. She flipped over onto her knees resting on her forehead and coughing onto the floor until her choking lead to vomiting. She felt her head clarify slightly as she finished up heaving, her vision slowly cleared and focused, she rolled to her left twice to try and escape the pool she had just created. finding her way to a curved wall, she manoeuvred herself so that she lay flat against this slant looking back into the room, a hole at the other end of the room revealed a pale blue natural light. She surmised that she must be within the hold of the boat she had been on at the time, however her arms were returning to life and she could now tell that they had been bound behind her back, her head was still buzzing with pain.She began to breathe heavily, inhaling the smell of the fresh vomit and saltwater on the floor of the hold. She wanted badly to call out to her father but was terrified that since she was bound in the hold her father could not have fared any better, he might not even be on the boat anymore... Her mind flashed replaying the events that she could recall past her blinding headache, she realised the guards must have been insurgents of some sort. Perhaps even some sort of coup de tat lead by another council member, what had her father done to deserver her such a fate? She finally looked down to her knees and began to weep, she was still weak. Perhaps from her head injury, it had already caused her to throw up. she did not dare move closer to the opening in case she brought attention to herself from her assailants, she was utterly and hopelessly trapped with nowhere to hide. She felt her head getting more and more heavy, her eyelids closing as she continued to cry, her throat was still dry and her lips tasted of puke.She awoke again as a large wave crashed against the side of the vessel causing her to slide and tap her head against one of the boats ribs, this caused her to yelp out in pain as her head wound erupted with crippling waves of pain. She immediately felt fear wash over her body as the boards above her head creaked under the pressure as one of the assailants moved towards the opening hatch. Kerstell attempted to clutch her hand to her forehead to suppress the pain with pressure, forgetting that her hands were currently bound behind her head. Her heart skipped a beat, the grate covering the hold entrance let out a screech as its saltwater rusted hinges were forced to change, a darkened leather boot took hold on the first of the steep wooden steps, illuminated by the presence of an unnatural orange tinted light. Another foot appeared, linked to some dark armour bound legs leading into a short and drenched poncho lifted up by a gloved hand holding a lantern. The light illuminated the materials he wore showing that beneath the poncho his skin was tinted with blood, she gasped as his eyes met hers, somehow sweeping the life out of her with a glance. He advanced, Kerstell wanted to scream but felt as though she had forgotten how to, she felt rooted to the spot locked into the mans expression as he approached. She felt the light warming her damp skin thawing her numb feeling, however it may have simply been the adrenaline. The man stared into her eyes deeply a though attempting to discern her thoughts, for a moment Kerstell could not think a coherent thought, she simply existed, breathing heavily and drawn as the man plundered the depths of her soul. He finally broke his hypnotic gaze to glance up at the top of the boat, the light illuminated the wooden roof and revealed a small iron ring bent open and broken. The man spoke harshly in a foreign tongue and then noticed the puddle of congealed vomit, he quickly checked over Kerstell's injury then pushed her to sitting before leaving her alone again.Once Kerstell was alone again she had a moment to think over what this meant, obviously she had been hung up on that ring by her feet since her arms were behind her back. She could also discern that she was in some way a prisoner to these people meaning that her father must have been left alive. That was the only explanation! Why else would she have been taken prisoner in this manner if not for a ransom. She felt a flood of relief safe in the knowledge that her father was alive and well and would definitely pay the people holding her any amount of money to secure her safety, then most likely spend the rest of his resources and life trying to bring to justice the monsters that put her daughter through this misery and danger.
After a brief interlude where servants rushed a still smouldering Kerstell down the tall stairway down to the Fortress, a place Kerstell always disliked being taken through. She found the forced and aggressive organisation of the military base to be too reminiscent of how she felt treated. Unable to pursue her own life and choices in favour of the ones that the 'Lady of Castella' is required to choose. The figures of authority bellow out orders to the meagre, weak willed grunts and soldiers who tirelessly relent the tasks day in and day out until they have become the very officers they came to despise. Kerstell felt as though she was destined to fill out this pattern herself, albeit not in such a noble and manual profession.However she did take a certain pleasure from seeing that she wasn't alone in her suffering. She looked upon the many young men lifting sacks, at the dockside. Dragging them over to a cart as their officer looked upon in dismay at their speed, she felt a kinship with them that she could not find any closer to home. She even caught the eye of one of the younger recruits as he picked up a sack, however upon looking into his eye she could tell he was not suffering as she was. Not yet."What news from the Porathsus?" Her father finally asked his associate, Miser Bellemue once their ship had left the shadow of Castella."News?" The portly man replied, he seemed preoccupied with the content of the docks waters "Well the word has not changed too much, the Faceless armies of Nircin have begun to move along both coasts, it seems they could not find more to enslave further west on the continent."By the stars! How can the council pretend this is not our concern?" He rubbed his furrowed brow, tired as it was from all of the eyebrow raising events he has had to deal with in his life."You know Borin and Farlow will vote against anything which might threaten the northern and western boarders of the city. And since a vast majority of the nobles Live on the Northern edge of the city they will have the support." Miser Bellemue took a bite from a hand sized watermelon, the juices running onto his luxurious finery."It wont matter where they live if the Nircin armies pass into the docks of Parrway Bellemue, will it? If they set their sights on the Castella beacon they will surely have it if Parrway do not reinforce her. Once Castella falls to them they shall have the whole of Parrway before the sun may set". Temo knocked his head against his staff to illustrate how very foolish he believed the situation was being handled, Bellemue had been a constant friend to Temo and knew when he was becoming too frustrated for his own good. While dedication and passion were great allies to the process of Diplomacy when they become stubbornness and arrogance they halt it all together."Now now Temo" He pointed to him to catch his eyes, "There has never been a motion easily passed in the council of Parrway but you and I have passed more then any other nobles, why don't you remember not two months ago when we got the whole council to agree to stop attempting a tax on Porathsus? We prevented its destruction! Not to mention the time we-"Miser Bellemue was cut off at this point when Kerstell, sick of listening to the two of these old men bicker on about the council meeting they were on their way to visit had began humming the tune to a poem she had once heard the dockworkers singing. When they had continued to talk she had gotten progressively louder until finally she was almost singing the tune herself when Bellemue finally conceded to her distraction."Daughter of mine is there some reason you impede my conversation?" Temo attempted a more diplomatic voice, however he was already very inflamed by the content of his discussion, the tone he addressed his daughter with was of almost unbridled resentment. Kerstell responded in kind to her father, "I see that I am to assume the role of furniture while I am in your company father, really if my only purpose is to be seen then why did you not bring a statue of me?" she did wonder why her father had decided to bring her along to this council meeting at all. She had been happily divorced from the social and political aspects of her fathers life for most of her existence, resigned to her many teachers and books upon Castella, she had rarely visited Parrway and was not fond of the idea anymore now. "You know very well that next week you come of age, I am taking you into Parrway so you may mingle with the respectable noble men of this great metropolis before you are asked to pick one to marry you." The very words sent shivers down her spine.Their vessel's destination was the private docks of the council palace. A sprawling estate built of an obnoxious golden-tinted stone, each brick of enormous dimensions. Two slips of this golden stone made up the palace's private dockside, cut off from the rest of the mainland by large outcropping walls topped by carved visages of fierce beasts. By the time they reached the dock Kerstell had been bored to tears by her father and his pitiful ravings of the state of Parrway. For a man so avidly invested in the developments of the city he spent an awful amount of time distanced from it, as a matter of fact most of her fathers time was spent reading letters and notes from far away lands in his room. He seemed to leaf through them like a man attempting to dig for treasure in sand, frantic and frustrated every time he reached the bedrock of his desk. He had never saw fit to allow Kerstell his attention, while he did see to it she was never alone with her classes and tutors and handlers. By this point in her life Kerstell could not care less that her father did not have time for her, she would not have time for him if she were allowed her way. She dreamt so often of engineering an escape from the tower, befriending that boy from the fort and getting him to take her across the ocean past horizon and to the western continent. However she had never had the true nerve to abandon her father.The boat thudded unceremoniously against the coils of rope placed against the edge of the dockside, two sturdy workmen helped tie the vessel to the docks before Temo, Kerstell and Miser Bellemue made their way off of the boat.Upon the overly decorated dockside stood a man who you could tell had no intention of being decent."Ah!" Miser Bellemue began to introduce the man "Councillor Borin, how kind of you to take it upon yourself to welcome the delegate of Castella. May I present to you Kerstell, the last lady of Castella." Kerstell found herself unable to look this man in the eye, although his robe was of the brightest embroided linen his decrepit skin and sunken features depicted him as a mere skeleton, a heartless apparition of a human wearing the remains of a better man. Kerstell did all the rules of social conduct would allow her to do and bowed her head, focusing her eyes upon the floor beneath her, she then recited the greeting her tutors had drilled into her."Humbled by your presence Councillor Borin". Her voice was monotone and dead, she felt a wave of relief once her eyes had stopped perceiving his crooked smile, it was wicked and devious. Her relief however was short lived as she felt the bony finger of Borin pushing against her chin, urging her to raise her head and look into his eyes. She gulped back her disgust and brought her head back to eye level, again facing the visage of mortality which now had eyes beset with a smouldering desire. Borin's dry lips parted as he slowly said "The pleasure, dear Kerstell, is all mine". She did her best to smile, to hide her desire to openly reject the leering old man, however she had been taught of the punishments which went along with insulting one of the 5 councillors of Parrway."Is there a reason that you have graced us with your presence Borin?" Her father piped in, breaking Borin's snake-like gaze upon Kerstell much to her pleasure."Ah as always Temo, as direct as you can be aren't you? I indeed have sufficient reason to be here. It has come to my attention that you plan to declare a vote to the public in regards to the locations of our troops." Kerstell watched as her fathers thin veneer of warm spirit and reasoning drained from the look on his face, becoming stern and as solid as stone, Borin however continued to smirk at Temo " I just thought it was only fair I warn you that Grand Councillor Farlow has decided that if things come to a vote he plans to pull the extra soldier patrols from Castella". At this Temo's face went from a stoic stillness to a ill-hidden rage, the kind which looked as though it could bore through a storm, Borin closed his eyes and nodded, still his smirk persisted as though he were agreeing at the audacity of it all while being the one charged with the deliverance of the message."Now my friend" He spoke in hushed tones, placing a hand upon Temo's shoulder " I would be more then willing to back you on a proposal which would shore up the defences of Parkway's coast so long as you would be willing to hear out a few of my proposals before the meeting of the council."Her father had a look which signified he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. he eventually closed his eyes and nodded slightly, much to Borin's delight."splendid! Now young Kerstell if you would do me the honour of accompanying Miser Bellemue to the Palace gardens I am sure you shall find yourself quite enchanted with the beauty of the Blazing Orchids" Kerstell had been till this moment lost in her own thoughts, looking out over the ocean and imagining the freedom it could bring to her. When she heard Borin address her she snapped back into things with another well recited phrase "thank you your grace", she then bowed her head slightly and begin following behind the rotund Miser Bellemue.In an act of defiance she muttered under her breath "thank the stars I am away from the heinous wraith""What did you say dear child?" Bellemue had been downwind and heard the murmurs"Nothing Miser" She replied, her heart fluttering at the rush of almost being caught.At the other end of the palace laid an extravagant collection of gardens, dotted with statues and sublime fountains this section of Eden had become a hot spot for the higher end of Parrway society to get away from the reality of the city streets and feel as though they truly had value to the political system in the city. Here you found pretentious peddlers of wealth and title bleating to others of their kind about brave new ideas they have apparently conceived and hope to catch the ear of the council with. A grand amount of them are not even as wealthy as they claim, they just have the funds to look the part. Kerstell felt like she was at a masquerade ball where the theme was Pretentiousness, the parties had been her burden to bear ever since she had hit the tender age of 13. She had never found kinship with the other 'privileged' of Parrway, perhaps it was because of her views on the governing systems which they based their ambitions upon. However she had gotten to know the faces much to her dislike. She had even managed to maintain a outward appearance as humble and quiet, listening to those who spoke to her and not often uttering much of a response back. She had been told that if she did anything to jeopardise her fathers reputation she would be forced to live with a tutor until she had grown up."Dearest guests may I present to you Lady Kerstell of Castella" Miser Bellemue uttered in his ever professional tone, he then turned and departed from the group he had lead Kerstell to. Kerstell did not know the people with which she was faced, however she could tell that she would almost immediately grow to dislike them. It did not take long for this prophecy to come true as the first one came forward to introduce himself to her, a young man with the complexion that only had purpose on a marble statue, dressed in audaciously bright and fancy attire and a hair style that looked as though it took hours to perfect. "Too long have we been kept apart my fair Lady of Castella." He kidnapped her hand from where it comfortably lay by her side and brought it up to his lips, so she could feel his breath with every word. "I am the Young Lord of Tartarus, Alistair. I am humbled by your proximity fair lady" With that he pushed his lips against her fingers, slowly allowing them to be pulled away by Kerstell. Who could not believe the audacity of this Vain imbecile, she let her hand in the air between them unsure of weather she should strike the man or bring it back down to her side. To fill this time of indecision she replied to him as calmly as she could "The pleasure is-" Before the words could escape from her flustered cheeks a more robust boy to Alistair's left interrupted her with his own greeting. Obviously too eager himself to ensure that his presence had been noted by the newest Lady on the green. "My lady, may I just say that as you approached I thought it were an eclipse, for only a star could have shone so brightly as you radiate our presence right now. I am the lord Rayne of the Mayre" Kerstell was at first taken aback, she was not used to such flowery descriptions of her beauty. However upon looking into the eyes of young Rayne she could tell without the slightest amount of doubt that the beautiful metaphor of poetry was not one born of his mind. She could tell that he had bought the line from a poet hoping it would be all the charm he would need, she decided to punish him for his mistake."Oh Lord Rayne," She replied in her most patronising voice "you definitely are a poet and a charmer, what else would you say of me?". She watched in amusement as his face went from simple minded glee that his plan was working to slightly hidden shock as he fumbled for a response to the question he should have anticipated."Really now you two might as well be throwing roses at her feet" A shrill voice piped up from the remaining lords and ladies. Thin lady in baby blue garments approached Kerstell with a confrontational intention to her walk, Kerstell felt her inside knot slightly as the possibility for conflict mounted in the back of her mind. The lady held out her hand waiting in expectance for Kerstell to hold it, once she had taken hold she said simply and sternly " I am Lady Ahmn of Terra, do not let the adulation of these boys over inflate your ego. So far they have fawned over every available lady in Parrway, you are simply the only one left who has not rejected them." With this confrontational message the Lady of Terra began to strut away from the group, toward a smaller circle of people."Please pay her no mind dear lady of Castella" A bald boy in exotic finery spoke up, the last of the group yet to speak to her, "she is yet to be courted by any noble and has become quite sharp as a result" Kerstell looked on to the last of the group awaiting his inevitable introduction " Erin of Herisos" He finally remarked, he seemed to focus on a small piece of wood he was working on with a long, thin implement. For some reason Kerstell did not find the boy as utterly repulsive as the rest of the lords and ladies, who seemed obsessed with acquiring more power by any means necessary."It is an honour to meet you Lord of Herisos" She remarked back, with a little more of the grace she had had drilled into her by her many etiquette tutors. "That was an impressive interpretation of somebody who cares to be here lady Castella, I do sincerely hope that it was simply performance".Kerstell laughed shyly under her breath, she didn't expect to meet anybody with wit in this sort of atmosphere, however she couldn't deny his existence in front of her. She was not the type for getting her hopes up however and decided to treat the young lord Erin with suspicion, he could easily be playing the outcast to try and make her a fool."Well now lord of Her-...what was your name again?" she turned to face another person in the group only to realise they had both departed, sure that she was interested in Erin and therefore not worth their time. She caught a glimpse of the lord Rayne rushing toward a group of girls similar in appearance to her age, a small part of her felt bitterness towards the boy for even wasting her time in the first place. "Aren't you glad they are gone? Stains of men, hardly worth the air they breathe. I swear you can always tell the ones that are alive simply to fill the void of incompetence when their parents finally depart this land. Perhaps its the smell of their clothes, No.. Its in their eyes, vacancy where intent should lie. I swear they are worth nothing more then beasts of burden truly." Kerstell stood listening to Erin's stinging review of the boys and felt a small resonance in her chest, she was sure it was exactly what she would have said about them in her diary when she finally returned home."I do apologise, you shouldn't have to listen to my venomous ramblings" He stood up pocketing the blade into a sleeve sheath " You know my father used to say that I spat so much venom that he pondered looking for the fangs every time I spoke, I don't care what he thinks though this city's upper class are nothing more then rodents clambering over one another for a few seconds in the lime light. They don't care who they are standing on so long as they don't drag them down." He shrugged, Kerstell had become ever so slightly enchanted by the boy, however she was beginning to suspect he was implying that she herself was one of these shallow types with nothing more then the lust for power driving her. She couldn't contain the frustration of being told by somebody who barely knows her at all that she was everything she despised, finally she let out a retort to this attack "Do you think I am like them?" Her voice sounded raised, as though she was trying to make an order at a crowded restaurant. The boy noticed the raised tone in her voice, breaking away from her more muted and taught polite tone. "I do not remember insulting you Kerstell. No in answer to your question I don't lump you in with those rodents, in fact I think you a little more aware of the situation, if you were like them you would be with them instead of standing on the sidelines with myself. We don't stand out because we want to dear Kerstell, we are simply different and therefore cannot blend in with the heard."It was at this point Kerstell began to see a distinct difference between herself and Erin, he was arrogant, so much so that he thought himself better then everybody in the room. That self decided importance was something that made her feel uncomfortable in his presence, she could not shake the feeling all of a sudden that he wasn't conversing with her more then he was looking down at her from his imagined high horse. However even as she said that she felt no other connection to anybody in the area, she gave a quick glace to the horizon to perceive her demographic. She saw them all, couples which sat talking endlessly on topics forced upon them by their parents, small groups of would be kings chatting about their own self importance and finally those yet to grow up, Manic and excitable as if life was but a dream and the only concern in their lives was which flavour of wine to commission for their next gathering. She had no fealty to any of these groups, the closest connection she could fathom in this group was the young lord Erin. Finally she gulped feeling her heart twisting forcing its way up her oesophagus as she prepared to make her first legitimate attempt to bond with another human being. "Lord Erin, I was wondering what on earth that carving was in your hand" She gestured to the piece of wood he was examining, the item resembled a oval disk similar in proportions to a very thin egg. On one side he seemed to have intricately carved a set of lines and grooves which seemed to spell out different things each time she glanced down at it."Oh this? This is something my mother taught me to make, these patterns are used to help you see the truth of things. You see the lines here can make any word in our language depending on how you look at it, you shall see the answer to any question, here look upon the pattern."He held out the stone to her for her to take, she felt her skin flush slightly unable to shake the fact that he was gifting something he had made himself to her. as if touched her hand she noticed that it was considerably heavy for a chunk of wood. Her eyes darted over the mess of shapes looking frantically for any sort of sign."Have you thought of a question at all? what is it?"Kerstell realised that she hadn't remembered to ask a question, let alone one she was willing to tell Erin, she thought quickly to herself. Then remembered the ocean, she saw no harm in Erin knowing of her desire to sail the oceans one day.
"What will I feel when I finally cross the oceans?" She finally asked looking down at the stone, however feeling Erin's gaze upon her like the light from a fire, warming her.
"Now look at the markings and relax your eyesight, tell me when you finally make out a word"She did as instructed, letting her vision blur and shapes merge as her eyes relaxed out of focus. What she immediately noticed was that the shapes on the locket did not become less focused as everything else but more moved around and weaved into one another, until finally they spelled out as clear as day one word.Fear.In the far distance the sound of a bell rung by hand rang out shattering Her concentration. It was the bell which announced the commencement of the grand meeting of the council of Parrway, it was expected at this point for every member of every noble family to attend the meeting hall...The meeting went on for hours and consisted of nothing more then people arguing and never actually accomplishing anything. She saw that Erin felt the same when he audibly sighed "well it looks like its time for me to nap in a room full of human shells, how will you be fulfilling yourself for the next few hours Kerstell?" "I shall most likely be trying to discern which if any of my peers dressed themselves this morning" They shared a look of mutual distain for the event, then smiled awkwardly. "Please keep the carving Kerstell, I make many of them and usually do little more then give them away to strangers. It would be nice to give them to somebody I had an intention of furthering my affiliation with" With that he began to walk away from Kerstell before she had even replied, she found this final act of distancing to be a little confusing but remarked it down as most likely a way for him to produce an aura of self sufficiency. He couldn't allow her to think of him as needing her for anything including the ending of a conversation.
As Kerstell made her way towards the large entrance where the rest of the nobility had already funnelled into she heard in the distance a feint call "Kerstell!" It was unmistakably from her father, she turned to see him rushing to her at a pace that immediately caused her to worry. She had never seen her father hurrying for anything, she set off at a brisk walking pace towards him "What ever is the matter father?" She tried to keep her civil voice however it was hard to maintain when communicating across a courtyard. "No time for queries! We are leaving this instant!" She felt herself calm slightly, this had happened once before, her father often became enraged with the other council members and demanded they left in a rush. However he seemed to have a pair of armed guards with him, perhaps he was being escorted from the palace this time. Either way he seemed in no mood to speak of what was bothering him, Kerstell decided to count her blessings that she didn't have to suffer through the long drawn out meetings and could finally return home where she could exercise a small amount of freedom.By the time Kerstell and her father had reached the open water she had noted a distinct level of fear in the way her father had been acting, she had expected anger but not fear, never fear. "Father" She finally worked up the nerve to ask him "Why are we leaving at such great pace? What are we running from?" She did not wish to ask who they were running from. Her father seemed to have been awaiting the question and had a lie ready to reply "We are simply getting away from those incompetent wind bags who have absolutely no idea of what is good for Parrway!" He tried to instil passion into this otherwise hollow statement, hoping that since it was almost exactly the thing he had said last time they had horridly departed that it would seem true enough for his daughter to believe. She however noted strongly the fear in his lungs, she could not help but notice that only a pair of the council's honour guard had accompanied them on their voyage home. She felt an anxiety building up knowing that her father was deceiving her but she had absolutely no way to find out the why, in her hand she felt the hand carved locket in her hand and decided that she had no reason whatsoever not to try using it. In her head she held the question "Who is my father running from?" She then let her eyes relax as she had been instructed, however the message she received back seemed a little bizarre. she made out the words "Honour guard" Before a shadow was cast over her. She looked up in time to see the hilt of a sword rushing toward her face blocking out the sun.The world went black and she felt the boat hit her limp face, she fell into a dreamless darkness.Kerstell felt cold, terribly cold, as if she had been pressed hard against a block of ice, her toes were numb and so cold they felt as though they were burning. She could feel water washing against her cheek and the lower half of her body as the boat moved back and forth. However at the point where she thought of her face she became aware of her forehead, a splitting pain as though she had a drill slowly grinding in her head overwhelmed her causing her body to shake and sweat even though she felt cold. she attempted to bring her knees up to her torso so she could warm herself, however both her arms seemed dead, she could not locate them. Her legs felt heavy, they were bound by a thick rope by the ankles. Kerstell began to panic, her head began to feel heavy and lobbed back towards the floor, she felt her stomach up welling and her throat going dry, saltwater splashed against her and injected itself up her nose causing her to go into a coughing fit. She flipped over onto her knees resting on her forehead and coughing onto the floor until her choking lead to vomiting. She felt her head clarify slightly as she finished up heaving, her vision slowly cleared and focused, she rolled to her left twice to try and escape the pool she had just created. finding her way to a curved wall, she manoeuvred herself so that she lay flat against this slant looking back into the room, a hole at the other end of the room revealed a pale blue natural light. She surmised that she must be within the hold of the boat she had been on at the time, however her arms were returning to life and she could now tell that they had been bound behind her back, her head was still buzzing with pain.She began to breathe heavily, inhaling the smell of the fresh vomit and saltwater on the floor of the hold. She wanted badly to call out to her father but was terrified that since she was bound in the hold her father could not have fared any better, he might not even be on the boat anymore... Her mind flashed replaying the events that she could recall past her blinding headache, she realised the guards must have been insurgents of some sort. Perhaps even some sort of coup de tat lead by another council member, what had her father done to deserver her such a fate? She finally looked down to her knees and began to weep, she was still weak. Perhaps from her head injury, it had already caused her to throw up. she did not dare move closer to the opening in case she brought attention to herself from her assailants, she was utterly and hopelessly trapped with nowhere to hide. She felt her head getting more and more heavy, her eyelids closing as she continued to cry, her throat was still dry and her lips tasted of puke.She awoke again as a large wave crashed against the side of the vessel causing her to slide and tap her head against one of the boats ribs, this caused her to yelp out in pain as her head wound erupted with crippling waves of pain. She immediately felt fear wash over her body as the boards above her head creaked under the pressure as one of the assailants moved towards the opening hatch. Kerstell attempted to clutch her hand to her forehead to suppress the pain with pressure, forgetting that her hands were currently bound behind her head. Her heart skipped a beat, the grate covering the hold entrance let out a screech as its saltwater rusted hinges were forced to change, a darkened leather boot took hold on the first of the steep wooden steps, illuminated by the presence of an unnatural orange tinted light. Another foot appeared, linked to some dark armour bound legs leading into a short and drenched poncho lifted up by a gloved hand holding a lantern. The light illuminated the materials he wore showing that beneath the poncho his skin was tinted with blood, she gasped as his eyes met hers, somehow sweeping the life out of her with a glance. He advanced, Kerstell wanted to scream but felt as though she had forgotten how to, she felt rooted to the spot locked into the mans expression as he approached. She felt the light warming her damp skin thawing her numb feeling, however it may have simply been the adrenaline. The man stared into her eyes deeply a though attempting to discern her thoughts, for a moment Kerstell could not think a coherent thought, she simply existed, breathing heavily and drawn as the man plundered the depths of her soul. He finally broke his hypnotic gaze to glance up at the top of the boat, the light illuminated the wooden roof and revealed a small iron ring bent open and broken. The man spoke harshly in a foreign tongue and then noticed the puddle of congealed vomit, he quickly checked over Kerstell's injury then pushed her to sitting before leaving her alone again.Once Kerstell was alone again she had a moment to think over what this meant, obviously she had been hung up on that ring by her feet since her arms were behind her back. She could also discern that she was in some way a prisoner to these people meaning that her father must have been left alive. That was the only explanation! Why else would she have been taken prisoner in this manner if not for a ransom. She felt a flood of relief safe in the knowledge that her father was alive and well and would definitely pay the people holding her any amount of money to secure her safety, then most likely spend the rest of his resources and life trying to bring to justice the monsters that put her daughter through this misery and danger.
Kerstell had been down in the hold for what seemed like an eternity. She could see the sunlight shining through the bars of the opening in the ceiling of the hold leading to the boats deck, her lips were so parched they had begun to break and crack, however the possible pain from this was nothing compared to the splitting feeling she still got from her forehead.
As you can probably tell by reading, skimming or just skipping to this part, the story was a very rough first draft that fizzled out and dragged slightly, in the end I felt I could have done better and decided to leave this experiment at that. I will next include my working and plans then comment on how my next attempt could be improved.
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