Once upon a time
Somewhere at Sea, in the heart of the storm, between the islands of Aguira and the Kingdom of Astasia, the neighboring continent.
Willow
~ Year 579 ~
The wind roared. The sea was raging. The waves reached the height of the crow’s nest. The pursuit of La Mélusine did not stop despite the unleashed elements. Our flagship was solid. It would not break under the tempestuous blows of the overturned sea. I climbed even higher. We had to reduce the sails anyway if we did not want to lose the mainmast.
Others were with me. We held on tight. To be thrown overboard meant being lost at sea. It meant certain death. But doing nothing meant sinking anyway.
I was not afraid. I had done this before. Fear paralyzes, suffocates the mind and the reflexes. I had learned to tame it. My heart beat hard, but with challenge, with pure adrenaline.
From the rope ladder of the mainmast, I slipped along the yard to furl the sail. The canvas snapped. Real furies of the sea, ready to hurl us into the water at the slightest misstep.
But finally, after dozens of minutes of fierce struggle, the rigging was secured. I wiped away the water that burned my eyes. When I lifted my head, I saw La Mélusine appear and disappear in the howling dance of the waves.
I had to go back down. Quickly. My gaze turned below. In the tumult of the storm, I thought I heard screams. Not the barked orders. Something else. Much darker and more anguishing. I was too high up. I could not hear clearly. I could not see well.
On the deck, a few brief flashes of light seemed to answer each other. Another, larger one in the upper cabin. And then. An explosion. A violent blast that propelled everything into the air. There was no more handhold, no more mast, no more ropes. Just the whistling and howling wind, the torrential rain, the void…
I felt as if I were falling in slow motion, lost in the nothingness of the storm, torn from any anchor.
Then came the violent impact with the water. The pain that pierced through me. My lungs emptied under the brutal shock.
I was at sea. The currents spun me around, tossed me. It was dark. I no longer knew which way was up or down. I fought to rise, to find the surface. But I was dazed… Quickly running out of strength. Quickly… suffocating…
The little light around me darkened, blackness gained ground… Consciousness… receded… I saw so many things… images… from the past… And those eyes… those stormy grey eyes… luminous… staring at me… before I sank… definitively.
Once Upon a Time…
Those few magical words, full of promises of love and carefully guarded secrets. A passkey for a journey into an imaginary and enchanting land.
The book opens, the first page turns, the first words take flight like the wings of a butterfly or a fairy. A new adventure begins, one of those that make you dream and leave a taste of happiness once the reading is finished.
So… let us set off on a journey…
Once upon a time, there was a kingdom in distant lands. Nothing really distinguished it from the neighboring countries, except that it was made up exclusively of islands. Some small, no bigger than a tomato patch, and larger ones that could shelter several cities, fields, hills and mountains, as well as all its population.
It was the Kingdom of Aguira. It was governed with wisdom and rigor by King Salom. And his people were serene and proud of his protection, living in the relative peace of their insular situation.
Surrounded by seas and oceans, the wealth and strength of this kingdom lay in its ability to tame the sea and its resources. It remained relatively protected by this more than natural border with the neighboring kingdoms, even if for some years now, certain acts of piracy had begun to be felt.
The good King Salom had been blessed with many children. But he placed his greatest hopes on his eldest son, Prince Erik. Forged to follow in his father’s footsteps, the growing child was raised with rigor and care.
Beyond the notions of knowledge and governance that would be necessary for his future role, he continued his apprenticeship in the arts of combat and command. But above all, he also had to familiarize himself with the life and constraints of the sea, the very foundations of their traditions.
So, while his father, King Salom, had to go on a diplomatic voyage to a neighboring King, he took his son with him in order to confront him with what would be his future destiny.
It was not his first experience at sea. But at the age of ten, he had never traveled aboard the flagship of their fleet, nor taken part in such a distant expedition.
Thus begins the story… on a beautiful spring day, in the heart of the sparkling seas of the Kingdom of Aguira…
Erik
~ Year 569 ~
I am terribly excited by this voyage! It is the first time I am leaving our lands, that I am going to the continent. I have already met other Kings and Queens. Even Princes and Princesses. But always when they came to visit Father.
This time, it is we who are traveling. This time, it is we who are setting off on an adventure!
The wind whipped my face as I leaned on the railing. The sea was beautiful, like a treasure sparkling in the sun. Its shades of blue parted under the hull of the flagship L’Espérance. It is the most beautiful. It is the largest. It is the fastest! And it is really great!
Father was busy talking with the Admiral and his advisors. I had free time while waiting. Afterwards, the lessons would continue, even during the voyage… So I enjoyed the view, the passing waves, the flying spray, the islets succeeding one another in the distance, the banks of multicolored flying fish or the playful dolphins.
It was exhilarating! So much better than the usual walls of the castle. I had a smile from ear to ear, and that suited me perfectly.
A light laugh burst out.
-“Looks like you’ve never seen the sea!”
I turned around, puzzled, and looked around me. A few sailors passing by or at their maneuvers, but no one paying attention to me.
-“No! Look up!”
I frowned, raised my head a little, and searched in the rigging. And there, just above me, clinging to a rope ladder, a red-haired girl, her long wavy hair braided, and an intense green gaze staring at me with a mischievous smile. She was dressed like a sailor, but with something more. She must not be much older than me. But what is this?!
Seeing me, she burst out laughing.
-“Close your mouth! You look like a fish out of water!”
I closed my mouth, which I hadn’t even realized I had left open. I didn’t know who she was but I didn’t like her manners! I am the Prince! No one ever speaks to me like that! A feeling of anger, no doubt mixed with a bit of shame at being caught stunned and off guard, colored my face.
-“Of course I have already seen the sea, and more than once! And you have no right to speak to me like that. I am the Prince. You owe me respect!”
Her gaze lit up with a playful smile. She was sitting on the ladder, holding on with only one hand to lean a little more toward me. Despite the powerful bounces of the ship cutting through the waters, she seemed as comfortable perched up there as I was walking on solid ground.
-“Of course I know who you are. You are Prince Erik. And I did not disrespect you. I just didn’t want you to take it badly.”
I sulked. She clearly was not familiar with the protocol I was used to. I crossed my arms, on the defensive.
-“And what are you doing perched up there? Come down! You’ll hurt yourself.”
She looked at me with her big surprised green eyes, then burst out laughing again. Which had the effect of annoying me even more.
-“Actually, you’re the one who doesn’t know who I am!”
I grumbled,
-“No, not really. But I suppose you’re going to enlighten me?”
A small mischievous gleam illuminated her gaze. At this stage, I no longer knew if she annoyed me or intrigued me. And I didn’t really like this strange feeling.
She straightened with agility on the ropes, moved as if it were nothing to reach the edge of the rough ladder and swung around it in a circular movement, holding on with just one hand and one leg, making my heart leap with sudden fear that she would fall to the deck, or worse, into the water. But she caught herself as if it were nothing on the other side of the ladder and ended up hanging upside down, her gaze arriving exactly level with mine, just a few centimeters from my face.
I had a close-up of her radiant smile and her intense green eyes staring into mine. I held back a start as I saw her come so close so quickly. She held out a hand and said as if it were the most natural situation in the world.
-“I’m Willow.”
I looked hesitantly at her hand, going back and forth between it and her face. Finally, I took it, a little uncertain. It was cool because of the sea air whipping us relentlessly, but also much less soft than my Mother’s or my sisters’. I felt it was rougher, no doubt from climbing up and down the rigging and doing other manual tasks on the ship.
Satisfied that I had accepted her hand, she tightened it a little and gave a frank handshake. Since I said nothing, her sincerely cheerful voice took over.
-“Pleased to meet you, Erik! And here, you are on my ship!”
I frowned. I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could speak, I heard an authoritative and disapproving voice behind us.
-“Willow! Come down right now!”
She quickly let go of my hand and made a little grimace, as if caught in the act. With an incredibly supple movement, she dropped from her hanging position and landed on her feet in perfect balance. She straightened up, standing in a rigid attention posture.
I turned my gaze behind me and saw Father accompanied by the Admiral. It was the latter who had reprimanded Willow and who fixed her with a particularly severe look. He continued.
-“Apologize immediately.”
Executing the order spontaneously, I saw her bow in an impeccable manner. Her voice had lost all its cheerful warmth, but remained respectful and melodious.
-“I beg you to accept my sincere apologies, Prince Erik. I failed in my duty by not showing you all the respect you are due. I hope you will not hold it against me.”
The complete change in attitude left me speechless. It took me a few moments to realize that she remained bowed, waiting for me to answer. I regained a semblance of composure and replied in turn, in a fairly neutral voice as I had always been taught.
-“I accept your apologies.”
She therefore straightened up, suppressing a slight smile while trying to remain relatively serious. But I could clearly see that mischievous gleam hiding not far in her gaze. The Admiral resumed.
-“That’s better. For your lack of discernment, young lady, you will be on deck cleaning duty tonight.”
Willow’s face fell apart. Her straight posture slumped a little. She let out spontaneously,
-“What?! Oh no… Dad… I don’t like cleaning the deck…”
Dad? So Willow was the Admiral’s daughter? This regained spontaneity did not seem to please her father at all. He glared at her again. His tone became threatening.
-“Willow…”
She straightened up at once and said,
-“Yes, Admiral!”
Then she saluted Father properly, then me.
-“Your Highness… Prince…”
As she rose, I saw her give me a little wink before dashing off at full speed to the other end of the deck and disappearing into a passageway.
Still a little surprised by her attitude, I was brought back to reality by a deep sigh. I then saw the somewhat crestfallen expression of the Admiral as he addressed Father.
-“I am sorry, Your Highness. No matter how hard I try, my daughter is a tigress very difficult to tame.”
My Father laughed heartily for a moment, patting him amicably on the back.
-“I see what you mean, Admiral. But don’t worry. She is young, she will learn.”
The Admiral grimaced again before replying.
-“May the Gods hear you.”
But he really did not look convinced. They then resumed their way, Father inviting me to follow. I did not need to be asked twice. But already, my thoughts wandered a little further, thinking with curiosity about a certain red-haired tigress with emerald eyes.
And to think that the voyage had only just begun…
