Murderer's Daughter, King's Ransom
Chapter 1
Creak. Groan. Splash. The sounds of a ship at sea had always been music to her ears and would never tire of hearing them. As a true – blooded Terebinthian, Brilannia Isabelle Omenhaif was raised on hearing such things and now she was finally getting the chance to journey the waves of the Great Eastern Ocean on her own. Though she may be the daughter of Terebinthia's most feared pirate and criminal Arnstead Omenhaif, Brilannia lived every moment of her life in his very footsteps as she was his only child.
A scraggly black – bearded man came running up to her from the bow of her ship Black Widow in a hurry before coming to a stop beside the young woman.
"What cometh the trouble, Stalton? Speak up, no stalling! Or my sword will find your tongue!" she barked in a tone that brought the entire crew on deck to attention to the port side of the stern of the Widow.
"There's no trouble, Captain, none at all."
"Then, what pray is all the hurrying about?" the teenager said with a flourish of one hand as the other rested upon the hilt of her saber which hung by her side as always.
"Forgive me, Captain, I only came to you in this state was to tell you something important," Stalton continued with a bow as if she was a noblewoman and straightened up, "And that is …"
Just as the man was about to say a single word of continuance, there was a call from atop the crow's nest alerting the captain of their approach to land and it deterred her to leave the man alone where he stood. Brilannia quickly mounted the ropes on the mast and climbed about halfway up to look over in that direction shading her eyes with a hand only to smile in accordance.
"Unfurl the sails! Get ready to drop anchor! Ready the longboats!" she called her orders while on the descent of the ropes only to hit the deck as light as can be on her booted feet and run to her quarters to trade the coat she wore for her best one, "It's time that Narnia's new royals feared me, ha!"
Brilannia opened the doors to her quarters with both hands and went for the chest that held the coat, boots and sword her father had given her for her 18th birthday. Pulling the ring of keys from her belt, she unlocked the padlock to pull it from the clasp and lift the lid to reveal the valuables residing in it.
"My dear father, you'll be so proud of your daughter soon," Brilannia said with a sigh while looking at herself in a long mirror after the young lady had taken off her old coat with the other draped over her arm before putting it on, "when I have freed you and bring back the new royals of Narnia especially the High King as my prisoner, ha."
Once the fiery – headed teenager had laid aside the worn dull red captain's coat on the floor, she slid on the far more elegant black long one with gold buttons and brilliant red trim to just smile at the reflection in the mirror that looked back at her. The old trusty saber from her side was traded out for the gifted one fit for a captain and she only had to put on the better boots to be ready. While Brilannia sat on the floor lacing the beautiful shiny tall black leather boots on her feet, the sounds up on deck became heightened and it was then that she knew everything was ready to board the longboats before getting to her feet to walk back out on deck.
"We're ready to board the longboats, Captain Brilannia," a grey – haired crewman stated as the young woman emerged from her quarters hat in hand, "on your order and command as told to us."
"Thank you, Hanel," she replied with a smirk across her face while looking at the Narnian coastline before approaching the rope ladders to descend to the boats, "Well done. Men, to the boats! Forward we will go! For my father, Arnstead Omenhaif, that he may be freed from that dreadful dungeon of these Narnians!"
A huge cheer erupted from the crew as swords were raised in salute to their fearless captain and then to the boats they went leaving some to watch the Widow. All of the longboats shoved off into the water with the captain's boat ahead of them leading the way to victory. Brilannia stood tall in the bow of the longboat with her hat sitting upon her head like a crown and hand resting on the hilt of her saber never to move from it.
"Do not worry, fatheré, I will get you from this place," the teenager said in a whisper that she hoped would carry over the water into the cell where he was being kept, "and then together we will take care of these Narnians like you've done to all those who have angered you."
As the boats began to get closer to the shoreline, it was all Brilannia could do not to furrow her eyebrows and clench her teeth in anger and sheer hate while looking upon the great castle of Cair Paravel that sat high on a rock cliff in all of its glory and majesty.
This is the place that Arnstead Omenhaif, my fatheré is being held for a crime that 'they' think he committed against the crown. Ha, we shall see about that. I will not be so gracious to their majesties in any way at all. These were the thoughts that continuously ran through the woman's mind and consumed her even after the boats had landed on the beach. They would haunt her for a long while before being released by acts not of her own accord but someone else's.
"We have landed, Captain," Hanel answered when all of the boats were within a foot or so of the beach and everyone had to get out pulling them ashore, "coming ashore, my lady, so that the men can bring your boat onto the beach."
Brilannia stepped out from the boat into the ankle deep water to walk the short distance to get to the golden sand of the Narnian coast while her crew brought the longboats to shore behind her and then all was ready to go on.
"Come along, you scoundrels, let's go and free the one whom we all dearly love and trust," she called over the noise of the men to signal them all with a beckoning hand in the direction of the castle to follow her, "and not forget who we are ultimately after."
All the men rallied together behind their captain quickly when called and went after the young Terebinthian who they had come to respect and honor to scale the hill beside the castle as quickly as possible. Hanel and Stalton walked on either side of Brilannia one carrying the Terebinthian flag and the other carrying the flag of the Black Widow as the rest followed behind them in a slightly scrambled yet uniform group ascending the green hill slowly but with a purpose to it.
"Hurry it up, you molasses – footed fools!" she shouted while turning her head back to see them moving rather slowly from under the wide brim of her feathered hat with a scowl to match the scars on her cheeks. "We do not have all day! Put some zeal in your step and not act like you're walking through a boggy swamp! Time is of the essence and I mean it! I will have you all hanged for treason to your beloved friend, my fatheré, Arnstead Omenhaif, understand!"
It was at that moment at which every man picked up their pace not wanting to tried and convicted of treason against their very friend and fatheré of their captain. Not too long after that, the entire group of Terebinthian pirates reached the walls of the city that surrounded the foot of Cair Paravel and so they all went inside the open gates of one accord leaving no traces of those who saw them in the streets. Little did Brilannia and those pirates know that they were being watched from a window in the castle by one of the royals they had come to persuade and capture.
"Fear me, you barbaric creatures!" the redhead taunted as she stared down all of the Narnian creatures and even humans who saw her and her entourage coming through, "That's right, run away like the cowards you are! Your kings and queens will learn to fear and respect me, ha!"
Brilannia noticed a half-man, half-horse creature, a centaur galloping towards the group with several other Narnians and she knew that they had been sent to ask their business by the Kings and Queens refusing to let them come any further without being met.
"Stand your ground, men," she ordered as they came closer only to draw out her saber and held it in her left hand not raising it for a fight but a challenge of sorts, "Draw your weapons but do not fight unless I give the command to do so."
"Stop, all of you! What is your business here in Narnia with their majesties?"
There was a great silence between the two groups before the captain of the Black Widow stepped forward and spoke.
