This is my first fanfiction, so please be nice with reviews. I apologize if there are any mistakes. Reviews and suggestions are welcome, actually preferred.
"Isabella?" A male voice inquired, quieted by the heavy, thick wood of my bedroom door. "Are you awake?"
My eyes fluttered open as the voice awoke me from my dreams. I sighed, knowing that there was no chance of falling back into those same dreams that had given me peace just moments ago; the dreams were already fading away, and trying to grasp them and keep them present would be like trying to hold to water. No matter how hard you tried, the water would find a crack and trickle out of your hand. Pointless.
As it was also pointless to pretend to remain asleep, I sat up in bed and told the man, my father, to wait as I hurried to put on something to cover my bedclothes. When I finally threw on a silk robe, I called out.
"Yes. You may now come in." I told him, wrapping the robe tight around my body.
The doors burst open and in came a flurry of maids; straightening the bed, tidying up, and opening the blinds and the windows. When the sunlight flooded the whole room, I had to close my eyes. Spots danced across my closed eyelids, but when I opened them hesitantly a few seconds later, I found I was already accustomed to the bright light.
I sat back down on my bed, the metal creaking, as I watched the scene unfolding outside my window. The ships docked at the city's port rocked gently, the waves lightly caressing the ships wooden sides. People, most likely the crew of the ship, exited and boarded the ships in a frenzy of motions and cargo. Much like ants on an ant hill.
My father would soon be sailing away on one of those ships, as he was a captain of one of them, the Graceful Moon, a fast and sleek ship that was well built to do what it was meant to do; hunt down and capture pirates. Occasionally my father would let me come along, but not on this journey. I was to stay here.
The reason why he was here now, he explained to me, is that he needed to leave ahead of schedule, in order to avoid an incoming storm. I hurried to get dressed, in order to see my father off. The maids helped me into my favorite dress, a beautiful midnight blue, behind the privacy screen.
Once I had gotten dressed, I stepped out in the direction of my father. I stood in front of him, while he took a step back and observed me. I felt too much like a child standing, knowing I've done something wrong, while my elder decided what my punishment would be.
Instead of punishing me, he took a step forward and embraced me in a tight hug. He then held me back at arms length and looked at me again.
"You're becoming quite pretty." My father, Nicolas Ryan, observed, cocking his head to the side. I felt my cheeks flush. "We'll have to do something with that when I return."
"Father, how many times must I tell you that none of the men here interest me?" I asked him exasperatedly.
"There must be at least one man you fancy." He told me, unwilling to give up. My father; an average sized man, although very fit and lean. I don't look much like my father, so I must get my looks from my mother. I wouldn't know, however; she died when I was young, and my father doesn't like to talk about her, so I don't bring up the subject too often. I don't know much about her, but I imagine I look like her. There aren't many similarities between me and my father: my father has blue eyes, I have clear gray eyes. His hair is dark brown, almost black, while mine is light brown. Our noses could be considered similar, some might say. Nicholas Ryan is a very handsome man, by most women standards, which is a shame since my father swore never to marry again after my mother died.
I sighed, even though I wasn't impatient or cross with him. "No, father, no man can hold my interest for long enough." I replied, reflecting on the many men who have tried to win my love. There have been many.
He smiled and kissed the top of my head; a hard feat considering the fact that I'm almost as tall as him. "What am I going to do with you? Because I must keep my dear Isabella entertained. "That was another thing that I loved about him: his dry sense of humor. It has kept me from being bored many different times in previous situations. "Although you must remember to keep yourself out of trouble while I'm away. Because I know how you like to get in trouble while searching for entertainment." He looked pointedly at me.
"I don't get into trouble, trouble just seems to find me." I spoke up defensively. "But just for you, I'll make a special attempt and try really hard not to get into trouble."
"Thank you." He seemed a bit more relaxed and relieved when I had said that, but now his eyes darted to the windows and his beloved ship. "I'd love to stay longer, but..." He trailed off, because I had already knew what he was going to say.
"Right." I nodded my head in agreement.
He offered his arm to me, and I took it, and together we headed down to the awaiting carriage outside.
I stood on the city's docking area, craning my neck very un-lady like, to look up at the Graceful Moon. I smiled, because despite it being a ship, it was a very beautifully made ship. And I would know, since the captain of that very ship had taught me everything he knew about ships and sailing. Which was a huge amount of information.
The crew immediately halted and stood at attention when they saw him, symbolizing the huge amount of respect and obedience my father got from his crew. When they saw me, big grins alighted on their faces, and they bowed to me. I smiled back at them and curtsied. I knew almost every single crew member personally, as they had all been with my father for many years.
"How have you all been? Have you enjoyed your leave on land?" I asked politely, addressing them all.
"It's been fine." This was the voice of my father's first mate, Michael Reed. "But I've heard a rumor that you had punched some poor lad in the face. Is that true?"
"Hey, he wouldn't leave me alone." I said, attempting to justify my actions.
"Now what idiot wouldn't know to leave the daughter of Nicholas Ryan alone?" He joked.
"Whatever arse who was bugging me last night, apparently." I replied, to which he smiled.
"Ah, well, no one's going to bother you after word of that goes around, I would hazard a guess." This time, it was the cook who had spoken up.
My father walked up the gangplank and began to examine the Graceful Moon carefully, also managing to supervise the crew as they dragged aboard the cargo the ship would take on for the journey.
As the last crew member shuffled aboard with the last of the cargo, I kissed my father farewell and bid him a safe voyage. "Please, for me, will you promise to stay safe?" I pleaded with my father, mimicking his earlier request of me.
"Of course, for you." He replied flatly. I smiled grimly and hugged him yet again. The crew was already on decks, but the captain had yet to board. "Stay out of trouble." My father reminded me as he walked up the gangplank and onto the ship. I could only nod in response.
All I could hear now was the shout of the captain's orders, even though the crew knew exactly what to do. They were already casting lines, hoisting the anchor and lowering the with the wind blowing in the right direction, they easily made it out of the bay and into the wide open Caribbean waters.
Thank you for reading, please review! It would make me very happy.