It's been two years since i started the story and I'm finally starting to write it again. I know where the story is going but I got the stage where I couldn't connect all the details together and I also realised that the romance needed to be more...romantic, so now I am in the process of rewriting the story. So far I have converged three chapters into one and i'm continuing with the rest. Please R&R, especially in regards to spelling or any loose ends. Bye...
The clouds overhead were now rumbling into life
The clouds overhead were now rumbling into life. Each moment brought more darkness to the evening sky and the arrival of the storm was hurried by the bitter gust from the south.
The Royal Avenue, a small ship when compared to other passenger vessels, was now sensing what was soon to come. Waves that were once gentle and subdued were becoming violent and reckless as they thrashed up against the boats sides, causing it to rock softly side to side.
"Excuse me, miss," a weary male voice called out. "You should start heading down below deck. The storm seems to be in quite a rush to move over the ocean and unfortunately we're right in the middle of its path," he warned.
Pulled away from her thoughts by the concern in the man's voice, Orianna turned and found none other than the ships Captain, Mr Helm. Standing at the entrance of the stairwell with one hand holding his cap firmly on his grey hair and a shabby tobacco pipe sitting on his bottom lip, he looked almost relaxed at the prospect of facing such a turn of the weather.
"I guess you're right," she agreed, finally admitting defeat. "This is the first time I have been to sea. Seeing the clouds rolling over us is amazing but it seems to be worse than the storms on land…how bad will it get?"
With suddenly attentive eyes, the Captain looked out at the heaving sea then up to the now obscure horizon. Sucking twice at the pipe between his lips he shrugged flatly. "With a storm like this, we can only really hope that once it finishes we will still be floating".
Although not one for dramatics, Orianna couldn't stop the surprised expression that easily showed her fear. "Is it really that serious?"
Mr Helm suddenly realised the thoughtless slip of his tongue and quickly set about soothing the young lady's worry. With a sincere smile, he shook his head.
"You really must excuse me m'dear, I'm quite fond of exaggeration. Years of sailing this open water, seeing nothing more than a horizon and wave after wave, tends to make a man used to making molehills into mountains just to create a bit of excitement.
"If anything, this old girl needs a good storm to break her in…bring her back to life. Only a few fractures and minor cracks are to be expected. It's the delay occurring afterwards, while she gets repaired, that you have to worry about."
Taking in this bit of information, Orianna felt a sense of unease. Delay was not something she needed; the more time she spent away from home, the more her father would worry.
At the thought of her father, her chest tightened; memories were her worst enemy, always threatening to make her turn around and run back to safety. Although only being onboard the Royal Avenue for a week, Orianna was already feeling homesick.
Her once small and sheltered life was firmly planted in a small village called Hinton. It was your average small town; everyone living in each other's hair, as the saying goes. This usually would not be such a bad thing, but in her case, it was. Since the 'incident' with her mother a few years back, the community consequently classified her father and herself as unwanted outsiders.
Everywhere they went, the gossip and condemning looks followed close behind. Although most of Orianna's childhood was spent trying to prove herself to those around her, never stepping a foot wrong, the townsfolk still branded her an outcast, scaring every friend she had away with, 'it could be you next' type stories.
However, although any sane person would ask 'why would anyone miss that?' the reason was simple. She didn't know anything better.
Apart from the spiteful people, it was still her home. Memories of her family in better times, coupled with the images of the lush, sweeping lands were abundant enough to keep her attached. When she brazenly left to find answers about her mother's disappearance, Orianna became instantly vulnerable and out of place here, all alone.
Taking one last wishful look at the sea, she decided to follow the captain's instructions and went back, below deck. While Orianna walked down the stairs, she became acutely aware of the growling sensation in her belly.
Not one to ignore food, she hastily skimmed across the never-ending corridors until she found the dining cabin.
Biting her lip, she tried remembering her agenda. If they were delayed, she would have to alter it to accommodate her current situation…and that was the last thing she wanted to do. The first thing she had planned to do was to make her way to the city of Evatus. It was a large kingdom that had a stable monarchy and a 'if you don't bother me, I won't bother you' approach to politics.
From the information she and her father had gathered, Orianna marked it down as a place of interest. Not only was it such a secretive place that only one geography book actually mentioned, but within it was situated a small village known as Idala.
It was from what she could tell, a secluded area of many questions and very little answers. This place, which was as far from Hinton as possible, was the best lead her father had discovered in many years.
Even if she came back empty handed, she would know that she had tried. So now, with the threat of delay, Orianna feared the worst. The more she fell behind, the less information she had a chance of finding.
Upon entering the room, she was hit with the smell of comfort food…nothing could quell sadness as good as a mouth-watering delight. As always, she checked who the other occupants were and was thankful only a handful lingered, each tucking into their own respective meals. Orianna always avoided crowds, especially on an empty stomach. The room itself was impressive in its own right and she took her time studying it as she walked towards the food cart. Although not a very big room, it still managed to hold six small oaken tables comfortably.
The walls were a bland shade of white and near the far end of the room was a small, comfortable settee, which she usually took advantage of when not occupied. The thing that most caught people's attention in the room, though, was the collection of curious paintings. A single row of antique portraits ran across each of the walls in a complete revolve.
Every time she came into the room, she always had the urge to go closer and study them, but always found a distraction in food or conversation. 'But not this time,' she thought, and ignoring the appetizing buffet across the room, she walked over to wall on her left.
The first handful of the oil paintings depicted the expected array of naval captains dressed to the nines in their blue uniforms and customary caps. Orianna smiled as she glided past them; there was something in the way they held themselves, so proper and stiff.
Among them was something just a little bit different, so much so that it caught her attention enough to make her stop.
Like the paintings before it, it depicted another naval man, but instead of being on his ship surrounded by thundering clouds and heaving seas, it merely showed him sitting alone in a dim lit room with his head hung down looking at his clasped hands. Although his breast was decorated with a single row of honourable medallions, the material itself was worn out and frayed. This wasn't the distinguished or fierce man Orianna expected to see. Stepping closer, she searched the painting for an explanation but instead her eyes were drawn to a silver fragment lying on the floor opposite the man.
It looked so out of place with the rest of the picture since not only was it vivid, but it was reflective. Orianna was taken aback since it looked so very, very real…and so very familiar.
Leaning in a bit closer to the painting, she was about to reach out and run her fingers over the figure the silver mirror, but before she had a chance to, an errand boy hurriedly strode into the room. The suddenness of his appearance and his obvious state of urgency instantly gained him the room's curious attention.
In the span of two minutes, it was revealed to the passengers that due to the volatility of the storm, it was mandatory that they be safely in their cabins before the hour was out. In his youthful voice, the young boy persuasively argued that no one was to exit their cabins until the storm was well and truly over and to make sure of this, the ships stewards would carry out a search of the hallways during the night.
When none of the passengers raised any objections or doubts, the boy politely but hurriedly took his leave with a quick, but respectful bow.
With the intensity of the chatter around her, Orianna's mind was distracted from her earlier activity. Although she was rational and sensible, she was also prone to the feeling of panic and with the people around her rushing to finish their food or collect their possessions and leave, she was left with no choice but to do the same.
With the mirror out of mind, but not forgotten, she hurriedly strode to the buffet table, collecting a gleaming white ceramic plate from the stack on her way.
Orianna relished in the delicacies she was presented with. There were platters of chicken, beef, ham and pork, along with a whole section dedicated to sweet pastries, cream filled buns and many more sickly sweet delights that filled her with a happiness she couldn't describe.
Finally deciding on a cream filled pastry with an assortment of raspberries and strawberries on the side, she was just about to pick up a fork from the tray when, with a sudden jolt, the boat dipped precariously to one side.
The rule of gravity almost sent her flying heavily into the nearest wall, but instead, and with a sudden rush of relief, she was caught by something. Slowly prying her eyes open one at a time, she noticed a pair of surprisingly strong arms gently snaked around her waist. Those arms, she realized with disbelief, were the only things between her face and the floor only a breath away.
With gratitude filling her throat, the notion of where she was or who was holding her wasn't the first thought to click into her mind. A few scant seconds was enough to rectify that.
Trying to appear calm and dignified while letting the stranger pull her back to her feet, Orianna hastily made sure to create a respectable distance between them once his grasp left her sides.
Mortification burned her cheeks like fire and she refused to meet his gaze, but somehow she managed a shaky, "thank you," in return.
"You know, you could look me in the face when you say that. There is no need to be embarrassed about what just happened. If I didn't catch you, you would be peeling yourself off the wall right now." The man's voice caught Orianna's attention immediately. She didn't expect him to be so calm and especially, to make light of her embarrassment.
With a frustrated sigh at her own awkwardness, she ignored her flushed cheeks and lifted her face to give the man a sincere smile. After all, he had just saved her from a painful alternative.
When her wary blue eyes met his steely grey, she found herself oddly fascinated by the colour. Usually she wouldn't notice something so insignificant, but something about them caught her attention.
At first glance, they looked normal enough, but now that Orianna looked closer, they appeared to be a strange concoction of silvery grey flecks and oddly enough, the lightest blue she had ever seen.
She continued to study his eyes before turning her attention the rest of his face, not a thought occurred in her mind of what she was doing, or how unusual it was.
He was strangely handsome, even she had to admit it as her eyes took in his looks; his features seemed to match each other, dark, dishevelled hair and olive skin that was darkened by the sun. It was an unusual look, rare in her homeland and especially in her village; the majority of men, even farmers, were fair in their features.
A slight cough brought Orianna back in focus. She immediately cringed at the horrifying realization that she was openly staring at the man before her. She wanted to slap herself for her foolishness….why couldn't she learn to behave as a proper lady.
Her lips started to mutter an apology as she physically took a step back in the hope that the distance would let her mind think more clearly. She had never seen the man before and yet she was acting like foolish young lass. Men like him didn't even notice women like herself, and they certainly didn't take too kindly to being stared at like a statue. With these sobering thoughts she found her spine return and she began the first few words of explanation but was cut off by a growing smirk on the mans face.
Stuttering to a silence, she became unmistakably aware that she was being laughed at. With a look of astonishment, she listened in unnatural calm as he offhandedly remarked that she was not his type.
She was silent for a moment, her mind adjusting to the insult before her wounded and offended pride took over.
"Excuse me?"
His eyes danced with open amusement. "Do I really need to repeat myself, I thought I said it quite clearly, or were you too captivated by me to notice?"
Orianna instinctively knew he was trying to push her. Why, she didn't know?
"How dare you even suggest … you are so…so arrogant, you…..you… brute"...
Not the comeback she had intended to put him in his place with, not by a long shot. She was the first to admit she was hopeless under pressure; instead of being a fierce and breathtaking opponent, her mind cowered behind weak threats and narrowed eyes. It seemed he played this fact to his advantage.
"My, my, my, aren't we just the epitome of cutting and bitter speech today. I'm afraid it takes a lot more than that to cut me down to size. No need to deny it, you were staring, but don't worry, I don't blame you." Folding his arms as if he had just won the argument, the man dared Orianna to take the bait.
She did.
"Oh yes, however did you know? The moment my eyes looked at you, I was caught by the absolute attraction that you emanate. You are unrivalled by any I have seen, how could I resist?" In desperate times, sarcasm was the best weapon and one she knew how to use.
Her triumph was cut short by a barely audible growl from her belly. Hunger was her worst enemy and greatest distraction. Deciding enough was enough, Orianna looked at the man with serious but not unkind eyes.
"I was not staring…not in the sense that you know. I got caught in my own thoughts and I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression." She knew it was a barefaced, white lipped lie, but she didn't care. Her pride was more important than the truth.
The smile that graced his lips told the young woman that she wasn't completely believable, but he gained a small amount of her respect when he held his tongue.
By some act of divine salvation, the boat leaned again to one side, but this time it wasn't so drastic, it merely made Orianna stumble a bit before she noticed one of her berries roll straight past her feet. Her eyes followed the red little fruit as it rolled pathetically towards, and then past, a debilitated looking mound of cream pastry and a ceramic plate.
Using the situation to her advantage to escape the man, Orianna bent down and started to search for the other remaining lost fruit, which to her dismay, seemed to have spread out all over the room.
As she looked all over for the runaway berries and only finding three, she became aware of another sensation. It didn't take her long to become conscious of the fact that someone was watching her, two guesses of who that can be, she cynically thought.
She wasn't such a fool as to believe he was looking at her as a man would a pretty lady, but instead she was probably amusing him. On her hands and knees, grasping for her ruined food, she knew she looked a right old sight…definitely not refined or womanly.
Orianna wasn't used to situations such as these. She made a habit of shying away from social situations, since with no surprise, she was shunned away from anyway.
With her family past filled with too many dark questions about her mother's disappearance and her father's insecurities, Orianna was quickly made the town's outsider. So when she was paid such scrutinizing attention (so she thought), it was hard to not let it remind her of life at home.
She did not want to be reminded of all the bad looks, the secret laughs and worst of all, the prying eyes of the villagers who never ceased with creating the endless and passing on the hurtful rumours. She hoped this journey would finally let her be free from all of it…her heart couldn't fight forever.
Letting out a gentle sigh she finally found the last berry, conveniently hidden under a chair in the furthest corner. Placing it on the plate with the dismembered pastries intended for the bin, Orianna proceeded to stand, all the while struggling against the wayward movements of the boat.
Realising that she no longer felt the tingle of the strangers gaze upon her back, she turned to where she had last left him, but he seemed to have vanished.
"Not surprising", she muttered to herself as she looked around the room trying to spot him, but finally gave up when she noticed that only three people other than herself, remained in the room. No one even raised an eyebrow at her behaviour, and for that, she was thankful. She knew she attracted enough questions for the fact that she was a young woman travelling alone in a time when many women were either not allowed or didn't dare risk using that liberty.
Before heading back to her cabin, Orianna placed two pastries from the buffet table in a napkin, and just in case, placed another one in her mouth.
The storm was just reaching its peak as Royal Avenue's captain, Mr Jonathan Helm, wearily rubbed his eyes, praying that the ship would endure the storm in one piece. He knew the morning would bring an array of damage, but hopefully all repairable in a day or two.
Listening to the roar of the waves outside his cabin door, he drew a tight, thin-lipped smile. His mind was already in motion, planning tomorrow's itinerary.
It had to be done quickly, he considered. To take more time than necessary meant leaving the ship, and its passengers, vulnerable to more than the elements and that was a risk Jonathan Helm would not allow. He had worked too hard for too long to let the gold hungry scoundrels of the sea jeopardise his future.
Holding the mirror in her hand, the woman slowly studied her reflection, noticing the fine yet deepening lines around her eyes and a few just starting to appear around her lips. She couldn't help but sigh at the image staring back; she was growing older and soon she would loose her youthful looks altogether.
Turning her attention to her ears the woman's gaze fell upon a seemingly shadow like object lurking in the corner.
She stared transfixed, unable to turn away.
As if summoned by her gaze, the shadow seemed to edge nearer, its reflection becoming clearer.
Still intently watching, the woman didn't need another moment to realise that she was now in undeniable danger.
She tried to scream but no sound came out. She tried to run but her body seemed to be held down by a force greater than her own, a force that could not be seen nor escaped from.
Little by little, she felt her chest tighten. Instinctively she started to gasp for air, but found that it all but turned to ash in her throat.
Unable to do anything, the lady watched as the shadow appeared before her and become terrifyingly conscious of how powerless and alone she was.
She closed her eyes as she felt an intense suffocating pressure on her chest before letting out a bone-chilling shriek. She felt herself being swallowed into a world of darkness, but as she closed her eyes for the last time, she was aware of the room's door being thrown open. Her last moment, her last memory was of her husband and child clutched together in fear and disbelief.
Orianna woke with a tortured gasp, her body trembling and her head aching.
Feeling something slide down her cheek, she lifted her hand and touched the watery trail only then to wipe away her tears as if rubbing away the memories.
Stumbling out of bed, she feebly made her way to a small parcel safely hidden away in the corner of her small cabin.
Picking it up as if it held the secrets of the world, Orianna brought it back to her bed and gently placed it upon her pillow.
Her unsteady fingers untied the material and laid the cloth open to find the mirror in her dreams, the same one her mother had left behind before she disappeared. Biting her lip, she ran a finger along its edges, hoping to console herself with its cold exterior. It was only a dream.
For years, she and her father had tried to find answers but nothing ever seemed to add up. Finally, after one last attempt that led nowhere, her father had given up, leaving his daughter to find the answers by herself. It was now her burden to bear and it weighed her down so much she feared it would break her.
Guilt etched at her mind at the thought of her father waking in the morning to an empty house. She knew he would fear for her at first and then eventually anger would take its place, she only hoped he left some room in his heart for forgiveness.
A dismal and pathetically written note left on the table was the only thing she offered in way of explanation. She had found a clue that was too good to ignore and she was sick and tired of writing letters in hope for answers…this time she had taken the initiative and she hoped to god it wouldn't turn around and fall down flat.
Carefully placing the mirror back into its box, Orianna critically studied it. It looked too similar to the painting in the dining room to be just a coincidence and it had only just came into her mothers possession before she died. Whom it was from or why, she didn't know, but a feeling within her told her she would find out more by going back to the painting.
Curiosity and restlessness getting the best of her, Orianna hastily dressed in a plain, dark purple dress and deciding that no one would be about at this time, which she guessed to be around ten or eleven at night, she quickly swept a brush through her soft brown hair leaving it free, and made her way out of the room.