Chapter 1: A Family's Bond
The last few rays of sunshine were fading away, as the sun began to set over the horizon. A small boy with skin the shade of chocolate was tucked into the corner of an old shed as he counted. He face remained covered as he closed his eyes and began counting from one to ten.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7" he paused briefly before he remembered what came next after seven "8, 9, 10. Ready or not here I come." He said as he opened his eyes in search of his sister. He actually hated playing hide and seek not because he never won, which he never did but because his sister had the annoying habit of always popping out and scaring the crap out of him.
He blinked and began walking around the shed they often played in. The poor old shed was literally falling apart the, door was all but hanging off its hinge and the single source of light from the lone window had been without glass for ages. It was a safety hazard for certain, but it was their favorite place to play their special place they shared together when their father had to go away on long trips.
The small boy continued his circuit around the shed hearing a slight bump from within he proceeded to enter the shed. It was fairly dark inside but he could see well enough to know there were plenty of hiding places in here. He quietly made his way over to a broken dresser and jumped behind it quickly.
"Ha I got you." Not a surprise really to find his sister wasn't there.
He continue farther inside and he heard what he thought was the shuffling of feet he knew he had his sister now.
"Gotcha!" He yelled but no one was there.
He was disappointed he knew he had heard noises from inside the old shed but his sister's location still remained a mystery.
Why do I always get talked into doing things I do want to? He wandered to himself, he was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he failed to notice a figure slowly creeping up behind him from the shadows. Inching closer and closer until...
"Boo!"
"Ahhhh!"
"Got you!"
"Damn it Gwen. I hate when you do that!" He yelled giving his sister a push, Gwen was laughed as her eyes sparkled. Wide smile was plastered across her Caramel complexion as she laughed at her little brother. At the age of seven she was exactly fifteen months older than her brother and she would let him forget she was the eldest.
"Awww come on don't be mad at me Eylan." She pushes her brother back. "I was just having a little fun; you know you were never going to find me anyway.
He glares at his sister anger flaring his nostrils. "Why do I even agree to play this stupid game you when all you like to do is scare me?"
"Come on don't be that way,Eylan. Hey I tell ya what you can choose the next game."
"Really?"
"Yea sure come on. What would you like to do next?"
"Okay how about-" He sentence was interrupted by their father calling them inside.
"Gwen, Eylan time to come in." Thomas Grance or Tom as he was known to all of his friends was a tall and stocky man. He had the same Caramel complexion as his Gwen but he preferred to keep his hair cut short to his head.
"Maybe later." Gwen said.
"Come on I'll race you inside." She said with a smile, and with that they took off in the direction toward their home.
Tom stood in the doorway of his home as he watched his children race towards the house. Their laughter was so infectous that soon he found himself laughing too. Gwen and Elyan pushed and hopped over each other as their almond colored eyes sparkled with joy. Through their beautiful eyes he could see his beloved wife Elen for his children both shared their mother eyes.
Eylan got their first and she tripped her brother to get payback.
"Gwen!" He yelled.
"Guinevere." He father's stern voice cut in before any more words could be spoken.
"Yes Father." She responded she knew what that voice meant. "I'm sorry Eylan I really shouldn't have done that.
"Good now go get cleaned up for supper." Their father stated and his children quickly obeyed.
Their small house just consisted of the three of them Gwen being the oldest by a few months something she would never let her brother forget. Their mother Elen died almost three years ago when she suddenly became ill with a fever that never let her body. The town physician had brought all kinds of remedies and treatments but to no avail within two weeks of catching the fever she died. They really didn't have any other family members that they keep in touch with. From time to time Gaius a family friend would visit and would watch over the children when their father was away. The kids liked to call him Uncle Gaius even though they were not related. As everyone gathered at the table their father began to spoon soup into each of their bowls.
"Listen you too I'm going out tonight to meet with a very important contact. I know you both have a lot of questions about me and what I do and I promise one day soon I will tell you everything. I have some very big plans for us and things are going to be better for us I promise."
"Okay Papa but-" Gwen was cut off by her father.
"No buts I want you two to stay here. I should be back within in a few hours if I don't return-"
"Go find Uncle Gaius we know." The children spoke in unison.
After the children finished their supper their father tucked them into bed. Tom placed the wool blanket over his children and smiled down at them. As he leaned over them on the small bed his golden pendant slipped out of his buttoned shirt. Gwen smiled immediately up at her father because she loved that pendant and knew one day it would be hers.
"Tell us the story of the Magic Pendant before you go Papa. Please we always go right to bed after you've finished. It's our favorite story. She said a pleading smile on her face.
"It's your favorite story Gwen not mine." Said Elyan annoyed at his sister's obsession with the same old story.
Her mouth curls into a frown. "Shut up Elyan! Don't listen if you don't want to hear it."
"That's enough you too. Be quiet and I tell you the story of the Magic Pendant." Their father said bringing his voice low for a dramatic effect.
Many years ago there lived a poor fisherman who would venture out into the ocean with his son everyday trying to catch fish. Every day of the week without fail the fisherman and his son would spend hours sitting in their boat in most of the times vain attempts to catch enough fish.
One day the father fell very ill and could not go out to sea to catch any fish. His sickness was worsening and there was no money or any means in which they could purchase a remedy. The son stayed with his father until he fell asleep. Suddenly an idea occurred to the son.
"Since father is not well enough to out on the water today, perhaps I could go and catch enough fish to sell then have enough money to buy some medicine for him." That is exactly what the fisherman son did; he gathered his father's gear and took their small boat out far into the ocean.
The fisher's son waited and waited for any signs of a catch in his net. Then suddenly he felt the boat jerk and he saw movement underneath the water. Something was caught in the nets and by the way it was jerk the small boat around it was big.
The boy grabbed a hold of the net and pulled but the net sank back down beneath the water. He pulled a second time and the net refused to rise from the surface of the water. He sighed clearly frustrated by his lack of strength needed to bring the net aboard. His thoughts drifted to his father alone and sick in bed slowly get sicker and sicker with the required medicines.
The boy summoned all of his strength and pulled a third and final time and at last the net was aboard the boat. To his stunned surprise a small delicate human arm was tangled beneath all the rope of the net. "A person!" He thought. "Oh God I captured a person." He removed his pocket knife from his trousers and began to cut the net open trying to free this helpless person.
He made the first cuts at the top of the net so that he could free their face. As he pulled back net the tangled mess of rope he revealed the face of a beautiful young woman. Her ivory skin was plastered with her wild, fire red hair and she had a clam serene look on her face. He continued cutting the ropes of the net until he had freed her arms, her bare stomach.
"Just a few more cuts should do it." He mumbled to himself as he cuts the ropes binding her legs. He removed the netting covering her legs to discover, she had no legs at all. "What!" He exclaimed loudly.
Even though it was there in plain sight for him to see. Right at the place where normal human beings had legs she had on large fin? Flipper? Covered in scales just like a fish. "Fish girl." He thought.
He gazed upon her lovely face the fish girl wasn't breathing that was bad, really bad. He leaned over the fish girl opened her mouth wide placed his lips upon her and blew. "Nothing happened maybe I should blow harder. "He thinks.
So he opens her mouth again and places his lips to hers once more then he blows even harder. Scared stiff is the best way to describe his reaction when the fish girls wraps her arms gently around him and kisses him passionately. He doesn't move it takes him a moment to realize what is happening before he embraces the fish girl and kisses her back.
The fish girl pulls away from the kiss. She opens her emerald colored eyes. "Hi." She says sweetly.
"Hello." Says the boy dumbfounded. "Are you okay?" He asks looking into her eyes sparkling.
"Of course, I'm fine." She responds.
"Are you sure because I think there might be something wrong with your legs." He states honestly.
"I'm a mermaid I don't have legs." He giggles amused at his question. "If you don't mind could you put me back in the water?"
"Sure." He says as he gently picks her up and places her down on the water's surface. She quickly dives below the water and pops back up on the other side of the boat.
"What are you doing out here?" She asks swimming around in circles.
He picks up the tattered remains of his father's net. "Trying to catch some fish. My father is ill and I need money to purchase a remedy to make him well again. I don't think that's going to happen today this net is useless now."
A wide grin stretches across the mermaid's face. "Who says you need a net to catch fish?" In an instant she dives below the water and emerges minutes later with her arms full a dozen flapping fish. She dumps the wiggling fish inside the boat and smiles.
"Thank you; you don't know how much this means to me and to my father." He says his voice laced with gratitude.
"It's nothing." She says humbly. "Now what favor should I grant you for saving my life?"
"I don't need anything. The money from selling these fish will be plenty to take care of me and my father. You have done enough for me." He states.
"Yes well even so I want to give you something more valuable than fish, here." She reaches behind her neck and takes off her own medallion and places it in his hands.
"This pendant is the key to Poseidon's Cache, a cavern filled with wealth and riches untold." She rests her hands in his palms.
"But I don't want wealth and riches untold. I told you the fish are plenty." He remarks overwhelmed by her gesture.
She shakes her head. "Then keep it and give it to your firstborn child. Its carries a protection so that only those with your blood can unlock the treasures."
He ties the medallion around his neck and smiles at the mermaid. "You've done so much for me and I don't even know your name."
"I am Ariella daughter of Poseidon." She says as she swims away, waving goodbye as she dives beneath the water.
"So that the story of the Magic Pendant." Their father smiles down at his children.
"Yea and one day that medallion is going to be mine. Right Papa cuz I am the oldest." Gwen states a manner of fact.
"Yes sweetie when you're older I will give it to you." Their father says with a smile.
"Will you ever tell us how you really found the pendant father?" Asked Elyan curiously.
"One day when you're older I tell you both. Now go to sleep. I love you both be back soon." He said as he kissed his children goodbye and shut the door as he made his way toward the docks.
Gwen says. "I want to see where father is going."
"You what didn't you just hear him say to stay here Gwen you can be such an idiot."
"Come on Eylan we'll just follow him. Aren't you just a little curious as to what he is doing when he always leaving and coming back a weird times during the night. We don't even know what our father does for a living! Aren't you just the tiny bit curious?"
A small grin tugged at Eylan's mouth as he thought about what Gwen said. "Let's do it." he said finally.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter to The Vengful Wench Please R&R and follow this story I'll try to update every weekend. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Virtual High Fives all around!