The Bait for Pirates
Prologue:
The day was warm, with the suns light that embraced the land below. A small town sat on the edge of the sea, set with a harbour.
This had been an average day for it's people, working, cleaning, whatever they thrived on.
Children would run amongst it's small streets, pausing to peer through a window at one of the various shops that littered the place.
It was a monday, only the beginning of their work week. All had been peaceful, normal, until a pair of blond twins ran amok.
This was an occasional occurance. They didn't actually live in this town, but visited every time their father came to sell some fish from their local lake.
They actually came from a small village just north of the area. No matter what they did, the villagers seemed to just love them.
"Hey, Mattie! Look at what I found!"
The younger of the two said, grinning as he turned to his brother. The elder brother looked at him for a moment, then sighed.
"You can't just take what you find lying around, Al."
He whispered softly, his words barely audable.
Alfred, or Al, as his brother tended to call him, quickly changed expressions to that of a pleading dog.
"Aww c'mon! It's not everyday we come across something like this!"
He gripped the object in the palm of his hand and began quivering.
"Exactly. That's why someone would want that back."
Matthew-the older brother-tried to convince him.
"If you were the owner, I'm sure you'd want it back."
"I wouldn't have lost it in the first place." Alfred retorted.
Matthew sighed, glancing around his surroundings as to find some way to get him to leave it, only to be surprised by his brother's next words.
"Alright. If it matters that much to you I'll leave it."
He shrugged it off. Matthew was glad he didn't need to go through that any longer, and quickly changed the subject.
They were in a alley way, and he saw a shop at it's exit. "How about we take a look at that shop?"
Alfred looked at him again, and nodded. "Sure why not."
He got up, and as soon as his brother turned away, he stashed his new loot in his pocket.
'What he doesn't know, wont hurt him.' He thought to himself, following steadily behind as his brother began to jog ahead.
He noticed that something had to be wrong up ahead, as his brother froze in place as if a statue, just as he reached the sunlight out of the alley.
Alfred quickly sped up, and stopped next to him, confused. "Hey, what happened?"
He looked around, and immediately he caught sight of something he wished he never had.
All he could no was mimic his brother, and stare at the scene.
The whole event just unraveled in his eyes.
There, he saw his father down on his knees, with blood streaking down and staining his once cotton white tunic.
His head was low, but there was indictaion of life from his slowly rising chest.
The man standing above him was young-couldn't have been more than 5 years older than Alfred or Matthew-who were 10 at the time.
He wore a long red coat, and matching hat, that stood atop his blond hair. His eyes were a striking emerald green.
He had been surrounded by other men-all older than him, but seeming to keep a bit of distance from him.
He held a long cutlass, that bore into their fathers stomach. The blood began to pore just as he unsheaved it from the flesh.
A smirk etched across his features, and he looked around the area. Stopping on the horrified twins. "I see. These are your sons..."
He seemed to ponder for a moment, then slowly made his way toward them. His eyes a sharp as needles, as they seeped through their skin, causing it to crawl.
Alfred finally found it in him to move, as he noticed the incoming danger to both him and his brother.
Grasping his brothers hand, he began to sprint the opposite direction.
"What... Do we do..?" Matthew choked out, as he was dragged along.
His sight now impaired due to the tears that formed. "He's dead now... Isn't he...?"
He bit his lip, now unaware of his surroundings.
"Stop it. Stop it right now." Alfred sneered.
"You're the elder, and yet I have to save you. Suppose you could call me a hero... But don't you ever talk like that! There's always the chance he's alive. Don't give in to the thoughts."
Matthew gasped as they turned a corner, and he felt his hand streak across a sandpaper-like surface.
Gripping onto his opposite shoulder, he attempted to look at Alfred. It was all a blur, and he could only see colours that seemed splashed onto a canvais.
He couldn't say another word.
Pain soon dragged at his legs, as well as the weight of exhaustion.
He wanted to stop and lie down. This was just all too much.
His wish had been fulfilled, as he bashed head-first into his brothers back, and fell.
Alfred turned to him, and whispered. "Shh... We might have gotten away."
Matthew took off his glasses, and wiped his eyes as he sat up.
They were in another alley, one he did not remember seeing before.
It was tight, and had they been adults, they probably wouldn't have been able to get there.
Alfred let out a long sigh, as footsteps sprinted in the opposite direction. "We need to get out of here soon..."
"And... Find our father..?" Matthew asked quietly.
He noticed his brother tense, and he shook his head. "No, Matt. It's not safe... He wouldn't want us getting hurt." He replied solemnly.
"But, we can head home, and wait for him." He forced an empty smile, as he choked out the words.
"He is gone, then..." Matthew clenched his fists, as he rested his head on his knees.
"He's fine..."