Based on the 1997 movie rendition of the book, featuring Michael Caine. It tells a story of tragedy, joy, hardship, fun, and a quest for power, following the life of Nemo's daughter, Mara's twin sister Carchara. This does not coincide with Royals and Redemptions. It is a standalone story. It is still in the works, I am still patching things up. I do want feedback. If it is negative or constructive criticism, please personal message me. If it is positive, please leave it as a review. This is sort of an alternate universe from the film, sort of a "how would things be if Carchara had been there".
Disclaimer: I do not own Mara, Nemo or any of the characters from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, they belong to Jules Verne and the writers for the 1997 movie script. I do own Carchara. There is one specific line that is copied from The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night. Her mysterious island home has some familiar characters, a somewhat toned down frill neck lizard from Journey 2: The Mysterious Islands.
Tragedy
My story begins on a ship in the South Pacific. I am the daughter of a Prince. Our lineage is one that has been lost for centuries. My name is Carchara and this is my story.
"Papa," Carchara yelled, running towards a man on the deck of a corsair ship.
"Chari," her father rejoiced, he picked his eight year old daughter up.
"Where are we going?" Carchara asked.
"We are going to find somewhere new to live," her father said.
"Why," Carchara said.
"Our last home was destroyed dear," her father said. He put her down.
"Come on Chara," called a girl who was her twin sister.
Carchara ran after her sister.
"Be careful you two," their mother called.
"My pride and joy," their father said quietly as he embraced his wife.
I didn't know why we were traveling. All I knew was my family was with me and that was all that mattered. I had my mother Emelia, my father Dakkar and my sister Mara. Then one night all of that changed.
…^…^…
Carchara awoke when she heard a loud boom and the ship jerked.
"What was that?" Carchara asked.
"I was going to ask you that," Mara said.
Carchara leapt out of her bed and ran to the door. She opened it; the crew of the ship was running around frantically. Another boom and the ship rocked violently. She saw her father.
"Father," Carchara called.
Nemo turned and looked at her.
"Carchara, stay with your sister, take care of her," her father ordered.
"Yes father," Carchara called back. She closed the door and went over to her sister.
"What's going on?" Mara asked.
Several more booms and the ship shook with each one.
"I think we're under attack," Carchara said.
A loud explosion rocked the room, splintered wood flew everywhere, Carchara shielded her sister from it; the candle on the nightstand was knocked off onto the bed. A fire started abruptly and rapidly grew. The two sisters gazed into the blazing inferno with fright.
"Come on," Carchara said, grabbing her sisters arm and led her to the door.
"Out there," Mara cried.
"We can't stay in here," Carchara said looking back at the blazing inferno.
She led her sister out of the room. They ran across the deck, dodging men from the ship and men from another ship.
"Carchara, what are you two doing here," their mother yelled.
"Our room is on fire," Carchara yelled.
Their mother looked back at the burning inferno.
"Come here," their mother said. She took Carchara by the hand and led them to the bow.
"Stay here, stay out of sight," she ordered, pushing them down.
"I'm scared," Mara said.
"Carchara, look after your sister," their mother said.
"I will," Carchara said.
Carchara was older by a few hours, she was the mentally, emotionally and physically stronger than Mara and was often entrusted with the care and protection of her twin sister. Their mother left them and returned to the fight.
The fire that had started in their sleeping quarters spread across the ship. The battle raged and now the sea was becoming rough. The ship pitched and yarred. Carchara and Mara hunkered down behind barrels that had been moved to the bow of the ship. The ship dunked down and a huge wave of sea water washed over the bow. Mara held fast to the siding, but when the water subsided her sister was gone.
"Carchara! Carchara where are you," Mara cried, looking around.
Down in the cold pacific water Carchara treaded for her life.
"HELP," Carchara yelled.
Mara heard her sister. She looked over the side and saw her sister had been washed overboard and was now bobbing up and down in the ocean.
"Carchara," Mara called.
"Stay out of sight," Carchara yelled back. Mara reluctantly hid back underneath the overhang.
Carchara swam to a floating barrel and clung fast to it. The waves began to take her away from the ship.
"HELP," Carchara called, but she could not be heard and she drifted farther and farther away from the ship.
The next morning, the fighting had subsided. The crew was badly injured. The other ship fled from battle to lick its wounds, recover and plan for another attack.
Nemo looked around at the torn and shredded ship. The horrors of the night gripped his heart. He looked sat down heavily. His wife came over to him and sat down next to him. Mara came running over to him.
"Father," Mara cried.
"Mara," he said, embracing her.
Then he looked around for Carchara.
"Where is Carchara?" he asked.
Mara looked up at him with sadness on her face.
"She got washed overboard," Mara said.
Horror and fear filled his expression. He ran to the side of the ship and searched the waters, but Carchara was long gone. Dakkar ran up to the bridge.
"Captain, my daughter was washed overboard, we have to find her," Dakkar said with urgency in his voice.
"Our ship is too gravely injured, I am sorry Prince Dakkar, but we cannot mount a search for your daughter. She is but one small person in a massive ocean and we have hundreds aboard that are all injured and dying. We are heading back to port. I am sorry Prince," the captain said.
…^…^…
Out at sea, far far away from the ship, Carchara still clung tightly to the barrel. During the night, she had floated several hundred miles away from her father, sister and mother.
She was beginning to tire, having lost a night's worth of sleep. Just when she was about to nod off a gray fin came up out of the water. Carchara was instantly awake now and filled with fear.
"GO AWAY," Carchara yelled. Another fin and then several more popped up.
Carchara began crying with fright. Then a friendly face appeared and squeaked to her.
"Oh, they're just dolphins," Carchara said.
The dolphins circled her, leaping over her a few time before pushing Carchara through the sea. An hour later, Carchara was pushed ashore on an island.
"Thank you," Carchara said, waving to the dolphins.
The dolphins swam away.
Carchara began to think of options. She looked at the land behind her. The island had tall cliffs, thick jungles and who knows what else. She was tired and mostly wanted the chance to sleep, but she needed shelter and a fire to keep warm. Being the daughter of a Prince that traveled a lot, Carchara was trained in survival, in case she was ever separate from people. She went to gather some fire wood. Then with some difficulty, she made a fire to warm up by.
She was alone, cold and frightened and as night came, she wondered if she would ever see her family again. She knew the ship would have been gravely injured and the crew as well. She was lost at sea and dead to the world. By next morning she knew they would not come and rescue her. She was on her own and she would have to learn how to fend for herself.