Guess what? Ducktales is close to airing and The Golden Dawn is back with its third chapter! This time, the story and the action really begin.
I'd like to thank you all who are so inspired by the au and the fanfiction in your fanarts, your headcanon, your reviews! It's super sweet! I feel blessed to see people that are excited to read it or to create on this universe. So thank you again!
(Before I leave you with the chapter, I'd like to thank ONCE again Lu, draaaaaagoooooons on tumblr, because they're doing an amazing job at correcting the fanfic)
When the Gabbiano's crew prepared for a battle, the Space Marine ship was nothing but chaos. Everybody was running in all directions, loading their weapons, grabbing their swords. Orders were shouted, impossible to understand fully in the bustle. The atmosphere was frantic; the scents of fear and excitation mingling. Adrenaline pumped through the space sailors' veins, running through their blood.
They knew a single mistake could cost them their life. They knew they couldn't show weakness. The responsability of protecting the lives of hundreds of innocent citizens rested on their shoulders.
This burst of pressure had become a customary experience for Donald. He didn't mind the pandemonium that agitated their ship, found it soothing, even. He was chaos himself, had been for years. He kept his inside turmoil of rage and grief trapped behind a measured appearance. Fighting was a way to forget about the constant tremors of his emotions for a while.
He lived for that swift noise of his sword sliding out of its scabbard. For the violence of the iron clashing and clinking against iron. For the look of fear that shivered in his enemies' eyes when they caught sight of him.
But most of all, he lived for the reassured looks in his nephews' blue eyes when he was back home after missions. For their smiles and laughs. He lived to protect them.
He thought about them every time he readied himself for battle. It gave him courage. It stopped his weak body's quivering. It made his arms stronger, his grip on his sword and shield tighter. He needed this rush of adrenaline and confidence. Especially today.
"It's the Golden Dawn!" Yelled a voice outside of his cabin. "Everyone, draw your weapons!"
Donald Duck gritted his teeth. The Golden Dawn.
Scrooge McDuck's damned ship.
Rumors had it that the entire ship was made of gold.
That the mermaid on its bow was a real mermaid, changed into a golden statue by the cursed touch of Midas that Scrooge possessed.
That Scrooge had so many treasures that he had melted his loot into a ship, the only golden boat of the universe.
That he called it the Golden Dawn because it was often mistaken for the Sun, shining so bright it dazzled of his enemies.
That the First Lieutenant of the Gabbiano himself had gone blind from looking too long at the Sun when he tried to devise mad plans to steal the star itself.
But Donald Duck knew just how much bullshit these rumors were, and this last one in particular. The brainless sailors that propagated these lies didn't know anything about Scrooge McDuck. Donald, on the other hand, knew him by heart.
His easily impressed, rumor-spreading crewmen had never met him in person. But right now, they were about to.
Donald exited his cabin, his sword already in hand, and looked up to the ship that was quietly floating, hovering like a threat, over the Gabbiano. That was pure provocation. A normal pirate ship would never make such an idiot move, except if they intended to make it their last trip.
Scrooge McDuck, however, was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them. This wasn't the first time he taunted his nephew, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Yet it had been quite some time since the last time they'd seen each other. Several years, to be more specific. They didn't even talk to each other; the mere sight of Scrooge disguted Donald.
He didn't want to see him, nor did he want to talk to him. Just thinking about this bloody pirate infuriated him. Him and his little smirk! Always so confident, proud and teasing...
Maybe the worst thing of all was that Donald had once admired this bloodthirsty pirate.
Back when Scrooge had been a Lieutenant himself.
Back when Donald was a little boy, like the triplets.
Back when everything was just fine. He had even considered him more than an uncle. A guardian. A support. A role model. A father.
But now he was nothing more to him than a name and a picture on a wanted poster.
He was the source of his nightmares.
He was a fading memory of a long-gone, cherished past.
He was the one who had robbed him of his left-eye, and abandoned him afterwards.
There was no way in hell he would do him the favor of acknowledging him.
If he did, it would be to fight. And Donald knew that this day had finally come.
The First Lieutenant couldn't stare at the ship and imagine Scrooge on the deck without feeling his blood boil. But the Golden Dawn looked like a ghost ship, just drifting in the sky with no one on deck. Then, without a warning, the ship shifted her course and lowered her fore part directly at the Gabbiano. Donald couldn't help but open an agape mouth.
The crew of the Golden Dawn had definitely lost their mind.
Scrooge wanted to scare him. Well, that was definitely not going to work. Donald was going to join in on his little game.
"Nervous, aren't you?"
Donald jumped, startled as he thought he was alone. But an icy artificial look was hovering over his shoulder.
"You're definitely scared."
"Please don't start with this."
His A.I. studied him for a moment, examining every inch of his body with calculating eyes. The way D.A.I.S.I., or Daisy for short, could tell almighty truths with a stoic and impassive stare never stopped annoying him.
"You're shaking, Don'."
He tried to ignore the robot and didn't tear his gaze from the hull of the Golden Dawn. It wasn't all golden, after all. Only a few adornments carved into the wood and were covered in gold foil. But with its extravagant sculpting and imposing stature, it was truly stunning and spectular.
Ropes had already been thrown along the hull of the Golden Dawn. The first wave of pirates was coming, and when the main deck's flooring shook a little under impact as they landed heavily.
There was no time for arguing with Daisy. The first of his men already collided against the pirates. But Donald couldn't concentrate on what was happening just in front of him.
"The great Scrooge McDuck dares attack his nephew's ship! What are you planning to do?"
Damn, she wasn't going to shut up. Donald didn't want to see his AI's little smirk today, nor hear her mocking him as always.
"Shove you into a closet and maybe then, I could start thinking of a plan," he replied, not amused by the way her questions were loaded with irony.
"Speaking of closet..." she began.
Donald could imagine her smile simply by the tone of her voice.
"Isn't that little Private Crackshell cute?"
"Wha- What?"
"Yeah, look at him, handling a sword like it's his first time."
Incredulous, Donald turned to see, only a few feet away from him, the latino rookie with whom he had just talked, drawing his sword awkwardly towards a pirate who was rushing directly in his direction.
Shit, Donald thought. He's not going survive the first seconds.
The First Lieutenant jumped over the railing and bolted towards Fenton who was beginning to back off against the wall where the pirate had pushed him. The space criminal seemed to anticipate every single one of his moves, returning them violently. Thankfully, Donald's sword caught his blade right before it met Fenton's fragile armor.
He heard the pirate groan under the effort of stopping the Lieutenant's sword from cutting him in two halves. Donald sent him swinging, not hurting him so he could be warned not to play with a Space Marine's Lieutenant.
Then he turned to Fenton, who was standing motionless except for the quivers that shook his hands.
"You- You saved me..."
"I did."
Donald would gladly have thrown a tantrum, telling Fenton off for not respecting his orders and trying to fight pirates. But there was one-on-one battles were beginning to dangerously surround them.
"Now you're going to listen to me and do exactly as I say."
The blond space sailor grabbed the stockroom's door and Fenton's arm at the same time. He swung the door open and shoved the latino sailor into the room, locking it right away.
"What are-"
"Just making sure you're safe. Don't make a sound. I'll come back later to unlock the door."
Then Donald dashed back into the heart of the fight, sword still gripped in his hand. He had to find a way to get onto the Golden Dawn. He hadn't seen Scrooge getting off his ship to attack the Gabbiano. That cowardly bastard. He didn't have the courage to get over here and be the Captain he claimed he was. Just waiting for the battle to end, safe and well in his own cabin.
The perspective made Donald furious.
He moved quickly, trying to avoid the blades that cut through the air. He had one idea in mind: get on the ship and beat Scrooge's ass. But dodging swords swinging restlessly from all directions was beginning to get more and more difficult.
"Daisy!" He shouted as he progressed through the crowd of space pirates and sailors, "get the Gabbiano closer to-"
A wave of pain suddenly seared his back, cutting his sentence short. Not only had it interrupted him, but it also made him break his nimble race across the deck. It was like if he'd been whipped.
He was hustled so violently in the mess and confusion of the fight that he couldn't help but fall backwards.
He was no stranger to pain and injuries. His scars were testimonies, especially the one zigzagging on his left cheek. Battles could hurt, and he never wore any armor. Thus, he knew very well how to assess the pain and determine if it was severe or not. Right now, it seemed it was mild, insignificant even. The blade that had hit him must have only cut through his mantle. Maybe touched his skin a little. Nothing to worry about.
"Need a little help?"
Donald raised his eye to where the voice came from and his glance met a sailor in armor, a plain sailor that seemed to be an enlisted Corporal. He was outstretching his left hand towards him, smiling, maybe slightly amused to see his superior in such a pitiful position.
"Thanks," grunted the First Lieutenant, catching his hand to propell himself back on his feet.
But something caught his attention; a sword's scabbard hung under the Corporal's left arm. That meant he was right-handed. But he was offering him his left hand...
"I'm sorry," the Corporal said softly, "but orders are orders."
Before Donald could even understand what it all meant, his abdomen flared with agonizing pain. It was so sudden and so fierce that it made his breath catch in his lungs.
He had been caught off guard as he hadn't even seen the sailor taking out his iron blade with his right hand. He couldn't even scream.
When the sailor pulled out his sword, Donald fell back to the ground, unable to keep a semblance of balance this time. He didn't even feel the shock of his head meeting the floor again. All he could feel was the overwhelming pain that possessed his burning abdomen.
In the corner of his eye, he saw the Corporal put his small sword back into his scabbard without even wiping the blood off, then disappear far away in the crowd.
Lowering his eye, Donald tried to focus, but his vision was getting blurry and all he could see was a reddish stain widening where the sailor had stabbed him.
He had stabbed him in the stomach. The worst place possible to be stabbed. Now he was going to bleed out if he did nothing to stop the flow of blood...
But Donald was barely able to think straight. So getting up to find help was definitely not an option.
He could smell that metallic and repulsive scent, the tang of blood. It made him were rising upon everything around his surroundings.
He tried to gauge the loss of blood, which had to be quite considerable as vertigo was now making his head spin despite the fact that he was lying on the floor.
As he was struggling to stay awake against the numbness in all of his body, he could only concentrate on the thoughts of his nephews. Huey, Dewey and Louie.
The last thing he saw before darkness engulfed him was a tall figure approaching him before coming to an ominous still at his feet.
:)))) stay tuned for the next chapter bye ily
Or how to escape when you just finished a chapter on a BIG cliffhanger.