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CHAPTER I
THE KINDLING
Daniel Ibeada had the averagely happy life. His parents love each other wholeheartedly. They were kind to him. Any time he messed up, his parents would reprimand and guide him. To set him straight, his father would sternly reprimand him to get the point across. Afterwards, he would then be consoled by his mother, who would assure him that his father had no aggressive intentions. The lesson would be learned, but the affection would be prominent.
To ensure that Daniel had a thorough understanding about how to navigate seas, his father would bring him on trading voyages every other time. The crew of the Calliope even called Daniel "little captain" in reference that Daniel would one day inherit her. There were moments when Daniel would climb up the rigging, with one or two crewmen behind to spot him in case he lost his grip. There were even moments when Robert had Daniel give the orders as a test to see what he learned.
As he got older, seventeen to be precise, Robert stepped up the tests. Sometimes, he would test Daniel's abilities to guide a crew through a storm. Other times, Robert would decide to send Daniel on trading voyages in his place and have the crew give their feedback on how they viewed his performance as acting captain; it was relatively positive with a few blemishes every now and then.
Daniel did have at least one unfortunate habit: visiting prostitutes. Although he never had fun with prostitutes, he did pay them to strip completely bare for him. In spite of the fact that he never wasted his virginity on money-for-pleasure women, Daniel's parents eventually warned him that if he didn't find a woman to settle down with, they would cut off his spending unless he promised to stop frequenting pleasurehouses. Thankfully, it was that ultimatum that motivated Daniel to stop wasting money on personal pleasure.
"Father, I just do not understand how to reach a woman." Daniel said,
"Is that why you were frequenting pleasurehouses?" Robert asked,
"Yes, father." Daniel admitted, lowering his head,
"You will find her, Daniel. Do not let fear and doubt drive you to seek pleasure for coin. She will appear when the time is right." Robert said,
"Thank you, father." Daniel said,
"And I know I speak for your father when I say that I hope we live to have
grandchildren." Khione said,
Unfortunately, life was not always so peaceful. There were moments when traditional anti-French mentalities treated Khione with scorn and mockery(some calling her a harlot). Although it pained her, she knew that if she told her husband, Robert would hunt down her slanderers(Khione being insulted and Robert hearing about it usually resulted in an apology being beaten out of the slanderer). Yet, there was one in particular that both Robert and Daniel were eager for the chance to kill: Captain Theodore Bilkenson
Captain Bilkenson was all the worst qualities of any man. He was vehemently anti-French, which made Khione a favored target of his. He was rich, which gave him a strong sense of entitlement. He had friends in Parliament, which meant he could get away with doing whatever he wanted. All that together, any who interfered with his amusements wound up hanged on false charges and their possession seized.
In a few instances, Robert and Khione were walking together and ran into Bilkenson. Sometimes, Bilkenson's insults were directed right at Khione, such as "French filth" amongst others. Other times, he would mock Robert's choice of wife by saying things such as "Why did you marry a French creature?" or "Even a harlot from the filthiest slums of London would be a better wife than this french creature". Sometimes, he would mock both of them for being only half-English by saying "Perfect half-breed couple, the two of you are". It was only Khione's gentle touch that prevented Robert from drawing his katana and slitting Bilkenson's throat. Sometimes, he would even offer Robert money to have pleasure with Khione, glaring angrily when he refused every time.
After enough refusals, insults turned into threats. One such threat was that he claimed there would be one night when Khione didn't have Robert by her side. Even worse, he declared he would be waiting for that night. Robert was eventually on heavy alert every night.
Things finally came to a head when Daniel was 20. 9 minutes before eight o'clock in the evening, Khione was coming home from a shopping trip. Bilkenson had followed Khione when he saw that she was out alone. He had tracked her route home and planned to intercept her and have his way with Khione, whether she wished it or not. Once he confirmed that she was not attended by anyone, he made his move.
Just as Khione was about to turn the corner to her home, Bilkenson stepped into her path.
"I have had enough of it. I get what I want eventually, and it matters not when. I gave Robert good money and considerable reason to cast you aside, but he refused. If he will not give you to me, I'll take you myself." Bilkenson snarled,
"I will not be intimidated by an insignificant English oaf like you." Khione
said defiantly,
With an outraged snarl, Bilkenson knocked to the ground everything Khione had bought to the ground and pressed her against the wall.
"If you won't take your clothes off for me, I'll remove them myself. Cry for help, and I will slit your throat."
However, just as Bilkenson was about to get started, a sword cut his left hand. The moment he turned to face the interloper, a sword ran him through. When Bilkenson raised his head to face the interloper, he saw that Robert had come.
His voice strained, Bilkenson gave Robert a hateful look and said, "You'll answer for this."
Robert, deciding to make sure he didn't come back, cut off Bilkenson's head.
That night, Robert laid out a tarp and knelt on it, a knife in front of him.
"Father?" Daniel asked,
"Murder is a grievous deed, Daniel; I have shamed our family. This must be done." Robert said,
"Husband, no." Khione pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes,
"I will die for what I have done; I would rather it be on my own terms rather than by Bilkenson's friends in Parliament." Robert said, conviction in his voice,
"Father…" Daniel pleaded,
Robert took a deep breath, picked up the knife, stabbed himself in the stomach, and slit it open.
After getting over their shock, Daniel and Khione both began sobbing. What Daniel didn't know was that his pain had only just begun.