Belle is a nickname for Elizabeth, if you didn't know. Enjoy the chapter!
---------------------------------------
En route to Seabreeze Isle, Kingdom of Alan | 508 A.F
In a vast sea littered with lush green islands was a magnificently decorated sailing ship bearing the shield of the Welf family. Two golden lions imposed over a red background on the left, and one blue lion imposed over a yellow background and surrounded by red hearts on the right (A.N: If you want to see what it looks like just type Welf family into google images).
This was the shield of a family that had been the Duke of the Isles and the Shield of East since the founding of the Kingdom by the legendary King Clovis nearly 1,000 years ago. The legends of the first King and his trusted companions are still famous throughout all of the Kingdom. The legends say that Clovis granted the Dukedom to his close friend and companion Welf, for his role in the founding of the Kingdom now known as Alan. Welf was widely acknowledged as a skilled captain and is dominion of the Isles was only natural. Even today, his descendants the Welf family have a fondness and skill of sailing that the other Houses of the Kingdom could never hope to match.
As the magnificent ship sailed onwards through the deep waters a boy and man could be seen looking out from the bow.
"Ooh, dad! Dad!! I saw a mermaid!", The boy said, pointing towards a small ripple in the endless ocean.
"Roland, you should already know you won't find any mermaids this far west. You'd need to go to Sothos if you wanted to see one, and let me tell you one thing about mermaids, they're not pretty like the fairytales say. They're ugly and scaly little fuckers, and smell horrible as well, you can be sure of that." William replied in a somber voice with a face that seemed to be reliving an old memories.
Roland just looked towards his father with a face full of confusion before speaking, "No, dad. I saw one, I know I did! It was definitely a mermaid, it had a tail and everything!"
William managed a smile at his son's claims and was about to speak when he saw an ageing but still graceful figure coming towards him and Roland. Smiling and with a sarcastic voice he said, "My dearest Elizabeth, how was your beauty sleep? Out enjoying the fine morning air?"
Elizabeth seemed to ignore his jape and said to Roland, "What's this nonsense about mermaids? You'll never see one in our seas." She walked to him, bent down and kissed his now healed cheek then gave her husband a stone cold glare. Elizabeth thought to herself, It's his bloody snoring that keeps me up at night.
"Can I go to Sothos and see one, please?", Roland's pandering didn't seem to work and his parents just laughed at his request. William quickly calmed his laughter and returned to his previous grim appearance, "Nowadays, with our Kingdom's relations so strained with that god damn Theocracy on Sothos, you'd be captured and publicly executed within a week, at most."
Roland suddenly remembered reading about a land that no country ruled situated on the western coast of Sothos, the Frontier. He asked his parents, "What about the Frontier? Couldn't I go there, it's one of the few places on Sothos the Theocracy doesn't rule, I think?"
His father suddenly spoke up with a rough voice Roland had come to love, "You overestimate the Theocracy's power, Sothos is large continent, larger than we could possibly know, and the Theocracy holds but a portion of it. The Theocracy is nothing but a gang of old eunuchs."
William continued his rant about the Theocracy until Elizabeth interrupted him by grabbing Roland's hand and staring intensely at him before warning him in an uneasy voice, "Aye Roland, the Theocracy doesn't rule that place, no one does. The only thing that rules that place is the greed of men even though they act more like beasts. Promise me you'll never go there, Roland. Promise me."
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
Roland, somewhat scared by his mothers change of mood replied, "Alright mummy, I promise you." As he finished speaking he grabbed his father's large, calloused hand with his small and still delicate one. He looked turned to face his mother once more and said in his most innocent voice, "What's a little fucker?"
William's face contracted in fear and a cold sweat started forming on the back of his neck, and when he looked up and saw those now deathly sky blue eyes he had only one thought, Oh shit.
---------------------------------------
Seabreeze Isle, Kingdom of Alan | 508 A.F
Days and weeks soon passed and eventually Roland and his parents arrived at Seabreeze Isle, his home. He had spent an entire month with his grandfather at Emerald Isle, and while he loved spending time with his grandfather, he truly longed for home.
Stepping off onto the gangway Roland heard his father affectionally say his goodbyes to the four-masted ship that had been their transport for the journey. Roland had been told that the Lady Ariel was the greatest carrack to ever sail the Central Sea. Although he doubted the truth of those words he still was proud that such a ship was in his family's retinue. Roland had seen far larger and grander ships at the Kingdom's capital of Newhope when he would visit with his father, and even here on Seabreeze Isle occasionally the large and beautiful ships from the Republics in the East would dock and he and his family would always run down from the castle to view them. Roland, like most of his family has always been attracted to the seas, it had a kind of magnetism towards his family. His father was an avid sailor, and his father before him, and his before him, all the way up to the legendary and almost mythical Welf.
As he continued his walk down the gangway he saw familiar faces waiting for him at the dock. He couldn't help but breaking into a smile when he saw them all, his brother Karl was nearing 20 and had the build of a powerful warrior and had the silver hair and golden eyes of his father. He was already a true knight, one of the youngest to in the realm at that, and Roland dreamed of when he would be knighted himself.
Next to Karl stood Abigail, his oldest sister. She was 18 and had all the looks of her mother - black haired, blue eyed and already a stunning beauty. She had always been kind and loving to Roland, and he had always looked up to her.
Next his eyes fell on a pair of identical twin girls, Hilda and Helga -- though Roland wondered if he should call them women now, considering they had recently celebrated their 16th birthday and by the customs of the Alani people they have reached adulthood. They were joined at the hip, always had been and Roland suspected they always would be. When it came to appearance, like Abigail, they shared their's mothers jet black hair and bright blue eyes.
Standing next to the twins was Sofia, a young girl of only 11 years. Despite her tender age it was easy tell she would become a great beauty and because of that had no lack of potential betrothals. Unlike her sisters, she had the silver hair and golden eyes of her father but none of his austere attitude, she was always sweet and kind. Roland wouldn't dare count the hours they had wasted together playing and messing around, they were infamous in the castle as the silver duo and never failed to make mischief when together.
He continued to walk towards his family with tears threatening to stream down his face, he was only a child of eight, and to be apart from his family for so long would make anyone downcast.
The first to speak was Karl, "Welcome back brother, I hope you and our parents enjoyed the stay at grandfather's." As he finished speaking he opened his arms and hugged his brother tightly, and soon all his siblings had joined. Roland didn't speak as he buried his now tear filled face deep within his sibling's hug.