On their way back to the mainland the princesses meet a crew of pirates aboard "The Bellona". They're led by Captain Rustin, who asks our friends to help him find a family heirloom on a remote island.
On their way back to the mainland the princesses meet a crew of pirates aboard "The Bellona". They're led by Captain Rustin, who asks our friends to help him find a family heirloom on a remote island.
The Bellona
Once upon a time in the land of Atheria, there was a princess Nea and a princess Lulu and they went on the most amazing adventures. Princess Nea and Lulu had found themselves in an underwater village celebrating the sister of a strange boy they had met in the Withered Isle while trying to track down a missing giant.
Carmine, the giant, had finally found some tranium that she needed to make a weapon. One she could use to protect the Lava Temple with, just like her mother before her. Since it had taken her so long to even find tranium, she decided that once she saw it, she would take it and not ask the merfolk for it first.
After talking with Nea and Lulu, she decided to confess what she’d done, but after the celebration there wasn’t a time for her to do that because before they knew it, everyone went to bed for the night.
And that night a huge underwater earthquake rumbled the village of Niverstone Deep. It was so big that most of the mermaids and mermen swam off to the closest nearby city for safety.
But Phin realized he had two choices. He could go back with his family, who he was avoiding or go with Nea, Lulu, Carmine, and Zag, the blue fairy, on their adventure to save Atheria. Ryla the hawk had visited him the other day and said that he was needed as a hero. What she said was starting to sink in and the last thing he wanted to do was get stuck in Niverstone Deep again with his family while they rebuilt the village. Nothing cool ever happened in Niverstone Deep and he wasn’t too fond of his family.
So while everyone was still confused about what was happening, Phin had an idea - one that would keep him on the adventure. He woke up the princesses, the giant and the fairy and said, “Wake up, wake up! We need to get out of here. There’s been a big earthquake.”
The four adventurers shook off their sleep and immediately saw all the commotion and had a hard time focusing. They had no idea what was going on.
“Follow me. I can get us back to the island!” he said, leading them out of the cave.
“What about your family? What about your sister?” ask Lulu.
“I thought about what Ryla said yesterday. If I can help you two find the keepers then I will.”
“You’re going to give up your hammock life on the island?” Nea said, making sure he wasn’t just trying to make an excuse to slack off again.
Phin paused, because honestly, the thought had crossed his mind. It would be nice to go back to his tree house on the island, where all he had to do was avoid the Elves of Nevermore. He put his hands in his pockets and took a deep breath.
“If you two, this giant, and this fairy are up for it. I’ll help!”
“Ok, let’s get back to the island.” Nea said, as they all started swimming out of the village.
When they got back to the island they were going to use their magic ring and key to summon the Valesence until Carmine showed them where her boat was.
“Let’s take this instead.” She offered. “I can’t very well leave it here.”
So they all got on the boat and headed off to sea. They had almost forgotten how long the trip out to the Withered Isle was but after sailing forever, it all came back to them.
As they were sailing they started to see another boat off into the distance. But this boat had a big black flag with a skull and crossbones. And that could only mean one thing - pirates!
Sometimes pirates are nice and sometimes pirates are not so nice. The adventurers didn’t know which kind of pirates these were.
The pirate boat came closer and closer. All the while, Carmine tried to steer their boat farther and farther away, but it was no use. The boat was too close and the pirates started to dock their boat. They threw over these big heavy ropes with rocks on the end and as soon as the heavy rocks were on the boat, they pulled the boat in until they were side by side.
They immediately noticed that there was a captain on this boat with a big hat with a huge feather in it. He peaked his head over the side and shouted, “Ahoy may-tees! Who is the captain of this here ship?”
And that’s when Nea looked a Lulu and Lulu looked at Phin, who looked at Zag who looked at Carmine.
“I am the captain of this boat.” Carmine said, stepping forward bravely.
The captain looked at the giant, confused. “Well shiver-me-timbers, I can understand you, giant! What a special one you are. And a captain too! Well, Captain Common Tongue, I am Captain Rustin of the Bellona. And we are looking at this map and can’t find a very special island. Might you be a set of friendly sea folks, willing to give us a hand?” he said smiling, reaching out his hand.
Only instead of a hand, it was a hook.
Carmine slowly reached out and shook the captain’s hook, a little confused by what she was agreeing to.
When they looked at the map, it was clearly a map of the Torturian Sea and they saw the Withered Isle as well as many, many other islands they had never been to before.
“This one!” the captain said, pointing to an island just north of where they were. “That’s the one we need to get to - Sanguine Island. Do any of you know how to get there?”
Phin, having grown up in the Torurian Sea as a merman, knew most of these islands very well, his family was often in charge of scouting areas and traveling from island to island. He definitely knew the one captain Rustin was asking about. He had, in fact, just come from that island himself. It was well known among the merfolks and the thing of legend. But it was not known to the lanfolks for it was where an old maiden friend to the merfolk lived. She was a famous pirate who had made friends with the all the seafolk who lived under the sea.
This maiden liked her privacy and asked anyone who ever made it to her island to keep it a secret and to never write it down on any maps. She only wanted her family to know where she was so she could make sure her family was the only one to get her treasure. All of the seafolk honored this request, because she gave them gold and protected them when they needed it. You see, she was a very rich and successful pirate.
Before anyone else could respond, Phin jumped in. “Captain, we would love to help you find this island, but we are on a mission to save Atheria! And we must get back to the mainland!”
Captain Rustin was a clever pirate and he could always sense things even though it might not ever have been said. He also always liked riddles and playing games. Oh, and not to mention bargains, he loved making bargains too.
“Well how about I make you a deal?” he offered. “Since you’re keen on saving Atheria, what if I told you I’ve heard that there might be something on this island - something of great power that might help save Atheria?”
Nea looked at Lulu.
“What in Atheria do you think that could be?” Nea replied.
“And what makes you think we need anything?” Lulu added on.
For they had located all the crystals. There were only two left and they knew that the ogre, K’Orloch, and the boy had them. What could they possibly need other than the crystals?
“You need to find things - don’t you?” asked Rustin. “Well, there’s a special compass on that island. One that can help you find whatever your heart desires. It’d be awfully generous of me to share that plunder with you. If you’d help an old pirate out like myself.”
Nea and Lulu looked at Carmine and to Phin wondering what they thought. It sure would be easy to track down K’Orloch and the boy with a magic compass.
Phin scratched his head and was trying to figure out if he could trust the new captain. He wasn’t sure if it was time yet to come completely clean about his last visit to the island or what kind of treasure everyone under the sea knew was there.
“Why go to this island?” Pin asked, “What’s so special about it? I’ve never seen that island on any other maps.”
“If you must know,” the captain said getting sentimental, “I found this map tucked in my pa’s sock drawer last week when he passed away. You see my pa was a captain, just like his ma and pa and their ma’s and pa’s. And you see, some of my kin have heard stories of pa’s ma and her adventures with the merfolk. And I’m getting married to a nice young pirate and we’re in love and I’d like to give her something of my old pa’s’ ma’s if I can. You know, maybe her old ring or something sentimental like that.”
Between all the pa’s and ma’s and pa’s’ ma and ma’s’ pa, Nea and Lulu were getting confused. But Phin was following very closely and realized that this captain might just be the grandson of the great Carmella the Rough - the famed maiden pirate who owned that island.
“What was her name?” Phin asked, knowing that Carmella was known by another secret name throughout the sea that was a secret and only known by her family and the merfolk who protected her.
“Beverly.” He whispered, before letting out a full stream of tears.
Phin’s eyes got very, very big and he realized this must be the grandson of Captain Carmella but otherwise known to her family as Beverly. And he decided, at least for now, that they would help Rustin get to the island.
“Set your sails north.” Phin commanded, “We’ll help you, but only if you help us save Atheria!”
“And we get the compass!” Nea added.
They both shook the pirates hook, realizing that maybe this adventure wouldn’t be as bad as they thought.
The end.