28Lift A Fallen Star
Samli
Hey guys, here is a new story. I hope you enjoy it, and please, please, please review it. I really need to know what you guys think, especially if it is ever to be published. When it is, your opinions will be a vital part of the result. So sit back, relax, and think of what you will say in your review! *big grin* All you folks who know me, hope ya had a good summer, (that goes for you other ppl, 2) and I'll see ya at school. Freshman year's gonna be rough! So here it is, and enjoy.
Fifteen-year-old Star was born on a windy August day in the Year of Our Lord 1493, in the reign of King Henry VII, upon a greatly renowned pirate ship, the Dawning Star. It was from this that she got her name. She was brought up as a pirate, following her mother, the fiercely beautiful lady pirate who sailed the seven seas with her husband, Captain of the Dawning Star. He was the man most wanted by the English King. He had sunk over one hundred and fifty English and French trade ships, taking for himself and his crew the riches within, before destroying the vessels.
In fact, they were hot in pursuit of one very tempting morsel, indeed, carrying a fortune in lady's jewels and fabrics, that was hoping to make a quick crossing of the English Channel. That is, they were completely unguarded, barely armed, and in grave danger from the pirate's vessel that was gaining easily.
The dark-eyed, black-haired beauty that balanced atop a spar, clinging loosely to the mainmast, sighted through her spyglass. She smiled triumphantly and called to the sailors below.
" 'Leven 'o' clock, topsails down, shifts three 'n' four, man your cannons, boys, we're gonna get a rich one tonight!" Forgetting her English tutoring, she spoke in the bits of slang used by the Star's sailors. The rough language was more easily heard, growled through the wind, than the quiet, clipped tones of the nobility.
Since the death of the first mate nearly two years before, Star had served in his place, issuing the orders that kept the Dawning Star afloat. Her orders were followed as strictly as if she had been her father, the captain himself, unless he was on deck to do it for her. As he was now, she thought proudly, watching her father stride masterfully to the helm, taking the wheel from the grasp of the old pirate who had held it for the past shift. "Captain," the man said respectfully, taking the tiniest bow before backing away.
A tall, gangly young man with sandy hair and devious blue eyes slid down from the lookout to stop on a level with the top of her head. Those eyes danced with the excitement of the chase as he grinned mischievously at her. Star smiled warmly back at him. Andrew had been with them for six years, ever since he was eleven. She had been nine when he signed on with them, the infamous English-haters, when they stopped in Lynn. His ship had been attacked by the English, who killed his entire family, and destroyed everything he knew. He barely escaped by swimming the eight miles in to shore. The only scars he bore were in his heart, where he harbored a deep hatred for the people of England, just waiting to unleash it on the man who slaughtered so many of his kin. The pirates adopted him, and he was raised right alongside Star, with the same training, and the same beliefs as she.
As the Dawning Star drew alongside the merchant ship, there was a flurry of activity. Then panels in the ship's side opened, revealing six cannons. Terrified merchants became cool, calculating soldiers. Swords were drawn as someone aboard the other vessel blew an English horn. Glancing frantically around, Star caught her father's eye just as four British warships came around the corner ahead. Star scrambled down the ratlines, fear gripping her heart. What had been a battle for riches had just become a fight for their lives.
When she reached the main deck, Star raced to her father's side. Staring grimly ahead, he told her sternly to go below.
"But Father - Captain - this is the kind of thing I've trained for. This is what you've taught me."
He snapped, "And have I taught you to disobey me? If so, I am a poor father indeed. Go below, and remain there." His voice turned icy. He disliked having his orders challenged. Thwarted, Star turned and ran below, passing her mother as the pirate strapped a jewel-studded sword to her waist. Star stopped to hug her quickly before continuing to the door to the Captain's Quarters. She turned and waited, guarding the riches within with a fierce scowl on her face.
Listening to the sounds of battle above, Star waited anxiously. A scrabbling at the steep narrow stairway announced the approach of the enemy. Star drew her sword as the man turned the corner, whipping it up to rest at the base of his throat. He halted.
"We English don't fight children," he said, knocking her blade away.
"Well, that's too bad, because I fight the English." Lunging forward, her sword flicked across his chest, opening a shallow wound. Her blade danced and darted, forcing him to defend himself. He was good, but she was better. Star left no openings, but she was always searching, searching for one in the Englishman's swordsmanship. When she found it, she darted in and sank her blade deep within him with a yell. Yanking it free, she spat on the fallen man in disgust.
A moment later, another soldier turned the corner, forewarned by the racket she and her first opponent had made. He tested her, wary of her skills before his sword touched hers. Star finally outwaited him, and he charged her. She swiftly knelt, sliding her sword between the chinks in his armor. She withdrew it as he fell to the floor and stood, waiting for the next opponent.
She didn't have long to wait. Another man stumbled down. She dispatched him easily, but by the time she had, five more had made their way to the rooms she defended. In unison, five swords lifted to point, in an arrow of steel, straight at her heart. Star gulped and raised her hands in surrender as her blade clattered to the floor.
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How'd you like that? Review to let me know! Also, don't forget to read my other stories, Of Love and Treason, and The Pirate. If you can't tell, I love writing about pirates! BTW, Star's mother is not the captain of the Dawning Star. Sorry, but some ppl seem to think so, and I had to clear it up. Tell me in your review if you would like me to email you when I update. So. Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho! Crazy Vermonter Gurl, Samli