Chapter 2

  January 9th, 1511 Barcelona Spain   As the sun

brightly rose and shined through the window a hard, pounding

knock on the door awakened the captain from his peaceful sleep.

Captain Santonio reluctantly opened the door to find a young

messenger boy holding a letter.                                        "Don't just stand there! State

your business!" The captain shouted.                             "I have a letter for you from

King Ferdinand", the boy nervously mumbled.                   "Alright give it

here son. ", said the exhausted spaniard who had just returned from a 2

year voyage and in need of rest. Reluctantly, the tired captain

opened up the letter and began to read. The letter was from King

Ferdinand himself and it read " To Captain Diego Santonio, you

are hereby ordered to embark on a voyage to the new world on

a mission to make maps, claim territory for Spain , and above all

to search for Gold in the new world. I have given you the ship La

Fantasia to make the jouney and assigned to you 50

conquistadors. A young officer named Francisco Vasquez will be

your second in command. You are to leave the morning of

January 9th, 1511. God be with you on your journey. His Majesty

King Ferdinand of Aragon                         Captain Santonio was stunned and excited about being given the oppurtunity to explore the new world. The new world was a place of great mystery, only a few voyages had ever been made there. The King was wise to choose Captain Santonio for the job, his coolness under pressure and his outstanding leadership had brought him many

victories in fierce naval battles in the mediterranean.  The Captain was one of the most decorated officers in the Spanish armada, he was brave and courageous even in the heat of battle. The captain's greatest act of heroism was that of when he attacked an Egyptian port filled with egyptian war ships, with only one galleon he captured the enemy port and wiped out half the egyptian navy. Diego Santonio's uniform was so covered in medals the enemy could not tell which army he belonged to, his fellow officers made jokes at him about it and called him " Christmas tree " affectionately. The adventure hungry mariner was very eager to set sail for the new

world, little did he know the daunting challenges he would face on this perilous jouney.                                       It was then that the Captain realized that today was january ninth, immediately he rushed to put on his uniform, jumped on his horse and rode as fast as he could to the

harbour . Captain Santonio rode as fast as he could on the back of his white arabian named Sebastian, his horse made him known throughout Barcelona as he rode through the streets with his medals jingling and his head raised high in the air.His arabian stallion was taken or liberated as the term the captain preferred from the sea raid in Egypt, the beautiful steed defined the personality of Diego Santonio, proud and dignified. The Captain was six-foot five and easy to pick out of a crowd of a thousand. As he was riding through town he was being cheered on by the people, all the cheering reminded him of when he was presented a medal from the King of France in Paris for swimming through a violent storm to rescue him. While Captain Santonio witnessed a french ship sinking at sea he immediately sailed to the wreck to rescue the crew, once the crew was aboard they informed him they were escorting Louis XII King of France. The Captain asked them what had become of the king, the crew told him that there was no hope for the King because he cannot swim, Immediately Captain Santonio dived into the water and brought Louis XII to the surface saving his majesty's life. The more Captain Santonio drew closer to the bay all the familiar sights and sounds of the ocean embraed him, the seagulls cackling, the waves crashing, and the smell of the salt water was like a welcome home sign for Diego Santonio.     As the captain arrived at the port in Barcelona he rode galivantly through the harbour and saw the glorious vessel La Fantasia, she was the most  beautiful ship the captain had ever laid his eyes on. The sun seemed to transparently glisten off her

recently polished cannons. Made of solid oak, she was the most sturdy vessel on the waters. She was elegantly decorated with flags and banners and was larger and mightier than any vessel in

the entire spanish armada.      Painted on each of her majestic sails was a giant red cross, she was every sea captain's dream. Her name seemed to fit perfectly , La Fantasia, The Fantasy.                                "Captain Santonio sir?" the young luitenant asked                                    " Yes." answered the captain.                                " The men have loaded all the supplies for our jouney and La Fantasia is ready to set sail"       " Good, I assume you are Liutenant Vasquez. " said the captain                                 " yes sir" the young liutenant answered.                            As soon as the Captain was about to board the ship the conquistadors arrived, they were cheered on by the people of Barcelona as they marched triumphantly down the street in beautiful, shining, suits of armour. The conquistadors were some of the most feared soldiers in Europe at the time and were adored by the Spanish people. One of the conquistadors approached Captain Santonio                             " Seargent Carlos Montana at your

service sir " the soldier said proudly.                           This conquistador stood out from all the rest, he had hair as white as snow and a slight accent Captain Santonio could not place.              " Good, are your men ready to move out? " the captain replied.                              " My men have been on pins

and needles to leave as soon as they heard the news sir. " said the seargent.           " Good, we'll move out immediately " replied the captain    All of the sudden trumpets blew, people shouted, and all of the men stood at attention as King Ferdinand himself arrived to see this mission off. Suddenly King Ferdinand arose above the crowd of people to speak to Captain Santonio.                                      " Captain Diego Santonio! " Shouted the king.                 " Yes your majesty " the captain nervously answered as he bowed and removed his helmet in honor of the king.    " All of Spain is counting on the success of this mission, Our prayers will be with you.                                      " Father Estrada-Santiago will pray a blessing over you and your men before you embark on this dangerous journey."                               " All of you brave men have my blessing as you do this great service for your King and country. " All of the conquistedors were silent as the old

padre boarded the ship to pray over their mission, they knew they were entering a world completely unknown to them. All of the men bowed there heads as the padre began to pray.                       " Father in Heaven, I pray that you would bless this mission, and I pray

that you would give these men guidance on their perilous journey. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen "         After the men said their goodbyes La Fantasia was ready to set sail, as La Fantasia began to sail out of Barcelona

the cheers of all the people of spain erily rang out. The entire harbour stared in awe at the beauty of the vessel as it slowly drifted out to sea. The captain finally felt at home as he was standing on the stern of the ship and barking orders at his men,

this somewhat euphoric moment of pride and fullfillment was brought to an end by the young and ambitious Luitenant Vasquez ,

" What excactly is our mission sir? " said the liutenant anxiously.                                  " Did not King Charles tell you? " said the captain.                                " no sir " the

luitenant replied.                                 " You young men are all so ignorant, we have

been sent to the new world to find gold, make maps, and claim

territory for spain" answered the captain.                     Captain Santonio walked out to the stern and gazed back at the majestic sails being pulled from side to side by the wind, he looked down at the water splashing against the ship as it zipped across the ocean. Captain Santonio felt right at home now, in command of a mighty vessel and sailing across the seas.    " Liutenant Vasquez ",

shouted the captain.              " Yes sir " the liutenant replied.                                     " Who is our navigator? " the captain asked.                     " Liutenant Iglesias sir. " replied the liutenant with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.      " Take me to him, I wish to discuss the possible routes we will take with him. " said the captain anxiously.         When the Captain and Liutenant Vasquez knocked on the navigator's door a tall young man answered, he was schooled in one of the finest navigation schools in all Europe and was very intelligent and bright. His name was Hernando Iglesias and was distantly

related to King Ferdinand.                               " You wish to see me sir? " said the

navigator with great enthusiasm.                            " Yes I intended to discuss with you the route for our voyage to 

 familiarize me with our course "                                    " With pleasure sir! " said

the navigator zealously.                             As the captain and the liutenant met with the navigator he showed them two different routes they could take to reach the new world. One route would take them to their

destination faster but it was riskier.                               " This would be a faster route sir but much more dangerous, many violent storms plague the new world at this time of year , " said the navigator.  Captain Santonio being an ambitious man and a risk taker he said                 " We

will take the faster route, this vessel will hold up against any storm. "                     As the sun set on top of the waters Captain Santonio stared out at the ocean and wondered what kind of strange people, animals, and land lay beyond the horizon. While he was

staring at the horizon he began to recall his days as a young sailor and how excited all of spain was when Christopher Columbus discovered the new world. The Captain had always dreamed that someday he woud be able to explore the new

world, he then began to think about how rich and powerful he would become if he fullfilled his mission in the new world. As the captain pondered these thoughts he became infatuated with the fame and wealth this mission would bring him.
 It was February 4th, 1511, the clouds in the sky were getting

darker and darker and a heavy rain began to pour down. The

crew of La Fantasia struggled just to keep her afloat        " Captain!

We must take a different path! " the navigator said in dispair.                                 " No!

" shouted the captain. " We will stay on our course as planned,

This vessel will keep us afloat."
 February 16th, 1511,  as the voyage drew closer to the new

world  even heavier storms began to plague the ship and it's

crew, there had even been talk of mutiny among the men. These

conquistadores had never been this far out to sea and were not

used to such violent weather, fear began to overcome some of

the men during these harsh weather conditions.              " This Captain is

insane! He is leading us to our deaths " Seargent Montana

exclaimed to the navigator.      " I understand seargent, but I am sure

he has good reason for taking the route he is taking. He has

been sailing the seas alot longer than we have and we should

respect his decisions, but if this captain leads us down this route

any further I'm afraid this ship will sink . " Liutenant Iglesias

replied.  Liutenant Vasquez held a private meeting with the crew

of La fantasia, " This Captain is going to get us killed!" said the

luitenant concerningly. " We must take command of this vessel,

our very lives are at stake!!! " yelled seargent Montana. " Perhaps

we could throw the captain overboard and all agree to testify that

he fell overboard during a storm and then drowned, " said

liutenant Iglesias. " Let's get to it right now before we all are

washed overboard!! ", shouted one of the conquistadors. " We

must not do something we'll be sorry for later, Let's wait until the

next storm and if he still insists that we press on then we will take

charge of this vessel " said liutenant vasquez valiantly.
February 25th, 1511, Captain Santonio was walking out on the

stern when he overheard two men discussing the possible

mutiny, he knew if he did'nt reach the new world soon he could

end up losing his life. As the Captain looked up at the clouds the

sky began to take on a red color, the waves started battering

against the ship, and sea became rougher and rougher. " The

weather does'nt look very good sir! Perhaps we should turn

back. " Said Liutenant Iglesias. " Never! The dignity of Spain is at

stake!!! King Ferdinand would have us all hanged if he thought we

turned back because of a mere tropical storm!!" exclaimed the

Captain. All of the sudden the rain began pouring down heavier

than the Spaniards had ever seen, the wind was whipping back

and forth and tearing the sails apart, and La fantasia was being

battered by the violent waves. The men were terrified as they

thought in their minds that this could be their last voyage. Hours

opon hours they struggled to keep the ship afloat, Captain

Santonio was completely exhausted as this perilous journey

began to take it's toll on him. As the storm died down Liutenant

Vasquez knew the dreaded task he would have to perform,

commiting mutiny against his own commanding officer. As he

approached the Captain he bagan to pray to God that Captain

Santonio would decide to turn back, He said to the Captain " We

must turn back sir! this vessel has reached it's breaking point and

you sir are certainly in no condition to travel! " said the liutenant

concerningly " Young man when will you learn! there is no turning

back now!!! You realized this was a dangerous mission when you

took this assignment as did I. We will all be hanged if we come

back empty handed! do you understand? " exclaimed the

captain.When Liutenant Vasquez heard this he became sick to

his stomach as he could'nt make himself turn on his own

commanding officer. The men became restless began to push

Liutenant Vasquez into leading the change to overthrow the

vessel, but the liutenant knew that if they returned to King

Ferdinand empty handed they would be delivered to the gallows.

After the luitenant refused to cooperate in the men's mutiny plot

the men decided to take matters into their own hands. One of the

conquistadors violently threw a knife directed at Captain Santonio,

the captain glared in shock at the man who had just  made an

attempt at his life. At this moment chills ran up and down the

Captain's spine as he had been anticipating the moment for quite

some time when his own men would revolt against him. "We are

turning back Captain!!! no matter what you order us to do!! "

exclaimed the angry soldier.  " He's right Captain, we're taking

over now ." said Seargent Montana mischeaviously. " You men

do as you wish, I know about your mutiny plot and if you want to

turn back then you can throw me overboard and I will swim to the

new world to find gold for my Spain!!! " As Liutenant Iglesias, the

navigator saw the Captain's dedication to his King and country he

was touched. Liutenant Iglesias raised his sword towards the

men, stood by Captain Santonio and shouted, " This man is

willing to die for his country!!!! As long as I have a sword in my

hand and breath in my body I will fight with this man to the

death!!!!!!!! " When the men heard where Liutenant Iglesias stood

they were shocked, after all he was the one who had planned the

atrabulous plot.  As Liutenant Vasquez saw this he knew he must

join them or he could be hanged for mutiny opon their return to

Spain. " You will have to fight me too!!! " shouted Liutenant

Vasquez. As the men began to charge the ship had just crossed

the eye of the storm, only this side of the hurricane was unlike

anything they had ever seen. The men delayed their mutiny and

began trying to keep their vessel afloat, it was the most violent

storm of the entire journey. La Fantasia's solid oak structure was

no match for the constant battering and beating it had taken from

the rough waves during the storms. The men watched as mighty

wind ripped the sails apart like a man tearing up a piece of

paper.. Wind was blowing so hard that no man could even stand

up, the men braced themselves helplessly against the deck of

the ship as it slowly crumbled. Little by little the glorious vessel

began to break apart, the conquistadors fought over life boats as

the once majestic and beautiful La Fantasia began to sink. All the

men could do is find some debris to grab in hope that it would

keep them afloat during the storm. In the kaos of the storm

Captain Santonio found an empty box and used it as a life raft in

desperation to survive. Liutenant Iglesias had washed overboard,

he struggled and swam as hard as he could to avoid drowning. "

help!! help!!! ", he cried, but just when he thought he was

breathing his last breath a man took him by the hand and pulled

him onto his box raft, it was Captain Santonio saving his life as

Liutenant Iglesias had saved his. For hours the two struggled to

keep their box raft afloat, they were totally exhausted and at their

breaking points when all of the sudden they were'nt floating

anymore.

Author's Note

please excuse grammer problems, misspellings, etc.

Reviews

[joewade]

Work on details, transitions, descriptions, and don't tell me a guy is brave, show me...the war medals were a great start at showing, maybe a scar from battle and a short memory that shows valor. You have a great start here. Your story allows you to cover many epic periods in history, and that will really carry it along, plus, every reader falls in love with the intrigueing idea of immortality.