Prologue to Tempest

About

Like any good story, this one contains such things as controversy, greed, desire and romance for those who seek it.

The main character, a girl, becomes the captain of a ship named "Tempest" which her father built. Right from the get-go, things begin to turn horribly wrong. 

The main character must use tactics to escape the law, throw them off her trail and learn to overcome desire.

The etymology of the story's name also came about because it is built on a kind of "calm before the storm" scenario.

Below is the prologue to this story. I hope that you find it tasteful.

Prologue to Tempest

In the corner of a dim candle lit room, a young woman knelt on the ground; quill in hand and a journal before her. The house in which she was in was more of an old cottage; its white painted walls now stained brown and everything in desperate need of repair. Through the frosted window, the last sight of the sun was barely visible and rapidly disappearing past the vast sea; stirred gently by a winter wind. You could just hear the sound of the waves beating against the high cliffs on which the cottage -probably once used by a family of fishermen- was perched atop of.

Despite being a woman of wealth, she was dirtied and poorly dressed; her tiny body underneath thin, but strong. In synchronicity with the sound of the crashing waves, she closed her eyes and swayed gently in slight motions, taking in the fresh air as if smelling the scent of salt that lingered. 

Her pale cheeks showed remnants of tears, but the expression on her face was one of relief. She lifted her hand and with a smile, heaved a small sigh as she flattened out the yellowed pages of the old book, caressing them carefully as if nurturing memories. As the candle light flickered gently, illuminating her face with an orange tinge, her tired eyes scanned over what she had written.

It has been some time since I last felt safe and secure on land, and while my heart yearns for leaving and I much enjoyed my harrowing adventure, I don't think that I shall ever go on one again.

One thing that I have begun to realise now that all events have finally come to a close is that my journey, ironically, both started and ended with a storm.

It was once a rather intelligent man who told me that to live life, you must first experience it and appreciate every moment fully as though every second was your last. You need to understand the true value of what's around you, never taking anything for granted and "treat everything you value as though you were guarding your own life.”

Now, although his later actions were rather questionable and it was clear that he did not live by what he preached, his words were true enough. That was perhaps the first bit of truth that was ever told to me and by now, I can honestly say that I can understand them as well as any wise man -or woman for that matter- would.

My name is Seren Stare and I was born in the countryside of Wales. I write this journal now not for someone to learn from my own series of experiences and mistakes, but to grasp at my past, looking for someone with whom I can share it.

Author's Note

I am still displeased with some parts of this opening and will probably change them. This process of publishing and editing will most likely continue until the story's end.