Prolouge - The Winds of Change

As far back as his young mind could remember, seven year-old  Sebastien Bergeron had lived in, around, and on the sea. According to his grandfather, Jean, his family had once been sheperds, looking after sheep and generally minding thier own lives. It was when the Spaniards found the New World that his family, like so many others, had taken to the high seas. Where thier story had taken a turn from most, however, was in what Sebastien's father deemed blessings from the Lord, and what Jean had declared much to his son's ire, was luck. Divine or not, the late Alaxandre Bergeron's rise to fortune was certainly miraculous.

 

Following his own father's footsteps, Sebastien's anscestor had signed on with French privateers to sail to the New World and do glorious battle with the English and Spanish, for the good of the crown. The voyage, however, had proved much less glorious and eventually, according to Jean, hellish. After months of storms, sickness, and navigational errors, the ship's captain was driven mad by the prospect of being lost to the sea without ever having the chance to run a Spaniard through.

 

Eventually, his condition progressed, and he stabbed the helmsman, who he percieved to be a Spanish boarder. What ensued was a mutiny, led by Alexandre, which found the captain dead from a blugeon to the head with a candlestick, and four loyalist marooned on an island. Years later, one of the survivors claimed that the captain had been of a right mind, and the mutiny was led by Alexandre because of a game of liar's dice. Such accusations were, however, dismissed by both Sebastien's father and grandfather. That may may have been the one thing they had ever agreed upon willingly.

 

Nonetheless, Alexandre proved himself much more competant than one would have thought for an ordinary fellow, and managed to make berth in Tortuga. From there, he fell in with a group of young French nobles who had a penchant for losing to him in card games. Through that "mutual friendship", Alexandre gained an audience with the pirate, Silas Marrion. In the years that followed, Alexandre married Marrions daughter, and sailed with the pirate until his son was born.

 

Ever since then, each male child in Sebastien's family had been taken on a pilgrimmage to Tortuga, thier first visit to the New World. And so it was that Sebastien's father had chartered a small sloop to ferry his son to the fabled pirate haven. Jean, never missing the chance to pester his son and impart wisdom to his grandson, had come along.

 

Sebastien himself had retired some time earlier to the cargo hold bellowdecks, in hopes of finding some secret stash of rum that the sailors had hidden away. Unfortunately, it was either hidden very well, very high up, or didn't exist. Having lost interest, Sebastien was just about to drift off to sleep under a stack of spice which he enjoyed the smell of when he heard Jean yelling to him. "Sebastien!" he called. "Come quickly!"

 

While being of a mischievious sort of boy, Sebastien had learned that it was best to listen to Jean, since most of the time he was rewarded with some new knowledge to fascinate his ever-expanding mind. Scurrying up the small ladder that led up to the main deck, Sebastien located his father and grandfather leaning against the rails, peering over the side of the ship. He hastened over to them, nudging his way between the men to see what the fuss was about.

 

Jean pointed to two large objects moving parralell to the ship. "Look, Sebastien!" he said softly. Consenting, the boy realized that the creatures looked like large fish, but were leaping in and out of the water. They looked to be enjoying themselves, and seemed quite sociable, staying right around the side of the ship's hull.

 

"What are they?" Sebastien asked in wonder.

 

Jean smiled. "They're called porpoises. They are like fish, but smarter. Some say they even rescue brave sailors who go down with thier ship."

 

Sebastien's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked.

 

Jean shrugged. "I don't know. But it seems possible."

 

Sebastien's father, never to lose the opprotunity to praise his Lord, chimed in. "God protects those who fight in his name."

 

Jean rolled his eyes. Sebastien feared his father enough not to do the same, and liked his grandfather enough not to tell. Suddenly, one of the sailors yelled across the deck.

 

"Sir! you need to have a look at this!" he said, his voice heavy with worry.

 

Jean, Sebastien's father, and the ship's Captain hurried over to the sailor who had spoken. Sebastien was hot on thier heels. After a few seconds, it became apparent why the sailor had sounded so frightened. In the distance, an ominous ship floated towards them. On it's mainmast was no nation's flag, but a black one, depicting a skull devouring the sun.

 

Jean had never exactly been one to mince words. "Can we outrun it?"

 

The Captian nodded. "Oui. The wind is on our...."

 

His words trailed off as the wind suddenly reversed, doubling in force. The other ship visibly sped up. Jean turned to Sebastien. "Go bellow. Now!"

 

Sebastien wasted no time, sprinting back towards the ladder. The last words he ever heard his grandfather speak echoed behind him.

 

Turning to Sebastien's father, he simply said "Son, you'd best start praying to God. We're going to need him."