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The crash of the waves against the rocks awoke him. He rose, finding himself at the end of a cliff. He started out over the stunning vista, or, it should have been stunning, with the water sparkling from the setting sun and the sky flush with vibrant reds, oranges and purples. Yet, he felt horrible, just like the coming storm that he could see in the distance. He sighed, he could only think about what his death would be like. He could only imagine falling into the white water, hitting the sharp rocks that lay below. The rocks that had been carved by hundreds of years of waves, he wondered if everything that has ever happened just was a catalyst for this moment. He wiped a tear from his eye, in his moment of death he didn’t even think of what meant most to him in the world. He could once again feel the warmth of her hand, or her calming and contagious laugh. But it was all over. He turned around, facing his captor. His eyes seemed to plead with him, “Please don’t kill me. I have so much to live for.” The other man avoided his gaze and instead drew his rapier and poked him in his ribs. “Go now, or I will kill you myself slowly and painfully.”

“So this is the end…” he thought. He walked back to the edge; he glanced back, considering over-powering his captor. But, it was impossible, there was no escape. This was the end; he had to face it like a man. He took a deep breath and jumped into the abyss. Suddenly, his head exploded in pain and he felt blood in his mouth. He could feel the water washing over him. As it all went black he thought he could her laughter in the distance, and feel her lips on his again. He then closed his eyes, and he would not awake again.

“Come on! Wake up! We have a whole world to explore today, and I can’t do it alone now can I?”

Her laugh woke him up.

Cal rose from his bed and rubbed his eyes. He looked out his window to see her dancing and throwing rocks at his window.

“Get up! Argh! It’s like…”

“The break of dawn! The sun is just rising over the horizon, why won’t you let me sleep!”

“Funny Cal! We need as much time as we can today. Sailing is a serious business you know, and now that we have our own boat, we can finally go on a real adventure! Now get down here!”

Cal sighed again. “Sailing,” He thought, “The thing kids looked forward to the most, at the age of discovery, they would finally be able to “Sail Away”. To go off in to the world’s vast oceans and have an adventure of a lifetime.” Cal sighed again as he got dressed, “Why does Dawn have to drag me into this, she knows I don’t want to sail.”

He grabbed breakfast as he went, bursting out the door onto the streets of his hometown, Kalimport. Dawn pounced on him, sending them both crashing to the cobblestones. She giggled as she got up, “I so got you!”

Cal grunted, “You could’ve killed me! And I lost my muffin!”

“Oh, cry more baby, this is the best day of our lives! Today, we can finally leave this place! Maybe we’ll discover new lands!”

“Dawn, about that, I really need to talk to yo-“

Dawn cut him off, “No time! We’re almost late already!”

Dawn sprinted off down the street, “I’m gonna beat you there!”

Cal just sighed and smiled to himself, “Oh Dawn…” he sprinted after her.



Cal arrived at the docks out of breath.

“ I said. you. couldn’t. beat me.” Dawn giggled and fell down, out of breath.

Cal grinned and fell down beside her. “So, which boat is ours?”

“I knew you were excited too! Come on, this way!” Dawn sprinted off again, darting down the docks, dodging the burly sailors and their work.

Cal was once again breathless when he arrived, but, not because he was tired.

“This… this is our boat?” he stammered.

“And… this is why I was so excited for sailing.”

Cal seemed so small compared to the frigate he stood beside. The boat was of a medium size, but to Cal, it seemed massive. He approached the boat and ran his hand along the wood. He looked at the cannons, his thoughts wandering to naval combat. What drew most of his attention was the helm. The steering wheel almost seemed to call to him.

“So… you want to go on an adventure now?

“Hmmm… well, who gets to be Captain?”

“Well, it is my boat… you can be first mate!”

“Well, maybe I should mutiny.” Cal laughed.

Suddenly, a deep voice spoke from behind him, “Mutiny is no laughing matter Cal; it is the ultimate betrayal in sailing. If I met a mutineer, I would cut him down where he stood, unless he had a good reason.”

“Father! You have returned from your trip! Oh, I am so glad to see you!” Dawn hugged her Father tightly.

Cal studied the man closely, he seemed so alien to him. He had not seen him from four years, since when he returned he only returned for a very short time. The man looked weary, he was thinner, his beard and hair were turning grey and clothes were weathered. He had a new collection of scars, including one that stretched across his face. He was still happy, but, he had lost the spring in his step and the twinkle in his eye.

“Oh, I have missed you so dearly Dawn! I only wish your Mother was still alive to see you now. You sure have grown over the past few months!”

“Oh Father, whatever do you mean? Oh yes, I forgot! Cal, this is my father, Horius!”

Cal shook his hand; the grip was firm and rough. There was something he did not trust about this man though. “We’ve met.”

“Cal, I haven’t seen you in ages! You have grown so much! You were this small when I last saw you!”

Cal glared at the man.

“Now, enough talk! I should let you tour the boat! I will return, I need to go talk to a few people.”

Cal watched him go; Horius walked cautiously, looking over his shoulder occasionally.

“Don’t you think you Father, is different? I think he is hiding something.”

“Nonsense! Now let’s go explore this boat!” Dawn, like so many times this day, sprinted away and disappeared.

Cal did not follow, “Something is wrong here, and I must go find out what!”

Cal sprinted after Horius, determined to find out the truth.



“I just don’t think we can hide it anymore, Mayor.”

“I see your point Captain. But, we must continue to do it; the Thalassinus Rim is one of the last remaining free oceans in the world.”

“But sending them out to sea, just to be recruited to be Captains and thrust into war is… cruel.”

“Cruel, but necessary. The children from this community are special; they are faster, stronger and smarter than the rest, so we trust our ships to them. We need them.”

“But… my daughter… is she too become just like rest, cannon-fodder for the Armada?” Horius was near tears as he said this.

“That is the life; you know this day would come.”

“I… know. It’s just the world is worse then it once was, the horrors I saw while I sailed… they, still haunt me to this day.”

“Explain Captain, what horrors?”

“Sea creatures of immeasurable size, pirates, you know I despise pirates. There are countries in ruin, anarchy runs rampant. The world out there is dangerous and scary; I just can’t send my 15 year old daughter into that!” Horius screamed, and slammed his fists against the table.

Cal lingered outside the room, shocked. “I must warn Dawn, this… this is a big problem.”

He sprinted out for the town hall, down the cobblestone streets, ignoring the glares of people as he bumped into them. He was out of breath and red in the face when he arrived at the ship. He collapsed before Dawn, breathing deeply.

“I wondered where you went to…what’s wrong?”

Cal took a deep breath and related to her his tale, he spared no detail. Her face was expressionless as he told his story. He gasped for air when he finished. Dawn paused for a moment and said, “So… they’re going to use us to fight a far off war against enemies we don’t even know… Excellent!”

“Exactly, you see why we ne-, wait… what!?”

“This perfect… I have a plan Cal!” Dawn jumped up onto a crate and shouted at the crew for their attention, they grumbled and gathered in front of her. “Men! I know you do not wish to follow me, especially because I am only a child and I’m only 15. But, know this! I would fight and die for each one of you. I wish to sail to the end of the earth with you, I will command you with fairness, but with swift justice. I, am Captain Dawn-Marie Rose.”

They were silent for a moment and then cheered. Cal just rolled his eyes as Dawn winked slyly at him. Cal could just faintly hear, “Wait, her last name’s Rose… That means… Captain Horius Rose…”

The men burst out laughing, their joyous cheers echoing through the pier.

Captain’s Log
24th day of the Tides
1600 Hours

Well, we have finally set sail. We should arrive at the Capital soon, and then, we will both become full fledged captains. I don’t know though, I was caught up in the excitement at first, but, I’m having my doubts. I just, don’t want to be away from Dawn, I don’t understand it. Although, I wonder what she is up to, I know she has some sort of crazy plan, I’m just wondering what it is… she seems to have won the loyalty of the men though, they follow her every command without complaint, I have to hand it to her. I feel something big coming along though… a turn of events

First Mate Cal Threepwood

“So… are you going to tell me your plan yet?”

Cal walked into Dawn’s cabin, light steamed through the windows and as the ship rocked back and forth maps and other navigation equipment fell onto the floor. She just held one map down, studying it. She answered without looking up, “But, that would ruin the surprise.”

Cal rolled his eyes and walked up behind her, looking over her shoulder. The map charted the known world, he eyes scanned the picture and he saw dozens of cities, dozens of ports. He saw whole countries, suddenly; a world was laid out before him. A voice tore him from his concentration.

“Captain, Land sighted off port side!”

Cal and Dawn rushed onto the deck and were amazed by the sight. The capital was huge, hundreds of houses, thousands of people. The greatest sight though was the fortress that was built almost into the mountain on the island. It had huge stone walls, nigh impenetrable. Dawn regained her composure almost immediately.

“Okay men, we’ve gone over this. You all know the plan, we will soon be free.”

Cal glanced over at Dawn just in time to see her wink again. He could only imagine what the plan was.

“Make port guys, then, wait for the signal.”

Dawn received an excited “Aye aye, Captain!” Soon, she and Cal were on the streets of the capital of the Thalassinus Rim, Namur.



“Your liege, the nauta-liber have arrived.”

“Good, good, send them in. We need some new captains.”

Cal and Dawn entered the throne room, the elaborate chamber did not have any stone walls, instead, they were all made of glass. From this point you could see the whole city and surrounding oceans. Dawn studied the room, but Cal was not interested, he studied the man sitting on the throne. He was middle-aged, with long, dirty blond hair. He wore a crown and a rich, red cloak. The man seemed to study Cal too; Cal could identify his personality almost immediately. He seemed kind a gentle in person, but, he ruled with an iron fist and was merciless. He was greedy and self-centered. Cal remembered that the King had only come into power by force.

“Ah, welcome children of the sea. You have both reached the Age of Discovery I assume.”

“Yes, we are both fifteen.” Dawn replied and then added quickly, “… my liege.”

“Good, good. Let us proceed, you may approach the throne.”

Cal and Dawn bowed and knelt in front of the King. He got up and drew a long rapier from a jeweled sheath. He touched both of them on the head with the blade while saying, “By the power of Caelum, the god of the oceans, and by the power of me, King Regius, and by the voice of the people of the Thalassinus Rim. I declare you to be, Mare Maris, Captains of the Sea! Impello impuli impulsum!”

Cal and Dawn rose and once again bowed deeply. “Thank you me liege.” They replied unanimously.

“Now, is the matter of declaring fealty. Just say tollo sustuli sublatum. Then, you will truly serve this great kingdom.”

“Can I have a moment my liege?” said Dawn almost immediately.

“Uh… yes… sure.” Regius replied, taken by surprise.

Dawn approached one of open windows, she took a small flute out of her coat and blew into it, the sound was high-pitched and echoed throughout the city and down to the pier. She walked back to the King, kneeled before him and as soon as she began to talk, a explosion was heard in the distance.

Cal, the King and all the guards rushed to the windows.

Cal was shocked at what he saw; his ship was sitting in between two warships, and had opened fire. The cannonballs tore through the ships, sending wood flying everywhere. The ships fell apart at the constant fire, the mast of one fell, smashing the dock beside it. A cannonball struck a gunpowder reserve and the second ship exploded in a violent ball of flame, engulfing the nearby dock and sending burning wood flying over the docks, lighting other boats and their sails on fire. Dawn slowly crept up behind Cal and grabbed him, dragging him as fast as she could. Before he say anything, she said, “That was the distraction, we leave now.”

She ran to other window, she hooked a rope onto the edge and let it fall, it was a large fall, almost 100ft. “Go ahead, you first.”

Cal stared blankly at Dawn and finally said, “Ladies first.”

She smiled and jumped out of the window; she deftly grabbed onto the rope and slid down toward the street at a great speed. Cal turned around to see Regius glaring at him, “It was a distraction! Guards, get them!”

Cal didn’t even hesitate and dropped down the street after Dawn. As soon as his hit feet the streets, he ran for his life towards the docks.

Colin stared at his ceiling. It was dark in his room and he could faintly hear cars in the distance and the chirping of crickets in the night. He shivered and pulled the blankets around him; he turned and faced the dark hallway. He just could not sleep; his mind was in motion, thinking continuously about his life. Recent events went through his head, a fight with his best friend that just did not seem fixable, a botched romantic escapade that lead to the girl he loved so dearly to completely abandon him, and, make-out with his best friend. He formed a fist, his nails dug into palms as he thought this. He imagined when he walked on in them, he expected to find one of them there and talk to them, and instead, he found them lip-locked. He was on the verge of beating his friend’s face in but decided against it, he could feel his face grow hot though. A sudden thought burst into his head, “Revenge is sweet…”

“No.” he thought to himself, as he turned over in his bed again to check his clock, 1:19am. Colin rubbed his eyes and sat up. He sighed and shook, he was on the verge of tears, but he choked them back. He rubbed his eyes, wiping away tears and weariness. He needed a source of comfort in this dark hour. Suddenly, a thought appeared in his head. The door.

For you see, Colin, while an average teenager, had an “adventurous” childhood. He was attacked in his basement by impish like creatures which lead to the discovery of a small, child-sized door which held a massive world behind it. He has a glorious adventure there, helping the small country of ________ defeat the Goblin King and rid the world of his dark army. He was crowned savior and was given the gift of magic which, while weakened in his own world, still helped him out of jams. He remembered saving his cat from a tree, getting his friend out of trouble, winning over a certain girl’s heart… he shook his head. He got out of bed and slipped on his sneakers, luckily, they weren’t the pink bunny slippers that he had on his last adventure. He also slipped on some jeans and a t-shirt. He snuck down the carpeted hallway past his parent’s bedroom. He stopped at his brother’s door though, his younger brother, _____, had come with him last time he ventured through the door, but, he decided to leave him this time. He was just going for a short visit; he just wanted to see how everyone was… He snuck down the stairs, passed the kitchen and dining room and then descended more stairs into the darkness of his basement. He fumbled with his pocket and drew out a pen-light. He shone the small beam around the room, passing over boxes until he saw a small glimmer, he immediately moved towards it, moving boxes aside until he saw it. His first impression was, “the door is a lot smaller.” He was ten when he last went through the door, and he had to duck slightly then. Now, at the age of fifteen and having grown a couple of feet, he had drop to his knees. He reached for the door and turned the handle. Nothing happened.

He stared at the door and tried again. He tried again and again until he was so impatient he starting throwing himself against the door. Then he remembered something, his mind wandered back to the ceremony, where he was given his magic…

“Now Colin, be responsible with this magic, it will be weakened in your world but will still be quite potent.” said _________, the Gnome King.

Then, a woman with pointy ears and long fair, blond hair crouched down beside his ten year old flashback self, “Colin, the elf magic I have given you will let you come back to our world at anytime, even when you pass the age where you cannot go through the door. 14 years in your world. We cannot trust adults in our world; nonetheless, you are always welcome… just say these words if you want to come back…”

But, for the life of him, he could not remember who that woman was, and, what the damn password was. He searched through his memories, trying to maybe use magic to remember but, it would just not come. He tore back up the stairs and into his bedroom, he must’ve wrote it down sometime, he searched through drawers and finally found the familiar leather-bound journal. He was flipping through the pages when he heard a voice at his doorway, “Colin, why are you at one thirty in the morning?”

Colin froze and slowly turned around to see his younger brother at the door. “Isn’t that the journal you had with when we last-?”

Colin sprinted across the room and clamped his hand to his brother’s mouth. “Yes, it is the journal, now, go back to bed. I’m just… uh… reminiscing.”

“No you’re not, I heard you downstairs, you want go back, and you were going to go without me!”

“Now wait…”

But _____ cut him off, “No! You never take me anyway with you, we faced so many things together and you were just going to forget about me, like none of it ever happened, why were you going anyways!?”

Colin fell back onto his bed and threw the journal back onto his desk, “Because my life is falling apart around me!”

“I, um… I’m sorry…” his brother mumbled sheepishly.

“Everything has all gone to hell; school, my relationships and even my family!”

____ raised his eyebrows, pondering what Colin had said and venturing him to say more.

Colin put his head in his hands, “I, just don’t know anything anymore. I…” he paused, breathed deeply and got off his bed. He put his hands on his brother’s shoulders and dropped down to his height, his eyes glowed in the darkness. “Just listen, if there is any advice that I will ever give you in your life, listen to this: There is no evil. Good against evil just doesn’t exist. There are always shades of grey. You must always think of others. Do everything for the common good, even if it means sacrificing something so close to you, do it. Save millions of lives by sacrificing a couple. When you grow up, you will get many friends. Figure out which of these are true friends, friends that will stick by you no matter what. Stay loyal to them. And finally, there are more important things than getting a good grade, or wondering if this girl likes you, just remember this.”

_____ stood there for a moment deep in thought, he nodded slowly. “Hmm… well, that was all well in good, but I think it’s time to go visit some old friends.” Colin was surprised by the sudden maturity of his brother. “How?” replied Colin.

“I have a plan...”

Soon, Colin found himself face to face to the door once again.

“Get out of the way Colin, you’re too old remember?”

Colin knew his plan instantly, since his brother was still young enough, he could open the door with no trouble. His brother grabbed the golden handle, and turned it slowly. The door swung open easily, creaking as it did. They both started into the dark tunnel.

His brother hesitated for a moment, and then went in, he had to bow his head but he fit. Colin got on his hands and knees and crawled into the tunnel. He really had grown he thought to himself. They crawled along the dark tunnel, feeling the cool cobblestones as they went. The tunnel appeared to have gone for an eternity but then they saw light. They sped up and arrived at the light in no time. His brother felt around in the darkness and gripped the door handle; he opened the door and gasped. Colin shoved him out, he was eager to see the bright sunshine and blue sky, to see the assorted creatures and silly looking inhabitants of this world. He wanted to go to the shops, read the fascinating books, and eat the strange but delicious foods. And most of all he wanted to see the shining blue sea; it sparkled like a jewel in the sunlight. Colin emerged into a world he did not expect. It was cloudy, the clouds looking like they might drop a torrential rainstorm at any second. The streets were deserted, abandoned stalls lined the streets. Mist clung to the buildings. He walked out of the alleyway, noticing as he walked the stores. Their windows were broken, some boarded up. Some appeared to have been looted. He almost sprinted now towards the docks. He fell to his knees when he arrived, the sea he once loved was dull and listless now, grey and colourless. He looked into the murky depths; the tropical fish were long gone. The lighthouse which perched on the cliff face next to the dock was broken, its light no longer shining, guiding the ships of the world to the greatest port. Colin could feel tears run down his face. He had lost everything he has ever known and love. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder; his brother looked down on him and tried to smile.

“It’ll be okay Colin. We’ll find a way to fix this. We’ll find out what happened.”

Suddenly, a gruff voice called out from the mist, “You want to know what happened here? I may be old, but I know everything.”