Calylea Nightwind [Mariner's Tales 1 & 2]

"Beware, beware the Siren of the Deep."
"Beware," I heard him cry
His words carried upon the ocean breeze
As he sank... beneath the tide…

Captain Eldar Nightwind was an Elven pirate from the southernmost part of the archipelago known as the Pirate Isles. He sailed with his crew on board his ship named the Twilight Whisper and was known for his power and quick wit. He fought many a battle with his crew and was perhaps the most talked-about captain among the isles.

One fateful day as he was sailing back to port after a successful raid, he heard a wail on the breeze. He normally wouldn't listen to such things, thinking them to be animal calls, but something about it was so… alluring and he couldn't turn away. Suddenly, the Barrelman shouts from up in the crow's nest.

"Cap'n! Off the starboard bow! There's something among the reef!"

Eldar runs to the Twilight's right side and looks over, scanning the reef until he spots a child nestled in the coral, and not just any child- a little siren boy with skin as blue as the deep and hair teal as the tide. He was crying out and appeared to be completely alone.
Now, the Captain didn't think he was exactly a family man, but... something about seeing this child in distress made him second guess that part of himself. He called for his crew to help him rescue the child and after a bit of fumbling to get the boy safely on board, the captain held him close as the crew gathered around.

"What're we gonna do with it?"
The Barrelman questioned, eyeing the child suspiciously with his one good eye.
"Will he hurt us?"
Came a whimper from the tween apprentice to the Barrelman as she fidgeted with her compass.
"Can we keep 'im?!"
Begged the all too eager First Mate.
"What's his name?"
The Sail-Master finally asks- stepping between the captain and the other crewmates.

The Captain shooed everyone back, cutlass in one hand and siren in the other.

"Fall back, ye hear? We are keepin' 'im…"

Eldar looks down to the boy in his arm, who was now calm and still as the waves from which he came, gazing up at him with eyes that shone like gold, and the elf smiled warmly.

"His name is Calylea… and from now on the lad is part of this crew jus’ like any of ye, understood?"

The crew stands in attention, not daring to go against him.

"Aye aye, Captain!"

As the years went on, the siren boy grew up on board the Twilight Whisper joining the crew on their ventures and loving every moment when they were back at port. No one dared go against Eldar for they were wary of his son and what he could do. Everyone heard tales of ships going awry due to the beck and call of sirens and they wished not to face a similar fate. In his teen years, Calylea expressed interest in music and the magic that came along with it, captivating the isles with his voice. The Captain, wanting to do anything for his son, sought out someone to teach Calylea the ways of the Bard. Calylea eventually became known as the best Bard among the isles, sharing a place amongst the gossip that was once exclusive to only the best Captains. Eldar was proud of his son, even if he wasn’t his by blood, he could almost see himself in Calylea as he danced about taverns playing his waterflute and singing shanties with the many buccaneers within.

In the months approaching his 18th birthday, the isles began to be plagued by sirens. Many crews and ships went missing without any trace other than the haunting melodies beyond the shore. This got all the captains talking, and one night two other captains boarded the Twilight Whisper to speak to Eldar. It was late in the evening when they arrived, so most of the crew was off in the taverns except for one person, Calylea. The siren slept peacefully in his own personal quarters on the ship, unaware of the meeting until the 3 captains began to argue. Calylea woke, tiptoeing out of his quarters to eavesdrop, clutching the globe with a clockwork fish that his father gave him the 2 nights prior as an early birthday gift. He smiles remembering what Eldar said when he gave it to him.

"I had someone custom make this for ye, me little minnow… I hope ye like it."

He got as close as he could manage without causing a plank on the floor of the old ship to give away his position. What he heard next made him weak in the knees and caused the color drain from his face.

"Captain Nightwind, with all due respect, but we cannot lose anymore crews to those monsters!"

"We don’t care if ye have a monster for a.."
There’s disgust in the man’s voice as he speaks, a venom lacing his words.
"Son, but ye have a duty to uphold to the Pirate Queen and if ye don’t do somethin’ about this we have no choice but to take down the sirens ourselves."

"And that includes your so-called son. So what say you?"

There’s a thick silence in the air and Calylea was practically drowning in it, clutching tightly to the glass globe like it was the only thing keeping him afloat. For the first time in his life, he felt absolute, unfettered, fear gripping at his heart. What would his father say? Would he go against these orders or would he comply? He feared either option and what the future would hold for him.

"...I say aye."

Calylea nearly dropped the globe, scrambling away from the Captain’s quarters and to his own. He shut the door quickly, leaning up against it while still holding the globe in a vice grip. How could he..? How could his father agree to such a thing? Even though he was a pirate, he was still a good man by any standard! Why? Why, why, why? Calylea whimpered, slumping to the floor as tears began to slide down his cheeks. He felt so betrayed and like he didn’t even know his own father anymore. He wanted to cry out, he wanted to wail like the wind in a thunderstorm, but he dare not alert the captain.

He had to think fast, do something to alert the sirens of what was to come! No matter what… He quickly packed a bag, grabbing everything he felt was important. His rapier, a dagger, his waterflute, a waterproof map, clothes, and lastly the globe with the clockwork goldfish. When he felt the coast was clear, he fled, taking a rowboat and making his way out to where he remembers hearing islanders mention where sirens were. By the time the sun rose over the waves, Calylea heard a soft tune rising from below, he ties his bag as tightly to himself as he could and descended. He was met with the sight of a village on the seafloor made of the remains of sunken ships, it disturbed him deeply but he shook it off, swimming toward the village. Once there, he began to go around warning the sirens that pirates were coming and that everyone should be prepared to take up arms to protect themselves.

Back on the Twilight Whisper, the Captain rose from a dreadful sleep as his crew began to return from the taverns. He greets his crew warmly but something felt off… Calylea wasn’t normally one to sleep in this late. He heads back below deck, knocking on the door of his son’s quarters. When no response comes, he opens the door to find the room a mess, items missing from cabinets as well as no siren to be seen. His heart drops and he runs back above deck, frantically shouting about Calylea being gone, causing the crew to immediately sober up from the drinks of the night. After hours of searching the port, no trace of him was found, that was until one of the crewmates noticed a rowboat was missing. Eldars face loses all color, realizing where Calylea might have gone.

"Oh, Gods.."

He scrambles up to the helm, calling the attention of the crew.

"Be ready to set sail! We are heading to where the sirens lie!"

"Aye aye, Captain!"

It was nearly nightfall by the time the Twilight Whisper got to where Calylea left the rowboat.

"Avast! I see the rowboat!"

Shouts the Barrelman and the Captain looks to where he pointed. The boat was empty, it was eerily quiet and the waves were still. The Captain was on edge, slowly walking to the bow of the ship.

"Be ready, lads! We don’t know what’s out there!"

He called, drawing his cutlass and getting into position. That’s when the singing rose up from the waves and the shouting began. Captain Eldar watched as his crew tried in vain to fight against the sirens that scaled the sides of the Twilight and he couldn’t let them go without a fight. After everything, after all he’s accomplished, he refused to be another cautionary tale for pirates and sailors alike. He fought as much as he could until two sirens grabbed him and tossed him overboard.

From a nearby reef, Calylea watched as his crew got dragged beneath the waves. But just before his father went down he heard a message, laced with magic, and carried by the breeze. Calylea tried to keep his composure, but as the words sank in, he cried out and fell to his knees.

"Don't, no matter what ye 'ear, take off the blindfold, understood?"

Eldar states, tying the striped bandana around Calylea's head.

"Just keep singin'."

The small Siren, no older than eight, fidgets in place trying to remember the words to the song his father taught him while clutching the waterflute on his necklace.

Listen close, and worry not… Negative thoughts are all for naught… Crashing waves and floating sound… To which you find yourself bound.

"Aye aye, papa! Um- Cap'n..."

The elf chuckles, ruffling Calylea's fluffy teal hair.

"No need fer titles! Ye be fine, laddy."

Calylea giggles, reaching up for his father’s hand blindly.

"Aye papa."

Eldar takes the boy's hand, leading him to the side of the ship that held the rowboats.

"Ready?"

Calylea's grip on his father’s hand tightens.

"Be careful? Ye got 'urt playin' last time..."

He mumbles, sounding like he was about to tear up. Eldar frowns, bending down and putting his hands on the boy’s shoulders.

"'ay... We simply 'ad a misunderstandin' with the other crew. Nothin' more! Yer father won't go down easy, laddy..."

Eldar says softly, wrapping Calylea in a tight hug.

"Ye promise?"

The siren murmurs, gripping his father as tight as he can- fearing he may sink if he didn't.

"I promise."

Calylea sat in a rowboat upon uneasy tides, surrounded by seafolk. Anxiety gnawed at him as he played his tune; Something deep in him couldn’t help but feel something was very, very, wrong. He wanted to tear the blindfold off, he wanted to stop playing, he wanted to know what was going on. He hesitates, playing a sour few notes on his waterflute.

No more...

He whimpers, curling up as tightly as he could manage in the small rowboat. The audience he managed to gather began to murmur amongst themselves, wondering what was going on. Was this part of the performance? Did he get seasick? Sudden stage fright? As if to answer the questions, Calylea slips out of the boat with a small splash, discarding the blindfold, and swimming below. He was never one to go against his father, but... he just had to know. It doesn't take him long to reach the seafloor, and what he saw made his blood run cold. Scattered among the small undersea village, were several downed seafolk. Calylea's eyes widened and he stepped towards the bodies with trembling steps in the wet sand. They appeared to be recent, with fresh wounds that still bled, tainting the water around them. He couldn't help but gag, stumbling back and covering his mouth, and shutting his eyes tight.

W-what is… Who…?

Suddenly, Calylea was being shaken by the shoulders and a familiar voice was shouting his name.

"P-p-papa..?"

He opens his eyes and uncovers his mouth with a shuddering whimper.

"W...what h-happened..? They're… They're... Th-"

Eldar picks up his son, holding him close.

"Shh… It's ok. Don't look at them, ok?"

Calylea grips tightly to his dad's coat, burying his face in his shoulder to stifle a sob.

"A-aye… 'm sorry, papa..."

Eldar pets the boy's hair, looking up to the ocean's surface.

"No, shh... yer fine, laddy…"

The rest of the crew soon gather nearby, most of them wearing gear to breathe underwater, while the rest resort to magic to do so. Many of them also held large sacks of various pilfered items to be sold on the black market upon reaching the isles. Sure, it wasn't honest work, but what's that matter to a pirate? The Captain motions for the crew to ascend back to the Twilight Whisper, taking extra care to make sure Calylea isn't looking at any of them. He didn't want to have to lie to his son more than he already was. Eldar wanted Calylea to be able to be unaware and free- and he feared what might happen if he knew the truth and about what he had done.