Castlevania Nocturne: A Guardian's Tale (Part 1)

Angel of the Ocean Waves

She was well over a century old then, getting rather tired of sticking around to see the people she loved grow old and die, and her great great grandson had married a Speaker and moved out east. She needed a change of scenery, and an entirely different land an ocean away was the perfect choice.

It wasn't as if she were leaving anyone behind, save for her mother, who watched her ship leave the docks, and her father............well that was complicated. At least he gave her his sword as a parting gift.

Now, a century and a half later, wiser and more experienced, she was sailing back.

Emma never intended to make friends with the crew. She knew she'd see them for a couple of weeks and never again afterwards, but she found herself on amiable terms with this one. Maybe it was her natural beauty, or they sensed something innately beautiful about her. They opened up and engaged with her, asking about her travels, her experiences, and more than once, her marital status. (That was the younger lads, she made the mistake of being honest, saying she was widowed. She was never a pro at lying.) At first she kept her guard up, hiding her personality and quirks like a soldier concealing his wound, but she sensed she was in genuine good company with these men.

" I see you found the coat." Seamus called her. "A little warmer now are we?"

"Much." Emma chuckled. "Thank you. Need help with anything?"

"No." Seamus clambered up the netting. "You enjoy yourself."

"All right then." Emma stood by the banister, gazing out onto the shimmering ocean surrounding her. The waters dazzling beneath the sunlight like diamonds in a cave. She took in a deep breath of fresh salt sea air, feeling revitalized in body and soul. I see why many take to this life. Such freedom sailing the open seas , and it's a lot safer now without pirates. She remembered the vampire pirates on the last trip. Boy was that a fun night.

Emma twitched her ears that the sound of heavy footsteps behind her. "There's nothing like a fresh breath of sea air to lighten the spirit eh?" The woman turned her head and greeted the Captain. It was good to be sailing with him again after all this time.

" Aye. All is well Captain?"

" Yes. A fine wind as can ever be." The Captain observed. "This ship is moving as fast as a serpent on the hunt , it wouldn't surprise me if we reach our port ahead of schedule."

"That's what I said earlier." Emma remarked, brushing her hair out of her face at a blast of wind. "Your doing?"

"No." The Captain laughed heartily. "I may be a Miracle Maker, but I am not that powerful. Most of us give up that sort of thing when we take human flesh, and I've been human longer than you've taken breath."

"I can only imagine the things that you've seen." Emma mused. He was the first earthly angel she'd met besides her own mother, and it heartened her knowing her family weren't the only non-vampire immortals in the world. She'd gotten to be close friends with him on her last trip, close enough where some of the past crew muttered her as the 'Captain's Whore' under their breaths. (Emma was more amused about that than offended, she had no such feelings for him.)

When Emma booked passage through the Order this time around, she assumed she'd be under another captain, and initially it seemed so. The captain who introduced himself was a man named Harris, and only when she was settled in on the ship away from the harbor did he reveal himself as the first mate.

It was the best thing to come out of that dreadful night.

"I see you've settled in, made yourself part of the crew without even trying! I told you this time would be different."