Of Sea and Song

The Prologue

It was the Winter of 1800 (before the Royal Era), on the Island of the Sea.  The soldiers march further and further away from the shore and deeper into the island, as they carry their purple banners with the symbol of the song, through the damp and ragged terrain.  A purple haired young man, standing about five feet and eleven inches tall — and the youngest commander from Pacific Lull — leads an army of about 500 men through their second expedition through the Island of the Sea. 

"Commander Skjaldar the soldiers will be ready to move forward soon." Neal informs the purple haired commander. 

"Thank you Commander Hammer." Sydney says formally. 

The two friends pause for a moment, then laugh at the awkwardness of addressing each other so formally. 

"Want some water?" Neal ask. 

"Oh yeah thanks Neal."

"Well all I've got is wine." Neal says, shaking his bottle.

"Even better." Sydney grabs the wine and takes a sip from the bottle. 

"So how does it feel being the youngest soldier out here?" Neal chuckles. 

"Probably just as bad as being the second youngest soldier out here." Sydney laughs.

"And someone had the nerve to think that WE would be best fit to lead these,"  Neal looks over at the old and tired soldiers,  "disciplined veterans, through the Island of the Sea." 

Sydney and Neal stare in amusement at the soldiers and then back at each other before laughing. 

"But seriously, its rather hard to believe that we're actually here, and leading at that." Sydney says. 

"Welp you better believe it Syd." 

Syd begins, "You remember all those stories we heard about the Island that Belongs to the Sea." 

"Sure do, every single one," Neal confesses, "and they terrified me as a child.  But we ain't children no more.  If there's truth to any of those stories, I'm ready to cut down any water worm." 

An old, rough and ragged voice interrupts, "You wont be saying that when you see one." 

"And let me guess you've seen one before?" Neal ask mockingly. 

"No, cant say that I have, but I know, people who have and their not what they were before they saw them." 

Neal and Syd glance at each other, "What do you mean by that?" Sydney asked worriedly. 

Suddenly loud screeches echo throughout the fog South of the their location.  Sydney looks off into the fog in the direction of the screeches.  The screech echoes again, this time from the North.  Again from the East and again and again until it seems as the sound is everywhere.  Panic spreads through the army like wildfire.  Murmuring begins. 

"What's that noise?"

"It's gotta be the monster!"

"Maybe its some animal." 

Each time louder, each time more piercing, each time more threatening than the last. 

Neal grabs Sydney by the shoulder, "You have to ease their minds, and fast.  A panicked and frightened army is no army at all." 

The screeching fades.  Sydney takes notice of the men, jumps on top a nearby stone and clears his throat,

"Are you truly frightened by a little screeching.  I thought I was given an army of men to fight and explore with me, not an army of boys." 

A deep voice yells out, "And we thought we would be led by a man and not a boy, so the feeling is mutual young Commander Skjaldar."

The murmuring rises again in favor of the deep voice.

"He's right who thought a boy could lead us through the Island belonging to the sea!" 

"We should retreat or we'll all be killed." 

The screeching echoes once more.  Silence falls over the army.  Everyone looks around in terror of what cries out. Then, from the fog , a large leathery head with the face of a serpent and the teeth of a crocodile, dark blue skin with purple markings, and scars that no mans sword or spear could ever create.  Dripping with water, the monstrous head slowly inches closer to the men.  The long silence of fear is broken by the screams of the men,

"ITS A DRAGON OF THE SEA!"

The serpent shoves his head into the crowd of men knocking down and smashing some unfortunate souls.  Screams of panic fill the air.