Ariel Stillwater

The High Admiral...

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WIP

## Lore

### Chapter 1 - The Beginning

> It's amazing how someone’s life can change within minutes, especially at a young age. Because of my youth, I never understood why he kept pushing me away, telling me to leave him alone. Him being my father, I’ve always looked up to him. He was destined to be in the navy; he fit right in, as did his father, and his father, and so on.
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> However, what was so different about my father was his level of skill. The Navy was never blessed with such a dedicated and strong member until my father put on that marine uniform. His reputation grew throughout the halls of Silverhold. He never held a title for long, for it was constantly changing—Vice Captain Stillwater, Captain Stillwater, Lieutenant Stillwater, Major Stillwater, Commander Stillwater. I’m honored that I am my father’s daughter.
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> Over time, word of my father spread across the Bronze Sea, his name appearing in the Agora more and more. It wasn’t surprising that my mother was becoming well-known too, along with myself. My father loved being in the spotlight; he couldn’t get enough of it.
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> My father’s fame attracted all sorts of assassins and criminals. He’d always be out fighting someone—anyone with a bounty—no matter how low or high the number, and he’d always win. My mother would worry about my father’s safety. He would always reassure her that there was nothing to worry about. He was so unaware of how wrong he was.
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> My father acquired a rival. A Maestro in the Assassin Syndicate. Where did he even come from? Nobody has ever heard of him. Nobody knew his name. He just…appeared. I guess that’s what made him a Maestro. He and my father fought many battles. My father treated their fights like games, and he would always come in first place. Whenever the Maestro knew he wasn’t going to be victorious, he’d run and hide, reappearing a few days later.
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> One day he got sick and tired of losing to my father, so he took something beloved and irreplaceable away from him. The Maestro attacked someone in my hometown, Palo Town.
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>     However, that wasn’t the Maestro's main goal. His assassination wasn’t like all the other ones he’s committed; this one was way messier. That was the intention. His assassination turned into a terrorist attack, using his fire magic to set my home ablaze. Smoke surrounded my childhood; the woods I used to play in burned down; the fish I’d catch and release were now afloat in the ocean; buildings were combusting into flames. Luckily, my father and other navy men were saving the citizens. He brought me to safety. However, the same can’t be said for my mother.
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> He didn’t know I was watching. I saw everything. He was holding onto her burnt, bloody, lifeless body, sobbing uncontrollably. And I saw it all. The image of my mother is still carved into my mind. My father was furious.
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> After that attack, I stayed at Silverhold with my father. Even though we both stayed there together, I rarely saw him. He never left his office. Being 6 years old, I didn’t understand this. With my mother gone, I thought we’d be the ones doing everything together. He’d be the one teaching me how to read, write, spell, etc., but I was wrong. The Marines did that for him; they were like my new guardians. They’d play and read to me; one woman would even sing me to sleep. My father never came and kissed me goodnight. I missed him.
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> Every time I tried to spend time with him, he’d shoo me away. “Not now, Ariel," he said, “leave me alone.” Sometimes he would yell. The marines played with me to distract me from his loud shouts and screams, but I could still hear them. What was happening to my dad?
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> My father spent months overworking himself and planning how to get revenge on the Maestro. He wanted him dead. My father would train for 17 hours a day, leaving the other 7 to his plans. He got little to no sleep. The other navy members tried to reason with him, saying that if he was going to catch the Maestro, then he would need to get some rest. I remember hearing him shout at them, telling them that they didn’t know what they were talking about. He would swear and snap at them, and all they were doing was trying to help. My father didn’t want help. He was so stubborn.
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> The day my father finally found where the Maestro was hiding was a day the whole Bronze Sea remembered. He set sail right away, alone. Of course, he went alone. Before he left, he insisted that his crew stay behind and ignored any arguments against it. He didn’t even say goodbye to me. My father ended up sailing his brig to the northwest edge of the Pelion Rift; at least that’s where they found his boat.
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> Never did he return from his voyage, but the Maestro never showed up ever again as well. I guess my father was victorious.
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> After my father’s disappearance, the Grand Navy didn’t take losing a skilled and beloved member lightly. With my father being absent, more criminals started appearing. The Grand Navy started caring less about civilian safety and more about their status. Members would now only care about how many criminals they took down each week and would do anything to raise the numbers. They turned the organization into a competition, all of them trying to be like my father. But they weren’t like my father. My father cared about civilians and didn’t take advantage of them when fighting criminals.
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> As I grew into the Navy, I realized how corrupt it had become. This isn’t what my father would’ve wanted. I am my father’s daughter; I inherited my water magic from him. We are supposed to be the good guys. I’m going to fix this for the sake of the Bronze Sea. For the sake of myself, for the sake of you. Everything is going to be okay.
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