?Atocha. 1622.? She answered.
?Which fleet?? Her father asked.
?Spanish.?
?What was on it?? Her mother in turn questioned.
?Gold, Silver and precious gems, sailing back to Spain from the New World.?
Both parents nodded in approval, a smile lighting up the child?s face. She had pleased them both with her answers, and in turn, her father flicked a shiny golden coin through the air. She reached up catching it with both hands as she flipped it over in her palms. They had found a cache of that treasure earlier in the morning, and to make sure she understood the importance, they had both been drilling her with the facts of the find throughout the day. The last four years had been spent traveling throughout the Spanish-speaking Americas, eventually landing them back in Spain.
?Very good.? Her father smiled at her, ruffling her hair before lifting her up onto the horse that would carry them back to their hotel. The large man swung up behind her, his thick arms wrapping around her eight-year-old frame to reach the reins. He removed the fedora that he wore everywhere, resting the hat upon her head before clicking his heels and urging the horse forward. Her mother was saddled on a chestnut stallion next to them, leading the way back, laughing quietly at their little band.
That was the last time Lara remembered the happiness.
It had all fallen apart that night with the yelling. Mother wanted to keep part of it. It would?ve fetched a great price on the market. Father was adamant it belonged in a museum and nowhere else.
That was the last time her life was that simple.
Shuttled between England and her mother?s estate outside of London, and her father?s home in the United States, Lara grew up a child of two completely different worlds. The only consistency in her life was both of their passion for treasure hunting. She had seen the deserts of Africa and the harsh winters of Russia. She had explored the Australian outback and seen the Egyptian pyramids up close.
It was their love of history that ignited the flame inside the child, the years of turning into a woman spent in tents out in the wilderness, among rough and uncouth men who taught her how to shoot and how to fight. Her father retired first, passing on that weather-beaten fedora to his daughter while he lounged at home, amongst his treasures and teaching history in the nearby university. Her mother took longer, though finally leaving her treasure hunting days behind in her manor in England. Her legacy? Two pistols, one of which was always strapped to Lara?s muscular thigh. Lara?s own legacy? The retaining and use of Spanish. Perhaps it was a way to hold on to those final happy days. Perhaps it was simply out of necessity for where she traveled. Either way, the dark-haired and ebony eyed beauty had a voice of a lounge singer, laced with a Spanish accent. Forever on the hunt, she was always embroiled in the latest conspiracy. Wherever treasure was rumored to be, she would inevitably be close by.
Now she was stuck here, in a world she wasn't quite sure she understood. Biding time until she got wind of something worth her while, she kept a room in the RDI, waiting for the right treasure to be found.
?Which fleet?? Her father asked.
?Spanish.?
?What was on it?? Her mother in turn questioned.
?Gold, Silver and precious gems, sailing back to Spain from the New World.?
Both parents nodded in approval, a smile lighting up the child?s face. She had pleased them both with her answers, and in turn, her father flicked a shiny golden coin through the air. She reached up catching it with both hands as she flipped it over in her palms. They had found a cache of that treasure earlier in the morning, and to make sure she understood the importance, they had both been drilling her with the facts of the find throughout the day. The last four years had been spent traveling throughout the Spanish-speaking Americas, eventually landing them back in Spain.
?Very good.? Her father smiled at her, ruffling her hair before lifting her up onto the horse that would carry them back to their hotel. The large man swung up behind her, his thick arms wrapping around her eight-year-old frame to reach the reins. He removed the fedora that he wore everywhere, resting the hat upon her head before clicking his heels and urging the horse forward. Her mother was saddled on a chestnut stallion next to them, leading the way back, laughing quietly at their little band.
That was the last time Lara remembered the happiness.
It had all fallen apart that night with the yelling. Mother wanted to keep part of it. It would?ve fetched a great price on the market. Father was adamant it belonged in a museum and nowhere else.
That was the last time her life was that simple.
Shuttled between England and her mother?s estate outside of London, and her father?s home in the United States, Lara grew up a child of two completely different worlds. The only consistency in her life was both of their passion for treasure hunting. She had seen the deserts of Africa and the harsh winters of Russia. She had explored the Australian outback and seen the Egyptian pyramids up close.
It was their love of history that ignited the flame inside the child, the years of turning into a woman spent in tents out in the wilderness, among rough and uncouth men who taught her how to shoot and how to fight. Her father retired first, passing on that weather-beaten fedora to his daughter while he lounged at home, amongst his treasures and teaching history in the nearby university. Her mother took longer, though finally leaving her treasure hunting days behind in her manor in England. Her legacy? Two pistols, one of which was always strapped to Lara?s muscular thigh. Lara?s own legacy? The retaining and use of Spanish. Perhaps it was a way to hold on to those final happy days. Perhaps it was simply out of necessity for where she traveled. Either way, the dark-haired and ebony eyed beauty had a voice of a lounge singer, laced with a Spanish accent. Forever on the hunt, she was always embroiled in the latest conspiracy. Wherever treasure was rumored to be, she would inevitably be close by.
Now she was stuck here, in a world she wasn't quite sure she understood. Biding time until she got wind of something worth her while, she kept a room in the RDI, waiting for the right treasure to be found.