This is the first chapter to a story I began at random. Actually, it honestly and truly was at random. I just started writing the first thing that came to mind, and this is what followed. I'm not sure what's to follow, so I'll see how my summer muses do with the idea. If you have time, I would love to hear what you think.
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It was time for boarding the ship and I was already regretting ever agreeing to come along. Why did I really need to be with my father as he made he trips anyways? He was the leading merchant in trade of… well some odd something. Either way, I didn’t care much for his business or what he did. However I did care a lot about the sea. That was why I was here. And that was what I had to remind myself of every time I wanted to throw myself off board.
We slowly made our way on board. The Queen’s Glory, as the ship had come to be named, was rocking against the sharp waves. My father regretted coming immediately - that much I could certainly tell from the way he looked longingly at the land. He was such a land-lover; regardless of the fact that most of his business was on the sea. Though I suppose that was why he had so many working under him. They were usually the ones to make these rounds. But all he really needed to do was go off and check on some odd something. Once again, I really had no clue what that some odd something was. I didn’t really care as to what it was.
I was standing next to the railing while my father was trying his hardest not to have his breakfast make a reappearance. I would have laughed, but I knew that would have resulted in a lecture. And with the horrid mood he was in, he might have even made me stay on land. It was bad enough he had defied my mother to let me be here, but if I was disrespectful before even sailing off he would have a fit.
We were waiting for everything to be finally loaded onto the ship. It seemed to be taking longer than usual – which was really quite strange, actually. Usually we were on our way in no time at all. Actually, everything was usually loaded on before we even thought about heading out to the ship. This was a bad omen. At least to me it certainly was. Though had I brought it up with anyone else, they would have laughed at me and told me to stop being so superstitious.
And that’s when my thoughts were interrupted. My best friend, and worker under my father, came up to me to save me from the boredom slowly creeping up. Michael started talking about some odd something about the work he was doing for my father. I, naturally, wasn’t paying any mind to him or his talk. I didn’t care at all for my father’s business. Every time the topic even came up, I swear to you, I heard a buzzing sound erupting in my ears.
“Aya? Aya, are you listening to me?” I heard Michael ask as he began waving a hand in front of my face.
And suddenly I snapped out of my daze. “What? What is it you were saying?” I asked him.
He simple sighed. “Why do I even try talking any sort of business with you?” he asked. Though I had my suspicions it was more to himself than to me.
“Sorry. But you know I don’t enjoy any sort of talk about business. It just doesn’t suit me,” I attempted an explanation with him.
He would have answered me, but suddenly my father’s voice rang out. “Michael? Michael, where are you?”
I sighed. “You had better go. You know as well as I how he gets when he isn’t immediately obeyed.”
He nodded and quickly ran off to leave me stranded and alone on the ship of sudden boredom.
I sighed and began staring out the ocean again. Suddenly I heard the cries of the captain telling the crew we were about to set off. I was overly thankful. I didn’t think I could stand any more time sitting at port.
It didn’t seem long at all before we were on the open ocean. I couldn’t have been happier. Now I could stand at the bow without wanting to throw myself overboard from boredom or annoyance. This was why I wanted to be out here. Out here I could really just think and let my thoughts wonder to wherever they want. There was no one to tie me down. Out here I felt free.
That was until my father decided to interrupt my train of thought. “Aya, my dear. I have something to discuss with you,” he told me as he began walking to me.
I simply nodded and waited for him to reach me.
“You’re a young lady now,” he began. I inwardly groaned. I knew where this was headed. He was going to go into how I ought to be getting married. Just because I was in a high classed family did not mean I wanted to do everything expected in that family. I didn’t want to have to get married or start a family with someone I probably wouldn’t even know.
“You need to be engaged. And since we knew you would never… Well…” he was stumbling on his words. That certainly wasn’t good.
And that was when I heard the last voice I ever expected to hear right now.
“We set up an arranged marriage for you, my dear,” my mother told me from behind. I instantly turned around to stare at her.
“What?” I asked in shock. My eyes followed my mother as she made her way to stand next to my father.
“We set up a marriage. This is really what this trip was for. Sure, it helped your father in business, but really we wanted you to meet your new betrothed,” my mother attempted clarification.
I simply stared at her. “What?” I asked again in complete shock. I couldn’t believe they would do this to me! They knew I hated the entire idea of an arranged marriage and then to suddenly do the exact thing I hated to me? That was just downright cruel.
“Now I know you don’t like the idea of another choosing who you are to marry, but we simply had to. We knew you’d never settle until it was too late. I mean, seventeen is far to old to suddenly start looking into marriages. And we just couldn’t have that,” my father tried softening the blow. It was too late. I already felt as if someone had reached into my chest and ripped out my heart. This was too much.
“Who to?” I asked. My voice sounded hollow, even to my own ears. I’d be willing to bet that at that moment my eyes also looked dead and shallow, as if life itself had been taken from them. I hated asking, but I had to know.
“Well that’s the best part! His first name is Adam. He’s rich, handsome – or so we’ve heard – and better still a captain’s son in Port Holtin,” my mother explained with enthusiasm.
I could just feel my eyes welling up with tears at that. “Port Holtin?” I asked in a dead voice. Suddenly something erupted inside of me. “Port Holtin?!” I repeated in a scream at them. “That’s three days away on boat! Is this some sort of punishment? Am I truly such a horrid daughter that you just had to torture me in such a way? Not only do you take away my freedom, and choice of husband, but then you take me away from home and everything I love and adore?”
They both gasped. Apparently they hadn’t been expecting such a response. Though honestly, I couldn’t guess why not. They knew what sort of person I was. I enjoyed being able to do my own things whenever I pleased. I hated being bogged down by others and what they want.
“But this is great for you!” my mother was the first to recover.
“Are you sure? Are you truly sure that this is a great thing for me? Me, and not for you two?” I asked bitterly.
She was about to respond when I gave a frustrated sigh and began walking off.
“Where are you off to? This conversation is not yet over!” my father yelled after me.
“It is over until I’ve calmed down,” I told him through gritted teeth as I made my way to another part of the ship – at this point any other part of the ship.
“Cap’n!” I suddenly heard yelled from behind me. “There be a ship without her colors shown. Could be pirates out for our cargo,” he yelled.
I had to suppress a gasp. I couldn’t tell if it was an excited sort of gasp or terrified.
“I knew it! I just knew it,” I heard my father mumbling to himself as he began stomping towards me. “I should have known it would be dangerous for you out here. Damn pirates. I should have known better than bring you along on the only ship with such a large cargo.”
“It’ll be fine, Father,” I told him. Naturally, I was still upset. But this was a nice distraction for me. I wanted to concentrate on anything else, and this would do. “We can’t even be sure that it really is pirates. It could simple be some – ”
And suddenly I was interrupted with the same voice calling to the captain. “’Tis indeed pirates, Cap’n. They put their colors up and it ain’t no ship of the merchant kind or for the navy. It’s the Destined Glory.”
I cursed my luck at that moment. Sure, I had always wanted to come face to face with pirates, but not really. They were dangerous, and I had no way of dealing with them. Not that I should have expected to be the one taking care of them. I was one of the only females aboard a ship full of males. Naturally they were to take care of them and I was to hide somewhere. My God, how I hated such a rule. I wanted to be out here, but there was certainly no way my father would ever allow such a thing.
But this was the Destined Glory. They were a young pirate crew, but legendary already. And they were kind. I mean, sure they were pirates and sure they would plunder the seas, but they never killed without need. And the Captain Nortig was supposed to be some honorable gentleman. What I had heard was that he was once in the Navy and top in what he did. But then he tired of it. He just didn’t want to do any of the Navy things anymore. It was rumored he had seen too much and knew too much that he just wanted it all to end. So he turned to the one thing he really knew. The sea.
And then as if reading my mind, my father suddenly took hold of my arm. “Come now, Aya. You need to be somewhere safe, and out here in the open certainly is not\safe,” he told me as he began dragging me to the captains quarters.
“Oh come now! I’ll be fine,” I told him as we passed my mother and he grabbed her by the arm also.
“Since I certainly can not trust the two of you alone in a room, go find separate rooms and stay there,” he demanded before turning back to the rest of the ship. My mother immediately scampered off to hide inside the captain’s quarters. I, however, was not so eager to obey at the moment.
I watched as our ship attempted an escape. However, nearly no one on the ship was skilled enough to defeat a pirate in ship techniques. Before the pirates could board, I dashed behind something and stayed there. I didn’t want to hide in some room, but hiding right now seemed like a really good idea to me. I watched in horror as they took my father hostage. They went searching about the ship and soon found my mother as well. After having some of the pirate crew watch our ship’s crew like hawks, the pirate captain began walking around the ship.
“This will make a fine addition to our fleet, don’t you think?” he said to his crew. They all began cheering. “And of course with all the cargo on board, we’ll be rich, rich men!” Once again, the cheering. “Unless, of course, there be a man brave enough to fight for their ship?” When none of our crew made a sound, he went on. “So none of ye are brave enough to defend your vessel? And ye call yeselves seamen? Ye all disgust me.”
Suddenly, and once again, something boiled over inside of me. I didn’t care about what they were trying to do to me; my parents were still out there. And it was still a bulk of my father’s cargo under us that they were about to take. I came out of my hiding place.
“I’ll fight you,” I told him. I was walking behind him staring at my parents.
“Aye! A man willing to fight for his vessel!” he said before turning around. The smile on his face faltered once he saw me. “A girl? Of all the souls on this ship, it be a girl who thinks she can beat me?”
“Yes, actually it is. And it’s not a ‘think’ I can beat you. I know I can,” I told him as I came to a stop.
“All I really wanted was a good fight and I’d leave you all in peace. But alas you all give me a girl to fight,” he said as he began slowly shaking his head.
I gave an annoyed sigh. “Will you fight me or not? You can be a coward and simply run or you can fight me. However if you attempt to only take the cargo and run, I will have to fight each of you without mercy,” I told him with a wicked smirk.
“Oh Captain, just put her in her place already! If it be a little girl who needs to be taught a lesson to not deal with pirates then just fight her already,” someone guarding our crew suddenly shouted at his captain.
He sighed. “Oh fine, then. Come along lass and learn your place,” he told me as he motioned me towards him. Suddenly he began chuckling to himself. “Do you even know how to handle a weapon? And could you even move in that dress of yer’s?”
I began fiddling with my skirts. Around my waist was a small set of buttons, after unbuttoning each my skirts were able to be unwrapped from my waist. As I was unwrapping the skirts from me I cursed them. They were just like fabric that had been thrown around my waist. Long fabric. Too long fabric. When I was finished I threw the fabric to the side. Now I was in pants. And more free, might I add. Tied around each thigh there was a long dagger. And on my right thigh was a full length sword next to the dagger.
“I’m momentarily impressed,” Nortig said with a small shrug of his shoulders.
“Only because you’ve yet to see me fight,” I assured him with a smile.
“Well then,” he said as he got out his own sword and I my daggers, “Let’s get to it.”
“Are you insane Aya?” I heard my mother scream suddenly from behind me.
I looked at her. “Well why don’t I just let them take the entire cargo then, Mother? I mean, we really don’t need to be so high classed, right? You really don’t need all the fancy things you have, right? We can just be poor and see if either of you two could survive,” I told her bitterly.
“Oh? Us? What about you? You couldn’t live without your fancy things either, so don’t give us that,” my mother spat at me.
“Don’t believe that for a second. I could survive. I do it every time I leave the house. You’d be a fool to think I really went about the town looking rich. Fighting in the streets teaches you something,” I told her.
“You’ve been what?” my father gasped out.
I looked down. Now I was ashamed. My mother was being upset with me was nothing, but my father had always been there and had always supported me. His only hope was that I was happy and safe. I had ruined that for him right now.
“That’s where all the new scratches and bruising came from,” I admitted in a whisper. “I’m sorry. But I have to do this.”
“Can we get on to our fight, or is there something else you would like to discuss with your parents?” Captain Nortig asked in sarcasm.
I turned back to glare at him. “Fine. Let’s get to it already. No need or sense to just be sitting here, I suppose.”
He nodded as he got into a fighting stance. I did the same. “But before we begin, what’s yer name, lass?”
“Aya. Aya Jensen,” I told him.
He nodded. “Aye. I be Captain Nortig. Yee best remember that name.”
“Can we just get this over with?” I asked him.
“Aye,” he said before taking a jab at me with his sword. I dodged it and moved to the right. He jumped to the right and threw his sword’s blade down at me. I put up my dagger in a crossed-crossed way and stopped it. I then kicked out and managed to push him away. He staggered a few feet but soon regained himself. He then tried aiming to me again and again I dashed to a side and avoided his hit. And then suddenly he kicked at my hand. It was too strong and I dropped the dagger in my right hand. But before he could attack me again, I took out my sword and whipped it around so it would have hit him. However, it quickly put up his own sword and they clashed. The impact threw both of us back a few feet.
“I must admit lass, you do know what you’re doing,” Nortig said in a gasp.
I just grinned at him. Before I could give him an actual response he aimed for me again. I jumped back and to the side out of his reach. Then I took the flat side of my sword and managed to hit him in his wrist. The impact was enough to make him drop his sword. I took the opportunity and kicked him in the stomach. This made it so he fell down to the ground. I took the chance and straddled him with my dagger and sword to his throat.
“Now leave before I slice your throat open. Leave and do not return,” I told him. “Do you agree this fight is over?” I asked.
He seemed to be glaring at me. But regardless he nodded his head slowly. I smiled and returned my weapons to their original place and then stood up and walked over near my parents. All of a sudden I felt someone hit me on my shoulder. I immediately faltered and fell clutching my shoulder in pain. I turned around to notice someone had used the flat end of their sword to smack me on the shoulder.
“This is not over,” the person said to me through gritted teeth.
“John, no. She won. This is over. So let’s go. A deal’s a deal,” I heard Nortig say.
“No,” John said through still gritted teeth.
I decided their conversation bored me and I wanted to show this John person not to mess with me and especially not to hit a person while they were down and distracted. So I took out my sword while standing up and turning behind me. He, however, seemed prepared for my attack as he already had his sword up to catch mine. I grunted in annoyance at him. I then turned around and jumped out of reach.
That’s when I saw my dagger. I knew I was better with a dagger than with a sword and with two daggers I was at my best. So I ran for it. Yet before I could reach my beloved dagger, I felt a sharp pain in my leg. John had apparently taken his sword and hit me in the leg. It sliced right open.
I grunted in pain as I reached my other dagger and whipped around to face John. However, he was too close for me to get a good aim at him. So I once again jumped back out of his reach. That’s when I had a sudden plan brewed in my head.
I jumped up and reached up and grabbed hold of one of the many ropes swinging around the place. I lifted myself high enough and kicked John straight in the face. He fell back as I saw blood spurting from his nose. I grinned to myself. He fell back enough that he hit the ground roughly. I landed next to him and took my sword from my hilt and pointed it to his throat.
“Must I kill you, or will you leave me alone?” I asked him with a vicious look in my eyes.
He glared at me, but then eventually croaked out a ‘Fine’. I nodded and let him go.
Captain Nortig then came up to me. “I’m sorry, lass,” he said as John stood up and moped away. “We should have more honor among us. Most of the time we do. But I suppose seeing a girl when against their captain had to upset some of the men.”
“I’m sure you weren’t fighting at your best, though. Even if you were, it would have been luck on my side that let me win,” I assured him.
“Either way we owe you. You could have killed John, and you would have had the right to with how he acted, yet you didn’t. We are thankful and in return I’m willing to do you a favor. Anything you want, all you need is to call upon us and we’ll be there,” he assured me. And then with that he walked back to his crew.
“Let’s go, men. She won and to keep my word, we leave without anything. Including the cargo,” Nortig said to his crew as he made his way to get off the ship.
I walked over to my parents. “Aya, ask him to leave all of our boats alone. He’s supposed to have too much honor to ignore such a request, so ask,” I heard my father say urgently. I looked at him with indifferent eyes.
“Go on. At least do this for us,” my mother urged.
I sighed and turned around. “Captain Nortig,” I called. He turned around to face me. “I know what you can do for me,” I told him.
“Oh? You’ve decided already? Well go ahead lass, what is it you want?” he asked.
I took a deep breath before saying, “I want to join your crew.”
I heard my parents gasp behind me. On some level, I immediately regretted my decision. But I knew it was what I wanted. I wanted to be out on the open ocean. I hated even the thought of being locked down.
“Are you sure? It would be dangerous,” he warned me.
“I know. But that’s what I want,” I assured him.
“Fine. If you’re sure that it’s what I can do for you, then we’ll let you on the crew,” he told me.
And then John just had to interrupt. “Captain, she’s a girl. And a young one at that. You can’t really expect the crew to behave themselves, can you?”
“You’re just upset because you got beat by a girl,” I told him snidely.
He turned to glare at me. “I’m giving you warning. These men are rough and most of the time they’re drunken bastards who don’t care about what they do.”
“I can take care of myself,” I told him.
“And anyways, she’ll be under my care. If any of the men come near her, then they’ll have to deal with me,” the captain told him.
“I’m not sure if I can keep them from her,” he told the captain.
“I can take care of myself,” I repeated.
The captain nodded. “She’s coming along,” the captain told him. “Get what you need. And then come along to the ship. Someone will be waiting to take you aboard and show you about.”
I nodded as he turned and went back to his ship.
I turned to my parents. “I’m sorry,” I told them. “But I need to do this. I can’t just be locked up more. I can’t stand it. It feels too much like suffocating,” I said as I began walking back. I was about to get my things when suddenly my mother shouted something at me. I turned around again.
“If you do this, then you’ll no longer be a daughter of ours,” she threatened in a low voice.
“Honestly, I really don’t care. Breaking your ice heart won’t affect me. The only thing that saddens me is that I’m hurting Father,” I told her as I turned around and continued walking.
I went into my cabin and quickly gathered my clothes. My heart was pondering to fast for me to breathe evenly. It felt like my heart was about to burst from my chest. I couldn’t tell if I was nervous or just excited. My guess was a mixture of the two. I threw everything that wasn’t a dress or skirt into my trunk and then slammed the lid shut. I then began dragging it out.
And that’s when I saw Michael. He was walking towards me with a look on his face that I couldn’t figure out.
“Mike?” I called to him.
“I’m coming with you,” he told me as if there was nothing to discuss and the decision was made and couldn’t be changed.
I just stared at him. “What? But you hate pirates. Why in the world would you join?” I gasped at him in shock.
“I do, but I won’t just leave you to face those hooligans by yourself. Even if it means me suffering, for you I would,” he told me with a completely serious look on his face.
Once again I gasped. “You can’t be serious. I wouldn’t want you to be miserable just for me,” I told him.
“I know, but I want to do this for you,” he assured me. “I’m going to get my things. I already talked to Nortig and he agreed.”
I nodded. I seemed to still be partially in a daze. Though this was definitely daze worthy. First, I’m completing dishonoring my family, I’m becoming a pirate, and now my best friend was coming with me. I’d say not too bad for just an average trip.
Soon I began lugging my trunk with me outside. Captain Nortig came immediately and helped me. After throwing it on his ship the Destined Glory, he then helped me aboard. I must admit for a pirate, he really was a gentleman. I suppose the tales surrounding him were true. He really seemed to be a gentleman turned pirate. He helped a lady, he kept his word, and he obviously had honor. I could tell this was going to be an interesting time. Maybe a bit dangerous… well obviously a lot dangerous, but this was still going to be an interesting time. I could just tell that Captain Nortig wouldn’t let anything happen to me and I’d have to be a fool to think Michael would ever let anything happen to me. He was even throwing away his wanted life in the Royal Navy for me. That right there proved he was completely serious about helping me, regardless that my dreams were a whole lot different than his. He wanted regulation while all I wanted was freedom.
“Now since there are now two of you, you’ll have to share a room. ‘Tis all we have and ye better be grateful fer what ye get,” I heard a voice behind me say once I was upon the ship.
I turned around to face a burly man. He was certainly someone you would not want to mess with. “That’s fine, and we are grateful,” I assured him.
He then motioned for us to follow him, and we did. I saw behind me two men carrying mine and Michael’s trunks. I had to keep myself from cracking into hysterics. Suddenly the adrenaline was rushing as everything I had just done instantly hit. I was shocked. But I was thrilled. I was thrilled not only with the fact that I had just become a pirate, but that I had actually deliberately denied what my parents wanted and had done what I wanted. That in itself was different and felt so amazing. Just from that I felt like I was on a high. But everything high must eventually fall. And I certainly fell hard.