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popsiclewrites · 1 year ago

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The Princess and The Pirate: Love at First Fight

Chapter One: The Meeting

In the middle of the sea, a battered, old pirate ship bobbed gently on the water. On its deck, a short, pink triton woman stood alone, mop in hand. And In the quiet of the night, she closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. The smell of the ocean, the feeling of the cool sea breeze, the creaking of the ship as it sailed on the sea. To her, this was the perfect feeling. She knew she was exactly where she belonged. She was at home.

“HEY IDIOT!”

Adoryn's eyes sprung open.

“Yes, Captain?” she jolted to attention as a large, crusty man thunked down the stairs, a sickly sneer painted across his face.

“Ya think ya deserve a break!” He spat.

“No, sir. Of course not, sir.”

She was ridged, unmoving in her perfect posture. A habitat that held over from her navy days.... But this certainly wasn’t the navy.

The Captain’s heavy footfalls landed him right in front of her face. His nose mere inches from hers, she could smell that the rum on his breath was barely masking the other, even less savory smells. Nope… this was nothing like the navy.

“Then get back to swabbing the deck!” He growled, “... if ya lucky maybe ya’ll get the scraps after the real sailors are done eatin for the night…” He paused, scanning her up and down, a smile began to slide across his face.

He leaned in close and whispered, “Or maybe you’ll have to do even more despicable things to earn yer dinner …”.

Adoryn withheld a gag. Refusing to break eye contact, she held her stance. “I’ll get right back to work, sir.”

The Captain returned her gaze for a moment longer before rolling his eyes and disappearing back below deck. She waited until he had fully vanished before allowing the tension to release from her body.

She hated this Captain. She had come to realize that even for a pirate, that guy was gross, sexist and just an overall dick. Adoryn often dreamed of the day she would take her rapier and separate his disgusting head from his pitiful body. However, she knew that being here was way better than her more lawful seafaring options. After all, the law never did suit her well. And here, she could go where she wanted, leave when she wanted, and take what she wanted. Here, she could be herself. All things that made putting up with the Captain almost bearable.

And one day, when she had learned everything she could from this crew, her blade would find its target.

She chose to focus on that thought as she returned to swabbing the deck in the dark of the night.

___________

Under the cover of dark, beneath the water, a shadowy figure circled a small barrier island until it spotted what it was searching for. Altering its path, it silently swam towards a small, isolated beach. The shape surfaced, revealing itself to be a beautiful, young, teal mermaid.

The surprisingly elegant woman moved to sit in the shallow water, her dark blue tail slowly relaxing under the steady beat of the soft waves. Her breath, still rapid from the swim, began to slow as she ran her fingers through her long braids, drying them off slightly.

After a moment, her tail separated into two legs and the woman stood. She reached into a well sealed, leather pouch strung around her hips. From it, she pulled a hooded cloak, wrapping it around her torso so that the part that would normally hang, instead crossed over her chest.

She flipped the hood up over her head and as if routine, and she began expertly moving through the brush, away from the beach and toward the bustling port town.

Still slightly damp, she moved silently through the shadows of town. From alleys to untaken side streets, a young Adella made her way into the heart of town, completely unseen.

“Why hello there, young lady! How are you today?”

Or at least she thought “completely unseen”. Adella froze for a moment before turning to face a small merchant looking up at her with a round face and a huge smile.

“Uhhh...”, she fumbled to find the words, her heart pounding in her ears drowning out any potential reply that her brain could provide. After a moment of the two staring at each other, the merchant gave her a confused look before backing away slowly. She simply stood there as the merchant went back to his booth, occasionally glancing back over his shoulder at her.

Adella had been afraid of this. After 2 years traveling alone, slipping through the shadows, trying to remain unnoticed, she was starting to get… weird. Was she forgetting how to talk to people entirely? It’s not like she didn’t enjoy talking to people. She actually used to be quite good at it, some would even go as far as to say that she was charming. But the skill had begun to fade with her travels.

As much as she enjoyed her nomadic lifestyle, she did really miss getting to know someone, getting to know a community. However, for her, staying in one place too long, carried an inherent set of risks. She often thought that perhaps, in a bigger city, she might be able to get away with staying for a while. People in cities tended to not notice a single new person, and thought nothing of it when a traveler moved on. But all the major cities were on the mainland. Adella simply had no way to get there. It was too far to swim and she didn’t exactly have access to a ship. So, for the time being, she was stuck with these small island towns, where every new stranger was a newsworthy event, forcing her to keep to the shadows, hiding her face.

She weaved through the crowd, hoping to hide in the bustle enough to make her way to a tavern of some kind for some food and a place to rest for the night.

A nearby shout drew her attention. On a small crate in the middle of the square, a Newise cried out, “Extra Extra, King Finley ups the reward for the safe return of his daughter, the Princess!”

Adella stopped dead in her tracks. Her breath caught in her throat.

Did she hear that right?

“King Finley Ups reward!” The news boy shouted once more.

Adella gulped hard. She looked around and quickly snatched up a discarded flyer. On it was exactly what she had feared. Staring back at her from the page was a large portrait of her own face with a 100,000 gold piece reward advertised beneath it.

“I gotta get out of here.” Adella mumbled to herself as she discarded the flyer back to the ground.

The flyer tumbled through the marketplace landing at the friendly merchant's feet. He studied it before realization entered his eyes. He looked up, his gaze locked with Adella from across the crowd as her eyes began to shimmered slightly. Her skin bubbled and shifted, changing her appearance into a mirror image of the merchant. The merchant yelled for help but Adella had already fled off into the night.

___________

The next day, Adoryn woke up bright and early, buzzing with excitement. Today was a port day!

They would dock the ship for about a day and a half and as the ship got restocked with food and whatnot, meaning that the crew would be free to explore whatever city or town they dock at. As much as she loved being at sea and definitely didn’t want to stay on land for too long, she loved visiting these small port towns. There were always interesting people to meet, cool things to buy, great food to eat. And it was a great opportunity to escape the Captain’s terinay for a little while.

She rushed over to a sleeping Wart and shook him awake. Wart was a small man. From a race called the Verden, he had a very goblin-like appearance. His serious and practical nature was a good compliment to the methodical chaos that Adoryn had to offer. He was a good friend, her best friend.

“Wart,” She whispered softly. “WAKE up!” she pushed down on his hammock, causing it to bounce him out and land on the floor…hard.

“Ughh.” He groaned, “Why do you always do this?”

Adoryn shrugged as Wart righted himself, rubbing the site of impact. “You’d think I’d be used to it by now,” He continued, “ but you would be mistaken.”

“When you get used to it it won’t be fun anymore.”

Wart gave a defeated nod of unfortunate agreement and the pair headed out of the sleeping quarters and to where the crew was beginning to gather before leaving the ship. But as they ascended the stairs an arm jutted out, blocking Adoryn’s path.

“Hey Nobanath, can I talk to you for a minute?” The First Mate, Lucas asked.

“Uh, sure.” She and Wart exchanged a look of confusion before she waved him to go ahead to the meeting.

A rail thin man with friendly eyes, Lucus was a stark contrast to the large, unpleasant Captain. “I just wanted to talk about your conversation with the Captain last night.”

“Oh, is something wrong?”

“Oh, no, no. I just wanted to apologize for him. I overheard and it sounded a bit rough.”

Adoryn shrugged, “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Lucas smiled softly, “Well, I just wanted you to know that he’s hard on you now but your good work doesn’t go unnoticed. Since you and your buddy are new, he just wants to make sure you have the grit needed to make it on the ship.”

His tone was friendly, but something about it rubbed Adoryn the wrong way. Each word he said seemed like a calculated choice, but Adoryn couldn’t figure out what exactly he was trying to calculate.

“Thanks.” She said hesitantly.

Lucas gave her another smile, this one not quite reaching his eyes as he studied Adoryn’s face. He dropped his arm and Adoryn continued onto the deck of the ship, joining Wart in the herd of pirates.

“What was that about?” Wart whispered.

“I’m not sure. He’s either being nice or he’s up to something.”

“He’s probably just being nice.”

Adoryn looked over her shoulder at Lucas, smiling and laughing with some of the other pirates.

“Yeah… maybe…”

The Captain made his way up the stairs, so that everyone could see him, and a hush came across the crowd.

“ALRIGHT shits for brains, we are about to dock. Y’all know the rules for town. Do whatever the fuck you want, just make sure you are back in time or we leavin’ without your sorry behind.” He bellowed. “Now get to your positions and prepare to dock.”

The crew scattered like shrapnel and made quick work of making port at the small barrier island of Tillran.

Once docked, Adoryn grabbed her friend and the pair fled the ship.

“Where to, Nobanath?” Wart asked.

“Well we have a whole day soooo, the marketplace then tavern. I wanna do some shopping before I get sloppy drunk.”

Wart simply nodded as this was the standard routine and the two took off into the heart of town.

___________

Adella awoke the next morning in a small inn. Last night, she slipped into an unoccupied room as she fled from the chaos that became of the marketplace. Now, in the light of the morning, it all felt like a distant nightmare.

She placed her feet on the cold ground causing a shiver to run up her spine. As she got out of bed she grabbed the bowl of water placed in her room only to stare blankly ahead as thoughts raced through her mind.

Where would she go now? What should she do? What options did she even have anymore? The image of law enforcement moving towards the shouting merchant just repeated over and over in her mind. Screams of the crowd searching for the lost princess rang in her ears, drowning out any potential thoughts or plans.

On top of being distraught, Adella was also mystified. She never dared to imagine that the news of her disappearance would have been able to make it this far from her kingdom. Her father was a very powerful man, but even so, it had been two years. It must've been nearly impossible to find a messenger willing to travel such long distances. And honestly by this point, she kind of figured that the common people would have lost interest in the search. However, money is a great motivator and the king was hardly lacking in that regard. He would search every island, and have the people constantly on guard.

Her time here was severely limited. Where could she even go now? Where would be out of his reach?

She dunked her head into the bowl of water. The brisk water shocked her system and quieted the frantic thoughts for just a moment. She re-emerged, a plan beginning to crystalize in her mind. She sighed, a world weary sigh.

She was going to need a ship.

Adella had been in enough villages, towns and cities to know that one this size would not have much in the way of law enforcement. Which meant that since she lost them last night, as long as she laid low she should be safe for a day or so. However, she knew there would be both guards and random citizens looking to claim the reward lurking around any of the docks.

In the quiet of the early morning, she could hear other people in the inn begin to rise and staff starting their morning rounds. Adella gathered her few belongings as down the hall she could hear housekeepers knocking on doors.

She reattached the small satchel to her belt before descending out of the window. Making her way down the street, she saw exactly what she had expected. Pairs of officers roaming around the town, searching alleyways, dark corners, and the woods surrounding the town. She couldn’t rely on the shadows to keep her out of sight while she waited for the search to be disbanded. She needed a crowd that she could fade into.

No sooner than that thought did a herd of pirates enter the marketplace. Fresh off the ship, a loud and rowdy group of 30 or so offered Adella the perfect opportunity.

___________

Adoryn had scoured the marketplace until the sun began to set and now her backpack rattled with newfound trinkets. Satisfied with her purchases she looked to Wart.

“You ready?”

With his own armful of goodies, he grinned up at her. “Indeed.”

A stillness swept across the marketplace. An uncharacteristic hush falling over pirates. A calm before the storm.

“LET’S GO FELLAS!” Boomed a large bearded pirate. Like the starting pistol of a race, the pirates swept through the crowd not caring who got caught in their path, making a beeline for the Tavern.

Adoryn and Wart, still used to the rigid order of the Navy, began to be overtaken by the current of the pirate stampede. Adoryn grabbed the back of Wart’s backpack in a desperate attempt to stay together when a gangly sailor plowed right between them, taking Adoryn with the group and knocking Wart down to the ground.

“I’ll find you at the tavern!” Adoryn shouted as she was hurdled away.

Wart immediately switched to survival mode. Like a bug trying not to be squished, the small man quickly got up. He had to use all his nimbleness to avoid being trampled. But he was off balance and the crowd was merciless. He got bumped and bruised and knocked to the ground several times before he just decided to stay there, tucked into a ball, until they all had passed.

He stayed there, not daring to move for a moment. Quiet returned to the marketplace just as quickly as the chaos had begun. He was safe and the marketplace was almost completely abandoned. Several locals looked mystified by what had just occurred.

Down on the ground, Wart uncurled himself. In the panic, he had dropped his armful purchases and a lot of the contents of his backpack had spilled out.

He started to reclaim his belongings, inspecting what had survived the hurricane of pirates when he overheard two nearby guards talking.

“Yeah, she got away last night but I’m pretty sure she’s still in the city.”

“I don’t know about that. I bet she’s skipped town by now. ”

“I hope not. I could really use that reward money.”

Wart wondered to himself who they could be talking about when he found a discarded flier on the ground as he picked up the last of his stuff. It read “Missing Princess: Reward 100,000 Gold”. Wart’s eyes lit up at the sight. He quickly folded the paper up and stuffed it into his pocket before hurrying off to join the others at the tavern.

___________

In a dark corner of the tavern, Adella sat alone in a booth as her disguise faded. She quietly watched the poor bartender, who looked on the verge of tears, struggling to keep the pirates from climbing over the counter and storming the bar.

Lost in the crowd, A short pink triton with green dreads and tattered clothes, waved her hands rapidly calling “HELLO?!”. Her small frame made it easy for her to be overlooked. Her pleads fading into the chorus of voices.

The woman huffed in frustration before a look of determination crossed her face.

Adella’s eyes followed her as this small woman expertly weaved between the stumbling drunks and ducked instinctively beneath a pirate as he launched his body at the bartender. It was as if she knew it was going to happen. Adella watched in awe as the woman effortlessly slipped behind the bar, making quick work of grabbing her prize.

As she stood up, an arm-full of bottles, she locked eyes with Adella. Adella panicked slightly at being spotted, but the woman only smiled, raised her eyebrow and motioned to the bottles. Adella felt the gentle smile from this stranger relax her, just a little. She returned the smile, shrugged and tilted her head to invite the woman to approach.

With the same level of precision, the woman slipped her way over to Adella’s booth, as if choreographed. And in a moment she was at the table, placing about 6 bottles of ale down in front of Adella.

“Mind if I join you?” she said, her freckled cheeks rose with that delightful smile.

Adella’s heart raced as the woman made eye contact, her eyes a piercing green. She knew that she should keep to herself but a deep pang for just a bit of company betrayed her.

“Sure, take a seat.”

The woman slipped into the booth across from her, “Hi, I’m Adoryn.” she said, her voice sweet and friendly, she offered her hand.

Adella hesitantly shook it. “Nice to meet you.” was the only reply she dared offer.

“Don’t want to share your name, I take it?” Adoryn said, opening two ales on the table and passing one to Adella.

“How’d you guess?” She answered with a slight smile.

“Well, a beautiful stranger in a place like this…. Bound to have some baggage.”

Adella felt the heat come to her cheeks. She was sure she was blushing. She averted her eyes for a moment.

“Well… if that’s true then what’s your baggage?” Adella said, trying to return the compliment but still staring straight down at the table.

“Psh…” Adoryn leaned back in her seat, taking a swig of her ale, “You won’t tell me your name but you ask me about my baggage? How’s that fair?” Adoryn giggled, a warm, joyful giggle.

Adella looked up once again, meeting those green eyes. “Fair enough.” She paused for a moment. “....what should we discuss then? Us both being so private leaves us little room for discussion.”

The stranger, Adoryn, thought for a moment.

“We could simply sit here quietly.” Adella feebly suggested. “And just enjoy the company of another person.”

The woman looked up at Adella dismissively, “What fun would that be?”

Adoryn paused, that same look of determination and focus from before crossed her face again. Everything was so expressive, you could see the wheels turning in her mind as she thought. Adella chuckled a little at the strangers intensity to think of a topic.

Suddenly, she lit up and tenderly grabbed Adella’s hand. The heat of her hand made Adella’s heart flutter. She swallowed hard.

“Cats or dogs?” Adoryn asked, confidently. Her eyes wide with excitement and a huge smile breaking across her face.

“What?” Adella laughed.

“Cats or dogs?” Adoryn repeated, firm and unwavering. Her grin went fully from ear to ear now. “A simple way to get to know each other without any sort of….” She leaned over the table, her nose inches from Adella’s, “.... incriminating information.” then looked around, in a goofy, over the top, suspicious way.

Adella laughed, a delighted laugh, and Adoryn flopped back down into her seat.

“Hmmmmmm…” Adella pondered aloud. Tapping her finger to her chin and really playing up the amount of thought she was putting into her answer.

“Well you see, that’s a bit complicated, because where I’m from we don’t really have either of those.”

Adoryn looked enraptured with each word Adella said. No one had paid this close attention to her as she spoke for so long. In her mind she knew it was dangerous, but something about this woman just made her feel ….safe somehow.

“But in my travels, I’ve met several stray dogs that have been so sweet. Stray cats, however, they are not as good company. So I’ll have to go with the dogs.”

“That’s a good answer.” The woman nodded approvingly. “The tricky thing about cats is you have to prove yourself to them. They don’t give their affection easily.” She stared deep into Adella’s eyes “And I love me a challenge.”

The blush returned to Adella’s cheeks and she looked back down at the table, but the stranger didn’t let up, placing her hand on Adella’s once again.

Her heart was beating so loud she almost couldn’t hear Adoryn’s next question.

The two sat there exchanging light hearted, superficial questions tucked away in the back of the bar. Their conversation was light and effortless - exactly what Adella had been craving. But, it was cruelly cut short as ruckus sprung up at the bar. The two turned to look at the commotion and saw a small, green goblin being tossed between pirates.

“Oh no,” Adoryn said, her eyebrows knitted together as she suddenly stood up from the table.

“ What?” She instinctively reached for Adoryn’s hand to stop her before she thought better of it.

Adoryn looked back at her. “I’m sorry, that’s my friend. I would love to stay,” Adoryn looked down at Adella’s hand, touching her own, “But I have to go.” She leaned over and planted a brief kiss on Adella’s cheek before running off and disappearing into the crowd.

Her whole face had a tint of red as she touched her hand to her cheek. Speechless, she simply watched the insane bar fight from the safety of her secluded booth.

___________

“This is perfect,” Adella thought to herself as she bobbed in the shadowy waters under the dock. The wood above her groaning as a large group of pirates sauntered down it towards their boat. Sloppy and drunk, they locked arms like school girls and began singing sea shanties. All the while Adella watched them through the cracks beneath their feet.

Their song grew louder as more of the crew joined in. Adella smiled as her plan to get onto the ship unnoticed was becoming easier with the loud chaos of a bunch of pirates singing.

“That was one hell of an evening!” Adoryn babbled, swaying back and forth in a dangerously unstable manner.

“It sure was.” Wart added, slipping beneath her arm to keep her drunken stumbling from falling off the dock. “But you didn’t need to drink that much.”

“Pssssssssh, silly Wart. Of course I did!”

Wart and Adoryn slowly made their way up the ramp of the ship as Adella swam out from underneath the dock. She began to hoist herself up when a younger pirate girl stopped. Adella froze as the girl began to turn. Her heart rate quickened but she remained perfectly still.

Stopping just short of seeing Adella, The girl doubled over, spilling all the contents of her stomach into the sea below.

“Oh boy, are you alright?” Her short friend asked.

The girl weakly waved a hand to him while wiping her mouth with the other.

Adella breathed a sigh of relief, only to immediately gag at the smell.

The pair continued onto the ship. Adella quickly hoisted herself out of the water, away from the chunks that had begun to float towards her.

Adella tried to not vomit herself as she loaded onto the boat. The song grew loud enough to fill the night and Adella slipped below deck, unnoticed.

___________

They had been sailing for a couple days after port when Wart left to do his nightly patrol of the ship. No one ever asked him to do this. It’s just something he did.

Wart was diligent. The work ethic was the one thing he actually liked about the navy. Sometimes, he really missed the order, the structure, and the respect... but then he would remember all the power hungry, self-indulgent asshole superiors and the deeply embedded corruption. Piracy would suit him just fine.

Wart didn’t enjoy drinking as much as the others. Which meant he tended to stay up later in the evenings than everyone else. Usually, one might assume that the drunks would be the ones up late. However, it must be taken into consideration that pirates start drinking at high noon leading to a quick drunk collapse of the crew come sundown. So, Wart decided to take the night shift. He enjoyed having the ship mostly to himself. The other crew members that tended to the ship at night kept to themselves as well, so it was pleasantly quiet and quite peaceful. He didn’t mind it, not one bit.

His standard routine would be to patrol the ship for an hour or two before going to his own cot for the night. On this particular night, he was about two hours in, down in the very depths of the ship when he heard something…

A creak in an area that didn’t usually creak.

He paused, cocked his head like a confused cat, quieted his breath and waited.

He stood there in silence for several minutes without a sound. No sign of anything out of the ordinary but Wart’s gut told him something was up. So he waited.

And there it was again… that creak. It didn’t come from him, or from a box, but a creak a board makes from a foot standing on top of it as the boat rocks back and forth. He was sure of it now... Someone was back there.

He had two options.

1) Disturb whoever was back there and risk some sort of confrontation, which could be dangerous while all alone.

2) Tell himself it’s nothing to worry about, go to bed, and talk to Adoryn about it tomorrow to see what she thinks.

Obviously, whatever it was, was trying to stay out of sight. Leading Wart to the conclusion that the creature was some sort of stow-away.

Wart wasn’t a narc but he also wasn’t willing to rule out that this person could be dangerous. They were pirates after all. They had plenty of enemies.

He couldn’t risk leaving it be, but he could be smart about it.

He walked out of the room casually, being careful to act as calmly as possible. Once he was sure he was out of earshot, he broke into a sprint. Not wanting to give the creature time to find a new hiding spot before he got back, he ran to the sleeping quarters.

He quickly located Adoryn curled up on her cot. “Adoryn! ADORYN!” he whisper-yelled in her ear.

“Ugh.” her eyes rolled underneath her eyelids. Impatient and starting to panic a little, He gripped her shoulders and shook her. “ADORYN!”

“Huh, What?!”She shoved his hands off of her and sat up in a huff. “What!? WHAT!? What is it?!”

“Something’s here!” Wart hissed under his breath.

“Huh?” A groggy Adoryn rubbed her eyes, “You’re not making any sense. What’s here? What are you talking about?”

“Something’s hidden in the bowels of the ship. You have to come with me… now!”

“Hold u-” Before she could finish her thought, Wart pulled her arm, forcing her out of bed. Before her eyes were even fully open, he had dragged her down the stairs and into the cargo bay.

“Now shush. We don’t wanna spook it.” Wart whispered as they approached the doors.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I got you.”

“Well, thanks for that. Sooo glad to be a part of whatever this is.”

“You’re welcome.” Wart slowly pushed open the door, and the pair crept into the room.

___________

Already on high alert, Adella heard the door swing open and froze, not even daring to breathe. It was the goblin from before. Why had he returned?

“Seriously, Wart. What is it?” A female voice whispered. Adella panicked, he had brought someone back down with him! He must’ve known she was here somehow. But how?

“Sh!” The man commanded his companion, taking a few more light footsteps towards the crates that hid Adella.

She was outnumbered and quite literally cornered. She needed an escape plan, but she couldn’t think, panic flooding her senses.

In a fit of pure desperation, she burst through the crates. They toppled down onto the goblin man, incapacitating him for a moment. Adella scrambled to her feet and started to run. When, out of nowhere, a quarterstaff appeared. It hit her hard in the throat and knocked her to the floor.

Dazed, Adella could only make out a silhouette as a large boot landed on her chest, pinning her to the floor.

“So, was this what you were talking about?”

___________

Adella sat in the center of the cargo bay. The rough rope digging into her arms and legs as her captors exchanged hushed, frantic whispers. The two of them stood off in the shadows, so Adella couldn’t tell much about the figure that had tackled her. However, the voice sounded vaguely familiar.

Her heart raced. She was so anxious she worried that she would be sick right then and there. They just kept whispering, standing there, discussing her demise. She couldn’t take it.

Her nerves overcame her, “What are you going to do with me!?” Escaped from her lips.

The two suddenly turn to look at her, shocked by her interruption. The figure that pinned her moved out of the shadow and realization hit Adella. It was the girl from the bar, Adoryn. Her eyes went wide. Was this good news? Or just… news? They had gotten to know each other… but was that enough?

Adella couldn’t let herself get too hopeful for a potential ally simply due to the way the woman was staring at her now so dissimilar from how she looked at her at the tavern. Before she was warm, kind, her beautiful green eyes filled Adella with a sense of security. But now her gaze was cold, detached and calculated. Adella could see the wheels turning in her head and could find no sign of mercy on her face.

“...Please, I need to get to the mainland.”

Adoryn’s eyes narrow at that. “Why do you need to get to the mainland?”

Adella froze, the emphasis on ‘need’ catching her off guard. “Ummmmm……..baggage?” She fumbled. Adoryn’s eyes stayed locked on hers, unwavering in their intensity. Adella swallowed hard.

“You see how that is suspicious right? You sneak onto our boat for ‘reasons’.” Adella paused, averting her eyes from Adoryn’s gaze. The small goblin man’s face turns to one of deep contemplation, studying Adella’s face.

“You’re asking us to risk our skins, our jobs, our livelihoods for you and you won’t even tell us why.” Adoryn's voice was the same as her gaze, little tone to give any indication of her thoughts or intentions.

Adella took a deep breath and returned her stare, “Look, all you need to know is I’m trying to get away from something. Start a new life. I’m sure as pirates you can understand that.”

That caused Adoryn to pause.

Wart remembered there was that flyer in town. He pulled Adoryn away from Adella and the two moved out of earshot of their prisoner.

“I think she’s that missing princess.” Wart whispered.

“What?”

“You know, Adella Finelly….the one with the reward!”

Adoryn’s eyes went wide and she cast a side glance at Adella.

“So, should we get the captain?” Wart asked, “That reward money would give us a great reputation around here…”

Adoryn stared at Adella, her look much softer than before. Adella noticed, her eyebrows knitted together as she grew concerned, unable to tell the meaning behind it.

“They’ll force her to go back…” Adoryn said softly, barely audible.

Wart looked at her, confused, “Yeah, to her nice cushy castle.”

Adoryn ignored him, walking back over to Adella. “What will happen to you if we give you to the Captain?”

“Um….” Adella was taken aback. This question felt different than the others. More gentle. More personal.

“We know who you are, Adella.”

Adella’s heart stopped.

“What will happen if we hand you over to our captain?” Adoryn repeated, staring daggers into Adella's eyes, unyielding but not unsympathetic.

“Well, I would have to fill my role. Stay in the kingdom and learn how to be a proper ruler.”

Adoryn took a knee to be eye level with Adella “And what’s so bad about that?” her voice even keeled and calm.

Adella paused, “...Nothing, really… I just- I just want to see the world first.”

Adoryn nodded slightly. “What about your kingdom? It’s fine without you?”

“Fine enough. Don’t get the wrong idea. I love my kingdom. I would return if they were in trouble. I left now, because I knew I needed to do this and currently my parents are there to run things. If I do this now, I can be a great ruler when I return… but I’m not ready yet.”

Adoryn stands up and pulls Wart back out of earshot. “We hide her.”

“What? You heard what she said, she has a nice life back home. She’s planning on going back eventually anyway. Why not claim the reward?”

“She wants more time and her kingdom is safe. Plus, the captain might not even send her back. He might sell the pretty princess to the highest bidder.”

Wart recoiled at that thought.

“It’s only 2 weeks, then we port again and she’ll go.”

Wart hesitated. “Okay,” he sighed heavily then turned to Adella, “but you need a WAY better hiding spot!”

___________

The next week, Adella moved from spot to spot on the ship, careful to not stay in one place for too long, per Wart’s very specific directions. She was a little annoyed with the constant adjustments he gave her. She had been hiding for 2 years and never been caught, but whatever, he was doing her a favor and was nice enough the rest of the time.

He and Adoryn would come visit her every night after the bulk of the crew was asleep. They would talk, eat and occasionally play cards. Adella enjoyed it, after all it was the first time she’d had regular company in a long time.

“So, why are you a pirate? You seem too nice to steal for a living.” Adella asked one late night after Wart had passed out on the floor.

It was calm, the two laid on the floor next to the tiny, snoring goblin. Staring up at the ceiling, listening to the creeks of the ship and the sounds of the sea outside.

Adoryn shrugged, “Ehhhh, nice is relative.”

Adella chuckled a little.

“I just wanted to be out here. I don’t know… I like the ocean.” Adoryn smiled.

“Well, you could be on the ocean and not be a pirate.”

“Eh, the other options didn’t suit me. With piracy, I only follow a captain, which is far less complicated than a bunch of arbitrary rules and regulations that are made up mostly for appearance over anything else.” She paused, “...Plus, I can leave whenever I want.”

“Then why don’t you? You keep complaining about this captain. Why don’t you find a new one? One less slimy and stinky.” Adella joked, nudging Adoryn at the word ‘stinky’.

Adoryn laughed “I don’t know. He’s gross but if I rise in the ranks here maybe I can overthrow him or something.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Adella suggestively.

They both burst into laughter, then Adella got quiet and she turned away.

“What is it?” Adoryn asked, concerned at the sudden tone shift.

“What if you guys came with me?” Adella whispered, staring up at the ceiling.

Adoryn's mouth opened to say something when Wart sat up with a start.``Did you hear that?” His large green ears twitching, “Someone’s coming!”

They scrambled to their feet and started tucking Adella back into her hiding spot but it was too late. The door slammed open and the first mate barged into the room. The trio froze, their eyes as large as dinner plates, they stared at Lucas. Lucas stared back, just as surprised.

A moment passed where no one dared move.

“Heyyy Lucus. How’s it go-” Adoryn started before Lucas spun around and bolted out of the room.

“Shit!” Adoryn exclaimed. She pursued him out the door, rushing up onto the desk.

“Sir, the lost Princess Adel-” Lucus was quickly cut off as Adoryn swiftly caught up to him, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and yanked him violently backwards, restraining him in her grasp.

Her moment of victory was short lived however, as a large, dirty hand landed on her own shoulder. She looked over her shoulder to see the dark, black eyes of her captain laser focused on her. The intensity of his glare burned into her as she met his eyes.

His grip tightened. “Where are you keeping her?”

Adoryn swallowed hard as the Captain’s gaze turned from just intense to a death stare.

With all his strength he shook the small woman, forcing her to release her grip on his first mate. Lucas fell hard on the deck of the ship, knocking the wind out of him.

Adoryn flopped like a rag doll in the Captain’s arms as he boomed “Tell me girly!”

The volume of his voice not only hurt Adoryn’s ears but caused the other pirates to be alerted to the situation and they began pouring up onto the deck.

The Captain threw her to the ground and slammed his boot down by her head.

Adoryn was shaken but refused to let him see. She slowly got up and met his gaze.

“Where’s who?” She said coyly.

The Captain’s nostrils flared in anger. You could almost see the steam coming out of his ears in the early morning air.

“She’s under the deck.” Lucas choked out.

Without hesitation, The Captain shoved Adoryn to the side, knocking her back down to the ground where she was quickly surrounded by pirates.

Back below deck, Adella and Wart could hear nothing but a vague kerfuffle. “What do we do?” Adella whispers to Wart.

Wart frantically looked around before quickly scurrying up the stairs to peek through the crack in the door. Only to see the Captain marching towards them and a crowd of the crew up on deck.

For a brief moment, bodies parted and Wart saw Adoryn down on the ground. The two made eye contact through the door. Adoryn nodded.

Wart scrambled back down the stairs and grabbed Adella’s arm.

“We’re going up on deck,” Wart said matter-of-factly.

“What?!” Adella whisper-yelled. “Is that not where the bad people are?”

“Yes. It sure it.”

Adella stared at him dumbfounded as he pulled her towards the stairs. Adella stopped, resisting the pull of the small man’s grip.

He turns to face her, “Adoryn has a plan.” his face no longer full of panic but of a trained calculating assuredness, “We can trust her.”

Adella remained unsure but what else could she do? So far these people seemed trust-worthy. So, she followed him up the stairs.

The doors burst open once again. The morning sunlight burned Adella’s eyes. She saw the silhouette of a large, grizzled man.

“There she is!” Lucus yelled.

“Oh my god, will you shut up!” Adoryn snapped.

Adoryn jumped up off the ground once more, but the pirate crew was closed in around her. Her breath became heavy. She felt the fear and panic of the situation flood her. No escape routes, limited options and decreasing time. She closed her eyes, slowed her breathing and focused in on the soft ocean spray gently touching her skin. She concentrated on the small droplets of water over the top of the ship. They began to drift upwards before erupting into a dense fog.

“What the fuck?” A muffled voice cried.

“I can’t see a thing!” Another one yelped.

“She’s over by the edge!”

Adoryn wove through the crowd, slicing, bashing and stabbing as she went.

Mystified and confused, Wart and Adella stood in the fog with ready weapons but no clue. Then a soaked and blood-covered Adoryn appeared before them.

“Okay, listen closely.” Her eyes filled that determination, she stared at Adella. “I have a fog cloud up right now, have you made one of those before?”

Adella nodded, Adoryn smiled “Great. It should stall them long enough for you to get to a dinghy on the starboard side. You lower it while me and Wart stall.”

Adella’s eyes wide with panic. She opened her mouth to say something but before she could Adoryn grabbed her hands. Her gaze softened. “It’s going to be okay,” She said.

“Come with me.” Adella whispered.

“That’s the plan. We certainly can’t stay here after this. We’ll meet you there but don’t wait. Just get down and we’ll swim to you.”

“We’ll what?!” Wart interjected.

Adoryn scoffed “You’ll be fine, you baby. I’ll carry you like a little green backpack. My swimming capabilities are our main advantage over these guys. We’ll find Adella, paddle to land and find a new ship. But we have to move now!”

Wart disappeared into the fog, Adoryn turned to do the same but Adella held tight onto her hand.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

Adoryn gave her a coy smile “No problem, Princess .She gave Adella’s hand one last squeeze before readying her sword and charging back into the battle.

Adella watched Adoryn disappear into the fog for a moment, steadying herself.. She swallowed the lump in her throat and then zigzagged unnoticed through the chaos.

She found her way to the side of the ship and felt her way to the dinghy. Silently she eased herself down into it. As she reached for the rope she felt the cold metal of a blade meet her throat.

“I believe my Captain is looking for you,” Lucas appeared from the fog, “Get out of the dinghy” he commanded.

Adella froze. She couldn’t go back, she couldn’t see Adoryn or Wart for help… She was once again alone.

She whipped her claws around his wrist, twisting the sword away from her throat and pulling him down into the dinghy with her. He fell on his head. Adella grabbed her own dagger out of her belt and she began cutting through the thick rope, weakening it. The dinghy jolted.

The first mate attempted to right himself, but Adella kicked him in the head, dazing him. She lunged for the remaining rope.

Lucus regained his footing once more. He charged at her causing the boat to sway. She ducked beneath the blade and stabbed her dagger up under his ribs. He cried out in pain.

“What was that?” a distant pirate asked.

“Someone is in the dinghy!”

“She’s getting AWAY!” The Captain howled.

Adoryn focused on that voice, using it to locate the Captain in the fog.

“You…” He muttered softly. “You betrayed us.”

Adoryn laughed at that, “You assume I was loyal to you to begin with.”

The two began to circle one another. “You were on my crew, that demands loyalty!”

“I am loyal to those who deserve it.You deserve nothing.” She spat.

The Captain’s lip curled in disgust. “aaaAAAAA!” His rage boiled over as he released a primal scream. He rushed her, recklessing swinging his blade.

Adoryn dove under the blade sliding across the slick deck of the ship. The Captain went to spin around as Adoryn placed her staff behind his foot causing him to stumble. Adoryn took the opportunity to shove him to the ground. The hard impact knocked the wind out of him. Adoryn slammed her boot down onto his neck.

The captain gagged and gasped. Adoryn readied her sword over his chest. “You little…” His words cut off as Adoryn plunged her sword deep into his chest.

Holding his wound, Lucus still attempted to fight Adella. However, in his weakened and woozy state his swings were more helpful than harmful. He cut the last bit of rope and the dinghy plummeted. The violent splash as it impacted the water echoed out as the last bits of life faded from the ship's Captain.

The dinghy flipped as it hit the water and Adella and Lucus were propelled down into the waters.

Having heard the crash, a fleet of pirates ran to the side of the ship.

“WHERE’D SHE GO?” One yelled as the capsized dinghy began to drift away from the ship.

“I doubt she survived the fall.” Adella hears a muffled voice say as she bobbed underneath the damaged dinghy. She stayed silent.

“Maybe we should check?” At this, she panicked. Her survival instincts of fight or flight kicked in. Without a thought strong enough to stop her, she dove beneath the water, her legs transformed into a massive tail and she swiftly retreated into the sea.

Back on the deck of the ship, Adoryn heaved her sword from the Captain’s corpse.

The fog began to clear and The crew gathered at the he side of the ship turned to see a clear, unapologetic sight of Adoryn bloodied and standing over the corpse of their Captain.

“Uhh…” Adoryn began to say as the group collective gaze swiftly went between her and the corpse.

Wart called out from across the deck, “We have to go.”

The group charged at Adoryn.

“Yup.” Adoryn agreed. She made a Beeline towards her friend, sweeping him up onto her back. She jumped up on the railing and without hesitation the two of them dove overboard.

They painfully smacked into the harsh, cold ocean, rocketing deep underwater.

Adoryn opened her eyes, the salt water stun but she was able to spot Wart. She grabbed his arm and led them back up to the surface.

They were greeted by the many faces of their former crew staring down at them.

“Good luck swimming, traitors!” The crew laughed.

Adoryn coughed the salt water out of her nose and Wart rubbed his eyes before looking around.

“I don’t see the dinghy.” He said.

“I don’t either,” Adoryn whispered sadly.

“What do we do?” Wart asked.

Adoryn paused.“Swim, I guess?”

Wart shrugged, “We’ve been through worse.”

Adoryn gave a sad smile and the two of them swam off.

#Popsiclewrites #The Princess and The Pirate Love at First Fight #The Princess and the Pirate #Love at first fight #dnd #based on a dnd party #fantasy #romance #mermaid #goblin #triton #ocs #wlw #wlw story #tw: violence #tw: death