A/N: This is more like a prologue than a chapter, but I wanted to set up the world first, before diving in.
Clarke Griffin had been the mere age of nine, when she was forced out of her home, and onto a ship, called The Arker, filled with strange men. It was the first time she had been to sea, and the first few weeks were a tad unbearable, considering the lack of food and warmth, and the sea sickness that made her throw up the little she was fed. You see, she came from a family known for their wealth, and their promises. Had this been a simple case of ransom, all would have been well soon enough. Unfortunately, Clarke's parents had done wrong by men whom would never allow a debt to go unpaid, and as punishment, kidnapping their only daughter with no intention of returning her, seemed a fate worse than death.
As the years went by, her family, along with everyone who had heard the news, believed the poor girl had been disposed of long ago. However, the truth was a little more interesting than that. It seemed anyone who had the pleasure to meet the lovely young lass, were soon won over by her charms. She had a way about her, that captured the hearts of the pirates that stole her away, and eventually the ship became her home, and the men became her family, her real parents becoming a forgotten memory, lost along the waves and the lies told to her as she got older.
The story she came to know and believe, was that she had been unwanted. That her family had paid these pirates to rid them of her, but as the Captain always said, one look and their hearts were hers. They taught her how to fight, how to steal, how to lie, and most importantly, how to run a ship. She became one of the best fighters in the entire crew, and while they were protective of her, they also knew she could take care of herself.
By the time she was sixteen, she was the Captain's second, and also like a daughter to him. When he grew ill, she was devastated, and when he died, her heart hardened. Became slightly colder, and the men recognized this within her. She was left a ship, and a crew, and she swore to herself, that she would never, ever let them down.
The good thing about her becoming the new Captain, was that the men knew her, trusted her, and respected her— and if they were to stay loyal to anyone, it would be Clarke.
So they hunted, stole, and thrived, and Clarke became the leader she was always meant to be.
When she hit eighteen, she had met a girl by the name of Raven, whom was a couple years older than her. She knew how to make things go boom, and very soon became an asset to The Arker.
Bellamy Blake, on the other hand, was a different brand of pirate. Born and raised at sea, he always knew he'd be Captain one day, always hungered for that kind of power. At times, he was selfish, ruthless even. But his main goal was to instil fear into the hearts of those who laid eyes on his ship's flag, and he got that wish. When it came to most Captains, besides Clarke Griffin.
It wasn't long until the two had come face to face, and who he thought was just a little girl, became his number one enemy.
To say they despised each other, would be a gross understatement. Each of them wanted the other dead, but said goal wasn't something that would be easy to come by, especially since a few years prior, the land had begun to get sick and the world was rotting away in front of their very eyes. There was already enough chaos going around, that it was impossible to focus on one another for too long.
Water had become contaminated, plants and trees started to die, and buildings became ruins. Within five years, the world was hardly recognizable, and thievery was at an all time high.
Sailing became a means of necessity, for despite the dangers that awaited them on sea, it was much safer than land.
It wasn't until Clarke was nineteen, and Bellamy was twenty-four, that they met again, on the coast of an island that still offered food and a place to set up camp. At first their crews had intended to fight to the death, but eventually came to an agreement to split the land between the two, for an alliance made more sense in their situation, than they'd like to admit.
It has been three months since then, and already their island runs low on food, and clean drinking water. Both know that they'll have to set sail sooner rather than later— but neither has been to a main land in over a year— and a lot can change in twelve months in a world as dangerous as their's has become.
