.:X Marks the Heart:.
Chapter One
"The Fall Maiden is dead ahead, captain! We have her in our sights!"
Captain Ruby Rose grinned as she swung herself up into the crow's nest of her own beloved ship, The Crescent Rose. Landing next to her first mate, Jaune, she took the offered binoculars. As he had said, she could see the looming form of a ship on the horizon. Moving her aim up, Ruby focused in on the flag the ship flew.
The black flag with the insignia of the red heart formed from a pair of slippers.
Glass slippers.
Ruby's heart began to thump from the excitement of what that flag—that ship—meant.
Cinder Fall; perhaps the fiercest pirate ever known to sail these heavenly seas. Captain of the Fall Maiden, which, according to everyone at the last town they had docked in, carried some of the most priceless treasure known to man.
And now two months of tracking had been brought to fruition.
"Pyrrha!" Ruby hollered down at the redheaded girl busy at the wheel. "Have everyone open the sails! The wind's in our favor today, and we cannot let that ship out of our sights!"
"Yes, ma'am, captain!" Pyrrha responded with a smile and salute. "Ren! Nora! You heard her!"
As two more of her crew members went to work on the sails, Ruby turned to Jaune, the wide, near-childlike smile never having left her face.
"This is it, Jaune!" she exclaimed. "That treasure is as good as ours!"
Jaune's obviously nervous smile poorly reflected her own.
"I know your answer has been consistent the last nine times I've asked, but for the sake of making it an even ten, I'll ask again: Are you sure about this, Ruby?"
Ruby chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Jaune, there's nothing to fear! I have the best crew in the world!"
"Yeah, but…" Jaune trailed off, eyes taking in the looming form of the ship ahead of them with an inkling of fear. "This is Cinder Fall we're about to raid. She's ruthless! I mean, have you heard what she does with her prisoners or anyone who crosses her?"
Ruby opened her mouth to answer, but Jaune just continued without paying her any mind.
"She's burns her mark onto their wrist and then tosses them in the sea to swim their way to help! I don't know about you, but I'm not that good of a swimmer."
"Well, good thing we won't end up her prisoners then," Ruby said with a grin. "And you should know that anyone who crosses us doesn't get away that easy either. I'd say all that loot below deck speaks to that."
Jaune just sighed. "Fine. You're the boss, boss."
Tipping her hat to him playfully, she shot him a wink before leaping from the crow's nest and landing on the deck ten feet below with grace. Immediately, Pyrrha was calling for her.
"They're finally acknowledging us, captain!"
Ruby turned to the bow of the ship to sure enough see the Fall Maiden rotating in the waters before them. Her grin widened, a hardened glint setting in her eyes.
"Perfect," she muttered under her breath. "Get Yang and Blake up here! It's all hands on deck, guys!"
"You got it!" Nora exclaimed before dashing below deck, soon returning with Ruby's sister, Yang, and her girlfriend, Blake.
"Where you want us, sis?" Yang called to the front of the ship where Ruby still stood.
"Yang, cannons; Blake, help Pyrrha at the wheel. Knowing Cinder, things may get choppy here. Ren, Nora, and Jaune, swords out; you're with me in the raid."
Jaune visibly blanched at his orders, yet still pulled his sword out, it visibly shaking in his grasp.
"Heh, right."
Ruby stood proudly at the front of the ship, confident in intercepting the infamous pirate captain as well as the skills of her crew. They may not look like much at face value, but they had garnered quite the reputation themselves. After all, it wasn't every day that a crew led by an eighteen year-old girl could plunder an entire village in the dead of the night and make off scott-free. Appearing innocent on the outside came in handy more often than not on the high seas.
Peering through her binoculars once more, Ruby observed the enemy.
"They're loading the cannons!" she informed. "Yang, make sure we're ready to counter!"
"Loaded and ready, captain!"
"Pyrrha, have us face west! We strike first!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
As Crescent Rose began her turn, Ruby spun to address her other three companions.
"Once all the firing starts, we'll swing over in the confusion. Cinder's crew is small like ours, so we shouldn't be outnumbered. Cinder won't engage us on her own unless absolutely necessary, so I'll head below deck to this loot of theirs to try and draw her out."
"How much force do we use, captain?" Ren asked.
"The minimal necessary," Ruby replied. "We may be pirates, but I'd like to keep killing off my repertoire. Simply disarm them. Tie them up, toss their weapons into the sea, whatever you feel you need to do. The people may think Cinder's ruthless, but I believe she'll still follow the basics of the Code."
Jaune just chuckled nervously.
"In position, captain!" Pyrrha then cried out.
Ruby looked up to confirm and grinned.
"Yang! Fire!"
A mighty crack rocked the ship, immediately followed by the groan of the Fall Maiden as it sustained their hit.
"Prepare for impact!" Blake hollered, seeing the opposing crew lighting cannons of their own.
"Ren! Nora! Jaune!" Ruby ordered. "To the ropes!"
"Ma'am!"
As the Crescent Rose took its own impact, Ruby used the opportunity to swing from her ship to the other, landing showily in front of a member of Cinder's brigade.
"Well, well," a snarky voice sounded. "If it isn't the Red Baroness."
"Torchwick," Ruby addressed with a grin. "You're looking fabulous as always."
"Okay, kid," the redhead growled. "Shut your trap and draw your weapon."
Ruby's grin nearly split her face as she hollered, "Nora!"
Pink boots immediately collided into the side of Torchwick's head, Ruby's own redheaded crewmate engaging in battle. Seeing Ren locked with Mercury, and Jaune tentatively entertaining Emerald, Ruby nodded before heading below deck. Cannon-fire continued to shake the ship, but Ruby refused to be deterred. They had been tracking the Fall Maiden for too long. She was going to take Cinder's treasure.
Whatever it was.
Kicking open the cargo hold, Ruby halted in her steps, hand instantly reaching for her sword.
There, sitting atop a small mountain of gold, was Cinder Fall.
"Ruby Rose," she crooned with a haunting smile. "We meet again."
"'Tis the game we play," Ruby quipped with a slight bow.
It was true; she and Cinder had been dancing with the other for a good year. Whenever one raided the other, swords clashed, but the damage sustained was always minimal. While Cinder was usually ruthless with any other ships she encountered, there was something about the young pirate captain that captivated her. Instead of merely using all her force, she toyed instead. It was a game of give and take.
"I do hear, however, that you've acquired something that's quite the talk among each and every port," Ruby continued. "Care to share?"
Cinder grinned, rolling her eyes at the young girl.
"Perhaps. Though I warn you, it's more dangerous than any gold."
Ruby's stance drooped slightly, her face contorting in confusion.
"Dangerous?"
Cinder simply giggled. "You silly girl; there is more treasure in the world than simple gold. As such, there are more dangers out there than just us pirates."
Ruby had to admit she wasn't quite sure what Cinder meant, though it wasn't unusual that the captain would tease her with riddles and jokes with each of their meetings.
"Well, dangerous or not, you have piqued my interest," Ruby acknowledged.
"Indeed," Cinder quipped in a bored tone, picking at one of her nails. "We'll settle this the usual way then?"
"My crew is currently engaged with yours above deck," Ruby explained. "The only two missing out on the fun are the captains."
"Well, then, Miss Rose," Cinder hopped off her throne and drew her own jet-black sword, "visitor gets first strike."
Ruby extended her own silver blade and gripped its red hilt tightly, finding a comfortable stance. Grin lighting her face once more, she swung.
Cinder easily parried her, but again, Ruby wasn't looking to injure. As the two captains moved about the cargo hold, each strike was blocked by the other's own. Though they appeared locked in a grueling battle, the easy smiles both women held spoke the truth. This was more a graceful dance, simply wishing to ensnare the other in their web before release.
Their careful waltz only ended as Ruby performed a twirl to parry Cinder's upward swing, stopping her sword so it rested lightly upon the older woman's neck.
"Checkmate," Ruby jabbed with a giggle.
"Indeed," Cinder grinned. "I concede then, Ruby Rose."
Ruby couldn't help fist pumping in victory as Cinder handed over her sword, backing away with hands raised. It was just then that Yang and Blake descended the stairs as well.
"We are victorious, captain," Blake announced. "Ren and Nora have Emerald, Mercury, and Roman's weapons, and Jaune is watching so Neo doesn't fire anymore cannons."
"I've just finished here as well," Ruby explained. "Please escort Cinder above deck. Pyrrha can watch them while we collect our winnings."
With an inclining nod of Blake's head, Cinder went with the girl. Yang immediately clapped Ruby on the back.
"We sure showed them, Rubes!" she snickered. "I don't know what Jaune was so worried about. Nothing ever happens with these guys, yet he gives you the same threatening spiel each time."
"I won't deny Cinder isn't dangerous, but until she makes the first real move, I'm content with this game we have. Besides," Ruby gestured to the many piles of treasure strewed around them, "not every pirate will willingly give up their gold at the first hit landed on them."
Once the rest of her crew sans Pyrrha arrived below deck, Ruby addressed them with her token smile.
"Okay, you all know the drill," she addressed. "Take only what you can carry. We'll make sure to dock at the next port to celebrate and spend our winnings."
With nods from each of her friends, they spread to take whatever they fancied. Ruby, too, took her time to browse. She stuffed a few gold coins in her pockets, as well as collecting quite the stunning sword with a gold handle, but mostly she just basked in her victory.
To be quite honest, Ruby didn't win against Cinder too often. They had probably crossed paths a dozen times, yet Ruby didn't even hold half the wins. Still, each time they met, her crew grew in experience, and more and more lately they had been taking home the wins as a result.
Busy in her internal celebration, Ruby would have missed the latch on the floor in front of her had she not tripped over it. Making out that it appeared to be trap door of sorts, Ruby hauled the latch open and lifted up the door.
Immediately, the smell of mold filled her nostrils.
As well as a hint of blood, the metallic scent making her nose twitch. Sword drawn out of sheer caution, Ruby descended.
The ladder dropped her in a room half the size of the cargo hold above her, yet Ruby immediately knew what this "room" was.
Holding cells. Three of them surrounded her; two of the three filled with water, which leaked in from around them, the wood having rotted over time.
Still, that didn't explain the smell of blood, which had only grown stronger.
Reaching for an old lantern that hung on the wall, Ruby quickly lit it, its orange glow giving the space an even more haunting feel. Though it worked to illuminate the figure curled in the corner of one of the cells.
Gulping, yet squashing any fears, Ruby approached said cell.
"H-Hello?"
There was no response to her feeble introduction.
As the ship moved with one of the waves, the door to the cell slid open. Ruby assumed it had either been damaged in their battle or it never worked in the first place. Upon slowly entering the cell, Ruby realized it hadn't needed to be locked anyway.
The...person, Ruby assumed, had been chained to the wall. Trailing her eyes and the lantern down the figure, Ruby gasped, the lantern clattering to the floor in her shock.
As well as the figure's arms being chained to the wall, where its feet should have been was instead a tail, chained similarly to its arms. The glow from the lantern danced off the pattern of scales, two fins swishing back and forth limply in the water.
"A…mermaid?" Ruby uttered.
Picking up the lantern once more, Ruby approached even more, kneeling down. Sure enough, the tail didn't go away, confirming Ruby wasn't just seeing things. There was really a mermaid in front of her.
Something Ruby had thought were only stories.
Diverting her attention from the ice blue tail that flopped every now and again, Ruby trailed her eyes upwards. It had a nasty looking gash to its side that steadily pumped out blood, and Ruby immediately took off her vest to press it to the open wound, hoping to staunch the bleeding.
A very feminine groan came from the mermaid at the pressure. Ruby then shyly glanced at its chest to confirm that, yes, the figure before her was indeed a woman, if the white sea shells covering its breasts were any indication. Ruby blushed before looking away and mumbling an apology.
Finally observing the girl's face, Ruby was struck by how a face covered in blood and grime could still be so beautiful. While dirty, and with a single faded scar across her left eye, Ruby could tell that the girl's skin was otherwise flawless, and letting herself indulge only slightly, Ruby ran her thumb across the girl's stomach as she continued to hold her vest down. The skin beneath her was smooth to the touch, and Ruby could only shiver.
"Ruby? You down here?" Yang's voice flitted from above.
"Y-Yeah!" Ruby called. "Bring Blake, would you? I need some help."
"Everything okay?" Yang asked as she approached. Ruby could hear her come to an abrupt halt as she uttered out, "Woah."
"Oh my god," Blake whispered, obviously shocked as well.
"I'm not crazy, right?" Ruby looked over her shoulder to ask. "She's real?"
"A-Assuming that tail doesn't just slide off, y-yeah," Yang mumbled.
"Well, regardless of if she's a real mermaid or not, she's hurt, and we're not leaving her here," Ruby said firmly. Frowning, she added, "Cinder has some explaining to do."
"Is she conscious?" Blake then inquired.
"She groaned when I applied pressure to her wound, but other than that, she hasn't stirred aside from her tail."
"We probably need to get her submerged back in water quickly then," the ebony-haired girl explained. "If she's…really anything like in the stories, mermaids can't survive out of water for long."
"Help me get these chains off then."
Yang moved forward to help, and only then did the girl stir.
"P-Plea… Plea-se d-don't…"
Ruby's heart lurched as she came face to face with terrified blue eyes, strands of wet white hair sticking to the girl's face. Trying to reassure her with a smile, Ruby moved her hair out of the way gently.
"We're not going to hurt you," she told her softly. "We're freeing you, okay?"
"W-Why?"
"Because you're hurt and need help," Ruby replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I need…water," the girl croaked next.
"I know," Ruby said. "How much longer can you hold out? We still need to get these chains off and get you back to our ship."
The girl immediately started to struggle at the mention of another ship.
"N-No!" she cried weakly. "Please…"
"But you need help!" Ruby persisted, still trying to keep her voice calm, but firm. "We can't just…turn you loose in the sea with your open wound! You're probably really weak and fatigued too. You need rest. Just…let us treat you overnight, and you're free in the morning."
Giving in, the girl nodded limply before her eyes slid shut once more. Yang, with all her impressive strength, managed to pry apart the cuff of the chains enough to slide the girl's wrists and tail out. Ruby, making sure to keep pressure on her stomach wound, immediately picked her up bridal-style, cradling her against her chest to keep warm.
She couldn't help the affectionate smile she sent the unconscious creature as she murmured, "You're going to be okay."
"So," Yang then spoke, punching her fists together with a nasty grin, "interrogation time?"
Blake scoffed before placing a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.
"Easy there, tiger," she purred. "Why don't we let the captain handle this?"
Grumbling, as she hadn't had much action this time, Yang conceded and followed Ruby up to the deck. Upon emerging, Cinder immediately grinned.
"I see you've found my precious cargo."
"What's this all about, Cinder?" Ruby asked, her tone serious and level. "How long has she been down there?"
Cinder shrugged casually. "Lost track of the days, honestly. We've been feeding her, don't worry, plus we finally put all that standing water down there to good use. She's alive."
"She's hurt," Ruby ground out.
"She didn't come easy."
"Why do you have her?"
Again, Cinder shrugged. "Insurance. Let's just say there's more out there in the world than you know, Ruby Rose, and I can guarantee you taking her will lead trouble right to your doorstep."
"Then let trouble come," Ruby stated without fear. "I won't sit by and let you continue to torture her. She comes with us."
"Those are the rules of our little game, right? Winner takes what they want? Who am I to stop you?"
"I'm tired of your games, Cinder, if you're going to make torture of innocents a regular thing."
At this Cinder stood, glaring down at Ruby with a fire in her amber eyes. Yang and Blake instantly stepped forward to keep the opposing captain at bay.
"You should know by now who you are dealing with, Little Rose," she nearly growled. "I've continued to make an exception for you against my crew's desires, but perhaps I'll have to cut these ties between us once and for all."
"Go ahead," Ruby challenged. "Although I can guarantee, if you do, next time we meet things will be much different."
Cinder simply smiled at the threat and leaned back against the mast.
"Indeed. Take her then," she said. "Take her and get off my ship."
"Gladly."
Yang and Blake stayed behind, waiting until their captain had crossed safely back to the Crescent Rose—Pyrrha had lowered a board for Ruby to cross upon seeing the captain would be unable to swing back over. Jaune, Ren, and Nora all followed, and only once Yang and Blake were back on board themselves did the blonde toss over the weapons they had taken from Cinder's crew after their duel.
"Pyrrha, put as much distance between us and the Fall Maiden as quickly as you can. And watch our back in case they try anything. I'll be in my quarters."
"Yes, captain," Pyrrha nodded, looking somberly, yet with awe at the girl still in the arms of her captain.
"You need a hand, sis?" Yang asked as Ruby walked past, seeing the hardened glint in her eyes in her silver eyes.
"I'll be fine."
Yang exchanged a concerned glance with her girlfriend as they watched Ruby head inside with their newest collection.
Things were indeed about to change for Ruby Rose and her crew.
