Sailing the Seas

by miscellaneousmushroom

Lance, Gwaine, Leon, and Mordred are traders. Lance is accidentally paid gold in which a ring on a chain was found with it. Little does He know that pirates are raiding ships to find that ring, but it is stolen from Lance . Then, Arthur, and his crew, Merlin, Gwen, and Morgana, raid their ship; Lance learns that not all pirates are outcasts once he met them. Searching for the ring

1. Chapter 1

Lance scanned the wonderfully blue abyss that was the ocean as his ship rocked steadily back and forth over the waves. He settled his hand on the strong dark would that was stained from high tides. He inhaled the smell of salty water and felt the small gusts of wind blow against his prickly jaw. He adjusted the white billowing sleeves on his shirt and moved his feet around in his leather boots before turning and helping his friends with the cargo. Gwaine and Leon were heaving heavy boxes of bottled rum from below in the hull.

"Mind giving us a hand, mate?" Gwaine grunted as he set the box down. Lance laughed and walked over to help with the others. Lance, Gwaine, and Leon were traders. They transported goods for a living. Once all the boxes were on top of the deck, Lance sighed with relief as he wiped dripping sweat from his forehead. Their Captain, Mordred, stood tall in his navy blue coat and black boots. His curly brown hair framed his angular face and his green-blue eyes. He turned the wheel with a confidence of a well-experienced sailor. Gwaine ran a hand through his messy dark brown hair and laughed his brown eyes twinkling. "Well, it's done!" Leon laid back his head and let his blond curly hair fall away from his blue eyes. Lance sat thoughtfully.

"Have any of you ever met a pirate?" Lance thought aloud suddenly. All was quiet on the ship. All he could hear was the breathing of the three of them, the turning of the wheel, and the ship creaking over the waves. "Well?"

"I have." Gwaine said. "They're so arrogant."

"Like you?" Leon laughed.

Gwaine's face was grave. "Even worse." All was quiet afterwards. They sat with their elbows resting on their knees.

They listened to the crashing of the waves until Mordred yelled, "Get ready to unload cargo!" They looked over the edge of the ship and saw the beautiful unnamed islands of Camelot. They stood and brushed themselves off. Lance let down the ramp once the ship was secure to the docks. Lance jogged over to lift the heavy crates. He strained his muscles and heaved the box whilst balancing down the ramp. After all the boxes were on the decks, they went down to collect their reward. The trader handed each of them a small velvet pouch. When Lance opened his he saw beautiful gold coins. He secured the pouch to his belt and nodded at the tradesman.

"I have one more thing for you boys!" He gestured them over to his dirty greasy self. He opened a messenger pack and pulled out four sheathed daggers. "To pay for the last trade." He handed one to Gwaine. When he unsheathed it, it had a simple silver blade but the handle was hand carved into beautiful runes and symbols. "The strength. The symbols read, 'The magic, the strength and the bravery." Gwaine smiled and fastened the dagger to his belt. The tradesman handed Leon slightly longer dagger. When he unsheathed it, the blade was gold with a patterned handle. "The survivor." He smiled. "To the dark days, when you sailed the seas in nothing but a small rowboat. That, sir, is worth admiration." Next he handed Lance a dagger. Lance noticed right away, it was curved, and when he unsheathed it, it was a black blade with a light brown handle with engravings of what seemed like feathers. "To Lance, the noble, you are the most noble man I have met." Lance smiled and fastened it at his belt like the others did. Finally, he gave Mordred the longest and widest blade. "To the captain, for his incredible skill and navigation." When he unsheathed it, it looked as though a middle piece of the blade was removed. Two thin blades sat next to each other with about a pinky's width apart. A small ruby the size of a fingertip sat at the between the blades at the bottom. The handle beneath it was wrapped with a dark blue cloth and the traders couldn't help but stare in awe.

"Thank you." Mordred smiled proudly. "We appreciate it, Percival."

Then, they headed off with new daggers at their belts and money in their pockets. Once the ship had left the dock, Lance poured the money in his hand. Five gold coins fell into his palm and suddenly a ring attached to a chain fell out onto the floorboards. No one was around to see it so Lance picked it up hastily and looked at it. It was a gold ring with the signet of a dragon. Lance shrugged and hung it around his neck.