AUTHOR'S NOTE: sort of a prequel to (s)he's a pirate. well, it takes place in the same universe, anyhow.
When Annie—wet with rain that had seeped into every crevice and fold of her clothing—stepped into the pub, her one good hand strayed immediately to the sabre hanging at her waist while her eyes instinctively scanned the patrons. The noisiest were a rough-looking group of men in the corner, slapping the table with weathered palms while frothy ale bubbled over the sides of their mugs, spilling onto the floor below. Others dined in groups of two to three, talking to one another with ducked heads, flashes of gold from open mouths could be seen from where Annie stood at the entrance.
Taking a deep breath, she strode in with purpose, never losing her composure. "Stand tall, Annie," her father had told her once, "and all the world will fear you." As she reached the center of the bustling pub, she pulled a roll piece of parchment from one of the deep pockets within her jacket and held it out, letting the rain-splattered sheaf unfurl.
"I'm looking for the Red Captain."
The entire bar was plunged into silence. Eyes, some bloodshot and some unfocused from liquor, all turned to her. Even though each face was uniquely different, they all shared one common expression. It was fear.
"Why would ye be seeking out the most fearsome pirate to roam these waters?" One man crowed from his seat up on the bar. Younger and far more handsome than the men surrounding him, he raised his mug to Annie and took a long drought, his eyes never leaving hers.
"That is my business and mine alone," she said. The parchment in her hand depicted an unknown figure with a bounty of twenty thousand gold pieces on their head. "Do you know where I can find them, or not?"
The man smirked and it was only then that Annie noticed the start of a jagged scar that she could tell spanned the length of his torso. "You're looking at them. What can I do for a pretty girl like you?"
"I have a request for you," she told the man, rolling the parchment back up. She approached the man, boots squelching on the wooden floor with every step.
"A request? I don't do requests."
"I'll reward you." Her eyes narrowed. "Handsomely."
The man cocked his head, as if seeing Annie for the first time. "Well then. How about we take this somewhere else? I'm not too keen on eavesdroppers." His gaze swept the bar and everyone immediately turned their attention back to their drinks.
She nodded and followed the man out. As she departed, she noticed a hooded figure at a table tucked into the corner of the room stand up and pull the cowl of their hood lower.
"What is this request of yours and how can the Red Captain be of assistance?" The man asked, once they were out of earshot from the pub. He leaned on a stone wall beside her, one arm outstretched. The look in his eyes changed and even from her vantage, Annie could see the glint of greed.
"Tell me where the real Red Captain is," replied Annie.
The man flinched, a muscle in his jaw jumping. "Watch your mouth, girl."
Tching to herself, she noted that he had blocked off her only escape. Even if she were to draw her sword, the chances of her escaping unscathed were slim. "You're not the real Red Captain. I've seen them before."
He guffawed, his other hand on his belly and immediately, some instinct in Annie told her to duck. In that moment, the man had taken the opportunity to draw a short knife at his side and swung it at her. "No one just sees the Red Captain and lives to tell the tale!"
"All the more reason why you're not them." Annie nimbly rolled out of the way and drew her own cutlass, its curved blade catching the light from the moon and lighting up her face.
The man jabbed at Annie with his knife, but she deflected his every blow with a parry of her own. However, what the man lacked in finesse, he made up for in brute strength and with every jab, she could feel the blade drawing closer and closer to her own flesh. Annie clenched her teeth, cursing herself for engaging him in swordplay when she knew her own talents lay in hand-to-hand combat and outmaneuvering the enemy.
The blade finally snagged cloth and Annie leapt back, but the sharpened end dragged a thin line of blood across her side. She retaliated immediately, sidestepping another one of the man's erratic blows and bringing her cutlass down, but another blade intercepted.
The man laughed again. "You stupid bitch. Did you really think I'd be all by myself? After knowing you'd 'handsomely reward' me?"
More men—some of whom Annie recognized from the pub—stepped out from the darkness. Taking a step back, she accessed the enemy. She could make a break for it now, but who knew how many more of them hid in the darkness?
Suddenly, a shadow swooped down from above and Annie caught a glimpse of a fluttering red scarf before they landed. "Men, you're on my territory."
It was a woman, though her face was cast in shadows, making it impossible for Annie to make out her exact features.
"You brought a friend? Excellent."
"Not quite," replied the woman, and Annie could almost hear the smile in her voice. "You," she said, referring to her. "You can fight?"
Annie nodded.
"Good," said the woman. Her hands strayed to her sides and she withdrew two thin blades. The steel shone impossibly bright in the dark of the night. Each weapon was only slightly curved with one of its sides sharpened and Annie could vaguely see its square guard.
It only took her seconds to dispatch the men who'd surrounded her, her blades whipping a flurry of silver around her body. Annie quickly joined in, knocking down anyone who attempted to attack the hooded woman from behind.
The fight was over in a matter of minutes.
"I hear you're looking for the Red Captain," the hooded woman said, resheathing her blades.
"Yes," said Annie, pulling her coat out to hide the cutlass at her hip.
"I think I can help you with that," said the woman. "Come with me." She held her hand out to Annie, who hesitated only momentarily. "You don't trust me? I don't blame you."
Annie narrowed her eyes. "If you attempt to strike me down, know that I will kill you where you stand."
"I'd like to see you try." The woman led Annie through a maze of narrow alleyways, ducking whenever someone passed by. The roads grew windier and Annie could taste the smell of the ocean on her tongue. The sensation was almost musty, its heavy saltiness stinging her eyes, but making her heart sing all the same.
"Come," the woman ushered her toward the piers, a startlingly gentle hand at her back, "it's this way."
Annie followed the woman and to her surprise, they did not set foot onto a boat. Rather, she led Annie into a tiny house situated near the piers and when she knocked on the heavy wooden door, a tiny slat opened.
"Whozzit?" Brown eyes, narrowed with suspicion, peered out at their guests.
"Sasha, it's me."
"You're back? Whozzat?"
"A guest. Let me in, Sasha."
The eyes—belonging to presumably Sasha—were rolled heavily, but the door was opened nonetheless and Annie was immediately surprised by the occupants of the room. They were all women.
"Welcome back," said a beautiful blonde sitting at the table in the middle. Next to her, a taller brunette slung an arm around her and yawned.
"Took you long enough. What were you doing anyways?"
"Exploring." Once inside, the woman let her hood fall to her shoulders. In the warm orange light of the room, Annie saw a pretty, almost delicate, face whose only noticeable flaw was a silvery scar tracing her cheek. Dark hair tied back with a ribbon cascaded down her back and as she turned to face Annie, she saw that her left eye was covered with an eyepatch. "You said you had a request for me?"
"T-the Red Captain," the words fell from her lips and as they did, the Red Captain smiled softly.
"Show a little respect, would ya?" Sasha huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're in the presence of the most feared pirate the seas have to offer."
"Sasha." All it took was one mention of her name for the girl to shut up.
"I have a request for you," said Annie and from her coat, she withdrew the sack of gold. The blonde at the table reached for it, but Annie yanked it out of arm's reach. "Only after you agree to my terms."
"You speak callously for someone who had to have themselves saved," said the Red Captain, though not unkindly. Even though her back was to the Captain, Annie could feel the woman's eyes trained on her back. It wasn't entirely an unpleasant feeling, but there was something unnerving about this woman. "Speak your terms, Annie."
"Annie?" Sasha snorted. "You're besties now, is it?"
"Sasha." The blonde hissed at her. "You should really watch your tongue."
"I want you to save my father," said Annie, ignoring the brewing argument in the room. "He's like you. A pirate."
"Not a very good one, if you need us to save him," chimed in the tall brunette whose arm was still around the blonde.
"Ymir!"
Annie glared at Ymir, but one glance from the Red Captain told her to continue. "Five years ago, my father disappeared."
"A five year journey isn't that uncommon for pirates," said the Captain. "Perhaps, he's still out on the sea."
"That's what I'm hoping for. And I want your help finding him."
The Captain reached for Annie's hands and held them. "Your hands are shaking," she said lowly. "Why the desperation, Annie?" Her voice grew soft. "Is there something else you're not telling me?"
Annie felt the atmosphere around her change and though the Red Captain still appeared curious, there was some unbidden cruelty lurking right below the surface. "He was looking for something."
"Something?"
"He didn't tell me the details, but he said it was of the utmost importance," said Annie slowly, watching the faces around her for their reactions. "It had something to do with the Kraken."
The Red Captain drew back, her face contorted in an expression of fury. "Keep talking."
Seven years ago, a Kraken had appeared from the darkest depths of the ocean and destroyed more than half of Trost, a harbour city. For days, it had rained blood and debris and the King himself dispatched the finest men in his army. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared. Many said that the King had managed to defeat the Kraken, but there were those that claimed the beast still lived and it was waiting for an opportunity to strike again.
"I think my father found the Kraken."
"And you want us to look for that?" Disbelief dripped from Ymir's voice and even the blonde at her side looked stricken.
However, the expression on the Red Captain's face turned to one of delight. She chuckled darkly and whipping a dagger from her waist, threw it at the wall. The knife lodged itself onto a map of the seas, the blade wobbling. "This is perfect."
Annie looked up at the woman. "What?"
"And what of the payment? We won't do this for free, you know."
Annie motioned to the considerable sack of gold. "This is only half of what I'm willing to pay. Consider it insurance."
The blonde grimaced. "This is a meager amount to be risking our lives for."
"Of course, I will accompany you."
The Red Captain put a finger to her chin in contemplation. "Tempting, but I think we'll have to decline."
Annie began to stand up angrily, but the Red Captain pushed her back into her seat. With a motion of her chin, the other girls filed out of the room and closed the door behind them.
"Let me finish," she said. She placed her hand on Annie's cheek and the girl flinched at the contact. "How about…you?"
Annie steeled herself, gritting her teeth for the inevitable blow, but it never came.
"Pledge yourself to me," the Red Captain continued. "Pledge your life to me and I will find your father."
Under her piercing stare, Annie felt like every bit of her was subject to scrutiny. However, she refused to cave and stared right back, narrowing her eyes for good measure. The tension between the two was palpable, and Annie wondered if this was the same woman who had cut down all those men only earlier that night.
"Become part of my crew, Annie," the Red Captain whispered into her ear. She felt shivers go down her, not all of them entirely unpleasant. Unconsciously, she leaned into the other woman. "Join me and I will fulfill your every dream."
"Is this what you promise everyone who comes to you?"
The Red Captain reared back only slightly, staring into Annie's eyes. Their noses touched and if Annie inched further, she was certain she could kiss the woman.
"I found the others. Orphans, street rats, prostitutes, all with a taste for vengeance and a love for the ocean. You are no different, Annie. If you help me, I will help you."
"Is this what this is? A trade?" Annie put her own hand over the Red Captain's, feeling the ridges of her bones beneath her fingers. "Very well. What could you possibly need help with, Red Captain?"
The woman beckoned with a finger and Annie leaned in close, close enough for the woman's lips to brush her ear. "I want to kill the Kraken."
When Annie drew back, she watched the face of the woman and how the look in her eye hardened, like coal pressurizing into diamond. "Impossible."
The Red Captain shook her head, reaching behind to undo the strap of her eyepatch. When the cloth fell away from her eye, Annie was stunned to see that her left eye was completely whole. However, the iris was as red as freshly spilled blood.
"For the once noble Mikasa of House Ackerman, anything is possible. Now, do you agree to my terms or not? Will you pledge yourself to me?" She held her hand out to Annie.
The name was familiar, but Annie's head was swimming and there was no time to think about anything other than the task at hand. "I will pledge myself to you."
"Good," said Mikasa. "Welcome to the crew of the Rogue Titan."