It's funny sometimes, how fate smacks you in the face with little to no warning. Sometimes literally, other times fate tries to be a little more discreet. My fate was a little more reckless, deciding to thrust random events in my life with little to no warning.
It had been a monumentally breezy day. One could barely walk down the cobblestone streets without being battered by a storm of crumpled golden leaves and debris. The towering oak trees that sheltered the village tried their greatest to stand against the angry wind, their boughs groaning in protest as their leaves were torn from their grasps. The blanket of dead leaves resting upon the roofs of the village houses was thinner than normal, most of the leaves swirling around in the air. There was nary a soul to be seen; even the red foxes and their herring prey were taking shelter.
A farm girl sat on the windowsill in her tiny bedroom, her chin rested against the back of her hand. She glared out the window, keeping a close eye on the cattle pen by the red wood barn. She couldn't see them that well, since the field dipped a little where the pen was. Despite its rickety appearance, the fence was holding up thus far which meant she wouldn't have to brave the winds to save a stray cow. She knew she wasn't the only one keeping watch of them; the cows belonged to the entire village after all. If one goes missing, it's a huge blow to everyone, no pun intended. Watching the wind was beginning to grow boring; it had been going strong for nearly the entire day.
She sighed heavily, wondering if there was any more housework for her to do to keep her mind off her intense boredom. She turned slightly in the cushioned window seat, preparing to get to her feet, when she heard an ear shattering, hollow squeal, followed by the violent rattling over the entire house. Everything seemed to be moving – the timber walls, the cobblestone floor and even the sky above. The wind had caught her intrigue once more, drawing her attention back to the rattling window. The latch was jangling violently, prompting her to reach over to the window to secure it. However, before she could reach for it, the window burst open.
A mighty gust of wind knocked the breath from her lungs as she was pushed over backwards. Leaves and other debris streamed into her room as her possessions rattled and crashed to the floor. The wind whistled in her ears, her ears throbbing painfully at the noise. Gritting her teeth together, she pushed her way towards the window again, this time succeeding in latching it closed. For a moment, she was deeply concerned that her house was going to collapse with all these fearful wind but, before her thoughts could turn too grim, she reminded herself that this house had weathered through many a wind storm in the past.
She knew that it was best to stay inside until the wind died down; it was much too dangerous to venture out into the streets with all this debris being blown about.
She turned around, placing her hands on her hips as she exhaled noisily. She examined the carnage that had befallen her living quarters, her brow furrowing in annoyance at the mess. Well, at least she had something to do now. She promptly busied herself with sliding her books back on the oak bookshelf at the back of the room. After doing so, she decided to clean up all the paper and leaves that had settled on her bedroom floor, sweeping them into the corner with a straw broom.
She hummed as she did so, the notes of the music igniting a flow of thoughts and images in her mind. She imagined that she was a maid for a harsh king, one that would beat her if she did not clean to the best of her ability. It was a harsh thought, but it incited her enough to do a good job of straightening her room up. Her broom met with a large sheet of crumpled paper, one with words printed in tiny black font on it. Figuring that it was a newspaper, she scooped down and picked it up, wondering if there was anything worthwhile reading in there – something entertaining.
Being in a town on the center of Willowind, an island on the border of East Blue, they received little information on anything. Sure, they were visited quite frequently by people gutsy enough to head over into the Grandline, but there was never anything interesting here for them but a good place to stock up on supplies and drink aged rum. It was an insignificant island in the first place, not very wealthy, with no tourist attractions or good trade – even the people weren't all that interesting in her mind. And it was for this very reason that newspapers were so valued in Willowind – they gave insight on the more exciting places out there. The girl scrutinized the paper meticulously, craving the information that was packed into the small font.
She skimmed over most of it with a disappointed look on her face, having found nothing all that interesting. She could tell the paper was old, dated back around two months ago, meaning that its information was likely irrelevant. However, as soon as she turned the page over, a jolt of excitement trembled through her at the sight of a new piece of information, a tidbit of something that made her day.
There, printed in bold colour, was the face of a pirate she had never seen before – a surprisingly good looking one at that, she noted. He was young, around the same age as her, in fact. An arrogant smirk stretched his lips, as though he had everything under control, like he could handle whatever was to come. His gaze was partially concealed by an orange cowboy hat though his fearless glare was still visible. A light smattering of freckles dusted his cheeks, something that the girl found rather silly for a pirate to have.
Realising that she had yet to read the article, she tore her eyes away from the handsome young pirate and began to read. The article spoke of how he and his crew, the Spade Pirates, managed to take down an entire marine base with little difficulty. The feat was something to be admired, even if it were only a dingy old base positioned in the middle of East Blue. She was surprised that someone that young had amassed that much strength, that much recognition. He was the same age as her, yet was so infamous, brave and bold.
He must have seen so much – explored places that the girl could only dream of. In all honesty, she had considered setting out on the seas many times in the past. This place was too drab and dreary for her; she needed some excitement in her life, even if she was a little ashamed to admit it. She knew she was safe here and that if she was to venture out into the big wide world, she would be faced with people much bigger and stronger than she was. From this she realised why having people to travel with was so important – they were there to care for her and fight alongside her on the tossing waves.
She knew she was romanticising it but she couldn't help it; she knew she needed to get out there one day to reach her dream. After all, how can one write a story with little experience to draw upon? She realised she was staring at the young captain's photo again, a wistful smile on her face.
She wondered if she could ever join a pirate crew herself one day. She wouldn't join for the fame, or the glory. Hell, she didn't stand out enough to do that; she would be there for the adventure and the friendship. She sighed heavily, placing the paper down on her writing desk beside her bed. She pinned it to the cork board on the wall above, as a reminder of how much fun she could have if she had the guts to leave her village.
She was being foolish; she hadn't the requirements to become a pirate. She wasn't prepared to pillage towns and villages and steal from the rich. There was no way in this world that she could force herself to kill someone, even if she wasn't particularly compassionate in the first place. She scolded herself for thinking so recklessly; she had a family she needed to provide for – a family that depended on her.
She gave one last look at the Captain, searing his appearance into her mind, before she returned to cleaning.