Chapter 1
The young wife and the Captain
A small girl ran across uneven roads of cobblestone. Each step creating a splash on the wet stone from the storm they were currently enduring. Feeble breaths escaped from her lovely pink lips creating puffs of what looked like smoke.
Her dainty feet struggled to keep their grip on the ground. She silently cursed the ridiculously expensive shoes she decided to run away in. But what choice was she left with, it was either running away or marrying the vicious man. The young girl took her chances with running away.
"Quickly! She went that way!"
Men in red and black chased her in the pitch black night with nothing in the sky but a golden full moon and voluminous clouds. It seemed as though the moon was laughing at her, mocking her.
Underneath the moons mocking light, next to the dock, was a ship. The girl had no time to think of the consequences of leaving in the ship. All that worried her were the men chasing her, and especially the vile man inside the castle waiting for her.
She sprinted onto the dock searching for a way to get onto the colossal ship. Her eyebrows furrowed with concentration as she examined it. She spotted an anchor being raised along with voices ushering what she assumed the crew members to prepare for undocking. With out so much as a glance in back of her, she lunged for the anchor.
Expecting to come face to face with a a pirate, she braced herself for what was to come. Instead the anchor stopped just inches from the rails of the ship.
Attempting to climb onto the tip of the anchor to reach for the ship, she reached out. She struggled, being dragged down by the heavy fabric of the dress she wore. She glared down at the soaking wet dress. She shrugged off the cloak first then began to claw off the skirt of the unruly dress. The ship began to move foward, nearly sending her into the angry waves of the ocean. With a grunt she thrusted out of the layers and layers of fabric.
Kicking off the shoes that pinched her feet, she climbed the heavy metal. When she reached the top, the girl reached for the edge of the ship. Gripping, she pulled herself up and scouted for pirates. Her right leg swung over the rail. She prayed silently that nobody would catch her.
The shaking blonde managed to walk through the small crowd of laughing crew members without getting noticed. That was until somebody halted her.
"You! Stop there," the deep voice commanded.
What was once laughter soon became replaced with silence. She once loved silence. She could think in silence, she could read in silence. What was not to like about silence? However, she found that this silence was scary.
Doing as she was told, she abruptly stopped. Her head dropped low. No. This was not the time to be afraid. She had to stay brave. With a deep breath, she picked her head up again.
"Turn around."
She slowly turnt. Her bare toes curled with anticipation. She couldn't make out his face. He was too far up on the higher part of the ship to see clearly.
His eyes widened at the young girl in front of him. She was so small and angelic looking. With sandy, wet hair that frmaed her heart shaped face.
Her eyes like two big emeralds. Her eyes looked tired and frightening. Fierce?
"What is a child doing on my ship? And what is your name?" His voice wavered a bit. But it was hardly noticed. Only the two odd looking men beside him noticed.
"I am not a child," she shouted back.
And my name is Maka. Maka Albarn," Maka said, her voice firm. He looked taken aback by the girl.
"Not a child? You're so small you could fit in a bottle. And you certainly have a physique of a child. His eyes roamed her body as if he were looking for something. Maka scoffed while attempting to cover herself. She remembered how exposed she was.
"I'm fourteen, you swine!"
The crew began to chuckle, but stopped at the look of warning their captain sent them.
"Do you want to die? You shouldn't insult the captain of the ship you so graciously snuck onto."
Maka snorted at the man. Everyone exchanged looks of curiosity, wondering what was to become of this feisty young girl.
"If I had known I escaped an army of raging soldiers only to end up on a ship of an edgy captain that is too cowardly to show his face, I would've just let them take me." That was a lie.
And he knew. She wasn't that good at masking her emotions. Though she held a good poker face, her body movements gave her away.
"Coward? Is that what I am? What were you running from, exactly? I can't imagine a small child like you causing enough trouble to make an entire army chase you."
"I... I was running from a wicked man."
After enduring a long silence and stares from the strangers on the ship, he walked down. Each step creaking under his weight. Within seconds, he was in front of her. Maka swallowed hard. In front of her was a young boy. Not as young as her, probably three two more years older, but still young.
His hair was a silky, snowy white that was wet from the rain that still hadn't died down. Why were they sailing in this weather anyway? They she remembered. They're pirates, they're criminals. They wreak havoc. And his eyes, they were captivating, beautiful. They looked older than the rest of him.
"Your eyes," Maka drawled, her eyes wide.
Soul expected Maka to cower in fear, to scream demon. To run away. He expected terror. What he got was the opposite. It was wonder. Marvel.
Your eyes are of ruby's. They're beautiful," she softly marveled. His eyes went soft. Who exactly was this girl. And why was she running.
"My name is Soul, and I am the captain of the ship you are on. If you value your life, hold you tongue and follow my rules."
Maka snapped out of the trance she was in and chuckled.
"That much is obvious. But before you establish your rules, what exactly am I getting into? I'd rather jump off this ship than go through the extreme," Maka asserted.
Soul pondered for a minute. Then stifled a sigh. He was getting tired. Why bother fighting, and all this commotion was beginning to get to his head. It was far too crowded right now for his liking on the ship, but he could make an exception for this... girl.
"Fine," he began," in exchange for a humble abode and fine cutlery you'd clean the decks and help out when needed of you."
Maka considered what she would be getting herself into. After realizing her odds were too great, she complied.
"I agree... to your terms."
"Great! We need more help around this damned ship anyways. Liz, Patty, Tsubaki! I need you to go find something fit enough for a child to wear," he teased. The crew looked at the captain in confusion as did the girls, but they did as they were told anyways.
Maka growled and followed them only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder. The audacity he had to even lay a finger on her. She shrugged his hand off.
"Star, Kidd, show Maka where she'll be sleeping."
Two boys around Soul's age stepped foward. One had eccentric blue hair and the other had three odd stripes on one side of his hair. This crew certainly was an odd bunch.
Then Maka realized she knew one of them. The eccentric blue hair? Star? As in...?
"Black Star? Is.. Is that you?"
Blackstar's eyes soon widened too. He did recognize her.
"Maka? As in Maka Albarn? As in the whiny little girl that he pushed off of the tree and broke her arm Maka?"
Maka punched his arm and jumped him. Finally! Somebody from her past! Her eyes began to water.
"I haven't seen you since... since you got taken- wait! The man you're running from is that..?" Maka nodded, confirming his thoughts. Then leaned in to whisper in his ear.
"Don't say anything please. Not yet," she said in his chest.
Black Star began to fume, pulling her away from his embrace.
"Did they do anything? We looked all over for you, but after eight years we gave up. Your bitch of a dad's probably out in a bar getting drunk while feeling up some whore," Black star growled.
Maka grumbled," See after eight years, the man still hasn't changed."
With a reassuring hand on her back guiding her towards a room full of hammocks, he told her stories of his life as a pirate all while a surprised Soul was left with his own thoughts.
Maka yawned into her small hand. Tsubaki and Liz along with Patty stole her from Black Star and began to flood her with questions. Too many questions for her liking.
I'll give you each one question," she compromised. They each smiled their gorgeous smile. Something she noticed was that each and every girl on this boat was beautiful. Maka found herself envious of Tsubaki's porcelain skin and curvaceous body, and of Liz's silky, long hair and naturally pouty lips.
Patty was not an exception with bright blue eyes that looked like sapphires and her rosy cheeks that became more noticable in the cold. They each also had distinct personalities. Patty was hyper active, yet kind. Tsubaki held a sweet and passive tone with a shy smile. Liz was blunt and had an old soul. They each made her feel more welcome.
"How'd you get on this ship? Especially in this weather? " Liz gaped.
"That was two questions, but I lunged for the anchor and climbed up from there."
They each looked at her with surprise. How could this small girl have that much strength to sneak onto the ship. And on this ship especially? Didn't she know who they were?
"Why were you half naked?" This question was asked by Patty.
Maka swallowed, her cheeks pink.
"The dress was too heavy. I couldn't climb with the weight. Though I should've gotten rid of the dress when I was running."
They ooed and aawd.
"Why were you running?"
Maka knew Tsubaki meant no harm, but it still didn't help the fact that she felt mad at the invasion of privacy. But she did say she would answer one question each.
"I was running away from a man," Maka replied vaguely.
They talked a little bit longer before departing. Before departing, they handed her the dry, warm clothes. Maka took off the constricting corset, finally being able to breathe properly. She shrugged off the upper part of under garments.
They would be too noticable with this shirt. And there wasn't much to cover right now. It was a thin shirt with flowy sleeves. The shirt was too big, the collar hanging off of her shoulder. But she didn't care. Maka was grateful.
The pants she was given were a size too small. Especially tight on her bottom. Her cheeks dusted with the provocative looking outfit she wore. There was also a belt and a pair of worn out boots exactly her size. Her hair was still down and a little damp.
Maka walked out of the small room, her hands pulling onto strands of wet hair. Her feet took her to the edge of the ship, in front of the sea. The storm died down, leaving a serene sea with the moon's reflection smiling at her.
"Who exactly were you running from?"
Maka didn't move. Her breathing became more shallow, and her hands gripped onto the thick, wooden rail. There it was. That question again.
"As I said before, a man. A vile man that shows no mercy to children nor the innocent."
Soul stared at the stranger before him. Her ashy hair flowing gently in the calm night. The belt she wore made her small, slim body look more thinner. Almost as if she hardly ate. The milky skin of her shoulder was decorated with a hardly noticable scar along with a light display of freckles.
Maka's hand's made their way back to her hair, trying to get it out of her face.
Soul noticed. Her untied a small string from his wrist and walked towards her.
"Here. You seem like you need it. I have another one for myself, so I'll be fine."
Maka thanked him and pulled her hair back silently. He noticed something. It was a healing bruise on the back of her neck. They looked like fingers. And judging by the small girl's wince when she accidentally grazed it, it was still sore.
"I... I don't feel the need to tell you wh-"
"Well, you're going to have to. I need to know what I'm getting myself into," he told her, turning her words to him back to her. Maka looked down.
I'd rather know what to expect- what to be wary of than be taken by surprise by an army of soldiers. That was what you said, right? You were running from a wicked man and an army of soldiers?"
A long silence was all that answered him.
"I was to marry the man. Against my will. He held me captive for...for eight years, trying to get something out of me. I don't know what, but he said I was special. He wanted an heir. A powerful one, so he planned to marry me."
Soul stared at her. Powerful? Special? Heir? Many thoughts flowed through his brain. How could this small girl be powerful. So powerful a man would marry a girl barely going through adolescence. It was revolting. But then Soul remembered the fierce look in her eyes when he first saw them. There was something locked in back of them. Something waiting to be unleashed.
But to marry a girl this young? She probably never even got to experience a childhood.
Maka turned to look at him. Her bangs flowing softly with the light wind. Her eyelashes were damp.
They stayed that way until Liz and Kidd walked onto the empty deck laughing while clutching onto each other. They were obviously drunk. They both giggled against each others lips, breathing heavily.
Soul cleared his throat loudly, preventing them from jumping the others bones. Kidd smiled sheepishly while Liz smirked. They walked off without another word to a more private area.
Maka began to walk away, so Soul followed her.
"Is it always like that? Does everyone have the freedom to do what they please on this ship? It feels... different. I never really had that privilege," the girl whispered.
Soul laughed.
"You can do as you please, but if performing activities like those two, you must consent."
"Consent? I thought pirates raped and murdered," Maka wondered.
"Most do. We prefer to keep our hands on ourselves. Murder, however, is something we do quite often. But don't worry, we never hurt the innocent. Though Black Star does manage to start brawls in bars that manage to get a few people killed."
Maka groaned. Of course he would.
With a quiet exchange of a smile from Maka and a small wave from Soul, they parted ways. Maka into the room of hammocks where others were drunkenly sleeping, Soul into his private room with a a small soft bed waiting for him.