Before anyone yells at me. This is only in the Assassin's Creed area because they are in the game. This story has no relation to the game in anyway. I have never played it. I just had to write a research paper for my LGBT History class and this was the result. Hope you enjoy.
How to Become a Famous Pirate in Three Easy Steps
Many times throughout her life, Mary thought that it would've been easier if she was born a boy instead of a girl. It would've make getting into the army easier (although they took anyone willing enough to go fight, so it really wasn't that hard). She had been a man-of-war and a foot soldier, and despite being a girl, she was tougher and more resilient than her now deceased (may he rest in peace) husband, Bernard. Just watching him get impaled by another's sword just proved that she was made to fight and be a part of the action, not sit around and play housewife, so she joined the cavalry soon after his death.
So, there she was—fresh off a ship in the Bahamas looking for another boat in need of a working hand. After working as a privateer for the last few years in the West Indies, Mary figured it was high time she just joined a pirate crew from the start instead of waiting for someone to take the ship she was on—again.
Calico Jack Rackham was sitting in the corner table of the seediest bar on the port (not that any of them are really good places to be to begin with) recruiting new crew for his ship, Kingston. He had a young fellow sitting next to him, leaning against his side. He was the only pirate crew recruiting that night, and unless she wanted to join the Minnow's fishing crew or the Merry Men's cargo ship, that was her only option.
Mary bought a pint of beer and sat across from Calico and his matelot at their table.
"Heard ye were hiring. That right?"
Calico nodded. "That's right. Ye any good with a gun, son?"
She nodded and took a sip of beer. "Was a soldier an' cavalry 'til the ship was taken by pirates. T'was able to get off here when the rest o' the crew decided to turn themselves inta the crown."
"How long ye willin' t'work?"
"As long as ye need me."
Calico glimpsed at his matelot, who nodded. He smiled and leaned forwards. "What d'they call ye?"
"Mark Read."
"Welcome t'Kingston, Mark. We leave at dawn." I nodded in thanks, gave my farewells and finished my beer elsewhere in the bar.
Once they left port, the ship meandered the Caribbean for a couple weeks before making its way to Cuba. While there, they gathered some supplies that were hard to come by on the open seas and by pillaging other ships, and picked up a few new crew members to replace the ones that had died in the last month.
Mary learned that the Captain's matelot wasn't just anyone. It was a woman, or at least that's what everyone claimed. According to the older crew, her name was Anne Bonny, who dressed as a man while they were at port or attacking another ship. Mary hadn't seen her around on the ship much however. Still recovering from a sickness, a fellow sailor told her.
No one really knew why she had left for six months. Most people figured she went back to her original husband for a short fling. A couple figured she got some disease that only a spirit healer could fix. One guy mentioned that he thought she was up the belly with child and didn't want her kid to be raised on a pirate ship. If she was pregnant, though, it didn't make sense for her to come back on the ship sans child, so that idea was ignored for the most part. Mary figured that's what happened. It was safer for a woman to be with child on land with no husband than be at sea with a child. She probably left the kid back at the port, if she didn't kill it outright.
About six weeks into Mary's employment, Anne started to venture out onto the deck more often. Sometimes she would be wearing a dress (she seemed to have a couple different ones in her shared bunk with Calico), and sometimes she would be in men's clothes. In those instances, she would help out with the general workings of the ship. And when they attacked another ship, Anne was vicious. She would dress like a man and fight like one, never giving her opponent a chance to recover before she stabbed or shot him. Sometimes she even flashed her breasts at her attacker to distract him. It worked most of the time, too.
After a while, Mary started to notice looks that Anne sent her way when Calico wasn't looking. She had started to have Mary do jobs that kept her close to the only other woman on the ship, and Mary started to find that she didn't really mind it all that much. They talked during the long hours of the day—about their lives before Calico and his ship, about life on the sea, about their dreams for the future. Mary never mentioned that she was female, too.
"Robert," Anne said, walking up to a man carrying around a bundle of ropes, "what can ye tell me 'bout Mark?" She wasn't helping the crew today. It was a bit too hot for her to actually want to work, but being outside her bunk had the added benefit of a nice breeze.
He looked at her strange. "What're ye askin' me for? Ye know 'im best of all o' us on this here boat."
Anne smiled. "Yes, but 'e doesn' tell me everythin'. 'E has secrets that even I'm not privy to. I was jus' hopin' ye knew anythin' else. Does 'e do anythin' strange, perhaps?"
Robert thought for a minute, putting down the ropes and starting to loop them around their holders. She helped him tug a few into place. "Now that ye mention it, 'e never changes in the bunk room, or least when the rest o' us awake. Never pisses when any of us in the room. Stephen offered to keep 'im company the otha night an' Mark turned 'im down. I figured 'e was still gettin' used to bein' on the sea and roomin' with a bunch o' other men, even though 'e been here goin' on three months now. Heard 'e was in the army, too, so I don' see the problem."
"Ever see 'im with his shirt off?"
"Not once."
Anne smiled. "Thanks, Robert. Don't tell Mark 'bout this."
Robert smiled back, gaps in his teeth showing. "Wouldn' dream of it. I like me dangly bits right where they are."
Anne clapped him on the back and walked over to the top of the ship where she could get a nice wind blowing around her body to cool off.
The next day, when Calico was below deck counting supplies, Anne called Mark away from his duties and into her bunk.
"Is there a problem, Anne?" Mark asked, shutting the door behind him. Anne was seated on her bed, legs crossed at the knee. A book was opened, spine up, on the bed next to her. She wore a lovely dress of dark blue with a black center and her normal black boots. Her hair was left down, dark curls framing her face. There was no point in pulling it up while at sea, anyway. Sometimes, she would pull it back when she worked, though, lest it get into things and block her view.
Anne smiled at the thin pirate. "Everythin's fine, Mark. I know we talk a lot out on deck, but I was just wonderin' how ye were gettin' along here out at sea?"
Mark shrugged. "I'm doin' fine." He worried his bottom lip and fidgeted in place. He was small for a pirate. The baggy tan pants and dark green and white striped shirt weren't doing him any favors. The belt and jacket he wore were both black: the jacket almost a size too large. A tanned leather holster complete with pistol added to his look. A sword was sheathed opposite the gun.
"The others in the bunkhouse treatin' ye right?"
"Yes'm. Everyone's real nice."
"Well, that's good." Anne said softly and stood up from the bed.
She walked towards Mark and ran a finger up his arm and over to his chest. "Ye ever been with a woman, Mark?"
Mark swallowed, his eyes darted down to her breasts and back up to her meet her eyes, then down to her lips, and then behind her. "N-no."
"Shame." Anne trailed her finger over to the first button on Mark's shirt. Mark's eyes flickered to hers' as she undid the first button. "Now ye can tell me to stop at any time." Mark bit at his lip again in response. Anne undid the second button.
Mark pushed back, body lightly hitting the door behind him and Anne's hand rest on empty air. "No, wait. I—I—we can't."
Anne lowered her hand a took a step back to give Mark some air. "Why not? Do ye have a lass waitin' for ye back home?"
"N-no. It's just…" Mark started to play with the third button on his shirt. "I'm no' who ye think I am."
Anne smiled encouragingly at the lad. "Don't think anythin' ye say will make my feelings change. Won't ye tell me?"
Mark stared at Anne for a few seconds before closing his eyes and taking a couple deep breaths. Anne remained silent, a small smile on her face. Mark pushed the third button through the hole and moved his hands lower to the forth one, undoing that as well. Once all the buttons were undone, he pulled the fabric out from his pants with one hand, the other holding the shirt closed.
He glanced up from the floor at Anne for a second, saw the peaceful smile on her face and let both hands drop. Without his hands holding the shirt together, it fell loose, exposing his soft stomach that had a hint of abs underneath the skin and medium sized breasts. Wait—
"Ye'r a woman?" Anne whispered, pulling one side of his—no, her—shirt out of the way.
She blushed and her hands twitched towards the open shirt. "Yes'm," she mumbled.
Anne smiled and slid her hand to rest on the other woman's waist, She rubbed her thumb over the soft skin. The other woman squirmed in place.
"Do ye 'ave another name other than Mark?" asked Anne, still rubbing circles on her stomach.
She took a deep breath. "Mary. Mary Read. That was—is—my um given name. When I live as a woman, I mean." Lord, Mary was beautiful when she was flustered.
"Calm down, love. Mary is a beautiful name." Anne rested her other hand opposite the one already on Mary's waist. "And ye 'ave a beautiful body that I'd love ta see out o' those clothes."
Mary's cheeks turned a darker pink. She sucked in a quick breath when Anne started to move to hands closer to the swell of Mary's breasts.
"What about…Calico?" Mary gasped out around Anne brushing her left nipple with her thumb.
Anne scowled as she kissed Mary gently on the lips. "Don't cha worry 'bout 'im."
Mary smiled. "Ye really don't mind I'm a woman?"
Anne kissed Mary again. "Not at all."
Mary leaned down and captured Anne's lips. Anne led them backwards towards the bed, sliding off Mary's jacket and shirt as they went.
They landed on the bed, Anne on top of Mary. She leaned away from Mary. "Ye can still back out y'know."
Mary tangled her hand in Anne's hair and tugged her down until their foreheads were touching. "Not a chance."
"Alrigh' who the fuck is 'e?" Calico shouted, slamming open the door. It bounced hard enough off the wall that it closed itself behind him.
Anne was lounging on the bed in a simple white slip with a book of fairytales. Her hair was down and pooled around her as she read.
She turned to look at Calico. "What the fuck are ye talkin' 'bout?"
Calico loomed over her prone form on the bed. "What other man are ye fuckin'?" he shouted. "I'll fuckin' cut 'im ta pieces—takin' what's mine!"
Anne pushed back at his chest, sitting up. "I'm not sleepin' with any other man 'cept ye."
Calico frowned. "George saw one o' them young'uns leave our bunk five times the last Fortnight, Anne! Green-stripe shirt, 'e said. Who's the rat bastard?"
She rolled her eyes at Calico's overdramatic tendencies. "George doesna know 'is own dick from a broom handle."
He leaned over her, pinning her hands down at her sides with his. "'Is name. Now."
Anne scowled and roughly pulled her hands out from under his, crossing her arms across her chest. "Mary," she stated.
"What?"
"Ye know 'er as Mark."
He backed off, arms limp at his sides. "Ye'r sleepin' with a…woman? How'd a damn woman get on me ship?"
Anne scoffed and got off the bed. She stood face-to-face with Calico. "Is this goin' ta be a problem, sir?" She inquired, hands on her hips. Calico's Adam's apple bobbed. "An' in case ye forgot, I'm a woman, as well."
"Ye'r different!"
Anne stared blankly at Calico. "Wow. I didna think ye could get more fuckin' stupid."
The door behind Calico opened and Mary stepped into the room. She froze when she noticed Calico and Anne glaring at each other, her hand still on the doorknob.
"Shit, sorry, I'll um come back…later." She moved to leave.
"Hold it," Calico commanded. Mary looked up to meet the eyes of her Captain.
"Sir?"
"Ye'r a damn good fighter, Mark. I ne'er saw anyone take down that many Navy at once." He angled his body to face both women at once. "I don't particularly like ye both fuckin' in me bed, but I'm not 'bout to lose two o' the best fighters I've 'ad in a long time."
Anne smiled at her male lover and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, dear. We won't disappoint."
He scowled. "Ye'll be the death of me, woman. And you, Mark, if ye tell the rest o' the crew ye'r a woman and they mess with ye, they'll 'ave to deal with me."
Mary smiled at the Captain. "Thank you, sir." She looked over to Anne and grinned even wider, happy that she wasn't killed.
"I'm goin' ta make sure least one idiot is doin' work and not participatin' in the orgy in the bunk," Calico grumbled, walking out the door.
"He approves," Mary stated, grabbing Anne's forearms in glee.
"He approves!" Anne agreed. "Are you goin' ta tell the crew ye'r a woman?"
Mary shrugged. "Soon, maybe. Let me get used ta the Cap'n knownin', first."
Anne laughed. "I can think of a couple o' things ta do in the mean time."
"You read my mind," she replied and pulled Anne down on the bed.
The End.