Chapter One

Pirate Raids Aren't Always Bad

Hidden behind a large stack of crates, two blue eyes peered out at the harbor of Port Royal. A rough but ladylike hand swept long, brunette locks away from the eyes, and the young woman who the hand belonged to formed a plan to steal one of the mighty ships. The vessels bobbed up and down on the relatively calm water, some still being emptied of foreign crates of goods and animals. The sight of the ocean and the ships always gave the young woman a feeling of apprehension mixed with excitement, which eventually led to something that got her adrenaline pumping.

Looking at the sky, she saw that it was nearing sundown, and she'd have to carry out the scheme tomorrow. The young lady stood and strode across the planks of the harbor towards a large ship with clean white sails. As she approached people, she shortened her strides to look more ladylike, and opened a parasol over her delicate ringlets. A dignified looking man was standing and admiring the clean ship as a smaller man next to him flipped through papers, talking away. The woman smoothed out her pale blue dress and put on a smile as she stepped up next to the formal gentleman.

"That's quite a lovely ship you have, Captain," she said quietly, her pearly white teeth shining. The captain of the fine ship turned and smiled back at the young woman, obviously proud of his vessel. "Thank'ee, young miss," he said in a gruff voice, "and what might your name be?" The pretty young lady ignored this, and moved on.

Twirling the parasol absentmindedly, she scanned the ship for flaws that would slow her down in her escape, pretending to be admiring its cleanness. Beaming brightly, she said, "When do you sail again, Captain?" The gruff man responded, "Tomorrow af'ernoon, madam. Why d'ye ask?" Fluttering her eyelids innocently, she said, "It's just a shame to see such a fine vessel get battered in the rough sea. But I'm sure an excellent captain like you will handle it." Before the captain could respond, she curtsied politely and quickly walked away, leaving him to the other man, who had never ceased to talk.

Smiling wryly to herself, Miss Temperance King quickly went into the nearest house, a small place that she had rented out. Shedding her gown, she tugged on dark sailor's pants and a loose white shirt. She had to search for her large leather boots, but found them, and after putting them on, considered whether she was ready for the sea.

Temperance had thought about piracy her whole life, and had just recently been sucked into it, but hadn't commanded a ship of her own before. Though she was a skilled fighter and extremely witty and intelligent, it took more than that to handle the open sea. It took a crew, which she didn't have. The woman sat for a moment, twirling a brunette ringlet on one finger, thinking about everything she'd have to do to run the ship by herself. It occurred to her, however, that to steal a ship by oneself and round up a crew would be very pirate-like, so it all seemed to work out. Temperance congratulated herself for being so clever, and retrieved a large helping of rum.

Once the rum had been drained from the tankard and she was comfortable in her large bed, Temperance fell asleep quickly, dreams floating to her almost immediately. She dreamt that she was on a ship with black sails and that she was the commander, but her crew was people that she knew well. None of the faces were perceptible, but she felt that she trusted them with her ship.

The vessel was being tossed around in the choppy water like children tossing a ball back and forth, each one throwing it roughly to the other. As Temperance clung to a mast, yelling orders to her crew, a being stepped up beside her and put a strong hand on her shoulder. She spun around to see who it was, but could only see a dark figure. The touch of the man's hand was familiar, but distant. "Who are you?" she heard herself ask. Just as the face was about to appear from the shadows…

It wasn't her mind that woke her, really. It was the sound of canon-fire and screams. Swinging her booted feet out of bed, Temperance grabbed the pistol and saber she kept next to her bed and darted down the steps. Just before leaping out of the door, Temperance snatched a belt and a hat from the hook next to the doorway. Drawing her sword ferociously, she ripped the door open and dove into the chaotic scene outside.

The first three people that attacked her were pirates. As Temperance fought off all three at once, she noticed black sails bobbing in the harbor, and noted that that was where the firing canons were coming from. Black sails, she thought, where have I seen black sails before? Temperance knew she had to get to that ship. All at once the three pirates were down with one swipe of her sword, and the young woman was off towards the pirate ship.

As she neared the dock, Temperance realized that in order to get on the ship, she'd either have to be taken aboard as a prisoner or swim for it. She remembered the first time she had ever swam in the ocean, and that it was very unpleasant. After considering this and the consistent canon fire, she decided that being taken aboard as a prisoner would be a better idea. Temperance forced her way through the crowd of people back to her house, which had already been looted of its few possessions. She ungracefully tugged her gown over her other clothing, ripping a hole in the side and making her extremely uncomfortable, but as she stepped out of the house in a more innocent manner, she was seized by several pirates and was dragged screaming and fighting to the ship.

A bell was rung on the ship, and every pirate ran back to it, some taking treasures, others taking food. Temperance kicked one man in the chest and he dropped her, leaving only one pirate to drag her away. She easily broke free of the man's grasp and began to run towards the ship, determined to get on by herself. Before she could duck, however, a hand swung out and pushed her down, knocking the wind out of her. As she lay on the ground, her mind slowly fading, she saw the figure in her dream standing over her, his face still unreadable. The last words she heard were, "Take her aboard," and "Aye, Captain."

A/N: Well... I hope you like it. Reiview if...you like cats!! Review if you like dogs!!! Review if...you are NOT a werewolf!! Woohoo!!! I am!!! --VFD