A/N: Hello everybody! Welcome to the first prequel to my story Jewel of the Sea. I guess that technically makes this the first story in the series.

Enjoy!

Arthur Kirkland was born at sea.

Honestly, it was surprising that none of the other Kirkland boys were born on the water - what with the amount of traveling they did. Mrs. Angela Kirkland was the heiress to a trading empire and so she and her husband, Saxon, were required to travel quite a bit. They had already managed to have a child in Scotland and Wales, and a pair of twins in Ireland. It was too bad that all that travel had made the boys hate sailing, but there was nothing anyone could do about that.

The day Arthur was born was warm and sunny - a rarity for the usually dreary isle of England - and, for once, warm enough for pleasure sailing. So Angela demanded that her husband take her and the boys out on their family boat. Saxon instantly rejected the idea, reminding his wife that she was eight months pregnant. But she was adamant, and Mr. Kirkland had to give in. However, he insisted that they bring a midwife. Just in case.

So out they went.

They had only been on the water for half an hour when Angela's water broke. It was messy, disgusting, and scarred the other four Kirkland boys for life, but Arthur came out more easily than any of her other boys. The midwife carefully laid the little baby in her arms and Angela smiled at her newest son.

The baby had light blonde hair and eyebrows so large they looked like they were trying to eat the baby's face. But the thing Angela noticed first was his eyes. His beautiful, shining, emerald eyes. They were open for only a second, before the rocking of the waves lulled him to sleep.

And so it seemed that even from birth Arthur was destined for the sea. He took to it like a fish to water.

Literally.

As a young boy, Arthur loved anything to do with water. In the summers, he swam, splashed, and if he couldn't be found, the first place anyone checked was the beach. During the chilly English springs and winters, Arthur drifted away from the seashore and into the family library. There he found stories of mermaids, explorers, and adventurers - further entrancing him with the ocean. As he grew further he returned to the seaside but instead of swimming, he sailed.

Arthur learned as much as he could about boats, their crews, and everything in between. He would share the things he learned with anyone who would listen. Angela encouraged this and more. She told Arthur all about her own ocean travels and the people she met all over the world. She encouraged him to follow his passions and he did.

That was why the day Arthur turned eighteen, he signed onto a sailing crew.

Unfortunately, being the sheltered, naive, young man he was, Arthur ended up on a pirate crew.

He discovered this fairly quickly. However, he took his unfortunate situation in stride and found that he actually enjoyed being a pirate. He became fast friends with many of his crewmates. He learned quickly and after only five months he became the Quartermaster.

This was when he had his first real interaction with the captain of the ship and Arthur discover just how putrid and despicable the man was. They met in the Captain's cabin and by the time Arthur left he was already planning his mutiny.

He received more support than he had originally expected. Most of the crew despised the man just as much as Arthur if not more. Thus only a week passed before the captain was deposed and Arthur was elected to take his place.

They made a good choice. Despite Arthur's lack of experience, he was a fair captain and an all around better man than the last. He was generous, always making sure his crew members were funded and giving them plenty of land time. Safe to say, they loved him.

To those outside his crew, however, Arthur was a menace. No ship escaped him without losing at least one or two crew members. He made many enemies but that never worried him. He had a fierce crew and a reputation that few would try to cross.

That was Arthur's life for about a year. Until one raid where he met a pirate just as powerful as him.

A/N: Sorry this is so short. It was honestly really difficult for me to figure out what exactly I wanted to do with not only this chapter but the whole story as well. I got it figured out though so things should started moving soon. Until then...

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!