For the TV Show Episode Monthly Competition (The Jolly Roger: Write a pirate!au) and the Ultimate Patronus Quest (Veela: Write a gift fic for another participant using their OTP). For Em.
"What's happening?" Lavender demands.
"Get back to your cabin, ma'am," the crew member instructs. "Just a precaution."
But Lavender isn't willing to comply so easily. They're meant to reach shore in another night or so, and the sudden unease worries her. "What's happening?" she repeats. "Is the ship in some sort of danger? I'm supposed to meet the man I'm going to marry. If there's some sort of-"
From above, she hears a scream that causes her to stop speaking. She shudders. Nothing good can come from a sound like that.
"Have mercy, they've made it aboard," the man whispers, crossing himself. "Do as you please, ma'am. There's no hope left."
Suddenly, all of Lavender's nerve drains. She turns, starting back for her cabin. More screaming. She hears a woman's voice break through.
"Leave no man alive, dear sister."
Lavender quickens her pace. She's heard stories back home of the most fearsome pirates to sail the seas. Two women, twins, known for their wit and nerve. But she's always assumed that they had just been stories. Pirate attacks happen in dangerous waters, not areas so close to her home.
She slips inside her cabin, moving her trunk to the door. Maybe she'll get lucky. They'll assume everyone else is dead, and they'll take whatever they please and leave.
Muttering every prayer she can recall, Lavender climbs into bed, pulling the blankets over her head, and waits.
…
It feels like ages when she hears her door crash against her trunk. Lavender freezes, afraid to make a sound.
"Come now. Do you really think you're being clever?" a woman laughs.
The trunks scrapes against the floor as it's pushed aside. Soft footsteps click across the floor, heading straight to the bed. Another laugh. "My, my. I do wonder what this human-shaped thing is that's covered up on the bed. Hmmm…"
The blanket slips away, and Lavender squeaks, pressing herself against the wall as though it can somehow protect her. "Please! I mean you no harm!" she cries.
She's surprised to see that the woman is quite young, her own age or so, and quite lovely. Tan skin, dark hair and eyes, and a wicked smile. "Oh, I doubt you could harm me, love," she says, her fingers brushing dangerously against the hilt of her sword. "Got a live one down here, Padma! A lady!"
A moment later, her twin rushes inside, eying Lavender curiously. "Well, isn't this interesting," she muses, turning her attention to the cabin. "Nicely dressed, travelling in the company of men. I assume one was your chaperone?"
Lavender doesn't respond.
"I'd wager that if we opened that trunk, we'd find a nice little wedding dress inside," Padma continues. "A lady of your station doesn't just travel by sea for leisure. Am I wrong?"
Lavender keeps her lips pressed tightly together in a thin line.
"Parvati?"
"With pleasure," Parvati answers, pulling a dagger from her coat and kneeling by the trunk, working quickly with the lock. She pulls out the dress, whistling. "How much did this thing cost?"
"A small fortune," Padma appraises. "Silk. Fine silk, at that. Imported, no doubt. The jewels around the bust look real. How much are you worth? More importantly, how much is your beloved willing to pay for your release?"
"Please, I've never even met him. But he's a Duke, and if you let me go, there will be no repercussions. I'll forget that I ever saw you," Lavender insists. "Keep the dress."
"Oh, you're more valuable than that thing," Padma laughs. "Parvati, seize her."
Parvati nods and grabs Lavender by the wrist. Lavender is surprised by her strength. Just looking at her, she appears almost delicate, but her fingers lock around her like iron. Perhaps she has no reason for surprise. It isn't like the sisters developed such a reputation by being weak.
"We'll send word to this Duke that we have something that he needs," Padma continues. "He'll pay a handsome fee, then you'll be on your way, have a lovely wedding, and have many beautiful heirs."
…
Lavender paces the length of her new cabin. She hates feeling so trapped. This journey was supposed to be a great thing for her. A chance to finally escape and create her own life. Now, she finds herself a prisoner again.
"Why haven't we reached land yet?" she demands when Parvati brings her dinner. "It's been three days."
"It would be unwise to dock and make ourselves known. We're giving this beloved of yours a chance to receive his message," she answers. "Eat."
"I won't touch a bite of it. When I show up, starved, he'll have your heads!"
Parvati snorts. "Well, he might want to get in line," she says. "We have at least five monarchs wishing to see us hang. The concerns of a Duke are nothing in comparison."
Lavender scowls. She isn't used to her threats not working. The Brown name has always carried enough weight to strike fear into hearts of others.
"Why do you do this?" she asks. "Who wakes up one day and decides they want to be a pirate?"
"The ones who were captured as children," Parvati answers quietly. "You might recall Captain Riddle and his crew, the Death Eaters. They killed without remorse, and yet we were spared and taken prisoner. You're lucky that you're going to be released, that you won't have to suffer as we have."
Lavender falls silent at that. She remembers the stories. A leader of the Royal Navy, Harry Potter, finally brought an end to Riddle's reign. The seas at home were finally at peace again. She had assumed all the crew members had been executed or imprisoned.
Parvati grins. "I suppose it pays to have a sister who is more clever than any scholar," she laughs. "She sold them the story. Poor orphans, captured and beaten, forced to live at sea. We were pardoned, but we could hardly go back to a normal life."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"You asked. Besides, it might put things into perspective for you."
And with that, she's gone, and Lavender is left alone again. Her stomach growls, betraying her hunger, and she picks up the bread grudgingly.
…
"You're in luck. Your beloved is petitioning for the gold to release you," Parvati reports triumphantly. "You'll be on your merry way again before the week is out."
Lavender nods, but she can't bring herself to be happy about it. Her old fear creeps back upon her. She's marrying a stranger. A man that she may not love or even like. She's been trained since birth to be a proper lady and a good wife, but she isn't sure if she could ever make any man happy.
"Smile. It's what you want, isn't it? Freedom?"
Lavender sighs. "How free is a woman with no control over her own destiny?"
To her surprise, Parvati takes her hand. Lavender tries to ignore the sudden flutter in her stomach. She tries to dismiss it as nerves, but she can't quite bring herself to believe it.
"You always have a choice," Parvati tells her. "Perhaps it is sometimes a choice between two undesirable paths, but the choice remains. You are in control of your destiny. You only have to listen to your heart."
"My heart is very confused right now," Lavender admits.
Parvati laughs and leans in. "So is mine," she says, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.
Lavender pulls away, her eyes wide. She knows that such a thing is improper, and maybe she's a little horrified by it. And yet she feels that it is right somehow.
"Forgive me. My sister is the clever one. I'm the bold one," Parvati mutters. "If I've made you uncomfortable-"
Lavender cuts her off with a kiss, pulling her closer. Suddenly all thoughts of pirates and marriage and destiny fades away, and nothing else matters but this moment.
…
Parvati bursts through the door. "You have to leave."
"Leave? We're at sea," Lavender says dryly. "I don't exactly have the ability to walk on water."
When Parvati doesn't laugh, she feels the tendrils of fear wrap around her heart. "What's wrong?"
"My sister's brilliant mind seems to have grown ruthless over time," Parvati answers. "She plans to receive the gold, slaughter the men, and send your lifeless body back to your beloved."
"What am I supposed to do?"
Parvati slips the key into her hand. "There is a raft. If you're quick about it, you'll be miles away before Padma realizes what's happened. Lock me in here. When she finds me, I will tell her that you seduced me and bolted."
Lavender hesitates. She doesn't want to leave Parvati behind, but it could be her only chance to escape. "Come with me."
"I've told you already. I don't know how to live a normal life," Parvati sighs. "Thievery, murder. It's all I know, and that's hardly a lady's trade."
She knows that she shouldn't feel so torn. All she has to do is run and never look back. And yet her feet refuse to move.
Parvati pulls her in, kissing her fiercely. "Go. Lead a good life. And maybe spare a thought for me every now and then. Go."
Hands shaking and tears stinging her eyes, Lavender turns, hurrying to the door.
…
"We found her at sea. Her papers confirm that it's her."
Lavender opens her eyes, confused. She remembers very little. A raft. A storm. Cold water consuming her. And Parvati…
She bolts upright, her heart hammering in her chest. "The pirates?"
"Don't fear, my pet. My men are hunting them as we speak," a man with soft eyes and a warm smile assures her. "I'm terribly sorry that our first meeting has to be this way. I had so looked forward to receiving you at the dock."
It takes several moments for her to understand what he means. Realization slowly creeps in. This is him. This is the man she's meant to marry.
He's handsome enough, and he seems kind. Perhaps she could have grown to love him. But now her heart only yearns for tan skin, dark hair and eyes, and a touch so soft that could turn to iron at a moment's notice.
Lavender climbs to her feet. "Forgive me. I need a walk to clear my head," she says softly.
"Of course. Dean, would you escort Miss Brown?"
"With respect, I would prefer to be alone."
Before anyone can protest, she slips out of the room and out the cottage. And then she keeps walking, never looking back.
She doesn't know what she'll do or where she'll go, but Lavender knows that she has to be in control of her own life. It's what Parvati would want for her, and she realizes that it's what she's wanted for herself all along.