Author's Note – a ROTBTD story based on the Pirate Au by the wonderful andythelemon on tumblr.
Apologies for not writing Merida's accent into the story – I shall have to ask you to imagine it!
"But whyyyyyy? I only just washed and re-hung it yesterday!"
Hiccup sighed in exasperation and rubbed his forehead. This was the third time he'd asked Jack to climb up the rigging and take down the pirate flag currently flapping proudly in the wind, and the third time he'd either been ignored or deflected by Jack's usual child-like manner.
A little worn and worse for wear, their small but tightly-knit crew was none the less very fond of their flag and all it stood for. For Jack - adventure. For Merida - freedom. And for Hiccup - the chance to widen his horizons, learn new things and meet new people. So a mixture of both Jack and Merida's reasons he supposed upon contemplation.
The image of a skull engulfed in blue flames had been lovingly sewn onto a field of black by none other than Hiccup himself at Merida's request. Her own needle work was appalling and Jack had refused point blank even after they had all agreed on the design. Still, Hiccup could admire the good job Jack had done painting the ship's name onto the stern; The Wisp stood out in delicate pale blue letters from the dark brown wood of the ship. Hiccup had to hand it to Jack that painting legible script whilst hanging upside down over the edge of the ship was clear proof of his steady hands and athletic skill. Shame it was going to have to be covered with mud now.
"I've already told you Jack." Hiccup explained for what felt like the umpteenth time. "We're going to arrive at the Kingdom of Corona soon, and if we have any chance of stealing the Golden Rope then we have to do this sneakily. Which means it would be helpful if we didn't announce to the whole kingdom that we're pirates the second we make port. Toothless has had to hide below deck and you know how he hates being cooped up."
Jack groaned and leant on his trusty staff before pouting slightly.
"Besides…" Hiccup continued, sensing that Jack might try and interrupt him. "it's a direct order from Merida, so I'd hop to it. You know how mad she got last time you took ages with a job."
Jack scowled before wincing slightly at the memory. "Yeah, yeah I got it. Nice and sneaky; quickly in and out. Though where's the fun in that I don't know…." He trailed off in a grumble before clambering up the rigging.
Despite his protests, Jack had a huge amount of respect for Captain Merida Dunbroch and her first mate Hiccup Haddock. They had believed in him when no one else had; they had given him a second chance at life, and he didn't intend on wasting it. He lived for every second, taking fun where he could and was always on the look out for the next adventure – the noisier and more chaotic the better, much to his shipmates chagrin.
Scampering up the ropes with practised ease, Jack smiled broadly as the wind whipped around him the higher he went. Not that he'd ever tell Hiccup, but being up in the rigging or in the crows nest was his favourite place to be – something about being up high made him feel more free than anywhere else. He'd often watch the seagulls with jealous eyes as they swooped on the wind in careless joy – standing in the crows nest with nothing ahead of him except open water and an endless horizon was the closest he'd ever get to that feeling of flight.
Reaching the flag, he began working nimble fingers over the ropes in order to release the flag that was currently threatening to hit him in the face.
"Frost! Haven't you taken down that flag yet?! I asked for it to be done an hour ago!"
Speaking of being hit in the face….
Jack winced as the sound of his Captain's voice drifted up to him, before looking down at her with his trademark smirk.
"Almost done Captain! Peg-leg only just gave me the order!"
"That's Mister Peg-leg to you Jack!" Hiccup's sarcastic reply came from somewhere below him.
Merida rolled her eyes. She was used to the two of them continually teasing each other and had learnt to ignore it for the most part.
The three of them certainly made an odd group, but she wouldn't change it for the world – despite how much they might get on her nerves from time to time.
Jack Frost – The Ghost of the Seven Seas. White hair and pale skin, with piercing blue eyes. Merida would guess he was part albino but he'd never confirmed it either way. His acrobatic skills and ability to move as silently as a whisper made him deadly; his preferred weapon of a staff may look clunky, but you'd never see it coming until it was too late.
Hiccup Haddock – The Dragon Whisperer. The only known man to have ever tamed a dragon, his leather armour and ferocious companion were only a distraction from the true danger – his mind. Quick thinking and tactically brilliant, Hiccup had ensured that their small ship and crew was never a disadvantage on pirating missions. His designs for improved cannons and weapons were highly sought after, and he could often be found tinkering with a new invention below deck; his pet dragon Toothless never far from his side.
The dragon itself was a character all of his own. Black as night and about the size of a large dog, the reptile could fool you into thinking it was almost cute at times. Almost. But it had only taken once for Merida to see him roast one of their enemies alive to always remember that there was a ferocious side to the animal that could never be quelled – no matter how he may purr and curl up beside Hiccup at night like a domestic cat. Still, he was a loyal friend to Hiccup that she couldn't deny, and was certainly handy in a fight.
Then there was her – the Captain of the infamous Wisp, Captain Merida Dunbroch – The Ocean's Inferno. Nicknamed she supposed for either her fiery temper or flame red hair, it was still a name she was rather fond of. As pirate names went it was pretty decent, and it always helped if your victims were terrified of you before you'd even boarded their ship.
She would always prefer to complete a mission with minimal bloodshed, and it helped if their opponents surrendered peacefully. Despite this, it seemed the rumours only grew that she was a fearsome warrior of unmatched skill that was not to be messed with. The tall tale that she could shoot you through the eye from 100 leagues away was her favourite, for her trusty bow was never far from her side. She supposed the rumours were helped by the fact that she had never failed to steal what she had set her eyes upon yet – though whether that was through skill or sheer dumb luck she wasn't sure. "Never underestimate a fearsome reputation" was something that Hiccup had taught her when they first met, and it was something she had clung to ever since.
Sometimes she thought that Hiccup would be a better Captain than her, but if she ever tried to bring it up he would insist that it was her ship, therefore she should be Captain. "Besides" he would add, when she tried to protest "when you saved my life I swore to spend the rest of it serving you. I can hardly do that if I'm the one giving orders now can I?" Then he'd give her a lopsided grin and she'd roll her eyes before stomping off to hide the faint blush on her cheeks.
They had found Jack shortly after and it had been the three of them ever since – with the odd extra crew member here and there of course. Even a small ship needed more than three people to run it! But whilst those names and faces changed frequently, Jack, Hiccup and Toothless were her constants. They were her anchors in the storm that had become her life ever since she had left her kingdom.
She allowed her eyes to briefly wander to the northern horizon. Back towards home. The home she had fled. The family she had left behind.
Shaking herself out of her rare reminiscing she silently scolded herself. This was her home now. This was her family.
She looked fondly down at the boys who were bickering about something trivial now that Jack had descended back to the deck (apparently Jack had carved something rude onto Hiccup's wooden leg whilst he'd slept) and thought about how this next job would set them up for a long time.
As much as she loved the pirate life, it would be nice to have enough money to treat themselves and take a break from piracy for a while. The Golden Rope was rumoured to posses unmatched magical powers; the power to heal all ills and compel any within its binds to tell the truth. Stealing and selling that rope would make them enough gold for a long, long time. And she could certainly have some fun forcing Jack to tell the truth about various pranks of his that he currently vehemently denied.
Merida grinned to herself.
"I don't know why you're so upset Hiccup, I improved it!"
"How is that an improvement?!"
"Well I thought it could do with a bit of character! You know, something more you."
"And a phallus just screams 'Hiccup' to you does it?"
"Well you are a bit of a cock at times yes. Besides, didn't you notice the little dragon wings I did either side of it?"
"Jack I'm gonna kill you!"
"Men!" Merida interrupted their squabbling with a shout. They, and the other members of the crew turned to look at her.
"We'll be making port at Corona within the hour, and if the rumours hold true the Golden Rope will soon be within our grasp. Be ready to retire in glorious wealth and luxury – but only if you do your jobs right! Otherwise it will be the noose for the lot of us.
Remember: we are a small and humble merchant ship stocking up on supplies. Those not needed for this mission stay on ship and keep a low profile – those of you tasked with going ashore, try and make yourselves look more presentable! Merchants, even poor merchants, don't look like drowned sea rats! Any questions?"
Her hawk like eyes scanned the faces below her before she was satisfied that everyone had paid attention and knew what they were doing. With a sharp nod she waved her hand and dismissed them back to their work.
A faint clomping announced Hiccup's arrival at her side. "Everything ready Captain?"
"It's Merida to you Hiccup, you know that" she admonished him.
"'Captain' is more suitable in front of the crew don't you think?" he winked.
Sighing slightly she conceded his point.
"We've been searching for this so long Hiccup – do you think it's really there?"
"Everything certainly seems to point to that" he replied. "All the rumours, all the stories – even that eye witness account that Jack found all say the Golden Rope is kept in Corona."
"Eye witness? You mean that drunkard, One-eyed Wasowski?" Merida laughed.
"Hey, that's Two-eyed Wasowski now!" Jack's voice chirped up from behind them, making them both jump.
"Jack! What did I tell you about sneaking up on people?!"
"That it makes me a fine pirate and to keep doing it?"
Merida paused. "Well yes…but not to us!"
Jack grinned. "Anyway, as I was saying, you can trust Wasowski! I knew his mate Sully from way back, who swore to me he'd only had one eye before. Wasowski definitely had two eyes when I met him, so if that's not some magical healing thingamy I don't know what is!"
"And where did he see this rope again?" Merida asked. She'd already heard the story before, but she liked to hear the information again to be sure.
"I told you – he didn't see it per-say. He used his life savings to pay some witch in the city for a cure to his skin disease – he was going the strangest shade of green. Anyway, she blindfolded him and they travelled by horseback out of the town before she led him up and up these stairs.
Next thing he knew he felt the rope being tied around his hands and this voice was singing to him. Said it was beautiful – felt like he was being bathed in sunshine. Then he was being shoved back down the stairs, dragged through the forest and abandoned. By the time he dared to take the blindfold off he was all alone – and not only was his skin back to normal but he had both eyes! Now how's that for a tale?" Jack finished triumphantly.
"It certainly sounds like the Golden Rope" Hiccup pondered.
"Sounds like?! How could it be anything else?!"
"Shut it you two" Merida snapped, trying to think. "Right, you both need to get changed into that merchant gear we stole off that ship a while back. I'm gonna need you both with me to scout out the town for that witch. It sounds like finding her is the key to finding the rope."
"Aye Aye Captain!" Jack saluted with a grin before grabbing the rail and launching himself over the edge to the deck below.
"Show off" Hiccup muttered. "What are you wearing Merida? No offense, but your usual outfits are a bit, erm…."
"Piratey?" she supplied.
"Yeah… I don't think the male merchant outfits are going to make you stand out any less either."
Merida sighed before grimacing. "I know…there's nothing for it but one of those stupid frilly dresses we got from the last heist. I'll have to be a merchant's sister, coming along for the journey to sample perfumes or something" she spat in disgust.
She began to walk back to her cabin before turning back to point at Hiccup with a threatening finger "And tell the crew – especially Jack – that if I hear a single word about this from any of you I will have you flogged."
"Aye Aye Captain" Hiccup saluted with a barely concealed smirk.
Merida gave him a narrow-eyed glare before storming into her room and slamming the door behind her. Really, Hiccup and Jack were far too similar at times for her liking.
Meanwhile in Corona, in a tower in the middle of the forest a girl sat humming softly to herself, her long golden hair splayed around her. Her quick mind ran over the plan. It wasn't much of a plan, and in all truthfulness it made her stomach turn over when she thought about what she was going to do – but it was her only choice. Today was the day she was going to escape.
Hearing a jangle of keys on the other side of the door she looked up, plastering a smile on her face. But when the guard poked his head around the door, food in hand and a cheery greeting on his lips she had to fight not to let her smile drop.
It wasn't supposed to be him. Not today. Why did it have to be him?