Hi guys! So because there hasn't been much activity on A Year Abroad, I decided to do another AU fic. And this time pirates! Hence it being slightly inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean, but not as much so. I'm super stoked about this... I have it all mapped up and y'all are in for a bunch of surprises. And, since it's summer break, I'll be able to update this more often.
Anyways, I promise to not go MIA as I have on my previous fic. I'm not abandoning that one completely... I'll get back to it when I get more motivation. So, I hope to put more time and energy in this one. Yippee!
Okay, enough talk. Onwards with the first chappie!
Disclaimer: I own nothing! TID and all the amazing characters belong to Cassandra Clare.
"My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite."
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
"Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me," Tessa Gray sang under her breath as she looked out into the horizon. Her slim hands were absentmindedly twirling the delicate clockwork angel necklace, dangling just below her neck. Tessa sighed heavily as the ship made it's way along the rough ocean. That was all she could see. Water, water, and more water. Not a single land mass in sight.
It was hell, it really was, but hopefully she would see land soon. Hopefully. Tessa was surprised that she had not gone crazy yet, being on the same small ship and seeing the same old people day after day and eating the same food.
Tessa took a deep breath and resumed her singing. If only she could have the life of the free; not necessarily a pirate's life, but another life where she did not have to worry about every little thing about running a kingdom. If only –
A hand grasped Tessa's narrow shoulder and spun her around. She was eye to eye with a pair of cat eyes – Magnus Bane, first mate to the ship.
"What were you singing there, Princess?" Magnus asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Yes, Tessa Gray was a princess. The princess of Idris, to be exact, where her parents Richard and Elizabeth ruled together as king and queen. Idris was the most powerful kingdom in all the lands and seas, which meant the fate of the land rested on Tessa. Well Tessa, and her brother Nathaniel, who was equally responsible for the crown.
"Nothing," Tessa said, hastily tucking her necklace underneath her dress. When King Richard had given her the necklace, he had instructed her to show no one and tell no one about it. This meant not even Magnus, who Tessa trusted with her entire life.
Magnus released his grip on her shoulder and strolled to stand next to her, looking out ahead into the vastness of the ocean.
"It's all rather depressing, isn't it?" Magnus said to no one in particular, waving his arms in a dramatic motion.
"What is?" Tessa asked curiously.
Magnus spun around to face her fully. He was peculiar looking, compared to others in the kingdom: tanned skin with black, pointy hair, and an abnormal set of cat eyes. Whenever Tessa would ask him about it, he would respond by giving Tessa a smug smirk and a half-hearted wink and then just walk away. This time there was such a burning intensity in his eyes that Tessa had to look away.
"The sea," Magnus continued, "it stretches for hundreds of miles and who knows what darkness lurks beneath it. One minute, you may be happily sailing, and the next minute, some mysterious creature may reach up and grab you and before you even know what's happening, poof, you're gone. It's all rather exciting, isn't it?" He grinned wickedly.
"It is?" Tessa said in confusion.
"Of course, it's not what is always below, but also what's above," Magnus went on as if Tessa hadn't even spoken a word. "I believe the perils above are even more dangerous, Miss Gray. Once you go down, you're known to be gone forever, but if you disappear from above, anything can happen to you. There are worse states than death."
"Magnus, where are you going with this?" Tessa narrowed her eyes.
"Pirates!" Magnus stated simply, jutting his finger in the air. "These waters are cursed with the bloods of those nasty sea dogs, so I warn you not to sing of them again. Words should not be taken so lightly."
And with that, Magnus turned around on his heels and strutted towards the main cabin, but then glanced over his shoulder at Tessa. "It's getting late. Sophie is waiting for you in your quarters so you can prepare for supper. Nathaniel will be waiting for you." He opened the door and disappeared from view.
"I just don't understand, Sophie," Tessa sighed as she sat down in front of her dressing mirror in just her underclothes. "Why must I go on this trip?"
"You know it's for the best, miss," Sophie said over her shoulder, as she brushed Tessa's maroon gown for supper.
"Please don't call me that, Sophie," Tessa said not unkindly.
"Whatever you say, miss," Sophie repeated again. No matter how much Tessa requested Sophie not to call her that, her maid still insisted upon it. Tessa considered the other girl more of a friend than a maid. Tessa glanced over at Sophie, who was hard at work on her dress. She was the same height as Tessa with dark brown hair and an awful scar that tore across her face, but despite that, she was still beautiful.
"There, it's all ready," Sophie said, holding the dress up in front of her. Tessa rose from her seat and walked over to Sophie, who helped her put on the dress. Sophie busied herself with lacing the back of the dress, which was especially tight and made it difficult for Tessa to breath.
"I'm not ready for this Sophie," Tessa groaned. Tessa was aboard the ship for one reason: to go on a diplomatic mission to the neighboring kingdom of Alicante. Neighboring actually meant across the sea in a seven-day journey. It was only day three.
Tessa was coming of age, meaning that she could resume the throne at any moment. Well, Nate was first in line, but anything could happen and Tessa could become queen at any time. This meant learning all the politics behind the job, which Tessa absolutely despised. Her parents thought it best for this trip to be a learning experience. Of course, Nate was with her to help her out, so she wasn't completely alone on this.
"You can do it, miss," Sophie said encouragingly, "just think positive thoughts. Nate has done this plenty of times, and if he can do it, then so could you." She had a point. Nate wasn't particularly the sharpest sword in the land, but he did know how to talk his way through to get what he wanted.
Sophie was done lacing up the dress and busied herself with Tessa's hair. Tessa worriedly glanced down at her neckline to see her clockwork angel necklace was safely tucked inside.
"It's not only that, but everything is happening rather fast, isn't it Sophie?" Tessa went on. "I mean first this, and before you know it, I will be getting married. I'm too young for this!"
"Relax, miss," Sophie said soothingly, "remember, your own mother was past twenty when she married your father. You're only eighteen and there's still a ways away for you to go. Just focus on the little things now." Sophie stepped back, examining her work. "There, you're all ready."
Tessa turned around to get a good look at herself in the full length mirror. The dark red dress made her brown hair look even darker than it normally was and her gray eyes stormier. In a way, she looked and felt older than she was. Maybe she was ready to take on this mission.
"It looks great, Sophie," Tessa said, smiling at the other girl.
"What's bothering you, Tessie dear?" Nate asked, peering at his younger sister from over his food. They were eating the same thing they ate every day: hot stew with fresh fish and a side of bread.
"Nothing," Tessa shrugged, avoiding eye contact with her brother.
"Well surely something must be wrong. You haven't even started on your food." Nate pointed at Tessa's untouched meal. Yes, Tessa was getting sick of the same old food every day, but her mind was still preoccupied with the mission.
"I told you, it's nothing," Tessa insisted, and picked up her food and ate it, despite her lack of appetite. "See, I'm fine." Tessa forcibly grinned at Nate, who in return rolled his light blue eyes.
"She's not fine, sir," said Sophie, who had just entered the dining room, which was attached to Nate's quarters, to lay down dessert. "She had mentioned earlier that she was worried about the mission."
Tessa glared daggers at Sophie, who winked in return before slipping out of the room.
"Is that true, Tessie?" Nate turned to Tessa.
Tessa sighed. "Yes, it is."
"We've already been over this Tessa, you have nothing to worry about. And besides, I will be by your side at all times." Nate gave her a small smile. "And, for the record, the first time mother and father sent me on such a journey, I was alone. Not to mention I made a complete fool of myself at the court of Alicante, so surely the standard will be much better for you."
Tessa laughed, but before she could reply, Magnus burst into the room.
"Mr. Bane," Nate addressed Magnus, "but whatever is it?"
"The captain would like me to inform you all that a terrible storm is heading our way," Magnus announced.
Nate clenched his jaw. "Is there anything we can do?"
Magnus shook his head, disappointment crossing his face. "Unfortunately, no. There are no neighboring islands around us. He said that we will just have to endure the storm. And he advised us all to be extra careful. They say pirates are notorious for roaming these seas." At this, Magnus stared directly at Tessa, who took a nervous gulp.
"Thank you, Mr. Bane," Nate said, dismissing Magnus, who left without another glance. Nate turned to Tessa and said, "see Tessa? There are more important things to matter about at the moment."
"Like that will make me feel better," Tessa said, raising an eyebrow.
Nate laughed. "I think it's best we go to bed, and keep our mind off these things. The storm will hopefully pass by then."
"Oh alright," Tessa said, not wanting to argue with Nate. She was exhausted. "Good night, Nate."
"Good night Tessie."
Thud.
Clank.
Splat.
Tessa awoke with a start. She had fallen asleep hours ago to the pitter patter of the rain hitting against her window. But this was no rain, or no storm for that matter. Tessa jumped out of her bed and hurriedly slipped on her shoes and threw on an overcoat over her thin dressing gown. She threw the door open only to see Sophie standing in front of her, a dim candle in hand.
"Sophie!" Tessa exclaimed.
"Shhh!" Sophie whispered, quickly placing her finger to her lips. "They musn't hear you."
"What's going on?" Tessa said, matching Sophie's whisper.
"Pirates," Sophie said simply. Horror flooded through Tessa's veins; she had thought it was all myths and something in passing, but never an actual thing that would happen to all of them.
"What?" Tessa said, astounded.
"No time to explain," Sophie said hurriedly. "The only thing that matters is getting you away from your room and somewhere else for safe keeping. Now, come on." Sophie grabbed Tessa's hand and pulled her along the narrow corridor. She blew out her candle to ensure that no one would see them. And it didn't help that the storm was violently rocking the boat back and forth, making Tessa feel sick.
"Where are we going?" Tessa managed to ask.
"Mess hall," Sophie said without glancing back. "The least likely place they will notice you." The only problem with the mess hall: it was on the other side of the ship, which meant they would have to go outside to get there.
They emerged at the main deck and Tessa gasped at the terror unfolding before her. There was her crew, swords in hand, battling with, sure enough, pirates, of all different shapes and sizes. Much to her surprise, the pirates looked like normal people, but it was hard to discern with the heavy rain from the storm hitting the deck. There were body strewn all over, but to Tessa's relief, she saw their chests rising, giving a hint of life.
"This way," Sophie urged on, "no time to waste." She guided Tessa towards the barrels that lined the edges, scooting behind them. As they approached the main site of action, Tessa could hear the crack of guns and clash of swords amidst the brawl. She tried her best not to look, at the same time trying to hide from the pirates.
"STOP!" boomed a voice overhead, and immediately all fighting ceased. Tessa looked up through her wet strands of hair to see whom the voice belonged to. A tall figure loomed ahead near the main deck, and he descended the steps towards where Tessa and Sophie were standing. A flash of lightning and Tessa could quickly discern his features: he was man – no more of a boy – with a mop of messy black hair, angular features, and blue eyes as dark as the skies above. He would have been handsome, Tessa supposed, if it wasn't for the perpetual scowl that crossed his face.
"Bring them to me!" the pirate commanded his men, pointing at Tessa and Sophie, "and if any one of you makes a move," he threatened, gesturing to Tessa's crew, "then I'll kill you all."
Immediately, a pair of rough hands seized Tessa. She tried to struggle against their grip, but it was pointless. Tessa could see out of the corner of her eye her men gathering up their arms. Nate started towards her, but was quickly held back by one of the pirates.
"No!" Nate shouted, wrestling with the men who held him down.
"I said," said the head pirate with a calm cool, his midnight eyes piercing straight through Nate, "if any of you takes another step, then you're all dead." He spun around and headed towards his own ship, across the narrow boards that connected it to Tessa's. Tessa was pushed closely behind him, and once they reached the pirate ship, she was pushed down to the creaky wooden floors, Sophie right beside her. A pair of boots appeared before her, and Tessa looked up.
"Welcome aboard, Miss Gray and friend," said the pirate in cold voice. "You both are now prisoners on my ship."
Chapter 1: complete. Yay! So what's the final verdict? Love it, like it, hate it? Lemme know by reviewing, following, favoriting, or all of them. Let's say, three reviews for the next chapter?
Until next time!
~The Pale Red Queen
