A/N: numero dos—hope you like it! And remember guys, talk to me. I won't know what you think till you do. Do you like something in particular? Absolutely hate something? Let me hear it!

Disclaimer: Didn't own, don't own, and probably never will own.


Dawn found Kori at the dock, watching the ship before her. It was a royal gunner, magnificent and large, holding maybe three hundred men. Hundred and fifty feet bow to stern with twenty-eight guns; the ship was a decently rigged man-of-war. The name, 'Titannia', was painted blue on the port side.

At the foot of the gang plank a crowd was gathering. Kori made her way over, swaggering just a bit. A group of fifteen men and boys stood before two men. One sat with a portable desk, a pen hovering over a ledger. The other, dressed in the fancy jacket of a lieutenant, stood before the men, inspecting each face before him. He was tall and lean, with black hair trimmed just short enough so the locks ended at his brow. The man's face, tanned from the sea, seemed sharp, with blue eyes framing a straight nose. He is very handsome, Kori decided. Surprisingly he looked only marginally older then she, perhaps seventeen or eighteen.

After several minutes, the crowd quieted.
"I am Lieutenant Richard Grayson, First Mate of the Titannia. We are in need of able bodied men to help crew the ship to France's western coast." Lieutenant Grayson gestured to the man at the desk. He was slightly past middle aged, a bit seedy, with wire rimmed spectacles low on his hooked nose. "Mr. Dopple will inspect you and take your names before you come aboard. That will be all." And with that, the lieutenant turned smartly on his heel and walked up the plank.

Kori gulped. Inspection? Was she to be revealed before even leaving port? Mr. Dopple pointed to the closest man and directed the group to form a line behind him. Quickly jumping towards the back of the line, Kori eyed the process. Each man would stand in front of the desk while Mr. Dopple checked their eyes, hearing, and took their names. Kori relaxed a bit and waited for her turn.

The line moved fairly quickly, the only pause occurred when Mr. Dopple had a problem telling whether one particular man was deaf or not. He would clap his hands loudly as the man stood with his back turned. For one clap, the man would raise hand, but on the second clap he wouldn't.

Finally Mr. Dopple yelled, "Dammit man, are you deaf or not?" The man turned with a cheeky grin.

"Why yes of course I'm deaf sir." Poor Mr. Dopple, flushed in anger, scribbled his name on the ledger.

"Just go!" he moaned. The man, no older then twenty-five, was a fine male specimen, as far as they went. Blonde hair tied back into a ponytail, he had a broad grin and sparkling brown eyes. His nose looked as if it had been broken once. As he climbed the deck, he caught Kori's eye and winked, and she knew he had been fooling. Kori had to work hard to keep the blush from her face.

After the boy in front of her had signed in, Kori stepped up to the desk. Mr. Dopple adjusted his spectacles, then checked her eyes: holding his hand up and asking her to follow it with her eyes. Then the ears.

"Name?" he asked monotone. Luckily, Kori had prepared for this. It wouldn't help her if she was parading as a boy with a girl's name.

"Ryan Anders, sir." There, the voice was alright, wasn't it? Look him straight in the eye and…

"Next!" His voice startled Kori—er—Ryan into jumping onto the plank. She had passed? She was a crew member of the man-of-war the Titannia! Trying desperately not to skip onto the boat, Kori made it up and looked about the deck. It was orderly and polished, sign of a good crew and steady captain. With both nervousness and excitement clenching her stomach, Kori went to the rail to wait for send off.

Turns out the crew of the grand Titannia was the very bunch Kori had seen at the bar last night. Unsure what to do, Kori lined up with the other new sailors. Suddenly the deck was quiet as a new man appeared from below deck. He was tall and solidly built, with short blonde hair and one piercing grey eye. The other was concealed by a black patch. The blue jacket with elaborate gold piping and lacy collar revealed he was of high rank. Whispers of 'he's the captain', reached Kori's ears, and she straightened and clasped her hands behind her back.

The man walked up and down the line of new recruits, studying each one with a strict eye.

"My name is Slade Wilson, Captain of this ship. You bilge rats will learn your stations in battle as we sail. This is war. We will be ready. Lieutenant Grayson will be in charge of your training from here on out, if you have a problem, take it to him. I expect only to hear of how well you're all adjusting. Or else." With that threat the Captain turned to Lieutenant Grayson who promptly saluted, then disappeared into his quarters. The entire crew seemed to breathe easier with his presence gone. Kori gulped and tugged her hat lower. Would she adjust? Straightening her shoulders, Kori looked out to the harbor mouth. She would if it meant her freedom.

The clatter of a carriage on the dock below caught everyone's attention. It stopped in front of the gang plank, the two horses black and fine, the carriage itself was immaculate. The driver hopped down and opened the door. Out stepped a woman in her mid-thirties, her brown hair pulled back into a strict bun, her face proud but wary. Her dress was of good quality, but not so fine as the carriage.

Behind the woman came a young girl, perhaps a year or two younger than Kori. She was small, with intense dark eyes and pale skin. Black hair cut neatly beneath her chin and a dark blue cloak fluttered slightly behind her as she walked up the gang plank behind the woman. The dress that peeked out beneath the cloak was black satin and dainty slippers the same shade as her cloak flashed with her steps.

Captain Wilson had emerged once again with the arrival of the two. He stepped up to the woman and bowed gallantly.

"This must be Miss Roth and her governess, the lovely Madam Millicent," he said in a voice quite separate from the one he had used with the crew. Elegant and oily, it made Kori shiver. Madam Millicent gave a curt nod and only showed the barest of polite smiles on her thin lips. Miss Roth looked bored and gazed at the ship.

Straightening, Wilson gestured to the cabins below.

"I hope you find your quarters satisfactory, Miss Roth. We shall reach your father's ship in a matter of weeks."

"Thank you, captain." The girl's voice was low and quiet, and the very tone seemed far more mature than her years. The governess beckoned to the girl, giving a severe glare to the watching crew. Miss Roth followed her governess below decks with Wilson close behind.

With them gone, Grayson began barking orders, and the experienced crew scrambled to set sail as the new recruits looked on. Darting among the men Kori noticed a small boy. Maybe the same age as Miss Roth, the boy was scrawny but wiry, nimbly dancing around the heavy footfalls before taking off up a line to the mast. Kori blinked. Like the spider monkeys Kori had read about in books, the boy seemed completely at ease as he swung to the mast. Crouching on a beam, he settled in to watch the organized chaos below him. Blond hair fell into his deep forest green eyes which seemed to sparkle with life and good humor. His worn shirt and patched breeches told of hard luck but he seemed well fed.

Without meaning to, Kori's eyes locked with the boy's. He grinned down at her, a toothy smile that revealed dimples. Kori smiled back then looked back to the shore. The ship was well on its way, the dock and the people on it seemed tiny. Sea breeze hit her face and Kori closed her eyes, breathing deep. Freedom.


A/N: Will Kori keep her secret? Will our characters ever meet? Will a giant octopus attack the ship? Tune in next time on…. This story! Dun, dun, dun!