AN: First of, I would like to appologise if there are mistakes in my chapters, I have been constantly trying to find a beta, who could help me out by correcting grammar mistakes and sentence structure. So I would like to apologise if there is any, I'm not a native English speaker. Besides of that! I hope you enjoy!


Chapter 3 – The pirate bay

Tired legs dragged Zarina over the mossy planks of the bay. It was a challenge to avoid not getting squashed underneath someone's boot. Her wings were still wet, and she couldn't test her potion before she had found a quiet spot. With her confidence high, she travelled across the dirty ground.

Zarina took time to notice some of the men and women gathered around. The men seemed far from what she recalled when she was at sea. They were filthy and frankly didn't seem like they paid remotely attention to their looks. The men either laughed at or with each other, some even throwing scolding comments at the loosely dressed women, with corsets laced up tightly around their waists. Never has Zarina seen women dressed so bluntly for sexual appeal. Their breasts squashed together at the top; looking as if though they were about to pop out to greet the sordid men that gathered like flies around excrement. As she looked up she noticed the women's faces hidden behind a great deal of makeup. Idly, she wondered, if they would look completely different if one were to remove the thick layers of powder and blush.

As she wandered across the bay, she slowly began to realise how different this world were from her home in pixie hollow. The almost immature and childlike feel of pixie hollow, built on trust and friendship was far from anything like this. Fairies are very different from humans; fairies are born of joyful laughter, so the whole world surrounding them generally held a positive attitude. This, however, this was a city full of ill-behavioured humans, cursing and fighting against each other. The sinful lust and the sexual themes poisoned the air around her.

Sexual themes, sex. That's not something that is regularly discussed between fairies. Frankly a lot of them don't know what it is. It's a human behaviour and it is not necessarily needed in the world of pixies. Zarina knew quite a lot about it, she had after all spent most of her time around humans.

Humans. Pirates; Those sinful and mischievous creatures that she once was too. Was – Is.

It became a part of her identity. Zarina was far more adventurous and outgoing than most fairies, and the thrill of illegal deeds excited her. The pirates, the sword fights, the family.

But was it what it was truly like to be a pirate? Or was it all a bunch of lies?

Already, Zarina knew that she would have to bring back her tough act. She'd been a captain, sort of. She somewhat knew how to behave around these folks. Power was everything. It was not hard to tell that if you were weak, you likely wouldn't survive as a woman in this type of dodgy alleys. She could hardly believe that someone as posh as James were to be wandering about in such a place. Then again, the bitterness and the evil glint in his eye fitted in perfectly here. Sometimes she would forget that the James she thought she knew wasn't who he really is.

Soon after moving across the dangerous field, Zarina caught attention to one of the alleyways leading to a dead end. Perfect spot. The longer she made her way through the small passage, the more distant the various noises became.

Hand in her bag; she pulled out one of the vials. Time was spent on carefully inspecting the liquid that was tranquilized within. She popped off the cork, overwhelmed by the sudden smell coming from within the bottle. Oh man, it smells like farts. She coughed a little, holding the vial in an outstretched arm. Bottoms up. She looked toward the substance, hesitating a little before she brought it close to her mouth. It was the point of no return. She'd come this far and as of now, she didn't care whether the potion would make her stay human or not.

The tip of the vial rested gently upon the bottom of her lip before she tilted it enough to let the sticky mass run into her mouth.

The bitterness had Zarina cough badly as she swallowed and a warm feeling began spreading through her veins. Within minutes, Zarina went from warm to cold and from content to having aching chest pains. It was as though her limbs were being stretched by a torture instrument. The pain was so overwhelming that she didn't even notice how the ground beneath her had begun shrinking. A thought of her dying passed her mind briefly as the pain began increasing the more her body grew.

Once the pain faded, Zarina opened her eyes slowly. Her first instinct was to search her entire body for faults. She turned her head to the side, seeing how her fairy wings had disappeared; her hands searched her previously pointy ears that had gone round. After confirming her new identity she finally took her time to look around her. Wonder shone in the green/brown eyes that shimmered in the sunlight, reflecting the things she looked upon as she inspected her surroundings carefully. A feint smirk appeared upon her lips as she grabbed stuff off the ground, looking at it with awe. This new perspective had Zarina enchanted, and it took her minutes before she even noticed that she had outgrown her old clothes, and realised she was standing in her complete birthday suit.

Oh, fuck, I should have seen that coming. Carefully she bended down to grasp the tiny bags that had been left on the ground. Using her arms and hands as a tool, she tried to cover up most of her body. Clothes, I need clothes.

Wandering about stark naked, Zarina tried to look through the cracks of the alleyways. A gasp escaped her lips as she fell upon a crook and his wench in one of the alleys. The filthy man held the even filthier woman against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms resting atop his shoulders as he bucked his hips against the woman. The man's trousers pooled around his boots, and the woman's big lacy dress was pulled up to grant him better access. The woman was probably around the age of fifty, Zarina could honestly not tell because of her true identity hidden behind a bunch of makeup. Great moans of pleasure resounded in the alley as the women ever so charmingly demanded him to go faster.

Even though this had been Zarina's first time watching the act of sex, she was not as surprised as she thought she would have been – for some reason. Zarina saw that this would be her chance to steal some clothes for herself. Filthy rags are supposedly better than no rags. Whilst the couple were busy copulating, Zarina seized her chance to sneak up behind the man.

Lightly she tapped the man on the shoulder, causing him to jolt in surprise as he turned his head around. "Th'fuck, bitch?!" he roared loudly, as he eyed Zarina up and down before a devious smirk appeared. "What a fine tight body, my sweet. Ye are more than welcome to join." He purred, leaving the woman groaning, displeased at his suggestion.

"Fuck off, bitch." The lady scolded at Zarina, but Zarina merely lifted her left brow at her.

"Terribly sorry, but I need your clothes." Zarina said with a grin on her lips. Before the man even had a chance to respond to her, Zarina clenched her fingers into a fist and threw a punch hard enough to knock out the man. "Sorry," she said as she squatted down to the ground to start taking off his clothes.

"You fucking crazy bitch!" the woman shrieked as she backed off and ran out of the alley.

Rapidly, Zarina attempted to get the clothes off the man before he would come back to his senses. "You can keep the underwear," She said as she pulled on a grimace. "But this I gladly accept," carefully she grabbed hold of the heavy old gun that were in his pockets, as well as the dagger. Once everything was gathered, Zarina left the pirate and ran off to the nearest spot to get changed.

Most of the clothes fitted her tiny body quite loosely as she pulled it on. A black leathery trouser belt was strapped tightly to keep up the brown pants whilst a clay red one was strapped around her waist and white shirt. The long, heavy, black leather coat fit her slightly better than the rest of the clothes. The boots she had to give up on, as they were far too big for her small feet.

She casted the boots aside and withdrew the weaponry inside the coat. The planks felt cold and wet under her feet as she made it to the main alley. She looked around; trying to figure where to start out in order to find James. Zarina noticed a wooden sign above a building: Frank's pub and finest wenches. It seemed as if though a lot of men were going in and coming out, so if the place was popular enough, it would perhaps be a great place to start.

The smell of sweat and liquor hang thick in the air as Zarina entered the pub. There were women walking around in short dresses, serving all types of liquor and food. Every now and then, a lady would squirm or hit one of the pirates for smacking their arses when they bended over to place the tray upon a table. Even though Zarina should feel disgusted about the way women were portrayed so whorish, she felt more intrigued by the atmosphere.

One of the ladies walked up to her, her left hand on her voluptuous hip, whilst the other holding a tray in her hand. Her hair was enormous, white, just like her face. Her dress was short enough to show off the garters and the high heeled shoes likely worn to make up for her height.

"Anything to drink?" She asked in a hoarse almost broken voice, Zarina found it a surprise how her voice didn't quite seem to match her otherwise gorgeous looks.

"I just need a place to sit."

The lady rose a brow of her, giving a sigh as if she was already bored from the conversation. "You can take a seat by the bar." Eyes rolled in the direction of the bar in the other end of the room, before she made her way to the next costumer.

"Arg. What does a nifty little lady such as you, do in a place like this?" The owner said, as Zarina came up to take a seat by the bar.

Zarina smirked, "I have some business to attend in this town."

"What can I get for you, lassie?" The man asked Zarina kindly as he put a supposedly clean glass back on the shelf.

Zarina leaned over the counter, "Uh, have you got some tea, good sir?"

The owner looked at Zarina for a second before he laughed mockingly at her. "Aye, I got some tea... some strong tea." He said sarcastically as he poured some rum into a glass and passed it to her. "This will fire up yer engine." He laughed again, leaning over the counter.

Zarina crooked her brows slightly, finding this substance rather odd for a type of tea. As she took a sip of the rum, she felt the alcohol burn atop of her tongue and all the way down her throat.

"Oh WOOH!" She was taken slightly aback in her seat, surprised over the kick of the liquor. "That's..." she coughed, "...Quite some tea."

Without further dialogue, the owner walked to one of the costumers, laughing mockingly at the naïve woman.

Zarina cleared her burning throat as she turned around in her seat, crossing her legs as she looked around at the costumers sitting at the tables. She smirked a little at the men and women who had been brought out to the floor, dancing in tact to the music played by a band in the corner.

"...Not when it come to the Cap'n James, that is."

Zarina overheard the familiar name, and turned in the direction of the source. Two men, a scrawny pirate with a missing leg and a big muscular one sat beside Zarina.

"Aye, I hear this Peter has a look out for the dear captain," replied the other. "But what does he have to be afraid of? It's just a mere lad." He laughed.

Zarina cleared her throat loudly, "Aherm. 'Scuse me, I could not help but overhear about this captain you speak of." Zarina turned around to face the men. "I am looking for a man; Captain James Bartholomew."

"Arg. Ye' looking for the famous Captain then. You have come to the right place, lass." Alleged the one eyed pirate, as he gazed toward the girl. "His crew and ship are currently docked in the harbour." The bulky one rose from his seat, taking up the spot on her other side. "Why would such a little lassie like you seek out the world famous crook?"

"I have my reasons," Zarina mentioned casually, taking in another sip of her strong liquor. Guileless and utterly soothing, these drinks were perfect for whenever you wanted an instant fix of heat. Admittedly, she needed that after the turbulent and cold escapade she'd been on so far. "World famous you say," she chuckled, "I never heard of him."

His gaze trailed over her, eyeing out her details. "He is a vile creature, a great pirate. He's one of the greatest men overseas. I hear that once he had even made his ship fly."

Zarina narrowed her eyes slightly. "Oh, he does sound like a great man." Venom from her voice were held aback as she spoke. "Do you know if the cap'n takes on new crew?"

The one eyed pirate stared at the woman before bursting into laughter. "Aye. But a scrawny little lassie such as you shall never become a part of his crew. I hear he has had unfortunate lady trouble once he had been at sea. Women merely bring bad luck." He smirked, his hands starting to travel up her thighs. "But ye should know, how gladly we enjoy women here at bay."

His rough whisper tickled Zarina's earlobe and sent a shiver up her spine.

With a swift slap she removed his hands. "You're in deep water now."

Both men laughed menacingly.

Before the men mutually attempted to grasp hold of her once more, Zarina pulled out the gun and dagger, crossing each arm to point both weapons against the men. The tiniest of a mocking smile curled on her lips. "You've been most helpful, boys -"

She smiled, almost sincerely and sweet. If the weapons didn't get them off her, certainly her calmness and disturbing grin would have.

"- But I suggest you both take your leave."

"You crazy bitch," sneered one of the pirates, but both smart enough to get out of their seats. Zarina smirked frivolously at the men, feeling somewhat triumphant as she withdrew her weapons.

Unexpectedly, Zarina perceived how the entire place had become eerily silent. Uncertain of what it was, she turned around, looking about in the dimly lit pub, lightened by the flickering flames that danced by the fireplace. Her eyes fell upon the entrance to the pub.

She couldn't believe it.