Elsa hiked up her skirt to ascend to the deck. She almost breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the sun hit her skin and the wind blow through her braided hair. She sighed. She would have been much more comfortable if her wedding gown wasn't still on. She was being eaten alive by a plume of fabric. She suddenly felt self conscious when she felt Terra's gaze on her. Or more specifically her dress.
"We'll have to find you less conspicuous... I doubt you want to wear that thing." he said. "I can check the quarters if you like and see if we have something less... puffy?
Elsa felt herself go pale. Why would a man have women's clothing? Two things came to mind. One, he stole them off a dead body. Two, he kept them as trophies from one night stands from the people who decided to venture into his cabin. Her stomach churned at the thought of wearing either. Plus, with him being a pirate and the sort of company he kept, it was likely to be a corset and some skirt with a slit all the way up to her lady bits or something that barely fit and showed off her assets.
"Tell me you didn't get those off a body," she pleaded.
"Of course not!"
"They're not-"
"We normally have a much larger crew," Terra explained, "We broke off with this smaller ship so your kidnapping wouldn't get traced to my main ship."
"Oh..." Elsa breathed.
"You didn't know," he said. "Many people in my occupation don't have secondary ships unless they have a fleet."
Elsa nodded. She supposed that was good to know once she was back in Arendelle and if she ever crossed paths with pirates again. It would be like trying to find a rat's nest. Get them at the nest and you destroy the whole lot. This pirate could help her figure out how pirates work in general and she could use that to stop attacks on her people... If she ever got back to her people. If this wasn't a rouse to get money from the kingdom of Arendelle. Or if they weren't going to try to ransom them off to the highest paying slaver. She shivered at the thought.
"Look around. I'll go see about those clothes. Just mind your step. Lots of ropes and things to trip on."
Elsa gave a slow nod. She hesitated before starting to make her way across the deck. She let her hand run along the railing as she did. The wood was carved fine, not even the slightest hint of splinters rooted themselves into her bare skin. She took a slow, deep breath, smelling the brine of the sea as she did. She reminded herself she couldn't trust these pirates. No matter how well meaning they seemed, they were criminals and they had just killed an entire ship worth of men just to get to her. They could turn on her or Aqua at any moment.
Elsa looked up, spotting Ven in the Crow's nest. The blond smiled at her and waved. When she hesitantly waved back, he grabbed one of the ropes and swong down. A cry of alarm left her when she thought he was falling but he safely landed right in front of her, beaming from ear to ear. Ven was a little show off, she noted. He had scared the life out of her when she thought he was going to fall. And she had honestly seen enough death in one day. She didn't want to see any more.
"So? Did Terra tell you she'll be okay?" Ven asked.
"Jack is looking after her."
Ven smiled at her. He seemed just as relieved as she was to hear the news. Not that Elsa blamed him. This whole thing was rather frightening. Her heart was still racing. Aqua could die if they weren't quick about it. Orders from Terra or not, she found it hard to believe that it would stop a poison. She didn't even know if Terra was taking her somewhere to cure Aqua. He had said that only Elsa was a part of the job. Maybe if she talked with the crew a bit more, digging for information, she would find out. But what could she did if they weren't? If Aqua was deemed unnecessary baggage?
"Don't worry. He'll take care of her." Ven assured her. "They'll do everything they can to save her. The Captain and the others found me and took care of me."
Ven was a sweet, kind and thoughtful boy. Everything pirates weren't supposed to be. If she hadn't seen him fighting and killing on the deck of her last ship, she wouldn't have believed it. Ven shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. This was something he didn't like to talk about, and yet he was telling her. Why? To put her at ease? To humanize the rest of the crew?
As if sensing his discomfort, Moana slid up to Ven's side. She smiled so adoringly at him that it made Elsa's chest ache. Ven clearly meant a lot to the navigator.
"He's one of our best workers!"
She ruffled his hair with a grin. Ven squawked with indignation and bat her hands away but he was smiling too. He playfully bumped into her in 'retaliation'. But they were being mindful not to hurt one another. Were... they flirting in front of her?
"I had good teachers."
Terra went below deck once again. He cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner. Both Elsa and Aqua would need new clothes. First off, for comfort and safety. Ball gowns weren't the safest thing to wear on a ship where there were ropes and things you could trip over. Also, women could never run in them. Favoring heeled footwear to something more practical like boots. The amount of fabric that was in the dresses to give them the volume they had was unnecessary and likely uncomfortably hot.
Second off, as a disguise. The women would get mobbed in town if they wore them. Beggars and thieves would pin them for what they were and target them. They were like pretty little gemstones in a market with no one watching them. Someone would steal them or do worse. Either way, he hoped the crew didn't mind he borrowed their things. They all knew what it was like to have nothing more than the shirt on your back.
Elsa and Aqua had nothing. They were at the mercy of the pirates who had captured them. At least, Terra knew that was how the women were looking at it. So afraid of what he would do to them if given the chance. It was only natural for them to be wary. Pirates were notorious liars and cutthroats. But Queen Anna's logic was to stop a criminal you needed another criminal. Plotting to murder your bride was criminal.
Part of Terra's mission was to find tangible proof so that Arendelle had the right to call off the arranged marriage. Honestly, the fact Elsa didn't want to marry Xemnas should have counted as something, but with royal politics, things were never that simple. From the sound of things, Elsa was likely left with no choice but to marry him. Either way, she was the one who had lost out on the situation. If she didn't marry him, there was war and death, if she did marry him, there was still war and death (namely hers).
He opened a steamer trunk and started to rifle through it. He would have to guess Elsa's size. She was so tiny that most of the things in the trunk wouldn't fit her. With luck, he would have something to let her use. Otherwise, she would have to wait until the next time they docked at a port town, which could be anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months. He had no doubt in his mind that she wouldn't want to remain in that puffy monstrosity called a dress in this heat. He shook himself again and redoubled his search efforts. He came across a pair of pants, a shirt, a vest and a pair of boots. He gathered his findings up and went to take them back to Elsa. Nothing fancy, but they would do.
Terra paused when he saw Elsa with Moana and Ven, but he smiled when he saw they were talking civilly. He handed Elsa the bundle of clothes he managed to scrounge up. She looked at the clothes in surprise, like she hadn't expected him to go and personally look for something for her. Or she expected him to bring her another dress or something scandalous like lingerie. He wasn't that type of man (and by that he meant the cruel type to make her wear something she would clearly be uncomfortable in).
"Where do I-?"
"My cabin is right there," Terra said.
He gestured to his cabin. He didn't let many people in there, much less anyone who wasn't his crew, but the crew quarters were otherwise occupied with Aqua and Jack. It wasn't like she could go far. They were at sea after all. This was an otherwise easy escort mission. All they had to do was get Elsa and Aqua back to Arendelle. Then they could wash their hands of the mission. Elsa nodded quietly before treading over to his cabin.
"Feel free to change in there. We'll wait out here."
The moment she stepped into Terra's quarters Elsa felt immensely guilty. This was as private as going into someone's bedroom, permission or no. It even smelled strongly of Terra in the room. The scent of gunpowder and male musk along with something surprisingly earthy like pine. She bit her lip before closing the door behind her. Somehow having the wood frame between her and the pirates made her feel better despite knowing the flimsy wood frame could not keep them out if they truly wanted in there.
Terra's quarters were modest. At least on this ship. There was a large desk, lined with maps and sea charts. Elsa supposed that Terra and Moana looked over those together when plotting where their ship would go next. Along the wall was a large sturdy bed. The sheets weren't made. He must have just tumbled out of bed that day. There was a trunk at the base of his bed. It was open and had strange odds and ends sticking out of it. She wrinkled her nose. She supposed on some level it bothered her to see how messy it was.
But she wasn't there to look around. She needed out of her dress. Thankfully it was one she could get out of on her own. It would have sooner jumped into the ocean to let the sharks have her. She folded the dress up and set it on the desk before slipping into the clothes. The pants were too big. Rather than demand smaller pants, Elsa found a strip of cloth on the floor - blue silk with silver embroidered swirls. She used it to fashion herself a belt.
She looked herself over as best she could without a mirror. It seemed Terra wasn't the vain type to own a mirror. She decided to take down her hair, removing the tight bun and letting her braid drop down her back. Determining that this was the best she was going to get, she headed back out and onto the deck.
When Elsa came back, Moana gave a loud whistle of surprise. It sent Elsa blushing as Terra and Ven turned to look at her again. The trio smiled at her, like friends would, but she quickly shook herself of that notion. They weren't her friends. They were her captors. They had saved her but in doing so they made her the cause of so many deaths of the people who were supposed to take her to Xemnas. Even if he was supposed to kill her, how could she live with the guilt to know that her life was exchanged for theirs?
"You clean up well your highness," Moana complimented.
"Thank you..." Elsa said shyly.
"More comfortable than the gown?" Terra teased.
While he may have been teasing, she had been much more comfortable. She loathed the gowns they made here wear in court. Wearing her wedding gown on the voyage had been her idea. It was her council's as an act of good faith. She would have burned the awful dress if she had the chance. It was hot and itchy. Not to mention the fact it was a symbol of her loss of freedom at the sacrifice of the safety of her people. It was made to make her out like a trophy for Xemnas, hugging her curves and making her look like some harlot and not a Queen.
"Incredibly."
"I'd hope so!" Ven chimed in, "That thing looked like a fabric nightmare... Uh, no offense."
He smiled apologetically. Elsa returned his smile quietly. She was not offended. He probably assumed she liked the things that went on with the court. She was instead hated what they did. She hated day to day politics. She loathed having to make the hard decisions. Changing people's lives for better or worse all because she had to make a decisions like raising taxes or sending someone to death for crimes against the crown. She hated the pressure of her job.
"We can take it apart and sell it so you can buy other things for yourself. And we can find clothes for Aqua when she's recovered." Terra said.
Elsa looked at him in surprise. He said 'when' she was recovered like he had no doubts in his mind that they could save her. It made her feel hopeful too. Aqua was her dearest friend. Losing her would be like losing a part of herself. Aqua was all she had left of her old life excluding the dress she didn't want. So while she wouldn't get to burn the dress, but at least they had something to finance their trip or to coax the pirates into not hurting her or Aqua. She would have been afraid and alone on the seas with only the pirates to keep her company. There was some small mercy in Jack saving Aqua.
"I... appreciate it," Elsa said quietly
"We hope you can be happy with here," Terra told her.
Elsa's years of concealing her feelings came into practice. How could she be happy with murderers around her? Let alone be comfortable? A change of clothes wasn't going to change that. She looked away from the pirates and out to sea. This was her life until she got back home, where she would be safe with Anna, at least until war came for their country and their people. She had tried to avoid it, but if she didn't show up, he would assume she would survive. It was morbid thinking and she wanted to put it from her mind.
"I can try to be," Elsa replied diplomatically.
Ven seemed to notice Elsa's sudden tension. He sheepishly looked around at his crew mates before scanning the ship, his eyes falling above them. He smiled and eagerly looked over to Elsa. She found herself smiling despite herself. He had such a sweet air about him, a sort of natural charm if you would. Had he not been a pirate, she would have seen to it that Ven had a safe job in the stables or among the kitchen staff at her palace, or maybe helped him get a mentor to show him the ropes of a trade.
"Want... to go see the crow's nest?" Ven asked, "It's got an awesome view!"
"Okay," she said.
He took her hand and guided her over to a rope ladder. He gestured for her to go up first so she did. But he was right behind her, making sure she had grabbed each rung with secure grips. She slowly began to make her way up, with Ven making sure she wouldn't fall. At least she apparently had someone in her corner, even if it was just Ventus. Someone wanted to see her safe because of more than just a job and a price tag. Or if he did see her as a price tag, he was better at hiding it.
Terra smiled and watched Ven lead away the Queen. But he shook his head.
"I'll be at the wheel should you need anything."
He went up the stairs and towards the steering wheel. He did spare a glance to watch Elsa go up the crow's nest. To him, she was probably just some job. Having never climbed the rope before, she probably looked like some child playing, but no one made a move to stop her. If anything, they were letting her do as she pleased. It was strange to have that sort of freedom, on a pirate ship no less.
