I will say sorry for the wait, but I won't get into why, you're hear to read one long story, you don't need two
Chapter 5: Bad bird
The Raven was a little bigger than The Pearl or The Rose but it didn't carry much menace with it. Apparently it was a naval ship before Crow's dad stole it which made a lot of sense if you looked at the decor but now it was most certainly a pirate ship. She had a much warmer welcome onto this one than she had on The Rose, once again there were no other female crewmembers but regardless, they were all pretty friendly. Almost all of them were new lads running away from home or running from the law for petty crimes, most of them were in the late teens or early twenties, never been at sea a day before in their lives but willing to learn. Kris now realised why Crow had been so eager to have someone who knew what they were doing on his deck, she was going to be helping these lads learn the ropes, as it were. The Cabin boy, Jacob, was particularly interesting to her. He was a scrap of a lad, around twelve, all skin and bone and shaking like a leaf whenever someone spoke to him. Obviously a runaway and obliviously terrified to be on a ship full of pirates. Feeling a little sympathetic she decided she have a word with him; see if she couldn't help him settle a bit.
Once they were underway she was at the helm during dinner and he brought her food up to her, she took the opportunity to have a little chat with him.
"Lad." She sat on the railing by the helm with her bowl of broth in her lap, one foot on the wheel to keep it steady while she ate. He froze at the sound of her voice and turned very slowly to face her.
"Y-yes?" He clasped his hands in front of him, already starting to shake and she felt a wave of pity.
"Come sit down for a bit, you won't manage to get yourself near that pot until the rest of the crews done. Trust me." She smiled kindly and he nodded, pulling himself up to sit on the railing a little way away from her. After a few seconds of silence she spoke.
"How'd you come to be out here lad? If you don't mind me askin'?" She turned to him and he was staring at his feet, after a minute or so he spoke very quietly.
"My father... He... Killed my mum... I saw and he... He came over to me... I ran..." She saw tears shining in the corners of his eyes and she set her bowl to one side, reaching over to pull him closer and drop an arm over his shoulders.
"It's alright love. No-one'll hurt you here. Most of us are runnin' too you know." She smiled slightly down at him as he looked up at her, confused.
"When I was your age, I ran away from my father too. He was a bastard drunk of a man, used to beat me within an inch of my life. So one day I took this and legged it." She pulled the pedant out to show him and grinned.
"I ended up on a ship too, The Black Pearl. Under Captain Jack Sparrow. He was a pirate, but a good man." She looked back to him and he was staring up at her, the tears had stopped now at least.
"I used to be scared of pirates, I'd been told from when I was a kid that they were blood thirsty brutes ready to cut your throat as soon as look at you. And I guess some are..." Her mind flickered to Barbossa.
"But a lot aren't. Sparrow and his men never hurt me. Crow and this sorry lot are the same. You mind yourself and do as you're told like a good lad and you'll make some good friends here love. And if you ever get stuck you can always come to me. I used to have your job." She chuckled and picked her bowl back up, starting to eat again while he beamed up at her.
"Were you really a cabin boy? You're a girl." He looked confused for a minute and she couldn't help but laugh.
"Aye lad, there was a little confusion over that point. But that's a story for another time. Ye' should be able to get yourself some dinner now. Off you run." She nodded to the stairs and he smiled before running off. She grinned to herself while eating the rest of her dinner, happy in the knowledge that she'd managed to help him cheer up a bit. Being a kid at sea really was a scary thing.
The next few months were actual hell. She went to her hammock exhausted every night from correcting everyone's mistakes. The lads were apologetic and Crow was constantly thanking her for her hard work. She could have sworn she was running the damn thing by herself half the time but Crow did pitch in to help. Something you didn't often see a Captain doing so she had to admit she was a little impressed. The First Mate, on the other hand, did not impress her. He was, in her opinion, one of the most vile people at sea, a scrawny weasel of a man name Richard North. His greased back dirty blond hair and tiny grey eyes that were constantly darting around made him look like he was always hiding something, fortunately he stayed mostly to his cabin so he wasn't constantly in her way.
Jacob had really cheered up after their chat, the other men joked about with him in a good natured way and pretty soon he was as relaxed as she was after her first year aboard the Pearl and one night, about three months into their voyage, he asked her about her life so far as a pirate. Some of the other men looked up from their food at this point, apparently there had been a few stories started about her during her time around Singapore, and they all had questions about what a pirates life was really like.
"Well, you all understand I'm only on my seventh year at sea, I've met a fair few with ten or so more years more than me but I'll tell you what I can." She smiled to the man who'd asked if she could tell them and they all moved around a bit to listen.
"I suppose I should start at The Black Pearl. Back when she was captained by a man named Jack Sparrow, she was just starting out. Sparrow and his First mate Barbossa collected a crew from Tortuga; this was back when I was fourteen. Because of my short hair Sparrow thought I was a lad and hired me as his Cabin Boy." She grinned at Jacob and everyone laughed.
"No-one noticed the fact I was a girl in the three years I sailed aboard the Pearl. So I stayed as a Cabin boy. Barbossa taught me to fight and Sparrow taught me how to sail, they pretty much taught me everything I know. Just after my seventeenth though, Barbossa led a mutiny against the Captain, leaving him marooned on an island to die. Sparrow told me not to fight against them but I couldn't just stay in that crew after that, it didn't sit right. So I finally revealed my secret when we stopped for supplies in Tortuga and walked right off the ship. Old Barbossa was too surprised to even have anyone come after me." She chuckled at the thought of his face and the men around her laughed.
"What did you do then?" Jacob grinned up from his seat on the floor beside Samuel.
"Well I spent a while kicking around Tortuga, playing cards for money. Then I met Francis Miles, Captain of The Bloody Rose, and became her Quartermaster." She smiled and someone near the back spoke quietly.
"That's not all of hers you were." He grinned and the rest of the crew chuckled, Kris smirked slightly and ran a hand through her hair.
"Well you know, some just can't resist my charms. But in the end she was planning to leave me in Tortuga without an explanation so I got a little mad, stole this sword from her and legged it." She smirked at the memory and pulled the sword from its scabbard at her hip, showing it to the rest of them for a second before sliding it away.
"And that's pretty much it. Now I'm here trying to teach you sorry lot to sail." She grinned and they all looked vaguely insulted.
"Speaking of which, we're pulling into port tomorrow so get yourselves to bed. C'mon, move it." She nodded toward the hammocks and grinned as everyone groaned.
"None of that. Get going." She chuckled and headed up the stairs onto the deck, watching Jacob run off to the captain's cabin where his bed was before heading up to the helm to relive Hopkins for the night.
Morning brought the biggest mess up so far. She was steering them into port when one of the younger lads failed to tie down a sail tightly enough and it came loose, catching a strong wind and making them move too fast for the manoeuvre. She managed to steer them away from port but a rock just below the surface caught the side of the keel. The ship shuddered and Kris cursed loudly, barking an order at the nearest man to hold her steady while she checked it out. Crow dashed onto deck and nearly collided with her as he shouted for the anchor to be dropped and they darted downstairs at the same time, finding water rapidly filling the hold.
"Shit. Harrison! Get the spare planks! We have to plug this up! Kris, help me out here!" His voice rose above the sound of rushing water and she nodded once, sloshing through the water that was already above the tops of her boots. The damage was only the size of a barrel but the water was coming in fast. Within seconds the planks arrived, along with nails and hammers, she and Crow took them and started boarding it up, they moved fast and by the time the water was half way up her thighs the hole was covered. Due to the fast work a little water was still trickling in but that could be fixed once they'd docked properly but at least for now the ship would be fine. Crow turned to her with a small smile and wiped the droplets of water from his face.
"That was close." He grinned and she smirked slightly, leaning her back against the wall of the hold, she was soaked to the bone from standing in the way of the water but she couldn't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment.
"How'd it happen?" He arched an eyebrow slightly and she sighed.
"Rubin's sail came loose, sped us up. I moved us from the dock but I couldn't see the rock under the waterline. It caught us." She frowned at the water around them; she should have checked the ties...
"We'll 'ave to teach him how to tie it properly and his share can pay for repairs." He shrugged and started sloshing back toward the stairs. She smiled slightly is she watched him walk away, Crow was a good Captain, maybe a little trusting, but then so was Jack... With his vile first mate is seemed like history was getting ready to repeat itself.
They docked properly and the ship was fixed in due course, no permanent damage was done and she spent a day making Rubin secure and release sails until he could do them perfectly every time. The poor lad was pretty upset with himself so she wasn't too hard on him but she made sure to impress upon him how serious it could have been. After their time in India they took back off to open sea, Crow started giving the crew lessons on how to fight and Kris helped out every now and then as a practice partner to demonstrate with. After a year passed they'd all learnt pretty well and could fight for themselves so they moved onto raiding trade ships. A couple of the lads were wounded but nothing so serious that it was fatal, Kris spent some extra time training those particular men to make sure nothing worse happened and eventually everyone was on top form. That was, everyone but North, who stayed to his cabin during every fight to avoid getting hurt. For the life of her she couldn't understand why Crow stuck with him as a first mate so after the sixth time this happened she finally approached him about it.
"Captain, sorry to ask, but why is North First mate?" She frowned apologetically and Crow gave a quiet chuckle.
"I know, he doesn't seem much of a pirate does he? He's clever lass, trust me on that. His ideas have got me out o' more than one mess in the past." He smiled and clapped a hand onto her shoulder before wandering off back to his cabin.
That night Kris was on watch, it was a completely calm night so she was sat on the railings and resting a foot on the wheel to steer, a bottle of rum in hand as she looked up at the sky. The stars were always so clear out at sea, she loved watching the sky at night... She was dragged out of her thoughts by the sound of footsteps below her; she frowned slightly and glanced down to see North walking toward the stairs leading down to the galley. With a confused scowl she looped a bit of rope around the wheel and tied it down to stop it turning. It was a temporary fix but she needed to know what North was up to. She followed silently after him but stayed far back and she found him stood in the galley with quite a few of the other men, they had only one candle as light and were talking quietly. She crouched in the shadows and listened carefully.
"...Captain is deceiving us all. He's kept and extra cut for himself every time we've fought with another vessel." He looked serious but Kris could see the smirk in his eyes, he was lying. The men around him looked stunned and more than a little angry.
"There is only one thing for it. We'll have to get rid of him." He nodded decisively and Harrison spoke up.
"Mutiny?" He looked sceptical and the others looked a little unsure.
"Yes, men. It's no less than he deserves." He sneered and Kris lost it. She'd witnessed one mutiny and she would not see another. She stood up, pulling her sword out as she walked into the dim light, fixing her glare onto the plotting weasel stood before her.
"That's a lie and you know it, North." She walked forwards and everyone turned to look at her, moving out of the way as she stalked toward him.
"Crow's a good man. If anyone's the liar here it's you. All of you should be hung for listenin' to him. Someone once told me that the deepest circle of hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers. And it's no more than you deserve Richard North." With that she took another step forward, pushing her sword forward with full force into his chest. The men around them looked stunned as she pulled it back out and he fell to the floor like a ragdoll. With a look of disgust she tore a shred of cloth from his shirt and started cleaning his blood from her blade, slightly surprised that it wasn't black like his heart.
"Anything to say, lads?" She looked at them and they shook their heads.
"Good. He was lying to you. Crow's one of the best Captains I've ever met and if that bastard was in charge we'd all be dead within the week. Now, I have to go report this. Get this cleaned up." She threw the cloth back down and slid her sword away, heading toward the stairs.
"Captain, I'm sorry to say I have to report a mutiny." She frowned as she spoke and Crow's eyes widened.
"Led by who?" He stood up from his seat and she rested a hand on the hilt of her sword.
"North. He was tryin' to convince the crew to join him but I put a stop to it." She glanced toward the galley with a scowl and he nodded.
"Thank ye lass. Where is he now?" He started walking toward the door and she looked down, a little ashamed of her rash action but she couldn't help it.
"He's dead, Captain." Crow paused in opening the door and let it drop closed again. Turing to her with a sad look.
"By your hand?" He folded his arms and she nodded, running a hand through her hair self consciously.
"Why?" He didn't sound angry, more sad, so she looked back at him with a expressionless mask hiding her emotions.
"I've seen mutiny before. The Black Pearl. Captain Sparrow was a good man and Barbossa left him to die on an island. I refused to see it done to another man who didn't deserve it." She looked at him with a serious expression and he nodded.
"Yer a good lass, Kris. Ye need to watch yer temper but yer smart and yer kind. I don' condone what ye did but I since the position's now open, would ye like to be me new First mate?" He gave a small smile and she blinked in surprise.
"Aye, Captain." She grinned and he chuckled.
"Call me John, Kris." He smiled and she grinned back.
"Alright, John. I'd best be back to the helm." She walked to the door and walked out with him.
"Aye and I have a body to be dealin' with." He gave a reproachful look and she nodded before they went their separate ways.
Her twenty first birthday came and went uncelebrated until they ended up back in India where she found someone to tattoo a raven onto her ribs beside the two she already had. John saw it when she returned and grinned.
"This old tub finally made the list then?" He chuckled and she smirked before heading off to her cabin for this night. Having her own cabin really was brilliant. She'd slept in Francis's but having a whole bunk to herself was really bloody comfortable. Even after she'd been in it a year she still stretched out in it with a grin. One night when she was about to go to bed someone knocked on her door and she frowned at having to get up.
"What is it?" She tried not to sound too annoyed as she looked at Jacob.
"Captain wants you at the helm. It's urgent." He seemed a little worried and she nodded, walking out with him and walking quickly up to the helm to find John looking through his telescope at something.
"What's going on?" She tried to see what he was seeing but it was a pretty foggy night so she could only see a dark mass somewhere nearby.
"A ship." He sounded confused and she was instantly more alert.
"Pirate?" She spoke instantly and he paused before answering.
"East India tradin' comp'ny." He frowned and she scowled in the direction of the mass that seemed to be getting clearer by the second.
"So... Run out the cannons?" She arched an eyebrow and he lowered the telescope to turn and look at her.
"They're flyin' a white flag. They want to parley." He looked confused and she felt her mouth drop open. The East India trading co. wanted to talk to them? This could only be bad. Well, pretty soon they'd find out what was going on, they were already in view. As a precaution they got all men on deck and as they pulled level Kris stood beside John with one hand on her sword, she didn't trust this. After a few minutes a short man in a white wig crossed the plank that was lay across the gap between their ships, along with several guards. She didn't like him already, he gave off an air of arrogance that made her want to kick him.
"Captain John Crow, I presume?" The short man stepped forward and held out a hand.
"My name is Cutler Beckett." He left his hand out and John took it, shaking only very briefly before stepping back.
"Aye, I'm Crow. This is me first mate Kris Kuris." He nodded to her and she flexed her hand on the grip of her sword. The short man held his hand out to her but she just stared at him. She didn't like this. She'd heard stories of the East India trading co. they traded everything from powder, to food, to people. After a few seconds John shot her a look and she stepped forward, taking his hand for half a second before stepping back again.
"Charmed. Now to business." He tilted his head questioningly and Crow nodded.
"To me cabin." Crow stepped back and nodded to him before indicating for her to come with them.
The tension inside the cabin was high. She stayed leaning against the wall beside the door with her arms folded tightly across her chest while the men sat at the table.
"Want a drink?" John was trying to be polite but Beckett shook his head.
"I'm fine thank you. To get straight to the point, we'd like you and your crew to come and work for us." He relaxed in the chair and Kris glared in outrage. Even John looked a little surprised.
"'cuse me?" He rested his elbows on the table to lean forward as if that would help him hear better.
"We are willing to offer you all a full pardon in return for your hard work. And you will be paid handsomely." He seemed confident in his offer and John's disbelief faded in the wake of thoughtfulness.
"We'll need time to think 'bout it." He ran a hand through his hair and Kris switched her glare to him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing here, he was actually considering?!
"Of course. We will return to our ship for the night and tomorrow morning you can give your reply. I'm sure you'll choose wisely." With that they both stood up and he made his way to the door first, she tensed as he passed her and was tempted to hit him but instead just glared at him until he was out of her sight. John shot her a pleading look and she stayed where she was as he went out to make sure they left.
When John returned she was pacing, the rage inside her wasn't going anywhere fast and she practically exploded at him the second her stepped in.
"You're not actually considering are you?!" She glared at him and he held his hands up.
"It's a good offer Kris. We have t' think 'bout this." He was trying to convince her and she shook her head.
"I will not sail under their flag. I'd leave before I surrendered to those bastards!" She stormed out onto deck and he followed her, his anger clearly building after the stressful day.
"Thought ye were smarter than this, lass. We could make some real money with this venture!" He shouted after her and she stopped in her tracks, spinning around to face him despite knowing that the other ship was by far close enough for both crews to be watching this.
"All you think about is money, Captain. Where is your pride as a pirate?! You're nothin' but a slimy bilge rat!" She yelled back and in a flash his sword was drawn. She let a sneer come onto her face as she drew her own.
"No use you gettin' beat, John Crow. Especially not in front of your new friends." She ran her blade along his to let the ring fill the air as both crews fell completely silent. Without another word he slashed at her, his anger making him clumsy and off target. Even while drunk she was a better fighter than most so anger did little to cloud her skill as she brought her sword against his to block and swung around. He dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding her slicing through his arm. She didn't want to kill the man, just win and prove her point.
After a long fight she managed to trip him up enough to make him stumble and landed a kick to his back sending him sprawling face first onto the floor. When he flipped over to get back up she placed her sword at his neck and grinned triumphantly. With a sad frown he nodded and seconds later she found herself grabbed from behind and her sword wrenched from her grip. She fought back kicking and yelling but minutes later her wrists were bound and her sword and pistol were wrapped together by her belt, now held by Ruben who looked sheepish.
"Sorry t' do this to ye lass. But ye leave us with no choice. Since yer so set agains' joinin' them I don' see a way to persuade ye. So we're goin' t' have t' leave ye here." He stepped aside to reveal a small island quite a way away from them. She gave a bitter smile.
"Kind of fittin'. I save you from being marooned to have you do it to me. I was wrong. You're not a bilge rat. You're lower than that." She spat the last part out and he flinched.
"Sorry lass. But this be a good trade route. You'll be off in no time. Best o' luck t' ye." He took the wrapped weapons from Ruben and dropped them off the side. With a growl of annoyance she yanked her bound hands free of the crew members grip and strode over to the side.
"Pleasure sailin' with ye gents." With that she cast them all a humourless smirk and took the time to give a kind smile to Jacob, who looked ready to cry, before diving off of the side, swimming down as fast as she could to catch up to her sword and cut her wrists free before swimming back up to the surface. She took in a large gasp of air as she broke the surface and glanced up at the ship as a slightly sad feeling washed over her. She had to admit being marooned was not a good feeling. Without another second's hesitation she started swimming, sword and pistol still in hand, toward the island. It was a reasonably long swim but she made it eventually, turning to glare at the two ships for a while before running a hand through her hair and looking at the thin jungle behind her. The island was no more than a fifteen minute walk from one side to the other but a few of the trees she could see seemed to hold some fruit. With a heavy sigh she started walking toward the trees, refusing to look back at the ships behind her.
