Pirate AU

PROMPT: A swashbuckling pirate AU.

They brought The Enslaved One into the harbor just as the sun was setting. His men dispersed at once to the rowdier taverns near the docks, but Captain Fett walked nearly a mile to an inn at the crossroads. The proprietor was a fat little man who only hired pretty young girls, and while the ale was watery the stew was thick and the bread was crusty.

Fett ordered a bath, and while it was being drawn, sat down at an empty table and ate. A little peace and quiet after three months at sea was exactly what he needed.

One of the serving girls moved past his table, and he found himself regarding the line of her backside and wondering if a gold coin or two could persuade her to join him in his bath.

He had no respect for the men who went straight from the dock to the brothels, but when it came to his own satisfaction he also had a certain amount of realism. He was a man with little charm and no prospects. If a serving girl sought to make a little extra income from him, then a clever girl knew what it was worth.

And this girl was...very appealing. She was small in stature, and moved with a lithe kind of strength as she carried her pitcher of ale from one table to another. She had large brown eyes and the alert look of someone who missed nothing. A long brown braid hung down her back, exactly the sort of thing he would like to wrap around his hand like a length of rope.

He hoped she was loud in her pleasure. That was the only kind of noise he craved right now. She looked over at him once, and probably caught him staring, but she didn't blush or shy away. He bided his time until the last customers left, and then tapped his stein. The universal sign for a refill.

"Everything to your liking?" She asked as she came closer with her pitcher. She spent time out in the sun, he noted. There was a line of paler skin revealed by the wide neckline of her bodice, as if she normally wore an open shirt out-of-doors. He would like very much to see every boundary line on her skin where the sun hadn't touched her.

"It's good. Any word on my bath?"

"The fire wasn't hot enough to boil the water. They sent a boy for kindling. More bread?"

"If it's no trouble."

"None at all."

He liked the way she smiled, with her chin raised. Confident. She went to the kitchen and returned with the bread on a board, still hot from the oven, and a knife to cut it with. He breathed in the aroma as she set it down and began to cut into it. They were alone in the great room now, if he was going to inquire about her company later, now was the time.

"I've been a long time at sea," he said, and she gave him a bemused look.

"Yes, I can tell."

"I know I smell of fish and filthy men, but I wash up well. The sea was good to me. Maybe you'd let me share some of that bounty with you."

"Bounty," she repeated, her eyes on the knife as she sliced bread. "What an interesting choice of words." She finally looked up, her eyes bright and took a step closer to him. "I hate the sea, do you know why?"

"Too dangerous?"

She was beside him now. She put a hand on his shoulder and then slid it up the back of his neck, bringing a very welcome shiver with it. "No. I like danger. But the sea's a fickle bitch," she said, her fingers moving further up and fisting a handful of his hair. "For some reason she has endless mercy on pirate scum like you."

He looked at her eyes. Then at the knife that was now pointed at his throat. "What do you want?"

"Captain Solo."

A hiss escaped between his teeth. He was a fool. He should have expected this. "You're the princess."

"If you want to call me that. My father was a lord, but someone took to calling me the Princess of the Bahamas and it stuck. I prefer Leia."

"It could be 'captain.' You have Solo's ship. Make the most of it."

"Unlike you, Fett, I have loyalties. Where is Captain Solo?"

"Probably with his wife."

The blade grazed his throat, and he had to fight the urge to swallow. "I realize we don't know one another well, but here's a piece of advice. Don't. Lie. To. Me."

Fett considered his options. After all, no one was paying him to lie. "He owed money to Jasper the Hun. A lot of money. Jasper got tired of waiting and put a bounty on his head."

"But Jasper doesn't have him. Don't you think I have eyes and ears on Tortuga?"

"Jasper will have him, when Jasper is willing to pay me what he's really worth." He glanced over at her. "Killing me only guarantees that Captain Solo will starve to death. I'm the only one who knows where he's being held."

"You're lying to me again." Her hand tightened in his hair, pulling his head further back.

"All right, I'm not the only one who knows. But I'm the only one who cares." He bared his teeth at her in the barest resemblance of a smile. "Apart from you and that hairy first mate of his, Captain Solo doesn't have a lot of friends."

"I think you might be surprised. He's one of The Free now, and our numbers are growing daily."

"And I wish you luck, standing against the royal navy. You'll need it."

She released his hair, wiping her hand on her skirt with an expression of disgust. "This isn't over Fett. I found you once. I'll find you again."

He stood, ignoring the knife she still held in her fist. "I look forward to it." He bowed mockingly. "Princess."