Chapter Three: Pirate Miss Adventures
Many would tell of a hot day on deck, as ye were cast into the fires of a burning cauldron. Many would also say that whatever captain puts a poor soul up to this might not be the best soul to follow into any voyage. If you were to pose such fair questions of morality and philosophy to the brave and less than sound of mind soul forced to swab the deck… Well she'd probably kick you.
The poor multi-colored maned girl was tasked by her great and glorious, if shortsighted, captor to swab the deck. To earn her keep, he says. Its good for the soul, he says. The mere thought of a pirate, a scoundrel teaching Neo something of morality made her sick. No more sick unfortunately than the unholy sweltering heat being cast down upon her.
Furthering her mirthful mood was her "guard". From the security of the cool, delicious security of the mast's shade, a green haired, red eyed and dark skinned minx watched her with mild bemusement. Instead of watching her, she was content to sharpen a knife she had on hand, only occasionally performing her duty for her more senior and well connected officer.
"Keep it up, shortie. You're doing great. Mind the hole in the deck though." The Green haired reaver bemusingly said.
In response, Neo hurled the wooden bucket of water at Emerald's shin, with the message of, 'NOBODY calls me short and gets away with it.'
"OW! Why you little sh…" As the reaver's red eyes grew volcanic.
"Temper temper down there!" One crewman from the deck above.
"Come down here and say that Bartholomu!" She shot back up with a hint of venom.
"You're too young for such a temper, Emerald." Another crewman said, looking down from the guard rail.
"Not the youngest anymore, swabbie over here is." Emerald said, pointing to Neo.
"Well you're not the youngest, but you're easily the most immature." The first snickered gleefully.
"You're just jealous that your boss is taking up the time with the captain. What's a cabin's 'boy' to do without the captain giving them orders, huh?" The other asked mockingly.
Their snickering was cut short by a knife being thrown through the guard rail between them. Looking down they saw the vengeful red eyes of a foreboding doom. Taking this ill portent of fate on the chin, the two spun upon their heels and went back to their duties. With a great heavy sigh, Emerald began to climb up to retrieve her knife.
To Neo however, this was quite a surprise. A good one as she really didn't want a knife in her, but a surprise nonetheless. Despite only being but a year older, she was able to send two grown men scurrying. And what a throw. Such grace, such form, and the ease of the blade piercing oaken beam was something she didn't think even possible in all the books she read.
Reflecting however, she thought about those books as the hours slowly dragged on. She truly did miss those books, and did regret that she didn't pack any. It regretfully made her realize just how little planning she really did for this. Especially after having been around pirates for even but a few moments. She couldn't fathom where the authors got the details and references for their novels. Just being around them for but a scant few moments, pirates were a far cry from her novels.
Despite that, she smiled a bit. It was all… real. They were real. Yes, the sordid situation she found herself in was less than ideal, but it was real. To read about adventures on the high seas was exciting, but to live it? It made her blood run hot that now she is in the thick of things, and she was out in the world. Or that could be the heat of the day talking. She didn't know exactly when she would be getting any water.
~~~
"This is positively outrageous! What do you mean the guards didn't see her, Jimmy!? I know she's short, but she's not some fairy!" A regal yet positively furious womanly voice shrieked from the grand fourier.
"Try to calm yourself down, Carmel. She can't have gone far. We will find her." An equally regal, but much calmer male voice said in response.
"Lord and Lady Vanille! We found this at the piers!" A messenger boy yelled, rushing in, and depositing a pink ribbon upon the great mahogany table.
"... I stand corrected." Jimmy Vanille, the source of the male voice, stated in a deadpan voice.
"She left… she left on a ship…" Carmel muttered in horror, and looked out the opened stained glass windows on to the open seas.
"What are your orders, milady?" A guard asked her inquisitively.
"What do you think, Carmel? Would a hundred thousand be reasonable enough?" Jimmy Vanille inquired of his wife.
"Send out a bounty for her safe return of fifteen million lien. No one will take such a pittance seriously." Carmel sternly said.
"Isn't that a bit excessive?" Jimmy asked his wife, trying to be level headed despite his concern for his daughter's safety.
"No! I will not stand idly by while my baby is at the mercy of the high seas dangers! I want every ship in this nation's gods forsaken navy out looking for her! I will stand for nothing less than my baby girl back home where she belongs!!" Carmel roared in righteous and terrifying fury.
Two weeks later: His Majesty's admiralty building in West Hamptonshire
Two young officers of His Majesty's Royal Navy of Imperial Mistral walked through the luxurious and storied halls of the fine establishment. One was a young lass of barely five and a half foot, with crimson red hair poking from her captain's hat, and silver eyes looking forward towards the great doors before her. As she desperately scampered about trying to fix her barely decorated jade green and gold uniform, the same could not be said of her more senior counterpart. Towering above her, his more finely decorated uniform could barely contain the athletic form beneath. Resting at his side a proper gentleman's saber, his thick, powerful hand rested upon it, ready at a moment's notice like a jungle cat. His properly chiseled and groomed face, accentuated by scars formed in the heat of battle, housed two azure blue eyes that also looked upon that grand door of fate.
"Well this is a bit odd… two small time captains like us being called into the Fleet Admiral's office…" The younger captain nervously said, trying desperately to fix her mess of a uniform.
"Calm yourself, Ruby. I'm sure this is just a standard meeting. Try to relax a little." The titan of a man told his younger compatriot.
"I'm trying, Azura. Wait… this isn't about that tea ship that I lost, is it? Oh no… How do I explain that?!" Ruby said, panicking before the larger man put his hand on her shoulder and gripped it firmly to steady her.
"Ruby, try to take a deep breath. Remember: You're a captain. You need to set an example for those under you." Azura told her sternly but gently, trying to help her calm herself down.
"Right… Thanks, Azura." Ruby said with a small smile as Azura swiftly and efficiently fixed up her uniform for her.
"The Fleet Admiral will see you now." A titanic man in a butler's uniform firmly said as he opened the door.
"Thanks, Tiffany. You're a great help." Ruby said as she followed behind Azura into the room.
"It is but merely my duty." Tiffany answered before closing the door with surprisingly quiet and gentle fashion.
Sitting behind a mahogany desk that could in a time of war double as a sloop sat a man of grey hair, green eyes, and a uniform with more medals than perhaps even the king himself. Adjusting his monocle, he looked up from the innumerable papers that required his attention, and a freshly brewed cup of Golden Needle tea to see the two young captains.
"Good, you're early. That makes this all the easier." The fleet admiral said as he stood up.
"Reporting for duty, sir!" Ruby said as the two captains snapped to attention.
"At ease. I'm too old for that kind of excitement anymore." The fleet admiral answered, and after grabbing a paper off his desk before walking towards them.
"Permission to speak please, Fleet Admiral?" Azura politely requested.
"Permission granted, Captain." The high officer answered simply.
"With all due respect, sir, I must firmly disagree with you being too old. From where I stand, you still appear to be as strong as an ox and in your prime." Azura replied, trying to be as formal and respectful as possible.
"Excessive compliments shall avail you none, Captain." The old seadog mused with a heavy sigh.
"If that appeared to be my intention, I apologize for not being clearer. I was merely speaking honestly." The azure eyed captain replied with respect to his fleet admiral.
"Apology noted. Returning to matters at hand, normally I would not be addressing you. That honor would be Vice Admiral Ironwood's. However on account of the mission at hand reaching the eyes of the king, gods above me on high for the life of me, that is why you see me today." The veteran seaman continued.
"Whatever the mission, we will ensure it is done in the name of His Majesty." Ruby answered chipperly.
"Your mission is to return, safely and unharmed the bounty was blatantly clear on that, Trivia Vanille to her parents." The fleet admiral said.
"Sir, I fail to understand how that reached the king." Ruby said, genuinely confused.
"My dear young captain. The richest family in the kingdom aside from the king put out a bounty for fifteen million lien." The old officer said with a chuckle, finding her offhand remark surprisingly humorous.
At that, the two captains' eyes nearly flew out of their heads, before Azura's que to speak out of turn came.
"Um… sir? Why is the bounty… THAT high? Respectfully speaking, that says that they either care deeply about the well being of their daughter or do not value money in the slightest. Or both…" Azura replied, trying to not let his surprise show too much.
"Quite frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. That's enough lien to fund an entire new fleet. Now off you two fly and return the girl post haste. That way I can finally use His Majesty's Ship The Unturned before I retire. Have safe travels and gods save the king. And one more thing, it goes without saying, be careful with the foolish young thing." The head of the navy said, ending it with a level of snark and wit only he had the rank for.
~~~
As the tidings of the king of the seas unknowingly went sour, that quickly became far more apparent for our intrepid crew of buccaneers. As in literally hitting them in the face. Neo's morning shift greeted her with a face full of wind and seawater as the gargantuan galleon lurched to the side as a wave large enough to reach the deck slammed hard into it. Gales slammed into the rigging and high walls of the ship as crewmen scrambled to raise the sails. Neo could even see Emerald scrambling about the rigging like a Valian Jack Monkey.
"Look alive, sprout! We're in a big one. Didn't think storms like this came this early." Came the ever annoyingly haughty voice of Cinder as she smacked her shoulder playfully.
'What I wouldn't give to throw you over the side.' Neo thought as she tried to hold back a sour grimace.
"Batten down those barrels, Neo! And look alive! We might not be by the end of today. No point in being dour about it." Cinder said with an unnerving level of optimism that scared even the normally cheery Neo.
As Neo tried her best to trudge to the barrels, she nearly was knocked off her feet by another wave. Bracing herself, she made it over and tried her best to tie them down. Not before one of the barrels' tops came off. Ducking quickly it flew past her small head into the white foamed sea yonder. Looking inside, she noticed it contained… bee's wax? Not having the luxury to contemplate the reason for that there, considering the mirthful god of the sea decided to unleash a watery hell upon them.
Confusingly however, Neo noticed that the chaotic and frantic motion of the crew eerily stopped as they looked out into the ocean. Didn't they realize the storm that was upon them!? Then she heard something faint. A melody. A sweet, soothing and relaxing melody like a church choir. Just as her mind started to lull, she remembered from one of her books something like this. The call of the sirens. Realizing her peril, and trying desperately to fight its enthralling orchestra, she had no choice but to grab hold of and jam into her ears the beeswax before her.
Sanitary reasons aside, though unfortunately that long since had been a concern for her, she panted as its haunting echo slowly left her mind. Panting heavily, she gripped the barrels before her as much to keep her sane as to keep her from falling off the ship. Once having regained her strength to properly stand, she noticed the rudder hard to port. Looking to the front of the ship, in the brief light of a mighty thunderbolt, she saw the dark forms of jagged sea spires.
Seeing no other way around it, Neo bolted up towards the helm as fast as her water clogged form could take her. She had to regain control and get them away from their doom. Reaching the deck, she saw Roman at the wheel, keeping the wheel jammed hard to port. Digging deep, she shoulder tackled him once, twice, even thrice, before the man's iron grip on the wheel finally broke. Looking at the the wheel, its size towering over her petite and by comparison miniscule frame, it was a worse task than she thought.
Though fearful of her own potential grisly fate, Neo grabbed the wheel and fought hard against the wind and tide. Initially she could get a good grip or footing to move it overly much. However slowly but surely she began to move it, forcing the galleon's rudder towards its center. But she knew it wasn't enough. She had to get it hard to starboard now.
Mustering up every last bit of strength she had, she surged forward against the wheel's urge to port. Her calves felt as if they caught ablaze, her shoulders ached to the verge of breaking, and even her palms began to bleed; she was gripping the slippery knobs of the wheel so tightly. Gritting her teeth hard enough she swore she'd break them to splinters, she finally got the wheel to starboard. It was only just in time as the ship barely passed a mighty shoal but a few feet from the dark hull of the ship. Further inland she could see towering sea spires of rock that would have even further spelt their doom. As wind and tide now worked to move them out to sea she slumped to the ground against the wheel, panting like an exhausted dog after that herculean effort.
Minutes passed as the ship moved further and further from shore. As it did, the rest of the crew began to hear the song less and less, its effect weakening. The first to break free was the captain, who had to pick himself up face first from the salty deck. Smacking himself across the face, he looked to see a battered, bloodied and exhausted Neo slumped against the wheel. His mind worked frantically to piece together what happened, but it only took the red headed devil a minute to figure it out. A surprisingly genuine smile from the scoundrel stretched across his face.
"Nice job, kid. Might make a sailor out of you yet." Roman said with a smile, and his subsequent chuckling drowned out by wind and waves.