Here we go with chapter 21, I'm glad to be back, and I hope everyone will be ready for today. Yeah, so we're done with Attina's journey on fixing the trident. Now, we're going back to Melody, Lapis, and Gabriella to save Ariel. Will they make it in time to save her?
Also, thanks again guys for the support on the story and I appreciate the feedback. I'm sorry for taking some time on this. I had been working with my jobs and then on this. So, hardly had much time to get on this.
Thankfully, as a substitute, when the kids are quiet and focusing on their work, I was able to work on the chapters. While also doing my job and making sure they're all okay.
Anyways, last time we saw Attina fix the broken trident and now off to return to the others to help in rescuing her sister. We also saw Gabriella and the others arriving to York. While Melody and Lapis go into town to distract the pirates, Gabriella is off to save Ariel. Will she be able to save her?
Will the girls be able to figure out a way to distract the pirates? What will they do to keep them busy? How will Gabriella be able to sneak in and save Ariel? Will she be able to get her out without being spotted or will she run into some trouble?
Tune in today to find out everyone. Now, time for the disclaimer. I don't own anything by Disney except the OCs of my friend. Also, again I'm doing this for my friend who can no longer work on my projects.
Enjoy the chapter everyone.
Chapter XXI
York, England
The city of York. A haven for all pirates, who can come to port to resupply, replenish their ranks with more crewmates, to drop off anyone who can't handle the pirate life, or need to fix any damage to their ship. York is one of the few places in the world that's safe for pirates to go to. There used to be many, but after Lord Cutler Beckett's attempt at destroying pirates, that number has been cut down to half.
As a result, it had been decided these rules had to be enforced in these towns to keep them from losing more safe places.
All pirates though had to follow simple rules to avoid any trouble. Pirates cannot go to another pirate ship and steal from them or try to destroy their ship. Pirates also cannot burn down someone's business or attempt to cause property damage unless they're ready to pay for the damage. Pirates also cannot try killing one another unless it's arranged in a duel.
Any rules that are broken will be banished from showing up to any safe town. If any banished pirate tries to show up, they will be executed.
At least, that's what Melody and Lapis were told by Gabriella. The two girls are seen walking down the street, looking for the establishment that they were to go to. Where they're told is where Titus' crew will be at, to try recruiting more to join them. The job for the girls is to keep them from leaving to get back to their ship.
So, the girls had to make sure that they found a way to keep them at the facility, while Gabriella sneaks in and rescues Melody's mom. Luckily for the girls, they have a plan. One that they were confident will work. Well, at least they hope so.
They managed to find the place where the pirates were located and begin looking in through the open window. Inside, they see a bunch of pirates all drinking, gambling, arguing, and some either making out with an older woman or getting slapped by a younger one. They look around and managed to recognize one Titus' crew from the attack on Tirulia. It looked like they're still organizing their table, before they can begin recruiting any new crew members.
"Good. It looks like we made it in time. They haven't started," Lapis whispered before moving away from the window. "Are you ready, Mel?"
Melody turned away from the window and towards her friend, before walking over to her. "I guess. I'm still not sure about this plan of yours though. Maybe we need to discuss about this plan a little bit more."
"It'll be fine, Mel," said Lapis as she reassured her friend it'll be okay. "From everything I read about pirates and from what Gabby told me, this'll work. We just need to keep them busy long enough till Gabby can go in and save your mom."
"Yeah, but…look, I know we've done this before, but I don't think this'll work on this kind of…" Melody jumped a little when a man was tossed off the balcony of a building, through some crates. "These kinds of people."
"Nonsense. Everyone loves good musical performances and from what Gabby told me, these pirates are fans of music. You just need to know the right songs to go with," said Lapis who felt confident they'll be able to trick the pirates. "And I know the right song to go with. Just follow my lead, okay?"
"Wait. How do you know what song to sing that these pirates will like?" Melody asked as she followed her friend, while avoiding two pirates getting into an argument and pushing one another.
"Oh well, don't tell my parents, but from time to time I um would go over to the local taverns back home that have a lot of merboys talk about their surface adventures," Lapis replied while nervously rubbing the side of her face with her index finger. "One of these guys mentioned being caught by pirates but managed to escape. Before he left though, he overheard some pirates singing to several sea shanty songs."
"Lapis, why were you at those kinds of establishments?" Melody asked who knew which one she was referring to from her tour around Atlantica with Sebastian. "That kind of place is dangerous and full of some bad people."
"Nah, nah, they're all good," said Lapis who reassured her friend it was all okay. "They're just misunderstood souls who want to go out on adventures, have some fun, and not worry about following the rules. I usually go there for…other reasons."
Lapis wasn't going to go into further details than that. She didn't want her friend to know she's picked up on a game the people there play and is very good at it. So good that anytime she makes any bets, the people around her bet on her to win. It explains why she was able to help her parents afford to buy food and clothes.
"Listen. Mel, do you trust me?" Lapis asked as she turned to her friend and placed her hands on her shoulders.
"You know I do," said Melody who trusts her friend with her life, and she knows she feels the same with her.
"Then trust me when I say I've got this, okay? Just like I know you're putting a lot of trust in Gabby to free your mom," said Lapis who wants her friend to believe in her, like she does for the girl she likes, Gabriella.
Melody knows this is dangerous and if it doesn't work then they'll likely get hurt. Still, she knows that Gabriella is counting on them to distract the pirates. She has to play her part and keep the pirates where they're at. So, if Lapis believes this will work, then she will trust her on this.
"All right. So, what kind of song are we…" suddenly a door opened nearby, and a pirate is seen being dragged out of an establishment by two armored looking men.
Melody and Lapis stood back as they watched the man struggle in the grip of the armored men, but are soon taken down after a rather large, armored man appeared to punch him square in the gut. The man falls to the ground, gasping for air. The two armored men begin dragging him away, while everyone goes back to their business. As if nothing happened.
"Who are those guys?" Lapis asked who didn't recognize the men. "They look like those old knights that I used to read in the books."
"I don't know," said Melody before taking notice of the white skull symbol on the side of their armor. "That symbol looks a lot like the Jolly Roger flag. Are they pirates?"
"They are and they are not," the girls turned around to see a tall dark skinned teenage girl around a few years older approach the girls. She has long black hair, green eyes, and a scar along her left eye. While wearing what looks like a pirate outfit. "Those guys are known as the Knights of Roger. They're the enforcers that keep the rules set by the Pirate Lords, who serve the Pirate King himself."
"Knights of Roger? Pirate Lords? I'm sorry, what?" Melody asked who had never heard of these people before. "I'm sorry, but don't you mean the Brethren Court are the ones in charge?"
"What are you two? New to being pirates?" the girl asked as she laughed softly before walking over to an unconscious pirate and begins grabbing the rum bottle from him. "Eh. You must be. You don't look dirty enough to be pros like me."
"Hey! We're plenty dirty. We worked hard on sailing towards here with our friend. Just the three of us," said Lapis who knew they were dirty enough with all the hard work they put in to getting here.
The girl walked over and grabbed Lapis' hand before looking down at them. "These hands do look like they've seen some work. But look at mine…" she shows her own hands, showing some cuts, burn marks, and felt strong. "Now these are the hands of a real sailor. Someone who's sailed the seas for days, weeks, months, and years. Never Lilly lacks or hold up in their cabin while the rest of the crew work hard. You need a lot more time before you can say you're a real pirate when you've earned experience."
"Oh…well um…go-good to know," said Lapis as she blushed a little when she felt the tall and strong girl showing her what real hard work looks like.
Melody steps in and begins to try diffusing the situation down. "We're sorry. We are new to all of this. Would it be too much trouble to ask another fellow pirate for some information? To ensure we don't well…get killed?"
The girl releases Lapis' hands and begins thinking about it. On the one hand, she shouldn't help them, and let the girls figure it all out themselves. On the other hand, she could tell if they did that, they'd be dead before the night is over. And didn't want that to happen to some rookies like these.
"I suppose so," said the girl before she finds the bottle is empty and tosses it away as she turned to the girls. "First things first, introductions: my name is Ashla Gibbs. And you two are?"
"I'm Melody and this is my friend Lapis," said Melody as she introduced themselves to Ashla. "We're um starting our career as pirates and are just looking for a crew to join. But we are as you said, new to all of this, so we're trying to get our foot through the door."
"Well, you came to the right person to be more prepared then," said Ashla as she leads the girls towards the establishment the girls were hoping to get in for their plan to work.
"The Pirate Lords are the real lords of all pirates. They're pirates who control the four corners of the world. They're the original Brethren Court, before they left, and passed it on to the next ones. But not before gaining the title of Pirate Lords," said the girl as she explained how this title had them be of higher rank than the Brethren Court. "All while under the command of the Pirate King himself, the first original pirate, Jolly Roger."
"Jolly Roger? I thought that was the name of the flag all pirates fly on their ships?" Lapis asked who never knew the name Jolly Roger was an actual person.
"Nah. It's the name of the first king himself and it's done as an honor to him. Without him? Piracy wouldn't be where it is now," Ashla replied as she explained how what they have is because of him. "He set up the laws that we have, he had the Brethren Court continue to act on behalf of the Pirate Lords and is the reason we have towns like these to rest up. He's the first real pirate and is the one we look up to."
"Wow. That's…that's amazing," said Lapis who became fascinated with all this information they're being told. "But wait. If they're really in charge, why weren't they there to help against the British when they declared war on pirates?"
"Can't expect them to always come to our aid to save our asses, especially if it's our fault that that shit happened," said Ashla who knew had Jack Sparrow never gone looking for the Heart of Davey Jones, then the heart wouldn't have fallen in the wrong hands. "In any case, the Knights of Rogers are the real law enforcement that we have to keep order in our world. To ensure the mess we made doesn't get worse."
"That…makes sense," said Melody as she looked over to where the armored men are taking the pirate they arrested. "Where do they take the ones who break the law?"
"Don't worry about it," said Ashla as she leads the girls inside the building, where they see multiple pirates having a good time, while trying to avoid being seen by Titus' crew.
The girls walked over and found a good place to sit down. Thankfully for Melody and Lapis, it was close to where they can keep their eyes on Titus' crew, without being seen themselves.
"What you should worry about is finding what crew to join," said Ashla as she asked for something non-alcoholic for the girls to drink. "Lucky for you girls, I have a soft spot for first timers. So, allow me to help you guys pick out a crew to join. I recommend joining a crew run by a female captain. But before then, I do need to ask. Who's this other pirate you traveled with? Must have been a prick for you both to want to jump ship."
"Well, um she's actually looking to get some stuff for us before we can go join another crew," said Melody as she lied to Ashla to avoid letting her know what they're really doing. "But she did recommend we join a strong crew. Like um say, those guys?"
Ashla looked over to see Melody pointing to Titus' crew and began to laugh. "Oh sweetie, you don't want to join those guys. Their captains is a psychotic son of a bitch. You wouldn't last a day, much less an hour."
"I take it he's well known then around here?" Lapis asked as she figured that's why Ashla replied to the way she did. "He must be a feared pirate then, huh?"
"Eeeeh I wouldn't call him a real pirate. His crew may act like it, but that guy hardly follows the code or does what real pirates do," Ashla explained how Titus' crew attacked other pirate ships and even warships, which has caused trouble for other pirates. "Those guys take piracy to a whole other manner. The only reason the Knights of Roger don't come for him, is because he hasn't broken any of the rules, but he's on thin ice."
"Thin ice huh?" Lapis replied before turning to see one of Titus' crew taking out a violin and begins to play a song. "Well, they do seem to have a nice musician at least."
"Who? Noah? Yeah, he's one of the few guys that Titus has that I actually like," said Ashla as she even points to the dark-skinned girl near Noah, shaking her head. "That there is Naomi. She's the one who keeps him from getting out of hand or getting punched. They're nice, but unless you're capable of playing songs or singing, I wouldn't recommend joining them."
Lapis and Melody turned to one another before they began to stand up. "Mind telling us how we can get their attention for a little musical number?"
Ashla looked at the girls to see if they're seriously going to do this. She then began to laugh a little and found this whole thing amusing. She should just tell them to sit down and not try something stupid, but her curiosity got better of her. She motioned with her head where to perform, which was near a group of pirates with instruments, looking bored.
"Ha! Give them some gold coins to them, tell them what you plan to play, and start dancing," said Ashla who's interested in seeing where this is going.
"All right then," said Lapis as she begins getting Melody over to the band.
"Good luck, ladies," said Ashla as the server brought the drinks and she gives a gold coin to her, before she takes a sip of her own drink.
Meanwhile, Titus' crew had arrived earlier in York looking to recruit more pirates to join their crew. Isaac had assigned Naomi and Noah to help get some more men to join them. They had at least three crew members join them, but the rest were off drinking, gambling, trying to hit on the women, or left to get out of being part of this crazy crew.
Marina had taken off with the crazy masked twins to go meet with someone to help her gather some ingredients for her spells. While Isaac stayed on the ship with their captain, Titus. While Raphaël, who had gone into town to gather some supplies with some of the crew, would return soon to get the ship's galley ready. So, this left Noah and Naomi in charge of getting more crewmates…which was a lot harder than it seems.
"I still can't believe it took you so long to get things set up," said Naomi as she sat in her chair with a piece of paper in front of her and a feather pen in the ink bottle. While groaning loudly at how things have been going, especially with her partner by her side. "Seriously. We got here not that long ago, and it took you ten minutes to set everything up."
"Symmetry, my dear, Naomi," said Noah as he played on his violin, while not bothered by what his friend said. "It's best to always look presentable if you want to recruit new shipmates to join you. So, everything has to look nice and neat before we can do that."
Naomi crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at her friend. "You do realize we're fucking pirates, right? Who gives a fuck about symmetry? You are wasting time on this made it, so we look like a bunch of morons."
Naomi had a right to be a little upset. They know they can't be here for too long since they're on the clock. And so far? They've only gotten three people to join their crew. Not the numbers their captain is looking for, especially where they're going.
Noah knew his friend may have a point. All this time of him getting everything set up did set them back a bit, but he knows how to fix it.
"Well then, my dear. I have an absolutely great idea of how we can recruit more people to join us," said Noah as he clears his throat and points to his violin.
"Oh, for the love of…no. Absolutely not," said Naomi as she stood up on her chair and decided to try something herself. "There's another way we can get more people to join us…"
Naomi took a deep breath and began yelling out loud to get everyone's attention. "Hey! We're looking for some pirates to join up with the great Titus! If you all want gold, booze, and women, then come join us now!"
The pirates in the room all became silent with what they had just heard. The silence didn't help Naomi, who felt this may have now turned into a bad idea.
One of the pirates walked over, a big muscular man as he crossed his arms and spoke up to the two young pirates.
"You two part of Titus' crew? We've heard everything about your captain. How he doesn't follow the Code. Something we take very seriously around here," said the pirate, which caused a lot of pirates around them to grunt in agreement. "So, tell us, why should any of us join someone like that? Why should we risk our necks for someone who we heard doesn't give a damn about us? And someone who to us, isn't a real pirate."
"Isn't a real pirate?" Noah asked while sounding insulted as he grabbed a nearby chair, got on top of it, and stood in front of the pirate. "How dare ye. Captains Titus is the greatest pirate of all time! Sure, he doesn't follow the same rules as all pirates, but who cares? He's taken on the British fleet and destroyed them all. And we all hate the British, right?!"
The pirates around them all begin to speak in agreement with what the boy said. They do hate the English, especially after what they had to go through years ago.
"That's not all," said Noah as he brings up some of the other accomplishments of their captain. "The man even took on Davey Jones himself and beat him at his own game."
The pirates around them began looking surprised by what Noah said and couldn't believe it. Noah explained how Davey Jones came for a crew member of Titus, who Titus defended, and played a game against Jones. A game he never lost and was confident he would win. In the end?
He lost. And had to keep his word, despite how much he hated it.
"No way!" said the muscular pirate. "There's no way Titus would defend anyone on his crew. He throws them out to get slaughtered."
"Wrong! He sees value in all of us, even in a screwup like me. Tell them, Naomi," said Noah who knows he messes up, but his captain takes pity in him.
"Sadly, it's true. Our captain has taken a liking to this idiot," Naomi replied who too couldn't deny she's gotten used to this loveable idiot of theirs.
"See? And just recently, he even took down the pirate killing king of the Merpeople himself, Triton!" said Noah as he got a huge reaction from the pirates, who all looked on shocked at what they were told and couldn't believe it.
Noah soon crossed his arms and began looking quite proud of what he did. Even Naomi couldn't deny Noah, despite messing up from time to time, he had his moments, and this was one of them.
"And on our next adventure, we're going someplace where there's not only treasure waiting for us, but we're also taking so much rum with us that you'll never want to leave!" said Noah as he got the whole room excited and cheering loudly.
Naomi took advantage of this and began lifting the paper up. "If you're interested, sign up with us and we'll set sail soon!"
Very soon, most of the pirates in the building begin rushing over to sign their names and join the crew. Even the muscular pirate, who doubted what was said earlier, decided to sign up himself. Just to see if what was said is true.
Meanwhile, Noah walked over to Naomi and playfully tapped on her shoulder with his elbow. "So, impressed yet, my lady?"
Naomi rolled her eyes and playfully elbowed him back. "Yes, yes, I'm impressed. Now, plays us a song, laddie."
"I'll shall do just that and I know just the song to play," said Noah as he walked over to the stage nearby, hands some of the musicians some gold coins, tells them what to play, before he speaks up. "While ye all wait! I shall play ye a little song that I'm sure you're all familiar with."
Noah begins having the musicians begin to play their instruments, while he begins to play on his violin and sings the song.
Got a whale of a tale to tell ya, lads
A whale of a tale or two
'Bout the flappin' fish and the girls I've loved
On nights like this with the moon above
A whale of a tale and it's all true
I swear by my tattoo
Noah jumps off the stage and goes near a wooden beam before he continues singing.
There was Mermaid Minnie (knocking twice on the wooden beam)
Met her down in Madagascar
She would kiss me (knock twice on the wooden beam again)
Any time that I would ask her
Then one evening her flame of love blew out
Blow me down and pick me up!
She swapped me for a trout
Noah begins moving to the middle of the room, as he got the men to cheer and sing along.
Got a whale of a tale to tell ya, lads
A whale of a tale or two
'Bout the flappin' fish and the girls I've loved
On nights like this with the moon above
A whale of a tale and it's all true
I swear by my tattoo
Noah walked over to the bar, where they had a bell along the side before, he continued playing and singing.
There was Typhoon Tessie (taps on the bell three times)
Met her on the coast of Java (taps on the bell three times again)
When we kissed I (taps on the bell three times again)
Bubbled up like molten lava
Then she gave me the scare of my young
Blow me down and pick me up!
She was the captain's wife!
Got a whale of a tale to tell ya, lads
A whale of a tale or two
'Bout the flappin' fish and the girls I've loved
On nights like this with the moon above
A whale of a tale and it's all true
I swear by my tattoo
Noah plays a little solo on his violin before having the band stop playing for a moment, while he keeps singing.
There was Harpoon Hannah (strings along his violin)
Had a face that made you shutter (strings along his violin again)
Lips like fishhooks (strings along his violin again)
And a nose just like a rudder (strings along his violin again)
Noah then begins moving his violin close and begins hugging it while he keeps singing.
If I kissed her, and held her ten-der-ly
One of the men repeated what Noah said, but in a deep voice.
Held her ten-der-llllyyy,
Noah begins to smile before he begins playing his violin again and has the band resume playing,
There's no sea monster big enough to ever frighten me!
Got a whale of a tale to tell ya, lads
A whale of a tale or two
'Bout the flappin' fish and the girls I've loved
On nights like this with the moon above
A whale of a tale and it's all true
I swear by my tattoo!
Noah finishes playing and the crowd begins to cheer loudly for him, while he takes his hat off and gives the crowd a small bow. Even Naomi couldn't help but applaud his performance too. He may be a dork, but he's one who knows how to work the crowd. And give them a show.
Noah even got some applause from the big muscular pirate who chastised them earlier. Showing even Noah could win over even the biggest and scariest pirates.
Noah was so focused on the cheering that he didn't even notice two girls walking up to the stage next. Till one of the musicians begins to stand up and lets out a loud whistle.
"All right, gents. Settle down!" said the main musician as he turned to the girls. "We got another performance for ya. We have got two young ladies here, who are looking to give you all a little performance. So, show a little respect and let them perform."
The pirates in the room begin to laugh as they begin turning their attention towards the girls. All the while some whistled at them and some even mocked them.
Melody looked a little nervous about this, while Lapis stood by with confidence.
"All right, you ready, Mel?" Lapis asked as she saw the concerned look on her friend's face. "Mel?"
"I-I don't know about this, Lapis," said Melody as she kept her voice lowered so the pirates couldn't hear them. "This worked when we were in front of Merpeople. Not a bunch of pirates."
"True. But we can do this. Come on," said Lapis who knew her friend wasn't sure about this and knew she needed to help give her a nudge. "Okay. I'll tell you what. I'll start it off and then you back me up. You memorized the lyrics?"
Melody nods in response. She's thankful her friend wrote the lyrics down and gave her what she needed to remember. "I-I'll be ready for my cue."
"Awesome," said Lapis before she turned towards the crowd and took a deep breath. "Let's do this."
Lapis motions for the crowd to band she's ready and begins walking to the middle of the stage. Lapis cleared her throat before she slammed her foot down on the wooden stage, causing it to echo around the room to get the pirates to become silent.
Fee-fi-fo-fum!
I smell like t-the bones of an English man!
Lapis began to sing with a confident look on her face, before she had the band behind her begin singing backup, while Lapis sings.
Fee-fi-fo-fum (backup band)
Crossbones, swords and a bottle of rum
Heave-high-ho-hum (backup band)
No rest for the lily-livered pirate scum
From the dawning of the day to the drowning of the sun
No rest for the lily-livered pirate scum
Lapis begins stomping her foot on the stage, to go along with the rhythm of the singing and the band playing as she jumps off the stage and continues to sing.
Salt on my tongue from the spray of the sea
Drunk on the sun beating down on me
Bound for a treasure that's never been seen
Where dead men lay their bones
Blood on my hands from the pull of the rope
No wind in our sails, so we have to row
And it's heave, ho or to the locker you'll go
Where dead men lay their bones
Where dead men lay their bones
Lapis jumps on one of the tables of the pirates and continues to sing, while dancing on the table.
Fee-fi-fo-fum (backup band)
Crossbones, swords and a bottle of rum
Heave-high-ho-hum (backup band)
No rest for the lily-livered pirate scum
From the dawning of the day to the drowning of the sun
No rest for the lily-livered pirate scum
Melody watched on in amazement with how her friend is performing, while seeing the pirates, who earlier were laughing at them, was now getting into the performance. It filled her with confidence. So much so that she begins taking to the stage and begins singing the next part of the song.
Shapes in the shadows wanna swallow us whole
The roar of the Kraken tries to pull us below
So, it's heave, ho or to the locker we'll go
Where dead men lay their bones
Melody jumps over and lands on one of the tables before she stands up and continued to sing, while doing a little dance of her own.
Captain Jack throws another one back
He finishes a bottle while we're breaking our backs
So, it's, "Aye, Cap!", until we give him the sack
Where dead men lay their bones
Melody joins Lapis who jumped to one table to another till the two are on the same table, with Lapis motioning for the men to sing along too.
"Come on, men! You know this, sing along!" said Lapis as she rallied the men to sing the next verse of the song.
What do we do with a drunken sailor (chorus)
Don't have a longboat or a rusty razor
Toss him in the drink and watch him sink
Where dead men lay their bones
Fee-fi-fo-fum (backup band)
Melody and Lapis soon begin singing together as they look to finish the song before making their way back to the stage.
Crossbones, swords and a bottle of rum
Heave-high-ho-hum
No rest for the lily-livered pirate scum
From the dawning of the day to the drowning of the sun
No rest for the lily-livered pirate scum
Ashla, who's been watching the whole performance, was impressed. She actually thought these girls were armatures…well, they are as pirates. But they know the pirate songs by heart and have won this crowd over. She's so impressed that she begins to stand on her chair, raises her bottle, and sings along with the men.
Weigh, hey and up he rises (weigh, hey and up he rises)
Weigh, hey and up he rises (weigh, hey and up he rises)
Weigh, hey and up he rises (weigh, hey and up he rises)
Weigh, hey and up he'll stay!
Where dead men hang their bones
Melody and Lapis saw Ashla joining in the singing before they made it back to the stage to finish singing.
Fee-fi-fo-fum (backup band)
Crossbones, swords and a bottle of rum
Heave-high-ho-hum
No rest for the lily-livered pirate scum
From the dawning of the day to the drowning of the sun
No rest for the lily-livered pirate scum
Lapis pulls her sword out and raises it before finishing the last part of the song.
Hoist the Jolly Roger!
The crowd cheered loudly as they began applauding the performance of the girls, while raising their glasses with Lapis from the last thing she said. Even Noah and Naomi were impressed with that performance. They begin to applaud the girls, while a few of the men that they had with them began narrowing their eyes at the girls. With one of them believing he recognizes one of the girls.
As Melody and Lapis finished singing, they gave a small bow to the crowd and they begin moving away from the stage, to figure out what else to sing to keep them distracted.
"Okay. I think we should go with this song next," said Lapis as she took out her paper that has the next pirate for them to sing.
"Hopefully it'll be a longer one to keep them from leaving," said Melody who knew this song they sang felt a little too short.
"Agreed. Let's try…" it was then Lapis saw the two pirates Noah and Naomi walking over towards them, causing her to hide the paper.
"Well done, ladies," said Noah as he kept on clapping for the girls. "Now that was a fun performance. It's not often I get to meet other pirates who have such a beautiful singing voice, are very good dancers, and can sing with such passion."
"Well, um, t-thank you," said Melody as she thanked the pirate, while trying to avoid them from finding out who she is. "We're glad you enjoyed that performance. We were planning to sing another song next…"
"Oh?" Naomi asked before crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, before you do, I do have a question. Mind telling us who you both are? We've never seen you two around here before, so we're curious."
"Oh, um well, I'm Lapis and this is my friend Melody," said Lapis before she realized she shouldn't have said Melody's real name to these pirates, who were after her not too long ago.
"Melody huh?" Noah asked before he walked over to Melody and leaned in close to her, causing the poor princess to get nervous. Do they know who she is? Is their cover blown? "Ha! I love it!" said Noah as he pats Melody on the back with his right hand. "Nice to meet ya, Lapis and Melody! The name is Noah, and this is my mate, Naomi."
"Shipmate, but yes," said Naomi as she greeted the two girls while correcting Noah. "Nice to meet you both."
Melody and Lapis both sighed mentally in relief that the two pirates didn't realize who Melody was. Both can count their lucky stars they didn't figure out.
"Anyways, we're looking to add some more people to our crew, and I wouldn't mind if you two could join us," said Noah who wanted to add both girls to the crew. "I've always wanted to form a band of my own and finally give the captain a real performance…not that I haven't done that, but Naomi can't play an instrument to save her life and refuses to sing with me."
"I can sing, dumbass. I just choose not to," said Naomi who didn't want to sing with Noah, because he irritates her. "Anyways, we may not have enough room for them to join us. We're already getting filled up with what we're getting," she replied while pointing to the table where more pirates were signing up.
"Aww come on! I'm sure we can turn a few away and add these two to our crew," said Noah who wanted to have his band and have the girls join them. "And besides…" he leans in close to Naomi and whispers in her ear. "That Lapis girl has such an angelic voice."
Naomi slapped the back of his head while pulling on his ear. "Pretty sure she's younger than you. And anyways…" she then turned to the two girls and looked at their appearances. "I don't think you two have the strength needed to sail with us. Our captain is very demanding, and we need more experienced people to sail with us for an important journey."
"I-I see, well, that's okay then. We understand," said Melody who knew they couldn't actually agree to join them, but just needed to keep them here. "But um would you guys' mind joining us for another musical performance?"
Noah was about to say yes, till Naomi pulled out her pocket watch and sighed. "Sorry, but we need to hurry up and get this crew to the ship."
"W-Wait!" Lapis spoke up knowing they have to try keeping the crew from leaving, till they get the signal from Gabriella. "Um N-Noah, right? Surely you wouldn't mind going for one more performance with us, right? One last big hurrah before you go. We'd like to perform with such an amazing musician as yourself."
"Yeah. That's right," said Melody as she went along with what her friend is doing. "One more song, please? If you can't have your band, then we can play one big song together and show your friend what she's missing."
Noah blushed a little from the compliments, which is rare for him to get. He doesn't even get that from his own crewmates.
"Well," Noah snorts a little and puffed up his chest from the confidence he felt building up in him. "I suppose we owe this great crowd one last big performance. What do you say, Naomi? I'm sure the captain will understand."
Naomi began to suspect something was up with these girls. Why would they be begging for Noah to stay with them. Are they up to something? Surely, they're not trying to win him over…right?
Naomi shook those thoughts out of her head. She doubts anyone would be interested in this loveable dork. She looked down at her pocket watch and knew they have to get going soon, but she doubted the captain would get mad at them for wanting to have some bit of fun.
"Marina will not approve…but I suppose one more big song will be fine," said Naomi as she decided to let them perform.
Noah walks up to his friend and gives her a big hug, before kissing her cheek. "You're the best, luv!" Noah runs up to the stage, while not noticing Naomi blushing from the kiss.
Melody and Lapis both sighed in relief that Naomi agreed to let Noah stay with them to finish singing. They begin walking up to the stage, while going over what to sing next.
"All right, ladies. So, what should we sing next?" Noah asked, wondering what to sing next.
Melody turned to Lapis, as she began thinking about what song to sing next. It was then she realized what they could sing and turned to Noah. "Ever heard of the song; Tale of the Shadow?"
Noah begins to form a big smile and nods before he goes to let the band know what song they're going to sing. While he does this, one of the men from their crew walks over to Naomi, who walked back towards the table. He begins whispering something in Naomi's ear, causing her to form a questionable look. The pirate seemed to reassure her what he told her, causing Naomi to turn to the girls.
She begins whispering the men to begin going near the stage and wait for her signal. Ashla, who was going to speak with the girls, saw them speaking to the two pirates of Titus' crew. She was glad to overhear they're not going to join their crew but saw the other pirates that are part of Titus' crew to see them staring at Melody.
Ashla got close by and overhears what the pirate said to Naomi, before hearing what she told them to do. Once that happened, she begins turning to Melody and Lapis before she begins moving away to prepare for what was about to happen.
"All right, folks! Listen up!" Noah spoke up as he begins getting the attention of the crowd. "We got one last big song to sing together. So, sit back, relax, enjoy, and if you know this song, sing along!"
Noah motions for the girls to begin singing, as he begins to play his violin and sings with the girls in unison.
I set upon the sea!
To search for phantom sails from tales my mum told me
A ghostly galleon filled with gold she sails alone
No crew, nor captain's guiding hand
Can tame the one the sailors call The Shadow
Noah, Melody, and Lapis begin to stomp the stage together in the same rhythm as they get the crowd to clap along, with some singing along.
Sun and horizon met
I weighed the anchor, hoisted sails, my course was set
My cutthroat crew conspirin' with the stars our guide
They point the way through perils fraught
And lead us to the one they call The Shadow
None can tame the one the sailors call The Shadow
The crowd soon began to sing along in unison with the girls as they cheered loudly.
Lean left! (Lean left!)
Hard right! (Hard right!)
Hold tightly to her helm
She'll try to drown you just for spite
Heave, ho! (Heave, ho!)
'Til first light! (First light!)
She'll give a fight to all who try to claim The Shadow
None can tame the one the sailors call The Shadow
Noah, Melody, and Lapis jumped on the tables to continue singing, while they do a little dance as well.
A mighty tempest grew
The banshee cried, "Turn Back!" but our resolve was true
We pointed bow ahead and shouted, "We'll break through!"
The jaws of hell can't hold us back
There's nothing that can keep us from The Shadow
The winds blew stronger still
The ocean raged against us, tried to break our will
The sirens in the water, thirsty for the kill
Our vessel reelin' to and fro
To bear us to the one they call The Shadow
None can keep us from the one they call The Shadow
Noah, Melody, and Lapis soon get the crowd to sing along with them as they all sing in unison as the crowd even stomp their feet on the floor to go along with the singing.
Lean left! (Lean left!)
Hard right! (Hard right!)
Hold tightly to her helm
She'll try to drown you just for spite
Heave, ho! (Heave, ho!)
'Til first light! (First light!)
She'll give a fight to all who try to claim The Shadow
None can tame the one the sailors call The Shadow
Noah moves forward and pushes a chair down before sliding across the floor and stands in the middle of the room, while Melody and Lapis leap over to land next to him. They then begin to turn their backs against one another, lean back till their backs are against each other, and begin to move around in a circle.
As thunder split the sky
The lightning drew a shape beyond the tempest's eye
A chill ran through me spine as legend came alive
"Avast!", I cried all hands as we
Prepare to take the one they call The Shadow
"All hands!" Lapis shouted out loud as they let the band play this solo for a few seconds before they begin to sing, and the band die down with their instruments.
As we approached her shell
The skies went silent, seas went calm as if by spell
No signs of fight or flight were in her, all was well
Until I tried to take her helm
Her rigging came alive
Suddenly Noah begins to play his violin again and the band begins to play again. While the crowd sing along with Noah, Melody, and Lapis as they sing the final lyrics of the song.
She hung my crew before me eyes
She stole my sight and cursed me Captain of The Shadow
She took my eyes and cursed me Captain of The Shadow
Lean left! (Lean left!)
Hard right! (Hard right!)
Steer clear of her I fear she'll eat your soul, she'll take your life
Heave, ho! (Heave, ho!)
'Til first light! (First light!)
She'll claim the souls of those who try to tame The Shadow
None can tame the one the sailors call The Shadow
None can tame the one the sailors call The Shadow
The crowd cheered and applauded for the trio loudly as some began to whistle. Noah, Melody, and Lapis all turn to each other, panting a little as they try to catch their breath. They then grabbed each other's hands and gave the crowd a small bow. Melody had to admit, this was so much fun.
Yes, they came to distract the pirates and keep Titus' crew from returning to the ship. But this was a lot of fun. She's never performed in front of humans before. So, this was a lot of fun. And she could tell Lapis had a lot of fun too.
She just hopes they gave Gabriella enough time to get to her mom and get out.
As they lifted themselves up from the bow, two pirates appeared and grabbed the girls from behind. This caused the pirates around the room to look on in confusion at what was happening.
"Hey, hey, hey, guys!" Noah begins to speak in. "What are you idiots doing? Let them go."
"Can't do that, Noah," said Naomi as she walked up and had her arms crossed.
"Naomi? What are you doing?" Noah asked, confused on what his friend is doing. "They're one of us."
"No, they're not. These two aren't real pirates," she then walks up to Melody and begins to smile. "This one, is the queen's daughter that we were looking to capture. Hello, Princess Melody."
The pirates around the room all looked shocked and surprised that this girl is a princess. And that she came in here disguised as one of them.
Even Noah looked shocked at the revelation, while looking disappointed. "Aww man. I was hoping you girls were really one of us."
Melody and Lapis knew this is bad. They struggled to get freed, but the pirates held on to them tightly.
Naomi knew this was good for them. Not only do they have Triton's daughter, but now his granddaughter too. Doubling the hostage numbers that they have. She was tempted to take them back to the ship but knew something wasn't right.
"Tell me, princess. How did you both get here? I doubt daddy or your grandpa brought you here. So, how did you both get here?" Naomi asked, wondering who helped them get here.
Melody refused to tell them anything. She couldn't let them know that Gabriella brought them here, much less find out what they were doing.
Naomi sighed softly before taking out her knife and moving it close to Lapis. "We have no use for her, so you either tell us everything or else I slit her throat."
"No! Please, don't!" Melody begged as she saw how close the knife was to her friend.
"Don't tell them anything, Melody! This pirate can suck an egg and choke on it!" Lapis replied in defiance despite her current situation. She even spat at Naomi's face to show she isn't scared, but deep down, she's terrified.
The pirates all let out a loud 'Ooooh' when they saw Naomi getting spat on. Even Noah covered his mouth and made the same noise. Naomi wiped away the spit from her face before turning towards Lapis.
"Big mistake," as Naomi prepared to harm Lapis, Ashla jumps over, grabbed the chandelier, and kicks Naomi towards the ground.
Ashla then grabs a bottle and tosses it at Noah, who ducked and hits a pirate, who was sleeping at the bar. The pirate woke up and groaned in anger before he stood up.
"Who did that?!" the pirate shouted in anger.
"He did it!" Ashla pointed towards Noah.
"Whoa, wait a minute…" Noah tried to explain what happened, but got grabbed by the pirate and gets tossed towards a group of pirates, causing the ones in the back who were also sleeping to spill their drinks.
The pirates push Noah off of them before yelling in anger and in their foreign language. Ashla stood up on the bar table and yells out loud. "Well boys! Look like we've got ourselves a bar fight!" She then jumps off and lands on the pirates who held Melody and Lapis.
The whole room soon erupted in a brawl as the pirates all began fighting one another. Even the ones who joined Titus' crew begin joining in the brawl as they fight around the building. Drinks being tossed around, glass shattering, tables getting shattered, and chairs being used as weapons. Even some of the women who work at the bar got involved, attacking some of the men who touched them,
"Come on! This way!" Ashla grabbed Melody's hand and motions for her to grab Lapis' hand. "Hold on tight and don't let go!"
Ashla begins leading the girls through the brawl and avoids getting hit by the pirates. They managed to get through towards the exit, till one of the pirates, the big muscular one from earlier grabbed Lapis' hand.
"Not so fast! You're both coming with me!" said the muscular pirate.
"Let go! You big jerk!" Lapis kicks the pirate straight in the groin, causing him to loosen his grip.
Melody grabs a nearby chair and smashes it across the guy's face, causing him to fall backwards and fall through a table.
Melody looked down at the broken chair and seemed surprised with what she did. Lapis hugs her friend and thanks her, before they follow Ashla out of the bar and run down the street. Ashla leads them towards a nearby closed shop and breaks in. Ashla motions for the girls inside, before closing the door behind them.
They began to stop running and used this time to catch their breath.
"That *huffing* was way *huffing* too close," said Lapis as she tried to get some air back in her. "Thanks for *huffing* saving me, Mel."
Melody gives her a nod and is glad to see her friend is okay. She then turned towards Ashla who walked over to the window and made sure they weren't being followed.
"Ashla *huffs a little* thank you for saving us *huffs more softly* but we need to know…why?" Melody asked wondering why Ashla, a pirate would risk her neck out for them.
Ashla turned to the girls and had a feeling they'd ask her that. Not that she didn't have some questions for herself. "I think the bigger question is…why is a princess pretending to be a pirate? And what does it have to do with Titus?"
Melody had a feeling she'd be asked that. She turned to Lapis, who gave her a small nod to tell her the truth. Melody knew they did owe Ashla that much. She did save them after all.
"Titus took my mother after he attacked my home of Tirulia. He was after me, but my mom offered herself up to him and they left. We came here to try rescuing her. We have a friend who sent us to distract the crew, while she goes to rescue my mom," Melody explained while leaving nothing out and telling Ashla everything. "We're sorry we lied. We just…we didn't know if we could trust you. But we know now we can. Thank you and again, we're sorry."
Ashla stood there in silence as she tried processing everything she was just told. She couldn't blame them for not trusting her. She's a pirate after all. So, she isn't exactly someone who can be called a good person, especially with what she's done.
Still, she was confused by what she said. Why in the hell would Titus even do this? It didn't make any sense. And feels out of character.
"Look, I'm not mad with you lying to me. I get that part, and I don't blame you both for not trusting me. But what I'm confused by is what you said about Titus kidnapping your mom. Titus doesn't kidnap people, much less attack any kingdoms, at least, one as small as your own," said Ashla who knew where Tirulia was at and knew it didn't make sense. "Not to mention with the mermaid king living around there, it makes no sense for any pirate, even Titus to attack your home."
"Well, that's um where it gets a little complicated," said Lapis who was a little worried about telling Ashla this next part. "You see…" suddenly a gunfire could be heard outside the building and Lapis got grazed from a bullet along her left arm.
"Lapis!" Melody kneels to check on her friend, as Lapis fell to her knees.
Ashla stood in front of the girls and pulled her two guns out to shield them as five pirates broke into the building. With their pistols aimed at them.
"Drop the gun, lassie," said one of the pirates, who was the leader of the group. "We would hate to kill ya, especially given who your dad is. But if you don't move, we will shoot you dead."
Ashla refused to drop her guns as she cocks her guns. "I don't think so."
"Heh. All right then," said the pirate before they begin preparing to shoot her.
Suddenly a bright light flew down and grabbed one of the pirates by the shirt. "What the hell?!" Suddenly the bright light launches the pirate through the window.
Ashla takes cover with the girls as the pirates begin to open fire. Trying to shoot at the flying ball of light, who avoids getting hit and cuts through a rope that was holding a large dead cow carcass before it flies over and hits one of the pirates, launching him through a wall. The pirates begin taking out their swords and swing around to hit the ball of light, when it flies over and cuts through a chandelier, causing it to fall and entrap one of the pirates as he fell to the ground.
The two pirates soon chased after the ball of light as it flies low, and they tried to stop at it. It then flies up the shirt of one of the pirates, causing him to yell and tries to get it out. The other pirate tries to stab at the ball of light but his buddy yells at him to stop. Suddenly the ball of light flies out of the shirt and flies up to cut some rope that held some large pots, causing them to fall right on the head of the pirate and knocking him out.
The final pirate tries to run away, but the ball of light flies behind him, and grabs him by the shirt, before launching him out the window. Sending him flying towards some barrels and crashing through them.
Once the five pirates are down, Ashla begins helping the girls get to their feet while sighing in relief when she sees what happened.
"Okay…what just happened?" Melody asked wondering what just transpired.
Ashla knew what had happened all right and smiled. "We had a little help," she then turned to the girls and crossed her arms. "By any chance, is the one who you're working with Gabriella Sparrow?"
Melody and Lapis turned to each other, concerned by her question since it means she knows her. "Um, yes? How do you know her and who helped us? That ball of light?"
"Yes," said Ashla as she looked up and whistled. "Hey Lara, come on out. It's okay."
The ball of light soon begins to emerge from the ceiling and begins flying down, landing on Ashla's right hand. Before the light begins to die down and reveal their appearance. It was a small fairy girl with long blond hair, green eyes, and sparkling wings. While wearing an outfit that looked a lot like the same pirate outfit Gabriella has.
Ashla saw the shocked look on the faces of the girls, which is to be expected. She then begins introducing them to the fairy. "Ladies, meet Lara. Gabriella's faithful pixie fairy friend."
That's the end of the chapter and looks like the girls finally met Lara, the pixie pirate fairy. A nice introduction, especially after she saved them from the pirates. Will they be able to understand what she's saying? Or will Ashla understand what she says and translates for them?
Also, yep, Ashla is related of Gibbs from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Is she his daughter or granddaughter? I mean, the dude isn't exactly young in the movies. So, you can make your own guesses before we get to the next chapter.
We also saw for a moment, Noah seemed to have some fun with the girls. A shame he had to be yeeted so they could escape. How will things go next time? How will what happened affect the rescue mission?
Think the girls gave Gabriella enough time to get to Ariel? Think she'll be able to go in without finding any trouble? Will they make it out in time? Or will something get in their way to ruin the plan?
Tune in next time to find out & thank you all for the support for my friend. He appreciates all the support for his story and if you like how this chapter went, then please leave some reviews. Just nothing negative please. See you all next time, take good care, and have a good day.
Also, for those wondering what the titles of the songs are so you can look them up, here they are. In the order they were sung:
1. Kirk Douglas – Whale of a Tale (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea & I recommend finding the music from the YouTube channel: JaxJaguars95)
2. Sail North – Bones (look up Sail North channel to find it)
3. Sail North – Tale of The Shadow (on the Sail North channel)
I was also going to put in Nathan Evans – Wellerman song too, but then I thought, I think these four will be fine. But I do recommend checking that song and Home Free – Skull and Bones. Another good song and if you're a fan of pirates, it's a song you'll find is very piracy. Enjoy the songs and see you all next time.
Also, for those wondering how the characters sound like. Well, in my head, these are actors who I'd pick for them to sound like (or who they played from the canon films):
Main Protagonist:
Queen Ariel – Jodi Benson
Princess Melody – Tara Strong
King Eric – Christopher Daniel Barnes
King Triton – Kenneth Mars
Attina – Kari Wahlgren
Urchin – Danny Cooksey
Sally – Awkwafina
Gabriella Sparrow – Sarah-Nicole Robles
Lara the Fairy – Brenda Song
Lapis – Ashly Burch
Side Characters:
Alana – Jennifer Hale
Aquata – Grey DeLisle
Arista – Grey DeLisle
Adella – Tara Strong
Andrina – Tara Strong
Sebastian – Samuel E. Wright
Flounder – Jason Marin
Grimsby – Ben Wright
Carlotta – Edie McClurg
Captain Bryan – Jon Favreau
Captain Nereus – Chris Parnell
Lyra – Marina Satti
Polyphemus – Manos Katrakis
Main Antagonist:
Titus – Temuera Morrison
Marina – Elsie Lovelock
Isaac – Idris Elba
Raphael – Danny Trejo
Naomi – Anna Akana
Noah – Michael Kovach
Mei & Mai Katsumoto – Olivia Hack
Odina – Amber Midthunder