A Pirates' Life For Me - One

1: We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot.

                The blue sky was free of any clouds. The early morning fog had dispersed, leaving the view of the ocean crystal clear. The breeze was in my favor today, as it was pointing west in my destination. I manned the tiller as I watched my crew prepare the ship to leave the island. The Thirteenth Hour was a beauty that any pirate would love to have in their possession. The speed could almost rival The Black Pearl, but it was more powerful than the Royal Navy’s The Dauntless. I felt proud of my acquisition of this pretty boat, and I wouldn’t give it up to be Commodore. My compass continued to point north as usual, as I kept us on course towards north, where I’ll be acquiring some important information, thanks to the Governor himself.

            I hummed to myself quietly. There was this song about us pirates, but I’ve only bothered to know the tune and not the lyrics. I couldn’t be bothered to remember something so repetitive anyways. I continued humming even as the ship left the isle and out into the open sea. The waves were a bit harder to work with ever since the Pieces of Eight were burned and Calypso was free once again. I know; I was there when it happened.

            “Captain!” my First Mate called to me. I turned to face them, not removing my hand from the tiller.

            “Yes, Firs’ Mate?” I said calmly.

            “I believe we’ll reach Port Royal by nightfall,” they informed me.

            I gave a slight chuckle. “Well then,” I placed both hands on the tiller. “Prepare yourself, Firs’ Mate. We’ve got to pay a visit to the Governor. Debt, he owes us.”

            My First Mate saluted; a wicked smile on their face. “Aye, Captain.”

***

            I sat quietly in my stateroom, running my calloused fingers over the maps. Port Royal was child’s play. Of course, I was not in a merciful mood when we reached the pitiful island. So I told my First Mate no prisoners. I simply didn’t want to deal with the annoyance when I was much closer to my goal.

            The rocking of the ship did nothing to sway my concentration as I studied the maps. The way to Tortuga would take about half the day, if luck was on my side. It usually was.

            My concentration was broken when my First Mate barged through the doors. I growled in irritation. “Why do ye have to interrupt me now?”

            They narrowed their eyes. “Well, when that Royal Navy ship attacked us barely an hour ago, some landlubbers snuck aboard the Hour.”

            I slammed my fist down on the desk in frustration. “That ship we gone and obliterated?”

            My First Mate nodded. I sighed. “Very well, this better be worth me time.” I pondered my next action. Let them live or fall towards the Locker. “Bring them to me. I’ll be out to judge.” They left outside the doors, shouting commands to the crew.

            I rolled up the maps and hid them in a special hiding place beneath a loose floorboard. I had personally put that in when I stole the Hour, and I had covered it up well so no one would ever find it. I placed the floorboard back into place and headed outside the stateroom.

            I only took two steps before I was standing before two young men. One had messy caramel hair; the other had dirty blonde messy hair. It was amazing how much their facial features were the same.

            I kept an expressionless face as I walked around them, examining them. “Well, I say no prisoners an’ I get two look-alikes.” I stopped right in front of the brown haired man. I raised a finger up underneath his chin, tilting his head up so I see his eyes; blue, like the sea. How interesting. “Ye have a name to match your face?” I asked.

            “Sora,” he mumbled. Oh, so he was from the eastern seas, just like me. I smirked and looked to my First Mate.

            “And what is the other one’s name?” I questioned. They smirked.

            “The blonde’s Roxas,”

            “Oh,” I remarked. “Sora and Roxas. Fine landlubbers, I say. Must be my lucky day.” I turned away from them. “If you were anyone else, say, scrawnier, weaker, possibly more annoying, I’d just have ye thrown overboard and be on our merry way, say?” I stopped talking at a new curiosity. “How did you manage to convince me Firs’ Mate you were worth me precious time?”

            My First Mate spoke. “Parley, they claim.”

            Sora glared right at me. “Let us go.” He tugged a little at his binding.

            I grinned deviously. “Now, let me make this clear. The chances of me letting you and your brother, I’m assuming, go is about as small as a barnacle. And you have to be a pirate to use the pirates’ code.” I pulled a gold coin out of my pocket and fiddled with it in my hand. I turn back to face the two lubbers. “I’ll give you mercy. Either you can swim with the shark-infested waters, which I’m pretty sure will not be painless but rather a horrible and bloody death.” I stared right at Sora. He was so different from the rest, it intrigued me. “Or you be a slave to my ship, until I say you go, which I’ve already told ye about the chances of that happening.”

            I chuckled. “It’d be a real shame to lose such finely built men.”

            “We rather be alive than dead,” the blonde, Roxas said.

            As if this day couldn’t be any better. So intrigued by how they prefer life over death, most prisoners would find the nearest knife very friendly. Things were about to get real interesting on the Thirteenth Hour. I would have to study these two. “Very well then,” I say. I turn around to go back into my quarters.

            “Wait,” I heard Sora’s voice command. I stopped and sighed.

            “What is it?” I mutter.

            “Just, who are you?”

            I smile maliciously. “Kairi. Captain Kairi. Welcome to the Thirteenth Hour, hope you enjoy your stay, because you are going to be here until the ocean freezes over!” I laugh. “First Mate Naminé!” I call.

            She smiled. “Yes, Captain?”

            “Show them their tasks. If there is any disobedience on my ship, I’ll have ‘em tied upside down to the mast until they pass out,” I ordered. Sora and Roxas’ eyes widened.

            Sora stared at me with outrage. “How could someone so fair like you be so heartless?”

            I laughed off the remark. “Thanks for the flattery, but you’ll have to try harder.”

            Sora pulled at the rope tied to his wrists. “Bloody pirate!”