From Sea to Sea (Nekrosilisk and Butterfly0408)

The castle dungeon was dark and damp, the kind of place you'd expect to see ghosts wandering the halls, and lurking about in the cells. In deepest reaches one man sat alone waiting for his moment. As he looked about his stormy blue eyes seemed to pierced the shadows. They stood in stark contrast to the tangle of raven black hair he had in a loose braid behind his head. He'd been sitting her for three weeks now awaiting his execution.

In that time a nice scar had formed across his right eye. The bitch who'd turned him in had tried to gash out that eye, but lucky for him, her swipe wasn't deep enough, and she only cut his face and the bridge of his nose. He wasn't normally one to hurt women, but so help him if he got his hand on that bitch again, he'd rip her throat out.

Granted even he had to admit he deserved his punishment. Piracy was punishable by death, and he was after all a pirate. That didn't mean he had to accept it though. He'd already worked his escape out in his head, but he was being forced to rush things something he didn't like. A princess was coming to be wed to the local king. Normally he'd wait for the wedding to serve as a distraction, but given that she was being forced into the union, and no wonder given how old the king was, and how disgusting he looked, he'd end up trying to save her, which would throw a whole wrench in his works. So here he sat waiting for the opportune moment today to escape.

What he did not know was that the distracted he had wanted to wait for was this very day. No sooner had the princess arrived then the king decided to up the date of the ceremony. He was vile and old, but even he could not wait the two weeks for his wedding. That would have meant two weeks till the wedding night. One look upon his golden haired bride-to-be's beautiful face and well endowed form and his loins stirred for the first time in a long time. He yearned for her and would not be made to wait to have her in his bed.

Abrianna sighed as she gazed at her own reflection in the mirror, watching as her with her sad emerald green eyes as her hand maidens lowered the wedding veil down over her face. A bride was suppose to be happy on her wedding day. A bride maybe, yes. But a princess? How could she be? Forced into a loveless marriage, to a man she had never meet before. Having to live in a strange, unfamiliar place without a single friend in the world to keep her company. She supposed that it was just the way things needed to be. She had been born into a privileged life and now she needed to pay for that privilege with her freedom.

A knock came upon the door and the king's adviser entered without waiting for permission. He eyed her from head to toe with the same lusty look the king had the first time he had meet her just two days before. Would no man ever look at her and see her for who she was first before her outer appearance? "The king awaits you, Princess Abrianna and he does not enjoy being made to wait. You will come to learn that very quickly."

Taking up her flowers in her hand she nodded and followed him from her room. Soon they were joined by two guards that were to join in the procession through the square that would lead from the castle to the chapel where the king already awaited her. It would give the people a chance to see their queen. Probably the one and only time since she would be locked up within the castle after the wedding and be lucky to ever leave it's walls again.

As the wedding began to get underway, the pirate's opportunity arrived. The guard that came to give him his meager food ration was careless as usual. He'd made the guard think he was getting weak, when really he was conserving his strength. His lean muscled frame was quick to lurch into action when the guard thrust his food through the bars. he had on the one gaoler, a foolish mistake on the king's part for the likes of him.

Yanking the guard's arm through the bars, he was able to daze him before he got his hands on the man's throat and began to strangle the life out of him. The gaoler reached weakly for his sword as the life drained out of him, while trying to pry his neck from the pirate's grip. But it was not use, a minute later the gaoler fell to the floor dead, and shortly afterward, the pirate was loose.

He took the guard's sword, something told him he'd need it, and he began to make his way through the castle corridor's, slipping and sneaking about to avoid being seen, and hoping he was long gone before anyone found the body,

As he got closer and closer to freedom, surely he could start to hear the church bells outside. Abrianna certainly could hear them. The ringing was giving her a terrible headache. They were the sound of her doom. She sighed once more as the adviser stopped the small group in a hall not to far from the exit they would use to go into the square. He gave direction on who would walk where and would foot they would start on and so on and so forth. The princess didn't know why it mattered if her hand maidens used their right or left hand when spreading the flower petals on the ground as she walked. It was all a big joke. This whole thing was a joke and a lie! For a moment her eyes darted around as if she expected to find a way of escape at the last moment. Wishful thinking....

The pirate didn't notice anything as focused as he was on what he was doing, even the large gathering of people around a woman dressed in white as he came scurrying out of a corridor and right into her. Tripping over her trane, he brought both of them down with her on the bottom. He looked at her in shock, his young face wide with surprise. How in the hell was this happening now? Why was it everything he planned ran into some hitch? He heard the sound of guards unsheathing their swords, and in a quick moment of improvisation, his lithe, but strong frame was over her, and yanking her to her feet in front of him. he then pulled the sword he'd stolen from the dead guard, and laid it against her throat. "Put those blades away boys or i slit her throat."

The guards didn't seem to want to put their weapons up, but they weren't advancing either. He knew he couldn't get away through the central courtyard now, so instead he took the stairs that would lead them up to the outer ramparts, dragging her along with him as a shield.

She had been looking for an escape, yes. Looking to get kidnapped however was not exactly the type of escape she thought she would find. Not sure if it was a blessing or a curse, she just played along. To die, after all, would make this officially the worse day of her life.

Struggling to keep up with her abductor in her wedding dress and heels, she stumbled and swayed. At this rate, the guards would catch up to them in no time. She should have thought that a good thing. But then why did she kick off her shoes to help speed them along? It was if she actually wanted to go with this dangerous stranger. In fact, "We could run faster it you cut the trane off my dress!" she told him as they kept on running.

The pirate growled at her. his voice was low and strong. "Listen I realize you're trying to help, but i if take this sword off your throat, I'm going to have an arrow through my head before you can say fuck me, savvy?" As he neared the center of the ramparts over the ocean, he saw the guards coming up both stairs, and smiling thinking they had him cornered. "Well Princess, hope you can swim, cause that's the only way we're getting out of this." With that, he grabbed hold of her across her chest, and pitched them backwards over the ramparts, and plummeting towards the ocean below.

In her wildest dreams, she never thought about making such a grand exit. Abrianna was resigned to being cornered she noticed the guards coming towards them from both sides. Sighing, she thought for a moment at least she had a bit of excitement in her life before she was to be married. He would have no choice but to give her up. She'd go off to the chapel and he'd go off to the gallows. It had been fun.

Then he mentioned swimming her her eyes went wide, "Swim?! What!?" she questioned in shock only moments before the pair went flying backwards. She didn't mean to scream, but what girl wouldn't suddenly finding them self plummeting backwards into the unknown. There was no time to think or anything at all as she watched the walls of the castle fall away rapidly. She caught a glimpse of the guards above peering over the wall a moment before she heard the splash of them both hitting the water.

It was only then she remembered she had to breath and tried to take in air at the last possible second. Unfortunately it was a moment to late as she got half a breath of air and the rest was water in her mouth. In a panic, she limps started to wildly paddle to try and find the surface once more. Already, the heavy dress was trying to hold her under and pull her down.

This was the LAST thing she expected on her wedding day!

The Pirate was obviously used to this sort of thing. As he fell, he was already preparing to hit the water. He could see she wasn't going to hit the water right, and readied himself to help her as they hit water, he went in feet first, jack-knifing his body as he entered the water to flip himself upside down, he grabbed her as she sank past him flailing, and with another skilled movement flipped himself upright, and forced her head over the water. His own followed a few moments later. He scanned the horizon and saw a ship in the distance, his ship, and started swimming towards it, carrying her with him.

The moment her face broke the waters surface, she took in first a deep breath before attempting to spit out the water. Little good it did for soon only more water filled her lips. She just had to focus on air, on breathing. Coupled with trying to paddle as best she could with him. The dress was still making it hard as it wrapped and tangled about her legs while she was trying to kick herself forward.

Without waiting for him to notice it was slowing them down, she made a choice that the dress had to go. There was a struggle with it as she clawed at the soaking wet fabric. Still swimming the whole while. Eventually though, she won the battle with is and wiggled her way out of it, leaving the bulky fabric behind them in the water. Instantly, the were able to move twice as fast through the ocean water towards his ship.

She had no idea what had possessed her to play along with this escape attempt as much as she had thus far. Kicking off her shoes, discarding her dress to leaver herself in only her undergarments, kicking and paddling with him. It was every thing she should have fought against and yet, here she was... escaping with a stranger. It was really quite exciting.

As they drew close to the ship, a rope cam down over the side, he rolled onto his stomach next to it, and put her arms aroun his neck. "Hold on." He then started Climbing up the rope.

"Took you long enough there Ranath..." As they came over the railing, the crew grew silent. He just stared at them, as they dropped onto the deck. "Once damn word, and i lock up the rum for a month. Back to work you Scalawags!" The crew hastily got back to what they were doing.

One of the female crew members came over to her. "Come on dear, I'm Hurricane Hannah. Let's get you into something dry 'fore you catch something." Ranath seemed content to leave the two women together, and went to his own cabin.

Abrianna was relieved to be out of the water and onto the deck of the ship. At first at least. For the first few moments, she just laid on the desk, coughing up the water in her lungs and panting to catch her breath. After a moment she had gotten enough fresh air in her that she was able to push herself up and look about. She wasn't sure all of a sudden if she should be so relieved. It was then and only then, as she looked about at the rag tag crew that she realized she was among pirates. The scum of the sea.

Her head turning in surprise towards a female's voice she was stunned to find another woman among the pirates. Didn't men think it was some kind of bad luck to allow women on ships? At least that was what she had always thought. "Hannah..." Abrianna repeated as she tried to process all that was going on around her. Taking the hand offered to her, she pulled herself to her feet and found herself a big wobbly, but thankfully did not fall. "I'm... a..." she didn't know if she should admit who she was or not. After all, being a princess among pirates might make her a bit of a target. Although, he probably already had a good idea as to who she was since he-

"Oh!" she turned to look for her abductor. Or should she be thinking of him more as her savior? He was already clear across the deck and disappearing into a cabin. Turning back to Hannah, she seemed rather dazed and was definitely confused, "Who is he?"

Hannah smiled as she pushed the young girl into her small cabin. She was quite a bit larger that the princess, both in height and build. "Go on and get out of those wet things. The men know not to come in here less the want to get belted halfway cross the deck. I'll see if I got something you can wear. To answer your question though, that's Ranath. He's our cap'n. So what kind of trouble were you in?"

"Ranath..." she repeated as she took a seat upon Hannah's small bunk. She still did not make any move to undress herself, just sat sort of staring into space. The events that had just taken place still sort of sinking into her brain. "Why do you think I was in trouble?" she asked Hannah in return only to answer her own question a moment later, "I suppose I was in trouble. I was getting married."

Hannah leaned over and smiled. "Because Princess, that's the only kind of girl our captain ever picks up. A few say he goes looking for 'em. You ask me, I say it's a bit of both. Now out of them wet things, or I'll take you out of them savvy girl?" She placed her hands on her hips in that dangerously sweet gesture that just dared defiance.

Abrinna's eyes grew large, both from the news of the kind of person Ranath was and that Hannah had figured out she was a Princess. She could have meant it as a descriptive term she supposed, but there was just something about the way Hannah said the word. Princess. Like it was her name or something. Abrinna gave in and Started to peal the damp clothing off, what little was left of it at least, as she questioned Hannah more, "You mean, he makes a habit of picking up stray Princesses? What does he do with them?" And what was he going to do with her?

Hannah laughed and tossed the girl a set of her smaller clothes, though they were likely still too large for her, and a belt to help keep the pants on. "No your the first princess he's grabbed. He just seems to be a magnet for damsels in distress. As for what happens to them, well he takes them to wherever they wasn't and drops them off. He just doesn't know what to do with them."

There was a heavy knock on the door. "You two done in there?" It was Ranath's voice coming through the door. "I need you on deck Hannah, not pampering her.. Hurry it up!" There was the sound of more orders being barked though it was indistinct.

Hannah smiled, and helped the younger woman get dressed. "Don't worry he acts all gruff and tough, but underneath he's really a nice guy, bit of a scoundrel, but a nice guy overall."

Drops them off somewhere? Was that was would happen to her? She'd never be able to survive on her own. As much as she hated to admit it, she was worthless as anything but a princess. She couldn't do any kind of manual labor. At least not well. The most she could do was sew a little bit, but not nearly well enough to make a living out of it. Maybe this escape had not been such a good thing after all.

Abrianna was just putting the baggy shirt Hannah had given her over her head when she jumped at the sound of his voice through the door. Hannah hit the nail right on the head as she explained how Ranath acted, but it didn't help much. She would only believe it when she saw it. "So, I should just...... stay here?" she had to question. This feeling she was having. A feeling of being totally useless in this place, it was a feeling she did not like one bit.

Hanna slapped the girl on the back laughing. "Princess or no, runaway bride or not, you're on this ship you help out!" Once she was dressed, Hannah walked her out on deck, and up to the Wheel where Ranath stood guiding the ship. "We're here cap'n."

Ranath nodded. "Get about your duties Hannah." The large woman nodded and walked off. "Hannah's the boatswain. Long as you're on this ship you'll answer to her, unless i tell you otherwise clear?" He apparently took the question as rhetorical as he continued on without waiting for an answer. "You'll also need to pull you're own weight, that means contributing to the duties on the ship. What all can you do?"

She had just barely gotten her belt on when she was dragged out on the deck, looking rather ridiculous in her baggy get up. As they crossed the deck she knew quiet well that all eyes were on her. Not knowing if they were eying her up for the future or if they were getting a good laugh, she tried not to pay much attention to them.

Standing at the wheel with the captain, she held her face down, not really sure what she should be doing. It was not a situation she was familiar with. It only made her feel even more awkward when Hannah left her alone with him. "Do?" she questioned back, "Well..... to be honest.... I can't do much of anything. I sew a little, but other then that," she shrugged a little, "I doubt anythings else I know would be any use on a ship. I can read and write it that helps at all?" It was a rare thing to find someone that could read and write well, especially a woman.

Ranath shook his head. Reading an writing may have been useful elsewhere, but the only things he needed read were maps and schedules, both of which he could do quite well on his own. They had no need for a seamstress largely, which meant she had nothing she could use now.

"Go report to Hannah, tell her your on swab duty. She'll get you going and teach you what you need. I'll cut you a little slack for a few days while you learn what you're doing, but I expect you to be up to speed withing four days. It's simple enough work, so you should be fine." He gave a brief wave of dismissal, and picked up a compass to take his bearings. They'd be fighting in a week, and make berth a week after that if his dates were right.

She nodded slightly as he gave her what was to be her task, not exactly knowing what swab duty was but it sounded like it was hard if he thought it would take her four days to be able to do it well. As a force of habit, she gave him a quick yet dainty cutesy before turning to head towards the door.

Abrianna paused with her hand on the door frame a moment before she turned back to face him once again, "Thank you...." Not sure if he was listening or if he even cared, "I don't know how you could take a half a look at me and know I didn't want to be there, but from what Hannah told me you have a sort of... sixth sense for knowing when there is a girl in trouble so I just wanna say... thank you." Not waiting for any sort of reply or even and acknowledgment, she departed his cabin and went in search of Hannah.

"Hannah...." she called from across the deck when she spotted her before trotting to her side. "I was told to tell you to put me on... swab duty? And I have four days to be good at it? Could you teach me?"

Hannah chuckled at the young girls innocence. "Well he's starting you off slow . Swab duty's easy enough, crews gonna be starting her shortly. It's just scrubbing down the deck and the rails. I'll grant you it's not the easiest work on ship, but it's easy enough to learn. Come on." She motioned for Abrianna to follow her.

They went over to a corner of the ship where some of the men were hauling up buckets of water, there were three of them that were filled with suds. Hannah rolled up her sleeves, and pulled two large stiff bristled brushed out and handed one to her. "Stand next to me so you can see what we're doping better." Three bells rang out from where Ranath stood and several men lined up next to Hannah kneeling on all fours with their hands on the brush. As soon as one of them started singing, they all began moving in rhythm with the song, moving a bit further down the deck with every verse. Ranath watched them from the railing overhead.

Holding the brush in her hand, she at first examined it like it was a odd foreign object. That was because it truly was to her. A princess didn't do work. It was thought of to be beneath her. Even if she wanted to, no one would let her. In her youth, she felt the same way as everyone else, but as she grew and came to realize she had never once done a thing on her own or taken care of herself, it was a bit sickening. Perhaps this was her chance after all. A chance to learn to take care of herself. The question was, could she handle it?

Watching as the men went to work, trying to note every hint of what they were doing, it really didn't look to hard. She was, however, horribly afraid she'd not be able to keep pace with them all. It was almost like a well choreographed dance. A ballet. And she was without rehearsal. She kept on watching and waited for Hannah to instruct her to join in with the task with the men.

Ranath rapped the railing before him sharply, and Hannah looked up to see her just standing there. Sh reached up and grabbed the girl's arm yanking her down, and then started slamming the brush back and forth in rhythm with the song, still keeping her own brush moving. "This isn't hard princess, and you aren't going to learn a damn thing just standing there. I know you probably aren't used to physical labor, but everyone pulls their weight here, or gets chucked overboard."