Author's Note: This is an AU Pirate story. There will be some liberties taken in order to fit the characters to the story, but I am going to do my best to keep them minimal so as not to take away from the story as a whole. I hope you like it, Maria!

Seas of Change

Chapter 1: Red Sky at Morning

Fog sat over the ocean, concealing the red and pinks of the sunrise in a salty mist. Juvia continued leaning on the ledge of the ship, eyes closed as she focused on the feel of early morning ocean spray along her skin. The creaking of the ship and lapping of waves were comforting sounds in the stillness. Most of the crew remained asleep in the cabins except for the cooks who bustled below deck to prepare breakfast for shiphands and guests.

Her early morning routine was a genuine break from the hustle and bustle of a passenger ship. Once the crew awoke, the noise would not stop until well after dark. Everyone on the ship had a different destination, all of them strangers and yet somehow a moving community of equals on their own island amongst the waves. The same troubles that plagued neighbors on land were the same out at sea, except in the mornings when it was still too early and chill for most of the elite aboard to venture from the warmth of their coal heated chambers.

"Pardon me, miss." A chambermaid stopped beside her, holding out a shawl. "Aren't you chilled? It's too early for someone the likes of you to be out on the deck, milady."

She shook her head. "Thank you, but Juvia feels best at this time. It's peaceful."

"I wouldn't want you to catch cold."

The woman pushed the shawl toward her once more, and out of kindness Juvia took hold of it with a nod. The shawl remained in her grip as she glanced toward what would have been the horizon, though she made no motion to put it on.

"Isn't there a saying about foggy mornings that light up the red of a sunset?" Juvia asked. "A sailor's principle."

"Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky at morning, sailor's warning." The chambermaid responded. "Though we are sailing the safest sea route known to man, I doubt it holds any weight. Will you be off at the next stop, milady?"

She nodded. "Yes. Juvia has made this trip before, just not so close to winter."

"You have not seen winter at sea." The chambermaid responded, a hand positioned on her wide hip. "The decks become icy and we have to wear special boots just to make it from the kitchen to the cabins! The masts will cling to the posts, and the icebergs…"

"Icebergs?"

The woman glanced behind her, then to the opposite side of the ship before she lifted her hand. "There, milady."

Juvia turned her attention to the starboard side, catching a glimpse of what appeared to be a mound of creamy mashed potatoes, red gravy and butter filtered over top far out to sea. The sun gleamed off the top of the ice, giving a soft glow to what would have otherwise been a jagged danger. It floated silently a few hundred yards off, but the idea of one so close still caused her heart to leap. Juvia walked across the deck to the opposite side of the ship, wind flipping the loose tresses of her hair as she leaned over the banister, glancing in each direction.

She had heard stories of sailors seemingly sailing a safe distance, only to discover below deck they had scraped invisible edges of ice that torn through the hull, the way a ship would fill to one end first, tilt up, and break in half before sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Juvia was not afraid of the water or the cold, but to be stranded in the middle of the ocean with no means of reaching land or shelter… there were few other things she could imagine that would be as lonely a way to die.

Her true fear was loneliness. Juvia had made this trip on this same ship many times before, and always ended up back where she was headed now—at the orphanage, awaiting the next adoption and child she was to escort. The orphanage was the same in which she grew up and never found a home, but Juvia had taken it upon herself to ensure the other children had their chance at a happy life with a loving family. The adoption rates had gone up extraordinarily since she began her voyages in search of needing families; she had convinced herself the smiles of each child were enough to make up for what she had never been able to have.

"Don't fret so." The chambermaid met her at the side. "Captain will let nothing happen to his ship. We are not near the ice fields."

"The crows nest can see, despite the fog?"

"An iceberg is a hard to miss." The maid responded. She set a hand on Juvia's shoulder and pushed her back toward the cabins. "Rest for a bit, will you?"

"But Miss—"

"My name is Imelda, and compared to you, I am no miss. I'll be sure to send someone with extra coals for your room."

Juvia smoothed the edges of her purple gown, admiring herself in the full length molded mirror attached to the back of the cabin door. The fancy dinners onboard were not her usual foray, but tonight the crew promised dolphin and whale watching at sunset from the main deck and she did not want to miss it. Turning her head, Juvia inspected that each gold pin holding her sapphire hair up was in place and tight, protruding only slightly to show the pearls attached to each end.

Satisfied that she was dressed as close to appropriately as possible, she left the cabin and proceeded to the main deck. This time she was glad to have brought along a shawl; the air had chilled considerably with the onset of twilight, though the deck was packed with travelers and seamen. She squeezed her way along the pathway to a mostly open table, gestured minutely and sat once she was given the permission of the other guests. Candles lit the surface of the deck, lanterns up high on the mast poles and upper deck, contrasting sharply with the plum colored starlight on the east.

"Have you seen any dolphins yet?" Juvia asked the others at her table. "Juvia hopes we haven't missed them."

The gentleman shook his head, caught a bit off guard at her speech pattern. "The staff assured us we will get our sights worth for the trouble of the chill—they may not surface until after sunset."

The woman lifted a glass of wine to her lips, nodding in agreement with who Juvia could only assume was her husband. The warmth of the drink seemed to sooth any frustration the lady would have had about the cold; Juvia found her own cup being filled not long after by a cabin boy nearly five inches too short. He refused Juvia's offer to pour her own, and bowed regally before walking away.

"Are you traveling alone?" the woman asked, motioning for Juvia to lift her own glass and partake of the fermented drink.

"Juvia is." Juvia responded, lifting her glass in politeness. "Juvia know it is unusual, but she work for an orphanage and is on her way back from chaperoning a child to their new family."

"How noble." She responded, a light smile flowing over her face. Whether it was because she had warmed to the idea of a woman traveling alone or the onset of drink, Juvia could not tell. "I imagine that is quite lonely."

It is, Juvia wanted to say. Instead she titled her head, took a sip of wine, and responded, "Juvia has been doing it for so long, it feels natural and right; though she does miss the children when they go."

"Have you no husband?" the man inquired, his free hand falling to the arm of the woman at his side.

"Juvia is unmarried, sir." She responded.

He frowned. "Have you thought of changing your speech pattern? It is a little off putting, that may help."

Her smile wavered a bit, but the insult was something she was used to. "Juvia is sorry, she has always spoken this way."

"Ignore him." The woman said, swatting her husband's hand away. "Men do not understand good company when they see it, speech patterns or not."

Before Juvia could respond, kitchen staff proceeded onto the deck with plates of decadent food. Large roasted chickens, plum sauce, piles of honey rosemary roasted carrots and loaves of sweetened rolls were presented to each guest, piled high on their plates with a bowl of broth for dipping and palate cleanse. Glasses of wine were replaced with warm ale for those who requested it, and the band on the top deck began playing enjoyable light tunes to entertain the guests. Juvia pulled her cloth napkin down to her lap before lifting a fork to begin eating.

"There!"

A loud splash interrupted the dinner party, followed by a rocking of the ship. Juvia turned her attention in the direction of the splash, spying a whale flipping out of the water and landing back first back into the ocean. Juvia had always known whale were large creatures, but this particular one was a behemoth; drawings and size comparisons in notebooks and almanacs could not capture the grandeur of seeing something so awe-inspiring in its natural space. The whale was met with two others, the pod dwarfing the size of their ship.

With childlike enthusiasm, Juvia rushed from her table to the edge of the ship for a closer look. The whales were circling, lifting slowly to take breath before diving under once more, reappear several yards away in leaping grace. She watched their silhouettes below the unusual calm of the water, gliding with speed unusual for a creature of their size. They twirled about one another before coming to a quick halt.

The muted noises of their wailing bubbled from below the surface before they turned, taking quick breath together before diving under the ship. It rocked roughly with the wave and lifting of the whales, and Juvia held tight as her feet lost their balance. Plates and tables shifted and crashed to the floor, guests falling into an uproar. The shouts of the crew were loud, speaking of the rudder and the anchor, pulling to port, getting eyes in the crows nest—Juvia looped her arm about the banister to pull her body up as the ship righted once more.

The sun had set quickly, only a small sliver of pink showing where it had once been, the twilight waning into night; the bustle of the guests quickly turned from panic to anger, stating the danger they had been put in for the show of whales. Chambermaids and deckhands tried to calm the guests, and Juvia watched on silently. The creatures were not at fault, and neither was the ships crew; nature was unpredictable.

"Pirates!"

The warning came from high on the main mast, a dead silence falling over the people on the ship. Juvia could feel the ship take a sharp turn in the same direction as the whales, eyes flowing widely along the horizon. There were no ships she could see in the dark, but by the reactions of the crew she knew something was wrong.

Red sky in morning, sailor's warning.

"Miss!" it was Imelda, taking strong hold of Juvia's arm. "It isn't safe on deck, you must go below!"

Just Imelda turned to take Juvia toward the cabins, the ship lurched with a loud crack; two of the sails crashed through the deck to the second floor, taking with it tables, food and a few guests. The woman tugged Juvia below the ship's edging and scrollwork, covering her head with an emptied tin bowl meant for salad.

"Imelda-san…?" Juvia inquired, her voice shaking only slightly with the pounding in her chest.

Cannon balls burst overhead, crashing near the ship and causing water to flow up over the railing and onto the guests still struggling to get to safe ground and life boats. Imelda pushed Juvia onto her hands and knees, directing her to crawl to the stairwell that led to the upper deck. Juvia did as commanded, hands slipping in the white wash and dress sagging and gaining weight with each motion. They crawled behind the stairwell, safe behind the thick wood as bombs and debris flew through the majestic edgings of the ship.

Guests and crew alike fell from the edges as water bubbled from the hole in the center of the deck, washing up with it belongings and bodies of those who had fallen with the initial attack.

The chambermaid handed Juvia a pan. "You keep these on you, miss. You will need something to protect you."

"I can take care of myself, shouldn't we be fighting instead of hiding?"

"The best hope we have now, milady, is that the ship will sink faster than they can get to us and we have managed to get on a life boat." She answered shortly. "Pirates do not care what the ship has, so long as it has something of value—rich guests are of value."

"I'm not going to sit back here while people get hurt!"

Juvia's outburst caught Imelda off guard, the pair kneeling in a standstill of wills. Juvia removed the bowl from her head and set the pot aside, pushing them toward the woman with a grateful smile.

"Imelda-san, Juvia appreciates your care. Take care of yourself; Juvia will do the same."

"Miss…"

Juvia smiled as she stood, peeking around the stairwell in time to see the pirate ship aligning itself upon starboard side. Deep navy sails fluttered with the wind, a flag of black, blue and white waving high in the air. Grappling hooks imbedded themselves in the woodwork, the cries of men and women erupting through the crashing of cannons and waves.

"Let Juvia take you to a lifeboat, Imelda-san." She reached for the other woman's hand, pulling her once more to her feet and side stepping as best she could on the bent and sinking ship.

They pulled themselves along, using the doors as stepping stools and kicking tables and chairs behind them to fend off anyone attempting to board the ship. On port side the life boats were filling up quickly, seamen pushing guests, children and the ship maids in until capacity, cutting the boats lines and allowing them to drop unceremoniously into the darkened ocean. Juvia pulled Imelda forward, pushing her toward the closest crew member.

"Imelda! Where have you been? Hurry up, there isn't much time!" he said, pulling her along. Imelda turned, reaching for Juvia in the same motion. "Don't worry, we will get her too. You did good."

Juvia stood, moving to take the offered hand when the boat suddenly jerked. Men toppled over and she took hold of the closest railing to keep her footing. The lifeboats rocked, screams of frightened guests erupting into the night. One hung half attached, people clinging to whatever they could to keep on the boat and out of the icy water. She cringed, pulling herself up rail by rail until she could reach the knot that separated them from freedom. Reaching out, her fingers kept falling just short of the line.

All it would take was one good pull…

Juvia pressed her dampened boots and soggy dress to the corner of the deck and edge of the rounded staircase, one hand on the side of the ships railing, and pushed herself forward in a leap. She took hold of the rope and swung along with it, the weight of her body pulling the knot free as she hit into the wooden floor. Her body rolled along the deck until the ship corrected it's lean once more, slamming back first into the fallen mast leaning its weight on the deck.

In pain she pulled herself back into a crouch, glancing at her surrounding through sapphire blue locks of hair; she hadn't noticed it had come undone during the attack. Pirates filtered onto ship with swords and guns, ripping through the cabins and throwing the remainder of the crew around without much care. She pulled herself around the mast as close to the edge of the hole as possible, looking for anything she could use as a weapon.

She didn't think about what would happen if she did manage to get away from the sinking ship alive, or how she would make her way back to shore. At the moment, everything Juvia did was instinct; she reached for a large splinter of wood with a sharp edge, ignoring the splinters that pressed through her palm.

Turning toward the battle, a burly man came upon her quickly, his sword lifted to swipe down on her. Juvia dropped into a crouch and pushed her body forward, using the angle of the ship to push the man off balance as she pressed into him with the wooden shank aimed toward his knees. The man toppled, and she toppled with him, managing to push him off the edge of the ship and keep herself on the deck.

"A woman?"

The voice was loud as another pirate, this one smaller, came barreling toward her. She twisted out of the way and let him slam into the ship rail, pulling herself away. Another took hold of her arm and yanked her upright. Juvia kicked out at him, her skirts heavy and impeding her movements.

"Let Juvia go!"

"You aren't going anywhere, doll." The man said, turning her to face him. Orange colored locks of hair stuck out from the crude wrap he placed around his head, his breath stunk of rum. "This isn't a cargo ship—where were you all headed?"

Juvia used her proximity to her advantage, stomping firmly with the heel of her boot onto his foot. The man yelped, his grip loosening enough for Juvia to pull away and take his sword at the same time. The steel was heavy and not something she was used to carrying; it took all of her strength to hold the weapon upright and appear threatening in any sense of the word.

"You—"

Juvia moved to swing the sword, but her motions were slowed and caught by another man from behind. He held the sword from the blunt side, pulling Juvia toward him and away from the other man. Her eyes bore into his tall, burly frame, fighting to pull the sword out of his grip and back into her own. He laughed.

"Gihihihi." He pulled hard, yanking the sword out of her grasp and across the ship. "Feisty as hell, aren't you?"

Juvia moved to kick him as well, but instead found herself face first on the wet deck, arm pinned behind her back by his weight. She struggled and he pressed a hand into her hair, forcing her head flat against the floor as the ship rocked. Juvia tugged, but the combined pressure of his hands and body along with the weight of her soaked dress kept her pinned well enough to the floor.

"Gajeel, that's enough." Juvia couldn't see who was speaking, his voice was calm and deep, and it commanded respect.

"Captain, she just about beat the shit out of Loke—"

"I had it under control! I may be fickle for women, but they lose their charm quick when they attack."

The man on her back stood up, pulling her with him. Hair plastered to the wet skin on her face, Juvia lowered her brows and tried to appear as fierce as she could; it wasn't easy. The man in front of her was lean and shirtless, a large blue hat with a feather over his dark hair, eyes dark and calculating. There was no malice in his expression, though she could tell he was used to being heeded and not questioned by the way his arms crossed over his chest while he looked her over.

"Take her back to the ship."

"A hostage?" the one named Loke asked, confused by the direction given.

"Did I stutter?"

"Juvia is not going with you!" she tugged, pulled, and found her chest pressed forward by the weight of the pirate standing behind her. She stomped her feet, hoping that somewhere was another foot that would give way and let her loose.

The man in front of her closed his eyes and walked past them, not bothering to respond to her protests.

"The ship is ours. Take the girl and the loot. We'll celebrate once it's 20 leagues under."