Tales of the Peacemillion

Chapter I

The Lady who Became a Pirate (Part I)

The salty humid sea breeze was the first thing that assaulted her as she stepped out of her cabin, then it was the sun, gentle and warm against her skin. Relena took a deep breath and smiled. When her foster parents had announced she would be moving to America to live with her biological brother and his lovely wife, she had not been at all excited by the prospect of spending weeks on a ship at sea. Her butler and escort, Pagan, had tried in vain to cheer her up, still – a week after they had departed from England – she had been unhappy about the trip. Throughout the following weeks though, the sea seemed to have grown on her and, as they approached their destination, she started wondering how she would be able to live again without that feeling of freedom. It was a question that remained unanswered.

'How was your breakfast, Miss Relena? Was the tea to your liking?' Pagan was immediately beside her, ever resourceful. She wondered how she would be able to live without him as well.

'It was good, Pagan. It was all very good.' She smiled reassuringly as she made her way to the railing to stare out at the sea. It was when she noticed the dark shape of land at the horizon. They were far from it still, so far she would have dismissed it as her imagination if not for the butler's following words.

'That is the island of Hispaniola.' He said. 'We will be heading west soon towards Port Royal, where your brother, Master Milliardo Peacecraft, resides.'

'I thought he was a privateer.'

'He is the right hand of the great Treize Kushrenada who works for the Royal Navy.' Pagan confirmed, smiling proudly at the fond memories he had of her brother. Relena had never met the man, so his doings – however remarkable they might be in the eyes of others – sounded like bedtime stories to her. 'But just because your brother spends most of his time at sea does not mean he does not own a house ashore. His lovely wife, Mrs Lucrezia, lives there with a couple of servants. She will be looking after you.'

'I will miss you, Pagan.' She said with a sigh, and the old man's smile softened.

'I will miss you too, Miss dearly.'

It was then, just as they enjoyed a peaceful and quiet moment, that the terrifying shout of 'Pirates!' came from the crow's nest and, as the captain cried out orders and the crew trampled around the deck, Pagan grabbed the young lady by the shoulders and met her eyes gravely. 'Hide in your cabin, Miss, and – if the worst comes to pass – always choose the sea over the pirates. You can never tell what kind of men these scoundrels are going to be or what kind of horrors they will be capable of.'

Relena opened her mouth to answer, to ask him to come and hide with her, to tell him to take care, but the captain's voice was louder. 'Load the canons!' he shouted and the words were repeated amongst the men, shouted again and again. She felt so overwhelmed by the commotion she barely registered it as Pagan led her back to her cabin. It was only when the door closed behind her, separating her from the chaos raging outside, that Relena realised she had not said a word, she had not told him goodbye.

XXX

Heero held the helm lightly in his hands and gazed out at the sea. It was a perfect day for sailing… The sun was warm on the skin and the breeze fresh, the waters were calm and sparkly and the crew was quiet. Not even Duo Maxwell – the official blabbermouth – seemed inclined to break the comfortable afternoon silence and so, the captain of the Peacemillion was content to steer the ship ahead and admire the view. Having been born and raised a pirate he knew peace never lasted long in the open sea.

'I see smoke ahead, Cap'n!' Trowa Barton, who was on lookout, shouted from the crow's nest just as Heero's mind started wandering.

The captain pulled out his telescope and pointed it ahead. He could see a very small cloud of smoke rising from the horizon, barely visible without the magnifying contraption. 'Barton, come down!' he called just as Chang Wufei – his first mate – arrived at the quarter deck. Only moments later, Trowa was hanging from a rope, swinging lightly in front of them as the rest of the crew gathered curiously on the main deck. 'Any ideas as to the source?'

'We're still too far to be certain, but there appears to be wreckage. Probably from another ship.'

Heero nodded. 'Keep an eye out for trouble.'

'Aye, Capt'n.'

'Chang, what are yer thoughts?'

The Chinese man walked past the helm, frowning at the small greyish dot. 'Most likely a civil or merchant ship attacked by pirates. These are dangerous waters.'

'Hn.'

'Ye still intend to head that way?' Wufei turned back to their elected captain with a sceptical look in his eyes.

'There doesn't seem to be much left to loot, but if a vicious group of pirates has just vacated the area… It seems to me that is the safest course at present.'

'Winner might not approve if he thinks we're heading blindly into a fight.'

'Quatre is smarter than that, Chang. He has to be. He's our strategist.' Heero's eyes swept the main deck until they landed on Duo who had – as usual – lost some bet against one of the other crew members and been assigned swabbie for the day. He was probably dying to get some action. 'It's Maxwell that concerns me.'

His first mate grimaced sympathetically. 'There'll be no end to his complaining once he realises we're avoiding a fight and not looking to chop any heads off.'

'Duo's not really like that.' Quatre approached them with an amused smile. 'He's very careful whose heads he chops off.'

'Aye…' Wufei still looked disgusted. 'He likes to play god.'

The blonde man shrugged. 'He has his beliefs. We all do.' Then he turned back to their captain. 'We're heading towards the smoke then. What if some privateer comes to investigate?'

'The Royal Navy hasn't sailed these waters in a long time. This isn't a common route for Spanish merchant ships and those are the only ones they are concerned with.'

'No need to call for a vote on the matter then, I suppose.'

The waters parted easily against the bow of the Peacemillion as Heero steered the ship forward and, while Quatre and Chang returned to their posts, the silence was replaced by the murmuring of the crew. It was only a matter of time… Soon they would reach the site of the attack.

XXX

It did not take Relena very long to realise that hiding inside her cabin would do her no good. At first, all she could hear were the shouts of men outside, the blasting of cannons and the pounding of boots against the wooden floor of the ship's deck, but then the shouts grew desperate, the canons grew quiet and the clashing of swords – loud in her ears – seemed to be the only thing she could hear. The pirates had boarded their ship.

Always choose the sea over the pirates. Pagan's words echoed in her head as she contemplated her only means of escape… The windows. And from there it was straight into the sea. She gave the door a long glance, wondering if there might still be time to sneak out that way, but the sound of steps seemed to be growing closer and she definitely did not want to run into any pirates. After taking a deep breath, she pulled the windows open. It was when she smelled it… Fire. The ship was on fire. Her heart went out to Pagan and she prayed that – no matter what happened – somehow he would be alright.

Relena looked out the small window at the dark waters below. Could that really be her only choice? What if they succeeded in defeating the pirates? Would the ship burn down or would she look like a coward and a fool for jumping out the window? A loud bang against the wooden door almost had it coming off its hinges. She did not need to put faces to the horrid scratchy voices to know the men outside were not there to help her, and she did not have to think twice, after reaching that conclusion, before she squeezed through the window.

The sea rushed in to meet her and she closed her eyes. It was despairing to suddenly find herself surrounded by cold salty water, but she forced herself to swim away from the ship lest the pirates realised she had been there at all. It was not long before she had to come up for air though and, thankfully, her escape seemed to have gone completely unnoticed. What bothered her was the reason why… The fire had spread and the pirates were running frantically back and forth, carrying their loot back to their ship. She knew she was at a very disadvantageous position, but the fact that she did not recognise any of the faces she spotted was what gave her a heart-sinking feeling.

Her dress was heavy, but the mere thought of getting caught by pirates in nothing but her underclothes was frightening enough to stop her from taking it off, so she held onto the first piece of lumber she could reach and prayed that it would not sink. It didn't. Relena watched the ship be consumed by the flames as she floated, trying to stay out of the evildoers' sight. It felt like hours passed before they finally left, by then her entire vessel had fallen apart and there was no hope left in her heart for Pagan or any of the other crew members. She did not cry. It was too much to process while trying to stay awake whilst holding onto a plank. She was tired, exhausted both physically and mentally, but she held on.

The sun was already past its zenith when she spied a small dot in the horizon. At first, she thought she might be hallucinating. After all, she had spent an awful lot of time there with the sun beating on her head, but then it started growing closer and closer, bigger and bigger. Relena had never felt such relief in her entire life. It was like taking a deep breath after almost drowning… Until she noticed the flag and her heart turned to lead in her chest. The black flag bore a white skull with two white wings underneath it. More pirates.

She had to make a decision… Take her chances or drown.

XXX

'Starboard, Capt'n! A survivor in the wreckage!' Trowa shouted from the crow's nest and Heero turned to Wufei with a frown. 'It's a lass!'

'A lass?' the Chinese man repeated sceptically.

'Siren?' the captain wondered.

'This far east?'

'Mayhaps a mermaid, mateys?' Duo Maxwell suggested, looking up at them from the main deck and wriggling his eyebrows.

'Mayhaps Barton's seeing things.' Wufei commented before the other man could get overexcited.

Heero pulled out his telescope intent on settling the argument when Quatre shouted from the forecastle. 'It really is a lady!' he confirmed. 'And she seems to be the only one left!'

'By which he means we should help her.' The Chinese man interpreted to their captain.

'I realise that, Chang.'

'This is a matter best settled by vote! It's common knowledge womenfolk onboard a ship bring ill luck.'

'Do you have any actual proof?' Heero asked him. 'I don't believe in superstitions.'

'Do we need bigger proof than that?' Wufei pointed at what was left of the burned ship. 'She's the only survivor.'

'He's right, Heero.' Trowa dropped down beside them suddenly. 'There're stories.'

'Ye seriously believe that horseshite, Bart'n?' Duo, who had also decided to join them, reached the top of the steps. 'I expected more from ye, mate.'

'I take it we are voting then.' Quatre concluded joining the gathering on the quarter deck.

'So it seems.' Their captain agreed annoyed by the unwanted interruption to his quiet day. 'Winner, would you like to start? Should we bring the woman aboard?'

'Aye, Captain. We should. She is a human being in need of assistance.'

'She could be a siren in disguise.' The Chinese man protested and Heero raised his eyebrows at him, though he refrained from commenting on the fact that Wufei himself had discarded his earlier suggestion that the woman might be a siren. 'I say "nay".'

'Think about it, mate.' Duo laid an arm around the black haired man's shoulders, ignoring the cold glare he received in return. 'This beauty could be our one chance of gettin' past the sirens' den and finding the lost treasure of Romefeller. I say… Aye.'

'Barton?'

'I meant to say "nay" because I do believe the stories, but Duo's right. We could find that treasure.'

'We don't need Romefeller's cursed gold.' The Chinese man protested.

'We do need the gold.' Quatre, who was responsible for the treasury, corrected him.

'Gold is never enough. Not to mention the jewellery… I bet she…' Duo pointed at the stranger's general direction. '…would love some jewellery.'

'Aye… I'm sure she would be very happy to partake in our loot.' Wufei commented displeased.

'If she helps us she'll be entitled to her own cut.' Heero reminded him.

'We're taking her in then?'

'Aye. Drop the anchor and bring her up.'

'Aye, Capt'n!'

The Chinese man watched the rest of the crew head down to the main deck and frowned. Heero knew he was still sceptical. If he were honest, he was not entirely sure about that course of action himself, but he hoped the lady might change their minds.

XXX

Once Relena accepted the fact that if she did not ask the pirates for help she would be as good as dead, she started waving and shouting. She did so in bouts for she was not sure from how far exactly they would be able to see or hear her, and she did not want to lose her voice before they spotted her. It was a good thing the ship seemed to have been heading her way since the start, that way she was sure they would not miss her. She was thirsty and her dry throat made it nearly painful to cry out. The thirst and hunger combined with her exhaustion slowly made her grow desperate, and delirious to the point where she did not completely believe it when the ship stopped only metres away from her.

'Ahoy! Lass!' a voice called out and Relena used whatever strength she had left to raise her head and look at the silhouette above her. 'She looks quite shabby… I don't think she'll make it up here by herself.' She heard the man tell someone and her heart was immediately overcome with gratitude. If she wasn't so tired she would have wept.

'I'll go down and get 'er. Can you heave us up?'

'Are ye underestimating me, Bart'n? You see these arms right here? Stories're told across the seven seas about the legendary strength of these arms.'

'Maxwell, less talk, more action.' A third voice, this one serious and authoritative cut in. Relena had long given up keeping her head tilted up, but her ears still followed the conversation apprehensively. She had the feeling she might get killed at any moment, maybe as soon as they realised how much work it would take to bring her aboard, or maybe they would not kill her… Maybe they would do worse. And yet she knew she had no other choice but to rely on those pirates.

'Aye, aye, Capt'n…' the first man, Maxwell, conceded and soon she heard the distinct splash of someone jumping into the water.

'Miss? Miss? Can ye hear me?'

'Yes. I…can.' Relena suddenly found herself face to face with a green-eyed man whose likeness was half-hidden behind a mop of brown hair. She must have dozed off sometime between his descent and the moment he reached her.

'I'm going to wrap this rope around yer waist and chest so we can pull ye up onto the deck.' He waited for her to nod and proceeded. Relena had expected him to try and grope her every chance he got, but he was gentle and respectful and her relief and gratefulness towards those strangers only seemed to grow. 'How long have you been here?'

'I don't know… Long.' She managed to whisper, though she could feel her consciousness slipping now that she no longer had the obligation of staying awake in order not to drown.

'They're going to pull now. Are ye ready?'

'Yes.' She met his only visible eye. 'Thank you.' She murmured and everything suddenly faded.

XXX

'Has she awoken yet?' Wufei intercepted Heero the moment he saw the captain prepare to enter his quarters.

'That's what I have come to check. What's on yer mind, Chang?'

'I've realised that we do not need to split our gains with her because – if she helps us find that treasure – she'll be doing it as reimbursement for us saving her life.'

Heero frowned. 'We're helping her because we decided to. I'm not threatening an innocent woman into helping us. You saw her dress, Chang. This is a lady not a common wench.'

'My idea deserves to be voted, Heero.'

'No one else seems to have a problem with 'er taking a cut off the profits.'

'I'll bring it up next time we get all together.' The Chinese man was clearly adamant and, unfortunately – for the captain, at least – not yet ready to give over pestering him. 'I don't see why she gets to have your cabin either. It's the captain's privilege.'

'Aye, and I'm giving it to her for the time being.'

'What... You're giving her yer post, Yuy? Because if you are, I'll have to request another vote… To choose a new captain.'

'Chang.' Heero's tone was flat, though it had an icy edge to it that was reflected much more clearly in the light narrowing of his eyes. 'This lass – whoever she is – is our guest. Not our prisoner. She deserves better than to wake up in a hammock surrounded by men she doesn't know. Besides I believe she's been through enough for one day.'

Wufei snorted though he did turn to leave. 'Don't grow soft, Heero.' He warned over his shoulder. 'Or you might end up having to face that vote anyway.'

Once he was alone, Heero sighed. He was used to dealing with each and every member of his crew by then, and it was safe to say that the Chinese man was the most trying of them all. He had qualities Heero admired, but most of those also had a downside. Being self-centred, for one, made Chang an extremely focused person, which allowed him to reach his objectives with no detours, but it also made it incredibly hard to work on a team with him and, especially, to convince him to share anything. The captain hoped, however, that with time he might warm up to their new companion the way he had warmed up to the other crew members.

With his thoughts in order, Heero pushed the door open and stepped into his quarters to find the young woman sitting on his bed, fidgeting uncomfortably. She raised her head when he entered, met his eye for a second then turned immediately away. He could tell she was afraid and – knowing the stories that were told about pirates, especially to young ladies like her – he could not really blame her. By avoiding his gaze, she avoided defying him and yet defiance was definitely something he could see in her lowered eyes.

'How are you feeling, Miss…'

'Darlian. Relena Darlian.'

'Darlian.' He repeated, nodding briefly in acknowledgement.

'Thank you for rescuing me.' She said and this time she could not resist meeting his eyes. Heero could see she was being honest, but there still seemed to be something bothering her. Thankfully, she seemed to be the kind of person who went straight to the point. He appreciated that. 'As grateful as I am though, I cannot help but wonder… What are you going to do with me now?'

'There are only good men on this ship, Ms Darlian, which means you need not fear for yer life.' She still looked hesitant. 'Or yer virtue.' He added, watching her cheeks colour lightly. 'Where was yer ship headed before the attack?'

'Port Royal.'

Heero nodded. 'We'll stop there eventually… When we do, you're free to go.'

'Thank you very much, sir!' Relena even sat straighter on the bed so great seemed to be her relief. It relieved him too. For some reason, seeing her so tense had bothered him immensely. 'May I speak with your captain, please? I would like to thank him in person…'

'You already have.' He informed her, smirking discreetly when her lips formed a silent 'oh'. 'Welcome aboard the Peacemillion, Ms Darlian.'

GLOSSARY:

Starboard - right side of the ship, as opposed to larboard (left side of the ship).

Author's Notes: Ahoy, mateys! Please, read the glossary/trivia/notes before ye review, ye lazy seadogs. What ye mean to ask or contest may be explained in there already. :) Now put on yer eyepatches, loosen all sails and let's fly them colours! Arrr!