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tamingthemuseTitle: Pirate King
Fandom: Original/Exalted
Prompt: Celestial
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Summary: As the daughter of the family that claims two pirate kings in their ranks, Captain Thunder will not endure another laying claim to that title.
”Sail ho!”
As the voice echoed over the calm waters around them, Thunder’s head snapped up toward the crow’s nest. She didn’t even bother trying to look for the sail, knowing that Silver Red had far better eyesight than any aboard the ship. He would see the sail long before they could. It didn’t take anybody long to discover that when he said something was on its way toward them, despite evidence to the contrary, Silver Red’s eyes never failed him. How many forgotten islands had they discovered because he spotted them so far off the beaten trail? She had learned long ago to trust the celestial exalt’s eyesight.
She cursed softly under her breath and cupped her hands around her mouth, “What are her colors?”
There was a moment of silence before he called back, “She’s flying bare, Highness. Her ports are closed, but she’s headed this way.”
Another curse.
They didn’t have time for a fight. She cast a glance up at their own bare ropes and debated the wisdom of flying a Dynast flag so far West. Dismissing the thought, she spun on her heel and crossed the ship’s waist, collecting her first mate as he stood with his eyes narrowed up at the crow’s nest. A Dynast flag was too much of a gamble, out here.
“We need to port by daybreak.”
“We won’t if there’s a fight,” he replied, eyes still focused upwards. “As it is, we lost time from that storm last night.”
“I don’t need a reminder,” she growled as she bypassed him and ducked below decks. In her modest cabin, against the far wall, nailed firmly to the planks, was a trunk full of looted colors. She tossed the lid and glowered down at the multitude of flags.
Which would cause the least amount of trouble this far West?
Nolyn? The merchant family that sailed these waters as if they belonged to them? The vast family would likely catch wind of it and try claiming a fee from them for flying their colors.
Not Dynast, although that would probably be their best bet. It grated on her nerves to sail under their colors.
Lintha? No, that was just asking for trouble.
She could order no colors be raised, but that would also be asking for trouble.
With a sigh, her hand hovered over the Dynast flag a moment before digging dipper into the chest to pull the gold and purple standard from the very bottom.
Her father’s flag and his father’s before him. If any captain knew anything about life at sea, they will know that flag. They will know to avoid it.
Lips thinning, she gathered the flag to her chest and stood. She turned to face the door, and froze. Blocking her way was a massive black leopard. It’s yellow eyes seemed to glow into the dark room as it stared her down.
“Hello, Uncle. I didn’t know you had woken from your nap.” She tucked the flag under one arm and reached out to pat the feline between the ears. Instantly, they flattened and a low grow came from the cat’s chest. She glared down at him. “I bare his name; I’ll fly his colors if I want.” She shoved the cat out of her way and returned above decks to hand off the flag.
Leaf That Floats was a spry young man that scuttled up the mast as fast as walking and handed off the flag to Silver Red. He let the colors fly and Thunder felt an invisible weight lift off her shoulders. It always did when her family’s jack was displayed and sometimes she hated that. Everything she was wasn’t because of her father and grandfather, but because of her own efforts.
She owed them nothing.
It would take time for the other ship to come in sight for the rest of them, so Thunder turned her back on the man in the crow’s nest and began walking toward her discarded project. She ignored the yellow stare she could feel boring in between her shoulder blades.
She had just reached for the rope when Silver Red’s voice returned.
“Sail ho! Portside, flying the colors of the Pirate King!”
Rage boiled in her gut at the words and she was halfway up the mast before she even realized it.
Who dared called himself Pirate King while she sailed these seas?
Fandom: Original/Exalted
Prompt: Celestial
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Summary: As the daughter of the family that claims two pirate kings in their ranks, Captain Thunder will not endure another laying claim to that title.
”Sail ho!”
As the voice echoed over the calm waters around them, Thunder’s head snapped up toward the crow’s nest. She didn’t even bother trying to look for the sail, knowing that Silver Red had far better eyesight than any aboard the ship. He would see the sail long before they could. It didn’t take anybody long to discover that when he said something was on its way toward them, despite evidence to the contrary, Silver Red’s eyes never failed him. How many forgotten islands had they discovered because he spotted them so far off the beaten trail? She had learned long ago to trust the celestial exalt’s eyesight.
She cursed softly under her breath and cupped her hands around her mouth, “What are her colors?”
There was a moment of silence before he called back, “She’s flying bare, Highness. Her ports are closed, but she’s headed this way.”
Another curse.
They didn’t have time for a fight. She cast a glance up at their own bare ropes and debated the wisdom of flying a Dynast flag so far West. Dismissing the thought, she spun on her heel and crossed the ship’s waist, collecting her first mate as he stood with his eyes narrowed up at the crow’s nest. A Dynast flag was too much of a gamble, out here.
“We need to port by daybreak.”
“We won’t if there’s a fight,” he replied, eyes still focused upwards. “As it is, we lost time from that storm last night.”
“I don’t need a reminder,” she growled as she bypassed him and ducked below decks. In her modest cabin, against the far wall, nailed firmly to the planks, was a trunk full of looted colors. She tossed the lid and glowered down at the multitude of flags.
Which would cause the least amount of trouble this far West?
Nolyn? The merchant family that sailed these waters as if they belonged to them? The vast family would likely catch wind of it and try claiming a fee from them for flying their colors.
Not Dynast, although that would probably be their best bet. It grated on her nerves to sail under their colors.
Lintha? No, that was just asking for trouble.
She could order no colors be raised, but that would also be asking for trouble.
With a sigh, her hand hovered over the Dynast flag a moment before digging dipper into the chest to pull the gold and purple standard from the very bottom.
Her father’s flag and his father’s before him. If any captain knew anything about life at sea, they will know that flag. They will know to avoid it.
Lips thinning, she gathered the flag to her chest and stood. She turned to face the door, and froze. Blocking her way was a massive black leopard. It’s yellow eyes seemed to glow into the dark room as it stared her down.
“Hello, Uncle. I didn’t know you had woken from your nap.” She tucked the flag under one arm and reached out to pat the feline between the ears. Instantly, they flattened and a low grow came from the cat’s chest. She glared down at him. “I bare his name; I’ll fly his colors if I want.” She shoved the cat out of her way and returned above decks to hand off the flag.
Leaf That Floats was a spry young man that scuttled up the mast as fast as walking and handed off the flag to Silver Red. He let the colors fly and Thunder felt an invisible weight lift off her shoulders. It always did when her family’s jack was displayed and sometimes she hated that. Everything she was wasn’t because of her father and grandfather, but because of her own efforts.
She owed them nothing.
It would take time for the other ship to come in sight for the rest of them, so Thunder turned her back on the man in the crow’s nest and began walking toward her discarded project. She ignored the yellow stare she could feel boring in between her shoulder blades.
She had just reached for the rope when Silver Red’s voice returned.
“Sail ho! Portside, flying the colors of the Pirate King!”
Rage boiled in her gut at the words and she was halfway up the mast before she even realized it.
Who dared called himself Pirate King while she sailed these seas?
