The Pirate Queen

Chapter 46

This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for. The inevitable war. The death that would eventually catch up to them all.

The summons had come that morning, minutes after getting out of bed with Eric. Triton would not yield, and they would fight at noon. Ariel appreciated his punctuality, if anything. Why put off later what could be done right now? They would all perish eventually, there was no need to push it off. Pirates didn't live that way, and she was glad they didn't either. 

Ariel stood now on the deck of the Redemption, the ship her father had given her when she informed him she'd need one of his battleships. His face had grown pale, but he hadn't tried to stop her, didn't attempt to talk her out of it. He gave her his best ship, kissed her check with a million unsaid words in his eyes, and told her to give them hell.

A gentle breeze blew the wind away from her neck, and she took in a deep breath, eyes trained on the horizon where Triton's fleet would be sailing from, coming around the tip of the peninsula.

These silent moments felt like this was what her entire life had been leading up to. This fight, this battle right here, in the waters of her home country. The place where she'd been born, and possibly the place she'd die. She was proud it would be the place she'd take her largest stand for what she believed in: freedom. 

A strong hand landed on her shoulder and she turned to look at Jora beside her, a grim smile on his face. "We can win this," he said for only her to hear. "Men who fight without honor never reign victorious."

She snorted, turning her back to the horizon to look at the massive fleet of ships behind her. With all the pirates lords and the small Farnce fleet, she had a little over 75 ships at her disposal. Triton had 150.

But she wouldn't think about that as she clasped her best friend's forearm and returned his smile. "I am not worried about dying, Jora. I'm worried about leaving the world a worse place than when I left it."

He blinked, pressing his lips together as a raw show of emotion crossed his features. He held tight to her shoulders, pressing their foreheads together. He smelled, still, like freshly baked bread, and it calmed her. "You will be an amazing King," he whispered. "I will follow you anywhere, Captain. My sword is yours to command."

The words, the strength with which he said them, had tears burning in her eyes but she would not cry. She would not show an ounce of weakness with all her men around her readying the ship for battle. 

All she could do was nod before pulling back, sucking in another deep breath. "How much time do we have?" She asked.

Seb appeared at her side, Flounder his shadow. "Twenty minutes?" He answered, looking up at the sky as the wind blew harder. "But we have the wind at our backs."

She nodded again, hand falling to the hilt of her sword. Edward's sword. Its presence calmed her further and she turned back to look at the horizon when a grapple hook appeared on the side of the railing. She stiffened, looking up at the empty crows nest.

"Who in gods name is that?" She hissed, marching forward. "And how did no one see them?"

She was five feet away when a head of brown hair appeared followed by a scarred face and a smirk. "Hello Ariel," Declan purred.

She blinked twice, not sure if what she was seeing was real or a mirage. "What the fuck are you doing here?" she asked, hands balling into fists. "Did my shooting a gun at you not deter you enough? Perhaps I should've shot you instead. You certainly deserve it."

He climbed over the rail and held up his hands. "I'm not here to fight you. I've come with a message."

"From?" Jora asked, stepping forward with a hand on a pistol.