The Pirate's Girl

Captain Devon Finn

'How could you, Captain?!' I left the ship and walked down the cobbled streets. Casta's words had hit me a lot harder than I wished they would. 'At least it was easier to hate my father, but you?' It was hard for her to hate me? I took her, and yet I was harder to dislike than her own flesh and blood.

To tell the truth, I had lied for the most part. True, her father was keeping the child prince, but I hadn't  stolen her; I bought her. No child should have hatred towards a parent, and likewise the other way around. What he did to her was monstrous; locking her away in a tower because he blamed her for his wife's illness. But then, what had I been doing this whole time but locking her away?

I passed through the streets under the cover of floating lanterns and the blue fireflies that hovered around my head. I fixed my hat and shooed them away as I found the place I was looking for. Lady Luck's Tavern.

I walked into the bar that smelled of stale liquor and the stench of sailors that hadn't bathed in a long time. A group of slender men with white hair was gathered around a table near the back, as their silver armor illuminated in even this dim of light. They must be blinding in the sunlight.

I walked up to the group and tipped my hat as the oldest of them stood nodding his head in greeting. "You must be Devon Finn?" he asked. I smirked with a nod, "There's a 'captain' in there somewhere." The fairy smiled and the others laughed, but they were solemn in the blink of an eye.

"Do you have our prince...Captain?" I cocked my head to the door, "Safe and sound aboard my ship, gentlemen. If you'll follow me, only a select few of my crew are aware he's aboard." They all stood from the table with their hands on the hilt of their swords defensively. They don't trust you, Devon. You're dangerous and they know it. The stories have traveled very far it seems.

I led them through the narrow streets catching the fearful eyes of many of the other pirates seeing that they have heard the stories as well. Mothers pulled their pointing children closer and crewmen spit at my feet.

"You're very renowned around here it seems, Captain." I kept my head down, "I'm known in a lot of places, General Talli." He smirked, "Rightfully so." We reached the Dragon's Revenge and I welcomed them aboard with a bow and wave of my hand.

We boarded the ship and Shenzie met us. "Welcome back, Cap'n." Her eyes met the soldiers and they squinted with distrust. "Good evenin' gentlemen." They nodded to her as she came to stand closer to my side. I bent to her ear, "Bring Prince Aaron on deck and make sure he's cleaned up."

Shenzie bowed her head and left below deck. I turned back to the men of ice, "She's going to clean him before bringing him up." General Talli frowned, "Why would he need cleaning up? Did you not take care of him as requested?" I nodded, "He has been taken care of to the best of our quaint vessel's ability, General. Due to the discretion you requested, he has missed a bath or two; but I assure you he is in the same condition we received him, except he had a slight growth spurt."

The general didn't seem convinced as he looked around at his men. Shenzie eventually brought the white haired boy up dressed in his royal attire spotless. "See? Perfectly fine." At the sight of the general, the child's pale eyes widened as a grin spread on his pink lips. "Uncle Talli!"

Aaron twisted away from Shenzie's grip and ran to the older man hugging his waist tightly as the general patted the boy's head lovingly. "You kept good on your word, Captain Finn. Thank you. I'm sure the stories I've heard about you are just exaggerations."

I smirked, "The stories you have heard are all true, General Talli." The general frowned and tossed a cloth sack into my hand. I opened it and smiled at the gold coins tucked there. "That should do a little more than cover it, captain?"

I tipped my hat and the men dispersed with the prince. "An' what stories are circulatin' now, Devon?" I glanced over my shoulder at Shenzie who had her arms crossed. "My downfall." She placed her hand on my shoulder comfortingly, "Y'shouldn't dwell on de past, boy. Remember, it was a bad day fer us all. I had ta lie to de girl."

I nodded, "Good. She'd really hate me if she really knew."

•An excerpt from a Celestial children's book:
Once upon a time, there was a young warrior of the skies. His wings were glorious and gold, and his eyes were silver like the armor he wore with pride.

At his King's deathbed, he learned of a powerful secret. The warrior was the king's bastard son and rightful heir to the throne. Upon learning this, the Queen was outraged. She ordered that the soldier be exiled and then killed; for if he lived, the throne would be snatched from her grasp.

Frightened, the boy escaped through the castle to the barracks he had called home. Thinking quickly, he dipped the tips of his wings into molten silver turning the once soft feathers into deadly razors, and thus burning his once golden wings into pitch.

Knocking sounded on the door as guards and his fellow brothers turned against him by the Queen's demand. He would have to run for his life.

Drawing his sword, he opened the door leaping into the chaos of men trying to take him down. In a flurry of his wings, he fell men quicker than they could attack. Now was the time.

The soldier took to the skies and flew until he was far away from his home in the Celestial Realm, and into the life of piracy forever known for being the one to kill the Celestial King and his army.

He was Devon Demetrius Finn, captain of The Dragon's Revenge.

I looked around the dock at the returning crewmen. "All to stations! We're heading to open seas!" The men bustled to their duties as I took the wheel. "I have work to do."