"Pirates shouldn't play with fire." He drawled, lips curling.
"Oh?" She echoed, heart stirring in her chest. "And what of pirates that play with water?"
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in which a sea witch challenges the reign of the boy who would never grow up
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The worst part about being cuffed and bound in the brig was that when she heard the first sounds of the attack, there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Andromeda listened to canon fire, the clash of swords and felt the whole ship rock unsteadily. She flinched with every scream, every grunt of pain and when suddenly that all fell silent, attempted to ignore the nausea brewing in her stomach.
Cursing the captain for throwing her down here in the first place, Andromeda swallowed the lump quickly forming in her throat as the first footsteps sounded on the stairs. The pirate that appeared - Andromeda recognised him as First Mate Asher, of thepirate ship the Jolly Roger - was disgustingly unscathed, and smirked upon discovering the teenager manacled and helpless in the gloom.
That first look was all it took for the pirate to start to laugh. "Oh, the Captain's gonna like this."
Leering as he approached, Asher quickly palmed the key that would release her.
"We wondered where Henley's little witch had gotten to." Asher remarked, unclicking the locks, letting Andromeda crumple to the floor. Andromeda lifted her head to look up at him, though the movement was enough to make her head spin. She shouldn't have tested Captain Henley in front of his crew, she knew that with great certainty now. If she hadn't, Henley wouldn't have thrown her down here a week ago, and she might have been strong enough to better their odds against the crew of the Jolly Roger.
Because in her current condition: dehydrated, stiff and aching muscles as well as a thumping head, she wasn't sure how much use she'd be.
Obediently, Andromeda let her hands be bound again. Let the pirate haul her to her feet. The manacles chaffed the already raw skin of her wrists, though Andromeda tried not to let it show. Her only comfort came from the knowledge that, even with her hands bound, she had sufficient strength to wring the pirate's neck if she should so choose.
Andromeda resisted little as the pirate dragged her from the brig, preparing herself for what waited for her above deck. Despite the crew of the Jolly Roger's ruthless reputation, and their history of leaving sinking ships in their wake, she hoped the surrender had been just the first step in Henley's plan. It wouldn't be the first time the crew had thrown the battle, so that she might unleash all the power of the sky and sea on their enemies once they discovered her hiding below. ( Though, Andromeda remarked to herself, hiding was really a funny word for what she'd been doing. )
She didn't want to think about what would happen if this weren't one of those times.
As Andromeda scaled the ladder that lead to the main deck - which, she'll have you know is not so simple a task when your hands are bound - she began summoning magic from that deep well she imagined somewhere inside of her, ready to call on her power within a moment's notice.
