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Part 2 of PIRATES!!
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Published:
2019-04-09
Updated:
2021-06-25
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3,872
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7/?
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Cages

Summary:

Captain Jazz let her guard down one too many times, and now she's just waiting to be called to the gallows. The wind and sea have one more surprise for her, though.

Notes:

This piece was originally written as part of a TF Speedwriting fill, but I never got around to posting it to the comm. The prompt was to choose 3 AUs and then write scenes for your favorite pairing. I did 3 for FIrst Aid/Mirage and another 3 for Prowl/Jazz.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Jazz laid on the bench in her cell, waiting for the soldiers to drag her to the gallows. She had known what the punishment for piracy was when she had set foot on her first ship, but the freedom of the ocean--and later, the freedom of being captain of her own ship and crew--had been too much to ever walk away from. People though pirates were the worst of criminals, but they were never interested in helping them find lives that kept them away from a lift on the sea.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the prison door clanging open and footsteps echoing down the hall. A few moments later, the guard and a woman she had never seen before stopped in front of her cell.

The woman might have been the most beautiful person Jazz had ever seen. She was clearly a noble woman, wearing a dress made of silks that probably cost more than Jazz’s old ship, with cream colored skin and a tumble of perfectly curled hair so blond it was white. Her eyes were a piercing blue that felt like they were looking into her soul.

If she’d had the chance, she would have kidnapped the woman before, just so that she could spend more time with someone so gorgeous to burn her face into her memory.

The noble woman handed the man a small purse. “Thank you. That will be all.”

The guard looked like he was about to argue, before looking into the purse and shrugging. “As you wish, miss.”

“You’re too pretty to be the executioner,” Jazz teased as the guard walked way. Better to pretend that she wasn’t upset about her impending death.

“They say that I am too pretty to be anything but a wife.”

“Ain’t too pretty to be a pirate.” Jazz flashed her the smile that had charmed men and women alike across the world.

The noble woman smiled back. “Thank you. I have a proposition for you, captain.”

“Well, I’ll listen, but I can’t promise anything. I’ve got an appointment I can’t miss later this week.”

“Yes, with the gallows as I understand.” The woman pulled a second, larger, purse from a hidden pocket on her dress and held it up. “This and a ship will be yours if you help me.”

“A ship?” She had Jazz’s full attention now. “How are you planning to get me out of here?”

“With the contents of this purse, assuming you accept my offer.”

“All right, I’m listening.” Jazz stood and approached the cell bars.

The noble woman smiled. “I want you to kidnap me and take me away on your new ship. Teach me to be part of your crew.”

“You wanna run away? From what?”

“A life as nothing more than the beautiful wife of a governor or ship captain.” She lifted the purse just a bit higher. “If you don’t agree, I will find another captain who will. But you have a reputation, even among the soldiers.”

“Yeah, I don’t mind a woman among my crew, for obvious reasons.” Jazz grinned and reached out for the purse. She wrapped a hand around it, but didn’t lift it out of the other woman’s hand. “I can’t say yes, til I know what to call you.”

The noble woman hesitated. “You may call me Prowl.”

It was a fake name, for certain, but that would make it easier to deny that whoever they navy was looking for would be aboard the ship if it ever came up later.

“All right, Prowl. You got yourself a deal. Where am I kidnapping you from?”

“I will be at a dinner party tonight at the governor's mansion. It will be very crowded and poorly guarded. Look for me in the garden.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Thank you.” A tension she hadn’t noticed left Prowl’s shoulders and the woman lowered her hand and left Jazz holding the purse. “I must suggest you change clothes before attempting to approach the party.”

Jazz stared for a moment before laughing. She probably did still smell like the manure they had thrown her in when the guards had finally caught her. “I’ll even find time for a bath, just for you.”

“I’m flattered.” Prowl’s subtle smile said she might even be telling the truth.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Prowl hissed in pain and flinched back as Jazz dabbed salve gently onto her sunburned cheeks. Her fair skin burned more fiercely than any of the rest of the crew, and the salve helped but long days on deck learning to tie the rigging and manage the sails made each burn worse and Prowl was paying the price now.

“Sorry, I know it hurts. Bluestreak was the same way when he came aboard.” Jazz waited for the other woman to compose herself and lean forward again before carefully applying more salve. They would need to stop at Vos for more at the rate Prowl was going through it, but that might work out for the best. They could get her a hat there, and the doctor might know a better way to keep her from being in so much pain as she healed. “It’ll get better, once your skin starts to darken.”

“I hope you are correct.” Prowl hissed again as the captain smoothed the salve over the worst of the burns on her cheeks, but she managed not to pull away again. “Though I rarely darkened in the sun, despite all my peers doing so each summer. My mother claimed it was a sign of purity.”

“You say things like that, and it’s just one more reason why you running off with me makes so much sense.” Jazz made a twirling motion with her hand. “Turn around, let me get your neck. And maybe you can finally tell me why you really wanted to run away and join a pirate crew.”

“I was honest, when I said that I did not wish to marry the man my father chose for me.” Prowl turned carefully, giving Jazz enough time to see the sad frown that marred her features. “He was… I would have been his third wife, the first two having died of mysterious illnesses while he was abroad. Their bodies were never returned to Iacon or Praxus. And I know that people often die from diseases we do not yet understand, but there were rumors among the servants that he had deliberately infected them. I would rather hang for piracy than risk such a fate for myself.”

“Primus,” The old god probably hadn’t been listening, but if he was, Jazz wanted him to know that she was grateful that Prowl had been able to get away from a bad death like that. “Was he… is he mad?”

“If he is, it is the madness of all men of wealth and power.”

“Close enough, then.” Jazz sighed and forced herself back on task, dipping her fingers into the jar of salve so that she could cover the sunburn on Prowl’s neck and shoulders. “I won’t let him take you, if we ever see him again.”

Prowl’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She applied the salve carefully with fingers that were suddenly trembling. They hadn’t known each other long yet, but she liked Prowl. Knowing what might have happened to her if she hadn’t taken the former noble’s offer in the prison had rattled her. “I’m gonna have the crew change course for Vos, unless you think that’ll be a danger for you. We need supplies, and you need a hat and better clothes.”

“And boots like yours,” Prowl agreed. “Vos should be safe enough, as long as we stay away from the Wind Palace.”

“We’re all too scruffy for that part of the city, so that shouldn’t be a problem.” Jazz tried to for a bit of her usual good humor back into her voice. “I suppose you know the prince or something.”

“I do, actually. And I know that he would not hesitate to “rescue” me and send me back to my father, and put the entire crew to death. Even if we stay near the dock, it might be best if I only leave the ship while in disguise.”

“Ain’t got a disguise to give you, but we’ll figure something out. I want you to see Doc Knockout while we’re there, just to make sure these burns aren’t doing permanent damage. You got some bad blisters back here on your shoulders.”

“As I also do not wish to have permanent damage, I will trust you to figure it out, then.”

“You got it. Now, you get to bed. I think we should switch you to the night watch for a bit so you can heal up.”

“Only if you sleep as well. You just came off night watch, after all. I feel confident that Hound can handle the ship while you rest.”

“Still gotta issue the new orders first. Then I’ll sleep, I promise.”

Prowl turned her head and gave the captain a small smile. “All right. Please give Bluestreak my apologies for not joining him this afternoon, since you will be on deck.”

“Ha! He’d make you take a nap himself, if he thought you’d listen to him. But I'll make sure he knows. Sleep well, Prowl.”

“Sleep well, Jazz.”

Jazz stood and left the cabin that she had happily given the other woman, knowing that she would need privacy and space to adjust to her new life. As she stepped through the door, though, she took a moment to whisper a prayer to the old gods to keep her new shipmate--her new friend--safe. Jazz did not want Prowl to end up in the hands of her ex-fiance, whoever he was, and she would take any help she could get on that front.

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

Jazz had offered her money when Prowl had said that she wanted to wander the garment district on her own, and that had been a courtesy that she had been happy to decline for the first time since she had boarded the ship. She had needed most of the concessions the pirate captain had made for her, as she found her new footing among a crew filled with misfits and former slaves, but money was something she had not needed help with. Her father was more than a little wealthy, and likely still had not missed the four bags of gold coins she had liberated from his storage room on the night she ran away. After bribing the guard and paying Jazz for her services, the two bags of coins she still carried would have seen her through several months if it had been necessary to leave the ship and hide away in one of the other island cities.

Since she only needed to buy clothes more suited to ship life now, they would last her much longer.

“Pretty dresses for a pretty lady?” One seller called out to her, holding a dress made of a softly shimmering fabric. “Made from the finest silk imported from the Crystal City!”

“Thank you, no.” She could buy two ships for what that dress would cost, and have money left over. “I require garments suitable for life on board a ship. Where might I acquire them?”

“A pretty lady like you should be at a palace ball, not on board a ship,” the seller protested.

“And yet, my life has placed me on board a ship. Your wares are lovely, and I mean no insult. My needs are simply different now.”

The seller didn’t look pleased at the compliment, but he did look less confrontational. “Four shops down. The sailors buy their breeches there.”

“Thank you, friend.” She curtsied slightly, some manners too ingrained to forget after a month at seas, and caught sight of a brightly colored scarf as she moved. It was the sort of thing that Jazz would use to tie back her braids, and might serve well enough to show that Prowl was truly grateful for her actions the night the captain had helped her run away. “Before I go, however, I believe I have found something of interest.”

Chapter 4

Chapter Text

“Ship to the starboard, Captain!” Bluestreak called down from the crow’s nest. “Flying the colors of Darkmount!”

Jazz looked up at the young man with a grin. “Merchant or military?”

“Merchant, Captain! And she’s low in the water!”

“Helm, turn to starboard! We’ve got merchants to relieve of their excess wealth!”Jazz turned to Prowl, grin still in place. She looked every inch the wild pirate that her father had always warned about. “This’ll be your first chance to board another ship, you ready?”

Prowl tugged her coat--long and cut like many naval jackets, but the best protection she had found against the sun--into place with a frown. “As ready as possible. But many of the merchants from Darkmount have become slavers. I worry that using cannons or pistols will endanger innocent lives.”

Something dark passed over Jazz’s face and her grin turned vicious. “This crew gives no quarter to slavers.”

That was strangely comforting. Prowl nodded. “I studied ship design and tactics, when my father allowed me to pursue my own interests. If I may, I would prefer to command the cannons from our ship, while you lead the boarding party.”

Jazz nodded. “I’ll bring you back a souvenir.”

“I look forward to it.”

Jazz turned back to the crew where they were assembling on deck. Bluestreak’s voice must have carried well enough to be heard in the crew quarters before her own, given how quickly they were moving. “Crew, prepare the cannons and a boarding party! Cannons fire on Prowl’s order, and only on Prowl’s order! Anyone not manning the guns is with me! Ready swords and pistols!”

“Aye, captain!” The crew chorused and broke apart, some dashing to the cannons and others back to the crew quarters for their weapons.

Prowl whispered a prayer to Jazz’s old gods for the lives of any innocents on the merchant’s ship, before moving to the rigging and climbing in. She moved just high enough that she could see the other ship and still call out orders. Then she waited to see if they would try to run or be foolish enough to fight.

When they drew close enough that she could see their colors, she uttered a curse that would have made her mother wash her mouth with soap. “Captain, they’re flying the colors of the Darkmount Honey Company! They are slavers, likely carrying women and children!”

“Not when we’re done, they won’t be.” Jazz climbed into the rigging with her to watch their approach. “When we’re done, that ship will never carry another slave again.”

Prowl thought of the one time she had seen the hollow-eyed slaves transported into Praxus by the Darkmount Honey Company and nodded. “Agreed. We will let your old gods deal with them.”

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

"How many are there?" Prowl reached out and caught Jazz's arm as the captain swung back from the sinking ship. At the helm, Hound was quickly turning them away from the doomed slave ship. "I couldn't count as they were brought on board."

"Twenty seven. Women and children, just like you thought." Jazz's eyes flashed with barely controlled rage. "And I'd kill those fraggers again if I could, after what they did to them."

Prowl thought of the girl, one of the few liberated slaves she had truly seen, that Bumblebee had guided on board. She could not have been more than twelve years old, and she had been wrapped in a bit of sail cloth in an attempt to hide her nakedness. "And I would help you."

"Good to know." Jazz let go of the rope and settled on the deck. "They're just as terrified of us as those scum we rescued them from. Maybe you should talk to them."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You look respectable in that coat. Could probably pass you off as a naval officer from somewhere down south, in the right lighting. It'll probably help put them at ease." Jazz glanced down at her hands, and Prowl realized that there was blood spattered across them. "I've gotta get cleaned up and changed before I want them to see me again, anyway. I wasn't at my best over there."

"Perhaps not, but you were still the ship captain who could be trusted to help strangers in need." Prowl gave the other woman a small smile. "Once they understand the situation, I believe our guests will look on you more favorably."

"Hope so. You'll talk to them, then?"

"I will, yes. And I'm going to send Bumblebee to find them clothes, as well. His demeanor is gentle enough to help make them more comfortable."

"I trust your judgment, Prowl."

"Thank you, Jazz."

Chapter 6

Notes:

content warning specific to this chapter: mentions of rape, implied pedophelia

Chapter Text

The women and children huddled together in the cargo hold were eerily quiet when Prowl stepped into the dimly lit space. Some of them were as naked as the girl Bumblebee had brought aboard, and covered with bits of the same sail, and others were wearing the tattered remains of the dresses they had been kidnapped in.

Prowl tried not to notice that it was the youngest members of the group who were naked. The men who had hurt them were already dead and her anger would not do any good.

"Hound says there's clothes in the crates we brought over ma'am," Bumblebee said softly. "I can unpack those while you talk."

"Thank you, Bumblebee. That is an excellent idea." Prowl was glad for the young man's sweet demeanor, especially when a few eyes finally turned their way and their owners tensed in fear. "We may have to attempt to alter some of them for the younger children, though. I doubt that the Darkmount Company planned on clothing them before they were sold."

"I know how--" Bumblebee started to reply before he was interrupted abruptly.

"You will at least let us be raped again in new clothes, then?" One of the rescued women, tall and muscular with broad shoulders and dark skin, stood up and glared at them.

"Certainly not." Prowl stepped closer, pulling her hat off so that the other women could see her better. "Our captain and crewmates risked their lives to free you. You are as safe among us as anyone can be on the sea."

"Those men from Darkmount said we were safe with them, too!"

"I know that you have little reason to trust us after that. But I swear to you that Captain Jazz's intentions, and mine as well, are to ensure that you return to shore and to your homes if possible. But first, we want to ensure that you have clothes and some food."

The tall woman's eyes narrowed as she glanced from Prowl to Bumblebee. "If the little one touches any of us, he will regret it."

"Bumblebee will not touch anything except the clothes he is unpacking."

"Then we will take your clothes and your food. Perhaps we will believe you tomorrow."

"Thank you." It wasn't the immediate trust she had hoped for, but Prowl supposed she understood that. The injuries, both in body and spirit, would take a very long time to heal. "Since you seem to speak for everyone, may I know your name?"

"You may call me Strika. And remember that I earned that name hunting the grasslands with my father and brothers."

Prowl would certainly remember. The name implied a fighting ability that she could not currently match. "I am called Prowl. My assistant is Bumblebee. Thank you for trusting us this far."

"It is not trust. The little ones will get sick without your food and your clothes."

Desperation, then. A motivation Prowl understood all too well.

Chapter 7

Chapter Text

Wearily, Prowl stopped in front of the door to the captain’s cabin. No one had seen Jazz since the raid, and she wasn’t sure if she should bother the captain no matter how much Jazz likely needed to know the current situation.

Something about their current situation was bothering the captain a great deal, after all.

Reluctantly, she lifted her hand and knocked on the door. A moment later, a soft, “It’s unlocked,” reached her ears. Steeling herself for whatever might be happening on the other side, Prowl lifted the latch and opened the door.

Jazz looked up from the bowl of pink-tinged water on that was resting on a stool in front of her, a haunted expression on her face. “Hey, Prowl.”

Prowl took in the other woman’s expression and posture quickly and sighed softly. Jazz’s face was still streaked with blood and soot, her shirt was hopelessly stained with more blood, and a cut that neither of them had noticed before was dripping even more blood onto the floor. “Jazz, it’s been hours. I thought you were getting cleaned up.”

“I was going to.” Jazz lifted a hand, showing her the cloth clutched tightly in it. “And then when I saw my arm, I just… I guess I froze.”

“I haven’t seen you freeze once since I met you.” Prowl crossed the room and pried the wash cloth out of the other woman’s hand. She dipped it in the water before applying it carefully to the wound on the captain’s arm. “Tell me what happened?”

“I just keep remembering. Hound and Bumblebee and me, we escaped a long time ago and we didn’t have a bunch of pirates helping us.”

Prowl kept washing the wound gently, though she wanted to freeze herself. Jazz had hinted that the prison she had broken her out of so many months ago hadn’t been her first stint as a captive, but she had never implied anything about slavery. “How long ago?”

“Ten years now. Bee was just a kid, sweet as an angel and twice as pretty. They kept him for his singing voice and made him mend the clothes when he wasn’t entertaining.”

“That explains how he altered the dresses for the children so quickly.” Prowl looked up from Jazz’s arm to see if there were bandages in the cabin.

“On the shelf there.” Jazz tilted her head toward a small pile of medical supplies. “I’m surprised he told you about that. It’s not something he talks about.”

Prowl retrieved the bandages and returned to Jazz’s side to cover the wound. “He offered to do it of his own volition. Perhaps, like you, he remembers being frightened and helpless.”

“Maybe. It was Bumblebee that made us decide it was time to really run away, and he cried most of that trip.”

“I don’t doubt that I would have, too.” Prowl squeezed Jazz’s hand once the bandages were wrapped. “Now, you need a clean shirt. Or cleaner, anyway. And a face wash. Can you manage on your own or do you want my help?”

There was a long moment of silence before Jazz admitted. “I’d like the help. But you need to tell me about the girls we rescued, not… well, not about me. Or Bumblebee.”

“Of course.” Prowl was tired, but not so tired that she couldn't stay and keep helping Jazz, especially not when the other woman so obviously needed the support. “Where are your shirts?”

Notes:

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