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The sky was black the day of their first meeting. No one aboard the Arrnvel saw the pirates coming through the heavy rainfall, but soon enough they heard the cannons and felt shots land. Lightning illuminated the attacker's ship like something out of a nightmare and between flashes Alina managed to get a glimpse at their flag; still some distance away but it was the unmistakeable sigil of The Dreadcruiser. Not an inventive name for a ship mind you but if the tales people had told of it and it's savage captain, The Dread Pirate Gaelug, were in any way true it was certainly not to be taken lightly.
What tremendous luck that for her inaugural voyage as a First Officer the ship Alina is tasked with gets ambushed by one of the most notorious pirates known across the seas. In a few short years she could have finally made captain, but now she just hoped to survive this encounter. Unless… she began to ponder with all the undue arrogance of a fledgling mariner. Unless she could capture this deadly pirate herself, someone who had eluded kingdoms and armadas alike for years, why she could almost certainly fast track her plan. By the gods with a prize such as this she could be in charge of a whole a fleet let alone a single ship. Excitement overtook her fear as she charged about the deck shouting orders at the crew and rousing those who were panicking.
The Arrnvel did not have many cannons, it being primarily a transport vessel, but what firepower they had was soon firing back at the pirate ship. This didn’t do much to dissuade their assailants as The Dreadcruiser continued sailing closer, far outpacing their own ship and all the while launching barrages of cannonballs. Alina glanced around trying to spot their Captain, when she noticed him standing above the deck outside of his quarters watching her. He gave her a nod of approval and began to channel some sort of protection spell in hopes of stopping the ship from being sunk.
This back and forth carried on for a while with neither ship backing down or landing any significant damage until Alina felt the Arrnvel lurch underneath them. Steadying herself she rushed to the edge of the ship and saw some sort of harpoon lodged in their hull pulling the two ships ever closer. Perfect she thought to herself, drawing her rapier. If it's close quarters they want, then I'll be happy to oblige them.
Alina's wish was granted before too long and as the ships clattered together, she steeled herself for a fight. Shrieking pirates leapt over the side of the much larger pirate ship onto the deck of the Arrnvel below. Alina managed to strike one out of the air as a flurry of combat erupted around her.
Not one of the pirates swarming the deck seemed a match for Alina as she cut them down one by one, she was no stranger to combat, and clearly much better trained than this band of drunken louts. However as the fighting continued she didn’t see anyone who might look remotely like the famed pirate Gaelug. She had no idea what the notorious criminal actually looked like, but she was certain no pirate on deck was the captain sort.
The Captain! She remembered in a moment of slight panic and glanced up to where she last saw him just in time to see the door to the captain's quarters slam shut. Knowing this could not be good she began to rush along the deck doing her best to avoid any would be assailants, ducking under clashing swords and shoving through the melee where she could. However one such unavoidable menace stood on the stairs blocking her path.
The pirate stood poised, a dagger in each hand, spinning and juggling them in a threatening show of expertise. Alina didn’t have patience for such pageantry and just swatted one knife out the air with her rapier. As the man turned to watch his blade fly away he felt a boot in his side sending him too hurtling to the sea below. Alina bounded up the steps two at a time and after taking a deep breath kicked open the door, ready for what might await her.
The door slammed open, causing shelves to rattle and now inside Alina spotted a tall figure who seemed to tower over her, both in size and sheer presence, taking up more room in the cabin than seemed physically possible. This wouldn’t have deterred Alina though and she only hesitated because she saw they had a cutlass raised to the captain's neck. "Lay down your arms." She ordered, somewhat futilely and raising her own blade to point at the intruder. At this warning the intruder turned their head to face Alina in the doorframe, golden eyes pierced through her, betraying no sense of fear or surprise and, in fact, they seemed almost amused. As her own eyes adjusted to the gloom of the cabin; Alina was finally able to get a good look at the culprit but where she had always imagined a horrible, grizzled monster of a person, instead stood a handsome orcish woman, only slightly grizzled. She was still the embodiment of piracy dressed in a tattered crimson coat and typical tricorne pirate hat atop dark weather-worn locks. Alina tightened the grip on her blade. “You must be the infamous Dread Pirate Gaelug."
"Guilty as charged my dear and who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" Came the shockingly calm response. The pirate spoke as one might to a kindly stranger, not someone with a sword pointed at them.
"It's alright, she'll leave us alone if we just give her some documents." The captain interjected.
Alina was agape. "But Captain, she's a wanted criminal and-"
"And we're ill equipped to deal with pirates, so I'd rather we escape with our lives, therefore I order you to stand down, Alina." Following that he knocked on a wall of the cabin to reveal a hidden panel with various scrolls and parchments inside, after pulling them out he handed them to the pirate carefully, who tucked them under her free arm. All the while the first officer remained poised to strike.
"Best listen to him Alina. I'd hate if that pretty face of yours were spoiled." Gaelug instructed, the elf unsure if she was being mocked and threatened or complimented and threatened.
The Dread Pirate lowered her sword away from the Captain who rubbed his neck with relief and she moved to exit the cabin, but Alina wasn’t going to let such an opportunity get away from her and definitely wasn’t going to be made fun of as she launched herself towards her foe. The orc effortlessly deflected the strike with her own cutlass but Alina didn’t give her the chance to retaliate as she pressed the attack. The pirates cool demeanour sank away amidst the sudden assault, concentrating on parrying single-handed whilst trying to keep the documents securely under arm. As the fight continued the Captain crawled away into a corner, not wanting to be caught up in the whirlwind of blades and silently cursed his hot-headed second in command.
The melee came to a screeching halt as their blades clashed in the air and the two combatants stared each other down over the crossed swords, close enough to feel each others laboured breathing. Gaelug was the one to break the tension. "Not bad sweetheart. You could almost give me a run for my money, except..." She left the word hanging in the air for a moment. "You play too nice." The pirate suddenly lurched forward knocking their skulls together and nearly concussing Alina. As the elf recoiled Gaelug twirled around sweeping her legs out and knocking her to the floor. "I had fun dancing with you sweetheart, but I hope next time you'll learn some new steps." And with an exaggerated bow she vanished back into the storm, whistling her crew with her.
Alina didn’t bother getting up, feeling the defeat weigh heavy on her chest.
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Some time passed and things were able to return to relative normalcy. The Captain held no ill will towards her disobedience, believing her defeat to be punishment enough, but bizarre rumours had begun to spread amongst the rest of the crew. Few people could boast about taking on one of the most notorious villains of the sea and living to tell the tale. Alina wanted to quash the rumours given the orc had so obviously just let her live, though on the other hand the air of esteem and respect that came along with the rumours was almost intoxicating.
It didn't stop there though, now almost every port they came across would be abuzz with her name and she soon found herself indulging children with slightly embellished tales of her battle with the Dread Pirate Herself. The culminating moment came when she received a grand invitation to a dignatary's ball where representatives from several nations would be in attendance. She wasn't usually one for such fancy events, she'd sooner face the Dread Pirate again than have to bump shoulders with such echelons of high society but she still had her future to think about. Unfortunately she would still have to ask for leave permission from the Captain himself.
"'To the esteemed First Officer Alina Thranduil, who single handedly fought off the Dread Pirate Gaelug, you are hereby invited to attend...' fought off did you?" The Captain said, shooting her a judgemental look. "I was hoping the defeat would instill in you some sort of humility. Of course you may attend but I do hope you'll think on this whole affair."
Alina didn't really appreciate being talked down to but did her best to keep her temper under check. "I know Captain, this isn't what I intended to happen and it isn't quite proper but you also know I want my own command some day, and getting my name known is a surefire way to do that." Deep down she knew she should stop there, but she still felt she had to justify herself at every turn and pushed forward against her own better judgement. "I've worked as hard as anyone else in the whole navy, you know I deserve this and I need every advantage I can get, after all it's not like I've got any relative's or lovers who can just give me what I want without having to work for it."
The Captain coughed, imploring Alina to remember herself. "Oh sorry, that wasn't supposed to be directed at you or your High Admiral husband, sir. It's just, well, you know there's plenty of people who are high up that don't deserve to be there and..." Alina's voice trailed off as she began to realise she had said too much.
"It's quite alright, First Officer." He said with a sigh, implying he was dropping the topic. "Though I think you'd best get looking for something to wear to the ball other than your uniform. You're dismissed.” Alina merely nodded in response, neglecting to look him in the eye as she saluted and turned face. The Captain had one final warning before she left however. “But do watch that tongue of yours, it could most certainly get into trouble." Outside she mentally chastised herself but didn’t dwell on it and instead set off to heed the Captain's advice and find herself a dress.
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It was the night of the ball and Alina was already regretting the decisions that led her to this point. The ball itself was being hosted in some fancy ballroom in a fancy mansion on a fancy hill. She didn’t know who owned the place but it was decorated with the white marble, gold silk and dark mahogany that was all too common among elvish nobility.
This wasn’t going at all like she hoped it would, a feeling she was becoming all too used to now. Few of the ball's attendees had ever seen combat and so weren't interested in her tale of heroism passed the most basic of details. They all much preferred to talk about regional affairs and gossip about their peers. Alina did her best to feign interest, which was to say she at least remained quiet while grimacing. She’d never been particularly good at hiding her emotions and definitely wasn't going to start now.
She'd dressed up as best she could, light hair cropped short and neat as it usually was but with a low cut bright red dress that was uncharacteristic of her. She regretted this too now as if the insipid conversation wasn't bad enough, the near constant flirtations were enough to make her practically vomit. Alina had also been given a key to a room upstairs should she wish to spend the night. Not a chance, the next opportunity she got she was going to excuse herself and sneak out.
"Greetings milady, may I have this dance?" Alina whipped around ready to turn down yet another boorish suitor but stopped short as she stared deep into familiar eyes. They were hidden behind a simple black butterfly mask and the person in question was wearing a long tail coat but it was unmistakeably her, the Dread Pirate. Though they had only met the once that fateful stormy day those eyes had been burned into Alina’s memory. Almost in shock the elf took the hand extended to her. "It’s so good to meet you again Lady Alina, I never expected you'd be at this event too. What a pleasant surprise this is."
Recovering slightly but still unsure whether she was dreaming, Alina whispered to her partner. "What in the hells are you doing here?" The elf wasn’t sure why she whispered like it was some secret to be concealed, she could quite easily have called the guards to come and take the pirate away. But out of some strange curiosity, she didn’t. Alina simply followed as she was lead onto the dance floor where they joined in the minuet.
The two of them continued to keep to the steps of the dance without breaking eye contact, "What indeed? I could be here to rob the place and my crew is waiting behind each pillar for my signal. Maybe I had heard the great Pirate Slayer Alina was in attendance and simply wanted the chance to meet her." This she said with a knowing glint in her eye but Alina, stoic as ever, gave no reaction. "Or maybe I became so enamored after our last encounter that I simply had to meet you again. So I donned a disguise and snuck my way into this party."
Gaelug swore she noticed the elf trying not to smile a little bit. "Dear gods you're a walking cliché. Though I can't help but think you slightly missed something." The orc looked at her quizzically. "One; this isn't a masquerade ball so you're probably drawing more attention to yourself as you are and two; I don't think anyone here would have the slightest chance of recognising you anyway. They're all too busy with their heads up their own arses to care about anything other than themselves."
Gaelug laughed and if she were to glance about the room she would have known all that to be true by the looks she was receiving, but she chose to keep her gaze fixed on the elf. Even as they moved about the floor changing partners in step with the dance they each kept their eyes trained on the other until they came back together again. "You don't often get the chance to live out a young girl's fantasy though. The kind read in old books and dreamed of while gazing at the ceiling at night. A chance meeting with a dashing stranger come to whisk you away into the night..."
Alina had to roll her eyes. “A bold assumption, but I never indulged in such fairy tales."
"Oh, I was talking about myself." This time Alina didn’t just smile, she laughed. Much louder than was proper, earning some curious glances from other guests before she caught herself. This also took Gaelug by surprise and the sly, roguish facade she had kept up seemed to soften into something more genuine.
The dance continued wordlessly for a time until it came to a close with the pair customarily bowing to each other, then Alina began to remember just who she was talking to. She shook off a sickly feeling in her stomach as a plan began to formulate in her mind.
"Option three." Alina stated. This did not seem to mean anything to the pirate as she merely looked back, agape. "Option three, you're enamored with me, I can tell. You thought you'd come here so suave and cool and sweep me off my feet, whisking me away for an evening."
The response came with a smirk; "My my little darling, you do think highly of yourself, don't you? If you must know the real reason-" But she was cut off abruptly.
"Room G18 upstairs. I'll be waiting there, you follow after 3 minutes." Alina's tone had shifted from playful to serious, brushing her hand over the orcish woman's bicep as she departed. Gaelug for once found herself at loss for words but sure enough, after a bit less than 3 minutes, she followed through the doorway the elf had exited through.
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As she expected Alina heard a sharp rapping at the door to the room after approximately 3 minutes. She opened up the door and the Pirate suitor barely got a word out before she was yanked into the room with an unexpected strength. Alina checked both ways down the hallway for any tails before closing the door and turning to meet her nemesis.
"Well, Miss Alina, I must admit I didn't quite expect this. You are full of surprises not that I'm complaining." Gaelug admitted.
"Oh trust me, if you had to deal with the crowd down there you'd be as eager for a distraction as I." Alina responded candidly. "Put these on and sit on the bed." She continued, tossing a pair of handcuffs at the orc. Gaelug deftly caught the shackles and stared at the elf. Alina for her part just smiled back, arms folded behind her.
"Full of surprises." Gaelug grinned, obeying the command. Shackling herself and sitting obediently on the end of the bed for the next move. "What now?"
"Now, we play a little game, it's called captor and captive." Alina strode forward and as she reached the bed swiftly brandished a dinner knife and held it up to the pirate's throat with one hand. "I'm the captor and you are now my captive, Dread Pirate Gaelug."
"Oh woe is me, whatever shall I do. I am at your mercy, I wonder what you'll do to me." The pirate said with a smile, apparently oblivious to the true nature of the situation.
With her other hand Alina held up the key for the handcuffs and flung it out the open window of the room. The pirate turned her head to watch it fly, a confused look appeared on her face as she returned to look her captor in the eyes. "You really are quite stupid, you know? I really cannot believe you followed me all the way here and allowed yourself to be handcuffed. It's a mystery how you've cause so much trouble for us this far. But still I have you now and your days of piracy are over Former Dread Pirate Gaelug."
For a brief time the captive stared up at Alina, their faces once again close enough that they could feel each other’s breath. When she finally spoke the pirate sounded more sad than scared. “Well this is disappointing, to say the least. Though if this was your plan all along I don’t understand why you didn’t just try and capture me down in the ballroom, surely it would have been less risky than this?”
"The thought did occur to me, but I assumed that if you were arrogant enough to come to the dignatary's ball you must have had some sort of escape plan. Plus on the off chance that I actually managed to apprehend you I've no doubt any number of bastards down there would happily claim responsibility for your capture. But this way I get all the glory for myself, for your capture I might even get my own ship and captaincy finally." Alina monologued, a smug air emanating from her. "So I knew what I had to do was something you wouldn't expect to get you on your own and have you let your guard-" *Clink*, *Snap*.
Alina felt metal clamp around her left wrist, she looked down to see the pair of handcuffs now attaching her to the bedpost and in a panic tried to plunge the knife down into the pirate's neck, but she was too slow as Gaelug firmly seized her other wrist.
"You were saying, Captain Alina? You really think this was the first time I'd been in navy handcuffs my darling? Bet you wish you'd kept that key now.” The pirate mocked as Alina tried to wrestle her hands free, first her right in the pirate's grasp and then the other with an equally fruitless tug at the handcuffs. Ashamed, she knew she’d been bested again and dropped the pointless piece of cutlery on the floor. Now with the threat gone Gaelug released her grip on the elf whose arm just fell limply to her side. She looked so defeated it was almost enough to make Gaelug feel sorry for her as she moved over to the window. Before leaping out the pirate paused to say a few more words, though now in a strangely soft tone. "I was disappointed that you thought I would be so easy to catch, how little you must think of me. I did have some respect for you at least, thought you might be different than all the simple sailors who only care about following orders and blending with society. That’s why I was surprised to see you at this event. Though now I'm just a bit sad and I hope next time you won't underestimate me."
Alina turned to finally meet the pirate's eyes and with a wink Gaelug was gone once more into the night. Even though Alina should have now been alone with her sorrows, her captain's words on humility ringing in her mind, she couldn't help but smile. She would find Gaelug again. Where anger usually bubbled in her, she felt only excitement now.
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Sometime after she had managed to get herself free (with no minor amount of damage to the bed) Alina learned that somehow during the ball an admiral's son had been kidnapped. Though truthfully Alina couldn't bring it upon herself to care, so wrapped up in her own defeat and chance of redemption as she was. She did also remember the man in question as one of the suitors who had been making unwelcome comments towards her earlier in the evening, so it probably served him right anyway.
The next day she managed to make her way back to the ship and change into the comfortable familiarity of her uniform and it was here, in her cabin, that she saw a parchment stick through her porthole window. Unfolding it she found it to be a crudely drawn map of sorts, leading from their current port, around various recognisable landmarks and finally to a little drawing of a man in a cage on an island and beside him; a note.
"I'll be waiting -G" Written in scrawled but legible handwriting and finished with a kiss of dark lipstick. She tore off the bit of parchment with the written note, but hesitated before throwing it out the porthole. Instead she placed it in the top drawer of her desk. Her fingers lingered over the kiss mark, it was at this point she realised she had been smiling to herself this whole time.
Alina slapped herself to regain composure and with map in hand headed up to the deck to inform the captain. She took it from the pirate’s pocket during the ball, she would say. May as well turn all this to her advantage, after all if anyone was going to catch the Dread Pirate; it had better be her.