Chapter Text
Kady stood aboard her ship, staring off into the sea. Technically, the ship wasn’t hers. The Golden Raven had been her father’s ship before he died, and she had stolen it back from the navy. The wind caught her blond hair as her one golden eye watched the ocean for threats. She wore an eyepatch over her right eye, adorned with a gold rose symbol, and a scar was visible over the same eye. She had lost it when she was 13, the same man who killed her father and mother had sliced her eye clean out of her socket. She was now 29 and living up to her father’s legacy of being a pirate. She knew he would have preferred her brother to become the pirate, but he was dead. No, not dead, missing. She had hope that he’d still be alive, even after all these years.
Achebis was at war as of now. Welders and humans are fighting. The king, Abbar Wartooth, was corrupt and evil. He wanted to do away with the magic kind, have humans be the only ones alive. Even Kady, who was human, knew this was wrong. Plus, there was no way to do away with magic for good; Mages, werewolves, vampires, and changelings would still exist since they can go into hiding.
“Captain.” A male voice said from behind her. It was Jonas, her first mate and her best friend. “Jonas, there is no need for formality with me; speak your mind,” Kady says as she turns to him. He had dark skin, dark short hair, and icy blue eyes. He was silent for a moment before stepping beside her and sighing. “We’re approaching the docks, but I fear we’re being followed,” Jonas explained. Kady looked over to see his worried expression. Usually, she’d brush off things like this because no one would be brave enough to attack, and the army had no business with her. But seeing the look on his face, she decided to ask. “By whom?” She asks softly, looking back at the ocean. He took a moment, seeming to doubt his judgment. “The Burning Heart, Captain.” Kady had to take a moment to realize what he said. The Burning Heart was a pirate crew, almost as dangerous as her own; they were her father’s rival before his death. She knew they had gotten a new captain in recent years, though knowing their name or anything about them was another story. Kady stood in silence for a few moments. “Leave them be, they aren’t a problem until they make themselves a problem,” Kady explained, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword on her left side.
Jonas looked at her for a few moments, curiosity in his eyes. “Captain, may I ask why you’re taking us to the east docks? Usually, we dock on the North side.” Jonas asked, slightly worried as he stared at her. Kady’s lips twitch up into a smile. “Less infested by soldiers, why? Are you nervous to be back home after all these years?” Kady asked, teasing her first mate slightly. He only scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not, it’s just unusual for you, Captain,” Jonas replied, his cold blue eyes on the wooden ground now. “Aren’t you worried we’ll run into… Rosk?” He asks. Kady tensed up slightly, narrowing her eyes. Rosk was a changeling, and her ex, Kady, had left without even saying goodbye. “We won’t, Rosk lives in the forest, we won’t go further than the village on the dock,” Kady explains gently, her voice soft as she looks at Jonas like a caring older sister.
Jonas still looked a bit worried, though. “Jonas, I promise you, we’ll be fine.” Kady tries to reassure him again. “And if something does happen, you've got me,” Kady says with a confident smile. “Oh yeah, a one-eyed captain that trips over her feet more than she hits her target.” Jonas joked softly, and Kady laughed in return. They normally had stuff like this, jokingly insulting each other. “You ought to watch that tongue, boy.” Kady falsely threatened. “Or what? You’ll cut it off?” Jonas jokes back, standing on his tiptoes to look her in the eye. He only made it up to her shoulders when he was standing normally; it was a mixture of both her being tall and him being short.
Kady looked at him. “Go, check on the rest of the crew. I’ll be down when it’s time for dinner.” Kady said. Jonas only nodded and walked away. Kady watched him walk away before sighing and running a hand through her hair. The real reason she was going to these docks was the hope of finding her brother there. She had a less-than-trustworthy lead, but it was better than what she had all these years.
She watched the waters for a few more moments, spotting merpeople swimming just under the surface. She leaned over the edge to watch more closely. That's when a young merperson popped out of the water and stared at Kady in awe. This was probably their first time seeing a pirate. Kady smiled softly at them, but another person, someone Kady could only assume was the mother, grabbed them protectively. “Boy, don't interact with the pirates, they'll cut your tail off and leave you to drown!” The person scolded the young merperson, making Kady frown. Merpeople and pirates never had a good relationship; that was the pain Kady faced as a pirate. No species in Achebis had a good relationship with them.
She sighed as she watched who she assumed to be the father swim up and ask what was going on. A family. She wanted a family like that again, or maybe one of her own. She longed for it, remembering her father, mother, and brother. She was glad that this family was out of reach from Abbar; they'd be safe. And she was glad her crew was too; she wouldn't let them get hurt, not now, not ever.
She walked away to grab herself some food before going to shut herself in her cabin for the night, alone, like she always had been. She may have had a crew and Jonas, but in reality, she was still alone.