Chapter Text
The scarlet-haired pirate neatly sidestepped the wild swing directed her way, knocked her opponent unconscious with a swift hit to his head with the hilt of her sword, and swung around to block the two men coming behind her as the ship she now stood on shuddered with the impact of the most recent cannon volley. They always get too confident when faced with a woman, she thought drily. No matter the stories they’ve heard about us or the damage they’ve watched us inflict on their comrades, they always assume that they will be the ones to beat the weak, impudent women.
The ship began sinking twenty minutes later. Everyone the pirates of Fairy Tail wouldn’t be ransoming—most of the ship’s sailors as well as some servants who had practically begged to be separated from their masters—had been put in lifeboats with plenty of provisions. They had received instructions on the direction to take to reach a nearby island that was large enough to have its own bustling port, and the captain of the pirate vessel now stood in front of those few men who remained.
“Gentlemen, welcome to Fairy Tail.” The smile and arm gesture accompanying those words implied welcome, but the cold glint in the pirate captain’s eyes belied that implication. “You will be staying with us for a few days, and we are grateful to be blessed with your illustrious personages.” A few weak-willed nobles began to shake at the threat hidden behind that one stressed word; even the admiral of the royal navy who had joined them on their journey to attend the wedding of the prince in a neighboring country felt traces of fear as he glanced again at her unforgiving eyes before dropping his own to the twin swords strapped to her hips. “Letters will be sent out shortly to inform your king of your current situation. Until we learn from him what he wishes done with you—whether you will be ransomed or left to our tender ministrations—you will stay as our guests below decks. I hope, for your sakes, that he remembers you fondly.”
A curt nod to the crewmembers standing behind the prisoners instigated the removal of the prisoners to cells below deck. The captain watched until the last head had disappeared before turning to a petite blue-haired pirate: “Send out those letters as soon as possible. While I can’t begrudge our extra haul, entertaining a collection of pampered lords was not part of our plan, and I would hate it if waiting upon an improperly curled wig interrupted the rescue mission.”
A cheeky grin burst upon the petite girl’s face at her captain’s growled words. “That lord’s wig truly was awful. I bet his servant was glad to get away from him and it. No worries, though, Captain; I’ll get the word out right away. Admiral Lahar alone is worth ransoming, not to mention Duke Leiji and Lord Michello, and if he’s rescuing those three I’m sure at least one advisor will say that the king might as well ransom the others. It would simply look bad if he didn’t arrange for the return of all twelve of them.” With that, Levy, Fairy Tail’s strategist and their resident expert at writing a ransom note that was just threatening enough to get an immediate response without being so threatening that it resulted in violent retribution, walked away, leaving Captain Erza Scarlet staring out at sea, scarlet hair dancing in the wind, as she considered again the port city that, after three weeks of staying away to let the uproar die down, swift winds were racing them to.
Footsteps moved lightly across the flagstone floor, following the route to the heart of the dungeons with unerring confidence. She had never been inside this dungeon before—left at this corridor—but her information—down this flight of stairs and another left—had been uncommonly good.
The kingdom really should consider not allowing men who couldn’t hold their liquor to act as their guards. They lost so many precious items due to this mistake.
According to the guard she had spent the last two weeks flirting with at a local bar, the cells should be just ahead. Warm torchlight spilled in front of her as she cautiously took one last turn and found herself in a hallway filled with iron bars that separated her from the sleeping prisoners. Knowing she didn’t have much time before the guards came back for their rounds, she quickly walked forward, scanning for the “pretty blonde wench with the devil’s own glare” the guard had told her was there, shuddering theatrically and truthfully before slurring his way into song. Three cells from the end, she found her.
“Juvia is glad to see you again, First Mate.”
Lucy smiled at her shipmate as Juvia pulled out a collection of keys. “And I’m glad to see you.” Her smile turned into a smirk as the cell door creaked open and her neighbors stirred. Glancing at the keys in her companion’s hand, Lucy practically read Juvia’s mind as she asked, “How much trouble do you think we can create before the guards come back? Their next round is in twenty minutes.”