With the Seas ~ A Hetalia Fan Fiction

Chapter 3 ~ Pirate

By the time the sun begins to rise, I am already at the docks. In the brightening dawn, I see it. The ship is massive and finely crafted, with large white sails attached to two masts and the British flag flowing in the calm breeze. A ship of such grandeur must belong to the Royal Navy. My mouth is open in awe. Truly, it is a beautiful sight.

 But where is everyone?

 It is just past daybreak. They must have come to port in the middle of the night and stayed at an inn, possibly the one I had been staying at. Port Townsend is three weeks away, after all. Even sailors must grow weary of living on a ship once in a while. Well, it doesn’t matter; sneaking onto such a vast ship will be easy. No one will notice an extra cabin boy who never says a word. Even if I were to be found out in the middle of a voyage, the one in charge would most likely just put me to work as usual until they could leave me at the next destination. Stowaways aren’t much of a threat, so I wouldn’t be killed, especially if I revealed myself to be a young woman.  

 Everything I own is with me. In my satchel, I have the lilac dress I stole yesterday, two old dresses I had stolen before, an extra boy’s outfit, and a few other articles of clothing. My only pair of shoes is currently being worn along with my only cap.

 I suppose I could sneak on now while everyone’s gone, but I doubt they’ll be back till evening. Waiting on an empty ship all day – how boring. I could use some more money just in case… Ah! I’ll get on a few hours before sunset. Most of the crew will still be in town enjoying themselves, and I’ll only have to wait an hour or two.

 Satisfied with my plan, I decide to roam the streets for easy targets.

 ***

 Strangely enough, there aren’t many people walking around town today. This place is always lively on clear days, even in the early morning. The shops and marketplace are all empty. I take a quick peek into one of the two pubs located in this town, “The Siren’s Song,” and I am surprised to see that it is packed. About thirty men are inside roaring in laughter and taking swigs of their drinks.  

 How odd. Isn’t it a bit too early to be getting hammered? I wonder if “Sweet Dominica” has a full house as well.

 ***

 Several loud men at one table have just ordered what couldn’t be their first (or second) round of drinks. They are all extremely red in the face and laughing louder than necessary. One man is even flirting with the barmaid. I see another man passed out in the corner, and several others are ordering more mugs of alcohol. Everyone here is completely drunk, and their voices only grow louder.  If “The Siren’s Song” looked lively, then this place is chaos.

 These men are obviously not Royal Navy officials; but I have yet to see one in town. Perhaps they’re all still resting at their inns or taverns? It is still early.

 I slip out of the pub unnoticed. So far, I haven’t stolen anything. There’s no one around to steal from, and the men at the pub seemed to have nothing on them.

 Could they have been on to me?

 I frown. That can’t possibly be the reason. No heads had turned when I had entered the pub. No one had made any movement to hide small sacks and pouches.

 And now that I think about it, I didn’t recognize any of the pub’s customers, so they wouldn’t know I’m a thief.

 Just as the thought crosses my mind, a man with sandy blonde hair steps out of the shop located next to the one I am in front of. He doesn’t see me as he turns to face the direction I am facing.