A Pirated Heart: Magic Unbound

Her Grace and His Mutiny

It took her only a brief moment to realize where she was. She was on Calypso's Fall, just not the Calypso's Fall she wanted.

The ship's deck was as pristine as a ship filled with pirates could be after months at sea. The masthead was intact and right where it should be. This wasn't a ship that had seen a battle between a demon and Kraken. This wasn't a ship that had housed a witch. This wasn't even a ship that a Leviathan had swam next to.

"Far as I'm concerned, the wench is nothin' but bad luck," a familiar voice from the past echoed from behind Arabella and she turned to glare at its owner. Her eyes narrowed on the man standing amidst some old crewmen. A long jagged scar stretched across his face, disfiguring his nose and blinding him in one eye. A few of the men mumbled words of agreement. Arabella opened her mouth to insult the man but she was beaten to the punch.

"And you're nothing more than a bag of chum," A younger version of herself passed through Arabella with ease. She smirked at the younger girl's words. After all, they were more or less what she was going to say. The man snarled as he pulled his pistol out of his belt and pointed it at Arabella's younger self.

"You gonna pull that trigger or you just gonna stand there?" Her words echoed in the air as some of the men stepped away in fear and others stepped forward to encourage the man to pull the trigger.

"You pull that trigger, lad, and I'll be forced to do the same," Jarrus appeared behind the man and pressed the barrel of his pistol against the man's head. The man snarled before lowering his weapon. Arabella turned as her younger self proceeded to move around the group of men and climb the rigging to get to the crow's nest.

"Doomin' us all is what ya doin', Captain. That chit ain't natural," the man growled as a few of the men surrounding them sounded an agreement. Jarrus holstered his pistol before he grabbed the man by the scruff of his collar.

"Ya'd do well to keep yer opinions to yerself, Hoskin. As long as I command this vessel, that girl is here." Jarrus growled before he pushed Hoskin away. He cast one final glare at the man before he turned to head to the helm. Hoskin sneered at his back. Arabella frowned at the man. She knew where this would go. She exactly what memory this was and she knew exactly what part she played in it.

It was the dead of night as Arabella followed her younger counterpart to the lower deck where she'd get a couple hours' worth of sleep. Arabella watched herself sleep. It was an odd feeling; she almost felt pity for herself. This version of herself had no idea why her heart was stolen from her or where that path would take her. In fact, this version had never even known the anger and frustration of dealing with Kaden Lockes. It would be another three years before Kaden Lockes would be brought on board Calypso's Fall. Arabella moved away when she heard the heavy booted footsteps making their way down the creaking steps.

"So we just throw her overboard then?"

"Right after we deal with the cap'n," Hoskin's rough voice answered the other crewman's wary question.

"Oh! I remember this!" Arabella jumped when Anzu suddenly appeared next to her, taking in the scene greedily.

"Do you?" Arabella growled, annoyed that he could so easily invade her mind as he pleased. Anzu grinned wickedly.

"It was the first time we ever spoke to one another," he answered as Arabella ignored the urge to punch him in the face. The two of them watched as Hoskin and three other men easily grabbed her younger self out of her hammock and dragged her back above deck.

"Do you remember what I told you to do?" Anzu asked as he and Arabella followed the men dragging the struggling teen girl. Arabella frowned.

"Kill them." Arabella repeated the words she knew her younger self could hear reverberating in her ears. This was the first taste of her dark powers.