Five Years Ago
It wasn't the sound of muffled shouting or the rushing footsteps above her head that woke her, though she became alarmingly aware of the commotion as soon as her senses caught on to it. Deren stood over Sanem's hammock, a frantic look in her eyes as she nudged her awake while repeated something that to Sanem's sleep riddled brain sounded suspiciously like 'get up, get up, get the fuck up!'
"What's happening?" She mumbled as she attempted not to stumble out of her bed, the intense grogginess clouding her mind suggesting she'd had an unfairly short amount of time to sleep.
"We're being attacked," Deren explained as she took little time in taking Sanem's hand and dragging her out of the crew's sleeping quarters by the light of the hanging oil lanterns, up onto the main deck which was still deep in darkness. Gypsy followed, shrinking along at Sanem's heels with her tail bristled and her ears pinned back.
The deck was in chaos. The noise of shouted orders and a flurry of crew rushing to arm themselves or disappear back downstairs to prepare the cannons to fire at the dark-green sailed ship that was approaching their own at a formidable pace. Unable to outrun them, Can had turned the ship to meet the assault, like a pair of incredibly over-armoured rams about to violently butt heads.
It was hard to make out in the darkness but there appeared to be no crown colours ornamenting their assailant sails, so she could only assume it was another band of pirates, but she didn't have much time to look before Deren was dragging her towards the main cabins and through the double doors leading to Can's room, away from danger.
"Here, take this," Deren insisted as she unhooked a dagger from her belt. "And then pray you won't have to use it."
"Don't you need it?"
"No, I have my own, and I prefer swords anyway." Deren pressed. "This one's Can's, he told me to give it to you."
"But I still have this one." Sanem pulled the letter knife out from her pocket, squeaking as an ear-splitting boom suddenly rocked the ship. Had they just fired or been hit? She couldn't tell, but her heart was racing in her chest so hard she almost wanted to throw up, and yet at the same time the excitement was brightening her senses in a way she had never experienced before. It was exhilarating.
"Oh, lamb, that's gonna do next to nothing if you find yourself in a real fight." Deren pushed the larger knife into Sanem's hands before she stepped back towards the room's only exit. "Barricade the doors." Deren indicated towards a thick wooden beam leaning against the wall next to the door frame, metal arms welded into either side of the door to hold the beam in place and prevent anyone unfriendly getting inside.
"Where are you going?" It was a stupid question really, but the panic of being left alone wasn't helping her brain run as smoothly as it would have been under normal circumstances.
"I'm needed outside, you'll be fine." Deren promised as she disappeared through the doorway.
Sanem didn't waste time doing as she'd been instructed. Heaving the bulky wooden beam in place before another round of cannon fire shook the floorboards under her feet. Her hands were shaking as she clutched onto the dagger, noticing Gypsy cowering under a set of drawers in a corner of the room.
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The emerald dyed sails pulling the attacker's ship towards his own were not a colour Can was familiar with, though he had a feeling he'd seen that black siren emblem lurking around the last time they'd been in Touson, but any sneaking suspicions that they might have been followed were left inconsequential as soon as the battle began.
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On The Wings Of An Albatross
Fanfiction"It was pure luck, really, that this hadn't happened sooner. Two years of keeping out of his reach had really been testing the limits of fate, and the sane voice inside her head kept telling her she would have to face him eventually. The world was b...
