A Pirates Life For Me

Honey Ale

Alora woke up to the sun beaming on her face, and her boat full of water. She had made it to a small island with almost nothing on it. Alora had no way of fixing the boat, so she knew she had to do yet another ridiculous idea. If she wanted to make it to Addersmell, she had to get the water out.

Alora jumped out of the boat and looked around. There were a few trees and rocks. Shells lined the sand she stood in and birds roamed around, eating anything they could find. Seeing the birds, Alora realized she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.

She mentally apologized as she grabbed a rock and slowly approached one of the birds. A decently sized black and grey bird was facing away from her. Alora slowly brought her arm back, and threw all her strength forward. The rock hit the bird, instantly killing it. She was grateful it didn't suffer.

Alora collected any sticks she could find, which wasn't many. She rubbed them together for what felt like hours, trying to get a flame to appear. She almost considered eating the bird raw. Thankfully, she could shake that thought as smoke started to rise. Alora silently cheered and flames started to appear.

Alora put a few more sticks into the fire, and created a makeshift grill. She set the bird on it after picking off the feathers and gutting it. While the bird cooked, Alora started to gather twigs and branches. She took long vines and leaves from the trees to use as support. Alora started to construct a makeshift bucket.

Once she finished making her bucket she made her way to the boat. She knew this was going to take her hours. Alora sighed as she started scooping water out of the boat. The leaves barely kept water from leaking through the sticks. She did this for about an hour before remembering her dear friend roasting on an open flame.

Alora was staring out into the ocean as she ate her lunch. She thought about Jace and Jasper, wondering if they went looking for her. Did they even notice? She wouldn't be surprised if they haven't. Her mind quickly shifted to Captain Hadeon. Who was he? Why did he spare her? And why did he suddenly act differently when she said her name?

Alora felt alone. She didn't mind it, she preferred it that way. But she wished she belonged somewhere. She wanted a home. And a boat was not one. She had to find whatever Captain Hadeon was talking about. Alora finished eating and went back to scooping water out of the boat.

Alora finally finished getting rid of most of the water. She took shells and leaves, shoving them into the hole in the boat. She used the guts of the bird as a glue, since the heat made it disgustingly gooey. She pushed the boat back into the ocean and set sail for Addersmell, hoping she was going the right direction.

~

The sun was setting and all Alora could think about was something to drink. She was praying Addersmell would have her favorite beer, Honey Ale. As soon as she got to the village she would use what was left of her coins to buy new clothes and beer. Then she would search for- well whatever she was supposed to look for.

As she rowed she finally spotted roofs off in the distance. Her arms were tired and jelly-like, but she tried her hardest to row faster. The closer she got to the island, the more relieved she felt. A smile spread across her face as she finally could see Addersmell.

The town was loud. Children ran through the streets chasing each other. Dogs followed behind them, looking just as happy. It was full of lights like she imagined. Alora spotted a few clothing stores as she approached the docks. She wasted no time jumping off the boat and running towards the people. For the first time she felt excited. She felt at peace being where she always wanted to be- on land.

Alora looked like a lost- but happy- child as she aimlessly walked through the streets. There were so many street markets full of local foods and items. The town smelled like meat and sweet rolls. She wasted no time looking at everything and making her way to a clothing store.

She entered a small shop called Noble Nyx and looked around. It was kind of dark, only dim lights hanging from the ceiling. Alora thought maybe it was closed, but as she turned around a voice called out.

"Hello? I can help you." A girl around Aloras age came out from a back room. She had beautiful black hair with braids throughout and dark eyes that would make even night fear her. Her dress was black and blue with dragons on the sleeves. Alora could not take her eyes off the details of the dress. The  sapphires lining the seams with emerald vines running through them. Alora wanted it, but knew she couldn't get it no matter how much money she had.

"Hellooo?" The girl waved her hand. "Sorry, your dress just... I love it." "Thank you, i worked hard." The girl smiled and walked around the counter. "I'm Phailin Nyx. I'm the owner and i make custom clothes for people." She reached her hand out and Alora hesitantly took it. "I'm Alora. I'm just looking for something simple. New shirt, pants, and maybe a cloak." Phailin briefly paused, then nodded and motioned for Alora to follow her.

Phailin took Alora into a giant basement full of clothing options. Aloras mouth was slightly ajar as she took in all the beautifully detailed clothes in front of her. She wanted to touch them all but she resisted. She never got to choose her own clothes. "I can tailor anything to fit you or to be a different style. For instance if you like the pattern on this dress but don't want to wear one, i will happily alter it into a shirt or whatever you desire."

Aloras face contorted to confusion. "That seems like a waste of fabric, and all the time you put into the dress." Phailin laughed as she said "everything i make is one of a kind. I never repeat patterns. So i will alter things to people's desires." Alora just 'hmmd' and kept looking.

Her eyes landed on a red shirt with criss-crossed patterns all over it. It looked like mermaid scales as it shined in the light. The shirt was a soft velvet fabric and Alora couldn't stop feeling it. The belt was silver and sat comfortably on the waist area. "i want this one." "It's one hundred coin." "Good enough for me." Alora continued to look for pants and a cloak.

Alora found some black leather pants and a hooded black cloak to go with her new shirt. Phailin let her change in the shop and took Alora's ruined clothes. "so?" Alora did a little turn in front of Phailin. "beautiful. You look like a true pirate captain." Alora smiled as she paid for her clothes. "if you ever need anything else, you know where to find me." "Thank you Phailin. I'll be sure to return one day."

As alora walked towards the door and began to open it, she turned to Phailin. "you wouldn't happen to know of any places with honey ale would you?" "There's a pub up the hill. But just so you know, the boys there don't like women crossing into their territory." "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Alora thanked Phailin again and left.

Alora began to walk up the hill. She looked around at all the houses. Almost everyone had their lights on, probably eating dinner. The streets were silent now as night had fallen. Alora was now just outside the bar. She checked her knives before walking in. Her boots hit the stairs and she entered the bar. Immediately it did not go in her favor.