Savage Melodies

Chapter One: Visions of the Sea

Nerissa gratefully wrapped the coat around herself. Now she was unsure of the pirate's motives; he seemed to be helping her, but she was not naturally trusting. Nevertheless, she decided that he was not trying to harm her. At the moment.

Once she was covered, he turned back to her and said, "Now how in the hell did you get out here? We're in the middle of the bloody sea." She wasn't sure how to respond. He didn't seem to be looking for an answer anyways. Instead, he hooked his feet in the ropes and held out his hands to her. She hesitated, staring at them as if his touch alone was toxic. "Come on, then," he urged her. Finally, she reached forth and grasped his hands. They were warm, calloused, and careful. He transferred her hands to the rough rope of the ladder and asked, "Can you climb, girl?"

Nerissa felt her face flush. She couldn't have been much younger than him. She nodded; she was strong, that was certain, but she'd never climbed a rope before. She hesitated, glancing down one final time at the sea. She couldn't just dive back down, however much she wanted to. She would have to face her fate.

She swung herself onto the rope from the net, shaky and dependent on the pirate catching her. He laughed when the ladder swayed from the impact of her leap, but it was only making her stomach turn.

"I'll go up first," the pirate explained. "Be careful following after." He began climbing, agile as an ape but still shaking the rope. Still, since it was a ladder, Nerissa hardly had any trouble heaving herself up after him. Her hands were scorched by the time they reached the deck of the ship, but she had made it to the top. The pirate jumped aboard, then reached down and yanked Nerissa up.

The ship was fine, sturdy, and large. She saw no signs of a jolly roger, but all suspicions were certainly not erased. Crewmen bustled about, not noticing her quite yet, but a new pirate with calculating grey eyes had been glowering at the raven pirate. Once he spotted Nerissa, he reeled with shock.

The raven pirate scratched his head sheepishly. "So it seems we caught a girl."

The new man crossed his arms. His bright red hair was tied back in a tail, and his expression had turned decidedly grumpy. "You let the fish go, did you?"

"I didn't have much of a choice."

The red pirate groaned and tugged another of the crew aside. "You. Fetch the captain. We have a real headache on our hands." He didn't seem to mind that Nerissa, the headache in question, was right before him, and turned to her, unperturbed. "So what happened, eh? You got lost out here, miss?" His voice was full of doubt, but she saw in his eyes that he was truly astonished by her. How, if not for getting lost, had she managed to end up in the middle of the ocean? How, if she got lost, did she manage to get out there in the first place?

Nerissa couldn't find her voice. This man was so sharp and callous. She could only imagine what the captain would be like. The words on her tongue dried up like salt water in the searing sun. She had no time to speak them before they were gone. The wooden ground swayed, unsteady beneath her.

The red pirate sighed in exasperation when the silence stretched out too long. "I have absolutely no doubts that this will only continue to get stranger."

A door opened, and a very tall man stepped onto the deck. Nerissa felt herself shrink back. This was undoubtedly the captain. He was unusually young, with spiking black hair untamed even by his hat, and his eyes were blazing. He was striking, yet dangerous. Though she spotted quite a few mates older than him on the ship, he clearly held the highest authority and great respect.

He walked over, his strides wide, and blinked at the raven pirate. "Well. Made a new friend, have we?"

"Captain." The raven pirate gulped. "We caught this girl in the fishing net. I brought her up, but I had to let the fish go."
The captain nodded. "Better that than the other way around. Lucky thing we found her, or she'd really be sleeping with the fishes." He chuckled at his own joke. The red pirate rolled his eyes, as if this happened all too often. He offered Nerissa a smile. She stared back, appalled at how good-natured he was. "So, what's your story, lass?" he asked inevitably. "How'd you get all the way out here?"