The Tales of Ash Black: Princess of Pirates

Adopted by Pirates

"well, mates! We seem to have bagged ourselves a princess" the pirate in the center shouted, eyes twinkling in victory.

Snow, with a sudden flash of violence snagged a knife from the belt of the nearest pirate and slashed him across the face. She kicked him in the knees and forced him to roll away from her. She held the knife in front of her, the blade shivering slightly with her unsteady hand. Her face screwed up with determination, angelic features etched with despair and fury.

"I'm no princess, not anymore" She growled in a low voice, jumping when the pirate who spoke moved towards her. With a start she saw sharp and delicate, almost elfin features underneath the broad brimmed hat atop the pirate's rusty red hair. This was either the most gentle faced man she has ever seen, or a woman.

The dainty pirate captain flashed Snow a roguish grin. "Now" she drawled "there's a reward out for a little lost princess named Snow" her bright eyes bored into the little girl in front of her, her features thrown in and out of shadow with the lamp hanging over their head swayed with the motion of the ship.

"That wouldn't be you would it?" she asked, almost mockingly. Snow refused to answer but instead crouched further into her best approximation of a fighting stance, ready to go down swinging if need be. The pirate Captain continued to stare at her with a calculating look.

" No, you don't look much like a snow, frankly you look more like an Ash" She turned to the pirate on her left. "What do you think Sandrat? Doesn't she look like her name is Ash?" The pirate, evidently named sandrat gulped under her intense gaze and growled "Wahtever you say captain, but is you sure she aint named Snow? Cause theres an awful lot of gold we can get for her if it is"

The Captain returned her eyes to the young princess and asked " Yes, but the knaves offering that reward seems to me are the worst cutthroats to grace the nine seas. And I cant have a knife in my back just so they can claim they've killed the whole royal family" She continued to size snow up "You don't look too strong little Ash, can you mend a sail, swab a deck, and gut a fish?" She quirked her eyebrows up with the challenge

Snow swallowed and licked her cold lips. She returned the pirate's gaze and stated as steadily as possible "Cant say I ever have, but I'm a quick study at just about everything, what's more I recently have gained a great deal of free time and have frankly no idea what to do with it"

The Pirate Captain crowed a laugh "Well, Little Ash Black I've been needing a cabin boy, but ill take a cabin girl in a pinch." She turned back to the pirates who had invaded the hold " Whataya say mates? Three ayes for Ash Black!" The brigands responded with a rousing cheer, mostly. A few eyed snow with greedy looks and their captain with distrustful ones. Snow realized that directly on the heels of losing her family and kingdom, she may have just been adopted by a band of bloodthirsty pirates. What could go wrong?

Snow, or Ash Black as she had been known for several years now, leaned back in her chair and eyed the wretched soul in front of her. While the fairies had gifted her with the usual beauty and gracefulness that got gifted to princesses, she found her most useful traits were ones she had learned over the years. Like having a stone-cold manner during interrogation.  She had learned the posture from her mentor and captain, Renault the pirate queen and scourge of the nine seas. Together, they had driven most of their competition into the briny depths, or generously allowed the ships and crews of every pirate galley to sail under the red and black banner of The Pirate Queen. Once she had fully come into her own and learned all there was to know from her captain and friend, Ash Black had decided to run the land smuggling operations that were so vital to the Queen's shipping empire. Previously, they had had to rely on small bands of smugglers and knaves to get the contraband goods for them to ship across the ocean. Now, Ash was slowly taking territory and building a land based smuggling empire to rival the Pirate Queen's own.

Now, she stared at the trembling thief crouched before her desk. Her enormous sky blue eyes and raven wing eyebrows making her haughty look into a thing of awe and terror. She tapped her nails (which never seemed to chip or get dirty) on the scarred surface of the desk and flicked her silky black hair (which remained perfectly curled and soft no matter how many times she was dunked in ocean water) over her shoulder.

"Ive heard that you've been dipping into your profits Sigmund" She cooed nonchalantly. The scrawny outlaw jerked his gaze to hers and blurted " you don't know it was me! You cant prove nuthin!"

"Don't insult me maggot" She stated, her silky voice shifting into a growl "I know that you've been taking coins, jewels, whatever's small whenever you're sent on a run. You've been carrying away my profits in those disgusting pockets of yours" Her face shifted into an angelic and empty smile.

"How did you find out!" He gasped

Her smile widened. She held out her delicate hand and a small sparrow perched on one of her fingers. It twittered into her ear when she held it close and then flew away.

"A little birdie told me" She said, her voice shifting back into its usual light and velvety tone.