Pink Skies
Chapter 2: Adjusting the Sails
Kya took in the sea breeze, letting her hair flow past her. Her coat ruffled in the wind, and the large black sails cast a shadow of protection from the harsh sun.
"At somepoint," a voice said, "you're going to have start helping them. You're not here to fool around." Kya opened her eyes, turning to find Izumi standing behind her. The Princess looked different out of her quarters. It was like Davy Jones himself had placed her on this ship. She was so natural, the Pirate life really did suit her. Kya was jealous of her boots, they added about three inches to her height. Without them, Kya was certain she would be taller. Her coat was similar to Kya's, except it was less of a uniform, and more of a creative decision. A black chest piece adored with a gold collar. Her forearms were barren while her shoulders were protected from a looser white fabric. Her hair was tied back with a bandana, and the golden crown was no where to be seen.
Izumi put on her hat with a dip of her head, moving to stand beside Kya.
"Your friend isn't much of a talker," she noted.
"Lin is great, she's... reserved, but I think she's just embarrassed is all. She'll come around. Until then, she'll work harder than anyone here." Kya looked at the lower deck, Lin was pulling on a rope, helping to angle the sails.
"Mmmm. And what about you?" Izumi asked, "are you just as embarrassed as she is?"
"Why would I be embarrassed?" Kya asked. Izumi smiled, turning her back to the sea and relaxing on the railing.
"I don't know, just making small tall I guess."
"Small talk?" Kya laughed, "why don't you start with telling me how the princess of the fire nation ends up as the oceans most powerful pirate?"
Izumi tipped her hat, straightening herself.
"Thats a story for another time, when there's a lot more rum." Izumi sighed, facing Kya. "You didn't tell me she was Beifong." She said.
"Is that a problem?" Kya asked.
"Potentially. There's people looking for her." Kya narrowed her eyes, leaning in to the other girl.
"What are you talking about?" Kya asked.
"Her sister. Suyin Beifong." Kya was taken aback. She suspected Lin had family, but to hear a name... it was odd.
"Is she like... going to come after us?"
"Not likely. There's no way for her to know she's here."
"Oh." Izumi pushed herself off the railing, her boots clapping the ship's floorboards. Kya watched her take the wheel, like it was the most normal thing in the world. She spun it with one hand, issuing out an order to the crew below.
Kya took this as her opportunity to help out. She made her way to the deck, ignoring the water spraying on her face.
"What can I do?" She asked, yelling.
"Get out of the way!" Someone replied with a sneer. She searched for who it was, but was pulled aside.
"Go pull on the second sail rope," Lin directed, "make sure to double knot it." Kya nodded, racing to the edge. She wrapped the rope around her head, glancing to Lin for approval. Lin was busy on the capstan, so Kya went for it. She pulled as hard as she could, grunting with effort. She tried not to holler out in fear of embarrassing herself. Suddenly the sail wasn't so heavy, she looked across the boat, another sailor had start pulling the same one. She laughed, matching his pace.
So this is what it felt like to be a part of the crew.
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Lin collapsed in her cot. Her stomach growled, begging her for food. But she wouldn't, not unless Kya was full. Kya came down the stairs, looking around before crawling into Lin's got with her.
"You should eat." Lin said.
"Me? Lin you look like a walking skeleton."
"I'm fine," Lin insisted.
"I will shove this lemon down your throat if you don't eat." Kya threatened.
"A lemon? By Ozai you might as well stick a torch down my throat." Kya laughed, her breath quickly fading. She stared into Lin's eyes, gently kissing her on the forehead.
"This isn't so bad, is it?" Kya asked. "I mean, we do work, we get to travel. Captain Izumi is oddly nice." Lin snorted, moving her head to face away.
"What?" Kya question, propping herself up on one elbow. The cot was small, and terribly uncomfortable, especially with two people. They had tried pushing theirs together, but they were nailed to floor so they wouldn't shift in storms.
"Shes nice because she likes you." Lin said. "You didn't meet her drunk with a drawn sword."
"It was a misunderstanding," Kya pointed out.
"You don't get it, Kya. Out here... misunderstandings can mean death. She should've killed me, then and there. She had every reason to. It doesn't make sense."
"Lin, stop. Stop with the theories, this is us working for her. She isn't in it for anything else."
"I'm such an idiot," Lin growled, "I never should have used that name. Why didn't I say Lee? There's so many Lee's she wouldn't have thought twice about it!"
"What name? Beifong?" Lin nodded. Kya sighed, positioning herself on her back.
"Lin, Izumi... she knows your sister." Lin stiffened but she didn't reply.
"She said she's looking for you." Lin took a deep inhale before she spoke.
"Let her come. It's about time I settled our debt." Kya looked at her.
"What debt?" She asked. Lin smirked, rolling her head, pointing to the gashes on her face.
"She gave me these, Kya. I wasn't strong enough then to return the favor, but I am now."
Kya gulped. She had never seen Lin like this. So reserved, yet vulnerable. She could feel years of Lin's pent of rage, it was on the verge of spilling everywhere, destroying everything. Rage was a hard path to follow, Kya knew that. She had seen the kind of destruction it caused.
Kya just hoped she had enough in her pull Lin off it
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10 Years Ago
"You won't take this from me, Lin" Su warned.
"I'm not taking anything from you. You stole this ship, Su. It belongs to the earth kingdom! They won't take you back if you choose this."
"I don't need their approval. Just like I don't need yours, and I don't need mom's."
"Su, be reasonable about this-"
"I am, Lin! You know just as much as I do that that woman is not our Queen! She's an imposter, a disgrace to the Earth Kingdom throne. She couldn't rule a city of haggards given the chance."
"There are other ways to escape this." Lin pleaded.
"I don't want to escape it, Lin. I want to fight it."
"It's not your war!" Lin yelled.
"Then whose? Tell me! No one else is doing anything, they need help. I can guide them, I can show them what it means to really be free."
"You won't be free. You won't be allowed on Earth Kingdom soil. You'll be an outlaw, a criminal, a pirate." Su scoffed, pacing. Lin was well aware of the ship,'s crew gathered around them. They were a scrangly bunch, dressed in the bare minimum. They had set their Earth kingdom attire on fire and thrown it over board.
"I won't let you take this ship," Lin said. "I won't have my only sister an outcast." Su looked down, she was silent, serious until a wicked smile stretched across her face.
"Well, it's a good thing we're only half sister's then. Tell you what," Su said, "I will duel you. One on one, if you win, take the ship. If I win, you have to leave me alone."
"Su, I'm not going to fight you." Suyin drew her blade, pressing it to Lin's throat.
"Then I'll kill you now and take it." Lin searched her eyes, every part of her sister's expression that might tell her she was lying. That could convince Lin to stand her ground, even with a blade to her throat.
But it wasn't there.
"Fine. A duel." She agreed. Su pulled her plade away, sticking her hair back.
"Give her a sword." Su said. When nine were tossed over she repeated it, shouting.
"I said throw her a sword!" The crew offered up cutlass', knives, even a flintlock. Lin picked up a cutlass, long and narrow. It felt awful in her hand. She had never used a sword before, not really. Outside of casual sparring, in which her sister had always triumphed. She hoped to Davy Jones that she could pull this off.
But then again, Davy Jones had never been that forgiving.
It didn't take long for Su to best her. Withing minutes Lin was back on the ground, only this time her hands were bleeding. Su held the cutlass to her neck, but Lin couldn't recognize her sister anymore. This wasn't the same girl who had held Lin's hand during storms, or wandered into strangers homes because they had nice rocks in the window.
No, this was a hardened woman, who had seen so much at only the age of 16. Lin was being bested by someone four years her junior. It was humiliating.
"If you're going to kill me," Lin said, "at least give mom my regards." Su didn't say anything, she just stated at Lin.
"I don't know what I did wrong, Su. I'm sorry. I wish we could start over but I... I can't get on board with this." Su pushed the blade deeper, Lin had to hold her breath to make sure her windpipe wasn't punctured.
"Kill her!" Someone chanted. Su stiffened, her eyes darkening. The rest of the crew joined in, celebrating Lin's demise right in front of her. Suyin raised her sword, Lin closed her eyes. She felt a Slash on her cheek, certain her head would roll off at any minute. The pain was unbearable she wanted to cry. But she wouldn't let herself. She didn't want Su to he haunted by her tears the rest of her life.
The second Slash came a moment later, and this time Lin did wail. She held her hands to her face, feeling her cheek sticky with blood. Her mouth had begun to fill with the liquid, so she spat it out into the floor.
"I will spare you this time, Lin, for the sake of our mother, but do not think for one second, should you come across my path again, that I will hesitate to kill you."
Lin wanted to be mad, she wanted to scream. She hated her sister hated her? After everything they'd been through how could Suyin do this?
"I will be ready," Lin choked, "the next time we meet, I won't be so easy to beat." Su scoffed, sheathing her sword.
"We'll see. Throw her over." Lin's eyes widened, she tried to fight her way out, but it was no use. Soaked in blood and tired from fighting, she was thrown to the sharks.
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Kya finished the last of her rations, sucking all the juice from the lemon. She had seen the effects of scurvy, and had no intention on becoming one of its victims. She even chewed on the peel, until it became too intolerable she had to throw it overboard. The sails were with the wind, and the heading was clear. It was a quite night, the sea was calm and the sailors tired. She could hear the low hum of the odd man who took to a shanty. She always waited too long to join in, they were finished before she could start the words.
Lin had spent the day teaching her the basics. Starting with the sails, then the capstan. Even the cannons after Kya begged to be shown. The Captain had even let them fire one free ball. She heard the class of swords, and glanced over to the front of the boat. A couple of crew members were sparring. She smiled, walking over to get a better a view.
"I'll gut ya like the face stealer!" One of them warned.
"You wish, I'll have you on the floor before you can say Wong Shi Tong." The other laughed. She wasn't concerned, they didn't seem to be malicious. When one got his sword to the others chest, they stopped, heaving.
"You want to give it a go?" The one on the right asked.
"Me? I've never used a sword before.." Kya said.
"Well, you are a pirate now," he said, passing it to her.
She took the sword warily, feeling out the hilt with her hands. It was warm, a little sweat-worn, but it felt good weight wise.
"There's three basic positions," the other man said, "the first is like this." He held his sword out with one hand, parting his feet as though he was preparing to he pushed by a wave. Kya mimicked him, planting her feet sturdily into the floor.
"Close, but despite what you might think, this isn't a bracing position. It's designed to attack, so you want to stay light on your feet." Kya nodded, lifting her heels. He began to shuffle, and Kya followed suit.
"Good job," the one without the cutlass said. "Kaya, right?"
"Close, Kya." She hadn't realized she never properly introduced herself.
"Shin, this is Two Toed Ping." She glanced over at Two Toes Ping, sword still in his hand.
"Ping is fine," he said.
"You only have two toes?"
"Lost three to fish, the others... well, I'm not entirely sure." Kya smiled, handing the cutlass back to Shin.
"Thanks, I'll practice. Maybe we can go over the other forms tomorrow?" They guys nodded.
"Get some rest, we're due for action in the morn." Shin said, looking at the sky.
"Why do you say that?"
"A Pirates life never goes long with some."
"Right, I'll see you guys." She made her way to the back of the ship, using the stairs underneath the ledge to get to the second floor. Lin was over by her cot, doing sit ups.
"Hey," Kya said, sitting on the bed next to her.
"Hey." Lin replied. Her face was red and sweaty from the workout, Kya placed a hand to her shoulder and Lin stopped.
"You should eat." Kya suggested.
"I did, had some bread, and a grapefruit."
"Any witnesses?" Kya asked jokingly.
"Skoochy." Kya pretended to know who that was as she helped Lin off the floor.
"I didn't mean to scare you earlier." Lin said.
"The stuff about your sister, and your scars?"
"Yeah. It's not as bad as I make it out to be. I just... I'm mad at her, you know?" Kya nodded.
"Lin... what- what would do, if you saw her again?" Lin sighed, sitting next to Kya on the cot.
"I don't know. I told her I would be ready, that I would challenge her again. But it won't do anything. She's been out here for too long, she's too much like them."
"Like who?"
"Pirates."
"Lin, that's kind of hypocritical of you, isn't it?"
"Yes, and no. Su is a whole different breed of Pirate, Kya. This ship is... civilized. I've never experienced anything like it. My sister... well she did this to me, then immediately threw me to the sharks. I won't fight her, not if she doesn't fight me."
"And if she does fight you?" Lin sighed, laying on her back.
"Then I win." Kya frowned. Certainly Lin wouldn't kill her sister, right?
"Lin, have you ever killed anyone?" Lin raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"I'm curious." Lin took a moment to reply.
"Yes, only three."
"Why?"
"They were trying to kill me. I didn't have a choice. I figured a blade to the heart was more merciful than drowning or being devoured by sharks."
"But you didn't want to kill them, did you?"
"No." Kya released a breath of relief. Until today she hadn't even considered that Lin might have a body count, other than her.
"Do you... do you think I'm going to have to kill someone?" Kya asked. Lin sat up, taking Kya by the cheek.
"Yes," she said. Kya was taken aback by it. Lin wasn't usually this brutally honest. She liked to sugar coat things. Kya could usually see past it, but hearing Lin say it made it all more real.
"But I'm going to delay that day for as long as I can." Lin promised. Lin kissed her cheek, Kya smiled, but she was uneasy.
Maybe she hadn't thought this entire thing through.
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Dawn broke, and Lin could feel the pink sky before she saw it. A wave of uneasiness settled among the crew, and she couldn't help but feel like things were about to go downhill.
She had no idea where they were sailing, their heading had been a secret between the Captain and the first mate.
First mate... why couldn't Lin remember who the first mate was? She sat up in her cot, noticing a few of the guys eating at the table.
"Hey!" She called, and they looked at her.
"Whos the first mate?" They were silent for a moment before Shin stood up.
"Dont have one. Right before docking at Ember we had a shootout with Water Tribe vessel, Tokuga didn't make it. Lost a few others too, hence your recruitment." Lin was surprised. Usually Captains wasted no time in appointing another first mate. They had left Ember days ago, and she guessed they were without one about two days before making port. Captain Izumi must be really indecisive.
"Oh, is she going to appoint someone soon?" The guys shrugged.
"She barely comes out of her cabin, only to direct us or to talk to your girlfriend. Ask Kya, she'd have better luck getting through to her." Lin frowned. She didn't like that the crew knew about her and Kya. But she didn't have anyone to blame but herself, they hadn't exactly been careful. More than that, they seemed to be implying Kya and Izumi were close, but they had only known each other a week. Certainly they weren't better associates than Izumi's crew of years.
Lin was pulled from her thoughts at the sound of a splash. Her eyes widened, and she, along the others raced to the deck.
"What's going on?" She asked, looking around for Kya.
"We're under attack!"