The Executioner

Introduction

A/N: Hey everyone! I haven't written anything on Wattpad in the longest time (I haven't really written anything for a while, tbh) and I wanted to get back into it! This is a story idea that I really like, and I have a much better idea of the plot than I did for Nebulae. It's set in a sort of alternate universe? I guess? I don't know how to explain it, but it's not historical fiction or anything. Hopefully you like it!

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Everyone has heard of the Executioner. Has heard of how it slices through the ocean silently at night, how the crew pillages innocent ships from the Royal Navy, killing everyone in their path without mercy. The few survivors plucked from the wreckages say that the captain herself is a ghost. No one's ever gotten close enough or paid enough attention to see her face.

They say she descends from the sails of the ship. They say she stole a cutlass from a sailor, that the sword on her belt carries the royal insignia, but that she never uses it. Instead, she steps around the frantic slices with the grace of the seaweed that dances in the current.

They say after everyone else is bleeding into the water, the crew of the Executioner loads cargo onto their ship. They say once the cargo's been stripped, the captain climbs the mast, along with a few members of her crew. They each jump in unison, dragging their blades through the canvas of the sails, shredding them as the others whoop. After that, they run away, the ship cutting through the water smoother than a knife.

Everyone in the Royal Navy knows the stories. Each captain shudders to think of what would happen should they be attacked by the Executioner or her crew. Every rumor spreads fast and wide, and anyone with half a brain knows to fear the ship with the blood-red sails.

Quint isn't stupid. He knows the crew is dangerous. But the way some people talk, it's like they think the captain is some sort of ... spirit. He knows better. She's just human. And he will take her down.

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Everyone has heard of the Goodwill. Has heard how it's captained by one of the best captains in the whole Royal Navy. How the crew is noble and pure of heart. How the captain's greatest ambition is to destroy the Executioner and everyone aboard it.

The stories say the captain scours the seas looking for the ship. They say that he refuses to rest until he does. The stories treat this captain as someone on par with the queen and her daughters.

The stories say the Goodwill has never been on a raid. They say that it's never docked on an island, capturing all those who are able to work, and bringing them to the mainland. Perhaps the only ship in the Royal Navy that can claim that. A miserable bar to set, but one that the Goodwill has cleared. At least, according to the rumors.

Everyone on the Executioner knows the stories. They know the Goodwill couldn't catch up to them, not with their captain. They smirk to think of it. Though their captain wouldn't dirty her hands with the blood of sailors, they know she wouldn't hesitate to destroy the captain who's been hunting her for so long.

Livan isn't stupid. She knows the Goodwill has anything but its namesake towards her. But the way everyone talks to her about it, anxiously, it's almost like they think she couldn't take this ship, after the dozens she and her crew have under their belts. This captain is no different from the others. And she will take him down.