Pirates of the Salty Bay

Gladesdale

It was early in the spring when I met Drake Thomas, it all started like any other day, running errands and doing chores, as well as helping mum and Ginny with the tavern. My father died two years ago, he was shot by a mob of drunken sailors. Ginny lived with us while her family was at sea. One day, her family got lost at sea, and now she stays with us at the tavern. I had taken quite a liking to Ginny, but, I was always to busy with my work at the tavern to pay much attention to her, other than in short spurts.

This is how that blasted day started, with Drake.

Ten years ago

"Fletcher, lad, can you please get your mother from the tavern?" Asked Captain Parker, an old sailor who escorted merchant ships when he sailed

"Yes sir, I will go and fetch her."

"Thank you Fletcher, boy."

I ran inside to find my mother, and finally I found her in the back room of the tavern.

"Mother, Captain Parker needs you outside'." I told my mother, who was putting mugs she had just washed into the cabinet with Ginny

"Thank you Fletcher."

My mother never spoke very much after father died.

I started putting away the mugs with Ginny after mother had left. Ginny looked over ate me and smiled. I smiled to myself, and picked up a rag. I waited until she was no longer looking, and tossed it into her head.

"Fletcher!" She yelled laughing

"Yes?" I asked mockingly, smiling back at her

She threw the rag back at me, laughing, her long brown hair shivering like waves on the ocean. We got back to work, putting away the mugs, Ginny flashing me those, entrancing chocolate brown eyes.

Mother came back in shortly. She sent me to go buy another bag of tea. Tea was in higher demand these days, as pirates were not taking it as much. Tea was stolen a lot around here, and so people did not buy it, as to not increase the price. She handed me a handful of thirteen coins of varying metals and sizes. I would study coins whenever I got the chance, and so I knew that these coins were shillings and pennies. There were seven dull gray shillings and six bronze pennies.

I walked out the door of our tavern, into the dirty streets of Gladesdale. There were taverns, merchants and houses out on our side of town. There was not much action out here, people for the most part avoided the docks.

I was headed for the market place in the center of what was know as "Lower Gladesdale"

The streets were mostly cobblestones, with some large patches of dirt. There were people walking, horses with carts in the street and people shouting over prices at merchants. I ignored them all and walked on past, towards the market place. I arrived at the edge of the giant red and white striped tent, protecting the vendor from the twin suns burning on the edge of the sky.

I watched people display goods, amulets, weapons, armor, jewels, everything imaginable you could find here. I walked down the middle of the smooth stone slab that the tent sat on. It was said that the slab was carved by giants when this place was made. For the longest time, the tent has always been here, shielding the merchant and shopper alike, from the suns.

I found the tea vendor, and requested a bag of tea.

"Su'e thin', le' me go fetch tha' for ya." He said, in a strange accent

Some of the merchants had strange accents, and some of them spoke strange languages. I could hear a conversation going on in the vendors next to me.

"Jajak gorre, intea trror aitt deltta borri varre trror micaett. Saelgo dett vilegeri!"

"Indgean!"

I did not know the language, but I could tell that they were arguing over something.

I handed the man the coins, took the bag of tea and started back home, the large bag over my shoulder. I made it home without anyone stopping me, to ask why I was out, or to try and buy the tea from me.

The tavern was not very busy for the rest of the evening, and so there was not much to do. Ginny and I spent our time studying various languages, mainly Academia and Draconic. We studied Draconic, for no reason other than no one else knew it. Ginny was nearly fluent in three languages, Common, Dwarven and Academia.

Dwarves did not exist any more, neither did elves, but some of the dragonborns did. They lived in the lava plains of Tennetar. When the sun went down, Ginny and I went upstairs to bed. Ginny went to her room and I went to mine.

I was sleeping when I was woken to the sound of tapping on my door.

"Fletcher?" I heard a small voice whisper.

"Yeah?" I respond

The door opens and a large shadow stands in my doorway. The shape shifts to the right and the door closes. I can't see because there is now light. I know that it is Ginny, but I do not know why she would be in here at this hour.

I feel her sit down on the edge of my bed. I sit up and we sit in silence for a few seconds.

"What are we doing here?" Ginny asks.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what are we doing in this tavern, your mother, not making much money and there being so much we could do outside of this city."

"Do you mean to say that we should run away and try to find money outside of the city, adventuring and trading things?" I ask her

"Well, no, I mean why do we stay here when we could just find a way to make money somewhere else? There are many different ways to make money outside the city." she said, moving towards me and talking quieter, fearing of listening ears, "I met someone you might like."

"Who is he?"

"A pirate, his name is Drake."

That split second felt like hours long, what should I say? For a second, I thought I could see the glisten of her eyes in the darkness.