One With the Waves

Framed

-Brae-

"Captain!" Cobra, my first mate, shouted from the deck.

I adjusted my hat, growling as I stomped out onto the dark wooden deck of the Sea Maiden, "What?" A wave hit the side of the boat, sending salty spray up into the air.

Cobra had dark skin and dark eyes, her hair long and tied behind her head. It was bad practice to keep a woman on board, but I didn't care. Cobra had brought me through too many sticky situations for me to cast her out.

"We are nearing Anieris," she informed me. She was standing near the wheel, steering the ship towards the large, mountainous country named Anieris. There was white cloth wrapped around her torso, her deep red jacket draped over her shoulders and black trousers concealing the lower part of her body. A revolver was stationed at her right, a rapier at her left.

"Good," I grinned, "Take us around that bend. We don't want to be discovered."

"Yes, Captain!" Cobra responded.

It wasn't long before we had laid anchor just outside of the harbor, obscured by large rocks. I smiled faintly in satisfaction, looking out over the churning waters to the shoreline.

"You're in charge, Cobra," I said to her as I and two other men lowered a small rowboat into the water. I climbed down a rope ladder thrown over the railing of the ship and into the boat, motioning for my men to follow. Cobra nodded to me, and soon we were on our way towards Anieris.

"Aren't you supposed to meet with Lord Erobis?" Orion, one of the men, asked.

I nodded, "Erobis will be supplying us with two crates of gunpowder."

"I thought Erobis was the king's friend?" Nico, another of my men, observed.

Well, that was true. And it was also true that pirates weren't welcome on the main land, but Erobis had been supplying us with items like that for months now. "It'll be fine," I reassured him. It wasn't much longer until we reached land. Pulling the row boat onto the shore, we left it to hike towards the city.

Anieris was a large country with big, beautiful cities glimmering with wealth. Rumor was that the king was a creepy old man who insisted on declaring war on just about every country around, creating messes and attempting to expand his empire. His son, Prince Langley, actually had a decent head on his shoulders, and had diffused the most recent war - the one with a country called Everel - by agreeing to marry the only daughter of the foreign king. While Langley didn't much like pirates either, things would be much better for everyone once he took the throne, including my crew and me.

Lord Erobis's mansion stood at the top of a hill, just outside of the city. As we approached, I could pick out the tall gates, large towers, and imposing spires. Orion and Nico followed closely behind, their hands on their weapons.

"Look alive, boys," I commanded them, "Erobis may be helping us, but he is neither our friend nor our ally."

"Yes, sir!" They both replied.

Guards patrolled the grounds, and a servant guided us into Erobis's receiving room. His mansion was pretty nice. Gold and red made up the main designs, each carefully-placed decoration just screaming wealth. There were tables and chairs scattered tastefully throughout the room and a rug in front of the blazing fire. I made myself comfortable in one of the chairs, not even concerned about whether or not it was rude to make myself at home in another man's house.

"Captain Firebrand," Erobis greeted as he entered the room. Two servants trailed behind him, each carrying a large crate.

Erobis was a tall, white-haired man with a pale smile and dead gray eyes. His eyes passed between my dirty boots - which were propped on the coffee table in front of me - and my face. I couldn't help but find satisfaction in the disgusted look on his wrinkled face.