Her Beginning

[Crestshot]

Ok mates, it's been 6 days. I think that's enough time to torture you. My epiphany (thankfully) has lasted quite a while, and it's still going, though not as strong as it had been. However, I do have another chapter lined up after this one. I'm just not releasing it immediately. See how I did that? I'm purposely being mean. However, I think a few of you will like a certain something here...or at least one of you will.

And with that little cliffhanger, we'll continue. So, I present to you...

Her Wandering



“Throw her into the brig!”
“No, no don’t! Gregory, I didn’t do it!”
“You expect me to believe you? You’re even stupider than I thought! Take her!”
“No, it wasn’t me! Please, I tell the truth!”

Katherine broke free from her captors and chased after her husband. The men that had restrained her followed, and suddenly her cutlass was at her side. She unsheathed it and swung the blade as she turned around. One of the men fell to her sword. Kat looked at him and saw the Cadet from Port Royal, eyes blank and staring up at her while blood pooled around him...

Kat woke in a cold sweat. She breathed in deeply, noting her cabin as she slowly regained consciousness. Her pot was still there, as well as the remnants of her crab from the night before. Kat rubbed her eyes warily, shaking the dream off. She couldn’t afford to have it looming over her today. There was work to be done.

Kat made herself get out of bed and dressed quickly and quietly. Her cutlass was strapped around her waist and her pistol went back into her boot until she could find something better for it. She eyed her moneybag. Certainly she wouldn’t need all of the gold, so she took about twenty pieces out of the bag and placed the rest of it in the cabinet underneath her bed.

Kat made her way off her boat, making sure her cabin was locked up before she left. She decided to head down to the tavern right on the beach for a bite of breakfast before getting on with the serious business of her day. Inside, there wasn’t nearly as much noise as there had been in the Faithful Bride the night before, but Kat assumed that most of the pirates were passed out in ditches and mud holes somewhere.

At the counter, she approached the man there, hoping for the opportunity for some breakfast. For a moment, she wished she was back in the Royal Anchor on Port Royal, sitting across from Josie McReedy, who she knew was completely willing to help her out. She shrugged the memory away and continued to the bar, inquiring about some food. The man there told her that she could get some, but it wouldn’t come free. Kat tossed a few coins on the counter, and the bartender scrambled to get some toast and a piece of ham on a small (and slightly grimy) plate, accompanied with a cup of coffee. She dug in, but not quite as venomously as she had the crab the night before. Within a few minutes, she was finished with her food, and she nursed her coffee for a little bit longer.

She was delaying, and she knew it. There were plenty of other things she would rather be doing than hunting for Navy. For instance, she could go… explore the island more! Or she could go inquire about some different weapons. Yes, that’s what she would do. She tossed the bartender a coin for a tip. He snatched it out of the air and placed it safely in his pocket, putting Kat’s face to memory. Her generous nature would be something he would remember time and time again.

Once she was out the door, Kat pulled out her compass. She knew she was procrastinating, and she wanted to know if she was going in the right direction.

It pointed in the exact opposite direction of the blacksmith’s shop.

Kat sighed and let the compass guide her to a wooded, uninhabited area of the island. She put the compass away, not needing it anymore as she was going to search for the Cadets herself. She stepped around a giant boulder and noticed a flash of red. Quickly, she jumped back behind the boulder, poking her head back around it after a moment, slowly. Standing there, bayonet in ready position, was a Cadet.

Kat drew her sword and stepped from behind the boulder at the turned back of the Cadet. Her steps were heavy and the Cadet turned at the stomping, bayonet at the ready. Kat felt the rage from her abandonment filling her again, overpowering the face of the Cadet from Port Royal. This Cadet tried striking her with his bayonet with a straight stab, but Kat blocked it with her cutlass. He tried again, but Kat dodged it and swung at the Cadet, catching him in the leg. His leg buckled and he tumbled to the ground. “Help! Pirate!” he cried out desperately before Kat stabbed him through his middle. He was quiet then.

“Halt!” she heard from behind her. She turned around slowly with her arms raised, facing two more Cadets standing there, bayonets pointed straight at her. “Come with us,” one of them said severely.

Kat gave a crooked smile. “I’m afraid that’s not an option, gentlemen,” she told them. At that, she moved, making a broad sweep with her cutlass, catching one in the leg and the other in the stomach. The one caught in the stomach fell to the ground immediately, groaning. Kat watched him fall, and the other Cadet took the opportunity to jab at her chest. His aim was hindered by his leg wound, however, and he caught her arm instead. Kat gave a scream of pain as the metal pierced a hole in her bicep. Thankfully, it wasn’t her sword arm, so she came back and thrust her blade through him. The Cadet gasped before crumpling to the ground, pulling the bayonet from her arm as he did so. Kat grunted at the feeling of the sharp object recoiling. She sheathed her blade and pressed her hand to her wound. It came back covered in blood. Kat gasped. She ripped an insignia off of one of the Cadets uniforms and fled the woods. There was a gypsy she had passed last night, so Kat hoped she would have something to help her bleeding. It was unorthodox, and something that she wouldn’t have given a second thought to in England (or a first thought for that matter), but this was the Caribbean, and Kat was already aware that things were much different here, so a doctor wouldn’t be an easy find.

Her had still clutched to her arm, she approached the woman stirring something in a pot outside of her wagon. “Excuse me,” she said with a strained voice, still in severe pain. The gypsy looked up from her pot with large blue eyes. She noticed Kat’s piratey way of dress and then the wound. With a slight nod, she motioned for Kat to stay there while she went into her carriage. There was a slight rustling sound, and then the gypsy came back out with a small bottle and a strip of cloth. “Drink,” she told the young pirate, putting the bottle to Kat’s lips. She drank obediently, trusting that this woman caused her no harm. The liquid was bitter in her mouth, but as it entered her system, Kat felt a tingling in her arm. Her hand was moved gently away from her arm and the gypsy wrapped it with the cloth.

“The tonic shall help your arm heal,” the gypsy told her, tying the cloth off. “In the morning, it should be much better, the flesh restored.” The gypsy handed her the bottle. “Take this for if you get injured again. Try to use it sparingly,” the gypsy said knowingly. “I have others if they become necessary though.”

“Thank you so much,” Kat said gratefully. “How much do I owe you?” She had noticed the small cup of coins on the ground. Her pocket jingled as she reached into her pocket for some money.

“No, no,” the gypsy said, stilling her hand. “This one is free. I can recognize a newcomer to the fight for the Caribbean. Fabiola helps those who are knew here.” Fabiola smiled up at her. “The next one, however, is not so cheap.” Kat smiled back. “Thank you, Fabiola,” she said before heading back in the direction of her ship. She got the feeling she had just made a new friend.

It was only a little past noon, and she was already done with half of her quest. She contemplated going out to get one of the Ferrets for a moment. Her arm gave a sharp twinge at that thought. Perhaps it wasn’t the best time for hard labor, like lifting anchors or tying down sails. Fabiola had said that her arm would be better by morning, which meant it was a quick working tonic. She’d try going out in her ship a little bit later. Now, though, she really was going to inquire about new swords and pistols. She made her way into the town and into a shop with a picture of a pistol hanging on the outside.

Inside, it was dark, probably so the light wouldn’t affect anything delicate that might go off. There was a blonde man working on putting together a single barrel gun at a table on the other side of the store. Kat approached him slowly, not wanting him to make a mistake on the delicate piece of machinery he was operating on. As she stepped up to the man, she heard him grumbling to himself as he put the parts of the pistol together. He noticed the shadow hanging over his table and glanced at her. His chair rattled on the stone floor as he jumped.

“Blimey, do ye have to go sneaking up on people like that?” he barked at her. Kat took a step back at his tone, feeling uneasy. The gunsmith noticed her anxiousness and his demeanor changed immediately.

“My apologies,” he said quickly. He wiped his hand on his pants, getting rid of any lingering gunpowder or grease. “My name is Alexander Thayer, gunsmith.” He held out his hand and Kat shook it quickly. “What can I do ye for?” he asked her, going behind his counter.

Kat followed, standing on the other side of the counter. “I’m in the market for a new pistol,” she told him. “I was wondering if you could help me out.”

Thayer looked at her sharply. “How much money do ye have?” he inquired, not thinking much of the young lady. Kat tallied up how much gold she had already spent in her head. “About 60 pieces of gold. Why?”

Thayer let out a booming laugh. “Ye think I got a good pistol for that little?” He guffawed again. Kat was a little offended. It wasn’t as if she’d had much of an opportunity to go get any money. All she had were the coins from the bartered ring. How was she supposed to get any money?

After Thayer finally stopped chuckling, he turned to her and asked, “Well, what type of pistol do ye have now?” Kat rolled her eyes and bent over, reaching into her boot for her pistol. When she came back up with it, Thayer looked astounded. “Ye keep yer pistol in yer boot?” he asked, incredulous. He was used to seeing pirates pull pistols from their shoes only in extreme situations, such as when a pistol needed to be hidden, but never as casual storage. Thayer shook his head and grabbed something from underneath the counter, throwing it at her.

“Here,” he said gruffly. Kat turned it over in her hands and saw that it was a holster for her gun. She looked at Thayer inquisitively. “I don’t want ye blowing your foot off,” he said. “That costs five gold by the way.” Kat roiled her eyes as she reached in to her pocket. Thayer was annoying, but he was helping her out. She placed the money on the counter and Thayer took it with a nod, placing it in a container underneath his counter.

“So, what’s your cheapest gun?” Kat inquired. Thayer pointed to the gun he had been working on when she walked in. “That’s it, but ye’d be better off with this piece of junk here,” he said, motioning to her gun sitting on the counter. “After that, ye got this other single barrel, which would go for a lil’ over 200 gold, and it’s not much better than what ya have here.” Kat felt her heart sink. 200 gold pieces. Where would she get that kind of money? She sighed and thanked Thayer for his help and left the shop.

She headed to a blacksmith next, hoping for a better experience, but she got much of the same reaction as she had at the gunsmith. The men there laughed at her poor cutlass, but they did give her a cloth so she could polish it. Kat hadn’t even noticed, but the blade was covered in more than the usual rust. It was covered in blood. They helped her wash it off and Kat felt fleeting guilt at the lives that were lost by it, but she closed herself off. She wiped the blood from the metal with a stone face, then sheathed it and headed back to the dock.

At the dock, there was a man standing on boxes, yelling out at a group of people gathered there. "We're headed out soon, but we aren't going far. All we'll do is stick to the waters near Tortuga, looking for some Navy and EITC swine to plunder from. What do you say?" A cheer rose up from the group. Kat crept closer as the man continued with his announcements. "Now, are there any fine sea hands out there willing to come with us?" He looked around at the group assembled and a few people stepped forward. Kat hesitated, and then pushed to the front of the group. The men gathered fell silent as she stepped forward.

"I'd like to head out with you," she proclaimed boldly. The group was silent for a moment, then burst out laughing. Kat stood her ground, her head held high. The man on the boxes studied her closely.

"What's your name, lass?" he asked her. Kat stared him straight in the eye and said with strength, "My name is Kat Crestshot."

The man looked her up and down. He got off his box and circled her like a hawk, staring her down. Kat didn't even flinch.

"That's quite a wound in your arm you have there, Kat," he noted. "How did you get it?"

"Fighting a group of Cadets in the woods," she said, not backing down before him. The man thought for a moment. "Very well. You're in," he told her, shaking her hand.

The group of men went into a different type of uproar at this. "She's a female!" one of them cried. "She can't be strong enough to help us!" cried another. The men continued with their complaints until her recruiter got back on his box.

"OI!" he shouted over the din. Many of the men quieted. He glared at them. "Now, who's ship are we taking out?" There were murmurs of "yours" permeating from the group. "That's right! It's my ship! Now, if any of you have issues with that, you're free to back out!" None of the men walked away.

"Captain, what about the bad luck?" one of them asked quietly. Kat felt a flicker of fear go through her at this statement, but she stomped it down, not letting the men see.

The captain glared at the man. "It's my ship, so I say I'm willing to take the chance with you superstitious fools! Anything else?" The men were silent once more. "Good! Now, let's head out!" The men headed towards dinghies at the captain's order.

Kat approached the man. "Thank you for that, sir," she told him. "Not a problem at all, Kat. And my name is Nate. Nate Swordwalker."



Haha! I told you I was offering cameos. Nate PM'd me a few days ago and asked about it, and I told him I'd write him into the next chapter. I needed a captain, what can I say?

So, what did you all think? Fun, not fun, want-to-tear-my-eyeballs-out-it-was-so-terrible? (If you really do think that last one, please word it nicer.) Constructive criticism is welcome. I have the next chapter lined up, but........I'm going to torture you guys and not give it to you yet. MWAHAHAHA! Thank you, though, for the reviews last chapter. Again, it's so appreciated that I can't even tell you how awesome I think you all are for reviewing.

Again, Cameo spots are open, but if you do PM me about it, it likely won't be in the next chapter like Nate was so lucky to be. I'm getting to the newer chapters though, so, you know, if you want your name in lights...haha. Thanks for reading!

-Kat Crestshot