Kastle AU for one_shot

[howbraveyouare]

[ The ship rocks back and forth and even though she’s below deck Karen can tell they’re setting out to see. She grumbles and grabs ahold of a barrel to steady herself. Hardly a willing passenger on this ship, Karen would have rather been left behind to fight men off, but some pirate with a tendency to refer to her as “ma’am” had simply slung her over his shoulder and took her aboard his ship. It was for her own safety, but she was in no frame of mind to realize that.

Once she has her sea legs she begins pacing, anger building up in her. She can hear the crew chattering on deck, sometimes hearing mention of the woman below deck. Well, isn’t that just great. They’re talking about her. ]

I can hear you talking about me! [ She barks through the door that leads to the deck, loud enough for anyone to hear her.

Folding her arms, she huffs and gathers the breath to shout something else. ] I demand to speak to your captain!

Comments

[ex_one_shot695]

[When Karen shouts the men pause and then laugh louder than before. That woman has spirit! A few of them start to talk about the things they'd like to do to her. Some suggest they can break that spirit in one night.

Her demands aren't answered, but fifteen minutes later, the door of her room is opened and the pirate that called her ma'am walks in holding a plate of food. It's not slop. It actually looks quite good. A roasted hen with vegetables and potatoes. In his other hand he's carrying a bottle of wine.]

Ma'am. I brought you dinner.

[Frank is not the captain, so she'll probably be disappointed her demands haven't been met.]

[howbraveyouare]

[ She sees him before she sees the food. Her eyes narrow and she jabs a finger in his direction. ]

You! You’re the reason I’m on this ship! You brought me…

[ Her voice trails off as she eyes the plate. It isn’t what she’d expected. It’s almost as if he’d put some effort into the meal. Karen is temporarily dumbfounded, silent for a stretch of several seconds. She clears her throat quietly and looks up from the food back to the pirate holding the plate. ]

I suppose I should thank you, but this does not mean that I forgive you.

[ Karen’s expression has softened slightly, but hasn’t quite reached warm or welcoming territory just yet. ]

[ex_one_shot695]

[Frank doesn't expect her to be nice to him and certainly not to forgive him. He walks over to the small table and puts the food and drink there for her. It's better food than he gets, so he hopes she appreciates it.]

Was just followin' orders. If I hadn't grabbed you, someone else would have. They might've gotten under your skirt first, too.

[So yeah, she should be thanking him!]

You got family? Someone to pay a ransom for you?

[howbraveyouare]

[ Reality hits her. She frowns. Her family is gone due to sickness and unfortunate circumstances. Karen has heard stories about pirates making people walk the plank.

…And she’s not such a great swimmer. ]

It’s just me.

[ She sighs. Karen speaks in a low, near-grumble. What she says is spoken reluctantly but from the heart. ]

I’m sorry. I know you’re not the worst man on this ship. I’ve heard some of what they’ve said. So… I suppose shouldn’t treat you like you’re one of them.

[ex_one_shot695]

[She's a lot more generous than he would've guessed. Even if he's the nicest pirate on the ship, he's still a pirate and part of the crew keeping her here.

Frank's been eyeing that plate of food from the start, but he busies himself by opening the bottle of wine and pouring her drink.]

That's a problem. You need to make up some family. Far enough away but not too far. Make 'em rich. Buy yourself some time until you can escape.

[He puts the bottle down and offers her the glass.]

If you're not gonna bring in a ransom, you'll be sold.

[Frank's eyes look her up and down.]

The Captain can get good money for you. You don't want to end up in the hands of some scumbag.

[howbraveyouare]

[ Her eyes widen slightly. This is definitely a fate comparable to walking some plank, she might even be worse off. Karen takes the glass and grips it tightly in her hand, but pauses a moment before drinking. ]

S-sold?

[ She takes a drink of wine and shakes her head. ]

This is worse than I’d thought. How am I going to escape? Is that even possible?

[ Karen sits down, slumping forward. She looks up at him with wrinkled eyebrows. This man is impossible to figure out. He’s one of her captors and yet here he is feeding her tips on how to escape. There’s one big question weighing on her mind. ]

Why are you helping me?

[ex_one_shot695]

I don't know if it's possible. You gotta wait and hope for an opportunity.

[And try to keep the other pirates off of her until she can get out of here. Frank can at least help a bit with that.

As for why he's helping her at all, he shakes his head.]

I've got my own reasons for being here, and it doesn't include selling women into slavery.

[howbraveyouare]

Oh, I’ll be hoping…

[ It’ll be all she’ll be doing, practically. Wishing and hoping in desperation to get off this damn ship and to safety.

Unable to ignore the growling in her stomach any longer, Karen picks at the vegetables on her plate. On an almost empty stomach, they taste delicious.

She tilts her head and eyes him curiously. ]

Why does a man like you become a pirate?

[ex_one_shot695]

[Frank wouldn't lie to her, but he considers not telling her. On the other hand, she gave him some trust already and even noted he was different than the rest.]

Couple years ago, a pirate killed my wife and my kids.

[He rubs the back of his hair and then leans against the wall.]

This ship goes back and forth from a colony. That's where we're going now. Lots of pirate crews come and go from there. It's my best chance of finding him. When I do, I'm gonna kill him for what he did.

[howbraveyouare]

[ She stops, dead silent, just looking at him. There’s no doubt in her mind that he’s telling the truth. The sincerity is there in his voice. Karen has lost loved ones, too, but she can’t imagine what it’s like to have a loved one murdered. She can’t imagine what she would do in his shoes. ]

What are you going to do after you find him?

[ It seems like an obvious question to her. What does a person do with their life after their driving purpose is gone? Will he remain a pirate? It doesn’t seem like the ideal life for him. He’s so unlike the other men on this ship. ]

[ex_one_shot695]

[One would think he'd of given that question some thought before, but Frank just shrugs.]

I don't know. There's a fair chance I won't get out of the colony alive, depending on how it goes. If I do, I'll figure it out.

[Where he goes from there just feels irrelevant without the task being done.]

But you should be thinking more about yourself. How you're gonna get out of this.

[howbraveyouare]

[ She thinks it over for a moment. There will have to be some kind of backstory. Karen will have to invent a story about her wealthy relatives who are so willing to pay a hefty ransom. She’s always been a creative woman, so it’s easy to spin a very creative story in a matter of seconds. ]

My father is the son of a viscount. My mother is sure to inherit a great amount of land. I’m their only child and they love me terribly and would never want to see any harm come to me.

[ Her mouth curls into a proud smile. For a second she almost forgets she’s a prisoner on this ship, too wrapped up in her own tale. She pops another morsel into her mouth and munches happily.

After a second or two of simply smiling, she pauses. She’s eating right in front of him. It seems impolite even if he is some (well-meaning) ruffian. Karen lifts her plate. ]

Would you like some?

[ex_one_shot695]

[Frank smiles, impressed by the story she comes up with all of a sudden.]

That'll do it.

[She'd be worth keeping around for awhile to try and get a ransom from people who don't exist. Eventually, the captain will realize she was lying, though. Hopefully it'll buy her enough time to get away.

When Karen offers him some food, Frank looks surprised, then cautiously glances over to the door.]

It's not permitted, ma'am. But thank you. I should get out of here before they think I've been in here too long.

[At least Karen seems to have one friend on the ship, though.]

new starter!

[ex_one_shot695]

[It's been three days since Karen came aboard. She can't expect to stay in her room all the time, though Frank recommended it. Eventually she must get stir crazy and desire fresh air. On deck, the sun is shining and the skies are blue. It's smooth sailing for now, though a storm could always crop up without warning on the high seas.

The sailors are sitting around chatting. Some are playing cards or dice to pass the time. They're steered onto their course and there isn't anything to do but wait for the ship to take them to their destination. As soon as Karen shows her face, she turns a lot of heads who like having a woman to look at.

Frank is watching a game of dice, standing back from the crowd against the rail with his arms crossed over his chest. He looks too when Karen walks on deck.]

[howbraveyouare]

[ Glad to have some freedom, Karen has abandoned the relative safety of her dark, lonely room for the deck. She walks over to a point where she can get a good look at the waves crashing against the side of the ship, choosing to ignore the looks she gets. Karen hopes that, maybe, if she pays no mind to the ruder members of this crew then they’ll leave her be. It’s doubtful that this will hold up for her whole journey, but it’s something to try nonetheless.

She takes in a deep breath. Yes, there are the smells of the ship, but there is also the smell of the ocean and it’s invigorating. Sighing, she focuses on the horizon for a moment. Her gaze wanders back to the deck where she sees Frank who happens to be looking her way and she smiles a little bit, albeit awkwardly. This is him in his element. She doesn’t expect him to be as kind to her here.

Running her hands through her tangled blonde hair, she starts to walk the length of the ship in a line that seems to be particularly void of crew. ]

[ex_one_shot695]

[It's no doubt unnerving, feeling all of those eyes on her. Her every move. When she looks over and favors him with a smile, it gets a lot of attention.

One crewman with a few missing teeth turns to the others:] D'ja see that? She smiled at me!

[Another crewman with leathery looking skin from the sun shakes his head.] No way! It was me she was smilin' at! I knew we had a connection soon as I laid eyes on 'er.

[A thin man with a gaunt face scoffs at them both.] Don't be daft. She was smiling at Frank. I mean, just look at the two of you. Then look at him.

[Frank didn't really care for all of the scrutinizing looks he was suddenly getting, but most were in agreement that he was the better looking one in the bunch. If you liked dark hair, muscles, and soulful eyes, anyway.

Another pirate, separate from the group, strolled in Karen's direction. Something about the look of him made one feel uneasy. And when he spoke to her, his eyes did a whole lot of wandering.] Afternoon, miss. Nice of you to join us on deck.

[howbraveyouare]

[ Karen keeps walking at a slow pace, turning her head slightly to look at the pirate. She’s chosen this part of the ship specifically because it was lacking in people, but it seems she’s drawn someone towards her. With a slight sigh and a small, tight, put-on smile, she nods to the man. ]

I needed the air.

[ She folds her arms across her chest. It seems rude to jump to conclusions, but she doesn’t think she can trust most of the people on this ship. Of course, out of learned politeness, she keeps that smile on her face and says nothing rude to this man in particular. ]

[ex_one_shot695]

[The man edges closer to her. Much too close for comfort. It isn't rude to jump to conclusions if the conclusions are correct, is it?]

You're a breath of fresh air, miss. We don't always get to spend a lot of time at a port. And the girls at the colony aren't nearly as lovely as you.

[Although others are pretending not to watch, they are. Frank isn't hiding that the interaction has his full attention.]

[howbraveyouare]

[ That’s it. Karen refuses to take this. She’s never let herself be subjugated before and she won’t now. She stops and stands firmly in one place, trying not to be intimidated by his closeness. ]

I think you have the wrong idea. I’m not like any of those girls at the colony. I’m not to be used by anybody for a thrill, you understand? I’m just on this ship until my parents pay ransom and then we can all part ways.

[ She glares at him, fire in those blue eyes of hers. After a moment, she turns and begins to walk away, resuming her walk along the length of the ship. ]

[ex_one_shot695]

[The pirate is not too happy with the dismissal. She can hear him say after her:] So long as they pay up. If not, I'm gonna give you a thrill you won't forget, your ladyship.

[Frank watches the exchange, and after a little while passes, he leaves the group he's with and wanders in Karen's direction. Casual as he might make it look, he knows he's got eyes on him, so he stands a respectful distance away when he stops at the railing beside her and rests his hands on top of it.]

Hey.

[howbraveyouare]

[ The encounter with the other pirate has left Karen on edge. Try as she might not to look skittish, there’s something about her that makes her seem on edge when Frank approaches her. Still, she manages a small smile, never making direct eye contact with him under the assumption that he doesn’t want the others to think that he’s carrying on a proper conversation with their captive. ]

Hey. [ She pauses a moment, looking out to sea but still speaking to Frank. ] Your friend made a colorful threat against me. Seems I should have stayed put in my room.

[ Of course, Karen was the type that wouldn’t let bullies starve her of freedom. She wanted to walk the deck, so as long as no one would kill her for it she would walk the deck. Threats were merely threats. They shook her up, but she could handle them. ]

[ex_one_shot695]

[Frank passes a glance in her direction without turning his head. He stares out at the sea, as well. Though they're not looking at each other, some can probably tell they're talking. Given that Frank's been the one to bring Karen most of her meals in the last few days, it might not look too odd that she's more willing to chat with him.]

We're not friends.

[Frank has done some bad things since he became a pirate, but she knows his reasons for that. It doesn't mean he sees the others as friends.]

I told you that.

[That she should stay in her room. Not that he blames her for needing to get out a bit.]

[howbraveyouare]

[ Karen gives a nod of her head. It speaks for Frank’s character that he’s not friends with that man, or at least she thinks it does. Of course, she can’t really imagine a man like Frank getting along very well with the man that threatened her.

His “I told you that.” gets a huff of laughter from Karen and she shakes her head. ]

I needed that reminder. Yes, yes, you were right.

[ She glances at Frank briefly. ]

I’ll be smart about my comings and goings, but I won’t let some scoundrel have me living in fear.

[ With that, she looks back out to the sea. The waves are almost hypnotizing to look at. It’s calming. ]

[ex_one_shot695]

[Frank figures she's the type that's going to do whatever she wants despite the risks. Maybe she feels like she can take on the world, but he doubts she's spent this much time with a pirate crew before.

After a time he glances over at her, having a look up and down. Then he sighs and looks back out at sea.]

This would be easier if you weren't so...

[Well...]

[howbraveyouare]

[ With that she forgets entirely that she's not supposed to appear to be speaking to Frank and she looks right at him. ]

If I wasn't so what exactly?

[ She sounds almost mad, as if she's assumed that he was about to say something negative about her. ]