Prologue.

1994 Words
Author's Note. A Pirate's Song is now available for purchase on sss https://www.amazon.com/dp/1799174433 Lots of love and mermaid kisses. ___________________________________________________ Evangeline. I sat beneath the light of the full moon. The night was eerie as a thick fog rolled into the coast, coating the town in a layer of white. I pressed my knees tightly against my chest and looked down at the water that lapped at the rocks beneath me. My bare feet brushed over the coral and shells that stuck to the surface of the ragged boulders as I hummed along to an old tune. Drunken people stumbled out of a bar nearby, their voices slurred. Glass shattered and laughter rumbled in the air. The water below seemed to call to me as I stared into its depths. I stopped humming and crept closer to the edge of the rocks, sticking my foot out to dip my toes into the calm lap of water. I gasped as the cold liquid caressed my warm foot and tightened my grip on the boulders. My foot began to shimmer a slight silver and my breath caught in my throat as I scurried away from the edge, wrenching my foot from the water. Silver scales clad the flesh on my foot and I watched as they slowly began to disappear until only soft, pale skin was left. My hand instinctively shot up to grip the piece of metal that dangled around my neck. It was a charm made of silver, delicate and small. The shape was that of an anchor and seemed innocent enough. I glanced down at the piece of metal that could never be removed from my neck before getting up in a hurry and turning my back on the sea. A harsh gust of wind whipped past me and I froze, turning to look back at the black waters of the night. A shadow was creeping into the coast and from the looks of it, it was a ship with red sales. One of the drunken men from the bar, looked out onto the black ocean and squinted. He took a swing of his whiskey and stumbled down to the deck to get a closer look while I stood frozen in place. At the edge of the docks he paused, loosened his hold on his bottle and caused it to shatter at his feet. He sobered up quickly. “Pirates" he muttered under his breath as he stared at the approaching ship in horror then turned to make a run for it. “Pirates!" he cried out and bells began ringing from the towers above. I gripped at the material of my simple white frock, with sweaty palms and took a shaky step back as a black pirate's flag came into view. The town's people began to gather at the edge of the water behind me with pitch forks and torches. The ship pierced the fog and I could see a man standing on its bow. The man wore an old brown, trench coat and had a black pirates hat atop his head. His eyes roamed over the shore and eventually landed on me. The moment our eyes locked, a chill shot down my spine. His gold gaze was enough to see straight into my soul as it trapped me in place. “Captain, cannons a yonder!" someone on board the ship bellowed and the man turned his attention away from me, long enough for me to slip away. I hurriedly turned on my heels and maneuvered my way back across the rocks. The Captain noticed me retreating and yelled to his crew "Dock the ship!” I forced my way through the crowd of towns people, running in the opposite direction and headed for the edge of the beach where the buildings began. “Tonight, we pillage and feast for tomorrow we sail for Devil's Grove!" the men aboard the ship cheered and laughed at their Captain's words and I glanced back towards the water. The ship had docked and men were jumping down from its deck to cut down the towns people with a rusty old, sword. The Captain met my eyes and I struggled to catch my breath before turning to run down the cobble stone streets of the town. I didn't dare loosen my grip on my dress for fear of falling as I raced for an escape. A man, carrying a torch, slammed into me and I stumbled over my own two feet as he disappeared down the streets. I gasped and dared to look back when the sound of a man, crying out in agony pierced the air. The Captain was right behind me and had cut down the man who had ran into me. His eyes scared me, cutting deep into my very being as he stalked down the street hunting me as though I was his prey. I hurriedly glanced from left to right and noticed a small alleyway off to one side. I scraped the material of my dress together and ran for the corridor, ducking into it and scurrying past a few people until I reached a backdoor that lead to an inn. I ducked into it but not before glancing back to see if the man was still following me. A trail of blood seemed to follow him as he moved, his eyes locked solely on my form. I hurried past the bar where a waitress was shuffling scared women and children into a room hidden beneath the bar through a trap door. I ran up the stairs and to the third floor while tripping every few steps. “There's no point in running" his voice was gruff and husky, deep but strained as it spoke from a floor below me. I panted as I took a sharp left and scurried down the hall to an open door near the end of it. I hurried to slam the door shut behind me and locked it. Searching desperately for a way out but in my frantic state, I'd climbed three floors, trapping me high above the town. There was a balcony opposite the door and a bed was sat next to it with the white curtains fluttering in the sea breeze. For a moment, I forgot what was happening as I watched the ocean stretch into the horizon but I was brought back to reality by the handle on the door rattling, behind me. I turned sharply, to face the door and started to slowly back away from it. “Why do you have to make things so difficult for me?" the man asked through the door, after giving off a long sigh. Everything went silent, the door stopped rattling and I thought he'd given up when suddenly the door burst open to reveal the man with his foot slightly raised. I sucked in a breath of air and turned to make a run for the balcony but stopped at the railing to grip it, looking down onto the town in chaos but there was something oddly calming about the discord. I contemplated jumping and raised my foot but a warm chest, pressing up against my bear back stopped me dead in my tracks as a strong arm snaked its way around my waist. “That's not a good idea, love" his voice whispered into my ear, causing goosebumps to form on my bear arms. I gripped the railing tighter and expected him to drag me back to the bed. I expected him to r**e me as I squeezed my eyes shut and swallowed hard in anticipation of what was to come. His lips brushed over the shell of my ear and sent tingles down the back of my spine. “Sing to me" he whispered and my eyes shot open, wide to stare out at the sea. He unwrapped his arm from around me and started to slowly back away. His boots clanked against the wooden floors as he left me standing on the balcony. The sound of a chair scraping across the floor, reached my ears and I dared to turn my head to glance back at him. He used it to jam the door shut, then shrugged off his jacket and started to unbutton his brown over jacket, leaving him in a loose, white shirt that he quickly tugged over his head to reveal a set of perfectly sculpted muscles and abs. He wasn't big but he wasn't exactly skinny either. He tugged off his boots, leaving him in a pair of black trousers as he slumped down on the edge of the bed and rubbed at the stubble covering his jaw. My feet began to move on their own accord as I stepped back into the room and watched him lie down among the white pillows and sheets. He closed his eyes and folded his hands over his stomach as I paused. “Well? I'm tired and wish to hear a song" he said when I didn't start singing and turned onto his side, turning his back to me. I glanced around the room for a second chair but there was none so I decided to sit down on the foot of the bed, facing him, to make sure that he didn't try anything. I was still in shock as I watched him, his chest slowly rising and falling as he breathed. There he was, a pirate Captain with all the power in the world to do what he wished to me and yet he only requested that I sing to him. I opened my mouth but my voice caught in my throat as I tried to think of a song that he might like. He opened his eyes to look at me. Gold orbs, peering into my mismatched ones as he waited, expectantly. “W-What will we do with the drunken sailor?" I began but at a much slower pace than the original and in a much smaller voice than usual. The corner of his lips twitched and for a moment, I could've swore that I saw the hint of a smile but as soon as it was there, it was gone. He closed his eyes and listened to my tune as I looked towards the mirror, mounted on the wall opposite me. My reflection stared back at me, a nineteen-year-old girl with long, blonde curls as white as snow and two different color eyes. One was crystal blue while the other was a stormy grey. I Kept singing, repeating the song as I gripped my necklace in hand, listening to the screams of men and women outside the inn as they mixed in with my song. I finished the tune and looked down at the sleeping pirate in the bed beside me then looked towards the door where the chair held it tightly shut. I glanced to his jacket where a pistol and sword where placed on top of it. My hand twitched and I contemplated using them to kill him in his sleep but when my gaze fell back onto him, I found that he was harmless. I stood from the bed and he stirred slightly as I walked over to pick his shirt up from off the ground. It smelt of sea salt and sweat. I folded it up and placed it down beside his jacket and weapons before returning to the bed, this time, lying down beside him on the mattress. I faced him, lying a fair distance away as I glanced at his face. His hair was long and brown and tied up into a messy bun as a deadly scar ran down the left side of his face and gold hung from his ears. Dangling around his neck was a shark tooth necklace and on his fingers, were various rings, silver and gold. I remember thinking that his face was something pleasant to look at before drifting off to sleep that night.
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