Other Fan Fiction ❯ The Treasure of Oritemp ❯ part VI ( Chapter 6 )

Arianna drops her legs and let go of Sirius.

“Oh my God… Argus, what happened?!” she asks.

Argus slumps to the floor with a grunt.

“Fuck… It's mutiny!” he shouts. “The damn crew cast us out!”

She was busy looking Argus's wounds over before she sighs.

“I'm going to have to reset the bone,” she murmurs, “Now, why did you lock us in this room?”

“You two needed to be forced to spend time near each other so you'd learn to not shout at each other as much… Fuck!”

As he was talking, she snapped his arm back into place and tore a strip off her dress so she could tie it into place. Sirius came up to him and knelt down.

“Argus, you said the crew left us here? Mutiny? Why?”

“It was the boson… what's his name…” Argus says as she wraps his arm and forehead where he was bleeding.

“The boson? That's Edward… he led a mutiny!?”

“He convinced the crew that you are a crazed fool and that Arianna was a witch in the guise of a maiden. Don't ask how they came to believe this, but they came after me after saying that I was involved in some scheme to lead them to their deaths. My guess would be that Edward has been planning this for a very long time.”

“And evidently me coming along wasn't part of it… shit… Sirius, my swords are on that ship!” Arianna says, “As for a witch, how the hell do I come across as one of those?”

She finishes bandaging Argus and leans against a wall, her arms folded and it was obvious she was uncomfortable with how much skin she was now forced to show. Sirius, in sudden rage, kicked a nearby table.

“FUCK!” he shouts. “They stole my ship!”

“Sirius, I think we need to try and find another ship, maybe a more trustworthy crew so you can get yours back. I know she is important to you, so… I'll help in any way I can.”

“Where the hell am I to get a new ship?! It's not like I can just walk to the harbor and grab one!”

Arianna smiled and then looked down at herself.

“I need a bath, a new dress, preferably red, and I'll make the distraction,” she says, “Because that is exactly what we are going to do.”

“II will not let you be eye candy to men like them!”

“Sirius… it's just until you get your ship, then I'll drop them so hard they won't even remember their name… I promise.”

Sirius rand his hands through his hair before sighing loudly.

“Fine… but I swear you and I will be having a talk about this,” he says.

She didn't know if she should be thrilled by the concept or not, but she nods in agreement.

“Alright ,” she says, “But I want you to pick out the dress.”

“Why? What good will that do?” Sirius asks.

“I won't be afraid to use it for you.”

She smirks when she says this and goes to the washroom. Sirius blushed as she walked away. Argus, despite what just happened to him, smirked.

“Apparently you two have warmed up to one another,” he says.

“Shut up!” Sirius retorts.

“I don't hear you leaving to get me a dress,” she taunts, the sound of water running coming from behind the closed door.

Sirius grumbled and walked out of the room, nearly slamming the door behind him. Argus chuckles and makes his way to the chair.

“So, I take it I missed something?” he asks.

“I guess, I don't really know what happened, but I like the change,” she replies before slipping into the tub and relaxing.

“What is the change then? He seemed to be a little more calm around you.”

“I uh… got him to sleep in a bed and when I woke up… he had his arm around me. As for what else happened… that I shall keep to myself though it wasn't exactly… I don't know…”

“Have you told him you love him yet? It's plainly obvious.”

“No… I haven't told him.”

Arianna closed her eyes and frowns.

“I don't know if I can… nor do I know how.”

“It's not hard. Just say the word `I love you Sirius.'”

“You make it sound so easy… but Argus… I've never said that to anyone… not even my own parents. We weren't a very… affectionate family.”

“Is it that… or are you afraid of his reaction?”

“I guess it's a little of both… I've never been rejected because I've never admitted my feelings and I'm afraid that if I do… he'll laugh in my face.”

“If anything, Sirius won't laugh. He rarely laughs… as I'm sure you have noticed.”

“There's a first time for everything.”

By now, she was washing her hair and debating on cutting it.

“Hey, do you think I should cut my hair?” she asks.

“Why would you cut it? I think that Sirius is probably smitten by your hair,” Argus says with a laugh.

“Smitten by my hair? What do you mean by that?”

“I think he finds it one of your best qualities. I know I do.”

She smiles to herself.

“Alright, I'll keep it,” she says before submerging herself in the tub so she could rinse out her hair.

“If you don't mind me asking, what is it you see in Sirius?” Argus asks.

Arianna came back up from under the water and blinks.

“He's strong… authoritarian and isn't afraid to protect what he believes in and he's selfless,” she says, “In other words, everything I am not.”

“There are very few selfless people in out world. He is a rare breed, though there is a lot to not like about him.”

“The only thing I wish he was not was an arrogant SOB… but I love him despite that.”

“I don't think it is arrogance… so much as the inability to see past what he has his eyes set upon. I believe he's slowly beginning to gain that ability.”

“Yeah… is he back yet? I'm getting raisin-y in here.”

Argus chuckled a bit.

“He's picking out women's clothing. I don't think it's very natural for him to just go and grab it with no thought,” he says.

“I can't get out until he comes in and gives me the dress.”

“Well he- Ah, speak of the devil,” Argus says as Sirius walked in the room. He was carrying a red dress over his arm. It was low cut, more so than any dress than Argus had ever seen and the skirt was relatively short.

“I think this would appropriate to the cause?” he asks.

“I would agree…” Argus says.

Arianna came out wrapped in a towel and her hair somewhat dry and brushed out.

“So,” she starts, “What does the Captain want to see me in?”

Sirius hold the dress out to her and looks away.

“Just… don't think I would have picked this if it wasn't for this cause,” he says softly.

She looks it over, then looks at him before casting a glance at Argus. Steeling up her courage, she steps up to him and takes the dress before leaning up and kissing him on the cheek.

“Yeah, and even if it was meant for you later I wouldn't mind,” she says, “Because I…”

She stops for a moment before taking a deep breath.

“Because I love you Sirius,” she says, then casts a glare at Argus.

Argus gave her a wink as he slapped Sirius on the shoulder.

“Lucky man,” he says.

“Shut up,” Sirius says with a blush.

When he didn't reply, she went back to the washroom and got dressed in silence before fixing up her hair. She sat on the edge of the tub for awhile, trying to get the courage to go back out there. When she did, she wasn't looking at anyone.

“Any idea what I should wear for shoes?” she asks softly.

Nobody replied as they looked her up and down, both at a loss for words. She blinks and looks up at them.

“What?” she asks.

“Wow,” Argus manages to say, though Sirius still looked to be unable to speak.

“Uh… thanks.”

She looks at Sirius for a moment before heading for the door. Sirius shook his head as if shaking off a daze.

“Um… I brought shoes too… there over there,” he says, pointing to a corner.

She stops and looks over at the corner where a pair of red high-heels sat. Arianna inspects them for a moment before nodding to herself and slipping them on.

“How did you get my sizes dead on?” she asks.

“A guess…” he replies.

She nods, and walks over to the door once more, her strides very confident and sure.

“You coming?” she asks.

Sirius and Argus both share a look before they follow her. Once they reach a certain part of the pier, she locks her eyes on a couple guards and slowly walks by them. When she got in front of them, she acts like she hurt her ankle. One of the guards, obviously a pirate, walked up to her and knelt next to her.

“You need help, missy?” he asks.

“I'm sorry, I think I twisted my ankle,” she says, her eyes wet with fake tears.

“I'll take you to a medic then?”

She puts on a small pout.

“Can't you do something?” she asks her voice soft.

The pirate blushed a bit and looked over to his partner, who just shrugged.

“W-well… I could take you to my ship and see what the captain says…” he says.

“Really? Who is your Captain?” she asks, her hand slowly trailing up the guys arm and over his chest.

“C-captain Ben.”

“And how big is his ship? I've always liked a man with a large ship,” she says, slowly licking her top lip.

“Our ship is the biggest in the harbor… and even the seas,” the man brags, though he was obviously exaggerating.

“Really now, even bigger than say… I don't know… the Crimson Maiden?”

As she spoke, she made a slight motion to Argus and Sirius telling them that if they were quick, they could go.

“Bah! The Crimson Maiden is not but a bug compared to us!” As he was speaking, Argus and Sirius were sneaking around them.

“Wow, then it must be a big ship, would you take me to see it?”

“Of course. I'll carry you missy,” he responds, picking her up.

She was a bit shocked, but did not fight him.

“Hey now, I never got your name,” she says, hoping Sirius and Argus knew what ship she was trying to get them to.

“My name is Gus,” the man says, walking her to the ship. Sirius and Argus were following behind, keeping out of sight.

“Well then, thank you for your kindness, I don't meet many Pirates as nice as you.” Hell, I only really know two.

“Any lady in distress needs to be helped,” Gus says as he walked up the ramp to the ship. It was not nearly as large as the Maiden, but it was still considerably large.

Figuring it would be more convincing, Arianna rest her head on the man's chest and watched where he brought her.

“Where is your Captain?” she asks.

“In his cabin most likely. Would you like to meet him?”

“I would love to.”

Gus brings her to the cabin and knocks on the door.

“Come in.” Upon that, Gus kicks the door open and enters.

“Captain, this little lady hurt herself on the pier,” Gus explains.

The captain was a large man in terms of physical build. He had large arms and wore a heavy black jacket over dirty cloths. His boots were covered in dried mud and what could have been blood and his face had the ghost of a newly shaven beard. One of his eyes was missing, as per the eye patch over his right eye.

“Hello,” Arianna says softly, her arms still around Gus's neck.

The captain, she knew as Ben, looks at her a moment before motioning for Gus to put her down.

“Stand her up,” he says as he twirled a knife in his hand.

“But, captain, she-”

“Put her down!”

She kept calm when Gus set her down, but she visibly winced the moment her foot touched the ground. She lifted it up slightly and tried to find something to lean against.

“Stop faking. I'm no simpleton,” Ben says as he gets to his feet.

“I have no clue what you're talking about,” she says.

“There is no way you are hurt. Your ankle had no bruising or swelling, as it would if you twisted it. Nor do your shoes have any scuff marks.”

“Hm… maybe I just pulled a muscle… these are new shoes.”

She looks at him and sighs, getting ready to leave.

“I'm terribly sorry for bothering you,” she says, “I guess I just thought it was worse than it really was.”

“You won't be leaving here just yet. I think I want to have a word with those two men who followed you here and who are being held right now.”

She pales out slightly.

“People were following me?” she asks. Crap, I screwed this up, “Please, can I just go? I'm only a female and have no value to you.”

“I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave. I don't take to kindly to stowaways on my ship. Gus, take her to the men she brought with her. I'll be out soon,” Bens says, putting his knife in his belt. Gus sighs and grabs Arianna by the wrist, brining her to the deck.

“I advise you to let me go,” she says, her voice going dark, “I don't like being steered around.”

“I'm sorry, but captain's orders.” He brings her to the rear of the ship, where Sirius and Argus were on their knees with pistols to the backs of their heads.

“Sirius… I'm sorry…”

She looks down and yanks her wrist out of Gus's grip.

“Don't touch me,” she hisses.

Another pirate grabs her and kneels her down next to Sirius, pointing his pistol to her head.

“This was a bad idea, and I told you that,” Sirius says in a murmur.

“Yeah, I know,” she says.

She looks around with her eyes only, impatiently waiting for the Captain to come so she could curse someone out.

“I really am sorry.”

“Next time, if there even is a next time, listen to me!” Sirius nearly shouts.

She flinches and just focuses her eyes on the floor of the deck, not knowing what to say. The captain didn't take long to come out. He was holding his knife in his hand as he walked up to them.

“What, in you right mind, made you think that I would not notice that there were two men and a whore trying to sneak on my ship?” he asks with an unnaturally calm look on his face.

“Excuse me?!” Arianna says against her better judgment, “I am not a whore! I'm a fucking blacksmith!”

“Really? And do blacksmiths wear cloths like this often?”

“Listen you SOB, this is only the second time in my life I've ever worn a dress, normally I dress like a male! Got a problem with it? Go screw a freakin cow!”

Ben rested his knife on her throat and trailed it down the front of her dress.

“Bold words. Whore or not, you are a stowaway, and I will not tolerate it,” he says.

“Don't touch her!” Sirius shouts unexpectedly.

Arianna looks over at Sirius, a bit shocked, but she closes her eyes.

“It's fine,” she says, “I doubt he can do much to me that I won't be able to handle.”

Ben's knife cut one of the straps of her dress.

“Tempting challenge. But perhaps that would be a little much if I were to do all I could do to you,” he said as he dragged the knife over the now exposed skin.

“I SAID DON'T TOUCH HER!” Sirius shouts again.

“Sirius please,” Arianna says, “I can deal with this… male.”

She didn't move a bit as she knife bit into her skin a bit.

“Tell me young lady, what was the purpose of you trying to take my ship? What could have possessed a… blacksmith and two men to try to overpower a whole crew of pirates?” Ben says as he pulls his knife back and stands over her, looking down on her.

“Honestly if I could have gotten you alone to talk I would have asked you for assistance to get the Crimson Maiden back. The boson of the crew managed to turn everyone against their Captain and they beat the first mate. But of course, you just had to jump to conclusions.”

Ben looks down at her and then to Sirius and Argus, and then back to her.

“The Crimson Maiden? You want that ship? That would make one of you the captain,” he says, looking to the two men.

“Yeah, Sirius is, now if you don't mind, I need proper clothes seeing as the only thing that was running through your damn head was to get this thing off of me.”

“Quiet you.” He turns to Sirius and glares at him. “You are the captain of the Maiden? You are but a boy.”

“Shut up! I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you insult me and try to hurt her!” he shouts back.

“Sirius, please don't make him angry,” Arianna pleads.

“The Captain told you to be quiet,” someone behind her said before hitting her with the butt of a pistol.

At that, Sirius punched the man behind him and tackled the one who struck her, punching him in the face repeatedly. Arianna was laying on the floor of the deck, unconscious and with a small amount of blood trickling down the back of her neck. It took three men to pull Sirius off of the man, though it did little good as the man was a bloody mess. Sirius was screaming as they brought him in front of the captain, holding him still.

“You are an angry one. I guess this is why your crew cast you out,” he taunts.

“I'll kill you!” Sirius shouts. “I'll kill you for this!”

“Sirius! This is not helping!” Argus shouts at him.

A small noise came from Arianna as she shifted slightly and tried to sit up. She curses under her breath and just manages to turn her head.

“I'm bleeding aren't I?” she asks, her eyes glazed over, obviously she was dazed.

The captain walks over to her and grabs her arm, helping her sit up.

“Someone, take her to my cabin and fix her up,” he says.

Gus was quick to the task.

“Don't touch her!” Sirius shouts again.

“Boy, you are quickly getting on my nerves.”

“Sirius, it's okay. Captain Ben… please… forgive him… his crew just betrayed him and… I guess I must mean something to him.”

“Think nothing of it. He will soon learn to respect me,” Ben says.

“Just… please don't hurt him.”

“I'm sorry to say that I can't give you my word on that.”

Before she could do anything, Gus took her into the Cabin and tends to her head.

“I don't… now I'm worried as hell…” she murmurs, wincing as he cleans the wound.

“The captain is not a tyrant. He will hurt him, but he will not kill him as a tyrant would. By all likelihood, we will take all of you with us as captives,” Gus says, dabbing a wet cloth across the back of her head to clean the blood.

“Captive? Woopy-doo-da-day,” she grumbles, wincing again, “So it's the brig for us.”

“Probably… I'm sorry.”

“Yeah, sure. I hate rats, I hate being cold, and I hate the belly of the freakin' ship.”

“So then… you've been a captive before?”

She seemed to realize what she said and she looks away.

“Once when I was ten, but I don't like talking about it,” she murmurs, “Seems my family is an unlucky one.”

“Then how did you come to be with the captain of the infamous Crimson Maiden?”

“I started as a captive, but now… I don't know what I am.”

“He seems very taken by you, your captain.”

“He's not my Captain… I was never part of that ship but to make them weapons.”

She waits for him to finish what he was doing. Gus finishes by wrapping a cloth around her head.

“That should do it…” he says.

“Thanks, now… that guy is lucky that Sirius got to him before I did.”

She leans back, only to fall back and find herself lying on the bed. She goes to get back up and she found that her head starts to throb.

“Oh… crap…” she moans.

A loud scream came from outside of the cabin; Sirius's scream. She jumps to her feet and runs to the door, only, when she got it open, she collapses from dizziness. Gus walks over to her and helps her up.

“I recommend that you stay in the bed until you get rested, missy,” he says.

“B-but Sirius,” she murmurs, “Please… I want to see him.”

“I don't think that's-” He was cut off when Sirius screamed again.

Arianna covers her ears and lets out a scream herself, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I'm sorry… but you need to stay in here…” Gus mutters.

“Don't… don't fucking touch me!” she snaps, slowly sitting up before throwing her shoes off, hitting one of the pirates in the back of the head. The pirate turns and glares at her, drawing his pistol. She smirks and pulls a knife out of a thigh sheath.

“I could hit you in-between the eyes before you pulled the trigger,” she hisses, “So put it away unless you want to die.”

“Try it, whore,” the pirate says, pulling that hammer back in the pistol.

“I'M NOT A WHORE!” she shouts before throwing the knife.

The knife struck him in the chest, causing him to scream and fall over, clutching the knife. Several other pirates looked over and noticed what was going on and rushed over to her, lifting her up by the arms.

“Let me go this minute!” she shouts, though it caused her pain, “I'm not done with that bastard! He called me a fucking whore! He's a disgraceful, bad mouthed, dirty low life son of a bitch, mother fuckin' Pirate!”

One of the men backhanded her across the face to shut her up.

“Get him some help!” the other shouts. A few of the other pirates that were watching what was going one picked up the man with the knife in his chest and carried him off.

The force of the smack caused her head to snap to the side, sending a jolt of pain through her skull. Instead of shutting up, she cried out in pain and tried to get out of their grips. The two of them dragged her to the brig area, where Sirius was tied to a chair. A large pirate was standing over him with a hot iron in his hand, which would explain the various burn marks on Sirius's bare chest.

“Sirius!” she cries, jerking forward, wanting to go to him.

“This lass nearly killed one of our men,” said one of the pirates holding her.

The captain, who was sitting in a chair nearby, looks up at her.

“Did she now? Well, I suppose that warrants punishment, eh missy?” Ben asks.

“I don't care! The Bastard called me a whore!”

Ben got to his feet and walked over to her, knife in hand.

“And as you've explained before, you are not. But you still deserve to be punished. You will watch as `captain' Sirius is tortured,” he says.

After a moment, she shook her head.

“Punish me instead… seeing as this was my idea,” she says, “It was never his… he was only protecting me because he gave me his word that he would… but trying to take the ship was my plan.”