Voyage to Greener Pastures

Saffron set the map down. 

Around him were the deep sparkling waves of the aquamarine waters, glistening underneath the hot sun like thousands of diamonds. Saffron could only look at the waters for so long before his eyes ached. He did not know why he was so fond of the waters that surrounded him, perhaps because he was a pirate, and as pirates were well known for he loved treasure and anything that sparkled. Behind Saffron, around the deck was his crew. They all trudged across the pale wooden floorboards, hauling nets and other objects. 

He glanced back down on the map. According to the waters, they were on the right track. In two days' time, they would be at the Acosta Islands deep in the Indian Ocean. Saffron had a good feeling about the Acosta Islands. From the darkened corners of pubs, his first mate had heard promising tales about the riches on the islands- if anyone could get past the Sea of Sirens. 

“Captain,” a flat voice came from behind him. 

Saffron turned away from the waters and glanced down at the stairs where his first mate stood. Her white blouse fluttered in the sea winds, as well as her shining dark brown hair. A frown was present on her face, yet it never seemed to leave. Saffron could not tell if she despised everything, or in her eyes, everything was always wrong. 

“Yes, Jeanne?” He asked as he pressed his gloved hands flat on the map to keep it from flying away. 

“The crew…are beginning to have their doubts about this.” She spoke, her tone even as if it was not the first time. 

Saffron had grown used to her manner of speaking, and Jeanne never showed any emotion about anything. He liked that about her, one person who was in check with their feelings and one less person who would send him into a spiral of panic. 

He sighed, “Do they not trust their captain?” 

Jeanne straightened her back, pushing a wild lock of her hair behind her ear. Her dark green eyes flickered back to the crew below them, one rolling a barrel across. 

“They trust you, they don’t trust whoever this is.” She gestured to the roll of parchment sticking out from the front pocket of his trousers. 

“You never do business with faceless people,” she continued, “and it worries your crew.” 

“Jeanne.” Saffron stepped forward, his hand flying towards the letter. “This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Those islands- you’ll never have to scour the streets again or try living to see tomorrow’s light. I have faith in these tides.” 

“But I don’t,” Jeanne muttered under her breath. 

Saffron tried to offer her a look of encouragement, but he could feel it didn’t meet his eyes. Jeanne’s worries were not her own, he shared them with her whether he wanted to or not. Days ago, at their port, he had received an anonymous letter promising an offer he could not refuse. All he had to do was sail to the Acosta Islands, bring them an odd order, and all the treasure they could carry was theirs. 

It had sounded too good to be true. Much too simple in a world where everyone had their swords at each other's thoughts. Even as a captain, Saffron knew that he could never trust any of his crew, at least not fully. It pained him to understand that he could not bestow his full life and trust in the hands of his first mate or that she could not do the same to him. In the world of pirates, everyone was only taking care of themselves. If given the choice between his survival and the sacrifice of a member of his crew, Saffron was not ashamed to admit that he would sacrifice someone to keep himself alive. 

What did it matter if one man died so the rest could live? 

“Check on the crew,” he said, squinting his eyes in the distance behind her. “I sense a storm coming.” 

Jeanne turned away from him, making her way down the steps before shouting, “Aye!” 

The crew turned to her, “Set sail towards the windward! Batten down the hatches 'n stow flames. Put the sails down- we be ridin' through the storm.” 

“Better pray,” Saffron glanced at the now-darkening sky, watching as the grey clouds swallowed the sun. He closed his eyes for a moment and could feel the kiss of the sea. 

Gods, he thought, this better be worth it. 

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Saffron clutched the rail with one hand. Where he stood, he could see down into the deck, his crew working furiously to stay above the waters. The ship slowly climbed over the waves, only to dip back down. Saffron wiped the rain from his eyes, feeling his hair cling to his face like wet locks of seaweed. The rain poured hard on them as if the sky was weeping. 

He could hear the roar of the storm in the distance. The sails above him were closed tightly against the wooden masts. Below deck, he hoped that all the cannons were tied down. 

“Keep at it!” Jeanne shouted at the bottom of the stairs, “Storms be over soon!” 

And she was right. They pulled past the storm, sunlight beaming down on them like a welcome from the Gods. The dark clouds and angry waves stayed behind them as they pulled across the sea. Saffron allowed them a moment to holler at their success, but the storm was not the real obstacle. 

Their real problem was the ship that had waited for them on the other side. 

The Red Executioner was the only pirate crew that Saffron couldn’t stand. Their captain was as cocky as he was stupid, everything was run secretly by his first and second mate. Yet, despite the captain's stupidity, he somehow managed to walk away with the best of things, including that ship. 

Gods, Saffron loved that ship. The Red Executioner was the jewel of the ocean, with its strong beautiful masts that stood tall in the sky. He loved the dark wood that always seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. Not a barnacle clung to it, at least not in sight. And the one thing that he loved the most about it, was the statue that hung at the edge of the ship, a beautiful mermaid that held a lyre. she was covered in a gold pain, eyes as blue as the seas with a pair of sparkling sapphires. The lyre she clutched was covered in the same gold paint as she was, encrusted with shells from the sea. It was said that on quiet days at sea, you could hear the lyre being played by the wind, and at night, it held the beautiful chorus of the sea. 

Saffron would do anything to get that ship. 

Jeanne followed his gaze, spotting the small dark dot floating above the waters. Her frown had grown deeper, knowing that they were in for trouble. Their hot-headed captain wouldn’t let anyone pass his waters without a good fight. They could not afford any damage, now when they sailed into waters they had never explored before. Jeanne had advised Saffron to take extra care on the journey over, so when they hit trouble, they would be prepared. But as it seemed, their journey to the Acosta Islands did not have the intention of smooth sailing. Saffron licked his salty lips, ridding them of the ocean's tears when he shouted. 

“Be ready, lads!” He thrust his arm out towards their opposing ship. 

They quickly left to their stations, rolling out the cannons and drying off their guns. Thankfully, they did not have to worry about wet gunpowder, at least not after what happened last time. Saffron still cringed at the memory. 

He readied himself, fixing his brown tricorn hat before catching the cutlass that Jeanne tossed him. Once it was slid into its sheath, Saffron extracted his pistol, one he had nicked from his old captain. It was nothing fancy like the other captains, where theirs were covered in gold or embedded with jewels. It was a plain regular pistol that got the job done, and that was all Saffron had needed. 

A loud boom startled Saffron. His gaze shot up from the pistol to find a cloud of smoke drifting from the Red Executioner. He knew that a cannonball was buried somewhere in his ship. Roars erupted from the other boat before Saffron pointed at the ship. 

“Fire!” He bellowed. 

A loud orchestra of cannons erupting filled his ears. Saffron heard the shouts and crys from his crew as he stepped down the staircase, finding his place next to Jeanne. He watched as the ships rattled from the impact of the cannons. It didn’t take long before the pirates of the Red Executioner began to use their ropes as swings and glide through the air. They landed on Saffron’s deck without another word, brandishing their swords. 

Jeanne swung to her right, using her sword to shield her from the blow of the opposing pirate. She was instantly drawn away from Saffron and indulged in a battle of her own. His other crew members latched onto their opponents, battling with whatever they had closest to them. Saffron heard a chuckle and turned around. 

Behind him, was the caption of the Red Executioner, Benno. His dark hair was tousled from the sea wind, his skin dark from the constant time spent under the sun. 

“Caught ya by surprise, didn’t we?” He smiled down at Saffron from the steps. 

“You should know better than jumping ships,” Saffron warned. “Ya never know what could be hiding below deck.” 

Saffron ran forward, pulling out his sword before he swung it at Benno’s ankle. Benno let out a howl in pain as a large gash appeared on his skin, no doubt the sea air mercilessly biting into his injury. Benno hobbled down the stairs, swinging his cutlass blindly through the pain. Saffron stepped back, going deeper into the battle on deck. 

“Watch it!” Jeanne snarled as she shoved Saffron away from where he had almost been decapitated by a sword. 

Saffron stopped backing up and held out his sword, pointed towards Benno whose breathing had turned ragged with rage. 

“I’m gonna kill yer!” Benno roared as he pulled out his pistol from deep within his coat. 

Saffron jumped out of the way just as he fired, a pop slicing through the air. He watched as the small bullet flew through the air before loading itself into the main mast. While Benno was busy reloading, Saffron took his chance. He lunged forward, swiping his sword through the air, poised to slice away the gun. Benno dropped it instantly, reaching for his cutlass to block Saffron. 

A clang rang through the air as their cutlasses clashed. Benno pushed back Saffron, retracting his arm before making a jab. Saffron quickly stepped to the side, swinging his cutlass at Benno blocked it again. Saffron pressed his tongue in his cheek, trying to devise a plan. 

They were outnumbered, he knew now. Benno’s crew was much larger than Saffron's. He knew that while most of the crew was above the deck, fighting his own, the other portion of Benno’s crew was below, scavenging his goods. Thankfully, they had unloaded anything of value before their trip out to the islands. 

He glanced over his shoulder, blocking another hit from Benno. It seemed that his crew had completely abandoned the ship, too busy pillaging and fighting. 

And then Saffron got an idea. 

“Jeanne!” He shouted over the roar of the pirates fighting. 

She turned around to him, blocking her opponent without looking. Her eyes flickered back to them before she kicked him square in the stomach, sending him flying back against a stack of barrels. 

“Aye, Captain?” She asked. 

“Abandon ship!” He cried out, suitably pointing to the unoccupied ship next to them. 

Jeanne quickly nodded before shouting out his orders. 

“Abandoning ship are we?” Benno smiled, revealing a gap in his teeth. “I thought you were better than that, Captain Saffron.” 

“Alas, every man must admit defeat before they are truly beaten,” Saffron replied before he kicked Benno in the shins. Benno stumbled to the gourd, his cutlass falling out of his hands as he let out a groan. 

Without another thought, Saffron raced across the deck, dragging onto a rope before he swung himself across the deck and the gap between the ships. He felt the sea air pull away his hat, letting it fall into the ocean. Saffron did not mind much, he would steal another one at the next port they stopped at. When he landed on the deck of the Red Executioner, he let the rope slide out of his hands and fell back to the ship. Jeanne joined moments later, calling for the crew to join. Saffron raced up to the starboard and grabbed the steering wheel as if it had always been his. 

He smiled to himself. The smile only grew bigger when he saw the color drain away from Benno’s face. It soon turned bright red with rage as he roared at them. As soon as the rest of Saffron’s crew joined him, the ship set sail. Cheers erupted from the deck, thrusting their fists and hats. 

As they passed, Saffron pressed his two fingers to the tip of his head. When he made eye contact with the defeated Benno, he slowly tipped his fingers toward him, as if he was tipping his hat to him. 

“Bon Voyage, Benno!” He called out before letting out a cackle. 

He turned back towards the oceans his crew had never sailed to. A rush of excitement ran through his bones at the promise of a new adventure.

In the quiet air, Saffron could faintly hear it, the song of the sea. The mermaid’s lyre played a song as the wind tickled its string. He could not help but grin. It seemed that fortune was on his side. 

He had gained a new ship with more room for a bigger crew. And perhaps, after they had received the treasure, they could rule the seas entirely. With the mermaid's lyre on their boat and a large sum of treasure, Saffron could see it- he could be the king of the seas. 

“All hands on deck!” He shouted. “We set sail towards the Acosta Islands!” 

“Aye!” 

He reached down in his pocket and pulled out the map along with the letter, reading over it once more. Saffron may not know who waited for him at the islands, or what the islands held in store for them, but he knew that wherever she went with his crew, they could take on anything. Together, they would all voyage to greener pastures. 

Ah, what a pirates’ life for him.