Riana: Female Pirate Part 1

Riana: Pirate Queen
Chapter I
Of Sailors and Street Rats

Riana Atwater, a child of the streets of Tesser. A thriving port city, it was a place where you would come to expect seeing the likes of her. If you paid enough mind to look, you would see a child ranging in age from four or five to their early teens on nearly all street corners. If they were lucky to survive until their mid-teens, they often took the theft and other petty crimes to get by. All were part of some gang. If you did not join one, then your fate was sealed. Riana stood in the rags that passed as her clothes, staring out at the rain from under the eaves of one of the many local pubs. There were two others her age waiting –one in a nearby alley, she and the third at either end of the building. They were waiting for only one thing, and it wasn’t for the rain to stop. Through experience, they had learned that this was a good place to find a sailor who had just been paid, but was often drunk enough to not be able to hold on to what remained of his money after leaving. Sometimes though, it required a good deal of waiting before one that would be easy to take came out.

Soon, their patience paid off. A man in his early twenties, or even late teens, stumbled out and leaned heavily on the doorframe before pushing himself onto the street. They let him stumble down the road, following from the shadows. When he nearly tripped over his own feet and stopped, looking around him, the smallest of the three of them walked up to him. “This yer first time in Tesser, m’ster?” the boy asked. He looked up at the man through dripping hair.

“Wha d’you wan’?” the man slurred, looking down and nearly falling over.

“We can show you one o’ the best places to stay,” Riana said, coming up next to him and putting on her best good-girl face. “It’s a favorite with sailors like’n yourself. Although I c’n’t imagine why…” She pretended to look thoughtful while the last member of their small group approached his other side.

“You know, it’s where a man can get a room and a girl,” he whispered it as near the man’s ear as he could get. Riana pretended not to hear. Needless to say, that got the man’s attention.

“Al’righ then, where is this place?” the man said. He was definitely unsteady on his feet. The three children herded him to the next alley and down it far enough they were hidden from the street. ‘It’s the back-way,’ the youngest explained when he asked. Being drunk as he was, he didn’t once question why he was letting children in filthy clothes lead him down a dark alley in the middle of the night while it was raining. Simply the fact that they were so obviously living on the streets would have had any other man on his guard by the time they approached him. They took him all the way to the end of the alley. They had chosen this location because it was a dead-end. The oldest boy gave a small nod to the younger one who darted in front of the man and tripped him. He was so drunk that when he hit the ground, he didn’t move; he didn’t struggle either, when Riana sat on his back and began rummaging through his pockets. By the time she had found what remained of his pay, he had passed out. She handed it to the boy who tripped him to hold. The boy was also standing watch. She then assisted the other as he stripped the man of his coat, shoes and shirt. Riana carried the coat, the little boy carried the money and the older took the shoes.

They left the alley and hurried down the street, intent on getting back to their kip. In their haste to return with their loot, they had overlooked one of the first things to be learned on the streets. Always keep an eye on your surroundings. They missed the men standing outside the bar door and didn’t know they had been followed until it was too late. The one who was leading the men reached down and grabbed Riana by the hair.

“We thinks this looks like our mate, Reilley’s stuff. Don’t we, boys?” This was met with an ‘ay’ from each of the men who followed him. “We be wondering how you came by his coat and shoes.”

“Lemme go you bastard!” Riana yelled in way of a reply.

“Bastard, eh? You’re definitely one to be talking, you piece of street filth!”

“Let go of her, or we’ll-” the older started.

“Or you’ll what?” There was a dim glint as he produced what was unmistakably a pistol and put its muzzle up against Riana’s head. “Street filth like you aren’t even worth one of the laces of them there shoes. Now, we know Reilley’s got a bit of a drinking problem, but that ain’t no excuse for robbin’ ‘im. I think we’ll just have to take this girl as a girl’s worth more’n a boy is.”

The older boy went to say something but Riana got there first. “Luke, take Jeremiah back to th’ kip an’ tell the other’s what’s happened. I c’n fend for myself and I’m sure you’ll find me ‘fore anything bad happens.”

“You shut up,” the man said, using the butt of the gun to hit her with. Its rough steel opened a short set of parallel scratches on her temple.

“But-”

“Jus’ go!”

“I told you to shut up!” he hit her again, adding another couple scratches. They were deep enough and blood mixed with rainwater and began to run down her face. It was obvious she would have an impressive bruise soon. The boy, Luke, took Jeremiah’s hand and towed him down the street and into the first alley that didn’t have a dead-end. “Now, why don’t you tell us where you left Reilley, eh?” He pulled her head back and held his face down close to hers. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of his breathe. When she didn’t say anything, he shook her and put his mouth next to her ear. “No matter, we saw where you three came from. If you’ll look behind us, you can see Jim coming back, and if you look at the man he’s got with ‘im, you’ll see it’s Reilley.

“Lemme go!” Riana shouted when he took his face away but he ignored her.

“What do you plan on doing with ‘er, Ross? The captain wont let ‘er aboard and we’ve got to be back by dawn to help with the new cargo.”

“Ye think I don’t know?”

“I know wha’ you wan’ to do with me, and it’s illegal! Ain’t sailors from those war-ships s’posed to be men o’ the law?”

“I’ll have you know that’s only when we’re on duty, and right now we’re not. As long as no one knows, it’s all perfectly fine. Besides, no one would trust a piece of filth like you anyway.”

Despite the sharp wit that living on the streets had given her, she was beginning to feel that she wouldn’t be able to find a way out of this one. Everyone knew how dangerous it was to be a girl and live on the streets. It was even dangerous for a lone female to go walking. Not only were there now five men and one incapacitated man, but at least one of them was armed. She would have been at a disadvantage if it had only been one, but with three, her odds were all but completely hopeless. She knew the boys couldn’t be at the kip yet, and chances were, they would be long gone before anyone got back to where they had made their mistake. She stood no chance simply breaking away or waiting for help. She easily took up the act she had used many times while standing on a street corner, trying to get a coin or scrap of food from passerby.

“C’mon, lemme go!” She got her eyes to start watering by thinking of anything sad she could remember. The time the youngest member of the gang had died of fever, when her parents had died, the time not six months ago her little sister had been killed in a small skirmish with another gang. When her older brother had gotten shot in the head during a night similar to this when a robbery went bad, it’s what she thought of any time she had to get someone to take some sympathy in her miserable excuse of a life. It didn’t work and she began to struggle. “If you really are good men o’ th’ law, then I’m sure you could find it in yer hearts to let a poor girl with nothing to her name go.” Now the tears were coming for real, and she was getting scared.

The rain was beginning to let up, but that didn’t do anything to help her situation. Being early in the spring, it was still cold at night and the rain always brought a damp that took days to go away. It had soaked through not only the stolen coat but the rags she wore underneath. All she wanted now was to get back to the kip so she could get a little warmer and sleep.

“There ain’t no way we’re lettin’ you go.” Ross told her with a shake. “Maybe if yer lucky, we’ll leave you in the care of a nice woman who’ll give you a warm bed and more food than you can imagine right now, but that’s only if you behave.” He emphasized the last word with another shake and turned to face the rest of the men. “C’mon, we’re going. Olsen, you got the room reserved down at the inn?”

“Ay, sir,” the man known as Olsen said with some pride in his voice “even got a bit of a discount on it, if she’s willing for some work afterwards.”

“Good.” He shifted his hand from Riana’s hair to her neck and steered her in front of himself as he walked back up the street. Riana’s mind was still working at a feverish pace trying to find some way she could get out of it. She kept coming back to if they hadn’t been so careless on their first night out without one of the older members it wouldn’t have happened like it had and they would all be back at the kip soon so they could sleep and use the money they got to get something good to eat the next day. The scent of salt in the air got stronger as they neared the docks and she began to see that her situation was getting pretty hopeless. The farther they got from the kip, the less likely it was that anyone would find her in time. “Time?” Ross asked when he stopped them within sight of the docks.

“Only 10:30,” one of the men replied.

“Took longer than expected; I wanted to be here no later than ten. Go find yourselves some fun, I’ll take the girl for myself. Don’t be late, the captain won’t stand for it and we couldn’t let our good names get tarnished, could we now?” This got a low laugh out of the men. They knew that that had no good names, as far as what they did on leave from the ship was concerned. Possible the only good names they had left were the ones the put on as a front for their families. Without further encouraging, the men left and headed down various streets. Reilley was carried back down to the docks. His helper would go on to have whatever fun her could find once he deposited the man at the ship.

“Now then, you’re coming with me,” Ross said to Riana. He began walking to wherever his destination happened to be and she put up as much of a fight as she could. It wasn’t doing her very much good as her captor merely tightened his grip and continued on his way. When a voice stopped them, Riana decided that if she ever got back to her kip, she was going to always keep an eye on whatever might be behind her.

“Excuse me, but what might you be up to?” The voice sounded somewhat refined. From experience, Riana knew that people like that very rarely showed any interest in people like herself.

“Why might you be asking? A sailor’s business is usually kept to himself and his crew. I don’t believe that you serve on the Contessa Maria with me.”

“Quite right, I do not. I am only a captain’s steward. I was merely curious as to why a man with a station such as your own would be troubling himself with a child of the streets.”

“Like I said, a sailor’s business is his own business. Men from other ships should keep ‘is nose out o’ it. Perhaps if you tell me the captain you serve or why you are showing such an interest in my affairs, I will tell you something.” Ross turned some so he could see the man he was conversing with. He attempted to keep Riana facing the opposite way, but she struggled enough so she could not only see the stranger, but he could see her as well. His expression was impassive.
“Very well, I serve Aidan Cassidy aboard the Sapphire Rose.”

“Of course; I should have known one such as you, who cannot keep out of another’s affairs, would be sailing with one such as him. His name is well known in the fleet. Unfortunately, he operates just inside the law; otherwise I would arrest you on charges of piracy. You still are wondering what I’m doing? I suppose I could tell you.”

“Actually, you can save yourself the breath. Sir, have you finished your business here?” Riana managed to turn her head enough to see a second man standing behind them. What was with people coming up behind her tonight? Usually, she was more careful than this.

“I was, but it would seem something has come up. I am beginning to think that this sailor does not know his place. For ‘one such as him,’ a captain should be treated with respect. While you can arrest neither of us, we can have you charged with adultery, I doubt that would go over very well with those you serve.”

Ross swore, using several words that Riana made sure to remember for later. They had a ring that the curses she had thus far learned did not. With a shove, he released her. Surprised by this, she stumbled a few steps before falling to her knees. He turned sharply and stared off back the way they had came. Riana scrambled to her feet and tried to hurry off to find her way back to her kip when the captain stopped her.

“Not even a proper thanks for the one who just saved you from a fate even worse than living on the streets?”

“Why did you bother yourself with someone like me?” she demanded. The captain gave a small chuckle before replying.

“I used to be in the same position as you. Look at me now. Alexander, do you think we might be able to use an extra hand?”

“We could always use an extra hand, sir.”

“Well, then. How about I make you an offer?”

“I can’t take no jobs wi’ out the rest o’ the gang’s ok and they gotta get some money too.”

“I can arrange that. In fact, I could escort you back to your kip, in the morning, or course, to talk to them.”

“Why should I trust you?” It was true. Something that would get her out of this and even give the rest of the gang something would be nice… but the caution she learned from life on the streets still had more say.

“I will give you a warm meal and bed, as well as a safe night’s sleep.” He then did something that surprised her a little. “On me honor as a one-time fellow gang member on the very streets o’ this here town.”

“Fine. Promise you’ll take me to the gang tomorrow?”

“Ay.”

The two led her to a ship tied a little ways from the rest of them. The crew was ordered to leave her be, a meal was prepared and she was given a room that any passengers they might carry could use. Almost right after she ate, against her better judgment, she fell into the bed and was asleep before she hit the pillow.