This is a story that I had started in the seventh grade and I had hit a major roadblock with it. Now I know where I want to go and I’ve rewritten it so that it no longer looks like it was written by a, well, seventh grader. I hope you all like it! The over active imagination has a good feeling about this one.

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To Love a Pirate.

Chapter 1.

Seventeen-year-old Eleanor was sitting on a window seat in her bedroom watching The Duke of Koren’s couch pull away from her family’s villa. Her hair fell in long black lock around her shoulders and her gray eyes blazed with dislike.

She was glad the duke was gone. He had come with his son, Harold, at the beginning of that week with the soul purpose of Harold wooing her. She didn’t like Harold, he was some thing to look at, she’d admit and had a great many skills, your regular prince charming, but he was a whiney and spoiled. She didn’t like be treated as thou she were a trophy much either and that’s all he saw her as, something to be mounted on his wall.

There was a knock on her door and she turned to look.

“Come in” she called, and. Her father George came in. He wasn’t her real farther and it was that fact that kept her sane, though nobody knew that she knew.

“ Dear Eleanor, I have wonder full new!”

“ I’ll never see that pompous fool again!?” She asked cockily.

“No, don’t be silly. The duke and I have decided that you a Harold will wed.”

“ Me Marie that spoiled brat! You’d have to be joking.” She asked outraged.

“You have no say in the matter, this will put are family in better at court and we will make the public announcement in three days.” Her father turned on his heel and left the room.

Eleanor stormed around the room for a few more minutes unable to think. She new what she wanted, She wanted escape and she wanted to get out of this ridicules marriage and she wanted to get away from the prim and polish of a noble woman’s life.

She took a deep breath and started to organize her thoughts. She wanted to see how she could get out of this while hurting George the most. Now let me see, George wants me to marry the duke’s son so he can look good at court. That’s it! All I have to do is run. Oh imagine the gossip. Before I know it they’ll be saying I was beaten and gods knows what else.

“ Its perfect” she said out loud as she got out some writing things.

In her best hand writing she Wrote:

Dear mother

I know I’m adopted and that my real name Aide. I’ve decided that its time for me to find my place in the world, the real, not the nobles world. I’ll not marry just so George can look good. I’ll do it for love. I’ve had fencing and hand to hand combat training, from friends in the city. Don’t worry I can take care of my self and with luck I’ll soon be in the place I belong.

-Sincerely Aide-

She put the note on her bed and went strait to the stables. Then changed out of her gown and into the shirt and breaches she kept hidden in the hayloft. Aide satdeld her horse and rode off into the city. She knew that she’d never be back to this place and let a single tear slip from her eye for her mother.

She rode to a little pub called The Dusty Diamond, though most people just called it The Diamond.

When she walked in smoke filled inn she felt like she was coming home. The thieves and cutthroats here were more like her family then the people in the big house ever were.

Making her way to the bar she was greeted but a few thieves dividing up their night’s work and a murder cleaning blood off one of his daggers.

“Rough night?” she asked him with a smile.

“Same old, same old” He told her with a wink. Aide grinned and started forward again.

“A, Hegain you old drunk. Is Iken round?” Hegain looked up and grinned revealing some missing teeth.

“Well if it ain’t Aide! How ye been lass?” He asked, with a thick city accent.

“Terrible! George says I’m supposed to marry that filthy bastard Harold of Koren. So I came to live here for awhile.”

“ Well good fur ye lass, its ‘bout time you gave that old noble what for. Ikens in the back.” At that moment someone grab her from behind. She rammed her elbow into her assailant’s stomach; the inn was suddenly very quiet. She flipped him over her head and sat on her attackers chest. She held his arms down pinning him to the floor, their noses only inches apart. The man she was sitting on had dark hair and eyes. He was lean, tall, and muscular. Aide smiled.

“ Third time this week. Iken your getting sloppy.” Aide sighed then yelled,“Time!” A big man sitting a foot away laughed, a gold pocket watch in his hand.

“It’s a new record lass, fifteen second.” The inn erupted in cheers.

“ Ha, ha, ha good fur you,” Iken said sarcastically. “You goanna let me up?”

“ No, I’m not.” She told him primly. “You got’ a pay the toll.” Aide told him grinning and then she did let him get up. Everyone stared yell at once and her heart swelled with the sense of belonging.

She didn’t hear all that was said but she did catch things like… “ Come on boy…Pay up…don’t be cheap…How come he always gets the good tolls!”

Iken heard the last one and yelled with his hand placed dramatically on his chest “Its because I’m so damn pretty, my dear aide just can’t help herself. I have that effect on women, it’s a curse really.”

“ Oh really.” she said crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t worry yourself, all those other women who are drawn to me mean nothing. My heart will always belong to you.” He was grinning like an idiot but then, he usually looked like that when he was talking about his non-existent followers.

Iken pulled her in close to him and kissed her sweetly, one arm around her waist and the other hand fisted in her hair. That brought on another bout of whoops and laughter.

“Hegain that was the best toll I’ve paid yet,” he told the barkeep. “Drinks fur every one.” There was another, louder, whoop.

“Aide! Iken! Over here!” Came a familiar voice from the back.

They made there way over to the table in the corner and sat down. The one how had called to them was an elf tall and lean with dark blond hair and blue eyes.

He was fleck. Sitting next to him was a black haired thief krew with a falcon named Sheba perched on his shoulder.

Krew was slim and his eyes were fog gray. Aide took a deep breath of satisfaction. She was safe for now and she could trust her friends to help.

“Aide? How come Iken gets all the good tolls?” Fleck asked, grinning.

Aide looked at the table and shook her head sadly. “Because I’ve beaten him so many times he has nothing left to pay me with, poor lad.” She looked up at them and turned serious. “You guys, I’m in trouble.”

“How? Is their anything we can do?” asked Krew suddenly concerned.

“Maybe.” She said, really hoping they could.

“Well tell us ye situation.” Krew told her and Aide smiled, proceeding to tell them about her “problem”.

“Any ideas?” Aide asked when she was finished.

“Well ye can’t go back, that’s fur sure. ” Fleck told her and she nodded her agreement.

“And you wont be safe here for more than a few days. George ‘ill tear the city apart look’en fur ye.” Krew said fingering with his medallion. It was the first thing he had stolen and he treasured it.

“What if we get a ship and sail away?” Iken said, suddenly excited. “We could go to Pirate Island and start over. Find a pub and sit in a corner, drink, and do what we want.”

Aide smiled, “That sounds suspiciously like what we do here.”

“No,” Iken sighed, grinning. “It’s very different.”

“How?” She asked.

“It just is. Don’t you trust me?” he asked her.

“No.” They all said at once.

“ You know what? That hurt.” Iken said, pretending to be troubled. “I don’t want to talk to you guys any more.”

“Well I like it!” Fleck side thumping his fist on the table.

“ Except for Fleck.” Iken said giving the elf a knuckle punch.

“ Best thing Iken’s said all year.” Krew put in handing Sheba a piece of cheese, which she took happily.

“ That not true,” Aide said “Don’t you remember …ahh…never mind, your right.”

“Nobody appreciates me anymore.” Iken said shaking his head.

“You’ll be alright.” Krew told him cheerfully.

The group made their plans quickly after that and they went to work. They wanted to sail as soon as possible.

Fleck and Iken were going to the docks to barrow a ship, while Krew and Aide went to purchase privations. Some of the older thief’s and cutthroats that were retiring to the island had volunteered to act as their crew. Aide was a favorite at the inn and nobody wanted to see her trapped in a bad marriage.

The plan was that Aide and Krew would buy a cart loud of provisions than meet their crew one mile north of town in a secluded cove. Iken and fleck would pick a ship ready to sail, wait till dark, and with the help of an accomplished assassin, highjack the ship. Then they were to pick up the others then sail south and west and on to Pirate Island.

Iken and fleck walked up the docks with Faygone, the assassin, looking for a good ship. The chosen ship was called The Ghost; she was fast, silent, and belonged to Harold. Looking at Harold’s pride and joy Iken grinned.

“Faygone, she’s perfect I do believe we’ll take her.” He said, eyes glinting.

“You sure you want the ghost? Harold ‘ill have the guard after you quick as he can…”

“Harold and I have the same interested, this is the ship I want take my Aide away in, so she’ll never have to worry about noble things again.” Fleck put his hands on the men’s shoulders.

“ I just saw the man guarding the ship pass out. It’s time to work.”

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There I hope you all like the first chapter. Thanks for reading, please tell me what you think. )