from the water we rise

Viola’s entire life and future now lay in the hands of Rhaella, the captain of the ship she had chosen when her moment had finally arrived. She hadn’t expected a female captain of the ship, and perhaps a part of her had not expected for the captain, whomever that may have been, to give her the opportunity to explain. Viola was by no means able to breathe easy just yet, her eyes nervously watching the intimidating woman beside her, tracking the way her fingers ran through her hair. Viola had come to terms a long time ago how she noticed things such as the way a woman smiled, or played with her hair. Things that she never noticed about men, which was one of the deciding factors in Viola’s escape: she couldn’t stay and marry a man whom she would never love. Hearing that Rhaella would give her a chance Viola felt like she could breathe, a fleeting, grateful smile crossing her face before she realized that may be construed as weakness. “Thank you. I will prove to you that I can do it.” Viola had no other choice. She followed the captain without question, trying not to make eye contact with the men looking at her in disdain, or like she was a piece of meat. Viola could only imagine what their thoughts were, not having women at their disposal for long periods of time. But she held her head high, watching Rhaella with interest when she brought up sleeping arrangements. “If I’m not with the men then where will I be staying?”

“I have a few cabins that the women in my crew use. I have one open and it’s yours if you’d like it. Unless you’d rather stay below deck with the men?” She offered as she led the other woman towards the upper decks and the room that was empty. Rhaella saw the way her crew looked at the new comer. They didn’t get to see beautiful women often and she knew what they must be thinking. She also knew though that they wouldn’t touch the girl if they wanted to keep their heads. The captain didn’t tolerate rape and had made no hesitations in proving that in the past. “Ignore them. They won’t touch you and if one does you will tell me immediately. I will take care of it. Well of course unless it’s wanted touch.” She promised as they reached the door to Viola’s sleeping quarters. “It’s not very big but it’s only for sleeping so it will do.” She opened the door to show the other woman. “My quarters are there across the way if you ever need anything.” There was a double meaning in her words, though she wasn’t sure if Viola would pick up on them. Women had always been Rhaella’s interest, which had only been fueled by the fact that she had been raised in a whore house. It had made her hate men and appreciate women even more. “So what exactly has this friend of yours taught you?”

Viola held her breath, her heart pounding so fast that she was sure it would jump right out of her chest. There was a very real possibility that the captain would not take kindly to a stowaway and just pitch her overboard, leaving her to the sharks. Or perhaps she would let her crew handle her, string her up and torture her before sending her overboard. Viola had heard horror stories about pirates. Ironically, it had only made her want to join them. As the man grabbing her arm in a vice-like grip suggested throwing her over the ship Viola struggled, pulling hard to get away from him. She didn’t know where she’d go surrounded by ocean water, but anything would be better than being manhandled. When the captain said to let her go Viola could have kissed her in gratitude. Viola snatched her arm back, rubbing the sore skin as she followed the captain to the edge of the ship. From what she could tell the woman was not angry, something that confused her and made her all the more wary. Perhaps she was luring Viola in only to pitch her overboard herself. “No,” Viola admitted, nervously eyeing the captain as she tried to make her case. “But i have been practicing. A friend of mine, he taught me how to rig a ship. And I am sure that I can do whatever you need me to.” Viola paused, looking out toward the endless blue as if she was looking for any sign of the home she’d left behind. “I cannot go back.”

The captain didn’t generally make habits of letting stowaways stay on her ship, but she also didn’t see the need to throw the girl overboard. Not as of now anyways. If anything she could just let her stowaway off at the next port but who knew how long that would take. By then she could probably have taught the girl everything she need know. Rhaella ran fingers through her windblown hair as she thought about what she should do. After a moment she turned her gaze from the water to the girl next to her, her voice stern as she spoke. “You can stay for now. If I do not think you’re learning fast enough or you because a burden I will be rid of you. Whether that will be when we next make port or at sea will depend on your actions.” She looked the girl over as she spoke. It was hard to tell by looking at her if she’d have much potential but she wasn’t one to judge someone before truly getting to know them, not when it came to her crew anyways. The girl was beautiful though, that she could certainly see, and a part of Rhaella toyed with the idea of suggesting that if this new girl really wanted something to do she could help keep her bed warm. She was sure Viola wasn’t here for that though so she kept her thoughts to herself. Pushing away from the railing Rhae led the other girl down some steps and towards the cabins. “I’ll show you where you will stay. I won’t put you down in the hold with the men. Then we’ll get to work and see what you know.”

A moment Viola had been planning for months had seemingly come and gone in a flash, leaving her to deal with the part of the plan she hadn’t thought quite as much about. For months, ever since she was informed of her arranged betrothal to a vile man she had planned her escape, the thought stemming from her fascination with watching the ships in the port coming and going. It had taken her months to calculate just how she would sneak onto a ship dressed in men’s clothing, how she would hide below deck among barrels and wait for the ship to set sail, leaving her home behind. It was when she had managed to pull off the elaborate plan of seeking adventure and taking control of her own life that she realized she did not know what to do next. How would she make herself known? How would she address the captain? But before she could come up with that plan a few crew members had different ideas, finding her and roughly tugging her from her hiding spot as they dragged her above deck. “Let go of me,” Viola bit, eyes like fire as she struggled against their grip to break free. When she was brought before the captain her heart nearly stopped altogether but she held her composure, standing up straight as she met the woman’s eye. “Viola,” she answered, voice wavering ever so slightly as she tried to slow her pounding heart. “I wish to join your crew.” 

Rhaella was no stranger to having women on her crew. She had a few on board even now, but usually she chose powerful women to captain her other vessels. The woman loved putting other women in a position of power, making men bend to their will. But it also made things harder for her. Putting women in charge meant they had to work harder to gain respect, since they were of course the lesser sex. That saying had always made Rhae laugh. To think that men really thought that women were weaker than them really was quite hilarious. Unfortunately though she couldn’t see that changing anytime soon and she really didn’t mind having to prove herself. She had gotten quite good at it as had all the women on her crew. Her second laughed when the girl spoke, clasping her arm a little harder. “Shall I throw her over?” He inquired, ready to do anything his captain asked of him. “Relax, Mikael. Let her go. Walk with me, Viola.” The brunette commanded as she turned and walked away, having no doubts that the other would follow. “You have a very funny way of trying to join my crew. Talking to me at the dock might have sufficed.” She said, looking over at Viola as she reached the side of the ship, her hands grabbing hold of the railing before looking out over the sea. “Have you ever helped man a ship before?”