#kai nelson

The song started up; most of the crew sang loudly and a bit off-key, but it was such good fun that soon Y/N herself joined in. The song went something like this:

Once upon a time down the Athenae line

Lived a princess known as Mindy

She loved to read books and gave suitors odd looks

As all of them were odd, strange, and spindly

One day the girl found a freshwater pearl

Down the stream outside the old forest

A dragon came by and away he did fly

To his cave a little out northwest

Mindy in his claws and not in his jaws

Was quite thankful to be in one piece

The dragon, however, did not seem to gather

His house guest did not feel at peace

He offered her biscuits and poured her tea

From a porcelain pot which was heating

Then he revealed he had not come to steal

A maiden for the purpose of eating

The dragon loved books, every kind of tome

He read each one with delight

The issue here was he had no one else

To read them with him at night

The princess felt hope well up in her soul

There may be a way out of this yet

“Come back with me please, to our library,

I have always wanted a pet.”

The dragon went back to the castle with haste

Mindy safe in his arms

A quite great librarian he did make

He had knowledge, wit, and charm

As far as I know, they are both still there

Reading volumes and tomes that excite

Would you come down to Athenae’s shores

With the promise of a story tonight?

The crew would have sang the entire tune, were it not for the fact that Y/N had joined in. Pretty soon the entire crew was staring at her. Y/N blinked, trailing off.

“Am I that bad?” Y/N asked quietly.

Kai came up from behind; he went to put a hand on her shoulder, then seemed to think better of it. He cleared his throat. Y/N turned to face him.

“Your voice is enchanting,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“…Thank you?” Y/N said with uncertainty.

“I mean it in a literal sense, Miss Y/N. You are a mermaid, and that comes with significant alterations, some of which, evidently, retain themselves even in your human form.”

Y/N said nothing. What alterations could he possibly be talking about?

“Siren song!” Kai said, “goodness, do you know nothing about your own species?”

“Technically it’s not my species,” Y/N mumbled.

“All the same,” Kai said, “perhaps you might refrain from singing for a bit.”

“Your voice is very lovely though, Miss Y/N!” Jodocus called.

Y/N smiled a little at that. Tarius was about to start the song up again when waves the size of small hills began to crash against the hull of the ship. They seemed to be rippling out from one location. Everyone rushed to the railing to check.

“Captain,” Adriana started slowly, “you don’t suppose it could be a- STARS ABOVE!”

The ship nearly capsized from the force of the wave that overtook it. A giant form had burst through the surface. It looked like a woman the size of a great tower, only this woman had compound eyes that caught the moonlight from every angle as they peered down at Calypso’s Wrath. Her skin was like armor, with every color of the rainbow rippling across it. Her hands held the shape of great claws, and as she continued to rise from the water, one could see that her body had no legs. Rather, everything below her waist was the exact, albeit enlarged, anatomy of a peacock mantis shrimp.

“I knew we shouldn’t have crossed this stretch of sea,” Kai muttered, then, loudly, “all hands! Prepare to defend the vessel! We’ll not go down without a fight!”

As the crew sprang into action all around her, Y/N stared up into the creature’s enormous eyes. The creature caught her gaze.  Her clawed hand curled into a fist. The mast of the ship cracked in two as she punched it with frightening speed. Someone fell out of the crow’s nest. She caught him in her palm, then held him to her mouth. Y/N looked away as his screams were cut off with a terrible crunch.

The harpoons the crew fired did nothing against her armor. The cannonballs bounced off of her and sank to the depths below. If the ship took any more damage, well, Y/N would have a chance at survival, being a mermaid and all, but the crew would almost certainly not. If they were not devoured by the monster, they would certainly drown.

Y/N’s mind blazed alight with the kindling of an idea. Without a moment’s hesitation, she tore off her boots and trousers.

“Y/N, are you mad?” Kai called, “Exposing yourself to the beast is not going to calm it!”

The wood of the ship’s railing threatened to push its splinters into the soles of Y/N’s bare feet. Thinking about this any further would surely dissuade her from going through with it, so without a moment’s pause, she jumped.

Her gills and fins greeted her the moment her head splashed under the surface. She made a bee-line for the sea monster. She was easy enough to find, even in the dark of night. The moonlight bounced off of her armored shrimp’s tail in a spectacle of underwater vibrancy.

Her head popped up above the water, right in front of the creature. Y/N wasn’t really sure how to go about this, so she just sang the first words that came into her head.

“Please leave,” she sang in a single crisp high note, “please leave us alone~”

It wasn’t the best melody, but it did get the creature’s attention.

“Yes, I’m talking to you~” Y/N sang, louder now, “please go back to wherever you came from~”

The creature fell still and silent, as did the whole ship.

She noticed the crew member from the crow’s nest hanging limply from the monster woman’s mouth.

“And also release the human you tried to eat~”

The creature spat him out.

“Ah!” she almost lost concentration, “I mean, please put him back onto the ship, nicely~”

The woman picked him up with an unnatural gentleness and deposited him on the deck.

“No go away please please please please please~”

The woman turned and dived down underwater, her tail splashing behind her and leaving a great wake. Y/N yelped and swam diagonally in hopes of evading the armored shrimp tail. She felt a flash of pain as the tip made contact with her scales, but she was more worried about getting back onboard Calypso’s Wrath.

“Hey!” she called, waving her arms, “a little help!?”

Adriana blinked rapidly; Nalani, the boatswain, shook her head a few times. Both women threw down a rope ladder.

“Guys, you can’t expect me to climb that,” Y/N said, lifting her fins out of the water.

“Sit on the rungs, and we’ll pull you up!” Nalani called.

Now that was a better plan. Y/N perched herself on the closest rung as Adriana and Nalani hauled her up onto the deck. As they pulled, Y/N felt a slight dizziness come over her.

Once safely onboard, Kai knelt by her side.

“Y/N-” he said, urgency evident in his tone.

“Don’t mention it,” Y/N said, “I would’ve done it for anyone, really.”

“Lay down,” he said, taking a dagger from his belt.

A flash of fear pierced Y/N’s heart. Was he about to kill her over the siren song thing!?

“Captain Nelson, I didn’t mean any harm-” Y/N tried, blinking slowly.

“You’re hurt,” Kai said as he dragged the blade across his shirt.

“What?”

Y/N followed his gaze. A great gash in her tail was spilling red in pulsating intervals. It stained the deck below them and filled the air with a metallic scent.

“But…”

It was getting difficult to think. A fog had settled over her mind, and it refused to budge. She lost the ability to hold herself up, and she braced for impact. Someone caught her from behind and lowered her the rest of the way down to the deck, slowly and carefully.

“Get Silas!” Kai barked.

“But the man in the crow’s nest…he’s the hurt one…” Y/N mumbled.

“He’s been seen to,” Kai said, “he will live. Quickly, won’t you tell me how you came up with your song?”

“My song?” she slurred.

“Yes.” Kai bound her tail with torn strips of white fabric, “I want every detail.”

“I…I was…thinking…”

Y/N blinked.

A slap tore across her face.

“Owwww,” she whined.

“You mustn’t sleep now,” Kai went on, “you were telling me of the melody.”

“…I made it up…”

“Did a particular melody inspire you? Y/N? Y/N!”

…

Y/N was out cold on the deck, and Kai’s torn shirt was pink against her tail. Silas skidded to a halt beside him, medical bag in hand.

“Bring her inside the cabin,” Silas said.

Kai swept Y/N up into his arms, one hand under her tail and the other against her back. He rushed her inside his quarters, the medic right behind him.

Silas opened his bag and produced a bottle of clear liquid and a clean cloth.

“Hold her still should she wake,” Silas said.

As soon as the wetted cloth made contact with the gash, Y/N’s body seized up. Kai held her securely against the chaise cushions, despite her whimpers and hoarse screams. She thrashed in place, her tail trying to kick up and out of Silas’ reach.

“How much longer?” Kai demanded.

“I am going as swiftly as I dare,” Silas said, “I promise, I am only trying to help her.”

Y/N’s eyes fluttered as her body fell still. It twitched in response to every stitch Silas pulled through the gash, with little cries escaping her until the wound had been closed.

“What will this mean for her human form?” Kai asked.

“Do not let her transform back!” Silas said quickly, “I do not know how much worse the damage will be to her legs than it already is to her tail. Keep her damp by any means necessary, but do not soak the wound.”

Silas washed his hands in a nearby basin, then closed his medical bag.

“Will she be all right?” Kai asked quietly.

A long pause stretched between them. Mango let out a few shrill chirps.

“…I cannot say for sure,” Silas said.

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VGEN

Y/N watched this go down from within the captain’s quarters. Mango sat on her shoulder, preening himself without a care in the world. She saw the Ambrion Navy swing over to Calypso’s Wrath, swords drawn. The fight was on, and it was vicious. She saw Kai, Adriana, Nalani, Cosan, Tarius, and even Jodocus lock into battle with various opponents. Cipriano came running out, wielding a cast iron pan like a club. She winced as it clanged against someone’s head.

She glanced at her own sword at her waist. Kai had told her to stay inside the cabin, but it felt… wrong to just hide away while the others risked their lives and freedom while she did nothing.

She made up her mind. She rushed out just as Kai threw someone overboard. Mango took flight from her shoulder; this ride was getting too bumpy. She rushed forward, blocking a man’s blade from coming down on Kai’s back.

Kai whirled around.

“I told you to stay inside!” he barked.

She ignored him, pretending not to hear over the clamor. The man engaged her, swinging and thrusting with a rapidity that made her dizzy. Kai had only been teaching her swordplay for a few months, and this man seemed to have lived by the sword his whole life.

He continued to push her into a defensive position. Her back hit the railing, and she stole a glance at the water below. Drowning wouldn’t be an issue, but a mermaid tail would certainly draw unwanted attention.

“You should’ve listened to your captain,” the man sneered.

The knife in his back pushed all the air from his lungs. His eyes went wide as saucers before Kai pushed him overboard. He held out a hand to Y/N.

“Cabin,” he ordered, “now.”

She took his hand. He led her through the fray, ducking and weaving between blades and men.

He threw open the door and shoved her inside.

“I’ll get you when it’s safe,” he promised.

He never got the chance to close the door. The captain of the Ambrion vessel held his blunderbuss to the side of Kai’s head.

“I’m afraid safety is beyond your reach, Nelson,” the man said.

Kai glared, cursing under his breath. The man gripped his arm like a vice and fired a shot into the air.

The fighting stopped at once.

“Unless you want to see your leader become food for the bottom-feeders, I suggest you drop your weapons.”

“Let him do it!” Kai shouted, “don’t give him the satis-”

The barrel forcing its way into his mouth stopped any further orders from the captain.

Adriana locked eyes with Y/N, whose face burned red with shame. Adriana scowled at the naval officer, but dropped her sword all the same. It fell to the deck with a clatter.

The rest of the crew followed suit. A cacophony of metal on wood assaulted Y/N’s ears. The captain smiled.

“Round them up, men! This time tomorrow, the empire will have one less rabble of pirates to worry about.”

…

Y/N wouldn’t meet anyone’s gaze as she and the rest of the crew were arranged in a line. The naval captain took his time analyzing each one. When he got to Y/N, he tilted her chin up with the tip of his dagger.

“Pretty little thing,” he remarked, “I was wondering why someone like the captain of Calypso’s Wrath would keep such a weak link on his vessel.”

She chanced a look at Kai, who had murder in his eyes. Two lower-ranking officers held him back.

“You all will make a fine example to the colonies of Ambrion,” the captain said, retracting his dagger, “you will serve to show what happens to anyone who dares to engage in the heinous crime of piracy.”

As the captain went to approach Kai, Y/N heard a fluttering of feathers above her. Mango perched himself on a length of rope overlooking the scene.

Someone pushed something cool and sharp into her hand. Adriana gave her a “hurry up” sort of look. Her hands were clasped behind her back, but they were devoid of any bindings.

Y/N took the arrowhead and sawed through the ropes. Once free, she passed it on to the next pirate.

The naval captain was still going on about justice and crime and his brilliance; he just had his dagger up against Kai’s throat when Mango swooped.

He grabbed the dagger in his talons, dropping it into Y/N’s hand. All the officers turned to stare at her. Adriana rolled her eyes and snatched the knife out of her grip.

“Stupid bird,” she muttered, and then, louder, “now!”

Jodocus headbutted the soldier on one side, while Nalani punched the man on the other side. They went down. Mango descended upon the guard responsible for the confiscated weapons, scratching and biting and making quite a fuss.

The pirates followed the bird, grabbing their weapons and taking the soldiers head-on.

Kai laughed at the sight, then swiped a sword from a soldier’s scabbard. He stabbed him in the side and pushed him overboard.

“I never thought I would say this.” He grabbed Y/N by the arm and pulled her close, “but I love that bird!”

Mango flew above the commotion.

“Bilge Blighter!” he squawked happily.

Kai’s joy was replaced by mild annoyance. Y/N couldn’t help but giggle.

“Can’t you teach it to call me something nicer?” he asked, kicking a man in the gut.

“It’s better than what he had been calling you,” Y/N pointed out, “he had been calling you a pigeon-livered b-”

“Do not finish that!”

…

The remaining Ambrion soldiers sailed away with what was left of their ship.

“Good riddance!” Kai shouted, waving his hat, “may you have a tedious return to your coward’s port!”

“And thank you ever so much for the supplies!” Adriana called over her shoulder.

She and Nalani were taking inventory of everything they had stolen off the ship. This would set them up for at least a month!

While the rest of the crew took their pick of the wealth, Y/N hid in the captain’s quarters once more. She hugged herself while Mango nibbled on a strand of her hair.

She turned when the door opened. Kai entered with an expensive-looking bottle and two crystal glasses.

He set everything on the table. He moved her hair aside and gave her a peck on the cheek. Mango did not like this at all and proceeded to fluff himself up and chirp angrily at him. Kai put his hands up in surrender.

Mango huffed one last time and flew into his cage. Kai turned Y/N to face him.

“Whatever is the matter?” he asked, “no one is badly hurt, and the victory is ours.”

“I know…”

A look of concern flashed across Kai’s features.

“Are you injured, Y/N?”

“No,” Y/N said.

Kai said nothing in hopes that Y/N would fill the silence with an explanation. She looked anywhere but at him. He took her chin in his hand and tilted it up, much like the naval captain had, only Kai’s touch was gentle and warm, not at all like the harsh, cold metal of a dagger’s point.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m not a pirate,” Y/N finally said.

“I don’t know how to tell you this, my love, but if you’re not a pirate by now, then you’re well on your way to becoming one.”

“No, I mean. I’m not… a fighter. I’m not tough like Adriana, or strong like Jodocus, or a good swordsman like you. I just get in the way. I’m… I’m a weak link.”

Kai’s jaw set.

“You are more valuable than all the gold on this ship. Who put these thoughts in your head?”

“No one,” Y/N said.

“It was that saphead naval captain wasn’t it?”

Y/N’s silence confirmed it. Kai’s lips were pressed into a thin line.

“I should’ve killed him when I had the chance,” he said.

“You slashed his shoulder open,” Y/N argued.

“Doesn’t mean they couldn’t have patched him up,” Kai replied, “you are not a weak link. Even if you were, everyone has to be the weak link at some point. The most infamous pirates in history started as mere swabbies or cabin boys.”

“Everyone could’ve died because of me,” she said quietly.

“Aye, perhaps,” Kai conceded, “but it wouldn’t be the first time. Did I ever tell you about our misadventure with Jodocus and enchanted lotus flowers?”

Y/N shook her head.

“It is perhaps not my most thrilling tale, but it will serve the purpose we need it to. Come.”

He helped her onto the bed and held her from behind.

“It all started with a storm that could rival the Curse of Casimirian…”

As Kai relayed his tale, Adriana steered the ship into more friendly waters. Mango buried his beak in his feathers and closed his eyes. The rumble of Kai’s chest and the rocking of the ship lulled Y/N into a peaceful sleep.

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The world slowed to a crawl and sped up past rapidity at the same time. Y/N barely registered the barmaid’s frantic apologies. Y/N could hear the webbing grow on her ears, could sense air flowing through the slits forming on her neck, and she could feel her legs beginning to fuse together.

Kai was already up out of his seat. He grabbed a cloak off of a sleeping drunkard and threw it over her. He pulled the hood up over her head, obscuring her webbed ears. He wrapped the cloak around her swiftly-changing legs. He swept her up in a bridal carry, and bolted from the pub, dropping a few pieces of Ambrion gold at the bar on his way out.

“Captain,” Y/N said.

“We’ll get you back to the ship,” Kai said.

“Captain Nelson-”

“I don’t think anyone saw, and if they did, I’ll have their eyes for it should they cause trouble.”

“Kai!”

Kai looked down at her. She was now completely transformed.

“I just need to dry off,” she said.

“Dry off?” Kai parroted.

Kai lifted her a little closer, as though he intended to smack his hand against his forehead but remembered he was carrying someone with both arms.

“Yes. Of course.”

He took her round the back of a shop and set her down on a crate. He removed the cloak from her shoulders, which was just as well; it reeked of rum.

He set to dabbing away the drink from her head and back with a handkerchief. The sky rumbled in the distance. Kai and Y/N slowly met each other’s gaze. Y/N’s voice cracked.

“Rain.”

“To the ship then.”

Kai took a tarp that had been hung to dry and wrapped it around her tail. He picked her up once more, bolting through the port town to Calypso’s Wrath. Little droplets pitter-pattered on the cobbled stone, making tiny streams and ponds in its crevices.

Kai didn’t stop until he had slammed the door to the captain’s quarters shut and deposited Y/N on the bed that had been brought in that morning.

“Stay here,” Kai said, “I’ll get you something more useful to dry off with.”

She could hear his shouting as he left.

“Jodocus! Get Y/N something useful to dry off with!”

She stifled a giggle. She looked around the cabin. Many changes had been made. The cabin seemed to have been split down the middle by an invisible stretch of thread. On one side were all of Kai’s things, and on the other side, that is, the side Y/N found herself on now, were several mismatched bits of furniture, clothing, and décor that had not been there yesterday.

A squawk could be heard from outside, and Kai entered the cabin once more, carrying something that made Y/N almost squeal.

“Y/N,” Kai said, “I am often very busy aboard this vessel, and therefore cannot entertain you at all times. Seeing as you’ll be staying with us for a while yet, I’ve taken the liberty of hiring a companion.”

Y/N would’ve ran right up to the birdcage if she wasn’t currently sporting a sparkly mermaid’s tail. Kai set the birdcage on a round side table right next to the chaise lounge Y/N had been laid on the previous night.

“I trust you will devise an adequate name for him,” Kai said, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Y/N scrambled to dry off faster. She grabbed a blanket from the end of the bed and worked furiously at her skin. When all had receded, she realized she no longer had on any boots or trousers. Fortunately, the shirt she wore was fairly long.

After pulling on a new pair of bottoms, she approached the bird slowly, and attempted to conceal her eagerness.

“Hello,” she whispered.

“Hello!” the bird chirped, nodding its head, “hello!”

Y/N beamed. The bird was some kind of parrot; it had feathers in green, orange, and yellow with hints of blue and white. It looked just like a fresh mango.

“I think I’ll call you Mango!” Y/N declared.

“Call you Mango! Call you Mango!” the parrot repeated excitedly.

“A fine name,” Kai agreed.

The parrot tilted its head at the captain and squawked.

“Bilge Rat!”

Y/N stifled a chortle. Kai didn’t look so amused.

“The merchant told me it hadn’t learnt any phrases yet,” Kai muttered, “I suppose you’d get used to it insulting you, Miss Y/N.”

Y/N held her fingers out to Mango, who perched upon them almost at once.

“Pretty,” it chirped, “pretty, pretty! Call you Pretty!”

Y/N could not contain her laughter after that. Kai rolled his eyes and sulked off to do something that didn’t involve being insulted by a tiny parrot. Mango began to tweet and sing the tune of a common sea shanty, and for the first time since the abduction, Y/N’s mood finally lifted.

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