Pirates: Legacy of Winds and Waves (Featuring Friends' OCs)

      The sun rose over the sea, its golden glints dancing upon the water’s surface. The sky brightened, shifting from the deep blue of night to the daylight azure. Only rare, snow-white fluffy clouds drifted across the celestial veil.       A Christian girl in her tattered clothes was engaged in heavy labor, occasionally glancing at the sea. She had always been drawn to it, but no sailor wanted to take her aboard. They all refused her, firmly stating: «A woman on a ship is bad luck!»       — Elise, what are you dawdling there for?! — A woman shouted at her, wrenching the girl out of her daydreams.       With a heavy sigh, Elise answered briefly:       — Already coming!       But how she longed to step onto a ship’s deck just once and sail at least a few meters away from the shore, instead of dealing with this grueling routine her mother piled upon her.       When Elise entered the house, a galleon appeared on the horizon — a ship whose black sails strained under the gusts of wind. Undoubtedly, it was the “Black Pearl,” with a “Jolly Roger” flying from one of its masts. The wind pushed the pirate vessel forward toward the shore, and on the deck, a young guy with a smirk and a glint in his golden eyes stood at the helm, occasionally adjusting the ship’s course.       It seemed as though no one on land was bothered by the pirate approaching them, or perhaps they simply didn’t notice? Whatever the reason for their calm behavior, it didn’t matter. The Captain on his galleon briefly stepped away from the helm to furl a few sails and lower the pirate flag. He didn’t particularly want to step ashore and find himself behind bars the very next minute, or worse — go straight to the scaffold.       The guy took the helm once more, leveled the course toward the dock, and after sailing a bit further, moored his ship and stepped ashore without deigning to pay the port fee.       — Hey, you… Hey, hold it right there, — he was stopped by a man in his forties, who turned out to be the collector of port duties. — It costs a shilling to moor at the dock, — the man flicked his gaze toward the ship, — and state your name.       — Maybe three shillings is better? — the pirate asked, placing exactly three silver coins with slightly worn engravings on the ledger. — And the name – to hell with it.       A minute passed; the port official looked at the guy and pondered. After the pause, he said:       — Welcome to Port Royal, Mr. Smith.       The pirate gave a slight nod, turned around, and walked along the pier. The collector of port duties smiled, closed his ledger, and headed in the opposite direction toward one of the boats. At that moment, the guy passed by a writing desk and noticed a small pouch on it. He picked it up, shook it a couple of times, and, hearing the jingle, took the purse, hiding it in his pocket.       The guy, whose black hair was slightly disheveled but hidden beneath a pirate hat, walked through the streets of Port Royal, examining the houses and stalls. Crowds of people passed him by, busy with their own affairs. None of them even suspected that this young-looking sailor was actually a pirate.

***

      It was nearing lunchtime when, walking down yet another city street, the pirate collided with a girl.       — Oh! — Cried out the girl, whose light-brown hair held a golden tint under the sun’s rays.       Due to the collision, she dropped several things from her hands. Casting a quick glance at them, she said:       — Hey, watch where you’re… — Elise fell silent, scanning the guy. — Wow! You’re… — she was about to say that the black-haired man was a pirate, but she looked around, realizing there were too many people on the street