There’s something rather charming about being chased out of a place you’d learned to love. It seems scary, but the essence of piracy is freedom. Freedom to explore the wide world and all the magic it holds. When a town bands together to run you out, it means they cared enough to take action. I’d rather be infamous and remembered than obedient and forgotten.

-Excerpt from ‘Lessons of a Retired Pirate,’ author unknown

During last night’s dinner, the four had engaged in idle discussion. Trent wanted Rose and Nasar to get to know one another and despite his polite manner, the chef was a skilled conversationalist.

He also announced that they would be setting sail the following morning. They had only planned to stay for a day or two so that was already beyond the limit. He’d made the exception given the events of the past few days.

Rose wasn’t too upset. While she’d had quite a few exciting encounters in Eastfel Bay, she had no particular attachment to the city. She didn’t miss Felix’s dour mood and the speed with which he retired to his bedroom after cleaning his plate in record time.

Oh. In all the chaos of their minor adventures, she’d forgotten that Felix wasn’t actually part of their crew. He had been a stowaway, ferried across the Aetherstone Strait against his will. His plan was to part ways and return to Captain—Lord—Bradshawe.

While she understood the motives behind his decision, she was upset. The kids in Fairwater Bay had been fun to play with growing up, but she couldn’t think of one she’d call a true friend.

Despite the short time her and Felix had known each other, Rose had grown truly attached. He’d taught her how to sail, introduced her to life onboard a ship, and been a trustworthy companion at sea.

Their departure meant the beginning of her journey; the first step towards achieving her long held ambition. Yet it also meant saying goodbye to him.

***

Later that evening, when the half-moon was glittering in the sky above the bay, Rose found herself knocking on Felix’s door. Sleep had eluded her and the only solution was to have the difficult conversation she’d been avoiding.

“Come in,” groaned a muffled voice.

She heard the ruffling of a duvet as she entered the room. It seemed Felix hadn’t been struggling as much as she had with getting some sleep. Then again, he’d always had an unusual talent of making even the hardest of planks a luxurious bed.

He yawned loudly before sitting up and patting the mattress. She gratefully took a seat beside him. At first she hesitated to speak. They shared a long silence, just watching each other.

“Please tell me you didn’t wake me up in the middle of the night to come and stare at me,” he grumbled.

Rose sighed and relented. “No,” she whispered softly. “I just… I know you don’t want to lead the life of a pirate. Yet, I don’t want this to be our final goodbye. We-”

“We were never destined to share the same path,” he interrupted. “I am glad we met, Rose. Truly. For what it’s worth, I don’t blame you for everything you’ve done. Even stealing the ship.”

There wasn’t a trace of laughter on his face. He was being serious; speaking from the depths of his heart. She felt the same, almost.

“Well. You should tell Captain Bradshawe to hire better security. Such an expensive ship with only a few incompetents guarding it was just asking for trouble,” she joked.

“Are you calling me incompetent?” he gasped, mouth agape in a facade of shock.

“Only as a guard,” she said with a smile. “You’re the best teacher I’ve ever had.”

“Am I the only teacher you’ve ever had?”

She coughed and covered her smile with an open hand. “Of course not. My parents taught me… things.”

“Oh? I’m better than your parents. High praise indeed.”

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Rose leaned towards him and wrapped her arms around his midsection and he placed an arm around her shoulders. For a while they stayed in each other’s embrace; two ships passing in the night.

***

“I’ll miss you,” said Rose, pulling away from Felix’s embrace.

They were outside Nasar’s house, saying their final farewells before embarking on their grand voyage. The two had fallen asleep together and woken up in a tangled heap. Her shoulders ached from the awkward position but she was glad she hadn’t missed their final moments.

“Don’t get into too much trouble,” he said. “And don’t trust this sneaky pirate,” he added, shooting a glance at Trent.

For his troubles, Trent ruffled Felix’s hair and grinned. “I’ll miss you too, brat. Don’t go getting bored being a merchant. And don’t let any amateur pirates raid you.”

There were no more words to say. Everything had been said; every emotion already expressed. With a final wave, the trio made their way back towards the docks and left a sombre youth standing in the cobbled streets.

Rose resisted the urge to look back. If she did, she might just abandon the whole journey and return to the merchant crew. However, she knew that this would only be the first of many sacrifices she would have to make in order to achieve her dream.

***

Wind rushed past Rose, her hair billowing behind her as she took a deep breath. Salt tingled on her lips, adventure sparkled in her eyes.

Travelling from Highbream to Eastfel Bay had been their first voyage as a crew, but it had been more of an escape. That held its own appeal, but this was the true commemoration of their ship and crew.

Trent called her down from the bow. He was leaning against the mainmast, Nasar perched on a barrel nearby. She skipped down the steps to the deck to the two men.

“So, two orders of business for today,” said Trent. “Our ship needs a new name. We can’t keep the old one, or everyone will know we stole it. There’s appeal in that kind of infamy, but right now we want a low profile.”

“I like The Crown of Salt, though,” she muttered.

“Me too, Rose. It’s poetic,” added Nasar.

“Well, I’m the captain. I say we need a new name.”

“Bigheaded bastard,” grumbled Rose.

Nasar let his lips curl ever so slightly upwards before curbing the blossoming smile. “How about Unchained Sovereign.”

“Too pompous,” said Trent.

Rose liked the name, but she had to admit it did sound a bit fancy. It sounded more like a navy ship than a pirate vessel.

“Then… what do you think of Liberty?” she offered.

The two mulled it over. Trent still wasn’t entirely satisfied, but he seemed to approve. Nasar clearly wanted a far grander title, but there would have to be a compromise struck between the two extremes.

“Liberty it is,” agreed Trent.

“Liberty—freedom, the right to make your own decisions. Truly fitting. Wonderful choice, dear girl,” said Nasar.

She grinned at the praise. Being able to name the ship was a truly special moment. She might spend the next decade on board—or however long it took her to form her own crew.

“Well, we’ll have to scratch off the old name and replace it, but now that the name is sorted let’s move on to the next order of business. Our flag.”

“I thought all pirates used the broken chain?” she asked.

“Sure, that’s the universal symbol. Every real pirate has their own flag though. A calling card of sorts. How can you expect your legend to grow if people can’t recognise you on sight?” Trent explained.

“That makes sense.”

It was something she’d never even considered. Condensing all the ideals, ambitions, and aspects of a crew into one recognisable symbol was a difficult task. Rose was stumped.

None of them seemed to have a solid idea of what to make their flag. After all, they’d only been a crew for a short while and didn’t have many shared experiences yet. They hadn’t even spoken about their next destination.

“I’m not sure about this, but it seems like a good starting point. How about a broken chain with blue antlers? A reminder of how we met.”

Trent nodded while Nasar observed. He had no part in their adventure inside the convergence. Rose wasn’t committed to the idea either, but it was all she had.

“It’s not the worst idea,” muttered Trent, shooting a glance at his ARM. “There are many things about that island I’d rather not dwell on, but it was a rather enjoyable adventure.”

“I believe this might be a tad easier if we came up with a name for our little crew first,” interjected Nasar.

“Oh! It slipped my mind. I’d been sailing as a nameless pirate for so long I forgot that a crew should have a name,” exclaimed Trent.

“We can figure this out rather easily,” said Nasar, turning to Rose. “What’s your goal, Rose? As a pirate.”

The answer came without thinking. “To become a legend akin to Saltbeard.”

The man nodded, but seemed displeased with her answer. “Having heroes is important. Everyone should look up to people; want to emulate the greats. However, you can’t achieve anything by chasing the shadow of another. I ask again, what do you want to achieve?”