A Pirate's Tale

     "I thought I told you not to come back."

     She smiled innocently, her ears twitching towards the restaurant's owner. "I'm sorry?" she asked curtly, taking a dagger from inside her boot and beginning to clean out under her claws. "What was that?"

     The Lupe went pale. "I mean, er... Let me know if there's anything I can get for you, Miss," he said hastily, eyeing the knife nervously. She smirked.

     "Ah. That's what I thought you said." She turned around, seeing a small group of pets gathered around the restaurant, all looking up at her expectantly. Her green eyes flashed with malice as she looked out over the crowd.

     "Ello, prettykins..." the Aisha drawled, her Krawk Island accent creeping into her voice, "it seems you've come to me for a story." Her lavender wings fluttered as she sat down at a dingy table. She unsheathed her sword, showing it off to her audience. It gleamed menacingly in the sunlight, the onyx hilt sparkling. She grinned, showing off pointed teeth. "How about the story of how I got me sword?" She tapped a scar running across her nose as she spoke, her ears twitching. "That's where I got this scar, too." She nodded matter-of-factly, her eyes glittering excitedly. "So, do you want to hear the tale, lads?" A few murmurs of 'yes' came from the audience, and she frowned, looking annoyed. "I can't hear you..." She spat icily, polishing the edge of her sword.

     "Yes!" they chorused, several pets glancing around for an exit.

     "Good," she muttered, smirking. "Our tale begins seven years ago, before any of you had ever heard the most feared names in the five seas of Neopia - Lady Asia and Captain Scarblade." Several neopets screamed, and a few fainted at the simple names. She laughed coldly, her eyes glittering. "Everyone knows their names, but once they were just simple pirates, preying on the occasional ship. But Scarblade couldn't stay so innocent forever... He wanted power..." She uncorked a flask of Cheops juice, taking a swig of it.

     "What did he do?" a small voice asked from the audience, terrified. The Aisha grinned, her voice getting dangerously sweet.

     "What did Scarblade do?" she asked, bending down to look at the frozen faces of her listeners. "What would any of us do for power, and wealth?" Her eyes went wide and she let out a hiss, watching the pets in front of her recoil with fear. She straightened up, her wings fluttering. "He found someone who could help him gain all the power in Neopia..." she whispered, pausing for a moment. "The Three!" No one moved in the audience, and the pirate snorted with annoyance. "I trust that you all know the stories from the Battle of Maraqua, but you wouldn't know the story behind the Pirate's side..." She raised an eyebrow, glancing out over the restaurant. "But I do. Because I was there. This is the story of Scarblade's fall, and the darkening of Lady Asia's name..." She propped her legs up on the table, mud splattering the wooden surface. "It all began about ten years ago, on a stormy night...

     "The storm had come up unexpected, striking the Black Pawkeet with sudden fierceness. Captain Scarblade had been walking across the deck for hours, unable to sleep on the thrashing sea. His eyes, once so keen to be able to spot a rat halfway across the deck, were dull and lifeless. His best friend, his Quartermaster, had committed a mutiny against him the day before. The poor creature had been marooned on an island far out in the hidden corners of Neopia, and ol' Scarblade was in shock. I was a stowaway then, hiding amongst old bits of rope, watching him from the shadows. You should've heard him yelling at the storm - he was going a bit insane with loss. Then, just as suddenly as it had began, the wind died down, and an eerie hush settled over the ship. I heard a screeching below the hull and knew we'd hit a reef..." She glanced at Captain Hackett, who set down her drink and backed away. "Thanks, doll. Anyways, where was I? Oh, yes. I looked over at Scarblade, and he was staring into the water with this terrified expression on his face. That's when I knew. It was...

     "Them."

     "Who?!" a young faerie Wocky asked, his eyes wide with fear. The Aisha gazed at him for a moment, then lifted her eyes above the crowd.

     "It was...the Three," she muttered, her voice low. She looked around nervously, as if she expected them to show up at any moment. "They were a band of rogues who used the darkest magic and their quick wits to capture the servitude of power hungry brutes like Scarblade. I could hear them whispering promises of fame and fortune, if he could help them gain one thing..." She took a look at the Wocky who had questioned her, and smiled. "Another war."

     "But that's silly!" a voice piped up from the edge of the crowd. "Why would the Three want a war to happen?"

     She looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. "The chaos that spread would be like a dream come true for them. They feed off neopets' ambition, and the misery that drives us all." The voice fell silent, and she turned back to the table, silent for a moment.

     "When Scarblade heard the promises, he agreed immediately, and soon his power began to grow..." The pirate shuddered, her wings trembling as she remembered his rise to fame. "The invasion of Maraqua would have gone exactly to plan, if it weren't for two Maraquan Aishas with gifts, and a few pirates who befriended them - or so people think."

     "You mean it wasn't, Captain?" a desert Aisha hissed, her green eyes wide.

     "While they were helping below the surface, there was a greater force working above them, on Scarblade's own ship. Who do you think that was?" The room went deadly silent for a moment, then the faerie Aisha laughed. "Lady Asia, of course!" She rolled her eyes as a few people snarled, with murmurs of 'Murderer!' and 'Scum!' reverberating off the walls. She let out a hiss of anger, rapping her claws against the table.

     "Silence!" she roared, looking annoyed. "Don't be so quick to judge! Lady Asia is the hero of this story!" The room became deadly quiet as she glowered at her audience.

     "Hero?" Captain Hackett spat from a corner. "She's no hero, miss. That creature is the scourge of the sea. She'd run you through fer lookin' at her. Asia could have never been the hero!"

     "I'm telling the story!" she yelled, banging a fist on the table. "And she was the hero! Let me finish!" The Lupe muttered a few threats, then returned to the kitchens. She stared angrily in his direction for a few moments, then turned back to the crowd. "Anyways, while the Maraquans were slowly winning a battle against the invaders, Asia and a band of rogues were dealing with other problems on the surface. They were pleading with the Three, asking them to stop Scarblade. They asked for the thing they knew would hurt Asia the most - and she accepted."

     "What?" the desert Aisha whispered, her face pale. "What would hurt her so bad?"

     "She had to let go of someone she held dear to her..." the Aisha murmured sadly, looking away, "She had to destroy her father, Scarblade himself." A hushed whisper went through her audience, a mix of wonder and fear. She shivered, wincing.

     "Aye, kiddies. As soon as Miss Asia agreed, the storm quieted and the Maraquan scum began to drive back the invaders. Scarblade brought his crew to the surface, where Asia was waiting for him. He didn't get three steps before she whipped out her sword, lunging towards him. But Scarblade was quicker. He leapt back, pulled out a dagger and slashed a few scars into his daughter before she even knew what had happened. Don't want to be getting into the details, me thinks, but Asia had fought him claw to claw until Scarblade had finally slowed in weakness and exhaustion. He fell to his knees on the deck, and at that moment, the Captain knew he'd lost. Asia, with tears streaming down her face, loomed over her father and drew her cutlass. She whispered, 'I'm sorry, father...' and... well..." The Aisha smiled sickly, her face pale. "That was the end of Scarblade's legacy." She looked over the crowd, her eyes misty.

     "What happened to her?" Captain Hawkett asked, his eyes round as dubloons.

     "Asia managed to keep out of legend for awhile," the pirate continued weakly, her voice trembling, "But many say she's biding her time until she's ready to strike again. Maybe she's gone, trying to forget what she's done. But I know..." She tapped her forehead, grinning. "I know Asia's coming back."

     "When?" a small voice asked. "When do you think she'll be back, Miss?"

     The faerie Aisha laughed, her eyes sparkling. She drained the remained of her grog before standing up. "Who knows?" she exclaimed, brushing through the crowds of neopets and waving a hand. "Soon, I hope. I'm getting tired of telling the same story. I need something else to write in my life." A gasp rang from the group as the desert Aisha pointed a finger at the Aisha.

     "You!" she hissed, her eyes wide with fear. "Where did you get that scar? The one on your nose?!"

     The pirate grinned, her face triumphant. "I reveal no secrets, child..." she muttered, walking out the door, "But don't worry... I'll be back with another story soon, I promise. Never let your guard down, me hearties. You'll never know when Asia will strike again..." With her final words, she let out a cackle. The Aisha sprang out onto the dock, running towards her ship. "Man the sails!" She laughed, her eyes bright. "We're off, lads!"

     The desert Aisha stood motionless on the dock, her face pale. "Who are you?" she whispered.

     The pirate looked down at her, smirking. "You'll never forget today, doll..." she mused, looking off towards the horizon, "You will always remember the day you crossed paths with the great, heroic Captain Asia!" Sheathing her cutlass, Asia walked across the decks of her great ship as the Redemption's Bane sailed away from Krawk Island one final time.

The End

Well, if you're reading this, I must've made it into the Neopian Times! WHOA. That's fabulous. Thanks for reading! ^-^