Shouts rang out as the crew held on with might and main. “CAPTAIN” shouted the quartermaster. “She can't take much more!” The waves grew feverishly, rocking The Emerald madly. “She's a resilient wench, have some faith!” bellowed the captain. She cackled in the thrill of chaos but was cut short by a clap of thunder. She stared out to sea as lightning crackled across the swell. Below deck, the crew feared it was seconds before The Emerald would be engulfed in the sea of Neptune. They imagined her dragging them down to the ocean floor, where the creatures of the deep were sure to be lurking.

             It felt as if centuries passed before the commotion slowed but eventually, the pounding storm let up. The sea was especially calm during sunrise. It was as if the night before had been nothing more than a dream, yet the scarring across the deck proved it true. The damage was extensive but the crew could have her booking just as she did before in a pair of weeks. “Did I not tell you she was a hardy beaut!” The captain hollered to the crew. They boomed in agreement “The emerald has held yet again!” Battered yet ever as beautiful, The Emerald was a force to be reckoned with; she was a sturdy ship with the deepest emerald sails. The carving along the railing was commissioned by the captain herself and added much to her Allure. She was a smaller ship but what she lacked in size she made up for in speed. She could outrun any of the Royal Navy's Hunters by twofold. Her size and Agility made her the best pirate vessel on the Sea of Neptune. The crew of The Emerald were a loyal lot, all were women except for a few young Lads whose mothers raised them as part of the crew to keep them near. “right lassies enough dawdling she won't fix herself up alone, we've got a crown to snag!”. Cheering rang out on the deck. The quartermaster pulled the captain aside. “Are you sure about this Red?” she asked hesitantly. “Yes Lex, we need the coin and I have the perfect plan to raid the royal jewels.” answered the captain confidently. She will find out who you are if you do this job, we still have enough gold from the last foray to hold us over a month still.” she protested. “It's about time I quit running from my past Lex, and I will not let this crew suffer any longer because of my cowardice.” responded the captain as she pulled a scroll from her quarters. “ And that would be the detailed map of the castle you seem to have stumbled upon during your travels'' she added with a twinge of sarcasm. The captain laid it flat on a table '' Oh hush I knew this would aid me in a time of need.” 

The King was always thought to be a cautious ruler but it wasn't until his only child was abducted that he became the austere monarch  the kingdom knew today.”That RED sea rat and the crew of The Emerald must be brought down by the Royal Navy at once! We have lost a quarter of our earnings from the last port raid alone!” The king thundered in the throne room. The queen glided towards her husband “Let us not be hasty; without a plan, she will once again evade our clutches.” She has made a mockery of our guard. I will not stand for the defamation of our port security once more!” Responded the king.”Yes dear but what if I told you I had an excellent plan to trap the red captain once and for all.” The Queen responded graciously. A quiet servant in the back of the room had been sent to bring in refreshments. When she overheard the royals' conversation she zipped out of the room and hurried to warn Red Captain herself.

“I have received word that the king and queen of Nereia think to outsmart us” The captain announced over a bustling crew. “As if they could beat us at our own game!” The crew cackled and squawked in response. “ They have set a trap at the Port of La Paz. What they don't realize is that I have ears all around!  What we will do instead is pay The Golden Angel a ship similar in looks, to fly our colors and pose as yours truly. And fret not we will have plenty of riches to fund this very soon. When the king sends in the entire Navy after our decoy we will allow them to believe that they have caught us. At that exact moment, we will be across the way and making our grand escape with the crown in hand! Hoots and hollers from all around gained in volume until all that was heard was the thunderous boom of anticipation.

In the Port of La Paz, the Royally appointed soldiers stood by ever so patiently for the deep emerald sails to appear through the mist. All was unstirring and serene until the silhouette of a ship appeared on the horizon, it was then the soldiers all stood pin straight in expectancy. It wasn't until the shadowy ship neared that they realized something was amiss. “Admiral it's not her! Look there at the railing, she's a deceiver.” yelled a sailor. “ The king will want our heads for this” gasped the Admiral. Miles away, in the castle, there were minimal guards. The king and queen had left to conference with neighboring kingdoms about the increasing piracy rates leaving a perfect window for The Captain and a select few to enter undetected and escape the same way this time crossing with mounds of jewels and most importantly the ruby crown.  The crown they were stealing was meant for the lost princess Rosalina, a girl taken from the castle the day before her coronation, the day of her eighteenth birthday. It had been four years and there was yet to be any sign of her. It was as if she had vanished. The princess was thought to be cursed as she had encountered pirates once before. On her tenth birthday, her governess overheard her talking to someone in the gardens. At first, the old woman thought her to be sneaking off to play with the servants' children again but when she turned the corner she stumbled upon a striking scene. The princess was actually speaking with the captain of the Devil's Blue, an intense woman whose focus was stealing royal jewels from as many kingdoms as she could sail to. It was believed that on this trip she was taking the princesses tiara collection but what surprised them most was that she left with only one. The one with red rubies, one that the princess was to wear during her coronation ceremony.

What many didn't know was that the princess had become enthralled by the life of the pirates, in the freedom they had to roam the seas. It was on that day that she realized how miserable she would be if she stayed trapped in her castle full of expectations and anger from everyone she encountered. From then on she read as many books about them as she could, she spoke to people who had encountered them to see what they were like, and she even arranged for her to meet more without anyone being the wiser. Her only trusted companion who shared in her fascination for piracy was Lexandra her dressmaker's daughter. Together they were the fiercest girls the castle walls had ever seen. It wasn't until her seventeenth birthday that she began planning her escape. It was an elaborate ruse revised many times. The week before her coronation, the biggest day of her life, she fully committed by speaking with the pirate who began it all and asked for a place among her crew. The Captain of the Devil's crew was hesitant but realized the girl had extensive knowledge of the royals' behaviors and access to many documents that she agreed to. “Under one condition, you take it all. Rob them blind Red,”  And that's what she went on to do. After a few years of planning nefarious heists, she became a trusted member of the crew and the captain felt as if she were her own flesh and blood. And when the Captain came to her final breath she left it all to Rosalina. Who was now just Red. 

When the king and queen returned to their castle being robbed and their trap failed they were furious and demanded all the servants get them answers. “How did you see nothing!” The queen howled. “How could she have seen it coming? One of you must have warned her and ill be damned if I allow this to continue!” She shrieked. Then one of her ladies-in-waiting pointed to the young servant girl that tipped off  The Captain. “Her Your Majesty, she was seen talking to individuals with the pirate mark by the castle gates,” she whispered. “Seize her! I want the entire kingdom to know that we have found the mole and she will be a wonderful example of what happens when you disobey THE QUEEN!”

When the Captain hears of the servant girl she knows she must rescue her from this evil fate. Without her interference, the girl would‘ve been safe from the queen's wrath. When she leaves The Emerald with her crew close behind she realizes the only way to escape her mother’s rage is to finally reveal the truth. Without the truth, the queen will blame her crew and trap them like rats. What she wants most is to keep her crew safe from the queen and now it means revealing a secret only one other knows. When they approach the castle gates they tell the guards they are there to negotiate for the girl and they let only The captain and The quartermaster through leaving her alone and exposed to attack. When they walk through the doors of the throne room she stares the queen down “What would a filthy pirate have that I'd want?” Remarks the queen. The captain looks to Lex, her quartermaster and most trusted companion for support, “Well your Highness, I'd like to start with this.” She pulls the ruby tiara meant for her coronation out of her satchel and for the briefest moment sees pain flash in the queen's features. “Why would I need this tiara in particular?” asked the queen. In response, the captain says evenly “Because it was meant for me. I'm the lost princess. It is me, Rosalina, mother.” Then in her mothers' eyes, she saw something she never expected, understanding.