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-Ten years ago-It was a quiet night on this hot summer evening. Everyone was asleep in your house and in the town, it was quiet. But you, you were awake looking out your window and looking out into the distance. The moonlight was so gorgeous, so pretty and sparkled against the shining sea. You’ve longed to explore the depths of the world but your reminder of that of your father explaining to you that a lady needs no adventure, that a lady must tend to the house and tend to the husband, for he is the man of the house. A heavy sigh escaped your pretty pink lips and your eyes focused on a burning light in the town. The quiet night was becoming partially loud. The townspeople started to wake and wonder what the ruckus was all about and some townspeople were already experiencing the horror as screams erupted the quiet night and inaudible sounds you’ve never heard of. The quiet night was no more. Your eyes focused on a now running dark figure making its way up to your house. In frightfulness, you backed away from your opened window and out of your room, to your father’s bedchambers. The maids and butlers of your house too have awoken from the chaos outside. “Father!” You yelled, nudging him to wake up. “It’s urgent!” He grumbled awake but he stirred instantly knowing that his precious daughter was frightened. “What is it darling?” He asked. Instead of telling him, you took his hand rushing back to your own bedchambers and pushing him to your opened window. To your observation, he saw the massive chaos. There were loud screams and fire fumes in the distance. And then suddenly, a loud bang was on your front door below. “Stay here.” But you followed him anyways because you never really did as you were told. You watched your father open the door from the staircase where you were currently standing. A small gasp left your lips as a boy about your age was standing at your doorstep. He looked hurt, almost untrustworthy. But with his injured arm, he needed care. “What’s happened?” Your father asked, alerted. “Are you hurt?” “Please.” He begged. “Their after me-after the people.” He replied shaking. He caught your eye from behind but quickly met your father’s eye contact. “Who’s after the town?” Your father asked once more. The chaos growing louder and closer. “Speak boy.” “Pirates.” The boy said. “Angry pirates.” Your father narrowed his eyes. Oh he despised the pirates. Those creatures. They were such a nuisance, thinking they could whatever and not be hanged. It was a crime. Your father brought the boy inside, “Since your hurt, you need care so it doesn’t get infected.” He mentioned roughly. Your father gathered his hat and other things and on his way out he said, “Y/N, I’m leaving him in your care.” You nodded at your father’s command and watched as he left. When your father left it was just you and the injured boy. You looked at the boy standing infront of you then, “You’re bleeding.” He looked down at his arm, he also took note that his clothes were ripped. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” You smiled. You were gentle when you took aide of him in your bedchambers. He didn’t say much except allow you to take care of him. To be honest, you were shy and you could imagine he was too. He had raven dark hair and dark eyes with slightly tanned skin. “What’s your name?” He suddenly asked causing you to jump slightly. You finished bandaging his arm. “My name is Y/N.” You replied. “May I ask for yours?” He was hesitant at first but answered, “Jungkook.” His eyes grew heavy of exhaustion and fell asleep while talking to you. Since he was already sitting on your bed, you helped him lay comfortable on it so that his head could rest on your pillows. As he laid there you noticed something odd about his pocket. With careful hands you went to inspect. A folded piece of parchment and a jeweled necklace. A medallion if you wanted to call it that. With curious eyes, you took them from him. “Did you find anything on him?” Your father asked behind you. You didn’t realize when he got back or that the town was once peaceful again. You jumped and turned around hiding the items behind you in your hand. “His name is Jungkook. That’s what I found out.” You replied calmly. Your father nodded his head in response. “He will stay here for the night but when morning comes he must go.” He replied sternly. He did not trust the boy. “Be cautious.” You nodded as you watched your father return to his own bedchambers. You left the boy on your bed to return to your window. The moon still shining in the night sky. You looked at the items you took. The necklace was so pretty but the parchment was more interesting. You wore the necklace so you wouldn’t lose it and opened up the parchment. Though it wasn’t just a piece of parchment. It was a map. The map of Medallion. Your eyes grew more curious as Medallion was just a silly old story to scare kids like you, you folded the parchment in your hands and looked up to the moon. You followed the sparkling light and there in the distance you saw it. A ship. Pirates. But you noticed they were leaving. You looked back towards your bed where the boy Jungkook lay, but he was gone. You looked back at the ship and it too was gone.
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Libraries, your favorite place; so quiet and peaceful. A place which holds a lot of information, stories, and the great beyond that holds secrets of the world’s unknown. The smell of old parchment and dust, it was an odd smell, but, you liked it. “What are you doing in here?!” An elderly man with small wrinkles and grey hair spoke harshly as he pointed a finger accusingly toward you. “No women allowed in the library!” However, you looked around before making eye contact with the old man. You rolled your eyes in an unladylike way as a sigh left your soft lips. “Leave!” You closed the book you were reading and ran your hand over the cover before rising from your seat and walking over to the shelf you had picked it from and placed it back where it belonged. You looked at the elderly man once more before forwarding your eyebrows and giving him a look. Perhaps a look of disappointment? You weren’t sure. But when he quickly pressed to usher you out, you left his library in disappointment and sadness. Because all you wanted was to read a book and get lost in it. And once you were outside of the now closed library, you read the placard that you had failed to comprehend before you had entered. The black placard with gold setting letters read: No Pirates! No Women! That left you with a frown on your lips. The law was really stupid. All you wanted was to read and get lost in an adventure in a book in the library, but, because you were a girl; a woman, you weren’t allowed. And that alone sometimes made you want to consider what life would be like as a pirate, since they roamed free and could do whatever they pleased until they were hung for treason. A part of you tried to block it out because that would be very unladylike and something out of your course. Your father had raised you to become a Lady but your heart was never in it. Though you always did as you were told. But now, you weren’t so sure. You turned back to gaze at the town and the townspeople walking about and socializing here and there as they ran into people they knew. You stepped off the short dusty step of the library and walked down toward to the Herbalism shop. The greenhouse. Roses, Daisies, and sunflowers could be smelt in the air the closer you walked. It wasn’t that far from where the library stood but it was quite a bit of a walk. You opened the green door and smiled cheerfully, “Hobi! It’s so nice to see you.” Hoseok looked away from the plant he was tending to and dusted his hands on his pants. “Y/N!” He cheerfully spoke back and hugged you. “What brings you in today?” He asked as he went back to the plant he was tending to. You walked around his shop eyeing all the pretty flowers and bush plants that could easily be mistaken for as a weed. But even so, a weed was also considered a flower. Like dandelions. “I’m just here for some salves, maybe a flower or two.” You replied. Your hand reached to pull a hydrangea to your nose and smell. It was heavenly. So beautiful blue and lavender. But, not your absolute favorite. You turned to see Hoseok start to gather the supplies. You made your way back to him. “How’s your brother?” You asked suddenly. Hoseok stiffened. “He’s fine.” He said quickly. Perhaps too quick but you didn’t seem to notice it. “He comes back every so often but would be nice if he could stay longer.” A sadness to his tone and for a moment he pondered on it. But before he could get too caught up into his emotions, he turned back to you. “How many salves do you need? What kind do you need?” You nodded your head in response. He must really miss him you had thought there for a moment. “Maybe three, and perhaps some healing salves and one that helps you to breathe at night.” “The mint leaves you mean?” Hoseok clarified. His brown orbs stared into yours. You held his gaze and hummed. “Yes. Those.” You chirped with a smile. Hoseok rounded back to his cabinet and selected the items you wanted and placed them in a small box. “What do you need these for?” He asked suddenly as he watched you. You shrugged. “Father has a hard time breathing at night and figured I could help.” Hoseok nodded his response. “Right. Well I heard some interesting news today.” He said. You looked intrigued. “Ooh due tell me Hobi.” You laughed. “What’s the new gossip?” “I heard you were to be married.” You gave him an odd look. “What?” You almost laughed. “Where did you hear such a thing?” His tone was flat and his face held an expression you couldn’t identify. “Not sure who started it but I heard it from a couple of the Lady’s down at the market.” He was staring into you now.You were flabbergasted. “That’s funny. Because I’ve never heard of it until you just told me.” You replied with amusement in your tone. “What did they say?” “All I know is that you were to be married.” His tone was flat again and pushed the small box towards you and ran a hand through his golden brown locks. You pushed four gold coins into his direction which he accepted as payment even though he had told you many times that you didn’t owe him anything but your kindness and friendship. “Married to who?” You asked, picking up the small box and looking at him. His gaze was like fire. “The Captain.” You almost choked on your spit, very unladylike. “W-What?” You asked more to yourself than anything. Your voice became a bit higher than usual but you didn’t notice. Hoseok didn’t seem to care but he had to ask. “Even if it’s true, do you love him?”You shook your head. “No.” You immediately said. “I don’t love him.” Hoseok hummed in response then but his face was unreadable. “The Captain is a respectable man Y/N, I’m sure he would make a great husband.” He said and you weren’t sure what he saying or what he was implying. “He’s not my type.” You replied. Hoseok chuckled then. “Oh? And exactly what is your type?” You laughed back. “It’s a secret but definitely not him!” You retorted. “Thank you for the salves Hobi. You’re the best.” You leaned against the counter and planted a small kiss to his cheek and backed away the moment the kind peck was planted. Hoseok blushed and smiled but you didn’t notice the blush as you were focused on your way out. “Don’t believe a silly rumor Hobi. You know, you still have a piece of my heart.” “I know.” He whispered as he watched you leave his shop and tended back to his plant. His heart ached anyways. -“Father! I’m home!” You yelled at the entryway of your large estate. The maids came to you to relieve you of your herb box but you swatted them away. “Where’s father?” You asked them instead. “In the study miss.” One of the younger maids said quietly. “Shouting is very unladylike.” The other older one replied. Yet again, you rolled your eyes again. “Well go on then, I don’t need your assistance.” As harsh as it sounded you were already annoyed. But before you would go see him, you put your small box from Hobi’s shop on your bedside table. You smiled to yourself of how much you loved your friend. And then, for the briefest moment you looked away and made your way toward your father’s study. “Y/N.” Your father greeted. And you greeted him with silence as you sat on the couch as he sat at the table reading parchments. “Hello father. I’m back from the markets.” You replied. “Anything interesting?” He asked you still not looking up at you. “No.” Was your response. So simple. “But I did hear the strangest rumor. I’m to marry the Captain.” You laughed. It Was humorous to say the least. “It’s not a rumor Y/N.” His tone flat and deadpanned but still didn’t look up at you. Or see that you had shot out of your place on the couch. You scoffed then. “I’m not marrying him.” Your father caught your gaze. “Yes you will.” He stated. “The Captain is a respectable man. A man full of honor.” “He’s not my type.” You replied knowing right away that he was not the one for you. “I am not marrying him Father.” You felt a tingling in your nose and pressure building up into your eyes. The sensation of which you were about to cry but you swallowed it down and bit the inside of your cheek, giving your father a hard glare. Love should be free and of your own choice almost like a magnetic connection. You didn’t have that with the Captain because if you did, you wouldn’t be defending yourself. “I will not marry him!” Your father groaned at your whining and was growing a rather large headache because of it. “You’re acting like a child.” He stated. “Have you forgotten your place Y/N? You’re a lady and a lady must condone to the house.” “I don’t love him.” You continued as tears were begging to be released from your orbs. “I will not...please.” “You will learn to love. Love grows in time.” Your father pressed. “Captain Jimin is honorable and he will bring honor to this family Y/N.” He said harshly. “You will marry him whether you like it or not. It is your duty as a lady. Go to your room and ponder. Maybe I need to teach you about what it means to be a lady again.” His words were harsh and cut you. The moment you sobbed in his study, you ran freely to your room and shutting the door with a harsh slam. You threw yourself on your bed as you sobbed heavily. There was no way you would marry him, let alone get married at the mere age of nineteen. Not when you haven’t lived your life yet, your adventure. You wanted to see what the world had to offer. Your mind drifted back to the boy you had helped in the first glimpse of meeting pirates nine years ago and your mind pondered to the map and necklace. And you wondered if Medallion was a true place. But for now, it was just a silly story to scare kids. That it was an island full of immortal beasts set with a curse and whoever disobeyed would be sought out by the ravage beasts and consumed alive. But as the story goes; there was a stone that went along with Medallion for the stone will set you free. But free of what? You always wondered. You rolled over on your bed then, scooting closer toward the headboard. You opened a secret compartment as dust flew out and you coughed. Has it really been that long? You pinched the old parchment; the map that you folded and locked away and pulled it out. Your eyes glanced over the map as you unravished it. You thought about it long and hard. You folded the map the way it was and stuffed it in your bosom of your dress before reaching back into the secret compartment and grabbed the necklace. You wiped the dust off before putting it on and wearing it around your neck. You shut the hidden compartment so only you would know where to look. You knew what choice you were supposed to make but that was not the choice you wanted.-You carried a small satchel that you draped diagonally across your body, only carrying a few selected items which consisted of the salves Hobi had given to you earlier that day, some coins to get you by for a few days, and a small knife for safety reasons. Your dress was darker in shade as to not draw attention to yourself. It was rather dangerous for a lady such as yourself to roam the street late at night, but, you knew what you were doing when you brought your hood up from the cape you wore around your shoulders. The moonlight was so pretty and clear; as if lighting your way through the darkness. The night was quiet and you knew you needed a small rowing boat to get off and away from this place. And the only way to get one was very unladylike and very unlawful. And when you started to doubt whether you could be able to perform such an action, that is when you heard the familiar sound of cannons. At first, it was a sound of a whistle and then your eyes caught a glimpse of the explosion. The fire and smoke starting to emit the night sky. Then the building slowly came tumbling down as you yelped in fright as you headed for coverage to hide and watch. Another cannon sounded off into the distance and then another and another. You screamed again when one of the large cannons smashed through the window of the building you were standing by to hide. You had to find another place to hide. When you did, you hid behind various carts and barrels peering into what lay ahead of you. “Be on the lookout and don’t hesitate.” The voice spoke with a hint of urgency and assertiveness. “Pirates deserve no mercy. They are nothing but the dirt beneath our feet. Any survivors if any shall be hanged for treason.” You couldn’t see his front, just the golden locks on his head that came from the mixture of the fires and the moonlight and his red coat opposing as if that’s all he ever wore. And when he turned to looked at the rest of his members, a gasp escaped your lips as you brought your hand to your mouth. You could hear some pirates making their way toward this position. “Let’s go.” The Voice spoke once more revealing Captain Jimin himself as he peered into your direction of noise but he overlooked it as he disappeared to hunt the filthy pirates. And when it was just you, you made your way down to the docks. Perhaps while the town was being raided and the guards were busy in the main part of the town, maybe, you could use this time to be unlawful, unladylike. You hid again within the barrels and when you stepped behind another one you heard it. The click of a gun being cocked at pointed at you. You stopped almost immediately and shouted the words before you could stop yourself. “Parlay!” “What do you know about Parlay?” The pirate seemed almost pissed that a girl such as yourself would know such a code. His eyes narrowed into slits, his gun still pointing at you accusingly. “Parlay…” you repeated. “Parlay that...that um…” you tried to form words but with a gun pointed at you it made your skin crawl. You couldn’t think. You almost wanted to throw up. The pirate pressed his gun into you again and shrieked. “Spit it out, girly.” His voice ragged and harsh. You swallowed a hard gulp. “Parlay that you let me speak to the Captain of your ship.” You manage to say in your most firm tone. “And you let me ride to Yeti with you unharmed.” There was hope in your eyes and even if the pirate could see it, he didn’t care. The pirate remained still for several moments before cocking his gun back to safety and putting it away. With ease, he roughly manhandled you and your forearm as he lead you to the great ship. “That’s not something for me to decide, girly.” He said laughing at your struggles. Your eyes widened. “Get your filthy hands off me!” You yelled. “I can walk myself. This is not how you treat...a lady.” The pirate laughed and shrugged you off. When you reached the ship, it was rather tall and large. Almost intimidating. And then you noticed your town and how it was caught up in the flames. But then you realized the people you left behind because of your choice and you hoped they would understand. You were guilty. And in that moment, you wanted to cry but you were dropped onto the main deck by the pirate that manhandled you as you took in that the others noticed you as well. You felt intimidated. What were you thinking? But it was too late. “What’s this?” One pirate said making his way to you as you walked back. He had dirty torn clothes and a funky smell. You wrinkled your noise. He was an awful sight. “Aren’t ya’ a pretty lil’ thing..” he continued to snicker as he came upon you. He reached up to rub your cheek but you smacked his hand away. “Don’t touch me!” You spat. Another pirate came up behind you and said, “Ooo~ a feisty one.” He had red hair with what looked to be a ring on his lip, a tad younger than the rest of the pirates on board, but, he too had the same wardrobe. “She’ll definitely be fun to play with.” You avoided their attempts to touch you but it was shortly lived when two more pirates came up from behind you as well and held your arms. They all got a bit too handsy for your liking. “Don’t touch me!” You raised your voice as you tried to get out of their grasps. “Stop! Don’t touch me!” The pirates ignored your little attempts until a gunshot was heard. Everything seemed to stop as the air became intense. It was quiet and your reality was setting in. If you weren’t afraid then, you were now. The pirate that brought you to the ship snagged you by your forearm and dragged you to the man who fired the gun. He had jet black hair, a tattoo on his neck, some piercings in his ears, and nicer clothes but still had some tears here and there. You stumbled before him when the pirate let go of you so suddenly. You regained your balance as you gave the pirate a hard glare. “What the fuck is this?” The Captain asked. “Haven’t I already told you Sehun; No more toys.” He looked annoyed and disinterested. The pirate that brought you, Sehun, looked down and not meeting the Captain’s eyes. “Yes.” He replied weakly. “But she isn’t my type.” He looked up then, in all seriousness. “She requested to speak to the Captain under the terms of ‘Parlay’.” “Ah.” The Captain replied becoming interested as he then turned his attention on you. The damsel in distress. “So tell me, girly, what are your terms under ‘Parlay’?” He asked. You looked at the Captain and looked Sehun, but, you gathered your wits and confidence before speaking. You took a deep breath and exhaled, “I speak of Parlay to join your ship to Yeti and pay 10 gold coins for your kind services.” It looked like the Captain was thinking for several pauses before a bunch of laughter came from him which in turn made the rest of his crew laugh until he gave a mean cold glare. The crew became silent. “What makes you think you can just aboard my ship and have a ride?” He asked with a cold look on his face. He took a step toward and circled you a few times, your eyes meeting him as he did so. And then he paused, “Take her to the brig.” Sehun grabbed your forearm again and started off to the brig. “Wait!” You called out struggling. “What about our bargain?” You asked. The Captain laughed. “Bargain?” He asked you. “Parlay only pertains to pirates and yer not a pirate girly.” He said harshly. “You’ll go to Yeti with us no doubt, miss, but only as our profit.” Your eyes widened but didn’t have a say because Sehun had already drug you away from the Captain who was looking smug. And you knew in this moment, you had to escape. You were not going to be sold or bought. You had rights and you were a person. You were not an item. Sehun threw you harshly into the brig and locked you up and left you. You cried. You heavily cried. This was not what you wanted.