Pirates of Radiant Garden

Life was rarely what it seemed. One could look at the Pirate Captain Xion Fair, and assume that she were a ruthless villain, while at the same time look at King Xehanort and assume him a just ruler. That is, if what happens in the shadows doesn't define us. I'm the 'ruthless' pirate, Xion. I'm only twenty, but I've done and seen more than most people have in a lifetime.

Almost five years ago, my life was good. I was just a hand maid for the Princesses Kairi and Naminé. I was raised with them, and they were my family. In more ways than you would think. My mother was just a servant in the castle of Radiant Garden, where she caught the eye of the late King Ansem. Yes, I'm the bastard child of the king. That never bothered me.

My mother died in childbirth, and Ansem took me in. I'm only a few weeks younger than Naminé, while about two years younger than Kairi. Admittedly, the Queen never liked me, but she died of an illness when I was only five. I don't remember much about her. My mother's brother, Zack, often helped take care of me. He was a knight, and though he was young, he was smart, strong, and had a good heart. My father's half-brother, Xehanort also helped care for me, even though he was more distant about it. We had a lot in common, even though no one ever talked about it. He was also a bastard child, and though older than Ansem, was never shunned by the rightful heir. I never really saw him as jealous, but now that I look back at it, it was rather obvious.

Kairi was seventeen, the rightful heir to the throne, and Ansem wanted to find a proper Suiter for her. At the time, I would often sneak Kairi and occasionally Naminé out of the castle to hang out with the kids on Radiant Garden. Kairi liked a brunette boy named Sora Leonheart. He was also seventeen, and though he was a goofball, it was obvious that he liked her back. There was Riku Valentine, eighteen, aloof attitude and silver hair. He was the 'cool' one. I was pretty sure Naminé liked him, but she never said anything about it to me.

There were Master Eraqus' students. Master Eraqus was pretty much everyone's teacher. When Kairi, Naminé, and I were little, he was our teacher, though when his student, Aqua, turned eighteen, he passed that duty to her. Aqua and the other two students of Master Eraqus were all five years older than Kairi. So, we couldn't exactly call them kids. They were all about twenty-two. Terra was the tallest, and he had joined the Navy with Ventus Strife. Terra and Aqua were both orphans, and taken in by Eraqus. Ventus, and his younger brother Roxas were the children of my uncle's best friend, Cloud Strife.

Anyways, Terra and Ventus were serving on the ship 'Flurry of Dancing Flames', and their captain was one of the youngest officers, Lea 'Axel' Flynn. He and Vanitas Leonheart were twenty-two as well, both were obviously competing against each other for top spot in the Navy. I never liked Vanitas, but I loved Axel. He was both my best friend and in many ways my brother. He was the one that taught me everything I know about a ship. He wouldn't admit it, but I was pretty sure I was better than him at sailing.

Whenever Axel and the others were in town, Kairi and I would often sneak off to go meet them. Naminé was always too afraid of getting in trouble, and only went from time to time. It was always worth the scoldings though. A little party among friends. This day was just like any other, except Kairi was supposed to go with her father to visit a neighboring country. Instead, she snuck out with me. The king left without her, and that was the last anyone saw of him. There had been an accident that killed the king. Kairi was next in line, but it was hard for her. I spent almost a week consoling her and Naminé... I just never let them see how much it hurt me as well...

I had finished my duties for the day, and was going to check on Kairi one last time before retiring for the night, when I learned the truth. I overheard Xehanort talking with Vanitas. I was ready to keep walking when they mentioned something that horrified me. It was all planned. It wasn't an accident at all. It was murder. Kairi was supposed to have died as well. Now there was a problem. Kairi was in the way of the crown. I almost wondered why Naminé wasn't mentioned, but I guessed it was because she was too timid to fight. She never wanted to lead the country.

I overheard their new plan. Poison. I was to be the scapegoat. I was the one that always brought Kairi her food. It would fall on me... Terrified, I quietly slipped away and made my way to Aqua. I explained everything. Thankfully, she believed me. We formed an escape plan that night, knowing that there would be no immediate defense against Xehanort. He held too much power. She got the gang together, and Axel was willing to provide his ship. I just had to get Kairi and Naminé.

The next morning, I was extremely careful and made breakfast by hand, rather than allow one of the cooks to do so. Taking it to Kairi, I explained everything. She didn't want to believe me, and it took me hours to convince her otherwise. We would be leaving that night. I attempted to talk Naminé into joining us, but... Well, she not only didn't believe me, but she ran to Xehanort. Before we knew what was happening, Kairi and I had guards on our tails. I was just lucky that I knew all the secret paths and exits from the castle.

Sora and Riku met us outside the castle, and they insisted on coming with. When we made it to the harbor, most of the town was on high alert. We had no time to finish loading supplies. We just had to get on the ship and go. Vanitas almost cut us off, but I took the wheel from Ventus. He may have been a brilliant helmsman, but I was stubborn and reckless. I called to fire on the dark ship known as the Void Gear, and after several holes in our ship as well, we managed to escape into open water. We were fugitives.

The first few months were chaotic. We were hounded by Radiant Garden's Navy, and even preyed upon by pirates. It was stressful on everyone, but somehow I managed to hold everyone together. I called for reckless maneuvering, and attacks that somehow helped us to survive. In one seabattle, we almost lost to a pirate known as Saïx. In the end, Flurry of Dancing Flames took irreparable damage, but we had taken The Luna Diviner. Saïx had died from numerous injuries, as had most of his crew. Those that survived, I marooned on an island with enough supplies to last a month.

I wasn't completely heartless. Just protective of my friends and family. I was the unspoken leader of our little crew, and what started as a nickname became reality. I was the Captain. I renamed the ship Oblivion, as a promise to take down Xehanort. Word spread, probably from the survivors of Saïx's crew, and attacks from other pirates became less common. Whenever we made land at pirate ports, I could see the fear and respect others held. My crew agreed to let the rumors build. I had kidnapped the princess of Radiant Garden. I was a ruthless pirate that held little mercy. I murdered for fun, looted for pleasure. None of it was true, other than I was Radiant Garden's most wanted. Well, technically I had kidnapped Kairi... But she had come willingly. Did that count? I didn't know, or care.

I kept journals, in case I couldn't take Xehanort down. I wanted the truth to be written down, and if needed, spread. I still had no idea how I would take back our home, but I knew that when the time came, everything would be set right.

A year after we had ran way, one of our biggest threats came knocking. Ventus' brother, Roxas, was making a name for himself. He not only had joined the Navy after we left, but in a year's time, he now was captain over the ship Oathkeeper. He had managed to track us down, and ambushed us. I couldn't bring us to fight him. He was Ven's brother. We managed to escape, but only because the weather was on our side. Ven, I swear, could control the wind. A storm, which normally would be something to be feared, had saved us. Ven at the helm had gotten us away from the Oathkeeper, and to the safety of an island that only we knew about.

Fog seemed to always be surrounding the island, along with dangerous rocks, jutting from the ocean. Ventus, Axel, and I had learned the secrets to navigating through the rocks, and made the island our hideout and home. We had built houses on the island, enough for the eight of us, as well as a storehouse for our supplies. When we made it to the island after Roxas' attack, it was a week before we could talk Ventus out of his hut. I promised him that we wouldn't go near his brother, and if he were to get too close, we would flee. It was only fair. I could see just how much he cared for his little brother. I knew how much it hurt him to leave. I hated that my friend hurt, but I could at least promise him this.

Three and a half years of running and attacking passed. I only attacked other pirates and Naval bases. I learned to enjoy the raids we would hold. Against popular belief, we never touched women or children. The only people we harmed, were the soldiers of the Army and the Navy. I hated killing, but it was better than dying ourselves. In the years, Sora and Kairi d gotten together, as had Terra and Aqua. Ven didn't have anyone, though I knew of a girl that he fancied. Her name was Fuu. She didn't speak much, but that didn't matter to Ventus. Riku, however, had decided that he fancied me. I didn't return the feelings, however. I didn't care for anyone, honestly. I didn't have time for a relationship, other than friendship. I doubted that I would ever really care for someone.

A storm was brewing when the ever persistent Oathkeeper came into view. So much for getting away from the storm. "Ventus! Scratch the previous order. We're heading into the storm!" I called from the crow's nest. It was my favorite place to just think, aside from my quarters. As I scaled down, the crew got to work, fastening lifelines, securing rigging, cannons, and supplies. We all knew the drill. I got to work along side everyone else. Another something that set us aside from other pirates. I had no superiority complex. I may have called the shots, but I pulled my weight like everyone else.

Usually, this maneuver would get Roxas to back off, but it seemed he was getting desperate to catch us. He followed us into the storm. Cursing under my breath at the stupidity of the younger Strife, I urged Ven on. We wouldn't fight. We couldn't. After some time, we had lost sight of the Oathkeeper. What I was unaware of, was the ship had lost it's fight with the storm. It was a difficult night, but we managed to get to safety ourselves.

Days later, we set our sight on an outlying Naval port. Small military town, few women and children, and I knew they would be protected far more than the rest of the post. Axel and I devised a plan, one that would draw the soldiers and officers to the beach. Aqua, Terra, and Ventus would row to shore in the cover of night while the Oblivion lay in wait on the other side of the island. They would sabotage the port's cannons, and cripple the ships. Ventus would then return to the ship and notify the others. Axel, Riku, and I would prepare a bonfire down the beach. This would block off escape that way. Sora and Ventus would stay with Kairi on the ship until everything was safe. They would maneuver the ship and fire at the ships after the bonfire was started, and after we pinned the soldiers between us and the fire. This would cause panic and chaos.  Most often it was the fear caused by this tactic along side the rumors about me that defeated them before the actual fight could begin.

That night, everything in preparation went off without a hitch. And then the fire was lit. Soldiers came, as expected, to investigate, but among them was a certain blonde officer that I was certain we had lost. Roxas glared defiantly at me and drew his sword, a black blade. "I've waited a long time to find you like this, Fair..." He spat, his anger evident in his voice.

Sighing, I drew my own sword, a silver and gold blade that my uncle Zack had given me years ago. "Roxas Strife... What happened to your ship?" I asked, sneering a bit. I'd play the part of a pirate, but we needed to get back to the Oblivion as soon as possible.

The blonde ignored my question, though his glare hardened. "Surrender, or I promise that it will be your head returned to the King.."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Surrender? Blondie, you're the one that should be surrendering. You're the one backed into a corner." Unfortunately, a smirk formed on his features, quickly followed by a sharp whistle. Soldiers moved from the jungle, blocking our exit. Normally, five of the eight of us could take on twenty or more, but we held the advantage of fear. Roxas seemed to know how we worked, which to be fair, he had been tracking us for years. He was bound to pick up some of our tricks. This time, we were pinned between soldiers and the ocean.

Surrender wasn't an option. Not for me. We would be forced to fight this one out. Then came the boom from the cannons. Sora, Kairi, and Ven to the rescue. Roxas' smirk faded into a scowl. He hadn't been planning on that. With the second boom, the five of us on the beach got to work, dispatching those soldiers too foolish to fight. We were outnumbered, but they were out matched and in a panic. Roxas was the only one that really had a level head. Because of that, he charged at me.

He was stronger than I expected for someone so lean. He was my age, and only a little taller than me, but it felt like I was sparring with Axel or Ventus. Only this wasn't a spar. We were evenly matched, at least skill wise. I was slightly faster, but he was stronger. I lost track of time, and unfortunately began to wear out. Blocking his hard hits was becoming increasingly difficult. I heard Axel call out to me, though I didn't catch what he said. Probably something like watch out, because the next thing I knew, I was on my back, gasping for air. My sword was knocked from my hand, and I felt the boot of the blonde on my chest, keeping me down.

"Last chance, Fair... Yield." He sounded tired, probably was. And on the bright side, he was a bit of a gentleman. I obviously had lost, and he still was giving me a choice. My blue eyes gazed up at him, more so to assess the situation. His face still held traces of his anger, and I had little doubt that he wouldn't kill me if I defied him now. "Well?" He asked, impatience coloring his tone. I chanced another look around, and my crew was in a panic. Then I saw a new player to the game, racing towards us. A smirk played over my lips.

"You know, Roxy... You should have surrendered earlier..." That comment just seemed to piss him off. He brought his sword up, ready to end my life when Ventus knocked the butt of his sword against his brother's skull, the blow knocking him out. The black blade slipped from his hand and landed just inches from my neck, imbedded in the sand. "... That was too close for comfort..." I quietly mused as I slowly got up. Ven was checking on his brother, assessing his wounds. I had managed a few good slashed, the most evident one across his chest. The sand in that would hurt, but the younger blonde was out cold. He wouldn't be aware of it.

After Roxas fell, the remaining soldiers quickly surrendered. I ordered Terra and Riku to tie them up and got some rope myself. I knew that we couldn't leave Roxas here. But I sure as hell wasn't going to kill him. I walked over to Ventus who was patching up his brother, frowning slightly. This wouldn't be easy for anyone. "Ven?" I called, catching his attention. "We need him restrained before he wakes up... He'll be coming with us..."

That seemed to startle the blonde. "What? Is that a good idea? The rest of the Navy will hound us worse than before, and Roxas won't just sit quiet, you know this..." He was scared. I could see it.

Nodding, I knelt down and began tying the younger blonde up. "And if we leave him, he'll just come after us. He almost died a few days ago... Talk with the other prisoners, and they'll let you know that his ship sank in the storm. He was lucky to wash ashore here... He's your brother, and I promised we wouldn't kill him... I promised we wouldn't attack him... I broke my promise twice now... He will be safer with us... Besides... There is a chance that you'll be able to get him to see the truth..." Ven obviously hated the idea of his baby brother being in harms way. It took him a few moments, but he agreed. "Get him to the ship and Kairi and Aqua can finish patching him up.."

I ordered Aqua to go back with Ven, while the rest of us took what supplies we needed. I also left a message for whomever found this place first, whither it be Vanitas or some other captain. We had Roxas. We weren't going to trade. We were coming for Radiant Garden. Once we had what we needed, I cut one man free just before boarding the boat back to my ship. He would get the survivors free and they would tend to themselves. We had problems of our own to deal with. Injuries were just the start. Now we had to deal with something that was new to us all. A prisoner that we all knew. One that I knew at least Riku wanted dead, while at least Ventus wanted safe. I would have the crew divided. I would have to find a medium. "Well... This won't be easy...." I murmured as I climbed aboard my ship.