"Pirates?" Jillian squeaked. She kept repeating it over and over again, as if saying it enough will cause someone to say she was wrong.

She wasn't wrong.

"If you say that one more time, I really will end you," the Captain growled.

Jillian, Merko, the Captain, and the rest of his scurvy crew were all gathered on the top deck. Jillian and Merko's wrists were bound with rope. The feeling of tightness around her wrists yet again, brought back the horrible memories of Bear's Prison. She glanced at the elf to see how he was doing. Not very well, by the looks of it. He was sweating terribly and trembling to the tips of his pointy ears. This was the second time he was in great danger after being with her.

Why did this always happen? All the people she meets are doomed.

"What should be do with them, Captain?" the soot-covered boy asked, almost hungrily. Out of all of the mostly young crew members, he seemed the most eager for blood. He swayed back and forth excitedly, tossing an unlit fire cracker back and forth between his hands.

"Shut it, Sparky! I'm thinking!" the Captain snapped. They had obviously not caught him in a good mood. He paced the deck with one hand on his sword, repeatedly running his free hand through his white-blond hair. He suddenly stopped pacing and leaned against the rail. "We could...make them walk the plank."

The pirate crew cheered. Jillian's heart plunged into her boots. Beside her, Merko let out a mouse-like squeak of terror.

"But, why?" Jillian blurted.

"It might make me feel better," he responded with a shrug. "Eye-Eye! Smalls!" he bellowed. "Get the plank!"

The two scurried off and Jillian tried to think of a way out of this. Stalling?

"Do you want to know why we're on your ship?" she tried cautiously.

"No. I just want to know how quickly I can get you off it."

Fail.

"Ummm, who do we have the pleasure of being killed by?" she asked. Maybe knowing which pirates these were would help.

The Captain rolled his eyes. "I'm Captain Robinson and you are here aboard the Jolly Roger, not that you'll be here much longer. I was given this ship by my mentor, the late Captain Hook."

The crew bowed their heads solemnly. Continuing, Captain Robinson gestured to them, "These miserable misfits are my crew, remnants of the large one Hook used to have." They bowed their heads once again.

When he saw Eye-Eye and Smalls return with the plank, he didn't exactly smile, but his eyes brightened. "And now you will die by their hands."

Jillian was out of ideas. This could be the end. As she watched the plank being set, she turned to Merko. "I think we should tell them," she whispered.

"What?" he shrieked. "No, miss. That is not a good idea. If they know of that proc-er...magic-catchers, they could turn you in!"

"Will that be any different than dying at sea?" she hissed.

When Merko didn't answer, she turned back to Captain Robinson and raised her voice.

"I still think you should know why we're here on your ship."

"And why is that?"

"Because it could end the tyranny of King Palumer."

The hush settled over the crew. Captain Robinson froze. Jillian knew she got their attention. Pirates detest the crown. Royal ships were their common targets out at sea. The end of Palumer would make their lives a bit easier. Jillian knew pirates were the crimminals of the sea, but what mattered to her was helping the Snow Queen. Yes, she planned on finding her family in Koralle first, but it would eventually lead to the giants and helping the queen.

Captain Robinson grabbed her arm and pulled her into a room at the back of the ship and slammed the door behind him. It was a nicely spaced room with a large window, a squashy bed with red blankets, an oak desk covered in papers and maps, and wanted posters and pictures were pasted all around the walls. It was the captain's quarters. He shoved Jillian into a chair and then sat opposite her across the desk.

"Spill."

It took nearly an hour for Jillian to explain her crazy, grand plan. She started from the beginning, telling of her time at the orphanage, to Bear's Prison, and meeting Merko in the forest. She skipped over Kit because she didn't want to scare him of with the idea that people around her generally got into trouble. When she confessed to being magic, Robinson didn't look all that surprised. He simply asked her to prove it and after making ice cover his desk, she was told to continue.

Jillian recounted Merko's story of a freak ice storm in a Koralle village and how it may connect to some family. Blushing slightly, she confessed to over hearing Robinson's conversation with his large crew member and the stupid idea that they could sneak onboard.

Robinson stood and began pacing again. "What you're telling me is that you want me to change course and find some relatives, that may or may not be where you say, and then try to convince some giants to join the side of the Snow Queen in some epic battle to overthrow Palumer?"

Jillian squirmed uncomfortably. "Yes?"

"No."

"What? Why not?" she whined.

"Three reasons. One, its a waste of time finding fake relatives and two, I don't fight for any crown."

"But-but you are not on Palumer's side," Jillian protested. "So that means you're on the Snow Queen's side."

Robinson returned to his chair and leaned back on two legs, propping his legs on the desk. "Wrong, missy. I'm not on anyone's side. We're pirates. We fight for ourselves. End of story."

Jillian slumped, then she wrinkled her brow. "Wait, what was the third reason?"

He laughed. "Giants don't exist. You're chasing a fantasy."

"You've heard of the Giant Slayer, right?" Jillian argued.

"Who hasn't?"

"Well he's real. K- someone told me."

"That so?"

With a tug at the heartstrings, Jillian realized this nearly mirrored her conversation with Kit. How ironic that she was on the other side of it.

"Yes, it is," she said firmly. "You pirates are all about taking risk. Why not this one?"

"Becau-!" Robinson began angrily, but he paused and stroked his clean-shaven chin. Why did she notice that? He swung his legs off the desk and leaned forward as if about to say something very important. "We'll take you and the elf to Koralle and drop you off at the first port city we find. After that, you're on your own."

Jillian's heart sank a little. She would have liked some heavily armed people to back her up. But, it was all she could ask for.

She stuck out her hand and after a moment of hesitation, Robinson grasped it firmly. They shook.

"You've got a deal."

At first, it was a bit awkward living on a ship full of seriously messed up kids that had tried to kill her earlier. Believe it or not, the old Cook, and the large man that was called Boulder, were the only people older than nineteen. The Captain himself was pretty young. Only eighteen, but you don't question the age of someone who carries a sword on a daily basis. Robinson ran a tight ship and didn't let anyone slack off on their work, including the two stowaways. "If you want to stay, you better act like it," he had ordered before locking himself in his quarters for the day.

Whether it was cleaning, navigating, cooking, or being lookout, there was no room for error. Take for example, the day Jillian decided to help swab the deck. She and Smalls were srubbing the deck with rags and mops and she accidentally knocked over the bucket, sending sudsy and filthy water all over the almost clean deck. She didn't realize such a young kid knew that kind of language.

The crew was a quite unusual bunch. Smalls was tiny. Probably near the same height as Merko, though the two didn't really hit it off, as if there was a competition for the most underestimated person on board. She'd seen Smalls scramble up the rigging to the crow's nest faster than a spider on its own web and he was pretty handy with a sword and dagger. They all were. He was fierce when he wanted to be, especially with his tongue, as seen in the soap bucket incident. Since he was the smallest, he appeared to push himself the hardest. He craved for Robinson's approval.

Sparky was the crazy-eyed one. He seemed the most disapointed that no one was walking the plank, but he still held out on it. She kept seeing him lurking around corners with a twisted grin when he wasn't working. And his job? Taking care of the gunpowder and cannon balls of course. There was some sick way he carresed the ammunition, as if it was a pet. Jillian had never owned a pet but she had a good idea what it looked like. Why Robinson left one of the most creepy kids she'd ever seen in charge of exposite materials she'd never know.

Eye-Eye was Robinson's first mate. He did everything he was told and bossed around the other crew members when the Captain was busy. Even the adult crew members listened to him without complaint. Out of all the crew members, Eye-Eye was only taller than Smalls, but he radiated authority. He had this face that read, You better listen. Perhaps it was the eye patch was what made everyone obey. He wouldn't tell anyone what had happened to his right eye. Not even Robinson knew.

Rosie was definetly the most level-headed out of the bunch. His red hair shining like a beacon, he calmly navigated the ship through the water, dodging rocks and snadbanks. He appeared to know the sea like the back of his hand, not really needing a map. Not much seemed to excite him, not in a sad way, but that he was dead serious most of the time. At dinner, Jillian would think she saw a smile on his face but it would be replaced by his usual monotone. She wondered if he ever laughed.

Boulder was not as scary as he appeared. He was definently the same size as the troll she and Merko had fought. He could lift heavy barrels and boxes without straining himself and while he could, he fought without a sword. His strength was his weapon. Despite all this, he was a gentle soul deep inside. When he was hauling up fishing nets, he cut free any sea creatures they didn't want. When Smalls was stung by a jellyfish, Boulder was the honorary medic onboard and took care of him. Merko and Boulder surprisingly became close. When they could, they would discuss herbal remedies and treatments.

The Cook was an old grouch. He was a fairly decent cook, though his specailty was a stew made from random food items, which Jillian was getting sick of. He obeyed Robinson, but there was a hostility about it. He could rile up Robinson and cause something that usually ended with something broken. Like a nose, or Sparky's cup as he flung it across the room in anger. The Cook could throw a pretty mean punch. He usually stayed in the galley, cleaning a ladle with a rag and glowering at everyone. You would think that he and Rosie would get along great, but they avoided eachother like the plauge.

Combine all these people together and that made the crew of the Jolly Roger. Jillian wasn't too sure how to fit in. She was the only girl and Robinson didn't bother to keep quiet about her magic so everyone was uncomfortable around her.

The night after her first week on the Jolly Roger, Jillian leaned against the railing and looked out on the black water. She was doing it! She was on her way to find her family. But it felt incredibly lonely. The only person who spoke to her was Merko but it was becoming less and less as he grew chummy with Boulder.

"What are you doing?" She turned and saw Rosie come up next to her. He looked out on the water with his usual expression.

She blinked. Hardly any of them spoke to her. "Just thinking."

"About your family? Captain told me."

She nodded. Jillian wasn't sure if she should continue talking but she did anyway. "Yeah. I've been in an orphanage for my whole life and finding a brother or sister would mean the world to me. They have to be there. They have to."

Rosie nodded. "Your family is pretty lucky," he said. He stared straight ahead and if it wasn't her imagination, his eyes glittered.

"How so?"

"There's someone that still looking for them." Rosie blinked hard and cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Good night," he mumbled. He stormed off and vanished through the doorway.

That was unexpected, especially from Rosie. The pirates weren't as cold as she assumed. It made her think. Where were their families? Did they run away or were they orphans too?

The silent ship, the gentle waves, the moon, the stars. Jillian closed her eyes and listened to the sea's lullaby. A lullaby for lost children.