Grace stood at the bow of the ship, near the large wooden wheel that controlled the vessel. The slight breeze of the ocean's wind had made her shiver - her clothes ragged and well worn. She had no mother to clean them nor make new ones, but rather was caught in a world with men that only belonged to them. Grace simply was alive because they could not kill a child - let alone a girl. Instead, they took her in, making her as gritty as them, though she was considerably more honorable than they could imagine.

Grace was quick to pick up on her training - mainly sword fighting. She would spar with the young men around her age, agile and light on her feet with each swing. She was described as annoying - a pest, if you will. They refused to tell her that though, so she only heard through whispers and glances.

"Land is near," a gruff voice said. The captain - Bones, they called him. Nobody knew his real name, but just that was enough.

"Yes," Grace said softly.

"Gather what you can carry to take to land. We will be sanctioning there a few nights," Bones stated. Grace didn't say much else but nodded.

Bones was a good man to say the least. He protected his own and didn't bother to really go out of his way outside of his tribe. Grace could admire that, though she had always felt intimidated by him. He had done unspeakable acts - like anyone on this ship - but Grace couldn't help but know his were most likely the worst. She would tell herself that maybe he had asked for forgiveness, but deep down, Grace felt like maybe the Lord could not forgive those acts. Bones was not considered the most ruthless, high-priority name on a list, however. Him and his crew were not popular with anyone, which made their raids that much more easy. But with the way things had been currently going, Grace and the rest of the crew had no way of surviving unless they seeked refuge, which they did.

After a few more moments, the ship was finally beached at the shore. The vessel would be quite easy to spot, and based on the anatomy of the island, it would have been spotted by now. Just off the shore was a large ridge, one that was rocky and sandy. Bones ordered a few men to take watch there while another small group simply scouted the area. Grace had mustered the strength to carry her things in only two trips. She made a makeshift bed out of light fabrics with holes in them on the sand, surrounding it with two books, a lantern, and her knife. Grace was never granted a sword of her own.

The sun was barely setting below the horizon. One fire was made to keep their presence a limited knowledge. Grace was a few feet away from the warmth, though she didn't mind much. A few men had gathered, not daring to bat an eye towards her. Bones ensured such a thing. Maybe he felt bad for her and thought a better mercy would have been murder when they raided her village all those years ago. Perhaps it would have been a better life than this.

As time passed, Grace flipped through her book. She could do some minimal reading, though she never properly learned and didn't know how to write. One of the men around her age - Silas - approached her.

"Grace," he said softly. The young woman looked up as she had been laying on her stomach. He held out his hand that had a small ration of bread in it. "You must eat," he said.

"Thanks," Grace said softly, taking the hardened bread. It was better than nothing.

"Might I join you?" Silas questioned. Grace nodded, slightly scooting over on the fabrics so he didn't have to sit on the sand. He planted himself next to her, gazing up at the sky.

"It's a clear night," he commented. Grace didn't say anything but instead tilted her neck to see the bright stars. She nodded again.

"Some books say that stars are souls that have passed on to the above," Grace spoke gently, her words like a soft cloud.

"You can read?" Silas asked. He cocked an eyebrow, obvious enough he had no clue how.

"I've mainly taught myself. I don't understand every word I see, but I can get the basic concepts," she replied. Silas smiled slightly.

"You are more than beautiful, I'll tell ya that," Silas said with a wide grin on his face. Grace scoffed, gently hitting in on the arm.

"Is that all you came over here for?" Grace inquired playfully.

"No. You looked lonely and I didn't want some other charming man to come over to ye," Silas responded, looking over at her.

"Pssh. I'm sure that's why," Grace stated and rolled her eyes.

The two continued to talk as the night went on, and sooner or later, everyone but them had fallen asleep under the stars. The distant snores of the men were easily heard. She was surprised nobody was around considering the island looked to be quite flourishing. Silas had fallen asleep next to her, which she took it upon herself to rest her head gently on his chest for warmth as the fire had gone out ages ago.

However long they were here for, she hoped it would be worth it.

Grace had been the only member of the crew awake at such a late hour. She continued to gaze at the stars, feeling Silas's rising and falling chest with each breath. The two were not entirely close, but got along well. He was always flirting with her, and while Grace never protested, she couldn't help but think he only did it because she was one of few women on the ship. Knowing what they could do however made her feel that much more better about a few words being the limits of their admiration.

Grace had an underlying feeling of being watched. She felt dread in a way. She sighed softly, listening the sound of the waves hitting the sand and slowly receding. She felt calm but on edge. A mix of emotions had made her feel flustered in a way.

Grace slowly removed herself from the fabrics and rose to her feet, grabbing her lantern. She was quiet as she stepped away, knowing her excuse would be she had to relieve herself. A slight breeze brushed her skin, sending a chill down her spine and her dirty blonde hair to flow with it. She huffed softly, still trying to shake the feeling of more than just her crewmates eyes on her.

Grace had saw some form moving in the distance. She swung the lantern in that direction, the yellow light barely illuminating far enough to see. Looking over her shoulder for a moment, Grace decided to investigate the figure. She was hesitant and stepped cautiously, squinting to try and see as far as possible. The moonlight had casted a light that only rimmed the edges of her surroundings, but when she got close enough, it provided enough light to see that there had been a poor human being laying on the surface of the sand. The girl was naked and cold, most likely sick. Grace had gasped, setting her lantern down. She looked around for a moment.

"Oh my," she said softly under her breath. Grace had felt a sense of panic. She would not leave this woman to die here. "Hold on," she spoke again, leaving the lantern and running off to find something to cover her with. Luckily enough, Silas had practically rolled off the fabrics and onto the soft sand. Grace gently pulled on the oppossing end, managing to pull it enough that it was free under the weight of the man. Silas stirred slightly though did not awaken, which allowed Grace to feel a bit more secure. She raced back to the woman and covered her with the cloth, noticing that she was in pain. Grace did not see any wounds, though that did not mean it wasn't something internal.

"I do not know if you can speak but I can offer some food," Grace stated, her breath hard to catch. "Perhaps extra clothes as well," she then added, hopeful the woman could speak English or at least understand. She had placed the lantern as close as possible, any sort of heat hopefully helping. Grace knew she could not return with a random woman, though given the situation, she did not post any threat. Grace looked around for a moment, ensuring that nobody would be approaching them.

Grace looked out to the water, not able to see if there was some sort of wreckage or perhaps other survivors. It could be possible that anything that was floating already made it's way out, too far for Grace to see, or it was simply too dark. She sighed softly, looking back at the woman as she awaited a reaction of sorts.