[Content warning for: dubcon, implied oviposition.]

They called her the Pirate Queen, for she could not be tamed.

No men could best her, nor could any woman rival her looks. Yet, despite her endless resources of gold, lovers, and her beloved crew, Elizabeth worried, because a prophecy had foretold, at her birth, that she would die an early death.

Although she had done everything in her power, to rise above everyone else in an attempt to delay her destiny, today have proven to be full of bad omens, events that seemed like warnings, the more Elizabeth thought about them.

It started with thunder—one of her men falling overboard. She ignored it. Figured it would go away. However, the fact that she could possibly meet her end today lingered in the back of Elizabeth’s mind.

But an hour later, her ship was caught in the biggest storm Elizabeth had ever seen.

The Pirate Queen ordered for half her crew to take cover, whilst the braver ones joined her out on deck, as they attempted to survive.

The ship swayed from one side to another. The sky roared as flashes of gold illuminated the clouds above them in rapid succession. It was hard for her to say when it happened, or why; Elizabeth couldn’t recall what it was exactly that had caused her attention to drift for the brief instance of a second—an instance, that proved to be fatal, when Elizabeth plunged to her doom.

The sounds of the fray around her muted Elizabeth’s screams, resulting in her crew being oblivious to the moment where she joined the ocean’s depths.

Perhaps, if she had been any other woman, Elizabeth would have felt a deep sadness for the life she’d barely had time to mourn—yet, the Pirate Queen did not linger on any futile thoughts as water filled her mouth, and the world went dark. She was disappointed. In herself.

At the world.

No matter what she had done to avoid death’s curse, Elizabeth was unable to change her fate. Destiny had caught her in its grasp, and in this moment, she was left with no choice, but to become its next victim.

When Elizabeth began to choke, and flail around on instinct as her eyes went wide with panic, another wave pushed her forward, then slammed her into the never-ending ocean that soon became her prison.

This time, however, something was different.

Elizabeth heard an odd sound—one other than the myriad of bubbles, which popped against her ears. It was a voice. Another chance at living.

Do you wish to survive this, in exchange for saving me? the voice asked; it was neither masculine nor feminine in its tone—it was both, and nothing, all at once.

Yes, Elizabeth thought, and she hoped with all her might, that her answer would reach whatever was trying to communicate with her at the time.

Perhaps, she was going insane.

But, maybe—just maybe—this was more than a mere hallucination.

She hoped it was.

As much as Elizabeth wanted to say she knew the ocean off by heart, nobody did. Unknown creatures lurked beneath the waters she sailed over daily. Deep sea mysteries were often discovered every other month, either by the traces they would leave across the shores of numerous beaches, or, when their carcasses would sometimes wash up across islands, and leave everyone at loss for words.

These creatures—whatever they may have been—remained an enigma to every land dweller, herself included.

Elizabeth exhaled again. This time, she could breathe. But, she was not freed.

The Pirate Queen blinked. She was still trapped under the seemingly never-ending ocean, though, in a rather different way than the last.

Tentacles made up of clear water slithered across her arms and legs. The smooth, cool texture of them caused shivers to rise across the Pirate Queen’s damp skin.

Elizabeth quickly understood, then and there, why she drowned no more, despite her delayed return to the ocean’s surface. Whatever it was that had caught her, had also taken the liberty of creating her a large, oval prison of some sorts, carved from the deep blue that surrounded them both.

For a short while, the Pirate Queen struggled, and tried to break free of her restraints, yet, to no avail. There was no escaping this.

Relax, human, the spirit that had taken over her mind, said. Wasting your energy will do you no good.

“Are you going to kill me?” Elizabeth found herself asking. If the tide was not responsible for her fabled downfall, perhaps, this thing, would be her end, instead.

No. It paused, and Elizabeth’s heart beat in her throat. Anxious songs. Nervous rhythms.

But, I do have a favor to ask of you, the creature said.

“And who am I talking to?”

Something akin to a brief, modest cackle echoed throughout Elizabeth’s thoughts. It is too complicated to explain. Perhaps, in your world, the voice said, I would be considered a spirit, tied to the ocean—one with every wave, yet, nothing all at once.

Elizabeth’s shoulders tensed. Dealing with mere mortals was easy. For the most part, many people could be seduced, bribed, or manipulated out of fear of losing something dear to them. However, in this case… it would likely be difficult for Elizabeth to talk her way out of being held hostage, with a sea spirit.

The Pirate Queen bit her lip. “And what could I possibly do for a timeless being like you?” she asked, as she tried to remain calm, to not let her fear slip inside her tone.

The spirit laughed again. I am in need of a host, it said. If I do not find one soon, once Winter come, I will perish.

There was a moment of silence, in which the running water around them was all Elizabeth could hear. She froze up. Her eyes widened, then grew damp with tears. Her sentence would likely be much worse than death, after all. “You want to possess me?” Although she had tried, she could no longer hide the feelings of horror that swam inside her gut. “Please, I-I don’t—”

No. The translucent tentacles gave her arms a squeeze. I could, it hummed, but possessing you would not be a fair exchange.

There is no need for a life to be taken—the spirit’s limbs wound themselves around Elizabeth’s stomach; they lifted her white dress-shirt, then slithered across the Pirate King’s trembling thighs—when we could create one, it said.

It didn’t take long for Elizabeth to understand. “I see...” she muttered. Her head hung low. Her soaked, dark bangs came to cover her eyes—sapphire, like the nightmare that now surrounded her.

Bearing a child was not what the Pirate Queen feared. It was the risk of potentially giving a creature—who once had no choice but to stay in deep waters—a way out. If the spirit was evil, then she and her people would have quite a big problem on their hands. “And how would this work exactly?” Elizabeth found herself asking, despite having quite the hunch, when it came to the spirit’s potential reply.

The ocean spirit told her its plan. I would bring you much pleasure, it said. You would not need to worry.

***

“All right,” Elizabeth finally huffed, after a moment. “I will be your vessel. What... can I call you?” she asked the spirit. “May I know, who I am laying with?”

The ocean spirit laughed once more. Elizabeth failed to figure out what was so funny, until it spoke again, said, “I have no need for names, but, you may call me Creek, if you wish it so. That is the title your kind had given me long ago, when you were still part of the sky, and not yet a mortal being.”

***

The ritual they partook in continued for at least a good few hours. Until Creek announced, that it was over. We are done here, the spirit said.

The spirit lifted Elizabeth closer to the ocean’s surface. Do not mate with another, until you have birthed my essence—or, there will be consequences, Creek warned, as it finally began to let her go, much to the dismay of Elizabeth herself, for she wouldn’t have minded staying around a tad longer. Nobody in her life had ever managed to satisfy her thirst for pleasure, to the extent that Creek had.

Creek did not leave her with any other parting words. They did not kiss each other goodbye either, nor did they ask one another if they had enjoyed the brief, outlandish moment of strange elation they’d shared together. And of course, they wouldn’t, Elizabeth thought, as she slowly came back to her senses. This had merely been a transaction.

The gift of life, in exchange for the Pirate Queen’s time.

Elizabeth awoke next morning, naked and bare, across the shores of her hometown. Although the Pirate Queen would get to live another day, a growing pulse remained in her belly, that had swelled significantly with the weight it now carried.

As Elizabeth stood against her wobbly legs and limped back to her village, she only hoped tragedy would not befall her, in the weeks to come.