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Captain Aloy Redmane, as she'd been dubbed by both fans and detractors alike for the hair she'd been given by the mother she'd never met, woke unceremoniously to the sound of her second mate banging on the door of her cabin. The sky outside her window was only just showing the signs of lightening towards dawn.
“We need you on deck Captain!”
“I'm coming, Erend! Keep your damned gambeson on!” She yelled back before grumbling to herself as she sat up and began shoving her boots onto her feet. “One. One full night's sleep without a crisis happening. I don't think that's too much to ask. But apparently…”
Boots on, she stood, snatching her pistol belt off the table and strapping it so it hung loosely around her waist. Finally as she opened the door, she grabbed her hat from it's nail in the door post and shoved it down over her no doubt messy braids.
She slammed her door shut, some of her frustration satisfied slightly by the abuse of the wood.
Erend waited across the deck, at the base of the stairs up to the main deck. He was shuffling between the balls of his feet in clear anxiety.
Aloy flicked one of her braids over her shoulder in annoyance. “What's going on Erend?” She asked, her tone indicating that whatever reason he'd had for waking her early had better be good.
“We've made it to the Western seas.” He reported.
Aloy glared at him. She didn't have the patience for this. “Yes. That's where we were headed. A report could have waited.”
“It's not just that, Captain.”
Aloy pinched the bridge of her nose. “Erend, if you do not tell me what has you so tied up in knots in the next ten seconds, I am going to throw you overboard and go back to sleep.”
“Varl and me saw a mer. Zo can confirm.”
“So you saw a mer. And this was worth waking me up for?”
“Yes! Some boys from the Chainscrape told us they'd seen a single one of those things take apart whole ships by themselves.”
GAIA save her from her crew's penchant towards tavern gossip. She began ascending the stairs to the main deck.
“And has it attacked, made any aggressive moves at all?” She asked.
“Well, no. But…”
“Erend, I told you we didn't need to alert the Captain just yet.” A gentle, but firm feminine voice spoke from across the deck.
They looked up to see one of the ship’s scouts, Zo coming up to them. She was giving Erend an exasperated look.
“I think the Captain has a right to know when a dangerous creature is approaching the ship.” He argued.
“And I told you, my people have a long history of dealings with the mer. They are not the monsters everyone makes them out to be. They are certainly fierce and defensive of their territory, but unlikely to attack unprovoked.”
“But…”
“But nothing, Erend. You and Varl believe the tavern gossip far too easily.”
He grumbled a bit, but had no further response and slunk away, leaving the women alone.
Aloy turned to fully face the scout. “What do you recommend?”
“He hasn't strayed far from the ship for the past several hours. I think he's been surveying, trying to ascertain whether we present a threat or not.” Zo reported. “I think it would be most prudent to talk to him before we sail into mer territory. They don't often stray far from their borders so I didn't think we'd get the opportunity. We better use it while we have it.”
Aloy agreed with the assessment.
“Drop anchor!” She shouted above the sounds of the bobbing waves crashing against the sides of the ship and the creaking of the old wood. “And prepare the dinghy.”
Her orders were followed with the speed and precision they always were, but as she approached the small boat hanging off the side of the ship, Varl and Erend still looked uncertain.
“I'll be fine, boys. And if I'm not, you can take care of it and tell me that you told me so.” She said, then looked over her shoulder at Zo. “Make sure they don't do anything stupid?”
“Always.” Zo answered over the men's outraged sputtering with a wry smile.
As they lowered her, she heard arguing and shook her head fondly at her crew. They were her dearest and closest friends.
She rowed a decent distance from the ship, just in case any of the boys got twitchy, but not an unreasonable distance in case a rescue became necessary.
Leaning her face over the side of her small vessel, she spoke clearly at the water. “I would have words with you.”
After a moment, she saw a dark shape rising from the depths, becoming lighter and more recognizable the closer it got to the surface. As it broke through the small waves bobbing her up and down in her little boat, she saw that the mer from the waist down had a great, blue tail like that of a fish instead of legs. But above the waist he bore the shape of a man. And what a shape it was.
He was broad shouldered and rugged looking, packed with well formed muscle. Her perusal paused at his left side, where his arm had clearly been lost to some sort of violent encounter. But she gave it no more mind than a simple acknowledgement and switched to tracing her eyes over the stark black geometric marks that covered his skin. When she managed to drag her eyes back up to his face, his scarred lip was pulled up in a smirk and one of his dark brows was lifted over honeyed brown eyes that were dancing with playful smugness.
Aloy flushed, though she had tried to fight it tooth and nail.
“The little Captain seems distracted.” The mer teased, then his head tilted and some of the playfulness dropped to more serious curiosity. “But her boat doesn't have the scent of gunpowder like the warships. And one of her companions wears familiar facial adornments. She doesn't seem to bear ill will here. What does the little Captain want in our waters?”
Aloy still felt like her tongue was tied. His voice was a perfect deep rumble, like a far off rolling storm. She worked through it by focusing on the ire rising in her from the nickname he'd bestowed.
“Excuse you. My name is Aloy. Redmane they call me. Captain of the vessel Zero Dawn. We are sailing to find a great treasure. A way to seal away a monstrous evil.” She said quickly and with fire in her tone.
“Apologies, Aloy.” He offered in the least apologetic sounding tone she'd ever heard. “I had nothing to call you by until this moment. But you are a Captain and rather small. I feel the name is appropriate.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. He raised his hand out of the water and held it up placatingly.
“You say you are seeking to seal away a great evil. For what purpose?” He asked.
“For the only proper reason, because it needs to be done.”
“There are those who would seek to seal evil to bring it to heel, to harness it for gain.” He stated pointedly.
“Evil wants nothing but destruction. To attempt to wield it would bring about one's own end.”
He made an approving hum and nodded. “Our Chief knows of this artifact that you seek. His line have been guardians of it for generations. I will take you to the heart of our territory so that you might speak to him.”
“Thank you…” Aloy said slowly, prompting him for his name.
“Kotallo.”
She gave a tight, awkward smile and nod and tried again. “Thank you, Kotallo. So, do you have a heading for my helmsman, or are we meant to follow you, or-”
“That won't be necessary.” He interrupted as he grabbed the side of the dinghy.
He hoisted himself up and over the side, dropping heavily into the bottom of the small boat.
Aloy's mouth opened and closed over several questions that refused to make the trek from her brain to her lips. Then her jaw completely dropped open as with a shimmering sort of light, the massive blue tail changed into a pair of legs that were just as well formed, marked and muscled as the top half of him.
She found her eyes transfixed again, though this time they seemed stuck on the gorgeously toned thighs before her. When she did manage to move her gaze elsewhere, it was to a certain part of his anatomy that made her face turn as crimson as her hair and had her tossing her hat in his direction with an order to cover up.
His deep chuckle as she began rowing back to the ship did horrifying things to her heart.