The Pirate's Reward

The end of the world arrived sooner than we had predicted. It began with a virus – one that targeted the weak and vulnerable. It attacked the lungs and presented symptoms similar to the common cold. The coronavirus was first identified in China and soon spread across the entire globe. Over the years, it evolved, and only 10% of the world's population survived. Those infected stopped breathing and died because their brains were deprived of oxygen. Life as we knew it had come to an end. 

As global warming reached its peak, the Earth herself started to change. Oceans rose above vast cities, lands dried up, and the sun shone like a red iron whip. Many species became extinct as the Earth was covered in 95% water. Some adapted into creatures found only in children's storybooks. Reptiles grew wings with amphibious lungs, and land mammals developed gills with long, scaled fins - or so it is said. 

Everything beneath the water had long been forgotten. Technology was lost, and everyday life reverted to how it once was before the invention of electricity. Race, culture, and religion all disappeared, leaving only two distinguishing groups: workers and pirates. 

Those who could afford it sailed across the oceans and adapted to life on the water, while the rest of us were crammed into slums and forced to work merely to survive. 

You were either a rich person's labourer or a pirate's pleasure. 

*** 

To the women who have always hungered for more than soft endings and obedient hearts. 

To the women who crave power instead of permission. Who want devotion sharp enough to wound. Who dream of being desired so deeply that men would ruin kingdoms, spill blood, and burn the world just to stand at their side. 

This story is for you. 

For the woman who wishes to be feared and worshipped. For the woman who wants three dangerous men hopelessly obsessed with her — not because she is fragile, but because she is powerful enough to consume them whole. 

I gave the heroine a name of her own, but when you read these pages, I want you to forget it. 

Because she is you. 

Her victories are yours. Her darkness is yours. Her throne, her rage, her desires, and every whispered fantasy hidden beneath the surface of your skin— all belong to you. 

So step into her place willingly and let them kneel. 

***

A loud clap of hands snapped me away from my thoughts. My head shot up to see the boss of the pleasure house gazing down at me, her lips pressed together and eyebrows raised. 

Madam Inaya was a proud woman with radiant ebony skin. She had an oval face, almond-shaped eyes, thin eyebrows, a round nose, and a pointed mouth. Her eyes were a light brown colour that appeared almost golden in the sunlight, resembling a goddess trapped in a mortal's body. She wore winged black eyeliner with golden eyeshadow, long eyelashes, and dark maroon lipstick. 

Her natural hair was short, with midnight-black dreadlocks that hung just above her belly button. A few of the braids were decorated with metal beads. She appeared to be in her early thirties, though I wasn’t sure of her exact age. Hoops dangled from her ears, and a black beaded necklace with a downward-facing white moon wrapped around her neck. 

Every day, she wore a similar outfit: a white bandeau top that pushed up her cleavage, with a plain long-sleeved white shirt draped over her shoulders, left open to reveal her breasts. She tucked the shirt into the waistband of a wrap-around orange skirt that fell just above her ankles. Her nails were painted a dull maroon, and she wore short black heels. 

"Madam." I acknowledged, quickly looking down. It was disrespectful to stare at someone of high power for too long. 

We were in the entertainment hall of the pleasure house. This was where the women would put on a show for the visiting pirates- dancing, singing, performing magic tricks, or even showing off their flexibility skills. Against the wall stood a stage adorned with large purple drapes, a faded red floor, and a green ceiling. The rest of the room featured cold grey tiles and washed-out dark blue walls. Round tables with small, round stools were arranged across the open space. 

Musicians were practising in the background for the performance later that evening, while dancers rehearsed their routine on stage. I sat at a table in the back corner, watching them. 

"Isla, for the sake of all that is good, why on earth are you sitting around like a sad puppet?" Madam Inaya questioned. I smiled to myself, secretly amused by her unusual comparison. 

"Apologies, madam," I replied, keeping my gaze focused on the table’s surface. It was made of light brown wood, covered with numerous stains and scratches-probably from years of use by rowdy pirates. 

"Never mind that," she huffed, sitting down next to me with a sigh. I looked up at her and noticed that her eyes seemed a little darker than usual, with a few creases between her eyebrows. 

Although she was the boss of the pleasure house, she had always been kind to me. She treated me more like a niece than an employee. I always thought it was because my mother was her closest friend, but even after my mother passed away, nothing changed. 

She cared for me for fifteen years-feeding me, tucking me in at night, making sure I was happy, and protecting me from any pirate who tried to come near. She was the closest I had to a mother, and I respected her immensely. 

"My dear, sweet puppet." A small smile played on her lips as she reached over and took my hands in hers. "Do you remember what the Law of Surprise is?" 

The question made my body tense. We hadn’t spoken about it in three years—so why bring it up now? I thought, looking up at her. 

"Yes, it's when a person whose life has been saved promises their saviour something valuable they do not yet own," I answered, as it was seared into my memory. 

Madam Inaya nodded and gently squeezed my hand. 

"I received word today that the time has come for you to pay your mother's debt," she remarked, tears springing to my eyes as my chin dropped sadly. 

My mother's life was saved by an old pirate captain who jumped into the water and spared her from drowning. Skills such as learning to swim weren't necessary for a woman like her, nor were reading, writing, or sailing. My mother had nothing to offer the kind captain in return, so she promised me-her first and only child-under the law of surprise. 

An old pirate was on his way to claim me, to do whatever he wished with me. The freedom I had once known was over. I wanted to cry out and beg Madam Inaya not to let him take me. I had known this was coming for as long as I could understand its meaning. I had spent my whole life preparing for this day. I wanted to curse my mother for promising me away. Why did I have to be the price she paid for her life? 

After taking a deep breath, I replied calmly, "I belong to him now. I know my life was promised away before I was born." 

I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t saved her. I was born because my mother’s life was spared. I owe him my life. 

"Are you not scared, puppet?" Madam Inaya asked, rubbing her thumb over the back of my hand. 

"Terrified. I've been safe here in the pleasure house," I paused and smiled at her. "You gave me a childhood that many don't have the chance to experience. I've flourished under your care, but now I am a woman with responsibilities to keep.” 

That last sentence repeated itself in my mind. This was it; it was really happening. 

"I'm glad you have accepted your fate. You are wise beyond your years, Isla. Remember, don’t waste your time on tears; they will only make you age faster," she joked, attempting to lighten the mood. 

"I'll be able to leave here and go with him aboard his ship. We'll sail across the waters and visit other lands," I said, my voice rising with excitement. "The captain must be very old by now. I doubt he would want to put a child in me." 

I had never left this land but had often dreamt of what lay beyond the water. Since I was promised away before birth, no other person had laid a hand on my body or kissed my lips. My virtue was kept intact for the captain; I was meant to be his alone. The realisation brought a smile to my face as I looked up at the boss to see if my assumption was correct. 

Instead, her eyes widened, and her mouth fell slightly open. Her skin went strangely pale, and she looked as though she had just been told there was another outbreak of syphilis. 

"What is it? What don't I know?" I questioned her and slightly tugged on her hands as if I could pull the answer out of her. 

"The captain... he has passed away." 

"What does that mean for me?" 

Madam Inaya broke eye contact, and her voice dropped. "The claim to the Law of Surprise was passed down to his son. The son bears no offspring yet." 

"No," I interrupted with a whisper as tears welled in my eyes. Madam Inaya pulled me into her arms, and I began to cry, burying my head buried in her shoulder, just as I had when I was young and missed my mother. 

"I fear that is the reason he has come to claim you. You will give birth to his children." Her voice echoed in my mind. 

My neck had started to ache from drooping my head as I awaited the arrival of the pirate captain. My days were spent learning how to please him in the bedroom. All the mothers shared their knowledge and tried to prepare me for what was to come. 

I was in one of the rooms where a pleasure worker would take a pirate. There was a simple bed with white sheets and a small bedside table with books as ornaments. The walls were made of grey bricks, while the floor was covered with the same cold tiles as the entertainment room. An incense stick filled the room with musky smoke, and on the wall next to the bed hung a mirror, already tormented by time.   

"Quicken the pace of your hips," Penny’s pompous voice demanded. 

I was grinding on a pillow, with my legs positioned on either side. This was how I was meant to learn to please the pirate captain. The pillow’s material rubbed against my inner thighs, tickling the delicate area between my legs. I did my best to follow Penny’