Cannon fire exploded around them, a deep booming accompaniment to the high pitched tang and clang of crossed cutlasses and staccato notes of pistols firing. They’d played a dangerous game to get this far and the battle raging across the top decks of two ships acted as the culmination of a year spent sailing and fighting and falling love. To emerge victorious meant their wildest dreams coming true. No other option existed.
Blake’s feline ears flicked as she grit her teeth, her blade slicing through the air and the bone white plate of some monstrosity. She’d faced the royal navy, privateers, other pirates, and mercenaries but would gladly face the lot of them together rather than the otherworldly monsters that crewed the Grimm Reaper, twisted remnants of lost souls poisoned by the great goddess Salem’s touch. There seemed to be a neverending flood of them tearing free of the Reaper’s hull to storm onto the Longwang.
The Faunus twisted away from the gaping maw of another monster only to stumble and catch herself as her back fetched up against something too forgiving to be part of the ship itself. She turned, ready to strike again, and then froze. “Weiss?”
Blake felt a tightness in her chest, worry and love in equal measure making it hard to breathe for a moment. Before her stood the woman who’s stolen her heart, a noble daughter turned pirate queen, her dress soggy from rain and ripped by her own hands to allow freedom of movement, blood trickling down the unscarred side of her face and staining her left sleeve as she raised her arm. “Duck!”
Her feline ears perked as the order registered and she dropped down, the woman’s sword singing through the air and stabbing deep into the monster she’d narrowly avoided earlier. As Weiss dispatched that one, Blake saw another rear up being the woman, and she darted forward to protect her love. There they stood, back-to-back on the top deck, fending off the onslaught, and it struck the Faunus as deeply appropriate. That, in spite of the obstacles before them, the dire circumstances surrounding them, Salem’s fury descending upon them, and the armada awaiting them, Blake would choose to be nowhere else. Beside Weiss, no matter where that might be- land or sea or that world in-between life and death- would always be her place.
“Weiss!” She lifted her sword, blocking the blade of a Grimm creature, the weapon somehow fused to the bone plate of its forearm. “Weiss, I have something to tell you!”
“Is now the appropriate time?” Blue eyes flashed her way briefly as she pulled her own weapon from deep within the chest of yet another monster. “We’re both a bit busy for conversation!”
“If not now, then when?” Grabbing her scabbard in her offhand, she began lashing out with double the frequency, hoping to buy them a bit of breathing room. “I should’ve told you months ago anyway!”
“Well, then, get on with it!” Weiss growled, obviously frustrated as even more of the horrid creatures surged onto the Longwang’s top deck.
Setting her scabbard back in its place, she used her newly empty left hand to grab the woman’s right, the momentary reprieve they’d bought themselves allowing their eyes to meet.
“I’ve loved you for years,” she said, all her reading of romance novels through the years ultimately rendered useless. They didn’t have the luxury of a purple-prose laden speech to convey her intents, as the threats all around them wouldn’t give them time enough to savor the moment. It had to be quick, to the point, and it may very well be short lived… but she would regret it eternally, through whatever afterlife awaited her, if she failed to speak up now. “Through all this, every step of this adventure, I’ve fallen even further in love and I choose to give my heart to you.” The growling fury bearing down on them hastened her words. “What choice do you make?”
Blake could see how Weiss’ expression shifted as she registered the words and their meaning and a light came to her eyes. “Winter.” The Faunus’ brow furrowed in confusion as her ears fell but the woman didn’t seem to notice, turning towards the top of the wheelhouse. “Winter! Marry us!”
Standing beside the helm, the woman’s elder sister stood, a saber in one hand and a dagger in the other, fending off two of the Grimm monsters at once while shooting a glare down to the top deck. Frankly, though Winter still exuded the intimidating presence of a high ranking naval officer, Blake had come to understand the woman a little better in recent months and trusted Yang’s judgment most of all, relief suffusing her being as she finally registered Weiss’ words. Her sister, though, seemed mildly annoyed. “I’m a little busy at present, Weiss!”
“You are the captain of this ship-“
“Co-captain!”
“-and you have the authority, so do it! Marry us!”
At that moment, Yang appeared, dropping down from somewhere along the masts and using the rope in her hands to swing to Winter’s aid, delivering a brutal kick to one creature’s head while immediately launching herself in the opposite direction to throw a punch at another, somehow landing on her feet with a wide smile on her lips. Despite the fresh cuts along her arms and blood smeared across her knuckles, the woman seemed in high spirits but had always enjoyed the thrill of the fight.
“A wedding in the middle of a fight for the fate of the seas?” A full bellied laugh as she ducked a wipe swipe from yet another monster. “I’d expect nothing less from you two! If you don’t, Snowdrift, I will!”
“Oh, fine.” While using her sword to lop off the arm of an attacking monster, Winter jumped up onto the railing just in front of the wheel, somehow raising her voice to carry over the din of the raging battle. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, locked in deadly combat, to bear witness to the union of two thrice-damned souls in holy matrimony.”
Unfortunately, what small reprieve they’d bought themselves ended at that moment, and Blake and Weiss had to jump apart to dodge another Grimm attempting to destroy them, but they turned in tandem and struck it down before turning their attention to the new wave of Grimm surging across the top deck, Winter’s voice briefly straining as she continued her speech while fending off even more attacks.
“Brought together by the raging seas of fate- you blasted barnacled bastard, can’t you see I’m busy- these two have demonstrated a will to persevere, to remain loyal to one another- Sundrop, a little help- and to support one another in this world and the next and I swear I will destroy you, now- stop- this- nonsense!”
Blake briefly looked up towards the wheelhouse, watching as Winter somersaulted over one creature and plunged her saber into its back while catching another’s claws with her dagger long enough for Yang to tackle it away, using her fists to render it unconscious or possibly dead. Meanwhile, Blake’s own blade bit into the hides of even more creatures while Weiss assisted, one delivering the first blow or blocked an attack while the other finished the cretin off, their off hands finding the other’s again and interlocking. They danced along the top deck, the rhythm of their hearts their only guide, unable to stop the smiles beginning to curl their lips despite the life threatening battle they found themselves embroiled in, because they were there, together, as they were always meant to be.
“Blake, do you take Weiss- I swear by the eleven seas- to have and to hold-“ the clanging of swords briefly rose, swelling to a crescendo punctuated by a cannonball blowing through the side of the wheelhouse “- from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, with a few of those options being considerably less likely- ah!“ The Faunus couldn’t help but wince as a claw scored along Winter’s side, incensing the woman even further. “Oh damn it all to hell and back!” Her frustration reached a boiling point as even more of the Grimm swarmed up the wheelhouse stairs to reach her, blue eyes flashing with malicious intent. “Finish the damn vows yourself!”
To her surprise, Weiss didn’t miss a beat, pulling her close by the hand as they used their blades to block two incoming attacks. “In sickness and in health, to love and cherish till death do us part.”
“And even after, yes, I do,” she replied, both of them silently counting in their heads before pushing back against their enemies, making quick work of one before dealing with the other. “And do you, Weiss, take me, to have and to hold, from this day forward-“
“Of course I do, really, as if you have to ask.” Again their swords flashed as they moved together, pushing beyond the physical limitations of one person to strike down monster after monster- a testament and demonstration that no problem, no obstacle, no force in this world or the next, could rip them asunder. “I crossed an ocean and more to find you, Blake. Now, more than ever, I do.”
The Faunus couldn’t help the way her shoulders relaxed and the goofy little smile that curled her lips. “Aw.”
The moment, perhaps, wasn’t best suited to the sentimentality, as Weiss had to dart around her to block yet another cutlass, and it seemed for every one they’d cut down, four more Grimm had sprung up in their places. “Focus, Blake.”
“By- the- power- I will rend your soul from your mangled body you pox covered cur- power vested- would you-“
As Winter struggled with defending herself twice over and continuing the speech, Yang effortlessly jumped in to join her- in more ways than one. As the woman’s fists connected and cracked bone plate after bone plate, her voice carried above the symphony of battle, a bright brass tone that cut through everything with ease.
“By the power vested in us as Captains of this ship, we now pronounce you wife and wife!” Now with help, Winter managed to switch from a mostly defensive fighting style to one that took advantage of the other woman’s presence, and together they beat back the boarding party and sent them tumbling into the tumultuous seas below. “Now kiss your bride!”
Even though they probably shouldn’t, Blake and Weiss temporarily disregarding the fight raging around them, pulling towards the other, their blades lightly crossing as their lips met. In that moment, they’d won- for all that still remained, for the strife and uncertainty they faced, it didn’t matter; they’d finally bared their hearts to one another- and the Faunus could hardly believe it. Her wildest dream come true.
“Blake! Weiss!” They jolted apart, surprised to find Ruby’s scythe deeply embedded in the chest of one monstrosity that looked like it might’ve been poised to deliver a killing blow to both of them. The young woman herself merely looked lightly annoyed, silver eyes pleading. “Priorities!”
“I make no apologies,” Weiss said, though she did lift her rapier and stab it through yet another of the Grimm that tried to take advantage of their distraction. “A pirate is always allowed to kiss her wife, Ruby, it’s in the Code.”
“They’re more like guidelines and totally not applicable when we’re fighting undead monsters conjured by a sea goddess! Please, focus!”
“More importantly.” Although still somewhat preoccupied by the enemies trying to dislodge her from the helm, Winter appeared invested enough in the conversation to offer her own viewpoint. “You can’t rightly start the honeymoon with all these uninvited guests.”
“She has a point.” Blake reluctantly admitted, her own sword flashing through the air and cutting through yet another enemy. “Let’s finish this.”
Then they surged forth, the two newly-wed brides fighting with renewed conviction, tearing through the boarding party and, eventually, finding their way onto the Grimm Reaper’s top deck themselves, eager to put the battle to an end. Beyond that, they couldn’t begin to fathom what fate awaited them but they knew the part that mattered most.
They’d face it together.
---
Bonus Scene – while the battle still rages
Yang: “I can’t believe those two beat us to getting married! You know what this means?”
Winter: “And what’s that?”
Yang: “We’ll have to beat them to having a kid!”
Winter: *a beat* “Well, I suppose we’ve already accomplished that.”
Yang: “Yeah, we- wait, what?”
Winter: *knowing look*
Yang: *blinks, then throws her fists in the air* “Whoo! I’m gonna be a momma!”
Winter: “One step at a time, Sundrop, let’s focus on ‘not dying’ first and then we can address-“ *another Grimm swipes at Winter and just barely nicks her shoulder*
Yang: [BEAST MODE: ENGAGE]
Winter: *watches as Yang flies into a rage and begins laying waste* “… well, I suppose that’s one way to do it.”
---
Y’all: “Hey, Tex, think you can write some Monochrome without featuring Elderburn?”
Me:
Also, if anyone’s curious, the title is a play on Hans Zimmer’s “He’s A Pirate”, otherwise known as the Pirates of the Caribbean Theme Song, which is why there’s so many fucking musical descriptors and references throughout. A big shoutout to @maburito who, as usual, served as inspiration for the shenanigans.
A/N: @monochromeweek Apparently, monochrome week is what can get me writing fics again. By the time this gets posted and shared, it’ll be late, and that’s probably gonna be the situation for the rest of the week. I hope you all enjoy!
Weiss woke with a start, blinking blearily before quickly scanning her surroundings. The room was filled with various trinkets, and it was evident that the owner had the wealth or at least the capability to obtain such opulence. This led Weiss to her next realization, one that made her more alert: the sight of wealth might have been something she was used to, but this was clearly not her ship. A second inspection of the room allowed her to conclude that these were a captain’s quarters, and she grimaced at the implications of how she landed herself in this situation before attempting to stand.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t do more than glare at the rope binding her arms and legs to the chair before the door suddenly swung open. Squinting against the sudden light, Weiss was only able to make out amber eyes that somehow shone brighter than the sunlight and pierced through her. Even though she was currently restrained and had no recollection of recent events, Weiss still smirked at the stranger. Her sister would’ve advised against further provocation, but she’d never been able to stop her once Weiss made up her mind.
Amber eyes narrowed at the challenging action, and the door slammed closed. Weiss’ smirk only grew, especially now that she had a better view of the person who was quickly striding over to her. Swiftly scanning over the admittedly attractive woman, Weiss came to a sudden realization as she looked over the woman’s attire. From the captain’s hat, which was removed to reveal two cat ears, to the meticulous care present in the Faunus’ clothing and cutlass, Weiss gave no indication that she recognized the notorious woman in front of her even as her mind raced for a way out.
Blake placed her hat on the table and briefly glanced at the map where their previous plans were made. The notorious man had been traveling through, but he’d evidently had more talented hired hands on board his ship than she had anticipated. Honestly, she thought that she and her crew weren’t going to make it out of their skirmish alive if it weren’t for another crew that apparently had set their sights on the same target. At first, Blake had thought herself to be hallucinating or that she’d been caught in some sort of trap when she saw that the women giving orders shared his white hair until they unknowingly helped her own people out by fighting against his forces.
Having accepted the unexpected help for what it was, Blake had called for a retreat in the midst of the chaos. Better to swallow her pride and accept a failed heist than risk the lives of her crew members, she had reasoned. However, it seemed that not everyone in her crew shared her sentiments. That was obvious when Sun somehow managed to grab an unconscious Schnee on board, meeting his captain’s disapproving look with a shrug and easy smile. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the one that they had been looking for. Blake frowned, not wanting to dwell on their recent mistakes and turned back to face the now glaring woman. Even though there was an eyepatch over her left eye, the single blue eye still seemed to pierce through her.
Sighing, Blake pulled her cutlass out. There was no need to tie up someone who didn’t know how to fight back. Her research only revealed limited information about the Schnee family, considering how adept they were at concealing their history. All she knew for sure was that the daughters broke away from their family and that one of them was the captain of a proficient crew. The mysterious captain had a facial scar of some kind, but there was no evidence of such a mark on the woman before her. Blake cut the bindings off and set her sword down beside her hat. Maybe she could learn something useful if she tried being nice. After all, it wasn’t like this woman could escape.
Weiss merely raised an eyebrow when the ropes were cut but didn’t move much aside from stretching her aching limbs, eyeing her captor carefully. If this was a trap, then she didn’t want to risk anything. When the silence between them stretched onward, both of them warily eyeing the other, Weiss signed but otherwise kept her expression carefully neutral. If nothing else, she could try to learn something. After all, it wasn’t like this woman found her threatening. “Why have you captured me?”
The question seemed like an obvious one to ask after being captured, yet it still caught Blake off guard. Or maybe it was just the tone that it was asked in. Prisoners usually sounded scared or at least nervous but not her. No, this woman’s voice was carefully neutral, the first indication that there was more than met the...eye. Blake smirked, just a small quirk of her lips upward. Yang would certainly have a laugh at that. Meeting the inquisitive blue eye with a blank look, she shrugged. That quirk turned into a full smirk at the huff she received as a response. “Honestly, I didn’t have plans to capture you at all. One of my crew mates was...disappointed when we had to retreat so decided to do this. Sorry if we ruined your day, and I’m not being sarcastic, before you ask,” Blake responded, adding the last part when she saw the woman about to question her.
The lone eye narrowed in suspicion before the white-haired woman stood, Blake noticing how she tensed her fingers to recover feeling back in them. Amber eyes snapped up a second too late to follow that sharp gaze to her cutlass, and they were suddenly both lunging for it. In the scuffle that ensued, Blake had a few realizations about the admittedly attractive woman. The most important was probably the fact that the Schnee was stronger than she looked, but Blake didn’t relent.
There was a clatter when the weapon fell to the floor, but Blake had managed to pin her to the table, both women breathing heavily. It was then that Blake realized how little space there was between them. While this was distracting to Blake, her opponent didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity. This was when she discovered that Weiss was flexible, the wooden chair breaking beneath her as she fell after getting thrown off.
As Weiss crouched to pick up the fallen sword, Blake stood and grabbed her flintlock pistol, immediately firing off a few rounds. She frowned when they were either blocked or dodged, the expression only deepening when the table was upended and used as a makeshift barrier between them. The dust from the sudden action was a problem, so Blake relied on her hearing instead. A few minutes passed where the only sounds heard were heavy breathing from both sides of the room, and she could only assume that her captive was trying to come up with a plan.
Smirking now, Blake silently crept across the room toward the other woman. Apparently, she underestimated her stubbornness though. Even though she managed to tackle her, she didn’t hesitate to fight back and eventually even knocked Blake back against the wall. During her haze of pain, Blake barely registered the sound of fabric ripping and opened her eyes to see that her extremities were restrained to the wall rather tightly by what used to be the bottom portion of her opponent’s shirt. In her surprise, Blake only managed to utter the first words that came to her mind. “You seem to have experience with tying people up.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Their eyes met, surprise present in both until the white-haired woman looked away first, a hand to her mouth. It looked like she was trying to cover a smile, and Blake stopped struggling, entirely too amused by the situation. Still, she needed to know something before the inevitable escape happened. “Before you leave, I’d at least like to know your name. Don’t try to give me a fake one either. I have done my research, you know.”
At first, she thought her request would go unanswered when the other woman smirked and picked up her captain’s hat, inspecting it briefly before placing it on her head. Oddly, it looked like it belonged...oh-
“From one captain to another, I must suggest getting better sources. It’s been interesting, Captain Belladonna, but I’m afraid that I must cut our...tryst short. I hope you’ll be equally accommodating when next we meet.” As she was speaking, she steadily made her way over until Blake could see that sharp blue gaze up close. Smiling enigmatically, the other captain lifted the eyepatch, revealing the facial scar over her left eye, and Blake was about to ask something that she couldn’t remember once a gentle kiss was pressed to the corner of her mouth.
When she stepped back, Blake was still trying to process the night’s events. “Consider that a parting gift from Captain Weiss Schnee. Until we meet again, Blake.”
As the door softly shut after Weiss escaped into the night, Blake could only stare after her, soft lips and eyes that reminded her of the seas she sailed seared into her memory.
A/N: The ending is...like that, because I’m considering continuing this. Thoughts on that? Also, I’m dedicating this to @maburito, because I know she was really looking forward to this prompt and hope that she and everyone else who decides to read this enjoys!
Monochrome week 2020 day 1 Checkmateys! (I can since it's technically midnight right now in France zkdn)
I’m not any good artist or even writer but how about some prompts/ideas for the mono weeks :D ?
Weiss Schnee, the unhappy princess, decides to follow her sister example and run away from their father to live her own life. She build her own crew made entirely of women and become well known as the terrible Frostbite Captain.
Meanwhile, a certain Blake Belladonna with her friend Ilia Amitola and Sun Wukong runs away from the White Fang, a famous faunus pirate float that has become corrupted and more and more violent against innocents. Blake with the help of her friends build back her own pirate crew entirely made of faunus, and is popular to them as the fearsome Captain Belladonna.
One day these two crews face off each other when in search for a supposed marvelous treasure, but when it's revealed a trap from King Jacques Schnee to capture the criminals who have been looting his ships, Weiss and Blake have no choice but to ally and get revenge on the king
(there sorry I am no writer but I still wanted to participate for these great prompts so I hope this is good enough ^^)
Checkmateys meeting : Weiss and Blake are both pirates queens. Blake crew is only composed of faunus, Weiss crew is made of both humans and faunus cos she’s not like her father and is constantly stealing his ships to piss him off
They both meet when Weiss and Blake crew accidentally end up searching for the same treasure. At first they both fights each other to see who will get the treasure but when douchebag commander of Jacques Schnee float Cardin Winchester ends up taking it, they allies with each other to get it back and stuff it to Jacques-ass Schnee
ooh have u thought of any other pirate aus or is it just that one you really want to see?
Like Sharpay sang in high school musical 3 : I WANT IT ALL!!
oirjoieajhoi It’s a pirate AU there is so many different versions of it you can do! I remember making a mono pirate AU on my sideblog before Checkmateys or Beehaw was even a thing!
My friend @keena-kapu made a monochrome pirate AU fic a very long time ago and it was so good!
But honestly, my favorite pirate monochrome AU of all time comes from way waaaaay back in 2014. This one, where Weiss is not just a pirate but a Pirate Queen and Blake has been hired by her father to capture her!
