"Ha! Nice try matey, but me last dice be a four!" Grimtooth declared, pushing the dice forward for all to see. The other players groaned. What were the odds of that? "Looks like I have a perfect 24! Sorry gentlemen, looks like this ol' Krawk has won again." He reached out his claws and pulled the pool of Neopoints towards him.

Grimtooth

Outside, a storm was raging. Lightning forked across the sky, and the wooden boards of the Bilge Dice shack groaned under the strain of the harsh winds. Ocean waves smashed against the rocks by the shore, sending waves crashing into the air. Grimtooth paid it no mind, though. He had sailed in far worse. The pirate Krawk was just about to start another round, when the establishment's door burst open. The Neopets gathered around the table and looked up, squinting into the blackness beyond the door.

Rohin

Lightning flashed, and the outline of a pirate Lupe became visible. "Ahh! Rohin, me lad!" Grimtooth shouted over the sound of the storm. He then walked over to the Lupe, who had entered and shut the door. "Good to see ye lad! What brings ye here on such a wretched night?"

Rohin eyed the dice players cautiously, then whispered to his longtime friend and mentor. "I've found something. I'm not sure what it is, but I've left it behind on the ship. There are too many curious eyes and ears on this island... I'd like you to come see it."

"Wha? Tonight, lad? There be a blazin' storm out there!" Grimtooth protested. "Can't it wait 'till mornin'?"

Rohin shrugged slightly. "I suppose-"

"HEY!" shouted a voice from the dice table. "This dice has fours on two of its sides!" The Krawk's eyes widened as the enraged players threw their chairs aside and made their way towards him.

"On second thought, tonight seems just fine for sailin'!" the Krawk said, then turned and ran out the door with Rohin, following right behind him.

"Ha! You old coot!" Rohin chided as they ran. "Still hustlin' with the dice, are you?"

Grimtooth grinned. "Aye, matey! Wouldn' be a proper pirate if I didn'! Now what be this thing ye be jabberin' about?"

Rohin grinned in response. "Wait until you see it. It's..."

"Now then..." Grimtooth said, as he wrung the water out of his bandana, "What be this mysterious treasure ye found?"

Rohin smiled like the crafty Lupe that Grimtooth knew, and pulled out a large wooden box. Opening it, he revealed a small silver harp. It was very lovely and decorated in diamonds. The dim candelight danced off the harp's silver strings, and its body was carved into the shape of a lovely faerie.

"Well? What d'ye think?" Rohin asked, smiling.

Grimtooth gave his shipmate a withering look. "'Tis a harp, mate..."

Rohin rolled his eyes. "I know it's a harp!"

"But back there, ye said ye didn't know what it was!"

"I just didn't want travelin' ears to pick up what we were talkin' 'bout." Rohin said, as he set the harp lightly on the table. "Isn't it a beaut?"

Although they were friends, Grimtooth was starting to feel slightly irritated. "Yer tryin' ta tell me that ye dragged me me out here in tha middle of a storm jus' ta have a stinkin' music session?"

"Listen ta me, mate!" Rohin pleaded. "This here ain't no ordinary harp! I was told that off the coast of Krawk Island lay a cave with a magnificant treasure. Whoever put that there didn' want ta loose it! You wouldn't believe traps and pitfalls... I nearly lost me tail gettin' out o' there!"

Grimtooth gently scratched his chin with his golden hook. "Weeelll... I suppose ye could get a good price on it. I'd buy it meself, but I'm not really the musical type."

All of a sudden, the harp strings began to play a beautiful melody. It was like invisible hands were playing it. The faerie decoration came to life, and sang in a sweet voice:

"Words you said have been untrue.
I have found the lie in you."

Both pirates gawked as the harp stopped playing and became inanimate again. They looked at each other, dumbfounded.

"How'd ye do that, mate?" Grimtooth asked.

"I didn't!" Rohin replied, bending down to study it. "It just sang on its own... like magic! It said ye told a lie!"

Grimtooth felt himself blush. He actually did like music, but he always kept it to himself. He scratched his chin again. "Hmm... I wonder." He bent down and looked at the harp straight on.

"Me name be Grimtooth." Nothing. "I be a purple Poogle named Fred."

Once again, the harp came to life:

"Words you said have been untrue.
I have found the lie in you."

"Well, I'll be a soggy Slorg!" Grimtooth chuckled. "This 'ere harp knows when one be fibbin'!"

Rohin felt his excitement grow. "Oooh, this be great! Do you know how many Dubloons we could get fer sellin' this?"

Grimtooth smiled as he placed his arm around the Lupe's shoulders. "Aye, it'll make us rich, but not by sellin' it. 'Ere's what we do..."

Rohin and Grimtooth spent a nervous night on the ship, paranoid at the thought of what could happen to their treasure if they were to leave it lying around, or take it outside.

Surprisingly, the next morning was clear and sunny, with not a cloud in the sky.

Rohin stayed in the cabin, while Grimtooth went back to the mainland to visit a tourist shop. There, he bought a book that contained a list of all of the most powerful people in Neopia, and brought it back to the ship.

Together, he and Rohin spent half the day checking off the richest and most powerful faeries, kings, and creatures throughout all of Neopia. Step one of the plan was soon complete.

"Do ye think we should be starting at the top or bottom?" Rohin asked, looking down at the list they had made.

"Here's the thing," Grimtooth replied. "We can start with the lower of th' bunch and start a buzz abou' it, but if somethin' goes wrong and this 'ere harp goes missing, we'll never reach the high class. On t'other hand, we can start at th' top with someone like Fyora, an' be gettin' us enough dubloons to last a lifetime, but not be able to take our buisness through to too many areas."

They continued debating the pros and cons of both options until the day was done.

"Arr, we lost a whole day!" Grimtooth said, irritated. "No ma'er though, we be settin' off in th' mornin,'" he continued, shrugging it off.

"Won't those scallywags be lookin' for us, though, since the storm has now passed?" Rohin asked.

"Well, I suppose you be right, me lad; we must be settin' off now then."

With a nod, Rohin made the ship ready to sail...

"Aye, mate, 'tis a good day ta be sailin'," Grimtooth said, nodding in satisfaction as he looked back at the bay. No one was following them. Not a single ship was in sight.

The Lupe started to grin, but stopped suddenly. "Grimtooth..." he began slowly, "don't it seem a bit odd that there be no ships out in the sea?"

Rohin's companion stroked his chin, the smile fading from his face. "Aye... I can see what ye mean..."

"Usually, a day like this would mean prime sailin' conditions, eh matey? They'd be returnin' to shore 'bout now, eh?"

"Aye, aye, what are ye gettin' at?" the Krawk said, tapping his foot with impatience.

"Well, Grimmy, I'm a'thinkin'..." Rohin said, then paused, choosing his words carefully. "Could they be knowin' what we be up to?"

Grimtooth thought a bit, then shook his head quickly. "Naw... naught can go wrong with our plan, mate. Those cads are too stupid to figure a thing out."

Rohin laughed, as it was true. Anyone who could've fallen for the old double-sided dice trick had to be pretty stupid... or so they thought.

They sailed late into the night. Grimtooth was snoozing lightly by the side of the deck, with his eyes closed gently. Rohin was slumped lazily against the tiller, steering them to an unknown destination, when it happened.

Silently and swiftly, the shapes cut through the dark night sky. Soundless and wordless, they crept up behind Rohin and Grimtooth, then hoisted them up roughly by their shoulders.

"Ahoy, mates! We got them scurvy bounders!"...

Rohin was thrown away from the wheel as one ninja took charge of steering. Tying the pirates tightly with some ropes, the intruders opened a closet and threw the Krawk and Lupe into the darkness, shutting the door tightly. There was a faint *click* as the door was locked. Rohin and Grimtooth could feel the ship turning as the ninjas reset their course towards an unknown destination.

"Where do ye think they be takin' us, Grimmy?" Rohin asked. He couldn't see the Krawk, but he predicted him to be on his right.

Grimtooth struggled against the ropes. "No idea, mate. Those scurvy scuzzbuckets be takin' us to the unknown. Now get ye foot out of me nose."

Rohin squirmed. Suddenly, the ship gave a lurch, and Grimtooth was thrown through the darkness and into a crate, busting it open. Silver light flooded the cabin.

"The harp!" the Krawk exclaimed. "I forgot! I hid it in this 'ere closet, so if we was pirate-napped, they wouldn' find it!"

The entire dingy closet was covered in light that flooded the room. The friends gained hope. Even though they were tied up and locked away, momentarily unable to do anything about their fate, they still had hope.

"Rohin," Grimtooth said with a smile, "I be startin' to think this fib-alert has more powers than meets the eye..."

"I mean, I think this 'ere harp knows when yer in trouble an' when ye need help, matey," Grimtooth answered gruffly.

"Ye think this little harp knows we've been 'napped? Jus' like that?" Rohin snapped noisily. Audible whispers could be heard from the deck.

"Keep it down! What are ye, daft?" Grimtooth hissed, kicking Rohin with his free foot.

Rohin nodded, rolling his eyes. "So, uh, ye think it'll help us out o' this little mess? Eh, Grimmy?" Rohin asked, looking at Grimtooth.

The Krawk shook his head. "What can a little instrument like that do t' help us, matey? Ye think it'll cause a storm to scare those scuzzbuckets right out o' their wits? Ha, fat chance! I don' think it will!"

Suddenly, the beautiful faerie came to life and played her harp:

"Words you said have been untrue.
I have found the lie in you."

The maiden fell silent and resumed her pose.

Grimtooth shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "Can't fit a lie in edgewise, what with this thing around, eh matey?"

"So you do think it'll help us out! I knew it all along!" Rohin whispered loudly.

"Words you said have been untrue.
I have found the lie in you."

The faerie came to life once more. This time, though, she added more to her song:

"You have lied for the final time.
From now 'til eternity, you shall have to mime.
If you wish to speak once more,
You'll have to find the long lost shore."

Rohin began to try and squeeze the words from his throat, but was unsuccessful. He watched as the color drained out of Grimtooth's face.

"I told ye this harp-of-a-thing had some kinda special powers, eh matey?" the Krawk said feebly, vainly trying to lighten up the mood. Now they had two things to get done. Not only did the pirates have to take the harp and escape the ninjas, but they also had to find the long lost shore!...

LIES
R: II
G: III

"Ye mean I've lied more than ye already?" Grimtooth asked.

Rohin nodded.

Grimtooth grunted in annoyance. "Yar, but I be Grimtooth the pirate! Arr, I bet I can d-" he broke off and glanced at the harp. As lightning flashed through the cracks in the boards of the wall, Grimtooth could have sworn he saw the faerie on the harp give a smirk. Then he paused. "Wait. Lightning?"

As if to answer his question, lightning flashed again.

"Well, what d'ye know? It can cause a storm," he said, shrugging. "I were right, Rohin, about it havin’ more powers than we guessed." Rohin glared daggers at the Krawk, who added, "Aye, aye, I know ye figgered that out already." He scooted over to the harp. "Aye, harpy, can ye help a Krawk an' his matey out?"

There was another flash of lightning, followed by a roll of thunder, and the ship tipped dangerously, sending Grimtooth and Rohin flying across the room. They crashed into another crate, which splintered at the combined weight of the two pirates.

"Well, I be a Mynci's uncle," Grimtooth whispered, staring. "It did help."

Lying on the ground, amidst the remains of the crate, was...

"Avast!" Grimtooth whispered to himself, as he looked down at the gold-plated blade. Its hilt was embedded with rubies of every kind, and the blade had kept its shine since the day it had been created.

"Well, don' jus' sit there like a Grarrl on a log. Help your ol' cap'n cut these ropes!" the Krawk instructed his "speechless" friend.

The two worked together, and after some trouble, they were able to cut their ropes with the blade.

"Ye have to be handin' it to the harp; it be a double-bladed sword if I ever saw one, hurtin' us one moment and helpin' us the next," Grimtooth said, almost laughing to himself, but stopping when Rohin looked angrily at him.

The harp was pulsing a silver colour, as if it still wanted to help.

"Blimey, I think it still wants to help us out," Grimtooth thought out loud.

Rohin agreed by nodding. The Lupe made his way over to the Krawk, with harp in hand.

Grimtooth suddenly remembered that their ninja attackers had locked them in the closet, and decided to give the harp another go. "Ye think ye can help us with the door?" he asked the harp.

The faerie didn’t move.

"Well, now ye don’t want to help, eh?!?" The Krawk was becoming annoyed with the harp’s erratic schedule of using magic. "Arrghh!" Grimtooth shouted. "I hate this harp, and I hate bein' locked up!"

With that, the harp began to pulse again, and the faerie came to life. An angelic voice started to sing:

"You speak the truth of what's on your mind;
I will release you from your current bind."

When it finished, the closet unlocked, and the door slowly opened.

Grimtooth turned to his friend, wide-eyed with surprise, but he quickly made up his mind about what they had to do next.

"Are ye ready to be teachin' those scurvy ninjas never to mess with pirates?" the old Krawk asked Rohin as the door continued to open…

There was only one captor left on guard in the gale, and he was having a hard time paying attention to anything. The Scorchio clung to the mast pole with both of his arms, clearly not used to this sort of storm. He didn't even realise the prisoners had escaped until the flat of Grimtooth's sword struck him unconscious.

The two pirates moved swiftly and quietly to the cabin area. Grimtooth peered in. "Arr, those lazy scoundrels be messin' up yer cabin bad, Rohin," he said. If the Krawk could have seen his friend's face in the whiplash of rain, he was sure it would have been filled with anger. Rohin loved his ship. "Aye, mate, I know what yer thinkin', but 'tisn't smart. Besides," he continued, peering in again, "it looks as though they be on the hunt for somethin', and I'll bet on my dice that it's this liddle treasure." He motioned towards the harp, still secure under his arm.

Rohin growled, and then turned towards the tiller.

Grimtooth followed his gaze. There was a dark shape steering the ship, and it looked like it was alone. "Aye, ye don't reckon they'd notice if we stole back t'ship?"

Rohin was already gone, though, his swift paws carrying him across the rain-slicked deck towards the figure, which he leapt upon. There was a muffled cry and a brief clash of swords, but the Lupe soon grabbed the creature and threw it to the ground. The pirate captain grabbed the wheel and steadied his ship quickly.

"Ha harr, matey! Even when yer mute, ye've still got it!" Grimtooth said, running up beside him. "Where d'we go, though? The seas be too stormy to gather bearings."

In response, the little harp began glowing again. The faerie sang out, barely audible in the high winds, but her words rang out as clear as day:

"You speak the truth of what's on your mind;
I will release you from your current bind."

Suddenly, a small light fluttered off the harp and bounced down to the wheel. It buzzed back and forth a bit, and then whizzed off to the front of the ship.

Grimtooth smiled. "Good ol' Harpy helps again," he said, laughing. "Hard t'starboard, Rohin! Follow that faerie!"…

"That was a bit hard, matey..." Grimtooth noted with a glance at his Lupe friend. "Let's jus' hope we didn't catch the attention of th--" he turned at a shout behind him.

A ninja was pointing at him, and shouting something at the others in the cabin. The ninjas dropped what they were doing and pulled out various weapons, from swords to throwing stars.

Grimtooth pulled out his own sword. "If it be a fight ye want, it be a fight ye get," he said in a low warning tone. "I've been attacked by better fighters than th' lot o' ye."

Something about the glint in his eye, or maybe his teeth, or maybe his sword, caused one of the ninjas to pause.

"Tha's right, ye lan'lubbers, ye just hold still," he said, picking up a rope and slowly walking towards the dark figures. "Ye don't want to feel th' wrath of the pirate Grimtooth!" he declared, approaching the first ninja. "Cooperate and ye won't get hurt," he warned, then began to tie the ninja's wrists behind his back.

There was a loud CONK! and Rohin glanced back to see that his Krawk friend had been whacked over the head from behind with a large shoe. Smacking his forehead as the ninjas turned towards him, the Lupe stood to face the opposition, ready for a fight.

One of the ninjas leapt at him, but just then the boat gave a very large lurch and stopped. Rohin fell and rolled down the deck as the ninja attacked, and it sailed past where he was and off the side of the ship. There was no splash -- there was a thud, then a shout of shock.

The ninjas ran to the rail to see what had happened. Their fallen comrade was sitting -- on sand! Coming out of the darkness were dozens of orbs of light, like the faerie that had led them in that direction. They came out, surrounded the fallen ninja and the boat, and rose.

Meanwhile, Grimtooth got up and looked about groggily. He stood and walked over to the rail, to see what the commotion was about, either not noticing or ignoring the cease in battle. Seeing all the twirling lights that were illuminating the beach more and more, he gasped. Soon the lights from the faeries had grown so much that the whole island was lit up like daytime -- and it was a true island paradise.

There were palm trees, white beaches, small cottages -- tiny, faerie-sized -- and a castle, which was huge and beautiful, with tiny details in the art only a faerie could manage.

Grimtooth shook his head and whispered, "Shiver me timbers... this be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Rohin nodded, then jumped as he felt something move. He looked around and saw a silver faerie flying in front of him, and giggling.

"You've found the Lost Shore -- you'd best be grateful;
But this island has a story, and tonight shall be fateful;
I am the queen, and you've undone my curse;
And I shall return to you your ability to converse."
she said, fluttering over to Rohin.

Rohin grinned brightly and said, "Yarr!" quite excitedly, before looking to his side and seeing Grimtooth. He looked again. Just Grimtooth. "Ah, where be the ninjas?" he asked uncertainly.

"I sent them back home, where they truly belong;
And if you're wondering, yes, I always speak in song;
There's one more thing that I think should be known;
Once you've seen this island, it must be your home."
The silver queen faerie smiled.

"Always be our home?" repeated Grimtooth. "Wait, ye mean we can't leave?"

"It's not just a law, it's a spell, it's a charm;
But don't be upset -- it couldn't do you much harm;
Yes, you must stay, but that's not all it brings;
For returning me home, I shall make you both kings."

"Kings?" Rohin echoed. He looked at Grimtooth. "Did ye hear that? Kings!"

Grimtooth looked at the faerie. "Miss Faerie, if ye please, this is all a tad abrupt, if ye could explain at least what..."

"Oh, I'm sorry! Where is my mind?
You must be confused, allow me to rewind.
A faerie of evil and darkness quite sharp;
Had me imprisoned inside of that harp.
Returned to my island, the curse is now broken;
I'm out, I'm free, and the word has been spoken:
By the powers invested in me by the law;
I proclaim you both kings, may you rule well and long!"

The End