She came, she saw, she commandeered her dad’s fishing boat.

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When twelve-year-old Mercia Ethel fished a barnacle-crusted tricorn from Razorbank’s tide, she declared herself Pirate Queen Mercia of Port Regal—and never once broke character. Six years later, she still prowls the docks in mismatched boots and makeshift regalia, commanding invisible fleets, enforcing imaginary laws, and turning her father’s sailboat into the mighty Marooner Royale. The coastal town humors her delusion with smiles and sighs. But Mercia’s memory holds ship names long lost, tactics no child should know, and tides that shift just when she needs them to. Maybe it’s all pretend. Maybe she really did return from another life. Either way, Razorbank has a queen—and she enjoys her crown.