A/N: This is a collection of short stories going with my fics Ruthless and Legends - sort of expanded universe, if you will. They're inspired by Fanfic 100 prompts. Almost all 100 will be included here, but a few of them inspired chapter fics. The chaptered fics will be posted separately. Hope you like!

Introduction (Theme 1)

Dear Reader,

In the interest of learning more about the rise and fall of piracy, particularly in the Caribbean, I have been researching the life of Lord Cutler Beckett, Chairman of the East India Trading Company and the primary enemy to piracy in the 1730s and 1740s. I have only been able to glean occasional anecdotes and stories from letters and historical accounts, and never a complete and accurate history. Thus, this report may seem somewhat disjointed, as the whole story cannot be gleaned from the scanty sources I have found.

Of particular note are the amount of references I found to lore and legend – predominantly regarding Arthurian tales when Lord Beckett was living in London. Later, the account moves to encompass Caribbean legends, as Lord Beckett moved his operation to the Caribbean, then a haven of piracy. They seem intrinsically intertwined with Lord Beckett’s story, although I hesitate to claim that they were as real a part of his life as some accounts might wish me to believe.

Due to this particular element of Lord Beckett’s history, I have decided to write most of my accounts in the form of short stories, to make it more interesting for the reader and to accommodate for the fantastical peculiarities that litter all references I’ve found to him. What the true, dry history may be is more difficult to determine. For the time, enjoy the fictional elements to the story, and know that there are seeds of truth buried in each tale.

I will preface each story with my sources of inspiration, so that you may know where I found my information and what sources I used in creating this anthology.

I hope you will find the material to be worth the read.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Taliaferro

Historical Researcher and Expert on Piracy, 18th Century