Summary: The open seas. Pirates. Such things should never cross the mind of a well-mannered lady. But Elizabeth Bennett was neither well-mannered nor, at times, a lady. Watch as she gets pulled into a whirlwind of adventure aboard the Georgiana as a prisoner, a deck swabber, and a crew mate under the watchful eye of the mysterious Captain Darcy.
A/N: Hi everyone! This is la bella rosa, this is my first story, so go easy on me please! :)
"Elizabeth Bennett!" Frannie Bennett yelled at her second child. "For goodness sakes child, hurry up! You haven't even started to get ready yet? If you don't start this instant, how will you impress the men at the party? God knows that this could be your last chance to find a good husband! Oh how you affect my poor nerves."
"Thank you mother, for believing in me." Lizzie replied sarcastically as she begrudgingly got up to get dressed. It was best to not argue with her mother, and Lizzie was quickly growing tired of the ball mess. So what if two of the richest men in the country were coming? It's not like Lizzie particularly cared about money. Lizzie knew that if she were to marry, it would be for love, and the only thing she loved was the sea.
But she knew that if she told her darling mother, she would have to suffer from hearing her hour-long rants about her frayed nerves and distress about having a daughter that was a disappointment. And frankly, Lizzie didn't have the energy to listen to it. She'd been listening to it for 18 years.
She quickly shut the door to the washroom and stepped into the bathtub. The warm water relaxed her muscles and she imagined herself sailing on the high seas, escaping from the stuffy town and being free from all the restraints of society.
She submerged her head underwater and just listened to the silence that surrounded her. She momentary peace was interrupted by a loud banging noise. Her head popped up just in time to hear the shrill voice of her mother reprimanding her of taking too long in the bath and the slam of the bathroom door.
Sighing, Lizzie stepped out, got dry, and braced herself for the chaos that she was about to become part of. She looked out the window. Last chance to escape now. She internally shook her head. Last time she escaped, her mother nearly popped a vein.
She peeked out of her bathroom door. Luckily, her room was empty; her mother was probably fussing about something to Lydia or Kate, whom preferred Kitty and Liddy and were just about as close to twins as you could get, different birthdays and faces put aside, were probably excitedly chatting about the rich and eligible men that were going to be present at the party. They were only 13 for heaven's sake, and they were the biggest flirts she'd ever seen.
Lizzie stared at the dress that was laid out on the bed. It was gorgeous and perfect for her, but the thought of being in a tight, restraining dress made her mentally wince. She definitely preferred donning on a pair of breeches and a shirt. Honestly, what was the point of all the folds of cloth?
"Lizzie! What are you doing, still standing there over your dress? Time to get changed!" Her mother rushed into the room and tried to help Lizzie put on her dress.
"Mother. I can do this myself." She complained, but her mother heard naught a word. "Mother. Mother! I'm perfectly capable of dressing myself. I'm 18 years old."
"And still unmarried." Fanny Bennett mumbled.
"Mother! I am quite aware that I'm currently unattached, seeing as you have reminded me everyday of that fact. Please let me dress myself." Lizzie said through gritted teeth.
Fanny sighed dramatically before walking out the door. Lizzie smirked when she heard her mother's complaints as she made her way down the hallway.
----
Lizzie felt like a piece of meat, or perhaps a horse being auctioned off to the best buyer. She could feel the eyes of the nasty suitors following her as she made her way through the crowd to her sister.
From across the room, she heard her mother's annoying giggles as she laughed at some snotty gentleman's probably not-so-funny joke. Her little sisters Kate and Lydia (Lizzie refused to call them by their preferred nicknames; they sounded like a wench's name) were flirting with a man that seemed even too old for Lizzie. Mary, Lizzie's other sister, was sitting all alone in the corner. Lizzie felt pity for Mary, who was the shyest of the sisters and didn't have to courage to ask anyone to dance.
Lizzie went up to a young man that was about Mary's age that Lizzie noticed had been watching Mary out of the corner of his eye. "If you like her, go ask her." She whispered.
Lizzie walked off before she could see the look of surprise and wonder on the young lad's face. She did, however, see the grateful look on his face that he flashed towards her when he led her dear sister off to the dance floor.
Lizzie returned her attention to finding Jane, whom her mother insisted was the "beauty and savior of the family," the one who would save the whole family from ruin once her father died and had to leave all his belongings to a distant cousin, the only eligible male heir of the family. Jane was indeed beautiful and had many suitors practically drooling after her. Her sweet nature and innocence, along with her beautiful blonde hair and calm hazel eyes drew everyone towards her. Lizzie was not at all surprised to find her dancing with a young handsome lad in the middle of the room, laughing and dancing the night away.
Lizzie, short for Elizabeth, was in no way ugly, but she couldn't hold a light up to her sister. She knew she was somewhat plain, with her brown hair and brown eyes, but what she lacked in looks, she made up with her witty personality and sharp tongue. Men were often drawn to her adventurous side and wished to be the first to "tame the lioness" in Lizzie. But Lizzie would quickly set them straight and packing with their tails in between their legs.
Lizzie had quite the notorious record, not that anyone knew about it. They had their suspicions that Lizzie was the famous "Lance" that got into fights in the streets. Many underestimated the skinny little boy that had the confidence of a giant, but they soon found themselves on their backs, staring into the smirking face of the young lad that wielded his sword and dagger like a whip.
And why would Lizzie do such a thing and put her life in danger?
Lizzie lived for adventure. She absolutely loathed the life of a lady, being restrained by society and the tight corset that bound her. Ever since her father and told her stories of the high seas and adventures that he had embarked on as a young lad, she promised herself that she would do the same.
Lizzie Bennett was without a doubt Edward Bennett's favorite daughter. She was sweet and caring, but was also like the son he never had. No one was good enough for Lizzie, and to Lizzie's delight, he rejected every sniveling suitor that asked for his permission to court his daughter, much to Frannie's horror.
Lizzie knew that her parent's marriage was more of convenience than of love. Her mother was, as her father has explained, gorgeous and much sought after, and her father was extremely rich. Her father needed a wife to get his parents off of his back, and Frannie wanted an advantageous marriage. It was the perfect business transaction.
Of course, needless to say, Frannie's ideals and Edward's actions clashed constantly, but the two had learned to tolerate each other.
And because of growing up and listening to her parent's arguments, Lizzie had promised herself that if she were to marry, she would marry for love. But by her experience in meeting men, she was sure it would never happen.
Especially at this very moment, when a Mr. Collins had permanently attached himself to Lizzie's side and began to twitter on and on about his patron and whatnot, making Lizzie want to jump out the window and never come back.
It was when she noticed that the annoying parrot had stopped his incessant chattering that Lizzie managed to slip away from him, only to find herself face to face, no, face to chest, as Lizzie was much shorter, to a man who had the air of an aristocrat, and apparently a fortune to back it up. She looked up to find him looking disapprovingly at her, as if breathing on his expensive coat would ruin it and he had to buy a new one, not that he couldn't afford it, but it was more of an inconvenience. Lizzie looked up at him defiantly, and smirked when she saw a flash of surprise in his eye before the prideful mask returned on his face. He pushed past Lizzie without a word.
----
Days following the ball, Lizzie found herself in the company of Jane's admirer, a Duke Bingley, who seemed endearing and sweet, the perfect match for her sister.
Lizzie was happy to accompany Jane to tea, after all, she had to make sure that he was good enough for her. And with a mother who thought fortune was the most important characteristic to a marriage and a father that was often away on business, Lizzie was the only one that could look out for her sister.
After tea, Lizzie concluded that he was the perfect man for Jane. He was good hearted and seemed very aware of Jane's actions, and Lizzie caught him staring at Jane with a look of adoration.
Lizzie definitely approved and was extremely happy for her sister.
Lizzie, on the other hand, didn't have luck on her side.
After her sister had summoned up the courage to go on an outing with the Duke by herself, Lizzie was stuck at home with Mr. Collins, the disgusting merchant that had followed her around at the ball. Lizzie no longer had the excuse of Jane to use when he called upon her for tea.
Not that her mother helped her escape, of course.
"Lizzie darling, you must give that wonderful man a chance!" Lizzie gagged at the word 'wonderful.' " He's been requesting your time for a week! You must take your own happiness into account. Jane's already found hers!"
And because of her annoying and meddling mother, she was stuck having tea with probably the most annoying and outrageous man in all of England.
After about half an hour, Lizzie had to excuse herself for a headache, and she wasn't lying this time.
But luck once again wasn't on her side.
"Wait, Elizabeth." Mr. Collins said. "May I call you Lizzie?"
Lizzie nodded, willing to do anything to make the insufferable man leave.
"I know that we've just known each other for a week, but it seems I've known you before I met you. You're a beautiful woman, just the type of woman I'm looking for. I haven't asked your father yet, for he's gone for business, as you know already." Lizzie snorted. Of course she knew her father wasn't present. "I've already asked your mother, and she's happily agreed." Lizzie felt her face morph into horror. Anything that Frannie may agreed on was bad, for it only involved one thing.
"Will you do me the honor of marriage, Elizabeth?"
Lizzie couldn't help the bubble of laughter that was swelling in her chest. Seconds later, she was full out, on the floor, laughing her arse off. It wasn't very ladylike, but frankly, Lizzie didn't give a damn.
"I'm assuming that a yes, Lizzie?"
Lizzie's laughter abruptly stopped. "No."
Mr. Collins smiled. "I'm sure your mother will be delighted, and I have no reason to think that your father would disapprove.
Lizzie glared at him straight in the eye. "No."
"I know you ladies love to play this little game, so I'll play along. I'll be coming everyday to check on you, my dear Lizzie."
"Collins!" Lizzie yelled, her eyes on fire and her voice dangerously low. It was this side of Lizzie that she rarely showed, and usually when she was like this, she was dressed like "Lance," and someone was going to get hurt. "I will not marry you, and I never will. Leave this house, and never come back."
Lizzie stomped out the door, leaving a shocked Collins in her wake.
She slammed the door to her room and sat on the bed, tears of frustration leaking from her eyes. She couldn't help it, after all, she was so frustrated by herself, how she had the ability to attract such pieces of swine, and at her mother, who wished to auction her off to the highest bidder, as if she were some filthy wench.
"ELIZABETH BENNETT! You ungrateful child! Go apologize to Mr. Collins right now and say that you will marry him!" Frannie's shrill voice sounded from outside the door. "He's such a sweet man! And he's rich! You'll be well taken cared of for the rest of your life!"
Lizzie grit her teeth and ignored her mother. Lizzie walked over to her dresser and pulled out a piece of parchment and began writing her letter. She smiled; it was the first time that Lizzie was sure of something in her life.
"He's well endowed and handsome! Go tell him right now Lizzie! Or I shall never speak to you again!"
Lizzie smiled sadly as she remembered the words her father had spoken to her before he left for his business trip. "Lizzie, if you ever listen to your mother about marrying a silly man, I shall never speak to you again. Do what you want to do, not your what your silly mother wishes you to do, and know that I will support you in whatever you endeavor to do in life."
She slipped her letter in a slit in the wall, where she knew her father would find it, and quickly changed into her male clothes. She donned her cap after tying her long, brown hair back and brought the emergency money she had hidden in a niche in the wall. Opening the window to her room, she yelled to her mother, who was still beyond the door, "Goodbye mother! Tell Janie I love her!"
When Frannie finally managed to knock her door down, a cold wind blew through the open window, and Lizzie was nowhere to be seen.
When Edward Bennett returned home a week later and found the letter Lizzie hid in a place only he knew about, he looked out the window and smiled.
"Good luck Lizzie-bear."
_____
"Lance! Make sure the riggings are tight!" The captain barked orders towards the young lad.
Lance, a young boy was quickly gaining trust among the other men on the boat for his quick tongue and his skills of the sword. She was immediately assigned to the crow's nest, for she was quick to climb and had keen eyesight. They ignored his questionable background, which he guarded with his life, and welcomed him to the crew.
Of course, Lance had good reason to hide his background, considering that being on a ship with a crew of men was dangerous. After all, "he" was a "her". And the superstitions about a woman on a ship being bad luck would probably ruin the respect she'd gained from the crew.
So, Lizzie Bennett, after escaping her home in Longbourn, bound her chest and signed up for a spot on the famous merchant ship, The Pride.
Lizzie didn't care so much about the fame of the ship, but rather the stories that came with the ship. There was a long history of pirate attacks, and just hearing about pirates caused tingles of anticipation down Lizzie's back.
A series of loud yells echoed from the deck, causing Lizzie to snap out of her thoughts.
"Shit!" She swore as she realized what her crewmembers were yelling. It was a pirate attack, and she had been too distracted to notice.
"LANCE! What the hell were you doing up there? I didn't hire you to sleep on the job! Or would you rather sleep with the fishes once the pirates are done chopping us into bits?"
Lizzie knew something was wrong. "Why're you so worried, captain?"
"It's the Georgiana." The captain replied with a shaky voice.
Lizzie snorted. The name of ship didn't render her shaking in her boots. The Georgiana. Ooh Scary.
The captain stared at her harshly. "You don't understand Lance. The Georgiana is the most notorious pirate ship out there. No ship has ever survived the attack."
"So that's it? We're just going to surrender? Like a bunch of cowards?"
The captain glared at her. "Did I say that, Lance? We're going to fight until the death. This ship was my grandfather's, and I will stand with it, even when it's resting on the bottom of the sea. "
Lizzie smiled, feeling tears in her eyes.
"Are you going soft on me now, lad? Go on! Grab your weapons!"
Lizzie smirked. "Ay, ay captain."
---
The captain of the Georgiana stood with his eyes closed, feeling the sea air blow into his face. He was minutes from battle, and he could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. It had been a while since his crew had had any plunder, and they were just as anxious for it. He had just been back at port for a week, and the thought of insufferable parties and outings that his aunt would put him through had him itching to come back to the ship the moment he stepped off of it.
The sea calmed him and relaxed him. He didn't have to worry about the restraints of society or acting like a gentleman. The sea was his home, and being on land always made him irritated and it often showed in his behavior. He didn't care though. Let them think what they think.
"Captain, the other ship is loading their cannons." His first mate said.
He merely nodded, signaling that the crew get ready to face the other ship.
He watched as his crew threw a plank onto the other ship. He smirked as the other crew tried to attack his, but he knew that his crew was much more trained and talented. He boarded the other ship and drew his sword. The Pride's crew was trained, but not well trained enough to go against his experienced crew.
The captain frowned when he heard familiar yells coming from one part of the ship. He knocked down his opponent and walked up to the Quarter Deck, surveying his crew's work. He was surprised to find that most of The Pride's crew had been bound, save for two that were left standing in the middle of his crew. They surrounded them, and the two were standing back to back. One was a man whom he assumed was the captain, probably in his 50s, and a young lad, who didn't look a day over 14.
What a strange pair. The captain thought as he watched the scene with interest.
The two were fighting against four of his crewmembers. He frowned, but not at how unfair the fight was. He was a pirate, after all, and fighting fair wasn't exactly at the top of his list. He frowned at how four men couldn't take care of an old man and a scrawny kid. Perhaps the two were more than they seemed.
The two were forced to separate as each took on two pirates each. The old man was very skilled, and had years of experience. But what peaked the captain's interest the most was the kid. The kid was swift, mostly because he was very small, and could maneuver around the large pirates that surrounded him. He also had the skill equal to a master swordsman. Not as good as himself, of course, but he would be a good opponent.
He found himself mesmerized by how lithe and fast the boy moved and how slow and untrained his crew seemed compared to him. He was an exceptional swordsman, and if he was willing to beg for his life, the captain was willing to make him part of the crew. After all, it was very difficult to find someone that skilled at the sword. Such a skill would be most welcomed on his ship, if he was willing to promise his loyalty, of course.
Suddenly, he heard a thud as the old man fell onto the deck and was immediately tied and gagged by the surrounding men. The young boy threw his head around and the captain could see the look of shock and horror on his face.
He felt his own face morph into confusion when he saw the familiar face. But where could he have seen such a boy? He knew that he would've remembered someone like him.
The captain saw him wince as a sword cut him in the shoulder, but he never slowed as he battled the uneven battle. It was two against one now; the boy had somehow managed to knock down two of his mates. The captain laughed. The boy had hit them hard where it hurt the most.
Finally sick of standing back and watching, the captain descended from the stairs. The boy's head whirled around again as he heard the creak of the stairs, the momentary distraction just enough for the two fighting pirates to knock him on his knees and to point the tip of the sword at his neck.
The boy glared at the two pirates before looking defiantly up at the captain of the pirate ship.
Their eyes met, and the captain stopped dead in his tracks.
He glared back. "Take him back onto the ship!" he barked at his crewmembers without hesitation. "And pillage and take whatever you want. Kill everyone and burn the ship."
"NO!" The boy yelled, tears flowing down onto his cheeks. He tried to run towards the old man, but before he made it, his crewmembers already slit his throat. He dropped to the ground and didn't move, before another two dragged him onto the ship.
The captain turned around and followed, anger lacing each step.
____
Lance (Lizzie) Bennett felt herself being dragged away by the burly men, but she didn't care. She couldn't move. All she could do was play back the scene she had just witnessed. The captain of the Pride, the man that reminded her of her father so much, had just been killed right in front of her. The nonchalance on the pirate's face chilled her to the core.
She didn't even hear the muffled screams of her other crewmembers as the pirates went through and slew them.
Why am I still alive?
She didn't understand why she was still alive. But since she was, she was going to escape. The pirates obviously weren't friendly; they didn't bring her onto the ship to have a cup of tea and send her on her merry way. She knew that if she didn't do something, she'd die.
The low voice of the captain snapped her out of her plans. "Throw him in the brig."
"Wait!" She yelled out.
The captain turned around. "What?" he demanded, his voice laced with malice.
"Why am I not dead?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to be?"
"That's a stupid question."
"Oh?"
"Doesn't everyone want to live? Doesn't everyone wish to be free to live and do what the love or want to do?"
The captain remained emotionless.
"Yes, no one would choose death over life."
The captain turned around and started towards his cabin.
"What right do you have to take away someone's life?" She choked out.
The captain whirled around, only to reel in with surprise when he saw tears streaming down the boy's cheeks.
He turned around again and didn't look back as she yelled at his retreating figure.
"You're horrible! You're a menace, a monster!"
The captain turned to face her again. "Yes, I'm a monster. What'd you expect? A noble? A prince? This is a pirate ship lad. Not a tea party. Welcome to the Georgiana. "
"Such a beautiful ship should not be in the hands of a filthy pirate." The captain slapped her hard, drawing blood.
She spit it in his face. "Fuck you."
He snarled. "Take him to the brig. No one is to touch him."
A/N: Please review and I'll post another chapter! I'm not sure about this story, so your reviews will convince me on whether or not I should continue it! Thanks for reading! Until next time?