Love at Sea
While the excited children gathered outside near the docks, chattering amiably in their chosen languages, the road to the capital city of Rome behind them.
As they wondered about what new fables the returning sailors would bring to them, all sorts of wild-headed stories ran amuck within their eager minds.
Since the honor of keeping the tradition of entertaining the children was entrusted to the fit, blond haired, and sapphire eyed, Captain Alfred F. Jones two years ago, he simply trounced up to the children, with all their heads high in anticipation, and gave them all a soft command to gather in a semi-circle around him.
Captain Jones then started the introduction of the story, by simply explaining to them all that the hero of the story was "an unusually strong-for his small stature-, quick-witted, and extremely hard working, young patriot named Arthur Kirkland, who would do anything for his country."
"It was said to me, by he himself, that of his rather large village, he and his family were the only ones' to live in an actual farmhouse."
It was then that Captain Jones paused, in his dedication to give the children a good story, he know that certain stops in the story were necessary to keep their attention.
"But then, disaster struck at home for the young lad;" Jones announced, "as he worked in barn along side his father, he let it slip that he wished to one day sail the seas as a pirate, and thus was immediately denounced by his father: saying 'Ain't no son of mine, that will ever bring such a dishonor to his family, as to become a pirate! I want ya out of my house by tomorrow's noon. And don't ya dare try to come back after ya leave, if you do, you'll be treated as a trespasser!'".
"The following afternoon came, and it was time for poor Artie to leave. Looking back, going away from his home was painful, but not near as much as the knowledge that he'd to forever act as an absentee to his own home. He then turned back to the road; with his midsized bag of belongings on his back, and headed off toward the town's port, to try and live out his dream."
"Now, as Arthur stands in front of the dock, watching the different crews' progress, he starts gathering up his courage for what he had in mind.
"Upon seeing an empty looking ship with the name The Good Storm inscribed on the side in old white paint, Arthur sprints up the gangplank, and right onto the deck of the ship; he looks around quickly, then seeing the entry door to the lower decks, runs straight to it and as he ducts inside, says a final good-bye to his home."
"Whilst crouched in hiding under one of the many cots of the crew members, Arthur's beautifully forest green eyes suddenly grew wide as saucers, when he had realized that l was staring at his shoulder-length-blond haired head in amusement from where it was sticking out from where he had been submerged in the various belongings of the crew."
"Are you linguistic?" l asked him, knowing full well that few people in the village recognized my native tongue as normal speech.
"Looking at me as if I were some repugnant jerk, he asked' "Now that l've been found out, you're going to make me fight you, aren't ya?" answering my previous question in the process.
"And loot ya too, if you're not careful" l said, acting the part of a predator. "But only if you let me." l finished jokingly.
"Well, my dear mystery occupant, why don't we seize the day by telling each other our given names, shall we?" I asked with a slight chuckle under my breath.
"If you promise not to attack me, I'll come out.' I heard a girl's voice to my surprise. ' Tis the calling of a young woman I hear, what be your name stranger?" I asked again, this time in utter shock.
"My name, dear pirate, is Alice Kirkland. However, I would appreciate this very much, if you were to keep my alias alive while in the company of any of your men." She told me after explaining that back at her village, she had pretended to be a male since she was a young child, in an attempt to be treated with the opportunities that only the men of her village were given; all the while, throwing me for a loop of shock and awe at her willingness to fight for what she wanted.
"Well Miss Kirkland, lucky for you I was raised to be a gentlemen. If you can prove yourself in a swords fight with me, I aut to be inclined to give you a false name and a home with my crew; however, if you let any of my male crew (the ship's cook is actually a female, all of the men just know not to mess with her) or any man or woman who might tell them your true sex know of you, I will be forced to remove you from my crew for your own safety. Do we have a deal?" I asked, fully willing to give her a home, because of her strong-willed spirit, regardless of her skills as a fighter, that could be taught to her later if necessary.
"I believe we do." She said to me smiling, as she walked out from the corner of the room that she had taken to hiding in, to Exit the room in search of the deck, never once turning her back to me, _Like a good swords 'man' should_ I thought with a smirk on my face. Two hours later, as we both sat on the edge of my bed in exhaustion, with Alice –or Ally as I had taken to calling her by- being the only person who I'd ever lost to in a match, her spot on crew was by all means procured, and she was most definitely happy about it."
All of a sudden, a shadow crossed over my back, and I turned around only to see my beautiful Alice dressed in full fighting garb. "Hello my dear." I say to her, now that our relationship had developed past crew members. Alice looks down at my seated form, and smiles back at me. "But then," she began, after sitting down with me and the children. "Six months later, while we were out in open waters, my secret was blazoned across the boat, when one of Alfred's cabin boys had accidentally walked in on me changing my top. Soon afterwards, Alfred had to call a conference with all of the crew, to explain to them the circumstances of my lying, in order to keep me from being thrown overboard by the angry lot. Once everything was said and done, relatively little time was taken to re-establish my command, as well as become the respective mate of my dear captain. Luckily for me, none of the crew was biased against women."
"So why are you in your fighting garb anyway, Ally?" I asked her, hoping that she would play along.
"Oh, no reason in particular. I just wished to show these children how it was that I had gained your respect in the first place." She told me, with a large grin on her face.
"Fair enough." I laugh. And for only the second time in my whole life, I was bested in swords, both times done by only one person, Alice Kirkland, the love of my life.