I walked out into the sunlight, breathing deep of the salty sea air. God it was good to back. Five months I'd spent, banished from the love of my life, land locked and miserable. Finally I was back to my normal self, back to the place I felt at home. I looked around at the sprawling, calmly waving waters spread out around me as far as the eye could see. Today was a good day for sailing. A good day for escaping as well. My thoughts were pulled away from the sunny day, into a darker, more despairing memory. I thought of my sister's home back in England, and the babe she was now raising as her own. My babe. My daughter. I shook myself, attempting to rid my brain of the thoughts, doubts, fears and anger threatening to cloud my mind. The decision was made. Melody, that precious little girl, wouldn't even know about me, except as the crazed aunt all her 'siblings' were being raised to know me as. Yes, my sister thought me crazy. As did my parents. I sighed in defeat. The only time I had every backed out of a fight. My father had disowned me, cut me from his will, my mother shunned me in public. But it was expected, I had followed through with my actions knowing the consequences. I had thought I had good reason.
Ha. Good reason to run off with a pirate? There was no such thing, I knew that now. Now that he was gone a whole year, that I'd born the burden, literally, of my first child alone, I was determined never to make the mistake of trusting a man, any man, every again. And I wouldn't. I didn't need a man, all I needed was the ocean, an open map to chart, and a few good deck hands on my own ship. All this I had, and with it I was content.
"Charlie!" I hollered, and within moments my second in command was at my side. If ever I had a friend I could trust uncondionally, this old sea dog was it.
"How was roll call this morning? I trust we didn't lose too many at port?" he chuckled at my joke. Every other captain on the sea dealt with men running off at port, finding a pretty girl, a better offer. Every captain but me. My lads were loyal, and I was better to them than most.
"No runaways this time ma'am! Though we did have a recruit..." I looked at him sideways. I didn't accept recruits unless I'd met them personally. What on earth... and then he was there, his hand on Charlie's shoulder, grinning foolishly at me. The man I'd spent half my childhood mooning after, and the first years of my womanhood humiliating myself for. The son of a bitch was on my ship. I gritted my teeth.
"Bloody hell Sparrow, you sure know how to make an entrance."
