AN: I own nothing but my own characters. If you enjoy, please leave a review!
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Charlotte Kingswood quietly tiptoed down the servants' stairwell even though it was pitch black and two in the morning. She was dressed in her tan breeches, men's style green shirt and knee high brown leather riding boots that fit her feet like gloves so there was no swishing of ladies' skirts to make any noise. She needed to leave the house without a soul knowing as it was a matter of life or death and no matter how much the servants of the house loved her they would still be obligated to tell her father and then she would never make it out alive.
Charlotte made it all the way to the stable to retrieve her buckskin horse Hector without incident and soon had him saddled and flying down the dirt road towards the harbor. If she could just make it on to a ship heading anywhere she just might live to see another day. She pushed Hector fast and hard as though the hounds of hell were just behind her. Hector covered the five miles to the harbor in record time and Charlotte patted his shoulder as the came to a stop in front of the small shop building that stood on the shore.
She dismounted and quickly ran up to the wooden door knocking loudly hoping that the gruff port boss would hear. Angus was a sound sleeper and so were his two sons Ian and Douglas. Someone must have heard her because a candle was lit inside and a gruff "Comin'!", was shouted at her. The door was flung open by Ian and he stood there, dark hair ruffled and sticking up off his head from sleep, with a stunned look on his face. "What 'n the 'ell are ya doing here Char?" he asked scrubbing his eyes. When they were younger she and Ian had briefly had a fling or rather thought about it, but after sharing their first kiss they both knew that they were more family than lovers and had been close ever since.
So it surprised Ian, but not really, when she flung herself in his arms hugging him tight. What did make him panic a little was when she whispered in his ear, "You have to get me out of here. He will kill me for sure." Ian abruptly pushed her back to look at her, "What are ya talkin' about? Who will kill you?"
By now, Douglas and Angus had joined them and Ian pulled Charlotte inside the small front room of the store and tried to sit her down on a barrel, but she immediately popped up and began pacing. "Anderson. Lucian Anderson. Papa has made it final tonight. Mr. Anderson came to dinner tonight and they signed the papers. He has sold me and I won't last a fortnight after the wedding," Charlotte said this as she paced, wringing her hands, so she missed the black looks that passed between the men. They had heard about Mr. Anderson from Charlotte and from other sources once they knew his intentions toward her.
The rumors were brutal and they had sworn to protect the girl who was like family, no matter what. Charlotte had grown up with the MacLaren's on the dock more so than she had up in the Duke's mansion. Her father, the Duke of Sommerfield, had not cared for the only child his French wife had born him before she died and so he had all but ignored her until she had come of age to be profitable. Thanks to her nursemaid she had been taught all the social graces of a lady and could pass in society just fine, but her real life had been down on the docks with Ian and Douglas learning the ins and outs of ships and the docks.
Angus immediately sprang in to action to protect his adopted daughter, "There is a ship heading for Port Royal in just a few hours. Port Royal isn't exactly civilized, but you stand a better chance there than with him. Ian, gather your things, you'll take her." Ian didn't hesitate, immediately leaving the room while Charlotte began to protest, "Ian can stay. All I need is a ship taking me away. I can fend for myself." But her protests fell on deaf ears as Angus and Douglas were already following Ian discussing what they would need. One thing that was agreed upon by everyone was that Charlotte would travel a lot safer as a boy than a twenty-four-year-old woman.
So, a quick tight braid of her brown hair was shoved up under a cap that was pulled down tight over her ears and a length of cloth was handed to her to bind her breasts down as tight as she could. A small bump still showed, but with her shirt being loose fitting they didn't think it would be noticeable to anyone who didn't already know she was female. A short half hour later the group of four headed down the dock towards the ship named the Saint to wake up the captain. Once he got over being woken up early, the captain seemed agreeable enough at taking on two unexpected passengers, especially once being assured that they could pull their own weight.
Ian and Charlotte had both been on enough ships, Ian more than Charlotte, that they could pick up any odd jobs that the Captain might give them.
Once their positions were secure with the Captain, Charlotte quickly hugged Angus and Douglas, "Thank you, I can't tell you how much you both mean to me." Angus hugged her hard before releasing her once more, "Anything darlin'. You are the daughter I never had." Charlotte began to tear up at the sentiment, but Angus gruffly told her to stop. Shaking herself she looked over at Ian and they both walked to find the mess deck where they could put their meager belongings.
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A few weeks later, Ian and Charlotte had found their groove among the other sailors with Charlotte working in the galley and Ian working on the boatswains' crew in the rigging. The day began like any other for Charlotte by rising before daybreak to get breakfast ready for the crew. As she came into the galley, the cook was already stoking the fire in the stove to prepare the Captain's breakfast. Charlotte, or Charlie as Ian had taken to calling her, began opening the containers that contained the hard tack and filled a pot with water to begin boiling for gruel. Because they had been at sea for a few weeks, the fresh food supply was running low, but the cook guessed that they would be arriving in Port Royal by the end of the week.
Suddenly, the ship rolled hard to the right causing Charlie and the cook to take a few hard steps backwards. The cook looked at Charlie and ordered, "Go up and see what that was about!", but before she could move the ship rolled hard left, knocking the container of hard tack to the floor. Charlie quickly righted herself and took off up the stairs to get to the deck. Once she made it up, she saw the crew scrambling to tie up the sails and secure the deck.
The wind was whipping fiercely and Charlie held on to her hat tightly as she scanned the horizon. A black wall was off to their starboard side and the water was chopping furiously, gaining height with each gust of wind. She quickly went back below to warn the cook of the impending storm so that they could secure the galley. An hour later, Charlie sat huddled in her hammock on the mess deck with the other sailors who were not needed on deck. Everything had been secured and there was nothing else to do but ride out the storm and Charlotte hated every minute. She hated feeling helpless and especially with Ian still up above.
After what seemed like hours later, the storm finally abated and the sailors that had been forced below spilled out on to the deck to discover the damage. Charlie was one of the first ones up and she quickly looked for Ian. Her close relationship with Ian had been joked about by the other sailors at first until they had told them they were brothers, but there were still some that gave them odd looks. Ian strode up to her looking a little worse for the wear, but grinning all the same. "Well it could have been worse, but some of the rigging has broken off and we'll have to limp in to the nearest port for the parts to fix them," he said as he stopped close to her, surveying the masts. Charlie followed his gaze up and saw some of the ropes swinging free, "Where is the nearest port?" When he didn't answer immediately, Charlie looked over, "What? What's wrong?" Ian looked at her for a moment, "Nassau," was all he said.
Charlie knew she should be terrified of the notorious pirate haven, but somehow, she just wasn't. She had been subjected to the gossip papers of London herself and knew the embellishment that was allowed to be fact and so she didn't think that Nassau was as bad as they said, but the look on Ian's face gave her pause. "It can't be as bad as all that, Ian," she said trying to reassure him. All she got in response was, "Stay close when we dock and do not leave the beach for any reason." Then he was gone to help the crew clean up the mess of the storm, leaving Charlotte to consider the dangers she now faced.
When the Saint docked in Nassau Port, Charlotte noticed the immediate presence of the Royal Navy. She had read in the paper that England was sending a new governor to try and civilize the island, but no new reports had been given in weeks. Seeing the evidence before her eyes she was a little disappointed to see the island had been conquered. She was standing by Ian when the ship settled in to place, "I don't think you need to worry. England has even made it as far as here." Ian grunted as a response and shook his head, "Soldiers can be just as bad as pirates. Don't wander."
His warning irritated her, but at the same time she understood it as well. She followed Ian off the ship to the beach when a sailor approached calling to her, "Charlie! Hey, Charlie!" Ian and she both stopped as the sailor reached them, "Cookie wants you to help him carry food back to the ship. He said to meet him at the market." The sailor took off before either of them could respond. Charlie looked at Ian, "Well I guess I'll go find the market." As she began to walk off Ian grabbed her arm, "Char, be careful. Don't talk to anyone and watch your back." The raw concern on his face made Charlotte answer nicely, "Of course Ian. I promise." If she had only known that trouble was going to find her.
Charlie wandered the main path of the island trying to discover where the market place was without asking anyone. After half an hour with no luck she decided it was safer to ask someone than to keep wandering. She approached a soldier, "Excuse me sir, I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the market?" The soldier wasn't much taller than herself, but he still seemed to sneer down his nose at her, "It's just that way, but it'll be closed for the hanging." Charlotte's eyes widened a little, "A hanging?" The soldier spit close to her feet and growled, "Pirate Captain Vane, now move on!" Charlie stumbled a little in her hurry to get away. After walking a little she stopped in the shade of a building thinking she would be safely out of the way, that was until she heard the whispers behind her in the dark. "If we can sway the crowd in our favor we might be able to get him down before he strangles to death." "Yes, but if not, he'll die anyway and then we'll be in the middle of the English with no way out." Charlie was just about to step away quietly when hands grabbed her from both sides pulling her into darkness.
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When her eyes adjusted to the light she saw that she was in a group of four men, two holding her still with a third right in front of her and a fourth behind him. Charlie was too afraid to speak and had to focus on regaining her breath while the man in front of her demanded, "Who are you and why were you eavesdropping!?" Charlie tried to gather up her courage, "I wasn't eavesdropping I swear!" The man grabbed her by the throat and moved in closer, "The hell you weren't! What did you hear!" The direct threat made Charlotte's spine straighten and she gritted her teeth, "I wasn't. I merely picked the wrong doorway to rest in. I'm from the ship that just docked and I was looking for the market." The man let her go and nodded for the other two as well. Once she was back on her own feet, she straightened her clothes making sure her hat was still secure about her ears and looked up at the man in front of her who seemed to have grown another foot.
"It's closed so everyone can watch a murder," he ground out. "I heard that Captain Vane was to be hung from a soldier," she replied watching him closely. She saw his back stiffen, "Murdered not hung." The way he said it made Charlotte ask, "Why do you say that?" The man squared his shoulders, "Because there was no trial and the governor isn't the one presiding over the hanging. That bitch Guthrie is and she's hanging Vane out of spite." Charlotte furrowed her brow, "Guthrie? You mean Eleanor Guthrie? I thought she was in London set to be hanged herself?"
"She made a bargain with the devil," the tall man said, "just so she could ruin us." Charlotte didn't understand what he meant, but she didn't agree with someone being hanged with no trial or official judge.
"At the risk of my own life, it sounded like you were going to try and stop it. What's your plan?", she asked taking a deep breath. She didn't know what prompted her to ask or why she suddenly felt she should volunteer, but the way the man spoke awoke her inner defiance. The man looked her square in the eye, "Are you offering your help?" Charlotte took a deep breath, "I am. I heard you say you might not reach the rope fast enough. I can." A man on the left scoffed, "And how do you plan to do that?" Charlotte glanced at him, but then locked eyes with the leader, "If you have a rifle, I can cut him down without ever having to get close." Now the leader's eyes raised, "You think you are that good?" Charlotte smiled then, "I know I am. I've done it before. Well, not with a man's life in the balance, but still, cutting the rope won't take me more than two shots. If you can provide me with two rifles and a couple of pistols to fight my way out, I can get him down." They all looked at her for a moment until the leader stuck out his hand, "I'm Billy Bones and welcome to our crew." Charlie smiled, "Charlie MacLaren."
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Charlotte had a brief moment where she wondered what the hell she was doing as the men handed her the weapons she requested, but as she began the familiar routine of checking them over and loading them she calmed and settled into the new role she had inadvertently chosen for herself. She only regretted having drug Ian in on the scheme. She had told the men about Ian and they had agreed to find him and inform him about what was happening. Ian was glaring at her now from across the room.
Billy began explaining to her the set-up so she would know which roof to climb up on. Once the plan was confirmed she strapped the pistols across her chest and shouldered the rifles. She left first so that Ian wouldn't have a chance to talk to her alone. It was cowardly she knew, but she also didn't want to be talked out of the wild scheme. She hadn't known what she would do in Port Royal once she was out of the reach of Lucian, but helping someone fight for their own justice seemed like the right thing to do. As she approached the building she would need to scale, a pair of roaming guards approached. Knowing confidence was key, she kept walking with a purpose. "Hey, you! Boy!", they called out as she approached. Stopping in front of them she asked, "Yes, sirs?"
"What are you doing with the guns?", one of them asked her, looking her over. Charlotte bowed her head a little in difference, "To my master sir, they are to be repaired for the garrison, sir." She prayed the excuse worked and held her breath in anticipation. She felt the eyes of the other pirates on her back and knew that they were waiting for her betrayal. "On with you then," was all the reply she got as they continued past her. She dared not look back as she slowly began walking again. Once a few moments had passed, she glanced back to see where they had gone and found that they were already a considerable distance. She quickly darted to the left to the trellis she would need to climb and began the assent.
Once she climbed the two-story building, she belly crawled across the roof and said a quick "Thank you Lord" that there was a piece of the wall that had crumbled leaving her a perfect shot of the gallows. Once she was in place with the tip of her barrel resting on the wall she noticed Billy and the others skirting the crowd and nodded to them. With a quick nod back, they began infiltrating the crowd, whispering to those that would listen.
Not long after, a cart with the prisoner in the back came rolling into the courtyard at the same time a woman surrounded my guards stepped out on a terrace across from Charlie.
Charlie took no notice of the woman, but instead focused on the rope that was being secured around the man's neck. Charlie observed the lack of wind and was thankful that the rope was not moving much which would make the difficult shot easier. When she told the men that she had done this before, she had meant in the forest behind her home with perfectly still conditions with shade and a rock weighing down the rope. The tightness of the rope helped sever the fibers so she was still trying to decide whether to shoot this rope before or after the man dropped. She would be able to sever it faster if he was already hanging, however that cut her time down and also meant the rope would be swaying.
Before she could decide, Vane spoke, "Get on with it, motherfucker." Because she was already aimed and ready, the abrupt drop didn't make her miss her shot. As soon as the captain hit the end of the rope her first shot found its mark, cutting the rope but not completely severing it. Calmly, but quickly picking up her second rifle, Charlotte took aim again this time having to wait for the rope to swing back into place. Her second shot finished the job and Captain Vane slammed into the dirt. Once her job was accomplished she noticed everything else that was happening in the courtyard.
The woman with her guards had fled inside, the mob below was in complete tumult with each other and the soldiers and Billy was making his way towards the downed captain who was struggling to his feet. Charlotte also saw the soldiers taking aim at her right before the dust from a missed shot flew in her face.
Rolling away from the opening and pulling out a pistol, she hopped up into a crouch position and began leaping across rooftops. Unfortunately, soldiers were following quickly below frequently taking shots at her. Her luck held as she came to the last rooftop and jumped out to catch a tree branch and swing down to the ground. She lost the soldiers around the next corner and quickly continued to the route that Billy had told her about. Sticking to the hidden path she ran for a few miles or rather fast walked before she came to a house.
Ian was waiting for her on the front porch and quickly grabbed her into a bear hug. She relaxed into him as the adrenaline slowly receded and left her shaking. "Are you hurt?", she heard him mumble into her hat. She shook her head in answer as she took a deep breath to gather herself, "No, I'm fine." Pulling back, she asked, "Did they make it back?" Ian shook his head, "Not yet, but they had to fight their way out of the center of it all. Might be a while."
As he said this, the other men at the house began running down the road towards someone approaching. She recognized Billy first and then Captain Vane close behind with a few others trailing. It looked as if most had made it back and Charlotte took another deep breath of relief. Ian suddenly spoke, "You know we will need to talk about what you have gotten us into." Charlotte looked up at him, "Ian, I am sorry I have pulled you into this. You have done what I needed and gotten me out of England. Please go back home. I'll be fine." He looked at her incredulously, "And leave you here in the middle of a pirate war? You have to be out of your damned mind."
Before they could continue their argument, Billy and Vane approached. "This is the crack shot that cut the rope," Billy told Vane smiling, "That was a hell of a shot by the way." Charlotte started to smile back when Vane cut in, "You should have let me die." He said this as he pushed passed her into the house. Billy shook his head at Vane's retreating back, "Don't listen to him. He's worth more alive than dead. He's just trying to wrap his head around being alive when he was ready to die." Charlotte nodded, but didn't really understand. How could someone not be grateful for being alive?
Billy followed Vane into the house along with some of the other men and Charlotte and Ian soon followed. Billy was talking to a man who appeared to be his second in command while Captain Vane was sitting in a corner of the room looking for all the world pissed off. Billy was discussing ways to contact a man called Captain Flint to get them all off the island. Since Charlotte and Ian couldn't do much to help, they took an empty corner of the room and waited for instruction. As they sat waiting, Charlotte kept trying to convince Ian to leave her and head back home while he flat out refused to even think about such a thing. Neither noticed that Captain Vane was watching them closely from beneath hooded eyes.
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A week passed at the hideaway with no incidents or discoveries and a message was received from Flint that he would pick them up on the far side of the island in two days' time. During the week at the hideaway, Vane tried to gain more information about the two new recruits Billy had taken on. So far, all he knew was that they arrived on a ship called the Saint the day he was to be hung and immediately took up the cause.
Vane found this extremely suspicious, but since he could uncover nothing else he set about watching the two closely. He could tell that they were not brothers even though that was their story. They touched too frequently and too gently to be brothers. Lovers perhaps? It wasn't unusual, take Flint for example, but that didn't seem to fit either. Vane was determined to find out what they were hiding, because he didn't want another person's lies endangering what he was willing to give his life for. If they were here as spies he vowed to discover it.
The morning they were to meet Flint, they all woke early before dawn and quietly set out in groups of four so that they would go unnoticed. Ian, Charlotte, Vane and Billy were the first group and arrived on the beach without incident. The rest of the men followed over the course of an hour and when they were all on the beach, the Walrus was spotted. Within another hour they were all onboard and sailing away from Nassau. According to Billy, they were heading to an island occupied by runaway slaves.
As soon as they were sailing, the man called Captain Flint ordered a meeting with Billy, Vane, and another man who was missing a leg named Silver. Ian and Charlotte began to make their way to the mess deck with the others and to wait for instructions.
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Thanks everyone! Hope you enjoyed!