Jack's Daughter
Chapter Two
Hayli's POV:
It was night. There was a sea breeze coming from the starboard side, and I lifted my face to it gratefully. Elle and I had been on the Raven for a little over three years, and no one had yet found out that we were girls. Sometimes, late at night in our hammock, we giggled about it quietly.
I happened to look out over the sea, and I saw what looked like a great white bird for a second. Then I squinted, and I saw that it was a caravel, a small maneuverable ship. She was not flying a flag. I rushed from my position to ring the bell, waking the other crew members and bringing Captain Norrington from his cabin.
"What is it?" the Captain asked somewhat grouchily.
"A ship, sir," I said, saluting. "Off the starboard bow. See?" I pointed in the direction of the ship before bringing myself back to attention.
"At ease," Captain Norrington said at once, and I relaxed. "Hmm, she flies no flag. That can only mean one thing: pirates. Unless of course she's an abandoned ship of some kind, but I doubt it. To your stations, men, she's coming right for us!"
Immediately, men flew up the rigging and down into the hold to load the cannons. Elle and I, being small and light, were put to work fastening the sails down. Squinting back at the ship, I noticed something moving up the mast. A white skull and crossed bones. I couldn't see the black flag, because it was night, but at least now we knew the truth. I shouted for the crew members underneath Elle and I to convey the message to Captain Norrington, then got back to work.
A few minutes later, the pirates were upon us. They drew alongside and opened their cannon ports. Without hesitating one bit, I turned to my cannon crew. "Fire!" I told them, and the cannon spat out it's cannonball. "Good Bess," I said, patting the now-warm barrel. "Reload and fire again."
We put up a good fight, but the pirates managed to get over onto our ship and take it. The captain of the pirate ship stalked among the crew members, inspecting them. He stopped in front of Elle and I. "Well, well, well," he said, his breath reeking of rotten teeth, "Aren't you two pretty?" I blanched. Had he seen through us? "Take them. Kill the rest." I gasped and struggled, but to no avail. With one movement, the rest of the crew, and Captain Norrington, were all put to death. "Oho, boys, we've got a handful in this boy," the captain cackled evilly. "Bring them both."
We were taken to the pirate ship. She was a small-ish ship, large enough for a crew of twenty to twenty-five but small enough to be maneuvered easily. Her name was the Angel of Death. I shuddered at that, but smiled at Elle reasurringly. She might not look it, but my friend was a very strong girl. The captain of the Angel of Death was going to have a hard time controlling her.
We were brought before the captain, who stood in the prow of his ship. Turning, he addressed us. "I am Captain Miles Fang. If you agree to serve without causing trouble, I will allow you to live."
Inwardly, I seethed at the lack of choices I was left. Agree and be trapped under Miles Fang, or refuse and be put to death. Then how was I supposed to look after Elle, as I'd promised her brother? With great reluctance, I slowly nodded my head. "I agree," I said in my well-practiced man's voice. Elle, taking my lead, also nodded and said those two fateful words.
And with those words, our fate was sealed. Doomed to a pirate ship forever. Until we died, of course, or we mutinied. Mutiny...that was a good idea. I'd have to think it over.
Elle was put to work mending sails that first day, but I was sent to be the cook's helper. Gregors was a good man, not really wanting to be on the ship but having had the same experience that Elle and I did. He was kind to me and helped me get the hang of cooking before he left me on my own to chop carrots. They were wilted and looked disgusting, but if they were cooked they'd be fine.
Three more years passed. Miles Fang was a cruel captain, punishing his crew for the littlest things. This, of course, made them hate him, and this was to my advantage. Two and a half years in, I proposed my idea.
"Mutiny!?" One crew member said. It was Goshawk, a man who had been on a different ship as well, before Captain Fang had taken his ship and given him the same choice he'd given me. Goshawk thought it over, then nodded. "I think it's a good plan."
Everyone else wanted a few months to think it over. Three years to the day had passed when the turning point occurred: Captain Miles Fang whipped a small cabin boy for accidentally dropping his supper. He had the boy lashed twenty-five times, in front of the crew to teach the rest of us a lesson.
Angry at the treatment of the young boy, who was less than eleven, the rest of the crew instantly decided to sign the Round Robin. Elle, who had the best handwriting, drew it up, and I was the first to sign. Twenty signatures later, we did the deed. Miles Fang was brought out of his cabin by the two biggest men on the crew, and when he saw me standing in front, he growled.
"You promised no trouble, young man."
I smiled grimly. "That was before you whipped an innocent young boy." I came forward to stand right in front of him and brandished a small dagger. "Now, you have two choices. One, I cut off your fingers and toes one at a time and feed you to the fishes. Two, you walk the plank and drown. Or who knows, you may make it to an island before you run out of strength. Either way, the chances of you surviving aren't very high. Make your decision, Captain," I said scornfully.
Captain Miles Fang chose the plank. As he stood on the edge of the board, he turned and threw back three words: "I curse you!" Then he walked off the edge.
As we were now captain-less, the crew had to choose a new one. After much hushed debate, they approached me. "You proposed the idea of the mutiny, Harry, and you took charge in taking care of Miles. We choose you to be the new captain," Goshawk said formally.
I half-bowed. "Thank ye, gents, but I believe there is something you should know before you choose me." With trembling fingers, I removed my hat and let down my hair, then pulled my shirt tight around me. "You see, gentlemen, I am a woman. Women cannot be captains."
Goshawk looked surprised, but then Gregors took charge. "Well, then, missy, so you're a girl. You have showed the ability to be a good captain, since you elected to take all the blame if we were found out. You and your young friend, there," Gregors finished, gesturing to Elle. "I assume he's female, too?" Elle nodded.
Goshawk, the crew's spokeperson, spoke again. "We choose you, Harriet?" I smiled and spoke my name. "We choose you, Hayli to be our new captain." The crew cheered as I made a very exaggerated curtsy and ascended to the ship's wheel.
Feeling the need for a speech, I stood at the railing and looked down at my new crew, who were looking expectantly back at me. "Thank you, gentlemen," I said gratefully. "This ship, the Angel of Death, needs a new name." The crew cheered again as I turned, beckoned for a rum bottle and held it high above my head. "I christen thee Fate's Fury!" I shouted, and broke the bottle on the side of the ship.
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A/N: Well, there it is. Sorry that it's short, but I felt that I had to leave off there. It seemed an appropriate ending to the chapter. Chapter three will come AFTER I get three reviews. So press that little button on the left hand side and review it for me, will you? Please? Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames will be ignored and deleted.