Chapter 2
The cat had slept on her chest that night, so Vikki awoke the next morning with a struggle for breath. Slowly, she opened her eyes and gently pet the cat on his head before she slowly sat up, Boots walked to the bottom of the cot and settled down again at the end, allowing the brunette to swing her legs off the side of the bed and Vikki stretched before getting to her feet.
She dressed in her striped breaches and bound her chest before pulling on her white blouse. She then headed towards the mirror where she re-tied her hair into a bun and just as she was about to leave her cabin, there was a knock at the door.
Vikki opened the door and smiled at Nigel. The red-haired, eye patched pirate was holding a bucket of soapy water with two scrubbing brushes inside. "I'm guessing I'm mopping the deck?" Vikki asked.
Nigel nodded and handed her the bucket. They walked up the stairs together, the boat rocking lightly from the small ocean waves. "Sleep well?" He asked.
Vikki nodded, "Boots slept on me last night, I woke up short of breath."
Nigel chuckled, "That's why he's not in with the crew anymore. Now, after yer done with scrubbing the deck, the Cap'n want's ye to take over the crow's nest and alert him when ye see land." He stopped and turned to face her when they reached the main deck. "Are ye good with a telescope?" Vikki nodded, "Good, ye'll be needin' this." He handed her his own telescope, and as Vikki tucked it under her belt she walked over to where she would begin scrubbing.
She took both scrubbing brushes out of the bucket and turned around, grinning. This was surely going to make cleaning more fun! "Let's practice." Vikki stated, drawing her cutlass. She slipped her feet under the handles of the two scrubbing brushes before pouring a little soapy water onto the deck. Vikki then began to slide around as she began to battle with Nigel. He had already drawn his cutlass and came towards her, sweeping his blade towards the left of Vikki's chest, she parried it easily although she was very focused on where her feet were taking her.
It wasn't long until the deck was almost finished that she knocked the cutlass out of Nigel's hand. She held out a hand towards him and helped him to his feet before she slipped the brushes off the bottom of her boots and walked back towards the almost empty bucket. "We'll have to practice again, Nigel." Vikki smiled at the second mate, "I don't think I've had such fun cleaning the deck before." She dropped the two brushes into the bucket and picked it up by the handle before retreating to the lower level of the ship. Vikki placed the bucket into the cupboard full of other buckets, scrubbing brushes and mops before returning to the freshly cleaned main deck.
Vikki climbed up the rigging towards the crows nest before taking a seat on the small wooden bench which ran around the mast. She detatched the silver telescope from her belt and took a look through it to see that the Troubadour was surrounded by a vast amount of sparkling, sapphire blue ocean, and no land could be seen for miles. Not even the top of a very tall tree was visable. Vikki sighed, she was a long way away from Tortuga now. But in a way she didn't care, she had always been one for adventure and she had longed for it ever since she was mutinied by her old Captain and crew.
She gazed lovingly at the ocean for a few moments, oh how she had missed the Caribbean sea! She raised the telescope to her right eye once again and looked all around the ship. Now there was land that she could see and she remembered that she was suppossed to let the Captain know when she saw any. "Captain," She called down to Teague who was manning the helm. "Land." She pointed in the right direction and watched as Teague held his compass out infront of him.
He then closed the compass and smirked, "Buck!" He called, "Make ready the boats, we'll be going ashore soon." He turned the golden wheel of the ship so that it was facing the land, and the Troubadour gradually sailed closer and closer towards it. Vikki couldn't help but wonder why they were going there. There was a shallow river between the two islands which was too narrow and too shallow for the Troubadour to pass through.
The brunette grabbed hold of the rope and swung down from the crows nest, her feet hitting the deck with a 'thud' as she landed. Vikki made her way towards Buck who was trying to lower one of the longboats into the sea. She held the other end of the rope and helped ease the boat into the water. Teague joined the crew on the main deck, shouting his orders. "All men to the boats!" He ordered. "We're going ashore." As another two boats were lowered into the water, Vikki hopped in with Buck, Nigel and another couple of crew members, one of which couldn't help himself but gawk at the brunette. He didn't look much older than Vikki herself, and the brunette thought this to be one of the sleazy pirates Buck and Nigel had warned her about, therefore, she stayed away from him as much as she could.
The three boats were rowed towards the river which ran through the two islands, Teague sat in the boat at the front keeping a watchful eye out.
Vikki looked around her surroundings, the feeling of eyes on her back worried her and made her slightly uncomfortable.
The boats slowly made their way up the swampy river, and the dim light of the sun hardly lit their path. The crew lit some lanterns to help guide them along the darkening river and Vikki could see people watching them from the river's edge, slightly obscured by bushes and shrubbery.
"Buck." She whispered, "where are we going?"
The first mate turned to face the brunette and smirked, "to see her." He replied. "Tia Dalma is a kind of sourceress. One who can predict things and tell us old tales of the sea."
"What are we doing here?" Vikki asked.
Buck looked to Teague, "The Captain heard of a tale of four sacred rings and only she knows where they lie." The crew of the Troubadour rowed around a corner, and infront of them was decking with a ladder leading up to a tree where a wooden hut sat. The glowing amber light from the windows set a spooky atmosphere around the swamp and Vikki shivered involuntarily. The longboats were moored to the small dock outside the hut and the Captain left his boat, eight of the other ten crew members - including Vikki - followed him up the stairs towards the hut and Teague politely knocked on the door.
"Come in, Captain Teague." A woman's voice called from inside. Vikki thought her voice to be superstitious and all knowing, and she took a deep breath before following Buck inside the hut.
The hut was a lot bigger on the inside than she had expected. Jars of eyeballs, frogs, bats and other various creatures and strange items were hanging from the ceiling and an Aboriginal patterned, violet and mauve rug lay regally across the wooden floorboards. There were many wooden shelves lining the walls, stacked with various books and other mythical looking items. To the right of the room was an archway with a curtain of different shells and coloured glass beads, and in the centre of the room was a desk, littered with many items and artifacts and a small cream bowl of crab and lobster claws. Sat behind the desk was a dark skinned woman with black dreadlocks, and black teeth grinned at Teague from her seat behind her old wooden table.
"Captain Teague." Her thick Jamaican accent echoed around the hut, and Vikki felt warmed by the woman's aura and presence. "Finally sailed out of Shipwreck Cove, did we? Ah, I know why ye here." She stood up, her long mahogany dress was adorned with beads, charms and small objects. This was definately the sourceress Buck had told Vikki about.
Teague walked towards Tia Dalma, a grin etched onto his face, "I heard of the four sacred rings. And I'm going after them. I know ye know where they are." He stated, "and I have payment for ye to tell me." He motioned for Nigel to come forwards, and the eye-patched pirate handed the Captain a jar of dark brown shells and small, exquisite looking items of jewels and beads.
Tia placed her hands over Teague's and pushed the jar back towards him, "I know ye don't want these rings for yourself, Teague." She stated. "So I do this out of me kind heart." The woman glanced around the room, her dark eyes locking on the only other female. Her smiled dropped slightly and she cocked her head to the side, "ye have a great destiny Victoria." Tia almost whispered, her eyes locked on the brunette's figure. "Ye find the rings, ye meet strange fates. But only ye'self stand in the way of what ye want." Vikki frowned and tore her eyes away from the woman, her insides suddenly chilled. Tia Dalma then turned her gaze to look back at the Captain, "Aye, the four sacred rings." She continued on as if something humoured her. "One, lies in a place pirates have feared to go since Lord Cutler Beckett almost ruled the Caribbean sea. The second, lies on a cannibalistic island, the tribes people worship it beside their cheif. The third, lies in a cave of gold where the once cursed chest of Cortez looks up at the unique jewel. The fourth and final ring, is guarded by man eating beauties of the ocean." Tia Dalma finished her tale, and the hut was silent for a long while.
The Troubadour crew looked to Teague who was thinking intently about the tale he had been told.
"The first." He stated, "Beckett first landed in Port Royal, the majority of the town was hung - pirates still avoid that port today. The first ring must be there."
"What of the second?" Buck inquired, scribbling something down on a piece of parchment.
"That's obviously on the island of the Pelegostos." Teague stated, "the third..." He pondered. "Must be at the Isla de Muerta. That's where the chest of Cortez still remains today, and being unique it must be different than the first two...but the fourth ring?" He questionned, looking to Tia with clouded eyes.
"Man eating beauties of the ocean." Vikki stated. Teague, Buck, Tia and the rest of the crew looked to the brunette, who tucked a lock of hair behind her ear nervously. "It's talking about mermaids."
"Aye," Tia smiled knowingly at Victoria, slowly nodding her head. "Mermaids. The fourth is in the most difficult place to find, it'd take all of ye to trespass into the realm of the mermaids. Many lives have been lost there, which is why no one has ever retrieved all four rings."
Teague nodded his head both in understanding and determination, "We'll get back to the ship and make haste to Port Royal." He began to walk towards the door, but not before Tia stopped him.
"If I may." Tia rose to her feet, "I'd like to give ye something."
Vikki stared down at the dress and corset bundle in her hands with a disgusted look on her face. Although beautiful with it's creamy pastel blue colour and full skirt, Vikki hadn't worn a dress for many years, and doubted she would be able to wear a corset like she used to do when she had been younger.
"Ye be needing that for Port Royal." Nigel stated from beside her. "Although Beckett's dead, they still have strict pirate laws in that port." Vikki nodded in understanding, although she was still not at all pleased with the idea of wearing a dress and corset!
"Why do I have to get the rings though?" She asked.
Nigel shrugged, "Ye heard what Tia Dalma said." He began, "'Ye find the rings, ye meet strange fates. But only ye'self stand in the way of what ye want.' In other words, Stripes, she predicts yer to be the one to find and get the rings."
"Do you think anyone else will be after them?"
Nigel shrugged, "'Tis a possibility. Teague never told me why he wanted them - but like he said - we better make haste."
The brunette was silent for the remainder of the journey back to the Troubadour, and she pondered about what Tia Dalma had said to her. 'How did she know my name?' She thought. 'What destiny do I hold?' The boats soon arrived back to the ship, and as the crew climbed aboard. Vikki stared down at the dress before taking it below deck towards her cabin and - once she had done that - she made her way back onto the main deck and climbed into the crows nest, taking out the silver telescope attatched to her belt and observing their surroundings whilst Teague and Buck planned the heading from inside the Captain's quarters and Nigel manned the helm.
Once the heading had been decided and the crew was informed that they would be going straight to Port Royal, there was much discussion about how they would disguise the ship. Vikki was told that she would be the one to climb up the mast to change the flag, but the brunette was convinced that they had been joking. Teague stepped up to the helm, and Vikki felt the ship turning towards their destination as the wind had suddenly changed it's course.
"We'll be mooring in Port Royal in two weeks." A voice stated from behind Vikki. Startled, she turned to the voice. The pirate looked young and was quite handsome. His corn blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail and his eyes were sage green. His skin was tanned from many years in the sun and Vikki momentarily swooned. "I didn't mean to startle yer." He chuckled, taking a seat on the bench beside the brunette. He held out his hand, "I'm Sam." He stated, flashing her a charming smile.
Vikki took his large, rough hand with her small, delicate one, "Vikki - but Nigel and Buck call me Stripes."
"I can see why." He chuckled, his eyes on her breaches. "How long have ye been at sea?"
"Since I was a child." She replied, "What about you?"
"I grew up on a ship with my parents." Sam leant back against the mast, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked out to the vast blue ocean. "The Red Guardian," He started. "I eventually left the ship at Tortuga and was crewed by Teague a few years ago." He looked to Vikki and grinned. The brunette felt very warming towards Sam, and hoped that he did have good intentions towards her - she felt that he did. "So what brings ye aboard the Troubadour?" He began again.
Vikki looked up at him, a small blush crossing her features. "Oh, I stole Nigel's wallet." She tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear nervously.
Sam grinned again, "Yer the thief the crew were talking about last night." Vikki blushed again, Sam chuckled; his eyes dancing with amusement. "So," He began again. "Have ye ever been to Port Royal before?"
Vikki nodded her head slightly, "Only once when I was younger. My father took me there when we crossed from England - but we didn't stay for very long."
"Aye," Sam replied. "It's changed now. Anyone so much as looks like a pirate will be hung at the gallows." He turned to look at the brunette. "Which is why Tia Dalma gave yer that dress to wear."
Again, Vikki tucked a lock of hair behind her ear nervously, "I thought as much." She replied, "For Port Royal. I haven't worn a dress for a very long time."
Sam chuckled, "Yer'll have to get used to wearing a corset then." Vikki blushed, she did not want to talk to him about undergarments. Infact, she did not want to talk to anyone about undergarments at all!
"Sam!" A voice called from below deck, "Come down, we're starting a game of poker!"
The blonde ran a hand through his tousled hair, "I better go." He stood up and started to climb down the rigging. "Ye wanna join?" He asked.
Vikki shook her head, "No thanks, I don't know how to play."
Sam smirked, his eyes sparkling menacingly, "Maybe I can teach ye sometime? Anyway, I'll see you around, Stripes." He climbed the rest of the way down the rigging and jumped onto the deck, greeting a few of his fellow crew mates before disappearing below deck. Vikki leant back against the mast, sighing deeply. Never had she spoken to such a good-looking man in all her life, she was a little flustered and blown away. Her heart pounded in her chest, was she crushing on him? She shook her head, forbidding herself to get any feelings for anyone. She wanted to find her father before getting attatched to anyone, more than all the gold and diamonds in the world!
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