Twelve years ago…
For a second after that sharp "click" hovered in the air, Tigerlily didn't move. She couldn't believe her crude lock picking had actually worked.
With painful slowness, she pushed the cell door open, wincing as it creaked. She convulsively glanced around the room every few seconds, sure that someone would come bursting through the door and catch her in the pathetic escape attempt. But no one came, even as she crossed the threshold of her cell and stepped into the main room… even as she opened the second door… even as she slipped into the dark corridor outside.
There was no one in sight, so she continued down the hallway and into the open space beyond. She could tell that she was far below deck, yet there was still enough light to see because of the many portholes dotting the walls. She briefly considered trying to climb out one of those, but she feared it would be too small—and she had nothing to help her once she managed to get outside, anyway. She knew the ship was hovering hundreds of feet above ground. It would take more than a rope for her to escape through a porthole.
Instead, she continued to creep through the hold, keeping her eye out for any weapons or food she might come across. It quickly became clear that this area was used to store cannons and ammunition—which wasn't exactly helpful for her. The gunpowder had potential, but not at the moment.
She spied a set of stairs and followed them up to the next door, but that one wouldn't open no matter how hard she pushed. There were no other doors that led to higher deck levels, and she finally had to admit that she was stuck. She was about to revisit her original idea of utilizing a porthole when she heard singing.
It was high and sweet, the same achingly lovely voice she had heard her first night aboard the ship. Since then, she had thought she'd heard patches of song here and there, but they had blown away as swiftly and intangibly as they'd come, always leaving her to wonder if her mind was playing tricks on her. This time, though, the singing was clearer.
"Hush, hush, time to be sleeping; hush, hush, dreams come a-creeping, dreams of peace and of freedom, so smile in your sleep, bonny baby…"
Tigerlily started towards the sound of that melancholy voice, following it down another corridor that branched off from the main room. The longer she walked, the clearer the melody became.
"Once our valleys were ringing… with songs of our children singing… but now sheep bleat till the evening, and shielings lie empty and broken. Hush, hush, time to be sleeping; hush, hush, dreams come a-creeping, dreams of peace and of freedom, so smile in your sleep, bonny baby…"
Soon, Tigerlily came to a wooden door at the end of the corridor. It was obvious that whoever was singing was right on the other side. She tried to look through the keyhole, but nothing was visible. She was torn: knock on the door and risk meeting another enemy? Or turn around without knocking and lose a potential ally? Whoever was singing such a beautiful tune, tucked in the bowels of the ship like she was, surely couldn't be a pirate… could they?
"No use pleading or praying… for gone, gone is all hope of staying. Hush, hush, the anchor's a-weighing. Don't cry in your sleep, bonny baby."
Tigerlily waited, but there was no next verse. Instead, she heard a long sigh and the distinct sound of crying. That's when she decided to risk knocking on the door.
"Hello?" she called.
There was a sudden startled silence on the other side, but then a girl's voice answered. "Who's there?"
"My name's Tigerlily. I've been kidnapped by Blackbeard. Please, let me in!"
The girl didn't say anything at first, and for an awful second, Tigerlily feared she had made a terrible mistake. But then she heard a lock turn, and the door swung open to reveal a surprisingly elegant and well furnished apartment. It was clear that whoever had furnished it had taken great care to conceal the fact that it used to be a storage room; a thick Oriental rug was stretched across half the floor, and the walls were covered in paintings. A green satin overstuffed loveseat was tucked in the corner next to an oak bookshelf crammed full of books, and a table covered by a cream tablecloth was pushed up against the opposite wall. On it sat gleaming silver candlesticks and a bouquet of gorgeously bright flowers resting in a blue china vase. There were two chairs upholstered in red velvet next to the table, but only one place had been set, with white porcelain, flawless silver utensils and a clear crystal wine glass.
At this point, though, Tigerlily didn't care about the room but about the young woman standing in the middle of it. She couldn't have been older than sixteen or seventeen. Tall and willowy, her skin was nearly pale as snow, and she was angelically beautiful. She wore a simple white nightgown with a white robe thrown over it, and a sea of golden blonde hair spilled over her shoulders. But what really captivated Tigerlily was the girl's eyes, clear pools of blue that seemed never to end.
The two of them looked at each other hesitantly for a moment. Then the girl spoke.
"My name's Mary."
