Chapter 21

Once we arrived at the docks, Chris and Aubrey returned to the Surprise, Jack and his crew returned to the Pearl, and I walked up the gang plank to my ship and stood behind the helm as captain of the Midnight Phantom. My crew was below me and were awaiting orders.

"Weigh anchor! Hoist the sails! We make for Tortuga!" I yelled. The crew below me scurried off to follow my orders and we lifted anchor and sailed out of Port Royal. It felt so incredible to be in charge of a ship and not just any ship, but my mother's ship.

I looked to my left across the water and saw Jack at the Pearl's helm. He looked over and smiled at me and I smiled back. I looked to my right across the water and saw Aubrey at the Surprise's helm and Chris at his side. They were returning with us to Tortuga for a few weeks and then would set a course home for England. I was truly going to miss Chris when he left, but that wasn't for a few weeks, so I decided to make the best of what time we had together.

The Phantom's crew had set to work doing their usual chores as if nothing had just happened back at Port Royal. We had been sailing for a few hours when I heard someone coming up the stairs to the helm. It was Alexandra, dressed in a long white dress, black boots, a hat and carrying a parasol.

"Sorry to have taken you from Port Royal like that," I said once she was at my side. "But it was for your own safety."

"I know it," Alex replied. "My only question now is, where are we going to live?"

"In Tortuga," I replied. "Once we get home, Jack and I'll start building you a house and your father can open a blacksmith shop again. Our last blacksmith passed away and we're in need of one who actually knows what he's doing." I looked over into Alex's eyes and saw she had a bit of a worried look.

"Don't worry. Tortuga is really a nice town," I assured her. "Sure, it's inhabited entirely by pirates, but if you stay inside after dark unless you're with your parents, then you have nothing to worry about. Not to mention, you can come visit me any time you want. My door is always open." My words seemed to comfort her a bit. After a few moments of silence, she took her leave to return to her cabin. Once again, I was alone.

The sun was setting as we continued homeward bound and I felt the wind pick up slightly, blowing through my hair and bringing with it the faint smell of winding dirt roads, wooden docks, French bread, and rum. As I continued to sail in between my father's ship and the Surprise and the wind began to fade, I thought for sure I heard the faint sound of a horse neighing, calling to me. I was going home at last. I smiled and hummed to myself.

"Hm hm hm hm hm hm hm hm hm hm hm….and really bad eggs…Drink up me 'earties, yo ho!"

THE END

Author's note:
Don't leave too quickly! There's an epilogue that needs reading! - Artemis