Disclaimer: I don't own anything it is all mostly from the movie!
Chapter Eight
Inside the cabin, Shakespeare went along the corridor before shoving Yvaine through another set of double doors. "Get in there wench!" He yelled turning and locking the doors behind him, before leaning against the now closed doors. Taking a deep breath, he turned around and smiled at the two other occupants. "So, that went well I thought," his voice was now very feminine and soft as he smiled at the two girls.
Yvaine smiled back at the captain before turning her head and looking at Alex. Alex smirked at the captain, glad that they were lucky enough to land on a ship with a captain such as Shakespeare. "Now, tell me news of my beloved England!" The captain squealed, sitting down and crossing his legs while facing Alex and Yvaine across the table.
Yvaine shook her head in disbelief. "Hang on. I can't believe your crew fell for that. And where in God's name did you get that mannequin and wig from?"
Shakespeare simply flipped his hand at her with a satisfied smile. "Oh, it works every time. An ounce of bargaining, a pinch of trickery, a soupcon of intimidation, et voila! The perfect recipe for a towering reputation without ever having to spill one drop of blood! Ever try to get bloodstains out of a silk shirt? Nightmare!"
Alex just shook her head in amusement before turning to the captain. "Right. I still don't understand how they won't recognize me."
Sitting back with a smug smile, he simply replied. "Alex, my dear girl, when I'm done, your own mother won't recognize you. Now, we've no time to waste. We have only two hours before we make port. First and foremost…" The captain got up from the table and walked over the wall of the cabin. Reaching up, he twisted the candleholder on the wall as a secret lever. The wall started to split open revealing a long closet lined with all types of clothes on each sides. A floor length, three faced mirror sat at the end along with a couple of mannequins wearing dresses of all sorts.
"It'll be so good to see you out of those dreary clothes. So very small-town errand-girl. Howlingly parochial. Here. Tres you! My sister wore it when she was younger and I hate to throw anything away. You know the day you do, it'll come back in fashion."
Alex couldn't help but chuckle at the illustrious captain before taking the clothes set out for her. She began to look at the clothes Shakespeare had handed her. A white, form fitting, shirt that was to be tucked into the nice breeches. Surprisingly it all fit rather well, and Alex was glad to be in a different set of clothes for a change. The best part was that they were feminine but not dress-like so she could still move and fight if she needed to yet they also hugged her figure and trim waist.
As soon as Shakespeare had handed the clothes to Alex, he turned to Yvaine and began looking her up and down trying to find what would look good on her. "Now you, darling. I have some lovely dresses. Take your pick." After a few seconds of silence, Shakespeare looked up at Yvaine to see why she hadn't responded or even moved. Her face was turned in the opposite direction from the captain.
Yvaine had tried, really she did, but when Alex began to undress she couldn't help but glance. She had known that Alex was in pretty good shape, but the baggy clothes she had always worn hid just how fit the girl really was. Now down to just her underclothes, she could see the flat, toned stomach that rippled with each movement and the swells of her breasts. Yvaine didn't realize how long she was staring until a clearing of a throat and tap on the shoulder brought her back to life.
The captain simply snickered as a blush rose up on Yvaine's cheeks when she had finally turned around to face him. "It's quite alright dear, she is quite a looker. Just wait until I'm finished with her," he whispered conspiratorially. With a wink he gestured to her clothes once more. "Now, I say again since someone was a little distracted. I have some lovely dresses. Take your pick."
Yvaine's blush still lit up her face as she shook her head, "Oh, no, really, I'm fine."
Smirking the captain just looked down at her clothing with a raised eyebrow. "Honey, you're wearing a bathrobe." The blush on Yvaine's face grew as she shuffled over to the dresses with a small smile, beginning to search for one she likes. Alex returned looking at herself in the mirror while Shakespeare came up beside her.
"Now, England, England. I want to hear everything," the captain said fixing her shirt slightly so it was a little more low cut than normal showing off a decent amount of cleavage. Raising an eyebrow at the movement, the captain just winked at Alex who chuckled and decided to let it slide.
"You're not from England."
"Oh, no, sadly, no. But from my earliest youth, I lapped up the stories. People always told me they were nothing more than folklore, but my heart told me they were true. As a boy, I'd scurry away from my father at the market while he did his deals just to peek over the wall, dream of, perhaps, crossing it one day, seeing England for myself," the Captain said wistfully, staring off in a day dream.
"Really? So you…You were here looking over there?" Alex questioned with a chuckle.
The captain nodded, before pointing at Alex's head, "Hair."
Alex looked at him in complete confusion, "Hair?"
With that the captain clicked his tongue before spinning Alex around and marching her towards the chair outside the closet. Wrapping a cloak around her shoulders to keep the hair from falling on her clothes. Soon the captain was cutting and styling away, babbling on about such and such. Alex was replying in kind before her breath caught in her throat.
Yvaine had come and sat in front of them on the sofa, smiling softly. She had chosen a black and blue dress with capped, see through sleeves ending only inches from the top of her shoulder. The black material hugged her figure before slowly splaying out just slightly from her waist down to her feet. Alex couldn't help but think that, in that moment, Yvaine was more beautiful than Victoria could ever be.
A blush rose to her face at the thought and immediately shook such a thing out of her mind. There was no way Yvaine's preference was the same as hers I mean she's a star for god's sakes, and besides Alex had Victoria…Yeah…Victoria.
"Mind you, I did my best to fit in. Tried to make my father, Captain Ghostmaker, proud. Forged a decent reputation as a ruthless marauder and cold-blooded killer. But my father died. I always promised him I'd take over the family business, keep the old girl flying. You have no idea the lightness it brings my heart being able to confide in you charming young people. The pressure of maintaining the whole Captain Shakespeare persona for the sake of the crew, I don't know. Sometimes…You see, I'm very much a man of my own creation. Even chose the name specifically. Took me ages. See, I'm thinking legendary British wordsmith. My enemies and crew are thinking 'Shake! Spear!'. Its little things like that make me happy," the captain said with a sigh, all the while still fixing Alex's hair.
Alex furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "I don't understand that. Surely it would make you happier just to be yourself. Why fight to be accepted by people you don't actually want to be like?"
Yvaine rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Why would anyone do that to themselves?" She said sarcastically looking directly at Alex.
A thoughtful look crossed Alex's face as she glanced at the ground with a muttered, "Exactly."
Hours later the crew began to call out demands as the ship approached the dock. The dock was merely a staircase that ascended out of the tip of a cliff, allowing the ship to pull right alongside it. The crew departed, along with Yvaine, from the ship with cases of stored lightning in hand, following Shakespeare into the market. Soon they came upon a dark, brick alcove that had a single, wooden door with "Ferdy's Office" painted on the top.
Shutting the door behind the last crewmember, Skinny turned back and stood to the right of Shakespeare as he stared down the owner. The shop was rather eccentric, as was the man that ran it. Various items lined the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling. Everywhere you looked there was something new and different. There was so much stuff that the small walkway was rather cramped, forcing Shakespeare to be up close and personal with the smaller man that ran it.
The owner of the shop was rather pudgy, wearing all different colors of clothing with a dark purple, satin, cowboy hat sitting atop his head with a feather hanging off it in his face. His scraggly brown hair, hung in mats about his shoulders and his sideburns seem to go on even underneath his chin.
The man waddled over to the chest that was at the foot of Shakespeare, sliding open the hatch slightly at the top. As soon as he turned the latch, lightning shot out and crackled around the room, forcing him to close it quickly. Straightening back up, he glanced at the imposing figure of Captain Shakespeare.
"Yeah. Doesn't seem very fresh. I'll be honest," the man said, with a sneer.
Snapping his fingers and holding out his hand, the captain never took his eyes of the man before him. "Shall I give you a little taste, young Ferdinand?" Despite Ferdinand's protests, Skinny set a brown, leather cylinder, no more than a foot and a half long, in the captain's hands. Without missing a beat, the captain braced himself as he twisted the end of the cylinder, causing lightning to shoot out and strike various objects around the room, knocking things from their shelves.
Wincing at the crashing, Ferdinand rolled his eyes. "Brilliant. Like they're cheap."
Smirking, Shakespeare said, "I think it's still crackling, very much alive. Still tres fresh. So name your best price."
"For ten thousand bolts? It's difficult to shift, isn't it? Difficult to store. If I get the Revenue Men in here sniffing round, what's the…Best price, one hundred fifty guineas."
Turning back towards his men, not even bothering to reply to Ferdinand, the captain ordered. "Gentlemen, put the merchandise back onboard and prepare to sail. Ferdinand, always a pleasure," he said shaking Ferdinand's hand as the men started to load up their gear.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on. Hold on. One minute. Hold on, cuddles. One-sixty, one-sixty," Ferdinand said, waving his hand at the men trying to keep them from leaving.
"Seeing as I'm feeling particularly generous today, I'll settle for two hundred," Shakespeare said, crossing his arms over his chest to seem more imposing.
"Two hundred? Okay, you're having a laugh. Have you had your head in that?" Ferdy said gesturing towards the container of lighting before turning to the crewmen. "Has he been sailing up where the air's too thin?"
With a frown that was mirrored by all of his crewmen, Shakespeare replied darkly, "You're being very rude."
With a nervous chuckle, Ferdy seemed to brush it off as if it were nothing. "Not anymore. One-eighty."
"Two hundred," the captain replied, refusing to give any.
"That's not a negotiation. I'm changing my number. One-eight-five," Ferdy said as if that would appease the captain.
With a raised eyebrow the captain replied, "Did I hear two hundred?"
Ferdy's face scrunched in confusion. "From you, you did. Yeah."
"You said two hundred."
"If I did, you're a ventriloquist. Okay, one-nine-five. Final offer," Ferdy said, becoming confused with the conversation.
"One-nine-five it is. So, with sales tax, that's, let's see, two hundred," Shakespeare said, staring directly at Ferdy while shaking his hand.
Two of the crewmembers picked up the crate containing the lightning and walked off towards the back of the store. Ferdinand and Shakespeare began to walk off, a little farther away from the rest of the crew. Yvaine followed them closely before an eye from Ferdy stopped her in her tracks as they walked on a few more feet.
Pointing towards Yvaine, Ferdy mumbled, "Nosy. Anyways, have you heard any of these rumors about a fallen star? Everyone's talking about it. You get your hands on one of them and we can shut up shop. Retire."
"Fallen star?" Shakespeare questioned that received a nod from Ferdy. The captain looked back and gave a meaningful glance at Yvaine, holding her eyes for a few moments before turning back towards the shopkeeper. "No, nah."
"Nothing on our travels? Not even a little sniff of a whisper?" Shakespeare just shook his head at Ferdy who sighed in disappointment. "Everyone's going on about it down at the market."
A that the captain looked intently at Ferdy, "Which market? The market near the wall?" Ferdy simply nodded his head, and Shakespeare looked thoughtful for a moment before patting Ferdy on the back. "Well, Ferdy, you're wasting your time listening to gossip from the kind of pond scum trading down there. Oh, my word! Speak of the devil."
Ditchwater Sal walked up to the two men, limping slightly while her rolls of fat bounced slightly with each step. "Oh, yeah? What were you saying, then?"
The captain merely smiled at her. "Oh, what a wonderful woman you are, Sal. How the world wouldn't be the same place without you."
Ferdy cut in then, giving Sal a once over. "You look great. You've had your feet done, haven't you?"
Clapping them both on the back, the captain decided it was time to take his leave. "But, you two, have business to attend to. Sal. Ferdy. Good day."
With that, the entire crew, including Yvaine and the captain returned to where there ship was docked. The crew was the first to board and when they reached the deck, all of them pulled out heir swords and got in a defensive stance. A woman lounged upon the sacks of supplies the crew had laid out earlier on the deck. She wore a tight fitting, white shirt that crisscrossed in the front allowing the skin of her neck and upper chest to be seen. The shirt was tucked into a pair of black, tight breeches, that were tucked into brown leather boots that stopped just below the knees. A belt that held a scabbard with a sword hilt poking out was strapped around her waist and hung low on her hips. The girl had beautiful brown hair that fell in waves down her back and around her shoulders and glistened in the sun. All in all, the crew was astounded by her beauty, but was also cautious as she was an intruder on their ship.
With a smile the girl simply, leaned back. "Captain Shakespeare."
Immediately the captain pushed through the hoard of crewmen with Yvaine right behind him. "Stand down! Stand down!" All of the crewmen lowered their sword arms, but still eyed the girl warily. "Meet my niece, the fearsome buccaneer, Alexandra Thorn. And don't underestimate her just because she is a woman. She'll be joining us for our journey home. I have the perfect gift to keep you amused on the way."
With that he pushed Yvaine towards Alex who caught her easily in her arms as she had stood when greeting the crew. The crew jeered and laughed before all looking at Alex pointedly, obviously waiting for her to do something. Not knowing really what else to do, she hugged Yvaine to her and held up her fist with a small growl in response to the crew. They all growled back and jeered, while Yvaine rolled her eyes at the display. With a nervous chuckle, Yvaine and Alex retreated into the captain's cabin once more.
Skinny, having known what was going on a long time ago and knew the truth about the captain, simply rolled his eyes before ordering them men to get back to work.
Hours went by as the captain began to teach Alex how to sword fight and Yvaine to play the piano. That night, they entered yet another storm. Yvaine and Alex helped to capture the lightning in the same gear they had first seen the crew in. As more hours passed, Alex began to grow better and better at sword fighting until she was able to hold her own against the captain a good bit of the time. The captain even began to teach Yvaine how to dance, showing her the steps on the deck after everyone had gone to sleep with nothing but the torchlight to guide them.
The time came when Alex actually won against the captain in a sword fight. Even with a sword pressed to his neck, the captain smiled. "Touché. I'm impressed." Alex laughed with a joyous smile, putting down her sword and handing the captain's back to him.
That very same night, one of the crewmembers began to turn the crank on the phonograph, causing a slow melody to travel across the deck. The crew was lounged all around as a circle of torches lit the makeshift dance floor, allowing Yvaine and the captain to glide smoothly across the deck as Alex watched on in amusement. Unknown to Yvaine, she began to emit a faint glow that the captain easily picked up on. When he dipped her low, he whispered in her ear. "Yvaine, I know what you are."
Immediately the glow stopped as a look of terror flashed on Yvaine's face. The captain picked her up from the dip and kept dancing, while Yvaine began shooting looks towards Alex nervously. Pulling her close once more, the captain assuaged her fears. "No, no. Have no fear. No one on this vessel will harm you, but there are plenty who would. Your emotions give you away, my dear. You must learn to control them. You've been glowing more brightly every day, and I think you know why," he said, throwing a meaningful look in Alex's direction.
Looking at the captain as if he were a little slow, Yvaine explained. "Of course, I know why I'm glowing. I'm a star. And what do stars do best?"
With a small smile the captain chuckled, "Well, it's certainly not the waltz."
A hand on the captain's back stopped the dance, as Alex smiled fondly at the two. She offered her arms to Yvaine who stepped closer with a small smile. Immediately the two began to waltz across the deck smoothly, staring at each other with large smiles on their faces. The captain observed how it had taken but a second for Yvaine's glow to come back full force, now even brighter than before. Thankfully the crew seemed oblivious. Too enamored in the dancing couple to notice the bright glow.
She was laughing and giggling along with Alex as they stepped on each other's feet a few times. Smiling at her, Alex stopped them for a second. "Now, try."
"Okay," Yvaine smiled as they started to dance once more. The two continued to dance, as the stars looked down at their fallen sister with joy knowing she was going to be okay.
Lamia entered Ferdy's shop and immediately sat him down in the chair by a makeshift table. A silver coin rotated in front of his face, his eyes large as he stared in wonder at the coin. Lamia walked around the man at the table, gazing at all the items in the shop while interrogating him.
"Due west, you say? And you're certain he had a girl with him?"
Ferdy nodded his head repeatedly, "Yeah."
Lamia stopped walking and stared at him intently. "You're sure? Absolutely sure? Sure you're not lying?"
"I'd cross my heart if I had one," Ferdy said with a chuckle. Lamia snapped her fingers and the coin flew into Ferdy's open hands. "Brilliant," he said, tucking the piece of silver away in his pockets.
"You'd better be telling the truth, you two-faced dog," Lamia snarled.
Not even flinching at the tone, Ferdy just looked at Lamia with a hint of humor on his face. "I can get you one of them, actually. Very good guard dogs. They can watch the back and the front at the same time. I can get anything you want."
"What are the chances of getting a Babylon candle?" Lamia said seriously.
Shaking his head slightly, Ferdy frowned. "That one's slim. Although, I did know a girl once, if you know what I mean…I'm a ladies man…who had a sister…I think it was a woman. Oh, she was terrible. Face like a bag of frogs. Ugly frogs."
"Enough!" Lamia burst out, stopping his ramblings. She pointed her index finger at his mouth, a green flame shooting from the tip and into his mouth. Immediately he began to choke for second before relaxing. Lamia left as Ferdy began attempting to speak. Each time he would open his mouth a caw of a bird would come out and no matter how hard he tried no words would form. Lamia laughed as she shut the door, leaving the poor shopkeeper to his fate.
"Hold on tight! The Captain's at the helm!" Skinny yelled as the ship flew quickly through the air, slowly descending towards the surface of the lake. Yvaine and Alex stood at the bow, laughing and holding on to one another and the banister to keep steady. The ship teetered back and forth as Shakespeare struggled to hold it steady as they approached. After a few precarious moments the ship landed on the surface of the water with a splash and all became still as the ship glided smoothly.
Once the ship had docked, Shakespeare gave Alex the brown leather cylinder full of lightning. He pointed towards the road that led right from where the ship had docked. "So, there's the road you'll need for wall. Good luck on your journey home Yvaine, wherever that may be. And good luck to you, Alex, with your Victoria."
Hugging the captain tightly Alex said, "Oh, how can we ever thank you enough for your kindness?"
Pulling back the captain smiled while patting Alex's back. "Don't mention it," he said before leaning closer and whispering, "No, seriously, don't mention it. Reputations, you know. A lifetime to build, seconds to destroy."
With a smile, Alex started to descend the steps that led to the deck. Before she had taken more than two steps the captain called out, "Oh, and Alex, just remember…" He leaned in close and whispered something in Alex's ear that no one else could hear. "Just think about it." Yvaine looked on at them in confusion, wondering just what the captain was telling her. Alex stepped back and looked intently at the captain and then turning to glance at Yvaine before continuing down the steps. Once at the bottom, the two girls looked back up at the captain.
Shakespeare smiled at the two before gesturing with the back of his hand in a small wave. "Well, give my regards to England. It's been a pleasure to meet you both," he said with a hint of the feminine style voice he had used when alone with the two girls. Skinny cleared his throat with a roll of his eyes, causing the captain to jump in realization. "Mind you don't wear that wench out, Captain Alexandra!" His crew jeered at his words as the two girls walked down the set of steps and onto the shore. Both girls rolled their eyes in amusement at the captain's antics as they started on their way up the path towards wall.
When they had reached the crest of the hill, Yvaine turned towards Alex slightly. "What did he say to you?"
Alex furrowed her brows in confusion, "What did he say when?"
Yvaine scoffed as they continued walking, looking back at Alex questioningly. "Just then. When he whispered to you."
A blush slowly rose up from Alex's neck all the way up to her cheeks as she thought about just what the captain had whispered. In an attempt to hide said blush, she began rummaging around before grabbing the cylinder of lightning. "No…no, he…he was just saying we should use the lightning to get you a Babylon candle. Barter for it, you know."
They continued walking further up the hill until the Caspartine was far out of view.
Back at Ferdy's shop, Septimus stood in front of the man yelling at him sternly. The anger rolling off him was almost palpable as the two guards gripped Ferdy's arms tighter to hold him still.
"For the last time, where is the girl?" Septimus spat, getting close to Ferdy's face. Ferdy's face showed just how afraid he was as he tried to speak and tell Septimus just what had happened. Except every time he went to talk, a caw or croak came out instead of words only furthering the prince's anger. "Are you mocking me? 'Cause if you are, believe me, you have seconds to live!" Ferdy shook his head repeatedly and tried to speak with a long, drawn out caw. Fed up with the entire situation, Septimus drove his sword through Ferdy's stomach as the guards allowed him to fall to the ground. Handing his sword to one of his guards, Septimus stalked off. "Clean this, thoroughly!"