~ Ruby Of the Sea ~
Chapter 3
A Scar and a Story
Nicole was lying in her bed, silk sheets tucked up to her chin, and Ruby was sitting next to the bed on a three-legged stool.
Every now and then, Ruby would take the damp cloth that was on Nicole's forehead, run it under cold water, and replace it.
Nicole was better than she had been that morning at the party, but still ill, and her fever had jumped up.
Ruby had just cooled the rag, and replaced it on Nicole's forehead, when Nicole propped herself up on her hands.
"Tell me a story, Ruby." She pleaded.
Ruby walked over to Nicole, and pushed her back down into a lying position. "You should rest." Was her reply.
"I will rest, but it will be much more enjoyable to rest while I'm listening to a story." Nicole persisted.
Ruby looked at her with a skeptical eye, then agreed.
"But only one, and you had better stay laying down." Ruby warned.
"I will!" Nicole promised, laying back in her covers and squirming to get comfortable.
*~*_*~*_*~*
When the girl awoke, she found herself still in the barrel, and quite cramped. She moaned as she put her hand to her head, discovered an enormous welt on her head, and found herself to be both very hungry and very thirsty.
She slowly climbed out of the barrel, and both discovered that it was very dark, and that she was below deck in the hull.
'It must be night.' She thought as she took her first step.
Suddenly the floor pitched up and she fell backwards. As she fell, she instinctively cradled her head in her arms, and was grateful for her presence of mind, when she felt her arm hit a trunk severely enough to leave a large bruise.
As the girl stood for a second time, rubbing her sore arm, she heard sounds above deck.
She tilted her head to listen better. There was little that she could understand, but she recognized the word 'Pirate' perfectly.
Both thirst and hunger ignored, the girl ran back to the barrel, and very nearly dove in. Then she heard gunfire. Booming canons that rocked the ship, and sharp 'pings' of rifles that did little to the ship, other than rid it of her passengers.
For ten minutes that seemed to last ten years, the girl held her breath in fear. Whenever she heard someone approaching the door, she tensed, and struggled to keep from screaming in panic.
Finally the sounds of running, the tapping of rifle-balls on wood, and the booming and rocking of the canons ceased, and the sound of silence reigned. The girl in the barrel cowered, thinking that the silence was infinitely worse than all of the noise could ever be.
Then came a sound that perhaps could rival the silence in her hatred: the door to the hull being opened.
The girl pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle the gasp that she could not hope to restrain.
"Fifteen men on a dead man's chest!" Squawked a parrot.
"Mr. Cotton, I've no idea 'ow you trained that thar parrot, but unless you're plan'n on eat'n it for supper, I suggest you keep et quiet while's we're search'n for stowaways." Came another voice in a whisper.
'Pirates...' The girl thought, 'The sailors aboard this ship don't speak like that.'
"Wind in you sails." Squawked the parrot, again, then silenced.
The girl was shivering uncontrollably, as she listened to the footsteps coming closer and closer.
When the footsteps had reached her barrel, they stopped, and she squeezed her eyes shut, certain that the people standing over the barrel could hear her thumping heart.
When the steps continued walking towards the back of the ship, the girl sighed in relief. She sighed a bit too loudly.
"About-face, me hearties!" Screamed the parrot.
Before the girl knew what was happening, she found her barrel turned over, and herself blenching before two pirate's boots.
"What 'ave we 'ere?" Laughed the stouter pirate, "A stowaway? What's yer name, boy?"
The girl could have laughed in relief! They thought that she was a boy!
"What's yer name? What's yer name?" Squawked the parrot again and again.
The girl was silent, still in a state of joyous shock.
"If 'e won't talk, then we ought to take 'im to the captain."
The girl looked up. 'Captain'? No, no, no! A pirate captain?! Perhaps the crew was dense enough to think her a lad, but no pirate captain worth his salt would!
The girl, in a panic, quickly jumped to her feet, and ran for the door that led up to the deck.
Though Mr. Cotton could not speak, he was not dumb. He swiftly stuck out his sword in front of the girl.
The girl felt cold steel bite her skin, and quickly skidded to a halt, but not before the edge could do some damage.
She quickly took a step back, as blood trickled down her elbow, and fell, crimson, staining the floor.
The girl clasped her right hand, over a place halfway down her lower, left arm in hopes to staunch the slight bleeding.
The second pirate took the girl by the elbow.
"'Ank 'e, Cotton. Now I'll be tak'n 'is lad down to Cap'n Sparrow."
The girl gasped. 'Sparrow? Jack Sparrow? Captain of the Black Pearl?' She wondered mentally.
She was still in a confused daze, when she was taken back above deck, and pushed down. She raised herself with her elbows, and looked up at an almost bizarre looking man with hair divided into several braided sections, a strip of cloth tied about his head, and kohl-rimmed eyes. The girl immediately knew that it was Captain Jack Sparrow, and she visibly trembled.
"Welcome, lad." He grinned after staring at her for a while, revealing several gold teeth, "What be yer name?"
The girl choked. He thought that she was a boy too? 'All the better.' She thought, as she slowly stood, finding herself half a head shorter than the man. "My name is Jo." The girl lowered her voice's tone, hoping to imitate a man's voice.
"'Jo'?" Captain Jack asked suspiciously, "Well, Jo, I don't suppose ye are anyone of importance, as me men found you down hiding in a barrel. Ye is a stowaway, are ye not?"
Jo, or thus we must call her, nodded.
"Well, Jo, I suppose ye are hoping that I'll spare ye, are ye not?" Captain Jack asked, moving his hands about for expression.
Jo couldn't help but smiling at the man's movement. His gestures implied that he was drunk, but Jo guessed that he wasn't.
"Yes, Captain."
Captain Jack smiled at her reference to him. "You know yer place, lad. That will get ye far in life."
Captain turned about to speak to another pirate, one that he had just taken on at the last port. "What places does the Pearl have open? Preferably one of lower rank, and something that will keep im busy, savvy?"
The pirate smiled. "'Ere's the position of cabin boy." He offered.
Captain Jack looked up, confused. "Where's me old cabin boy?"
"If you'll 'member, 'e jumped ship at the last port." The same pirate that had found Jo replied in a quiet tone.
"Aah..." Jack said, nodding his head vaguely. He then turned back to Jo. "Your a tad old fo' being a cabin boy, but I don't s'ppose that you'd be much better at anything else. Your not a cook a' you?"
Jo was forced to shake her head no because she was biting her lip and trying to keep from smiling.
That was how Jo had come to be a cabin boy upon the Black Pearl.
*~*_*~*_*~*
By the time Ruby had finished the tale, Nicole was having quite a bit of trouble keeping her eyes open.
Ruby smiled, as she went to wet the rag again. That was exactly what she had hoped would happen.
As Nicole yawned for a hundredth time, Ruby went to dampen the now warm cloth again.
Nicole sat up just as Ruby leaned over to place the rag into the bowl of water on the floor, and noticed Ruby's sleeve fall off her shoulder.
In the gloom of the dark room, Nicole could not be sure, but she thought that she saw a large, white scar, like that of a brand, lay on her shoulder-blade peeking from under the lace that lined the neckline of Ruby's dress. But it was soon gone out of sight, as Ruby shrugged up the shoulder of her dress, and came back towards her with the cooled rag.
As the rag was placed upon her brow, Nicole began to wonder just what sort of person her sister had been before she was taken into this luxurious house. What sort of person she still may be, though the true image of that person was hidden behind a cordial smile and an elegant grown.
---------------------- There's the Jack that I know at least two people were hoping for! There isn't much of him in this chapter, but there'll be a lot more of him later!
PiratePrinces91: Thanks for the encouragement, and more Jack relatively soon. I'm going to go with she doesn't like being touched there.
*Sigh* I only got one review for this chapter, but I'm gonna go ahead and post this chapter. /_\
Chapter 3
A Scar and a Story
Nicole was lying in her bed, silk sheets tucked up to her chin, and Ruby was sitting next to the bed on a three-legged stool.
Every now and then, Ruby would take the damp cloth that was on Nicole's forehead, run it under cold water, and replace it.
Nicole was better than she had been that morning at the party, but still ill, and her fever had jumped up.
Ruby had just cooled the rag, and replaced it on Nicole's forehead, when Nicole propped herself up on her hands.
"Tell me a story, Ruby." She pleaded.
Ruby walked over to Nicole, and pushed her back down into a lying position. "You should rest." Was her reply.
"I will rest, but it will be much more enjoyable to rest while I'm listening to a story." Nicole persisted.
Ruby looked at her with a skeptical eye, then agreed.
"But only one, and you had better stay laying down." Ruby warned.
"I will!" Nicole promised, laying back in her covers and squirming to get comfortable.
*~*_*~*_*~*
When the girl awoke, she found herself still in the barrel, and quite cramped. She moaned as she put her hand to her head, discovered an enormous welt on her head, and found herself to be both very hungry and very thirsty.
She slowly climbed out of the barrel, and both discovered that it was very dark, and that she was below deck in the hull.
'It must be night.' She thought as she took her first step.
Suddenly the floor pitched up and she fell backwards. As she fell, she instinctively cradled her head in her arms, and was grateful for her presence of mind, when she felt her arm hit a trunk severely enough to leave a large bruise.
As the girl stood for a second time, rubbing her sore arm, she heard sounds above deck.
She tilted her head to listen better. There was little that she could understand, but she recognized the word 'Pirate' perfectly.
Both thirst and hunger ignored, the girl ran back to the barrel, and very nearly dove in. Then she heard gunfire. Booming canons that rocked the ship, and sharp 'pings' of rifles that did little to the ship, other than rid it of her passengers.
For ten minutes that seemed to last ten years, the girl held her breath in fear. Whenever she heard someone approaching the door, she tensed, and struggled to keep from screaming in panic.
Finally the sounds of running, the tapping of rifle-balls on wood, and the booming and rocking of the canons ceased, and the sound of silence reigned. The girl in the barrel cowered, thinking that the silence was infinitely worse than all of the noise could ever be.
Then came a sound that perhaps could rival the silence in her hatred: the door to the hull being opened.
The girl pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle the gasp that she could not hope to restrain.
"Fifteen men on a dead man's chest!" Squawked a parrot.
"Mr. Cotton, I've no idea 'ow you trained that thar parrot, but unless you're plan'n on eat'n it for supper, I suggest you keep et quiet while's we're search'n for stowaways." Came another voice in a whisper.
'Pirates...' The girl thought, 'The sailors aboard this ship don't speak like that.'
"Wind in you sails." Squawked the parrot, again, then silenced.
The girl was shivering uncontrollably, as she listened to the footsteps coming closer and closer.
When the footsteps had reached her barrel, they stopped, and she squeezed her eyes shut, certain that the people standing over the barrel could hear her thumping heart.
When the steps continued walking towards the back of the ship, the girl sighed in relief. She sighed a bit too loudly.
"About-face, me hearties!" Screamed the parrot.
Before the girl knew what was happening, she found her barrel turned over, and herself blenching before two pirate's boots.
"What 'ave we 'ere?" Laughed the stouter pirate, "A stowaway? What's yer name, boy?"
The girl could have laughed in relief! They thought that she was a boy!
"What's yer name? What's yer name?" Squawked the parrot again and again.
The girl was silent, still in a state of joyous shock.
"If 'e won't talk, then we ought to take 'im to the captain."
The girl looked up. 'Captain'? No, no, no! A pirate captain?! Perhaps the crew was dense enough to think her a lad, but no pirate captain worth his salt would!
The girl, in a panic, quickly jumped to her feet, and ran for the door that led up to the deck.
Though Mr. Cotton could not speak, he was not dumb. He swiftly stuck out his sword in front of the girl.
The girl felt cold steel bite her skin, and quickly skidded to a halt, but not before the edge could do some damage.
She quickly took a step back, as blood trickled down her elbow, and fell, crimson, staining the floor.
The girl clasped her right hand, over a place halfway down her lower, left arm in hopes to staunch the slight bleeding.
The second pirate took the girl by the elbow.
"'Ank 'e, Cotton. Now I'll be tak'n 'is lad down to Cap'n Sparrow."
The girl gasped. 'Sparrow? Jack Sparrow? Captain of the Black Pearl?' She wondered mentally.
She was still in a confused daze, when she was taken back above deck, and pushed down. She raised herself with her elbows, and looked up at an almost bizarre looking man with hair divided into several braided sections, a strip of cloth tied about his head, and kohl-rimmed eyes. The girl immediately knew that it was Captain Jack Sparrow, and she visibly trembled.
"Welcome, lad." He grinned after staring at her for a while, revealing several gold teeth, "What be yer name?"
The girl choked. He thought that she was a boy too? 'All the better.' She thought, as she slowly stood, finding herself half a head shorter than the man. "My name is Jo." The girl lowered her voice's tone, hoping to imitate a man's voice.
"'Jo'?" Captain Jack asked suspiciously, "Well, Jo, I don't suppose ye are anyone of importance, as me men found you down hiding in a barrel. Ye is a stowaway, are ye not?"
Jo, or thus we must call her, nodded.
"Well, Jo, I suppose ye are hoping that I'll spare ye, are ye not?" Captain Jack asked, moving his hands about for expression.
Jo couldn't help but smiling at the man's movement. His gestures implied that he was drunk, but Jo guessed that he wasn't.
"Yes, Captain."
Captain Jack smiled at her reference to him. "You know yer place, lad. That will get ye far in life."
Captain turned about to speak to another pirate, one that he had just taken on at the last port. "What places does the Pearl have open? Preferably one of lower rank, and something that will keep im busy, savvy?"
The pirate smiled. "'Ere's the position of cabin boy." He offered.
Captain Jack looked up, confused. "Where's me old cabin boy?"
"If you'll 'member, 'e jumped ship at the last port." The same pirate that had found Jo replied in a quiet tone.
"Aah..." Jack said, nodding his head vaguely. He then turned back to Jo. "Your a tad old fo' being a cabin boy, but I don't s'ppose that you'd be much better at anything else. Your not a cook a' you?"
Jo was forced to shake her head no because she was biting her lip and trying to keep from smiling.
That was how Jo had come to be a cabin boy upon the Black Pearl.
*~*_*~*_*~*
By the time Ruby had finished the tale, Nicole was having quite a bit of trouble keeping her eyes open.
Ruby smiled, as she went to wet the rag again. That was exactly what she had hoped would happen.
As Nicole yawned for a hundredth time, Ruby went to dampen the now warm cloth again.
Nicole sat up just as Ruby leaned over to place the rag into the bowl of water on the floor, and noticed Ruby's sleeve fall off her shoulder.
In the gloom of the dark room, Nicole could not be sure, but she thought that she saw a large, white scar, like that of a brand, lay on her shoulder-blade peeking from under the lace that lined the neckline of Ruby's dress. But it was soon gone out of sight, as Ruby shrugged up the shoulder of her dress, and came back towards her with the cooled rag.
As the rag was placed upon her brow, Nicole began to wonder just what sort of person her sister had been before she was taken into this luxurious house. What sort of person she still may be, though the true image of that person was hidden behind a cordial smile and an elegant grown.
---------------------- There's the Jack that I know at least two people were hoping for! There isn't much of him in this chapter, but there'll be a lot more of him later!
PiratePrinces91: Thanks for the encouragement, and more Jack relatively soon. I'm going to go with she doesn't like being touched there.
*Sigh* I only got one review for this chapter, but I'm gonna go ahead and post this chapter. /_\