A/N: *before i get into this, i thought i'd mention that this is going to be a-little-more-than-slightly au. it's not easy changing a rather silly operetta into a first-person account through the eyes of a couple of side characters. i will, however, stick some lines from the songs in (along with a few g&s in-jokes), so be on the look out!
**disclaimer** gilbert and sullivan own the characters (except for ada who was my invention). they also own the plot (except for the stuff that doesn't happen in the operetta).
Chapter II
I had no idea how in the world I was going to save my crew from the deadly drop that was sure to be awaiting them. I did know that Frederic would be no help, seeing as he had completely turned against us in favor of that stuck-up twit Mabel. I was sitting on the deck of our lovely ship, the Queen Victoria, deep in thought, when it came to me. Ada. She would help me.
I had been drawn to Ada Broome the moment I saw her. It wasn't her beauty, for she was not the prettiest of the sisters. Nay, the thing that drew me was the look in her eyes. What we adventurers call the longing. That "take me with you" look that screams for a chance to see anything and everything. She wanted adventure, and I knew where to find it. In helping pirates escape the gallows. It was an opportunity she wouldn't refuse. I grinned, pleased with my plan, and set about deciding the best way to go about it.
************
It was nearly midnight when I left the ship. I rowed to the same place where we first met the daughters of the estimable Major-General Broome. From there, it was easy to pick my way up the path to the family's estate.
The house was huge. Three stories, two main wings, and one giant door. The bedrooms would be in the back, of course, and on one of the upper floors. I slipped around to the other side of the house, and there I saw it. My assumption had been correct. There was one lit window on the second floor. I quietly scaled the wall (much easier than climbing the rigging) and climbed onto the balcony. I peered inside. It was a bedroom, though whose, I did not know. I pulled the door open and slipped inside.
"I am the monarch of the sea, I am the ruler of the Queen's navy...." A rather off-key bass was singing in the bath.
Immediately, I knew I was in the wrong bedroom. I dashed out into the hall, slamming the door behind me. Another door down the hall creaked open. "Papa?" a voice called. One of the sisters wandered out of her room. "Papa?" I hid behind a statue of a Grecian goddess and watched as the girl stuck her head into the room I had just exited. "Papa, have you been singing the music from H.M.S. Pinafore again? You know we can hear you down the hall."
I could just make out the Major-General's muffled apology. The girl sighed and returned to her room. I made a mental note of the rooms I was sure were *not* Ada's and picked another at random. The room was completely dark. I heard a slight rustle of fabric and a voice. "Frederic? What took you so long?" I had to slap my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing out loud. So our duty-bound Frederic wasn't so noble after all.
Two incorrect rooms later, I finally found Ada. She was actually asleep, unlike the rest of her family. She looked like an angel, spread out on her great four-poster bed and wrapped in bluish satin sheets. Her hair was gold, even in the moonlight slanting through the window. I lit a candle and set it on the bedside table. Quietly, I brushed my hand against her cheek. She shuddered slightly and opened her eyes sleepily. She squinted at me for a moment. "What are you doing in here?" she gasped.
"I came to see you," I answered. It was a rather ridiculous statement, but I wasn't really sure how to tell her I needed her to help me free my crew.
"Are you sure you want to see me and not one of my sisters?"
"I'm sure."
"Well! I don't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment!" She sat up slightly and pushed the sheets aside, revealing her long legs. "Now, what did you have in mind?"
I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled the blankets back over her lower body. "Gods, woman, I didn't want to see you like that!"
"Well then, what did you want to see me like?" Her voice was edged with confusion and a hint of-- was it regret?
"I need your help," I whispered. "Your father plans to have all of my men hanged, correct?" She nodded. "I need you to help me free them."
"Why me?"
"Because you are the daughter of a Major-General. You are important enough that you could possibly persuade the guards to give you the keys to the cells."
She looked at me skeptically. "Any one of my sisters would also have that ability."
"Yes, but you I can trust."
"You can trust me?" she repeated. "What do I get in return?"
"My eternal gratitude?" I suggested.
She shook her head. "I want something else from you."
"What?" I was desperately hoping it was something easy, like a piece of pirate gold or a bullet or something. Something I could give her without it being too obtrusive.
"I want you," she leaned closer to me, "to take me with you."
"Absolutely not! Do you have any idea what could happen if we were chased down? We'd be killed and you! You'd be...be...." I trailed off because nothing would happen to her. She'd claim she was kidnapped and they would take pity on her and say nothing.
"I'd be shipped off to whichever stodgy, rich lord took pity on me first," she finished sweetly. "I think you would get the better end of the deal."
I sputtered, unable to agree, but unable to disagree. "Fine. If you help me, and if we are successful, I will bring you along. Agreed?" I asked, thinking that by the time all the excitement of rescuing a band of pirates had left her, we would be able to sail away with her sitting at her balcony only a little worse for the wear.
"Agreed." She took my hand and gave it a shake. "Now, out." She gestured to the window. I nodded and slid down the column as quietly as I had climbed it earlier. I marked her room for future reference and took off, whistling a jolly tune. At that point, I had no idea what I had just gotten myself into.
**disclaimer** gilbert and sullivan own the characters (except for ada who was my invention). they also own the plot (except for the stuff that doesn't happen in the operetta).
Chapter II
I had no idea how in the world I was going to save my crew from the deadly drop that was sure to be awaiting them. I did know that Frederic would be no help, seeing as he had completely turned against us in favor of that stuck-up twit Mabel. I was sitting on the deck of our lovely ship, the Queen Victoria, deep in thought, when it came to me. Ada. She would help me.
I had been drawn to Ada Broome the moment I saw her. It wasn't her beauty, for she was not the prettiest of the sisters. Nay, the thing that drew me was the look in her eyes. What we adventurers call the longing. That "take me with you" look that screams for a chance to see anything and everything. She wanted adventure, and I knew where to find it. In helping pirates escape the gallows. It was an opportunity she wouldn't refuse. I grinned, pleased with my plan, and set about deciding the best way to go about it.
************
It was nearly midnight when I left the ship. I rowed to the same place where we first met the daughters of the estimable Major-General Broome. From there, it was easy to pick my way up the path to the family's estate.
The house was huge. Three stories, two main wings, and one giant door. The bedrooms would be in the back, of course, and on one of the upper floors. I slipped around to the other side of the house, and there I saw it. My assumption had been correct. There was one lit window on the second floor. I quietly scaled the wall (much easier than climbing the rigging) and climbed onto the balcony. I peered inside. It was a bedroom, though whose, I did not know. I pulled the door open and slipped inside.
"I am the monarch of the sea, I am the ruler of the Queen's navy...." A rather off-key bass was singing in the bath.
Immediately, I knew I was in the wrong bedroom. I dashed out into the hall, slamming the door behind me. Another door down the hall creaked open. "Papa?" a voice called. One of the sisters wandered out of her room. "Papa?" I hid behind a statue of a Grecian goddess and watched as the girl stuck her head into the room I had just exited. "Papa, have you been singing the music from H.M.S. Pinafore again? You know we can hear you down the hall."
I could just make out the Major-General's muffled apology. The girl sighed and returned to her room. I made a mental note of the rooms I was sure were *not* Ada's and picked another at random. The room was completely dark. I heard a slight rustle of fabric and a voice. "Frederic? What took you so long?" I had to slap my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing out loud. So our duty-bound Frederic wasn't so noble after all.
Two incorrect rooms later, I finally found Ada. She was actually asleep, unlike the rest of her family. She looked like an angel, spread out on her great four-poster bed and wrapped in bluish satin sheets. Her hair was gold, even in the moonlight slanting through the window. I lit a candle and set it on the bedside table. Quietly, I brushed my hand against her cheek. She shuddered slightly and opened her eyes sleepily. She squinted at me for a moment. "What are you doing in here?" she gasped.
"I came to see you," I answered. It was a rather ridiculous statement, but I wasn't really sure how to tell her I needed her to help me free my crew.
"Are you sure you want to see me and not one of my sisters?"
"I'm sure."
"Well! I don't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment!" She sat up slightly and pushed the sheets aside, revealing her long legs. "Now, what did you have in mind?"
I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled the blankets back over her lower body. "Gods, woman, I didn't want to see you like that!"
"Well then, what did you want to see me like?" Her voice was edged with confusion and a hint of-- was it regret?
"I need your help," I whispered. "Your father plans to have all of my men hanged, correct?" She nodded. "I need you to help me free them."
"Why me?"
"Because you are the daughter of a Major-General. You are important enough that you could possibly persuade the guards to give you the keys to the cells."
She looked at me skeptically. "Any one of my sisters would also have that ability."
"Yes, but you I can trust."
"You can trust me?" she repeated. "What do I get in return?"
"My eternal gratitude?" I suggested.
She shook her head. "I want something else from you."
"What?" I was desperately hoping it was something easy, like a piece of pirate gold or a bullet or something. Something I could give her without it being too obtrusive.
"I want you," she leaned closer to me, "to take me with you."
"Absolutely not! Do you have any idea what could happen if we were chased down? We'd be killed and you! You'd be...be...." I trailed off because nothing would happen to her. She'd claim she was kidnapped and they would take pity on her and say nothing.
"I'd be shipped off to whichever stodgy, rich lord took pity on me first," she finished sweetly. "I think you would get the better end of the deal."
I sputtered, unable to agree, but unable to disagree. "Fine. If you help me, and if we are successful, I will bring you along. Agreed?" I asked, thinking that by the time all the excitement of rescuing a band of pirates had left her, we would be able to sail away with her sitting at her balcony only a little worse for the wear.
"Agreed." She took my hand and gave it a shake. "Now, out." She gestured to the window. I nodded and slid down the column as quietly as I had climbed it earlier. I marked her room for future reference and took off, whistling a jolly tune. At that point, I had no idea what I had just gotten myself into.