A/N: yay! i'm so glad that somebody likes the story! btw, lotr-nutcase, if you want a summary of the operetta so you kinda know what's happening, just let me know. also, i'm glad you remembered how to breath, c'est magnifique. i'd hate to lose one of my reviewers..lol.
**disclaimer** take heart, poor wandering ones, i don't own any of this!
Chapter III
It wasn't until after the Pirate King left that I realized I'd forgotten to ask him several important questions. I had no idea when and where we would next meet, what his plan was, how we would get my things to the ship without my family noticing, and what his name was. This last vexed me the most. I had told him my name easily enough, but he had yet to give me his.
I sighed and got out of bed. I wandered over to the balcony where I could just barely see a figure running through the trees toward the ocean. It was the Pirate King, of course. I smiled slightly, thinking back to our second encounter.
He had surprised me, showing up in my room after midnight. At first, I thought that maybe he wanted to bed me or something, though why, precisely, I had no idea. I was not as pretty as Isabel, nor did I have Clara's spirit or Lillie's sweet disposition. Not that I minded, oh no, I would have entertained him if that had been what he wanted. Yes, I was audacious. I suppose it comes with being the youngest. I never would have been noticed otherwise. In any case, that was the same reason I agreed to help him. I wanted to be noticed. By making him promise to take me when the pirates left, I would never be forgotten. Or even if I was forgotten, I'd at least be having the time of my life. I smiled. In a few weeks, I would be sailing the high seas with the Pirate King, who was by far the most glorious man I had ever met.
With that thought, I retreated back into my room, climbed into my bed, and drifted into a sleep filled with dreams of grandeur.
************
"Papa, I think we have a ghost in our house." Mabel was the first of us to speak at breakfast.
"Did you have someone come in your room, too?" squealed Rosie. "I heard the door open, but when I looked, there was no one there!"
I managed to suppress a smile. Apparently, the Pirate King had taken a while to find me, a thought that pleased me deeply.
"Yes, my dear girls, I thought I heard a noise as well," Papa said.
Clara leaned over to me. "How could he have?" she whispered. "He was singing from that infernal nonsense of an opera again."
"Which one? Pinafore or Iolanthe?" I asked.
"Both." She giggled. "And he's so terrible at it!" If there was one thing our father was not, it was an opera singer. He didn't realize that, and so we were often tortured by his horrible recitations of various pieces from operas. I think the worst of it was that afterward, I'd be singing the songs in my head.
"It was probably nothing but the wind," Papa continued. "Don't fret. I'm sure you will all be quite safe from anything that might try to harm you. After all, the Pirates of Penzance are in jail." I nearly burst into laughter. "Ada, is something troubling you?" he asked.
"N-nothing. Nothing at all," I stuttered, my face red. "Excuse me, I'm going to take a walk down to the beach." I stood quickly, wiping my face on my napkin.
"May I come with you?" It was Lillie.
I shook my head. "I'm going to do some drawing," I lied. "I don't know how long I'll be gone. Maybe all day." I shrugged.
"Oh, well, never mind then."
"I'll take something to eat with me." With that, I exited the dining hall and ran to my bedroom where I grabbed my drawing satchel. "Goodbye!" I called and took off for the trail to the hidden inlet.
************
It was midmorning when I reached the inlet. It was a warm day, so I removed my shoes, stockings, and my outer dress. I waded in the breakers wearing just my petticoats. It was heaven.
"I do declare, Ada Broome, you are the most brazen noblewoman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting." I looked up, and there was the Pirate King standing on the beach next to my dress with a huge grin on his face.
"The water was so clear! I couldn't stop myself!" I gushed, walking back to shore.
He laughed. "That could not be the only reason you are here. Did you want to see me?"
"I have a few questions for you," I replied.
"Ask away." He sat, and gestured for me to do the same.
"First, what is your plan?"
"I haven't decided exactly. Do you know when the trial will be?"
I shook my head. "But I can find out. I do know that whatever the outcome, it will take place the next day." I dared not mention the fact that hanging would be the most common judgement for his men.
"We'll want to wait until the night after the trial. Then we can act."
"Alright then. Next question: how are we going to get my belongings from our house to your ship without my family noticing?" I smiled at the look on his face. He had obviously expected me to forget about that half of our pact. "Well?"
"If you can bring some of your smaller items when we meet," he said slowly, "I can store them on the ship. We'll have to worry about anything much bigger the night of the escape."
"Which brings me to the next question: when and where should we next meet? My family will get suspicious if I come here too often."
He sighed at this and leaned back onto my now-sandy dress. "I could come to your room."
"I suppose, but you'll have to be quiet," I conceded. "But before we do anything else, I have to know; what is your name?"
"Matthew Adam Railey. The second."
I raised an eyebrow. "Who was the first?"
"My grandfather." He grinned. "And now I have some questions for you. First of all, while we're on the subject, what is your full name?"
"Ada Marie Broome. I was named after my great-aunt. She moved to America instead of getting married."
His eyes shone in delight. "An adventuress! No wonder...."
"No wonder what?"
"Would you like to know the *full* reason why I came to you?"
"So it's not because I'm the daughter of the Major-General?" I asked.
"Well, that's part of it," he answered. "But mostly it was because I saw that look in your eyes. You crave adventure, don't you?" I nodded. "You have the longing all of us adventurers have, both respectable and outlaw. It's that need to escape what you are and be someone completely different. If I hadn't seen that glimmer in your eyes, I would be planning this escape on my own. Thank the gods that be that you are a reckless spirit."
I know I blushed deeply at his compliment. "Thank you," I said quietly. Then I looked up and realized the sun was high in the sky. "Do you know what time it is?"
The Pirate King--Matthew, I reminded myself--looked up at the sky as well. "It's nearly one, would be my guess."
"I suppose I should go, then. They'll be wondering where I am. We don't need them to come looking for me."
"Aye," he replied. He stood and picked up my dress, shaking it out a little. "Here's your dress."
"Thank you." I smiled, taking it from him. "Could you help me button it?" He complied. "Tomorrow evening, then, Matthew?"
"Tomorrow evening."
"I'll see you then." I ran home, happy with the world. I was an adventuress, and I was unstoppable.
**disclaimer** take heart, poor wandering ones, i don't own any of this!
Chapter III
It wasn't until after the Pirate King left that I realized I'd forgotten to ask him several important questions. I had no idea when and where we would next meet, what his plan was, how we would get my things to the ship without my family noticing, and what his name was. This last vexed me the most. I had told him my name easily enough, but he had yet to give me his.
I sighed and got out of bed. I wandered over to the balcony where I could just barely see a figure running through the trees toward the ocean. It was the Pirate King, of course. I smiled slightly, thinking back to our second encounter.
He had surprised me, showing up in my room after midnight. At first, I thought that maybe he wanted to bed me or something, though why, precisely, I had no idea. I was not as pretty as Isabel, nor did I have Clara's spirit or Lillie's sweet disposition. Not that I minded, oh no, I would have entertained him if that had been what he wanted. Yes, I was audacious. I suppose it comes with being the youngest. I never would have been noticed otherwise. In any case, that was the same reason I agreed to help him. I wanted to be noticed. By making him promise to take me when the pirates left, I would never be forgotten. Or even if I was forgotten, I'd at least be having the time of my life. I smiled. In a few weeks, I would be sailing the high seas with the Pirate King, who was by far the most glorious man I had ever met.
With that thought, I retreated back into my room, climbed into my bed, and drifted into a sleep filled with dreams of grandeur.
************
"Papa, I think we have a ghost in our house." Mabel was the first of us to speak at breakfast.
"Did you have someone come in your room, too?" squealed Rosie. "I heard the door open, but when I looked, there was no one there!"
I managed to suppress a smile. Apparently, the Pirate King had taken a while to find me, a thought that pleased me deeply.
"Yes, my dear girls, I thought I heard a noise as well," Papa said.
Clara leaned over to me. "How could he have?" she whispered. "He was singing from that infernal nonsense of an opera again."
"Which one? Pinafore or Iolanthe?" I asked.
"Both." She giggled. "And he's so terrible at it!" If there was one thing our father was not, it was an opera singer. He didn't realize that, and so we were often tortured by his horrible recitations of various pieces from operas. I think the worst of it was that afterward, I'd be singing the songs in my head.
"It was probably nothing but the wind," Papa continued. "Don't fret. I'm sure you will all be quite safe from anything that might try to harm you. After all, the Pirates of Penzance are in jail." I nearly burst into laughter. "Ada, is something troubling you?" he asked.
"N-nothing. Nothing at all," I stuttered, my face red. "Excuse me, I'm going to take a walk down to the beach." I stood quickly, wiping my face on my napkin.
"May I come with you?" It was Lillie.
I shook my head. "I'm going to do some drawing," I lied. "I don't know how long I'll be gone. Maybe all day." I shrugged.
"Oh, well, never mind then."
"I'll take something to eat with me." With that, I exited the dining hall and ran to my bedroom where I grabbed my drawing satchel. "Goodbye!" I called and took off for the trail to the hidden inlet.
************
It was midmorning when I reached the inlet. It was a warm day, so I removed my shoes, stockings, and my outer dress. I waded in the breakers wearing just my petticoats. It was heaven.
"I do declare, Ada Broome, you are the most brazen noblewoman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting." I looked up, and there was the Pirate King standing on the beach next to my dress with a huge grin on his face.
"The water was so clear! I couldn't stop myself!" I gushed, walking back to shore.
He laughed. "That could not be the only reason you are here. Did you want to see me?"
"I have a few questions for you," I replied.
"Ask away." He sat, and gestured for me to do the same.
"First, what is your plan?"
"I haven't decided exactly. Do you know when the trial will be?"
I shook my head. "But I can find out. I do know that whatever the outcome, it will take place the next day." I dared not mention the fact that hanging would be the most common judgement for his men.
"We'll want to wait until the night after the trial. Then we can act."
"Alright then. Next question: how are we going to get my belongings from our house to your ship without my family noticing?" I smiled at the look on his face. He had obviously expected me to forget about that half of our pact. "Well?"
"If you can bring some of your smaller items when we meet," he said slowly, "I can store them on the ship. We'll have to worry about anything much bigger the night of the escape."
"Which brings me to the next question: when and where should we next meet? My family will get suspicious if I come here too often."
He sighed at this and leaned back onto my now-sandy dress. "I could come to your room."
"I suppose, but you'll have to be quiet," I conceded. "But before we do anything else, I have to know; what is your name?"
"Matthew Adam Railey. The second."
I raised an eyebrow. "Who was the first?"
"My grandfather." He grinned. "And now I have some questions for you. First of all, while we're on the subject, what is your full name?"
"Ada Marie Broome. I was named after my great-aunt. She moved to America instead of getting married."
His eyes shone in delight. "An adventuress! No wonder...."
"No wonder what?"
"Would you like to know the *full* reason why I came to you?"
"So it's not because I'm the daughter of the Major-General?" I asked.
"Well, that's part of it," he answered. "But mostly it was because I saw that look in your eyes. You crave adventure, don't you?" I nodded. "You have the longing all of us adventurers have, both respectable and outlaw. It's that need to escape what you are and be someone completely different. If I hadn't seen that glimmer in your eyes, I would be planning this escape on my own. Thank the gods that be that you are a reckless spirit."
I know I blushed deeply at his compliment. "Thank you," I said quietly. Then I looked up and realized the sun was high in the sky. "Do you know what time it is?"
The Pirate King--Matthew, I reminded myself--looked up at the sky as well. "It's nearly one, would be my guess."
"I suppose I should go, then. They'll be wondering where I am. We don't need them to come looking for me."
"Aye," he replied. He stood and picked up my dress, shaking it out a little. "Here's your dress."
"Thank you." I smiled, taking it from him. "Could you help me button it?" He complied. "Tomorrow evening, then, Matthew?"
"Tomorrow evening."
"I'll see you then." I ran home, happy with the world. I was an adventuress, and I was unstoppable.