Chapter 10
True to his word, Trade had delivered us safely to Port Gillian by the time I had awoken. Unfortunately, he had not seen fit to inform me of our arrival and had left me on the ship with the empty dog cages while he went off to sell them, buy provisions and find his crew. Naturally, I was outraged, but I had been occupying my time by reading the old captain's log, and it was interesting, but not quite enough. From what I'd read he was just a boring man who transported goods for rich families who were too lazy to do their own shopping, but he seemed to love the sea more than anything. A twinge of apology shot through me as I realized Trade had taken what had probably been his most prized possession. Oh well, nothing can be done about that now. Tossing the log aside, I stretched and set off for the hold once again to see what other treasures I could unearth.
I was not disappointed. There were three other dresses inside the trunk besides the one I was wearing, along with a few pieces of jewelry. I gazed at the lovely peach, blue, and green creations, admiring their simple richness for a few moments before a flash of silver caught my eye. Hanging along the wall were two long swords, probably belonging to the two unarmed sailors Trade had tossed overboard. Wondering how I had missed them the night before, I took one down and held it in front of me. Too heavy. The other one though, felt surprisingly light in contrast. Lying on the floor beneath the swords were two scabbards, one of which I put the sword in and tied around my waist. Most likely, I would not need to use the sword (I didn't know how, anyway), but for some reason it comforted me to know it was there.
What trouble can I get myself into onboard? It was not a question of if I was going to get in trouble; it was just a question of when. I had a knack for hacking people off and finding misadventure. This coming month was going to be interesting…living with the same people in this small space. I wondered if Trade would let me stay in the captain's quarters. I looked to the bunks at the far side of the hold. Hopefully.
Sudden raucous laughter and heavy footsteps jolted me out of my musings. Trade must've returned with his crew and provisions. I closed the top of the trunk and made my way up the ladder with some hesitation; I was still sore from the day before. Blinking at the sudden light, I shaded my eyes and observed the three men Trade had chosen to add to the crew.
"Woman? On board?" one asked. "Trade, you know I aint one for that. 'S bad luck of the worst kind!" the largest one exclaimed upon laying eyes on me. His neck must've been the size of one of my thighs and his scarred, sun-weathered face looked fierce with heavily drawn, bushy, black eyebrows, but his dark eyes gazed at me with fear and suspicion. He wore some kind of charm around his neck; he must've been heavily superstitious.
"Well, she's not really a woman, see―" Trade began.
I glared at him fiercely and my mouth opened to say something scathing.
"―she's more like cargo, Bruise."
That wasn't much better than what I thought he'd been about to say, but I closed my mouth anyway. The other man's name was Bruise? Well he certainly looks as if he's capable of placing multiple bruises on someone's body.
"I don't know about this…" Bruise shook his great, shaggy head.
"If he leaves, I leave!" interjected a less massive, but still quite fierce looking man with wild, vividly red hair. Every available part of his body carried some weapon or another, and I suspected he had a few concealed somewhere on his person.
"Rage, Bruise―"
Rage?
"―I promise you, Oribelle won't be causing any problems. The only reason they say women are bad luck aboard is because they cause jealousy and break the bonds of brotherhood. Who here would want to touch her?"
My mouth dropped open in shock. "You arsehole! It's not like I want anything to do with any of you anyway! Besides, I―"
"She does have a bit of a mouth on her, too much trouble," Bruise cocked his head at me. I glared at him. "Looks a bit scary, too."
I found it amusing that a glare from me scared him.
"So see? No bad luck from the cargo, no reason to leave, aye? Smidgen, you got anything you want to add?"
I looked to the man…no, boy, called Smidgen. He came no higher than my shoulder and looked as if a strong wind might blow him away. He was of average looks, with bland, faded-looking coloring and his age was impossible to guess. I put him somewhere between an old fourteen and a young eighteen. In response to Trade's question, he solemnly shook his head.
"Alright then. Oribelle, this is Bruise, Rage and Smidgen. They'll be the crew. Smidgen, you're on lookout duty in the crow's nest. Rage, you're my quartermaster and I know you really want to be polishing your many weapons, but right now I need you manning the sails. Bruise, take the provisions down to the hold. Oribelle, come with me."
"Aye, Captain," they all said, except for me. Stiffly, I followed Trade to the helm. He did not even turn to face me as he gripped the wheel and began to speak.
"I know you're angry―"
"Damn right I am! You―"
"Get over it. It's going to be a long month with that attitude."
I sighed in annoyance, but quickly composed myself. "There won't be a month with me on this ship if you don't tell me why you want me here."
"Why I want you here? Oribelle, you're the one going to see your precious father."
"Yes, but why would you be so kind as to take me to see him if you stand nothing to gain? I know you're planning on using my existence against him, and I tell you this: I won't be used without my permission."
"You don't have a choice."
"I've always got a choice."
"Like you'll find another way to get there," Trade scoffed. "You don't even know where it is that you're going."
"That's true, aye, but it's my word against yours when we reach wherever it is we're going. If I say you kidnapped me and it's a hoax, that's what it'll be. Then you have nothing. I know you're trying to use me as a bargaining chip. I know it. Why?"
He was silent for a few more moments, and I began to seriously doubt he would ever tell me. I was about to turn around and walk away when suddenly, words came from his lips. "It's a long conversation we're about to have. Captain's quarters…"
I nodded and followed him to there, closing the door after myself. He threw himself into the desk chair with a heavy sigh and I slowly sat down on the bed. Massaging his forehead with one hand, he began to speak.
"I knew you wasn't exactly stupid, so I suppose I should've prepared meself for this talk earlier."
I gave a noncommittal shrug.
"Alright, well…when I was fourteen, my parents died, leaving me nothing. They were poor folk, never saved one pence. I wasn't the type to work neither, didn't care for it. So I figured I'd become a sailor…never spend to long in one place, see the world, drink as much as I wanted. Well, turns out being a sailor had rules to it too and I didn't want to follow them too much, so I decided I'd leave…but I liked sailing the sea. I'd heard some of my shipmates talking about turning to privateering…more gold, see, and none of that stuff about being a convict―"
"What's this got to do with me?"
He fixed me with a hard eye. "I'm tellin' it from the beginning."
"If you must…" I sighed in perfect imitation of the old queen, my mother. Trade was silent, still glaring at me. "Well go on, then!"
With the air of someone greatly annoyed, he began where he left off. "So I decided I'd become a privateer. I was in a tavern, getting' pissed, and I heard about this man named Bellamy Roberts. Decided I'd go lookin' for him and give the privateer thing a go. Well, I found him, and I joined his crew. Cap'n Roberts took a liking to me after I told him about his quartermaster spreadin' the word of mutiny across his ship. See, some of the crew didn't take to doin' everything legal…it was less plunder than being a pirate."
"So you and my father became good friends, then?"
"Best of ma―"
"And then…"
Trade shot me another dirty look. "Bruise is right about you, you've got an uncontrollable mouth."
I merely grinned impudently and gestured for him to continue. Trade grunted.
"So we sailed together for ten years. Ten years I'd never said a word against the man when I was sober. Ten years I'd been his right hand. Ten years I supported him in every decision he made. The one time I questioned his judgment after ten years, he went mad."
"What did you say?" I asked with curiosity.
"It was at the time when there was a long stretch of peace between the English and the French as well as the Spanish and Portuguese; there wasn't much use for privateers then. Roberts would never turn to pirating though; the man always had to have a 'cause.' The men were getting unruly, and try as I might to talk them down, they didn't want to stay aboard a ship where there was no gold to be earned. I came to Roberts and informed him of the crew's mutterings. He didn't listen. I warned him three times of what was happening under his nose. He called me a liar, said I was using the men to speak for myself. My last effort was to direct his attention elsewhere. I suggested to him that he turn his attention to seeking pirates and capturing them for different governments."
"And he didn't want to."
"Not only did he not want to, he became convinced that I was trying to steal the captaincy from him, convinced I was the ringleader of the mutiny. Sealing this conviction of his, we were attacked without warning by Spanish pirates, and many of our men surrendered to join the pirate ship. I did not leave, but Roberts was incensed. He accused me of calling the ship to our location, organizing the whole thing…anyway, long story short he chucked me."
"That's…sad and all, but…I still don't see what this has to do with me."
"You aint patient, either."
"I'm trying!"
"Bellamy Roberts has always been a man very careful with his possessions. The first word he spoke when he was a babe must've been 'mine'. No one dared steal from him because he'd cut their hand off and feed it to them; I wouldn't put it past him―"
"My father is a cruel man?"
"No…no, I wouldn't say cruel. Possessive. Obsessive. He goes mad when something doesn't add up the way it should. Cruel like a reckless murderer who loves killing for the sake of smelling fresh blood? No…he's not that. He's too self-righteous for that."
"He's insane?"
"Sometimes. He's a normal man, just a bit…more."
"So you think he'll give you whatever it is you want because you have me?"
"The night he chucked me, he took something very dear to me. It was the only thing my father had ever given me; a piece of a map―"
I opened my mouth to speak.
"―Now don't get all excited. Aint no such thing as a treasure map. No pirate I know ever buried his treasure, he frittered it away. This is a map to all the pirate and privateer routes. I don't know how my father got a hold of this map, but he did. Must've found it lying in a bar somewhere 'cause the man never set foot aboard a ship. He was a carpenter. Anyway…" he began again loudly because he could see I was getting restless again.
"Anyway, Roberts has my piece of the map and I've been unable to sail since. I can't sail properly without my map. The other piece, I've found, but it isn't much good without the piece that has all the writing on it. I give you to your father, he gives me my map. Everything is fine."
I was silent for a few moments. "You honestly expect me to believe you don't want revenge on the man who…betrayed you?"
"No, but you're going to have to accept that for now. I've got a ship to be sailing. Is that good enough for you?"
"For now," I said, echoing his own words.
"Good, because you weren't going to be getting anything else anyway."
He got up to leave.
"So what do I do?" I asked. "Everyone has a job but me."
"You…don't get in anyone's way."
"But…that's it?"
"What can you do?"
"I don't know. If you just leave me to my own devices, I'll just muck something up," I threatened in all seriousness.
Trade gave a great sigh and muttered a curse. "Fine, you stay with me this week, learn the basics of sailing, can't have you being useless…then I'll let you train with Rage. Everyone on this ship fights."
"Alright," I said brightly, but darkened my tone as I brushed past him out of the doorway. "Don't think I trust you."
"You'd be a fool if you did."
I nodded and made my way to the helm with him. We passed Rage along the way. His wildfire hair had been tied back so I could see his piercing jade eyes, which were trained on me with scrutiny.
"Thought you said no fraternizing, Trade."
Before Trade could say anything I fiercely interjected.
"I've just about had enough of being pegged for being something I'm not. I aint no whore, aint no wench, so don't you ever suggest I am again. I don't care how many weapons you know how to use, I don't care how many places you can put a knife on your body, don't you dare talk about me in that way!"
To my surprise, instead of appearing angry, Rage grinned widely and clapped his hands.
"What?" I snapped. "Why do you look so pleased?"
"You've got spirit, I like that."
"I don't care if you like me or not, just don't disrespect me because you think you can."
"Wouldn't dream of it," he looked at me with interest. "I see you've a sword, yes? You know how to fight with words, can you fight with the sword as well?"
"No," I said shortly, eyeing him warily.
"Would you like to learn?"
Very much. It would give me something to occupy my time with, and I could learn something useful for once. I looked sideways at Trade; he'd said I'd be learning the basics of sailing from him this week. I did not choose my answer because I was following his orders; I just decided it would be easier to do things this way.
"After this week, yes. This week I'm to learn the basics of sailing."
"Fair enough," he nodded at Trade, who beckoned for me to follow him.
"And I aint no dog, either," I scowled, but followed him anyway, being sure to step on his heels at least once.
A/N: I'm not quite satisfied with Trade's reason for taking Belle to her father...or Roberts's reason for chucking Trade off of his ship. I know where I'm taking Belle, but how she gets there is baffling me, and a big part of how she gets where she's going is the relationship between Trade and her father and why Trade feels he can use her against him. Sigh. Anyone have any feedback + or - on that?
Thanks to...
Shadowkeepre: Thanks! Dialogue is really important to me...to the point where I almost completely ignore prose. I'm trying to work on not being so dialogue-heavy, but I love writing it.
Dawn E: I'm so dizzy-minded, I'll try harder to keep the updates coming, though. It's a work in progress (oh, is it ever!).
Clargirl5: I'm trying! Lol.
Mistyqueen: I hope I didn't disappoint with thewhole Trade-taking-Belle-to-her-father thing. If you have any comments on it, please, do tell!
Brianna: What did you think of this chapter?
Trianna: Nope, I've never read anything by Kat Martin. I looked at the summary on and it seems as if the beginning and that one character name are similar, but this story will take some twists and turns. It's actually uncanny how similar the beginnings are, however Belle didn't set out to seduce Lucien, as with most things in life...their relationship just kind of happened. There's a lot more that must go on in Belle's life, though...
Koneko Ariez: Yep, Bellamy Roberts is really Oribelle's father. As for what happens between Lucien and Belle...only time will tell!
EvenSong: I'm finally getting used to the fact that high school is over...forever...and now I've got college in 21 days! (And if I thought HS was beating me, college is going to be an eye-opener, especially since I'm in two different honors programs, eek!) Aw, I'm glad you liked the romance, I have a really difficult time trying to write it realistically. I wasn't too cheesy?
Please read and review with constructive criticism, good or bad, I'd really love to know what I need to work on, what's good and what I need more of!