After a rather extended hiatus, the early adventures of Dart and Wil make a triumphant return. This chapter focuses on Dart's first days as a pirate. And another thing: I could write pirate dialogue all day long. Enjoy and review. Shiver me timbers matey!
Chapter 4: 'Tis the Pirate Life For Me
Dart sniffed at the steaming bowl of putrid looking gruel that the ship's cook had so graciously called "food". Dart was desperately hungry; he didn't know, and didn't remember the last time he had eaten. The spoon was half way to his mouth when he felt a hard slap on his back that almost sent him flying.
"Well, well, well. If it ain't the new boy!" came a booming voice from behind him.
Dart turned to find himself cornered against a wall by three burly pirates. The lead one stepped forward, a sly smile on his face.
"Allow me t'inroduce meself. The name's Flynn. Flyin' Flynn t' be precise," he offered a hand for Dart to shake. Flynn's grip was like a steel claw, and Dart winced in pain.
The grin returned to Flynn's face.
"Sorry matey. Dunno me own strength sometimes." The other two laughed at this. "Anywho, me'n me mates here couldn't help but notice that you weren't exactly takin' a shine to Cook's famous figgy puddin'."
"It's not that. It's just-"
"No need fer excuses matey. Takes some gettin' used to, fer sure. But if you weren't gonna finish it, we'd be more'n happy to take it off yer hands. Wouldn't we boys?" The other two nodded in agreement.
"Well..." said Dart, thinking it over, "if you really want it," he finished, offering the bowl.
"Hey! That's enough o' that Flynn," came a stern voice from behind them.
The three pirates turned to face the owner of the voice. He was a younger looking fellow, not much older than himself, Dart guessed. He wasn't as big or brawny as the other pirates Dart had seen, but he carried himself with a certain quite confidence that was hard to ignore.
"You know the cap'n's orders. You're to leave that new fella alone."
"Hah, Jake, why d' ye half to always ruin our fun? You and Collins, separated at birth I tell ya."
The three pirates wandered off, laughing to themselves.
"Don't mind them, they're 'armless, trust me," said Jake, giving Dart a warm smile. "You must be that Dart fellow, I'm Jake."
"Nice to meet you," replied Dart, politely.
"Hah. You from the country or somethin'? Don't hear that kind o' talk too often."
"I- I don't know. I can't really remember anything."
"So it's true then? That you can't remember nuthin?" Dart nodded. "Wow. An' here I thought the captain was just pullin' me leg a little." Jake scratched his clean-shaven chin thoughtfully. "Well there's no use dwelling on the past anyway. What's done is done is done, as me mum used to say. Don't worry 'bout a thing Dart, I'll show you the ropes around here."
The first week aboard the Davros passed surprisingly quickly for Dart. He had gotten to the point where he could fully understand what his fellow sailors were saying and he had even picked up a few words himself.
Throughout that week Dart had seen very little of Fargus. As Jake explained to him, "The cap'n is a secretive man. He likes t' keep t' himself, locked up in 'is cabin, he does. Only tells us as much as we ought to know, no more, no less."
The ship's day to day activities were looked after by the ship's very capable first mate, Mr. Collins. He was the exact opposite of his shipmates. Where they were loud, boorish, and slovenly, he was quiet, reserved and tidy. He dressed well; his pants were sharply creased and his shoes always polished. He spoke very formally, not stooping to the uneducated banter of his crewmates. Dart heard rumours that Mr. Collins had once been a member of the Lycian Navy, but he always refused to talk about his past.
"Mr. Dart," said Collins one grey morning, "The captain has requested an audience with you. He is awaiting you presently."
"Th-thank you," mumbled Dart, finding it hard to meet the first mate's hard stare.
Dart entered the cabin, which was located at the back of the ship, and was immediately struck by the contrast. For all of Fargus' boasting, the Davros was actually quite unimpressive. It was dirty and seemingly covered in a perpetual layer of grime, which no amount of swabbing would ever remove. But the captain's quarters were another story altogether. The room was lit from the back by the large windows that offered a view of the retreating horizon. The chamber was carpeted with fine rugs and red silk curtains hung from the walls. Many fine pieces of art were scattered around the walls. Dart was admiring the quality of the silk when Fargus drew his attention to the centre of the room.
"Har, ye like what ye see, eh Dart?" Fargus was sitting behind a massive oak desk, am ornate quill in hand. "Those are jus' some o' the many benefits o' bein' a pirate cap'n," smiled Fargus.
"Is it- is it all stolen?"
Fargus turned serious.
"Let me tell ye somethin' boy. I never stole a penny from a man that didn't have it comin' to 'im. Remember that," he said, no trace of mirth in his eyes.
Dart merely nodded.
But then Fargus smiled, and it was as if nothing had happened. He speared an apple from a nearby bowl of fruit on his dagger and offered it to his newest crewmember.
Dart shook his head again.
"Suit yerself mate," shrugged Fargus and he took a bite from his skewered apple. "Now then," he continued, wiping apple juice from his beard with one of his massive forearms, "tell me Dart, how've things been? I'll admit, I haven't had much time t' show ye around." He took another bite.
"I'm fine cap'n. Jake's been showing me around."
"Jake ye say? Yer a good judge o' character mate, he's one o' me best." Fargus stood up, and began pacing the room, eventually coming to rest in front of the large windows at the back. "Now I s'pose you've been wonderin' what were doin' out here, eh? A week at sea, and not a sight of another ship? What kind o' lily livered pirates are we, eh?"
In fact Dart had been wondering that very thing. He had pressed Jake on the matter, but had been rebuffed in his search for answers with casual replies of "All in due time mate."
"It-it crossed my mind cap'n…"
"Har, that's good!" said Fargus, turning to face Dart. "I like inquisitiveness in me sailors. Now then, lissen close, cause what I'm about t' say's important," he said, turning serious again. "Have you ever heard of the Merchant Guild?"
Dart confessed his ignorance.
"Har, o' course ye don't. Ye don't even know yer own name. A silly question mate," apologized the captain. "The Merchant Guild is the feller's what's responsible fer shipping goods from Point A t' Point B, if ye know what I mean. Any trade ye want to do goes through them."
"Ok…"
"Let me finish boy. Now the thing with the Merchants is that they're corrupt as they come. Rotten to the core," he flung his apple core on to the table as emphasis. "Those buggers'd sell their own muvvers fer a few coins t' rub together."
"What does this have to do with us?"
"Patience boy, patience," he took a seat opposite Dart now. "Ye can talk t' Collins if'n ye like. Tha's where I picked 'im up from. Poor bloke, 'is conscious couldn't take workin' fer those merciless bastards."
An old saying floated into the back of Dart's head, something about a kettle and a pot.
"A pirate with a conscious?" laughed Dart, but his smile quickly faded when he met Fargus' eyes.
"Tis no laughin' matter Dart. I was serious when I said I've never stolen from a man what didn't deserve it. An' trust me boy, the Guild, they deserve it," Fargus slammed his fist on the table. Dart knew better than to open his mouth. "Have ye ever- har, tha's right. Look, t' the north, there's a land called Ilia. It's mighty cold up there; growing food up there's like pulling teeth, only less fun. Tis a hard life, an the folks o' Ilia rely on the Guild t' bring 'em enough food t' last the winter."
Dart nodded, trying to follow along. It was all a bit much.
"Course, what does the Guild do? The heartless bastards, they charge a arm an a leg fer the goods. An' the Ilians, well they ain't got much choice but to pay the money. Extortion, tha's what tha's called."
Dart couldn't help himself.
"But what does that have to do with us?"
"I'm getting there's ye mooncalf! Patience. Now, every year, bout this time, right afore winter sets in in earnest, the Guild ships come headin' back, loaded down with their ill gotten gains. An' that Dart, an' that is where the Davros comes in," Fargus gave Dart a big gold toothed smile. "It's just our way of balancin' the universe, if ye know what I mean."
Dart wasn't sure that he did, but he nodded anyway.
"Any day now bucko, we'll come across a fat little Guild galley, stuffed to the brim full o' gold an' jewels, ripe fer the pickin'. Any day now…"
Fargus had not been lying. Barely a day had past before the call to arms had gone up. The sailors, who had been waiting about aimlessly, suddenly sprung to life. Steel flashed all about Dart as the pirates readied to go to work.
Fargus burst out of his cabin still placing his wide brimmed hat a top his head, Collins in tow.
"Avast matey," shouted Fargus up to the pirate perched a top the crow's nest, "What d' ye see lad?"
"T' starberd cap'n, tis a guild ship!" the lookout shouted down.
Fargus removed a small, brass telescope from within his breast pocket and looked out for himself.
"Har! She's the real deal buckos! Smithey," he turned to the man at the helm behind him, "set a course a hard starboard. There ain't no ship alive what could outsail the Davros on the open sea!"
Dart found himself left behind in all the commotion. He stared hard into the distance where the ship should have been, but could see nothing. It was a perfect day, blue skies above, and yet he found that he couldn't see what the commotion was about.
Jack appeared suddenly at his side.
"Excited mate?" he asked smiling in anticipation.
"I- I can't see anything out there," Dart admitted sheepishly.
"Can't see nuthin'? What're you, blind mate? Out there, clear as day mate," he said, pointing out in to the distance. Dart followed Jack's arm out to sea. Was that it in the distance, that little smudge? It didn't seem like much too get excited about.
The Davros barrelled down on the smudge on the horizon, and as they got closer and closer, Dart realised that it was indeed a ship, though an odd looking one. Of course, Dart had not seen too many ships in his day, actually, the Davros was the only ship he had ever seen. Either way, the ship that would soon be plundered was nothing like Fargus'. It was long and low in the water, no doubt due to the cargo, and had only one mast sticking out from the middle. But it had dozens and dozens of long spindly sticks jutting out from the sides.
"Oars, matey. That's what they're called," said Jack, answering Dart's question. "You paddle the boat with them. I know mate, don't make no sense t' me neither That ship's called a galley, they ain't built fer speed."
As they got closer and closer Dart noticed another odd thing, not about the ship itself, but about who was on the ship. Or, more precisely, who wasn't on the ship. From that far out, Dart could only make out three or four figures standing on the deck.
"Tha's probably on account that they're just gonna surrender," said Jack, answering Dart's next question. "These guild types, they ain't stupid mate. They know when they've lost. Most of the time, they just stand aside while we do our thing."
The Davros closed the distance between them agonizingly slowly for Dart. The galley had come to a stop, the merchants obviously wanting to get this transaction over as fast as possible. The two ships finally drew abreast, and Dart could see clearly those four foolish figures for the first time.
The first figure was a tall, broad shouldered man. He wore a full beard, which was slowly turning a very distinguished silver. His clothes were clearly of the finest quality, and he wore a blood red cloak over his shoulders. A worldly grin played over his face, slightly unnerving Dart. Next to him was a much younger man, possibly his son, for they bore a certain resemblance. He too wore fine looking garments, but across his face was a look of sheer defiance. From behind the first man, the face of a young boy, a look of terror splashed over his visage, kept darting out. Dart realised that the youngster was clutching onto his father's leg for dear life. The fourth figure was a soldier, well armed, but infinitely outnumbered.
It was Fargus who broke the silence, his booming voice bridging the gap between the two ships.
"Ahoy there, Germanus, it's been too long," he called out, addressing the lead merchant.
"Ahh, my dear friend, Fargus. The pleasure is all yours, I assure you. How long has it been? Ages, it would seem" replied Germanus in a deep, rich voice, seemingly unconcerned at the thought of his goods being carried off by pirates.
"Approachin' three years, iffen I'm not mistaken," said Fargus, and his pirate crew roared with laughter.
"Hmm, yes. I seem to recall you scuttled my ship that time, which I remember thinking was most unnecessary."
"Har, 'twas all in good fun mate, nuthin' personal. Now, t'matters of business, which should be more t'yer taste. Here's me proposal: Me bouyos here carry all the gold they can carry off yer ship, an' you sit there an watch," more laughter from the pirates, "and if yer extra good, I might just leave ye wiv yer ship intact. How's that fer a deal?"
Germanus stroked his beard thoughtfully. "You drive a hard bargain Fargus, as always. I see no reason to object to your proposition. My ship is your ship."
The youth at his side, who had barely contained his anger up until then, exploded now.
"How dare you dirty thieves talk to my father like that! Do you know who he is? He's one of the wealthiest merchants in the Guild, and you, and you scum aren't worthy to lick his boots!"
Dart could hear muttering all around him from the Davros' crew. Fargus stepped up again, "Germanus, ye'd better slap a muzzle on yer whelp, lest one me crew takes his tongue as a trophy."
Germanus smiled, and placed a hand on his son's heaving chest.
"Hush, Geese, there will be time for that later. Take Geitz below decks, I have important matters to discuss with the pirate captain."
Geese nodded slowly, and taking the young child behind Germanus by the hand, headed below.
"Alrighty then boys, over we go!" yelled Fargus. At his signal, ladders and grapples spanned the divide between the two ships. The pirates dashed across eagerly, and Dart found himself being swept across with them.
But Dart had barely taken two steps onto the new ship, when he heard shouts coming from the hatch that led below decks. He looked over to see armed soldiers, trained mercenaries every one of them, spilling out onto the deck. The closest pirates, still in shock, we're cut down easily, but Fargus' crew hadn't made it that far by being slow on the uptake, and an all out battle quickly ensued. What the pirates lacked in weapons and armour, they more than made up for in heart.
Dart didn't know what to do. He drew his axe, but besides a few basic lessons, had no idea what to do with it. The battle raged on around him; he saw Fargus, seemingly a giant among men, fell two men with a single sweep of his axe. Germanus was no where to be found.
Suddenly, Dart found Flynn at his side, panting heavily, his axe smeared with blood. He gave Dart a wild-eyed grin.
"So, how d'ye like yer first battle mate? Exhilarating, innit?" he laughed a great laugh, before leaping back into the fray.
Dart kept his eyes on Flynn, watching him dispatch a mercenary with a blow to the head. But coming from behind, Dart noticed another soldier, sword at the ready, sneaking up on Flynn. Dart sprang into action, relying more on instinct and adrenaline than anything else. The next thing he knew, he was extracting his axe from the corpse of a recently deceased soldier. Flynn turned to find Dart, trying to pull his weapon free, and gave another great laugh.
"Har, is tha' number one fer ye matey? Congrats, the first one's always the most fun, if ye ask me." He gave Dart a great slap on the back. Dart, who had already been feeling woozy at the sight of his bloodied axe, collapsed in an unconscious heap.