A Pirate's Life
Summary: Chrysta recruits Sofia and Cedric to go undercover as new members of a notorious magical pirate crew run by the wicked Captain Caegan. While aboard the ship The Barracuda, the friends must determine the captain's plans and figure out how to stop them; meanwhile, Cedric notices an interesting change in his partner while on their mission. (Sofia is 17. Artwork by MarionetteJ2X!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First. The cover photo was created by the amazing artist MarionetteJ2X! 😊 I do, however, own the OCs, including but not limited to Captain Caegan, Muscles, Marty, Wiggles, Garnette, and Duchess.
A/N: Time for a bit of fun! Literally, it's party time! Someone grab the accordions and lutes, and let's go! :D Oh, by the way, because I read those reviews from chapter 3 (calling Cedric and Sofia out on their 'clean habits,' so to speak), and because I couldn't stop laughing at what y'all were saying, Sofia totally has what I shall now call an "Amber Moment" in here. Bahaha! Amber would be SO proud. :D
Chapter 4: Party on the Sea
Sofia woke up the next day to find that basically everyone in the room was still asleep. And how did she know? The snoring. And she was somewhat bewildered (if not amused) to realize just how many different types of snores there were. She made a face and leaned over her hammock, smirking as she saw Cedric lying in his own with his hands pressed to his ears and a deep frown on his face. "Can't sleep, huh?"
"How can any of them sleep with all the racket they're making?" he retorted, sighing. "They evidently just got in here not long ago, because I was sleeping well until they passed out, and then the oh-so-glorious snoring began."
"Pirates like to party, Mr. Cedric," she joked, giggling softly. "They said it themselves." She pushed her blankets back and maneuvered over to the small ladder, stepping down to the floor. She gestured lightly, having him scoot over to one side of his hammock as she sat next to him. "So, since we're the only ones up, should we see if we can uncover anything else about Captain Caegan?"
He shook his head. "I think it's best, perhaps, to wait. It's the man's birthday, after all."
She rolled her eyes. "Didn't think we should really care about that…"
"What I mean is, it's a rather important day to him, clearly. And to the crew. If we do anything on this day in particular, we could find ourselves in rather big trouble, and possibly with no saving grace. Therefore, I'd say wait until tomorrow at least."
"Okay. So… What do we do for now?"
He smiled thoughtfully before standing up, helping her up. "What do you say to some breakfast on deck?"
She grinned, nodding. "Sounds ah-mazing." She slipped her boots on as he did the same. "Ugh, I feel kind of grimy though. Maybe we should use that cleaning spell again."
"I've been thinking about that, and I'm afraid I have bad news…" He quickly pulled her out of the room and up the stairs, onto the empty deck. "We're on a ship with pirates."
"Very good, Mr. Cedric." Sofia grinned as he gave her a sarcastic smirk. "It never ceases to amaze me how observant you are."
"Cute. Anyway, pirates…eh…" He shrugged. "I'm just going to say it. Pirates don't care about their personal hygiene. They wear the same clothes. There's clearly no fresh water to bathe. And they have no magic to make adjustments to their state of hygiene. So…"
The princess's face twisted into one of disgust. "Not to sound like Amber, but… You mean to tell me I have to smell as bad as these pirates too?"
Cedric shrugged. "I mean, I could mask it a bit to where it doesn't seem as pungent, but if you're wanting this undercover mission to be successful, you're going to have to make a few sacrifices, my dear."
"Ugh, fine. Same clothes it is. But I'm probably going to sneak in a few perfume spritzes, not going to lie…"
He smiled reassuringly at her. "If it helps, you still look and smell nice right now, and certainly more so than the other crew members."
She laughed, shaking her head. "What a compliment, Mr. Cedric… But thanks. So do you." She grinned as he led her to a few crates, where they sat down with a taller crate between them, as a sort of makeshift table. "So, Horatio, what's for breakfast?"
"Why, my dear Raelyn, I figured we could have some nice fresh fruit." Glancing around and seeing no one, he quickly summoned two bowls of freshly-sliced fruits for each of them.
Sofia beamed happily at the fruit and nodded. "This looks so good." She picked up part of a melon and took a bite. After eating a few more bites, she glanced toward her friend. She snickered as he bit into his own melon.
"What?" Cedric asked, his voice partially obscured by the fruit.
"I'm guessing it's good. You've got juice dribbling down your chin."
He rolled his eyes and wiped away the juice. "Just living that pirate lifestyle."
Sofia giggled.
They spent most of the morning and afternoon talking, playing a few games, eating again at what constituted lunchtime, and just looking at the ocean. A few times, Sofia could have sworn she saw a deep troubled look on Cedric's face, but whenever she inquired about it, he'd play it off like he didn't know what she was talking about. Of course, unbeknownst to her, he would sometimes have flashbacks to several years ago when he'd been on another ship with another 'wicked personality,' but he'd still never told her about that time. He'd vowed never to let her know, and therefore, that would be the only secret he'd keep from her. He just knew instinctively that it was the best thing for their friendship, not to mention his own peace of mind. Therefore, whenever she noticed his change in demeanor, he always came back to his senses and steered the conversation in another direction, distracting her with newer choices of topics.
Eventually, the rest of the crew made it up to the deck, all yawning and stretching as they went about their daily routines: some cleaning the deck, some acting as lookouts, and others doing a variety of different things.
Cedric and Sofia soon found that the main quartet had joined them, each sitting on a different crate.
"How long have you two been up?" Garnette asked, rubbing at her eyes.
"Not long," Cedric lied, inwardly realizing that it had probably been close to five or six hours.
"Good," Wiggles remarked, grinning, "because this party tonight will probably go late into the evening, and even to the next morning. It's gonna be the party of the century!"
"And you said Captain Caegan is turning 58?" Sofia clarified, receiving nods.
"But you must tell him that he doesn't look a day over 36," Marty whispered dramatically. "He loves that comment for whatever reason."
They spent a majority of the afternoon talking and getting to know each other. Sofia couldn't help noticing something rather interesting. Every time Garnette would speak, Marty would watch her observantly, and even seem to become a bit lost in his own little world, with a small smile on his face. It didn't take long for the princess to make the connection: Marty definitely had a crush on Garnette. Now whether she knew about it, Sofia wasn't able to confirm.
Several more hours passed, and it had grown dark on the sea. Many lanterns were scattered throughout the ship, heavily illuminating everything. A band (a literal band) of pirates had gathered at the foot of the dual set of stairs leading up to the helm, and they began playing some lively music.
Before long, the captain emerged from his chambers, decked from head to toe in the most polished black and gold outfit anyone had ever seen. His hair was combed and tied into a low ponytail, and he appeared to be in very good spirits. "Ahoy to ya, ye scallywags! 'Tis the most glorious day of all: the day of the birth of none other than this aging and decaying captain."
"You don't look a day over 36, Captain!" Wiggles yelled out, followed by a roar of agreement from the others onboard.
The captain grinned and shushed them. "Ye lot! Tellin' lies!" He laughed raucously and turned to the band. "Let the music swell, lads! Cook! Bring out the grub!"
A scrawny-looking chef, covered in grease and ash from what many assumed must have been from the fire of the cooking, set out several pans of food along a row of crates. There was salt pork, fancy cheeses, a plethora of desserts (as it turned out the captain had quite the sweet tooth), and a keg of ale.
"Now it's a party!" the captain cheered as he greedily gathered food onto his plate and poured himself a drink. "Eat up, ye ship-rats! There's more where that came from!"
While many rushed the line to get some food, Cedric, Sofia, Marty, and Garnette sat back and watched the amusing scene of people attempting to get their plates filled. Wiggles was jumping on other men's backs, trying to climb over them, but he was shoved off every time.
"You guys aren't hungry?" Garnette asked, raising her eyebrows at them.
"I think we'll wait," Sofia responded, shaking her head. "I'd rather not get mixed up in that."
"Understandable. But don't wait too long, or it'll all be gone." She winked before standing up, offering a hand to Marty. "Come on, Marty. Let's go get Wiggles before he gets thrown overboard."
The other pirate snickered as he took her hand and followed her, Duchess trailing after them.
"I think Marty likes Garnette," Sofia told Cedric, grinning as she watched them.
"Admittedly, even I picked up on that." He chuckled. "Perhaps some pirates aren't that different from the rest of the world, hmm?"
She smiled as she glanced back at him. "I guess not…" She blinked and turned as a bulky pirate stood before them, grinning at her. "Can I help you?" she asked, somewhat annoyed that he'd interrupted their conversation.
"Care to dance, lassie?" the man asked, offering her one of his calloused hands. He wore a dark green tunic with black slacks and boots. His long hair was swept back into a wavy brown ponytail. His face was covered in a matching beard and mustache.
Since she was supposed to be 'Ruthless Raelyn' and not Sofia, the princess scoffed, waving him away. "I don't think so. I've met babies with more teeth than you."
Cedric was torn between laughing and scolding his partner, who looked rather focused on sending the pirate away. 'She's going to get us killed; I just know it,' he thought to himself, inwardly panicking. To his surprise, the pirate just laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling her up and close to him.
"I like a fiery attitude," the man laughed. "It's alluring. Let's dance!" Without waiting for a response, he swept her into a fast dance, keeping up with the pace of the music.
Several other pirates were dancing as well, including the captain, who was rumored to be one of the best dancers among pirates throughout all the realms.
Sofia actually found herself laughing, especially when the pirate spun her around and then continued their fast dance.
Admittedly, Cedric was shocked. He couldn't believe his friend was actually enjoying dancing with a pirate, especially after she'd pretty much dismissed his request earlier. "You never fail to surprise me, Sofia," he murmured softly to himself as he watched the princess maneuver her way out of the man's grasp and over to him instead. He blinked as she held her hands out to him. "What?"
"Dance with me," she urged, smiling at him, the upbeat music still swelling behind her.
"Eh, I don't think that's such a great idea…"
Sofia rolled her eyes, grasping his hands. "Oh, come on, Horatio." She grinned and pulled him to his feet. "Let's show these 'landlubbers' what dancing is supposed to look like."
Seeing the excitement written all over her face, Cedric realized that she was really and truly having fun. And she wanted to share that with him. Noticing the playful smile on her face, he smirked at her and nodded. "Very well."
She laughed as Cedric began leading her in the fast-paced dance, and she was both surprised yet not that surprised that he picked up on this particular dance so quickly. After all, she'd often asked him to dance with her when she was younger, and they'd made it something of a tradition to dance at the parties in Enchancia at least a few times a year, so she was familiar with those dances. But this one? This was different. This type of dance was certainly more freeing and exciting, without the stern rules of how many steps one should take, or how many twirls were customary. This was dancing with the soul, and she loved it.
Cedric spun her around a few times before catching her as she laughed when the music ended, the cheers and whistles from the pirates circulating as the band began another song. He leaned down and whispered to her, "Why is it that you always want to dance with me?"
She smiled sincerely up at him. "Because no one compares with you, Mr. Cedric."
He gently returned her smile as she squeezed his hands.
Meanwhile, Captain Caegan stood aside, catching his breath from his own previous dancing. His eyes settled on the two Enchancians, who were smiling at each other and talking, and seemingly off in their own little world. So unlike the others, who were practically gorging themselves on food. "Interesting pair, those two…" He shrugged before helping himself to another plate of desserts.
And the party carried on to the early morning, just before the sun was set to rise.
To be continued…
Next Chapter: Starry Night