I have been working quite hard on this- but unfortunately due to no fault of my own it turned out just as short as the last chapter. Never the less, I put a lot of effort in, I hope you like it! This part introduces the first taste of pirates, and has some carnage in it, that I found necessary as I was in a destructive mood. This chapter sucks, but I promise it'll get better by the next one. No-one we know appears in the story- just yet.
This chapter of the story is written in dedication to Sally, who has taught me the joys of AU!Chapter Two Thieves and Trouble
I really hated our captain. And I speak with a very honest heart, and one which has no bias on who he is or where he's from. I simply hated him. And I believe he hated me in return. He smelled of fish, and had a round greasy face which closely resembled that of a carp. He spoke with a harsh, rough voice that only yapped and shouted. Never did he talk, he seemed to take pleasure in startling us frequently with his loudness. He had a short yet wide frame that gave him the same outline as a boulder.
I knew he hated me from the moment he lay eyes on me. He gave me a jeer as I strolled up and onto the deck via the wooden ramp which had been laid out for us. It startled me and almost made me trip when I felt how much his glare cut into the soul- I had been expecting a kind, bubbly man. The captain was apparently a friend of my fathers, I couldn't for the life of me see why my kind, warm artistic father would become friends with a harsh, rude, almost violent-looking character such as this.
My mother walked up to the man and he smiled politely, his facial expression suddenly changing enormously. He patted my sister on the head, and generally became warm and friendly towards the two, and they accepted it happily. I stood off to one side and watched them all, unsure and rocking steadily back and forth on my heels. I wasn't used to this treatment, I had rather expected there to be a red carpet and a selection of fine wines to be set out in our honour. I sighed loudly and pointedly in hope of getting remembered and invited into the conversation, but my mother seemed to be ignoring me.
It was a while before they finished their gossip-mongering and he finished telling them the rules aboard the ship and of where we were to stay. I looked on at them and no-one even thought of me, I felt like I had suddenly become invisible. Finally my small brainwashed family pulled away out of the conversation and my mother lead us all off towards the cabins.
They, my mother and sister, were to share a beautiful first class cabin near the end of the hall. It was the sort of place which was draped in fine silks and had detailed tapestries and paintings hanging in every available space. The floor was warm, it was a room that was placed conviniently over the gally below and when one of the meals was being cooked the heat rose and warmed the room.
I was given a second class, shabby room further down the hall that smelled of sweat and had a draught. It had a single painting of a fruit bowl that hung, or more flapped pointlessly beside the window. My room very much fitted the shabbiness of the rest of the boat. This was when I really realized he hated me, putting a woman like me who was used to servants at my beck and call, and first class standards of living in a dumpy room like this. And this was when I began to see that the whole world wasn't ready to serve me as I thought it was.
I hated the ship too, it was an incredibly small one and the most run-down I have ever seen in my life. The sails were torn and frayed from too much use and the old weak wood had rotted in several vital places and it had been repaired with a softwood that leaked violently. I knew that had a hurricane blown at the ship it would have perished instantly, it wouldn't have stood a chance. We sailed into a fairly light thunder storm on the first night, and all that time I very much feared for my life. It was like hell on high water. Fortunately the whole thing didn't last long enough to sustain any major damage to the tiny boat, but I knew had it been an hour longer the ship would have been wrecked.
I didn't particularly enjoy the atmosphere or people on board either. The rocking of the boat induced an instant sickness upon me that no-matter what I did I just found impossible to shake. Annoyingly enough, I seemed to be the only person struck by it which made my mother believe I was pretending to rake in attention. I was constantly being glared at by the crew, apparently if their captain didn't like someone- neither did they. Not only did they hate me, but they also tried to make every single day and hour of my journey as horrible as possible, whether it was by planting the occasional black rat or large spider in my room or if it was by stealing one of my private possessions, such as a hat or purse and attaching it with a dagger to a higher part of the mast where I couldn't reach. They would laugh as they watched me jump for it, and always they managed to put it a few inches away from my scrabbling fingertips. It was a nightmare. But it didn't last as long as I thought. Then another nightmare started.
Seven days, a full week in I was laying in an uncomfortable sleep under my thick white covers when I heard a loud shout from on deck. It woke me straight away, but I didn't dare move for a moment, until another shout echoed through the ship and to my ears. I froze under the sheets, eyes snapping wide open. A faint clank of metal upon metal indicated that sword blade had just met sword blade. A vigorous and hurried flurry of similar clanks meant a swordfight. I sat up and swung my legs out of bed, and swiftly made my way to the cabinet at the other side of my room. I began to gather my few possessions, emptying the drawers and grabbing a few of my fine silk dresses. I didn't know why I felt the need to do this, I guess I simply wanted to protect what I had from whoever had invaded. I knew in the end either it would be just a play fight as two of the drunken crew got a little rowdy, or it would be something much bigger.
As a thump hit the wooden deck above me, I realized it wasn't a game. Whoever had infiltrated the ship had killed their opponent. I heard the door at the end of the row of cabins creek slowly and unhappily- they were scouring the rooms. I instantly feared for my family and myself. A loud bang meant that they were forcing down doors, and a sickening scream from my sister meant they had got into their room. Blindly I threw myself out of my door, hoping to save my family- just in time to see the intruders hold my mother at gunpoint. They were a rowdy lot, all of them had small beards and had obviously neglected their personal hygiene, and for a moment I wondered what they were and why they were here. Then I figured it out, and groaned in fear.
Pirates.
They turned to look at me when I stepped out of my room. "Blast", I cursed openly. True, they weren't going for my family now- but instead they had turned their sharp gaze on me, a set of around twenty eager eyes looking me up and down. I was more their thing- an attractive, rich and well educated looking woman, of a decent age for kidnapping and... I didn't want to think of that. I hated the idea. So, as I pulled my wits together, instead of lingering stupidly and accepting my fate I turned and attempted to run for my life in the opposite direction. I met a wall at the other end of the hallway. I met it and began to throw myself at it, as if I could break it down and escape. They caught up with me and one man took my arms and tied them behind my back with some thick rope.
It all happened quickly from then on. They tripped me and pinned me down then they tied my ankles together with more rope. I was picked up and carried off under the arm of a well tanned brutish sort of man with a thick-set face and hazy brown eyes. He wouldn't budge, no matter how much I kicked at him and slandered him. They carried me off, but he didn't have to do much struggling after the next horror I saw.
We passed my mother's room- and all hell was revealed as I observed, wide eyed, a scene of carnage. The pair lay limp and lifeless, covered from neck to toe in a thick layer of bright red blood and sprawled out on their beds. My whole world turned black and I fell limp in the arms of the pirate.
Ratings are much appreciated. I know this chapter wasn't my best- but I did want to get it written ASAP so I can move on to the next, much better chapter where we might just meet someone a bit more interesting.