Chapter XVI
The Vanishing Pirates (Part I)
As the Libra made its way to England, Relena paced the cabin she had been attributed. She had earlier tried to visit her friends at the brig only to have her passage blocked by two bulky sailors in their long redcoats. At least they had been polite and almost sorry they had no authorization to let her through. Not wanting to cause the men any trouble, she had then requested a meeting with Captain Treize Kushrenada and his first mate, her brother Milliardo Peacecraft, and retreated to her cabin to wait. There had to be a way out of the mess Jay and Lowe had gotten them into. There was no way she could give in and accept defeat so easily.
'Come in.' she said as soon as she heard the first knock, halting abruptly with her anxious gaze trained on the wooden door.
'Excuse me, Ms Peacecraft…'
'Darlian.' She corrected the young soldier, wanting nothing to do with her brother whose ideas could not be any further from her own.
'Uh… The captain will see you now, Miss.'
'Thank you.'
Relena did not wait for him to escort her, but walked right past him in her agitation and made her way to the captain's quarters with long fast strides. The sailor followed at her heels somewhat exasperated. 'Miss Relena Darlian.' He announced over her shoulder after she had barged into Treize's chamber.
'Thank you.' the captain dismissed the distressed young man with a wave of his hand, his eyes, twinkling with barely concealed amusement, were solely focused on the hearty woman. 'Darlian, is it?' he asked her, though his gaze slipped to his first mate who sat with him at the table, his face marred by the smallest of frowns.
'Those men and women down at the brig have been unfairly arrested and I demand their release.' She went straight to the point, ignoring his taunts.
'Miss Darlian…' Treize's tone was ever smooth and even. 'Won't you, please, sit down and eat with us? It's been a tiring day and I have reason to believe ours will be a lengthy discussion.'
Her eyes narrowed at him. If his day had been long and tiring, she could not even fathom how long her crewmates' day had been down at their cells. She held her tongue, however, and took a seat to her brother's left. The round table was covered by large plates stuffed with the best food one could have on board a ship at open sea and despite her indignation at the injustice of it all, her mouth watered. 'Is the Peacemillion's crew… Is your crew even… Eating as fancy a banquet as this?'
'They are pirates, Relena.' Milliardo reminded her wearily, completely ignoring the part that concerned them. 'And they are our prisoners, therefore they will be eating only what we deem necessary to keep them alive for the remainder of our journey.'
'They have done nothing to deserve such ill treatment!'
'Haven't they? What of the ships they attacked? The goods they stole? The men they killed?'
She bit her lip. There was no contradicting him. Her friends were pirates, but surely… 'Surely that does not warrant such treatment as this? They were only doing what they thought was necessary to survive. Have the two of you not killed people too?'
'Miss Darlian…' Treize smiled gently, interrupting the siblings' argument as he took a seat across the lady. 'I understand your view of the situation. You spent time amongst these pirates and have, therefore, grown to see them as more than criminals, but that does not change the fact that they are criminals and wanted ones at that.'
'What?' Relena felt the blood rush from her face. It was a good thing she was already seated. 'Are… Are you insinuating they brainwashed me?'
'You have to admit, Miss Darlian. If they had, you would be the last person to know.'
'They most certainly have not!' she stood up suddenly, her blood singing in her veins. How dare that man say such horrible things about her friends whom he did not even know?
'We do not know that.' Her brother told her seriously, resting his elbows on the table as he intertwined his gloved fingers. None of them seemed to care much for the food, if at all. 'And unless we are sure I will not allow you anywhere near those pirates.'
Relena sat down shakily. 'They deserve a fair trial.' Was all she could say, feeling disheartened. None of her arguments seemed to make a difference and, if things kept going in the direction they were going, her crewmates would be hanged. Heero would be hanged and she would not even be able to say goodbye.
'They will have one.' Milliardo nodded vehemently to her consternation. She no longer understood what he was fighting for or whose side he was on.
'We are merely doing our jobs here, Miss Darlian.' Treize resumed, twirling wine in his cup. 'If you wish to save those pirates you should strengthen your resolution, polish your arguments and present them to those who actually have the power to do something about it. Right here, right now, the two of us have no right to judge and therefore no permission to either release or condemn.'
'I understand.' Relena said quietly, letting her head fall and her gaze wander.
'Eat, Miss Darlian. You will need your strength.'
She looked up at the captain, but he had started filling his plate and was no longer interested in her at all. Her brother watched her quietly, but she refused to meet his eye. She was not sure what to think of either of them. They were not enemies and they were not allies. A part of her wanted to trust them, because if she did not then she would truly be alone in rescuing her friends, but she knew she could not. Heero would not have trusted them, he was wary of everyone, and so she would not trust them either.
'If you'll excuse me, I shall eat with the crew.' She informed them and left.
XXX
Heero was disheartened. There was really no other word for it. All this time Relena had been Milliardo Peacecraft's sister and she had not said a word about it…What if she was involved in Jay and Lowe's schemes? That would surely explain why the old man had wanted her help to decipher Dorothy's tattoo. What if she had been involved from the very start? The others seemed to think she would save them or at least try, but Heero was not naturally a trusting or a hopeful person. If she really meant to help them why had she not come see them?
It had been at least a week since they had left Capri, and London was fast approaching if what their guards said was true. He did not trust easily and yet… Heero was mortified to think of all the things he had told her. He had opened up his ship to her, his quarters, his life, his heart. He had touched her and kissed her and let her touch him and kiss him in return. She had made him crave those stolen moments spent together… Relena had held him in the palm of her hand and he had not realised it. Not even for a second.
A large part of him never wanted to see her again even though the mere thought was nearly physically painful. That same part was seething with anger that he would ever allow anyone to cause him such pain. Yet there was still a small part that wanted to trust her, that wanted to believe his hopeful, naïve crewmates' words. That small part was horrified that she had not come visit, it was worried about her and angry that he was going to die without being able to say goodbye, without being able to see her one last time.
Heero did not know what to make of his internal conflict, did not know how to make it stop and it was starting to slowly and steadily wear him out. His cellmates were not helping either, especially Chang.
The Chinese man paced their tiny cell furiously. He was so angry and frustrated he did not know what to do with himself. 'Is that it?' his piercing gaze fell on Heero, who merely sat on the dingy deck, staring listlessly at his feet or at nothing at all. It was not the first time that question was asked so there was no need to elaborate, no need to answer, but the Peacemillion's fallen captain's unresponsiveness only served to feed his first mate's rage.
'Aye… That is it.' Heero finally responded not bothering to acknowledge any of his two cellmates nor the rest of his crew which was scattered in the other two cells across theirs.
'And ye figured surrendering ourselves and placing our very lives on Lowe's and Jay's hands was the best way to go?'
'There was nothing else any of us could've done.' Quatre grabbed the metal bars as he tried to defend his captain from across the aisle.
'Chang.' Trowa said at the exact same time, trying to stop his cellmates from killing each other.
Wufei paid them no mind. 'Got nothing to say now, do ye?' he barked at Heero. 'Ye couldn't even bother tellin' us that rat Jay had snuck a bloody cobra into our ship! Or that those two were leading the enemies to us.' He snorted in sheer disgust. To think I ever called ye captain…'
'Come on, Chang…' it was Duo's turn to try and step in as he stood beside Quatre with a painful frown on his face. 'The man's heard enough.'
'Has he?' the Chinese man seemed to nearly snarl, his eyes still narrowed at the former captain. 'Why doesn't he say something then, huh?' In two steps Chang was pulling Heero up by the collar. Silence reigned tense and thick. Even the bilge rats seemed disturbed by the mood and scurried away. The pirates could hear them threading through the aisle before disappearing from view. 'Say something, Yuy! Dammit! Tell us ye've got an ace up yer sleeve!'
At the touch of despair in his first mate's voice, the captain finally raised his head, his eyes so cold and serious he might as well be dead. 'There's no ace, Chang. It is over… For all of us.'
Trowa let out a deep breath when the Chinese man unhandled Heero. He was not the only one. Sally had a sympathetic smile on her face for the man she loved, however heartbreakingly sad it was.
'That can't be so…' the braided pirate's frown deepened after a moment, as he tried to cling on to hope. 'There has to be a way…' then suddenly his eyes lit up. 'Relena will fight for us!' he reminded them.
'Even if she did…' Dorothy crossed her arms, creasing her brow worriedly. 'What good would it do us? If you had done as I would have, and not left survivors behind when you looted ships then no one would know us, except maybe as a sea legend.'
Quatre sighed. 'We could never do something like that, Dorothy… And deep down I think you know neither could you.'
Her face fell a little at that, but she said nothing. It was Hilde who spoke up instead. 'It has to do us some good. If Relena really is that man's sister… She has to have some influence, right?'
Only guilty, pessimistic silence greeted her. Trowa, Quatre and Howard stared at their feet. Heero had slid back down to the floor after Chang's outburst and returned to his catatonic state. The Chinese man on the other hand had a permanent scowl on his face. Sally and Dorothy exchanged worried glances. Hilde met Duo's conflicted gaze, at least he seemed to share her optimism however useless it may be.
XXX
Relena's hands twisted nervously in one another as she stood at the bowsprit, watching the port grow larger and larger as they inched closer to London. She had wanted to come home, home to the cobblestoned streets and the morning fog, home to the fancy dresses and the afternoon teas, to the horse-drawn carriages and the flowing Thames, but this was not how it was supposed to go. It was supposed to be a merry homecoming, not a dreadful one, and yet, as the Libra came to a stop, she could not help but wish she were back at the Caribbean seas on board the Peacemillion with the sun shining bright on her face and Heero watching her quietly from the helm.
She wondered if things would ever go back to the way they had been and realised she did not really believe they could. The Peacemillion was gone and Romefeller's treasure with it. Both lost in Jay's and Lowe's hands, and her friends were on their way to the gaol. She was sure she could still try, maybe still save them, but even if she did… What would become of them? What would become of Heero? They would be pirates without a ship… Without a home.
As the Libra's crew started gathering on the main deck, she hurried to join them, hoping that her brother would at least let her see them… Let her see Heero. Even if only for a moment, even if only from afar as they were led away from the ship. Relena only wanted to let them know she had tried and she was still trying and she would keep trying until the very last second. To think of a noose around their necks… Around Heero's neck… She would keep fighting as long as they were alive. Things might never be the same again, but she would not let them die even if she had to sacrifice herself in the process.
'Milliardo.'
He need only glance at her, at her flushed cheeks and hard – determination filled – eyes to know what she wanted. 'You won't talk to them, see them or interact with them in anyway.' The blonde first mate promptly informed her, his gaze trained on the assembling redcoats. 'These pirates are criminals, Relena. I thought we had already established the threats they pose to you.'
'They have not brainwashed me, Milliardo. You and I both know that's not possible.'
'Do we?' he finally met her angry gaze with a worried frown. 'What good will it do you anyway? To speak with these felons.'
'They are my friends! They saved my life! How could it not be good to let them know someone is fighting for them on the outside?'
Milliardo's frown only deepened, but Relena could not bring herself to be angry for the concern in his eyes was genuine. It was clear he saw her as a foolish child and therefore believed it was his duty – as her older brother – to protect her not only from others, but from herself as well. 'I know you believe you can save them, Relena, but these people are criminals. There are witnesses to the things they have done. Perhaps their sentences could be mollified if their good deeds came to light, but do not think you can restore their freedom.'
'But—'
'That being said…' he cleared his throat. 'Do you really think it wise to give them false hopes? Are you sure they won't blame you once they are condemned to a lifetime of imprisonment instead of the eternal freedom of death?'
Relena had no idea what to say to that. Her brother was right, of course, but still… 'Won't you at least let me talk to their captain? Just for a moment? Only so I can say goodbye?'
All he did was keep staring at her with pity in his eyes. The desperation in her voice seemed to have become apparent, however slightly, but even though it touched Milliardo it was not enough to move him. 'The guards will accompany you. There's a carriage waiting to take you to our family's London house. The servants should be expecting you. You'll be well looked after.'
Her eyes widened in horror and disbelief. She had to see Heero. She had to tell him she would go to any lengths… She had to tell him what was in her heart… She had to say goodbye. This could not be it. She could not even remember what his last words to her had been or hers to him. But her brother seemed to have anticipated her reaction, for her assigned guards were flanking Relena before it even occurred her to escape. If she thought it would have made any difference, she would have struggled and would have been dragged away in shame.
'Miss Peacecraft.' The man on her right pointed the way with an extended hand, inviting her to precede him.
'Darlian.' She corrected even as her eyes filled with tears.
'This way, please, Miss.' He insisted when she would not move. The Libra's crew had finished gathering at the main deck and seemed to be all watching her as they waited for instructions. Her eyes were fixed on the redcoats, though it was past them she was trying to see, to glance at the stairs she knew were there. The stairs that would have led her to Heero and her friends…
'I am sorry…' she whispered before turning fully away and solemnly following her escorts to her carriage.
XXX
'We won't be granted a fair trial, will we?' Duo asked lamely one dreary morning as the sun tried in vain to shine through the grey English clouds.
'Fair trial…' Wufei snorted, staring out the tiny window, wondering for the thousandth time where they had taken Sally and how she was doing. He supposed she had been taken to another section of the fortress and hoped Hilde and Dorothy were still with her. 'We're pirates. That's reason enough for them to kill us already.'
The braided man sighed. He had been overly gloomy since their arrival at the old prison, when he had been separated from Hilde. 'At least the girls can plead the belly…'
'It's not that easy, Duo.' Quatre shook his head. 'A medic would be called in to confirm and they would be discovered.'
'Maybe not.'
'Well, still… The best pleading the belly will accomplish is to postpone their execution.'
'Postpone?' he seemed horrified. 'And who's taking care of the babies?'
'There are no babies.' The Chinese man cut in angrily. He did not want to imagine a locked up pregnant Sally… He did not want to imagine his orphaned child left in some home where it would be put to work as soon as it started walking only to perish of hunger and cold. It was best for them to die as soon as they were condemned, not plead anything but hang and leave no one behind to suffer.
Duo deflated once more, sinking against the stone wall. 'Do ye think they would call in a priest before the execution? I'd like to confess me sins 'fore… Ye know.'
'I don't think no priest'd care for the soul of a pirate.' Howard shook his head. He had been eerily quiet ever since they had been imprisoned and – for once – he actually looked his age.
'We don't need a priest…' Heero said suddenly, quietly, startling all his cell mates. 'We need an escape plan.'
'An escape plan?' the braided pirate whispered back mindful of the other prisoners in the surrounding cells, hope blooming in his chest once more.
'You really think we can get out of here?' Quatre asked in a frightful whisper.
'I think we can try. At the very least.'
'I don't think we've got enough time…' Chang scowled to himself.
'We do not know how long we've got. We may die tomorrow or years from now, but if it is the latter we'll regret not trying.' It was Trowa who spoke.
'But what about the girls?' Duo frowned worriedly.
'We'll find a way to get them out too.' The blonde man assured him.
'They might already be dead by then…' Howard commented pessimistically. 'They won't necessarily hang us all together.'
'If they've already been executed, then…' the Chinese man started quietly, still looking out the window, and trailed off into nothing. The others waited a long time for him to finish, but he never did.
'Does anyone have any ideas?' Quatre asked after checking the dark empty corridor for guards. Even though they seemed to be safe and the surrounding prisoners appeared to be too weary and broken to pay them any mind, he lowered his voice further.
'We could dig.' The braided pirate offered.
'And end up on the first floor?' Trowa asked sceptically.
'We'd be out of this dingy cell. Ain't that a start?'
'If we could remove the bars I'd climb out through the window.' The green eyed lookout suggested instead.
'There's no way we can remove those bars… Besides, not all of us can climb down buildings.' The blonde man said quietly, glancing briefly at Howard, though he could not see himself surviving the climb down either. 'Our only chance would be to get the keys from one of the guards.'
'Or escape on our way to the gallows.' Heero suggested, eyes fixed on his moving hands.
'What 've ye got there, mate?' Duo leaned towards him, narrowing his eyes curiously.
The brown haired man raised the iron nail he had been sharpening in front of their eyes. He had removed it from the shackles the guards had made them wear on their way from the port to the prison. As he looked at it, he felt a strange anger building inside him, a willingness to kill and destroy without a second thought, to go to any lengths to accomplish what he had set out to do. Heero realised he might be slowly turning into whatever Jay and Lowe had wanted him to become and – for some reason – he could not bring himself to care.
XXX
'Miss Relena…' the young maid knocked on the bedroom door, her voice betraying her weariness and concern. 'Please, Miss, you must eat something. It's been nearly a week, Miss. Please.'
'No.' she replied. 'Not until my brother allows me to give a statement.'
Milliardo and Treize had said she could speak to someone who might actually help her friends or, actually, Treize had said so. True he had not said they would assist her in any way, but she had thought it was implicit for there was only so much a woman could do by herself in a patriarchal society as theirs. Besides, she had no idea where her crewmates were being held or who she should speak to or where the trials would be taking place, and whatever money she had saved had been lost with the Peacemillion.
'Please, Miss.' The maid insisted. 'Mr Peacecraft is running out of patience.'
'Then tell my brother I wish to speak to Mr Kushrenada and I wish to do it as soon as possible.'
'Oh, Miss…' the young woman at the other side of the door sounded nothing short of surprised. 'If only you'd come down for tea. Mr and Mrs Kushrenada have just arrived.'
'They have?' Relena questioned however in a whisper. What if it was a trick? Would the maid be so cunning as to try and fool her? She really did wish to get out of that bedroom… She was starving and she was running out of time. Relena would never forgive herself if Heero and the others died while she was locked in her fancy chambers, refusing to eat blackbird pie and treacle tart and drink herbal tea. Mind made up, she opened the door and let the maid in.
'Let me fix your hair, Miss.' The young woman said, strolling to the vanity and seizing a hairbrush. She made quick work of Relena's messy blonde tresses.
'Thank you…'
'Miss Relena?'
'Yes?'
The girl fidgeted a moment. 'I will be praying for your success, Miss.'
Surprised by the maid's words, she could only nod. She wondered what stories the staff had made up about her to inspire such devotion… Or maybe it was the ever looming memory of her deceased parents, who she could not recall having ever met, a devotion to the Peacecrafts as a whole and not their youngest child in particular.
Relena reached the sitting room with determination echoing in her every step. Her piratical clothes may have been exchanged for the fancy dresses she had worn all of her life, but her heart could never return to the way it had been… It was a pirates' heart she carried now, her blood forever warmed by the Caribbean sun, her soul as free as the ocean breeze. 'I wish to speak to Mr Kushrenada.' She said simply. 'In private.'
Her brother did not look particularly surprised at her sudden appearance, he laid down his cup and turned to his guests. 'Please, excuse my sister, Lady Une. She recently spent an awful lot of time amongst pirates and has not quite returned to her self yet.'
Mrs Kushrenada was a beautiful woman with light brown hair and kind loving eyes. 'It is all right, Milliardo. The impulsiveness and passion of youth should be treasured not squashed.'
'And yet I cannot help but feel that manners should come first.' Milliardo sent his sister a meaningful look.
On her part, Relena did know her manners and she wholeheartedly agreed with him, but she was far too hungry and tired. She had barely slept since they had unwillingly left the Peacemillion, her dear friends as prisoners, and her mind kept running around in circles until she felt like it would tear itself to pieces. At that moment, manners were the furthest thing from her mind.
'You said you wished to speak to me, Miss Darlian.' Treize had his usual easy going smile in place even as he sipped his tea. 'May I inquire what it is you wish to discuss?'
'I merely wish to tell you a story… The tale of a lady who became a pirate.'
'Ah…' he laid down his cup. 'Then there surely can be no harm if my beloved Une stays with us? We both know it is your dear brother you don't want around.' He smirked at his first mate however briefly.
Milliardo scowled, but it only lasted a second before he sighed resignedly. 'If you'll excuse me then… I will be in my study.'
Relena watched her brother walk away, feeling somewhat torn. She knew he was a good man and that he only meant to protect her, his little sister whom he had reunited with after so many years, but she could not let her growing feelings for him stop her from saving her friends, stop her from saving the one broken pirate who meant more to her than anyone else in the entire world. She took the chair he had just vacated and began to talk.
XXX
Guards came and went always at the exact same hours. The British were very punctual. So when they heard approaching footsteps in the corridor not long after dinner time they knew something was about to happen. 'Bloody hell…' someone whispered, Heero could not tell if it had been Maxwell or Winner or Howard. Their escape had been planned for that very night so this change in their daily routine could not have come at a worst time.
The jingling of keys was the next thing they heard, echoing in the stone walls. It was maddeningly scary, especially since they were nearly sure whoever was coming down the corridor was coming to escort them to their execution. Heero stood up, the sharpened nail hidden casually behind his back in his ready fist, and made his way to the door. 'I'll back ye up.' Chang whispered as he leaned against the wall behind him. Being incarcerated together seemed to have eased the Chinese man's anger even if only temporarily. They both knew, if anything happened to Sally, there would be no mending their ever strained relationship.
He prepared to attack as the steps seemed to finally reach them, but faltered when, instead of a guard, a lean brown haired woman came into view. Her eyes were so gentle, so kind Heero did not think he would ever have the heart to kill her. She stood there for a moment, analysing their bespectacled expressions. 'You're the Peacemillion's crew?' she questioned evenly. 'You don't have to look so suspicious… I am here to help you after all.'
'What?' Duo's incredulity was mirrored by the rest of the pirates. It was too good to be true, too easy.
'Surely you jest?' Quatre stepped forward deciding they needed to negotiate and realising he was probably the one best suited for the job.
The mysterious lady did not waste time, however, and inserted the key into the lock. The heavy cell door screeched on its hinges as she pulled it open. 'I gather this is not all of you?'
They hesitated, wondering what kind of trap they might be getting into, but at last Howard seemed to decide whatever it was it was worth the risk. 'Nay. There are three more of us here somewhere.' He said as he crossed the threshold.
'Yes… Three women, am I correct? Then we must hurry. Follow me.'
She took the still suspicious and slightly hesitant pirates down the stairs and through endless corridors of starving dirty prisoners some so old and yellow they seemed to have been forgotten there, others still hopeful and angry, stretching their hands through the metal bars like claws trying to touch the strangers as they passed. At the far end of one of the most isolated corridors, surrounded by rats and the musty smell of darkness they found the three women, thankfully looking none the worse for wear.
'Duo!' Hilde exclaimed jumping to her feet and wrapping her hands around his as he grabbed the bars, but the wide grin immediately slipped from her face when the situation registered in her mind. 'What's going on?'
'We don't know either…' the braided pirate confessed somewhat troubled. He might be putting her in danger by bringing her along, but there was no way he could leave her behind either. 'But this lady's getting us out.'
'That can't be…'
The cell door screeched open then. 'Hurry.' The woman told them, but even though the ladies filed out of their cell the Peacemillion's crew still hesitated. 'Your execution is scheduled for tomorrow… At sunset. In case you'd rather stay.'
Those words worked like magic in convincing the pirates to follow her. They stopped in a storage room on their way out and panic enveloped them as they noticed endless rows of shackles and chains and all sorts of torture instruments hanging from racks on the wall. That woman alone was no match for all of them, but a fight would surely attract whatever guards remained in the prison wherever they were.
'I need you to put these on.' She pointed at the heavy rusty metal shackles. 'In case we run into any guards.'
The Peacemillion's crew exchanged doubtful glances and again Howard was the first to move, fastening the restraints on his own wrists as best as he could. He did not really care what was coming next – not yet at least – for he knew for sure if they stayed there they would end up with nooses around their necks. Once it was time, they would figure out what to do about the strange woman and whatever it was she wanted from them. For now, they needed to get out of there and a chance like that would not present itself another time.
Sally watched quietly as Wufei fastened the rough metal shackles around her wrists, his hands lingering on her skin for a moment longer than necessary. He did not meet her eyes, but she could see the apologetic look in his. She seized his hands and squeezed them, letting him know she understood and forgave him for not saying goodbye to her, not even when the future was uncertain and they believed they might end up dead.
Trowa cleared his throat, urging them on for their guide was already leaving and Sally and Chang followed the queue out the door. The woman led them towards the exit and yet, just before they stepped out, a tall figure appeared at the threshold blocking the moonlight and, with it, their way out.
GLOSSARY:
Pleading the belly meant claiming to be pregnant in order to postpone one's execution. A womanly priviledge, of course.
