Disclaimer: So again, I don't own anything. :( I do want one of Mulan's hair clips though…
A.N.: Please, please tell me what you think about it, even if you don't like it. Feedback of any kind is welcome.
Our journey to the port town was, for the most part, uneventful. I had the opportunity to see Phillip interact with his men more, and while he was still the boyish man of yesterday, I saw that his men had great respect for him. Everywhere we walked in the camp or rode during the journey, he was greeted swiftly and all attention was given to his words—not so however to all of the rest of his entourage. I was treated well as the "lucky" new member, but others were ignored and Whale especially was treated poorly. He was openly mocked when Phillip was out of hearing range, and I knew that the man could hear their jeers, so his inaction surprised me. Were I the one being insulted—large group of men or not—I would have ensured that their opinion was…rectified.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the journey to the small port where his ship was waiting for us. I spent most of the day alone, as Phillip needed to ride back and forth to ensure all was well with his men, and after a few such rounds, I was happy to ride alone while waiting for him. When we reached the city, though, he brought his horse alongside mine.
"The men are going to camp outside the town tonight so we do not disturb the citizenry, but we have rooms in the inn waiting for us. Would you like to see the ship before we settle down?" I nodded, happy to see his vessel and a little curious—so far all my journeys had been over land, so we rode off down the dusty streets just as the sun began to set.
"There she is! The Morning Star. I wanted to name her the 'Rising Sun,' but Father said we already had one of those in the family, and it was not my ship, so I settled for 'Morning Star' instead." He smiled softly, as he seemed to do often, at whatever memory he was thinking of now. I had no idea what the prince had meant, but before I could ask, he turned to me and asked if I would like to meet the captain, and we dismounted to do so. Phillip called up to the ship, and moments later, a dashing, dark-haired man leapt over the side and ran down the loading plank towards us.
His eyes were outlined with a dark substance making him look serious, but the twinkle in his eyes, his smirk, and the piercings on his face gave him the air of a prankster. Womanizer my mind filled in as I noted perhaps his most distinguishing characteristic—the replacement of his right hand with a hook.
Phillip shook hand/hook with the man and waved towards me. "Captain, this is Mulan. She saved my life and will be travelling with us to Ireland." Turning back towards me he continued, "Mulan, this is Captain-"
"Jones. Killian Jones. Always at the service of such a beautiful woman." The Captain bowed while reaching out to take my hand which I snatched away. At this his smirk grew even wider if that were possible. "Although, by your refusal of my attention, perhaps you have heard of me under my more colorful moniker—Hook."
At the mention of this name, I turned to Phillip disappointedly. I had heard of this man and not to his credit. The tales of him I heard in towns, especially in India, were especially clear on his cruelty and swift "justice." To Phillip I queried, "You travel with a pirate? A man without honor? How can you trust your life, no, your men's lives in this man's hands…hand." I had more to say, but Hook interrupted here.
"We prefer 'privateer,' if you please, oh honorable one." The sneering tone with which he said those last words confused me, and it would have resulted in blows had Phillip not restrained me. Hook continued unfazed. "And with the state of the Spanish Armada, you are safest on my vessel, I assure you." He turned to Phillip and continued, "Are there further matters to attend tonight? If not I have a ship that needs preparation." Phillip shook his head, and the dark man returned to the ship as we rode back towards the inn.
For a few moments, we rode in silence until Phillip spoke. His tone was commanding, yet I could tell he wanted me to understand his choice of captain. "Mulan, there are things you need to know about my land before we travel. England, and by connection Ireland, is at war with Spain. Queen Cora and her daughter command a vast fleet of ships, the Armada, that attack every vessel they catch in their waters. Privateers like Jones are the only reason any ship gets in or out of England. And furthermore, while he may be less honorable than others, I trust him with my life. There is no better man to captain the Morning Star than he is."
I responded, still dubious about the captain despite Phillip's words. "But how can you be sure that he will not cave if we face the Armada? I met pirates like him in India, and the tales told of Hook were far worse than most. Are you certain he is to be trusted?"
Phillip looked pensive but replied with confidence. "I am. The leader of Cora's fleet is a man named Rumplestiltskin, and he murdered Jones' wife and took his hand before casting him into the water for the sharks. He managed to survive and has since vowed vengeance against Rumplestiltskin. He has taken more Spanish vessels than any other two privateers; King James of England has honored him many times for valiant action in combat. He will be captain for this voyage, Mulan.
Despite his points, I would still have argued further, but the set of his jaw indicated that there was no more to be said. We travelled the rest of the way only discussing weaponry which returned us both to good spirits by the time we reached the in. After stabling our horses we went to our rooms without further discussion on the topic and went to sleep.
Next morning, I rode down to the ship and stowed my gear in the hold and found my cabin. Then I met Hook and Phillip in the Captain's cabin where they were looking over a map. Hook pointed to the southeastern corner of the Mediterranean saying, "This is where we are now, and here" he moved his hook to a narrow strait at the other end of the sea, "is where the Armada is likely to attack us. We have to be ready for them by the time we reach this point. After we pass through the strait, we can head out to open ocean if we have to, but it should be clear sailing the rest of the way to Dublin." He looked to Phillip for confirmation of his plan.
Phillip looked pensive as he asked, "Captain, is there any way to pass through the strait without fighting? Maybe we could sail through at night? The men are so battle-weary already, I hate to ask them to face death just to get home."
Hook shook his head nearly instantly at the suggestion. "The passage is so treacherous that I would not attempt it in the dark, and even if we did so, we might still have to fight the Spanish, which I would prefer to do in the light of day. We should reach the strait in about a week, so the men can rest for a few days, but by the fourth or fifth day we will need round the clock shifts ready to fend off an attack." He looked at Phillip again who reluctantly approved. "I will give the order to weigh anchor then." Bowing to us both, Hook left the room and could be heard outside giving orders to make way.
Five days later I found myself leaning over the rail at the bow of the ship waiting for the sun to rise. It had quickly become my favorite spot on the ship as I loved the calm and seeing the waves break against the vessel. Nothing could compare to the smell of the salty air or the kiss of the wind as it blew through my hair. I'd found that this spot was perfect for meditating and even for my calisthenics workout. I'd tried it once in my cabin and had nearly ended up with a large bruise covering my head when I nearly hit the ceiling while trying to do backflips. On the most part, I was left alone here, but occasionally the men asked me questions, and a few times Hook and Phillip had joined me. As I meditated on the bow, my mind drifted back to those conversations…
Second day of travel: late afternoon
I was getting ready to watch the sunset—the last few nights had been cloudy, so I was looking forward to finally seeing the sun set over the water at sea for the first time when Hook sauntered up. He looked me up and down before nodding and moving to the rail to look out at the sea towards the sun with me. Without turning his head he began to speak in a softer tone than I had ever heard him use either to Phillip or his crew. "You know darlin', I figured I'd seen you before when the prince introduced you, but I wasn't sure until a few days ago. Iv'e been thinking about the best way to ask this since then, but I'm not one for subtle, so I'll tell you right off. If you have a plan of backstabbing Phillip or some other sort of betrayal, I'll see you dead and feeding the sharks before you take another step. Now before you get all into it, I want you to explain to me what happened with you and those men in the bar in Dehli. I was there, you see, and I watched you walk in with them, talk a bit, get em drunk, and then help them upstairs. Next mornin' you were gone and they each had a matching skewered heart. So for someone who seems to prize honor, would you explain that to me, please?"
When he implied I would betray Phillip, I moved towards him slightly prompting his further explanation, and I was furious at his presumption, so when he finished I stood there glaring at him for a while. After he just waited watching the sun, I realized that he was only doing what I would do, what I should have done, when I had doubts about him. He was even giving me the chance to explain myself before bringing the matter to Phillip, and a premeditated murder as he had described was a matter not lightly brushed aside. As I realized this, I gained a new respect for the man, and I turned back towards the now setting sun.
"The men were the men who orchestrated the murder of my family. I had been tailing them for a few months, and knew that they had an enemy nearby, so I met them dressed as a man. They had no idea who I was, but agreed to have drinks anyways. I got them to reveal who they were to the crowd and then left. Truly, I did not kill them." Hook nodded but continued to look ahead.
"Well if you give me your word that's the honest truth of what happened and that you intend no ill towards Phillip. I'll believe you." He finally turned to look me in the eyes, and I knew that if I lied he would know.
"You have my word on both counts." He turned back towards the sunset which had now almost slipped past the horizon, leaving only the orange glow over the water. He seemed to have something more to say but was unsure how to begin. "Captain? Is there something more?"
He looked back at me this time twirling his mustache. "Call me Killian. Too many people call me Captain already…Do you feel better knowing they are dead? Are you satisfied?"
I looked back at the now blood red waves. "Nothing changed after their death, and no amount of pain I could have given them would have healed the pain they caused me by killing my family." I cautioned him reaching out for his arm. "You will never be satisfied by this quest for vengeance."
At my words, he pulled away and turned back towards the rest of the ship. As he went back to his cabin I heard him mutter, "It wouldn't matter anymore anyways."
Fourth day of travel: mid-morning
I had just finished my calisthenics and was stretching when Phillip approached me admiration in his eyes. I was happy to see him, as the activity had caused his wound to fester a bit, so he had been resting in his cabin for the last few days. He ran his hand through his hair and grinned while jokingly commenting on my pose, "If I bent my body in half like that, I think my legs might break. How do you manage?"
Looking up from my split position I tried to maintain my composure at the quizzical expression covering his face. "It just takes a bit of practice." I felt the devilish grin spread across my face as I asked, "Would you like me to show you how, Phillip?" He blushed crimson and backed away quickly as I sprung to my feet and stepped towards him.
"I actually think I am just fine in one piece thank you Mulan." I stopped advancing and returned to stretching. He was too easy to tease. He pulled himself together and sat down back against the rail. "I actually came to see if you wanted to hear more about home. I always feel better about missing them if I can speak to someone, and you said you wanted to hear. May I continue?" I nodded and, done with my stretching, mimicked his position on the opposing side of the bow.
"Well, I thought I'd describe my home first if you do not mind. Ireland is nothing like the land here. Green is all the eye can see, and the rolling hills are perfect to gallop through. The forests are silent but for the sound of the birds singing, and after it rains, you can smell the cleanness in the air. It is an island, but the water is rarely ever warm enough to swim in. That never mattered because the best thing to do near the water is listen to the waves crash on a cliff-side.
My father's castle is on top of a hill right next to the edge of a cliff. My sister and I used to climb down the sides to the bottom to look for treasures in the rock when we were little." He chuckled as he recounted further, "Once I slipped and fell into the water from a few feet up. She was so scared, but she climbed back down the wall as fast as she could and swam out to me, dress and all. Father banned us from returning after that though.
Below the castle and past the trees is a little village. We played with the children there often, and many of them still serve our family. The best food I ever had was served to me by a poor woman who had nearly nothing to spare, yet she fed me anyways. I think we convinced Father to make her a cook in our kitchen after that though. A few paths lead out of the village, mostly to larger towns or ports, but my favorite led right through the forest on the other side of the hill. I was in those woods so often that I could tell which deer had passed by that day just by their hoof-prints, and many of the animals would let me near them. My sister though, she had them eating out of her hand. She could sing and they would all come calling, looking for her." He paused and looked over at me to make sure I was listening. Seeing that he had my full attention, he continued.
"I suppose I should tell you more about my family too. My father is the king of our region, although he is still subject to King James of England. I am the second of two children and as such am not allowed to take the throne until my sister's death. She was the daughter of his first wife who died in childbirth. As the story goes, she saw my sister for the first time right as the sun rose, and so she named her Aurora. Father married my mother a few years later and I was born.
Aurora always grew up watching out for me, until I started trying to tell her what to do. She shut that down almost immediately. But she has always been there for me when I needed anything, and I trust her more even than I do Father. Nothing makes me sadder than that she is being forced to marry in order to preserve our position." My mouth dropped open at this statement and Phillip stopped for a moment. I understood arranged marriages for profit, but that was understood and usually agreeable to the girl.
"Please understand. Father is not a cruel man, but unless she marries a prince our kingdom will be given to my uncle, Lord Jefferson. He would treat our people cruelly and cast us upon the mercy of the poor. For my mother's sake alone, my father has to make sure this marriage goes through. I only hope they found a good man for her." His eyes misted over and I could see an almost tangible sorrow in his form. He rose and heading back to the cabins said, "I'm sorry Mulan, but I must return now." I knew he only left to hide the tears that no loving brother should have been ashamed to shed.
I looked back towards the horizon as my memories came to an end. Phillip had not described his sister's looks, but if she was as beautiful as the sun she was named for then she must be truly stunning. A smudge caught my eye, and I looked closer before stumbling back and dashing to the Captain's cabin. There was a flag on the horizon.
A few hours later found all of the men armed and on deck. The ship was primed and ready—ammunition near every cannon, and the wheels greased so they could be easily aimed. Killian stood beside me and scanned the horizon again. Three ships were now close by and what he said was the Spanish flag was flying on the mast of all three. Luckily for us, they appeared to be small, about 50 cannons each, while our vessel had 125. Killian looked down at me and smiled. "You know, if we are lucky we might even make it through. Are you ready to prove that you bring such luck?" He jostled me in the shoulder jokingly as he finished.
"As I told you before, I am not lucky! The men just think I am bec-"
He interjected, as the man often did, "Just go with it Mulan. Today especially the men will need something to hang on to. Look, you can tell they are scared stiff." He was right, sadly, so I resigned myself to being their "good luck charm" as Phillip had called me at dinner once. The prince himself joined us right as the captain began barking orders to the men for the fight. The ships were almost in range, and Hook was not about to lose any time.
Canon fire broke out with a thunderous crash, and I could see that the front runner of the three had taken most of it. The decks were shredded and it began almost instantly to keel over to one side. The others started to spread around us, trapping us in a pincer motion. Both sides were able to get off one more round before those two and our ship collided and the boarding parties began to climb aboard. The last things I was able to notice before I charged into the fray was the sinking vessel at our bow, the lurch of The Morning Star as the canons fired into the vessel, and Phillip charging into battle beside me.
The next few minutes are all a blur. I remember blocking, striking, and dodging the invading men often with Phillip at my back but occasionally alongside Killian as well. The clouds of smoke from the canons made the deck nearly impossible to see, and often we found ourselves about to attack one of the crew. While I had thought that Hook would be impaired because of his hand, he fought well—using the hook as a weapon for grabbing the enemy, and I was glad to fight with him. Soon it became apparent that we would not be giving up and at the sound of a horn, the boarding crews left the vessel. At this a great cheer went up from the crew, but I could tell Hook was less pleased at their departure.
The third vessel was nearly finished, and I could see many men in lifeboats rowing madly for one of the other vessels. Just as their bow began to lift, I saw a two women fighting with the last group on board. They broke free and dove off the edge just as a huge crack was heard and the deck of the ship exploded. The women began swimming towards the ship, but I could see that the smaller one was having trouble. I discarded my sword and dove into the water off the bow of The Morning Star while yelling "Man overboard!"
I reached the two just as the smaller one went under. Diving down, the other woman and I pulled her back to the surface and swam towards the ship. The woman looked at me yelling, "We have to hurry! She was hit by shrapnel, and I think it's pretty bad!"
Ropes were waiting to haul us aboard once we reached the side, and tying them to the now unconscious woman we climbed up as they pulled her to the deck. Once we got there Phillip looked at the bigger woman and jumped back swiftly dropping to his knee. "Princess Emma! What were you doing aboard their vessel?" The taller woman looked at him and wiping her wet, blonde hair out of her face motioned to the dark haired form on the deck.
"I was taken captive a fortnight ago, while on a diplomatic mission. She freed me from the cell and saved my life, so I am asking you to do what you can to help her." At this time, Whale ran up and looked at her back before softly turning her over. When her face was revealed a gasp went out from the battle hardened men. I looked to Phillip questioningly. Why should a woman with nothing strange but the small scar marring her upper lip elicit such a reaction?
Before I could ask, Hook strode forward drawing his sword and placing it at the unconscious woman's throat. Princess Emma rushed forward and tried to shove him away, but he stood his ground. He looked at her with gleaming eyes daring her to stop him, "I will not allow the daughter of Cora to live on my ship!" realizing what he was about to do I lunged forward and caught his sword as it descended on my dagger.
As he looked at my shaking head, his eyes softened and he stalked away towards his cabin. Princess Emma turned to me as Phillip motioned for the men to pick up Cora's daughter. "Thank you for saving Regina. She is not as they think, and I promise I will not forget what you did here today." She quickly followed Phillip, Whale, and the men as they took the woman to the infirmary. As Hook glared at me from behind the wheel, I knew that she would not be the only one who remembered today.
As Killian had predicted, the rest of our journey was uneventful. Princess Emma had stayed at Regina's bedside for most of the time, and the captain actively avoided me now, so I was still alone as before. Phillip came and talked to me more often, but he had not mentioned his sister since that first day. Well, today is the day we arrive in Dublin, so soon I will get to see what she is really like. It shocked me how much I wanted to hear more of her even from Phillip's words. I had never been this curious about another person before, so I was glad that our journey was nearly at its end.
The harbor was packed with people. They lined the docks and the streets all of them cheering and waving at us as our ship slid into its place. The men made her secure in what must have been record time, and as soon as the loading plank had been lowered, as a girl in purple darted up the plank and launched herself into Phillip's arms. After the embrace he set the girl, down and motioned towards me. When she turned and I saw her face my heart became lighter than air, and I knew, I had never seen anything so beautiful as her face in my entire life.