Shout out to Hintori-hime, Vintage Sherry, Rani-Girl!
Be warned, it might be a little while before I can update. (By 'while' I mean about a week, maybe a little longer.) That doesn't mean I won't be shooting for sooner :)
Enjoy!
The next day, the crew gave Lovina a wide birth, which she was very glad of. Though she did marvel at the fact that it seemed to take Antonio killing one of them off before they listened to a new rule. Was that due to all the rum they seemed to drink or were they naturally that stupid? She'd honestly considered asking, but thought better of it.
Antonio still let her wander the ship as she pleased, though she found herself in the kitchen or at the rail most of the time. She made a cauldron of stew for lunch, which the crew seemed to greatly appreciate. Considering everyone and their mother had insisted nobles shouldn't cook, the crew certainly gobbled down her food enthusiastically enough.
It was mid afternoon when Antonio joined her at the starboard rail, standing quietly behind her. This made her uneasy, so she demanded, "What do you want?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Then why are you standing there?"
"Your hair is very pretty, Lovi."
Lovina swung around. As she did, she felt something pull her hair, and when she faced Antonio one hand was still extended. He tilted his head, smiling in that irritatingly cheerful way.
"Don't touch my hair, bastardo," she protested. "It's creepy."
"Sorry," shrugged the pirate, not sounding at all apologetic. He turned his gaze back to the sea, one hand resting lazily on the hilt of his sword.
Lovina eyed him, and slowly turned back around. Folding her arms across her chest, she asked, "Would you care to explain why you're keeping me? What am I, some pet?" She was hardly about to complain about him not really doing anything to her, but she honestly didn't know why he'd bothered keeping her.
"No, not really. I did not intend for you to get captured, but I'm not complaining, señorita. For now you will sail with us. I would appreciate it if you would keep your distance from the crew and remain on the ship while we are at port. I'm afraid once you leave my ship I can't protect you."
"For now?"
"For now. I've found that the future is as changeable as the weather. One day it's clear, and the next it's a storm, a ship-sinker." He moved to stand beside her, pointing up at the puffy clouds scattered across the sky. "See, Lovi? A few clouds, and there's no storm, at least not for a few days. Long enough for us to reach port. But if it's clear...
"A storm's on its way," said Lovina grimly. "Nonno told us about that."
"Sì, it is the same way in more than just sailing. If it looks perfect, it's about to get very bad."
"Just how long have you been out here?"
"With this ship? Mmm, five years, I think. Before that I sailed with my father."
Lovina glanced at him sharply. "So being a pirate runs in the family?"
"No. My father was a merchant. After my mother died I sailed with him. But if you want to know more, wait until tonight," he said, turning to smile down at her. "And I want to hear good parts about Lovi, not bad things. I doubt you would have protested so much when we brought you on board if you weren't happy where you were."
She glared at him as he walked away, absently rubbing her arms. Was it her, or was the wind getting colder the longer she was on deck?
BREAK/BREAK\BREAK
By this point Lovina was grudgingly used to their sleeping arrangement. She was wandering around the cabin, holding a lantern with one hand and scanning the line of books with the other when Antonio came in. She ignored him, as she usually did, and selected a book labeled, "Carte Nautiche."
"Nautical maps," muttered Lovina, tugging it from the shelf.
"Put that one back, Lovi."
Ignoring him, she set it and the lantern down on the desk. "It's just maps, bastard."
"Lovina, I said put it back."
The fact he actually used her full name made her look up. Lovina froze when she saw the pirate staring at her, face grim. Straightening from her bent position over the desk, she asked, "What's wrong with this one?"
"That doesn't matter, señorita. Now put it back on the shelf."
Lovina was about to argue, but decided against it. She gave Antonio a dirty look, but hefted the heavy tome and shoved it back into place on the shelf. "There, happy?"
"Sì. Now come to bed, Lovi. I have something for you."
In a heartbeat Lovina grabbed the lantern, ready to use it as a weapon. "No way, bastardo!"
Antonio chuckled, removing his hat and tossing it onto a chest. "No, señorita, nothing disreputable. You're a lady, are you not? I thought you might appreciate this. It's amazing all the little nick-knacks that appear when my men just grab any pretty box that catches their eye."
He removed something from his pocket, setting it on the bed before shrugging off the coat. Tossing it onto the chest after the hat, he plopped down to wrestle off his boots. "Come now, I remember all the squawking and fussing about what the wind does to long hair."
Lovina eyed the hairbrush, half interested half weary. It looked similar to the ones she'd had back in her room, stiff horsehair bristles with an elegant silver handle. She'd been trying to keep the worst of the knots out, finger combing her hair whenever she got bored, but it was hardly the same.
As she slowly lowered the lantern back down onto the table she asked, "Why did you bring me that?"
Antonio shrugged, tossing his boots next to the chest and getting to his feet. "It's my understanding that when attempting to court a lady, presents are often in order. Considering how much I see you fussing with your hair, señorita, I thought this might be useful."
Lovina hesitated, and took a careful step closer. Antonio perched on the side of the bed and patted the blankets next to him, eyes twinkling.
"I don't bite, Lovi. Well, not if you don't want me to."
When she quickly retraced her step, he sighed. "I want to play a game, Lovi. I answer a question, and then you do the same for me. The game ends when we don't answer a question."
"Why the hell would I want to play a game like that?"
"You're curious, Lovi. I've seen you sneaking around the take. You're lucky none of the crew has noticed yet."
Lovina bristled, but her eyes fell again to the brush. Okay, so she was curious. It occurred to her that this might be what that old saying referred to, curiosity killing the cat. And her hair was a rats nest now no matter what she did.
Slowly, reluctantly, she came around to the other side of the bed, climbing onto it. She sat cross-legged at the beds foot, leaning across to snatch up the brush. As she started untying the cloth that still held her hair down, she asked, "If your father was a merchant, why are you a pirate?"
Antonio chuckled. "It's not that simple, Lovi."
"That's my question, bastardo," she said, starting on her hair. She started working her way up from the ends, grimacing as the brush almost got stuck on the first pass through just a few inches of hair.
"If I answer this question, you have to tell me about your father, Lovi."
Lovina kept a straight face, glad brushing her hair gave her something to focus on. "Fine."
"My father captained a ship that helped to transport gold for Spain. He would be gone for much of the year, sailing between Spain and the new world. He was an honest man with an honest trade. Unfortunately he was too good at it. The rumors are right you know, England's queen knows full well what the pirates are doing. They're taking her coin to do it. It was the men hired by that puta who killed my father. They attacked his ships during the night, killed every crewman, including him."
Antonio paused for a moment, picking up her discarded head cloth as he took a deep breath. As he fingered the red silk he continued, "The captain who did it spared me, if you could call it that. Even when I lied, told him I was ten years old instead of seven. Said I was too young to kill but old enough to work. Hijo de puta kept me as a cabin boy for the next five years. I waited, I watched, and one night when we docked in Tortuga I left." Nodding to the sword belt on the chest he added, "Slit his throat with his own sword first, though. Don't stop, Lovi."
Lovina had stopped brushing at the last sentence, momentarily frozen. Was he the nice Antonio or the mean one? He sounded like the nice one, but she'd never heard him swear before. Swallowing tightly, she continued brushing.
"I barrowed some of the last take and bargained my way onto a ship leaving the same night. It's not as hard to find a ship as you might think. Before she was the Delfín Rojo, she was the Moon Darter, a British smuggling ship. Find a few mercenaries, take the ship, and then give the crew a choice. They can join, take their chances with the sea, or die. You'd be surprised how many took the first one. It's more than my father ever got."
Laying down the cloth and smoothing it out, he smiled at Lovina. "I know it's not as exciting as the rumors, but it's the truth. Now, tell me of your father."
Lovina focused very hard on brushing out each and every tangle. "He didn't leave me with any stories. I never knew him. He left before my mother could even tell him she was pregnant."
Antonio frowned, and for a moment she was afraid he might get angry. She was surprised when he said, "I'm sorry, Lovi."
She shrugged. "Feh, his loss. The bastardo left us, he was probably a bum anyway."
"What of your mother?"
Lovina eyed him. This was the most information she'd ever been able to get out of him, and she saw potential in playing his game. "If I tell you, will you return the favor?"
Antonio smiled. "Of course, Lovi."
"Our mother died when we were eight. She was pretty, nice, everybody liked her. Nonno says we both look like her. He brought us to Port Diego from Italy after that so he could raise us."
The pirate tilted his head slightly. "We? Ah, yes, you have a sister, sì?"
"Yes, Feliciana. We're twins. Does that count as an extra question?"
Antonio chuckled. "Very well, Lovi." Then he sobered, continuing, "I don't remember much of my mother. I was four when she died. I remember she was beautiful, and she could sing beautifully. Padre used to say the birds would go silent so they could listen."
Lovina wasn't sure what she could say to that. She remembered her mother, but they were mostly flashes, memories scattered here and there. While Feliciana had been easier to handle, her mother hadn't neglected Lovina for it. Rather, after multiple failures, she discovered her daughter had a knack for gardening. Add to that her love of this new food called tomatoes, and you had a happy Lovina. Some of the best memories of her mother were when they were working the garden together.
"What is your second question, Lovi?"
"Oh, um...are you an only child?" Curse it, she should have thought this through! Now as her chance, what sort of question should she ask him?
"Sì." He hummed thoughtfully, and then asked, "Tell me, Lovi, did I steal you away from a suitor?"
"What? No," snapped Lovina. Just because Nonno had a list he was working through and suitors came by almost daily didn't mean she was actually courting any of them. Most turned right back around and left within the same day. Her current record was twenty minutes.
"Good. Not that it would matter, but it helps to know who wants my head."
"Besides the entire British Navy and Spanish Armada?" she asked, turning to look at him.
Antonio chuckled. "The British Navy, yes. I make a point to sink as many of their ships as I can, and I'm afraid they don't like it. But I have agreement with Spain, of sorts. I stay away from their ships, and they turn a blind eye."
"Who else have you pissed off?"
"I take it you mean the ones that are still alive?"
Trying not to shudder as she turned away again, Lovina answered, "Sì."
"I believe the only one who still lives is Arthur Kirkland. I'm the reason he's a pirate actually. I sunk one too many ships that were under his command, and the Navy didn't do anything about it. He went rouge so he could get my head, but it's been a few years. I think he likes being a pirate."
He actually sounded as though he was enjoying this. Lovina ran her fingers through her hair, making sure she'd finally gotten all the tangles out. How was it the only enemy he had was a British pirate?
"Do you get along with your sister?"
"Sì, why?"
"Curiosity, Lovi. Your turn."
Lovina started to reach for the head cloth, but Antonio snatched it out of reach. "Put it on in the morning, Lovi. Leave it down tonight."
She was about to argue, but thought better of it. Instead she snapped, "Why didn't you want me looking at that damn book?"
Antonio folded up the cloth and climbed off the bed. He tossed it onto the desk, and then went around extinguishing the lanterns Lovina had lit. "The game is over, Lovi."
"That's not fair! I answered all of your damn questions."
"I know. We will play again tomorrow night. Your hair looks pretty, Lovi."
He snuffed the last light, Lovina fuming silently.
BREAK/BREAK\BREAK
The next day, Lovina woke yet again to an empty bed and a tray of food on the desk. This morning, though, she ignored it. Rather she slipped from the bed, tugged on her boots, and as she tied the cloth back over her hair she made her way to the bookcase. Giving the door a quick glance, she tugged the navigation text down and plunked it down on the desk.
Flipping it open, she found records of tides and currents in addition to maps. That was all it was, charted maps of so many places she couldn't name more than a few. It was all in Spanish, of course, but she could read bits and pieces of it.
Lovina had flipped through about a third of it and was about to shove it back into the bookcase when she came to a lump. Frowning, she flipped the next dozen or so pages and found a folded piece of paper tucked firmly against the books spine. Curious, she pulled it out of the book and carefully unfolded it.
The paper was hardly new, but it was parchment, animal skin, and very durable. When laid out it was two feet by two feet, and depicted most of the known world. She recognized that much easily enough, but what she didn't understand was the writing that crowded the boarders, scribbled in places all over the map along with additional markings.
Lovina was just starting to frown at it, trying to read the scribbled writing, when a cold voice spoke. "I told you not to touch it."
Her head snapped up in time to see Antonio shove the bar into place, and then stride briskly towards her. Lovina scrambled back from the table, trying to keep some distance between herself and Antonio. "I'm sorry!" she blurted. "I just wanted to know what it was."
Antonio didn't stop, his face hard. "That was a mistake, Lovi."
"It's just a map!"
"I told you to leave that book alone, Lovi. Why did you-
"If you would just tell me what-
"Silencio!"
Lovina clamped her mouth shut.
Antonio paused a few strides away, but only when her back hit the window. "I've killed men for less, Lovina. You know that."
Not entirely sure if the previous order still stood, Lovina kept her mouth shut. Besides, knowing her tongue she'd say something to make the situation ten times worse. Would he really kill her?
The pirate started walking forward again, and Lovina went ridged. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for a blade or a pistol shot. Her eyes flew wide open a minute later as Antonio did something far different.
Lovina squeaked as she was yanked into his arms, held tight to his chest. "Niña tonta, have you learned nothing?" he murmured. "You are precious to me, Lovi. I couldn't kill you even if I wished to. But you really shouldn't go poking around where I tell you not to. Forget the map, and listen next time, sì? Don't forget, I remember where to find your hermana."
He released her, moving away, but Lovina was still frozen. She watched as he folded up the map, replaced it in the book and stowed it back in the book case. As happy as she was he hadn't killed her, she wasn't about to forget he'd threatened Feliciana.
Padre- father
Puta- bitch
Hijo de puta - son of a bitch
Silencio- silence
Niña tonta- silly girl
Hermana- sister
[]
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