Sorry, sorry, sorry, for the obnoxious amount of time it's taken me to update! Writer's block is the absolute worst! It took me forever to finally churn out some of the scenes in this chapter, and I'm sitll not happy with the ending ones.
Reviews?
And thanks for reading! :)
"Oh, it's alright Captain, no one here will bother you." Imogene assures Emily. "Half the ships docked here just now are my father's anyway, my mother will have told them to be looking out for us."
It's really Jo and the rest that are worried. Emily's spent the day just as Alex thinks she always is, half in the bottle, and is too tired of it all now to be that uptight besides. She just wants to be done with him. "Oh, we'd be a'right anyway."
"I know I should hurry us back home, mother's waiting, but..." Imogene takes one of the captain's hands in her own. "Would you think of staying here for a time?"
"Imogene..." Alex scolds, sounding uncomfortable now.
"No, no," she glances at him, "I mean it. You could come and stay with us at the mansion even! And Miss Gibbs as well! It's just...oh, well I suppose the idea is ridiculous to you, but I would like for you to be here for the wedding."
"Imogene." Alex says again, more firm. "I really must - that is to say, they've a long journey back 'ome, I'm sure they just want to get to it."
Imogene sends a glare in his direction, and it's quick to shut him up. She then turns her gaze back on Emily. "Well, Captain?"
"I'm - afraid Alex has the right of it. I'm sorry, Miss Imo, m'jus' not sure our stayin' is the best idea."
"Oh, that's alright." She sighs. "I suppose I knew that would be your answer but I figured I wouldn't know unless I asked." She comes forward and reaches out and before Emily can react a pair of long, slender arms are draped around her shoulders. "Thank you, then. For everything."
It takes Emily a moment, but she returns the embrace. "D'you know what, Miss Imo?" She smiles as she pulls back to look at the other woman. "I think I shall rather miss you."
Imogene fairly beams in response. "I'll send you off a letter and tell you all about the wedding, then! And I'm thinking perhaps a more pleasant visit down your way for our honeymoon, perhaps we can see you then!"
"I shoul' like to hear from you, if nothin' else." Emily tells her.
Imogene takes that and waves goodbye to everyone else gathered on deck of the Queen before bouncing down to glide across the docks and to the waiting carriage.
Alex himself hesitates. "Emily..."
"Your poor mother-in-law's done enough waitin', you shouldn' keep her. Sounds like I'll be seein' you again, anyway."
"Yes." He chuckles softly. "Imogene seems to have developed quite 'er own mind on things. She might not 'ave it any other way."
"I'd noticed, which is why I wish you luck." Emily replies, trying for playful.
He rolls his eyes, hesitates a moment more, then sighs. "Goodbye then, Emily." He turns to go...
Impulse has Emily reaching out to snatch up his arm, pulling him back the few steps closer to her. "Wait."
He faces her again, brows furrowed. "What is it?"
"Last night. If we'd...if I had let you take me to bed. Was I right?" And she should know better than to ask, but she just can't help herself. "Would you've gone with her anyway?"
He looks apologetic, but he knows the answer. She can see the truth of it in his eyes. "Yes. Emily, I'm so sorry, but it wouldn't 'ave mattered. From the moment I met 'er, she was always going to be the one I'd choose."
Emily lets go his arm, nodding. "Aye. That's about what I figured." She sends him a darker look. "Be good to her, Alex. I'll come kick your arse myself if I find you broke her. And don't forget our deal. You still owe me quite a bit more than what's sitting down in my hold now."
"Pirate." He shakes his head, and leans in to plant a kiss on her forehead. "I'll make sure we do get a letter off to you this time." And with this, he finally leaves her.
"So I suspect mother will insist I be hidden away for the coming days. Too much sun taken and such an ordeal to have gone through... A bit of a rest does sound lovely but I'll be quite bored of it after just a day or two, I expect, so there's no reason I can't see about getting the wedding planned again. After all..."
"Imogene." Alex cuts her off softly, brows furrowing.
"Yes, dear." She meets his eyes, her sky blue orbs wide and innocent as ever.
His mouth works, but he can't seem to figure out how to articulate his thoughts. "It...it happened." Is what he comes out with. "It all...it did happen. How do you...can we really just..."
She silences him by reaching out to scoop up his hand, holding it delicately in her own. "No. I don't think we can 'just' anything. But what you told me earlier, about how you're still learning... I'm learning, too. But I love you, so we will learn together, and I know we will be happy." She squeezes his hand, and runs her thumb over top of it, a hint of something else behind those eyes now. "And I am certain of this one thing now, even more than I was before - I am quite ready to be married."
He reaches out to brush his fingers against her cheek, feather light. The smirk that pulls at his lips hints at the same thing he's seeing reflected in her eyes. "A very good thing, as I believe I am quite ready as well."
She graces him with a smile, and he thinks she's right. They will learn each other with patience, and be happy. And for Imogene Ellsworth, he'll be as patient as a man ever was.
They are hastier in preparing this time. Letters are sent out that any family members that wish to see the couple wed should make all haste back to Virginia, and answered promptly. Some cannot come again. Laurel and Imogene's other cousins had never left. Thankfully, the Admiral respectfully declined the obligatory invitation sent to him the first time, and Laurel tells them not to bother sending him another.
They aren't back more than a few weeks when Alex begins to get the idea that Missus Ellsworth has something up her sleeve regarding him. He doesn't know what yet. But she begins to speak to him about his time out on a ship, and how old was he when he first stowed away? When he first began really learning to sail? How well does he do with maps? Would he still take the chance at being a sailor if offered the opportunity to do it under the guise of honest business? (He would. Only if he had times in between for his Imogene, but he very much so would.)
This, on top of the fact Mister James has been pulling him into helping with the books and ledgers for the general store... Oh, yes. He doesn't know what's to happen, but he knows they've got something planned.
"Do you know?" He comes out with one afternoon, as they are taking a stroll through the grounds of the Ellsworth's estate.
"Mmm? Know what, darling?" Imogene chimes, looking up at him.
"What your mother's planning."
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."
Silence as he thinks on this. "Then she is going to great lengths to keep it secret, but I tell you, she's on about something."
"Involving you, you think?" He nods. She shrugs. "Well, I can only assume that it will be somethinig to help us secure a future."
"Oh, yes, yes, I know she worries of how I'll care for you."
"Oh, but it's not only me anymore, she wants the very best for both of us." Imogene stops to face him beneath the shade of a large old tree. "You are to be her son and I believe she loves you as if you were."
He nods, taking a moment to soak this in. "She keeps asking about my knowledge of maps and sailing. You don't suppose...she's planning to give me one of your father's ships?"
Imogene appears thoughtful. "Oh. Now, there's an idea. You'd make a wonderful captain! Oh, I do hope that is it. I know how you love to be out at sea."
"But my love, you realize that would take me away from you?" He moves in close, cupping her cheek.
She leans her head into his hand a bit. "I know that, but you'd have times where you'd be home with me as well and...well, I suppose, I could come with you. Given time I'm sure I'd learn to enjoy a little adventure, just every now and then."
"Oh, dear." He gives her that grin, the perfectly devilish one she'd told him did 'things' to her. "We've a week until the wedding but if you start talking like that I'll 'ave to steal you away before we get there..." He backs her up a bit into the tree as he places a hand on her waist and devours her lips with his own, leaving little room for one to wonder just what he'd want to 'steal her' for.
She squeals and gives his arm a playful slap. "You rogue! If Auntie were to see us..." Her aunt being the one given the task of chaperoning them. She had, of late, been know to allow them to 'sneak' off like this on occasion, allowing them just a few moments of true privacy before coming to find them.
Alex grins and kisses her again, deeper. Letting a little of the pirate surface, just for her. She melts as she always does when he steals a moment like this, a little moan escaping her throat.
"Imogene!" And sure enough, there's her aunt, calling from close enough she probably saw them, but sounding as if she probably hadn't.
Alex pulls away, clearing his throat, holding out an arm for Imogene to take with a smirk tugging at his lips. "Right, then. Shall we."
She all but glares at him, breathless, as she tries to compose herself. Brushing out her dress, she 'humphs' as she slips past him, ignoring his arm.
(Except that's all for her aunt's sake. Imogene's actually smirking too. Gods, he loves this woman.)
...
"Do forgive me for stealing you away from your own wedding celebrations," Missus Ellsworth bustles across the room to her husbands desk, glancing over some papers laid out atop it, "but I wanted to get this done before you leave for the honeymoon as I do expect it shall be a good while before I see the two of you again."
Hands clasped neat behind his back, Alex makes a tentative trek across the room to glance at the papers Missus Ellsworth is fretting over. "Missus Ellsworth..."
She holds up a hand. "Please, allow me to explain. I'll try to be timely. I am sure, by now, that you had guessed I had plans for you." He nods once, and she continues. "At first I had thought to simply give you one of my husbands ships, or maybe to put a few under your care. But then, with that awful misadventure you and my Imogene had, all you went through for her...I thought I was being quite silly. You are family. And you have proven very well that you could run a ship yourself, and take care of the business side of things." She gestures for him to come and stand beside her now, and he does. She nods at the papers on the desk. "You don't have to sign them now. If you wish to read through them first, this can wait. I am simply being old and impatient."
"Missus Ellsworth, I don't understand - er, rather, I'm afraid that I do. What is this?" His stomach is doing summersaults inside his belly. His palms have grown slick with sweat. Is she really...?
"Oh, I think you understand very well. Alex, my boy, I am giving it to you. All of it. Everything my husband built, it is all yours if you wish it."
"Oh." Is all he can manage to get out. "H-how?"
"It took some doing for it all to be legalized but my husband left it all to me, to do with as I saw fit. But I am growing tired of the fight to maintain control as only a woman, and I've never had the head for business that Imogene's father did. So I've spoken with the captain's of his ships and his business partner - you've met him, Master Barley - and they all..." She faulters. "Well, the point is, I've worked it all out. You needn't worry about any of it until you return, and as I said if you wish to read through the papers you may..."
"Did you 'ave a 'and in drawing them up?" He interrupts, though gently.
"Oh. Yes, my brother and I."
He takes up the quill set out, dips it in ink, and signs the papers with no hesitation. He trusts Missus Ellsworth, and Mister James.
Fairly beaming with pride, Missus Ellsworth straightens up and gives a decisive nod. "Well. Congratulations, Master Sparrow. You've just worked your way from pirate to honest, respectable business man." She gives him a shallow curtsy.
"Thank you kindly, Missus Ellsworth. I 'ope to make you proud." He bows in return. "Now, if you'll excuse me - Imogene is going to be beside herself."
She follows close behind him as he strides out the door. "Oh, now this I must see."
"Emmy?" The pleasant exclaimation comes from Joshy, of course, his eyes lighting up in suprise as he sets them on her. "Am - am I dreaming?"
She can't believe how long he's grown. He's all legs. Then again, maybe it shouldn't surprise her. He's always been tall for his age. It's his voice that proves more a shock; it's lowered considerably. She's found him alone in their father's study, draped crooked over a cushioned arm chair as he reads a book. "No, no, you're quite awake, now come give us a hug!" He doesn't hesitate in shooting to his feet to throw his arms about her. She plants a kiss on his forehead.
He squeezes her tight enough to elicit a groan, and then pulls back to give her shoulder a playful punch. "What's the idea, eh, disappearing on us for so long?"
Emily laughs instead of answering. "Gods above, you'd best watch it with all that new muscle. And just listen to you! I'd never recognize you just to hear you speak!"
He rolls his eyes, grinning. "Oh sure, go on then, avoid the question...I'm fourteen I'll have you know, you didn' t expect me to just keep sounding more like a sister than a brother, did you?"
She sticks her tongue out at him and reaches out to snatch up the book he'd been reading. "William Shakespeare." She reads aloud. "A Midsummer Night's Dream. Excellent choice. You start quoting Shakespeare... now that, is the way to get a girl dreamin' of you." She winks down at him.
His cheeks turn a particular shade of red, even as he tries to play it off. "Oh, well, I wouldn't - I wouldn't know anything about that. I just happen to like Shakespeare."
Amusement making her eyes dance and her lips pulling up into a smile she tries to surpress, she places a hand on her hip. "Really, now? And yet I had a hard enough time sittin' you down long 'nough to teach you to read at all."
He runs a hand through his hair and trails it down to rub the back of his neck. The gesture reminds Emily of their papa, and her amusement grows as Joshy continues stuttering, his voice cracking. "We-well, uhuh, were you looking for Papa? He's supposed to be meeting with the men who bring supplies in to Shipwreck, sometime this afternoon. There's a good chance they'll end up at Ana's for drinks eventually..though, I'd watch out, going to see her." He says, a little more serious. "Not everyone's as forgiving as I am, you know."
"Duly noted." Emily sighs. "A'right, then. I'll leave you to your book." She glances back at him as she reaches the doorway. "But I do hope I'll be meeting the lass of yours eventually."
He only blushes deeper. She smirks and leaves him to sit on the thought.
...
Just walking into Ana's tavern is enough to make Emily relax. The atmosphere is so familiar by now - boisterous, but not as hostile as on Tortuga. Ana has a tendency to kick out any patrons who get too rowdy. Emily's visits to what had become 'home' had been few and far between and never lasted long, but it was always a safe bet this was where you'd find her past a certain time of night.
She pauses a moment just to soak it in. It's been too long.
She had needed to see her papa, but she's feeling in a good enough mood now that she doesn't want to bother with him tonight. She strolls across to the bar instead, leaning over it and waiting patiently for the older woman behind it to notice her.
"What'll it be? Got rum and ale and some fine whiskey, too, though that'll cost you a few coins extra."
"Whiskey, eh? I'm not much in a curious mood tonight. Think I'll stick to rum."
It takes a moment, but the woman behind the bar pauses, scooping a stray strand of dark hair salted with grey out of her face as she eyes Emily up. "Well. S'bout time you showed back up, Emily Turner."
Emily winces at the use of her Christian name. Only her parents really use it nowadays; when anyone else does, it generally means she's in trouble. "Missed you too, Ana."
"Apparently not that much, you didn't, else we'd have heard from you long before now."
"Aw, come on. Joshy didn't yell at me, you know. He was just happy I'm here now!"
Ana rolls her eyes, but there's a smile tugging at her lips. She reaches across the bar and pulls Emily into a tight embrace. "Jack told me about the reason you left so suddenly last time. Pirate Lord." She pulls back, cupping Emily's cheek affectionately. "I can't decide whether you are you just that brave, or just that stupid, or..."
"Or just that perfectly mad?" Emily offers. "Cause, I'd go so far as to say it's probably some combination of the three."
Ana delivers a slap to the side of her head. "You'd better hope the Court doesn't get summoned again in your lifetime for any reason." She pulls out a mug and turns to one of the barrels behind the bar. "You'll have a damned hard time of it."
"Mother became king. I'll be just fine."
"Stupid, brave, and perfectly daft. Aye, that sounds about right." There's a smile tugging at Ana's lips again. She's teasing. She sets the mug down before Emily, who holds it up to her before going to take a swig.
"She always did have the tendency towards brave and stupid." Emily freezes, the mug halfway to her lips, eyes going wide. It's her papa that's just come up next to her, accompanied by the thick smoke and distinct scent of a lit cigar. "Got that from me, if I'm honest. Can only guess where that spark of crazy came from."
"It's on the very long list of things I did not get from you." She replies back, a little snippy, before bringing her mug the rest of the way to her lips.
"She got that spark from her uncle, and it's served them both well on not a few occasions." Ana puts in, placating.
Emily glances at her Papa. "I've only just arrived. How'd you know I was here?"
"I'm the first to hear about it when any ship makes port in Shipwreck, you know that very well." He replies, smooth.
"I also know you've yet to give up on that obnoxious habit of keeping tabs on me."
"You don't come to visit, you don't write, you go for months without even stepping foot in any Caribbean port. How else am I supposed to find out anything about you?"
"You don't find out. That would be the point, old man."
A pause. Ana sets a mug down in front of Emily's papa and takes the chance to shoot Emily a silent scolding with her eyes. Behave. Emily scowls back, only just resisting the childish urge to stick out her tongue. Make me.
"Your brother misses you." Her papa goes on.
"If all you came here to do was leave me feeling guilty..."
"I shouldn't have to. You left with no warning. Poor lad spent months waiting around, hoping you'd at least send a letter."
Emily turns to glare at her papa now, knuckles white as she clutches her mug. "And I suppose he has no idea of the part you played in all that."
"He knows full well." Her papa replies, gruff. "He admitted to agreeing with me."
From a short ways down the bar, Ana glances up from the customer she's tending too, tensing as she listens in on the conversation. She meets Emily's eyes. You don't pull a disappearing act like you did and expect to come back and get away with starting a fight in my tavern, do you?
She knows the old woman that well.
Emily takes a last healthy pull of her rum and gets to her feet, sashaying out of the tavern, leaving it's other patrons with not even half a hint that something's wrong. Her papa's heavier footsteps follow hot on her heels.
"And you wonder why it is Joshua agrees with me? You never stop running."
It's getting later. She keeps walking, knowing her papa will follow. Thankfully, Ana's tavern is stratigically situated not far from the docks. Emily strolls along until she hits the deserted pier where her Queen is resting. "There's a difference between running, and simply knowing when and where to choose your battles." She rounds on her papa. "You get upset whenever I don't do things the way you'd have me do them. You wanted a quiet, dutiful daughter who'd become someones quiet, dutiful wife and you got," she holds out her arms, gesturing to herself, "except I can't seem to make you proud even since you decided to just let me be myself. I'm always doing somethin' wrong, s'a battle I'll never win. That's why I don't come 'round anymore."
Her papa takes a deep drag of his cigar and lets it out slow. "You never told me." He points at her with the cigar. "I assumed, because you were so quick to start a fight, but you never said yourself. So tell me now, Pirate Lord. Is there any truth to the rumor of why Jack gave it to you?"
The rumor being, as commonly as Emily herself has heard, that she'd gotten in a spot of real trouble (again...) and only came out free and clear by quite ruthlessly selling out a friend. Most are applauding her for it. Her papa and brother seem to be quite disgusted with how far she's sunk. Rather hypocritical, she thinks, in her father's case. Anyway, it's just a rumor.. The truth, as is so very often the case, is far more complicated. Although, in fairness, the end result was that yes, she had sort of...
She could, of course, explain it to her papa. But the chances he'll understand are slim to none. So, in the end, after a long bout of silence, she just shrugs. "Sounds to me like you've alreay got it in your head they are."
He studies her a moment. "Why have you come back?"
Now, there's the question. The truth of that is, well, Alex mostly. All that had happened, the way in which she'd been forced to save him, it's had her feeling sullied and unusual. Her magic is starting to spike again with little swings in her mood, and she wanted the comfort of seeing Ana and her uncle and her brother. "We ran into some trouble on our latest adventure," is what she answers with, "of the sort I thought you'd want to hear about."
Her papa nods once. "My study might be a more appropriate setting."
"I'll go get Uncle Jack and meet..." She trails off as the wind picks up, a gust whipping at them so hard and sudden that Emily finds herself stumbling back a few steps. It carries on it the whispers of her goddess, and Emily sprints up the gangplank in a few long strides, crossing the deck to look out on the ocean behind them. The sillouhette is barely distinguishable in the darkness. But the whispers on the wind are urgent, insistant.
A sharp 'meow' reaches her ears. Emily's brows furrow as she looks down to find her mangy little cat weaving it's way around her legs, stopping to paw at her boot as it looks up at her.
"Emily?" Her father calls up to her.
Emily jogs back down to meet him, deadly serious. "Sound the alarm. Now."
...
"I don't understand. How do you know it's a threat coming our way?" Her papa asks as he follows her.
"It's more than a threat, it's a Navy ship decked out for battle, and I just know."
"Even if they're stupid enough to come 'ere like this, what makes ye think we need to be worryin'?" Her Uncle puts in, also hot on her heels. "Will sends a couple of 'is ships out to meet 'em and boom, problem solved, aye?"
"That's just it. Coming here's a suicide mission and they'd know that. So tell me, gents, what's the point?"
Neither of them answers, so she's got them thinking now. Satisfied by this, she darts off into a tavern. "Jo!"
...
...it isn't over long before the Sea's Queen becomes a flurry of activity. Once the alarm is raised her boys know just where to head first, and before she knows it they're casting off. Emily is jittery, full of a nervous energy. Any ship brazen enough to head straight for Shipwreck like this is bound to be ready to put up something of a fight. Just because they won't accomplish whatever mission they plan to doesn't mean stopping them will be easy.
She can feel her magic pooling within her, like a bomb weighing heavy in her core, just waiting for someone to light the fuse. She's gotten too flippant with it's use of late and she knows it and worries the excitement that a battle brings will see her...
She uses just a small fraction of what's swirling in the air around her to coat the ship and send it to levitating, make it lighter so it glides across open water faster.
"Can't see well, but she doesn't look to be too large." Jo points out, but she sounds wary as she glances at Emily.
Emily shakes her head. "Something's wrong here." But there's not much can be done about that of which she has no details. The Queen keeps moving.
The King Elizabeth. Will's large and eccentrically named vessel is already swarming with activity by the time he steps foot on it. He barks out sharp orders that are carried out smooth and efficient, and pauses a moment to watch his daughter's ship move swiftly towards the arch that is the entrance to the Cove. There's only one enemy to contend with, as far as he knows, and something about this is bothering him. Just one ship? Against the several that could be docked at a thriving port, a thriving port that could just as well defend itself without said ships?
Emily was right. That would be a suicide mission. And it would make no sense. "Joshua." He calls his son as the boy finally makes his way onto the ship.
"Aye, sir."
"I want you to find a good spot and hide, like we've talked about."
"Oh - but Papa, I've got better with a sword since then and..."
"Joshua!"
"A-aye sir!" Joshy fires off at the commanding tone Will took. The boy runs off to do as instructed. Will hates to disappoint him so, but thinks it for the best.
Something about all this is wrong, and Will doesn't want Joshy in the middle of it.
The Sea's Queen sails straight through the arch and is almost immediately met with cannon fire. The shot misses, but not by much. The ship rocks a bit.
"Right then." Emily grumbles, glancing at Jo. "No hope we'll be talkin' this out, I s'ppose." Her next words are a shout. "Fire!"
Jo echoes the command. The air around them begins to ring with the familiar sounds of a battle. The ship rocks violently beneath Emily's feet, and she staggers down to the nearest cannon as one of the sailors manning it is thrown back across the deck. She wonders where her Uncle is - the Pearl hadn't been so far behind the Queen. Not that help is so desperately needed, it just would be nice.
A bullet whizzes, and she freezes as she feels her hat fly back off her head. Eyes wide, she feels up to make sure her head is still intact, then spins around to snatch her hat up off the deck...noting that her shaky hands are now glowing with a deep blue aura. "No, no, no, don't...!" She turns back to the cannon, snatches the cannon ball out of another crewmans hand, and coats it with spikes of the magic building within her before shoving it in the cannon. It does it's job well, tearing through the other ships mast and sending it toppling.
The Navy men seem to double their onslaught of cannon fire in response. Thankfully, the Queen's crew has managed to get hooks on the other ship, tying it down to the Queen herself - the air rings with the sounds of swordplay. Also, the Black Pearl has finally made it's entrance, and between the two ships...
Emily never even has to cross over to the Navy ship herself. In fact, before she knows it, she's calling for her own men to retreat and cutting the enemy ship loose. The Navy boys simply refuse to surrender, won't give up to spite the fact they're out numbered and gunned.
Emily breathes a heavy sigh of relief when, all at once, any activity on the deck of the Navy ship ceases. Sure, it's strange. But Emily has no real wish to obliterate them; really, she just wants to know what on Earth they were thinking to accomplish. She shouts for the Queen to cease fire as well.
Her hands had stopped glowing after she coated a few more cannon balls. She'd managed to keep it all in check, if only just.
...
On the King Elizabeth, Will's men share worried glances as they hear the battle come to an abrupt halt. They're an older bunch, too seasoned to be tricked into thinking this will be the end of it. As will be the men on the Black Pearl with Jack, Will knows and is thankful for it.
His first mate clears his throat. "Orders, Captain?"
Will thinks a moment longer before responding. "Cast off. Have the rifles and cannons at the ready."
"Already done, Captain."
"Good. Full canvas, then, get us out there."
...
Back on the Queen, Emily's not left with time enough to think through what her papa and uncle are. She's got a whole other problem on her hands.
She stands near the mast, caught somewhere between curiousity and anger as a stowaway is dragged up on deck. The woman is fighting her captors all the way, spitting in a language that Emily thinks might be Spanish as she is thrown at Emily's feet.
"...Voy a hacer lo desea nunca nació, le cerdos sin espinas!"
"Can you speak English? You're not helpin' your case here, mate." Emily replies, planting a hand on her hip. She understands some Spanish, as a few members of her crew speak it, but the woman is talking far too fast for her to pick anything out.
"Me Esperas que crea que está a cargo aquí? Lléveme a su capitán, que putita!"
Emily just blinks at her. Footsteps sound, stomping down from the helm, and Jo comes up next to Emily. "Tienes suerte de que no se puede entender." She crosses her arms as she sizes the woman up. "Deja de gritar como una arpía borracha y sólo nos dicen lo que usted cree que está haciendo."
Emily sends Jo a look, brows furrowed, and then turns back to their new friend with a shrug. "What she said, I suppose."
The woman glares up at her, glances at Jo, and huffs, continuing on in Spanish. "I was being held on the Navy ship you just sunk. I escaped in the heat of the battle and hid where I did so they wouldn't find me."
Jo responds in kind. "Hm. I don't suppose you're all that eager to explain why it is they had you to start with?"
"It is a long story and hardly worth bothering you over." A pause, and her tone turns a touch more respectful. "We are just outside a very large city. I assume you intended to return there, I'll be out of your hair as soon as we reach it."
Emily's getting impatient. "So you either don't speak English or are tryin' very hard to test my patience. I hope for your sake it isn't the latter." A thoughtful pause, and she goes on. "Can we have a name?"
"Angelica Teach." Comes the quick response. The woman - Angelica, apparently - realizes her mistake at once; her eyes go wide and she brings a hand to her mouth.
Emily smirks. "Ah. So you understand me, at the least. S'a beautiful name, by the way."
Angelica blinks up at her, looking thoughtful now. "You're a clever little flirt. You almost remind me of..."
"Jo?" Emily glances at the older woman for a translation.
"Nevermind." Angelica cuts in quickly.
Jo just shrugs.
"Captain!" The frantic shout comes from up in the crow's nest.
Emily turns to look out on the open ocean out beyond the entrance to the Cove. Jo curses, and then begins shouting for the men to start bringing up more shot for the cannons. Riley checks the pouches at his belt that had been holding powder and shots for the rifle in his hands, and then darts off, presumably to hunt down more.
"Tell you what, Angelica." Emily addresses the older woman. "Find a way to make yourself useful and we'll let you off back at Shipwreck there."
"Sí, Capitán."
...
This time, it's absolute chaos. Emily has little honest clue as to what is happening. Her father's ship had joined the frey at some point, but this second Navy ship is holding it's own all the same. And it's not even very big. It's very heavily armed, though, stocked with so many cannons that it's resting low and heavy in the water. And to top that off, it's within perfect distance and frame to blast any number of hols in the Sea's Queen and the King Elizabeth.
But it isn't doing so. Which is why Emily has no real idea what's happening here. Cannons are flying, but missing her ship entirely, sailing over it instead. Her men are dodging mostly, but only by the grace of her goddess, and she doesn't know what to do. Her hands are coated in blue again, in the heat of the battle she can't help it.
A cannon blasts through the railing not far from her, sending a cannon scraping across the deck and knocking several of her men out of commission. A breif moment passes and then several Navy men seize the opportunity, flying over to land on the Queen's deck. They're greeted by a lot of, by now, very pissed off pirates. Emily sees Angelica scoop up the sword of one of the Queen's fallen crewmen; she fights like a hurricane and takes down three of the Navy men like it's childsplay.
Interesting.
All of this took place within but a moment, though time seems to be moving at a snails pace, and Emily soon has her own sword out as more Navy men swarm the Queen.
...
Half the Navy ships crew are now lying quite dead or very close to it on the deck of the Queen. Or, it seems like half of them, anyway. It can't actually be that many, because there are still as many men firing at them from the Navy ship itself. Emily's men are beginning to tire, so she knows the Pearl's crew can't be faring much better, and there's only so much help her father can offer from his position...
Somewhere behind her a yelp reaches her ears; the voice is familiar. She spins around to see Riley, stumbling back into the mast, clutching at his shoulder. Jo darts across the deck, trying to come to his aid, but is thrown off her feet as another cannon ball hits home.
Emily's fists, clench, the blue coating them turning an onimously darker shade. This is ridiculous. The other ship, having still been lodged in between the Queen and the Pearl, is literally sinking now. So why isn't this other Navy ship giving up yet?
For that matter, what had they hoped to accomplish by all this to start? They'll never win, and they'd have known that going in, so the only possible reason is that it's a test. They just wanted to get a taste of what they'd be up against, coming for Shipwreck. All of this, just for that. And it's enough to royally piss her off.
The aura coating her hands spreads to cover her arms, and then the rest of her, and before she knows it, it's exploding out to cover everything else as well. All three ships still battling it out, as well as the men occupying them.
Emily's boys (and, erm, the two girls), don't seem to feel anything from it, except maybe unsettled. They pause collectively, looking confused. It's the men on the remaining Navy ship...
Several of them stop dead in their tracks. They drop the cannon balls they'd been holding, as well as anything else related to their big guns, and just stand there a moment, expressions going blank. Emily smirks, as some dark part of her knows just what she's doing. So they wanted to know just what they'd be up against?
Well, how about they try each other?
She throws out her arms, sending out a further wave of magic, and the Navy men affected snarl as they turn on their comrades. Rather visciously, too. Their poor brothers-in-arms hardly seem to know what to do about it, either, and Emily watches with an almost sick fascination as they try to fight back without harming their bewitched friends in return.
"Peg!" Riley shouts. "Peg, stop, they'll tear each other apart!"
"That would be the idea, love." She replies, her smirk growing into a bit of a grin.
"S'not like they weren't askin' for it, but...but Captain, I'm not sure this is the way to..." She trails off, unsure.
Emily ignores her.
A warm breeze whips at them all, the air turning thick and stormy. The clouds above begin to thicken, far too quick to be natural, and a voice carries across the winds in an ominous double timbre. Let them GO this instant!
Her goddess' presence is so strong, so urgent and full of frantic anger, that its startling. Probably, this was the point. Emily blinks, and her hands start to shaking again. What...what is she doing? The aura surrounding her hands lightens in color again, and this spreads to the aura coating everything else as well, until the bewitched Navy men come to their senses, a bit at a time. It takes several moments, but they all drop their weapons. Their friends soon do the same, and all turn to the Sea's Queen, hands up in surrender.
Silence. A very tense silence.
And then the Sea's Queen erupts into raucous cheering. The Black Pearl and the Queen Elizabeth follow suite.
Riley collapses back against the helm and slides down to sit at it's base, breathing heavy, his hand coming back covered in blood.
Jo's eyeing Emily up, wary.
And Emily...
Emily stares down at her shaking hands, no longer glowing, and thinks she's going to be sick.
Spanish:
...Voy a hacer lo desea nunca nació, le cerdos sin espinas! - I'll make you wish you were never born, you spineless pigs!
Me Esperas que crea que está a cargo aquí? Lléveme a su capitán, que putita! - You expect me to believe you're in charge here? Take me to your captain, you little whore!
Tienes suerte de que no se puede entender. Deja de gritar como una arpía borracha y sólo nos dicen lo que usted cree que está haciendo. - You're lucky she can't understand you. Stop shrieking like a drunken harpy and just tell us what you think you're doing.