A thousand pardons for the delay...it's been a long week. I'm also sorry if there's more grammer/spelling mistakes than usual but if you want you can just think of it as bad pirate writing since most of them were not literate.
The first thing Chloe noticed the next morning was the searing pain in her shoulders. She groaned at the torture that her muscles were putting her through, she wasn't used to doing so much manual labor and her body was screaming in protest. The noise from the crew was seeping into the cabin and Chloe knew it was only a matter of time before that Amy woman came bursting through the door. But when she tried to sit up in the bed her body didn't want to follow orders.
Aubrey began to make noises next to her and soon enough the blonde was awake. Her friend looked around the cabin and saw that Chloe was just lying on the bed. "Come on Chloe, you've got to get up."
"I don't think I can Bree."
"If you don't they will make you." Aubrey groaned as she sat up in bed. She reached out a hand which Chloe managed to grasp. Together they managed to crawl out of bed and stand up on their own feet.
"What do you think they'll make us do today." Chloe asked, even though she could guess the answer.
Aubrey made a dismissive grunt, "Probably more of the same. The captain doesn't seem to know what to do with us so she's just using us for menial labor."
Chloe shrugged, it seemed like the most plausible scenario. The captain hadn't seemed too happy that Conrad had kidnapped them. And while there was the idea of holding them for ransom it was more likely to bring the full anger of the British navy down on this crew. To Chloe it seemed like Conrad was the impulsive one, willing to take risks like taking hostages without much thought. The captain, on the other hand, seemed more cautious, more subdued. She was clearly an educated woman, which was unusual for a pirate but the books under the bed would suggest she could at least read and in multiple languages no less. Plus there was the fact that not just anyone could captain a ship, that required something special.
Glancing around the room Chloe's eyes fell to the impressive sword display hanging on the wall. Another piece to the puzzle to the ever expanding puzzle that was the captain. Chloe had never seen the captain with any sort of weapon so why was there at least twenty different blades on display. She walked across the room and picked one of the swords from its place.
"Careful Chloe, you'll poke an eye out." Aubrey said as she moved to stand next to her friend. Chloe scoffed and rolled her eyes, she may not be used to handling weapons but she wasn't that inept.
Looking down at the blade in her hand she noticed that it was a bit different than the swords she had seen before. Where most people in today's world used long, thin rapiers, this sword was thick and heavy. It was also strangely made, the tip looked dull and almost blunt. As she looked down the blade she noticed some strange letters near the hilt. Chloe lifted the hilt up to eye level but it was clear that the characters were not in English.
She grumbled and held the sword out to Aubrey, "Can you read this?"
Aubrey took the blade and examined the hilt, "No. But it looks like some kind of ancient language, maybe some sort of nordic script." She swung the sword from side to side. "It's surprisingly well made, almost perfectly balanced."
Chloe hummed thoughtfully. "When did you learn swordplay?"
"When you and your family left, life got boring pretty fast." Aubrey swung the blade around a few more times before handing it back to Chloe. "So I begged my father to let me train with my brothers just to have something to do. It took a while but he finally caved and hired a fencing instructor for me. Pretty soon I was catching up to the boys and was beating them regularly in practice. Then my mother found out and put a stop to it." She put her hands on her hips and adopted a stern tone. "Ladies do not partake in such barbaric activities."
Chloe giggled and placed the sword back on the wall, "Sounds like my mother. She'd always get so upset whenever I ran off to explore the island."
Aubrey laughed, "Well to be fair I was being watched by an instructor while you were gallivanting around unsupervised on a tropical island. If my daughter did what you were doing I don't think my heart could take it."
Chloe's shoulders slumped at her friend's words. Maybe her mother really had been worried about her and not just concerned about the family's reputation. But then again her mother seemed to care more about the contents of her wine bottle than about Chloe when she was in the house.
Aubrey reached out and plucked another sword, a rapier, off the wall, startling Chloe out of her thoughts. "This one is more like I'm used to." She turned and thrust the sword into the empty room. "You know if my mother hadn't interrupted my training I would have beaten that Conrad woman."
"Of course," Chloe said. Although she doubted if that was true. No matter how much training Aubrey may have had, that pirate had real life experience. Conrad had probably been fighting for her life for years, something that Aubrey had no experience with. But she wasn't about to say any of that in front of Aubrey.
The girls were startled by the door lock rattling as a key was inserted and Aubrey quickly put the sword back where she found it. The door swung open to reveal Fat Amy standing in the doorway carrying another tray of food. The pirate glanced between the girls and the swords on the wall, raising a questioning eyebrow.
Chloe took the hint and grabbed Aubrey by the arm, dragging her away from the dangerous weapons. Amy watched them for a second longer before walking into the room. She placed the tray on the desk before turning to the captives.
"Right, eat your fill. Gonna be honest, thought you bitches wouldn't be able to eat that much yesterday." Amy turned to leave but stopped and snapped her fingers. "There's a jar of fruit on the tray, you're to eat all of those. Doctor's orders." And with that Amy was gone, out the door and locking it behind her.
Chloe looked at the food and saw that it was roughly the same as yesterday. Stiff biscuits and cold meat. The only difference was the small jar that presumably held the fruit that Amy was talking about. Chloe sat down and dug into her food while Aubrey eyed the jar suspiciously.
"What do you think is in there?" Aubrey sat down next to Chloe and started eating, never taking her eyes off the jar.
Chloe shrugged, "I don't know, open it and find out."
"What if it's some sort of poison?"
"Why would they poison us?" Chloe asked. "If they kill us now then they lose their bargaining tools."
"It could be some kind of drug to make us more complacent." Aubrey suggested.
Chloe thought about that but shook her head. "Do you really think that pirates have the know-how to make something like that?"
"They don't have to make it, they just have to find someone to steal it from." Aubrey said. "They're thieves, remember."
Chloe groaned, sometimes Aubrey's overly suspicious mind wore on Chloe's nerves. Her friend had always been like this and clearly the four years apart had changed nothing. So despite Aubrey's protests Chloe reached across the desk and grabbed the clay jar from the trey. It was surprisingly heavy for such a small jar and she could feel the contents shifting around inside.
Grabbing the cork at the spout of the bottle, Chloe tore it free and was hit by a surprisingly sweet smell. She looked inside the jar and saw a thick yellow substance sloshing around with chunks of something in the middle. She held the jar up to her nose for a deep breath and smiled when she recognized the scent.
"It's honey," she proclaimed and proceeded to pour some on her biscuit.
"Chloe!" Aubrey snatched the jar from Chloe's hand, setting it down out of the redhead's reach. "We don't know what's in there."
"Aubrey, don't you think if they were going to put something in our food they would have done it yesterday?" Chloe could have laughed at the stunned look on Aubrey's face.
"Then what's that?" Aubrey pointed at something on Chloe's plate. Chloe turned and took a closer look at what Aubrey was gesturing to. There was a decent sized chunk of something in the honey but she couldn't really tell what it was.
Figuring that there was only one way to find out, Chloe picked up the chunk and popped it in her mouth. The sweetness of the honey hit her tongue first but as she chewed the food a familiar tanginess made itself known. "Oh, it's fine, they're just oranges."
Chloe went back to her food while Aubrey continued to look suspicious. "What are oranges?"
"They're a type of fruit," Chloe plucked another slice from her plate. "I think they're originally from Africa but they grow all over the place in the Caribbean." She held the slice out to Aubrey who still looked a little hesitant. "It's fine Bree. Besides, oranges are really tasty and even better with honey."
Aubrey gingerly took the orange slice from Chloe, then she very daintily placed it in her mouth. She would later deny it but Aubrey let loose a moan at the sweet and tangy combination spreading across her tongue.
Chloe laughed as her friend tried to keep a straight face. For a second she could almost forget about the fact that they were prisoners aboard a pirate ship. They sat and ate their food in silence after that, each wondering what was in store for them today. Before too long they heard the lock in the door shift and in walked the Spanish woman.
"Hola," She stepped to the side and gestured with her arm to the outside. "If you're done eating then you need to come with me."
The girls glanced at each other nervously, neither stood and the woman grew impatient. "Come on, mas rapida, we don't have all day."
Chloe stood up first with a reluctant Aubrey right behind her. They were about to leave when the woman placed a hand on Aubrey's shoulder. Confused, the girls stopped but then the woman gestured to Aubrey's dress in a distasteful manner. "Créeme chica, for what I got planned for you you'll want to wear something better."
She stuck her head out the door and shouted, "Capitán, ¿está bien que la rubia use su ropa?"
It was difficult to make out but they could faintly hear a 'Yes' shouted above the noise of the crew. The pirate turned back around and pushed her way back into the cabin, "Vamos, we'd hate to get your pretty dress all dirty." Aubrey and Chloe exchanged another concerned look, whatever this woman had in store for them seemed less appealing by the second.
When the pirate handed Aubrey a set of clothes and Chloe could tell that her friend was about to put up a fight. So Chloe pulled her friend to the side, "Bree just wear their clothes, I promise you'll be more comfortable."
"This isn't about comfort Chloe," Aubrey gestured to her dress. "I am a lady, there are expectations. Besides, my father always says that comfort is for the French."
Chloe groaned, Admiral Posen had the weirdest sayings she had ever heard. "Aubrey, these pirates don't care about our station." She turned to the pirate and tried for a friendly smile. "Could you tell us what we're going to do? Maybe that will convince her."
The pirate smiled back, it was not nearly as friendly as Chloe's.
"You just had to ask didn't you?" Aubrey plunged her bucket into the murky water of the bilge.
Chloe only grunted in response, scooping her own bucket full of putrid water. When they had been told they would be flushing the ship of water in the bottom of the hull Aubrey had quickly ditched her dress and donned the pirate garb. She may be stubborn but she was also practical. And usually Chloe would have reveled in being right…except cleaning a bilge left little room for joy. The ceiling was low so the girls had to keep their backs bowed nearly in half and the water was cold and the smell was terrible. All in all, Chloe missed scrubbing the deck.
Their job was simple, there was a pump in the corner that the girls needed to shovel buckets of water away from in order for the pirate to clean it. Then, after it was clean, they would need to work the pump to flush the water out of the ship. It was grueling, back breaking work and even Chloe's eternal optimism was starting to wane.
"Come on ladies," The pirate, who had introduced herself as Flo, ordered. "Just think of it like sewing or needle point."
Aubrey stopped what she was doing and stood up, although not all the way since the ceiling was low in this part of the ship. "How exactly is this like needle work?"
Flo stood from her squatting position next to the pump and gestured to the water, "there's your cloth," then she pointed to the bucket, "there's your needle."
"Usually there's a finished product with needle point," Chloe chimed in as she continued scooping buckets of water.
"And there will be a finished product here," Flo gestured to the room around them, "Just so long as you keep scooping." She eyed Aubrey until the blonde went back to work.
They worked in silence for a few more minutes before Chloe couldn't stand it any more. She was a social butterfly and curious by nature, and this pirate crew had raised all sorts of questions. "Ms. Flo?"
The pirate looked over her shoulder for a second before returning to her work, "Qué pasa?
"Uhm, I don't-"
"It means 'what's wrong.' You English types really need to get out more." Flo fiddled with the pump some more and Chloe could hear Aubrey scoff.
Undeterred, Chloe continued, "I was just wondering about this crew."
"What about it?"
"Well," Chloe stopped, she wasn't really sure how to phrase her question. "It's just that there are a lot of women on board and I was under the impression that it was unusual for a woman to serve aboard a ship."
Flo laughed as she adjusted something on the pump. "Well, you're right about that."
"So how did that happen?" Chloe asked.
The pirate stopped working and seemed to consider the question. "If you're asking how our merry band of misfits came together you'll have to ask someone else." She grunted as she pried a wad of seaweed from the pump. "I'm relatively new to the crew. Only signed on about a year ago."
Another clump of seaweed went flying over her shoulder and splashed right next to Chloe. The redhead grimaced at the blackened clump before asking her next question, "Then how did you join?"
Flo looked over her shoulder again and raised an eyebrow. "Curious one aren't you?" Chloe shrugged, she was just making conversation. Flo seemed to consider the question for a second before shrugging herself. "Guess there's no problem with telling you."
She went back to work while launching into her story. "Mi padre was a blacksmith in Madrid, he was a good man and an even better father. He never made much money but he somehow managed to put food on the table. While my father worked my mother and I would spend our days picking flowers and selling them in the marketplace."
"That sounds nice." Chloe said.
"It was," Flo stopped what she was doing and looked to the ceiling with a wistful expression. "When I turned thirteen my father started teaching me his trade and as it happens, I'm quite good with my hands." She reached down and pulled out another clump of seaweed. Chloe was starting to wonder how that much seaweed had made it this far down in the ship.
"As time went on papa's eyes started to give out on him and we had to close shop. We went to Valencia and moved in with mi abuela." Flo grunted as she tried to pull something else from the pump. "To help make ends meet I started hiring myself out to various ships that were in port. It didn't pay much but it allowed me to get familiar with all the little bits and pieces of a working ship." She cursed under her breath, "almost had it."
"Anyways, after a few years I knew everything there was to know about sailing and how ships worked. One day I was working at the docks trying to fix some rigging when this woman walked up and started talking to me. Said she was looking for a carpenter for her ship and that she had heard I was the best in-Aha!" Flo retched her hand from below the waterline, holding up a large, black, slimy thing in her hand. "Te tengo bastardo."
Chloe covered her mouth to keep herself from retching. "What is that thing?"
"Ship-worm, nasty little parásito," Flo walked over to the hatch that led to the deck above. "Try it now boys!"
They could hear a creaking noise coming from above them as a team started working the pump. Chloe and Aubrey watched as the water they had been scooping started flowing towards the now clear pump, ridding the bilge of the filthy water.
Flo turned to them and smiled, "Good work ladies." She held up the slimy creature in victory.
Chloe and Aubrey both cringed at the disgusting creature, "Could you please just…get rid of that thing please."
"Sí, this guy is going back to the sea." Flo made her way to the exit hatch with Aubrey and Chloe right behind her.
The ship was deceptively large. From the outside it looked small and fast, just like most pirate ships. But as they made their way up to the main deck Chloe couldn't help noticing the large rooms dotting the interior. The lower deck appeared to host the crew quarters, if the swinging hammocks and wall bunks were anything to go by. She noticed a walled off section near the stern of the ship and figured that was where the women on board slept. There were boxes scattered around the deck, containing either supplies or stolen loot.
The next deck had several cannons lining the hull with several crew members attending the weapons and ammunition. A few called greetings to Flo and she held up the ship-worm, the crew cheered when they saw her, still wiggling, prize.
"These people are disturbing," Aubrey whispered and Chloe had to agree.
Flo turned to the girls and gestured for them to follow. They made it back to the main deck and Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. After being stuck in the bilge for hours, having the fresh sea air in her lungs felt glorious.
She was shaken out of her revelry when Flo turned and started talking again, "Anyways that woman I was talking about turned out to be the capitana. She hired me and now I'm the ship's carpenter and quartermaster." She flung the ship-worm over her shoulder and wiped her hands on her pants. They could hear the splash from the creature hitting the water and Chloe was grateful that she didn't have to look at it anymore.
"So that's how you joined the crew?" Chloe asked.
"Sí, I still send money to my family every once in a while but this crew has become a second family for me," Flo had a wistful smile on her face as she spoke. "And this ship has become my home."
Chloe could feel the sincerity coming from the woman and it made her smile. She couldn't help but think that maybe there was more to this pirate crew than she originally thought. They didn't seem like the fearsome pirates she had heard about, the ones who showed no quarter to their victims. These people seemed almost civil.
Flo led them back to the quarter deck, chatting with the crew as she went, and as they reached the stairs they could hear a couple voices arguing back and forth.
"I don't care what you think you saw Stacie. I am not discussing this with you." The captain's voice sounded strained and tired, like this conversation had been going on for a while.
"Come on Captain, as the ship's doctor I'm telling you it is perfectly healthy." Conrad's voice, which Chloe assumed was the other person speaking, was teasing and persistent.
"And as the ship's captain I am telling you to drop it. Or I'll throw you overboard."
"Please, like you could survive without me."
"Don't test me Conrad." The small group made it up the stairs to see the captain and doctor bickering. The captain had her back turned towards them with one hand on the wheel.
"I don't you could even lift- oh hello." Conrad finally noticed the girls coming up the stairs and smiled in greeting.
Flo glanced between the two, "Cuál es el problema?"
"Nothing." The captain turned and was quick to answer, clearly trying to keep Conrad from speaking. However, Chloe could have sworn that the Captain's gaze had shifted towards her for a brief moment, leading her to wonder what they had actually been talking about.
"She's just being annoying." The captain's eyes widened as she glared at the doctor. Conrad simply shrugged before turning and giving Aubrey a not so subtle once over. The blonde shrunk back and managed to maneuver herself so that Flo was between the two.
"She was just trying to deny-"
"That's enough." The captain's tone turned from annoyed to serious on a dime. Conrad and Flo both seemed to stiffen at the shift and the captain sighed when she saw the reactions. Her voice softened and she rubbed her eyes, "I've been up too long. Flo, did you fix the bilge pump?"
"Sí, capitana. Had to pull a ship-worm out of the pipe but she's running clear now." Flo said.
"Good, now if you could do an inventory on our ammunition that would be great. Need to know if we have to resupply at Nassau." Flo gave a small salute and left the quarter deck to do her job. The captain turned back to the taller brunette behind her. "Don't you have somewhere to be? I saw Jenson's wound. You should really be taking care of that."
Conrad's eyes narrowed suspiciously, she looked between the captain, Aubrey and Chloe and her face shifted to a smirk. "Aye, aye captain." She walked past her crewmate and stood right in front of Aubrey. "Come with me princess, I could use another set of hands."
Before Aubrey could say anything Conrad grabbed her wrist and dragged Aubrey down the stairs. Chloe caught Aubrey's eye before she disappeared, an unspoken question about whether Chloe would be okay. The redhead just nodded and let Aubrey disappear below the banister.
Chloe stood there and tried not to panic. With Aubrey gone she was now alone with the pirate captain. She hadn't realized just how much of a calming effect Aubrey's presence had been until it was gone. With Aubrey there Chloe could step back and let the blonde's domineering personality form a sort of buffer between them and the pirates. Now that it was just her, Chloe figured it would be safer to just stay out of the way and attract as little attention to herself as possible.
Even if she managed to have a pleasant conversation with Flo, the captain seemed like an entirely different beast and not one to engage in idle chit chat. And yet Chloe couldn't help but study the mysterious woman in front of her. The sun was shining off of the captain's hair, making it look lighter than usual. The hair fell to the captain's shoulders which made Chloe realize just how small the woman really was. Small shoulders and even smaller arms but she moved so easily with the ship that Chloe could sense an underlying strength hidden beneath that small frame.
The captain looked over her shoulder and managed to make eye contact. Chloe quickly turned away, hoping that her blush at being caught wasn't noticeable. Once the captain turned back around Chloe tried to distract herself so as to not be caught red handed again. So instead of focussing on the captain she focused on the ship.
It wasn't that much different from riding a horse, she decided. There was the same easy sway that came from riding in the fields, only this sway was a little rougher and more unpredictable. Even after two days at sea Chloe still hadn't quite gotten used to the constant rocking. But the fresh air was definitely an improvement to the stuffy atmosphere of her house back in Kingston. She closed her eyes while tilting her head up just a little and enjoyed the heat of the sun on her face. In another time she would have enjoyed this feeling of freedom, only she wasn't free. She was being held for ransom by a lawless group of ruffians.
"I know that face," Chloe snapped out of her revelry to see that this time the captain was staring at her. "That's the face of someone experiencing the sea for the first time."
Chloe, desperate to not insult the captain, said the first thing that came to mind. "I've sailed before." Which was true, she had obviously sailed the Atlantic to make it to Kingston but that trip had been rather dull. She had been trapped inside her cabin for most of the journey since, after all, her family was of a higher status. It would have been strange for the Beales to ride with the commoners.
The captain had a ghost of a smile on her lips, "That doesn't mean you've experienced the sea." Her face shifted like she was considering something before holding a hand out towards Chloe.
The redhead stared at the hand. She might not be as suspicious as Aubrey but that didn't mean she trusted this pirate for no reason. The Captain clearly understood her hesitation and gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I just want to show you something."
Chloe looked between the hand and the captain's eyes. The deep blue of her eyes held no malice or trickery so Chloe took a tentative step closer. The captain moved to the side and gestured for Chloe to take the helm. Chloe was shocked, but she continued taking steps until she was standing right in front of the massive wheel. She reached out a shaking hand and slowly wrapped her fingers around one of the pegs.
She couldn't really describe the sensation she felt as soon as she took the helm. The rise and fall of the ship felt more pronounced than it did anywhere else on board. She could see everything clearly, the crew working below her all the way to the top of the mast, which if she looked closely she could see someone moving about in the crow's nest. The helm vibrated with every twitch of the sails and the only way Chloe could describe it was that the ship felt alive.
"Wow," she breathed out in a whisper. She could hear a chuckle come from behind her.
"We'll make a sailor out of you yet Ms. Beale." Chloe took a step back and turned to see the captain only to bump right into the other woman.
"Um, thanks." Chloe breathed, it wasn't the first time they had been this close but before they had always been in the dark. In full daylight Chloe could make out every little detail of the captain's face. Like the three small scares above her left eye or the barley noticeable freckles that dotted her nose.
The captain managed an awkward cough before taking a step back, looking anywhere but Chloe. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine." Chloe said. She didn't understand why the captain was apologizing. After all Chloe was the one who had nearly knocked her over.
The captain shook her head. "No Ms. Beale, I'm sorry that you're on board. We really weren't supposed to take any hostages. It was supposed to be a simple rescue to get Cynthia and Amy out of prison with as little hassle as possible but," She let out an aggravated sigh. "Stacie likes to go off book."
"I'm guessing Stacie the doctor's name?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah that's her." Chloe nodded her understanding. At least now she knew Conrad's first name.
"Don't suppose I could get your name?" Chloe thought It was an innocent enough question but the captain took a step back and her body language shifted. The easy air between the two shifted to stiff and cold. Chloe didn't know why that question garnered such a reaction but before she could apologize there was a loud squawking noise that caused her to jump.
Lilly's parrot circled overhead before landing on the captain's shoulder. "Ship ahoy, ship ahoy."
Chloe was about to ask what that meant when the Rose woman came bounding up the stairs. "Captain, ship off the starboard bow." She tossed the captain a spyglass who used it to look out across the water.
"Royal African Company." the captain lowered her spyglass and scowled, clearly upset by the appearance of the ship. "You would think that they would have learned their lesson by now."
Rose nodded, her face matching the captain's. "Your orders?"
The captain turned towards the crew to see they were waiting for her directions. She spared a quick glance to Chloe who was just confused about what was going on. The captain turned back to the crew and shouted in a clear voice.
"All hands to battle stations!"
Translations: I apologize if it is incorrect. I blame Google Translate
Capitán, ¿está bien que la rubia use su ropa? - Captain, is it okay for the blonde to wear your clothes?
Te tengo bastardo - Got you you bastard
Cuál es el problema - what's the problem
Fun Fact: Oranges were not discovered to be the cure for scurvy until the 1740s, about forty years after this takes place. Which really just goes to show how smart Stacie is in this.
