The Caribbean 1559
So to summarize: Captain John Roxton was a British Navy officer who led raids on Spanish galleons to bring wealth to the British Crown, while Isabella Espina was a daughter of a Spanish officer who had turned rogue in order to avenge her father. John's crew often worked with the pirates to achieve the common goals. Though their alliance was fragile, his partnership with Isabella served as the link that maintained order and trust. Together, they orchestrated daring raids on Spanish galleons and plantations, striking at the heart of Spanish power in Cuba.
One evening, John stumbled upon a group of pirates lounging by the sea in a small, secluded cove, around a crackling campfire. They were roasting fish skewered on sticks and bottles of rum were passed from hand to hand. In the distance, their ship sat anchored.
"Here's to our Pirate Republic, lads!" Exclaimed an older pirate holding his mug high. "We are prosperous, free, and out of reach of Kings, Clergy, and debt collectors!"
"Look alive, boys!" Exclaimed another. "Captain Roxton's here to remind us how loyal we should be to the British Crown."
"Her Majesty Elizabeth the First must be irresistible!" Isabella Espina teased, disguised as Joaquín. She was sitting on a barrel and gazing at John daringly.
The pirates erupted in laughter, a few raising their mugs in salutes to her joke.
John looked at her and said, "Her Majesty has my loyalty… But another woman has my love and devotion."
"And who could that woman be, I wonder?" Asked another pirate.
"It could be anyone!" Someone replied. "Our captain's quite popular among the ladies."
"At least our captain has higher commitments than rum and plunder," Isabella defended him.
John smiled broadly at her response and settled down beside her. "Alright. Enough chitchatter. I've come to hear your thoughts on the whispers floating around these days. The boastful Spaniards can't seem to keep their mouths shut. Word is—they're looking for the lost treasure of El Dorado."
The pirates exchanged glances. One of them, a burly man with a scar across his cheek, leaned forward with a scoff. "Not that twaddle again, Roxton. El Dorado… That's a story for schoolboys. A bedtime tale, nothing more."
"They say the treasures of El Dorado have more than one secret to tell—things far beyond ordinary gold." John insisted.
"Such as?" asked Isabella.
"Relics—Artifacts with ancient power. Tools left behind by another civilization."
The burly man with the scar frowned. "Artifacts? You mean cursed trinkets? You'd risk lives for some old myths, Captain?"
"Not myths. The Spaniards wouldn't risk carrying mere superstition. They speak of maps that reveal hidden truths, devices that manipulate the very elements, and secrets that could rewrite history itself. If even half of it is true, it's worth more than any gold we've ever plundered."
As the pirate crew dispersed, John and Isabella lingered on the beach. They were listening to the waves lapping against the shore, and in the distance, the silhouette of the pirate ship grew smaller. They watched the vessel until it disappeared over the horizon. Night fell and the cool air prompted them to rekindle a small fire. They lay on the cool sand, side by side, drinking rum and gazing at the clear starry sky above them.
"I heard stories about El Dorado." Isabella said. "Even as a child, it was whispered about in the ports. A city of gold, hidden in the jungle, filled with riches beyond imagining."
John turned his head to look at her. "And what did those stories say, exactly?"
"That it's cursed, of course. But what treasure isn't? Some said it drove men mad, others that it swallowed them whole. But the one thing all the stories agreed on is that no one who chased after it ever returned."
John chuckled, folding his arms behind his head. "Sounds like every legend worth its salt. Something impossible to find, impossible to survive, yet irresistible to dreamers and fools alike."
"And which are you, Captain? A dreamer or a fool?"
"Depends on the day. But tonight, I'd like to think I'm neither. What about you, Joaquín? Or should I ask Isabella?"
"I think I'm both. A fool for wanting to know if the stories are true, and a dreamer for thinking it might lead to more than just gold."
"We'll find out soon enough."
Isabelle was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "My priorities are a little different, though. I don't care about any treausre, until I've caught Alonso del Castillo and brought him to justice. That hijo de puta!"
John reached for her free hand—the other still gripping the bottle of rum and rubbed it gently. "We'll catch him together. I promise you that."
"What would I do without my captain?" She asked, looking at him adoringly.
"I don't know what you'd do without him, but I know what you can do with him—you can kiss him."
He leaned in, but Isabella pulled back just slightly, enough to stop him. "Are you really this attracted to me even like this? When I'm looking like a man?"
"Isabella, you could be wrapped in rags or armor, and I'd still find you irresistible. I know the incredible woman that's hiding behind this mask."
He leaned in once again and captured her lips in a passionate kiss this time. As their mouths moved together, Isabella's grip on the rum bottle slipped. It fell to the sand beside her, a trickle of rum spilling out, though neither of them noticed or cared.
When their lips finally parted, John's hand found its way to her chest, cupping her breast through the fabric of her shirt. "I know the firm, perky breasts you're hiding under this shirt." He then let his hand trail lower, gripping her backside. "And beneath these trousers, are the roundest, most perfect buttocks I've ever seen."
They started kissing again, then undressing, shedding clothes, piece by piece and carelessly discarding it onto the sand. Before long, they found themselves in the cool embrace of the water. Isabella had wrapped her legs around John's waist, her arms looping around his shoulders. He held her firmly. The water rippled around them and he trailed kisses along her neck, her cheek, her jawline, her lips.
At one point, Isabella lifted her gaze to the starry sky and she whispered, "I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I'll always remember this. You and I, a Briton and a Spaniard, far from Europe, in the heart of the Caribbean, kissing and making love in the salty water under a sky full of stars. Nada… Nada in this world could ever compare to this."