by Ben White
Miya's heavy breathing stopped, her vision cleared. She looked up at Badger Pete, pain and fatigue gone, just for an instant.
"Will."
Then Miya was running, dodging Pete's swing like it was nothing, bringing her sword up to strike at his hand, landing a clean hit, almost severing one of his fingers. She pushed the attack, swinging again and locking her sword with his, pushing with everything she had.
It wasn't enough.
Just as it felt like Pete was about to give, he found some hidden reserve of strength, pushed her back with a guttural roar.
"NO!" he snarled, advancing on Miya, slashing hard, forcing her back along the deck. "I will NOT be defeated by some scruffy little island rat! You think you're STRONG? You think you're a PIRATE? You're not a pirate! You're not even a princess! What are you? You're NOTHING!"
"I'M MIYA HELLS-DAMNED BLACK!" Miya screamed, bringing her sword around to slash at Pete's wrist, opening a wide cut, blood splattering her hand and arm. Pete snarled and lashed out in response, the back of his hand slamming against Miya's cheek. Miya stumbled and spat blood, then stood strong, glaring at Badger Pete.
"Miya hells-damned Black, princess of a kingdom nobody knows. Pirate with no ship, no crew, nothing," said Pete, his voice low. "Just a sword that's too big for her and a broken family."
"Your lieutenants ran at the first sign of being beaten," said Miya, before gulping in a lungful of air. "Your navy's deserting you. As far as I can see the only person truly loyal to you is your daughter. I have to give her credit for that, as much as she is a hateful, stuck-up little wench. It's a shame you don't have more family, or you might just have won."
Miya spat blood again, then raised her sword.
"Come at me," she said. "If you have the heart."
"You don't need family to win," Pete said. He was bleeding from a half-dozen cuts, his face was shiny with sweat, his breathing was ragged and laboured. He took two deep breaths. "You just need to be the strongest."
"You have to be fighting for something," said Miya.
"Then I'm fighting for my daughter," Pete growled. He raised his cutlass as he charged forward. "FOR GRACE!"
The sound of their swords meeting sounded out over the deck, Miya holding firm against Pete.
"Losing blood?" she hissed. "Losing strength?"
Pete snarled, then broke the lock and slashed at her, Miya meeting the attack and locking their swords again.
"For my island," she growled as she pushed at him. "For my home."
Pete stepped back but Miya refused to let him get any distance, pushed forward, her sword against his, fatigue gone, pain gone, nothing left but the fight. Pete lashed out at her with his foot but Miya was quick, skipped aside then responded with her own kick, pushing the air from his lungs as she drove her boot into him.
"FOR MY MOTHER!"
Their swords met again, Miya growling as she kicked at Pete and slashed at his face, opening a cut on his cheek.
"FOR MY FATHER!"
Miya spun again, driving her elbow into Pete's side before springing back.
"FOR MY FAMILY!"
Miya leapt over Pete's sword as he desperately swung at her, her eyes dark and focused as she saw the opening, saw what she had to do. Miya drove her blade forward, gritting her teeth as she felt it cut through flesh and bone, then leapt, put one boot then the other against Badger Pete's chest, pulled hard as she pushed with both feet, her sword tugging free of his shoulder as she sent him crashing down, his right arm useless.
There was a light thump as Miya landed, then the sound of her boots against the deck.
Step.
Step.
Step.
"Yield," growled Miya, her sword at Pete's neck.
"I ... I do! I yield!"
"Finish it."
It was Jean that spoke, from where she was bending down to retrieve her sabre. She looked up at Miya. "Follow through."
"I'll take his ear if'n he tries something foolish. Which ye won't, will ye?" Miya hissed, glaring down at Pete, who shook his head very slightly and very carefully.
"Finish him now, make it quick and clean, and you won't ever have to worry about him again," said Jean.
"You're wrong," Miya said, her eyes still fixed on her fallen enemy. "I don't have to kill him. His navy's scattered, he's lost the confidence of the Highland, made an enemy of them, even. His lieutenants have deserted him, and so has his strength. He's lost. He has nothing left. And now he knows what happens when you mess with MY island." Miya shot a glance at her grandmother. "Now make yourself useful and hand me that rope."
Jean regarded Miya a moment, amusement in her eyes, then she half-shrugged and did as Miya had asked. Within seconds Miya had Badger Pete securely tied, hands behind his back, feet tight together, face to the deck.
"Stay there and stay quiet or I'll make you eat your own ship," Miya growled. She straightened, saw Jean was gazing at her. "What?"
"Tell me, girl," Jean said. "What do you do with him now? Lock him up? Send him home with a smack on his hand?"
"That's not our decision to make." Lily stepped forward, limping. Her knee was swollen, and there was pain clear in her voice. She glanced back at Sola. "We're not the ones he's hurt the most."
Jean's expression didn't change, but after a moment she shrugged and turned away, sheathing her sword.
"Suit yourselves."
"What, are you leaving now?" Miya asked. "You're just going?"
"I saw what I came to see," said Jean, not looking back. "Maybe we'll meet again. Maybe not. Fare well, Granddaughter."
Miya watched her grandmother walk away, unable to find any words.
"Are you okay, Miya?"
Miya looked up as her mother put an arm around her shoulders, suddenly felt tears come to her eyes. "What? Why am I crying?"
"Your arm? Your face? That you've just fought so ... so very ..." Lily stopped, raised her hand to wipe her own eyes. "Oh, we're a couple of wet sooks, aren't we?"
"I'm not!" said Miya fiercely, even as she wiped tears from her eyes, frowning as she realised she had blood on her hand and had just smeared it over her face.
"No. No, you're not, are you?" said her mother, with a sigh.
"And since when could you fight, anyway?" said Miya. "I've never even seen you HOLD a sword before!"
"Miya, you know I travelled with your father before we settled down. Did you think I just stood back and watched, every time we got in trouble?"
"Oh," said Miya, feeling a little stupid. "Well ... uh, thanks. You were, um, cool."
"What a compliment," said Lily, with a smile. She sighed as she looked around at the rest of the family, where they lay wounded. "I suppose we should take care of this lot. Big lot of foolish men, so they are," she said, her voice full of pride.
"Yes," said Miya. "There's lots to take care of."
Lily smiled down at her daughter.
"Miya Black," she said. "Pirate Princess."
20
And So, Adventure
"So why DIDN'T you tell it?"
"I'm sick of telling that stupid story, I told you already."
Penny looked at Miya a moment, then grinned.
"You big fat liar. The day you get tired of telling the 'how I beat Badger Pete' story is the day you stop breathing."
Miya grinned back, and Penny put her hands up in front of her face, recoiling in mock horror.
"I told you not to do that! You freak me out!"
"What, grin?"
"It's awful, that cut on your mouth makes you look like some kind of sea monster!"
"Oh it is not that bad, Penny, don't be so precious."
"Seriously, it's bad, Miya."
Miya pursed her lips, pretending to sulk.
"And don't be secretly pleased about it! I know when you're secretly pleased and this is not something to be at all pleased about in any way, secret or otherwise!"
"Oh, there's Chuck, let's get his opinion on it, hey Chuck!"
"Yea
h, like he's going to be unbiased," said Penny, rolling her eyes.
"What do you mean? Chuck, hey, what do you think of my scar? This one I mean, on my mouth."
"Oh, uh, I ... well, Mi—Princess Black, I think ... it's healing nicely?"
"That's not what I meant!" said Miya, as Penny broke out laughing beside her. "Does it look, you know, does it make me look too scary?"
"Oh, no, not at all!"
"Right? See Penny? Right?"
"I, uh, I have to deliver these things for Midge Young, sorry," said Charles, holding up a basket. "I, um, maybe see you later?"
"Maybe, see you!" said Miya.
"Sure thing, Charles," said Penny, waving to him as he scurried away. She turned to her friend, a knowing look on her face. "You are so cruel to that boy."
"What? What are you talking about? I like Chuck, I'm always nice to him."
"Yeah, I noticed, Mi—Princess Black."
"So he shows a little respect for my position, nothing to complain about there," sniffed Miya. Penny sighed.
"Don't you have to meet your father?" she asked. "You were really excited about it earlier."
"Oh, rats, you're right. You wanna come?"
"Nah. I'm gonna go see to the horses."
"—to the horses," Miya finished chorusing, "and you are so predictable."
"Not as predictable as you," said Penny.
"I am not predictable!" said Miya and Penny, together. Penny laughed as Miya scowled and jumped down from the wall they'd been sitting on.
"You're coming to my party, right?" Miya asked, turning to look at her friend.
"No. I mean, the first fifty times you asked? The answer was yes. The next thirty, it was more like, y'know, oh, okay. Then the next nineteen after that I was like yeah, sure, why not. But that's the hundredth time you've asked me and the answer all of a sudden is no."
"Oh. Okay. See you there, then."
"Sure. Can I bring my horse?"
Miya grinned.
"See you later, Penny."
"Later, Mi—Princess Black."
Miya shook her head as she made her way down the path towards Blackport, smiling as she walked. The sounds of construction surrounded her as she entered town, and she looked down a street to watch the people working to rebuild. Miya smiled as she spotted her mother amongst them, hair tied back, wearing torn and dirty overalls, hammer in her hand.
"Miya!" Lily called, as she noticed her daughter. "Come to help out?"
"Maybe later, Mum!" Miya called back. "I have to go see Dad!"
"Oh, right, that's today—tell him to come see me right away, okay? I've got something I need to talk to him about."
Poor Dad, thought Miya, as she waved goodbye to her mother and continued into town.
"Miya."
Sola's voice brought Miya from her thoughts, which were mostly speculations as to what kind of mischief her father had gotten into this time.
"Oh, hey Sola! I haven't seen you for ages!"
"You saw me yesterday. We ate dinner together at your house."
"Well, it feels like ages. Nice shirt."
"Thank you." Sola was wearing a bright red shirt with a single crocheted clover over the right breast.
"Mum?" asked Miya, nodding at the clover.
"I like it."
"Hm. So what have you been doing today, anyway?"
"Speaking at the school."
"Oh, right, how's that going?"
"Good. The children here are ... open. Soon I hope that children from the northern islands will come."
"I hope so, northern island kids are so cute!"
"This is the future for my people, Miya. The children are not coming here for your amusement."
"I know, that's just like a bonus."
"Are you going to see Dad?" Sola asked.
"Yep! Wanna come with?"
"I was going to anyway."
"Hey, what's your joke for today?"
"Miya, this—"
"Come on, you promised. I've been really good at holding up my end, last night I read almost an entire chapter of that book about Highland history. It's actually not as completely boring as I thought it'd be. So come on, you must have heard some jokes from the kids at the school, those guys crack me up."
"All right." Sola sighed. "Why are pirates?"
"What? 'Why are pirates?', what kind of a joke is that?"
"I think you're supposed to respond, 'why?'."
"Oh. Oh, I get it. Why?"
Sola sighed again. "Miya—"
"Come on, come on, why are pirates?"
"They just arr."
"What?"
"They just arr."
"Did you mean, they just ARRRRRRRRRR?"
"... possibly."
Miya sighed, but happily. "Well, you're getting better."
"Thank you."
They walked on a few moments in silence, then Sola spoke:
"That scar on your mouth is still awful."
"What? What's that all of a sudden? It's fine! It's a great scar!"
"All the children at the school are scared of you because of it."
"Really?" Miya thought for a moment. "Cool."
"On the other hand," said Sola, thoughtfully, "they all seem to be fine with my scar. In fact, they seem impressed by it."
"What, that little thing?" said Miya, referring to the large, jagged, really rather impressive scar on Sola's arm. "Surprised they even notice it. You almost need a spyglass to see that kind of tiny scratch."
"Be that me two favourite grandchildren I spy?"
"Hi, Grandad! Oh my goodness have you been to the bakery AGAIN?"
Heartless Jon looked guilty for a moment. "No," he said.
"For a legendary pirate you're a terrible liar. Like when you made that big speech, all 'I'm too used to me life on me comfy island where everyone treats me with respect' and then like three weeks later you were back here."
"Just an extended vacation," said Heartless Jon. "I think the climate here's good for me. And those cinnamon buns are hard to be away from."
"How is your knee?" asked Sola.
"Still bloody useless. Don't get old, either of you."
"I won't," said Miya. "I promise."
"Good. Sola, fishing tomorrow?"
"If the weather remains good."
"Oh, it will, lad. Only thing this bloody knee's good for, predictin' the weather. You two off to see that son of mine?"
"Yes," the two siblings said together.
"Give him a kick in the rump from me."
Miya and Sola waved goodbye to Heartless Jon, then continued down to the port.
"Even painted black that frigate is the ugliest ship I've ever seen," said Miya, as they walked through the town square and the harbour came into view. "I don't even care that it's technically mine, I'll say it every time I see it: ugly."
They were close enough to the frigate now to see the name painted on the side; 'The Ugly Ship'.
"You won't have to worry about that—"
"There he is! Hand me my spyglass, Sola!"
"I don't have your spyglass."
Miya glanced at him. "Right. Sorry. Force of habit. Guess we just have to wait, then."
Sola stood and waited while Miya turned cartwheels on the end of the pier, until finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Miya (five minutes later), a small, unusual-looking ship came in to the docks.
"Ahoy!" called Tomas, standing at the bow, wide grin on his face. "I spy two lovely lubbers off me starboard bow!"
"I think your 'pirate' is getting even worse, Dad," said Miya, catching the rope her father threw her and quickly tying it, straightening as Tomas jumped down from the ship.
"Yarr, but I do try," he said. Miya smiled and hugged him, Tomas wincing as she held him tight.
"Does your side still hurt?" she asked, releasing him.
"Ah, just a tad. Nothing to be worried about. Hello, Sola! How's the school?"
"Good. The children here are interested in my isl
and, my people. It's fun."
"Fun? Did you just say fun? Gosh," said Miya.
"That's good, Sola. I might come along to a class once I get back."
Miya's face fell. "Are you going again already?"
"I am, my darling."
"Oh."
"Just have to organise some supplies, maybe say hello to a few people, then we're off," said Tomas. He looked at his daughter a moment. "Aren't you going to explode with joy and excitement at the wonderful present I've brought you?"
"Huh. This old thing? Who'd get excited about that?"
"Ugh ... I'm wounded ..." Tomas groaned, clutching at his side. "Me own daughter spiting me ... ah ... the sarcasm ... it burns me so ..."
"Of course I'm kidding, Dad, I just wanted to say hello properly to you first," said Miya, as she walked over to the newly-repaired Black Swan. It looked as good as new, better even. Miya patted the side, then smiled as she noticed a small, crude carving of a clover between two railing supports.
"Almost finished," she murmured.
"Why not go aboard, take a look around?" said Tomas. "There are a few little surprises in there, nothing big, just some things that needed fixing that are maybe just a touch better now than before they were broken."
Miya turned and smiled at her father, then the smile disappeared as she remembered he'd be leaving soon.
"Come on, Coconut, don't look so down."
Miya huffed a little as she jumped onto the Swan.
"No, I'm fine," she said. "I'll just potter around my ship furling the sails while you run off and have an adventure."
"Who said anything about that? Don't furl a thing—in fact, I want you to stick around to receive the supplies I organise."
"Huh?"
Tomas sighed. "You are a very dense Coconut sometimes, do you know that? Sola, I'll see you later. Good luck with the school."