I met Lady Stuart’s eyes. They were calm and cold, and now she was looking at me. I felt extremely uncomfortable as I was desperately trying not to look at her naked body.
“You heard him, now hurry! Help me get dressed!”
Exiting that cabin was horrible. There was blood and dead people everywhere. I was alone, carrying eight chests. No pirate tried to help me. Those eight chests were my life, I had to make it, I had to even if it seemed impossible.
I put one on my back and went down the stairs to get it to the deck.
The few who survived the carnage had been gathered there. I recognized the captain and few others. Even the captain had been gathered with the crew, he was worthless to them. I counted only thirty people. Our crew had over one hundred members.
I tried to look away, but I couldn’t. What would happen to them? Would they kill them all?
In the back, behind everybody else, I recognized Mike.
He was terrified, and this time he had every reason to be. He knew he was about to die. Would they spare him? If he had been in my place, would Lady Stuart save him? I highly doubted it. What did she see in me, that made me different from him? Why was she doing this?
I felt like a thief, I couldn’t help it. Mike was dressed like me, or maybe I should say that I was wearing his clothes. I abruptly missed his friendship. I remembered everything he did for me and how I rejected him. I felt the need to save him, at any cost.
I raised my voice and said something crazy. “Mike! Come help me! I can’t do this by myself!”
It was insane, they would never let him do it. Yes, he was dressed like me, but would that be enough? Could this uniform be a ticket to safety?
“Hurry up!”, I shouted once more.
He was paralyzed by the fear, confused and disbelieving. Without realizing it, he took one step forward. Then another, and another. He emerged from the crowd of prisoners.
The captain of the pirate ship was on deck and he was watching me as I trudged down those stairs.
“Hurry!” I yelled again. “There’s seven more to bring down here.”
Mike was about to cry. He was surrounded by pirates and he didn’t dare take one more step ahead.
The pirate captain raised his voice. “Is he one of yours, too? You have two?”
I froze. He wasn’t speaking to me. Lady Stuart should have got out from her cabin and was coming down the stairs. She came to my side and then got over me.
She was now wearing a more practical dress, made of green velvet, with less ample skirts. She wasn’t wearing her wig, she replaced it with a bonnet. Her eyes were cold.
It was all in vain, she would have never forgiven him. Not after what he did with her husband. She casted a look at Mike. I couldn’t the code her facial expression.
The she smiled. “You have no idea how vital they are to me, captain, but I will show you very soon.”
The captain stood still for a moment, then gave a tiny head nod.
The pirates that were surrounding Mike walked away.
I didn’t really think about why she acted like that, why she decided to save him after what he did. There wasn’t time for that.
“Come help me!” I yelled.
Mike ran.
Two hours later they sunk our ship with what was left of the crew, including the captain.
Mike was crying, looking at that from the porthole of the cabin we had been confined to. He was sobbing and wailing, even though those dying men hated his guts. Once, though, they used to be his friends.
We hadn’t even exchange a word, there had been no time. We were devastated, those chests were too heavy even for two men.
When they finished transhipping the loot, the ship sailed. For a moment, we believed they would let the others live.
Our cabin was a storeroom, barely big enough for the two of us, but Lady Stuart’s was next door, and I was certain it had to be the nicest of the ship.
No one harmed us and I couldn’t understand why. After all, we didn’t exist, we were part of the noblewoman’s luggage.
Though we were alive. Both of us.
The moment came when Mike hugged me, crying. I saved him, I knew he was thanking me, he was desperate, but still it bugged me to be touched by him.
I had to decide. Mike would have never spoke to me, he didn’t have the courage to do it, I had to be the one to take the first step to rebuild our friendship.
Instead, I escaped his hug and kept silent.
That evening we were brought to Lady Stuart, as the noblewoman had to change to dine with the captain. Then again, a few hours later, to prepare her for the night. The same happened twice in the morning and in thrice in the afternoon.
Lady Stuart changed clothes constantly, and every time he was there to witness it.
The captain was bewitched by her. That bloodthirsty pirate, whose orders made the entire crew shake, was wrapped around her finger. He was content to watch her, he never dared to touch her.
Lady Stuart undressed more than it was needed, always ending up naked in front of the captain’s hungry eyes. In those moment, I suffered, almost physically. More so for Mike’s presence, than for the captain’s. Together we undressed her, in what had almost become a dance. The fact that we were both male didn’t bother the captain. On the contrary, it enhanced his experience, because there was nothing to keep his mind away from the noblewoman’s beauty.
What was happening between the two of them wasn’t our business. Probably the ransom request had already been sent, but Lady Stuart was still regarded as a guest and treated as such.
We weren’t allowed to exit our cabin if not to dress her up, even our meals were brought to us.
It went on like this for almost a week, before something changed.
One night someone woke me up.
Mike and I were sharing the bed, because there was only one. He was always careful not to touch me. He understood that I could barely tolerate his presence.
He was awake already, laying with his eyes open, and wasn’t making a sound.
I raised my head, my heart beating in my throat, confused.
Lady Stuart was there.
She was the one who woke me up. She was alone, no pirate was watching her.
“Come, hurry!”
She backed off and exited the cabin.
I didn’t understand what was happening, it was the middle of the night, she couldn’t possibly want to change clothes again. I stood up like a sleepwalker and dressed. I looked at the open door and with disbelieve I noticed that there was no guard on duty.
Mike was still laying on the bed and I was forced to speak to him to get him to move. “Come one, hurry up!”
He shook his head. I got angry and pulled him by an arm. “Stop it! We must do as she says! Our lives are at stake!”
There was no one on the deck, the ship was immersed in the silence of the night. I couldn’t understand how that would be possible. Were we not their captives?
Lady Stuart’s cabin was next door. I very softly knocked on her door, afraid to be heard by the wrong ears. Then I was forced to open the door, since there hadn’t be any reply from inside.
I violently shoved Mike inside the cabin, because he was still motionless.
Lady Stuart was alone. She was wearing her purple dressing gown, with all its laces and doilies. She was already posing, in the middle of the room, her arms up like a statue.
I started feeling uneasy just as Mike. It was the first time we were left alone with her. How was that possible?
We helped her get undressed, as we were used to do. When she was left wearing nothing but her underwear, I stopped, unsure of what to do. What was the need to go any further, considering that there wasn’t any audience, this time?
But I met her gaze and I knew I had to continue.
When the last piece of garment fell to the ground and she was left naked, I, looking at the floor, asked her: “Which dress would you like to wear, Milady?”
But she
wasn’t there anymore, she already climbed on the bed, sinuous like a cat.
Mike had a strange look on his face, one I couldn’t decode.
“Get undressed”, she said. “Come here with me.”
Who was she talking to? What was her meaning? I had my eyes fixed on Mike, because I couldn’t bear to watch him obey.
“Don’t make me beg! Don’t force me to do it!”
I turned to look at her, my heart beating in my throat. “Me? Are you talking to me, Milady?”
It was impossible, I couldn’t believe it. I was too young, invisible. Mike was better than me in every aspect. She was asking him, it couldn’t be otherwise.
“You see any other men, in here? There’s only you.”
I was startled by it. She was kneeling on the bed, completely naked, she wasn’t even trying to cover up. Her beauty never shined so bright.
“What do you want me to do?” I whispered.
Her eyes remained emotionless. “You have to give me a child, boy. You have to hurry, before someone else can do it.”
I was paralysed. No, I was petrified.
She went on: “I don’t want the future Lord Stuart to be the son of a pirate. One day he could be king, and I don’t want such a man to be his father.”
I could only stutter: “Me? Why me?”
“There was only you, I had no choice. Anyone is better than a pirate.”
My voice was ever more shaking. I did something crazy, something that just a minute before would be unconceivable to me. I pointed at Mike. “There’s him!”
Once more I could see that strange bent on Lady Stuart’s lips. “He can’t do it, I already tried it. I’ve been trying for a month. I did nothing but undressing in front of him, but to no avail.” Then she sentenced: “He’s just like my husband.”
I instinctively moved away from Mike, but I denied it: “It’s not like that, he did it for his personal benefit, that’s all.”
Lady Stuart sighed sadly. “That’s what Rupert believed, too. In a way, he was right. But what your friend was looking for was different. He wasn’t looking for power, or trying to rise above his station. He just wanted to be himself, but was too coward to search for another way. With Rupert, he was safe. Therefore, he did it.”
Horrified, I looked at Mike. “You…you…”
After Lady Stuart’s explanation, Mike looked almost relieved. For the first time in his life, he didn’t have to pretend any longer.
“What is the meaning of this? Why?”
“Rupert needs an heir, and desperately so. An heir he can’t give to me. He has never been a husband, he can’t fulfil his duty.”
I grew more and more confused. “But…”
She pointed at Mike. “He was fine with him being the father. He would have been perfect for his son. Rupert had loved him, too. That’s why I boarded your ship: to give a son to my husband. But it was everything in vain. Even Rupert can’t understand why.”
The truth was so overwhelming that I was left speechless. “I…”
“You were the only one. I couldn’t find anybody else. I can’t bring the son of a pirate to Rupert, he would never accept it. I couldn’t accept it either.”
“But…but…”
“This game has gone too far, we can’t stop now. Morgan wants me, he desires me, I don’t know how much longer I can resist him.” She locked eyes with me. “I don’t want to have his son.”
“I’m a cabin boy”, I whispered. “I’m just a cabin boy.”
For the first time, she smiled at me. “Wouldn’t you wish to be the father of the future King of England?”
“I have never done this”, I admitted, my voice breaking.
Her smile widened. “Neither do I.”
Yes, I could see that she was young, even younger than what I thought at first. Perhaps she was truly a virgin, considering the husband she chose.
She was still smiling. “It won’t be a sacrifice, for me”, she said.
The same could be said for me. I wanted nothing else since the first time I saw her.
“Your husband…” I whispered. “Lord Stuart…”
Her smile turned mischievous. “Oh, I’m certain he’ll approve my choice.” And she added: “Undress.”
Once more, I glanced at Mike, unsure. “Does he have to witness this?”
“Oh, dear Mike will stand guard so that we won’t be disturbed. After all, he owes me, don’t you think?”
Mike looked away and turned to face the door.
This was crazy, I was doing something crazy, but I couldn’t care less. I was ready to day to be with her.
I got on that bed.
Mike had taken a blanket and was sleeping on the floor. We couldn’t share the same bed, not after what I discovered about him.
Still, watching him like that made me sad. I couldn’t be angry at him anymore, I couldn’t keep silent. “How long have you been…like that?”
He wasn’t answering.
“With Lord Stuart, no less! How could you? He’s…old, disgusting!”
He shrivelled up even more, under his blanket.
I sighed. “Come on, get on the bed, stop acting like that.”
Finally, he spoke to me, after all that time. “Not with you, I swear! I would never dare… don’t even think about it. You were my friend, it was different. I never thought about…”
Yes, I believed him. This time he was telling the truth. “Come on, come to bed.”
He was older than me, stronger than me, but still so vulnerable. He tried to keep some distance, but instead I hugged him.
“We’ll make it, you’ll see”, I whispered, like he was a child.
Over a month passed by but eventually the day came. The worst day of my life. The day when captain Morgan, the pirate, took my beautiful Lady Stuart.
The worst part was that I had to witness it. Both of us had to, Mike and me. After all, we were nothing but part of the furniture.
He didn’t rape her, no. On the contrary, he was all too delicate with her, and Lady Stuart didn’t resist at all.
I knew it was about to happen, I knew it for some days already, since I saw a strange smile creep up on the noblewoman’s face. Then I realized we made it, Lady Stuart was pregnant with my child.
Every night she came to free us, because she wasn’t a captive, she could do it, and every night we slept together. It had been a crazy, wonderful month, even if I knew she was using me.
Now, anyway, I wasn’t needed anymore. I fulfilled my duty. Now she was only interested in Morgan. By now, she was ruling over him, she could have him do as she pleased. That night, it happened. She gave herself to him completely. We, standing still like statues, had to witness it.
Lady Stuart’s voice was mellow, as she stroked the pirate’s muscles. “Make me yours, I want nothing more. Give me a child, may it be the new Lord Stuart.”
And then again, ever more urgent. “One day your son will sit on England’s throne, Morgan. You’ll be proud of him.”
Those words again. They felt like embers on my flesh, as he was possessing her in front of my eyes.
Night after night I witnessed their intercourses, powerless. I didn’t want anything more than to kill that bastard. Except I couldn’t, because his death would mean our downfall. I could only stay and watch.
It seemed like he was enjoying it, having us as an audience. Maybe though he never thought of us as human being, but only as furnishings.
Mike and I became friends again, beyond what happened.
After all we had both been used, respectively by Lord and Lady Stuart, as we had used them. Despite all, we weren’t all that different.
We started talking again, dreaming, and making projects. We almost believed the idea that we would survive this foolish adventure.
I still couldn’t understand Lady Stuart. She said she had no choice, that I was the only one she could find, but I still couldn’t believe her.
She had had all the time in the world to choose any other
sailor, a young and strong man, but still she came to me. This had to mean something, hadn’t it?
I didn’t know, I couldn’t understand, I remembered holding her warm body in my arms, how she was overflowing with passion, the same passion she was now pouring on Morgan, who she said to hate a moment before.
Was it all over? Totally over? Did I lose her forever?
They freed us after two months. Lady Stuart’s pregnancy was barely showing. Morgan’s eyes were glistening with pride as he escorted us to the shore.
Lady Stuart’s eight chests followed her, and so did we.
Mike and I were holding hands, our hearts beating in our throats, we didn’t even dare to breathe.
Freedom was close, the ransom was paid.
Morgan caressed her, smothered her with kisses, as she rested her head on his shoulder.
“What are you going to call him, my love? What will be the name of our son?”
“What would you like to name him, my lord?”
“Would you give him my name? Would you dare to?”
Lady Stuart’s crystal-clear laugh startled me. “Morgan! King Morgan. It sounds perfect.”
“Would you truly do it?”
“I would do anything for you, you know that.”
I was so disgusted, I wanted to puke.
They left us on the deserted beach, and getting him to go leave her wasn’t easy. It seemed like he no longer wanted to part from her. When they had to say farewell, she was in tears, weeping so hard that even I suffered from it.
Then his comrades dragged him away and we were left alone.
As his boat was heading away, I was looking at those eight chests with despair.
“I have to change”, Lady Stuart said.
She wasn’t crying anymore, her face completely dry.
I swallowed. “Is someone coming to get us, Milady?”
“No one knows we’re here, we’ll have to adapt.”
I panicked. “When the ransom was paid, didn’t….”
“There was no ransom!” she rebutted.
I didn’t understand. “And he freed us all the same?”
A malicious smile appeared on her face. “I think I more than earned my freedom.”
The Prison Page 63