by Aron Lewes
“Heave!” As the boats drew closer, they could hear the pirates shouting as they rowed. “Heave, heave, ho!”
“Alas, if only we had an oar!” Lyric lamented. “We could heave ho ourselves in the opposite direction.”
Aurora bowed her head and waited for the inevitable. Lyric’s whining was just a waste of breath, since there was nothing they could do to escape. The next time she lifted her eyes, the pirates were so close that she could see their faces. They were exactly as she might have pictured pirates to look. Scattered among the crowd were beards, scars, eye patches, dirty faces, mutton chops, scabs, bandanas, moles, greasy hair, missing teeth and tattered clothes.
“You, there!” One of the pirates addressed them. “We’re commandeering this boat by order of Captain Blackbeard, dread pirate of the Seven Seas. Failure to forfeit your weapons will result in death!”
“He’s pretty eloquent for a pirate,” Lyric whispered through the corner of his mouth.
“We have no weapons!” Aurora shouted to the pirate. “And we’ll put up no resistance. We will submit to your demands.”
Lyric turned to her, eyebrow raised. “We will?”
“We don’t have much of a choice, do we?”
Two of the pirates started to connect a rope between his boat and theirs. It seemed they were, indeed, commandeered. When the rope was secured, the pirates turned the boats around and started rowing toward the main vessel.
“This is lovely. Just lovely!” As Lyric whimpered, he raked his hands through his hair. “What could possibly happen next? Bears, trolls, and thunderstorms... and now pirates. Could my luck get any worse?”
“My luck isn’t much better.”
“But you’re the reason why we’re here!”
“What? You can’t blame this on me!”
“Yes, actually, I can blame it on you!”
“I saved you! I could have left you back with Rachelle!”
“Oh... right. And need I remind you why I was there in the first place?!”
While Aurora and Lyric bickered, the pirates started hauling their little dingy onto the ship. The boat swayed as they pulled it on deck, and Lyric’s face turned a bit green.
“Are you alright?”
Lyric clutched his stomach and groaned. “Never better.”
“If you’re going to vomit, do it over the side of the boat. I don’t want you vomiting on me!”
“Okay, Miss Sensitive, I’ll be sure to bear that in mind.”
A pirate with a scraggly beard stepped toward them. He reeked of fish and rotten eggs. “Should we tie up the prisoners?”
“No!”
“Yea.”
“Nah.”
“That’s fer the cap’n to decide!” exclaimed a man with no front teeth. “And speak o’ the devil... ‘ere he comes!”
As soon as he arrived on the scene, there was no mistaking the captain’s identity. He was an imposing figure, tall and broad—and quite handsome. His eyes were icy blue, as piercing as the end of a spear. His wavy black hair and trimmed goatee put Aurora in mind of a dandy. He wasn’t dressed like the other pirates, what with his black trench coat, shiny boots, and red silk shirt.
“No, don’t tie them up,” the captain demanded. He stopped in front of Aurora and stared at her for several seconds. Then, surprisingly, he took her hand and kissed it. “Especially not the girl. It would be criminal to mistreat someone with skin as soft as this.”
Aurora didn’t try to withdrawal her hand from his grasp. She just kept staring at him, as he was staring at her.
“May I have the pleasure of your name, fair maiden?”
“Umm... are you talking to me?”
The handsome captain grinned. “Who else would I be talking to? Certainly not your friend. He’s neither a maiden nor fair, is he?”
“Okay. My name’s Aurora.”
“A fitting name. Your beauty is a site to behold.“ He kissed her hand again, leaving his lips on her skin much longer than necessary. When he lifted his mouth, he finally let go of her hand, which fell limply back to her side. “You have nothing to fear while you’re on this ship, Aurora. I promise I’ll take very good care of you.”
Lyric narrowed his eyes. There was something about the captain’s tone that he didn’t trust. “Don’t you dare lay a finger on her... I mean it!”
Aurora looked back at Lyric, puzzled. He was actually trying to defend her?
“Rest assured, young man, no harm will come to the lady,” the captain promised. “You, on the other hand? I’ve yet to decide your fate.”
Aurora turned her eyes back to the pirate captain, trying to decide why he’d referred to Lyric as “young man.” At first glance, he didn’t appear much older than Lyric, but on closer observation, there were lines around his mouth and across his forehead that suggested his true age. He was, perhaps, in his early forties.
“Do whatever you want to me!” Lyric barked. Aurora was starting to notice a trend in her companion’s behavior. Lyric always displayed complete cowardice or senseless bravado. There was no in-between. “But you can rest assured... you will be punished! I’m a very important man, you know!”
“Oh, are you?”
“Yes! I’m an emperor! And Aurora’s a princess!”
“And I’m God. I created the world and all it’s creatures. It’s nice to meet you.” Some of the pirate spectators chuckled at their captain’s response.
“I’m serious! I’m not lying! I won’t let you get away with this!”
The captain whispered something to one of his lackeys, who promptly seized Lyric by the arm and carted him off. As Aurora watched him go, she was surprised by her concern for him.
“Where are you taking him?”
“Does it matter?”
“Well... yeah! It matters to me!”
“I guess there’s no harm in telling you, then. You see, I could use a new boat...” The captain bowed his head in the direction of the boat that he recently commandeered. “And I could use a new deckhand. Your friend will fit the bill, I think.”
“Lyric... a deckhand?” Aurora shook her head with disbelief. “You don’t know him like I do! He won’t be happy about that!”
“He won’t be happy, but he doesn’t have much of a choice, does he?” The captain chuckled. “He can either swab a few decks, or we can toss him overboard. It’s his decision. At any rate... I forgot to introduce myself, didn’t I?”
Aurora didn’t hear him. Her mind was too busy playing out the scenario of Lyric being defiant, and getting tossed over the side of the boat as a result. She hoped that didn’t happen. She hoped, for once, he had some sense.
“Blackbeard. The name’s Blackbeard,” he told her, raking a hand across his goatee as he spoke. “Or, if you‘d rather, you may call me Richard.”
“What name do you prefer?”
“My shipmates call me Blackbeard, as do my enemies.”
“Well, I hope I’m not an enemy.”
“Far from it!” he assured her. “Actually, I think I’d like it if you called me Richard. It’s been so long since I’ve heard anyone call me by that name. Even my own mother has taken to calling me Blackbeard... but she has gone a bit senile in her old age, the poor thing.”
“Okay.” Aurora didn’t know what else to say. He seemed comfortable conversing with her, but she was anything but comfortable.
“Would you mind joining me for a walk around the deck? I can give you a tour of the Hell’s Chariot. It’s been so long since I’ve enjoyed the company of a lady.“ Richard held out his elbow, took her by the arm, and led her forward. “As I said, no harm will come to you. I may be a pirate, but I’m also a gentleman.”
“A gentleman pirate,” Aurora repeated. It sounded like an oxymoron.
“A thief can have honor, you know.”
“Does that mean you rob from the rich and give to the poor?”
Richard took a moment to ponder the thought. “Yes, to some extent. I rob from the rich and give to... myse
lf.”
“Oh.”
“If you don’t look after yourself, no one else will.”
“I guess that’s true.”
“It is true. Trust me. Anyhow, what’s the deal with your friend? He a lover of yours?”
Aurora was in the process of swallowing when he asked that question, and she nearly choked on her spit. “No... no way! I wouldn’t even call him a friend. I’m not traveling with him by choice.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it’s true! I can’t stand him! And he really is an emperor, by the way. He’s not lying about that. I’ve been to his palace!”
“If he’s an emperor, it looks like he’s fallen on hard times.”
Aurora nodded. At the moment, Lyric wasn’t exactly dressed to the nines.
“So, what he said about you being a princess...?”
“Is also true.”
“Interesting.” Richard gave his beard another brisk stroke. “Then I should treat you like a princess. Is there anything you require, my lady?”
“No. And please don’t treat me any differently!” she begged him. “It’s a long story, but I’m not used to being a princess.”
“I treat all women like princesses.”
“Um... okay.”
“Especially if they’re as beautiful as you are.”
Aurora blushed. She never considered herself beautiful, and she assumed he was exaggerating, but she smiled at his compliment nonetheless.
“Will you join me for dinner tonight, Princess? Your company would be an honor.”
“Um, sure.” Aurora frowned at her inability to string more than two words together. She didn’t know why she felt so nervous around him. She never had such a hard time conversing with Lyric.
“Great. I’ll see you later.” Richard stepped away from her and bowed. “Until then, make yourself comfortable. You are a guest on the ship. Anything that’s mine is yours.”
“Um... thanks.”
Two words again. Aurora shook her head in disappointment.
If she could have found her wits before he left, she would have asked him how it was possible to make herself comfortable on a ship called the “Hell’s Chariot.” The name didn’t exactly leave her with a warm and fuzzy feeling.
AS SOON AS AURORA SETTLED into her cabin, the captain sent a dress for her to wear to dinner. Crimson in color, with black gossamer lace trim on the hem and sleeves, the dress looked like something an opera singer would wear. In short, Aurora didn’t think it looked like something she would wear. It was a bit too—
“Low cut,” she said aloud, staring into the mirror with disdain. She wondered if he’d underestimated the size of her bust. Either that, or it was his intention to have her popping out of her dress. Aurora decided on the latter.
Aurora was in the middle of adjusting the bodice when there was a knock on the door. She peeked out, fearful of being seen in a tart’s garb.
It was the captain.
“Hello there, Aurora,” he greeted her. “You’re still joining me for dinner, yes? And you received my gift?”
“Gift?”
“The dress.”
Aurora, who conversed with the captain through the cracked door, looked down at the front of the dress. It hardly seemed like a “gift” to her.
“You received it?” he repeated his question.
“Oh, yes!”
“And you’ll wear it tonight?”
“I’m wearing it right now, actually, but—”
“Ah, great! I’m sure it looks fetching on you. Let me see it!”
She wasn’t sure fetching was the right word. Slutty seemed more appropriate. But what else was she supposed to do but take a deep breath and step into the hallway? When she did, the captain devoured her with his eyes. She wished she was still hiding behind the door.
“You look... stunning.”
Aurora tugged her hair over her shoulders; thankfully, it was long enough to cover the massive amount of cleavage. “Thanks, I guess. But this isn’t the sort of thing I’d usually wear.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Judging from the way he stared at her, he was anything but sorry.
“Okay, let’s go.”
“Oh, yes! Of course.”
Richard took her by the arm and led her into a drab, musty dining room. The meal wasn’t anything fancy either. The most fascinating part of the dinner arrangements was the fact that the food was being served by none other than Lyric, who looked angry enough to plow a fist through a brick wall. When he plopped a plate in front of the captain, Lyric looked like he wanted to pop the man’s head off of his shoulders.
“I hope you like fish,” Richard said, nodding in the direction of Aurora’s halibut. “We eat a lot of it around here.”
“I like it.”
“That’s good to know. If there’s anything you don’t like, please tell me. I’m trying to be a hospitable host.” In the corner of his eye, the captain saw Lyric move toward the door. He wasn’t through with him yet. “Oh... come back here for a moment, would you?”
When Lyric spun around, he was scowling. “Are you talking to me?”
“Yes, you.” As he took a bite of his fish, the captain whipped a small handkerchief out of his pocket. “Shine my shoes while I eat. You can use this.” He tossed the handkerchief onto the table.
“You want me to crawl under the table and shine your shoes?”
“I guess that would mean you have to crawl under the table. Please do that. But before you do, go into the kitchen and fetch us a couple of nice candles. We could use some ambiance.”
“No.”
Richard leaned forward. “Excuse me?”
“No and NO!”
“Then I guess you’ll be going overboard, won’t you? I’m sure the sharks will appreciate my kindness.”
Hoping she’d come to his defense, Lyric looked at Aurora, who kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling. She had no intention of meddling with the captain’s plans. She felt sorry for Lyric, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but think it would be a humbling experience for him.
Growling, Lyric snatched the handkerchief, dropped to his knees, and crawled under the table.
“Spit shine them if you must,” Richard went on. “I want them to look shiny and new when you’re through with them.”
Aurora stuffed a large bite of fish into her mouth and tried to ignore what little pity she had for Lyric. “This is good fish.”
“Ah, good. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
“After being adrift so long, it’s nice to sit down and eat like this.” Her pity came rushing back. “You’re going to let Lyric have something to eat too... aren’t you? He was stuck on the boat as long as I was. I’m sure he’s hungry.”
“I feed all members of my crew, and my new deckhand is no exception. Of course he’ll get to eat.”
“Okay. That’s good.”
“But the captain and his lovely guest are the highest priority.”
Aurora thought she heard Lyric hacking a large quantity of spit onto the captain’s shoe, but she didn’t want to draw attention to it. As annoying as he was, she didn’t want to cause any more trouble for him. “Um... so...” she made another attempt at conversation. “Have you, uh... have you been a pirate for very long?”
“Twenty years.”
“That qualifies.”
“And I’m very good at what I do. There isn’t a sailor on the sea who doesn’t quake in his boots when he hears the name Blackbeard.”
“That’s impressive, I guess,” Aurora said with a shrug, taking another bite of her fish. “But, you know... I don’t know if it’s such a good thing to have people fear you.”
“When you’re a pirate, it’s a good thing.”
“Okay, but it would make me kind of sad...”
Richard chuckled. “That’s the difference between a pirate and a princess, sweetheart. That... and one other thing.”
“What’s the other thing?”
He chuckl
ed again. She really was naïve, wasn’t she? “I’m sure you’ll find out some day, love.”
IV
“YOU REALLY CAN SEE everything from here!” Aurora exclaimed.
“Yes, I know. The view goes on for miles and miles, doesn’t it? It’s a nice place to take a lady when you’ve got a sunset... not that I’ve ever done that before.” Richard leaned against the crow’s nest, nonchalantly reclining on one elbow. “It’s a shame we don’t have a sunset right now.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Aurora peeked over the side of the crow’s next, groaning at the sight of the distant deck. “Whoa...”
“Don’t look down.”
“I’m never coming up to the crow’s nest again,” she informed him. “I’m surprised you got me to come up here in the first place. I’m usually afraid of heights.”
“Well, as I was saying, the secret is to not look down.” Blackbeard wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Here, I’ve got something for you.”
“What?”
“A spyglass.” He flicked it open and held it out to her. “If you think the view is nice now, wait until you see it with this.”
Aurora peered through the wrong end of the spyglass. Chuckling, Richard took it from her and turned it around. “You look at it this way.”
“Oh.” Frowning, she held the spyglass to her eye. “I’ve never seen one of these before.”
“You haven’t?”
“No. And I don’t see any land.”
“I’m not surprised. We’re pretty far out to sea.”
The frown on her lips fell further. Her chances at getting back home didn’t exactly sound promising. “I don’t really see anything. Just a lot of water.”
“No ships, no birds, no nothing?”
“No.”
“No storm clouds, I should hope?”
“No.” Her stomach churned at the thought of braving another storm on the sea.
“No sea monsters?”
“No!” Laughing at his question, Aurora handed the spyglass back to him.
“Well, then, I guess it was wrong of me to say you could see everything up here, wasn’t it? Oh... look there!” Richard pointed to the deck below. “I know I told you not to look down, but you might be interested to see what your little friend is up to.”