Pirates of the Caribbean: Fate Intervenes

Acceptance

 I pushed my chest out, slipping my sword through the beaded loop of my belt and yanking my chin up. Though my purple dress likely told otherwise, I felt very piratesque.

I nudged my friend, hissing impolitely. "Lucius! Stand up straight. This is the Commodore." He nodded rigidly, straightening his back.

The sound of heavy boots against wood tingled into my ears and I clamped my eyes shut. I was horrified.

What if he took me from everything I've ever known?

I gulped and looked up, having no more options left nor time to avoid it.

He was magnificent and horrifying all at once... I found later that I would run into many sailors like that throughout my pirating years.

Trinkets adorned his hair, hat, and clothes, deep pits of scarring covering nearly every inch of his body, and he was just barely recognizable as a man who was once quite handsome.

I watched from underneath him as his jaw shifted from right to left, his head bobbing in approval at our fierce and able-bodied crew. That is, all but Lucius... He was lacking a bit on the "able-bodied" part. Despite the small amount we had to eat, Lucius stayed rather portly.

I whistled out a gasp as his head snapped down to look at me, fiery black eyes escaping from the brim of his hat and examining every crevice of my expression. Recovering from my startle, I puffed out my chest more and whipped my head towards the sky, pushing a brave face through chattering teeth.

He let out a dark laugh. "And who might you be?"

I was taken back for a moment, lifting my fingertips to my lips and staring. I suppose he was the first person I'd ever met with a proper voice. His relaxed, English accent was sophisticated, yet rebellious. He'd been educated but was quite obviously as much a scallywag as the rest of us.

I cleared my throat. "My name is Master Olivia Stafford."

"Aha! Master, eh?" He swung a mocking gesture toward me. "So you're a pirate like the rest of these blokes?"

"Aye."

"And how does your Captain feel about this?"

I sniffed, not knowing better than to admit it. "He doesn't like it. He wants me to be a 'proper, learned lady'."

Lucius reached down and whacked me on the arm and the Admiral once again laughed.

"Is that truly what you want? For her to learn?" He swung around to face Samson, who was following him submissively in his walk.

"Aye, aye!" His eyes lit up, eager to hear what this man had to offer.

"Then you can send her with me, mate. I can teach her everything there is to know. Being educated is ever so important in becoming an effective captain one day." He winked down at me, and I couldn't help but grin in return. I was finally getting what I wanted!

Samson held up his hands to protest, but the Commodore had already knelt to my height.

"Do you know how to use that thing on your hip, lass?"

I shrugged. "I guess. I suppose I should. I just barely got it a week ago."

He grinned, touching a finger to his nose. "I want you to knock my nose off with it, eh?"

I hesitated, pulling the blade out and swinging it around recklessly. His alarmed eyes dodged the blows before he patted me affectionately and brought the sword back to its place in my belt.

"Oi, we're going to have to work on that, too. Quite a lot, actually."

"Admiral, with all due respect, I'm not keen on trainin' her pirate tricks."

The Commodore then addressed my Captain, yet kept his eyes fixated on mine.

"Well, if she's only introduced to books, then how will she ever get the chance to choose her own life path, eh? If she wants to be a pirate, let her be a pirate. At any rate, she'll know how to read."

Cockeyed Samson's throat croaked, the rebuttals he wanted to make skidding against the wall of respect he had for the Admiral.

Commodore Teague gave me one last smile after a gaze of contemplation, then stood up to his height once again. He spun around, studying my Captain's face, who straightened himself and tried his hardest to give a dead stare forward.

"It's an accord. The girl sails with me." the Admiral looked down at me once more, as if he was solidifying his decision, before giving a steady nod and confident step past me.

This was the start of my life.