**English version of the WATTYS 2019 WINNER story**
1672, Caribbean Sea.
He lost everything for her. She risked everything for him.
But maybe love is not enough to bridge over so many deep differences between them, and the only way for them is goodb...
The men Robin had assigned to the Holly Avenger finished fixing the rudder just in time before the storm, so they would be able to cut the towing hawsers tying them to the Victory if they needed to, and steer the ship themselves.
When it cleared, Sorensen had the prisoners brought from the hold. Some of them had died, but the Englishman forced the Spaniards to carry with the bodies of their late colleagues. He lowered them away on the boats without food or water, chained to the hulls so they couldn't free themselves without sinking.
Robin visited the Phantom, and Marina had to leave the cabin during the day for thirty whole minutes to meet with him.
He asked about Morris, and didn't insist when she just shrugged. They planned what they would do in Santo Domingo when they got they the next day, and Robin asked what would become of the Holly Avenger. It was a superb vessel and it felt like a crime, getting rid of it only because it was the Inquisition's property.
Considering Laventry had gifted D'Oregon with a galleon not long ago, Marina decided it was Lynch's turn to get a present like that.
"Take her to Sir Thomas," she said. "Call it poetic justice, that a church-armed ship will serve the crown the church fought to bring down."
Robin chuckled. "I'll call it a bribe. With such a present, Sir Lynch will find it hard to get mad about what we're about to do."
As soon as he went back to the Victory, Marina headed for the cabin. On the way, she glanced at the northwest and frowned. There was no sail on the horizon.
"Where's the merchantman?" she asked.
De Neill shrugged. "We lost her in the storm."
"Oh..."
Hours later, she found herself wondering about the missing unknown ship. It'd stayed on their wake for a week, always far but on sight. Merchantmen ran on established routes and a tight schedule. They didn't change course to dodge a storm because any delay meant lost money. Maybe it'd gone down in the squall?
She snorted under her breath. Like she gave a damn.
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Instead of heading straight to Santo Domingo, the next day they turned south a little and captured a merchant patache near Caucedo Point. They sent the crew to land, and Maxó gathered a group of men to set the patache up. Since the English were to keep the Holly Avenger, he sent the merchantman's cargo to the Phantom.
Maxó had found several Inquisition flags on the Spanish frigate, and when Sorensen gave him the boats with the prisoners to tow, the pirates improvised flagpoles on them. The Inquisition flag fluttered over the prisoners and on top of the patache's masts.
When they raised the Ozama river's mouth, Sorensen made the Holly Avenger bear away from the other ships, to cross to the west at a safe distance from the San Geronimo Fort's guns. He took the frigate past the Haina river to wait there, deploring that he'd miss the show.
