For the Heart of a Pirate

Capture

The salty wind blew through Captain François's hair as he stood on the deck of the small pirate ship. His crew deftly pulled the ship up to the dock, everything seeming empty in the dark night. He saw his destination: the palace in the northern section of the city.

He and his second-in-command named Jachin, a small but well-built, Hispanic man with long black hair and a goatee, made their way across the dark streets of the city and to the palace, making sure to stay in the shadows as to not be seen.

Once they reached the large palace intricately designed with dragons and phoenixes, they heard music and muffled voices from the festivities inside. They stole a glance at each other, their eyes filled with mischief and anticipation of their antics to come.

As they circled the building, they found a ledge where they could make their way to the top. As silent and graceful as a cat would, they scaled the building and peeked inside through the opening in the adobe. Inside, there were a myriad of colors swirling about the floor, dresses twirling and swirling in sync with the music. François and Jachin did not want any of those women, however. Their target was the princess, who was to be crowned queen later on in the night. She was the one that would earn them the ransom they needed.

They searched desperately, but could not find her. There was so much activity that it was hard to pin just one person.

Finally, there was a change in the air when a trumpet sounded in the front of the palace. Everyone became quiet, and a path opened through the people as a woman walked across the thin purple carpet and onto the stage. She was very beautiful. Her hair was long and light, not quite blonde but not quite brown, either. Her eyes were a piercing blue, and a smile seemed to play on her lips, giving her an air of amusement.

As the crowd gaped in awe, a bishop walked out to meet the beautiful girl and spoke a few words as she held up her right hand. Then, he took a pillow from one of the servants on which a crown rested. The woman bowed and he placed it on her head, declaring, "All hail Queen Aria of Azuilar!"

The crowd erupted into cheers and the band began playing a wonderful time. François and Jachin exchanged a knowing look as they began to climb back down the building. Once they reached the back, they found a door and entered, making sure to stick to the shadows. They came out of the hallway and to the right of the stage, where Queen Aria was making her way down the stairs. They hid on the side of the opening and quickly grabbed her when she walked by the door, gagging her with a piece of cloth as they did so. Carrying a very indignant queen, they rushed back out the way they came and back to the ship. Once on board, the crew stopped what they were doing and got the ship ready to sail.

"Jachin, steer while I handle her," François ordered, and his second-in-command quickly complied.

François plopped the queen onto a sack of corn and she landed with a thump. She glared angrily but could say nothing, as she was still gagged.

When she tried to stand, François easily pushed her back down and held her while he grabbed a rope that was tied to the back of his belt. He proceeded to bind her hands and feet, which caused her to send daggers at him through her eyes. He was not phased.

"Okay, Queen Aria," he mocked,"you're on my ship now. You don't have power here. If you'll be a good little queen and behave, you'll make it out alive. We only want you for the ransom you'll bring in. You saw that handsome Mexican over there? That's Jachin, my first-mate. And me? Heh, I'm Captain François, Lord of the seas! King of the pirates! The most deadly man to ever walk the face of the earth!" he went on, but Aria gave him an exasperated look and he stopped. Her eyes still burned with anger.

"Alright, little queen, I'm going to take your gag off since we're far enough from land that no one can hear you scream," he chuckled.

Once he undid the knot, she snarled and tried to bite him. He couldn't help but recognize the similarity she had to a beast at that moment.

"Feisty are we?" he asked. He liked that. It was amusing for some odd reason.

"Whatever," she huffed in reply, and François knew he wouldn't get her to talk any longer. He got up and took command of the wheel when Jachin began to look anxious.

"What is it Jachin?"

"Well, Captain, I was just wondering; what are we going to do with her?"

"We're going to keep her tied up, feed her, and water her until we so desire."

"Well, yes, but she's a woman. Don't you think that she deserved, I don't know, at least a room or something? I was raised to respect women, and hog-tying them isn't very respectful, ya know?"

François simply looked at Jachin and they locked eyes, waging a silent battle between them. Jachin may have spoken meekly, but François could hear the determination in his voice. His best friend was not going to give in.

"Fine," he sighed," give her one of the supply closets, but lock it from the outside!"

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Jachin smirked as he left to take care of Aria.

"Yeesh, what am I going to do? I'm getting pushed around by a woman and my best friend," François chuckled to himself, shaking his head as he did so.

When he looked back up, he froze and his eyes widened.

"Oh, no," he whispered.