Secrets from the Deep

Chapter 13

"You shall not go unpunished, young man!" The Terrible declared as he pointed at Jasper.

"You're a truly courageous man, Terrance, and far more worthy to be captain than me after all of these years. I give you my position as the Air Mando heir, and you are now the captain," Aslan declared as his face slowly turned red from crying.

"Thank you, Aslan. As for my first act as Captain Terrance the Terrible, Jasper Mondel will walk the plank at sunrise as punishment for killing Captain Moncilia."

"What? But you were the one who shot him!" Jasper argued.

"A man kill someone he sees as a father? If you're going to make excuses, they're going to need to be more believable than that. You two, bring the rest of the prisoners back into the ship," Terrance commanded Aslan and Chris.

The two pirates brought the captives in the dinghy back onto the Air Mando.

While all this was happening, Meg observed the late Captain Moncilia, his final words ringing in her head. Suddenly, she noticed an old, wrinkled piece of paper poking out of his shirt pocket. When no one was looking, Meg took the note and read it to herself, shocked to see that it was written in her mother's handwriting.

"My Dear Dominic,

I can not believe you are finally coming home! It has been so long, and I thought I would never see you again. Anyway, I am writing to let you know that I accept your proposal. I do not care if you are rich or poor; I simply can not wait for you to return.

Lots of love,

Rosella"

She hid the note in the pocket of her skirt as the pirates shut the window and brought the body of Captain Moncilia out of the room before the door was closed and locked once again. As the rest of the prisoners discussed their disappointment of the night, and their fears of the future, Meg sat in the corner and thought some more to herself, tears beginning to well in her eyes as Jasper sat next to her.

"Meg, is there something you would like to talk about?" Jasper asked, comfortingly.

Rather than speaking, Meg handed Jasper the note she found in Captain Moncilia's pocket.

"What is it?" Jasper asked after he read the letter.

"This is a letter from my mother to my father, and I found it in Captain Moncilia's shirt pocket," Meg explained, trying to remain composed.

"Does this mean that Captain Moncilia was the person you were looking for?"

"I believe so."

"Then why do you seem unsatisfied now that your father's murderer is dead when a main reason you came out to sea was to seek revenge?"

"I knew someone on this ship might have killed my father, but I did not think it would be like this. A pirate in love with my mother who then murdered his rival after she married another and then kept the letter from her saying that she accepted her lover's proposal. And that is not even my biggest concern at this moment."

"And what may that be?"

"Have you been awake for the past five minutes? Terrance the Terrible shot Captain Moncilia, framed you for the crime, and will force you to walk the plank at sunrise tomorrow," Meg replied, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Listen, Meg, it will be alright. I have a plan, and even if it does not work out, everyone else in this cabin will remain safe, and I will die knowing that I was innocent," Jasper comforted before pulling Meg in for a tight embrace.