A Mermaid's Tale

Chapter 3

The Queen Lady sailed north on the calm sea waves while her crew scrambled about like a bunch of gulls. A call had been raised, and everyone was preparing for the worst. Another ship was spotted on the horizon and was closing in fast. There was only one kind of ship that would be brave enough to chase a pirate ship, and that was another pirate ship.

"Squeaker! What be the word on that other ship?" Christov yelled up to the crow's nest.

"Still comin', sah!" the mousey man shouted back.

"Can ya make out what it looks like? The Cap'n needs t' know what kind o' brainless, no good bunch o' scallywags been followin' us for Neptune knows 'ow long."

"I-it's hard to tell, sah." Squeaker peered through a beat up telescope. "Pink and purple sails, sah! It's got pink and purple sails! Ain't nevah seen nothin' like this b'fore!"

Christov cursed loudly. "That be the Bloody Rose. The Cap'n ain't gonna be 'appy t' 'ear this..."

Several hours later, Captain Kirkland stood on the deck of his ship and watched as the other vessel pulled in along side his own. He hated to admit it, but there was no way he could outrun the Bloody Rose. The Queen Lady may have been sturdy, but that by no means translated into speed, and Arthur knew it.

His mood had been in quite foul for a long time, and he glowered dangerously at anyone that walked a little too close. Everyone except Peter of course, who ran around the ship excitedly asking questions to anyone that listened.

"Why does that ship have pink sails?"

"'Cause the cap'n o' that ship 'as got a few screws loose up in the ol' noggin."

"What's the captain like?"

"Cap'n Bonnefoy is the most pompous, silly lookin' pirate ya'd evah meet on the high seas, but 'e somehow keeps 'is men in line."

"Have you ever-"

"Enough, Peter." Captain Kirkland gave the boy a warning look. "It would be better if you stayed below deck and stopped badgering everyone."

Peter looked crestfallen. "Awww, but Uncle! I never get to see anything interesting!"

"No. You are to stay below deck, and that's final." The Captain's voice didn't leave any room to argue, so Peter bowed his head and walked toward the stairs leading below deck.

A low murmur rippled through the men gathered on deck as the Bloody Rose coasted to a stop. Nothing happened for a while, but then a long plank was dropped to span the gap between the two ships. Captain Kirkland tensed as he caught sight of a familiar face grinning at him as the man crossed the plank.

"Ahoy there, Arthur! It's been far too long!"

"What do you want, Francis?"

The flamboyant pirate captain landed on the Queen Lady's deck with a deep bow. He flashed a cocky grin at the ship's crew before focusing his attention back on its captain.

"Why can't I just pop in to say hello? Aren't friends allowed to do that?"

"You're not my friend," Arthur growled. "Now I'll ask you again. What do you want?"

Francis sighed. His ruse had been quickly discovered. "Well, the truth is, rumor has gotten around that you've got your hands on a mermaid, and I just came to see if it was true."

"Where did you hear a thing like that?" Arthur narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He could tell Francis was up to something.

"I was at a bar in Wend, even though I don't usually like places like that, when I heard someone talking very loudly about their captain catching a mermaid."