Winds of Fate [Books I-III]

Chapter Four: New Beginnings

It is easy to rise when one gets jolted awake by a swelling wave. The candle has long gone out and gray light streams from the porthole. She yawns and stretches her arms, thinking for a moment why she was not under the stairs...

Then the horrible events of yesternight border in her foggy mind. Eleanore stands up. She bends down and folds the blanket, hoping the bell has not yet rung. It will be a shame to disappoint Nigel. He is truly kind.

The thought of angering pirates scared her to the bones. Angering the Captain is one thing...

Come to think of it, she had a lot of cheek to actually talk back to him. Mrs St. John had always admonished her for her "tasteless courage" and Eleanore has long since been wondering when has courage ever become out of fashion. Perhaps a long way back, when families found good use for their daughters by marrying them off to the highest bidder.

Now she does not hate men. But men blaming their shortcomings on women grate at her soul. To think he wants her to even tie her hair! She huffs and straightens her clothes.

And where could have the Captain gotten the clothing? Surely...

Surely they are not his?

Eleanore shivers at the thought, but stops herself to think that he had taken pity on her plight and offered her his own clothes. Maybe bickering with him over tying her hair was a childish move. 

But she has been scared. Well, he has been amiable in his own cold way in that respect. She sighs and bends down to wear the boots. They fit nicely. A little tight but it is better than a hanging boot. 

She opens her door. The hall is dead quiet. Eleanore walks silently, finding her way down the hallways, the mess deck, the gun deck, and then to the upper deck. There she is met by a gray sky, with tinges of orange and yellow from afar signalling the new day to come.

And for her, a new life.

She walks up the stairs. As she rounds, she glimpses the bridge where the boy from the evening is still at the helm, and beside him stood the Captain. Eleanore slithers without a noise to the side, intending to explore the deck while there are few sailors about. She marvels at the fine detailing of swirling leaves that serve as rails or the big white sails atop her on those towering masts.

Lost in her musings, she nearly collides with a sailor. "Oh, pardon!"

The man looks up. He has golden locks that frame his rather long face, high cheekbones, and sleepy eyes that give him a comely look. He stares at her with wide eyes. "You must be the stowaway."

Eleanore shrugs. "I-"

"Stowaway," he says this with a smile that even if it was meant to be an insult it does not feel as such. And then he yawns, "I heard all the ruckus last night, spare me." 

Eleanore looks away, intending to step back into her cabin, but the sailor simply leans forward, leaning on the panel with his arms across his chest. 

"I have to say, you do not strike me as a lady's maid. Who are you hiding from, huh?" He snickers, a wolfish grin on his face that made Eleanore stay in place. "Papa wants you to marry a rich, boring gentleman?"

"No, no," Eleanore shakes her head vehemently, "I am a lady's maid."

"Come now, you can tell me," the sailor taunts, his golden locks making him look like a prince. Eleanore peers carefully at him. "We are pirates, but we will not hold you for ransom." He clicks his tongue. "There is more fun in raiding ships. And less drama than hounding Dukes."

"I do not have money on me, I assure you. All that I have, I paid-"

The bell starts to ring, and Eleanore can only sigh in relief. The sailor rolls his eyes at the sound. "Victor," he says, offering his hand. Eleanore takes it and Victor presses a kiss on top of it. "A pleasure."