"And I think that's the last of them," Ford said as they stood watching the bulbous green creature thrashing in the water, the harpoons punctuating it's body.
Rochelle wiped her brow and cringed when her hand came away sticky with the slime from the first monster she had helped take down.
"That was beyond disgusting. I didn't realise that there would be this many."
"It's only just begun," The captain said as he lead the way back towards their rooms.
"Begun? It's going to get worse?"
Rochelle couldn't begin to imagine how that was possible. The Sun was just beginning to set and they all took a minute of respite after the long battle. She looked around at the destruction the swarm of monsters had caused and wondered what worse would look like.
No lives had been lost but there were several sailors that had been injured critically. The ship itself had scratches and dents aplenty. Rochelle noticed how Ford's face darkened as he surveyed the damage.
Was he regretting agreeing to this?
As if he had read her thoughts the captain said, "Vermillion and my crew have borne worse. Go clean up for dinner, Rochelle."
She nodded without complaint, being too tired to put up resistance at being told what to do. At the back of her mind she wondered where Graham was. She had glimpsed him a few times but had ducked out of the way before he could spy her.
Rochelle shook her head and tried not to think about him. It wouldn't do her sanity any good. She sighed as she entered her room and began the arduous task of getting the foul smelling gunk from out of her hair.
-------------
An hour or so later and she felt fresher than before. She had learned something valuable from her day two on board Vermillion.
Proceed with caution and attempt killing sea monsters from a distance. They have a tendency to spill their innards on the unsuspecting person who was stupid enough to slash at them with their sword.
Feeling satisfied and capable of writing a book titled: A Lady's Guide to Vanquishing Vile Monsters, tales from aboard the Vermillion, she sauntered into the dinning hall.
It was emptier than usual but the buzz of light and laughter was still there. This time she only garnered a handful of glances as she took her seat at the head table. The captain and Finn were discussing damages, but they offered her a smile when she sat down.
A tired looking Graham walked in a few minutes later and Rochelle found herself unconsciously looking for an injury. She told herself that it was only normal for her to care if he was hurt or not. It didn't have to mean anything at all.
She cared about all her fellow passengers equally. She was just a generally good person. Yes, that right. Graham wasn't any special.
Her thoughts were broken when the seat next to hers was suddenly occupied. She looked to her side, startled. Little Jimmy smiled at her and then at his uncles that sat across the table from them.
"You were amazing today," Jimmy whispered.
But to Rochelle's horror it had been loud enough to catch Graham's attention.
"Oh and what was Rochelle amazing at?" He asked in a forcibly chipper manner.
Jimmy didn't seem to notice and before Rochelle could stop him the little boy said, "At helping to kill the monsters, of course! I was watching from the captain's balcony with Finn. It was amazing! If it wasn't for her the smaller Galturas that managed to climb onboard would've surely sunk the ship!"
"Is that so?" Graham's eyebrow rose a few inches as he heard his nephew recount the tale of her heroics.
"We are grateful for your assistance today, Rochelle. You didn't always follow orders but you got the job done." Ford added.
"Yes, she really has trouble following orders it seems," Graham said as he gave her a meaningful look.
She couldn't help but narrow her eyes in return. He had no right to force her to stay in her room away from all the action. She opened her mouth to tell him just that when the doors to the dinning hall burst open once again.
"Hello gentlemen." Liam sauntered in, this time a lot more sober, fully dressed up in his uniform.
"And Rochelle." He added as he took the seat right next to hers at the table. She didn't recall seeing him at all during the monster attack that morning. Then again she was too busy between the monsters and attempting to hide from Graham to have noticed much else.
But there was someone who was distinctly missing. "Where is captain Alexander?"
"He's fine. Just needs some rest after he came to help out with the harpoons." Ford said, not looking up from his food.
The table descended into silence as everyone ate their dinner. She raised a glass to her lips, but almost chocked on the water when she felt a hand rest firmly on her thigh below the table.
She glared at Liam to her right but he refused to look her way and continued to eat. Rochelle tried to slide her seat discreetly away, but with Jimmy sitting on her other side it was impossible.
She tried to remove Liam's hand but it refused to budge. She even considered stabbing him with a fork but then thought better of it. Having lost all appetite she decided to leave rather than create a scene.
"I'll be taking my leave, gentleman. Good night." She abruptly stood up and forced a smile onto her face.
"Are you alright?" Ford asked with his brow darkening with worry, "you haven't finished your dinner."
"I'm fine." She tried to reassure him. "Just tired."
"Let me escort you back to your rooms." Liam said suddenly but before he could make a move, Graham was already up and besides her.
"Allow me." Graham took her hand and placed it firmly in the crook of his elbow before leading the way out.
She didn't know what to feel at being rescued by him so she decided to let it go. Besides she knew she was fully capable of handling Liam if he decided to attempt anything again. But the thought that Graham had her back and would be there to protect her was comforting.
"Thank you," She said when they reached her room.
Graham nodded at her and without another word, turned away to go back to the dinning room.
Rochelle closed the door softly, a million thoughts running through her head. She sighed and shook her head. It wouldn't do well for her to get distracted.
She needed sleep. The day had been long and tiring. She didn't need emotional drama to top it off. And that was all Graham was, a distraction and the cause of unwanted drama. And she didn't need him to succeed.
Right?
---------------
A loud tremor shook her from her sleep and Rochelle almost fell off the bed in her haste to get up. The ship shook again, this time followed by a loud boom that chased off the last remnants of sleep.
It was still dark outside and with trembling fingers she lighted a lantern, illuminating her small cabin.
Her heart beat picked up speed as she quickly slipped on a robe over her nightgown and fastened her boots. Loud shouts and indistinguishable thumps, muffled by the thick panels of the ship, reached her room.
She had been warned that the journey to Caim would be dangerous but this was plain ludicrous!
She located her sword and decided to go to the main deck to see the cause of all the noise.
To her surprise her door opened and Graham peeked in. "Oh no. You aren't putting yourself in danger again, I'll make sure of it."
"What?" Rochelle tripped over her own two feet in her haste to get to the door before it slammed shut in her face. She heard the distinct click of the lock and pounded her fists on the door.
"Open this door! Graham, I'm going to kill you!"
Her threats fell on deaf ears as she heard his heavy footfalls ascending the stairs up to the main deck.
Rochelle quickly scanned her room and huffed out in frustration when it was clear that she was locked in. The ship shook again and she braced herself against the bed which was fixed to the floor.
What was going on up there?
Just because of Graham and his misplaced sense of honour she was missing all the action! She was so angry she could scream.
She dearly hoped that he had the good sense to stay out of her way after this, because she wasn't feeling very forgiving and understanding at the moment.
Her thoughts were broken when she heard the click of the lock. Her door swung open and Jimmy rushed in before slamming the door shut behind him.
The boy leaned against the door and grinned wildly at her, "The ship's under attack! Pirates!"
"Thank the Queens! Step out of the way, Jimmy, I have to go help." Rochelle located her sword and turned around to face the boy again.
Jimmy didn't move from his place. "Uncle Ford ordered for the two of us to stay here."
She scoffed, "I'm not one of your uncle's men. I'm going up to help so move aside, Jimmy."
"You'll get hurt." The boy seemed genuinely concerned and it warmed her heart to see him trying to protect her in his own way.
"I promise to try and keep out of trouble. You stay here."
The boy started shaking his head so Rochelle quickly added, "What do pirates want most?"
Jimmy thought for a moment before answering, "Treasure."
"Exactly! And uhm--" Rochelle quickly took stalk of her surroundings before deciding on the only real thing of value she had on her person.
"You see this ring?" She showed the amethyst ring to Jimmy and the boy's eyes widened. "It was my father's. It's very valuable and it means the world to me. Can you stay here and keep it safe? I'm certain the pirates will take it with them if they find it."
Jimmy hesitantly nodded and Rochelle reluctantly took off her ring. The lack of its comforting weight made Rochelle shudder, but she held her head high and smiled at the boy.
It was strange really that she was taking a moment to reassure a ten year old child while the ship was under attack. But no matter the situation, Rochelle found that she didn't have it in herself to be hasty with children. They needed care and patience and most of all, love.
And she had come to care for Jimmy even in the small amount of time since they had met. She held out the ring and the young boy took it reverently.
"Keep it safe." She said again. "The door can be bolted from inside, I think it's best that you lock it. Since that way no one could come in unless you want them to."
"But how will I know it's you and that I should open the lock?"
"Good question." Rochelle thought for a moment. "I shall knock twice in quick succession followed by a single solitary knock. That way you can tell it's me and that it's safe to open."
She demonstrated once and Jimmy nodded. She hurried out the door only to find a dead body lying halfway down the series of stairs. She looked away and quickly closed the door behind her before Jimmy could see.
Rochelle waited for the lock to slide shut and as soon as she heard the click she rushed up to the main deck. She sidestepped the corpse and burst out into pandemonium.
The stars still shone outside, but enough light was provided by lamps and torches for her to view the scene. A burning, sinking hull of a ship could be seen not far on the starboard side and she knew that it was the pirate ship. Vermillion was steadily moving away from the doomed ship, so as not to drown with it.
But the pirate crew seemed to now be stuck with them. Everywhere she looked men were locked in combat. The crew of Vermillion wasn't in their uniform nor were they fully equipped as the pirates had attacked in the dead of night.
Their opponents on the other hand were armed to the teeth. She quickly ducked as a blade swung over her head in a wide arc. Rochelle turned around quickly to face her attacker and found two men who looked strikingly similar leering back at her. For the life of her she couldn't tell them apart, especially in the near darkness.
They both held hefty broadswords and were tall and muscled enough to handle their heavy blades well. Their clothes weren't as bad as some of the pirate crew she had glimpsed so she assumed that they were either the captain or the lieutenant. Or both?
Two against one wasn't a fair fight but when did pirates ever play fair.
One of them stepped up and attacked. She blocked it effortlessly and they returned to their original positions. The twins seemed to wordlessly communicate with each other and Rochelle wondered what they planned to do.
They started circling around her, both going in opposite directions and she tried to keep both in her line of sight. It was impossible really, and she would be dead in an instant if they were smart enough to attack together.
Just great! It was just her luck to be stuck with the only two pirates who seemed like they can do some serious damage with their swords.
Her heart-beat slowed and her muscles grew taut. She let her mind clear of all thoughts and let her senses aid her in assessing the situation.
The larger of the twins lunged without warning and she jumped out of his way. As she regained her balance, she only had enough time to bring her sword up to deflect the attack by the other pirate.
He attacked with quick, clean precision, never uttering a word-a silent assassin of the night. His brother on the other hand had slower movements and a rougher technique. The skin on her neck prickled and on instinct she flattened herself on the ground, scraping her arms in the process.
The bigger brother flew over her head and accidentally took down the one she had been fighting. The twins collided and sprawled out with groans and curses aplenty. Rochelle raised herself on her elbows before straightening up completely.
"Aos, Maos. Should've known it was you two." A voice came from over her shoulder and she smiled as she recognised Ford.
The captain stepped closer and hauled one of the brothers to his feet. Finn came and handled the other one. The twins still didn't speak a word only hissed and growled at Ford.
"Yes, yes. You will forever hunt me and my crew and won't rest until you see Vermillion suffer the same fate as your precious ship. I've heard it all before, gentlemen. You should've thought of that before you decided to attack." Ford yawned and roughly pushed the brothers towards one of the sailors.
"Lock them up, Finn. Round up the rest of the pirates as well. We should reach Foltron by first light. The authorities there would like to have these two out of the picture."
Rochelle watched the brothers being taken away before she turned sharply towards the captain. "You said we weren't going to stop."
"We have to. Vermillion took quite a few hits. The men and resources need replenishing. We also have an unruly pirate crew onboard to worry about." Ford was taking off his gloves and heading down towards their rooms.
"But we can't!" She followed, protesting loudly to get his attention.
"Why ever not?" He whirled around and in the small hallway she almost stood toe-to-toe with Ford Sherratt.
His eyes assessed her cooly before his face softened. "Don't worry, Rochelle. We won't stop long. Nothing will happen. I promise."
She wanted to tell him everything. Every single reason why she couldn't stop at Foltron, but her throat chocked up.
She looked away so he wouldn't see the buildup of emotions. Her eyes landed on her own door and she rushed to knock on it. Jimmy.
The door clicked open and the boy rushed out to hug his uncle.
"Glad to see someone followed orders." Ford joked.
Rochelle rolled her eyes but her reply was cut off as Captain Alexander stepped down into the hallway as well, followed by Graham.
"So this is where the party is!" The old Captain jovially exclaimed, but Rochelle could see that he was limping slightly.
"You should be careful, sir." Ford said with worry lining his features.
"Aren't I always?" With a wink, captain Alexander with the help of Graham stepped into his room. Graham stepped out shortly afterwards, closing the door behind him.
"He's fine. Just a slight wound on his right shin."
Ford nodded once before turning away to step into his office at the end of the hall.
Silence descended on the three people that still remained. Rochelle shifted uneasily on her feet, thinking of something to say.
Jimmy beat her to it by turning to her with a smile and a bow, "Your ring, miss."
Rochelle laughed and slipped on the amethyst ring, comforted now that it was back where it belonged.
"You went outside, didn't you?"
She cringed and faced Graham who had a stony expression on his face. His eyes turned a vivid shade of green as they fell on the torn sleeves of her robe. The flimsy material had snagged when she had ducked to avoid the brothers. She became aware of a slight sting of pain on the skin of her forearms.
"Rochelle..." Graham sighed and took one of her arms to examine it. "What did you do?"
"I--uhm--" Her mind wasn't working properly as she felt his rough finger gently skimming her raw skin. "I fell on my way up the stairs! I didn't get far before it was all over. Thanks to you!"
She tried to muster the anger and the murderous intent from earlier, but it was difficult with Graham looking so concerned.
"It's just a few scrapes." She added.
"We'll get the ship doctor to take a look at it." Graham said with finality. He lead the way to the infirmary and Jimmy whistled when he saw the damage.
Most of the dead bodies had been moved and the pirates rounded up, but it still wasn't a pretty sight.
"The mute twins, Aos and Maos attacked." Graham told them.
She feigned surprise and asked, "Mute pirate brothers? Now that's new."
As Jimmy and Graham narrated tales of the infamous pirates of Valtrua, Rochelle silently sent up a prayer. She prayed to the Queens that they wouldn't encounter her mother in Foltron.
She also silently begged the Queens to make sure that no one mentioned her duel with the pirate brothers around Graham.
But of course, things never work out as one wishes them to.