I have been quieter than I would thought after what happened two days ago in my room I have been quieter than I wanted to be. I was watching as the other pirates were using Bear to get certain things for them. They thought I was funny, and even praised the dog. I was glad they liked Bear, and at least they were teaching Bear to do something.
Of course pirates would teach the dog to get bottles of rum...
When I looked at Caspian walking across the deck chatting to the members of the crew, seeing how much the crew liked him, I couldn't help but think about what he told me. With the knowledge of knowing he had a kid once... it was shocking. I wonder if he blamed himself for that woman's death giving birth for his child, when he was only using her to get to his father. Maybe, because of his father, seducing women was all he known because he done it to tick his father with every woman he was with.
Caspian was a handsome man, it was obvious. The strong jawline, the beautiful emerald eyes, the blond hair, and nice body. A normal man would be envious to look like him...
Because of his looks, that's why his father hated him. That's what led him to do the things in his life that he now regrets.
His looks cursed him. My looks cursed mine.
The similarities were odd, but true.
I saw a large ship heading this way, it cause my attention and Amul's. When he saw it he called out for Caspian, and he quickly walked up the stairs and the helm, his eyes also catching the ship.
"Hmmm...." Hummed Caspian in deep thought. "This should be interestin'."
"Who is it? That's a pretty large ship."
"Someone pretty dangerous," Caspian warned. "I know how yer temper is lass, but this time keep a hold on yer tongue. This man is not to be trifled with."
"Who is it?" I repeated.
"Yer will see," Was all Caspian said before ordering his men to raise the sails to stop the ship. It seems the larger one was getting closer, and was also raising its own sail. I stood up began to walk down the stairs of this ship and to the middle of the deck. I was wearing that dress from two days ago when I was trying to distract all those men. Now I was just wearing it so I can wash my other clothes later, they were staring to stink and I needed to dump them in a bucket of water.
So now I looked a little out of place on the ship full of pirates with bandanas, and one ear pierced. And swords. Caspian still had my weapons locked up in his Quarters because he thought I might use it to cut my hair or worse, myself.
The ship slowed until they came to a halt, and I could immediately see the ship next to us was bigger. And old slave ship. I looked up to see their pirate flag but noticed this one was totally different. This was a picture of a man holding a spear and the spear was aimed at a red heart. The flag was unique, and odd...
I lowered my eyes to look on a ship. It was obvious who the captain of the ship by the one man who stuck out of the rest, he wore a long red coat and four guns. He also wore a hat like Caspian's only without the feather, but in complete honesty, it wasn't the clothing that made him stand out. Not the guns, black boots, nor height. It was his long black beard that covered most of his face, hanging from it. It grew to his sideburns and into his hair.
The look was familiar to the movies I have watched, and the folklore. I stared at the man with a baffled expression. Until it finally hit me.
Holy shit... I thought in a shudder. Is that...
"Edward Teach," Caspian grinned and resting his food on a small box, propping his foot on a box to make his leg into a 90-degree angle. He done it so calmly. "It has been a while since we last met."
Edward Teach... I remembered that name from the book. I read pages of him! That's Blackbeard!?
The man Caspian called out just grinned, his grin was hardly readable from where I stood. "You owe me some coin for that game you lost to be back at Nassau, boy. You are lucky I was lenient in letting your wasted self walk out of the game."
"I have yer coin," Caspian chuckled, "Allow me to come over, and I'll hand it to yer."
I was astonished how well Caspian was even talking to the dude. Then I remembered that this wasn't technically the past, this was, right now, the future. There were no movies made of Blackbeard, no stories, nothing yet. So maybe things were a bit different.
Edward's eyes soon found me on the ship, and instead of having his eyes filled lust it was filled with bitterness. It made me uneasy, and then he spoke with a different, much harsher tone. "Why do you have a woman on board your ship, Woodrow?"
Caspian glanced at me, his handsome grin still in play. "She is my partner for a certain errand."
"And what errand would that be?" His eyes narrowed.
"She works for me. She seduces the men in the mainland for a better price on cargo, and even is a great distraction for captains as we rob their ship underneath their very nose," Now he chuckled. "She also be my wife," Caspian gave me a stern glance before I can open my mouth to protest. "Hence, I would appreciate yer men to keep their eyes off what is mine."
Edward rolled his head back and began laughing. The laugh was as humorous as you would think, he laughed as if he heard a good joke, then continued, "I too will marry the first pretty lass I see if I were lonely enough!" He waved his men to place a bored in between his ship and ours. "You may come on, boy. But do not bring the lass. You may allow a woman on your ship, but I'd rather be tarred and feathered before I let her on mine!" He continued laughing, turned his back to walk away.
I approached Caspian and whispered softly, "Your wife, seriously!? Why not say I was just your lover or sister?"
"I cannot take back what I said, Darlin'," He replied. "Stay on this ship, and do not speak to him. He does not take too kindly to woman, and I'll appreciate yer not to speak. Stay silent, and stay behind."
Before I could continue to say anything else, he was boarding the next ship. The Queen Anne's Revenge, his ship was called.
And I remained on the ship, and I had to sit by and watch as the two men talked. After Caspian handed him a small pouch, they began talking about something serious. I didn't know what they were talking about, but it made me a bit nervous.
What the hell was going on?
Amul stepped up beside me, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "You have been staring at them for a while. Why are you worried?"
"I don't know what other hell we might be walking into," I crossed my arms tightly over my chest. "I have a bad feeling..."
"Caspian is a smart man," assured Amul with his normal deep voice. "There nothing to worry about with him."
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I knew it, Caspian was talking back onto the ship. The boards were being removed, and he approached me, that grin still in play on his face. "I saw yer watching us for a long time lass. Were yer curious about our conversation?"
"Yes," I nodded. "What were you two talking about?"
"It was only business, Darlin'," He assured me with a chuckle. "I agreed to help him with his current problems in finding something for his crew. As a man who owes him, I must oblige."
"What do you need to do??"
"I must go to an old sunken ship and use the divin' bell to search it," he said. "I am the only man that is known to have it."
"What are you looking for in this sunken ship? Treasure? An lost object?"
"Medicine," He and I began walking towards the helm. "He seems to need some desperately, the reason why I do not know. He just said it was urgent."
"So I'm guessing we are heading for the wreck..." I sighed and watched the pirates letting down the sails, and the ship began to move. Deep inside I was excited that the ship was sailing right next to the well-known Blackbeard, if the man only knew that in the future there would be so many movies and games made about him.
I needed to be serious, so the look on my face was as serious as it could be. I looked out at the beautiful waves on the surface of the ocean. Bear, who was propped up on the side of the ship looking out the water, was barking at a whale jumping out of the distance.
Spotting me staring at the ocean with admiration, Caspian chuckled at the sight. "Well, Darlin'. I out of anyone would have never thought yer would look at the ocean with awe."
"Why would you say that?" I turned my head to look at him, my brow arched at his question.
"When yer first rode this ship yer hated the ocean, and now yer look at it with such beauty," Since the waters was now calm he only held onto the wheel with one hand to look at me, although he hated his looks like I did, he still had an irresistible smile.
"I was forced onto this ship, and I was too busy throwing up to care about the ocean," I crossed my arms. "And Water and I do not get along. It's the reason I'm in this situation."
"How long have yer been in this world lass?" A strange question, but I answered after counting the months. "Almost three years... Oh jeez!" I almost shouted at a realization, already losing track of the days. "I'm going to be twenty-six tomorrow..."
Twenty-six...
"It is just age, lass."
"That's what I also thing, but I have a friend in my world who loves to celebrate birthdays. Even if I didn't want to celebrate mine, she would always give me a gift out of the blue. And with her, I would never know what it is..." I shut my mouth before I began to ramble on about myself, knowing it would be boring. Surprisingly he just continued to have the same, attractive, humorous grin on his face.
"Sorry," I laughed nervously as I slid away from him and away from the helm. I probably bored him with that one small comment of my friend, so I just walked away.
The sailing trip lasted for about a day before we made it to the spot that there seemed to be a ship wreck. It was near a cliff, but also in the middle of nowhere. There was an island in the middle of nowhere surrounded by the ocean, I found it a bit odd... but I continued to stand to the side and stand quiet as Caspian and Edward called out to each other of different ships. The pirate crew were getting the diving bell ready to put in the water. Caspian was removing his weapons and pieces of his clothing to hand it to Amul.
"There be a shipwreck right here," Edward shouted to Caspian. "If you find the medicine box down there for my men, consider your debts paid to me."
Caspian nodded, "I will get what I can find."
He grinned, but the grin didn't look as kind as I would have thought.
I looked over at the bell, and I felt a weird feeling in my gut. I kept giving looks between the bell and Caspian, and without much thought I walked up to the shirtless man, even placing my hand on his arm. "I don't think this is a good idea..."
"I will not stop now, lass. I owe the man."
"Then give him money! Don't do this. I have a bad feeling..."
"Stand to the side, woman!" He grumbled and finally turned his head to look at me. "I'm going, do not get in my way again or I'll throw yer overboard."
I was about to slap him after hearing that kind of tone. Until I saw Edward standing on his ship watching us...
Ah, so Caspian was acting like an asshole.
When Edward walked away, Caspian's mood changed instantly, whispering. "Thanks for nor slapping me, Darlin'."
"You're lucky I saw him from the corner of my eye," I crossed my arms at him. "I still think it's a bad idea."
"I will be back as soon as I find the medicine," he turned and walked away, quickly climbing onto the side of the ship and diving headfirst into the water the same time the diving bell was dropped. It soon went under with Caspian.
I stood the side and watched the chain connected to the bell anxiously as it lowered slowly to keep from killing him from the fast pressure of the water. A while later, the chain stopped.
I stood there and watched as everything grew quiet. I knew that he should only be down there for thirty minutes because of the air in the bell was limited by how deep it was, the pressure in the water.
The other men on the ship were also watching the water, apparently there was supposed to be a sign to show he was ready to come back it. It would take longer to pull it up that it did taking it down, but still I was a little worried.
This wasn't like the trip to the cave made from obsidian, we didn't have to be pulled up by the bell. He does.
I waited for a while, more than I would have wanted, and there was no sign of him coming back up. I turned my head to Amul worriedly, "It's been longer than thirty minutes."
"With the depth he went it will be a bit longer before you should start worrying," He assured me with the answer. "Caspian is a fine swimmer, and is knowing to be able to hold his breath longer than you might think. Do not worry, mouse, he will be fine."
"That's what I thought before I dived into the water myself," and I got shot during the civil war. I'm shocked I healed so fast from that...
Now he grinned, "Are you worried about the captain now, hmm?"
It took me only a moment to realize what he meant. Snapping my head towards him I almost shouted, but luckily kept my voice low and said, "Oh no, it's not like that I promise. It's just he dies, another person is voted captain, and I'm off the ship. I would never go that far with him, after all you gave me hell by falsely accusing that I slept with a man. Who wasn't a man!"
"You will never forgive me for that, will you?"
"I don't know," I shrugged teasingly. "Maybe one day."
He laughed softly after he sensed my teasing tone, turning to walk away. I remained in my current position and stared into the water, more time went by, and my worry grew.
"Where is the lad!?" Edward shouted from his ship. "He takes too long, he does."
Just to make sure, the pirates on our ship dropped some small barrels tied with rocks and dropped them off the side of the ship. In case Caspian needed more air pockets, a smart move. I found myself hoping, wishing, he was ok.
"He's been down there long enough!" Amul shouted to the men. "We must-"
"Aye!" I pirate hanging from the ropes tied to the watching post to the side. "A barrel is raised back up! It is a sign!"
"There is blood on it!" Amul turned his head and barked at the other end, when Amul shouted it was like thunder booming, getting all the pirates onto their feet. "Lift the bell slowly! He is injured."
Everyone began trying to lift the bell, and I watched impatiently, seeing the barrel that was drifting in the water with blood on it. What happened down there that got hurt? Was it sharp rocks? Or worse, a shark?
After what felt like eternity of waiting in agony, it was becoming dusk, and finally we saw the bell being raised up out of water. Caspian popped his head up as well, but his movements was sluggish, holding his side and wincing painfully. He was swimming towards the ship with some else in his other arm, a small box.
"Caspian!" I was the first to spot him over the ship, the other men came rushing over hearing me shout his name a bit too quickly.
It even surprised me...
The pirates helped Caspian back on board, and finally on the deck Amul dragged him across to the dry top of the ship. He had blood smeared on his side with the nasty cut, and he was laying half-unconscious.
Fear somehow made its way into my heart. I quickly made my way to him, "Does someone know how to fix a wound?"
"Miles did," Theodore was the only one who replied quick enough. "He's gone now."
"Augh!" I rolled my eyes and stomp. "I took a medical class when I was younger, I guess I could help," I muttered the last part to myself and knelt to his side, checking the wound.
Remember the class.... I thought as I examined it. dammit I should have paid better attention!
I looked at the wound a bit closer, seeing that it looked scrapped. Not bad, and it did bleed, but I didn't know how this even got here, "Caspian," I called out his name, hoping he would hear me. "How did you get hurt?"
He grumbled angrily although very dazed, "One of yer idiots... hit me with a damn barrel...!" He laid his head back. "The damn rock tied to the thing hit me, and I began bloody bleedin'."
"Well, besides all the blood it doesn't look that bad... maybe I can wrap it a bit," I looked at Amul, "Can you get me something to clean and wrap the wound with?"
Amul nodded and turned, taking another pirate with him to help. Later they quickly returned with a bucket of water, a small rag, and some cloth to wrap the wounds with. I wished it was the twenty first century and I could do more with it, but since it was just a little rock accident and only a cut it should be fine. As long he doesn't get a pissy fit over it. "The only reason why it stings because the water is salt, and salt stings on a wound. But if it's cleaned then the stinging should be gone," I carefully began washing it was a little water.
The men stood by and watched oddly. Caspian, who was now becoming more conscious, noticed this and gave them a stern look. "Leave me be, lads!" He shouted. "Return to whatever yer need to do and let the lass fix this mistake you've done!"
The men quickly turned their heads, resuming back to word. Edward's ship grew close again after seeing the bell had risen, his ship was close so we could hear him speak. "Did you find the medicine??"
Caspian looked to the side where the box he had gotten underwater was, and with one hand opened the rusted lock. He grabbed a bottle and opened, pouring it our slowly. "It's a bit spoiled..."
"Spoiled!" Edward shouted in rage. "All that waitin' and it's spoiled!" He swore. "I guess I have to find the medicine a different way."
You sent him down there and got him injured and that's all you care about?? The damn medicine! Before I could turn my head and say some hateful words to him Caspian stopped me when me grabbed my arm, staring at me with harsh green eyes. It was like he was saying "Don't" without even speaking.
I shut my mouth and continued to work on the wound, grumbling in my anger.
Edward didn't notice, continuing, "Consider your debts to me paid, lad. I am goin' to return to a certain place to do a little errand. Mind insistin' me on this?"
Then I remembered the information in the book, and before Caspian spoke to his offer I whispered. "No... don't take it..."
He paused his words, turning his glance to me curiously. "Why not lass? There could be money in this."
"He dies in 1718. That is next year. I know because my world speaks of him... I read about him, he is killed by pirate hunter's months after his little 'plan'. He goes to Charleston, South Carolina and kidnaps people on ships and use them for ransom to get the medicine. Later he is hunted down, his head is even cut off," I continued to whisper. "If you go, you will also be hunted. You might also get killed, because he does not win..."
He froze to soak in the information for a long moment, unable to speak. And maybe couldn't even breathe for a moment. That was probably because I was still cleaning his wound.
"It seems I cannot join yer," He refused the offer from Blackbeard calmly. "I must go somewhere on my own."
"What a shame," Edward spoke. "Then I'll see ye another time, lad." He turned and walked away into his ship, and his ship began to slowly sail off.
"The blood is cleaned off the best as I could get it," I began to wrap it just a bit. "You're so stupid. I told you not to go."
"I had to go lass," He winced when I put a little too much pressure on it, I had to loosen the wrappings a bit. "But, I will admit, if I would have known the medicine would be sour," -He gently pushed the box away- "I would not have wasted my time."
"You know," I whispered so he could hear. "In my time we also have more advanced medicine, I wish I had an aspirin to give you."
"What is that?"
"It helps ease the pain."
"I have somethin' like that in my Quarters, Darlin'."
"Oh? And what's that?"
"Rum," He slowly got up from the ground, slowly walking towards his Quarters. It didn't take a genius that he was going in there to ease his pain with liquor. I didn't stop him, however, I decided to clean up the blood and mess that was made in the situation.
I wondered why it took Caspian longer that it should be under the water? It couldn't be because of the barrels, it had to be something else...
That was in my mind the whole time as I moped the deck, and trying to get Bear from drinking the bucket of bloody dirty water... ew.
🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊
It was the middle of the night that I was walking around the deck of the ship. Bear had stolen my bed with his large size so I thought about just taking a walk around here, holding the two obsidian keys in my hands, deep in thought.
Today was my birthday, I remembered, but this has been the third birthday I had spent in this world. I had turned twenty-six... I was twenty-three when I came here, so that meant....
"Three years..." I whispered softly to myself, holding the keys tightly in my fist. I didn't know where the other key was, and to think about it I haven't really been searching for it lately... it was a mistake to almost forget about it. With all the things that has happened like meeting Black Bellamy and Blackbeard, I was losing track...
I sat down on a barrel and looked away from the water and landed my eyes on the keys, staring at them with a sigh. "Where is your sister?" I whispered to the keys. "I know there are three of you. Sisters, I presume. I saw you... what do you want from me? Did you make the keys... or did the key find you too?"
I was made of questions, but the only thing that answered me was the wind. I felt it blow into my air gently, a gentle breeze that smelled freshly of the ocean.
"Yer have a nasty habit of staying on the deck at night, lass," A familiar voice spoke from the wind, and I turned my head to see Caspian walking up the stairs. He was wearing other clothes besides his black coat and his hat, these were clothes he wore to be comfortable and when he wasn't walking around the deck or getting ready for battle.
The bandages he was wearing were hid underneath his clothing, and he stood up straight to keep his pain hidden. I guess he was being stubborn about the pain.
Or maybe he was too drunk to feel it.
After knowing him for three years, he looked as if he didn't have that much to drink. He seemed to walk fine.
I shrugged at his words, letting him stand next to me and look at the keys in my small hand. "It isn't like I'm going to go anywhere, so me sitting here shouldn't be a problem."
He chuckled, "It seems so."
There was a silence between us for a moment. Until Caspian looked at the keys again, "I thought I had the keys in my desk. How did yer get them?"
I shrugged a second time, "You must have forgot to lock it because I got them just fine."
"Yer sly fox," his grin was filled with humor more than anger.
I grabbed one of the keys and handed it to him, once it fell into the palm of his hand he gave me a perplexed look. "You hold one, I hold one. Then you won't have to feel like you don't have any kind of superiority."
"Hmmm," he thought as he leaned against the ship near me unintentionally. He put the key around his own neck, tucking it under his shirt. "Good plan."
Again it was silent.
I began thinking about what happened a couple days ago, how he told me he used to have a child, a girl... and as someone who had always wanted a child of my own I could only imagine how it would feel to lose a kid. Especially a baby...
My curiosity got the better of me and I spoke out, "What was her name...?"
"Hmm?" He said.
"Your baby..." My voice was almost a whisper. "What was her name? If you don't mind me asking..."
There was silence again, and there was a moment that I didn't know if he would even answer. Until he did speak, his own tone surprisingly soft, he must of saw that there was nobody else on deck and we were the only ones. "Ilana," He responded wistfully. "She was named after her mother."
"She was probably adorable."
"She was," He nodded. "Even when she was crying."
She had died when she was five months old...
"I remember a year after I had married Clyde that we talked about having kids. But after a time he didn't... well... function properly... if you know what I mean, and we had to put it off..."
He laughed during the sentence after explaining Clyde's problem, "Now why the man would leave a lovely lass like you alone in yer bed, I wonder..."
"It wasn't like he was doing anything in the bed," I rolled my eyes. "But it's fine, once I get back I can get the divorce and it will be over with."
"A divorce is that easy in yer world then?"
I nodded, "if you got money, and Clyde has money. He was a cop -er..." I needed to say it in a way he understood. "Law enforcer."
Now Caspian was laughing fully now, throwing his head back in the process. It confused me with the suddenness of his laughter, and I called it out, "What's so funny?"
"I found it very humorous that yer were with a law enforcer in yer world, and in this yer with a 'bloodthirsty pirate'. Ah, how things change, Darlin'."
Once I thought about I too even began laughing, giggling really. "You're right. How did I even get into this situation??"
We were laughing together at that moment. Trying to lighten the mood of the hellish world we were now in. We slowly stopped laughed, and my eyes met him. Blue meeting green, now silent. Not even the ocean dared to make noise to break the dead silence here....
It became a serious moment when he got surprisingly close, his face suddenly close to mine. Oddly I didn't flinch away, instead I just remained still, looking deeper into his emerald eyes...
They were gorgeous...
He grinned, whispering tenderly, "Yer was worried about me when I didn't rise up soon enough for yer comfort," he didn't sound arrogant surprisingly. It was just stern fact.
"Was I...?"
"I was told by a lil' bird," He chuckled warmly. "Yer was worried about my life."
"Amul..." I sighed. "He tells you everything, doesn't he?"
"He must, I'm the Captain," Now there was the arrogance that was missing.
"I'll keep that in mind the next time I tell him a secret," I smiled. "But yes, you could say I was a little worried."
"Just a little?" his grin widened.
"Maybe a bit more..."
I slid off the barrel I sat on and stood, and he lowered his head to kiss me. I was so afraid of the kiss, afraid it would be like the others. Masked lust that was fooled to think they were in love, like Billy, Clyde...
Why was this different? The kiss was intentionally deepened, a parting of lips. The guy even had his arms around me, just like the others, but it was different. It was like being kissed for the first time, it was so overwhelming. It wasn't like the kiss before when he tried to seduce me... this was so much more potent.
My body reacted without me even thinking - or maybe I wasn't- and I was gripping the front of his tunic. Oh hell... I thought, gasping.
I couldn't handle the overwhelming feeling of this, the kiss, and how my boy reacted. I became cowardly. Without giving him a reason or any warning, I just broke the kiss and walked away... I left him there coldly, not even turning back as I walked for the hatch to go below deck. I even felt cowardly, I couldn't take the devastating sensation that one kiss gave me. everywhere. Internally and physically.
I couldn't even sleep that night...