William and Carson had finally made their way to one another, and Amber watched them, terror in her eyes and her screams caught in her throat. Sweat beaded her brow as if she were the one fighting instead of the captain, and her nails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists.
Both were circling each other, swords drawn and ready, bodies tense and senses alert. William lunged first, barely missing Carson's side, and when he stumbled, the captain took advantage of his mistake. Reed's sword met his cousin's back with a crack, and she winced as William yelled in pain.
The pirate swung his sword around violently with anger and slashed the shoulder of Carson's, and moments later, blood stained his shirt, and he glared in frustration at his rival who was smiling with cruelty.
Amber, filled with anger and desperate concern, began to rush at William, gripping her sword with fierce determination, but strong arms suddenly wound themselves around her waist and heaved her feet off of the floor. "You shouldn't be here, miss," panted Cod. His leg was bleeding, and he stumbled as he hauled her away.
"Let me go! Let me go!" She screamed, writhing in his grip violently.
At the sound of her voice, Carson was distracted, and he glanced around for her. The fury in his eyes was enough to make Amber shrink away. She never remembered being so afraid of a glare before. Meanwhile, she saw William raise his sword for the kill, and immediately screamed, "Carson, look out!"
Carson diverted his eyes at the last moment, and his sword met his in a loud crash. As the fight continued, both of the men grew tired as they lost more blood, but Reed was determined. Foolishly, William was leaning on his right knee, leaving it unguarded, and the captain took his chance. Slashing downward, he mortally wounded his cousin, and William fell to the floor, clutching his leg and roaring in pain.
Reed placed the blade at his cousin's throat and pushed. William began to whimper. For a moment, raw, unadulterated hatred burned in the captain's eyes, and Amber thought sure that he would kill him, but suddenly the light left his eyes, and his grip slackened on his sword. "I am not going to kill you, William. Instead, I will hold you prisoner until I return to France, at which time I will lay you at His Majesty's mercy. Cod, shackle this traitor, return him to the hold, and chain him back to the wall. You will personally stand guard. The same may be done with any of his treacherous survivors."
••
Amber stood on the deck of the Endurance for the last time, watching the sun disappear behind the horizon. She ran her finger tips along the banister of the ship. The wood had been weathered smooth by rain and wind, and she closed her eyes, imagining the voyages that the ship had sailed, envisioning Reed standing at the helm, his hands on his hips, the sleeves of his shirt billowing in the breeze, his piercing blue-green eyes fixed on something on the horizon.
She glanced to the bow of the ship where Isabelle and Carson stood, arms around each other, her head resting on his shoulder. She was wearing his buccaneer clothes, but she still managed to look like royalty. Amber smiled wistfully in their direction, making peace with everything that had happened, acknowledging her past so that she could finally move forward. She had loved Carson, but only for a brief moment in time. He was a good man, and he belonged with his lady love. He had fought for her ever since the day he had lost her, and a love like that could not be stopped or deterred.
She now knew what it was to have loved and to have lost, and she would carry it with her for the rest of her life. She would never forget his face, but most especially his eyes that seemed to stare into her very soul. He would be forever etched on her heart, and although she only knew him for a moment, she would carry his remembrance forever.
She could barely contain herself as she watched the shore of Devonport draw closer and closer. The sky was still dark, but it was only a few hours before daybreak.
Carson watched her, a smile on his face, reveling in the excitement of her youth. Quietly, he walked over and teased, "If you grip the railing any harder you might break it. What did my poor ship ever do to you?"
She rolled her eyes at him and smiled, but immediately turned her attention back to the coast line. "I can see it. I can see the woods where my family lives. I have dreamed of it so long, I can barely believe that it's really there. I am afraid that if I look away for more than a second, it will disappear altogether."
The captain chuckled softly. "Ah, Amber, I shall miss you. You have brought me great happiness while you have been aboard this ship, and I think perhaps I owe you my life and the life of Isabelle." He reached out and took her hand, and this time, she did not pull away. She turned her eyes to his and stared boldly into his face, and the captain was slightly taken aback by her unguarded stare. "Without you, she might have died in my cabin and I wouldn't have been warned of my cousin's treachery. You have served as my secret keeper, and you helped share a burden that had been weighing on my heart for quite some time."
The ship dropped anchor, and across the way, a row boat was being prepared to carry them to shore. "I am glad to have known you, Captain. This has definitely been an adventure that I shall never forget. Perhaps one day I will tell it to my children."
He smiled and squeezed her hand. "I hope so."
Together, along with several of the crew, Carson and Amber boarded the boat and rowed to shore. Isabelle waved to them from the railing.
Amber's was tingling with excitement. When they pulled into harbor, she had to fight the urge to drop to her knees and kiss the ground. She wanted to run the rest of the way to the encampment, but Carson assured her that going by horseback would be quicker. He lifted her onto her horse, and for a moment, she thought he would join her, but instead he winked at her and mounted his own.
Amber insisted on galloping to the gypsy camp, and Reed indulged her and signaled for her to lead the way. After a matter of minutes, the camp came into view, and she could not contain herself any longer. She flung herself from the horse and ran the rest of the distance, her feet pounding the ground in rhythm to her heart beat. He watched her as tears began to stream down her face, and his eyes suddenly became misty. Discreetly, he rubbed a hand across his face, and when he looked up, his eyes were clear once again.
"Mother, Father, I'm back. I'm home!" she shouted, her voice breaking.
At the sound of her voice, Elizabeth instantly left the laundry she was folding and ran outside of her tent, glancing around desperately. Had she dreamt the sound of her daughter's voice yet again? Her eyes collided with her daughters, and disbelieving she sunk to her knees and wept. Amber fell into the waiting arms of her mother as she was overcoming with sobbing. "I'm home. I'm home," she sobbed, clutching her mother closer, as if she would vanish into thin air.
Charles was returning from the market when he saw a rather rough looking young man standing on the edge of the encampment, his hand casually resting on the hilt of his sword. He wore a wide brimmed hat, and he was every inch a pirate. Looking behind the man, he noticed a small band of men, apparently the captain's crew. Alarmed, he drew the knife that rested in his boot, and began to sound the alarm, but then he heard the sound of his wife crying. Glancing to the left, he saw his wife on her knees, locked in the embrace of his daughter. "Amber?"
Her head snapped around, and she positioned herself to her feet. "Father," she cried, and he rushed toward her, dropping his knife, the pirate captain quite forgotten.
He crushed his daughter in his strong embrace, and she felt the breath leave her lungs, blacking out for a moment. She could feel her father's tears wet on her neck, his strangled cries loud in her ears. Reaching out his arms, he pulled his wife to him as well. "My daughter, my daughter. Oh God, you are home. What happened to you?"
Amber opened her eyes, and looked over her father's shoulder. Silently, Captain Reed had begun to ride away, his crew following suit. "I promise I will explain everything. Just give me a moment."
Quickly tearing herself from the arms of her father and mother, she sprinted across the yard. "Captain Reed! Captain Reed, wait!"
He turned his horse around, and she walked over to him, clutching his boot. Her tear stained face beseeched his. "Were you going to leave me without saying a goodbye?" Her lips were trembling.
Carson swung down from his horse but kept some distance between them. "I never was one for teary reunions. Besides, this is your moment to share with your family. I don't need to be a part of it."
"But you kept me safe. You saved me from the cruelties of your cousin. You returned me. You weren't my kidnapper, you were my protector." She said, arguing back.
He smiled half heartedly. "Somehow I don't think your family will see it that way. Especially not your father. A moment ago he was ready to kill me. No, Amber, it is better that I leave you now before anymore questions are asked."
He turned to mount his steed, but Amber caught his shirt, spun him around, and threw herself into his arms. She hugged him fiercely as tears streamed down her face, uncaring of the damage that she was doing to his shirt. He hugged her back with an intensity of his own, burying his face in her hair to hide the tears that had sprung to his eyes. When he gently pushed her away from him, he took her chin in his hand and kissed her tears away, just as he had done mere days before. "Will I ever see you again?" Her voice was thick.
He had the courage to laugh, and he stroked her cheek bone with his thumb. "Who can say where the wind will blow? Perhaps fate will cross our paths one day."
She sucked in her lips to keep them from trembling, and she nodded her head in acceptance. It was not what she had wanted to hear, but it was good enough. He yanked the chain of the cross that was hanging around his neck and placed it in her hand, folding her fingers over it. "Thank you, Amber, for everything." Then he mounted his horse and left without looking back, his image slowly disappearing from her eyes.
She felt as if something had been torn from within her, as if there was now a gaping hole in the middle of her chest. She wrapped her arms around her, as if she was trying to hold herself together, and although the day was warm, she shivered violently. She wanted to cry out to him to come back. She wanted to run after him until she couldn't run anymore, until she was forced to collapse on the forest floor in faint so that she wouldn't have to remember the sight of him riding away.
Nearby, Phil stood watching her, afraid to approach her because he was unsure that it was really her. She had changed so much in the two weeks that she had been away. She looked older somehow, more aloof, hardened by her experience. Carefully he approached her.
She felt his presence before she heard him coming, and she turned, her eyes finding his. He stood before her, his gaze uncertain. Then slowly he reached out his hand, but instead of taking it, she embraced him, but she did not cry. There were no tears left within her, but she sighed and moaned as she grabbed up fistful of his shirt and tugged at them in her grief. He let her take out her frustration on him, and he continued to hold her, never slackening his grip. "It's alright, Amber. It's alright. You are home. You are safe." He tried to sooth her.
"He's gone," was all she could manage to say. "I will never see him again." She felt him stiffen, and she pulled away to look into his eyes, instantly regretting her words. She wanted to tell him that she had liked him, that she had been blind all along, but instead, she rose up on her toes and kissed him full on the mouth, unleashing her pent up emotions, communicating to him everything that would have taken hours for her to explain. The salt of her tears mingled with taste of his skin, and she felt his mouth respond hungrily to hers. She felt like he would devour her. Exhausted, she pulled away and smiled at him. "I am sorry it took me so long to realize what had been there all along."
"Shh," he ran his finger along her lower lip, and she closed her eyes. "There's time for that later. Right now, it's a new day."
And it was. Soon, both of them returned to her family, and together they watched the sun rise, chasing away the ghosts of the past and illuminating their future.
Word Count: 2337
Please read this:
So here's the last chapter of this book. Thank you so much guys, for reading this book. This book had a sad and happy ending both simultaneously. Please, don't be upset after reading that Carson and Amber couldn't be together. We always have to accept the reality. He had kidnapped her, and the chances of falling in love with him was a far reality. They became good friends. But not lovers. No Stockholm syndrome in this story. I'm sorry.
Now time for some good talks. I had participated this book's in many awards going on here in wattpad and I am really happy to announce that this book was declared a winner by WeAreDiamondAwards, and was positioned on #1 in historical fiction. This is my first award and I am really content for my first achievement.
If you enjoyed my writing and this book, I have started a book 'Wicked Love'. Show some love. This book is going to be a long romantic novel. First chapter is already up. I will start updating it this Friday, on my birthday. Yay, it's so near!
Thank you so much for reading this. This means a lot to me. Kisses. XOXOXO