Chaos could describe the battle that ensued. As time went on, and Scarlett immersed herself in the scene, she could sense an excitement from the crowd - as if they enjoyed what they were doing. Though it was harsh, she could tell some pirates enjoyed fighting their enemy. All the same, they had one goal in mind - to drag her to their ship. One by one, Blackbeard's crew came after Scarlett, but she refused to make it easy for them. Though unsure if she would actually use it to kill, she fought with her cutlass like any pirate would - and held tight onto the candle holder, just in case she'd need it.
Eventually, she worked her way up the stairs to the stern deck, and took a moment to glance around for the Captain. She saw the flash of his red velvet vest beneath his black coat, as he dodged another pirate's blade on the main deck. Stepping back down the stairs and maneuvering through the crowd, she patted him on his shoulder when she reached him. He spun around quickly, and swung his sword at Scarlett, allowing her little time to block it with her own.
"You! What are you doing out here? What are you doing with my sword?" he exclaimed. "And my candle holder!"
"I had to defend myself when a pirate came in. I ended up knocking him unconscious," she shouted back through the commotion. "Why aren't you fighting Blackbeard?"
"I don't know, maybe because I've got other pirates on my hands right now!"
Before she could reply, they were attacked, forcing them to almost simultaneously stand back to back as defense. The excitement pumped through Scarlett's veins with every beat of her heart. Now she knew how it felt to be immersed in a pirate battle. The scene was something she'd often imagined as a child while her father told his stories of pirate adventure; she only wished she could share her story with Liam.
Scarlett swung her candle holder to the head of the pirate she was fighting, and pushed him over the bulwark. After hearing his body splash in the ocean, she turned back to the Captain. "Well, where is he?"
Again, the Captain shouted, "I don't know!"
She scanned the crowd in a frantic search for the jet black beard. Finally, she spotted him jumping over the bulwarks back to his ship. Was he running away from his own battle? Not wanting to let him escape, she turned to the Captain only to find him gone. A moment of uncertainty swept over Scarlett as she searched through the crowd, only to find him on the forecastle deck giving orders to his men.
She turned back towards her potential captor to see him enter into his cabin. Scarlett couldn't let him escape from the battle, no matter what he was doing. He brought on the mess, and he needed to finish it.
But then something came over her, and she hesitated. The logical choice would be to tell the Captain where Blackbeard was, and allow him to follow after the devious pirate. After all, wasn't Captain supposed to battle Captain? But because he had brushed her off before, she knew that wasn't going to work. Plus, she didn't need the Captain to protect her. His cabin had felt like a hiding place when Blackbeard arrived, but hadn't he abused her as well? Scarlett decided it was time she showed the Captain she could fight her own battles.
As she reached the bulwark, she ran across the plank and jumped onto Blackbeard's ship. Most of the fighting continued on the Captain's ship, leaving Scarlett and Blackbeard alone. The moment reminded her of stepping on the Captain's ship for the first time; however, this was different. She knew her reason for confronting him, and she was prepared.
Sword ready in hand, Scarlett walked towards the area where she saw Blackbeard disappear. The light from the lanterns flickered and danced with the shadows. Aside from the chaos on the Captain's ship, Blackbeard's was silent, and she felt her heartbeat quicken from the eeriness.
Approaching the cabin, she noticed the door was ajar. Deciding there was only one way to confront the man on the other side, she prepared herself to open it further. Scarlett took a deep breath and pushed the door aside. But no one was there. Instead, the room was filled with darkness, and not a sound could be heard. She stood still for a few seconds, unsure of her next move, until she heard a gravelly voice behind her.
"You must think you are quite the brave lass," he said, "stepping into my cabin like that. And holding that sword and candle holder..." He trailed off, as he made her turn around and forced her weapons out of her hands.
She straightened her back, as the metal clashed onto the floor of the deck. "I just know how to protect myself."
"Well you must not," he replied with a laugh, "since you're a prisoner on Jones' ship. But somehow, I doubt that. He always has some wench with him. Except you're the first to make it aboard his ship, I believe." She swung her fist to his face, but was blocked by his arm. "You think you could do that to me?" he asked. She kicked him between his legs, and pushed his arms away from her as he winced in pain. Swiftly, she picked up her cutlass and clenched both hands around the hilt. She pointed the tip in his face, as he staggered. "Maybe I was wrong about you!" he added.
Despite his humor, she refused to let down her guard. "You have no idea what I'm capable of. Captain Jones could tell you that." She kicked him in the stomach, making him drop his sword and fall to the ground.
Gasping for air, she turned and saw all the other pirates still fighting with each other. How long do these battles go on? she thought. Scarlett decided it was time to retreat to the Captain's ship, but just as she lifted her leg to step on the plank, a sword was brought to her throat. She froze, as the blade rubbed against her skin.
"Never turn away from your fallen enemy too quickly," said the gruff voice. Blackbeard gripped his hand around Scarlett's arm, keeping his sword steady in place. He took a few steps back, and she followed, wincing as the sword started digging into her throat, making her feel as if she had hardly any time left to breathe.
Preoccupied with the blade, Scarlett was unaware of what Blackbeard was doing. She didn't realize he was calling part of his crew over, until she saw the circle of pirates around her. She wanted to scream at herself for her stupidity. In fact, she did scream, trying to call the attention of the others on the Captain's ship.
No one took notice, however, and Scarlett was left helpless. But when Blackbeard pulled away his sword and brought out his flintlock pistol, she knew the game had changed. Quickly, he pointed it in the air, making a shot that rang through Scarlett's ears.
Everyone's battles instantly ceased. Silence befell the two ships, when everyone realized the meaning of the gunfire. The swordfights were over, and Blackbeard was not wasting any more time. All men ran over, and the Captain pushed through the crowd.
He raised his cutlass against Blackbeard, but was stopped when he spoke. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Blackbeard said, beginning to shout. "If you try to fight me any further, or any of my crew, I will be forced to mess up that beautiful face of hers! But if you let me take her as my own, she will stay alive. And you know what I would do if I had to kill her, Jones!" Regardless of her endeavors, tears began to stream down Scarlett's face. What would he do if Blackbeard killed her?
The Captain brought down his sword, and a look of distress shadowed over his face. His crew also withdrew theirs and watched with pity upon their Captain.
"That's what I thought," Blackbeard continued. "I know you wouldn't want me to kill her, Jones. She means a lot to you, doesn't she?" He scoffed. "You're as soft as I always thought you were. You could never really be a pirate. I knew it the day I laid my eyes on you!"
The Captain lifted his eyes back up to Blackbeard, his usual courage coming back to form words on his lips. Scarlett prayed he would save her from the wicked grip she was in. "Believe it all you want, but I never cared about that girl." She felt her stomach twist. "I've only kept her alive on my ship because I was using her. I never once cared about her, and never will. I admit that I have lost this battle, and I will give her to you. It's actually a relief to have such a stubborn wench off my ship anyway." He laughed - the same laugh Scarlett always hated. "Just one piece of advice, Davis. I'd watch out for this one. She definitely puts up the fight! Though you'll probably throw her off your ship before sunrise; it's a wonder I stood it for so long."
"I've already had a good fight with this one," Blackbeard laughed. "But I don't think I will anymore. Men, set sails! I'm glad you finally came to your senses, Jones. I was beginning to worry what went to your head!"
Scarlett couldn't believe her ears. It was as if the two captains had been friends. Maybe they were, maybe she was right about their conniving together. Obviously, something meant more to the Captain when Blackbeard was involved. Everything he had told her was a lie, an act to make her feel pity for him and to allow him to use her for whatever he wanted. And she had fallen for it, only to be crushed.
A part of her wanted to burst into tears and collapse to the floor, while the other wanted to grab her cutlass and take out her anger on someone. How could he turn on her so coldly? Just when she thought they were reaching an understanding, he ripped it away from her hands. But she knew deep inside that his openness was too good to be true. Now she was seeing the true nature of pirates, once again.
The Captain gave Scarlett one last gaze. A gaze that clearly showed indifference; and indifference that didn't even say goodbye. She returned a look that showed her disappointment, but knew there was nothing in her power to change the situation. In fact, she had no power at all. She was back to being a prisoner, but on Blackbeard's ship, which was guaranteed to be worse.
The Captain turned away, a signal to his crew to cross back over to their ship. The anchors were drawn up, the sails set, and the two ships slowly started to sail wherever the wind would take them. Scarlett took one last glance at the Captain, barely able to see him entering his cabin, when she was forced to step inside the one she would now occupy.
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Now what is in store for Scarlett?
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