A/N: I just realised I had the same number of unpublished parts as I do published chapters so I should probably start updating more often!! I know I say this every time but all your comments and even just seeing the read count go up by 0.01k means so much :)
And I think we can all agree that was one hot kiss on Sunday!! Ughhhhhh <3
(But it still hurts because I actually quite like Marian)
***
"Mrs. Mills? Can you hear me?"
A young male voice was sounding from above her as her eyes came back into focus. It took a while for them to adjust to the darkness but when she did the first thing she saw was Roland as he promptly threw his arms around her.
"I thought you were dead."
"Roland, look at me. Would I ever leave you?" Wrong question to ask: she saw in his eyes the memory of that day at the docks. It all seemed worlds away now.
"I wish... I wish Papa were here."
"Papa's waiting for us. We'll find him."
"Are you all right, Mrs. Mills? You hit your head pretty firmly."
"Bit of a headache but yes, I'm fine. Under the circumstances of course. How's your leg?"
"Hurting. But I think it's closing over."
"That's good."
"There's some rations here, we made Sam taste it and it's not poisoned."
***
Over the next day or so (it was hard to keep track of time in the darkness) she tried to converse with the others, but only John was willing to talk. The others seemed resigned to a fate of walking the plank.
Their fears were realised one morning when the bosun came and dragged them all out and up onto deck. A plank of wood was balanced on the gunnels, most of it sticking out above the open water and the rest weighted down.
"Untie those three," the captain ordered as he strode down the ladder from the wheel. Regina, John and Roland were unchained from the others and pushed to one side. "They're safe, for now."
Roland buried his head against her side. She covered his ears as the others were all made to walk the plank.
Back down in the brig, where they'd been dumped without any explanation of why they were spared, Regina finally spoke the wish that had been running round her head.
"I just want to get back on land."
"Me too. And I was the one who ran away to sea."
A few more moments of silence, broken only by Roland sucking on his thumb.
"Roland, please. You're a big boy now."
"How about we amscré?" John murmured into her ear, too low for the watch to hear.
"Huh? English, please. I'm not well-versed in sailor-speak."
"It's not sailor-speak, it's code for scram. Escape." She had to bend her ear right to his mouth to hear him but the word lit up some hope in her heart.
"How?"
"I've a photographic memory. I've memorised the way from here to the deck, where the boats are..."
"Really? I have paper somewhere, write it down!"
"I'll have to code it, we don't want them realising," he warned as she fumbled in the bag still round her waist and drew out paper and pencil.
They fell to their plan with gusto. Watch changeover times were noted, any lateness, names and ranks where they could catch them, mealtimes, everything they could get was noted on the crumpled scraps of paper still in Regina's hidden bag. They also worked out a code - no one listened when they started talking in numbers, thinking it was an attempt to teach Roland. And in a way it was. They didn't want him accidentally saying something, plus she didn't know how much of the three Rs Roland even knew.
***
"Right. This is when the best time would be, as it'll be dark but there will likely be a watch on deck. Your dress will be seen in the moonlight."
Regina looked down at the pale dress, now spattered with blood, dirt and the grime which inevitably comes from wearing it for days on end. She was used to the grime now, but she didn't like the blood which was by now going brown.
"We might have to grime you up a bit more. Not yet, just when we decide to go. Luckily you've got dark hair so that won't be a problem."
"So when are we doing this?"
"I don't know...I have an idea. Maybe you could plead faintness when number 7's on watch, he's weaker, he'll let you have a walk on deck. I'll insist on accompanying you, I doubt these pirates trust each other when it comes to women and I certainly don't trust them. I'll bring Roland, then we'll knock him out and hijack the boat that's always hanging off the starboard side."
"That's a good plan, except we don't know how far away we are from land."
"The ship's been at sea for a while now. Haven't you noticed, they're bringing less rations and with longer intervals? That means they're saving it. They'll be working their way back to pick up provisions from some secret hideout and there's no islands in this ocean. They've got to get back to the mainland. Mind you, I don't know how far away from civilisation we'll be..."
"Roland grew up in the forest and I spent a while there too. I think I know enough for us to survive. And I don't know if this will be relevant, or needed, but," she bent to whisper into his ear, "the captain's wife and daughter were killed five years ago. Maybe I could plead that if we're caught."
"Don't say that." He touched the wooden planking of the inside of the ship. "Touch wood we won't need to." Regina tapped the wood too, not entirely sure why but it was clearly a superstition of some kind and they needed all the luck they could get.
A couple of nights later, they were able to put their plan into action. They'd saved as much as they could from their rations of stale bread and water, which were now in Regina's ever so useful bag, and the sailor they'd given the number 7 was on the midnight to two o'clock watch. They planned to do it near the end so he was tired.
At about 1:30, when he started to droop, Regina suddenly groaned and bent over, head on her knees and rocking back and forth.
"Is she all right?" They'd learnt that he was also the one most afraid of dealing with women so it was easy for John to persuade him she needed air. He tentatively put a gruff hand on her arm to steady her as he locked John back in. The latter then pick pocketed the burly, unobservant pirate's keys and stealthily followed him with Roland, who was asleep.
On deck, no one was about. Roland was gently laid in one of the lifeboats hanging off the side, then Regina spun round and knocked the pirate over the head with the handle of her knife, kneeing his groin for good measure. He fell silently, an impressive feat for one so large.
"You get in, I'll wind it down and climb after you."
He helped her in, and she held Roland to her as he started to slowly turn the crank. It was tricky, but he managed to get the tiny boat most of the way down the hull before the mechanism creaked. It was relatively quiet, but sounded like a cannon shot in the stillness of the night.
Without a second thought John scrambled down the rope.
"Get down!" he ordered as he slashed the ropes with Regina's knife. She slid off the seat and curled into a ball, using her body to protect Roland as the boat crashed down onto the water. The shock - of course - woke the boy up, and alerted the pirates while John fumbled for the oars. The sea was calm so there was no worry about being tossed on the waves, but she recognised the sounds of preparing for cannon fire.
"I think they're firing at us!" she whispered urgently, pistol shots resounding around them and splashing into the water.
"Keep your head down. Protect your boy."
John was a strong rower, even on prison rations and with a badly injured leg, and they were soon out of the accurate range of the cannons. However, Regina refused to believe they'd made it until they were on land.
They spent days floating on the open sea, taking turns rowing to keep warm. Roland sat on Regina's lap and held the oars too, though he wasn't much help it kept him warm which was the most important thing. The temperature was dropping rapidly, helped by the sea breeze, and whoever wasn't rowing got the only cloak among them, which was Roland's. They weren't too far away but their food ran out half a day's row from shore, so by the time the little dinghy glided into the bay they were all starving, freezing and tired from not sleeping for a few days.
A/N: Kinda rubbish ending but I realised just now that this one didn't really end properly so I just tacked the last paragraph on the end. Sorry.