Chéri

Ch.16.5: Sail, Ho!

The Marauder's Mistress II was passing by a small atoll when the ship slammed abruptly to a halt; a sign that the anchor had been dropped. Kingsley raised an eyebrow into the air. He abandoned his current task of inspecting barrels in the cargo hold and ran up to the main deck. It was mid-morning and the bright sun nearly blinded him as he ascended the last few steps. Before him, the crew was running around and fixing the rigging to the mainmast. Kingsley put a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. Ahead of him, he could make out the backlit silhouette of Jean-Luc Pompidou against the radiant light behind him. Kingsley scaled the second set of stairs up towards the stern.

"Jean-Luc!" he called out.

The inimitable coxswain ceased examining his nails and turned to face Kingsley.

"Oui, what is it?" he asked.

"Why have we stopped? What is the meaning of this?" asked Kingsley in a huff.

"The Captaine told me to do it," shrugged Jean-Luc.

Kingsley raised an eyebrow again. It was unlike the Captain to halt the voyage out of the blue like this.

"How odd. Do you know why?"

"J'ne sais pas. I do not ask such questions," said Jean-Luc indifferently, "I only follow orders."

Kingsley bid Jean-Luc adieu and promptly turned around and scaled back down the stairs. To his right, the door to the Captain's Quarters was cracked open. He knocked lightly on the door, and it edged open slightly. Inside, Leigh was grabbing up bottles of rum and stashing them into a small crate by her feet. She looked up, acknowledging Kingsley's presence, but not stopping in her task.

"Kingsley, I may need to take a sabbatical," she said.

Kingsley crossed his arms. "Captain, in the last seven years, I have never once seen you take a vacation."

"Well, I've never died before," she said, "I'm gonna need a bit of time to rest it off."

"But the equation, it healed your wound perfectly."

Leigh gave Kingsley a sly wink. "That it did. Now, I'm going to need you to fill in as Captain while I'm gone."

Kingsley paused to scratch behind his head. "Captain Kingsley Allen. Now, that I could get used to."

"Interim Captain Kingsley Allen, don't get ahead of yourself," said Leigh, "You will be coming back to get me."

"Don't be so sure. I may just stay as Captain," said Kingsley with a wink.

Leigh rolled her eyes. "Alright, I think it's time to go," she said, picking up the crate of rum under her arm.

"Are you expecting to live off of rum?" asked Kingsley with an inquisitive eye.

"Ah, there's a town on the other side of the island. I'm sure we'll manage," said Leigh.

"We?"

Just at that moment, Jackson poked his head into the Captain's Quarters.

"I didn't know whether to pack the lantern or the candles, so I just packed both. Also, I brought some sheets to use as hammocks. I thought that might be nice."

Kingsley crossed his arms and looked judgingly at Leigh.

"What?" she blushed, "I think I've earned some time off."

Kingsley went over and clapped Jackson on the shoulder. "Alright, you two lovebirds have a good time. I'll steer her well while you're gone."

"Oh, um, thank you," said Jackson.

"Yes, thank you," said Leigh.

"Enjoy your rest, Captain."

Leigh walked out onto the deck with Jackson. Then, spinning around in her boots, she shouted back to Kingsley, "I'm not the Captain anymore, Mr. Allen! Call me Leigh!"

Kingsley smiled. "Alright, Cap- Leigh, enjoy your rest!"

"Enjoy your promotion. Don't let it go to your head."

And with that, Leigh and Jackson had everything packed into a rowboat and were lowering themselves down into the water. Soon, they unmoored from the Marauder's Mistress II and were sailing off towards the island.

Kingsley stood on the deck, hands on his hips, and eyes surveying the crew. The world was wide open, and he was free to do as he pleased.

"Where to, Captaine?" asked Jean-Luc from the steering wheel.

Kingsley pursed his lips. "Point us west. From there, we'll decide as we go."

Jean-Luc nodded, spinning the wheel in his hands.

Kingsley then marched off towards the bow of the ship, the crew parting ahead of him as he walked. He arrived at the figurehead and draped his arms across the railing there, staring off at the shimmering horizon before him. The peaks of the waves were glinting nicely there in the early day sun. He nabbed an apple from his jacket pocket and cleaned it on his vest. It was a Granny Smith, nice and round and only barely bruised. He took a big bite, letting the sour juices run down his chin and into his beard.

Amelia Graham sidled up next to him, placing herself solidly against the railing.

"You must be pretty happy, huh, what with solving the equation and pulling one over on the British."

"Thereabouts," he said.

"What's your plan for us then, Captain?" she asked, applying a match to her cob pipe, "Where will Kingsley Allen lead us to in this brave new future?"

"Not sure yet," he said, "Have you any suggestions?"

"I think we should try to find you a young alchemist lass, one who knows nothing about being a pirate. Then you two could have a wonderful little romance. Seems about standard for Captains here on this vessel."

Kingsley chuckled. "Nay, that's not for me at the moment. What about you though? You ever see yourself settling down with a nice lady?"

Amelia frowned. "Maybe someday. For now, though, I'm in a committed relationship with the ocean, having only occasional flirtations with murder and robbery."

"Now, there's a pirate saying if I've ever heard one."

"Aye, I suppose it captures the spirit of the job well enough. But what say you? You ready to seduce the seas? Flirt with death? Steal a kiss from murder?"

The wind licked at Kingsley's hair as the Marauder's Mistress II turned its bow to point due west. With the sun traveling in a slow arc behind them, the pirate vessel started off towards yet untraveled waters. What lay ahead, was anyone's guess. But, sure of heart and sound of mind, Captain Kingsley Allen was ready. He took another big bite of the apple.

##

On an island not too far away, Leigh Connelly and her Chéri reclined back into the sand. They stared up into the perfectly blue sky, which was second only to the sun in its vividness. Calm waves lapped at the shore. Birds cawed from above and coconuts rustled in the trees as wind gently swept by. Leigh extended a hand. Jackson took it.

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Thank you so much for reading this far! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope you all have a wonderful day and please DM any thoughts/suggestions you have for the story. Thanks!