Time and again (Talenny)

Chapter 10: not my timeline?

Talon:

"This stowaway's a real sleeper, ain't he?"

"Aye, but captain's orders are captain's orders." I heard voices around me. I felt a mass of cold liquid being tossed onto me, waking me up instantly.

I sat up in a flurry and tipped the hammock (which I didn't know I was lying on until now) sending my face to make contact with the wooden floor beneath me.

I looked around and noted the slight smell of urine and rum. Busy footsteps and shouted orders echoed from the wooden roof and light streamed in between the planks.

"Get up stowaway!" A voice boomed from behind me, nudging my leg with his foot.

I scrambled to my feet and stood like a soldier, seeing the two men in front of me for the first time. The first one, who I assume slapped my shoulder, looked me up and down in amusement. "At ease! Captain wants to see you, stowaway." He said with a rough voice.

I was confused until I felt the floor rocking left and right slowly, realising that I was on a ship. Okay. Keep calm, Talon. You've seen pirates of the Caribbean, you can do this.

I nodded and followed them up the stairs, onto the deck. I expected to see a crew of outlaws and sea bandits, holding knives between their teeth and swinging about on ropes, but what I saw was completely different. These men were proper british soldiers and sailors. The exact opposite of the men who woke me.

I followed them to the captain's cabin, where they left me. Penny was next to me, and I noted a small blotch of red on the small of her back. She was wearing a simple white dress.

"Penny... Your back..." I mentioned in worry.

"They patched it up, don't worry." She assured me.

Soon, the man in front of us cleared his throat for attention. I turned my attention to him, almost mistaking him for... "Captain Johnson?" Penny asked, putting her hand over her mouth. He looked almost exactly like him, only without the scar over his eye and the short cropped hair. He had a neatly trimmed beard which was braided down to his chest.

"Aye. How did you know who I am?" He asked in a very recognisable voice. Thinking quickly, I reacted. "We heard many a tale of your adventures across the seas. It is a great honor to meet you, Captain." I said in the most Pirate-ish accent I could muster.

Surprisingly, he bought it, and smiled smugly. "Now. I need to know how you two got on my ship. This is a battleship, ye see. No place for stowaways." He said and narrowed his eyes.

"Well, Captain. It's a long story, and a complicated one. By the end of it you would probably think us both mad. There's a man, most probably on this ship, who we need to find before-" Penny started explaining when the door burst open, revealing a panting sailor.

"Captain! One of the boats are missing!" He said, causing the captain to rise from his chair. "What? How could it be missing? Have ye counted the crew?" He said while walking out of the cabin. Naturally, Penny and I followed.

"Aye Captain. Everyone's still on board." He confirmed. "Are you two part of this?" He pointed towards Penny and I.

"Nay Captain. But we know who did it, and if you let us go now, we can save you a lot of trouble." I said.

He hesitated, before nodding. "Get a boat ready, these two are going elsewhere." He shouted to no-one in particular. "Aye captain." Replied a sailor, taking the order.

We climbed into the boat, and they lowered us down. The sailor threw a compass to me, and I caught it. "If ye want to go to England, follow East." He yelled. "Thank you!" I yelled back.

I looked back at Penny, realising our current situation. "Guess we better start rowing, then." I said. "To England we go!" She shouted and took a pair of oars. "Aye Captain!" I shouted back, and we started rowing to England.