Piracy

37. Defending Him

Once again, Louis pointed his blade at the woman's face. "You're a lunatic," he scoffed. "I've already told you that I've known Harry since he was a child. And he had no sister."

"And I told you," she argued strongly, "that I'm his half sister. King Edward was my father. My mother's name was Isla. She and the king-"

"Stop," Louis said, putting his hand up. "I can figure that part out myself. However, that doesn't mean I believe you." Without moving the sword an inch, Louis instructed me to take his dagger from it's sheath and cut down a thick vine nearby. Then he told me to tie Gemma's hands. Luckily, she didn't struggle much, otherwise I might not have succeeded. The bleeding from her shoulder wound looked bad, and I hoped she wouldn't lose too much blood before we made it back to the village. Louis handed me the sword and lifted Gemma to a standing position. Then he pushed her along ahead of him, not saying much at all until we reached the settlement.

A few of the men came rushing out when they saw that Louis had a prisoner, but they stopped short when they realized she was a woman. 

"Gentleman, I need a place I can house this prisoner until I've decided what to do with her," Louis announced.

"But, sir," one man said, "what has she done to deserve this?" His name was Andres.

"Don't let her fool you," Louis said. "She is the captain of a pirate ship called Vengeance, which is moored beneath the Western cliffs. She has stolen much from Prince Harry, and she will be held prisoner until such time as Harry decides what to do with her."

"As you wish," said Andres. Louis followed him out of the village, still pushing Gemma ahead of him. I tried to follow, but Louis told me to stay put. About an hour later, they returned without her.

"There's a small cave at the edge of the village," he explained before I could answer any questions. "Iron bars will hold her secure until Harry returns."

"Iron bars!" I exclaimed. "That sounds awfully harsh."

"Would you want it different if she were a man?" Louis asked.

"Well, of course," I sputtered. "She shouldn't have to be imprisoned like a criminal." 

"Even though she is one," Louis pointed out.

"By that evaluation, Harry is a criminal, too. I'm sure you've all stolen things on the high seas without a noble purpose behind every single acquisition."

"True," Louis shrugged. "But still, she has most of Harry's wealth, and I'm sure he'll want to talk to her." 

"Is she still bleeding?" I wondered.

"No, Andres bandaged her arm up nicely," Louis said.

"Can I at least bring her something for a bed, and some food? She's not going to be neglected as long as I have anything to do with it," I told him.

"As you wish," he said. "Just don't get any ideas about setting her free."

"I won't," I smiled as I went off to collect some things for Gemma. 

Before long, I had a few blankets, a loaf of bread and a jug of water, which I lugged to the outskirts of town, looking for the makeshift prison. When I spied the cave, I saw Gemma sitting in the corner, head back against the stone wall, her eyes closed.

"Gemma?" I said in a soft voice. She looked up lazily. "I've brought you some things. To make it more comfortable in there." At first, she looked like she didn't trust me, and I didn't blame her. But when I held out the bread, she snatched it greedily and began to wolf it down as if she hadn't eaten in days. I tucked the blankets through the bars, and then I set the jug inside the bars as well.