The Lady of the Sea ~ Complete - Will be Edited Soon!

Chapter 5

This one is unedited so if you see any mistakes let me know! And as always, if you enjoy please consider leaving a comment or vote!

The fighting lasted for several hours and during that time Bella stayed huddled up in a corner next to some barrels, listening to the firing of pistols and the clashing of swords above her. When the cries had stopped and the pattering of feet died down, she tentatively stood up and pushed on the trapdoor only to find that it had been bolted shut. She sighed and sat back down, dusting off the wooden planks below her as to not get too much dust on her breeches. A loose splinter caught on her hands, blistered from scrubbing, and she hissed in pain. The splinter dug deep and she had a hard time pulling it out, but she got it eventually. A thin stream of blood trickled from the broken skin and she licked it to clean, tasting the metal tang on her tongue.

About half and hour later, she heard the bolt slide back and the trapdoor open. She shielded her eyes against the bright sunlight and saw Berkeley slide down into the hold through the gaps in her fingers. She scooted closer to the wall, wanting to get as far away from him as possible.

"Bella-" The Quartermaster began, but Bella cut him off, "You're pirates!"

Berkeley looked down at the ground, he seemed almost ashamed, "Yes. Yes we are."

Bella's eyes widened at his confession and she shrunk back, "What are you going to do to me?"

His eyes snapped up, "Nothing! Bella, you're one of us now. Why would we do anything to you?"

Narrowing her eyes, Bella straightened her stooped back, "I am not a pirate! I am going to join the Royal Navy someday and defeat pirates with my own ship!"

Now Berkeley laughed, "You really think the Royal Navy would take you? Especially now that you've been aboard a pirate ship?"

Tears welled up in Bella's eyes at the Quartermaster's words. He was right, the Royal Navy would never take anyone who had helped a pirate. What would she do now? Her ambition was ruined.

Berkeley stopped laughing when he saw the drops roll down her cheeks. His expression turned almost concerned, "Bella, don't cry. Being in the Royal Navy isn't a good thing, and I should know."

Bella lifted her head, wiping away the tears with her sleeve, "You were in the Navy?"

Berkeley nodded, "Yes. A long time ago, a very long time ago. I was a Captain of a ship called the Revolution. I hunted down pirates for a living."

"How did you end up as a pirate?" Bella asked, now interested in his story.

Berkeley shrugged his shoulders, "That is a very long story, one that I do not have the time to tell." He stretched out his hand to her, "Why don't you come up on deck with me? We can talk more up there."

Bella nodded and put her much-smaller hand in his. He helped her up, and she gripped the edge of the open trapdoor, hoisting herself onto the deck. Once she was above, she could see the crippled Gentle Fig slowly sinking off to the starboard side. Berkeley jumped up beside her and she spun around.

"What happened to the men?" She demanded, a creeping horror rising in her.

"Hmm?" Berkeley questioned.

"The men that were on the Gentle Fig. What happened to them?"

"Oh," Berkeley replied nonchalantly, "They're on their ship."

He pointed to the Gentle Fig as it slowly sunk into the water and Bella could see the sailors as they jumped off, clinging onto bits of wood in a desperate attempt to survive.