Captivation

1: Captain

Captain (noun): a person who is at the head of or in authority over others; chief; leader.

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My boots hit the wood of the ship, I sigh under the stifling armor that I wear. I can see the men aboard the ship, but they can’t see me, exactly as I need it to be. I search for the captain of the ship, my face hidden under a helmet. This isn’t exactly a lady’s job; I’ve never claimed to be a lady. I perk up as I hear a man give orders. My eyes land on him and I know instantly that he’s the one I came for, the one I’ve been ordered to kill. I don’t know his name, or why he’s wanted dead, all I know is that I’ve been paid quite a lot to do the deed. I sit down and get comfortable; I don’t expect anyone to come up here, and I have to wait to get the captain alone, along with time for me to escape without being noticed.

I watch the sun and the birds as I feel the ship depart from its dock. I watch them take down their faux trading sails to the sails of the pirates that the men on this ship are.

The armor I wear isn’t like that of the King’s men, that’s too noisy, and heavy, my protection is leather, padded in hopes that if I’m shot at with an arrow it won’t come in contact with my flesh. I push my hair back under my helmet, which is metal, but nothing as lustrous and shiny as that of the knights, it’s duller, darker, and covers all but my eyes, which is essential for my work. No one can know that I’m a woman besides those who employ me.

I scrunch up my face in disgust as the men on the ship start drinking as the sun goes down. I watch the captain; I need to get to his room before he does, and without being seen. But which door leads to his room? I look around and close my eyes out of exasperation. I hear a loud clamor. I look up and see that one of the men has spilled the beer on the captain. I watch as he laughs it off and walks into a cabin on the ship, when he returns in a new shirt I know that I’ve found his den, I’ve found exactly where I need to be.

The men are drunk, but the captain isn’t, he’s maybe had one drink, he plays some sort of stringed instrument as the men around him laugh and talk too loudly. I wonder where they think that they’re going to plunder. Surely their plans will change without a captain. I stand from my hiding spot; I know that the men still can’t see me. I climb over the side of the ship, grasping on to the fancy decorations that all pirates infatuated with looking rich seems to put on their ship. I’m not complaining, it makes climbing across the ship in order to get to the other side without being seen by those on deck very easy. I only hope that none of the men throw up over the side.

The salt water licks at my clothing as I scale the ship. I finally reach the end I want to be at, I quickly peer over the ship. All the men are laughing around the captain who’s still playing his strange instrument. I pull myself over the side and slip into the room the captain disappeared into. I don’t think I’ve been seen. I guess I’ll just wait to find out.

When no one comes I breathe a sigh of relief. I sit on the bed in the room and look at the various items in the room. Pieces of jewelry, maps, and little trinkets litter every surface in the room. I peek out the small window near the ceiling. The moon is out and night has fallen. I place my hand on my sword and hide, out of sight of the door. I hear my heart pounding in my chest as I wait. It’s the waiting that drives me nuts, if this job that I have were ever to drive me insane it would be because of the wait up to the fight, the wait up to the end, be it mine, or theirs.

At long last the door opens and I hear boots take the few stairs that lead into the room. I see the surprise in his eyes as he sees me. He reacts quicker than most pulling out his sword before I could hit him with mine. I set him up as I do every time; I corner him, knocking over things on his dresser in the process. He countered most of my blows, but my tactics have yet to fail me, no man expects for his opponent to be using the sword for any reason other that stabbing. Too bad I was born on a farm. I am a herder, if only anyone lived to tell about it. As I release the final blow I feel myself lose contact with the ground due to a pain to my chest. I fall to the floor and the captain puts his hand on my chest to hold me down. Be it mine. I know that the blow was a hit, not with a sword, but with a hand, or maybe a foot. But he’s got me down now, and it’s unlikely I’ll get up. When I die they’ll throw my body in the water, and I’ll sink to the bottom of the ocean. Or maybe I’ll float.