Pirate's Tail

Prologue

The Queen Nancy sat on the calm waters, baking in the sun as it neared the final destination of her journey. The wind had ceased and the ship drifted about in the sea. The journey had come to a stop only hours ago, but to her crew it felt like an eternity. According to the navigator, they weren't far from their homeland, and that made matters worse. The impatience grew. The crew, exhausted by the heat and longing to be home, sulked about the deck, praying that the wind would find its way to them.

Her captain walked over to one of the silver cannons on the deck, absentmindedly ran his hand over it, and looked out longingly to the horizon. How he couldn't wait the get this ship home. The Queen Nancy was a war prize taken from the ends of the globe, and an entire country would benefit from her completing her mission. The treasure she held would more than pay the debt Menquin had accumulated during the Great War. The captain took note as the fleet surrounding the Queen Nancy caught an elusive wind and began to move again. He sighed as he watched his comrades finally harness the wind and sail back toward home. What he wouldn't give to get moving again. The winds seemed to have forgotten the Queen Nancy. He needed to do something to improve his and his crew's spirits.

"Get those sail's ready, men! The wind's coming!" he ordered, and his crew begrudgingly went about setting the sails for when the winds arrived.

"Sir, there's a girl in the water!"

The captain broke his train of thought and whirled in the direction of his sailor's cry. The crew, which had seemed so lazy before, roared to life and ran in the direction of the cry. Why would there be a person alone in the water this far out to sea alone? They were close to home, but not close enough for someone to swim out to their position. Had there been a shipwreck? "What's a girl doing out here?"

When no man answered, he walked across the deck to the port side of the Queen Nancy. He joined his crew there, looked over the gunwale, and saw the head of a woman bobbing in the water. She was stunning. He opened his mouth to speak to her, but at that particular moment she smiled and his words caught in his throat. He opened his mouth again to ask of her well being, but all he could do was smile back at the blue-eyed brunette floating alongside his ship. He admired her glistening lips and pure features and took note that she seemed to be in minimal clothing. He wanted to help the girl, but he couldn't take his eyes off her.

Suddenly, the captain felt a force hit him from behind. He was lifted from his feet and slammed into the deck by a wall of whitewater. The wave washed over him, and he was kicked by a crewman who was sent careening into him.

Disoriented by the sudden attack of water, the captain stumbled to his feet. "What's going on? What was that?"

There was a mutter of uncertainty as the crew returned to their feet, unable to answer the captain's question. The captain turned his attention to the woman in the water, but she wasn't there. He scanned the water, fearing the wave had swept her away from the boat. In the open sea this far from shore she would surely drown if she didn't receive help.

"Where'd the woman go?" he wondered aloud.

There was a moment of silence as his crew hurried about, desperately looking for the woman.

"Off starboard, sir."

The captain walked to the other side of the ship and peered into the sea. The captain blew an internal sigh of relief as he recognized the same beautiful brunette face bobbing in the water off the Queen Nancy. Finally able to find his voice, he asked, "Are you okay?"

The brunette in the water just nodded sheepishly and grinned at the captain.

"What are you doing out here? Come aboard." The crew of the Queen Nancy clustered around the captain as he spoke to the woman. "Will one of you gentlemen retrieve this woman?"