A Pirate's Revenge

Chapter Two - Luka

   I mounted the steps from the crew quarters to the deck, and looked around. I found who I was looking for, and headed for the wheel to speak with the captain.

   "Hello there," I said in English. I'd been learning English for months, and it was finally paying off. All those hours studying sentence structure and verb conjunctions and... I shuddered, glad to not be locked in a room with my tutor any more.

   The Captain nodded at me. Happy he was treating me like a human being and not the nobility I was, I went on.

   "When should we reach England?" I asked.

   "Tomorrow afternoon. The sea is calm, and there isn't a cloud in sight. Which is very good, you see. Even the most sea loving sailors need a respite from the ocean after months with no change."

   "Many thanks, Captain."

   I went back down bellowdecks to the space Kit and I had shared since we left Denmark.

   My poor friend was suffering from sea sickness, and had been for the last couple of weeks. A new barrel of rice had been opened, but there was a something in it that gave anyone who ate it something the Englishmen called "food poisoning" . The barrel had been dumped overboard, and we all had recovered quickly.

   Except for Kit. His stomach had never appreciated being on ships, and while he had been barely holding it together before, adding the food poisoning pushed him over the edge.

   "We should be on land by this time tomorrow," I told him in my native language. "Lord Braus will be meeting us at the docks. He will have carriages to take us, the Lady Rosamarie, and her maid to his home."

   "I cannot tell you just how happy I will be to be off of this confounded ship," he groaned.

   I grinned. "I think, however, you will be rather unhappy to lose the careful administrations of Lady Rosamarie."

   "She is your betrothed, Luka. Remember that," Kit said, but he was fighting back a smile, proving that I was correct.

   I laughed and said, "Get some rest."

   As I walked out I heard him mutter, "Rest. That's all I ever do anymore." I grinned and shut the door.

                                                  ~~~~~~~

   As night fell, I sat out on the deck watching the stars come out.

   I thought back too last week, when we had encountered another English vessel bringing not only news from Lord Braus, but also two girls, who turned out to be Lady Rosamarie, to whom I was betrothed, and her maid, Margaretha.

   According to the letter from Lord Braus, they were to stay onboard our ship until we docked in England. To "get to know her", he said. This seemed a wise course of action to me since I had never met her before.

   I came out of my reverie as Captain Morris sat down beside me.

  "What can I do for you Captain?"

  "I just wondered if you knew what to expect when we dock."

  "I believe so. The letter from Lord Braus described what to look for when we arrive. And even if I am unsure, I'm sure Lady Rosamarie will know."

  "It's said that she was somewhat wild when she was young." At
my incredulous look he nodded and continued. "She would sneak away from nursemaids, governesses, and tutors alike. After her parents died and she became a ward of the King, she settled down and became the lady she is now. Something you didn't know about your future wife, I take it."

  "Our engagement is not official yet, but no, I had no idea."

  "That is why you are going to England though, isn't it? To finalize the agreement?"

   "It is. How did you know, though?"

   He shrugged. "People talk. Gossip. Spread rumors. Everyone is incredibly excited about the whole ordeal. She's the country's darling. Everybody loves her. That maid of hers, however." Here he grunted and shook his head. "She's a real piece off work. Sour, you know?"

   "Ah, I understand. My tutor back home was much the same. Old and mærkelig - I believe your word for it is..cranky."

   Captain Morris laughed. "Yes, although--." He stood suddenly and looked around.

   "What it's it?" I asked, instantly alert.

  He shook his head. "It could be nothing. Then again--"

  A whistling sound reached our ears as a cannonball came out of the dark and hit the deck, throwing both of us off our feet.

  "All hands, battle stations! We are under attack!" Captain Morris yelled.

  At his words, I sprinted to my cabin, snatched up my sword, and was just heading out the door when Kit called after me.

  "Luka, wait! Wait for me!"

  "Kit, no."

  "I was charged with keeping you safe. I am not about to let you go running off to kill yourself. Now wait."

  Kit grabbed his own sword, belted it on, and headed up right in front of me.

  When we reached the top of the stairs, there was already a fight against the pirates going on. Drawing our badges, Kit and I joined the fray.

  There weren't many trained fighters onboard, but we were holding our own.

   BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

 Three canons shot in quick succession. One hit the deck, throwing two or three men into the water. A second struck the deck next to the mast. The third hit the mast itself, and with a creak and a groan, the massive pillar fell, and with it, my heart. There was no way we would be able to reach England now.

  Fires were breaking out, finding more than enough to feed on. Wood, sails, and lines alike were all being consumed.

  A feminine scream reached my ears. Lady Rosamarie and Margaretha were still in their quarters.

  "Kit!" I yelled. He looked over from where he had just run his sword through a pirate. My stomach churned at the sight of his blade through the man's torso, but I pushed the feeling aside. "Go get the girls!"

  His eyes widened in understanding and he abandoned fighting our oppressors to assist said females.

  As I turned beck, I saw movement on the fallen mast. Not one, but two figures were regally making their way down it. First one, and then the other jumped through the flames at the bottom to join the battle.

   Noting the way they walked lead me to believe that these were elite fighters, and my heart sank even further. We would not stand a chance.

   Indeed, once they drew their swords, our numbers were severely depleted.

    Captain Morris had long since been killed. And so it was, that when we finally surrendered, the only ones of our group left were three crewmen, Lady Rosamarie, Margaretha, Kit, and myself.

   The pirates rounded us up single file, and marched us over to their own ship. When I hesitated to step onto the gangplank, one of the elite pirates came over. It was then that I realized with a shock, that the pirate was female.

   As I stood there stupidly, she only grinned and clubbed me over the head with the hilt of her sword, and everything went black.

   I woke up the next morning with a splitting headache. And a cell to reside in.

   "This is not good."