The Reign of the Pirate Queen

Battle at Sea

Aaaand onto Chapter 3! When we left off, the Pirate Queen and her crew had just engaged in battle with the fearsome Royal Adrenian Navy, and had landed the first blow to the enemy ship. Leo — poor, poor Leo — had just seen his friend and definitely possible lover being dragged away, sobbing. Reginald was still beat up, and the two of them were being taken to the cell in the captain's quarters. Let's see what happens next... (and prepare for some new characters!)

***

Although the first volley had struck the Adrenian naval vessel, it was not the time to sit idle. Racing to the bow of the Arcfyre, the Pirate Queen yelled, "Hard to port, Men! I want her broadside these Adrenian sons of bitches before the next volley! Is. That. Understood?"


A resounding cry of "Yes, Mam" resounded from every pirate aboard, and the men went to work right away on the command she had given.

"Good!" Looking around, her eyes met those of her quartermaster and first mate. "Gabriel! Prepare the men to board. As soon as she is within range I want a boarding party ready." He nodded, and she called, "Fire!" Cannonfire once again filled the air, crashing through sections of the main deck and the main mast. Bodies flew in every direction, and as the Arcfyre neared her target, the Pirate Queen could see the naval captain standing at the bow of his ship, sword drawn. His hate-filled eyes met hers, and she smiled sadistically. This was what she lived for; the thrill of battle pumped blood through her veins and revived her soul. A cannon from the enemy ship flew over her head, tearing into the deck a few yards behind her. She dove behind the mast as wooden shards flew in every direction. Thankfully, none of her crew had been hit, but the ship would need repairs.


Fiora drew her sword, her eyes meeting Gabriel's as she did so. He nodded, and ordered the men to make ready. There wasn't a ship length between the famed pirate ship and the Adrenian naval brigantine now. With the others, Fiora grabbed a nearby piece of rigging, hauled herself up, and pushed off. Cutlass clenched between her teeth, she swung through the air, landing on the enemy ship. She released a guttural cry from deep within her throat as she ducked the strike of a nearby sailor, slicing his chest with her cutlass as she did so. A scream of agony erupted from the man, who she left to bleed out in the ruins of his ship's mast. The clang of swords sounded from all around her as she fought her way to the bow, but try as she might she could not spot the enemy captain.

Meanwhile, the battle was not going well for the navy men, most of whom had barricaded themselves inside the galley. Those that had not made it into the galley when the doors closed were faced with a massacre. As their comrades fell around them, some held their hands up for surrender. Of those that chose surrender, some were spared, and others were not. Either way, most had fallen to pirate cutlass or pistol, and their captain was still nowhere to be found. Just as her men were about to break down the galley doors, Fiora held out her hand. "Hold!" She called, and her men were still. Blood that was not their own dripped from their faces, clothes and blades. She smiled, and held a finger to her mouth. Walking up to one of the lucky few who had been spared, she pulled him to his feet. He was young, maybe around twenty, and he shook with terror. She ripped the bands off his uniform, marking him as a disgraced soldier. He whimpered, but did not protest. "I have a few of your men out here, Captain. Now, I'm not an unreasonable person. If you surrender to me now, no harm will come to them. But, if you try my patience, I will make certain that you hear their screams until your dying breath. You have thirty seconds."


As soon as she was done speaking, a clamor of noise erupted from within the galley. One man's voice rose above the others, "No sir, you can't! Be damned with a pirate's word. They'll kill you in an instant."

The door to the galley opened, and a greying man in the captain's garb called back, "Then so I will die, but I will not die a coward." His eyes met hers, and he reached for his falchion. The pirates' hands itched for their weapons, but Fiora held up a hand and they quieted. He removed his falchion, letting the weapon drop to the ground at his feet. "I surrender to you, Pirate, if it will spare my crew."


She dropped the young man, who crumpled to his knees on deck, and sauntered over toward where the captain stood. "I don't believe you are in the best position to negotiate, Captain." Holding her bloodied cutlass to his throat, she said, "The lives of you and your crew are quite literally in my hands." He tensed, but did not meet her eyes. She smiled slightly, and told Gabriel without taking her eyes off the prisoner, "Take as many men as you need into the galley. Bring them all out, even those who resist." He turned to leave, and she added, "Oh, and Gabriel? Don't be afraid to use force if necessary." Out of the corner of her eye, she caught his grin, and returned it with one of her own. "Or if not."

All but one of the sailors in the galley did little to resist, and Fiora could hear the voice of one man ring out, just as it had before, "No way in hell! I'd rather die a thousand deaths than surrender to you, pirate." She could hear the sound of his sword being knocked from his hands, and his face being pounded into the floor.


She turned to the captain, forcing his chin up so he would look her in the eye instead of in the direction of the galley. "Is that your first mate?"

He gulped, "Yes." The man paused, before adding, "And my son."


A small smile graced the edges of her lips. "I see. And do you have any other family aboard?"

He shook his head as much as he dared with the cutlass pressed against his throat. "No. My wife and daughter are in Adrene."


Turning to Gabriel, who had just gotten back from clearing the galley, she ordered, "Send some men down to the cargo hold to look for loot. In the meantime, I want this whole ship searched from top to bottom for this man's family, regardless of what he says."

Her quartermaster nodded. "It will be done."


She turned her attention to the rebellious young man she had heard not too long before. "You! Come here." The man was shoved forward. Beneath the blood and grime, she could see that he was a handsome young thing, probably nearing his late teenage years, with brown hair and deep brown eyes. "You will stay in line and do as I command, or I will make you watch while I run this here cutlass across your father's body. Do I make myself clear?" He nodded his bruised head, terrified into silence. "Good." Turning to his father, she said, "And that goes for you as well, Captain. If you do not stay in line and do as I order, I will make your son more acquainted with the pains of the sword. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Mam," he breathed, and she released the blade from his throat.


"Good. Then you will come with me, and your son will go with the others to the brig." She nodded to a nearby pirate, and he led the son away. With one hand, she shoved the older man onto his feet and commanded, "Take me to your quarters."

He nodded slightly and made his way through the ship before finally stopping in front of a large mahogany door. The man turned to her, his eyes asking permission to speak. She nodded her assent, and he said, "The door is locked, and the keys are in my waistcoat. May I retrieve them?" She nodded once more but placed her hand on her cutlass all the same. He took out his keys, inserting them into the lock. Turning his hand, the door opened almost silently, and they stepped inside. With her permission, he lit a nearby lantern, allowing them to see more clearly.


The space was taken up primarily by a large mahogany desk, from which a great variety of parchment overflowed. Bookshelves so burdened by books that their shelves were bent with weight lined the walls. A hammock was tucked into the far corner of the chamber, but besides that, the space was otherwise unfurnished. She inwardly sighed at the lack of sophisticated decor, but at the same time, a fire was lit within her at the sight of so many writings.

Having been born to privilege, she knew how to read at a young age, but not many shared her view regarding the written word. Most, especially those in her profession, found that time was wasted with reading, that there were far many other pursuits that would benefit the ship more. Perhaps it was the feminine side of her, but she had to disagree. As she looked through a few volumes, she mused that at least, even if he was a navy man, he had good taste.


The captain stood by the door, unsure as to her motives or if he should say something. At last, she spoke, looking up from the pages of a dusty manuscript. "I see you have a passion for history and for the written word."

He nodded, his eyes not leaving her. "I do."


"As do I." Closing the manuscript, she waved her hand toward the nearest bookshelf. "Tell me about these."

"Most are maps or histories of various places I have visited on my travels. Others tell of the markets at the port cities in the dominion of the crown, so I can pass that information on to merchants and they can use it to plan trading routes."


"I see. And these merchants pay you for your trouble, yes?" She laughed,  waving away his protests. "I get it, Captain. No need to explain." Sighing, Fiora said, "That will be all. We'll head back above deck now." She gestured for him to leave the room, which he did. After snuffing out the light, she followed.

Once above deck, the Pirate Queen watched the busied movements of the men around her as they searched the navy ship for anything of value. Food, goods, and even some gold — which Fiora was pleasantly surprised by — flowed in a steady stream from the navy ship to the Arcfyre. As they were discovered, prisoners did as well, some bruised and bloodied from resisting, others from the battle.

While she stood witnessing the fruits of her crew's labor, Gabriel walked up to her, a troubled expression on his face. "We've run into a bit of a problem, Mam."

***

Oooo what do you think the problem is? Sorry (not sorry) I left it at a cliffhanger again. Well, I guess we know who won the battle (hehe). What do you think about the new characters? The navy captain? His rebellious son? What about all those papers in the captain's cabin? Are they really maps, or maybe something more?

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, as always feel free to let me know. I will always appreciate a follow or vote, and the next chapter will be up as soon as it is written. :)

~McDazzle out~