The voyage

[redblood]

Poetlore & Redblood

A young man with torn dirty clothing and no shoes ran through the crowded city, seemingly searching for something. Finally he arrived at the shore. Looking towards the ships, he was highly discouraged when all of them had guards or salesmen on them whom seemed to be keeping track of whom boarded the ship. He ran further down on the pier and finally came across a ship which seemed quite empty. He sneaked on board and immediately noticed two sleeping men with empty bottles scattered all around them. No wonder they were snoring so loudly if they had been drinking all that rum. He sneaked past them, opened a door carefully and went down a few stairs. So far he hadn't seen anyone else. Most of the crew probably had a free day in the mainland.

He opened a few doors until he finally found a good room he could hide in. It was a sleeping cabin, which meant he would be surrounded by the crew a lot, but even though that added a layer of danger it also meant he could hear conversations and figure out more easily if they were close to land or not and if they would be gone for long enough for him to sneak out. Before he hid though, he ran around to find the kitchen, it didn't take long. There he took a bit of food so he wouldn't have to risk getting out of his hideout for at least a few days, a week if he only ate the bare minimum.

Walking back to the cabin, he pushed the food under one of the beds. There was just enough space for a human to hide there and the room was poorly lit so as long as he didn't move, they would have a hard time noticing him.

A few hours passed before he heard voices and footsteps. "The cap'n got ye good. Don't fall asleep on the job idiot." A deep voice laughed.

"shut up or I be goin' t' cut that beard o' yers off." Another man grunted. The first one kept laughing. What an unrefined way they spoke in. It didn't sound like any salesmen he had ever heard before.

"Oy, which bastard has stolen from the grub hold? Don't think I don't keep track o' the supplies!" Another voice could be heard shouting, most likely from the kitchen. Hopefully they would blame the theft on each other or on rats.

 

[PoetLore]

Samson Merrick paced his quarters as his first mate and a few of the senior crew stood before him, "If ye canna keep tha' blasted men et thar duties wha' good be ye ta me?' he asked and his voice rang through the small room. "Nay more Shore leave 'til I be sure tha ship be well guarded," he said loudly and with a fierce look in his eyes, "Now git ye gone the lot of ye!" And with a wave of his hand that was thrust at the door and then their way if they were stupid enough to remain staning there after he'd said git.

The three junior crew members scurries out like rats, but the first mate took his time. He wasn't afraid of the Captain like the others were. He gave a slow look at the captains hand and a brow raised, "Have a care Sam," he said in a quiet, deceptively calm voice, "The day that hand strikes me is the day it be gone." Thom 'Devil Dog' Ramsay was a huge hulk of a man and he has a ready pistol and blade. The men were rightly afraid of him, most were. "I'll check the hold myself," he said in a much more proper language than most of the men on this ship used. "Cook is complaining about food being missing but those drunken fools likely had their hand in the galley."

Samson laughed at the threat, "Aye," he agreed, "I ahve na doubt a'tall." he listened as Thom spoke and nodded, "Check careful...no stow aways..." They'd had their share of hitch hikers in the past and they were always far more trouble than they were worth, ALWAYS. He moved to the navigation table and spread his hands on the table leaning over the maps and charts. They were going to be out at sea for a few week, hopefully catch a merchant ship in open water and pull in a good bounty and then make their way up the coast, raiding and stopping to unload the goods at the closet port as they went. He was successful at pirating because he unloaded the good quickly. Can't be found with the stolen property on board, no that would not do. not to mention that it weighed the ship down and made her slower in the water than he liked for raiding. Speed and weaponry were their strengths. He was wise enough to know it.

Thom went below deck and began a thorough search of the cargo and the crew quarters. He saw nothing out of place, and only Cook was griping. He went to the drunk men and glared at them, "You ever make me look bad in front of the captain again," he said looming over them, "And you won't have to worry about ale or food...you'll BE the food." he said in and icily calm voice. The two men nodded their heads profusely and promised to never sleep on the job again. "See that you don't." and left them to shake in their boots. He stopped at the door though and they immediately straightened back up as quickly as their drunkenness would allow. "Because you stole from Cook..or allowed someone else to while you slept...galley duty of any kind Cook says for the rest of this cruise out." Their faces turned a bit pale but they didn't speak a word against the punishment until he left.

"I dint take any food...did ye?" he asked. The other shrugged, "Hell iff'n I be knowin'" he admitted. "I dun e'n member comin' in here."

Samson made his way up to the quarter deck and shouted out orders, "Raise the Misen and the Sheet," he yelled, "Raise anchor...we be off men."

The crew scurried around to attend their duties. It was a well oiled machine most of the time, with the men responding to orders quickly. He paid them well enough to ensure both their loyalty and their willingness to work. he moved to the prow and pulled the glass from his belt and looked out over the sea before them. He had been blessed with an uncanny, and sometimes eerie way of knowing where ships WOULD be and though none of the men understood it, they couldn't argue with the results. They were all getting rich because of it.

Samson looked over at the helmsman, Harry Boggs, "Dead ahead Harry...dead ahead..."

 

[redblood]

Roger Skewers, the ships cook, was grumbling to himself, throwing around the barrels with food, changing their positions as if they were mere empty containers. They weighted next to nothing for the heavily built man. Re-arranging the placement of the food was something he always did when they got a new batch. He might be a pirate, but he was also a cook, and as a cook, he refused to have disorder and dirt in his kitchen. "Stealin' me grub be they? Takin' me fer a fool? I woe they gunna be lynched." If there was something he wouldn't stand for, it was for someone to take the food he was carefully rationing so it would last them the whole journey. That was especially important when they were going off on longer trips, but even when they were in shore it was important to keep the men in their places.

He could feel it when the ship started to move. The motions always calmed the otherwise grumpy man. Land had never been the place for him. The ocean was the only place he could call home. "'n so we be off." He smiled to himself. Maybe he would go up there later, but he was in no hurry to see the ocean. His cooking area was good enough for him to enjoy the journey to the fullest.

Meanwhile the boy was listening closely to what happened in the room. One person seemed to use proper speech, but his words were much too threatening for any normal person to use, even if someone had taken some food. He became more and more convinced that he shouldn't let them find him no matter what. They seemed like quite the dangerous bunch. What kind of people had he ended up with?

"Galley duty fer th' rest 'o th' cruise? Wouldn't want to be in ye shoes. Cook gunna work ye to death fer loosin' th' grub." A pirate cackled. He was rather new on the ship. He had only been on board for a bit over a month. Even so, he knew the wrath of the cook. Roger had thrown a man overboard when he was found stealing the food. Of course they did fish him up before any sharks ate him. The cook wasn't the one who got to decide which men would swim with the fishes. Though no one had really seemed to care about his decision of giving the man a bath before his real punishment began. Weeks of theft didn't let him off easy and of course he was no longer on the ship.

 

[PoetLore]

Samson had them on a straight course out into open water and he felt that odd nudge from deep in his gut, "Hard port, Harry," he said tipping his head a bit. His gut never led him wrong, and he followed it without wavering at all time. He was sure his crew felt he was possessed, or was doing some kind of dealings with the dark magic of the world to ahve the uncanny may of knowing where ships were sailing. The truth was nothing of the kind. He just had this weird sense of knowing, and though he had never admitted as much, extremely good eye sight. he could usually see things with his naked eyes, before other men could see them through the scopes. That and he watched the water itself and could sometimes tell when the waves and ripples seemed a bit more steady. Regular seas waves were random an the ripples made by a ship were more even and sometimes went against the other naturally occurring waves. What they took for witchcraft, was really just observation and cunning combined.

Harry nodded, "Aye cap'n." The boat lurched a bit and there would be a decided dip to the port side, but most of them were used to the motion.

Thom had been searching the hold almost daily. He hadn't found anything, but he had this nagging suspicion that he had somehow missed something. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was there driving him to keep checking. he made his way tot eh quarter deck when he felt the lurch to port and stood beside Samson, "can you never decide these changes in course earlier?" he asked, "We're likely to have a few man leaning over the decks again."

Samson shrugged, "Sickness is for the land lubbers..not pirates..."

Thom snorted a bit, "May be so but that was a hard turn...was it nec..." before he could finish the sentence he saw the ship. "Guess so," he said and clasped a hand tot eh captain's shoulder. "Well done."

Samson just grinned, "You know I always find them...one day you will stop doubting Thom...and that day I shall retire!"

Thom laughed, "You will be sailing until you die then," he laughed and went to bark orders tot he men. "Man your stations men...ship ahoy!"

 

[redblood]

Underneath the bed, the boy was starting to get restless. As the days past, all he could do was to lie there, not moving, not making any noise, only eating when it was safe to do so. He was carefully figuring out the crew's patterns. When they were asleep, how they walked around, how often they came into the cabin during the day. The information would help him once he would need to get more food. A few more days before he needed to get a new week's worth. Better get all the information he could during that time to avoid getting caught.

Suddenly the pattern he had started to see, broke. The men seemed very excited over something. Could it be that they were approaching a shore?

"I woe thar'll be some pretty women on board." A voice laughed as a man rushed past the cabin.

"Women? Forget ye women matey, th' gold be what ye be lookin' fer. wit' that ye can buy a dozen women." Another voice said as the two men's voices disappeared. More men ran past, but non really spoke for him to hear. It sounded as if they were approaching land, where else would they find women... But they also spoke of gold. It certainly felt as if he was misunderstanding something. What was going on out there?

Up on deck the men was getting into their positions. Some may die, but that was a risk you took just by putting yourself at a pirate ship. Either die in fight or die hanged by the law. Some started on such a dangerous path because they had no other choice, there was no money for them to make, no one wanted them on land. Others started on such a journey for the thrill or the money. No matter what, everyone were welcomed into the pirate life if they were ready for the consequences.

"Th' cannons 'n guns be loaded cap'n. All ye pirates be ready fer th' order." An older man, soon to be in his sixties, announced. He was the master gunner at the ship. Once he had been able to raid ships with the other men, but ever since he lost his leg and his right hand, he had been forced to stay on the ship, now making sure that everyone were organized down in the ship when the cannons were used. The worst times were when they got some new powder monkey. They were almost always so nervous during the first few times, thinking they were going to die that they completely forgot about their job. This time, they only had experienced people down there, which definitely made things easier.

 

[PoetLore]

Samson shouted out, "Fly the colors men!," and watched with a smile as the jolly roger unfurled. he looked through the glass and saw the other ship unfurl a few more sails in a valiant but futile attempt to outrun them, "Drop the Tertiary!" he called out knowing that was generally enough to catch these frigates.

The caught up quickly, which pleased him. Slow ships were laden down with sell-able, valuable cargo. He was happy to help them out by offloading it onto his ship for transport. "Fire a warning, Ole Jacob," he called out and watched a ball hit close enough to the side of the ship to splash water onto the deck. He smiled. It was so good when the crew were able to do their job to perfection. It added to the intimidation factor. He counted, "One...two...three....and there it is Harry," he said to the helmsman. The white flag. They came up along side the other ship and tossed over ropes. to tie the two ships together.

"Search the ship, men!" he called out. Thom was one of the first over and was ordering the men about as he had the other crew standing in a group on the quarterdeck. He was only occasionally glancing at the other crew, but had his two pistols trained on them. Thom was a well known, as was Samson. Most merchantmen has been unfortunate enough to encounter them, some more than a few times. His reputation was both a blessing and a curse, but at the moment the other crew was cowering in fear and he was happy to le them. It made his job easier.

The men made short work of finding the cargo type they were looking for. They made a point to never leave a ship without food, or provision enough to return to port. They tried to leave every man alive, and usually they were able to do so. They weren't murdering pirates, they were just thieves. There was honor in being merciful to other crews, at least that's how he looked at it. Samson, didn't really care one way or the other. Kill or not, as long as they got the booty.

One of the men came top side with a female and cast her at Thom's feet, "They are carrying a few women sir," He said with a gleam in his eye, "We taking them?"

Thom called over to Samson, "Fillies aboard!"

Samson huffed, and looked over at the woman cowering on the deck. He didn't like the ones who cowered, they were no pleasure. "Leave 'em!" he ordered.

Thom nodded, "You heard the captain, leave them be."

The matey frowned, and looked over at the captain, "We ahve a right to all the booty!" he shouted.

Thom lifted a brow and leveled his pistol on the man and shot him right there next to the woman. He gave the crew a quelling look and then went to the female, "Get you below," he said as he grabbed their crew member with one hand and tossed him overboard. He wasn't dead but he soon would be. He then returned to the quarterdeck and nodded to the other captain, "We clean up our own mess," he said and then noted that the men were nearly done unloading their valuables. "It has been a pleasure doing business with you all this day." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag of coins, "For the lady who was mistreated by our man. See that she gets it."

He saw the last man climb back over to their ship and he followed them. The let loos the mooring lines and once the two ships were parted they raised every one of their sails and left the other ship in the distance.

A few hours later Thom appeared in teh captain's quarters, "We should make port, Samson," he said. "That was a heavy load. Flour, sugar, spices, and tapestries, and two chests of silver, and gems." he huffed, "You do have a knack," he gave him, "Thank you for not taking the women. I ahte when we do that."

Samson chuckled, "You are going soft Thom," he chided, "We didn't take the cowering wenches. No fun bedding a woman who will just lie there like she's a dead piece of wood." He huffed, "Haven't found a woman worth the trouble in a long while. What happened to all the feisty women?" he asked.

Thom let out a slow breath, "They have husbands and children to tend to...all the ones worth having at any rate." He almost had enough money to stop doing this. And when he did, he would find himself one of those women.

Samson shuddered, "Who wants to be saddled with crying brats?'

Thom smiled, "I plan to ahve a few when this life is over."

Samson regarded the big man, "You know Thom," he said, "I believe you will." He stood and moved to the map, "We will make for Hartfordshire. Offload there and head out again. There are still a few weeks of shipping before the winter. We should be able to find a few more in that time, "Tell harry South Southwest."

Thom nodded, "South Southwest," and turned to pass along the orders.

 

[redblood]

Quickly the ship sailed, catching up to the other in no time. One warning shot was all it took for them to surrender. Some men were visibly disappointed, but most were glad for the easy catch. Even though most of the ship's crew mostly wished for riches and nothing more, there were of course always those who preferred a good fight over all the gold. This was not their lucky day though and as most times, the captains and the majorities way became the chosen one.

The only blood anyone saw on this raid was the blood of their own fellow man. Most did not grieve though. Go against the captain was to go against the ship. There was no reason to keep them there. One man laughed another called him an idiot, but most passed without a word or even a though of it. It were just the things that one would expect working on a pirate ship, after a couple of years, it stopped bothering anyone.

The young man had not missed the spectacle at all, though he hadn't been able to figure out what it was about from underneath the bed. While it could have been his opportunity to get out of there to get some more food, the sound of a canon was frightening enough for him to stay where he was. Maybe they were being attacked? In that case people might start running in panic all around the ship. Without the structure, the patterns he had tried to find for the last few days, it wouldn't be safe to walk out of there. So he stayed. Waiting. No more shots were fired, but he did think he heard a gun shot, and maybe even a few screams. Hopefully it was just his imagination. That night, no one slept in the bed he was hiding underneath. No one spoke of the man he did not know the name of, but he had a feeling he knew what had happened. All he knew was that they had been quite jolly over something. They had laughed about something, but with everyone speaking at the same time, he had no idea what had actually happened.

A couple of nights later, after some uneventful days, it was time. It was far into the night and everyone were snoring soundly. If he sneaked out now, he could most certainly get some food and last for at least a week more. Sliding out, head first, he looked around, his eyes very accustomed to the dark after not having seen sunlight since he bordered the ship. Everyone were asleep. Great.

He crawled out, stood up and tipped toed out of the room completely unnoticed by the sleeping crew. The kitchen was close by, so he didn't have to go far, but it was still dangerous if he were caught. He couldn't let them give him up to the guards. That would certainly get him killed. Sneaking towards the door, he peaked inside and saw no one there. Good, everyone down there were actually asleep. Probably some crew members around to make sure the ship sailed properly of course, but hopefully they were all up on deck.

Walking into the kitchen, the boy started to pick up some biscuits. That was what held the longest, so taking more of that was for the best. Of course, some fruit would also be necessary, one couldn't just live on biscuits. Picking his next ration, he didn't pay much attention to what was going on around him. He'd probably miss the footsteps, were someone to walk by now.

 

[PoetLore]

Samson had taken a good look at the loot and with a satisfied nod, made his way back to his quarters to rest. it would fetch a good price at port and he'd give the cook a day to restock the galley, and the men a night on shore and then they'd be out again. He knew there were only maybe two more weeks of sailing along the trade routes before they'd have to be in port for the duration of the winter. He hated being on land, but it was a necessary compromise. Nothing to be gained by sailing when there were no ships to plunder. No sense paying men to loll around doing nothing. They could do that on the own in port, without costing him a cent.

They would probably manage three more takes if they were lucky, but more likely two before they ahd to set aground. He looked over the map and tipped his head this way and that, before shrugging and then heading to his bed.

Thom was restless tonight. he couldn't get that conversation with Samson off his mind. he was ready to retire from this life and settle down. He wanted a wife, and children and a normal life, out of harms way. He was also tired of dealing with the likes of men that worked their ships. Pirates were an ornery, unruly, unkempt lot. This split of spoil might be enough to push him over that edge he'd set for himself to retire, at least it seemed like it could be.

He made his way below deck to inspect the loot again when he heard something. He was a big man but he was quiet too. The sounds were coming from the kitchen. So someone was stealing again, and they were going to be caught red handed this time. He stepped into the room and stabbed his dagger into the butcher block top of the work area, "What do you think you are doing?' he asked the figure that was facing away from him. He was expecting to see a member of the crew, and he lit the candle in the overhead light. His brow lifted and he tipped his head, "Well now," his voice was a bit deeper and a he leaned down a bit to get a closer look, "A stowaway after all...It is not wise to steal from pirates boy. You know we cut off hands for less..."

 

[redblood]

(Sorry for being so late. I've had a bit of a dry out for most of my writing o_o It feels like I'm rolling back in now though, so should go faster from now on.)

Picking up whatever he thought he needed, he did not hear when a man approached him from behind. First when the knife stabbed into a butcher block top did the boy turn around. Frightened he dropped all the things he was holding. Some rolled into hiding within the shadows, while other just stopped after having bounced a couple of times.

He hid his hands within the white oversized shirt that was more grey because of all the dirt that had been collected on it. "I.I.I." He stuttered. Pirates? That was people he had only read about before. They were like thieves, but on the ocean. Never had he thought that they would get into a shore and look like a normal ship. There had been no difference between their ship and the other he had seen.

"I.I didn't mean to.. I can pay you back.. I mean.. I. I could work it off. Please don't cut off my hands sir. I swear, I won't steal again." His voice was weak as a mouth and he tried to make himself as small as possible. Hopefully they would just throw him off board and let him swim into land rather than cutting his limbs off. That was one of the better scenarios he could imagine.

 

[PoetLore]

Thom watched the young lad kind of curl in on himself and try to disappear. It was one of the more pathetic things he'd ever seen actually. The boy asked him not to cut off his hands and he let out a huff of air. "Not everything you hear about pirates istrue son, he said with a shrug, "Not even what you hear from us."

He reached forward and deftly yanked the knife from the butcher block where he'd buried it moments before, "You WILL work this off," he said with a nod, "But working for the Cook. AND you will explain yourself to the Captain. On with you then.." He said motioning toward the door. He grabbed hold of his arm when he got close enough and half dragged him to Samson's cabin. He rapped on the door and heard a loud 'WHAT?"

Thom tried to hide the grin but couldn't quite manage it. It did his soul good to wake Samson once in a while. He rapped louder.

The door flew open and a bleary eyed Samson shouted, "Devil blast ye Thom!" he said, "If I didn't think the ship 'ould sink I'd kkeel haul ye.."

Thom huffed, "The whole crew couldn't lift me and we both know it." He said with a raised brow and tipped head wondering if he'd attempt to deny it.

"True enough ye great beast." Samson agreed, "Better be a good reason for waking me.."

Thom shrugged, "Stowaway..." He said and pushed the boy forward.

|Oh really now," Samson said as the too thin kid was bouncing off his chest, "Not too bright are ye?" he asked, "It's just not done you know...WE do the stealing...not the other way round." He looked at Thom, "You already threated to cut off his hands I'm supposin'..." Thom nodded, "Blast ye man...never let me have any fun at all." He pressed his lips together and regarded the boy. He didn't LOOK like a street rat. The clothing, though dirty, appeared to have a fine quality to it. His hand lifted to feel it, "Who are ye boy?" he asked, "No lying...I have ways of knowin' if ye try to lie."

 

[redblood]

The boy seemed to relax a bit. Was he just trying to scare him? Well, it was working. Then the knife came back up and once again his body tensed up. Couldn't people just talk without any dangerous objects in their hands? He didn't seem very keen on using it though, instead he just dragged the boy over to the captains cabin.

The man behind the door sounded even more frightening than the one whom had found him, and the sight of the man just made the boy more vary. The push into the captain almost made him fall to the ground, but somehow he saved himself. Not that it mattered if he lied on the ground or stood. It wasn't the floor that would eat him alive if he said the wrong words.

As the captain touched his clothes, he realized that lying wasn't an option. At least not the kind of lie he had figured would work earlier. If he couldn't lie, then he just had to hide the most important parts of the truth.

"I.. I rather not tell my name sir. I come from a wealthy family not far from the shore you last departed from. My uncle was jealous of my fathers wealth and murdered him. Me and my mother were locked up, hidden away. My mother started to suspect that he would poison our food so we ran. She did not make it. I've been in hiding since then, but I couldn't stay there any longer. If he found me I'd be lying beside my parents in a heartbeat. So I took the chance and boarded any random ship. Just let me sail with you until we're out of the country where he won't find me. I swear I will repay you by working as hard as I can." Non of it was a lie, but there were important parts of the truth they had not heard of yet.

 

[PoetLore]

Samson watched the boy as he spoke and a huge grin formed on his lips. "That was the best version of not lying I've heard in a very long time boy!" he said clasping his hand over the boy's shoulder, "Evasive...but likely entirelyt true." He laughed loud then. "So...you'll work hard eh?" he asked with a raised brow, "Ever worked a day in your life? Do ye even know HOW to work?"

He looked at Thom, "Anything those scrawny arms can do ye figure?"

Thom gave the arms a squeeze and then shrugged, "Swabbing usually builds up some arms. I'm sure Chauncey wiill appreciate the break. He can have the empty bunk, Kyle won't be neeeding it."

Samson nodded, "In here boy," he said, "Can't have ye traipsin about in frippery. My shirt will be a bit big...but it will be less conspicuous. If the men suspect you are from wealth, you won't last a day. Put this on...I'll keep the other." Now get back to the place you were hiding...except use the bunk."

Once the boy was gone Samson looked up at Thom, "If that isn't one of royal birth I'll eat my shirt..."

 

[redblood]

The boy looked down into the ground, slightly ashamed as the question of his work knowledge came up. He had never worked a single day of his life, most of his days had involved studies and at times he had been able to accompany his father to see how the job he one day would have was done. It had always been something that both frightened and intrigued the boy. Just imagining having such a responsibility on his shoulder scared him, but at the same time he couldn't wait to prove himself worthy of his father's position. Now though, he might never get the chance.

Getting called scrawny would once have offended him greatly, but nowadays it was just to take whatever words were thrown at him. Do whatever it takes to survive, even something so stupid as to board a pirate ship. Life had certainly turned around quite a bit huh.

Giving away his shirt, the one thing that could prove who he was if the right people took a close look at it, was harder than he had expected it to be. It was proof of where he came from, one that probably could give him great help if he could just find his father's loyal friends, but on the other hand, it would also give his enemies more clues when they saw him. It wasn't even certain that he could find those who were loyal to his family, those he could truly trust. It might actually be for the best to let go and prove who he was through words, just hoping people would believe him.

His shirt was soon exchanged for something less dirty but a bit too big on the young man. "Thank you sir. I will work hard and make sure to repay your kindness." He swore before leaving the hut. It would be a strange trip. He could only imagine how it would be like to work on a pirate ship. Or just work at all. It couldn't be that hard, people did it every day. It was just a matter of getting used to it.

No one woke up as he sneaked back into the sleeping area. For a moment he was rather frightened of sleeping on top of the bed, considering he didn't know what would happen in the morning when everyone woke up. Though going back under the bed just because it felt safer would look rather stupid once everyone knew he was there. It wasn't like he could get away with it as he had when he was five. Lying down on the bed, finally, he did doze off fast. No it wasn't comfortable in any aspect of the word, but it was the most comfort he had had in months.

 

[PoetLore]

Thom nodded, "Aye," he said and looked thoughtful, "If he is, he may be worth a pretty penny in ransom."

Samson shook his head, "He might, but why is the lad running?" He wondered aloud. "have ye heard anything fishy?"

Thom shook his head, "Nothing that would have a boy hiding himself away on a pirate ship."

Samson crossed his arms, "Keep a watch over him Thom," he ordered, "I"ve a feelin' we've just become involved in something much bigger than we should be involved in."

Thom huffed out in amusement, "You think?"

Samson lifted a brow, "If that is a royal in hiding," he said, "We could be buying ourselves a pardon," he said with a sideways grin, "I know a good name coming out of this life would mean a lot to ye Thom. You have aspirations and a future planned. Could be that scrawny boy will be the means to make that all happen for ye...think on that and keep the lad safe while I figure it all out."

Thom nodded and stepped toward the door.

Samson called to him, "Thom," He said and waited for the big man to return, "I'm sure it goes without saying that no one else knows of this discussion."

Thom shot him a disgruntled expression, "Then why say it?"

Samson laughed loud and long as he watched Thom's retreating back. he knew the secret was safe with Thom. Best first mate any captain ever had, if truth be told, even if he was a bit of a stick in the mud. He crawled into his bunk and looked at the shirt a bit more closely. The lad was most definitely a royal. He had nothing against the current king, aside from the killing pirates edicts, but he could understand why people took a dim view of his chosen profession. Death seemed a bit harsh though. His men didn't kill, or even take everything. They were kind and benevolent pirates, to his way of thinking. If the lad was running though, that would seem to indicate that something ahd happened, and that the king was either murdered, or had died. Changes of this nature sent ripples down to people like him. They would have to lay low after they hit port. Might even be time to find that Island on that old map he'd been given.

He wasn't sure yet, but things were definitely about to change.

 

[redblood]

Just as he had for most of the journey, the boy woke up shortly before the first man on the ship. Lying there, he wondered if he should escape the room before anyone awoke and saw him or if he should just lie there and pretend as if he was supposed to be there. Well, technically speaking he was supposed to be there now, but the only two who knew that weren't sleeping in there. For a moment he actually considered escaping underneath the bed again. He didn't of course. Maybe no one would notice him.

Roger, the cook, was the first one up. He was almost always the first one awake, preparing the food before all the hungry beasts invaded his kitchen. It was a battleground and he always had to keep them in check. At least that was how he saw it. It probably wasn't as dramatic as his mind made it out to be, though if he didn't keep a good eye on them, they would definitely take more than they were supposed to. Nothing escaped his eagle eyes. Not even a young lad having stolen a former shipmates bunk.

"well wha' do we 'ave here. A stowaway in plain sight, forgot t' hide yourself did ye?" The young lad rose into a sitting position farily quickly when he realized the man was speaking to him. The cook whom supposedly had pushed people overboard didn't really seem to be ready to do the same to the boy, nor did he try to drag him down from the bed. "Are ye th' one who's been pilferin' me grub?" He asked calmly.

The boy nodded as he looked down into the floor like a child ashamed for having stolen from the cookie jar.

"Since ye're out here I suppose ye've already met either Thom or th' Captain" Another nod came from the boy. This man whom had seemed like such a brute from the stories he had heard was fairly sharp. "Get down from thar. 'til Thom be up ye'll be helpin' out in th' galley. Then I wants t' know wha' they've decided t' do wit' ye. Be glad I didn' find ye first lad, otherwise I would 'ave thrown ye o'erboard without tellin' anyone about it." And there he went back to being terrifying. The cook would of course never do that to the men who were supposed to be on the ship without getting the OK from the captain, but this boy did not belong on the ship.

The morning then consisted of cutting onions and preparing fish, though the latter was quickly taken over by the cook as he realized the young man left no less than half the bones inside the fish. At some point the cook asked for the boy's name. At this point he simply decided to give them a fake name. It became Ash. There was some small talking between them, though Ash did not answer any questions regarding his own life. If he was going to lie he needed to figure out a good enough lie that he then could remember and do over and over again. Soon they could hear movements outside the kitchen, people had started to wake up and the men were getting to work.

"Stay here 'n mop th' floor while I go natter t' Thom, he should be up by now." Roger said while leaving the kitchen.

As he got a hold of Thom he didn't bother with small talk before getting into the important matter. "I took care o' some fishbait sleepin' in th' cabin this mornin'. He said he nattered t' ye last night. Any special reason ye kept 'im? That toothpick has a better chance survivin' swimmin' into chore than among this lot." It was hard to tell if his question was due to concern for the boy's well being on the ship or if he simply just wanted to throw him into the water for having eaten their food. It might have been a little bit of both.

 

[PoetLore]

Thom was up and about a long while before Roger came to look for him as was his normal habit. He walked the deck and checked the lines and made the rounds of the ship, a bit for safety and a bit for exercise and getting his body moving in the morning. he was expecting the men from the cabin to toss the waif at his feet, but here was Roger claiming to have gathered him. A tiny curl to his lips appeared as he turned to speak with the man, "That is very good Roger, since I told him he had to work with you now. As to why he is here...that was the Captain's decision. Momentary lapse in ruthlessness maybe, but whatever the reason...the lad stays. Keep him busy, he promised to work hard and from the looks of him he needs a bit of muscle on him."

Samson meanwhile was just stirring in his bed and rolled over to find a soft fabric in his hands. "Ahh the wee royal...." he chuckled as he sat up and threw open the shutters above the bed to let the morning light in. He wanted a better look at the garments. "Hmm....this is even finer than I imagined...that lad is definitely a royal but which?" he stood from the bed and made his way over to the map. He looked at the port they'd left from and his eyes scouted the region surrounding it for what kingdoms were near enough that this lad could make it to the port. There were only two that would have a child of this age and able to afford such frippery. Glenalden had no upheaval within the family as far as he knew, but Aberdeen...he did know of a man who would be ruthless enough to kill his own brother and attempt to kill the rightful heir. How very interesting indeed. He wondered if he'd killed the queen as well. Duke Ainsley wasn't someone he particularly cared for since he'd cheated them out of the booty from a particularly lucrative haul instead of paying the agreed upon price. At the time he'd stepped away and let it go, knowing a time would come when he could return proper vengeance, and this seemed like the perfect time to him. Oh to see the look on that pompous ass' face when he presented the rightful heir and watched him sentenced to death. A huge smile formed on his lips at the very thought of it. Ah yes, revenge would be sweet indeed.

Thom motioned Roger back to the galley and then made his way to the captain's quarters. He rapped firmly and stood waiting for the normal grumbling and sputtering about it being too early for man and fish to be awakened, but today he was surprised to have the door open and to be greeted by a smiling and apparently wide awake Samson. "Well...i am shocked. You are awake."

Samson waved a hand at him and then stepped over to the maps motioning for Thom to join him there. "I believe I have figured out who our little waif be..."

"Oh really?"

"Aye Thom..." he said pointing to Aberdeen and nodding. "Ye 'member our dealings with one Duke..."

"Ainsley." The word was gritted out in a guttural deep voice.

"Exac'ly!" he smiled slyly, "That one would be the kind to kill his own brother ta ascend the throne before a young heir could come of age and claim it. We have nay jus' a royal Thom, but a bloody king aboard! What think ye of that?"

Thom looked pensive. What DID he think of that? Trouble. All such things lead to more trouble than he cared to deal with, but then again. he was so close to having enough money to leave this life behind that he had half a thought to help the young king and ask a pardon for his efforts. He looked up from the map to the smiling face of Samson, "I think there will be trouble but it will be worth it in the end. What are you thinking?"

Samson grinned, "I think I will have my revenge on that ass for stealing out booty and possibly a handsome reward from the fingers of a young king in thanks for our protection and assistance."

Revenge. He should have guessed as much. "If we are going to help the lad, then I say we help him proper. The boy is skin and bones. He needs to gain some strength, learn to shoot and how to use a sword and likely more."

Samson waved a hand, "If you want to spend such time with that waif, have at it...to me he is a tool in a grand plot. But I know you have a bit more softness toward the wee lads so you teach him and I will plan the rest." he flashed a toothy grin at Thom showing a golden tooth that rarely was seen for lack of joy and happiness and a spark in those eyes that turned cold as he looked away and back to the map.

Thom nodded but inside he was worried about that look in his captain's eyes. That was the look that ALWAYS led to a lot of trouble. He went topside and began barking orders to the men as they prepared to make port before noon to unload their cargo.

 

[redblood]

Roger snorted at the suggestion. The crew might be filled with idiots, but most of them could manage to help out in the kitchen with minimal guidance from the cook's part. This boy would be a handful to teach that was one thing that was certain. Even though he was dirty, his hands were still delicate and smooth with no signs of harder labor. How had he even made it until now? Probably lived on the streets, stealing fruits and bread at the markets in town. Even so, if he was homeless his skin should be rougher.

"That lad be useless in th' galley, 'tis as if he has ne'er touched a knife afore. 'tis an odd lad ye've decided t' pick up Thom, I hope 'tis worth th' trouble. I'll put 'im t' do th' dishes 'n swabbin' fer now, we'll see later if he can learn somethin' useful." Some cleaning duty would definitely toughen his skin a bit, though first he would most likely go through a period of blisters and pain. He hoped dearly that the boy was the kind to suffer in silence, he did not want to hear whining every day for weeks.

Getting back to the kitchen, the cook eyed the lad. "Ever done any kind o' labor lad?" He asked.

Ash stopped sweeping the floor and looked up at the man. "No." He replied, not going into detail. For most of his life, he had studied, read books and on occasion worked alongside his father to gain experience the books cannot give him, but if he even mentioned books people would definitely know he was educated and from a higher class. It was better to keep that away from the pirates as much as possible. The captain knew of course, but so far he did not seem keen on telling the crew about it. He wondered if the captain had some hidden agenda, but even if he did, he was Ash's only chance to get away at the moment.

"'tis jus' t' start from th' bottom then, once ye leave this ship ye will know how t' cut a fish wit' yer eyes closed, or at least how t' cut an onion without colorin' them red." He glanced down at the boys hands that had gotten multiple cuts during that morning. "Now finish up th' sweepin', we needs t' get th' grub t' th' scallywags."

 

[PoetLore]

Thom saw the cook coming and waited for the tirade. He knew full well that boy knew nothing of life in the harsh, real world. He stood tall feet apart, moving easily with the deck and the sea lifted and lowered the ship. "Do as you feel best Roger," As a hand clasped the other's shoulder enveloping it in his grasp. "maybe if we put a little meat of the waif he will be a better worker."

The cook nodded and continued and Thom listened as he always did. The men generally preferred to speak with him about concerns and qualms because he did listen and was a fair minded man. Sure they were all terrified of him as well, but as long as you did you job and weren't caught being lazy or a thief, Thom would hear you out and attempt to make things right. "I will be taking him off your hands between times. The boy needs to learn to use a sword and pistol. He will be no good to us if he cannot fight when needed. Might as well start teaching him right off."

Samson however, was not as worried about making a fit pirate as he was keeping the boy alive and well so that he could reclaim his rightful place and be properly grateful to a certain crew and her captain. A pardon, and a nice reward would be welcome and expected. He looked at Aberdeen on the map and stabbed his dagger into the table, "Soon Ainsley...I told you my revenge would come when you least suspected it." His laughter filled his cabin, "And in such a more meaningful way that even I could ever have imagined. Oh I can't wait to see the look on your fat, pompous face..."

The Look out called down from the crow's nest, "Land ho!"

Thom moved away from the cook and started barking orders out to the men as they neared port. They were blessed with a good steady hand at the wheel and men who followed orders quickly and efficiently. they'd have been a fine military crew if anyone would have allowed such a group to serve them. He was right proud of how this ship sailed. "Thirty minutes after Docking to unload and then shore leave for all but you and you." he said pointing to the two who had fallen asleep and allowed their current charge to board the ship unnoticed. neither protested, and were just glad they weren't being cast ashore permanently.

Samson finally stumbled up onto the deck when he heard Thom giving orders for docking. "And so it begins!" he said slapping a hand to Thom's back, "Oh tis a glorious day to be sure.."

Thom looked down at him and felt a million flags waving mentally, "Good weather for making port. Should be able to unload and have it gone within two hours time. How long do you plan to be in port?"

Samson grinned a toothy grin, "As long as it takes Thom my boy...as long as it takes."