Part One
Chapter I
Forcing herself from sleep, Ryane Silver Locke got out of her bunk at Miss Juniper's School for Girls and snuck over to her chest, careful not to wake her bunk-partner Tam, and then started to change out into her riding habit, leaving the hat and main gear. She only put on the pants and shirt with a vest underneath, to flatten her chest. She then slipped her dagger, which she named Shiv, after the man who gave it to her. down the front of her vest and put on her shirt. She looked lean enough to pass for man.
She grabbed shears and, using candle light in the washroom, she went up to a mirror and cut her very dark brown hair a couple feet shorter, her brilliant green eyes focused on her task, before pulling it back into a low ponytail, braiding the tail, and then using a band to hold it at the bottom. A lot of sailors did that. Her skin was lightly tanned, since she often went riding if she could, since it was all there was to do besides do her homework, which, was no fun.
She pulled on socks but didn't dare pull on her boots as she packed up the things she would need to survive. She would be carrying the bag with the money she had been earning by being a waitress and maybe even performing down at the Gray Whistle tavern on weekends. She pulled on a coat and waited for the proper moment to duck out. She knew that the Mistress would be up for a bit longer, yet, and she needed to get out without a hitch.
She heard the door upstairs shut the creak of a floorboard, she saw the light in the cracks of the floorboards above her go out, more creaking, and then the sound of someone shifting around in a bed. Then silence. Carefully, she went upstairs instead, remembering that Jessie always locked up the downstairs kitchen door at night. She went up to the attic, which, served as her room for a good year after she was demoted from Lady to servant for getting arrested. Psh... I wasn't showing that much damn skin. Besides! It was only my bare knee!!
She shut the door behind her, very, very gently, and put a wooden wedge under the door, so she wouldn't be surprised. She grabbed the rope she had hidden under the bed up here and slung it over her shoulder. She saw some soot on the fireplace, which was now dead, and grinned. She then went over, touching it and getting soot on her hands. She rubbed her hands together and rubbed some along her chin. She smiled and muttered, "Perfect. A fake stubble." She opened up the window and looked at the old net of vines. Giving a hard sharp tug, she decided that it would hold her weight if she didn't lollygag. She took the rope and made a noose. She swung the noose around with her head out the window and threw it up over the chimney, smiling when she tugged it tight. She then pulled on her boots and started down, using the netting as foot holds and scaling down with the rope.
The only reason she was even running away was because she wanted to complete her dream of becoming a sailor and she couldn’t do that from a bloody finishing school. Of course, she wanted to honor her father and marry well but to what point? It wasn’t worth trying to get her father’s fortune back from the greedy Mistress Juniper now that it had all been put in toward her education. Let her use it on the school. They could use better tools for the staff and maybe a new wing. She had planned on staying to honor her father but then, he was dead. It was hard to honor a dead man, especially since she wouldn’t be able to bring suitor after suitor before her father for judging. To Hell with it. She would make her own way in this world. Without a man.
Her feet touched the ground and she took off. She crossed the street and started heading for the docks. She saw a ship getting ready to take off and called up, "Permission to come aboard, sir!"
"Who are you to be askin' that?" said a man from the gangway, he looked nothing like a Royal navy officer but, then, it might not be a very rich crew.
"Just a young man lookin' to start a new!" She was lowering her voice to sound more like a man, and she was proud that she sounded convincing.
"Captain!" He called. A tall man in fancy garbs, he didn't look like a Navy captain but then, Ryane couldn't be sure. The Captain and the man conversed and then the captain said, "What makes you want to start a new, lad?"
"My father and mother are dead and I have nothing to stay here for. Please, sir! I'd be a hard worker and a loyal one at that!" She said, with a little hope in her eyes and sincerity in her tone.
The Captain smiled. "Then come aboard!" She glanced at the ship's name and saw that it was called Herja. She had no earthly idea what that meant but she would find out later. For now, her first real adventure was right about to begin! She ran up the gangway and onto the deck, her bag slung over her shoulder. A young man with hair as black as the night and friendly green eyes wearing a white shirt, brown trousers and black boots stood before her and said,
"The name's Liam. And yours?" He held out a hand in greeting. He had a beard coming in an friendly and actually healthy smile as he grinned at her.
She hadn't thought to give herself a fake name. She racked her brain for a moment and decided that her middle name would do. "Silver-" She then realized that her father had no sons and that was publicly known. Oh well. She'd deny any relations. "Silver Locke, sir." She said shaking his hand.
"Liam, just Liam. Locke eh? Any relation to that English Captain, Joseph Locke?" He said, his grin fading a bit.
"None." She said instantly. She didn't need to have them suspicious of her on her first day but then, it wasn't as if Locke was a common name. Who knows, though. Maybe he wouldn't think twice on it.
"Ah well, welcome. C'mon then. Lem’me show you to your hammock." She grinned and followed him. She saw three young boys pass her and one of them bumped into her, and she, figuring that a man would be this way, instantly said,
"Watch where you're going!" She said, actually annoyed. She had been calm and relieved that Liam actually hadn't thought twice about her name and then he had to go bumping into her...
"Sorry, sir! Won't happen again sir!" He said bowing constantly and retreating with his friends. She growled at him, thinking that the ship boys must have a good measure of reason to fear every man who stood taller than them on this ship, before following Liam, who, showed him to a hammock.
"It's the only spare we got, and you're right within earshot of those little brats. Feel free to beat 'em if they're keeping ya up." He said with a chuckle.
"Will do." She said with a forced laugh, which, with her training she made it sound real. She'd never really hit the kid, just threaten to. She wasn't mean enough to hit a young boy just for talking to his mates.
She tossed her bag down by the hammock and asked, "Where's the john?" She knew that he'd understand and be less suspicious if she put it that way instead of saying 'the washroom'. Besides, not even she called it a washroom. She always called it a john and had been whipped more than once for it.
"You mean the head? Lower level, right below us. If you got to be taken a leak, I suggest doin' it before the young ones get in there. They like to take their time and if you've got to go, well, then, it'd be torture for ya."
"I'll keep that in mind." He tipped his hat to her and started to go before saying, "You and me'll start the watch, aiight? Captain wants you to start getting used to the watch shift. From 8 to midnight tonight. Tomorrow, you'll be up from Midnight to 6."
"Right." She said making sure to keep all this stored away in her brain. She was afraid that she might forget some of it- or worse- all of it.
"One more thing." He said with a grin, "Unless they say otherwise, it's easiest to start your time here callin' everyone sir. ‘Cept me. I'll knock you flat if you call me sir again."
"Thanks, mate." She said testing the hammock.
"Don't waste time getting to the mess room, the cooks won't leave ya no spares or nothing."
"Mess room? Oh yea, that sounds like such a great place to eat." He laughed pretty hard at that. "Thank you, but, may I ask why?"
"Don't be so damned proper! You'll sound like a nob, and nobs get beating’s a lot. But anyway, its cause the cooks stop servin' after dawn."
"That early?! Seriously?!"
"Aye." She sighed. "Alright. Do I start watch now or...?" She gave him a questioning but kind look as she said this.
"Not for two hours. I'll send a boy for ya."
"Aye, thanks again mate."
"Yep." With that, he left. She lay down on the hammock and sighed with a smile. This was it. Her adventure had finally begun. She was a sailor, sure, she was going to be running on three hours of sleep today, but that didn't matter to her. She was free and by morning, she'd be too far for anyone to do anything about it.
- - - - -
“On your feet, Harrison!” called the First Mate, Mr. Flare, of the Herja. Liam Harrison forced himself from the hammock he lay in and yawned. He looked over at his newest crewmate, Silver. For a man, he wasn’t hard on the eyes like most sailors. Liam shrugged. Most pretty boys came from America these days. He had been surprised that Silver made it through the entire shift last night, since he was new and all. Liam scratched his head and with his foot, rocked Silver’s hammock, not hard enough to knock him out, but hard enough to wake him up. “C’mon, Locke. It’s morning. Work starts in an hour, unless you don’t want to eat, in w-”
Locke was on his feet in a heartbeat when Liam started on about missing breakfast. “I’m up!” He said. His voice was a little light for a man’s but, again, he was American. Maybe it was genetic…
“Good. Then I won’t have to be tossin’ water on ya, will I?” He said starting to laugh.
“No, sir! I mean, Liam.” He said tripping over himself as he spoke. This only made Liam laugh hard as he pulled on socks and boots. He scratched at the beard coming in and yawned as Silver asked, “Liam,” His face was calm. “..Never mind. Let’s go.” He said pulling on his boots and going up to the main deck.
Liam shrugged at Silver’s behavior and went up with him. Silver was pretty quiet, which, didn’t bother Liam at all. That just meant he didn’t have some big gab on his hands. That would really tweak him. He hated people who did nothing but talk. Silver followed Liam to the Mess room and they grabbed a meal. Silver didn’t seem too keen on eating it, so Liam then warned, “Best eat it, for someone else does for ya.”
This made him eat, though, he still didn’t seem to like it. He had a real calm, serious, and thought-filled look on his face. Liam sighed heavily after a time and said, “Are you sick? What happened to the happy man last night? Hmm? The one that seemed so happy to be sailing?”
“He’s…gone away for a bit, Liam.”
“Why?” Liam asked, a tone of concern in his voice. Sure, he didn’t know Silver very well, but he had a good feeling about him. Liam wouldn’t care if he had a bad feeling about him, because he was pretty good about picking out the right sort to be around. Even though this was a Pirate ship.
“Because, Liam.” He said calmly, a grin threatening his calm face. “His evil twin decided to make him dream of the one’s he’s missing.”
“Ah…you have a girl back on land?”
“What? No. Just some really good friends, the likes of which I haven’t ever had before.” He said poking bitterly at his eggs. He sighed and dug in after a time, hunger apparently overtaking homesickness and depression.
“Keep your head up, Silver. You’ll see them again. We make port… Ok, don’t go planning on seeing them too soon from now, but, you will see them again.” He said with a small laugh.
“That reminds me. How often do we make port?”
“Once every couple months for a few days. No one ever misses us when we’re gone, though.”
“Not even the young women?” He said with a hearty laugh. Good. Liam had been trying to get him to cheer up. It wasn’t fun to hang around a real talker, but it was even more so miserable to hang around someone who’s homesick and depressed.
Liam laughed with him. “No, the loose women will miss us but probably not the rest of the population.”
“Ah…” He finished eating and said, “Now what?”
“Take your tray up to Jo-Jo there. He’ll clean it and such.” He did and came back just as Liam finished. Liam took his tray up and put it on the stack before leading Silver back onto the main deck.
He smiled as the salty air hit his lungs. “Lord…I love the smell of sea in the morning. Alright then, c’mon. We have work to do. Have you ever been on a ship before?”
“Once…with my father, but he kept saying I was too…” He seemed to search for the right word. “young, to be of any help.”
Liam shrugged. “That’s fine. I’ll show ya the ropes. C’mon then.”
After a long day, Silver and Liam took the night watch, having slept from when they were dismissed to midnight. Silver didn’t complain at all when it was time and nor did Liam, but then Liam was used to this. Two of the four ship boys were on watch with them, mainly to get them a drink if they wanted it. Silver and Liam were in the Crow’s Nest. They sat back to back. Silver wasn’t talking, just playing a pennywhistle that he produced from his shirt pocket. It wasn’t a rowdy or loud tune, just a light one. After a time, Liam said, though, not harshly, “Stop, you’re making me tired, more than I already am.”
“Oh. Sorry.” He said and put it away. He then said, “Was it that horrible and boring for you? My playing, I mean.”
“No. It was relaxing. New rule. No playing the pennywhistle this late. Agreed?” He said with a laugh as he reached his hand back to shake.
Silver laughed. “Agreed.” Silver shook his hand. His hand was small for a man, but again, Liam didn’t take much notice of it. Silver was a good man, far as he could tell and that was a rare thing for Liam, so, he was just happy to know the lad.
After three weeks at sea, Liam and Silver became fast friends, always making jokes and messing around. Silver opened up more around Liam, now. He didn’t seem so locked and up tight. Actually, Silver told of a few of his close friends that went too a school, for girls. This made Liam hoot and tease but he eased up when Silver said that each of them had a man that they wanted- and that he was not on any of their menus. This made Liam say, “And why the hell not? You’re a strong man. Besides, sailors usually drive the girls wild.”
“Not these girls.” He said laughing. “These girls are very…tomboy. It’s hard to love them like that anyway. My friend, Tam, she was a sweet girl, nice too. Thing is, she was also a fighter. I dare ya, get that girl mad. You’d be sorry.”
Liam laughed harder. “Sounds like my kind of woman.”
“Oh no, trust me. Tam may seem sweet but that girl ain’t afraid to put the hurt on you for touching her. I tried once. Yikes. My cheek is still aching from where she slapped me.”
Liam was laughing so hard he could barely mop the deck right. “Are you serious? She slapped you? Damn. Maybe your right then, Silver.”
“We dock in a couple days, right?”
“Aye, in England.”
“Coo, maybe we can go try the taverns?” He said with a grin as he mopped with Liam. Silver seemed to like playing his pennywhistle and such.
“Aye, maybe. I have to ask you, Silver, what made an entertainer like you sign on a Pirate ship?” This made Silver pause for a long time.
He then said, “Want the dead honest truth?”
“That would be nice, yes.” He said with a bit of a chuckle and a grin in his direction.
“I didn’t know this was a pirate ship. Now I’m thinking I’ll jump ship next port.” He said as he mopped, a frown on his face now.
“Actually, I think I might go with you.” He said in a whisper.
Silver’s head snapped up as he looked at Liam in shock. “Really? Why? I thought you loved it here, you know, the whole freedom thing?”
“Aye, but, I don’t love the idea of having my sister come around and kill me in my sleep gruesomely when she see’s I’ve made a pirate out of myself. Honest, I only signed on to get a trip to England.”
Silver chuckled. “You afraid of your sister?”
“No! I’m scared shitless of her! She’s my baby sister but that girl ain’t nice when she’s mad- no sir! She‘s downright evil when she‘s mad!”
Silver chuckled a bit. “I never thought I’d see the day. Liam Harrison is scared of something besides Davy Jones.” He chuckled a little more and kept mopping.
“Laugh all you want, you’ll see what I mean by evil later.”
- - - - -
Ryane moaned slightly when Liam shook her shoulder, “Silver! Get up! Do you want to leave or not?” She sat up.
She looked at him through drowsy eyes, her hair pulled back still, since she almost never took it out, just like she never changed out of her shirt, vest- which was not fun to wear all the time- and pants. “It’s only been two hours since shift. I know. I’ve been waking up every ten minutes.”
“Good, then you won’t be too tired while we leave. We just docked last night, right? Well, we either go now, or risk taking off with this ship tonight,” Liam said grabbing his sea bag and slinging it over his shoulder. “and honestly, I’d rather not stick around.”
“Aren’t pirates supposed to raid?”
“We would, but we’re low on gun powder right now. We can’t afford to start trouble.”
“Can’t you go in and steal it? That’s what pirates do, ain’t it?” She said as she bent over to fasten her boots. She gasped as the necklace her father gave her, a silver cross on a thick black string, slipped from around her neck. She swore and grabbed it, tying it back, tighter this time.
Liam seemed to let her get it back on before saying, “It might seem that simple, but it’s not. It’s just not.”
“Sirs?” Said one of the young ship boys.
“What?” Liam said, slightly annoyed. Even whispering, they’d woken someone up and that meant that any number of the men could be up too.
“Can I come with you? I don’t want to stay here. They’re go-”
“Hush, lad.” Ryane said softly, her nurturing side kicking in. She bent over and said, “On one condition am I going to let you come.” The child nodded. “You do whatever we say without question.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Alright then. Liam, are you ready?” She asked slinging her bag over her shoulder as well. Liam only nodded and said, “I’m not helping you with the kid. If he gets lost, I won’t help you find him.” That was a lie and they both knew it. In the past near-month, they’d grown to be like brothers. Only, Ryane was secretly a girl. Liam would be there for her, and she’d be there for him.
“Yeah, sure.” She said with a grin as the trio headed up. Ryane spotted a night watch just before Liam went into sight and yanked him back, saying in a soft whisper, “You want to get stopped and hanged for…mutiny or something? Be careful.” She had snuck out and around town more than once in her day, so, she knew what she was talking about. She stepped in front of him and stood there for a good ten minutes.
Liam then said, “Oh, yeah, standing here is such a better idea, Silver.”
“Shut your hole. I have a point in doing this. Now pipe down!” She hissed. She looked back and memorized the time between which the watches would all turn their backs long enough to get behind the huge stack of rum barrels. Wait for it…now!
She grabbed both of them by the hand long enough to get their attention before sneakily going over to barrels and ducking behind them, Liam and the boy following shortly after. She waited again. She had a pistol, which, Liam had been showing her how to use, in her boot. She was thinking of getting it out. She studied the watch again. Liam then said quietly, “You know, I’m starting to think you’ve had practice.”
“I have. My father used to be away at war a lot, so, I’d sneak out of the boarding school I went to and have some fun on the town. It was my form of rebellion against my father.” The boy and Liam chuckled but said nothing more. She then whispered, “Now! C’mon!” She ran off the ship, the boys in tow, and down the docks, heading right into an alleyway.
She panted and leaned on a wall, her chest heaving. Liam was across from her leaning on the opposite wall, also panting. The boy didn’t seem too winded but he was only maybe twelve. She then said, “Well…” She panted a little more. “That was fun.” Liam started laughing, and laughing hard. He clapped her on the back and walked with her to the nearest Inn.
“You know what, I think you and I will make good partners in the sailor business. Why? I have no idea, but this should be fun.” Ryane laughed and lifted his arm off her. She saw the someone she never thought she’d see again. Luckily, this wasn’t the first time she’d played a boy. Maybe he’d remember her…
“John!” she called over to her old friend. He looked her way, dressed in his normal knee-length shorts and black vest, tattoos covering his body. His sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes were somewhat dirty and so was his chin but when she looked again, she saw that it was stubble.
“Locke! Good to see you!” She planned to make this brief, before too much of her past was revealed.
“And you! How’s business?”
“Be better, if you might get a tattoo?” He said with a wide grin. She looked at Liam. “How bout it? It could be something silly, like the Brotherhood of…”
“Salty Sailors.” He finished for her. She smiled and nodded.
She grinned a bit and tossed John a five shillings, which she knew could get herself something cheap. “What can you do for me, John?”
“If it’s a Salty Sailor type tattoo that you‘re after, why not have something like-”
“A dolphin with an anchor!” the boy suggested. Ryane smiled at him and patted his head. “I like the boy’s idea.” She looked at Liam who nodded. “Now, where do we get it?” She said with a chuckle.
“Your neck!”
“No,” Liam said. “If we plan to sign up with the Navy, they’ll never let you be an officer with a tattoo. Lower back?”
Ryane grinned and lifted up the back of her shirt a bit. “Already covered, mate.” It was a black cross with a purple cloth drawn around it. Not very large or small.
Liam laughed and said, “Upper arm? Nah…we can still get caught with it that way…”
“The hip?” She suggested with a grin. “The right hipbone. Let the boy get one too.” Liam shrugged. Ryane stepped forward and pulled down her trousers just enough for John to be able to work on her hip. It stung but she focused on other things. Like her growing feelings toward Liam. If only I could tell you, Liam…If only…
It was about fifteen minutes later, the dolphin was done and he was putting dye in it. She trusted John, and his tattoos were good quality. No infections and it didn’t rub off or nothing. He started on the anchor and when he finished that, put dye in. Done. “Alright, don’t wash it for a couple days.”
“Thanks, John.” Liam went next and then the boy. The boy almost cried when he had it down, whining about how it hurt, but Liam promised to beat him if he screwed it up.
They found an Inn shortly after learning the boy’s name was Zack. They didn’t have a lot of gold- at least, not that Ryane fesses up to. She didn’t want them both knowing that she had about a hundred gold, but only told them that she had about thirty. Liam was nice enough to carry the boy, who, looked ready to pass out. They rented a room and shared it. Ryane offered to sleep on the floor and Liam, who, looked horrible tired, didn’t object. She hadn’t expected him too. Besides, the floor wasn’t so bad.
Then again, she forgot how cold it was to sleep on a floor.
Chapter I
Forcing herself from sleep, Ryane Silver Locke got out of her bunk at Miss Juniper's School for Girls and snuck over to her chest, careful not to wake her bunk-partner Tam, and then started to change out into her riding habit, leaving the hat and main gear. She only put on the pants and shirt with a vest underneath, to flatten her chest. She then slipped her dagger, which she named Shiv, after the man who gave it to her. down the front of her vest and put on her shirt. She looked lean enough to pass for man.
She grabbed shears and, using candle light in the washroom, she went up to a mirror and cut her very dark brown hair a couple feet shorter, her brilliant green eyes focused on her task, before pulling it back into a low ponytail, braiding the tail, and then using a band to hold it at the bottom. A lot of sailors did that. Her skin was lightly tanned, since she often went riding if she could, since it was all there was to do besides do her homework, which, was no fun.
She pulled on socks but didn't dare pull on her boots as she packed up the things she would need to survive. She would be carrying the bag with the money she had been earning by being a waitress and maybe even performing down at the Gray Whistle tavern on weekends. She pulled on a coat and waited for the proper moment to duck out. She knew that the Mistress would be up for a bit longer, yet, and she needed to get out without a hitch.
She heard the door upstairs shut the creak of a floorboard, she saw the light in the cracks of the floorboards above her go out, more creaking, and then the sound of someone shifting around in a bed. Then silence. Carefully, she went upstairs instead, remembering that Jessie always locked up the downstairs kitchen door at night. She went up to the attic, which, served as her room for a good year after she was demoted from Lady to servant for getting arrested. Psh... I wasn't showing that much damn skin. Besides! It was only my bare knee!!
She shut the door behind her, very, very gently, and put a wooden wedge under the door, so she wouldn't be surprised. She grabbed the rope she had hidden under the bed up here and slung it over her shoulder. She saw some soot on the fireplace, which was now dead, and grinned. She then went over, touching it and getting soot on her hands. She rubbed her hands together and rubbed some along her chin. She smiled and muttered, "Perfect. A fake stubble." She opened up the window and looked at the old net of vines. Giving a hard sharp tug, she decided that it would hold her weight if she didn't lollygag. She took the rope and made a noose. She swung the noose around with her head out the window and threw it up over the chimney, smiling when she tugged it tight. She then pulled on her boots and started down, using the netting as foot holds and scaling down with the rope.
The only reason she was even running away was because she wanted to complete her dream of becoming a sailor and she couldn’t do that from a bloody finishing school. Of course, she wanted to honor her father and marry well but to what point? It wasn’t worth trying to get her father’s fortune back from the greedy Mistress Juniper now that it had all been put in toward her education. Let her use it on the school. They could use better tools for the staff and maybe a new wing. She had planned on staying to honor her father but then, he was dead. It was hard to honor a dead man, especially since she wouldn’t be able to bring suitor after suitor before her father for judging. To Hell with it. She would make her own way in this world. Without a man.
Her feet touched the ground and she took off. She crossed the street and started heading for the docks. She saw a ship getting ready to take off and called up, "Permission to come aboard, sir!"
"Who are you to be askin' that?" said a man from the gangway, he looked nothing like a Royal navy officer but, then, it might not be a very rich crew.
"Just a young man lookin' to start a new!" She was lowering her voice to sound more like a man, and she was proud that she sounded convincing.
"Captain!" He called. A tall man in fancy garbs, he didn't look like a Navy captain but then, Ryane couldn't be sure. The Captain and the man conversed and then the captain said, "What makes you want to start a new, lad?"
"My father and mother are dead and I have nothing to stay here for. Please, sir! I'd be a hard worker and a loyal one at that!" She said, with a little hope in her eyes and sincerity in her tone.
The Captain smiled. "Then come aboard!" She glanced at the ship's name and saw that it was called Herja. She had no earthly idea what that meant but she would find out later. For now, her first real adventure was right about to begin! She ran up the gangway and onto the deck, her bag slung over her shoulder. A young man with hair as black as the night and friendly green eyes wearing a white shirt, brown trousers and black boots stood before her and said,
"The name's Liam. And yours?" He held out a hand in greeting. He had a beard coming in an friendly and actually healthy smile as he grinned at her.
She hadn't thought to give herself a fake name. She racked her brain for a moment and decided that her middle name would do. "Silver-" She then realized that her father had no sons and that was publicly known. Oh well. She'd deny any relations. "Silver Locke, sir." She said shaking his hand.
"Liam, just Liam. Locke eh? Any relation to that English Captain, Joseph Locke?" He said, his grin fading a bit.
"None." She said instantly. She didn't need to have them suspicious of her on her first day but then, it wasn't as if Locke was a common name. Who knows, though. Maybe he wouldn't think twice on it.
"Ah well, welcome. C'mon then. Lem’me show you to your hammock." She grinned and followed him. She saw three young boys pass her and one of them bumped into her, and she, figuring that a man would be this way, instantly said,
"Watch where you're going!" She said, actually annoyed. She had been calm and relieved that Liam actually hadn't thought twice about her name and then he had to go bumping into her...
"Sorry, sir! Won't happen again sir!" He said bowing constantly and retreating with his friends. She growled at him, thinking that the ship boys must have a good measure of reason to fear every man who stood taller than them on this ship, before following Liam, who, showed him to a hammock.
"It's the only spare we got, and you're right within earshot of those little brats. Feel free to beat 'em if they're keeping ya up." He said with a chuckle.
"Will do." She said with a forced laugh, which, with her training she made it sound real. She'd never really hit the kid, just threaten to. She wasn't mean enough to hit a young boy just for talking to his mates.
She tossed her bag down by the hammock and asked, "Where's the john?" She knew that he'd understand and be less suspicious if she put it that way instead of saying 'the washroom'. Besides, not even she called it a washroom. She always called it a john and had been whipped more than once for it.
"You mean the head? Lower level, right below us. If you got to be taken a leak, I suggest doin' it before the young ones get in there. They like to take their time and if you've got to go, well, then, it'd be torture for ya."
"I'll keep that in mind." He tipped his hat to her and started to go before saying, "You and me'll start the watch, aiight? Captain wants you to start getting used to the watch shift. From 8 to midnight tonight. Tomorrow, you'll be up from Midnight to 6."
"Right." She said making sure to keep all this stored away in her brain. She was afraid that she might forget some of it- or worse- all of it.
"One more thing." He said with a grin, "Unless they say otherwise, it's easiest to start your time here callin' everyone sir. ‘Cept me. I'll knock you flat if you call me sir again."
"Thanks, mate." She said testing the hammock.
"Don't waste time getting to the mess room, the cooks won't leave ya no spares or nothing."
"Mess room? Oh yea, that sounds like such a great place to eat." He laughed pretty hard at that. "Thank you, but, may I ask why?"
"Don't be so damned proper! You'll sound like a nob, and nobs get beating’s a lot. But anyway, its cause the cooks stop servin' after dawn."
"That early?! Seriously?!"
"Aye." She sighed. "Alright. Do I start watch now or...?" She gave him a questioning but kind look as she said this.
"Not for two hours. I'll send a boy for ya."
"Aye, thanks again mate."
"Yep." With that, he left. She lay down on the hammock and sighed with a smile. This was it. Her adventure had finally begun. She was a sailor, sure, she was going to be running on three hours of sleep today, but that didn't matter to her. She was free and by morning, she'd be too far for anyone to do anything about it.
- - - - -
“On your feet, Harrison!” called the First Mate, Mr. Flare, of the Herja. Liam Harrison forced himself from the hammock he lay in and yawned. He looked over at his newest crewmate, Silver. For a man, he wasn’t hard on the eyes like most sailors. Liam shrugged. Most pretty boys came from America these days. He had been surprised that Silver made it through the entire shift last night, since he was new and all. Liam scratched his head and with his foot, rocked Silver’s hammock, not hard enough to knock him out, but hard enough to wake him up. “C’mon, Locke. It’s morning. Work starts in an hour, unless you don’t want to eat, in w-”
Locke was on his feet in a heartbeat when Liam started on about missing breakfast. “I’m up!” He said. His voice was a little light for a man’s but, again, he was American. Maybe it was genetic…
“Good. Then I won’t have to be tossin’ water on ya, will I?” He said starting to laugh.
“No, sir! I mean, Liam.” He said tripping over himself as he spoke. This only made Liam laugh hard as he pulled on socks and boots. He scratched at the beard coming in and yawned as Silver asked, “Liam,” His face was calm. “..Never mind. Let’s go.” He said pulling on his boots and going up to the main deck.
Liam shrugged at Silver’s behavior and went up with him. Silver was pretty quiet, which, didn’t bother Liam at all. That just meant he didn’t have some big gab on his hands. That would really tweak him. He hated people who did nothing but talk. Silver followed Liam to the Mess room and they grabbed a meal. Silver didn’t seem too keen on eating it, so Liam then warned, “Best eat it, for someone else does for ya.”
This made him eat, though, he still didn’t seem to like it. He had a real calm, serious, and thought-filled look on his face. Liam sighed heavily after a time and said, “Are you sick? What happened to the happy man last night? Hmm? The one that seemed so happy to be sailing?”
“He’s…gone away for a bit, Liam.”
“Why?” Liam asked, a tone of concern in his voice. Sure, he didn’t know Silver very well, but he had a good feeling about him. Liam wouldn’t care if he had a bad feeling about him, because he was pretty good about picking out the right sort to be around. Even though this was a Pirate ship.
“Because, Liam.” He said calmly, a grin threatening his calm face. “His evil twin decided to make him dream of the one’s he’s missing.”
“Ah…you have a girl back on land?”
“What? No. Just some really good friends, the likes of which I haven’t ever had before.” He said poking bitterly at his eggs. He sighed and dug in after a time, hunger apparently overtaking homesickness and depression.
“Keep your head up, Silver. You’ll see them again. We make port… Ok, don’t go planning on seeing them too soon from now, but, you will see them again.” He said with a small laugh.
“That reminds me. How often do we make port?”
“Once every couple months for a few days. No one ever misses us when we’re gone, though.”
“Not even the young women?” He said with a hearty laugh. Good. Liam had been trying to get him to cheer up. It wasn’t fun to hang around a real talker, but it was even more so miserable to hang around someone who’s homesick and depressed.
Liam laughed with him. “No, the loose women will miss us but probably not the rest of the population.”
“Ah…” He finished eating and said, “Now what?”
“Take your tray up to Jo-Jo there. He’ll clean it and such.” He did and came back just as Liam finished. Liam took his tray up and put it on the stack before leading Silver back onto the main deck.
He smiled as the salty air hit his lungs. “Lord…I love the smell of sea in the morning. Alright then, c’mon. We have work to do. Have you ever been on a ship before?”
“Once…with my father, but he kept saying I was too…” He seemed to search for the right word. “young, to be of any help.”
Liam shrugged. “That’s fine. I’ll show ya the ropes. C’mon then.”
After a long day, Silver and Liam took the night watch, having slept from when they were dismissed to midnight. Silver didn’t complain at all when it was time and nor did Liam, but then Liam was used to this. Two of the four ship boys were on watch with them, mainly to get them a drink if they wanted it. Silver and Liam were in the Crow’s Nest. They sat back to back. Silver wasn’t talking, just playing a pennywhistle that he produced from his shirt pocket. It wasn’t a rowdy or loud tune, just a light one. After a time, Liam said, though, not harshly, “Stop, you’re making me tired, more than I already am.”
“Oh. Sorry.” He said and put it away. He then said, “Was it that horrible and boring for you? My playing, I mean.”
“No. It was relaxing. New rule. No playing the pennywhistle this late. Agreed?” He said with a laugh as he reached his hand back to shake.
Silver laughed. “Agreed.” Silver shook his hand. His hand was small for a man, but again, Liam didn’t take much notice of it. Silver was a good man, far as he could tell and that was a rare thing for Liam, so, he was just happy to know the lad.
After three weeks at sea, Liam and Silver became fast friends, always making jokes and messing around. Silver opened up more around Liam, now. He didn’t seem so locked and up tight. Actually, Silver told of a few of his close friends that went too a school, for girls. This made Liam hoot and tease but he eased up when Silver said that each of them had a man that they wanted- and that he was not on any of their menus. This made Liam say, “And why the hell not? You’re a strong man. Besides, sailors usually drive the girls wild.”
“Not these girls.” He said laughing. “These girls are very…tomboy. It’s hard to love them like that anyway. My friend, Tam, she was a sweet girl, nice too. Thing is, she was also a fighter. I dare ya, get that girl mad. You’d be sorry.”
Liam laughed harder. “Sounds like my kind of woman.”
“Oh no, trust me. Tam may seem sweet but that girl ain’t afraid to put the hurt on you for touching her. I tried once. Yikes. My cheek is still aching from where she slapped me.”
Liam was laughing so hard he could barely mop the deck right. “Are you serious? She slapped you? Damn. Maybe your right then, Silver.”
“We dock in a couple days, right?”
“Aye, in England.”
“Coo, maybe we can go try the taverns?” He said with a grin as he mopped with Liam. Silver seemed to like playing his pennywhistle and such.
“Aye, maybe. I have to ask you, Silver, what made an entertainer like you sign on a Pirate ship?” This made Silver pause for a long time.
He then said, “Want the dead honest truth?”
“That would be nice, yes.” He said with a bit of a chuckle and a grin in his direction.
“I didn’t know this was a pirate ship. Now I’m thinking I’ll jump ship next port.” He said as he mopped, a frown on his face now.
“Actually, I think I might go with you.” He said in a whisper.
Silver’s head snapped up as he looked at Liam in shock. “Really? Why? I thought you loved it here, you know, the whole freedom thing?”
“Aye, but, I don’t love the idea of having my sister come around and kill me in my sleep gruesomely when she see’s I’ve made a pirate out of myself. Honest, I only signed on to get a trip to England.”
Silver chuckled. “You afraid of your sister?”
“No! I’m scared shitless of her! She’s my baby sister but that girl ain’t nice when she’s mad- no sir! She‘s downright evil when she‘s mad!”
Silver chuckled a bit. “I never thought I’d see the day. Liam Harrison is scared of something besides Davy Jones.” He chuckled a little more and kept mopping.
“Laugh all you want, you’ll see what I mean by evil later.”
- - - - -
Ryane moaned slightly when Liam shook her shoulder, “Silver! Get up! Do you want to leave or not?” She sat up.
She looked at him through drowsy eyes, her hair pulled back still, since she almost never took it out, just like she never changed out of her shirt, vest- which was not fun to wear all the time- and pants. “It’s only been two hours since shift. I know. I’ve been waking up every ten minutes.”
“Good, then you won’t be too tired while we leave. We just docked last night, right? Well, we either go now, or risk taking off with this ship tonight,” Liam said grabbing his sea bag and slinging it over his shoulder. “and honestly, I’d rather not stick around.”
“Aren’t pirates supposed to raid?”
“We would, but we’re low on gun powder right now. We can’t afford to start trouble.”
“Can’t you go in and steal it? That’s what pirates do, ain’t it?” She said as she bent over to fasten her boots. She gasped as the necklace her father gave her, a silver cross on a thick black string, slipped from around her neck. She swore and grabbed it, tying it back, tighter this time.
Liam seemed to let her get it back on before saying, “It might seem that simple, but it’s not. It’s just not.”
“Sirs?” Said one of the young ship boys.
“What?” Liam said, slightly annoyed. Even whispering, they’d woken someone up and that meant that any number of the men could be up too.
“Can I come with you? I don’t want to stay here. They’re go-”
“Hush, lad.” Ryane said softly, her nurturing side kicking in. She bent over and said, “On one condition am I going to let you come.” The child nodded. “You do whatever we say without question.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Alright then. Liam, are you ready?” She asked slinging her bag over her shoulder as well. Liam only nodded and said, “I’m not helping you with the kid. If he gets lost, I won’t help you find him.” That was a lie and they both knew it. In the past near-month, they’d grown to be like brothers. Only, Ryane was secretly a girl. Liam would be there for her, and she’d be there for him.
“Yeah, sure.” She said with a grin as the trio headed up. Ryane spotted a night watch just before Liam went into sight and yanked him back, saying in a soft whisper, “You want to get stopped and hanged for…mutiny or something? Be careful.” She had snuck out and around town more than once in her day, so, she knew what she was talking about. She stepped in front of him and stood there for a good ten minutes.
Liam then said, “Oh, yeah, standing here is such a better idea, Silver.”
“Shut your hole. I have a point in doing this. Now pipe down!” She hissed. She looked back and memorized the time between which the watches would all turn their backs long enough to get behind the huge stack of rum barrels. Wait for it…now!
She grabbed both of them by the hand long enough to get their attention before sneakily going over to barrels and ducking behind them, Liam and the boy following shortly after. She waited again. She had a pistol, which, Liam had been showing her how to use, in her boot. She was thinking of getting it out. She studied the watch again. Liam then said quietly, “You know, I’m starting to think you’ve had practice.”
“I have. My father used to be away at war a lot, so, I’d sneak out of the boarding school I went to and have some fun on the town. It was my form of rebellion against my father.” The boy and Liam chuckled but said nothing more. She then whispered, “Now! C’mon!” She ran off the ship, the boys in tow, and down the docks, heading right into an alleyway.
She panted and leaned on a wall, her chest heaving. Liam was across from her leaning on the opposite wall, also panting. The boy didn’t seem too winded but he was only maybe twelve. She then said, “Well…” She panted a little more. “That was fun.” Liam started laughing, and laughing hard. He clapped her on the back and walked with her to the nearest Inn.
“You know what, I think you and I will make good partners in the sailor business. Why? I have no idea, but this should be fun.” Ryane laughed and lifted his arm off her. She saw the someone she never thought she’d see again. Luckily, this wasn’t the first time she’d played a boy. Maybe he’d remember her…
“John!” she called over to her old friend. He looked her way, dressed in his normal knee-length shorts and black vest, tattoos covering his body. His sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes were somewhat dirty and so was his chin but when she looked again, she saw that it was stubble.
“Locke! Good to see you!” She planned to make this brief, before too much of her past was revealed.
“And you! How’s business?”
“Be better, if you might get a tattoo?” He said with a wide grin. She looked at Liam. “How bout it? It could be something silly, like the Brotherhood of…”
“Salty Sailors.” He finished for her. She smiled and nodded.
She grinned a bit and tossed John a five shillings, which she knew could get herself something cheap. “What can you do for me, John?”
“If it’s a Salty Sailor type tattoo that you‘re after, why not have something like-”
“A dolphin with an anchor!” the boy suggested. Ryane smiled at him and patted his head. “I like the boy’s idea.” She looked at Liam who nodded. “Now, where do we get it?” She said with a chuckle.
“Your neck!”
“No,” Liam said. “If we plan to sign up with the Navy, they’ll never let you be an officer with a tattoo. Lower back?”
Ryane grinned and lifted up the back of her shirt a bit. “Already covered, mate.” It was a black cross with a purple cloth drawn around it. Not very large or small.
Liam laughed and said, “Upper arm? Nah…we can still get caught with it that way…”
“The hip?” She suggested with a grin. “The right hipbone. Let the boy get one too.” Liam shrugged. Ryane stepped forward and pulled down her trousers just enough for John to be able to work on her hip. It stung but she focused on other things. Like her growing feelings toward Liam. If only I could tell you, Liam…If only…
It was about fifteen minutes later, the dolphin was done and he was putting dye in it. She trusted John, and his tattoos were good quality. No infections and it didn’t rub off or nothing. He started on the anchor and when he finished that, put dye in. Done. “Alright, don’t wash it for a couple days.”
“Thanks, John.” Liam went next and then the boy. The boy almost cried when he had it down, whining about how it hurt, but Liam promised to beat him if he screwed it up.
They found an Inn shortly after learning the boy’s name was Zack. They didn’t have a lot of gold- at least, not that Ryane fesses up to. She didn’t want them both knowing that she had about a hundred gold, but only told them that she had about thirty. Liam was nice enough to carry the boy, who, looked ready to pass out. They rented a room and shared it. Ryane offered to sleep on the floor and Liam, who, looked horrible tired, didn’t object. She hadn’t expected him too. Besides, the floor wasn’t so bad.
Then again, she forgot how cold it was to sleep on a floor.
