Captive, Kidnapped by a Pirate [Inactive]

"Why?" She asked, the most vague question of them all. "Is that why I'm here? So he wouldn't kill me then?"


Adelaide propped her head on her knees and did her best not to cry again. The image of her father's head was stuck in her mind, it haunted her dreams when she slept, and haunted her thoughts when she was awake.


"I can't sleep, it's always there, my-" She held her hands in front of her and started to shake. "my father's-" Even now, she couldn't say it.


"Why did he want to kill me?"
 
He pitied her, but at the same time he didn't; he had seem many terrible things in his time, things that the King himself had ordered done. Christopher was glad for his death. But he could never admit such a thing to Adelaide.


"I kidnapped you so you wouldn't die, yes. There was a scheduled massacre on your birthday that I prevented. Everyone in Valhalla knew about it, except for you and the King." He frowned. "Do you believe my tale of war now, princess?"
 
"Yes." Adelaide choked, she'd done enough crying, but everything sent her over the edge at this point. She needed something, anything to make her feel right again.


To distract herself she looked back out the window and hummed to herself. The boy, the servant boy, she recalled him saying many things about the sea. She wondered if he would've liked it, maybe he would've turned out to be a pirate, too.


"I'm sorry." She cried. "Here I was, thinking you would sell me. I jumped off the goddamn ship, I-" Adelaide choked on her own tears, with her hands still shaking.
 
"Don't apologize," he replied earnestly. He hated to see her cry, and oh, how he needed to hold her and sing to her and give her something to smile about as he had when she was younger. But those times were over, and revealing his true name to her now would surely give her more reason to doubt him. He had no proof that he was the servant boy from eight years past. Mentioning it could offend her beyond repair.


"You jumped off the ship, but you didn't drown. That's the important thing." Christopher grabbed a nearby bottle of rum and took a long drink from it.
 
"But I wish I had." Adelaide said sternly. "You've got the wrong girl for the job." She laughed at her statement. Wrong didn't cover it. Wrong was too vague.


The girl had no social training, no leadership skills, nothing. How she was the one to be saved was a miracle. Christopher should've picked someone else.


Adelaide was frustrated and tired. She hadn't slept the previous night, and the night before was only torture in her mind. Rocking back and forth, she couldn't sit still, so she stood up and paced anxiously in front of the window.


"That song..." She swallowed hard. "Would you. The lyrics, would you."


Sing it?





"Nevermind."
 
"You are the only one for the job, Addy. There is no one else. Those things I can teach you. There's still a long way yet to New Castle, lass. You'll have more than enough time to learn everything before we get to Lunaris and end what's about to begin."


Christopher picked up an apple and tossed it to her. "Eat."


I'm sorry. It's too dangerous to sing, now.
 
She bit into it and continued to pace. Of course he wouldn't sing. It was only chance he knew the song in the first place, it wasn't likely he knew the words anyway.


"Chri- Captain, I know none of you really loved the King, but he was my father." Adelaide took another bite, her pacing hadn't slowed one bit. "I want to have a proper funeral. Even if it's on the ship. No one has to be there, if they don't want to be."


Adelaide paced forward to the table and pulled a chair out across from Christopher. She held out her hand and flexed her fingers in a come here motion. "Rum." She needed to distract herself, in any way possible.


"I want to say goodbye. It's too sad for me to try and ask for any celebration, I already had a birthday on the ship." She almost laughed. Imagining a celebration aboard a pirate ship. Of course there would be rum, a few shanties sung, but she tried to imagine the crew dancing, and it was surprisingly easy.


"I only want to say goodbye." She repeated quietly.
 
He considered her request for a moment, letting the silence settle in between them. Christopher offered her the rum with an apologetic smile.


"You know what most of the people aboard this ship would do if they go the chance?" he asked her. There was no waiting for an answer. "They would dance on the grave you made him, spit on it, celebrate the death of the king who harmed them or was oblivious to their suffering. By no means was your father a good man." Kenway looked down at the table and toyed with a compass. "...but he was your father, and therefore you have the right to give him a proper sendoff. We'll be stopping on the coast tomorrow for some rest and to gather wood for repairs. You can bury his head in the sand there."


You have such a way with words, Christopher. "I mean...you know what I meant."
 
"Nevermind then." Adelaide took a long chug of the rum and nearly slammed the bottle on the table. It burned her throat, she'd never had anything stronger than a simple wine before. Alcohol, her father said, didn't suit her.


She stood back up, eyeing the bottle, and deciding it's place was best in her hands. Adelaide paced back to her spot at the window and sat against it, bottle in her hands.


"No one loved him." Not even I did. "I'm just the only one who cares enough to make it proper. It wouldn't be right, but it's fine. It doesn't matter."
 
"I never got to bury my father because of yours. I won't deny you that right." He hadn't thought before the words left his mouth, but they were honest ones at the very least, if not exposed too soon. "You should rest, princess. You can walk on solid ground tomorrow, there's something good to think about."
 
"Just drop it." Adelaide ordered, she took another swig of the rum. "No one would care."


She hadn't told him. She couldn't sleep, it was too painful, too hard. Nightmares plagued her, Evan killed her, Christopher killed her, there was always blood, and always death. And finally, his head, her father's head.


"I'll sleep later." She lied.
 
"You would care." He didn't like the tone she pulled from nowhere; had she not understood that every move he had made was one to save her? Perhaps she would never understand. Perhaps it was better that way.


"Fine. Goodnight." He crawled into his large bed and laid on his back, eyes closed, ready to step foot on land once more.
 
"Only me." She agreed. "But if I buried him, it would only become a place to spit on. So I won't." Then, she added. "Goodnight, Christopher."


Adelaide stayed at the window, sipping at his rum until it ran dry. There wasn't a chance at sleep even though her body begged her to give in. So instead she sang out the window, it was all she could do to keep calm.


The breeze from the sea brushed against her tired face, and served to wake her from the temptation of sleep. It was cold, and the ocean spray near hit her in the face with each passing wave.
 
"Land ahead, Cap'n!" Gregory put a hand on Christopher's shoulder as the pirate stood at the helm, watching his men bury the anchor in the water. Ana was beside herself, beyond happy to get a chance to explore new land untainted by the plague of war.


"Look, grampa! Look! I see coconut trees!"


"You'll have to get me one of them," he chuckled, ruffling his granddaughter's hair as she giggled.


"Aye. And your captain, too." Christopher tried his best to smile.
 
When the crew started to head ashore, Adelaide was among them. It was back to usual, with the crew avoiding her gaze and doing their best to please the poor girl, careful not to be thrown overboard by the Captain. A few hands rowed her to shore in a small dingy, the whole way there was awkward and tense.


She put her feet in the sand, boots held tight in her hands. It had been so long since she'd touched the earth and she had missed the feeling of something solid beneath her feet. While the ocean was beautiful, and the sea a different sort of wonder, the earth was calm and solid, just as it always would be.


"Do you like coconuts, Adelaide?" Mama stood next to her with her hands on her swollen belly.


"Yes, I do." The girl nodded. "I would always ask for macaroons on my birthday before I realized no one else enjoyed the taste."


"It was your day, tell them that." Mama held out her finger and raised an eyebrow before laughing. It was hard to believe the girl was younger than Adelaide, and already she was having her first child.
 
"How does someone not enjoy macaroons?" Catherine chuckled, rubbing her arms sheepishly as if she felt guilt for butting into the conversation. "Ah. I just mean that I love them too..."


"Get me a goddamn coconut, would ya?" Mrs. Newman barked from shore, and three of the pirates struggled to shake one from a tree. With effortless speed, Hunter climbed the trunks and hopped from branch to branch, plucking a few from the top like a monkey and letting them drop to the sand below.


"For Catherine," he stated first, "and the old woman. The baby, too."
 
Adelaide was amazed by Hunter. It was so easy for him to clamber up the tree, and to jump so quickly from each treetop was impressive to say the least. He grabbed plenty of coconuts for everyone, but Adelaide felt no need to take one. She couldn't cook, and she didn't know how to open it, so it would be best to have let someone else take it instead.


She slipped away from the chattering crowd and sat down by the shore with her hands clasped together in prayer. Although she said she wouldn't bury the head, she still wanted to say goodbye. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was keeping too close of tabs on her and silently began to say a few words of prayer.


"...and while other may celebrate his passing, I hope others find it in their heart to forgive my father, King Antonio Everette of Caister, of his sins. For he is my father." Adelaide sniffled once and continued on with her own words. "For he is my father, and while no one loved the King, I still loved the man who was a father to me."


With no more words to say she held her hands against her chest and sighed while she stared up at the sky. By technicality, this made her Queen. That is, if anyone knew she was still alive.
 
The brute landed on the sand, towering over everyone, even Uati. He picked up a coconut and approached Adelaide, handing it out to her.


"For the queen," he stated simply.
 
Adelaide stood to accept, her boots in the sand behind her. "Thank you, Hunter. I love these." She tried to smile for him, and he turned to walk away.


She'd never held an actual coconut before, strange as it was. They were in the kitchens on the rare occasion, but never before had she really picked one up. It was hard, yet had strange fiber like hairs on it. Overall, not what she was expecting, and did she hear something slosh on the inside? Milk.


The crew seemed to be having a good time, most of them had a coconut or passed them around, it must have been a rarity. Adelaide sat back down, not feeling quite welcome now that she knew the truth. She was the daughter of a horrible King, everyone wanted her dead. Who's to say some of the crew didn't.


Ana likes me, and Mama, and Catherine. Christopher, too, I suppose. The list went on for a while, but still, she couldn't say for certain how everyone really felt about her.
 
"Miss Addy!" Ana called from across the shore, waving her hands wildly to get the queen's attention. "Come on and sit with us! Miss Addyyyy!"


Christopher chuckled a bit at the girl's desperation, before giving out orders to gather wood for Kumar, the Master Carpenter.
 
"I'm coming!" Adelaide shouted back. She quickly hustled over to Ana and stopped just short of her. In her hands, too, was a coconut. It seems that was the popular thing that day.


Soon, a raging bonfire was set up, with the crew gathering round to enjoy the heat. Adelaide, too, found herself at the edge of the fire with Ana at her side. It felt awkward, to say the least, and she didn't say much.


"So, Ana, what about you?" Adelaide asked. "Have you had a coconut before? They're really good."
 
"Mhm! Mama used to cook them for us, and we drank the milk." Ana frowned deeply. "I missed them."


Catherine watched the men get to work on repairing the enemy ship, which they had named Despair. She noticed the Huntsman and waved to him. He looked confused for a moment as he waved back, but smiled to himself before continuing.
 
"How about we have Mama cook some for us later, hm?" Adelaide asked, trying to get the girl to smile again. She wrapped an arm around the girl, for her own comfort and Ana's, and hugged her at her side.


From a few spots over, Daniel and Maia sat side by side. The doctor checked in with everyone who had been wounded, eventually he made his rounds to Adelaide, checking to be sure her arm wasn't sore.


"You look terrible, Pri-Queen. Adelaide." He stuttered between words before he gave an apologetic smile. "Make sure you get some sleep. It'll do you good."
 
"I wasn't talkin' about Mama, I was talkin' about my mama. You know. The lady who gave birth to me." Ana frowned and tossed a small stick into the fire. "She died. Papa too."


Maia rubbed her husband's back assuredly. "Shhh, Daniel. You don't have to worry about everyone, you know."
 
"I'm sorry, Ana." Adelaide hugged her again, and kept the arm on the girl's shoulder. "You've got your grandpa, and Christopher, and Shiva-Mama. They all love you, you know."


It was so obvious that Ana was everyone's child on board. The way she paraded around, lighting everyone's spirits. Christopher treated her especially well, as if Ana was his own daughter or even a little sister.


"We can cook the coconuts, and if you want, I'll tell you a new story." She told the girl, hoping it might cheer her up. Joseph normally told her stories, so maybe it would work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Similar threads

Sora No Kami
A vicious dance with death (RP 1x1 based on the song "My R") TW: Self-loathing, Suicune
Replies
1
Views
200
Sora No Kami
Sora No Kami
Back
Top