The Scrawlings of a Pirate (Part One)

I was standing on the dock in the moonlight with my back to the bustling city of Jefferson’s Bay minding my own business when a voice cried over my shoulder.
         “Pirate! Coward!” the voice shouted, I couldn’t decipher if the voice was male or female but the pitch was high.  I turned around slowly with my hand on the hilt of my rapier. Who was this?
         “How dare you insult my honour with such utter lies!” I answered, pushing back my faded black Captain’s coat revealing my sheathed blade and pistol. “How dare you say a man is a coward?”
         “Ah,” the voice responded. I now saw that the speaker was indeed female, although she was dressed in trousers and a tunic. “So you do not deny being a pirate?”
         I looked down at my self. I wore a black coat, dingy red tunic with half the lacings gone; stained brown leggings, and scuffed crocodile hide boots.  I looked smashing, by the way.
“I recollect ‘pirate’ is an appropriate description,” I said as I placed my red conquistador styled hat, complete with feather, with a flourish upon my greasy black hair.
         She glared at me for a few seconds before she said, “I want to be taken to your ship to speak with your captain.”
         “Does the hat mean naught to you, love?” I asked taking a step towards her. “I am the captain.” I paused and glanced out into the harbour where several three masted ships were at anchor.  “As for my ship, I haven’t decided yet.”
         She laughed, I couldn’t see why, “You admit to being a pirate then tell me your planning to steal a ship.”
         “Commandeer, annex, hijack, anything but steal,” I corrected her, taking a step forward. Why was it that anything out of the ordinary was stealing? She looked at me in a way I didn’t understand, then said, “you must be the sorriest excuse for a pirate in the known world.” That stung coming from a teenager.
         “Touché, love. Is that a challenge?” I said as I drew my blade and took up a stance.
         “Pulling a blade on a . . . ” my advisory’s voice dropped off as she remembered how she was dressed,  “on a fellow man,” she finished.
         “Look,” I said, “if you beat me in a duel I’ll consider taking you on as crew.”
         Her face lit up as she fumbled to draw her blade.  I laughed and rolled my eyes as it stuck in the sheath.
         “Stole your father’s extra sword, eh,” I surmised as I walked the length of the dock and stood beside her.
         “Let me do that, miss,” I said as I yanked the sword from its sheath.  “A bit rusty, ain’t it?”   
         “I shan’t criticize the state of your weapon,” she retorted, raising her upper lip slightly.
         “That’s because there’s nothing wrong with the steel of my blade,” I said as I slowly turned my rapier blade in front of her face, “Not a speck of rust upon its length.” I said glaring at her. She waved my blade away as if it were no more a threat than a fly. “Well,” I said rolling my eyes. She had some nerve.
         “Do you want to fight me or not?” She asked, holding her blade in one hand and extending the other in the air.
         “No, no, no my dear. I believe the blade you have pilfered is a two handed weapon.”
         “Right,” she said as she dropped her left hand on to the hilt, “I knew that.”
         I smiled showing several gold teeth, then said “perhaps I shouldn’t waste my time teaching you? Eh?”  She averted her eyes and studied the planking of the dock, so I took a step closer and raised my blade to hers.
She raised her eyes, a half smile on her face, “Would you?” 
“Didn’t I say that, missy?” Couldn’t her brain connect one thing to another? Women!  She just looked into my eyes, I hate it when they do that. “Firstly you’ll need another blade,” I said as I disarmed her and the sword fell into the bay. It was a bad piece of metal, worthless. 
“What was that for?” she said cradling her right hand with her left.
“So you can buy another, a better one, a French made blade like this,” I wagged my rapier in front of her face again, “Stainless steal, resistant to rust and stays sharp no matter what you cross it with.”
She looked at the blade in her face this time and said, “It would be good to own a blade such as that.”
“Aye, t’would. Light as well as strong, you’ll need a blade like this aboard my ship,” I said as cut the air in front of me and sheathed my rapier. “What be your name, my disguised friend?”
“You can call me Rouce, Captain,” she answered.
“How old be you, Rouce?” I asked in my best buccaneer accent.
Again she looked at the decking, “How old do you want me to be, sir?”
I couldn’t help but smiling, “Tha’s the kind of answer I expect on board.”
“We need a ship, Captain?” She paused, then asked, “What is your name?”
“My name, now that’s an interesting question,” I paused for dramatic effect, “Maezelli Rumsicle Murtagh at your service, but everybody who’s anybody calls me M.R. Murtagh,” I finished, truly I hated the name Rumsicle but it was good for dramatic effect.     
    “M.R. Murtagh, eh? That’s an,” she paused,  “an interesting name,” she said crossing her arms over her chest.
“You bet it is,” Maezelli was an Italian name my mother fancied, she wasn’t actually Italian, and Rumsicle was her maiden name, I made up Murtagh myself. But I wasn’t going to tell Rouce that.  Only one other living person knew that. “So, you want to join my crew?”
“Yes, I do,” she said, then looked out into the bay and said, “How  ‘bout we commandeer that ship?” I followed her finger, she pointed to a grand ship. She was painted monochromatically green and had only two masts from which emerald sails were furled, a small on deck cabin and an elevated poop deck with a spiral stair and an ornate wheel and rudder. This was a ship if there ever was one.
“That ship?” I asked, I admit it, I was a little taken aback, “That ship is a bit extravagant don’t you think?”
“I think it’s beautiful,” she said, looking at me like Christmas had come early.
“Yes, she is beautiful,” I agreed accenting the word ‘she’ to prove that ships were feminine. “But how ‘bout we get you a weapon before we think about setting sail. And I still need a crew,” I said taking her by the arm and strolling off the dock and down the boardwalk to the fisherman’s quarters.
I walked her down into a slightly less respectable neighbourhood. The smell of stale beer and unwashed people met us. Rouce turned up her nose but to me it was the smell of homecoming.  I shepherded her down an alley and out onto the riverbank.
“This is disgusting!” Rouce said as she stepped over a pile of something in the street. I didn’t want to tell her what it was but I think she had a guess as she scraped the smaller pile off the bottom of her boot. I am a gentleman to some extent, you know.   
“Rouce, I’ve got someone for you to meet,” I said as her and I stood outside a humble inn in the wharf area of the city. “Wait right here.”
I went inside to the empty common room and through the kitchen to the familiar rope ladder. I paused, taking a deep breath before I began to climb.  I climbed up two floors into the attic. A smell of dried herbs and garlic and unknown fragrances wafted into my face as I stepped up onto the old wooded floor.
“Maezelli!”
“Leander, it’s so good you’re here,” I said stepping into his embrace. I hadn’t seen him in about three months. His long blonde hair was lose around his shoulders and he dressed simply in a pale blue jerkin over a silver tunic and tan breeches, his feet were bare and he had a purple scarf tied above the knee of his left leg.
“Where’ve you been, mate?” He hugged me one more time.
“Nowhere, Leander, nowhere important, jus’ gallivanting around,” I said as I leaned into his kiss.

All right, so I’m persuaded otherwise. What? You thought there was something happening between Rouce and me? Never!
     
“Its so good that you’re back, I’ve missed you terribly,” he said taking my hand and pulling me into the back room then removed my coat, sword belt, and pistol. He kissed me again, longer and harder. I sank down on to his bed; he began undoing my tunic as I unlaced his jerkin. Then, rolling my eyes in pleasure, I remembered Rouce outside, cursing her I said, “Shhhh,” and put my finger against his lips, “Later,” He looked hurt, so I stroked his hair and explained, “I want to go on an adventure, yeah?” His face brightened slightly, “This woman came up to me on the docks, actually she insulted me.”
“You poor thing,” Leander said, taking my hat off my head and kissing my forehead.
“But she was more than willing to join up and commandeer the most expensive ship in the bay,” I said taking his other hand, “We could scare up a crew and set sail as soon it’s light and --”
“Or as soon as she’s watered and provisioned,” Leander interrupted.
“We won’t have time, mate, we’re commandeering the Lady Verdant,” I said squeezing his hands.
“Shit,” he said excitedly and pulled me into a hug. I kissed him and he laughed, “you’re going to get us hung, Maezelli.”
“I know,” I said kissing him harder. He pushed me down on to the mattress and continued undressing me. I laughed and unlaced his jerkin and tossed his tunic aside.  I finally gave into his impulses, but I shan’t tell you any more.
***
  “Come on,” I said about an hour later, “lets go down stairs and let me introduce you to Rouce, your new blade prodigy.” I took his hand and pulled him back out to the front room.
  “Blade prodigy?” Leander asked looking at me with curiosity and lacing his breeches, “Is she that good?”
I thought for a moment, then said, “Well, I don’t know, she let me disarm her pretty quickly. I suppose student would be the more appropriate term,” I put my hat back on top of my head and swung on my coat. 
Leander rolled his eyes and smiled as he finished dressing. He’s so handsome when he looks that way, let me tell you. He picked up his own blade, a curved design one of our friends, a blade smith had given him, slung the belt over his shoulder then he said, “Anyone who knows which end of a sword is sharp could beat you.” He grabbed a spare rapier from the wardrobe in the back room then came out to meet me.
“Now, that hurt, mate. That hurt deep,” I said, looking at him with a sorrowful expression. He kissed me again, and then began descending the rope ladder.
“You want to go on an adventure, so lets go,” Leander called up to me. I smiled and followed him.  He swung the ladder back and forth imitating the motion on a ship, “I can’t wait to be out on the ocean again.”
I agreed whole-heartedly with him but telling him at that moment would’ve been dreadful considering the mood and the future company.  After all, what the Captain does in his cabin is his business.
I jumped from the ladder into the deserted kitchen, “Where’s our bloody landlord?” I asked Leander as we headed out into the common room.
“He had a calling,” was his answer.
I looked at him, perplexed, then said, “Really? Was it God or the gallows?” I asked putting my arm around his shoulders.
“Both, I think. Went to the Church with his prostitute,” Leander answered and we both laughed. I felt great, I might add, like I’d never been gone.  We walked arm in arm out the door into the street and found Rouce slouched right where I left her.
“Well?” She spat as we walked into the torch light, “what took so bloody long?”
“You wouldn’t like the answer even if I gave it to you,” I said, smiling and Leander said, “Touché!” slightly behind me.
“And just who might you be?” Rouse asked, pushing me aside.
“I am Leander,” he said smoothly and then looking at me he continued, “I am a very close friend to M.R. and your new master.”
“What have you done? Sold me?” Rouce demanded, glaring at me. I backed away slightly because angry women make me edgy.
“No, no, apprenticed, more like,” I said, taking a step closer to Leander. “He will teach you how to use and maintain a blade. He will also be First Mate on board,” I paused then said, “that’s second in command under me.” Leander smiled and I trod on his foot muttering, “She don’t need to know bloody everythin’!”
“Here,” he said presenting here with the spare rapier, “it’ll be best if you wear this, even if you can’t use it.”
“Just where do you plan on taking me?” Rouce asked as she fumbled with the thick leather belt and brass buckle.
“Around,” I answered, buckling the rapier properly around her waist. “And dressed like that you’ll be most popular.” Leander and I smirked as we escorted Rouce down the street a ways. After passing a few houses Leander stopped in front of a block of inns and pubs.
“Ah, right. So about findin’ a crew. I believe we’re in the right place,” he said, taking Rouce’s arm and sauntering down the street into the nearest pub.

Now, I’ll not bore you with all the scandalous, indecent and drunken acts we preformed to get together a crew by dawn. But we had sixteen good men lined up.  Several we knew personally, most that owed Leander or me a favour or two in some cases and a few that owed Rouce after that night.  It was not exactly a perfect crew, but a grouping of men and boys who knew which lines controlled what and which side was starboard and which was port. And so crewed we set off to commandeer the Duke’s own flag ship, the Lady Verdant. 

“You wait here,” Leander ordered the crew and Rouce as he and I crept in the predawn light down the pier and onto the ship.
“Cut the anchor line if you can’t haul it up,” I whispered as he slunk over to the port anchor well.  I crept about checking the sail lines, the rudder and tiller.   

The plan was to have the crew sneak on board two or three at a time whilst Leander and I made ready to sail. Of course some watchmen hadn’t had enough to drink so we had to back track and buy several drinks, cut a few throats and pay off some very persistent citizens. When the last watchman was snoozing and the pier was lifeless Leander flagged the first group from the poop deck. 
Rouce had installed herself in the first group I noticed as she and two men climbed over the port gunwale.
“Thomas,” I said greeting the first man.  He wore a stained green jerkin and low brown breeches.  His hair was brown and cut closely to his head; he had grey-blue eyes, a strong jaw and a narrow nose.  I had lived with him for a while shortly after running away from home as a boy; I’ll expand upon that later. “It’s so good to see you again.”
We embraced and he said, “You as well, but it shall be a challenge seeing you with Leander.” I cupped his face and he said, “but I shall manage.” I smiled and waved to Leander’s younger brother, Ben (sadly he was married to a woman) as he climbed aboard behind Rouce.  Ben had a queue of long golden brown hair, green eyes like Leander but his face was softer and he wore a beard.

Now Leander and I had never been conjugated but we stay true to each other most of the time. I say this because Thomas had often brought up the subject.  He and Daniel, one of my friends, had sailed to an island near Australia and were wed by the Tribal leaders. Marriage seemed a silly idea to me, why tie one’s self down I thought. Anyway, so Thomas, the first man I trusted, married my former best friend, Daniel, but back to the story at hand. 

After Rouce came seven of my old card table friends, Daniel included, four of Leander’s cousins, Mark, Simon, David, and Samuel, and two brothers we met in Hong Kong a few years earlier.
With the whole crew on board I took up a position behind the tiller and I set the heading for north-northeast. “Cut the rope, my good man,” I called to Ben as Leander and his cousins unfurled the mainsail.  We caught the wind quickly and left the shallow waters of the bay behind us before the sun was fully risen.
The ship’s crew area was furnished with woollen blankets and canvas hammocks.  The cabins had wooden bunks as well as hammocks and the on deck cabin was complete with a navigation desk, liquor cabinet, fully stalked, I might add, and a wardrobe full of maps and charts of the surrounding waters. It was a truly luxurious ship for a pirate vessel but we were not complaining.
I set The Lady Verdant on a course for a small island I knew of called Aleana Isle. It was not very far away from the mainland but it was surrounded by corral reefs and sand bars.  It was treacherous sailing getting there but if one sailed completely around the isle you would reach a peninsula and it was from that narrow out cropping that the rich island was accessible. We would take on food and water there and be on our way to wherever the winds would take us.

I had chosen the fore cabin above the bow chine storage compartment as my cabin. It was an interesting little room with little floor space and two hammocks.  It was on the opposite end of the ship as the crew accommodations and right below Rouce’s cabin.  I’ll tell you life on a ship can be dull, all that running about pulling lines and well keeping the Lady afloat. I was in love with the sea, not the ship and I was the captain so I just have to know what needs to be done and give the order.
I presume you’re wondering how Rouce was doing in her blade lessons? Well Leander was working her every night on drills, stance and balance. He tells me she is improving wildly, there happy?

I suppose by now you’re wondering why Leander, Rouce and I went to all the trouble of commandeering a ship? Well firstly it was because I was feeling restless with being on land after having to walk back to Jefferson’s Bay from god knows where.  Secondly it was because Rouce fascinated me with her audacity and strange costume that I had to find out more about her. And the third reason follows.           

*  *  *