Pirates!!!

I ran through the courtyard as fast as I could, I was being chased but I wasn’t afraid. I was being pursued by something bigger than the likes of me, something that could kill me if it wanted to yet I wasn’t afraid. My feet flattened the grass, my dress swayed in the breeze, and my lungs were bursting as they struggled to gain air. I stopped for a moment to catch my breath and listen for my beloved predator. The only thing I could hear beyond the loud gulps of air I took was the even louder pounding of my heart drowning out other sounds. As I regained my breath, I heard it, the crunching of the grass under large feet, labored breathing and my own groan of surprise when I was knocked down. Wrapped in large muscular arms that broke our fall, I was not one bit frightened. Perhaps a little disappointed that I had been caught but this big friendly giant never frightened me. I squinted up to see the face of my best friend, “Your It!” he wheezed rolling off me. I had been tagged! Ignoring everyone’s stares as many 14 year olds do, I got up to chase him through the courtyard.
          Then things seemed to change. I was fast-forwarded to my fifteenth birthday. It was like I was an observing of events in my life I watched as the fifteen year-old me lay in my bedroom reading, the book I had gotten for my birthday. I glanced at a birthday card sitting on my nightstand; I picked it up and read ‘Happy 15th Birthday, Princes! Love Mother, Father, and Jonathon!’  I threw the card down in anger. I had asked for one thing for my birthday to be able to see my best friend but I had been denied yet again.
          Then I, the fifteen year-old, heard a knock at the door and pulled the covers up around me, I was about to ask who was there but was cut off by another sound. I saw something at my window but before I could scream the individual barged into my room. There stood a tall figure in a dark hooded cloak. Before I could let out that scream, a hand was clamped over my mouth. With their one free hand they pulled off the hood and made a gesture for me to be quite, they removed their hand from my mouth. “Aden” I half screamed then caught myself and finished in a whisper. “Happy Birthday!” he said grinning, he pulled his hand from his cloak and dropped a gift in my open palm, my fingers curled around a necklace holding on to it tightly.
I opened my hand to see a thin gold chain with a small gold pendent hanging from the bottom; it was a half of a heart. “I love it! But it must of cost a fortune” I said concerned. “It’s nothing,” he said beaming at me “Look I have the other half” he said pulling a thick gold chain out from underneath the cloak. The dainty little pendent looked wrong around his masculine neck, but I didn’t care, as long as it was there. Unexpectedly a loud knock at my door cut through our happy moment “Nichole is someone in there with you?” I hear my brother call out from behind the large wooden door.
“Uhhh” I said looking for a place for Aden to hide, without a second’s hesitation my brother barged through the door, what was with men and knocking. He looked at me horrified then turned toward Aden, “You” he accused, his voice full of anger. Aden began backing up slowly from my brother and his now unsheathed cutlass. “I told you to stay away from her,” he screamed as he walked forward swinging his cutlass carelessly. He pointed it directly at Aden’s chest, “But you just didn’t listen!” Aden was now backed up against a wall and my brother had his sword ready for the kill. “Jonathon, stop it right now!” I cried worried for Aden's life.  "Please don’t do this!” Aden begged which was very unlike him; he wasn’t the type of person who begged, but more the type who started throwing punches.
“Guard” My brother called out, I begged him not to do anything juristic as the two bulky guys in their full black armor ran down the hall of the castle. Jonathon looked at Aden "Your lucky I don't want to get blood on the floor" he said through gritted teeth then he turned to the guards and his sword still pointed at Aden “Dispose of this…peasant!” he said spitting the last word out. The two lunged for Aden but much to my surprise he went willingly, he must have known it was inevitable. I watched in tears as they dragged him out of my site, but it wouldn’t be the last time I saw him.
As this memory faded another took its place in my mind, the worst day of my life. I ran through courtyard searching for my family, people were gasping for air, crying and falling dead all around me. Smoke clogged the air as thick as pea soup, making breathing very difficult. Fire blazed through my home, eerily lighting up the sky in beautiful shades of orange. I held my hands out in front of me to feel for walls as I ran in and out of rooms frantically searching for my husband and son.  Sight was next to impossible but I was not going to give up. I ran into my baby’s room, and that’s where I found them, my son crying from a small cut in his head and my husband battling the fiend who had caused it.
  I stood there helplessly watching my husband battle for our lives. My son's cries brought me back to my senses and I rushed over and plucked him from his cradle and then ran back to the entryway. I stood there in the doorway unsure of what to do next, take my son to safety and leave my husband, my best friend to fend for himself. "No " I wailed as I watched my husband jabbed in the chest with a sword, his blood spattering on the floor. I wanted to weep but there was no time for that as the beast of a man turned towards my son and me. I was frozen with fear, I knew I had to move, but I was so scared I couldn't, I turned away so I wouldn't see it coming. Another sword swooped in from beside me and shielded me from the blow that had been sure to come. The deafening noise jarred me to my senses, my husband had received a deathblow and my son's life was in my hands.  I ran off, never looking back for my savior.
Then suddenly the horrific seen shook with a great force and I felt myself fall, from where god only knows. There was another great shake like the earth shifting underneath me, I slid across some sort of floor, and my body was slammed into what felt like a wall. I shook from the dreams, every part of my body was in pain but my head was throbbing, my eyes fluttered open.  I found myself lying on a cold hard floor, my body curved alongside the wall that I had felt in my dream. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Memories, they were nothing but memories, horrible awful memories, but still only memories. Nothing to cry about, now, the past is already behind me, I thought wiping tears from my face and my pushing my pale blond hair behind my ears.
I slowly stood up taking in my surroundings; it was dark and all most impossible to see anything, a dim light radiated from a dying oil lamp that hung near the stairs. There was a large open space in between stairs and the rusty bars that imprisoned me. I turned around slowly to see the rest of the cell, but it was dark and impossible to see anything. I had all most done a full turn when I saw a huddled figure. My curiosity overpowered my stranger awareness; I crept closer to the figure.
As I tiptoed nearer the facial features, the big nose and stubbornly set jaw looked all too familiar. The figure sat on a small cot its head bent down as if in prayer, I still crept closer. Thankful for the oil lamps, I looked intently at the strangers profile "Jonathon" I screamed jumping toward him nearly squeezing the life out him in one of my bear hugs. 
I usually considered my elder brother a pain in the bum, and unworthy of my hugs, but here any company was appreciated. Jonathon sat there stiffly not returning my hug. He began to loosen up as I let go of him "Nice to see you too" he commented as I sat down beside him on the cot, that much to my dismay was as hard as a rock. "Where are we?" I asked him. "In a brig!" he answered unemotionally.
"Pirates?"
"Of course"
"What about the others?"
"All dead!"
The conversation went by as if we were talking about the weather or some other futile topic, not the murder of our people and our upcoming execution. I looked at my brother not knowing what to say, his long brown hair hung down covering his face, and prohibiting me from seeing into his small brown eyes. We were silent, neither of us knowing not what to say, I heard a small whimpering. "Jonathon," I said trying to comfort him " I know it looks bad, but it is going to be okay, no use in whimpering." Jonathon looked at me with a face of disbelief, "That is not me" he said his voice filled with disgust.
My motherly instinct kicked in, I had to help the poor individual who was crying. I walked in to the darkness feeling around because I couldn't see. It was like someone placed a blindfold over my eyes and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't see anything. I was now desperate, so I got on my hands and knees and began groping around for anything. I was getting closer and could hear the crying turn into the repetition of the word "Mommy". I felt like I had been going forever, and was sure to hit a wall soon, but my hands fell on a small child. I picked it up pulling it close to me I got up and walked toward the fading light.
When I finally got close enough to the front of the cell that I could see I pulled the clinging child away from me and got a good look at him. His dirty blond hair was matted with blood and his blue-gray eyes were red from crying, but it was definitely my son. "Matthew" I whispered pulling the balling 3 year old close to me, I held him tightly as if my frail arms could protect him. "Its okay, Mommy is here," I repeated over and over trying my best to sooth him. It finally worked and he fell into a fitted sleep. I walked over to the cot and placed him on it. 
I sat on the cot beside him tracing the creases in his face with my fingers and playing with his hair, Jonathon wasn't talking to me, nothing new there. I heard a door creak open and my head snapped toward the stairs as light flooded the room, and closed my eyes in it its brilliance. "Good morning your majesties, I see your awake!' Came a deep alluring voice, I opened my eyes to see a man walking down the stairs. I looked at him closely trying to figure out his rank; he wore a baggy white shirt and blue trousers, coat and hat, and his nice clothes showed he was on up there in rank, maybe the First Mate. He pressed his face up against the bars and looked in at us, wonder showing in his big bright green eyes. "We are not a circus act and wished not to be gazed upon like one," I snapped an unknown edge in my voice. My anger seemed rightly justified, he doing what he had to my country but still I didn't mean to snap.
He drew back and stood up straight fixing his hat and pushing his brown curly bangs back from his face. His hair was extremely short for a man, it was cut slightly above his eyes, and where most men wore there's long, he did not. He reminded me of my husband in appearance, I thought then stopped not wanting to compare my husband to the brute who had most likely taken his life. A single tear rolled down my face, but I wiped it away quickly not wanting to show weakness. "And how was your night?" he asked teasing us. "It was horrible, down right horrible!" I said angered, that he would poke fun at our discomfort. "Well I am so sorry and I spent such a long time cleaning it up for you!" he said a little sarcasm in his voice.
"Humph" I said not believing a word that came from his mouth. "What you don't believe me?" he asked sounding hurt "Well you don't see any bones or dried blood, do you?"  I looked around I guess he was right, but it was very dark and you couldn't see much. "I guess not!" I said sounding defeated but angry at the same time. He stopped talking and turned to look at me, he stared at me for what seemed like forever. "Stop it" I shrieked at him, trying to keep my voice from sounding too hysterical but being unsuccessful," Who do you, think you are?" I was really fuming now. "Don't yell me!" he bellowed, a vein bulged on the side of his temple, as his anger rose.
"After all I have done for you, you still think you have the right to holler at me, like that, " He shouted at me his hands clenching and unclenching as he held them at his sides. "What you have done for us?" Jonathon yelled as he butted in "You killed our family, and we are probably on our way to the slave markets right now if not to our executions" he said taking a huge step towards the man; he was now at the front of the cell. The pirate opened his mouth to say something but then stopped instead he quickly stuck his hand through the bar at Jonathan and in a tight voice said, "you should really watch what you say " he threatened through clenched teeth as he grasped and ungrasped the handle of his dagger with his other hand.
"Stop it!" I screamed trying to protect my brother, which was not something I did often. "Captain" called a firm feminine voice, I spun around to see a short, girl with curly red hair standing at the bottom of the staircase with a piece of parchment hooked in her right arm and a pen in her other hand. He slowly drew back his hand and turned around "Yes?" he asked in an agitated strained tone. "There are some questions about the coordinates!"  She stated acutely as her eyes darted over to Jonathon and me, "Its quite urgent." With that he twisted around and bowed to us "So nice to meet you, I will be back later" he said as if nothing had just happened and he followed the girl up the stairs and out of our site.
I was trying to calm my breathing from all the excitement; it was all mostly back to regular "Well that could have been worse!" I said trying to be positive. My brother looked at me an exasperated look on his face "Shut up Nichole!" he said, as he regained his breath. I walked over to my child; amazed the shouting had not waked him I sat down beside him, uncomfortable in the silence. "Did you hear what she called him?" I asked Jonathon.
"No I was to busy trying not to get my throat slit at the time!"
" She called him Captain!"
"Bloody hell, the crazy guy is in charge, that is just great"
"Watch your mouth around my baby!"
"He is sleeping!"
"So, besides everything would have been fine if you would of just kept your mouth closed."
"Me.....  you were the one that started it"
"I did not, you did"
"No, I was defending you after the bloody arse went wild"
"He didn't go wild"
"You're sticking up for the man who murdered our family in case you've forgotten! Why do you even care about him, anyways?"
"He reminds me of......" I stopped and wiped a tear from my eyes. "Oh come on Nichole, he looks nothing like "Bubby" using the nickname I called my best friend, my husband. My tears began to flow again.
"You weren't the only one that lost someone that, you know?" he said his voice rising as he stood up.
"Yeah who did you loose?" I asked tears flowing down my cheeks as I became irate "Your little gaggle of female attention, the only thing you probably miss is the......"
"Leave my love life out of this" Jonathon yelled cutting me off from finishing my sentence. I felt Matthew stir on the cot beside me, he sat up and looked around "Mommy, I don't like it here, can we go home?" he asked as he scooted closer to and looked up at me. "No we can't go home just yet!" I said pulling him in for a hug "But we will go home soon, I promise!" Jonathon looked at me and rolled his eyes "Don't lie to him, the least you could do is tell him the truth!" I looked up at Jonathon and gave him a warning stare not to say anything to destroy my toddler's hope. " Well if you won't I will'" Jonathon said turning toward my son "Your daddy is dead and your never going to go home, your house is burnt to the ground and pirates are going to kill you and your Mommy!" Matthew began to wail. I gave Jonathon a look that could kill "Don't listen to Uncle Jon, it is going to be okay," I said kissing Matthews head gently.
Then the door was opened and the sent of fresh baked bread, arrived along with the Captain, carrying a large tray of bread and stew. He sat down on the bottom step and began breaking off a piece of the bread, it smelled so delicious and my stomach growled telling me how famished I was.  He dipped the bread into the stew and took a bite "Umm, that's good" he said then turned toward us " So I heard you yelling at each other, didn't get enough of that while I was here?" he asked with a chuckle and a crooked smile.
"Were you listening in on us?" I asked while staring as he brought another bight to his big lips and my stomach growled. The captain looked around "Me?" he asked pointing a finger at himself "Listening in on you, everyone on the whole blasted ship could here you two going at it!" I turned bright red about what I said about him. "If you ask me though it sounded like you were winning!" he said smiling another crooked grin and then he brought another bite to his mouth and my stomach growled loudly. "Oh your hungry" he said patting his clothes as if looking for something.
He took a small knife from his shirt and cut the bread into the 3 large pieces, and then poured the stew into three bowls, he got up and carried the tray to the bars.  "Don't try anything stupid "Uncle Jon"!" he said balancing the tray in one hand reaching in his pocket for the keys. He brought them out and stuck a rather large key in the door lock. "Now go sit over there, I would hate for you to get out of here." he said opening the door he placed the tray on the floor and closed the door back, locking it up tightly.
Later that day the girl who had been in their earlier brought down some blankets and some Kerosene and a broom. She refilled the lamp making it unusually bright in the little room, and pushed the blankets through the bars. "Who are you?" I asked her as she worked in silence, she turned her head toward me and looked at me with questioning eyes. "I am not supposed to talk to you!" she said turning back to her sweeping, "Captain said to be friendly though I can't be friendly if I can't talk now can I!" I watched her as she walked up the stairs and began sweeping from the top step "Does he usually do that?" I asked.
"Usually do what"?"
"Tell you to be friendly"
"Most the time, guess he knows I'd leave the yelling and sort to him anyways"
"So he yells a lot?"
" Not usually at the captive, you seem to bring out the worst in him, all though he tends to get really angry after a trip to the markets or bit to much ale."
"Does he drink a lot?"
"Don't all men?"
"Well I mean more than usual. Is he dangerous?"
"I guess he drinks a lot, a few shots with every meal a few without them, He can be dangerous but can't we all if we're mad enough!"
With that she walked up the steps and out of the door. 
"Way to go Nichole!" my brother said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes at me "I could have told you that one!" "Well excuse me for trying to learn a little more about people, so I can get us of out of this horrible place." I said eyeing my brother.
"Yeah that's intelligent because if we manage to get out of here they are just going to say 'Hey good for you, you got out of there we are going to take you home now!' and were all going to live happily ever after! Is that what you think Nichole?" Jonathon asked looking at me like I was an ignorant fool. "Well no, but there can't be that many of them!" I said stuttering. My plan really didn't go that far ahead. I knew we weren't going to just waltz out of here but I was going to cross that bridge when I got to it. "Not that many of them, Nichole are you stupid there is at least 30 men on this ship not to mention that girl, I don't know if you noticed the gun she had strapped to her trousers or not but she could easily take any of us out. What are we going to do? Use the cots legs as wooden clubs, yeah that will get us real far!" he said loudly "They aren't good people, Nichole if we get out of here we will be dead before you can even try and plead with them!" he said his voice gentler now.
I wanted to argue my point but I was to tired "Move over!" I said defeated I went to curl up beside my son on the cot. It wasn't big enough for all of us to sleep on so I curled up beside my son ensuring we got a bed. I grabbed a blanket and covered us up stretching to push Jon of where I was going to place my head. Jonathon got up before he realized there was nowhere for him to sleep  "I am not sleeping on the floor!" he protested as he walked over to the cot looking for somewhere to sleep. "Well you aren't' sleeping here either!" I said stretching out again to show him there was no room. When I stretched completely out my small feet dangled of the edge and that was saying something because I was shorter than the average person.
"Good Night" I yawned pulling Matt towards me and closing my eyes in sleep without even caring to stay up and make sure Jonathon found a place to sleep. Jonathon must have given up on being comfortable because when I woke up he was laid out beside the cot, one of the 2 remaining blankets draped over his body the other was scrunched up under his head as a form of pillow. The next few days passed like this all though I am unsure if they were days or not for there was no way to tell day from night in the dark room.
My once beautiful dress was torn at the bottom and the whole thing was caked in grime. None of has had bathed since we had arrived and we smelled pretty bad. The stunning updo my pale blonde hair had been in had fallen and dirt had made it almost look like a light brown. My lightly tanned skin was becoming pale from the lack of sunlight. My pale icey blue eyes were red from crying in frustration when I could not get Matt to talk."
The captain didn't come to see us any more, and the girl brought us our food 3 times a day but it was all ways light outside when she came. We ate the same thing for every meal but I was happy with the food. Jonathon and I took turns sleeping beside Mathew on the cot.  And we had a pot that had a curtain draped around it in the corner of the brig; the girl also emptied this when she brought us food. She never said much and always left in a hurry. My brother didn't say much to me either, he just paced back and forth until the girl brought us our food and he was made to go sit on the cot. Matthew who had never been one to say much before said even less now he must have been traumatized for he spoke not a word to anyone.
         "Come on Matt, please talk!" I pleaded as I sat on the hard cot my son sitting on my lap. "Just say Mommy!" I told the calm quiet 2 year old, but he just turned and looked up at me with his big blue eyes. The door flew open and the lights brilliance flooded the room, it was wonderful gift to have so much light at once. Whenever the girl, I hated referring to her like that but she never answered my questions about her name, whenever she came in she only cracked the door and only a small amount of light slipped through. The girl came down carrying a woven basket and the Captain was behind her carrying a big tin tub. When they reached the bottom of the stairs she told Jonathon to go sit down like usual and opened the door, but this time they both slipped through before she shut it again. "Good morning, your majesties!" the captain said walking to the back of the room and placing the tub down he took a piece of cloth from the basket and strung it around the tub.
"What is that for?" Jonathon asked through clenched teeth as he stared the captain down. He would have gotten up and challenged the big man but the captain had a revolver strapped to his side and Jonathon had nothing. "That is because you smell awfully bad and your reek has attracted us some attention from the British fleet!" he said pointing to the tub with steam rising from it. The girl walked over to me and dug into the woven basket before depositing some cloth material onto my lap. I picked it up to find that it was a light blue dress that was petite and thinly made but it was clean. There was also a small shirt white and a pair of brown trousers for Mathew, I turned to thank the captain but he had all ready left. I looked up at the girl instead she was handing Jonathon a pair of clothes also "The soap and brush are in the basket along with a hair tie and 3 pairs of shoes wash up and change!" She said before heading back up and cracking the door and slipping out into the luminous light.
"I wonder what this is for!" I said to myself not expecting anyone to answer me. "Its because the British fleet is after us and they want it to look like they are taking care of us!" Jonathon said as he looked over the clothes he had been handed. "Really?" I asked overjoyed " We are going to be saved!" I said to myself thrilled. "Well then I am going first!" I said running to the steaming tub, I was about to undress when I remembered my brother was in there. "Will you like go and face the stairs?" I asked knowing he would be able to see me from the front of the room. Jonathon being the sarcastic person he was rolled his eyes and said, "No, Nichole I am going to stand here and watch you bathe!" he walked to the front of the room and stared at the steps.
I looked back and then began to undress before stepping into the steaming hot tub. The water felt so good on my dirty body that I let myself just soak in it before grabbing the soap from where I had sat it on my old clothes. When I was finished and dressed in the clean clothes I washed and dressed Matt before turning the water over to Jonathon. I sat on the cot brushing my hair into a neat bun and placing the hair tie around it and Mathew sat beside me watching me. I got up and put on the blue shoes "Well what do you think?" I asked Matt as I spun around in front of him. I knew he wouldn't talk back but it still made things easier for me to talk to him anyways "Pretty!" he said gleefully clapping his hands. "You talked!" I screamed ecstatic as I went to sit down beside him and hold him.
We were all bathed and dressed nicely when the girl returned, this time she was wore a homespun green gown that didn't fit her well. " Time to go!" She said as she pushed her long curly red hair behind her ears and unlocked the door. Instead of opening the door only enough for her to slip through she opened it fully "Don't try anything stupid!" She said pointing a small finger at Jonathon. I laughed at him as she scurried us through the door, Jonathon began to look through his pockets when she wasn't looking. She closed the cell door behind us and as she walked to the front of our little group she said 'You don't have any weapons in the there were not dumb! We cleaned out your pockets when you were unconscious" I had no idea what was going on but I followed the girl up the stairs