The Pirate's Prize
Chapter One: The Sea
It had been a long, tumultuous month at sea for Christine. She had been trapped on the ship for weeks with nothing to do and no one to talk to, except Meg, when she wasn't flirting with sailors and their stuffy chaperone, Ms. Blanchett, who was an awful bore and criticized Christine whenever she spoke. And although Christine found some company in the captain, he was often so busy they barely had time to talk. Christine was then left alone to just stew in anticipation.
She was on her way to the West Indies to finally marry her fiancé Raoul de Chagny. Her handsome and perfect fiancé had proposed to her a year ago, and they had planned on marrying in France, but Raoul's shipping business had required him to move to the West Indies, to an island. Christine's guardian, Madame Giry, Meg's mother, had been reluctant on letting Christine go to the West Indies to marry Raoul, but had changed her mind when she saw how miserable Christine was without him. Then she had decided for Christine and Meg to go to the West Indies where Christine would have her wedding and spend the first few months of her marriage.
Christine had been ecstatic about going to see Raoul and marry him finally, especially in such an exotic locale, but Christine hadn't realized how tedious it was going to be on a ship. She hadn't realized the amount of time it would take or how dull it was going to be. She was trapped on it with nothing to occupy her.
The only god thing about being trapped on the ship was that it allowed her time to think; time to think about Raoul and marriage. She had known Raoul all her life and was at the end of seventeen, so she was ready for marriage. She was ready for a husband and ready for a family. She couldn't wait until she had children and became a mother. Raoul was such a good man and he would make a great father. She was extremely lucky that she was going to spend the rest of her life with him.
She daydreamed often about how their life was going to be. She could imagine Raoul coming home and kissing her. They would have a nice dinner every night and then fall asleep in each other's arms. Raoul would treat her like a princess; he'd buy her everything and take her out to all the balls and all the shows and show her off as his wife. It would be a perfect existence; just them forever.
"Christine."
Christine turned around to find Meg standing there. She smiled at her beautiful best friend and gestured for her to join her.
Christine was so grateful Madame Giry had allowed her daughter to join Christine on the voyage to the West Indies. She had worried about two young, unmarried women traveling so far and Meg living in the West Indies for some months, but she understood that Christine needed a friend in her new and strange home, and that Meg needed to explore and experience a little bit before she herself got married someday. All the more, Christine was thrilled she had more than just Ms. Blanchett for company.
"How are you, Christine?" Meg asked sweetly, leaning over out over the ship railing with her friend.
"I'm fine. I'm tired of being on this boat."
"Do you miss Raoul?" Meg asked as Christine stared out at the horizon.
Christine sighed. "Yes, terribly."
"You'll see him soon."
Not soon enough. I think about him all the time."
"I would hope so. He's your fiancé. Not to mention he's gorgeous and rich…"
Christine laughed. "Yes, he is perfect, isn't he? I still can't believe I'm on my way to marry him."
"I can just see it now. I can see your dress and your wedding on the beach as the sunset looms behind you," Meg mused. "It'll be so romantic!"
The two girls giggled together over the wonderful idea of it all. It almost seemed too perfect.
The girls were jolted suddenly, however, when the boat shook as if it had been hit by a thousand pounds. A deafening blow had been taken to the ship and all the men on the deck immediately began scrambling around and shouting. One came running toward Meg and Christine.
"My ladies," the young sailor yelled over the chaos beginning, "you two are going to have to go down below. We're being attacked!"
"Attacked?" Meg shrieked.
The boy nodded quickly and gestured for the girls to follow them as another hit shook the ship and the shouting and screaming got louder. Christine looked off in the distance before going down and saw a huge black ship looming near. One thing came to her mind: pirates.
She had been warned about traveling on the high seas, that pirates were common and could easily take over a ship and everyone in it. They were notorious for being merciless and ruthless; taking all of a ship's supplies and even worse, its occupants. Pirates were extremely famous for stealing women on deck…and having their way with them. If a girl was to be savagely ravished by pirates her reputation would be ruined.
Christine and Meg followed quickly after the sailor and obeyed him when he took them to a cellar of food supplies and hid them behind barrels of food.
"Don't speak. If the ship is taken over make sure they never know you're here," the sailor commanded them.
They nodded, frightened out of their minds as he tried to conceal them even more and another cannon hit the ship.
He locked the door behind them and they were left alone in the dark cellar while the sounds of cannons and screaming loomed overhead.
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The pirate Erik the Black jumped onto the deck of the small ship and looked around. The pitiful group of sailors who had been working the ship had been easily slaughtered and were now strewn around the deck, blood and weapons everywhere. Erik's mates were now on the ship picking from the dead bodies and searching around the ship for the obvious treasure and supplies on it. Erik had known from the moment that he had seen the ship that it would easily be commandeered, but now this just felt too easy.
Erik had been a bloodthirsty pirate for almost all his thirty-two years now, and had been in some gruesome battles, but taking over this ship was not one of them. He had fought royal British fleets and rich Spanish ones and Americans and stolen from kings and had fought world famous assassins. But this dinky, little passenger ship? It had been like stealing from a child.
"Captain!"
Erik turned at his title to see his first mate, Emmanuel, a big black African who had been a former slave in America.
"We've got most of the supplies, sir," Emmanuel's booming voice spoke. "There's not much here."
Erik nodded grimly, disappointed that taking the ship had been a bit of a waste.
"Captain!"
He turned to face another voice.
"There's women on the ship," one of his pirates said, grinning as he held up dresses. "I think young too."
Erik smiled suddenly. Ah, so taking the ship hadn't bee a waste after all.