(PG-17) Gypsies and Stowaways (Charvi Mehra x EvelynWillows)

[EvelynWillows]

(PG-17 for strong language, alcohol/drug use, slavery, romance and sexual suggestions, violence, piracy, and other criminal activity.)

The storm had passed, leaving flotsam and jetsam scattered along the shoreline. Scavengers were already out on the beaches, gathering what they could salvage to resell or use themselves. It had been one of the worse storms in decades, and many small villages that had stood the test of time along the ocean's edge now laid in broken ruins, if indeed any evidence of them remained at all.

Late last night in the middle of the chaos a ship had limped into port. A mast had cracked and at least a dozen ropes had snapped in the storm's fierce tantrum, but even now men worked to repair it's damages and restore The Osprey to the sea. It's captain, the much-feared pirate who went by the name of Greyspawn, had spared no expenses. He had sold enough of their cargo and several slaves to buy the material and labor needed and to replenish the supplies they had jettisoned the day before.

Men rushed to and fro, hauling barrels of food and water, sand and salt. Many of the men were dark-skinned and spoke in an exotic tongue. Their ears hung heavy with silver hoops, and they wore simple loose trousers and not much else. The captain didn't have to bark orders; that was his first mate's job. The man stood nearly seven feet tall and was as wide as two men. He was a solid core of muscle, blond white hair in a long braid down his back, and pale blue eyes that seemed to see everything. 'The Falcon', they called him. Like his namesake he missed nothing, and was quick to strike. Captain Greyspawn never had to raise his voice or his hand to get things done; the Falcon did it for him.

The work was progressing nicely. In the morning the ship was due to leave and though the port authority had been reluctant to allow a ship of disreputable character to dock, they had enjoyed the money that had flowed through the town as a result of it. Once the work was complete the crew was going to get two shifts of dock time to their name; a couple of hours to frolic with the locals and enjoy the spoils of their hard work.

[The Lifted Lorax]

Lily crept about the dock, watching the strange-looking men with their stranger-sounding tongues. An enormous, Nordic-looking man oversaw them and she supposed he must be the bosun or captain or something. How could he not be? Her toes gripped the rock as she snuck further along, closer to the water's edge. She'd lived in this little fishing village all her life but had never been this close to the sailors while they were working. She always met them in the pub where she worked, where they were on her turf and she had plenty of stronger men behind her should they start any trouble. Now that she was on their territory, it was frightening...yet at the same time thrilling.

The ship looked enough like a merchant ship and it had been unloading goods all day. With most everyone else repairing boats and nets and roofs from the terrible gale the night before, no one would see her slip away and what was the worst merchants would do to her? Turn around and set her back home? She pursed her lips at the thought.

Quickly she ducked beneath the wooden pier, a few away from the ship in port. Keeping an eye on the men walking up and down the gangway, she scampered over the rocks and kept low, not minding that her skirt was dragging in the sand. She'd grown up in these waters, on these rocks, and there wasn't a single inch of either her feet didn't know by memory. Her father had always said one of these days she would turn into a mermaid and swim away with the storm. And that's exactly what she intended to do. It was a neat little town, to be sure...but there was more out there, so much more, Lily could feel it. She loved her hamlet and her family and friends...but how could she know that this was the perfect place to be when she'd never been anywhere else? Nobody here seemed to understand that.

Lily hissed as her feet touched the cold water. She wedged her toes between then beneath the rocks and burrowed them in the sand for a few moments that maybe she might keep the feeling in them. No such luck. Giving up, she weighed anchor and waded into the cold, cold water until she could no longer touch, then she began to swim. Luckily for her, a stray rope hung from the ship--the Osprey from what she could see of the side--and she climbed up with some difficulty. Pulling herself through a porthole she landed with a dull, squishy thud! on the wooden deck. Staring hard into the dark, she held her breath and waited for the sound of footsteps to indicate she'd already been caught before her grand adventure had even started. Nothing. Wringing out her dress and her hair, she padded carefully across the floor and wedged herself between a wall and a barrel of what smelled like salted pork, being careful not to move the barrel too much lest someone notice something amiss.

[EvelynWillows]

Men continued to bring on barrels and boxes, bags and buckets of supplies. Mercifully they didn't see Lily. The men were concentrating on getting their work done so they'd all get their shore leave. As the sky continued to darken, a few began to cart the barrels that were hiding Lily down to the hold.

"Leave it," snarled the first mate. "You can all get that down later, right now you'd better get on shore lest you lose the captain's blessin'." He put his boot on one of the barrels and shoved it closer to Lily's hiding spot. The men had drawn lots earlier in the day, and now half clambered down the dock towards the light of the town. The Falcon walked over to a rail on the port side of the ship and leaned against the railing. A few minutes later the captain in his grey and red cloak walked over and spoke quietly to his first mate. After a brief discussion the Falcon nodded and went below decks.

A few minutes later he returned with another man. Lily could tell that the man wore chains from the sounds of them clinking about. A barrel was brought out, and the Falcon told the man to sit. There was a bit of silence, then the sounds of guitar began to fill the air; a haunting, mesmerizing tune that made one think of green fields and homes long gone. The music dipped and swayed with the movement of the sea, and it seemed like no time had passed when there was a return of the first group of sailors to relieve the second lot. The musician was brought back below decks as the 'shift change' commenced. The captain retired to his cabin, and for a time Lily was the only on on the deck of the ship.

[The Lifted Lorax]

Lily pressed herself against the wall behind her as the sailors got closer and closer to her barrel. With relief she finally released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and relaxed her head on her knees. She frowned, however, when she heard clinking. Chains? What sort of chains would they have on a merchant ship? As the chains were spoken to, however, she realized that they were attached to a person. A hostage, for some reason or another though she couldn't quite puzzle out why.

And then there was the music. Lily closed her eyes and breathed in deeply as she pictured rich green pastures and a sunnier sky than she'd seen most days. The music made her heart ache and made her homesick for places she'd never been. But surely the hostage had. Then the music suddenly stopped and Lily's eyes shot open, suddenly remembering where she was and that she shouldn't let her guard down like that. Peeking her head out from behind her barrel, she saw that she was quite alone on the deck. Good. She stood cautiously, stretching her back and legs after being cramped in such a small space for so long. She needed to move somewhere that wasn't so out in the open. Moving quietly, she began creeping across the deck toward a door she'd seen other men go into before, hoping it wasn't the door to the captain's quarters.

[EvelynWillows]

The door led to a small room that sheltered the stairs down to the hold. Well-worn wood evidenced the heavy traffic the room supported. Pegs on the wall to her right held oil-soaked slickers; protection against the rain and weather for whomever drew duty during the storms. Faint voices could be heard through the wooden walls, and the faint thunking of the ship against the dock bumpers was soothing.

Further down the stairs, if Lily were to continue down that path, was a hallway that bisected the ship. Towards the front were large, open rooms made up of three walls. Stacks of goods and crates were roped to the walls, and it seemed like they might have even stored livestock there before. The masts extended down the hold and dotted the forward storage rooms. To the back of the ship was a large room, evidenced by the light and voices coming from behind the cracked doorway. Several open doors revealed dorm rooms heavy with hammocks for the men to sleep on.

[The Lifted Lorax]

On naked feet Lily padded down the stairs. Turning in a slow circle, she took a quick survey of her surroundings or at least what she could see in the darkness. A light shone in one direction and voices came from that direction. Better not go that way. Turning a 180, she headed back toward the darkness.

The floorboards creaked beneath her feet and she hoped it would be mistaken for the creak of the ship rocking. Her heart pounded hard in her chest, threatening to jump out. Taking a deep breath, she took a terrible risk.

"H...hello?" she whispered into the darkness, not even sure she heard her own voice. "Are...are you here...? Or is there...a...brig or something...?" Her voice trembled and she tried to keep it quiet enough for the voices at the other end not to hear, but loud enough for anyone hiding in the dark to hear.

[EvelynWillows]

A sharp intake of breath signaled the presence of another down in the hold. There was light jangling in the distance, as someone stood up next to the farthest mast.

The person pulled at the chains, but they were tethered securely to a ring in the wood. He looked around the mast and stared at Lily from beneath the shadows of a hood. "Who are you?" he whispered harshly. His eyes were cold and unkind as they raked over Lily's still damp form.

Laughter and the sound of chairs scraping on wood came from the large room. It seemed like a dining or gathering room, and the men in it were the ones who had enjoyed their shore leave first. It appeared that they had brought back some bottles of liquid joy with them and were continuing their recreation on the ship. A burst of laughter followed a loud crashing sound, and someone declared that they were going go go take a piss.

Another voice piped up. "Remember to piss with the wind, Harry!" The door to the dining hall began to open and spill light into the hold.

[The Lifted Lorax]

"What do you mean, who am I? Who are you?" Lily answered in a harsh whisper. She crept closer to the captive, though taking note of his unfriendly appearance made sure to stay a safe distance away. "Why are you all chained up?"

She whirled around at the sound of wood on wood. The voices were muffled, but were very definitely getting closer. Knowing for sure now that they had a captive, Lily wasn't entirely sure what sort of a ship she was on anymore. Unwilling to take her chances with men she knew were armed, she ducked on the other side of the mast to which the hostage was chained. She knew that he, at least, was restrained and therefore safer just through sheer probability.

"Please don't tell them I'm here," she breathed, looking up at the man earnestly. She couldn't see his face, at least not clearly, but she tried as best she could to look him in where she supposed his eyes would be. She wished desperately she'd brought something bigger than a knife with her.

[EvelynWillows]

The door swung open and a tall, dark-skinned man strode out, pocketing a few pieces of copper that he had won. His eyes were a surprising light blue color, unlike most of the others who had eyes nearly black in color. "It's Harold, you twit! And if'n you'd like to hold my ten-pounder you can direct et wherev'r you want, ya pox!" He paused when he saw the chained man standing. "And that goes double fer you, ya street rat!" he guffawed at his own cleverness and stomped up the steps. At first it looked like he had looked directly at Lily but his light-blindness from being near all the lamps of the other room kept him from seeing much detail.

Light spilled forth and washed the nearest half of the hold in it's flickering dance. Laughter and the sound of dice rolling crept out and taunted their ears.

The chained man took a moment to turn and look at Lily. His black eyes burned themselves into her as he whispered harshly "Get away from me before we're both whipped!" He looked like he would have liked to push her away.

Another chair scrapped backwards and a rum-blurred voice called out "What was in those beans? I've got to sit over the rail." he burped for a long three seconds and then stumbled out of the room. A few others made sounds of disgust and followed him up the stairs.

[The Lifted Lorax]

Lily shrank back into the shadows as the one called Harold walked by. Thankfully he didn't seem to see her. She bit her lip and was able to see the shackled man a bit better in the darkness.

"Please, no I can't..." she breathed. "I...I shouldn't be here. But I don't have a way off anymore." Lily felt at the shackles and the locks, fingers exploring each crevice and link. She could get him out, probably. "Why are you here?"

It wasn't a time to be asking questions, but she couldn't help it. She grimaced as she overheard the conversation from the men and once again stepped away from the prisoner. Holding her breath, she watched him and several others pass.

"Who are they? What sort of a ship is this?" Again with the questions. Lily mentally kicked herself.