Truepirate

CassyK/Truepirate

Tears stung her eyes when he said that he didn’t have the ring. He must have lost it, evidently it hadn’t meant as much to him as the dagger had meant to her. She nodded when he said he had duties to attend to. “Of course, you are captain after all.” She muttered, trying to hide the tears that were starting to fall. It hurt that he didn’t have it, she felt betrayed. This reveal did disappoint her, he’d promised to keep it forever.

“Here, you probably need this back.” She said taking off his coat. She laid it at the foot of the bed before lying down. Her back was to him so that he wouldn’t see her crying anymore than he probably already had. Her face was buried in the pillow and her shoulders shook with each sob. She hadn’t noticed him leave, after saying he didn’t have the ring her world shrunk again. It was just her now, he’d left her life for a second time. Just when she thought she had him back she lost him. Maybe it would be better if she didn’t stay with him.

Slowly she stood and walked to the door. Elissa opened it and peered out to see if the coast was clear. She’d go back to her old room, no matter how small, dark and cold it was.

CassyK/Truepirate

“Well if your shoulders are bothering you, slouching like that isn’t going to help them. Seems like your couch would be more comfortable than that wooden chair.” Elissa smiled fondly at him. “You could never disappoint me. Father never cared about you, but I always did, still do.” She confessed, blushing slightly. “You were the only one who was truly my friend, everyone else either shunned me or wanted to be friends because of father’s money. You never seemed to care about his money. We definitely defied him and his wishes as much as we could.” She laughed. “Like all the evenings you spent teaching me to fight and how you taught me about sailing. He wanted me to be a lady so I’d marry a nobleman and be someone else’s problem. I’d have run away a lot sooner if you hadn’t left. Our father’s hated each other, I think your’s like me, but I don’t remember. I never saw much of him, but he seemed kind.”

Elissa finished off the food on the plate. “Thank you for the food.” She said, picking up the tankard. “Though you could have been a little kinder in the drink you picked out for me.” She took a drink and grimaced. Beer was not her favorite, to her it was like drinking watered down sewer water. “What do you do to this? Water it down with bilge water?” She joked with a laugh. It was good to be talking with him again. It almost felt like they were catching up, if only he’d remember her. “Do you still have the ring I gave you? Gold band with two small diamonds on either side of an emerald?” He’d given her the dagger and she’d given him the ring. The ring had been her mother’s and she had given Elissa permission to give it to Joseph, knowing how much he had meant to her.

CassyK/Truepirate

“I’ll try not to cause any more damage,” she promised. “My crew will be worried about me but perhaps I can find them after we get your ship back. Phillip, my first mate, will be the most worried.” She had a sound of fondness in her voice when she spoke of her first mate. “He’s like the father I wanted but never had. Sadly he is more of a father to me than my own and I’ve known him for less time, only about five years. I met him in Bedlam.”

Elissa looked up at him when he mentioned fate. “Fate could have been kinder and let you remember me.” She pointed out. “But I am glad to at least know you are safe. I’ve been looking for you ever since I sailed for the first time. Before then I waited at the docks for as long as I could everyday just hoping you would come home” She had missed him more than he knew and even though he didn’t remember her she was glad to at least be back in his company. “I can always run away another day if needed.” She smiled as she watched him. “Do your shoulders hurt?”

CassyK/Truepirate

It might hurt more for her father to have done it. I don’t think Elissa will be happy either.

CassyK/Truepirate

Blayne would just use her crew since he doesn’t like sailing. He just wants to get her back for the money. You can have him remember however you like. France sounds good.

CassyK/Truepirate

I didn’t think you were ignoring them, I just figured it wasn’t enough for him to remember. I was starting to wonder what would make him remember her. I wondered about bringing Blayne in since he was from their childhood too, thinking that might help Joseph remember. I thought maybe he forced her crew to find her and/or follow Joseph’s ship. But I also didn’t want to ruin anything you had planned.

CassyK/Truepirate

“Please call me Elissa.” She said, it hurt every time he called her Miss. “Or you can call me captain.” She joked as she took a drink with a small chuckle. “I was trying to get your attention with it. I’ll fix it if you’d like, it’s not the first time I’ve landed a dagger in a ship. My first mate taught me to throw daggers.” She picked up the apple and was about to take a bite when Joseph asked about her fiancé. She was glad when he said that Rhea wasn’t his lady, though she didn’t show it. Maybe she still had a chance.

“He’s heartless for one thing, makes Rat look almost saintly and that isn’t a joke. He only wants to marry me for my dowry and the inheritance I’ll get when my father dies.” She said. “While I’m not noble I’m as rich if not richer than some of the lower nobles. My fiancé is a man I’ve known since I was a kid. He is the son of a duke and has squandered most of his money. Our fathers arranged the marriage, I had no say in the matter. His name is Blayne Ashton. He bullied me as a kid and if I could get him onto my ship I would throw him overboard with an anchor tied around his waist. He’s already promised to send me back to Bedlam once we are married. I never want to go back there. They don’t help people, they hurt people.”

Blayne cared only for money and Elissa was the only eligible woman around who had money that he could dispose of after the wedding. Her father didn’t care what happened to her. “I can’t go back to him.”

CassyK/Truepirate

Elissa took the plate. “Thank you,” she said, truly grateful to have something to eat. “I’m not too fond of beer but I’ll drink it.” She started in on the food. “I don’t mind staying here. I feel safe, I just figured your lady wouldn’t approve.” She said putting some cheese on the bread. “Are you going to eat?” She motioned to the plate of food. While she knew she could eat everything on the plate she didn’t want to be rude and eat it all if Joseph wanted some.

Elissa didn’t mention the nightmare and she didn’t know about the outburst or she’d have apologized. She wasn’t sure where to start up the conversation again. It was clear that he’d never remember her. “So what is going to happen to me?” She finally asked. “Am I going to help you?”

CassyK/Truepirate

Elissa’s eyes flew open when he grabbed her arms. Her hand grabbed the collar of his shirt and a look of pure hatred came to her face. “I would rather die than marry you.” She growled. “If you try sending me back to bedlam I will kill you.” Her eyes were unfocused, she was still asleep, caught in the nightmare. In her dream, Joseph was the man she hated. He was Blayne. Her eyes slowly closed again and she fell silent for a moment before opening her eyes once more. “I didn’t hear you come in.” She muttered. She was awake now. She slowly sat up with a yawn. “So where am I being moved to?” She asked certain that Rhea wouldn’t want her sharing a cabin with Joseph.

As she sat up the coat slid off her shoulder, pulling the shoulder of her shirt with it to reveal a tattoo on her shoulder. It was of a ship’s wheel with a rose wrapped around it. She pushed the shirt and coat back up, still looking half asleep. “You brought food?” Elissa asked seeing the tray. Her stomach grumbled loudly, supper last night had been her last meal.

The thought of going through his things hadn’t once crossed her mind. Elissa wasn’t one to normally pry and go through other people’s belongings.

CassyK/Truepirate

‘So there she was, the woman he cared about, she had to be, why else would Joseph have her on the ship?’ Elissa thought upon seeing Rhea. There was a pain in her heart at the thought that she had waited all these years for him to return for nothing. She gave him a nod when he told her to get some rest. Elissa held it together until he shut the door, then the tears began to fall. This wasn’t at all how she had imagined their reunion to be.

Elissa curled up on the bed still in tears. It didn’t take long for her to cry herself to sleep. She was exhausted, having been awake since the morning of her birthday. Her stomach grumbled but sleep won out. Elissa was still shivering from the fever, but the warmth of the blanket and the coat helped ease some of the cold and lull her to sleep.

The coat was too big on her thin frame, her fingers barely peeked out from the sleeves as they curled to hold the cuff. She still held some of the features she’d had as a child, the freckles and the bright blue eyes. However, she wasn’t as awkward looking as she had been when she was younger. She was grown now, more beautiful and less clumsy, having grown accustomed to her long limbs. She wasn’t much taller than most women her age, but was tall enough for others to notice the difference. Before she had escaped her first room she had braided her hair in the style she had worn daily as a child. A braid was about the only way to tame the wild curls and even then some still snuck out and she’d tuck them behind her ears.

In her dreams her and Joseph were young again, fighting Blayne and making plans for the future. They were happy and laughing as children should, forgetting the problems between their fathers. The past had been a happier time, even if it had contained it share of problems. Never could she had imagined worse trouble was waiting for her once she was older.

As the dreams turned to nightmares, Elissa frowned in her sleep. Tear still rested on her cheeks and more were soon added. “No! Leave me alone!” She sobbed. “Joseph, help!” She cried out in her sleep.