Rescued? – A Pirate’s Life.

Port Royale Central Courtyard

The rusting grate that was kept on the pit entrance was winched up slowly by two guards, as Tim and Billy were dragged in by the Royal guards. Each one was pushed down the narrow stairs that ringed the interior the pit, while lastly, the Captain was brought in, the man blooded and bruised with a trail of caked blood that had run from his nose. His right eye swollen shut from being punched, and he could barely see out of his left. Without any care, the soldiers tossed the Pirate over the side, where he rolled down the stone stairs, landing heavily in a puddle of faeces and urine mixed with mud at the bottom. The crew who were having trouble seeing in the darkness of the pit tried to get to their fallen Captain who was groaning as he pressed his hands into the dank muck to try and get his face out of the sludge. The guards above chortled with laughter as many a crew man looked up squinting. “You’ll all be swinging in the morning, ya Pirate bastards. Hahahaha!” The grate started to lower as the winch was being turned again till the deafening sound of the grate hitting the rock signalled that the crew was once again locked up at Thorne’s pleasure. Tim crawled over to the Captain, and tried to help him up. Such a sad and sorry mess. Barely making out the Captain’s face, his own creased and his heart went out to him. “Are we going to die, Capn’?” He asked, still a young boy and terrified of the gallows. The Captain spluttered and spat out a mouthful of muck, turning his head to see the boy’s face. The Captain croaked ; “”Over me went t’ Davy Jones’ locker body, lad.” The Captain pushed himself up, with Tim helping him. The crew all looked to their Captain, wondering how on earth they were going to escape their fate. The Captain knew they were all terrified, and he said unto them. “”We have only one hope. T’ Doctor. If he fails, I’ll kill him meself.”

Port Royale Town Square

Word of the capture of Captain Moon and his crew had spread across the colony like wild fire. One of the seas most dangerous criminals was sentenced to be hung at dawn, along with the likes of his crew. The Doctor, who was dressed in civilian clothes, kept his hat well down as he tried to get through the crush of towns people and traders. He had in his hand the medallion that the Captain had given him, along with strict instructions on what to do if he was captured. By the talk of the people, they were almost in a festival like mode, with more talk that the Lord Thorne was set to marry a girl that had sailed in on the Pirate’s ship. Little was known about her, accept to say she was simply stunning and a true jewel worthy of any nobleman. The more that the Doctor heard, the more determined he became, clutching the medallion tightly between his palm and fingers. Up ahead, he could see the sign that hung out the front of what looked to be an inn. The Rusty anchor. This must be the inn that the Captain spoke of. With his head kept down, he made his way to the door, only to bump into two soldiers that were coming out. The medallion fell out of his hand, as he was knocked to the right, and one of the soldiers barked at the Doctor. “WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING, MATE!” The Doctor scrambled to pick up the prized medallion and then spoke in a foreign language. The guards couldn’t understand what he was saying, and just went on their way. A quick glance to see if the coast was clear he entered the Inn, and scoured the room for the man known….as One Eyed Willy.

The Rusty Anchor

The inn was filled with all types of rabble. From the lowest of low street urchins, to the balding Officers of the Royal Guard. Any man with a purse of silver would make their way to the Rusty Anchor to try and win at a game of chance, or have some fat arsed wench with breasts like ripe melons shoved in your face. It was in this setting, that the Doctor was able to blend in, for he wore the clothes of a simple towns person, not that of a pirate, or royal guard. There was a pipe player making a merry tune, while a group of drunken guards were singing to the death of the Pirates come the morning. This only reminded him of the urgency of his mission. He had to find One Eyed Willy. As he approached the bar, he nodded to a buxom barmaid, with wavy blonde hair. “Ale please.” The Doctor completely forgetting himself, and speaking with his usual accent. This…did not go unnoticed by a man that had been sitting in the far right corner. With a black eye patch, he rose to standing, and limped across the weathered timber boards – his peg leg slamming into the timber and sending up a small cloud of dust. He slowly retracted a dagger, and then as he got to stand behind the Doctor, he pushed the tip in hard enough to give the Doctor a scare. He whispered to the Doctor. “I think we..need t’ have a chat.” The Doctor froze, turning his head just enough, to make out the face of a man…with one eye. “Right.” The Doctor said, moving away from the bar, as the man with an eyepatch led him to the back door. This led to the cellar, where the ale barrels were stored along with other supplies.

The Cellar

On reaching the bottom of the stairs, the One eyed man lit a candle and then he chuckled to see the scared face of the Doctor. “Are you…One Eyed Willy?” The One eyed man pushed the Doctor into a chair and leered at him menacingly. “Who be askin?” he said with a menacing growl, the dagger coming up to the throat of the trembling Doctor. This man must have been in his sixties at least, and with a weathered face, that was riddled with scars and tattoos, it was plain to see….he was a Pirate. “I’m…I’m the Doctor. Moon sent me.” At this the dagger point twisted against the Doctor’s neck. “Heard about him bein’ captured. T’ daft git. Can’t keep himself out o’ trouble. Been that way since he was a lad.” The Doctor looked bewildered, and then stuttered. “So you are..One eyed Willy, then?’ The One eyed man laughed in response, as he took away the dagger from the Doctor’s throat. “Aye…and he sent you eh? Tell me…Doctor, did he tell you who I am?” At this the Doctor shook his head. “Err..no, he just said that…I was to give you this.” This was when the look on the One eyed man’s face changed. The Doctor was holding up the medallion on a chain. “That sneaky son o’ a scurvey dog. Ha..trust him t’ be desperate enough t’ give up that bit o’ treaaye.” The One eyed man snatched the medallion out of the Doctor’s hand as though it was the greatest treasure on earth. “My medallion. Men have sailed the seven seas lookin’ for this.” As he held it, the medallion spun, and you could see certain odd holes in it. So the medallion belonged to the One eyed man? How this was going to save the Captain and crew was beyond him. “I don’t understand. What does the medallion do?” It was a good question and one that the One eyed man was all too happy to answer. “It’s a key lad…a key…to my treasure. Allow me to introduce meself. Captain John Willy Moon. Otherwise known as One eyed Willy.” He was the Captain’s father.

The Doctor now looked worried. He had believed that this medallion would in some way get the crew out of the gaol, but the man known as One Eyed Willy was acting awful strange. The fact he was the Captain’s father only made things more confusing. The old pirate limped over to a large closet, where he opened it to withdraw a long wooden box, similar to a cigar box. A simple piece one would believe. But the pirate then placed the medallion into a specially grooved hole, and you could hear a snapping sound as he turned the medallion. This…opened the box. The Doctor strained to see what it could be inside, and what it was…was a folded up piece of parchment, that had yellowed over the years. “A map?” the Doctor asked, to which the Old Pirate sung out. “No, it’s a love letter from my sweetheart. Of course it’s a bleedin’ map. “ The Captain rolled his only eye before he sneered and started to plot what he was going to do. “So…you’re going to help me free the Captain and the crew…with that map?” The Pirate slammed shut the box. “Are you completely mad, lad? I’m not goin’ t’ save me son, and his rabble. I’m goin’ t’ steal his ship, and go find me treaaye” At this, the Doctor stood up. “But you can’t. The Captain needs us. The crew…they are going to die in the morning. You have to help us.” He cried, but the old sea dog just laughed. “There is a law…amongst the likes of us pirates. You take what you can, and give nothin’ back. My son stole this medallion. And now…I’m returnin’ the favour.” With that said, he pocketed the coin and the map, and headed back up the stairs, to gather a crew to go and hijack the Devil’s Mystery from the royal guards. As he left, he locked the cellar door and chuckled. “By the time you break free, my Son will be hung, and I be long gone. Savvy?”

The Doctor struggled with the locked door, but as they say they don’t make them like they used too. The laughter of the old Captain could be heard as he returned to the main bar area, and was already starting to put together a crew with some of the roughened sailors that had been drinking there that day. There was not much time, and while the Doctor paced the cellar, the old Captain was getting together a plan, that would see the escape from Port Royale almost fool proof. He needed a distraction, and that was already in place. The hanging of his own son. With a hand picked group of trusted sea dogs, he gathered them round a table, and uttered. “At t’ risin’ o’ t’ sun, we take t’ Devil’s mystery and blast our way out o’ t’ bay, while me son swin’s. Bless his pirate heart.” The crew all removed their hats, and payed homage to the former Captain of the Devil. He would die..and so would his crew, while his father sailed to the Carribean, to take back the treasure he had long thought lost.

Port Royale Central Courtyard

The townsfolk had come out on mass for this spectacle that was one sure to be spoken about from father to son for generations. The hanging of one of the most evil men to ever stain the sea with English blood. There were cat calls and choruses, chanting for the pirates to be brought out and walked before the abusive crowd, that was armed with rotten fruit and vegetables. Make no mistake, to these people, the pirates were a stain on humanity, having plundered and pillaged villages and ships for hundreds of years. May this be a lesson to those that dare defy the Lord Thorne and the royal navy.

Lord Thorne was there in all his finery, with a priest, and what looked to be a noblewoman, who was actually Rachael. Words were said, the crowd murmuring at seeing the red headed beauty who was being paraded like she was prized livestock. Lord Thorne looked smug as he spoke to the young lady, but it was the look of horror on her face when she saw the Captain, Billy and Tim being led out of the gaol. The crowd went wild, booing and throwing their rotten food as the sodden and muddied lot. Tim kept his head high, as Billy was resided to the fact that he would die. Moon, he could not take his eyes of his beloved Rachael. If he was to die, he wanted her to be the last thing he saw. Regardless of the decisions she made, their fate…was out of her hands. With the nooses brought around their necks, the navy drummers started to play. It was an ominous sound as the three pirates stood with hands behind their backs. Death…was inevitable.

~KABOOM!~ A large cannonball was fired at the gaol and had blasted the clock tower, sending brick and rock flying along with clouds of dust. This sent many people scattering. ~KABOOM!~ Another cannon ball, and this time it hit the town church, blasting a huge hole in its side. Now the town people panicked, fleeing and running like headless chickens, as more cannon balls were fired, one hitting the side of the inn…where the Doctor had been kept prisoner. The hole, large enough for him to escape through meant he was able to get out onto the packed street, where folk were running in all directions. Up at the gallows, Lord Thorne must have been wondering what the hell was going on, when a guard ran, blooded from the wharf. “The Devil…she’s been taken over by pirates!” This would surely have the Lord Thorne confused. In the midst of this, the Doctor ran up to the platform where Lord Thorne stood. “it’s true. One Eyed Willy has the medallion and is stealing the Devil with his men to go find the treasure.” At this, Captain Moon simply smirked. “”Why that sneaky old bastard. You know, you can’t trust a pirate. Oh…I guess they will be after t’ treaaye. Enough gold and jewels t’ fill t’ Queen’s coffers for a lifetime.” There was only one man, who was fast enough and daring enough to keep up with One eyed willy, and he was about to be hung. <3>