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Chapter 3: Discovered“You do know,” Kal paused and blinked, “that woman are not allowed to serve on board this ship.”
Lois caught the change in his tone, but she doubted that anyone else did. He had started soft, then seemed to remember his position and his voice had hardened in anger.
“I do, Kal.” She continued her strong defence, referring to him by name, putting him on the same level as her. 'Well he had insisted.'
“Then you must realise that I have no recourse but to ...”
His words were cut off by a sudden increase in the muttering. Looking around Lois saw the crowd of pirates slowly part.
Walking slowly into view was a man she had never seen before. Someone who kept to himself, but still engendered loyalty, and fear, from his crew. The flamboyant garb, the red silk sash, the decorated tri-corn hat complete with red feather all signified that this was the Captain.
Captain Zor El.
______________
Chapter 4: Given‘Now! The Captain chooses NOW to come out on deck.’ Lois groaned inwardly. Things couldn’t possibly get any worse.
All the muttering among the crew faded away until there was absolute silence. Only the sound of the wind and the waves played in the air. All eyes were on the Captain as he came to a stand-still in the centre of the ring of pirates.
Lois and Kal turned to face him and he swept his harsh gaze over both of them. She saw his eyes flicker in pain and soften as he looked to the First Mate and when they looked back at her Lois saw the difference from a second previous.
“What do we have here, son?” The Captain’s voice was deep and grainy. He spoke slowly and carefully. It gave him a sinister air.
“I have discovered a deception Captain. This young deck hand is actually a woman.”
“I can see that!” he laughed and the tense mood suddenly broke. “Well,” he smiled ever so slightly. “Do you know, miss, how long it has been since female feet walked this deck?”
Lois felt her head swimming with confusion. Captain Zor El was a complete mystery. His mood and emotions, his laughter and teasing, all bucking up and down within moments of each other. Possibly he was unstable ... in his mind. No wonder the crew feared him, yet still followed him, even when he was absent.
“I do not know, sir,” she replied. She looked him directly in the eyes, but did not speak too forcefully.
“Well then, what are we going to do with you? I presume you have been sleeping in the bunks.” She nodded. “Hmmmm,” he rubbed his top lip with a finger. “We can’t have that now.” He stood up straight and frowned, dropping his hand. “But unfortunately this is not a Navy ship and so there are no ladies quarters.” He turned abruptly.
“Kal. She can sleep in your cabin. As you discovered her it is your responsibility to keep her safe from these ...” he swept his arm and his gaze over the crew, “lonely seamen.”
With that, the Captain strode off. Lois turned to stare wide-eyed at Kal. He was not looking back at her but she could see the tension in his shoulders.
“Oh!” came a shout from across the deck. “Find her some suitable clothes from the booty in the hold. And bring her for supper at my table after sundown.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lois stood in a small cabin, shock finally catching up to her. She blinked and looked around. This was Kal’s cabin.
Kal.
He’d turned away from her after the Captain give his orders and stalked off, almost as if he wished to wash his hands of her. But that was not possible, the Captain had ordered him to protect her. And so she found herself in his cabin.
It was plain and simple. A canvas bag leant against a small wooden table. A half melted candle sat inside a lantern on the table. Turning slightly she saw his bed; a low pallet covered in blankets.
There was a rap at the door and she started a little. “Yes,” she called out and the door opened immediately.
“Your bath, miss,” spoke the young pirate who entered. Lois stepped further into the cabin to allow him entry.
“Thank you Jimmy.” She smiled at him but he turned away. “Jimmy,” she reached out. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I’m still the same person. I’m still your friend.” He turned and looked back then nodded at her. He left the room after depositing the tin bath in the centre of the room, giving her a small smile on the way out.
‘Well, maybe that’s one friend I still have. Not that I actually made friends with anyone else anyway.’
She sighed and put her fingertips to her temple. Kal had tried to make her acquaintance but she had felt intimidated by him, plus she could finally admit - now that she was a woman again - that she was attracted to him. She’d kept him at a distance to avoid discovery, but that had been futile. He’d realised anyway. Instead, she could have been building up a friendship and trust, so that when she was found out he would have been an ally. Much better to have the first mate as ally than the lowest cabin boy. Not that she didn’t appreciate Jimmy’s friendship.
Lois berated herself. She’d signed on to get close to pirates, close enough to find links to the Pirate King, but the only one she’d made friends with was a new deck hand.
She was still determined to find her father, but maybe her strategy had to change. It was time to be herself, to be Lois ... to be a woman.
Another rap at the door had her smiling, expecting Jimmy to have retuned, but when she opened the door she was greeted by the deckmaster holding two buckets of water. Her smile dropped and she shuffled backwards, uncomfortable. John Corbin entered and placed down one bucket of water then lifted the other and poured it into the tin bath. It hardly covered the bottom.
Lois shuffled nervously as he bent down for the other one but he paused, half bent. Lois watched as he turned his head a little. She became convinced that he was staring at her legs, even though they were covered by her grimy deck hand clothes. When he straightened and lifted the bucket Lois caught his leering look before he turned away and emptied in the other one.
“Thank you. I’m sure that will be enough.” She smiled as graciously as possible, hoping he would leave, but instead he turned back to her.
“You know,” he drawled and then limped over to her, “I never would have put you on such physical work had I known you had such delicate, beautiful hands.”
She stumbled backwards and the back of her foot brushed the bed. Lois saw him begin to raise his hand and she widened her eyes, terrified. A noise disturbed him and he turned away. Lois let out a breath in relief when the door opened again and Jimmy entered. He had returned with two more pails of water.
As the water was poured out Lois managed to calm herself. This was so far removed from her usual life that she’d been caught unawares by Corbin’s advance. After taking a deep breath she found her resolve and as the two pirates left she spoke.
“Thank you, sirs. Now if you don’t mind,” she looked directly at the deckmaster and spoke rather sternly, “I would appreciate some privacy whilst I bathe.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kal held the dress in his hands, felt the heavy weight, rubbed his thumbs along the soft brocade. This was the one. The pale cream would match her skin, yet let her dark hair contrast beautifully falling down her back.
The moment Zor El had ordered someone to fetch suitable clothes for Lois Kal had known that he should be the one, so he had strode off immediately. In the hold he had opened chest after chest of pillaged items until this dress had tumbled out.
A moment of frustration spilled out of him and he crushed the material in his tightened fists. Things were not going as planned, and this was going to complicate things even further. After regaining control he set off to his cabin.
Back on deck he passed John Corbin; a mean look on the man’s face. Kal worried every single day about John. His situation was precarious enough without a resentful second mate watching his every move. Lost in his thoughts he exited the deck and climbed to the main cabins. He opened the door to his cabin and strode in without pause.
“My lady,” he began respectfully, “I brought you a ...” His voice trailed off when he glanced up to see her sat bathing in a tin bath in the centre of his room.
His whole body stopped, engulfed in shock. His eyes swept up and down and he couldn’t help but stare. Soft smooth curves, slightly glistening, were hardly covered at all by the lather from the cake of soap in her hands. And he’d been right. Her skin was a lovely pale cream. It brought to mind a sweet, delicious desert he once tasted at ...
Blinking out of his reverie he dropped the dress but still unable to look away he spoke.
“My apologies,” he stammered and backed away, quickly shutting the door behind him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lois put her hands to her stomach and attempted to calm her nerves. The few moments in her bath, before Kal had strode in, had given her chance to arrange her thoughts, design her strategy. And then all thoughts had fled from her at the sight of him.
No, she couldn’t deny it. She felt the strong pull of attraction.
As he stood there shocked at finding her in a vulnerable state she had been unable to stop her mind from recalling the look of *his* bare chest. Over the two weeks she had spent on board he had removed his shirt while on deck on numerous occasions.
And then he had broken the moment and left.
Now she stood facing the door. Her hair was tumbling down her back, still wet and she worried at the stain it might put on the fancy material of her new dress.
But that was actually the least of her worries. She was about to face the Captain and he was bound to have many questions. Again, though, she felt at peace over that. She knew what her answers would be to the questions he was bound to answer, and she had a strategy to win him over.
It was Kal.
He would be at the Captain's table too. How would she face him knowing he had seen her in the altogether? How could she look him in the eye and speak to him? And how could she share a cabin with him come night time?
‘Father. It’s all for father,’ she reminded herself, and then she knew she could face anything. She would be Lois, wholly and truly.
She stepped forward and opened the cabin door only to be greeted by Jimmy. He turned and looked at her in shock.
“Miss Lois, how did you manage to hide yourself for two weeks?” he said incredulously.
“With great care, Jimmy.” She smiled at him. He was obviously seeing her as a woman now. Even back in the cabin before her bath she’d still been in pirate clothes. He knew, technically, that she was a woman, but now ... it must have been strange for him, especially at only fifteen years of age. “You can take me to the Captain’s cabin now. I’m ready.”
Jimmy nodded then turned away. As Lois followed every step felt like a return to her true self. She was ready and able to be Lois again, and with some minor adjustments to what she felt comfortable with she could complete her mission in this manner.
Arriving at the Captain’s room Jimmy knocked and opened the door immediately. Lois suddenly knew that she could even face Kal. She could even look him in the eye and wash away the whole debacle as an unfortunate but negligible incident.
Jimmy moved away and she entered.
The Captain rose from his seat to greet her. She smiled at him and gave a deep curtsy. “I hope this meets with your approval, Captain,” she said sweetly.
When she rose and looked back at him she saw the shock on his face, even though it was well controlled.
“Well, my lady,” he spoke, the rough edges of his voice grating on her a little. “I would say that Kal chose well. Very well indeed.” At the slight flicker of his eyes she glanced to the side and her heart missed a beat when she saw Kal stood there. He was still, and calm. His expression was unreadable.
‘Kal chose this dress personally!’ she thought.
“So, Lois,” the Captain continued. He held out an arm and indicated a seat at the table. As she turned he continued. “Is there a family name with that beautiful Christian name?”
“No, uh!” she coughed. “Just Lois.”
“But everyone has a family name. The house of El is a great and proud family. Tell me of yours.”
“Just Lois, please. Anyway, it seems to work well enough for Kal.” She smiled up at the Captain as he held the chair for her and as she lowered herself to the seat it seemed that a frosty chill fell over the room.
“Oh, Kal most definitely has a family name, everyone does.” Lois watched as he looked up and across at Kal. “He just claims not to know it.” Lois frowned at the sudden tension in his voice.
“Sir, you should not tease our guest so,” Kal spoke. As he seated himself directly opposite Lois she saw the returning tension in his face. Kal turned his gaze slightly to be looking directly in her eyes. “The Captain knows quite well my history. I am only Kal. There is no other name that I am aware of.”
Captain Zor El moved from behind her chair and then seated himself at her left hand side, on the third edge of the rectangular wooden table. “Food!” he shouted out and a hidden door opened immediately. As food was brought in and served the elder pirate shifted mood again. “Kal here was found as a baby, only a medallion around his neck to tell anyone of his name. Show her the medallion Kal,” he indicated.
Lois turned and looked questioningly at him and so she saw the tightening of his eyes at his Captain’s words. Without speaking he lifted a hand to his collar and slowly lifted out a chain. At the bottom of the chain dangled a metal medallion. Before she could see any more he slid it back out of sight.
“So you see, Lois, our Kal is one of a kind. No family name.” The captain looked back to her. “Although, I see that is no longer the case as you refuse to acknowledge one also.”
“Sire, I do not wish to trifle over this.” She smiled at him again. “May we not eat? It looks lovely. And I have had naught but travel rations since we set sail.” Lois groaned inwardly at her vocabulary but she hoped that it was creating the right atmosphere.
“Indeed,” he replied. His returning smile was confusing. Lois couldn’t tell if he was mocking her or returning her flirtation.
As the meal progressed Lois continued to smile and banter with the captain. Kal spoke rarely but she could feel his gaze on her. Was he disapproving of her, or was he remembering finding her naked in his cabin earlier? ‘Anyway,’ Lois decided, ‘neither of those possibilities bothers me.’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kal watched her playing up to the captain so overtly. ‘What is she up to? Firstly she wishes to be un-noticed hiding as a boy, and now she parades herself in front of the Captain like a ... a ...’ but he couldn’t bring himself to think it. She looked nothing like a whore. Her skin was too smooth, her hair shiny and sleek, and she was graceful. Even her flirtation was actually ladylike and almost regal.
As she laughed delightedly at something that the captain said Kal felt the sudden stab of jealousy. The only thought that calmed him, though, was the realisation that it would all be in vain. Zor El might be engaged in the conversation but Kal knew his moods and his desires and his psychoses.
“So, I can wait no longer, Lois. You must tell me the true reason that you are on my ship.”
Kal turned and watched as she paused momentarily before continuing to lay down her fork.
“I want to be a pirate.” Kal didn’t believe her. Something about the tone in her voice. It was so different from all the flirtation.
“A pirate? Why would you wish that? A fine woman such as you should be landing a rich husband.”
Lois turned and blinked at the captain. “Maybe I want the richest husband of all Zor El.” She had taken to calling him that part way through the meal. “I want to capture the Pirate King.” The inflection she put on the word ‘capture’ made it clear her intentions. But again, he didn’t believe her.
Kal looked across at his captain at the mention of the Pirate King and he saw the affable man change in an instant. Lois did not see the change though, but she wouldn’t ... she didn’t know.
“You wouldn’t happen to know where I can find him would you?” she simpered. “Perhaps even, you,” she pointed at him, “are the pirate king. After all, you do captain the most feared pirate ship.”
Kal saw Lois start in shock when the captain jumped to his feet. The scowl on his face was menacing. “You do not know what you are asking. You cannot possibly. The pirate king ...” he paused and glanced back down to the table. “I think, perhaps, that the meal is over. Return to your cabin. Rather, return to Kal’s cabin. I wish you a pleasant sleep, Lois.”
She stood slowly. There was a mixture of shock, disappointment, and more ... evident on her face. She stepped away from the table and gave a deep curtsey to him and the captain then left.
Kal turned to Zor El immediately. “Sir, she meant nothing by it,” he defended.
“Of course not, Kal. But she should not ...” Kal watched the older man’s jaw tighten.
“Perhaps if you told me more. Maybe I could help.”
“You know enough, Kal. You know *too* much.” He strode off then turned. “I have never told anyone what you have wrested out of me. And you will garner no more information.” He paused. “Go. Go back to her. I gave her to you earlier. And from the way she was behaving tonight, she is in need of some loving.” Kal widened his eyes in shock. “But I am not the man for her. I saw the way *you* looked at her while we dined. Go. She is yours.”
“But ... the Pirate Code. Captain. It is forbidden to force yourself on a woman. We cannot break the Pirate Code.”
“The Pirate Code means nothing, Kal. Not since Zod. Not since he ...” The captain’s jaw clenched again. “The Pirate King has made the code null and void. Pirate captains do as they please.” He laughed, a little manically. “When was the last time there was a free election on board. I am no longer Captain by the *crew’s* choice, although hopefully they would still choose me if we were to hold true. It is fear, and the Pirate King’s word that keeps me in control of this ship. This. Damned. Ship.”
Kal watched as the man he had grown to admire ... a little, and care for ... in a confusing way, left the room without further word. He hung his head and then left himself.
Back at the door to his cabin he paused momentarily. The memory of her body came unbidden to his mind and he quelled an unfamiliar feeling as quickly as possible. He opened the door and then stood in shock again. He’d done it ... again.
At least this time she was not naked. But the nightgown that someone must have found for her was only halfway over her body. Her arms were in the air and she was wriggling her hips to make the material slide down.
She glanced up and her mouth dropped open when she noticed him. A single blink and then her whole demeanour changed. “Kal, you really must learn to knock before you enter.”
Recognising her tone as the flirtatious one she’d been using all evening on the captain he felt angry that she would now turn her attentions to him after being rejected by Zor El. “Knock?” he growled back. “This is my cabin. You would do well to remember that.”
He shut the door behind him and then unrolled the item in his hands. As he reached up to the boards above his head and began fixing a hammock he watched Lois continue to prepare herself for sleep. When she began to brush her hair he stilled, unable to continue. All he could do was watch the movement of her hand over her hair and down her back. Long, gentle strokes.
When she stopped he was still transfixed and she turned around to discover him staring. He saw a knowing smile cross her face and then she spoke just two words.
“Goodnight, Kal.” Kneeling on the floor she drew back the blankets on his pallet and slid in.
Kal continued to hang his hammock and once it settled in place he removed his boots and jacket. Striding over to his small desk he bent down and blew out the candle in the lamp. Two strides and he was back at the hammock.
He climbed in at the same time as sliding his pistol out of his waistband. Holding it in his hand as he shuffled into place he slid onto his side, facing the door.
Out there were dangers. He had to be alert and aware at all times. He was in such a delicate position and he couldn’t risk anything tipping the balance here.
But then he thought about the lady resting behind him; hopefully asleep. She was definitely tipping the balance, but in what direction. And it was possible that she was a greater danger than the rest of the crew outside the door.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
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