Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="Bullfrog, post: 161642, member: 2230"] Felipe took out his nautical charts. He knew the waters and the route home yet he felt like he needed something to take his mind off of her. She was beautiful and strong, he had never seen nor met a woman like her. The mere thought of her made his heart beat faster and he felt excited and strange inside. Again he tried to study the charts trying to think of other places and upcoming adventures but his mind went back to her. He got up and went to the window and took deep breaths of the salt air looking at the horizon, thinking of their homecoming. Still his thoughts kept returning to her. Andreas had always been his mentor so he left the cabin and looked for him. He found Andreas sitting at the front of the ship on a bucket sharpening his sword. Felipe paced back and forth looking out to sea and Andreas watched him for a few moments. He was clearly agitated. “What is bothering you Felipe?” He asked and kept looking at his blade as he honed it. Felipe looked at him and said, “Nothing, I guess that I am just still excited about our battle and victory.” Andreas smiled slightly and said “She is very beautiful.” Felipe feigned innocence and said “Who?” “Oh come now nephew, I have known you since you were born and I can read you like a book. You cannot hide anything from me, she is on your mind and you seem to be falling for her. I know what that is like, she occupies your every thought, you feel all funny inside when you think of her.” Felipe stopped pacing and looked at him. Andreas smiled and went back to sharpening his sword. Finally he resigned himself that it was useless to try to lie to his Uncle who knew him so well. He got another bucket, flipped it over and sat beside him so he did not have to look into his eyes. After a few moments he said, “She is very beautiful.” “Who?” Andreas smiled at him. Felipe was finally able to laugh, “She is a princess and I am a pirate. There is no chance of anything ever becoming of us. I should just forget her and treat her as the ransom that she represents.” Andreas slowly honed his sword. Felipe trusted his wisdom and looked to him for a ray of hope. Finally Andreas spoke. “It will take many weeks, months to get the word back to the King demanding her ransom. It will take even more time to arrange for the exchange. You have time on your side. Treat her like the beautiful woman that she is, but do not grovel or appear too eager. Still pay attention to her, be kind and fair to her. And smile, that scar on your face might scare her. A princess and a pirate? Stranger things have happened.” Andreas looked at him. “We are still five days and nights from our home. I think that you should offer them the use of your cabin so they will be comfortable. You can sleep with us on the gun deck and get to know her better as the days pass.” Andreas said. “That is a great idea!” Felipe said and he jumped to his feet. Andreas held his hand up and said, “Felipe, do you remember the jaguar? You must learn to listen to what I say. Be kind and respectful but do not appear too eager. Slow down.” He smiled and put his hand down. “And smile.” Felipe stopped and took a deep breath and blew it out. He smiled at Andreas and slowly walked toward the stern. Andreas smiled to himself and examined the edge of his sword with his finger. He slid the whetstone along it’s length as light as a feather. Angelica closed the door to the captains quarters and worked the lock. She smiled and spread her arms out and said, “Now this is much better. This is much better than shivering on that cold, hard deck snuggled against your horse do you not you think?” She looked around and spied the bar. “Would you care for a brandy ?” “Yes, please.” the princess said as she sat in a comfortably upholstered chair. Angelica poured two generous drinks, walked over and handed her one. She sat beside her and sipped at her drink. “This is good brandy.” she said, “You know, he is a handsome man also. He does not have the fine looks of Jeanne Pierre but he is handsome in a more rugged, manly way. I wonder how he got that scar?” The princess sipped her drink and said, “Probably in a tavern fight.” “You do not find him the least bit attractive?” Angelica asked. “Unlike you, I do not go lusting after pirates after a few sips of brandy.” The princess said with a smile. “Oh come now, he has shown us kindness and even given us the use of his cabin. I have seen the sons of royalty who came to court you. With their pale skin, powdered wigs and skinny arms. He is a handsome fellow and a real man, he commands all of these fierce fighting men. He is not what I expected of a pirate, he has treated us with respect. Will you not at least admit that he is a handsome man?” Angelica said with a smile. The princess looked down at her drink and said, “Yes, I suppose that he is a handsome man, in a rugged kind of way.” Angelica smiled and poured them another drink. Later that evening there was a knock at the door. Angelica got up and opened the door to see a really large, fat man with a black, curly beard and smiling eyes holding a tray with two covered plates. “I am Carlos, the ship’s cook. I have prepared you a meal. It may not be what you are accustomed to but the grouper is fresh and the beans are hot and good. We have no fresh bread nor an oven so I am afraid that tortillas will have to suffice. May I come in?” It did smell delicious and she asked him in. He placed the plates on the table with knives, spoons and forks and two cloth napkins. He then pulled their chairs out, went to the bar and poured them two drinks. “Eat hearty ladies, if you wish for more just come down to the galley, the scent will lead you there. Just leave the tray and plates outside of the door when you are finished.” With that he turned, walked out of the door and closed it softly behind him. They quickly uncovered their plates, the grouper had been grilled a golden brown and the bowl of beans were spiced to perfection. They ate hungrily and slept that night in a soft, down filled bed. Early the next morning there was another knock on the door. Angelica quickly brushed her hair and opened it. Jeanne Pierre was standing there with a tray of food, “May I come in?” he asked. Angelica opened the door and he set the tray on the table. He bowed his head and walked toward the door. The princess said, “Jeanne Pierre, I must feed my horse.” “I found the oats that we removed from the Luisa below decks. Your horse has been fed and watered. I cleaned the deck as well.” He turned around again and Angelica got up and said, “Jeanne Pierre, you have been most kind to us sir and I do want to thank you.” she took both of his hands in hers. Jeanne Pierre raised her hand and bowed his head. He quickly and gently kissed the back of her hand as he looked at her with his blue eyes. He turned and walked out of the room. Angelica turned to look at the princess who just smiled and said “Tramp.” Angelica giggled. She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side, she looked at the princess and said, “We are being treated fairly and with respect even though we have been captured by pirates. This is a grand adventure! What ever happened in the castle? Nothing! It was so boring there. This is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me in my life, as well as yours if you will admit it. Think about it, captured and living among pirates who are treating us well and who are not ravaging us or abusing us. They only seek our ransom and we will be returned back home safe. What are the odds of something like that happening? For once in my life I feel alive and excited. Live this Celeste, you will never again see such an exciting time in your life.” The princess looked at her and said, “You know, you may very well be right about this.” CHAPTER TEN HOME As the days slowly passed Celeste became more relaxed around Felipe and began talking more to him. He was always kind and respectful. On the morning of the fifth day Tortuga came into sight. As they approached the lagoon they furled all but two of their sails and turned slowly into the sheltered harbor. One of the wives stood vigil on the beach and shouted out a greeting waving her arms above her head. She then ran back to the village. Soon all of the wives were wading out into the water, shouting and waving at them. Batu wheeled the ship around expertly and the anchors were dropped. The ship swung into the wind and came to a stop, tugging at her anchors. Men immediately jumped over the side and began swimming to the shore. Jeanne Pierre and Felipe walked up to the princess and Angelica who were standing at the rail looking at the island. “Where is the city?” the princess asked. “There is no city, we have a village just inside of the tree line. We wish to keep our presence here unknown.“ Felipe said, “We will lower a life boat for Angelica and yourself.” “For Angelica, please. My horse will not be able to get on a lifeboat. I will swim him to the shore.” the princess said. “As you wish.” Felipe said. He and Jeanne Pierre placed Angelica in the lifeboat as the princess handed her the cage with Puco in it. The boat was loaded with the trunks of their clothing and then pushed off. Angelica smiled and waved at her. Andreas stood on the shore with Batu and Shayla watching the boat approach. As soon as it was clear of the ship the princess swung up onto her horse. She walked it to the far rail and then charged forward. The strong black stallion jumped over the rail and landed with a big splash. She then began to swim toward the shore. “That is one hell of a woman.” Andreas said. Batu just smiled and nodded his head. They waited for her to approach until the horse waded onto the shore and shook itself dry. Celeste swung down out of the saddle and took the reins. “This way please.” Andreas said with a sweep of his hand. They walked up to the pavilion and Andreas tied her horse to a post. The men were all sitting with their wives and it was very obvious that they were as glad to be home as their wives were to see them. Felipe and Andreas escorted them to a bench and had them sit down. Felipe walked away and came back with a flask of brandy and poured them a drink. A tall, beautiful black woman approached them holding Batu’s hand and walked up to the two women. She smiled and said, “I am Shayla, Batu’s wife. He has asked me to watch over you and introduce you to the ways of life on this island. I will be glad to be your friend.” she smiled at them. The princess was somewhat unnerved at being in the proximity of so many black people, she had never even seen black people before. Angelica stood up and said, “It is good to meet you Shayla and to see other women. I also want to be your friend.” Shayla looked at the princess and tilted her head, waiting for a response. Celeste had always been told that the blacks were ignorant savages, not much more than animals suited only for hard labor. She did not know how to take this woman who stood before her speaking perfect Spanish. She shot a glance at Angelica who made a subtle jerk of her head toward Shayla and urged her with her eyes. She smiled and said, “I am Celeste, it is nice to meet you also.” “Well it is good to have new women on the island, maybe we will have some new gossip to share. “ Shayla said with a warm smile. “Tonight you may use my mothers cabin, it is right over there.” Felipe pointed, “Tomorrow we will build you one as well as a stable for your horse. We need to have a celebration, a homecoming feast.” Felipe said. He looked at Andreas and said, “I will round up a few men and we will go hunting and kill a few pigs, tonight we will eat and celebrate. If you will excuse me, we will be back before dark, have a big fire ready.” He and Batu rose and went to talk to the men. “Speaking of dark, do not wander about when it gets dark and the fires burn down.” Andreas told them, “We have jaguars in the jungle and they become quite bold at night. We will keep a large fire burning all night and have men take turns feeding it so your horse will be safe, tomorrow we will build a safe stall.” “Jaguars? But Felipe is going hunting out there, will he be alright?” the princess blurted out without thinking. Angelica shot her a small, knowing smile. “Felipe will be just fine, he has killed many jaguars. That is how he got that scar on his face, the first one almost got him but he was quite young.” Andreas said. They sipped their brandy and Angelica said, “So, tell me about the Frenchman.” “I have noticed that you do seem to be interested in him, what would you like to know?” Andreas asked. “Where does he come from?” she inquired. “France, I would imagine.” Andreas smiled. [/QUOTE]

Verification