Hi all, I hope you enjoy this short story on a subject I know next to nothing about. It's pure fantasy with a ton of plot holes, I expect some to notice for sure. Please keep any comments respectful and constructive even if you hate it. It's not you doing the writing and opening yourself up to hatred and nastiness.
That said, all characters are eighteen or over when explicit sex is depicted. I own the rights to this and have published it free of charge for you to read and hopefully enjoy.
Flic.
*
The pirate ship 'Echo' ploughed through the gentle swells at a steady pace, the crew of hard men went about their chores with decent cheer, as the Captain sat on a barrel of rum and watched a dot on the horizon draw closer.
Coconut sat on the deck beside Captain Johannes Jones, Captain Jo-Jo to the crew. Her long legs were crossed, as she polished his boots with great diligence to avoid a beating.
Never looking up at his craggy face, with its bulbous nose and lice infested beard. She had learned that it was best not to draw his attention, as there were worse things than the sting of his belt.
Coconut didn't know her real name, or if she had one, Captain Jo-Jo had hauled her on board when she was a child. He had named her Coconut because of the small raft she had been on, filled with the nuts that she had been surviving on.
What memories she had. Consisted of an old woman, an Island with white sandy beaches and a dark-skinned man who had spoken to her in a different tongue to the woman. It had been a happy childhood until the man died, then the woman had set Coconut on the raft and tearfully waved her off. Telling her that the Island wasn't safe anymore and she had to go.
So, she had grown up among the crew of the 'Echo' and been claimed as Captain Jo-Jo's personal cabin boy. Except she wasn't a boy and she doubted any of the men onboard had to do the things she did for the Captain.
As she grew and past her adolescent years, the crew came to accept her as their own. Most treated her well enough and a few were nice, or as nice as pirates get anyway.
With time, she learned to navigate by observation and listening to the Captain as he plotted their courses. It was easy to do, as she was very bright, and people tended not to notice that she was paying close attention.
She also made one true friend. A smallish man with long dark hair and a wispy beard, they called him Chink and he was the deadliest fighter on board the ship. To Coconut he was Master Ling, when they were alone, and he taught her how to use all manner of blades and that even her body could be lethal.
He was a quiet man who also taught her to be subtle and cautious about her knowledge, none of the crew knew the full extent of Ling's talents, and Coconut followed his sage advice. No matter how good she was, she could not fight an entire crew.
Coconut also realized that Captain Jo-Jo was her protector. She saw the way that some of the men looked at her and was aware of what they desired to do to her. Fear of being thrown to them by Jo-Jo kept her even more alert and wary of revealing what she had been taught. Having to satisfy the crew, the way she did for the Captain when in his Cabin, was a very strong incentive to remain as quiet as possible.
That hadn't been so hard when she was younger. But she had developed a great deal lately, breasts now filled out her bodice and the petticoat skirts didn't hide her more feminine hips either. With long blonde hair and large bright blue eyes, she had become far more interesting to the men recently. Even the nicer ones now eyed her differently and she no longer walked the deck unless Jo-Jo was also present.
Only feeling truly safe when with Ling, Coconut took extra caution when descending to the bowels of the ship to continue her lessons with him.
***
"Boots." Demanded Jo-Jo with his usual guttural distain and a gesture.
Coconut quickly shuffled around so that she was seated in front of him and helped him don the newly polished boots. Trying not to gag at the smell of his feet as she did so.
"Go below." He said once he'd stamped his feet into the well-made boots and cuffed her on the head. Tousling her hair and eliciting a small yelp from her.
Coconut fled on her bare feet without another sound. She was always sent below when they got close to a ship or shore.
Jo-Jo had no intention of letting his personal sex toy escape. Or be spotted by anyone that might wonder how a Pirate had come by such a beauty. A Royal Navy captain would give up the pursuit of a fast pirate ship in time, but such a Captain might get ideas of chivalry if he saw a young girl as pretty as Coconut on board the 'Echo'. Then the chase would not be so easily stopped or shaken.
Captain Jo-Jo had a reputation for mercy too. He deliberately didn't slaughter whole crews or try to make a name for himself like Roberts, Black Beard or Eric. He considered it foolish to get the Royal Navy so hot under the collar for himself and acted accordingly.
There was another plus to his tactics. Ruthless as he might be in his initial attack, his reputation for mercy was well known and when he yelled for a heave to, most ships did so. Secure in the knowledge that their crews and Captain wouldn't be harmed if they stopped fighting and let Jo-Jo take what he wanted.
There were odd occasions when he would slaughter a crew. For those times, he deemed it necessary to leave no survivors at all, and as it was against his norm, he did so far from his usual hunting waters. Sailing far to the south or north. Just as he was today.
Alone in Jo-Jo's Cabin, Coconut went to the Captain's desk. It was festooned with knickknacks that he had stolen; most were merely something that he took a fancy to. His real treasures were kept below his bed until he could sail to the Island where he buried the very best.
With plenty of time until his return, she looked over his sea charts and estimated her position, that of the prey and how far it was to next landfall. This was good practice for her, and she didn't fully understand that she was doing it faster than most highly experienced sailors. Nor that her estimate was just as accurate.
Having had so much practice and with years of knowledge, Coconut placed a finger where she thought her Island might be. She traced a small circle around the area with whimsical thoughts of returning to find the old woman who might be her mother.
"One day. I'll find you one day." She whispered so softly that it carried no further than her own ears.
Coconut often thought about the few memories she had of that Island when the stars and moon shone down to reflect off the sea. On especially clear nights, she could look up and sometimes see the same constellations as she had as a child, the memory was a small one, but it helped to know that the same stars were up there. That somewhere, there was a place where she had been happy.
The ships timbers creaked and groaned and the sound of waves against it's hull was mixed with the shouts of the crew. A mixture of constant noises that were never fully silent accompanied her to the Captain's bed to do one of her many chores when out of sight.
A bar of soap, dipped in a bowl of seawater, was her weapon as she hunted the bed lice. It wasn't as if she would get them all, but less was better than the hoards if she didn't do it daily. It was one of the few things she didn't mind doing for the Captain, she slept in that bed too.
An hour past and then another, the bowl of water slowly filled with drowning black specks that ineffectually kicked tiny legs caked in soap.
She hunted with relentless patience, dabbing down with the bar of soap with lightning fast reflexes whenever she found a louse.
The ships motion and her concentration lulled her for a while, letting her forget everything as she pursued her prey.
Above her, Captain Jo-Jo was also eyeing his prey, the dot had become much larger and was now recognizable as the ship he had wanted.
He yelled fresh orders. Crewmen scrambled up rigging with all the skill of monkeys, others hauled on hemp ropes and more raced below the decks to prime cannons. A boarding party rechecked their muskets, knives and cutlasses were ready to hand before helping to man the topside cannons.
The 'Echo' was a fast ship, smaller than the Royal Navy frigates, but as well armed. It could rundown most vessels and the end was in sight as the gap closed between hunter and prey.
***
"Pirate?" asked lieutenant Williams. Shading his eyes as he watched the fast closing 'Echo'.
"Oh yes. Captain Jones' ship. A nasty bottom feeder with a vicious crew. Ready your Marines Lieutenant." Captain Alexander Blakely replied as he snapped shut his telescope and briskly turned to give his crew their orders.
Lieutenant Williams saluted smartly and dashed off to gather his Marines. He was no more than twenty and looked very young. Fresh faced and on his first assignment, he was eager to prove his mettle and abilities in combat. The young man considered warfare a sport and assumed he would be good at it.
He was lucky in a way, the men under him were well seasoned and skilled. His sergeant was an older man in his forties who had seen combat numerous times. More than enough to know that winning wasn't a sure thing and killing wasn't a game.
With a chivalrous and good heart, Lt Williams could have been taken advantage of by his Sergeant and men, there were plenty of ways for enlisted men to do so with a soft officer. Luckily for Williams, Sgt Sabastian Devlin had taken a liking to Williams and made sure the young pup didn't lose his way.
As the Marines prepared their muskets, checking their powder was dry and ammunition pouches full.
Emily Blakely stepped onto the main deck, her dress was a little disheveled after weeks at sea, and she twitched and smoothed it with her hands before going to see her father.
With a graceful poise that had been drummed into her from an early age, she managed to navigate the steps up to where her father stood despite the motion of a ship at full sail.
"Father?" she asked as crewmen dashed about and the common men forgot to tug their forelocks in respect.
Her green eyes were filled with concern while she tried to maintain an outwardly calm appearance. She had heard the word 'Pirates' and prayed her father would tell her not to worry and that everything was fine.
"Get below Emily... NOW." Her father barked, instead of giving her the hoped-for reassurances. Too absorbed with 'Echo' speedily closing the distance even faster than he had thought possible. A small fear blossoming within him at the sight of his daughter too. The fear of any parent when danger rears its head and it races closer by the second.
