Pirates Of The Caribbean Fan Fiction ❯ Mirror, Mirror ❯ The Adventure Begins ( Chapter 14 )

Chapter 14

 

Ayse sat in a hardwood chair with her hands in her lap and her waist long ebony hair hanging behind the chair back as Theodore looked it over, rubbing his chin. On the table in front of her, she looked at James grimly who returned with a reassuring expression of his own.

“Well,” Theodore began, “we could whack it off to about shoulder length, and I think you should be set.”

“I wish you didn't have to whack it off at all,” Ayse lamented.

Theodore arched an eyebrow. “Now here's something I don't understand…you're jilting your fiancé tomorrow, running off to find Calypso and you will be upsetting nearly all of your friends and family, and you're more concerned with your hair?”

Ayse heaved a defeated sigh. “While I see that you have a valid point, you must understand that my hair has been this length for as long as I can remember, and I've…well…become rather attached.”

Theodore snorted amusedly and James shook his head within the glass.

“Well,” Groves began, “you're about to become unattached.” He took Ayse's hair into his fist and positioned a pair of shears at the cutting area. “Are you ready, Ayse?”

“Yes…wait! No!” She paused and took in a breath. “Alright…”

Ayse screwed her eyes shut as she felt her hair coming loose from her head as Groves guided the shears across the strands of her silky, ebony locks. She could feel every strand falling away and her head becoming lighter as she clenched her fists in her lap.

After what seemed an eternity, he finally finished and held up the long tail he'd cut away for her to see. Ayse glanced up at him and then instinctively reached a hand to her own shoulder where the length of her newly shorn hair now hung.

“Oh, Mother…I hope you forgive me…” she muttered.

“Don't worry, Ayse,” James reassured her. “It will all grow back in time.”

“He is right, you know,” Theodore put in. “But it did have to go, I'm afraid, because if it hadn't you'd have a whole lot of trouble on your quest.”

“I understand,” she sighed, taking the hair that was cut away from the lieutenant. She glanced down at the limp strands in her palm and sighed. Then she tossed the hair out of the study's open window and tried to think of it no more.

“Now, you should go get into your clothes. We will be leaving soon,” James told her.

Ayse took up her bundle of clothes and went upstairs to James's bedchamber to changer out of her dress and into her disguise. It would be the last occasion for an uncertain period of time that she would ever be in a gown or be known as a woman for that matter.

For the past few weeks, hasty preparations were made in the company of James and his lieutenant right in James's home for their long and uncertain journey. At the same time, Ayse and Alston were planning their wedding, and earlier this evening had been the engagement party in which Ayse was received by well-wishers. The whole thing had been excruciating, for not only was she regretting what she was about to do, but she found that she'd grown quite fond of Theodore's company and looked forward to seeing both him and James during their late nights together. The jokes they shared amidst all their work was what Ayse loved the most and what she would rather have been doing. She'd gotten to know James's home as though it were her own, and she even bought tea for James's cherry wood tea caddy and brewed cups for her and Theodore each night as they worked.

Ayse studied herself in James's dressing mirror for a moment after changing; she did not look like the fine young woman she was brought up to be, and her ankles were showing when a dress should be covering them up. She started downstairs and peered around the door to the study where James and Groves were talking while they waited.

“Oh, there she is,” James informed Groves, who had his back turned to the door.

“Well, what's the matter, Ayse?” Theodore asked. “Come in so we can see how you look.”

Ayse's face turned red. “Well…m-my legs are showing…”

Groves laughed. “They're supposed to, you ninny!”

Ayse frowned. “For a woman they're not.”

James's face turned serious. “Now, Ayse, you're just going to have to throw propriety out the window and get used to being inappropriate for the time being. In this case, you are more than excused.”

Ayse sighed, defeated once again, and stepped into the room. She clasped her hands behind her back and looked at them expectantly. “Well?”

Groves led her fully into the study and closer to James. “I think she'll make do, aside from having to tie her hair back. What do you think?”

“Just fine,” James nodded. “Once she's ready, let's hurry down to the docks and get underway.”

Groves produced a long black ribbon from his pocket and handed it to Ayse. “Now tie your hair back with this. It's mine, but…I brought it for you.” He pulled out a tricorn hat. “You'll also need this. I only hope it fits.”

Ayse smiled for the first time since the evening began. “This will do nicely. Thank you.”

“Ah, you're welcome.”

She tied back her hair and tried on the hat; it was only slightly loose, but it would do. Theodore took out his watch and noted that the hour was at hand and that they needed to leave for the harbor as soon as possible.

“I cannot go down there with you as it would look suspicious,” Theodore told her sadly. “So this is where we part ways and I bid you a farewell. Please…take care, both of you.”

Ayse blinked back the tears that were beginning to form. She hugged Theodore, earning a blush on his part and released him. “I thank you for all of your help, Theodore - James and I both do. I know this whole thing was a risk on your part as well. I promise I will think of you and we shall return soon.”

He turned her toward the docks. “Well the sooner you get on, the sooner you shall return. Remember all I have instructed you these past weeks. Now go. I don't want to see your face again until you return - and with my admiral in one piece, no doubt.” He winked and smiled. “Godspeed.”

Ayse waved back to Theodore as she started off into the grey morning mists. The sun had not yet come up, yet there was that familiar lingering misty grey that arrives just before the sunrise. She hastened her steps clenching onto James as he hung around her neck beneath her shirt.

She arrived at the docks and began searching for a merchant vessel on which to sign on. Theodore and James had advised that she stay away from East India Company trade ships as they would more than likely not be headed to Tortuga. So, she searched for something that was not an EITC ship.

Ayse finally came across a ship that looked suitable for what she wanted. She wandered down the pier until she came across a rough-looking man sitting at a cargo box with a ledger, a quill, and an ink bottle in front of him. Ayse approached him clad with her small duffel sack over her shoulder and James's rapier at her side.

The man eyed her with a scowl, not quite certain what to make of her. “Kin I help ye, lad?”

“I'd like to sign on to your vessel, sir,” Ayse answered.

“Is that so?” He leaned forward. “Have ye any sailing experience?”

“No, sir, but I promise I shall work hard. You see, I just came of age and decided that I wanted to be a sailor. Always been in love with the sea…”

He put his hand up. “Ya dun need to tell me yer life story, Son. Kin ya write yer name?”

“Aye, sir, I can.”

He pointed to a line and handed Ayse the quill pen. “Then sign yer name here, lad, and git yer self on board. We'll figure out what to do with ye when we embark.”

Ayse took the quill pen, but she suddenly realized that she hadn't even thought of a name for herself as a man. Though her own female name was unusual, there was still no way she could go by it as it still sounded far too feminine.

Then a name dawned on her like the coming sunrise. She bent over the ledger and put the pen to the page: Andrew Thomas.

She handed the pen back to the man who glanced at the page and then stood up. He shot her a smile with half the teeth gone and extended a hand out to her. “Welcome aboard, Andrew Thomas. Glad to have ye. I'm the bo'sun, John Pike. The cap'n should be on decks gettin' things ready to git underway.”

“Yes, sir. I'll report to him at once and thank you.”

 

 

The dawn broke, and as Ayse was boarding her ship, her aunt was coming up the stairs to rouse Ayse for the big day. When Anne opened the door, she was met by an empty bed and curtains flapping in the morning breeze.

“Ayse?” she called, but there was no answer.

Anne looked out the window before closing it and then opened the wardrobe in the corner of the room; to her horror, the wedding gown was still hanging inside.

“Oh dear…” Anne trailed.

She picked up her skirts, flurried downstairs, and out into the garden where Ayse would sometimes relax. Not finding her niece there, she made her way down a worn path through the bushes and out to the beach. She held up a hand to shield her eyes from the bright morning sun and scanned the shore for any sign of Ayse, yet found not a living soul there. She glanced out toward the horizon at a ship that had just left the Port Royal harbor just moments ago before turning back toward the house.

Anne knew that it was perfectly natural for a woman to get scared just before a wedding, for she had done the same when she married Edmund. However, she felt that something was awry with this whole engagement, though she could not place her finger on it.

Still, Anne made her way back to the house and subsequently found her husband in the dining room having a light breakfast and some tea. She wrung her hands worriedly as she approached her husband.

“Oh, Edmund…we have a problem…”

He frowned and shifted in his chair uneasily. “What kind of problem?”

“Ayse has gone missing.”

His eyes nearly bugged out of her head and the teacup was replaced on the saucer with a loud clatter. “What?! She's missing?! Where in blazes could she be?!”

“I…I don't know! I went to awaken her and she was…gone. I checked everywhere around the house for her, but there is no sign of her. Surely she could not have gone far.”

“I hope for her sake she has not!” Edmund spat, standing up. He tugged on his waistcoat and stepped out from behind the table. “Alston will be upset for certain!”

“Now, now, Edmund,” Anne said calmly. “There is no need to be rash. Port Royal is not a large town, and I'm sure Ayse is feeling nervous about getting married. It's perfectly natural. Don't you remember when I disappeared before our own wedding?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“But I came back,” Anne finished. “Let us search the rest of the house and property to find her and if we don't find her here then we'll ask the Royal Navy to step in and do a search.”

“But if we do that, then we'll have to tell Alston, and the wedding is in two bloody hours!” Edmund pointed out. He rubbed his temples beneath his wig. “Ohh…this is so frustrating.”

Anne sighed. “Indeed it is, but this is the best we are able to do at this point. We may simply have to begin the ceremony a bit late once we do find her.”

“Well then we better get to it,” Edmund huffed exasperated.

 

 

Alston stood at the outdoor alter atop the rampart of Fort Charles dressed in his finest. He looked out at the guests as he wrung his hands behind his back nervously. The hour was close at hand and the minister stepped up to the altar with his Bible in hand. He glanced at Alston expectantly, but the latter had nothing to offer. Just what was taking his fiancée so long anyway?

Just then Anne stepped up and motioned for Alston to come with her, her face filled with anxiety. Alston excused himself, and as he stepped down from the precipice, he could hear the tell-tale whispers of the audience all around him.

Anne pulled Alston into a private office, wringing her hands nervously. “Alston…it's about Ayse…”

The bridegroom already had an unsettling feeling when Anne approached him, but now he was genuinely worried. “Is she ill?”

Anne shook her head. “I'm afraid not.” She paused, biting her lip. “She has gone missing and we have no idea where she is.”
Alston's face contorted from worry into horror and anger. “What?! She's gone missing?!”

Anne lowered her head shamefully. “Yes. Edmund is out with some officers of the Royal Navy looking for her. We don't think she has gone far, so we ask that you just…wait patiently.”

“Wait patiently? In front of all those people?! Woman, you must think me mad!” Alston clasped his hands behind his back. “Just what has gotten into Ayse? If she did not want to wed me, she should have said something…or asked for more time…”

“Listen, Alston…it's quite common for a woman to be unsettled on the day of her marriage, and you must understand that things happened so very quickly between you two. I was nervous on my own wedding day. I'm certain she will turn up.”

“I certainly hope she does,” Alston told Anne. “In the meantime, I say we postpone the ceremony until we find her.”

“You would still be willing to wed her after this?” Anne questioned, puzzled.

Alston allowed a small, wistful smile. “Of course…I adore her.”

 

 

Ayse stood on the deck of the Cielo Mio, the merchant vessel she would be calling home for an indefinite amount of time. She took out a spyglass that James had given her permission to take from his home and peered at Fort Charles as the ship began to move away from the docks. People were scurrying about to put in the final preparations for her and Alston's wedding. Oh, what would he say when he found out she was gone? What would her family say?

“Ahoy there, mate!” a voice called to Ayse.

She put the spyglass away into her knapsack and turned to face the man calling to her. He was a black-haired man who looked to be far more experienced than she. He wasn't very tall - rather short and husky - but he seemed friendly enough. His eyes were merry, though his voice stern as he barked a few orders at the crew as he approached her.

“A-ahoy!” she returned.

He slapped her hard on the back, and she stepped forward to catch herself from the force of it. “Name's Giovanni Russo and I be the first mate on this ship. I see ye not an experienced sailor, no?”

“That would be correct, sir,” Ayse answered.

“Well, I'll show ye the ropes, so to speak, but don't make the mistake of thinkin' I'll be easy on ye, understand?”

“Absolutely, sir,” Ayse answered.

“Yer first order, Sailor, is to quit callin' me `sir'. I have a name and it ain't `sir'. It's Russo.”

“Yes, s - I mean, Russo.”

“That's better…now for your second order - help cast off these mooring lines so we kin get underway. I'll even take time to show you how to do that.”

He led her over to a knot of rope tied to the ship that appeared to be one of the lines holding the ship to the dock. He watched as she fumbled the knot apart and threw the line down to the dock below.

Oh, James, what have we gotten into? she thought.

“Now, what is your name, Sailor?” Russo asked.

“A-Andrew Thomas,” Ayse responded, catching herself as she had almost blown it right off the get go and said her own name.

“Well, Andrew, assist us in unfurling the sails and hoisting them. Make sure to make fast those lines or'll have a bit of trouble catching wind.”

“Aye,” Ayse responded. She took a hold of the line that Russo held and struggled to hoist the canvas sail. It was, she was finding, much heavier than it looked.

For the rest of the day, Ayse was given a tour of the Cielo Mio, and she found herself in a dark, damp area below decks where the magazine was found as well as the storage areas for all of the ship's provisions and its precious cargo. She was also shown how to do a good number of things and how the components of the ship worked; it was all confusing. Russo gave her a piece of rope with which to practice tying various kinds of knots, and he left her to her own devices while he attended to the rest of the crew and had a meeting with the captain.

“Well what do ye think?” a voice asked her as he sat down on a crate.

Ayse looked up to see that it was the ship's bo'sun whom she had signed on with was sitting next to her and looking out at the sea.

“It's overwhelming, but I could get used to it,” she responded.

He nodded. “Aye, aye…it is overwhelming and confusing at first, but you'll get the hang of it. We got plenty `o months fer you to season.” He held a hand out to her. “Now for a formal introduction…I was kinder in a hurry to git `er underway. Welcome aboard, mate.”

She shook his hand. “It's a pleasure, Mr. Pike.”

He chuckled. “Ye gotta learn ta lose the formalities `round her. We be simple men, mate. Just call me John, if'n ye dun mind.”

They spoke for a while, and she learned that not only was John the ship's bo'sun, so to speak, he was also in charge of keeping track of the ship's logs and boosting crew morale. The helmsman held his course as the bow of the ship cut speedily through the clear Caribbean water on course toward Tortuga, according to the compass she'd borrowed from James.

She was eventually offered dinner, which consisted of stew, hard tack, and grog (which Ayse had a difficult time with the overpowering taste), and was shown her quarters downstairs. The ship's crew quarters were nothing but a space down in the hold where the other men hung their hammocks in close proximity to one another. She hung up her hammock in the farthest corner she could find, though it would undoubtedly prove vain to expect privacy for a very long time. The hold itself was also dark, dank, and damp - hardly any place that Ayse would want to sleep, though she was left with little choice.

She returned to the main deck after settling into her `quarters' and leaned against the railing to look out at the reflected shimmering sunset on the surface of the water. The ship's bell chimed the end of the current watch, and she took out the pocket watch from her shirt and looked at it. There were no occupants at the bow, so Ayse opted to carry her conversation with James there.

She opened up the lid and peered at him. “I'm sorry I haven't been able to get to you.”

“I expected it. How are you holding up?”

Ayse sighed. “I say, James, I'm so overwhelmed. How will I ever learn all these orders and terms?”

“You will in time.” He paused for a moment and shifted his brown eyes. “Truthfully, when I first joined the Navy, I had a difficult time adjusting as well. But that stays between us.”

Ayse chuckled quietly. “Saving face, eh?” she teased.

James ventured an amused smile of his own. “Making it look easy to others is hard work, you know.” He soon glanced at her reassuringly. “Sailing is hard no matter what vessel you serve. If you should ever need help or need clarification on something, don't hesitate to ask me.”

“Oh, I won't. I've already got enough questions to last for an all night conversation,” Ayse responded.

“I imagine so, but,” he began, “you look very fatigued and I think you need to rest now, Ayse. I think for now it would be wise that you get your rest.”

She nodded. “I was just about to turn in down below.” She smiled tenderly. “But I just wanted to say good night.”