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~M.C. Cougar
Book 2: By the Sea
Song 1: The Maid of Amsterdam
In Amsterdam there lived a maid,
Mark well what I do say!
In Amsterdam there lived a maid,
Who was always pinchin' the sailor's trade.
I'll go no more a roving with you fair maid!
A rovin', a rovin',
Since rovin's been my ru-i-in,
I'll go no more a roving,
With you fair maid!
Three years had passed by, as Rosalind stood longingly by the sea she had regretted her decision, the guilt had eaten away at her. To just leave after all they'd given her all they'd done. Every day she became a little more submersed into the aristocratic culture, curtsying when introduced, eating in the proper fashion. Jonathan had made it his task to enlighten her, she had never been educated and his shock at how well she'd been able to adapt drove him to teach her.
Soon she could read more fluently and write. She had never been taught how to write before and the quill felt strange in her fingers as she wrote under Jonathan's direction. He insisted on keeping the matter quiet as to not embarrass her, which she thought was ridiculous. Frequently she'd look out the window or gaze out longingly where the horizon met the ocean, as if she were waiting for her old ship to fade in from the distance. She knew that wouldn't happen, they had probably given up long ago, if they had even searched for her at all. She sighed as Jonathan came in, sporting yet another long silken gown.
She smiled at him, "Another? I have so many!"
He laughed, "Perhaps, but this one is new, and you deserve new things." It had occurred to Rosalind that Jonathan intended to make up for everything she didn't have. If she even dared mention of something he would already have it being sent.
"You should really stop spoiling me, I'll turn rotten."
Jonathan wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck, "I can't spoil you enough." He hesitated for a moment, "It's taken me quite awhile but I believe I've managed to convince my father."
"Convince him of what?" She looked at him curiously.
"You'll see tomorrow at the ball." He kissed her forehead and turned around, "As for now, we'll have to go into town put on your new dress."
Rosalind smiled as she walked over to the new dress and picked it up. In rushed a smaller woman who began to pull Rosalind towards a changing screen. She began to remove her night clothes and replace them with a corset, which she pulled tight. Jonathan walked over near the screen, he noticed as he had before the scars along her back, never finding the courage to pry further, he knew it must have been terrible, many of them were a constant long trail from her shoulders to her lower back. When she had mentioned to him of her past she had kept it scarce, no more than she had been captured when she was very young and placed on a Navy vessel and that it had been captured by pirates. Her detail was vague but he could see the pain in her voice when he had brought it up the first time.
Rosalind was dressed and had begun working on her hair, she couldn't help but wonder what he had planned for her, but the idea soon left her thoughts as she saw the sea once more out of her window. How she longed to climb the masts of the ship, longed to feel the sea upon her skin and the sound and rocking of the ship that had lulled her to sleep so many times. She missed the Captain and Big Guy, but she missed James too. That thought made her heart ache. James, he'd told her how worthless she was, told her he never wanted to see her again. She sighed and looked back at the mirror before putting down her brush.
"Something wrong my dear?" Jonathan had been reading, his book on ancient cultures rested in his hands as he looked over.
Rosalind was quick to recover, "Nothing, I just," she paused and looked down, "I haven't been to the sea for so long, I miss it."
Jonathan rose from where he sat in a chair nearby and walked over to her "We'll stop by the beach on our way back from town. How does that sound?" Jonathan smiled charmingly.
Rosalind smiled back and hugged him, "That sounds wonderful."
Rosalind followed Jonathan through town as he made arrangements for the ball. "What is this ball for anyway?"
Jonathan laughed, "You know the usual; some couple is getting engaged."
"Oh, I see." Rosalind looked around bored, trying to keep tactful.
Jonathan smiled again, "How about you go to whatever shop you'd like while I get this done?" he handed her a small satchel of pieces.
She looked up at him, "Really?"
He smiled again, "Of course."
Rosalind took the satchel and gave her thanks as she left Jonathan's side to go exploring once more as she had done those three years ago. She walked in front of the familiar tailor shop that had had the red dress in it. She remembered she'd never retrieved her things from the ship. She sighed at the thought of the ship and the crew again; she'd been thinking about them more and more lately. She shook her head attempting to evade all thoughts of them. She walked slowly down the streets to a cluster of quaint little shops that sold small trinkets. She wandered inside of one and began to look through the selection.
"So you're the one Jonathan has his sights on?" A girl a few years older than Rosalind stared at her from afar.
"Who are you?"
"More than enough for Jonathan, more than you will ever be. Look at you, no heritage, no money, mooching off of poor Jonathan and his father. You're nothing but a dolled up water rat. No matter what you wear that's all you'll ever be." The girls long blond hair curved around over her shoulders on top of a velveteen purple dress. Rosalind couldn't shake the familiar feeling she got from the girl surely she hadn't met anyone like her before she would have picked her pocket to teach her a lesson, or tripped her to get her back, she would have remembered doing something so hilarious. She smirked.
"I don't know who you are or what you want, but please be off I don't have the patience to deal with you." Rosalind turned back to look at the trinkets.
"Oh you don't do you? How about I tell Jonathan and his father what you were on the Navy ship; what you did for them? You and your mother."
Rosalind jerked around, "You don't know a thing, and Jonathan wouldn't care for you or your lies!"
"Lies? Oh you really don't remember? I gave you food when you were a groveling mess on board that ship!"
Rosalind froze, "Sarah?"
Sarah smirked, "The same. At least you now remember, so you have nothing to deny. I never expected a rat like you to even have a chance at someone like Jonathan, when I heard and saw you I thought I'd gone crazy. A little wench with my Jonathan? No. This won't happen!" Sarah stormed out quickly and Rosalind ran after. If Jonathan knew, what would he say, if he knew what had really happened, the only one she'd ever told was James. She bit back tears, what would Jonathan do? Would he throw her out on the streets like a dog? She knew his father would. The man wouldn't stand for it. Jonathan already had to lie to him about her real heritage and how she'd been on a pirate ship.
She spotted Sarah and froze again, wide-eyed. She'd already made it to Jonathan, and was smirking at Rosalind as she told Jonathan everything. Jonathan walked over to Rosalind who stared at him bewildered. "Rosalind." Her heart skipped a beat. "Sarah told me, what happened to you." Rosalind felt the tears sting her eyes.
She mumbled low as they rolled down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry, I just-"
Jonathan hugged her tight, "It's ok. It's in the past."
Rosalind looked up at Jonathan, "But, I'm not clean, I'm a commoner, I'm even less than that, I-"
Jonathan quieted her, "Stop that, you're beautiful, you're wonderful, you're more than any man could ask for." He kissed her hand.
"Jonathan, I-" she was at a loss for words and noticed Sarah storm off in a fit of rage at knowing her plan had failed miserably.
Jonathan looked concerned, "Has Sarah been bothering you? How did she know all of that?"
Rosalind looked up at him and shook her head, "She was on board the ship." Rosalind closed her eyes for a moment, "Who is she?"
Jonathan sighed, "Sarah Warstaff, she is the daughter of an aristocrat, a man of noble blood in England. She was my intended."
Rosalind gasped, "What happened?"
"You did."
"What me?"
Jonathan smiled and kissed her hand again, "Yes, you made me realize that I didn't have to do what was told of me if it didn't make me happy."
"How did I do that?"
"That day when I first met you in front of the tailor shop, you had such a wonder, such a strength in your eyes. You knew what you wanted, even if it was just out of your reach, had you had the means you'd have taken it. I had the means to call off the wedding, so I did."
Rosalind looked down guiltily, she remembered that day, the ball, how she'd abandoned Jonathan to return with James. He had never once accused her of leaving, she worried he assumed it was James who had made her leave, but she had returned willingly with him. She remembered the kiss, how long she had waited for James to kiss her. She looked away from Jonathan, "Jonathan I have something to tell you."
Jonathan looked at her curiously, "Yes, what is it?"
"That day we met, at the ball… the man who took me with him."
Jonathan looked slightly irritated, "You don't need to explain it to me, that man won't take you again I'll make sure of it."
"No, Jonathan, listen. I went with him willingly."
"What?"
"Jonathan, after the navy vessel was taken over by pirates, I joined them willingly. They were like my family. When James came to take me back, I didn't hesitate to go with him because I knew I needed to go back."
Jonathan continued to stare at her as if he were confused, "So, you were with him? Then that kiss then?" Jonathan looked a little reluctant to mention it and he turned a bit to hide the slight twitch of anger.
"No, that was nothing. He used it to allow us to be alone to escape. It was nothing more than that." Rosalind closed her eyes to hold back the tears that started to sting her eyes as she remembered how it had never meant a thing to James at all, after three years it still hurt her to think about it, that night, what she'd done thinking his feelings for her mirrored her own. She shook it off as Jonathan turned back.
"I don't care what you were, you're here with me now. That's all that matters."
"Jonathan, why do you want me? A commoner like me when you're so powerful, most men of your prestige wouldn't treat me any more than a whore or a pity, why parade me around as if I'm someone important?
"You are important." He smiled, "As many times as I tell you, you never seem to listen. You are my inspiration, the very reason I think for myself. I owe you all that I was able to accomplish." He held Rosalind close, "No matter what anyone says, you are not a commoner anymore, you are not a whore, you're nothing lesser than anyone here."
Rosalind leaned against his chest, "Thank you Jonathan."
Jonathan merely smiled and looked down at her, running his hands through her red tinted hair and then he pulled her away for a moment, "We must be going, we have a few more errands and then we need to head to the party."
"Must we go, can't we stay here for just a bit longer?"
Jonathan laughed as she pouted at him, "Sorry, but I think you'll agree this party is of importance."
Rosalind sighed and nodded as he smiled and led her back through town to finish the last of the errands. Soon after it was beginning to get late out, dusk was upon them and soon they pulled off in Jonathan's carriage to reach the Governor's estate. She had been here many times now, and knew her way around the sprawling manor. They entered, as always greeted by servants and doormen who guided them to the ballroom where music played and people in fine dress danced elegantly in formation.
Governor Hurston approached the two of them, "My my! You've finally arrived, now it can all take place, finally!" Rosalind looked up at Jonathan confused, but he just smiled and shrugged a bit. The Governor issued the attention of all in the room, the music stopped and as it did the dancers stopped simultaneously as if they had been wound in a music box. "Tonight as you know is dedicated to an engagement." the portly man waved his hand about as he spoke and then it swayed towards Jonathan and Rosalind with fluidity. "My son and his darling bride to be."
Rosalind froze and looked about the room as everyone stared, many of the women with vice, and the men with equal jealousy towards Jonathan. Rosalind had been totally blind sighted. She looked to Jonathan who was beaming with excitement at the announcement and looked at her, "Surprise." he said softly. Rosalind just felt sick.
"Please excuse me." she said hastily and ran out of the room.
"Nerves must have gotten the best of my sweet daughter in law." the Governor laughed and the rest of the crowd chortled along with him.
Rosalind ran down the spiraling staircase and out the front door. "Rosalind!" she could hear Jonathan's voice calling her as he chased her. "Rosalind, please wait!" Rosalind only stopped to catch her breath. The corset restricted it too much and she felt as if her lungs would explode. Jonathan caught up with her quickly. "Rosalind, please. What's wrong?"
She turned to him, "I'm sorry, I just needed, air."
"I'm sorry, I should have asked you, but my father was pushing me to marry, Sarah's family was forcing my father's hand. I wanted to tell you but-"
There was a loud sound as navy men crowded by the docks, yelling and screaming, surrounding something. "What's going on?!" Rosalind looked to Jonathan.
Jonathan shook his head, "Admiral Gar's crusades."
"What?"
"My father was threatened by the Admiral to ban pirates from this port, all who are found on the port are tried and hanged."
"I thought Gar and your father were friends!"
"Only in politics. My father believes pirates bring money to the ports, they come in and use our shipwrights, sell their goods. Gar says everything is stolen and they're nothing more than parasites. He told my father if he didn't comply he was going to send a letter to the king saying he was aiding the pirates in attacking and capturing his majesty's naval vessels. With that accusation my father would not only have been removed from his position as Governor but hanged for treason, he had no choice."
"That damned Cutthroat" She said under her breath.
"Cutthroat?"
"It's what we always called him, he was ruthless, was always trying to kill the Captain."
"Sounds about right."
As the crew of Admiral Gar's ship pulled away from the center they dragged a beaten man towards the prisons something caught Rosalind's eye. He looked so familiar. She began to walk towards the group, as she did Jonathan grabbed her, "You don't want to see that." She pulled away from him and snuck closer, he didn't fight her this time.
She stared at the man being dragged throughout the port and being made an example of, and his head turned and for a brief second he stared at her and in that same second she knew, in his deep green eyes she had gazed through time and time again, staring at him in her stubbornness, fighting him every step of the way. "James" she breathed and his eyes widened for a moment in realization before he was dragged away into the dark abyss of the night. She raced back up to Jonathan, holding her dress so as not to drag it in the dirt.
Jonathan was sitting on a bench infront of his father's estate waiting on her, "Jonathan!" she yelled at him and stood up to greet her. "Please!" she said desperately, "That man, the man that Admiral Gar captured, please, you have to free him." She was breathing so heavily he held her up so she wouldn't faint.
"What? Rosalind, I can't... I-"
"Please Jonathan, talk to your father, he doesn't deserve to die, he's a good man."
Jonathan looked at her desperation and sighed, "I'll talk to him but I can't guarantee anything." he placed his hand against her cheek. He could sense something was amiss but shook it off.
"Please immediately before the trial!"
"Like I said, I'll talk to him." By now Rosalind had fallen into his arms crying, a mixture of exhaustion and worry. "Come, you've had enough excitement for tonight." He picked her up and carried her back towards the estate, he laid her down on the bed in his room and kissed her forehead. "I'll talk to him tonight." he closed the door behind him and went back to ballroom, towards his father who seemed to be more enthralled with his own politics and aristocracy to even acknowledge his son's return to his own party.
Rosalind opened her eyes quickly, she knew she couldn't wait for Jonathan, she had to sneak in and free James, what was he doing here? She rose and opened the door slowly looking around, finding no one she slipped into the back stairwell and escaped unnoticed through the back door. She raced towards the jail as fast as she could, the corset still restraining her breathing, but she didn't care. The jail had been abandoned besides one or two guards who were patrolling. She waited for her chance and slipped in. She looked among the damp cellar-like jail, with rustic iron cells, straw for flooring, filled with uncomfortable bedding, like animal stalls. She searched quickly in each cell many were empty but she came upon one at the end, in the darkest part of the jail, only barely lit by the moon shining through the barred window. She could see a slumped figure, and she shifted towards the bars.
"James." she whispered
The figure shifted a bit but remained almost still.
"James!" she tried to cry louder, still in a whisper.
This time the figure moved coming towards the bars, "Rosalind?"
Rosalind started to cry, "What are you doing here?!"
He paused and then looked around for a moment, "Looking for you."
"What? Why would you do that, where is the crew? The Captain?"
There was a much longer pause, followed by a sigh that was uncharacteristic of James he looked up at her and from what she could see of his face in the moonlight it looked in pain. "The Captain... he's with Davey Jones."
Rosalind collapsed, "What? No, no... you're lying, you're playing games with me."
James grabbed her arm, "His last wish was that I find you. I've searched everywhere, I eventually left Nassau after sneaking in and out, Gar had taken the whole port, slaughtered half the crew, including the Captain. I came here on a whim after searching countless other ports, attacking every naval ship from here to Havana. They want my neck for it."
"James..." Rosalind froze, she didn't know what to say, what to do, but she knew she needed to get him out of here. "I'm getting you out of here."
"How do you suppose you're going to do that?"
Rosalind looked around, "I-I'll... I'll think of something." Soon after she heard the guard's footsteps and she hid away into the shadows as the guards passed her she made her way out, she had to think of something. She looked down at her dress,"I'm sorry Jonathan." she said tearing it at the collar, and the skirt, showing off plenty of cleavage and shortening the skirt considerably. She walked back towards the entrance of the prison, one guard had left to go on break and left the other on his own, he looked to be younger, and she prayed his looks were a testament to his experience. She walked to the entrance and he stopped her.
"Sorry miss you can't go in there."
"Would it be ok, if you went in with me?" she said grabbing his arm and pulling him inside. He didn't fight back and followed her in, there was a chair next to a table for the guardsmen to sit at and she sat him down, straddling him where he sat. Running her hands over his chest. "I've always wanted to see what all the fuss was about, those big strong guardsmen." she said running her hands over his upper arm.
He became aroused quickly and grabbed her, kissing her mostly exposed breast, moaning a bit as he did so, "You're about to find out." As he said this she rolled her eyes, grabbed the jug of water on the table and bashed his head with it. He fell over in the chair, out cold. She searched his pockets until she found the key and ran to the back of the jail again, unlocking the cell. She grabbed up James and pulled him along as he stared at her in shock, limping as she helped him along. When they got to the table he looked down at the guard, and noticed he was aroused.
"Do I want to know?"
Rosalind smirked and pulled him along. They were almost home free, she just had to get him to a ship, a boat, anything that could take him away from this port, as far from Gar and death as possible. They had made it to the port, she was searching for the right ship when she was grabbed up by a strong grip and ripped away from James.
"What's this? Out for a stroll?" Rosalind turned her head to see Admiral Gar and her heart skipped a beat. "What is the Governor's Son's betrothed doing with this scum, eh?" He held her tight and wouldn't let her go. James looked at her in disbelief for a moment and then turned to Gar attempting to stand up straight on his own.
"Let her go." he said it with such anger it made Rosalind cringe.
"Who's going to make me? You?" He laughed, "As far as I see it, you were both conspiring against the king and you should both be sentenced to a quick death at the gallows."
"No! You leave her out of this. She has nothing to do with this."
"On the contrary, James, I rarely forget a face, and I know this is the one of that water rat whore that was aboard your vessel. By the way, how is your dear Captain?" Gar smirked and threw Rosalind at James, as Navy men surrounded them. "Take them through town, show the Governor what he's allowed to happen under his Governance. I'm sure he will be more than displeased."
They were dragged through town and the whole port seemed to come alive as they all stared in disbelief. Jonathan rushed out and confronted Gar, "Let her go Admiral, she's innocent."
"Innocent, then how do you explain her trying to leave port with a traitor?" he grabbed her by the back of her dress and tore it open revealing her scars. "See these marks," Gar announced "these are the marks of a whore, handed around by the navy. No, there's nothing innocent about this girl, each mark represents each man she's slept with, he's allowed to mark her."
Rosalind looked down and held the rest of her dress to her, trying to cover the rest of her.
"Why bother covering what the rest of the world has already seen, or at least most of the navy it would seem by all those marks."
"Admiral what is the meaning of this!" The Governor rushed down towards the Admiral in a rage, "What have you done!"
"So glad you could join us Governor. It's unfortunate I must be the one to inform you that your daughter in law is a traitorous whore."
"What?!" The Governor looked over at Jonathan, who stared helplessly at Rosalind, "Jonathan, is this true?"
Jonathan turned to his father, he shook his head, "No. She is not a whore."
"Is she a pirate?" The Governor asked Jonathan looking for the answer.
Jonathan looked at her as she held back her tears and started to look away from him. "No. She is no longer a pirate."
The Governor looked down at his son and shook his head, "You bring a pirate into my house and try to tell me she is of aristocratic blood. I'll have none of it, Admiral, do what you will."
Jonathan looked at his father is horror, "No, father, listen, you can't do this she's done nothing wrong you can't accuse her of piracy just for being on a ship of them, she was clearly coerced!" The Governor walked off, enraged as Jonathan followed behind him begging, just as Jonathan passed by the crowd he caught something in the corner of his eye Sarah Warstaff smirking to herself.
Soon the Admiral gave the signal to send them off, and they were dragged away, Rosalind tried to call out to Jonathan but he knew there was nothing he could do, and didn't dare turn to her. James was still in shock, she had left the crew on purpose to be with Jonathan, she was engaged to him, how could she have done that, to the Captain, the crew, to James? He couldn't make himself look at her, as they were thrown into separate cells across from each other.
The Admiral smirked over at her, "We're even now, little minx, but you're still a pirate, and that's an offense of hanging." he walked out of the jail to Rosalind weeping and James staring furiously at him as he laughed. Come tomorrow would be the trail, and then the hanging.
Author's note: Here was the second chapter that was about half way finished and I completed. I've gotten back into the story a bit, but I won't guarantee if I will finish the next chapter any time soon. I had originally planned to have this whole story written first before being posted, but because I found these two missing chapters I decided to post them anyway. So enjoy them, there may be another on the horizon, but I will have to see with the time I have and if my life will currently allow it. Thanks for reading.