Chapter One

I had been captain for six years before we came across him, sharp and beautiful like the ocean itself. He was holed up in a dinghy which was all that remained of his sunken English vessel, a weeping woman at his side, and nothing but bread crumbs to sustain them. They both appeared haggard and half-starved, but he displayed nothing less than disdain when he recognized our pirate flag, and refused to step aboard our ship even though his life, and the life of his lady, almost certainly depended on it.


My men made contact with him first, and reported back to me of his stubborn nature. I didn’t give a damn whether he wanted our help or not: a good captain knows never to leave a man to die at sea when that man is not an enemy of the ship. Karma is a word that one hears whispered across the calm waters late at night, and to upset the surface of the millpond is surely to invite danger into the lives of my shipmates. Contrary to popular belief, pirates are not all just heartless pillagers of the innocent and the brave.


I descended the rigging and boarded his small boat like I’d been invited. He looked at me with disgust, but I didn’t let it wager in on my resolve to help him and his lady. She cowered away from me as if I were a beast, and he just looked at me through narrowed and appalled eyes which glittered like the buttons of his slightly unkempt Red Coat.


“Pirate.” He addressed me, when I held my hand out to him in an extension of hospitality. He looked at it and did not shake it. His lady looked appalled, and placed a gloved appendage against his buttoned chest.


“What’s your name?” I asked, hoping to implore him. He seemed merely ruffled.


“My name is William Arlington.” He reported, temple rising slightly in pride.


I could tell he had every intention of being difficult, and the thought of such company exasperated me. Nevertheless, I could not turn these lost souls away, knowing that they would surely die. Karma, I reminded myself grimly. I will gladly challenge a stranger on the land, but not at sea. I am friends with the sea.


“Come aboard. We have provisions and lodging to replenish both you and your lady.”


He narrowed his eyes. “Come aboard a pirate ship?” He asked, sounding disgusted by the very suggestion. “And betray my country in order to save myself? No thank you. We are waiting for rescue, and we will wait more gladly after you and your ship have moved on.”


I didn’t like that one bit, especially since I was under no obligation to offer him my kindness. “Your rescue isn’t coming.” I told him bluntly. “I can have you back on mainland by the end of the next month and you will not be treated badly during your stay. Perhaps you should consider the value of your lady’s life above that of your foolish pride.”


William looked slowly over to the woman beside him. Her eyes were wide, and she blurted in a whisper “William, I’d sooner die than become cargo on a pirate ship.” His expression cleared, and he was poised and proud once more.


“We’d sooner die.”


I shook my head at their idiocy. “Really?” I asked. “How noble. How very English, sir.”


He nodded curtly, eyes still narrow. I stood up and re-boarded my boat.


“They won’t come aboard?” My First Mate asked, looking down at the couple grimly.


“No.” I conceded. “He is stubborn and she is foolish.” I shook my head, and looked down at them again. “There is rope beneath the deck. Accost them. Detain them, if you must.” I turned away. “I shall be in my cabin if you need me.”


*


Rumor had it that the English soldier was not happy. He had fought off his apparent ‘captors’ until their numbers overwhelmed him, and for over a day now he and his wife had been kept down in the brig due to the fuss that he was causing. I had not been down to see him since it did not seem like a particularly appealing use of my time: I suppose that my disregard of his presence had driven him half-wild with annoyance. When my Second Mate took he and his wife their supper William demanded to see the captain instantly, and it was with a displeased sigh that I decided to heed his summoning.


When I descended the ladder into the brig I found that his wife had been released, and was free to roam the lower deck, while William himself had been tied securely to one of the bolted chairs. He looked enraged and his expression became only more incensed when he laid eyes on me.


“I asked to see the captain, not the ship’s hussy.” He snapped, “Sent you down to abate me once before and it didn’t work then, just as it will not work now.”


I rolled my eyes, unable to help it, and told him in a firm voice. “I am captain of this ship, not a coddler of ignorant men. I see you are no less of a pig than you were yesterday.”


My revelation tossed him through a loop for only a moment. He shook his head, as if to clear it. “My wife and I will escape, and I assure you that you and your men will hang for your crimes against us.”


I dropped my hands onto my hips and fought the urge to roll my eyes again. “Terrifying.” I said, my tone portraying my complete lack of trepidation at his threat. “I’ve definitely not heard that one before.”


He looked bemused, and annoyed, but said nothing.


I picked up the dish he had refused at supper and approached him in three strides. “This food is a gift to you, and I don’t appreciate your wasting of it.” Then I looked over at his wife. She was sitting in one of the far corners with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her long green dress was tattered and beyond salvation, so I added in a kinder voice, “Your wife and I are almost the same size. I have clothing that she can use for the duration of her stay.”


William looked at me with his lip curled up, then he trailed his gaze slowly over my body. For some reason, it made me want to shiver. Until he spoke. “A woman in pantaloons is no woman.” He said, his voice dark and cold. “And a woman in pirate clothing is even less than that.”


He looked away from me, glaring down at the floor, and I took a step back.


“I respect your honesty, but I will not respect you.” I said, before turning abruptly and making my way back up the ladder and out into the fresh evening air. I dropped the hatch with a slam, and then turned the lock using both hands. The night was dark, but stars prickled above me. I was glad to be alone.


*


After a week, William’s wife was allowed above deck. Her name was Cecily, and she hated just about everything. She complained about the rocking motion of the boat, about the salty spray of the ocean, about the rudimentary food that she was graced with, and about the ‘unsanitary’ ship that was our home. I would’ve liked to have kept her below deck where I could not hear her, but she was not violent and did seem to complain less as the days progressed.


William, on the other hand, became only more volatile. I heard of him from others, as I had no interest in visiting with him again, but his threats and accusations had apparently neither ceased nor lessened. Even though I didn’t see or hear him, I still felt his presence on my ship, and it aggravated me. I wished the trip to mainland could be faster, so that I could be rid of him and of his prissy, whining wife.


Despite her wimpishness, Cecily seemed to have charmed many of my men with her fluttery feminine eyelashes, and this only served to add insult to injury in my opinion. The fact that they were acting as though they’d never seen a woman before was like a subtle backhand across my face. Still, I couldn’t let it hurt me because there was no time for that. There was no room for namby-pamby girlie emotions in my line of work. I tried not to resent the way they jumped to her beck and call whenever she raised one of her little white-gloved hands, and instead attempted to glean some satisfaction from the fact that she was flirting with these pirate men, and her stupid, arrogant husband did not know it.


Another week passed, and my First Mate told me that William had gotten sick and that he thought it best that I go and check on him before deciding what should be done. Cecily had taken up residence in one of the cabins now, and it had been cleaned out for her in order to make it “proper lodgings for a lady”, so William had been spending a lot of time alone. Cecily had not asked after him.


As much as I didn’t care to see him, I knew that I couldn’t have him dying in my brig, so I went down that ladder once again and turned quickly to face him. Of course, I was surprised to see that he wasn’t tied to his chair anymore, but was instead resting on the brig’s bed, facing the wall as if he’d known that I was on my way and did not wish to look at me.


“William?” I said, my voice ringing out through the silence. I got closer, he was worse than I’d thought. “William?” I sat down on the edge of his makeshift bed, and he craned his neck slightly to look at me.

“Not you.” He murmured. Then he closed his eyes. “Cecily.”


I sat up straighter, then took him up by the underarms. “Come on.” I said, “You need some fresh sea air in your lungs.” He groaned, but I got him over to the ladder and managed to push his body up ahead of mine. He groaned some more, but then emerged out in to the real world. It was dusk, almost nighttime again, and the air was brisk and welcome. William’s grumbles died, and he seemed glad to be free of the stagnant air of the brig.


I took him over to the port-side railing and leaned his body against it. He looked out across the darkening ocean, and was quiet, like a man in the presence of poignancy. He still wore the red, buttoned jacket of an English soldier, but there was something softer about him now. The sharp edge had been dulled by two weeks of solitude, and he didn’t seem to hate me just for being. Or so it felt.


I was glad for his quiet, at least.


He leaned his head back, holding on to the railings and looking straight up. I glanced up to see what he was seeing. The stars were out in all their dusky glory. “It’s a pretty night.” I said.


He looked at me, appearing perplexed. “Why did you stop for Cecily and I?” He asked, for the first time sounding genuinely confused by the concept. “We should be enemies.”


I shook my head. “I know my enemies,” I said, “I can count them on this hand. It doesn’t sit well with me to have too many of them, and I am content to say that as of right now, the sea remains my ally.”


He looked no less confused. “It doesn’t make sense to endure difficult guests.”


“It doesn’t make sense to refuse help when it’s offered.”


We looked at each other for a long time, and then he murmured “Touché” and shook his head.


I looked out to the ocean again after that, and saw that the colors of that water were also in his eyes. I didn’t need to see his face again in order to confirm this belief. I kept my eyes on the waves which broke against the side of the ship and thought about the weeks until mainland came into sight. “We’ve quite the journey ahead of us,” I said, “Maybe you might start behaving now?”


He quirked a smile, but didn’t reply. “You prefer the ocean to solid ground?”


I glanced at him. He was not looking at me. “I cannot imagine life without the adventure.” I said, half-absent. “My life before this was dressed up in lace and silk. I wouldn’t go back to it now, even if there was something to go back to.”


Now he was looking. “You weren’t born into piracy?”


I laughed. “No, though it often feels like I was. Like the years before my capture were all just a dream.”


“Capture?” William repeated, sounding astounded.


“Oh yes,” I said, “When I was fourteen. My father’s status made me a most valuable prize. Wouldn’t think it to look at me, then?” William was quiet, and offered no response as he continued to stare. I laughed. “I wouldn’t change it, William. The ocean is where I belong.”


I looked away from his face, and made eyes at the dark waters again. “You are a man of the sea, too?”


He followed my eyes. “Yes. Fourteen years now.”


“You understand, then.”


“I understand.” He conceded, with a quieter voice. “I…” He hesitated, “I had hoped that Cecily would feel as I do. It has always been so hard to be away from her.” He paused, then admitted, “It was a cruise ship that we survived.”


“A cruise ship?” I repeated, with an almost muffled snort. William looked at me sharply. The movement of his swift turn was, apparently, too much for him though in his sickly state. I watched the color drain from his face, and knew that he was about to pass out. “William?” He slumped against the ship’s railing and hit the deck with a dull thud.


*


I had neither the heart nor the desire to have him taken back down into the brig that had sickened him in the first place. Instead, I had intended to have him moved to his wife’s chamber, but when I approached her allocated room I heard distinctly adulterous noises coming from within. The sounds she and her bedmate were making made me shudder violently, and I no longer felt self-satisfied by Cecily’s ill-treatment of her faithful, albeit irritating, husband.


Instead, I had him taken to my own humble chamber. He was placed upon my bed, and I took up vigil at the bedside. I watched his face, peaceful in unconsciousness, and thought about how the ocean breezes had brought him to me for some reason. He was bearable in slumber. He looked inoffensive, and so very young.


I took off his Red Coat and cast it over the back of my chair. Beneath, he wore an earnest shirt of light brown and a pair of black pants. My hand brushed his clammy forehead, and I fought the immediate impulse to unbutton his shirt some of the way. Had he have been one of my shipmates I would not have thought twice, but as we stood, I knew that undressing him would certainly be taken the wrong way, should he wake up.


Instead, I sat back upon my seat, and looked at him some more. He did not look well, though the sea air must certainly have done him some sort of good. The wind had put a little color back into his hollow cheeks, but he still looked malnourished. The fool needed to eat. Too bad he’d been refusing my generously provided food for two weeks now. It was almost as if he had a death wish.

Chapter Two


When I awoke, it was with a different feeling than the one I’d grown used to. The bed beneath me was soft and warm, and the air about me did not seem the same stagnant air of the brig. I opened one eye, and saw that I was not in the brig at all. I was in a bed chamber.


Opening the other eye, I saw just whose bed chamber I must then have been occupying. The pirate woman sat, curled up in a chair to the left of me. My Red Coat was strewn over the back of her chair, and its long sleeves must have fallen in the night, because they were, at present, wrapped delicately around her small figure.


She didn’t look so tough in slumber. Certainly not brawn enough to be the preposterous captain of a pirate ship. She looked like the product of good breeding (as, no doubt, she probably was). She looked like a woman who would not be out of place in a well furnished parlor. I could imagine her with those blonde tresses done up in ringlets, and her lithe body tucked away beneath a corset and gown.


Obviously, those pants and the shirt that she wore were nothing if not inappropriate. They made her look like a common thief (which again, she probably was).


I got up quietly, so as not to wake her. Wouldn’t do to have her know that I was up, and feeling most healthy once more. She’d have me off again to her prison in an instant. Better to at least lay eyes upon Cecily, before I was incarcerated again. My beautiful wife must have been in tremendous fear.


I tried the door, and practically yelled my offence when I found that it was locked.


“What the?!” The pirate woman had woken with a start, and was now sitting upright in her chair. The sudden noise had left her looking bewildered, and gazed around herself without clarity for a moment or two, before setting her gaze on me, “William, what are you-“


“Don’t presume to address me, pirate!” I snapped, offended more so by her assumed familiarity. She looked startled for a moment, and then rose from her chair as if remembering herself. She straightened her back, her expression haughty.


“You’re out of bed, I see.” She said, looking me over.


“I am.” I affirmed, with a slightly menacing look. I felt suddenly like I was a threat again. Outside of this room she was a captain with men at her command, but inside of this room she was just a woman. Just a little woman in pantaloons. “You want to give me the key to this door, or am I going to have to take it?”


It seemed necessary to give voice to my physical menace, since the moment we were back out of this room I would be overpowered by the sheer force of her men once more. But right now I had the upper hand, and I felt that I wanted her to know it.


Infuriatingly, she produced a chuckle. “Come now,” she said, “We were getting along so nicely last night. Don’t make me regret keeping you from the brig, William Arlington.”


“I warned you not to address me, Madam.”


“’Lizbeth, you alright in there?” The voice came through the doorway, and the pirate woman roused a smile.


“I’m fine, Alexander. I have everything under control.”


“Under control?” I repeated, outraged. “You have no such jurisdiction, miss. Are you so deluded by your captaincy that you think I could not overpower you if I chose? Why, I could slice you very throat, here and now.”


The pirate – Elizabeth – did nothing other than smile more widely. “My my,” she said, shaking her head, “He talks more and more like a pirate every day!”


“Why you-” I started towards her, but she reached for a sword mounted over her bed, and held me off immediately. The tip of the sword rested on my jugular, and she looked at me with dark and dangerous eyes.


“I see no reason why I should not rid myself of a problem this instant.” She continued to glare at me, and I glared right back. “When will you learn to accept my help graciously and just behave?”


I took a slow step back, and she kept her sword tip steadily where my throat had been. Her arm did not quake, and neither did her gaze. “I am not an irrational woman, William, but you are beginning to test my patience.” With that, she snatched the sword back, and the blade dropped, just missing my bare feet by an inch. She sheathed the weapon, but kept it at her side.


“You are not leaving this room.” She announced, heading herself for the door and nodding back towards her bed. “You may sleep, sit or pace. You may not leave, and you may not threaten me again. You seem to think that you have the moral high ground, Mr Arlington, but I am the one with a sword to my disposal, and a crew of men just waiting to hear the word. Think about that, if you will.”


I watched her unlock the door and leave. Then I heard the door lock again from the other side.


*


It was a whole day before she came back again. She unlocked the door, and looked at me distastefully. I was glad to displease her, so I made myself even more comfortable against the pillows of her bed. I hadn’t bothered to remove my boots, and it was quite obvious that I had investigated her room during her absence. I gave her a smug smile and she narrowed her eyes, but said nothing.


She went to the chair that I had seen her sleep in the night before, and she sat down without a word. My Coat was still over the back of it, and she didn’t move it. Just sank back against it and closed her eyes.


I felt enraged by her dismissal. Would she not even reprimand me for my overtaking of her room? What was the point of it all if it did not glean a reaction?


“Ahem,” I coughed, kicking my boots out across her red sheets. She did not even open an eye. “Elizabeth- is it?”


Her eyes snapped open, and she fixed me with a steely glare. “William, it’s been a long day.”


I sat up into a more domineering position. “For me also.” I decided to tell her. “I wonder if I might enquire about the well being of my wife?”


The pirate woman seemed to pale slightly at that, and for a moment I felt my heart catch. Was Cecily not alright? “What’s wrong?” I demanded, but she just shook her head.


“She’s fine.” The pirate said, eyes dark. “More than fine. She’s been behaving herself since the start, and she has her own lodgings now. You could be with her too, if you weren’t such a menace.” She gave a smirk with that. It made me prickle.


“You have no right to keep me from her.”


“I am keeping you from no one. She is welcome to come and see you whenever she might choose. She simply has not chosen to.” Elizabeth looked too satisfied with this information, “An interesting relationship, you have.”


I felt my hot temper flare up, and suddenly I was standing. “You have no right to demean the relationship that I have with my wife. Captain or not, I won’t have you talking down at me.”


Elizabeth chuckled. She had not even risen from her seat. “Pipe down,” she said, “You’ll have Xander out here again. He’s desperate for a reason to have you taken back down to the brig.”


I sat down slowly. “I want to be allowed more than just a room to roam.” I said, voice harder than it felt. “I’m going crazy. First the brig, and now here.”


“Well, you’d be more than welcome to help my men about the ship.”


I felt the offence materialize on my face. “Not a chance,” I said, “Not helping out on a pirate ship.”


Elizabeth grimaced, “Then you will stay here until we reach dry land.”


I grunted. “You intend to keep me in your bedroom for the next month?” For some reason, the pirate woman flushed deeply at this. “I’d sooner be with Cecily.”


A look crossed her face. “No.” Elizabeth’s voice was firm now. She sat back in her chair and shut her eyes. “Go to sleep.” She commanded, closing herself up for the night. I stared at her: watched her fall asleep.


It was a long time before I was able to do the same.


*


The next morning I felt as if I had outwitted her at last. I offered her a duel, and like I imagined any pirate would, she was unable to forgo her pride and refuse me. Instead, she seemed invigorated by the idea, and I hid a secret grin, thinking of how I would take her down and pierce her throat with my sword. She stood no chance, despite the firm arm I knew her to possess.


“Buffy, you sure about this?” I heard the one called Alexander ask in a hushed voice. The pirate woman just raised a smile.


“Of course.” She said. “It’s not like I haven’t been fighting for years. It’s a fair enough fight. If he wins, he may take up lodgings with his wife. If I win, he will remain with me for yet another night.”


Alexander sent me a dark look, as if he thought to threaten me with his eyes. I wasn’t intimidated by it. I grasped my returned weapon, and strode over to the short, blonde pirate.


“I’m ready.” I said, “Where is Cecily?”


As if on cue, my beautiful wife emerged from within one of the cabins. She wore a new dress of shimmering emerald, and I laid eyes on her with surprise.


“It’s one of mine.” The pirate said from beside me with a sly smile. I felt the red tendrils of rage tickle me as I glared down at her. “Oh, relax.” She said, shaking her head. “It’ll only be a month before she’s back in her own clothes again. Honestly, I’ve never seen a man make such fusses over everything. It’s embarrassing.”


“Having my wife clothed in the rags of a pirate is embarrassing.” I countered, though I could see that she was not affected by my words.


“Come on.” She said, leading me into the center of the vast deck. Her men rallied round us in a circle, and Cecily took up residence at the head of the ship. She looked at me with strange eyes, and I couldn’t help the sudden increase in my desire to win, if only for the reclamation of my wife.


The pirate and I circled each other, weapons sheathed, and then someone let out the commencing cry, and we were launched like bullets.


She attacked first, coming down hard upon me with an overhead slicing motion, which I blocked instantaneously. “Nice.” She murmured, and I brought my weapon ‘round with a smack into a block at her side. She laughed, picking up spirit. Then we were dancing.


It was unlike anything I’d experience during my military training. She wasn’t quite the mindless machine we’d been taught to survive against, although she held the impressive level of skill that one might expect from such a monster. There was something different in her fight though, and that was her joy. She sparkled as she fought me with all her might, and joy lifted her lips into a smile as she blocked my offensive and I blocked hers.


It went on, and the men cheered louder with every exchange.


“You’re marvelous!” The young pirate called out to me as I blocked her ferocious slash once more, and she managed just barely to keep a hold of her weapon.


I couldn’t help the laugh that tore out of me, though an instant guilt tripped me, and my eyes went to Cecily at the head of the ship. It was enough of an opening for the pirate, and she got her foot behind me, causing me to fall back against the deck. She stomped a heavy, boot-clad foot down on top of my wrist, and I felt the sword drop out of my grip and clatter down beside me. She grinned viciously then, leaning down to rest the tip of her sword on my Adam’s apple, she raised twin brows. I swallowed.


This was it, I supposed. She had me in a fair fight, and there were plenty of witnesses to confirm it. I was done for.


But then she laughed, drawing her weapon back and pushing it into the sheath at her waist. She reached down and took my hand. “Quite the fight.” She said, pulling me up again with minimal effort. “I should think that my men would have a lot to learn from you.”

Chapter Three


He came back to my chamber after the fight, and the next day we fought again. For three days I won, and then finally he triumphed. He’d learnt me, I suppose. A dangerous achievement for someone who considered himself my enemy. I wasn’t afraid though.


And I kept my word. I let him leave my room, and take up quarters with his wife. The beautiful woman had rediscovered her interest in him, or so it appeared, since his triumph over me.


“Thank you, pet.” William said, as he held a hand out and helped me back to my feet. That was our tradition, though it had never been this way ‘round before. I collected my sword, and sheathed it at my side. Then I nodded, with a sharp smile.


“You won.” I said, “Fair and square.”


“Good fighting with you.” He said. Then he left me, and I watched him go to his wife. He caught her up in an embrace that looked more tender than I’d ever have imagined him capable of. He swept her back and kissed her, while my men catcalled and cheered. For one strange, disconcerting moment, I felt like a villain. I felt like William had trumped the bad guy, and won back the lady. It was odd. I’d never felt so disconnected from myself before.


Then Xander came up beside me. “Just about three and a half weeks until we hit land.” He said, touching my shoulder as I watched the beautiful couple. I jumped, turning to look at him. Then I blushed as I realized he believed me jealous.


“Brilliant.” I said. “We’re making good time. He’ll be pleased.”


“And you will too, I’d imagine.”


“Of course.” I said, “That man’s been nothing but a nuisance since he boarded my ship.”


*


The next day, I was surprised when he approached me of his own will.


“You’re a free man now, William.” I said resignedly. “You needn’t spar with me any longer.”


He looked half-abashed. “I was hoping I could fight you again, this time for some other prize.”


I was agitated by him. I’d heard him laughing and making merry with his wife all night long, and I didn’t like the way that he had made me feel. I didn’t like to let my feelings show, but he had me pegged as less than a woman, and that really did hurt. I’d never had a man of any description give me such grief before. I was strong, and respected, but he made me feel like an ant.


“What else could you possibly want, Mr. Arlington?” I asked, my voice sharp.


A slow grin crossed his face. “Dinner rights.” He said.


I felt my eyes narrow. “What?” I asked. “Explain yourself.”


His grin did not fade. “Truth is,” he admitted, “I find I enjoy fighting you, Miss. It passes the time quite spiritedly.”


“I’m glad to be a source of amusement to you, William.” I said, feeling perhaps more bitter than I should.


His grin widened at my barb. “I thought you mighten’t be pleased by such a confession. However, I believe you enjoy fighting with me, too.”


I gave him nothing. “If I do?”


“I advocate a continuation of this working relationship.” He said. “The men enjoy watching. Cecily has never loved me so well. And we continue to pass the time in good spirits.” He spread his hands wide. “So, what’ll it be? If I win, Cecily and I are to be allowed dinner with you and your men. What will you have us fight for?”


I stared at him, and then cocked my head. There was nothing that I wanted, but his offer to continue sparring did strike me well. In honesty, I enjoyed the fighting more than he could know.


“How about…” I said, still thinking. “If I win, you must give up your Red coat. Surrender it to me.”


“Done.” He said, before considering. He grinned. “A smart bid, love.”


I cracked a grin. “We’ll see if it pays off.”


*


After that our daily fights were a ship tradition. The men were riled with good morale, and we were making great time. I fought William for three days in the name of his coat, and during that time he was granted dinner with me and my men, his own pair of heavy pirate boots (which he wore only whilst we fought), and a new weapon to practice with. After that, I won his coat, and wore it to dinner that very evening for a jovial gag.


“Looks better on a tiny slip of a pirate than it ever did on me.” William remarked as I walked into his sights. For half a moment, I felt the blood creep into my cheeks, but then Cecily was at his side again, fawning at his shirt, and I felt a fool. Something strange was happening to me, and I could tell that the same was not true for him. It was embarrassing.


Still, I took my seat at the head of the table and raised my glass of wine with a cheery grin.


“To The Valencia’s impromptu guests.” I said, toasting my ship’s unfathomable cargo. “May the good times carry us right up on to the shores of England.”


“Here here!” Said William, and all of my men at once. Cecily took a great swallow of wine, and William smiled at her endearingly. There was a warmth in the air that night. It made me feel grand, and alive. But I also noticed how alone I really was. For all the men I had at my command, I’d never had one so solely entranced with me, the way that Cecily had William. It ached a little to watch them, though I found I couldn’t look away.


“I believe I shall miss this ship, in equal part with my relief to be rid of it.” William confessed after the meal was half eaten, and we were awaiting dessert.


“Of course you shall!” I laughed, raising my wine glass to be refilled. “A man is free to be a barbarian whilst amongst good company! When you return to England, you will have to be a soldier once again. More’s the pity, Mr. Arlington. Something tells me that you would make a most excellent pirate!”


“Why, from you I suppose I must take that as a compliment.” William mused, fixing me with the most melting of smiles. I felt my embarrassing blush rise once more. William chuckled. “You’ve been a dreadful surprise to me, Miss Elizabeth.”


I laughed. “You’ve been a menace!”


Everyone joined the laughter, and then we toasted to The Valencia once more. William was in good spirits, and I could tell that he was no longer planning to turn us into the law upon his return to the mainland. Somewhere along the line, he had lost his desire to see my hanging from the neck.


The next day we fought again, and for a week after that we proceeded to bargain fickle things in order to continue our game. Our attacks upon each other were growing in ferocity, but they no longer held the same early menace. William grinned when we fought, and I laughed more than ever.


It was two weeks from the start of our fights, however, when we made our final bargain. The bargain which changed things, without foresight.


“If I win,” William grinned, bowing low to me as he posed his offer, “I wish to see you out of pantaloons, and in a dress instead.”


I flushed. “I beg your pardon sir!”


“Just as I said.” He smirked, “For one whole day, until we fight again of course, I wish to see you dressed as a lady. A real lady, Elizabeth.”


For a moment, I felt myself prickle. And then, all of a sudden, I felt alright. I smiled, in fact.


“It’s a deal.” I said. “And if I win, then I request a kiss.”


William looked startled, and he was quiet for a moment, comprehending my face. Finally, he spoke. “A… Kiss?”


“Yes.” I replied, fighting the embarrassment that I felt. After all, it was no light request. I had never been kissed before, and he was the one that I deemed worthy to be my first. If he rebuked me then I wasn’t sure what would be left for me.


“But Cecily…”


I smiled quickly. “Just a kiss, William. Don’t tell me your wife would mind that.”


He looked over at Cecily. Her attentions had wandered again, and she was gazing across the sea of men. It seemed to me that though William doted on her relentlessly, she was always going to be looking at other men. What harm was there to be found in giving me just one little kiss?


“Alright.” William wagered. “You in a dress, or my lips on yours. Seems a fair trade-off, Elizabeth.”


I faltered, just a moment, then told him: “I like to be called Buffy.”


“Buffy?” He repeated. I nodded, and he grinned. “The fearsome pirate, Buffy!”


*


We took our places before each other, and drew out our weapons to the cheers and catcalls of the pirate men. Xander raised his arm above his head with a wide grin, then dropped it forward.


“En garde!”


William did not hold back on me when we fought. He brought his sword down hard against mine, and I staggered backwards from the effort to block him. He grinned maliciously, then swiped beneath my poised arms. No foul, I arched my back to avoid contact with his new sword, then span a 180, bringing my sword around fast into his side.


He met it with a clanging of blades, and then raised his weapon to knock the black hat from my head. It fell, and I felt my blonde hair spill out over my shoulders.


Now I was at a disadvantage, as my long tresses tumbled in front of my eyes, obscuring my vision.


“A break to fasten her hair!” Xander called out, but I waved him off with my spare hand.


“No!”


We fought on, though William’s face seemed different now that it was more obvious that he was fighting a woman. He’d always been fully aware, of course, but my tumbling blonde hair seemed to have done something odd to him.


“Time out.” He said, as he swung to block another of my attacks.


“No!” I repeated, swinging again. His block turned into a counter strike, and I staggered back slightly. I didn’t want to take a break right now, I wanted to finish this and claim his lips as my own. I wanted to feel what it was like to be loved by a man, even if it was just for a moment. I wanted him, but most of all, I wanted him to want me, too.


“Buffy- take a time out when it’s offered!” He said, his voice stern as he swiped at me again.


I leapt back, and staggered at the sound of my name on his lips. It was wonderful, I found. He swiped again, and I wasn’t ready for it as I always had been before. His close blade caught me off guard and I toppled backwards, landing hard on my back, with the blue sky above me. My stomach lurched as he stood over me, looking angry as he lowered the blade of his sword to my chest. He held the end of it between my breasts, and we were both panting with the exertion of our fight. No one cheered this time, Spike’s face was too stormy.


“Why didn’t you step down?” He snapped, keeping his sword where it was.


I said nothing, just stared back up at him. He shook his head, hard, then turned and snatched his weapon back to his side. He went to Cecily and kissed her ambitiously, and he did not offer me his usual hand up. I knew that he was angry, and I knew why too. William fought fair, and he did not like that I had continued to fight with a handicap. He was an honorable man, really. I had offended him by giving him an easy win.


Still, he had won, and in my eyes it was fair as could be. I would wear a dress, as he had requested, and I would not mention stealing a kiss from his lips again. Tomorrow we would fight for trivial things again, and I would make it alright.