Look Beyond What You Sea

Look Beyond What You Sea


"It's freedom. That's all it is. The ocean, the sky, nothing to hold you back. Here you have governors, watchmen, law-makers, law-breakers and everyone in between, but out there it's just you and the men beside you. You work for each other night and day, an honest day's work, you live for each other...you die for each other. That's what it means to be a pirate."

The man sighed leaning against the bars of the molding jail cell, his tan hard-skinned arms dangled freely revealing many tattoos and scars. He was no younger than a year below myself, twenty at least, but he carried himself as one who has withstood many a storm (both literally and figuratively), his back straight and strong, mussed tussled dark hair, and brown knowing eyes that bore into me as I sat before him, dressed and clean, a goatee and hat(I must have looked like a powderpuff in comparison) on the free side of the door.

"Well," I said breaking the thick silence that had formed around us like a wall and shifting uncomfortably in my seat. "If this freedom means so much to you, how is it that you came to be in this cell here?"

The man, Henry (or Ace as he had been known through reputation), squinted his eyes coldly at me before turning his back on me and walking to the opposite end of his confinement. "I don't want to talk about it."

I smiled to myself, savoring my position before speaking up. "Now, now," I chided. "You know the deal. I ask you questions as research for my book and in return I set you free before you face the gallows in the morning."

"Which!" he spat out, clearly agitated. "I still haven't figured out how you will manage that!"

"That isn't for you to worry about," I told him calmly. "As long as you keep up your end of the bargain, so will I."

"Now," I said, rising from my seat. "What got you in here wasn't some slight to king and country, or to any civilian (otherwise you would have flaunted it upon capture), but rather you were set up for all this, leading me to believe that you could have been betrayed by your fellow crew men. However, your blaton praise for them in the previous question ruled that our immediately. That gives me one answer...a girl."
At this the man said nothing. I looked through the bars meeting the man's blank stare. He did not blink and did not move. I don't think I have ever seen a person so still.

"It is a girl then, isn't it?" I exclaimed in fascination. I sat down in my chair, head shaking in disbelief, playing off of his emotions. "Amazing. I was just taking a shot in the dark, but wow..." I looked at him, all sober and silent and wiped the grin off my face. I did my best to sound casual and comforting as I asked. "What's her name?"

"Hali," he said softly. "Her name was Hali."

My ears perked up as he spoke in the past tense. My interest was immediately peaked. Suddenly I found myself far more interested in the pirate than I previously thought possible.

"Alright," I said finding my vein of interest. "You tell me about this girl, how it all happened, everything up to your capture and it's be the last thing I ask. I'll set you free."

Henry seemed to think on the subject for a moment, scrutinizing the situation over in his head. Finally he stood up, passing back and forth in front of the cell door and nodded his head.

"Alright," he said.

I threw my hands up exaggeratedly. "Excellent! Continue."

"Well," he started. "We met at a governor's ball down in Port Royal. A year ago this past summer. We were..."

"Hold on a minute!" I interjected, half laughing. "You were at a governor's ball? How did this happen?"

Henry smirked at me knowingly. "You already used up your last question. Remember?"

"Oh yes," I said sobering up in disappointment. "I guess your right. Well, do continue."

"Thank you," he said with mock civility. "As I was saying...

"There was a governor's ball at Port Royal. My captain and I, for reasons that will be made apparent soon enough, attended. How we managed to find an invitation and slip in unnoticed was beyond me, but I trusted my captain."

"Hundreds of people were there, all dressed in glamorous cloths, big dresses, and layers of jackets that added to the extreme hot weather of the season. It seemed as if every noble in the islands had been invited to this grandiose party held in the governor's magnificent estate. As best I could I avoided these people as much as possible. Captain Aldis made me meet the governor himself and I was positive that after that meeting there would be no more. He seemed to not worry about detection, but I was on my toes."

"He was a sight, though. Before that night I had never thought of him as anything but a noble pirate dedicated to the sea and detached from land. But as he swept across the lawn shaking hands and making introductions to anyone and everyone, his hair pulled back neatly and wearing the same vest and jacket style as was popular, I would have sworn he was another man. Half the time I wanted to laugh, but held it in remembering that I too was standing there in fancy dress clothes of my own."

"It was Aldis who introduced me to Hali."

"I had stayed sitting in a corner as he went about his business and had watched the people dancing and walking around. That was when I saw her for the first time. She was walking around with a band of girls that no one could notice past her. She seemed to move in slow motion almost, her brown hair curled around her, her light skin shinning in the lights, laughing in complete bliss. I could not take my eyes off of her for all the world."

"That was why I was so shocked when Aldis himself walked up to her. I saw them exchange words and then to my utter horror head in my direction. I jumped out of my chair as they approached and tried desperately to remember how to be polite."
"'Hali,he said talking to the girl. "this is Henry. Henry, this is Hali Langston"

Henry stopped for a moment. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed, still caught up in the memory. I said nothing, letting him take as long as he needed.

"She smiled at me," he said, taking another pause, looking out into space.

"Have you ever been caught up in someone like that? Where even the simplicity of a smile causes your whole would to spin and your stomach to flip inside out? That was how I felt. Aldis talked for a moment, though I did not hear a word he said, and then left us alone. When this happened it left me completely unable to speak, so stunned was I by her presence"

"For the longest moment we stood there in silence. It was the tensest moment I could remember experiencing. I was beside myself on what to do. The only thing I was certain of was that I wanted to talk to her, and I wanted to know her. I wanted to know everything about her."

"Finally, I asked her to dance. My heart raced, my palms grew sweaty. Anxiety rose within me that she might say no, but slowly and with a willingness that surprised even me she said 'yes'"

"The moment we stepped on the dance floor all of that tension was swept away as if by a great wind come to blow us away. Her brown eyes locked on mine and with that we were in our own world the rest of the night. The people, sights, sounds, all melted away like paint leaving us talking between ourselves as we moved as one. We laughed and joked never worrying about anything else. And for once, I was not treated like a pirate. I was not 'Ace', but I was 'Henry'...just 'Henry'."

"The next couple of days were fantastic. We met anywhere and anytime we could. I made up excuses to have to leave the ship which had anchored a ways down the shore, and Hali, who turned out to be the adoptive daughter of the Governor himself, made her own excuses."

"This had worried me at first. I was anxious about being caught by both her family and my crewmen. I worried that she would find out what I really was (for I made up a story to who I was, leaving the name Henry as the only thing she really knew about my past), and above all I was upset at the realization that things could not continue as they were. But still we never stopped meeting in our own secret places."

"We met anywhere and everywhere that would decrease our chances of getting caught. The surrounding forests, where we could walk and talk as long as we wished without fear for as long as we liked was one such place, as well as a deserted cove away from the town. These secret places became an extension of ourselves and I could not think of one without the other."

"We were happy in this world. I found a brilliant, insightful person that I found myself wasting days upon, and I was glad to do it. What we had was not some mere passion (for I didn't dream of making her uncomfortable in any manner), but rather a mutual companionship. It was a friendship, but a truer and deeper one than I even believed possible. For the first time in my life I fell in love."

He stayed quiet for a moment, eyes glazed over. I could almost swear that I saw tears form in his eyes. It hit me then that this story I had been listening to wasn't a happy story. It hit me that, for this man, the end would mean everything.

Silence.

"There isn't going to be a happy ending," I asked emotionally. "Is there?"

"You read books sir," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Good things never last."

I nodded in understanding. "Well, what happened?"

"One night as I was returning to the ship," he began. " I heard two of my fellow crewmen talking between themselves. One was the old cook that had been with us for many years, and the other the newest kid who was younger than I. The young boy, Tom I believe his name was, was angry, mad that we had stayed anchored for so long and ran his mouth loudly."

"Of course the old man scolded him saying that 'We don't leave until the captain's got what he came for!'"

"'Yeah, an' wa's that?' the boy asked"

"I was very curious then, for even I only knew the very least details as possible, though I had never really thought why."

" The boy opened his mouth again and blurted out ' Not like ther's any treasure here'."

"'Greater treasure than you might think,' was the old cook's reply. 'No gold or silver, mind you, but a person...a girl'."

"'What good is a girl?' Tom asked ignorantly."

"The grisly man looked at the youth in distaste. 'Not just any girl, boy! The very daughter of Captain Flint himself!'"

"That was it. You see, Flint had not died yet and the rumor was that there was a whole island where his treasure lay buried. They say you could take a shovel, stick it anywhere in the ground and gold would flow like water. That would only be the biggest treasure short of El Dorado! This treasure would be something Aldis would ransom Flint's daughter for (for is it was well known that he searched endlessly for his family to make amends before he died)."

"It was right at that moment, right when I was acting a fool, my mouth opened at the thought of gold and wealth that the old man added his last remarks that the girl in question was none other than the governor's adoptive daughter!"

"You can imagine my horror at this. It was impossible. Things like that just don't happen, you know. So I did not sleep that night as these thoughts ran through my head. I didn't know what to do or how to do it. I could not understand the fact that I was going to have to choose between my crew and Hali. I tried to come up with a way were it would not come down to this ultimatum, but thought of nothing."

" The next morning I left the ship as soon as I could. I remember the sky was gray and the sea was getting choppy and rough, wave pounding after wave, matching my hearts very rhythm. I remember thinking through everything, every little detail in my head and above all I remembered the sight of Hali standing on the beach, her hair caught in the mornings wind watching the sunrise over the ocean."

"I ran up to her, looking like a mad man more or less. I didn't care though. The urgency that I felt; the desperation was something I had never experienced and drove me freely."

"'Hali, listen to me,' I said hurriedly taking her hands in mine. She looked up at me frightened, confused, not understanding what it was I was so distraught about. 'Do you know who your father is? Your real father?'"

"She shook her head at me in confusion. 'What? What's going on Henry?' she asked me."

"'Your real father is Captain Flint.' I told her. "The Captain Flint. And there is a crew of pirates here, their ship lays anchor just on the other side of the inlet, and they are going to kidnap you because you are his daughter, whether you know it or not!' I shook my head in built up aggression and energy. 'We have to leave!'"

"She just looked up at me, not believing a word I was saying and asked me how I knew all this."

"My heart thumped in my chest. 'I know because I am one of them,' I told her. ' I'm a pirate, Hali.'"

"Tears streamed down her face and she started to shake from head to toe. I wrapped one hand around her waist and held her trembling head in the other, looking down into her eyes. I told her to look at me and try to understand. 'I'm not going to let them hurt you,' I told her. 'I'm not a pirate anymore. I give it all up for you! Don't you see? I don't want it. I don't want any of it if it means that I have to lose you!'"

"Her hand wrapped around mine, cold and uncertain. I didn't know what she would do. She could have done anything. She could have pulled away from me, turned and ran, screamed for help, but instead a bravery and understanding formed in her eyes and in no uncertain words said 'I love you.'"

"In all my fear and urgency I could not help but smile down at her. For a brief moment all thoughts of the outside world that were banging around our ears left us in peace, leaving solely us. Slowly I bent down and kissed her very gently on the mouth. The world tilted in front of me and I experienced the same feeling I had had upon seeing her for the first time. It was our first, and last kiss."

"I looked up and standing just a few yards down the beach was the entire crew with Aldis standing before them authoritative and strong. My gut turned and my muscles tensed in fear and anticipation. All eyes were on me, waiting for me to do something. I wrapped Hali even closer to me and slowly turned her around not daring to take my eyes off of them, and stepped in front of her, shielding her as best I could."

"We stood frozen like that for a long time. My heart beat like a drum in my chest and I could feel Hali pressing up against me shaking in fright, and the need to protect and save this shaking creature filled me with a resolve and determination I did not believe I possessed. In my head I tried to come up with a plan, some way of getting us out of there, and the whole time I just stood there almost daring Aldis to try and take her when suddenly I saw his facial expression change dramatically in a second as he cried out looking over my shoulder."

"I saw the line of red coats and heard the sound of the gun before I felt it rip into my shoulder. It all seemed to play out slowly in front of me, seeing the man pull the trigger and the fire ignite from the end of the pistol, and then I was suddenly sent flying backwards and onto the hard sand."

"Around me chaos erupted. I heard the yells and the running of my crew and the military guard. I heard Hali scream in fear and saw her bending over me calling my name out. 'Hold on,' she told me. 'It's going to be alright,' she said pulling the hair out of my face and touching my cheek lovingly. My heart filled with fear for her and she continued to call my name and I held her one last time. 'Hali' I began to speak, but a dark shadow crossed over us and she was suddenly ripped from my arms."

"I can't remember how long I lay there screaming as I watched my crew carry her off against her will, her voice calling out for help, for me to save her, and oh how I wanted to! Every fiber of my being was screaming at me to run after her, to wrestle her from the pirates that would ransom her to her father and probably kill her after they received the directions, but I couldn't. I lay on the beach helpless to her and to me."

Sigh.

" I can't remember when I saw the crew reach the forest and disappear behind the thick veil of foliage, or when the royal guards clad me in irons and knocked me unconscious, but I do remember the pain. There is no way to describe it. And even if there was a word for it, I'm not sure I'd tell you. It is something much to great, all encompassing and deadly...lose. I had a part of me ripped away that day. I had a part of me die. I don't know if you are understanding this, but everything I had ever believed in seemed to vanish with her, Hali, my love."

"The last thing I remember is that is started to rain."

Silence.

He said nothing. In my mind I saw Henry splayed on the ground, blood poring from his shoulder. His arms were outstretched as he cried the name "Hali" over and over again as he fought bravely against armed guards that surrounded him. He dodged as best he could, turning this way and that, never letting the guards get a good grip on him, but in the end they succeeded. They hit him over the head with the butt of a rifle, anything to subdue the pirate that had added in the kidnapping of the governor's daughter. It was a horrific sight. I saw the fear in Captain Aldis eyes as he watched what must have been a very close friend, almost a son figure, fall to the enemy, his heart breaking. Inside my very own heart ached for Henry, finally realizing everything that he had gone through to get here.

"I was sent back to England and was held on trial and sentenced to the gallows."
I could not say a word. There was no way I could. My eyes were tearing. I felt as he felt, I understood what he understood. So I sat there, shaken in my chair, thinking about him, the injustice in the world, the sacrifices people were forced to make for the things and people they believed in, and many other things as well. Then very slowly I got up and walked to the cell door placing my hands lightly on the bar.

"You love her," I said softly. He nodded. "You want to get out of here knowing that there is still a chance that she lives?" Again he nodded coming over to the door right opposite me and placing his hands a bit above my own. He looked down at me with those eyes I believed could look into my very soul from the moment I met him. Inside I was weak, shaking with uncertainty but still I raised my small hands, placing them on his and leaned up and kissed him very lightly.

"What!" he exclaimed, jumping back in shock.

Very slowly I took hold of my goatee and pulled it off, took my hat off my head and undid the tie in my hair letting my long brown locks flow around me, and smiled up at him.

He just stood there for a moment looking me over. He believed he may be seeing a ghost, but I waited. I waited, my hart pounding so hard it threatened to burst lose from it's rightful place, I waited. Until he said the one thing that could bring me to my knees. "Hali?"

Immediately I ran back to the cell door, grasping on to the bars for support, my knees were so weak. I looked up at him as he came closer, shaking from head to toe. His hand reached through the bars running through my hair and over my face covered in new shed tears. And for that moment we were suspended in time again, uncertain of what to do or say, and then we kissed, again, and again, and again.

A pirates life is hard, as is any life. They live, laugh, and love like the rest of the people on this Earth and every once and a while, the struggles they go through, just like any other persons, ends in a happily ever after. And that is what happened, they lived happily ever after.

The End