Not all treasure is silver and gold - Chapter 2

**

"Please, please, oh please."

"Ya hear that Migé? The little brat is beggin' for it. Oh the captain will love you boy."

It was true. It was all true, I realized while I begged them to let me go with tears streaming down my battered face as they laughed at me.

Now I could see it with my own eyes, and I realized the stories were not based on silly rumours and drunken tales. Every word….every word was true.

Ever since I was a little boy, I had been told tales about the most feared pirate ship in the entire world; The Black heart.

Like every other child I was told about the black sails, the crew with hearts blacker than the sails, and a captained by Satan himself from the depths of hell. With the face of an angel, but with a wolfs grin that betrayed his true face. Some of them said he was Satan in the human form. Some of them even referred to him as His infernal majesty. Seductive and dangerous like the fires of hell.

And than there was the heartagram symbol. The symbol drawn by the captain himself and the most feared symbol known by men. Found on the black flag that danced dangerously in the wind high in the sails, together with the figurehead, that was not a woman, but the same sinful symbol. People even whispered the captain wore the symbol on his white skin all over his body as a tattoo. 

No one had ever gotten a close enough look and lived to tell the story, so it remained a rumour. But I feared the same would go for me, as I tried to kick my way to freedom, but failing as I was securely trapped in the tight grip I was captured in. I was carried on board by my arms and legs by the pirates called Migé and Jyrki.

Leaving the ship I had been living on for a week, I was carried onto the huge black monster that laid right next to it in the now calm water. I tried to keep my eyes shut when we passed the dead bodies spread over the deck.

They laughed at me when I gagged at seeing all the blood running over the wood underneath me, and they mocked me when I screamed, when Migé suddenly threw me over his strong shoulder, and made a jump to the dangerous doomed ship while holding a rope for support. He seemed to be able to do it effortlessly, but I still squeezed my eyes shut to block out the deep, dark ocean underneath us.

It was a monster. The ship, it was monster. It was cursed, doomed, dark and sinful. Just as it’s men. A monster straight from the deepest pits of hell. 

**

"Aye Majesty, welcome to our humble little boat. I hope it’s to yer liking."

Jyrki doubled over in laughter, wig still on his dark head, as Migé dropped me from his shoulder onto the deck, my head first. I had to blink to keep my vision sharp as the stinging pain in my head blurred my eyes from the tears welling up.

My head wasn’t just bleeding now, it also had a bump on it. I'd never been this injured in my life, except for maybe the time I jumped out of the huge tree into the pile of leaves after Ryan had dared me. Mother had been beside herself, and so I had never done it again, even though it had given me the glorious feeling I could fly. I started to fear this many injuries could be the death of me.

I now noticed more people surrounding me as the ship started to get more crowded. Pirates were all climbing back on the Black heart, as some of them crawled out of the staircase that lead to the lower deck. Possibly to fire the canons.

Either way, as I was laying helplessly on my back, I noticed more evil laughing and strange faces towering over me as they glanced down. Some of them even spitting on my beautiful clothing as they said dirty things I didn't understand. I was in hell.

"Avast, seems like you got the greatest treasure of all ey Migé? What is this pretty thing?"

One of the men asked with a mildly amused face. He was one of the few not cackling over the state I was in, and on his face was only a slight smile, as his eyes were filled with something that could be called mistrust.

"Aye, This rat is gonna make us a lot of gold Burton , wait till the captain hears about this."

All the men laughed, showing their teeth. Some of them gold, some of them white or yellowish. Remarkably, none of them rotten.

"He even comes with an extra hairpiece….look at this beauty." Jyrki showed off my wig, I knew, even though I could not see him from where I was laying on the deck.

"Aaah, so he’s a rich little snob ey? Look at his shoes…and that scarf. They must be worth a pretty penny. And now he can be our little grommet."

I lost track of people as yet another dark-haired men bent over me, with his arms folded, as the point of his dirty boot poked my side.

I didn’t know what he meant, but I knew it couldn’t mean anything good. And the thought of them stealing my beautiful clothes made me want to cry again. If this could only stop. My eyes darted around as I tried to find a face that could belong to the captain, but I had no idea what I was looking for. They all looked alike in a way. Some of them were blond, some of the were dark. Most of them tall. All of them had the same rough accent. Dark clothing, lots of golden jewellery and nose, ear or lip rings. Of course all of them had tattoos, as pirates always did, but none of them seemed to be in charge.

It did surprise me however, how few of them there really were. There couldn’t be more than fifteen people here. It had been another rumour that turned out to be the truth. The Black heart only needed very few people to take over an entire ship, or burn down an entire city. That was how much power they really possessed, I understood, and I knew I should praise myself lucky to still be alive in the first place. These few men were more dangerous than an entire army.

"Leave ‘im alone Jussi. The captain will decide. Until than no one can touch him."

I sighed when the rest of the crew obeyed when a larger, bald man stepped forward. His chubby face did not look amused like the rest of them, but almost a little concerned as he looked at my trembling, bleeding body, curled up on the deck.

"Aye, steersman Gas is right. Some one needs to go get the captain."

All the men suddenly stopped talking as the looked carefully from one to the other as their eyes shifted almost nervously.

"Aye Archie, then you go, eey? Smartly, You suggested it."

"Hell I’m goin’. He is in his cabin, writin’. He doesn’t like to be disturbed when he’s writin’."

"But that can take hours. He’s always…"

"Than you go get ‘im, Burton ."

"No, he’s writin’. I don’t want to disturb ‘im. Like ya said, he doesn’t like that. I’m just saying….he could be in their a while eey."

All of the men looked at each other, nodding, and my heart started beating in my throat. These men…all of them….they were the most feared, aggressive, dangerous and terrifying men I had ever seen. They could have been Satan’s demons.

Maybe they were, I didn't know…

But still, not one of them dared to disturb their captain as he was in his cabin, writing. Or at least that was what they called it. I was positive that pirates couldn't read or write whatsoever. That was only something the upper class could enjoy.

Nevertheless, all of these men spoke in such awe about him. And with such respect. Respect they didn't seem to have for anything else in the entire world. Not even a human life.

This man, their captain, had to be worse than all of his crew members together, and I started to feel sick to my stomach. I prayed to God that none of the men would decide to look for him, so I would be safe for a little longer. 

**

And it seemed my prayers were answered for the first time that day, because the men started to settle down. Migé walking over me and lifting me off my spot by my bruised arm, started to drag me with him to a spot closer to the steers hut as the large man called Gas disappeared into it.

I whimpered in pain, but he ignored me. All of the pirates seemed to move to the spot as they sat down on some of the barrels and piles of rope laying around, laying out the new treasures they had just stolen to show to each other and they ignored me.

Migé sat down on one of the barrels as he pushed me to the ground in between his legs. Cold shivers run down my spine as I sat with my eyes levelled with his groin, but the pirate only grimaced as he turned my head away from him.

"You stay their you scurvy little worm. I’m keepin’ an eye on yer. Don’t move and don’t speak. We will wait for our captain"

He simply growled, as I bowed my head so I would not have to look at any of them. I would not move and would not speak. Maybe they would forget about me as they only had eye for their treasures.

More jewellery, gold, money, liquor, food, clothing. They had taken everything of value. Even the curtains from the captain’s bedroom had been brought back. I could not believe my eyes as they laughed, looking at all the beautiful things and bargaining over who would get what. It seemed one big game to them, and it disgusted me. This was just another pay day. Nothing about the murders or the blood. Only jokes, and bragging.

"I still have some pieces of the old man on me shirt. He’s even botherin’ me from beyond the grave eeyy. May he rest in piece."

I heard Migé laugh behind me, and I tried not to gag at the comment about Arend as the other men laughed.

"Arr, this has been a good day for us, eey men? I think we can sure say we ar still the richest pirate ship sailin’. The captain will be pleased" Jussi clapped, making Jyrki jump up and fire his pistol up in the air as all the other men cheered. The noise made me cringle as it was so loud and unexpected and hurt my head.

As I said there with slumped shoulders to make myself as small as possible, I felt a sudden hand coming from behind ruffling my brown, curly hair gently.

"Dani, leave the lad alone." Migé commended, as I turned sideways to see a short, friendly-faced crew member sitting beside him with hair that looked like black spider legs were sticking out of his head. He actually smile at me before he turned to Migé with a goofy grin.

"He looks scared. I feel bad for the boy."

He replied, with an accent that make my jaw drop. It was possibly even more posh than the way my father spoke, and it sounded so strange coming from a pirate looking like him.

And I gawked at him for a second until Migé turned my head again, and I concentrated on the conversation still going on in front of me.

"Aye, Shame there were no women on board. I really miss having a warm female body sleepin’ next to me." I heard Jyrki say to Burton , who simply laughed as he jingled a purse close to his ear.

"A woman sleepin’ in your bed? Ar you tryin’ to say you had a woman sleepin’ with ya out of her free will?" Jussi voice came from behind me, as Jyrki looked up with a sneer. All the other men just laughed again, which only seemed to frustrate Jyrki even more.

"Have you forgotten about Betty last summer ya wiseass? She wanted to marry me."

"If you are talking about Lisa you are in Davy's Grip, Jyrki ma mate. She was me girl remember?"

How I wished they would stop yelling. My head was hurting enough as it was. But all the men started cheering loudly when both men stood up to face each other. Both with their fists baled and showing their teeth dangerously like wild dogs ready to attack.

All the men raised, and I was now stuck between Migé’s stretched legs. My head caught between his knees as I tried to pull it out, in which I finally succeeded.

They all yelled and cheered, clapping in their hands as Jussi spit down to the floor before Jyrki’s feet, who growled and shoved him back.

I closed my eyes when I saw Jussi raising his fist. Not wanting to see the violence as all the men screamed and encouraged.

I wished it was over. I prayed it was over.

"BANG"

A door slammed.

A gasp escaping from some of the crew members.

Footsteps of heavy boots, whispering on the wooden deck.

"EY, What the fuck is going on here?!"

It was him.

It was the captain, I knew, as I heard everyone silence at once.

And looking up from between Migé legs, I realized once more that every rumour….. every tale about him….

It had all been true



Ahoy pirate crew! This was the second chap and I know, I know...too slow!! There is need for Captain Valo, but as you can see....he is coming soon!!(No pun....oh what the hell.... Pun intended!) Hell....he is here!!
Please tell me what you think and if you have any tips, or just want to tell me all about yout new hair colour! It's all good!!