Rosaline awoke to shouts up above. She rolled herself off of her bed, pulling on the robe nearby and walking across the cold wooden floor the door. Pulling it open slowly, she peeked out into the hallway. It was deserted, so she took another step, growing closer to the sounds on the deck.
The sailors whom she had almost grown accustomed to were running about, guns in their hands. They were shouting to each other, and Rosaline could make out the ships captain in their midst, probably giving directions. She looked around the dark deck, seeking the reason for their panic, and spotted another ship so close that she could make out the forms on board.
A sailor rushed towards Rosaline's small body, grabbing her around the waist and whisking her back inside her cabin.
"Stay put, my lady," he said. "There are pirates approaching the ship. There could be gunfire, and you should stay out of sight."
"Pirates?" Rosaline whispered. "Why would they attack our ship?"
"They will attack any ship, my lady," the sailor muttered. "Who knows what they think they're going to get from us. We will fight them off, don't you worry none, and you will be safely on your way to the count again."
Rosaline nodded dumbly, sitting back down on her bed as the man departed, shutting the door behind him. She heard a key twist in the lock, and made fists as she realized that he had locked her in.
Shortly after her 18th birthday, Rosaline had been given a kiss on her forehead from her father, a short whisper of good luck from her mother, and had been sent away on this ship to be united with her betrothed. The count had done business with Rosaline's father years before, and had at that time asked for Rosaline to be his wife. Rosaline's father had agreed readily, the count was a man of good standing, and more importantly of good money.
Nettie, Rosaline's nurse, had pleaded with Rosaline's parents to let her stay at home until she was 18. In a rare burst of courage, Rosaline's mother had joined in, asking the man to let her remain. The count had agreed to wait until Rosaline was older, and had left. The betrothal had been signed, and Rosaline was promised to a man twice her age.
The last four years had been frightful. Nettie had wept repeatedly, Rosaline in her arms, whimpering about the girl's upcoming marriage. Rosaline had dreaded the event herself, and now her stomach twisted to even think of the husband she didn't know. Hopefully he would be kind to her, and die early, leaving her the freedom of widowhood. Then she could leave that dreaded country for her home, returning to her nurse whom she loved as a mother, and settle quietly.
The shouts on the deck grew louder and more frantic, and she heard them joined with new voices. The voices were deep, throaty, and demanding. Rosaline heard a gunshot, then another, and screams.
Rosaline rocked back and forth on top of the bed, her knees hugged tight against her chest. She closed her eyes and imagined that it was all over, that her ship had won, and that everything was going to be okay. The gunfire ended a lot sooner than she would have expected, ceasing almost suddenly, and there was silence. No more screaming or shouting, just some laugher and cheers. Rosaline tightened the robe around her body and wondered which side had won the battle.
The count hadn't been the first man to ask for Rosaline's hand in marriage. Even at fourteen, her beauty was obvious. She had soft, round features. Big green eyes, soft blond hair, and her small breasts set her short frame off nicely. She was slender, and hadn't filled in much since her youth, but had kept in good shape by riding her horse regularly. She grew stronger than most, with well-defined muscles in her legs. Her mother often told her that the men wouldn't like the muscular shape in her calf, but Rosaline felt pleasure at the shape of her legs.
Courageous, and curious, Rosaline unwrapped her arms from around her legs and stood up beside the bed. The wooden floor chilled her bare feet as Rosaline ventured towards her doorway. She tried the handle, and found it still stuck tight. Pressing her ear against the door, she strained for some answers to her questions, listening for footsteps to approach her room and release her.
On the other side of the thick wooden door, Rosaline heard heavy footsteps rapidly approaching. She heard the door across from hers opened, and a man shouting to another.
"Looks like the captain's quarters," the voice hollered.
Rosaline felt her stomach sink. The pirates must have won the battle. She felt strangely calm, in such a situation. This was completely unreal, what she would have expected to be a frightening event, but for some reason she was calm. Perhaps because she hadn't faced the reality of it yet, but for now her shock hadn't rocked her body. She pressed her ear further to the door to hear the conversation.
Another set of footsteps was approaching, and Rosaline heard the handle on the other side of her own door jiggled.
"It's locked," a voice said. The voice was not as gruff as the other, almost lighter. It sounded like it belonged to a younger man, not a voice she would expect on any sailor, let alone a pirate.
"Shall we break it open, captain?" The deeper voice questioned.
"Go ahead," the soft voice replied.
Rosaline scrambled away from the door, just in time before it came smashing down. A barrel of a man stood on the other side of the door. He was big, with wiry gray hair, and stood with his profile exposed to Rosaline. She groped the robe around her tightly, pulling herself into a sitting position on the bed, and looked at the younger man beside him.
Surprise caused Rosaline nearly to gasp aloud, but she caught herself in time. The young man had dark black hair, pulled tightly back into a slick ponytail. His ear was pierced with a golden loop, making him appear to be the epitome of a swash-buckling pirate. His tanned skin was smooth, his face clean cut, and his eyes were a dark blue. He looked at Rosaline with those eyes, appraising her.
"What have we hear?" he asked himself, taking a step towards the bed.
Rosaline stood up, defensively, her arms crossed across her breast.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice quivering. She wasn't scared, though she knew she should be. She was feeling something completely different. The tall man standing in front of her gave her a queasy feeling that she had never felt previously, a feeling in her gut. He wasn't very old, maybe 30 years, but he had an air about him that reeked power. She blinked against the look he was giving her, and stood her ground as he took another step closer.