A Pirate Says Arrr [ℙ𝕚𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕓𝕓𝕖𝕒𝕟]

Chapter 39: The Captain's Daughter

Outside, Jack crawled hand-over-hand along a wire, holding onto Royal bunting that spanned the street. The siblings saw other buntings and followed suit. They hid behind Royal flags. Something then fell. It was the golden crown, stolen from the display case that fell onto the cobblestone with a clatter, drawing the attention of guards on the street below. They pointed and shouted. "GET THEM!!" one called.

At the window, the Captain of the Guard saw Jack's fingers and he slashed the wire. It broke. "Wait- That wasn't Jack's wire," Maisie gasped.

"Matt!" Vi cried.

The wire came down, and Matthew swung down into a moving carriage, into a society lady's lap. "Pardon me," he whispered.

He kissed her hand while stealing her bracelet, and climbed out onto the roof of the carriage. Guards spotted him as Matthew jumped to a second carriage, didn't make it, and stepped back. Matthew straddled two carriages now. Jack, his brothers, and sisters were on a carriage ahead of him. The carriages reached an intersection, one proceeded forward, and the other made a sharp turn. "Now, MacNeil!" Maisie called.

Matthew was forced to leap onto an approaching flatbed cart, carrying a plain wood casket. He looked up and saw he was headed toward soldiers. Matthew stepped off the casket, onto a passing plank carried by workers, then onto the top hat of a passing Englishman, and just made it onto a slow-moving coal wagon. "We'll meet you somewhere safer!" Jack called.

He then threw Vi over to him, not caring about her frightened screams, and Matthew caught her. "BE CAREFUL, VI!!" Maisie exclaimed.

Matthew looked at Vi and smiled softly. "Hey, Taurus. Wanna help a Scorpio brother out?"

"Uh– ... Fine."

The two climbed forward, pushing the driver aside. Matthew snapped the reins, but the horses didn't respond. Behind the carriage, they saw the Captain, now on horseback. "Fire!" he called.

His men, also on horseback, aimed, and shot, and the bullets hit a lantern mounted on the side of the wagon; it exploded, lighting the coal. The horses leap forward, frightened. "That'll get them going!" Vi said with a laugh.

The Driver dove off as the flaming cart raced beneath an arch, pursued by soldiers on horseback. It careened down the street. Ahead, a father herded his family across the street, a young boy, about six years old, on his back, and an eight-year-old girl wearing a bonnet holding his hand. He hurried them across ahead of the cart. But a gust of wind blew the Girl's bonnet back into the street and she chased after it. "Ayo watch out!" Matthew exclaimed.

The bonnet was in the street as she reached for it, then was yanked back hard by the Father as the flaming cart crushed the hat. "I'LL BUY YOU A NEW ONE!!" Vi called as the cart rushed by.

Guards followed the wagon's trail of sparks in hot pursuit. But they noticed that no one was on it. Dangling on the back of a pub sign, face-to-bosom, was Matthew as he held Vi tightly in his arms. He dropped down to the street and dusted himself off, putting her down. "You okay?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah... I'm all good," she replied, covering her mouth.

"You know, if Cat and Dog were in our position, they wouldn't be hanging onto a sign for dear life. They'd be-" Matthew added, only for his Taurean sister to respond.

"Making out. ... And we'd be feeling it..."

The duo then turned as the other pirates joined them at the sign. A guard stood there, rifle aimed straight at Matthew's heart. "Filthy pirate," he muttered.

His finger squeezed the trigger. But then a shot was heard, and the Guard fell forward, revealing someone behind him, pistol smoking. "Hello, Jackie. And hello, kiddos."