New Horizons (A Pirate Story)

Chapter 11: Home

Astryd woke the next morning to the rustling sound of leaves being shuffled around the forest floor. After a few minutes of resisting the pull to drift off to sleep again, she slowly sat up and stretched, seeing Tom kicking dirt and rocks over the last embers of the fire. He didn't say much. He just packed up his few belongings and prepared to leave.

Something inside Astryd stirred. Anxiety? Regret? Fear? She didn't know anymore. Her head was a jumbled mess of thoughts, and she couldn't decipher anything from them.

Without question or second thought, she followed in step behind Tom as they began to move.

What did she really want? Was she really just there for the reward money like she originally thought? There wasn't a way to tell. She tried to ignore what Tom said, but he was right. Astryd loved the sea. She slowly fell in love with it during her month on the Crescent. The way the wind tossed her already messy hair. The smell of the salty air. The comfort of the slow sway of the ship. She loved it all, but she didn't dare admit it.

Maybe stealing the document was a mistake, and maybe it wasn't. If she never stole it, she would not be a wanted woman. But if she hadn't stolen it, she wouldn't have embarked on the adventure that she was on now.

Is that it? Is adventure really all she wanted?

The thrill of the chase. The adrenaline pumping through her veins the second she snatched that old piece of paper off the king's desk. She replayed those moments in her head in the early hours of the morning when she was alone. Reliving the excitement that grew in her with every step she took as she ran away from the guards. Most of all, she replayed the moment she stomped down on the former boatswain's foot back in the alley, and how much it must have hurt him.

These were the things that filled her thoughts. So was money really the solution to her problems?

By the time Astryd snapped herself out of her thoughts, she and Tom were already nearing the village. Quickly, Astryd flipped her hood over her head and tugged it down over her face, and with a reassuring smile, Tom discreetly lead them back to the docks.

She had many opportunities to protest returning to the ship. She could have easily left Tom and journeyed further inland where she would hopefully be safe. But she couldn't find it in her to object, and so she quietly followed behind the blond haired boy.

It wasn't long before Astryd started smelling the familiar salty air, and it felt like...well...home.

Astryd stopped following in Tom's shadow when they reached the docks. She felt safe enough to raise her head where she could see ahead of her. Unlike the first time she climbed a gangplank, this time her feet did not falter. She strode with confidence on to the deck of a pirate ship.

She felt a knot in her stomach when she thought about Kincade. What if he didn't want her back? Why did she let Tom silently persuade her to come back?

"Astryd!" she heard someone shout. When she turned toward the voice, she saw Will jogging toward her. He sounded distressed.

"Did you see this?" he asked with worried eyes.

Astryd looked down to what Will was holding. It was a wanted poster with her face on it. Her expression sagged a bit at the reminder.

"Oh," she began, "yeah, I saw it."

"Well, we better leave port sooner than later. Don't want any of the locals coming after you." With that, he jogged away.

What? No look of disgust? Not even a question of why she was accused of treason? Kincade's words replayed in her mind. My crew come from a lot of different backgrounds. Guess that meant not many questions were asked around there, and something about that made Astryd's spirit lift a little bit. A small smile escaped her lips.

But the smile didn't last long. She needed to see Kincade.

Without wasting another moment, she crossed the top deck to Kincade's cabin. The oak doors swung open slowly with a dull creak, a sound that made Astryd cringe.

Please be in a good mood, she silently prayed.

She half hoped Kincade wouldn't be in his cabin at all. But as usual, he was standing hunched over the charting table in the middle of the low ceilinged room, facing the door.

Astryd gulped. She thought about the last time she stepped through those thick doors. The shouting, the loud slam of the door...

At first, he didn't bother to look up from his maps. After finishing a calculation and without moving his gaze, he said, "Didn't expect to see you again." His voice was too calm, too quiet.

This can't be good.

Astryd let out shaky breath, trying her hardest to stand firm. "Me neither." She didn't know where to start.

"What made you come back?" Did his voice sound hurt? She must have imagined it.

I thought I hated being here, but I was wrong. I want to come back. The thought of admitting she was wrong made her jaw clench. Maybe she could get her old job back without swallowing her pride. "Tom."

Kincade chuckled a little as he continued to focus on his maps. "That boy can be persuasive."

She nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see it. Was he mad or not?

The silence that followed was suffocating. There was something about Kincade's calmness that made Astryd feel uneasy. He was toying with her, making her regret what she chose. That was when she realized Kincade lied to her. He knew she was going to come back all along.

"Oh, will you just yell at me already?"

Kincade finally looked up from his maps and raised a brow. He had a grin he was fighting back, but it showed through ever so slightly.

"I'm tired of this stupid small talk!" Astryd continued. "Fine, I was reckless. I was an idiot. I shouldn't have let my pride get the best of me and storm off. Happy now?"

Kincade let out a large grin. It was so large and so genuine it almost seemed out of place on his face. "Very," he replied.

Astryd's anger subsided like a deflated balloon. "So now what?"

"I still have a position that needs filling."

Astryd hesitated, surprised. "Wait, you're telling me even after I yelled at you and stormed out you still want me to be the boatswain?"

"It is for that very reason that I want you to be boatswain."

Was he...complimenting her?

"You're stubbornness will get you places. Keep that fiery spirit of yours, and the swabs will listen to every order you give out."

Astryd felt shocked. She never saw her stubbornness as an asset. She never thought about using it to her advantage.

Another set of footsteps approached the room and stepped through the open doors to the cabin. When the man passed around Astryd, she recognized him as Will.

"Captain, I think you should see this." Will handed a scrunched up piece of parchment to Kincade.

Astryd's stomach dropped. It was her wanted poster.

Kincade took the paper and glanced over it without a change of expression. He then looked back to Will. "Have the men prepare to set sail at dusk." With his free hand, Kincade waved Will to leave the room.

"You can stay," Kincade said to Astryd.

But...

"As long as you explain this," he held up the poster, "and tell me what's so precious that's hiding in that satchel of yours."