The Duchess out of Time

XI

"Is everyone accounted for?" The Captain shouted once the winds and seas began to die down. The men were exhausted, wet and cold as they gazed around their shoulders to check on their fellow men. One by one they all called out until everyone was accounted for. Tiredly they undid the ropes around their waists and began to coil them back into bundles before storing them below deck.

"Damage report." He asked Edward as he stood looking down at his ship. It broke him to see the damage to his vessel. The kind of repairs they were going to need was going to take serious time to fix. He knew when they next made port he wouldn't be venturing back out to sea in a hurry. The damage to the mizzenmast (the third tallest mast) was extensive. The Captain counted his blessings that his two main masts hadn't occurred any damage. They would still be able to sail but they wouldn't be able to catch up on lost time. The Golden Empress was a fast ship, one of the fastest that sailed the seas, but with one damaged mast it would definitely slow them down. Turning to face the ocean he watched as the dangerous storm clouds vanished from sight.

"It's not good." Edward told him cautiously as the Captain slammed his hand against the side of the ship in anger. The wood protested against his fingers as a chunk of the railing broke off towards the sea below. Sighing deeply the Captain held his face in his hands in attempts to calm his anger. Edward said nothing as he watched his friend cautiously. Breathing slowly in his attempts to ease the tension in his shoulders the Captain turned back to face his first mate and watch his crew below.

"Nothing can be done tonight. Let the men celebrate it's been a long day." The Captain sighed as Edward just nodded in agreement. It had been a trailing day for everyone on board. The Captain knew his men's spirits would be running low after facing the storm.

"Men! Break out the rum!" The Captain announced as the tired faces broke out in cheer as they threw their hands in their air in celebration.

"Aunt Lizzie" An excited voice called out as the boy skipped onto the main deck and flung himself towards his aunt.

"Henry! Are you ok?" She asked him desperately looking him over. The young boy had a bright smile on his face with excitement.

"Can we do that again?" He asked eagerly as she let out a chuckle, shaking her head.

"No Henry, we can't do that again" She kissed his forehead, pulling him into her chest. The storm had come at them so quickly she hadn't had time to get below deck to take care of Henry. She knew Cookie would have looked after him, but Liz still felt guilty, Henry was her responsibility and she hadn't been there to take care of him.

"He was having a wonderful time Duchess, don't you worry your pretty head" Cookie answered coming above deck. He looked slightly pale from being tossed around like a pancake below deck but what he said was true. Henry had thought the storm was a wonderful ride, not realising the true danger he had been in. Cookie had made sure the boy was protected from the rocking waves, keeping the atmosphere below deck light and fun to avoid panic.

The sunset went unnoticed by the crew, as they were too busy clearing the deck to prepare for the evenings festivities. Every fifth evening or so the men would enjoy music, dancing and rum. It was a way to keep the men's spirits up during long adventures. The Captain didn't do it too often otherwise it would lose it speciality, but it was often enough that the men looked forward to the evenings. He didn't like having his men drunk and unable to hold their sea legs together. The Captain personally saw to it that any man who couldn't hold their liquor the previous night awoke with a cold bucket of seawater the following morning.

He knew that Edward never touched a drop of alcohol and could always rely on his first mate but he still hardly ever drank when he sailed. He liked to keep his wits about himself. He only ever had a small mouthful of whiskey that he kept in his private cabin when they honoured the dead. The Captain had an expensive and a developed taste; he enjoyed finer things and rum wasn't one of them. Before long the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon and the moon began to rise.

Liz and Henry had their dinner brought to Edward's cabin as the Captain had ordered for her to stay clear of the galley. Edward had tried to pass it off as the Captain being honourable to Liz by keeping an attractive young womanof nobility away from the wondering eyes and hands of a crew of disreputable men. Liz knew the real reason; the Captain didn't want her around and was trying to lock her away in her brother's cabin as much as possible. After the excitement of the day Henry fell asleep within a blink of an eye as Liz quietly crept out of her cabin.

It was a perfect starry night. The stars and constellations reflected against the water as a perfect mirror. A full moon kissed the ocean, as the white moonlight with the warm fires in the lanterns created an angelic glow.

"Beautiful" Liz whispered as she stared out at the night sky. She had always loved the stars; she found them peaceful and enchanting. In the modern world the stars seemed lost to the skies with pollution, however here they had never been so vibrant and beautiful. She knew that the stars she looked at were the same stars she would have looked at back at home. But somehow they were different, a good different, enchanting beyond words.

With food in their bellies the men were all gathered on the main deck with smiles on their faces and a new energy in their bones. A barrel of rum had been brought up from below as the men could freely refill their cups with as much drink as they pleased. Glancing among the joyful crew Liz noticed that the Captain wasn't joining in the festivities. He was at the helm of the ship keeping a look out. Feeling a gaze upon him he looked down to Liz as they held each other's gaze for a couple of minutes. Liz was the first to break away from his stern glare feeling an uncomfortable shiver run down her spine.

With the thumping of their boots the men managed to keep a steady beat. Their cups full of rum as they cheered with roaring laughter before competing with each other to see who could drink the fastest. Edward played an upbeat melody on the violin with Cookie on a flute and Aleixo on a kettledrum. The men laughed and cheered to their joyful jig as they hooked arms and spun each other. Every once in a while someone would swing their full cup of rum too enthusiastically, spilling it's contents on the deck. They took turns singing songs, some had better voices than others but they didn't mind. It was a time to be joyous and carefree as they drank the evening away.

Every so often when Edward sang or just played a joyful tune, Liz recognised it as songs from future. He would pick songs to sing that were simple enough that the men wouldn't question it's origin. When he merely picked the tune he could pick whatever his brain remembered. Almost like his mind was his own personal iTunes, slowly replaying through his favourite songs. Every so often he may miss a lyric or a note but it was familiar enough to remind him of home.

"Come on Duchess! Give us a song!" Edward cheered towards his sister with a cheeky grin as she merely glared at him in embarrassment.

"Oh no no no" She shook her head trying to brush it off with a smile but the look in her brothers eye made her know she wasn't going to get away with it. Upon hearing his request the crew all looked in her direction.

"Duchess! Duchess!" The roar of her name grew louder.

"Alright. Alright!" She surrendered as the men all cheered raising their cups in the air before letting her take the lead. The silence was almost deafening as Liz took a deep breath, her heart pounding as she tried to figure out what she would sing. Her mind had gone blank at the sudden pressure as she scrambled her brain for a jolly jig that would lighten the mood for a crew of pirates.

"I think she's got stage fright lads" A roar of laughter echoed throughout the men as a deep blush crossed her cheeks. She was embarrassed but it quickly melted away into determination. Using the heel of her boot she began to pound a steady beat that the drum soon followed. She sang a simple sea shanty that she remembered her mother singing once before her father had forbidden it. The men were enchanted during the first verse before they joined in by slamming their boots against the deck to create a louder beat. Cookie played a simple tune to match the repetitive melody as Edward sang the chorus with Liz. They harmonised beautifully and before long the song came to an end. Giving a curtsy the men all roared in applause, raising their cups into a toast while calling for an encore.