A pirate's love

Day 1

There's an old pirate tradition: the captain's son, a bit before he turns 20 years old, he must come out to land and search a wife. If he manage to marry somebody before his birthday, he no longer sits on the crew, and he can be the captain of his own ship. And Jack is the only son of the infamous pirate James Davis.

Jack left the "Iron Chef Traveler" disappointed. He had searched the whole town, and he hadn't find a girl he liked yet. If he had more time, he would search for a woman in another town, but his birthday was really close. He had already searched two towns, and now Brook was the third. He had to find someone from there.

Jack was wandering through the dark backstreets of Brook with a bottle full of rum. He was looking for a quite corner to lie down. When he finally found one behind two big houses, he sat down and started drinking his rum. Suddenly, he heard a window opening. He saw a dark figure coming out of a window of the next house. The figure climbed the tree that was beside the window and jumped down. And that was when Jack saw a beautiful, young girl in a red dress. The girl looked around her nervously without noticing Jack and left quickly.

"What is she doing? Running away?" thought Jack. He stood up and started following the girl carefully. She walked out of the town and started almost running through the woods. She was heading to the sea. Jack finally saw her cutting down the speed and walking on an opening to the sea with the golden sand. She sat down near the sea and sighed in relief. She took off her gloves, put her hands in the water and then on her face. Jack smiled at the view.

-I can tell you love the sea very much... he said chuckling.

The girl froze. She turned around and saw Jack.

-Who are you?

-Somebody that loves the sea too...

Jack went and sat down beside her. She looked at him and realised that he was a stranger and harmless. That really relieved her, because her father wouldn't learn that she had run away from the house in the middle of the night.

-Yes... I love the sea very much indeed.

Jack watched her putting on her gloves again.

-Why?

The girl looked at him puzzled.

-Because I live so close to the sea, but yet so far... I can only watch it from my window and I'm not allowed to come here, and that makes me feel like I'm a prisoner. I watch this endless ocean, and I want to reach this horizon... where freedom is...

Jack laughed. He liked that this girl felt exactly like he did, and felt sorry for her because she couldn't have what he had at the same time. He observed her carefully. She was pretty and her face looked gentle, but hid a love for adventure as well. She had brown hair caught up beautifully, small brown eyes and thin pink lips. He thought that she could be his wife.

-What's your name? he asked gently.

-Gwendoline Kingston... You know my father?

-No...

-Good!!

She stared a bit at the dark horizon and then looked at Jack smiling.

-And yours?

-Jack... Blake, he lied. He didn't want her to learn his real lineage yet.

Gwendoline made a warm sound while snorting.

-I knew you were a stranger... You're different...

Jack watched her getting lost in the ocean. Actually, in her dreams with the ocean. Could she imagine him in them too?

-Uhm... Gwendoline? Are you married?

She turned around and faced Jack, looking at him with her eyes widened.

-No!! she said like she was offended. Not even engaged!!

-Why are you reacting like that? I just thought... a pretty girl like you can't be still alone... he said putting his hand on his mouth.

She looked at him. She didn't blush or seem flattered. This girl was special!

-I don't want to get married. I want to sail the sea. I want the freedom I was devoid of...

-And what if you marry somebody that will sail the sea with you?

-This will never happen... You don't understand...

She lied down and watched the stars. Jack admired for a while her beauty and then lay down too. They stayed there without saying something, because they actually felt like they had known each other for years. They were both satisfied because they had finally met somebody that could be together, and be alone at the same time.

Suddenly, a wave came and wet Gwendoline's feet. She got up surprised moaning. Jack got up too and saw that her shoes and stocks were wet. He spontaneously grabbed her foot and tried to take off her shoe.

-What are you doing? she shouted.

-Shh... You should take off your shoes so that they can dry. I'm sorry, you can do it by your own.

Gwendoline looked a bit at Jack still in surprise before she took off her shoes. Thaey stayed a little longer there, till her shoes dried, and then they took the way back to Brook. Jack had to say a couple more lies, like what work he did or where he was from. But he knew that everything would end soon. They arrived at Gwendoline's house, right under the same window, and Jack helped her climb up the tree.

-Good night Jack! I hope I'll see you again soon... she whispered before she closed the window.

-Good night... whispered Jack without being heard, and went to lie down to the same corner where all had started.