Daisy awoke from her unintended nap. She had fallen asleep contemplating the consequences of her actions, lulled by the motions of the Windflower. Daisy was far more happier now than she had been since her parents were killed. She felt a little guilty at this thought and also a wave of uncertainty fluttered through her gut. What would the future bring, now that she was essentially on her own? The lad Benji could be a really important factor in that. She hoped so. She missed her brothers a lot and he assuaged some of that pain by being so outgoing and open-hearted.
Daisy realized that she was awaken from her nap by loud sounds coming from above her. She heard heavy footfalls of running sailors and many shouts that were just audible through the thick oak flooring. Wondering what the commotion was all about, she grew curious and impatient for Benji to return.
The commotion grew louder and she heard heavy things being rolled over the decks as if they were wheeled. Just then Benji flew through the door, and wild-eyed waved for her to come to him. "Capn’s spotted ships bearing skulls n’crossbones. Looks like Pirates!" A look crossed his features momentarily, a mixture of fear, dread and glee. Excitedly, he continued.
"Capn is requiring us t’ be prepared for afiring the big cannons with Everburnin Fire, which is down here. He is sendin fellas to fetch em any moment. Follow me if ya dun wanna get caught. Come on!" He purposefully turned about and held the door open and motioned for her to keep her head low. The night was overcast, though a silvery half moon shone through a cloud bank to illuminate parts of the ship and cast long shadows on others. Men were running about with lit torches carrying supplies and fastening ropes and generally being busy.
A low wind was blowing and the ship’s motion was rocky but veritably calm compared to storm weather. Daisy remembered reading that entire ships full of men could be lost in a storm if the ship were to be tossed on its side. She compared those accounts to her experience so far on the Windflower and determined that this was calm weather. The rain like feel of water dampening her face was probably spray from the sea.
Daisy contemplated swimming to shore as she could almost see craggy rocks jutting out of black water to her left but she knew not where she would end up if she did. Nor was she a strong swimmer. She had not been allowed to do that at all since her family’s misfortune and not much during her life on her father’s borrowed farm. There were ponds of course and the local boys and girls often went swimming there with no supervision but she was not allowed. Her father would say "Now now my little Daisy, You need your ma or myself to watch over you when you want to swim. You are too important to us to lose to some accident."
Daisy reflected on that for a moment, while she crept next to Benji waiting for him to choose a better hiding place for her. She missed her parents’ protectiveness and also their great affection but she also felt some gladness that now she would be able to watch over herself. Not legally an adult, she still felt much more grown up than even days ago.
She pondered yet one more time why her uncle never told her how her parents and brothers were killed. Not even whether it was murder, accident or something else. She was left to speculate and sift through the gossip of the servants. Wouldn’t it be ironic if her parents died in some horrific accident after being so careful to shield her from the same? Ironic and some how more horrible than if they were murdered by assassins which is what she suspected based on the scant loose talk she managed to gather.
The Duke’s servants were paid better than average wages to not discuss certain subjects as gossip so that sort of talk was limited to when the servants were convinced they were totally alone. They did not account for the cleverness of a young girl accustomed to crawling into places she didn’t belong and sneaking about castles she didn’t want to live in. Sadly for Daisy she didn’t often catch the servants at their gossip. And often when she did the words were too cryptic to her, often filled with inside jokes, slang and innuendo that she did not quite grasp.
"Come on! Nows no the time t’ be mooncalfin’ just stay low and and follow me." Benji admonished in a low whisper.
He steadily crept around some stacked barrels lashed securely to the deck and peeked to spy who might be coming around. No sooner did he do this, a looming figure stood stock still over him glaring. The figure had a jaunty three-corner hat atop a bald head and a blond/grey beard well knotted below a stern grimace. Years of seamanship and scars of age crinkled the visage of the first mate. Benji gulped and stood up from his stoop and tried to pretend nonchallantly he was alone. He was hoping Daisy would blend into the shadows and escape notice.
Firstmate Artku was not a talkative man. He joined the fellowship of the sea when he was a young man with a broken heart and his reputation was always one of laconic attitude and lacking in humor. Old Wiell often talked about Artku when the former was out of hearing, calling him a heartless goon lacking all conscience. This coming from a self-confessed rogue scared Benji silly and he made sure to avoid the first mate when at all possible.
Legend on the Windflower had it that Artku turned down a commission from one of the Sea Kingdoms to sail his own ship, after the cleansing of the pirates. No one could say exactly why, however it was often repeated that he was responsible for the deaths of many a "Sea Rat" Needless to say Benji was sure he was in for it if Artku saw Daisy. He inwardly gulped again and brazenly said "Apprentice-Sailor Bangee areportin’ fer duteh sir!"
Artku raised a well worn eyebrow and looked over Benji’s head directly into the shadows where Daisy cowered. "Come out lad! Ye wont be doing yerself good by hiding in plain sight like that. And be right quick too." This was as much dialogue as Artku ever uttered in Benji’s presence. He stopped talking, and waited, apparently patient and unconcerned.
A sailor ran past with a large keg of something over his shoulder as Daisy came forward to stand aside Benji. Without warning or another word a hand snatched her right ear and Benji’s left ear. They were hauled screaming along the deck by their ears until they stood shaking and holding their sore extremities in front of a shouting captain with a spyglass in one hand and sharp cutlass in the other.