Dark Seas (1x1)

BrookeDi

BrookeDi

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@Ailis

Prologue:

Emmaline considered herself to have two best friends: her twin sister, Elliot, and the little neighbor boy, James. He was a year younger than they were but their parents had shoved them together since he was born and the three of them were often found playing together, running in their mother's yards and getting yelled at for stomping on the flowers. The twins were supposed to be proper but Emmaline just wanted to run and play and be outdoors. Mama said she was like her father in that way.

When they were picked on at the school house for lacking a father in the hosue, James would punch the boy and tell everyone that their father had died a hero in the Navy. He looked after the two girls, and they after him. When a girl had teased Emmaline and Elliot over the fact that they had their mother's maiden name and not their father's, James wouldn't hit a girl. Emma, though, had no problem throwing a perfectly formed fist at the little girl. Elliot, unwilling to let her sister defend their honor, had jumped into the fray as well.

They were sent home that day and Mama sat both girls down and explained that while they were friends with James, they needed to learn how to be well behaved little girls. Hanging with James did not mean they got to fight and get dirty like boys. Emma thought Mama looked tired. "I have let this go on long enough, it's time you girls learn to behave like the ladies you are." They were grounded from seeing James for a week. Then, after that, their time was limited to the weekends and summer or supervised visits when James' mom visited Mama. They were six at the time.

Fortunately, their forced separation didn't cause a rift in their friendship, and Emma and Elliot tried to spend time with their neighbor and friend when they could.

Mama continued to look more and more tired and Emma tried to behave better so as not to wear her mother down. Four years later, Mama got sick. She slept all the time and Emma and Elliot had to see to it that they got themselves up and ready for school, they divided up the chores and James' mom came and cooked meals for them. With all the rest, though, Mama still wasn't getting better. Emma stood in the doorway to her Mama's room, listening to the way her mom would breathe strangely and then cough and cough and cough. Emma had a bad feeling in her stomach.
 
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"The doctors say she'll get better, Emma." Elliot was leaning against the wall beside their mother's doorway, her shoulder pressed into the flimsy material that made up the entirety of their home. It was a wonder that the sea breeze hadn't knocked over the building in the twelve plus years that it stood on the seaside. She didn't like to look into Mama's room, even if the doctors all said that their mother would be okay, she couldn't help but feel like that wasn't true, and Elliot knew her sister felt the same. Instead of taking in Mama's gaunt and sickly appearance, Elliot's green eyes bore into the side of her sisters face, a face that looked much too like her own.

She'd much prefer to be outside, but it was a rule that one sister wasn't allowed outside without the other present and her sister didn't look like she'd budge an inch away from that door. "If you're not going to leave Mama, you may as well go in and actually sit with her." Elliot scoffed a bit, but it was more sorrowful than full of the attitude that the 7 minute younger sister was known for.

If Mama died, Elliot didn't know what her and Emma were going to do. These were not thoughts a child should be having, but over the last few years those thoughts became reality for the young twins. They'd have James' mother, sure, but that was certainly different, and as much as Elliot loved James and his family, she was not willing to live with him for the rest of her life.

The idea of Mama's death brought a heavy feeling to Elliot's heart, to the point that she needed to take a deep breath just to escape the suffocation that the feeling was bringing her. She reached out and took her sister's hand before stepping through the doorway into Mama's room.

"We should both go sit with her."
 
Emma knew her sister wanted to be outside, just as she did. It was a craving they both shared, but... she also knew that Mama did not have long left in this world and it was hard to be in the joy that was the sunshine when her heart was so heavy.

Elliot seemed to be sharing similar thoughts. She tried to be sassy, mocking Emma for staying just out of the bedroom, but the idea that they both go sit with her together told Emma more about what her younger sister was feeling.

She squeezed her sister's hand, drawing strength as well as giving it, before following brave Elliot into the bedroom. Mama coughed and she rolled over, mouth stained red. "Girls," she rasped, but she could not sit up to see her children. Emma wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and run outside. Mama was all bone and she knew it would not be long. "Mama," she said, trying to sound as positive as she could and not like she was about to cry.
 
Elliot sucked in her own breath, squeezing onto her sister's hand as their mother rolled over to face them. It almost didn't seem real to her, and maybe it was easier because of that. Her mother's raspy voice sent her crashing back into reality and her hand gripped her sister's even more, if that were possible. Hearing Emma's shaky response made Elliot's own tears harder to swallow. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth and her throat felt as though it had been stung by a thousand bees, swollen and sore.

"Hi, Mama," she shuddered back, taking in the appearance of their sickly mother for what would most likely be the last time. The doctors lied to them. Maybe they lied because they were too young to hear the truth, but they'd have to live with the truth, so why bother hiding it. Elliot felt a touch of anger, making it easier for her to swallow back her tears.

"Your father," Mama's voice was weak and broke in the middle of her sentence. "Your father will be coming to get you." A cough. Then that single cough turned into a fit of them. Elliot was confused, and she looked to her sister's face to she if she was too. Their father? They'd never met him, not in any of the ten years that they'd been alive. Why would he bother to come get them now? Those few seconds of peering into Emma's face was enough for Mama to fall asleep, quick breaths the only sign that she was still among the living. But those quick breaths turned into gasping ones and Elliot released her sister's hand to reach out to her mother's, as though that would keep her alive any longer.

Mama couldn't just leave them with that, there were too many questions about their father? How would they even know who he was? But that was it.
 
Father? What would he be of use for? They'd never needed him until now and Mama had never mentioned him. She was certain he'd been dead. Mama's breathing changed and Emmaline knew, she just knew that there was very little time left. Elliot took her mother's hand and Emma wrapped an arm around her sister, her free hand grabbing the top of Mama's hand so that it was sandwiched between her daughter's small hands.

Her skin was thin and rough and cold and Emma wanted to scream, because it wasn't fair. The three of them stayed like that, long after Mama took her last breath. Emma didn't cry, not yet. Gently, when her thin legs had grown tired from the standing, she gently pulled her sister away. "I'm going to go get Mrs. Morris." Her own voice sounded far, far away. She extended her hand, wanting Elliot to go with her.

When they showed up at the Morris' door, James answered. He hurried to get his mom who took one look at the young girls and knew exactly what had happened. "I'll send Harold for the doctor," She said, softly. But there was no rush, because Mama was already gone.

-----

The passing days passed in a strange blur. Emma remembers a lot of black and a lot of numbness. A lot of people offered words in kind voices, but they weren't Mama. They weren't allowed to stay at home, Mrs. Morris making them come sleep in her sitting room. It was uncomfortable and Emma wanted her bed. Three days after Mama had left them, a ship arrived to their little town. Emma and Elliot had seen it from the Morris' back yard, the large black flag stating clearly what was steering that ship. The whole town shut down, very quickly. Mrs. Morris had them all hiding in the basement with the preserves and dried meat rations for when winter came.

She didn't expect the pirates to come to their humble home, but she prayed a lot. They heard the front door open, even from where they were hiding beneath the earth. Heavy boots stepped inside and Emma still felt nothing.
 
Elliot spent a lot of time sleeping, curled up beside Emma like a lonely cat. She was alarmed with the dazed look that glazed over the sea-green eyes that matched her own, but she hadn't had enough energy to try to help her. Elliot couldn't even help herself. James was a welcome friend, when Elliot felt like she was just being pushed away by her sister, he'd be there, allowing her to curl up beside him instead.

She'd heard that pirates had arrived and while Mrs. Morris' words were laced with fear, a bit of heaviness that had encased Elliot's heart had lifted. It was weird, but Elliot somehow knew they were there for them. She hadn't said anything to Emma. It became kind of hard to talk to her after Mama died, but Elliot could only hope that it would get better as time went on. That they'd both get better.

Excitement coursed through her as she heard the heavy boots enter the doorway, the first emotion she'd felt in a while besides sadness. She uncurled herself from her position on the grimy floor, peering into the darkness of the basement and reaching out for her sister with one small hand. "I think it's him, Emma." Her fingers gripped onto her twin's shirt and she used her other hand to push herself up onto her feet, hearing the footsteps reach the stairs that led to the basement.

"We're getting out of here, Em" She pulled her sister as she reached for the basement door, pulling it open and letting in the daylight that flooded down the steps from the first floor, as well as a man that shared strikingly similar features to the twins that were hiding in the cellar.
 
It had not occurred to the eldest Cavendish child that the pirates were there for them, but it made sense. Things suddenly clicked into place:

Mama never talked about their father.

They didn't even know father's first name, let alone his first.

Not long after news had spread and the village had quieted, the pirates had come to this house.

Something inside the young girl shifted and the fog she'd been living in began to lift. She clutched her sister's hand, holding tight and that familiar action, shared between them for so many years, cleared the fog more. The door open and she just knew that Elliot had been right. He was there for them. The man squat there at the top of the stairs and stared at the twins staring wide-eyed at the man and his thick, bushy beard. Emma vaguely wondered, Do all pirates look like that?

He was sizing them up, perhaps determining if they were truly his kids, or perhaps determining if they were worth bringing along. "Come along then, girls." He said, finally, and the twins surged forward together.

"Elliot, Emma," hissed Mrs. Morris, trying to grab the girls' dresses. The pirate, their father, gave Mrs. Morris a hard look and she squeaked, grabbing her son's shoulders to hold him firm. At the top of the stairs, Emma spared one glance for the boy who had been her second best friend.

"Bye, James."
 
The younger twin could feel the energy in her sister change and her own excitement flourished even further as Emma squeezed her hand. Her heart picked up and she was sure Emma could feel the pulsating beats through the fingers on her hand.

She could barely contain herself when the bearded man came into view, though Elliot wasn't quite sure if she really fancied the beard. Not very many men went with that grown out untamed look, but she supposed it was just something that she would need to get used to. If not maybe she'd be able to convince him to shave it off.

Her father's voice had shocked her, deep and throaty, but still had a sense of familiarity that shot tingles to her toes. This was the man that Elliot and Emma had wondered about for the ten years they'd been alive. Elliot could barely hear Mrs. Morris speak to them, all her senses were trained forward, focusing on the man in front of them that would most certainly change their lives. For better or for worse was yet to be decided.

"Bye, James." While Emma looked back, Elliot did not, only pausing momentarily for the childhood friend before springing up the creaky steps, pulling Emma along with her. She tugged her right passed their father and right up to the front door, ready to get on with her life. A pirate. Elliot had heard very nasty things about pirates, but the only things in her mind at that moment was their father and the adventures that she yearned for.

The pirate himself was slightly shocked. Never before had Hayden Blackburne see anyone be excited over pirates and he most certainly wasn't expecting the two young girls to be so confident.

He righted himself from his somewhat crouched position and padded across the floor to the two twins. His twins. "Are you ready?" Captain Blackburne, quite frankly, didn't care whether or not they were ready. He was here to take them from the wretched land and into the sea, if they didn't like the idea then then they'd just have to learn to love it.

The large pirate pulled open the front door and walked through, letting the girls trail behind him, setting off for looming ship that was certainly much too small for the seaside village.
 
For Emma, it felt like she was living a dream... well, after the first fortnight on the ship; that part was filled with a lot of throwing up and little eating. Emma and Elliot were not accustomed to the sea, but they quickly acclimated to their new home and were running around the ship like they'd lived it their whole ten years.

Some of the crew were very nice and others would look at the twin girls and lick their lips, chuckling. The one time Captain caught that look, he ended it with a his own hard look. It turned out their Papa was the captain of the large pirate ship, The Secret, in charge of the vessel and it's crew. "Every man, and now child, no this ship earns their keep." The stern, bearded man had told them on their first day. "You two will not be an exception. You will learn to work this ship, understood?" The two twins had nodded, eagerly, as the idea appealed to their sense of adventure.

It was hard work and the sea was often unforgiving. Their small bodies were not used to the strength and stamina needed to keep a ship of The Secret's size running, but they were learning. After the seasickness waned, Captain's (he did not want them calling him Papa) first-hand, Arthur Silver, began teaching the girls how to fight and fight dirty. They were taught swords, and guns, and small knives. Every evening the girls practiced together, hoping to earn the right to have their very own dagger, strapped to their thighs. They were slowly gaining muscle on their small frames, and their previously dainty hands were filled with callouses and rope burns.

Sea life was different, also, in that they never had to wear dresses. It took some time, but Captain Blackburne had found them both fitting clothes: a set of trousers, a blouse, and a bandana for each of them. Emma found the bandana especially necessary on the hot days to prevent the sweat from dripping into her eyes.
 
The sea life was a great life for the twins, especially at their age. Captain Blackburne always had them working on something and when they weren't, there was something new to see everyday. The ocean was vast and glittery, and sometimes when you looked down you would see fish swimming off into the distance, disturbed by the boat. It also wasn't rare to see dolphins jumping out, which was particularly entrancing when the sun was setting.

Elliot was perched in the crow's nest, where she normally was, her fists clenched around the wooden siding that prevented anyone from accidentally falling to their doom on the desk below. Her nose was scrunched up, which made the flaming burn on her skin flare up in a stinging pain, and she peered off into the distance. She wasn't quite sure what she was looking for, but Captain Blackburne often sent one of the twins up there after they'd done their chores (that's what Elliot called the work that they were meant to do around the ship) and told them to call back down to the other if there was anything strange on the sea line.

"Nothing to report, Emma." The younger twin called down to her sister, who wasn't that far below on one of the yards for the sails. It was pretty common for the twins to go climbing along the masts and rigging and their father never seemed to have an issue.

"Actually," she looked back up, squinting into the distance. There was another ship. It wasn't uncommon to see smaller fishing boats, but this one appeared to be the same size as The Secret, maybe even bigger; the distance sort of made it hard to tell. "Tell the captain that there's another ship coming our direction."
 
Emmaline loves climbing the ship; anywhere that could be climbed, she and Elliot were scaling quickly. . Never, once, has Captain demanded that they act like ladies and sit quietly. Often times they were encouraged to climb here and there, often for a purpose that their small, lithe bodies were perfect for. Until her life aboard the ship, she'd never realized how restricting her dresses had been; climbing was a million times easier when there weren't skirts and petticoats weighing her down.

She felt lighter than she had before Mama had grown ill.

She was on the yard for the sails, hugging the mast and swinging her legs idly, waiting for some kind of news.

She just hadn't expected there to actually be something!

"Aye, aye!" She chimed to her sister before scurrying down the rigging to where their father stood, arguing with his first mate, on the poop deck. Emma giggled as she thought it in her head. Poop deck. She ran fast, now, not even the tilt of the large ship slowing her steps. "Captain!" She yelled, approaching the stairs and taking them two at a time. "There is a ship coming, in the distance, headed this way."

Captain Blacburne's face hardened and he eyed his small child, "What did it look like."

"I don't know, Captain, but it was big. It was just too far away to make it out." He stroked his beard, thoughtfully, and started shouting out orders to his men... just in case. "What is it?"

"Could be another pirate ship, could be the Navy, or it could be a cargo ship." He squinted into the distance, "Or it could be pirate hunters. Either way, we need to prepared." There would either be defending or looting. If it were another pirate ship, they would likely be safe. "Go back with Little Elliot," that's what he called them: Little Elliot and Little Emma, "and watch the ship. As it gets closer, pay attention to the details. The color of the sails, will be incredibly important. If they are red, let me know immediately." Emma nodded, eagerly. "Once you get enough details, come and tell me and then you and Little Elliot will go below deck, you hear?" She nodded, again, less eagerly.

She was confident they were ready to fight, but she would obey her captain. Her fast little legs were quick to run back and scale up the masts once more to relay what their father had told her.
 
Elliot leaned over the edge to look at her sister, "we're supposed to go below deck?" She understood everything that their father had said, except that. If he expected them to do everything that everyone else did on the ship, then why wouldn't they be allowed to fight if it came to that? The twin let out a huff and pulled back so she was standing straight up in the crow's nest.

She reached her small hand into the rather large pocket of her trousers, pulling out a slightly rusted silver object. Arthur Silver had gifted the object to her when it was only the twins' second day on board, having noticed that the twins enjoyed climbing around and looking out to sea. She tugged lightly on the end and the object expanded to about a foot. A telescope.

Lifting it to her right eye and closing her left, Elliot tuned it towards the large ship in the distance. The sails were coloured a deep scarlet.

"They're red." She pushed the telescope back into it's retracted state and shoved it back into her pocket before climbing down through the hatch in the crow's nest to the yard below where Emma was standing. While she wasn't pleased that Captain Blackburne wanted them to go below deck, she'd at least make it seem like she was going to listen to him.

"Let's go, Em," Elliot gave her older twin a toothy, mischievous smile before she gripped onto the rigging and scurried down to the poop deck, certain that her sister wasn't too far behind.

She hustled to their father, oddly excited to tell him the colour of the sails even though she'd already been told that red equals bad. "The ship has red sails, Captain." Captain Blackburne's face hardened even further, if that were actually possible. "Go below deck and don't come up until I have come to tell you you can."

As if.
 
She never even wondered if Elliot would be on the same page as her in not wanting to go below. She grinned at her twin and when she found out the sails were red, it felt like her veins were humming with energy. It was an unfamiliar feelings, but one she liked, and it felt like she was noticing all the details of everything around her.

Emma followed her sibling through the pirates readying themselves, sharpening and cleaning their swords and loading the cannons, just in case.

It was good that they were already prepared. "Do ya think they know we're here?" Silver asked the Captain, and Blackburne shook his head.

"Hard to say, but it would be a shame to let a pirate hunter pass us by. It is our duty to rid them as we cross them," Captain grinned and then, noticing the two girls standing there, shooed them away. "Down below!" He ordered, again, and Emma grabbed her sister's hand and hurried to the entrance below deck. "Let's go find a spare weapon," she whispered.
 
Elliot pretty much sprinted down the stairs, matching her sister stride for stride. Her energy had heightened considerably, which was definitely something since they were always pretty energetic.

"What if they're all too big?" There was always a bunch of weapons laying around below deck, which probably wasn't the best idea, but oh well. Elliot had lifted a pretty hefty sword and while she admired the way the faint light caught the edge of the blade, it made her feel way too unbalanced.

Two smaller blades caught her eye, but they probably wouldn't be considered anything more than a dagger. They were the perfect size for the twins though.

Elliot picked them up and turned back towards her sister.

"They're small, but they should work?" She gripped onto the blade of one of them, light enough that it didn't cut into her skin, and held out the hilt towards her sister so Emma could take it. If they needed anything else, a bit more scavenging would probably find a small gun or two.
 
With guns and swords just lying about, a ship is not likely to be the safest place for children, but such was the life of a pirate.

Emma was eyeing a heavy sword and dreaming about the day that she could wield it, easily, the way the other pirates did. With a smile she took the dagger from Elliot. It felt like it had been made for her small hand. "Perfect!" She eyed the array of other weapons and decided that she wasn't quite yet proficient enough for a gun and would have to make do with the dagger.

Armed and ready, Emma waited for bated breath. There was a flurry of activity as they continued to ready themselves--the ship had been quite a distance away--and then... it was quiet.

Together the twins crept up the stairs and cracked open the door, there was shouting from the ship decked in red, the girls just catching the tail end, "... Surrender now, and all but your Captain shall live." Emma snorted quietly, eyeing the crew. None of them seemed to believe the hunter's words.

Captain Blackburne approached the edge of his ship, cleared his throat and yelled back, "Kiss my arse!"

There was a beat of silence and then the boards started coming down as the hunters attempted to cross onto the ship. A lot started to happen at once. "Fire!" Their father commanded, and Emma had to plug her ears as the sound of cannon blasts and splintering wood filled the sea.
 
The blistering sound of the cannons blasting sent shock waves through the younger twin and a part of her wanted to turn tail and flee back below deck, but obviously that wasn't something that Elliot or Emma would ever do.

Pirate hunters had successfully clambered from their boat onto The Secret and the sound of swords clashing joined the blasts of cannons and firearms. They looked more like pirates then they would probably like to admit, the only noticeable difference being that they lacked the bushy beards that many pirates were known for and most were completely clean-shaven.

Elliot wasn't quite sure what to do, glancing at her sister as her grip around the hilt of her blade tightened. There was a younger pirate, Jim Morrison, trying to fight off two hunters. That seemed like a good place to start.

However, charging into action didn't seem like a particularly smart thing to do. Elliot was very aware that she and Emma were much smaller than any man on that ship, so she glanced towards the rigging at the side of the ship and nudged Emma. If they climbed it it would lead to directly above Jim and his attackers. A sneak attack would probably be the best idea.

"You can come with me, or you can charge one of them and I'll join you from dropping from above." It would be a high fall, but Elliot had jumped from higher.

She didn't wait for her twins response before she went sprinting across the deck to the rigging, keeping low to avoid the gaze of anyone (pirate or hunter) on the ship.

With one fist gripping the rigging, she placed her dagger between her teeth before beginning the climb.
 
Emma immediately saw where her sister was headed and nodded in agreement. Jim looked like he needed the help.

Seeing as her sister would have her back from above, Emma opted for the brash direct approach. She was small and they were all focused on the taller, bulkier pirates. She'd come in from down low, slicing at the ankles of one of the hunters, confident that her sister would drop down on the other from above.

The man yelled in surprise and pain and fell to his knees as both of his ankles were slashed and Emma smiled, pleased with herself. Jim, took the opportunity to slide his blade straight across the man's neck and the young girl blinked in surprise when the hunter's head rolled off his shoulders. Jim looked at her and then glanced around, looking for her twin, "You shouldn't be up here!" He had to yell over the sound of metal on metal.
 
Elliot watched her sister slice the ankles of one of the hunters and took that moment to drop from the rigging on top of the other one. She pushed her dagger down into the shoulder of the hunter, feeling blood rush up from the wound and coat her fingers. The sight made her tingle with excitement, but also nausea. However, this was certainly no time for puking.

The hunter dropped to his knees and Elliot pulled the blade from his shoulder, watching in a mixture of awe and disgust as he flopped forward onto his stomach. Jim managed to pull her from her daze, hearing his voice yell over top of the fighting.

"What else were we meant to do? Sit below deck while you get gutted by two hunters?" Elliot shouted back, taking her place beside her twin. It was a rather odd thing to be doing, shouting at one another in the midst of fighting.

There wasn't much fighting left to be done. The pirates were the much stronger force and there were only two handfuls of hunters left over. Elliot found it rather odd that they continued to fight even though it was clear that they would fail.
 
Jim opened his mouth and just closed it again. He was slightly annoyed that he'd been saved by two little girls, but mostly he was just frustrated by their stubbornness. The two girls were covered in blood and none of it their own.

Emma still felt like she had energy pouring through her veins. The last time she'd felt remotely close to this feeling was when she and Elliot were six and they'd jumped off a cliff into the ocean and had swam up feeling so alive. That moment of free fall had been glorious and she'd felt so alive.

She looked now, at the pirates around them. This was better than that feeling. The pirates surrounded the remaining hunters and dead bodies littered the deck. Emma felt a little nauseated by the sight but said nothing.

"You can either swim for ya life, die by the sword, or join life here on me ship." The Captain glared down at the remaining hunters who glanced at one another. One broke off from the group and ran for the railing, jumping into the water below. "And the rest of ya?" They didn't move and he began barking orders about looting from the hunter's ship. They'd need whatever provisions were there and they could probably break down the ships for parts. He turned, heading back to the poop deck, and he caught sight of the two girls, daggers in hand. He wanted to smile with pride but they had disobeyed a direct order from their captain. "Come along," he told them as he strode past.
 
"We're dead." Elliot whispered to her sister once their father's hard stare turned onto them. She'd almost thought that they would get away with it, but it was pretty hard to miss the two bloody girls. How they'd ended up bloodier than anyone else was a wonder.

She looked at Emma, grimacing, before following after their dad. Her cheeks burned red, she'd seen Captain Blackburne get mad at one of the crew members before and he narrowly avoided being beheaded. But they were his children, so maybe he'd go a bit easier on them. At least, that's what Elliot was hoping would happen.

The twins followed after their father to his cabin, stepping into the dark, yet regal room. "Shut the door behind you." His voice was stern, but didn't hold the same kind of anger it had when they'd witnessed him yelling at the other crew members.
 
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