A Tearful Departure

The ceremony was short but exactly what Emma wanted. Although she and Silas had only really known each other for a short time, they both knew that they were destined to be together. And so with the tawny sun setting behind them and the ocean a beautiful mixture of gold and pink, Emma and Silas said their vows and exchanged rings. This ceremony was not legal, but that didn't matter to them. It was binding in their eyes and that was all that mattered. To a roar of applause and cheers, they shared their first kiss as 'Captain and Wife' and then everyone began to head back to the pavilion for the feast.

Emma stayed behind with Silas for a moment and she smiled at him. "I'm going to do my best to make you the happiest man alive."

“I am that already Emma,” he said and kissed her softly on the lips then looked into her eyes. She was so beautiful and if people weren’t watching them he’d take her right there on the beach. “I will ask for your patience and every bit of your strength and stubbornness not to quit or falter in the coming days. The men must see you how I see you and so I will teach you how to fight and how to lead them if you truly want to be a Captain’s wife. There are no passengers on a pirate’s ship and you are no longer a hostage. No man will ever use you again...not while I still draw breath, not while my heart hears the song that you sing within it. I am yours Emma Chapman,” he said as he saw her eyes begin to moisten and glitter in the dim light. He kissed her hands, her knuckles and her palms then set them over his mouth and face adoringly as if her touch was a gift for him to savor.

They were on a beautiful island surrounded by friends right then and Silas couldn’t imagine anything more perfect. Above them the lights of the pavilion and the bonfires lit up the night and the smells of roasting meat and pineapple filled their air. Still the sea called to him and it was apparent in his eyes and in the way he refused to go too far inland away from the waves and the water since he arrived. A few more days he thought...a few more...with Emma.

Hearing Silas call her 'Emma Chapman' brought tears to her eyes. He would see how incredibly happy she was. She felt as if her heart might burst from it. "I will do more than my best Silas. I won't let you down...I promise it. I want to be the best Captains Wife on the seas. I will work harder than everyone else on the ship to prove that to you. I love you so much." She then kissed him deeply. They stayed alone for a while longer before going to join the others for the celebration feast.

There were drums and pipes and even a fiddle that played during the feast. Ale and rum and wine was in every cup and roasted boar and vegetables and fruit were on everyone's plate. A large cake with coconut cream frosting was first cut my Emma’s hand and Silas had to serve it to everyone who wanted a piece and everyone did including the children who laughed when he made like he was going to take it from them. 

The women taught Emma a dance that involved the rolling of her hips. After only a little coaching she got so good at it that it made Silas’s mouth go dry to watch it. And in fact many men had to get up to get more drink and wipe their brows of sweat when the women finally stopped. 

Even when it was time for him to carry her off the celebration was still going strong but he took her back to the lagoon not his hut like she thought. When she hopped down onto the sand from the rock ledge thee was a fire going, a stack of wood, a large thick blanket on the shore towels and basket of rum and fruit for them to eat. Her grin was infectious and before he could say anything she ran for the blanket! In a blur she undid her belt with him arriving after she did and determined not to be last in the water before he got his pants off, her dress was discarded and he tripped then got to his feet but not before she ran and dove in before him. He dove in after her and she squealed when he attacked her sides as she came up for air. He threw her back in and she squealed again as he moved to his right as she came at him under the water. She grabbed a chunk of his butt and came up laughing at how he jumped and tried to stay away from her. 

As they swam they talked and laughed and held one another close. In the moonlight they made love and ate then fell asleep under the stars and the ever watchful moon above them.

The next day after they swam, dried off and ate Silas brought her to where Captain Strongbow and Captain Crow and Reggie waited for them. Crow gave her a dark look as if she had been the one to keep them waiting but Strong and Reggie were happy to see her. She noticed Reggie carried a fairly large chest on his back and they were heading East away from the village. East where Silas said nobody went in the Island but never said why.

Emma suddenly felt like she was one of the family. All of the women and men came up to congratulate her and she received hugs and kisses from everyone. She laughed and smiled and ate cake and some of the roast wild boar. Then, she was swept away from Silas by some of the other women to learn a dance she had never seen before. It was quite seductive and she loved the way Silas looked at her when she finally got the hang of it. She had men whistle at her and some of their faces turned bright red when she winked at them.

Finally, well after dark, she and Silas slipped away from the celebration. She was expecting Silas to take her to his hut, but he didn't. Instead, he led her back to the lagoon. She grinned when she saw the set up that awaited them. She grinned at Silas and then suddenly took off. It was now a race to see who could get undressed the fastest and into the water first! They laughed as they tore off their clothes and threw them into a pile on the blanket. Then, with Silas practically on her heels, she ran and dove into the water. For an hour they laughed and swam around. They splashed one another playfully, but also just held one another and talked quietly under the stars. When they emerged from the water they made passionate love on the blanket until they were utterly exhausted and then fell asleep in one another's arms bathed in moonlight.

In the morning, they rose late and swam some more before eating some of the fruit left over from the night before. Finally, they dressed and then headed off to find Captain Strongbow and Captain Crow. They were waiting with Reggie and she did not care for the way Crow looked at her. She remained strong and stood tall, not willing to be scared off by him. She noticed the chest Reggie was carrying on his back and she looked over at Silas as they began to head East, away from the village.

"Where are we going?"

Both Reggie and Crow carried long muskets and Strong handed Silas 2 pistols. Silas turned and handed one to Emma. “To our cache,” he whispered. “Now that we are married you are allowed to store and draw from it,” he said. “You are also going to get a share. I get 5 shares, Strong and Crow get 4 you will get 3. The first mates like Reggie get 2 and the sailors all get a share,” he said softly. He could tell she was trying to figure something else out then elaborated. “A share is 10 stones of weight in gold,” he said as they came to a small rope bridge. It crossed a chasm that Emma knew when she looked down, was certain death if anyone fell. It must have grown at least 10 degrees hotter and the trees and underbrush grew thicker and calls of animals and birds increased too. Insects buzzed around them, big ones she had never seen before. They marched for another hour then turned and marched for several minutes more before the ground began to slope downward. As they rounded a clump of trees and rock she was surprised to see a save buried into the rockface. It would be impossible to see unless you were right on top of it like she was just now. From Reggies satchel he brought out torches and Crow lit them from his tinder sticks. Emma started inside but Silas pulled her back. “Don’t be so eager,” he said with a chuckle we have to clear it first,” he said. Crow fired his musket into the air and it made a loud ‘boom’. From inside the cave 2 boars ran out past them frightened to the edge of panic. Strong nodded and led the way in…

The cave was sloped and they must have turned a dozen times before they came to a large open area. There was what looked like a heavy metal door on the ground locked with thick, rusted chains that were hammered into the rock face of the floor. Crow produced a key, Strong produced a key and Silas handed Emma his thick, iron key as Reggie set down his burdens and grabbed out a large, metal hooked bar. First Strong unlocked a lock, then Crow then Silas nodded to Emma. The key fit into the third, large lock like a glove and with a twist it clicked opened for her. Reggie came up to her with his usual smile and helped her remove the locks from the chains and with her help pried up the large, thick metal door. It took both of them to haul it up and he used the bar to hold it in place as Strong led them down the steps that were cut into the rock.

Shadows danced in the cave from the torches as they descended and the air was moist and smelled like dust and a sour, musky scent that made her wrinkle her nose. The smell was strong until her eyes took in what was in front of her. 5 large trunks. Wooden trunks banded in iron sat in a neat row against the wall. To the right and left, shelves covered by brown blankets stood and Silas moved to burn the cobwebs with his torch. Crow pulled down one blanket, Stone the other and the entire room began to glow in a golden light. Silver candlesticks, gold plates and goblets, swords and daggers with gems and jewels as large as her thumbnails  embedded in solid gold of their handles and pommels. As if she was on autopilot she went and opened the small chest on the left shelf. Gems small and large glowed in her eyes. All sorts of gems, diamonds, rubies, emerald, sapphires, opals and other gems she had never known existed. Stone chuckled while Crow shook his head.

“Open them,” Silas said and Reggie began to open the five chests…

Once they were opened the room was bathed in a golden light. 4 chests were filled to bursting with gold. Bars, coin thin and small to large and fat mounded on the inside of the chests. A fortune that must have taken...alot longer than the years Silas had taken over this band. Generations of loot by the sheer amount of it all. Enough to buy estates for everyone here and then it all came clear to her why they kept it and why they chose to live this life. They were free, everyone of them, free. Free to live and die they way they chose. Free to work for themselves and govern themselves. People who broke their rules were punished but there were so few of those and the punishments so harsh it was almost never an issue. 5 shares...50 stones of weight in gold? And her 3 shares made up 80 stones. Alot of gold. Reggie blushed right then and Stone chuckled at her as Silas stepped up to her. “I guess you approve?” he asked and chuckled himself. Her nipples were hard and they showed through her smock. With the glow of the torchlight her smock was almost see through and the men made a point of looking away from her, save for Silas that is who raised his eyebrows at her in obvious approval. Some coins were in Spanish, others in French and yet others in languages and with imagery she thought may have been centuries old.

Emma was in shock. While she head heard tell that pirates would hide their loot to keep others from finding it, she had never in her wildest dreams thought that Silas and his men could have this much. It was overwhelming and her eyes barely knew where to look around her. Gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and other gems that she had never seen before. They were both in loose form and also in bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. Then there were the exquisite weapons with gems embedded right into their handles. She could only imagine a king having such a thing! And then...then there were the five chests...filled to the brim with gold. The entire cave was bathed in its light. Emma picked up a coin and held it between her fingers just to be sure they were real and she wasn't dreaming this. Between herself and Silas they owned 80 stones of what was around her. She had just become rich beyond her wildest dreams. She was richer than her father had ever been....richer than the Duke. She now understood everything. This life was a life of freedom like she never could have imagined before. The only laws were those of the sea. It was a hard life, but one full of adventure and reward. Emma was nearly overcome by the thought of it all.

"So, do the crew also know how to get here? Or do you bring them their shares if they ask for it?" Emma asked, curious as to how everything worked.

As Reggie unloaded the chest he brought into the half empty chest he removed specific amounts, counting out coins with Captain Crow and Strong. They seemed to sift through to the lighter, more modern coins and she guessed that that was what the men wanted more than anything else. Gems and heavier coins would need someone to ‘change’ them or bargain for an equivalent sum and some of the older, gold doubloons looked really old, so old that much of their faces and writing were worn off. Gold was soft and if it was too pure in the smelting the coins, over time defaced and deformed to a degree. But they weighed a lot.

“No and only very few even know how to find the Island. The man who preceded my mentor found this island by accident. It doesn’t exist on any chart or map. I find it by the stars and with each finding I destroy the coordinates of it after as do Stone and Crow,” Silas explained as he rubbed her shoulders. We don’t really know who the men before were and my mentor was the first to bring families here. It seemed to satiate the men to have a place to call home...besides the ships ofcourse. From a golden bowl he plucked out the largest Emerald he had ever seen. It was almost as large as a small egg and smooth and polished to give off its rich, green glow. He touched her lips with it and slid it down slowly between her breasts over her smock. Her body reacted to it like he had hoped it would and he raised an eyebrow with great interest into exploring yet another facet to what turned her on. She liked beautiful things it seemed and so he put the gem in his pocket…’For later’ he mouthed and he saw her cheeks bloom with color. He smiled knowing she was imagining what he was going to do with that and he did brush her left breast with his right palm. A look back at the three men, they were engrossed in the counting.

“Lets go up,” he said and followed her up, his hand brushing her butt lightly as he watched her move up the roughly carved steps. “We’ll have to have some pants made for you. And shirts, vests and coats,” he said. “Dresses I fear will not be in your future,” he added and her shocked look made him shrug. He spread his arms as if he was telling her that that is what was expected.

The walk back seemed to be much shorter than the walk there and he said he was hungry. He made up plates for them both and spoke to several men and women about making Emma clothes to wear. They’d have to buy boots and have them made when they once again stopped on the mainland. When they finally were alone he waited for her to collect all of the questions he knew were rolling around in that pretty head of hers. He poured them some rum then laid down on an elbow on the sand just outside their hut. It was early yet, a few hours past noon by how far down the sun was.

Emma was quite hungry by the time they reached the western side of the island again. It was getting on towards late afternoon and she and Silas had had little to eat that day. Her mind was still reeling from everything she had seen and everything Silas had told her. She still felt as if this was a dream that she might suddenly awaken from. She feared she would awaken in bed with the Duke and find that none of this was real. In fact, she was so fearful of it that she had to reach out and lightly touch Silas' arm to remind herself that he was there.

At first the thought of wearing anything other than a dress was shocking to Emma, but the more she thought about it the more sense it made. After having spent more time on the ship she could see now why Nels dressed the way she did. Dresses were not practical and actually were quite dangerous. One could easily trip over them and they made doing certain tasks almost impossible. She could only hope that her clothes would be tailored to fit her and would not hang awkwardly on her body. She was a Captain's Wife now and she wanted to look the part.

After she and Silas had eaten they walked together back to their hut and together they laid on the sand looking out at the sea. She accepted a cup of rum and took a small sip. She was slowly acquiring a taste for it. She was quiet for a while before asking the question that had been on her mind for quite some time now.

"So, it is clear to me that you have more than enough money to live very comfortably and not ever work again. Why then do you not do that?"

Silas didn’t answer right away, he raised his chin and felt the sunlight on his face. He sipped the rum and savored its scent. The wind had picked up a little and the waves crashed against the shore in front of them. He never had alot of time to think of that. Of just ‘living’. But a house made it easy to people to find you. He knew that too well. Taxes to be paid and people to knuckle his forehead too were not in it for Silas.

“I could have easily allowed my father to continue to dishonor my mother and my entire life would have been different. I would have grown up a mainlander and married some woman I didn’t love for financial and social gain. I could have,” he said. He wasn’t looking at her but out at the water. It was so alive and wonderful to his eyes.

“Perhaps someday I will be too old to rig a sail or survive a duel,” Silas said then looked over at her. “But that isn’t today. And i have often wondered about having a family...like the men here. But...but I’m...I’m a selfish man Emma. I would not be content with ‘visiting’ my family. There is little choice for my men but for me,” he said and shook his head. “I would want my family with me, always,” he said. “I do think of standing still, sometimes for that. To find a way to do both I guess, and that's why we do need to be 'careful'” he added suggestively. Careful about not getting her pregnant he meant. “But leaving this life...is not so easy I think. We know where the Island is...well, I do anyway,” he said and a more serious look passed into his eyes. Likely they’d try and kill him if he tried to leave.

As Emma listened to Silas it really became clear to her that he wasn't living this life for the money. It was almost entirely for the freedom it offered him. Looking at him, she knew that a life of luxury wasn't something he wanted. He loved the sea and the sense of adventure it offered him. He would never be content in any other life and she had no intention of ever taking him away from the life he wanted to lead. What Emma had not considered up until this point was having a family. She had selfishly only been thinking about them. At this point she wasn't sure she wanted to have children. It would be a difficult life and she would be forced to remain on the island and away from Silas. That thought broke her heart.

"Silas, I don't need children," she told him honestly. "I only need you. I am the happiest and most content woman in the world. Adventures await us and the entire world is ours to explore. You have given me a life that I never could have dreamed of. I could want for nothing more than that."

Her words made a smile grow on Silas’s face. He hid it with his cup as he took another sip of the coconut flavored rum. In the next 2 days there was more of the same but Emma was measured and several women had begun work on several pairs of pants, shirts and vests for her. They had access to good leather, silks and cloths and most had been making their own clothes for years. Emma was supplied with several pairs of outfits, a dark brown leather and a blackened, brushed leather with white, green and blue shirts that buttoned down the front, had ruffles at the sleeves and collar. The vests had buttons too as did the pants but the pants seemed to fit her body snuggly and Silas smiled when she spun around and show him. There were undergarments as well, camisoles and bustiers that offered a much more wider range of motion than other articles that were often too tight. Boots and coats were what they’d need to buy. A good, stout wool and a cobbler for the boots. He did give her 2 pairs of boots, they were a man’s boots, one that had died and had feet only barely larger than her own, both black. He also gave her a cutlass, a short, slightly curved blade with a piece of steel that protected the hand that curved around the handle and a dagger. Silas preferred a rapier and was deadly when he used both a rapier and cutlass in a dual wield. Several women donated night gowns and she had an array of the colored smocks with belts and sandals as well.

“How in the hell did you come here with almost nothing and leave with a filled trunk?” he asked as two men struggled with a large trunk that Reggie found for her. “We weren’t here that long!” He said annoyedly. Their cabin was small enough as it was! Her silent grin was infuriating but there was nothing for it. If she needed all of this then he’d find space for it...somewhere!

As the ship pulled away he felt her lift his arm and come up underneath it to watch as the men waved goodbye to their families. It was a tearful departure from the Island but as soon as it drew out of sight the men stepped away from the edge of the ship and got back to work. He remained there on the Captain’s deck with Emma for a while longer. “Are you ready for this my darling?” he asked sweetly. She doubted he was going to remain so for long. She suspected by the looks Reggie and Nels gave her that Silas had something planned for her and up to now hadn’t let her in on.

ooc-i have one last post after yours then we can move on.

Emma felt as if she was in paradise on the island. She and Silas would make love long into the night before collapsing in one another's arms and falling asleep. During the day they would swim in the lagoon in the morning and then she would go into the village to be measured for clothes. Emma was pleased that the pieces fit her body snuggly, and she could tell that Silas was as well. She was petite in stature, but had a full bosom and wide hips with a narrow waist. She enjoyed the way Silas would look at her and she was not shy about showing off her body to him.

In the end, she ended up with a full trunk of clothes that Silas complained about. However, she was quick to point out to him (with a playful grin) that he had told her she needed these clothes and so ultimately it was his own fault. She was confident that she could find room for her things in the cabin. She did not plan to take over the cabin though. She wanted Silas to have his space to relax and think. She wanted him to be happy and she intended on ensuring that he remained so.

Finally, the time came for the ship to leave and Emma stood on deck with Silas watching as the men waved goodbye to their families. Hearing Silas' question, Emma smiled at him. "Of course I am. I'm ready to face anything as long as I'm with you."

ooc-new thread *grins*