Pirate Ophelia, Part 8 (final)

Continued from Part 7

Chapter XXIII: Ophelia’s Revenge

Liam paced the length of his small jail cell. He knew the only reason he was still alive was to set a trap for Ophelia. Now that Janneke was gone, Ophelia was the main target. The king had given the governor an order to stop those who no longer sailed under England as privateers—the pirates they had created out of their own greed.

Celia waited nearby with a pack of armed guards. She was reluctant to continue the mission given to her, but she saw no other option. When Janneke and Ophelia defied the crown, they were accused of piracy and hunted down. She now understood the reasons for their actions. Janneke had been portrayed as a traitor who had gone rogue because of greed. Celia understood now that it was loyalty to an unknown code. One that was often forgotten and pushed aside when gold was involved. It was truth, empathy, and justice. Janneke had found the truth and refused to allow an innocent man to be punished. Her moral code was what made her a great leader, and now she was gone.

“It’s not too late,” Liam said to Celia from his cell. “You can still save Ophelia.”

“I don’t have a choice,” Celia answered. “If Ophelia turns herself in, she likely will not face the noose.”

“Is that what you were told? Do you really believe that?” Liam watched as Celia contemplated his questions. She was a smart girl and not as naïve as most thought. “They had you hunt down Janneke, your friend, and all because she found out the truth about James. And you know it’s the truth. You spoke with Rupert yourself. No one should have to kill their friends to keep them quiet.”

“I didn’t kill her!”

“It was your ship that started the fire. Your men that fired the cannons. They followed your orders. You might not have blown her up, but you are the reason she’s dead.” Liam could see tears in Celia’s eyes. Whether they were from grief over the loss of her friend or guilt over her death, he was not sure. Either way, he was reaching her. He could help save Ophelia. “Let me go and I will take Ophelia far away from here.”

“I cannot,” Celia replied as she walked to the doorway. She paused briefly and looked back at Liam. “I really wish things would have been different, but I cannot directly disobey an order. I’m sorry.” She turned and left, leaving Liam under the watch of the guards.

* * * * *

The Kraken sailed into the harbor of Kingston, its sails still ripped in areas from the battle at Barbados. Ophelia still felt a mix of depression and anger. She loved Janneke and missed her dearly. They had become like sisters during their time together. She felt sad for James who loved Janneke so much that he chose death over living without her. They had spent so little time together, and now they were both gone. She thought of the life Janneke and James could have had. Children they should have had. Children that would have someday heard stories of pirates and treasure. But that would never happen now.

As Ophelia gazed at the governor’s house in the distance, her grief turned back to anger. Anger over how the king used both James and Janneke and then turned on them when they refused to give in to the greed of the crown. She felt anger over Celia’s betrayal and her part in Janneke’s death. She knew Liam would still be alive—a trap set to catch her. But she was a pirate and would rather die than go against her own nature.

The rest of the fleet arrived shortly after in the harbor, the captains and crews just as angry as Ophelia. They chose to follow her on this mission for the same reasons she needed to finish the fight—for freedom, for justice, and for their fallen friends.

“Are we ready to end this?” Catarina asked as she stepped onto the dock. She had taken command of the Morrigan in Liam’s absence, though they all had tried and failed to convince Rose to take the position.

“Yes,” Ophelia replied. “Do what you have to to save Liam. I will confront Celia.”

Rose, Edward, Erik, and Catarina agreed and then followed Ophelia, with the rest of the pirates behind them. They met some opposition on their way to the governor’s house, though they were greater in number than the guards wandering the streets. Ophelia had expected this. She knew it was a trap, and she was willing to walk into it. She had warned every one of the danger, but they were all in this together. They would either win this fight or die trying. There was no room for cowardice or self-preservation. This was a mission they had to complete. A mission of revenge.

* * * * *

The governor sat in his study with bated breath, watching out the nearby window. Celia stood next to the window, her thoughts on her options. She watched as the crowd of pirates marched the streets on their way to the house. She could think of no way out of this—no way it could end well for everyone. Janneke was dead and there was no bringing her back.

The pirates fought their way through the front gate and up the lawn to the house. A loud crash came from the entrance as the pirates made their way inside. Celia moved next to the governor, her sword and pistol drawn. The guards surrounded them, waiting for the attack.

Minutes passed and the door to the room burst open. The guards opened fire on the pirates, killing a few of them. The pirates fought back without mercy.

“Stop!” Ophelia yelled from behind the fight. As the fighting ceased, she appeared in the doorway, her sword at the throat of the governor’s bookkeeper. “Release Liam or this one dies.”

“Foolish woman!” the governor spat. “We do not give in to threats from pirates! He can be replaced.”

Celia saw a look of worry and sorrow on the bookkeeper’s face. The man had served the king faithfully for years. Now he was being treated as if he were disposable—nothing more than an object that could easily be replaced. She felt sorry for the man. He had always been loyal and performed his best, but he was going to be thrown away as if he were a stranger.

“His blood is on your hands then,” Ophelia growled as she pointed her pistol at the man’s head.

“Enough!” Celia shouted. “This must end! There has been enough death. We’ve already lost too much.”

“Celia!” the governor shouted angrily. “What is this nonsense?! Kill them!”

“No,” she replied firmly, dropping her weapons. She grabbed the key to Liam’s cell from her belt. “Here,” she said to Ophelia. “Take Liam. Leave this place. Go live out your life with him. Enough have died. It’s time for it to end.”

Ophelia grabbed the key from Celia and released her hostage. The man stumbled away from her and ran out the front door once he regained his footing.

“Thank you, Celia,” Ophelia said, her anger towards the girl beginning to lessen.

“No!” The governor jumped to his feet, snatching a pistol from a guard. He fired a shot at Ophelia.

“No!” Celia yelled as she dove to push Ophelia out of the way. The bullet plunged into her back. She fell forward, pain searing where she had been struck.

“Celia!” Ophelia cried and rushed to her side, just as Janneke and Celia had done for her once. Rose also appeared at the girl’s side, knowing that her medical skills could maybe save her life.

Erik and Edward led the pirates in an attack against the governor and the remaining guards. The pirates were much greater in number, though the guards were highly skilled and better armed. Outside, the rest of the pirates fought the remaining guards in an attempt to keep them from entering the house. With every one of their own that fell in battle, the others fought back harder. They fought without mercy, knowing that this fight was their last fight for justice. The last enemy that stopped them from being free.

Inside the house, the pirates were gaining the advantage. Erik and Edward fought back to back while Ophelia and Rose still tended to Celia. The governor hid behind the guards in fear while the pirates began to win the fight. The governor attempted to slip away unnoticed, but one of the crew noticed and cut him off. Michael—one of Janneke’s crew who had been rescued from Barbados—tackled the governor as he tried to escape. The two struggled on the ground while the guards and pirates continued to fight. The governor pulled a knife from his jacket and attempted to stab Michael. He realized this in time and was able to grab the handle. Michael used all the strength he could find to turn the knife toward the governor and then plunged it into his chest.

“That was for Janneke, you greedy bastard,” Michael said as he stood over the dying governor.

“Are you okay?” Ophelia said as she rushed to his side, suddenly realizing what had happened.

“I will be,” he replied, a look of triumph on his face.

Ophelia looked back at Rose and Celia. Rose had managed to pull the bullet out of Celia, which had not gone in too deep. The girl was injured, but she would survive. She stood next to Rose, leaning on her for support.

“The governor has been killed!” Celia shouted to the guards. “Lay down your weapons. They only want to leave in peace.” Some of the guards continued fighting out of loyalty to the crown, but many of them obeyed, clearly tired of combat.

Ophelia smiled at Celia, her hatred gone. She knew that Celia realized what she had done and regretted it, she only wished it hadn’t cost them so much in the process.

Chapter XXIV: Redemption

“Ophelia!” Liam exclaimed as he saw her approaching his cell. “You shouldn’t have come! Celia is setting a trap for you!”

“It’s over,” Ophelia said as she unlocked the cell door.

“Over?”

“The governor is dead and we have taken control of Kingston…for now at least. They will send more soldiers as soon as they get word of what has happened.”

“And Celia?”

“She’s upstairs.”

“I thought I could reach her. Convince her that there was another way.”

“I think you did. She tried to stop everything and the governor shot her. She’s okay,” she added, seeing the hint of concern on Liam’s face. “Rose patched her up pretty good.”

“What happens now?” Liam asked.

“I don’t know,” Ophelia replied.

They made their way to the lounge where Celia sat waiting for them, with Rose watching over her carefully, refusing to believe that the girl had truly seen the error of her ways.

“Captain,” Rose said as Ophelia and Liam entered the room. “What do we do with her?” she whispered.

“I intend to leave Kingston,” Celia said, giving Rose an angry look. Rose returned the look.

“Where will you go?” Liam asked.

“Home, I think. Somewhere far away from here.”

“I think that sounds like a good idea.” Ophelia smiled at Celia, suddenly remembering that, though Celia seemed very grown up, she was still young and had plenty of time to make up for the mistakes she had made. Nothing would bring back Janneke, James, or any of the others they had lost, but there was no point in holding a grudge against someone who was misled into believing they were doing the right thing.

“I’m going to return to the ship,” Rose declared before leaving the room.

“I think I will return to mine as well,” Liam said. “I want to make sure Catarina hasn’t locked half the crew in the hold. She can be a bit moody sometimes.” He let out a laugh and then hugged Ophelia. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Yes. Get a good night’s sleep,” Ophelia called after him. She turned back to Celia, who was now looking out the window at the ships in the harbor.

“I should have listened to you. To all of you,” she voiced softly.

“You couldn’t have known this would happen. You were lied to, just like Janneke was.”

“But she didn’t just take their word for it. She sought out the truth, and…I killed her.” Celia started to sob. Ophelia rushed to her side and hugged her.

“Janneke knew the risks when she chose to fight back. She said so herself.” Ophelia held back her own tears at the thought of the events that had happened. She missed the days when they all served on the same ship. The days before everything started to go wrong.

“If it weren’t for me, she would still be here.”

“If you hadn’t been the one commissioned to hunt her down, someone else would have. This was the king’s doing, not yours.”

Celia suddenly stopped crying and looked toward the governor’s desk in the next room. “The king…” she thought out loud as she walked to the desk.

“What about him?”

“There was a letter with the royal seal. Something the governor was reading the day that he promoted me to captain and told me to…to find Janneke. He put the letter in a drawer the moment I walked in. He told me it was about my promotion, but I always thought it was a bit suspicious.” She opened each drawer searching for the letter without luck. The last drawer was locked. “It must be in there, but I don’t know where the key is.”

“Stand back,” Ophelia said as she pointed her pistol at the lock. Once Celia was clear, she fired a shot, hitting the lock dead on and opening the drawer. Celia looked at her, a mix of disbelief and awe on her face. “Well I am a pirate,” Ophelia laughed. Celia let out a chuckle as she rummaged through the drawer.

“There are a few of these letters in here.” She opened each one and skimmed them. “This one is about the sugar shortage. This one is about pirates around Eleuthera. Makes sense since it’s not far from Tortuga, a known pirate haven.” She looked up and smiled at Ophelia, knowing that they had gone there in search of more crew before attacking Barbados. “Here it is!” She skimmed over the contents of the letter, a frown appearing on her face. “This mentions my promotion but doesn’t say anything about sending me after Janneke. It just says I am to be captain of a merchant ship.” She continued reading the letter, keeping Ophelia in suspense. “Well this is interesting.”

“What is it?”

Celia looked up from the page. “The king said he doesn’t care about the rogue privateers. Apparently he didn’t see them as a threat.” She looked back at the paper in her hand and continued reading. “He said ‘I don’t care what kind of personal vendetta you have against Janneke. We don’t have enough soldiers to spare for personal wars. She is not a threat, and we must focus on real problems in the Caribbean, such as the pirate presence in Tortuga.’ Well…” Celia looked up at Ophelia again. “That’s probably why Eleuthera was repeatedly attacked by pirates.”

“So the governor used you to settle a personal score?”

“It seems so,” Celia said as she continued to search through the drawer.

“One thing is true though,” Ophelia began, “Janneke never was a threat to the crown. She just wanted to clear James’s name, and then her own after she was accused of piracy. But I don’t get why the governor had such hatred for Janneke. She didn’t do anything to him.”

Celia glanced toward the door leading to the path where the governor lay dead. “I guess now we will never know.”

* * * * *

The sun shone brightly again the next day over the city of Kingston. Smoke still trickled from a few areas that had been on fire the night before. While Ophelia and her crew had headed straight for the governor’s house during their attack, some of the rest of the pirates pillaged parts of the city looking for treasure. Some of Frederick’s crew had robbed the bank while Jack helped himself to the governor’s private stash of fine wine and spirits. He had been willing to share with anyone who wanted to join him that evening on his ship. Most of the pirates had returned to their ships once the fight was over. They had lost many of their own, but the overall mission was a success.

Now that the governor was dead, Celia temporarily took his position, taking control over what remained of the English soldiers on the island. She had awoken before sunrise that morning and headed down to the docks, just as she had often done before she left the island…before everything went wrong.

“Everything okay, Celia?” Liam asked. He was on his way to the governor’s house to find Ophelia when he spotted Celia.

“As much as it can be,” Celia replied.

“Feeling better, Liam?” Ophelia had just arrived at the docks moments after Celia.

“Very much,” Liam smiled.

“Captain!” Rose shouted from the Kraken as she, Erik, and Edward left the ship to join the others on the dock. “We’ve all discussed it, and, with the fleet and all, we think you should be promoted to Admiral.”

Ophelia smiled at the thought and looked around at the ships in the harbor. They had started with ten ships and were now down to four. They were still a fleet, though small and damaged.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile, “but there can only be one Admiral, and she will always be with us.” The group shared a moment of silence out of respect for their fallen friend. “Besides,” Ophelia continued, “it sounds like a lot of responsibility.” She smiled at the group and everyone let out a laugh.

“I have a request,” Liam declared after the group had finished laughing. “I want to sail with you,” he said to Ophelia, “on board the Kraken.”

“But what about the Morrigan?” Ophelia asked.

“I was hoping these three would take it,” he said as he gestured toward Erik, Rose, and Edward. “They can decide amongst themselves who will be captain.”

“I am staying with the Kraken,” Rose stated.

“I think Erik should take it,” Edward advised. “And I will sail with him.” He smiled as a look of excitement filled Erik’s face.

“Captain? Of my own ship? Now you’re talking!” he exclaimed happily.

Ophelia was sad that both men would be leaving her crew, but she knew Erik wanted his own ship, and she had the utmost confidence in his ability to lead. “Congratulations,” she said with a smile.

“Watch out for Catarina,” Liam whispered to Erik. “She’s almost as feisty as Rose.”

Erik chuckled and nodded in acknowledgement. “Where are you headed next?” he asked Ophelia.

“We should go to Saint Augustine and visit my sister,” Liam suggested. “I haven’t seen her in a while and I know she’d love to see you again. It’s been so long.”

“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Ophelia replied.

“We’ll meet you there, for old times’ sake,” Erik said before he and Edward headed off to the Morrigan.

“Will you come with us?” Ophelia asked Celia.

“As much as I would love to, I think I’ll stay here for a bit and help them clean up the city. I’ll send word to the king and tell him what has happened, or at least most of what has happened. They’ll send a new governor and then I think I will head home.”

“What about your ship?” Liam asked.

“I’m going to let Miguel take command. He’s already proven he has what it takes. My days as captain are over, for now at least.”

“Good luck Celia,” Ophelia said as she hugged her. “Maybe we’ll head back this way soon and stop in for a visit. Hopefully you will still be here.”

“If not, you can always write to me in London.”

“I will.”

“Goodbye, Celia,” Liam said as she turned to leave the dock.

Ophelia watched her walk up the street until she could not see her anymore. She felt in her gut that Celia would be fine, though she would miss her very much. She looked over at the other two ships in the fleet, their captains standing on the dock in a discussion.

“What’s next for you guys?” she asked as she approached them.

“Frederick here is planning to head south in search of Spanish treasure ships,” Jack laughed.

“What about you, Jack?” Ophelia asked.

“Well, I’m betting those ships are fully stocked with rum, so…”

“He is going to follow me wherever I go,” Frederick said with a thick German accent.

“Oh you know you like the attention,” Jack added.

“Fine. But I am the leader.”

“Sure,” Jack said casually. “The leader to the rum,” he whispered to Ophelia. She let out a chuckle as the two men boarded their ships. She waved goodbye before heading back to her own ship, her crew and Liam ready to sail.

“To Saint Augustine then?” Liam asked.

“Yes,” she said as she took control of the helm and gave the command to set sail, leaving the harbor of Kingston behind them. She spotted Celia standing in the water, waving goodbye to them as they left. The Morrigan was already far ahead of them, Erik clearly planning on making a race of their journey.

“Are you okay?” Liam asked, taking a position next to the helm in order to help navigate and command the crew.

“I will be,” Ophelia replied, watching Rose on the deck in front of her. “After Saint Augustine, I want to go to Curacao.”

Liam looked at her curiously. “Why?” Rose had also turned to hear the answer to this question.

“I want to see the place where Janneke and James would have lived.”

The Kraken reached full speed, leaving Kingston far behind them. Ophelia looked around at her ship—the one thing that gave them the freedom they wanted. She watched as the sails blew in the wind and smiled as she spotted the flag flying at the top of the main mast. There was nothing that gave the feeling of freedom more than a black flag atop a full set of sails.

Epilogue

It had been years since the loss of the Hydra and its admiral. Captain Ophelia sat in her quarters remembering back before she was in charge—back when she was only a new recruit, referred to sometimes as “swabbie.” She remembered sailing as part of the fleet to rescue a few of their own from Barbados. She missed those times, but nothing would ever bring them back. The Hydra was gone…a home for marine life where it sank, the crew on board nothing more than skeletons and ash lost in the ocean. A tear escaped her eye at the memory, though she felt some comfort knowing that the Conquistador lay next to it. The two ships would spend eternity together in peace under the surface of the roaring sea.

The Kraken sailed into the harbor of Curacao. Ophelia remembered meeting Janneke there to inform her of Celia’s promotion. That was a lifetime ago. She wondered if Janneke knew then how it would end. The only way it could end.

Ophelia left the ship and walked up the street, leaving Liam on board. The two had been married for a few years, but she wanted to be alone to remember her friend by herself. He understood completely, knowing that Ophelia’s history with Janneke predated his return into her life.

As she walked up the streets, she thought back to the day she watched the Hydra sink, fire consuming their beloved admiral, with the Conquistador going down shortly after. She remembered trying to console Rose and Edward, along with so many others. She remembered Celia sobbing afterward, in shock over her part in the ordeal. Ophelia kept in touch with her through letters and knew that she had returned to her family not long after. She eventually met and married a nice man, settling down just outside London where they ran a dairy farm. They had three kids and seemed very happy, though Celia still occasionally thought about the tragic events that had happened years ago.

Ophelia turned the corner and continued walking, her thoughts now on Edward and Erik. Edward had been staying with Liam’s sister, Brigid, in Saint Augustine. He and Erik had remained close friends, with Erik visiting whenever he could. Liam and Ophelia visited often, once in a while running into Erik during their trip.

Erik had married one of the crew of the Kraken. The woman was very much like him, with a similar personality and the same love of the sea. The two were still enjoying the seafaring life on board the Morrigan. Ophelia doubted they would ever tire of it. She and Liam were planning to retire from the sea life in a few years, though they had made that claim at least three times before.

She continued walking as the street narrowed, becoming little more than just a path. She could see children in the distance—a boy and a girl playing in the field while a woman watched over them. The kids had grown so quickly over the years.

“Ophelia!” the girl shouted and ran up the path, the boy following her.

“You guys are getting so big!” Ophelia said excitedly. “How old are you now?”

“I’ll be eight next month!” the girl exclaimed.

“And I just turned five in April,” the boy stated.

“Soon they’ll be wanting to sail away,” the woman said as she approached them.

“Hopefully not yet,” Ophelia replied. “How are you, Rose?”

“I’m doing very well.” She smiled as she looked at the two kids. “They have too much of their mother in them.”

“Speaking of which,” Ophelia started. Rose pointed toward a house up the path. It was a nice house surrounded by fields. A man sat under a giant oak tree nearby.

“James!” a woman called from the front porch. “Dinner is almost ready. Go tell Rose and the kids.” The woman looked down the path and spotted Ophelia. A smiled appeared on her face. “Ophelia!” she called. The man quickly jumped to his feet, clearly happy to see her as well. The woman left the porch to greet Ophelia with a hug. “It’s been a while. I was starting to think you’d forgotten us!”

“Of course not!” Ophelia laughed. “I could never forget you…Admiral.”

“Will you stay for dinner?”

“Not this time. Liam is waiting. We’re going to visit his sister and Edward.”

“How are they doing?” James asked.

“They are getting married in a month.”

“That’s great news!” Janneke exclaimed. “I hope Edward is happy.”

“He seems to be. I’ve never seen him look so cheerful. It’s almost as if he’s an entirely different person.”

Janneke chuckled at the thought. She had never seen Edward in a good mood and was glad he finally found something—or someone—that made him happy. “Are you sure you won’t stay?”

“I don’t want to keep Liam waiting. He’s anxious to get to Saint Augustine.”

“Well, it’s always nice to see you, no matter how short the visit.” Janneke smiled at her. “You could always tell him the truth you know.”

“Someday maybe, though I kind of like being the only one who knows. It’s like I have a secret family.”

Janneke chuckled, though tears appeared in her eyes. Ophelia gave her another hug.

“Sometimes it’s hard,” Janneke said, releasing Ophelia from the hug. “I know it was the only way we could live in peace, but I do miss it. I miss the sea, but more so, I miss all of you.”

“I know you do,” Ophelia replied. “But you never know what the future might hold.” She hugged both the kids, James, Rose, and then Janneke before turning to leave. She was halfway down the path before she turned back around to wave goodbye to the family. “I promise I’ll be back soon.”

“Take care of yourself, Ophelia,” James called out to her.

As Ophelia walked the streets back to her ship, she went over the events of that tragic day in her mind. Janneke had told her and Rose what happened when they first discovered that she was alive. The second explosion had thrown Janneke from the ship. She was dazed, but conscious enough to grab a piece sticking out of the Hydra and hold on. When the ship went down, Janneke hid among the floating debris, only surfacing every once in a while for air. She knew Celia would never give up and figured it was the best way to save the crew—the family she could not lose. She had watched as the Conquistador slowly sank and found James among the debris, severely injured and unconscious from the fight, but still alive. She held on to him and waited, hiding among the floating pieces of the two ships. Once the English fleet was gone, she climbed on top of a large piece of wood and then pulled James out of the water and laid him next to her, hoping that someone would come to their rescue. As luck would have it, they were picked up shortly after by a French merchant ship on its way to Guadeloupe. They eventually made their way to Curacao and had lived there ever since, on a farm like Janneke had wanted.

Ophelia remembered visiting Curacao with Rose not long after Janneke and James had been presumed dead. They had visited Liam’s sister in Saint Augustine and then made their way to Curacao. She and Rose wandered the town, remembering how much Janneke loved the place when Rose was sure she had spotted James. They followed the man and discovered the house where Janneke and James had begun their secret lives. Janneke was already expecting their first child, and so Rose offered to stay and help around the house, promising to help raise the child if needed. James and Janneke excitedly accepted her offer, glad to have someone who was already a part of their family. Ophelia had told Liam that Rose decided to stay for a while and would then make her own way around the Caribbean. She hated lying to him, but she wanted to keep the secret of the growing family to herself, and she had for over eight years.

Liam greeted Ophelia happily when she returned to the Kraken. Knowing that she returned to Curacao occasionally to remember Janneke, her fallen friend, he worried about her emotional state. After their first visit, Ophelia insisted they return on a regular basis, usually once a year. Liam knew better than to argue with his stubborn wife, and so they made an annual pilgrimage to Curacao to honor their lost admiral.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Definitely,” she replied.

As the Kraken departed from Curacao, Ophelia could hear Janneke’s voice echoing in her head. Janneke had always been there for her, and now Ophelia was the only one entrusted with her secret life. Aside from Rose, no one else in their past knew the family existed, believing Janneke and James had perished that day many years ago. They had been together all these years and had two kids. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but it was better than a short life of being hunted. Better than death.

Ophelia could still hear the advice Janneke once gave her when she felt so afraid of what would happen. When things seemed to be doomed to failure and their seafaring family had been ripped apart. Sometimes when it seemed like there was no hope left, the tiniest sliver was enough cause to fight, even if it seemed that there was no chance of winning…

All was not lost.

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