Righteous Hatred

Hello, Bonnie Lass here. I do not claim to own any characters in this here plot, other than Eli.

James Norrington, a midshipman in the King's Navy, found himself staring at the wrong side of a cell door. He cursed himself for falling prey to a shipful of pirates, in the middle of the Atlantic. He had been on his way home from one of England’s colonies in the New World. Where by now, he could be laying in a real bed for the first time in a year! James groaned, “Bloody pirates.”
“Ya’ know, yer cursin’ the wrong people, luv.” A woman’s voice piped up from the shadows behind him. urneurned sharply, wishing for his blade. He can barely make out that she is wearing men’s breeches and tall boots. She stood, walking into the light. She was wearing a dark linen top, of the finest quality, and her neatly combed, black hair was pulled away from her face by a purple bandana.
“They locked me in with a pirate?”
“Wrong again, luv.” She pouted; her chocolate brown eyes sparkled in amusement. She laughed as she noticed James’ eyes wander down her body. “Like what ya’ see, luv?”
“Why would I ever like seeing a pirate?”
“Good thing, yer King ‘as seen fit tah pardon me, luv.” She smiled, bowing haphazardly. “Sorry, but those mangy bilge rats that calls themselves corsairs, ‘as takin’ away me rum.”
“A pirate is a pirate.”
“There’s where yer wrong, luv.” She walked up next to him and stuck her arms through the bars. She turned her head to him. “First, there are the pirates. Freebooters all of ‘em. Then there are the corsairs, like those mangy dogs up on deck. Why they ‘ave ya down ‘ere, I don’t know.” She turned back and faced the opposite wall. “Then there are privateers, like me. Pardoned pirates, which means me good navy chum, ye can’t hang me, savvy?” She paused, thinking. “There might be another group, but me mind is a little fuzzy on details, when I ‘aven’t ‘ad rum.” She sighed, resting her head on one of the bars.
“How can you drink that foul liquid?”
“Same way ye can, luv. Down it in one go.” She smirks again at James. “Mother’s milk tah me.”
“So why are you here, Ms...?” James asked, trying to kill two birds with one stone.
“They train ye well, luv,” She turned towards him. “My name is Eli, luv. But ye can call me anything ye want. I ‘ad tah barter out of a little Spanish ‘arbor, before I met the ‘angman, savvy?” James nodded, slowly. She kept her gaze locked on his blue eyes. “So I promised the cap’n up there some favors and some of Tortuga’s finest Rum. Well, I promised the Rum when we got to Tortuga and the servicing whenever.” Eli waved her hand absently, as she stepped closer to Norrington, causing their noses to touch.
“Servicing?”
“Aye, ya’ know pleasurable company.” She whispered, huskily, wetting her lips with her tongue. “But since the cap’n up there 'as some odd tastes in tha’ department, ‘e didn’t get me, and locked me in this godfersaken ‘ellhole.” Eli seemed quite happy to have a conversation with James pressed closely to her, but being the well-bred gentleman he was, James wasn’t.
“Sorry, Ms. Eli,” James apologized as he pushed her away.
“Not up fer a little romp, eh?” She smirked at him.
“I am sorry, madam, but no.”
“My name is Eli, whelp.” She glared at him and went back to her previous seat in the shadows. She was muttering something about eunuchs as she went.
“What did you say, Ms. Eli?” Eli sighed sadly and rolled her eyes.
“I said ‘it was just my luck to be locked in a dimly lit area with a Eunuch!’ Happy now, navy boy?”
“My name is James Norrington, Ms. Eli.”
“The name is Eli, Norrington. There is no Miss!” She yelled at him, raising a finger before her. She seemed to want to add something, but she was distracted. She stood silent for a moment, listening. “Shite! DUCK!” She yelled tackling James to the floor, as a cannon ball hit overhead. “Well, hello, luv.” She winked down at Norrington. “Let’s go see what is ‘appening up on deck, shall we?” Eli quickly jumped up and offered a hand to James.
“Led the way, Eli.”
“Aye, lad. Ye do know ‘ow tah take care of yerself in a battle, right?”
“Yes.” He looked incredulously at her, as if she were daft for even asking.
“Good, but remember this aint gonna be like any battle you’ll ever be in, James. Pirates don’t fight fair.” She winked at him and ran out the cell and up the stairs to the deck. He quickly followed her.

* * * *


“What do you mean by, my boy has been kidnapped?” An angry voice roared inside the small office.
“Just that, Admiral. He’s gone. He was standing guard with three others, and he just disappeared. He’s a good soldier so we knew he didn’t desert, sir.”
“Of course my son didn’t desert. How dare you even suggest such ing,ing, Captain?” The Admiral’s boomed like cannon fire inside the captain's ears.
“We know that, sir. But with every disappearance like this we have to assume.” The captain handed Admiral Norrington a scrap of paper.
“What is this, Graves?”
“It was found, staked through his hat and wig, sir.”
“What? They want me to ransom my son!”
“What will you do, sir?”
“Blow them out of the water.” Admiral Norrington slammed his hand down on his desk. “I want you to find them, Captain Graves.”
“Aye, sir.”


* * * *

“Where are we going, Eli?” James asked from behind the privateer.
“To get me effects, as well as yers.” She waved her hand, signaling to keep quiet. Eli peeked at the deck from a hole in the door that led to the brig. “Stay close to me and don’t do anything stupid.”
“Stupid?”
“Like defending me. I don’t need yer ‘elp, luv. Just keep yer own ‘ide intact.” She glared at him and opened the door. She quickly snuck up a set of stairs, Norrington recognized as leading to the Captain’s Quarters. She opened the door to the cabin and slid in silently. James followed suit. "Aha, there they be." Eli picked up several dirks and placed them on her body.
"Now what?" Norrington picked up his own rapier and pistol, watching Eli scour the room.
"Where is that bloody thing?" She yelled, digging through a pile of sheets, which must serve as the Captain's bed. Eli smiled broadly as she pulled various weapons from the pile. She strapped her cutlass onto her belt and stuffed her pistol into her belt, as well. She pulled a small book out as well, which she quickly stuffed down her shirt. Eli turned to Norrington and grinned maliciously. "Now we fight those bloody corsairs, ‘n' don't attack the others. They're our way out of this mess."
"Aye, Eli."
"Well, then,re wre we go."


* * * *


"Cap'n Christopher, we've found 'er." The Bo’sun yelled up to the poop deck of The White Dove.
"Where she be?"
"Near te Mizzenmast, figh'in' wi'h some of te utter crew." Captain Christopher rolled his black eyes. "She's bein' followed by a naval officer."
"What?" He looked towards the other ship, looking for the dark-haired girl. "Mary Mother, get 'im away from 'er! ’e'll do something' stupid if 'e sees 'er captured."
"Aye, Cap'n," the Bo'sun nodded and ran to fill the order. Christopher smirked, his dark brown hair blowing in the wind.
"Let's see w'at the lil' strumpet 'as got up 'er sleeve," he smirked as he spoke to his first mate.
"She ain't gonna be 'appy to 'ear ya' call 'er t'at."


* * * *


"Captain Graves, sir, we've got a lead. There's a merchant sailor, who says he saw a corsair ship put to sea."
"Finally, alright Lieutenant Cape, did your sailor tell you which direction they went?" The captain asked looking out towards the horizon.
"Yes, to the Southwest, sir."
"Prepare the men to make way, Lieutenant."
"Aye, Captain." Cape saluted, and began to bellow out orders.


* * * *


"Bloody 'ell. Get off of me, you mangy cur!" Eli growled as she punched one of the corsairs. He fell to the floor holding his now broken nose. Eli looked over to where James was fighting several others. She smirked at him, before turning back to matters at hand. The captain of the corsairs needed some personal attention form her. She grinned ferally as she spotted the fool running toward the prow. She followed swiftly, ignoring the fighting. Her gin sin sight until she felt a hard object hit on the back of her head. Blackness crept up from the edge of her vision, but before it could engulf her, she heard James yell her name. She swore and prayed to whomever, that he wouldn't do anything stupid. And with that, she slumped into the arms of the man who hit her.


* * * *


"Lieutenant Cape, lower the anchor, we are going aboard." Captain Graves ordered, looking at the smoldering wreckage to the port side of him.
"Aye, Captain." He relayed the order to the men and turned to the remains of the Corsair vessel. Dead men, lay on her deck, and one was hung from the figurehead. "This can't be a good sign, sir."
"I know, Lieutenant, but we must find Norrington. His father would not be pleased if we didn't."
"Aye, sir." Cape replied and fell into silence as he watched the horizon.
"The pirates who did this are long gone, Cape." The captain answered the question that was racing around in his mind. They both stood at the helm as the watched the men began to board the other ship. One man yelled gaining their attention. Both men moved to the other ship. There the man held a blue coat.
"Lieutenant, sir, I found this among the dead."
"Its one of ours, no doubt, Captain." Cape said taking the coat. "It’s clean, sir. That rules out it belonging to these scoundrels." He said, kicking at a dead body with the toe of his boot.
"He isn't here," Graves said, turning and looking at the ship.
"Then where is he, sir?"
"I don't know, Gibbs, I don't know."