*Amelia*

I woke up on the same couch that I woke up on before and just like last time, the Captain was sitting there staring at me. But this time, his eyes seemed ... softer. It was only small, but it was definitely different. Actually, his whole face looked different. Yes, it was still absolutely terrifying, but he looked younger and less ... evil.

'Typical royal' he said menacingly as he played with a knife 'Can't even handle the thought of entrapment.'

As he smirked at my fear, I thought that this must be some sort of test. He wanted me to reach the tipping point. I took a breath to calm myself down.

'Why am I here?' I said, my voice shaky.

He smiled 'Fair question. I – Your father owes me something and he has owed me it for a very long time and I just figured that if I used you as bait, then I don't have to go searching for him because he will come straight to me.'

'Yes, but you saw him just the other night, you were talking to him.'

'He didn't give me what I wanted and so by him coming to me, I can use you not only as bait but as leverage as well.' He talked as if this was no big deal.

I mean to be fair, that plan was smart, so I gathered enough confidence to ask him one more question.

'What does he owe you?'

He kept silent for a moment, clearly making his mind up about something. He then answered – 'That's not important.'

A knock on the door made me jump.

'Come in' The pirate continued to stare at me. The same fat pirate appeared from behind the door.

'What?' The Captain swung his head around to look at him, his face suddenly went cold and hard again.

'I'm – I'm sorry s-sir, but there's a-a ship-p, on the horizon'

'A what?' The Captain said stand up and throwing his jacket on which was hanging on the back of the chair. 'Show me.'

As he walked swiftly towards the door, I followed him. Most out of interest.

I saw the approaching ship as soon as I reached the deck, it was still far away, merely a dot, yet the crew were preparing for battle – loading cannons, attaching knives and swords to their belts. They were not even sure what kind of ship it was, yet they were going to fight it. The Captain meanwhile walked to the front of the ship, the fat pirate following him around like a shadow.

The Captain whisked a small telescope from one of his pockets and before even looking through it said, 'It looks like a navy ship' then put it up to her eye 'I was correct' and was just about to go back when he noticed me.

'I wonder... He was quick'

My heart did a leap, what if that was father's ship? He's come to save me!

Alas, as it got closer and closer my heart slowly sank. Where father's ships were always clean and bright this one was extremely dirty and looked like it had been travelling for quite a while. However, on this ship, The Maiden, I could feel tensions slowly rising and I realised quite fast that it was best that I kept out of the way.

As the other ship was almost upon us I found myself below decks and as I stood crouched amongst some barrels in the dark, I realised that through the fear I was a little bit excited.

Yet as I crouched there, I found myself thinking. There was something about that deal between Father and the Captain. There must be something else going on.

The boat shook. The first gunshot.

It's not like I had never heard one before, it was that at that moment my eyes widened in realisation of how much danger I was in. I was stuck on a ship with nothing else but never-ending sea all around me. I had no weapons with me. No armour. No protection at all. I had no idea how to fight, let alone protect myself!

I was a sitting duck. All I need is for a bullet to hit me or a sword to go through me and I was dead. I would never make it home. I will never marry the prince. I will never see father again.

My stomach twisted into a what felt like a massive knot that I'll never be able to undo. I am going to die here, in the mouldy, damp depths of a pirate ship.

So, I stood there, well actually crouched there, as the sounds of gunshots and the clanking of swords went on above me. I felt paralysed, paralysed by the sounds of death going on around me. All while staring helplessly at the trapdoor that I knew at any second would open and a bloodthirsty pirate or even navy sailor would come crashing through. Oh, why didn't I get a weapon for myself? I could die here, in the dark.

Suddenly, the trapdoor opened and a ragged sailor with a blood-stained sword came crashing through.

I screamed. I couldn't help it, it scared me, but it had also given me away as the sailor instantly spotted me and swiped at me with his sword. He smiled as he did so, a completely crazed smile.

I ran, I clambered over the barrels and attempting to roll some of them towards the man as I did so. They were heavy, but I managed just as I managed to get to the trapdoor which was wide open, revealing a brilliant blue sky. If I were to die here, I would like to see the sun again.

As I reached the deck the first thing I saw was the sun. But I wasn't able to soak it in because the sound of gunshots and metal on metal was all around me and everywhere I turned there was fighting. Terrible, terrible fighting. The smell of blood and sweat filled my nose and as my eyes fell on the first body, I felt like I was going to be sick.

As I dodged through the crowd I noticed that the ship was now directly opposite us with ropes connecting the ships. From the look of it, the crew on the other ship must have come over to the Maiden and attacked.

I ran towards where the Helmsman was and scrambled to the top where I got a perfect view over the entire ship. But as I rested my hands on the wooden rail I realised that where I expected to feel hard wood under my hands it was, in fact, sticky and slippery. I glanced down felt a wave of nausea again as I saw that the rail was covered in fresh blood. Without thinking I wiped it on my already dirty pants and continued to scan the ship.

It was hard to spot anyone through the blur of fighting bodies. The navy sailors were barely keeping up with the skilled pirates yet they fought on. Determined to win. I found myself searching for the Captain and after a few moments spotted his grand red coat amongst the blur of the rest of her as he fought with what looked like the Captain of the other ship. He never wavered. Even for a moment.

I was trying to swallow down my waves of nausea when I felt something cold piercing the skin at the back of my neck. I spun around, starting to panic at the thought of being unarmed. I was met with a boy, not a lot older then I was, wearing a ragged navy uniform.

'It's meant to be unlucky to have a woman on the ship' His arm that was holding the sword pointed at me was shaking. His reddish-brown eyes reflected off it. They reminded me of blood.

As I stared at the sword, too frightened to move. I marvelled at the shininess of the sword. That ship that this boy had come from, including the ship's occupants, were in terrible condition, yet it looked like this boy had polished this sword every day. I felt my heart pumping in my chest. Giving me a strange sort of confidence. I didn't dwell on it but instead continued to stare at the sword. I then saw something past the glint of his murderous eyes, something that might just be able to save my life.

'You should kill me than' I answered as I started to inch sidewards.

'I can't hurt a woman, that will be completely inequitable'

I don't what gave me that sudden surge of energy, but I have a feeling it was something to do with the strange confidence emerging in me. I was standing just in front of a pile of barrels and rope and right at my feet was a sword. Probably one that someone had dropped as they were pushed overboard. A victim in this fight. But without a second to spare, I swooped down and grasped the sword. It was heavy but the energy pulsing through my body made me not notice it.

Then out of nowhere, I swung it, and it sliced right through the boy's face. He didn't even have time to defend himself.

But that didn't stop him.

I heard a clang of metal against metal as our swords collided and so then we duelled. I felt like I was only just defending myself which in fact I was. Father had never completely taught me how to sword fight, only how to hold it and what to watch out for. Mainly because I was young and interested. He never thought I would ever use a sword.

Yet I kept fighting, feeling that energy wearing off quicker and quicker. I was so tired. Then, out of nowhere, there was a single gunshot and a splash. The whole ship fell silent.

There had been countless other gunshots, and even more splashes, but this one was different, stronger and as I stopped fighting and looked at the source, I understood why.

Captain O'Malley had just claimed another victim. The captain of the other ship. We had won.

The captain stood there for a second, his gun was still smoking as he looked over the silent ship.

'We have won. If we believe you are healthy and in a fighting form you will join us and if you're not, you will follow the same steps as your dear Captain.'

The silence broke and all over the ship as the 'Maiden's' crew assessed the other men. If they believed they were too sick or injured to fight they were tied up. I heard the clatter of the boy's sword as it hit the ground.

'What's your name?' He said, emotionless.

'Amelia. Amelia Ramsey. What's yours?'

'Jonathan, just Jonathan'

When Captain O'Malley said that people who didn't surrender will 'follow the same steps as your dear Captain' I just thought they would entail just shooting them and then throw them overboard. But little did I know that I was completely wrong.

First, they tie them up and then get the people who had joined the crew to take them over to their old ship and leave them there. Unable to escape due to their bonds.

Then after completely ransacking the ship and taking anything and everything, the crew decides how to 'dispose' of it. They can either set fire to it or cannonball it and watch as it sinks with the crew, who didn't want to surrender, left on board to die a slow and painful death.

This time, they decided to sink it and I watched in horror as it slowly disappeared beneath the waves.

That's when I first discovered the true wrath of Captain O'Malley and her crew.