Chapter Text
A cool ocean breeze slipped through Catalina's window causing her to shiver. The young woman snuggled to her blankets trying to maintain the sweet relief of sleep. No harm ever came to her in her sleep. Sleep was a temporary relief from the burdens of reality. In her dreams, she was no longer a personal maid to the governor's bratty daughter. She could live in another location far away or in fantasy land. Some nights she spoke with her dead husband, Diego. She promised him that she would see to it that his murderers faced justice. Catalina found life was unbearable in her current situation.
These days her views were a lot different than the Governor's mansion in Port Royal. The King of England ordered the Governor to be stationed at Cayo Hueso in the Americas. He wanted to lay claim on the land before the Spanish or French could steal more parts of the land in the Americas. The new place to live brought the young woman much despair. Gone were the days that she could sneak off somewhere to avoid the harsh reality of living with the Governor. Now she had to stick with the Governor's daughter, Eleanor.
Eleanor.
A sudden realization popped into her mind. She opened her eyes immediately and sat up with a sudden burst of energy. Her eyes were wide with a twisted smile on her face. She reflected on the events that occurred just a few hours ago. The Governor and his militia caught a pirate. Not just any pirate, a pirate captain known throughout these parts.
Captain Henry Davies, one of the most notorious pirates from the Americas to the Caribbean, was currently awaiting a date with the hangman in the morning. The governor ensured that everyone was working overnight for tomorrow's festivities. Soldiers were scaling the town in search of anyone that looked suspicious or stupid enough to save him. The carpenter was working to ensure that gallows were set. He wanted tomorrow to be the pirate's last day on Earth. Catalina wasn't bothered by those details. Captain Davies was the last person to see her husband alive. She needed to know the events that took place before her husband was killed. Catalina made Eleanor promise her that she would get to see the captain. They were going to sneak to the jail and pay him a visit. Eleanor seemed to take delight in the plan. She had never seen a live pirate before. The governor ensured that his daughter would always be protected. The man had a lot of money. The more money and possessions he possessed, the more pirates threatened his daughter's safety. She slipped on her night robe and slippers.
The young woman rushed to her bedroom door and opened it slowly to not to alert any of the guards. Guards were on high alert tonight. She poked her head out of her room and looked down the hallways. Not a single soul could be detected down the corridor. One shaky leg jetted out into the hallway followed by another. Her door closed quickly behind her from the ocean breeze. The slam from the door echoed down the hallway. Her face turned white and her breath caught in her throat. Catalina didn't wait for a guard to start poking around. No one was going to stop her from her mission. She had to see that pirate.
Eleanor's room was only a few feet away from hers. The governor made sure they were close to each other. He expected the servant to sacrifice herself for Eleanor. That was never going to happen. Catalina grabbed the key to Eleanor's room from out of her robe pocket and unlocked the door. She slipped inside the bedroom making sure to close the door slowly. A soft snore filled the room. As expected, the woman was sleeping peacefully in her room. Eleanor could sleep through anything. Catalina rolled her eyes and walked towards her.
"Come on, Ellie. We can see a real pirate," Catalina whined shaking the woman to wake up. Ellie groaned and rolled over shooing her friend away lazily. The pestering friend ran to the other side and started to shake her once more. Eleanor's chocolate brown eyes opened and immediately narrowed at her friend.
"Who cares about a filthy pirate? He will hang in the morning. We can see him on our morning walk. He'll be hanging like a fruit on a tree," the governor's daughter shrugged and closed her eyes again. Catalina shook her once more. Eleanor swatted at Catalina's arms.
"You promised we would see him," she whined causing a long groan from her tired comrade. Eleanor sometimes said things to make Catalina happy. This was one of those times. She never expected the other to believe her. Catalina didn't care if the woman came or not. She was going to use her as another pair of eyes to make sure they weren't caught by any of the soldiers.
"Fine, but if my father catches us then you will be getting the caning," she pushed the blankets off her body. Catalina rolled her eyes. She remembered a time she used to be afraid of that threat. Eleanor was never one to admit that she did wrong especially to her father. Any time they were caught doing something bad, she immediately used Catalina as a reason for her bad behavior. Eleanor was only twenty-years-old compared to Catalina being thirty.
"Wouldn't expect anything else. Now let's go," she smiled triumphantly at her tiny victory. Eleanor waved her hand not wanting to be rushed. She removed herself from her bed and stepped into her closet. She appeared a minute later in a matching robe and slippers.
"Well, let's get a move on," she hissed still annoyed from being woken up. Catalina opened the door and gasped sharply upon seeing a man standing at the door. He was one of the royal guards. He wore the typical red coat and long white pants. A white powdered wig propped on his head. A smirk appeared on his face at her frightened reaction.
"Scared?" He asked with a playful smirk.
"Edward," she sighed in relief upon realizing her friend. She placed her hand on her heart to calm her nerves.
"Honestly, could you make it more obvious that you two are up to something?" he asked annoyed as he pushed past the woman and into the room. Catalina promptly closed the door behind them.
"I don't know what you are talking about,"
"Are you two really trying to see the pirate? Honestly, you are so loud I can hear you out the door. You know if Captain Harris finds out you will be hanging with the pirate," he eyed Eleanor. The woman always slowed them down.
"Please, it is awful here. I want to go back to Port Royal but the governor insists we stay in this desolate mess. I just want to see this pirate, I have never seen one," she lied. Catalina had been around pirates all her life. Her father and husband supplied the pirates with supplies. Edward stared at her trying to read her. He knew of the woman's longing to leave this place. She had been trapped inside the mansion since they came to the new land. Pirates were known to roam free around these parts. The capture of Captain Davies proved this theory true. The governor would certainly never let her explore now.
"Fine, fine, fine. I will take you to jail, but you must promise me you won't be there long. I mean it," the sincerity in his voice caused her to realize the seriousness of the situation. Surely a woman being caught in the jail would raise some questions, but the governor's ward being caught there would certainly be disastrous. Edward would lose the job that he worked so hard to achieve.
"You have my word," she moved out her pinky and crossed it with his. Her word was always good with him. He motioned for them to follow him. Edward led them to the library. The mansion was still very quiet. The only noise came from the winds outside. Eleanor followed behind them timidly. Edward opened the window to the library.
"Is the pirate scary? What harm will come to me since I am the governor's daughter? What if he escapes while I am down there?" Eleanor questioned. Catalina could have sworn she heard Edward curse under his breath. The soldier helped her slip through the window.
"You are worried about that now?" She asked harshly through gritted teeth.
"Cat, I can't do this,"
"What? You spineless little bi- fine," Catalina shooed her away. "Do not snitch on us. If you do, I will make sure to tell Captain Harris that you dream about him," she threatened. Eleanor glared at her in response and walked in the direction of her room. Eleanor would never get in trouble if she was wandering around. She convinced her father and the other soldiers that she was a sleepwalker. Edward chuckled at the threat and joined Catalina outside. He closed the window gently. The breeze caused her to shiver. She snuggled into her robe a bit more.
"Are you cold? We can go back," Edward offered.
"Stop stalling," she answered. The raven haired woman made it this far. There was no stopping her now. Edward started to lead her towards the jail. The moon cast a shadow of three loops before her. She turned her head and stopped walking. Catalina noticed the gallows in the moonlight. The ropes swayed lazily in the wind. She was not new to the horrors of pirates being caught and hanged. The pirates were seen as lessers. The thought that worried her was people watching a person die so cruelly. She couldn't imagine meeting her end with a bunch of people watching. Especially a bunch of people that hated her.
Edward made a noise to get her attention. He moved his hand towards his body aggressively signaling for her to join him. She mouthed an apology and quickly scurried after him. The soldier stood behind a planter. Catalina quickly followed suit. A soldier stood guard in front of the prison door. He leaned against the door and smoked his cigarette. The guard was bored. Catalina sighed in disappointment. She figured Edward would take her back to the palace since he could not sneak her in.
"Don't fret. Let me talk to him and I will give you a signal," he assured her. Edward walked to the other soldier and made small talk. The two men were laughing about the pirate's fate and the ease with which he was caught. The soldiers seemed to revel at the thought of the man's death sentence. After a few minutes, the soldier was convinced that Edward was supposed to be standing guard. The soldiers wished each other a good night. Edward motioned for her to come to him as soon as the coast was clear. Catalina rushed over to him praying that no one would spot her. Edward grabbed the key from his pocket and turned to look at her.
"Bad things have happened here, Cat, and I need you to promise that you will not pass out," he stared into her brown eyes. She promised him while nodding. Catalina had never been in a prison before. His warning caused her discomfort. She couldn't back down now though. They were so close to the pirate. The key to the prison fit flawlessly inside the lock. A quick flick of the wrist and the door was open for the two of them. The smell of human waste and death quickly filled her nostrils. She covered her nose with the collar of her robe. The thin fabric did little to mask the smell.
Edward grabbed a wall torch and walked down the stone stairs. Catalina quickly followed him down the stairs. She made sure to not touch the walls around her. They appeared to be dirty. Edward helped her down the bottom stair and onto the stone floor. The sight before her nearly caused her to vomit.
Men, women, and children alike lay dying in their prison cells. The prisoners were unable to move due to the shackles immobilizing them to the wall. Many of them had infected sores from where the rusted shackles rubbed against them. Food with maggots on it was left untouched and their cups bone dry. They were never removed from their shackles to eat or drink. Groans and moans slipped out of the prisoners. Some begged for help and mercy.
Edward grabbed her hand leading her past the cells. She focused her attention on Edward. She never realized the horrible conditions the prisoners were forced to endure. Edward stopped walking causing her to nearly bump into him. Catalina peeked over his shoulder and gasped. A bloodied man was laying on a table in front of them.
"Catalina, meet Captain Henry Davies," Edward introduced her to the unconscious man. Her body felt cold. The man that last saw her husband alive seemed to be making his exit from the world quicker than she expected. She placed her hand over her mouth in shock and slowly walked over to the captain. The woman wanted a closer look at the pirate. He had to still be alive. Without any information from him she wouldn't make the people responsible for her husband's demise pay. His brown hair was slicked back from a combination of blood, sweat, and dirt. His right eye was covered in a bruise. His long, white shirt was covered in blood and dirt. His brown pants were torn likely from fighting the soldiers. His black boots were also covered in dirt.
His hands and ankles were shackled to the table. His wrists and ankles had the same sores as the other prisoners. He must have been trying to escape when they tortured him. Her heart ached for him. Images of him trying to escape his binds to escape his punishment flashed through her mind.
"Edward, I-" she stopped not knowing what to say. This was not at all what she imagined happening in the prison. She wasn't childish enough to think it was happiness and rainbows, but this was cruel. There was no reason to torture a man that was chained to the table. He had no way to attack them. They could have left him in a cell and let him rot until his date with the gallows. She wondered the reasoning behind the attack.
"Do you want to leave?"
"No. I would like to stay a little longer, please,"
"As you wish. I will be the lookout upstairs. I will try to signal if anyone is coming," he assured her. Edward placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled briefly. He turned on his heel and sprinted back up the stairs. Her heart continued to pound so hard in her chest that she could hear it. Her mouth was strangely dry. The moment she had been waiting for was here. After two years of dealing with the governor's family, she was going to have a heading. She whispered a soft prayer.
Catalina reached out to touch his hand. Her soft fingers caressed his calloused hand. Years of pulling on ropes and basic survival must have earned him the callouses. At the slightest touch, the pirate gasped loudly and opened his eyes. He moved to secure her hand in his. The soldiers were going to have to wrestle out of his grasp if they wanted another round to torture. She immediately pulled her hand away from him. Her slender fingers easily slipping through his weakened grasp. The shackles prevented him from reaching out for her hand. The woman jumped back to ensure he could not do her any harm.
"I am not going to hurt you," she reassured him. They stared at each other for a few seconds before he turned away. His bright blue eyes reminded her of the ocean. He closed his eyes and groaned in pain.
"The governor did a real number on me this time," he spoke mostly to himself.
"I'm afraid so,"
"Are you an angel? Have I died?" he asked weakly. His eyes wandering around the room to take in the sights. "I must confess I know I will be burning in hell but this is glum even for me,"
"This isn't hell, but it very much should be," she answered.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked slightly surprised that a woman of apparent higher standing would visit him.
"I know you are Captain Henry Davies. You have the entire English Armada chasing you everywhere," she answered and he smiled. He loved that men, women, and children alike knew his name. Those that never met him even heard of him. Some were afraid to even speak his name. "And you are the last man to see my husband, Diego Ramirez, alive,"
Her words pulled him away from his ego trip. He couldn't believe his luck. The last woman he wanted to see now stood before him.
"Catalina Ramirez, we meet again,"