Not a Princess, But a Pirate

Not a Princess, but a Pirate

Her mother used to say girls couldn’t become pirates. She would say, “Arcelia, being a pirate means sailing across the sea, being dirty and following orders from men. You don’t want to live like that. Perhaps try being a princess, their lives are much more elegant.” To that, Arcelia used to stand up on a chair and shout that she was a pirate, just to annoy her mother. Her mother shouldn’t have named her Arcelia, which translated to ‘treasure chest’ the most related thing to a pirate. But now… everything had changed. Despite her mother wanting a perfect, sweet and elegant daughter, Arcelia became a pirate. And not just any pirate, a pirate captain.

“Ok men! We have scrutinised all over the vast seas to look for the lost treasure of Solar Cihyas. Many people have said it was a myth, but-” She paused for emphasis, “Recent investigators have said it may not be a legend after all. Our quest is to search for this hidden treasure, and hope to take it for ourselves. Anyone who dares to disagree with me,” She gave her pirates a dark grin, at which every man on the ship shuddered. “Well then, they’ll have to walk the plank,” She whispered, savouring the priceless looks of fear set on their faces. “I, Arcelia Lebid, Captain of The Raiders of the Hollow, will be the first to find the riches. We will become wealthy and abundant in salary!” She yelled, the men raising their fists as a sign of agreement, and soon after, they set sail.

Arcelia was sitting in her quarters, feet resting on her table, picking the grime out of her nails with her knife, when there was a knock on her door.

“Captain, permission to enter?”

“Proceed,” Arcelia eyed the door as one of her crew, the young lad of nineteen, entered.

“Captain, there’s been a sighting of a nearby island that has yet to be explored. What are your orders?” He asked, and Arcelia pretended to think about it for a second. She looked at the boy, four years younger than her and smiled at him.

“Tell the Sailing Master he is to dock at the island, this instant.”

“Yes, Ma’am. I will see to it,” He bowed, but Arcelia held up a hand. She had to think for a moment, what was his name? Jakob. Jakob Esfin. He was Godric’s son, and Arcelia had reluctantly let the fourteen year old board her ship, his father saying he would be useful over time. Now at nineteen, he mainly aided his father or the pirates who needed a chore to be done. 

“You’re the boatswain, correct?” Jakob nodded, and as he did, she noticed the awe and respect in his eyes as he watched her. She took her legs off the desk and stood up, smoothing out her midnight blue coat with gold buckles. 

“You also are the youngest on my ship, am I right?” She questioned and he nodded once more. She paced the floor, circling him.

“Hmm… I would like to see your potential, Jakob. Show me your worth, I’m in the mood for promoting someone, and I would like that someone to be you.”

“Of course Captain, anything for you Captain,” He spoke the words excitedly, though he tried to cover it, keeping his pace even and formal. 

“Impress me, Jakob Esfin. Show me everything you’ve got.”

Arcelia was just about to finish tying up her hair when her boat, The Hollow, jolted to a stop. She straightened the ribbon in her hair, then rushed up the wooden stairs and onto the deck. Ridley, the man in the crow’s nest, called out to her,

“Captain, we’ve reached land!” The rest of her crew cheered, and many high fives were passed around.

“Hold it, men. We mustn’t be too hasty. This is an undiscovered island. Be cautious, for we do not know what predators might lurk in the shadows,” The men nodded, eager to hear the rest of their captain’s orders.

“Zindor, Hunter, Oxworth, Chesney and Gray, I want you five to be the first onto land. Examine the area, assess for forms of life or wild animals. Collax, Ford, Fleming, Jakob and Hexen, flank after them. Johnson, Ascot, Godric, Tucker and Fraser, man the ship, holler if there are any problems. Finally, Quinton, Tallis, Elwin and Creighton, scavenge for resources and food. Does everyone understand their orders?” 

“Yes, Captain!”

“Well? Come on you scallywags!” She teased, “Off to work!”

“Aye aye, Captain!” She watched the first five men walk down the gangplank, looking around, heeding her order. They ventured off, the small group peered into the forest, wondering what animals were lying in the darkness. The next five followed suit, Jakob gave her a salute as he made his way down. The last four ran down the gangplank, Quinton kissing the sand, sending the other pirates into fits of laughter. Arcelia smiled at her ridiculous crew, before straightening her posture and following after them. She nodded at the five men staying behind, who were practising their sword fighting.

“No casualties on this boat while I’m gone,” She joked and they saluted. 

“We wouldn’t let our Captain miss out on the fun!” Fraser piped up and the others laughed. Arcelia walked down the gangplank, breathing in the fresh salty air, and pulled off her socks and boots. The sand was soft on her bare feet as she sighed. This was the life she’d imagined when she told her mother she was going to become a pirate, six years ago.

“There’s nobody here, Captain!” Oxworth shouted, before crying out again, “Oi, get back here, you picaroon!” Arcelia looked over in his direction, to see a small critter grabbing the end of Oxworth’s sword. Arcelia stifled a laugh as she continued to walk along the island’s coast. She watched every one of her crew and remembered the day she’d first met them like it was yesterday.

Arcelia was seventeen when she’d decided to be a pirate. She had chosen to run away from home, bringing as much as she could with her. She’d stolen a large sum of her parent’s money, (her first act of piracy) and all her savings to buy a large boat, with clean white masts and a wonderful captain’s quarters. The week before she’d left home, she’d nailed signs into trees, petitioning for a team of strong men, preferably from the ages of eighteen to thirty who wanted an adventure and didn’t get seasick. It was the last time she ever used her phone, and in the end, she received eight texts and ten calls, all responding to her notice, saying they were willing to be a part of her crew. One of them even was bringing their son, who was fourteen. Arcelia decided to let the boy slide, she remembered the hardships of being fourteen. The men were excited to join her journey, but that was before they met Arcelia. They hadn’t known a seventeen year old girl would be the captain of the ship or a pirate in general. 

Arcelia proved them all wrong when she challenged the biggest and burliest of all the men, (at the time she didn’t know their names, but she found out it was Tallis) to a sparring match. And won. She proved them all wrong again when she showed them how well she could steer a boat (she’d practised on her father’s big yacht) and then continued to complete more pirate errands with ease. Sword fighting, climbing up the rigging and onto the crow’s nest with such agility they were all speechless, and many other knick-knacks she’d learnt over the years. Once they were all impressed, they decided to tag along, boarding The Hollow, and filling each cabin with their belongings. That was how she met her crew, by showing them anyone could be a pirate, even Arcelia, who had been told to act like a princess her whole life.

“Captain!” There was a yell from Elwin, “We’ve found resources and a small supply of food!” Arcelia made her way over to Elwin, Quinton, Tallis and Creighton. She inspected the resources, bendy planks of wood, and thick leaves that looked easy to weave into nets. 

“Excellent work boys, bring it over to Tucker and the others back on board,” 

“Yes Captain!”

“Captain, we have news!” Another shout went off, this time from Hexen, who waved her over. 

“Yes?”

“We found out something you might want to hear-”

“No!” There was an abrupt cry from Jakob, whose face was flushed like he’d gotten a terrible sunburn.

“I’m confused, gentlemen, what exactly is the news?” Arcelia asked curiously, watching the nudges between the five men, who were poking Jakob’s back.

“Looks like this one here,” Collax tilted his head in Jakob’s direction,

“Has a crush on ya,” Ford finished for him and Jakob looked away, which made Arcelia smile.

“That’s sweet. Unfortunately, I don’t date, I already have a lover,”

“Have you got a mister or missus back home, Captain?” Fleming asked, grinning like a mad loon.

“They’re with me right now, actually,” The men’s eyes widened, and Arcelia laughed, a proper laugh that reminded her of the happy days of her youth.

“It’s The Hollow, geniuses. I give my boat so much love, I’m not willing to share any more of it!” She grinned, before turning her back to them and delved deeper into the forest, looking for any caves or hidden areas that might be guarding the treasure.

She admired Jakob, she really did, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to date the boy. He was only nineteen, after all, a whole four years younger than her. If she had to choose any of the men on her ship, it would probably be Zindor, who’s age was the closest to hers, he was twenty-four. Arcelia shook her head, clearing her thoughts, she was getting extremely distracted. She swung her arm, her boots banging against her hips but she didn’t mind, not when there was a cabin full of jewels, gold and old tapestries she needed to fill up. Too immersed in her thoughts, Arcelia tripped over a small vine, covered by dust and sand. She landed on the ground with a loud thud, and face planted into the sand. Picking herself up, Arcelia spat out some sand, as her men started to crowd near her.

“Are you alright, Captain?” That was Tallis.

“IN THE NAME OF BLACKBEARD!” She suddenly burst out, eyes wide at the sight.

“What’s happened, Captain?” And that was Gray.

“I think I’ve found a hidden entrance to somewhere! Perhaps the treasure is there,” Before she’d become a pirate, Arcelia had watched all the pirate movies, and she knew this had to be too cliché for her to trip and find this trapdoor.

“Well? Open it up, Captain!” Gray suggested and Arcelia wiped some of the sand off with her calloused hands.

“This is it, boys. We’re going to find the lost treasure of Solar Cihyas!” Arcelia firmly pulled the secret door open, cobwebs covering the corners, revealing the inside that was so dark, none of them could see a thing. Arcelia looked around, and suddenly Quinton handed her a large stick. 

“Here you go, Captain. I knew we were going to need this,” Arcelia thanked him, before striking the stick against a rock, starting a fire. 

“Ooh, a flaming torch,” Jakob observed and the others laughed, “Crap, did I

say that aloud?” He muttered to himself, but Arcelia didn’t hear the rest as she jumped into the darkness. 

“What’s in there, Cap?” One of the guys asked, and Arcelia signalled for them to jump in. Seven of them jumped in, the other half remained outside, guarding the door. Arcelia used the torch’s flame and lit the other sticks her crew were holding. They walked for ages, down corridors, turning left, right, going up ladders and even going down a ramp at some point. 

“Ugh, when are we going to find it?” Hunter complained and Arcelia smiled.

“Patience, Hunt. It’s a virtue, you know?” She laughed and Hunter sighed as they continued to walk along. They checked room after room, this underground network seemed to last forever. Unlike the movies, they didn’t find the treasure in the first room. That only happened to lucky people. Unfortunately, Arcelia had no lucky stars left to wish on.

“Should we split up?” Zindor prompted but the captain shook her head.

“We don’t know this area, if we split up, we might never see each other again. The only reason we’ve gone this far because a; the treasure is down here somewhere, and b; we all know Chesney has an impeccable memory, so he knows how to get back. We can’t risk it,” Arcelia continued to lead her men along until they reached a wide and spacious room. It might’ve been covered in cobwebs, but that didn’t fool the captain. This had to be a treasure room. 

“Alright men, here are your orders. We’re going to search in every nook and cranny in this room, the treasure must be in here!” The eight of them inspected every box, pulled open every jar, and checked every scroll. That was, until, Arcelia found a small hatch hidden under one of the boxes. She wedged it open with her dagger and gasped. She’d found a small box, with engraved swirls and patterns which were symbols she’d seen in the scriptures about the myth. Arcelia pried the box open and blinked. There wasn’t any gold. No jewels, no silver, nothing valuable at all.

“This is unbelievable!” She cried, as her men peered over her shoulders to see the forsaken treasure. 

“It’s just a piece of paper,” Jakob pointed out.

“I know that,” Arcelia huffed, carefully opening the folded piece of paper. She read the words aloud,

“Those searching for the hidden treasure must search high to find what they seek,”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Elwin asked, clearly confused as Arcelia felt.

“It’s a riddle of some sort. We need to crack it to find the treasure,” Arcelia sighed, staring at the ceiling in defeat. Something in her mind clicked. ‘Search high to find what you seek’ she remembered the words, surprised she’d found the answer so quickly. 

“Oxworth, can I borrow your shoulders for a second?” She climbed onto his back, standing on his shoulders, feeling the ceiling.

“More to the left…” He shifted, grunting. Arcelia felt the ceiling for cracks, feeling hopeful. She stopped, she must be doing something wrong, otherwise, she would’ve found it by now. 

“Captain, you should look down from that height, maybe you could spot something?” Zindor suggested and she shrugged, giving it a go. She peered at the walls, holding out the flaming torch and she blinked. There was a brick slightly sticking out of place in one of the sides of the wall.

“Oxworth, over there.” She pointed and the man shuffled over. Arcelia pulled the brick out, and inside was another box. However, when she opened this one, it was filled with pearls, sapphires and rubies. To her surprise, Arcelia wasn’t that excited when she saw the jewels. They weren’t that impressive… What caught her eye was another folded piece of paper. She examined the words and stared in disbelief.

“Hurry boys! I know where the treasure is, we need to get out of here!” Without any questions asked, they all rushed out of the hidden underground base, Chesney leading the way.

As soon as she saw the light, Arcelia scrambled out of the forest and ran towards a small clump of bushes she’d seen earlier. Using her bare hands, she dug at the earth, ripping out roots and throwing them out of the way. Tallis, Creighton and Quinton helped her, as they dug deeper and deeper into the ground. And then, finally, she’d found it. The myth was real, Arcelia had found the treasure of the Solar Cihyas. Buried deep into the sand, was an enormous treasure chest. Filled with hundreds and hundreds of coins in all currencies, gold goblets studded with gems, expensive armour and weapons, and millions of other treasures.

“WE’VE DONE IT!” She shrieked in delight and hugged the nearest man next to her, which was Jakob, who flushed red as a tomato. “WE FOUND THE TREASURE BOYS! WE’RE GOING TO BE RICH FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES!” They all cheered and it took all eight of them to heave the chest out of the sand and carry it back on board. When the five men who’d missed out, saw the treasure they beheld, their eyes went wide as saucers.

“Three cheers for Captain Arcelia, who found the lost treasure of Solar Cihyas!” Her crew shouted and cheered as they set sail, with no real destination. Arcelia was hoisted up by her fellow pirates, glad she’d found this treasure with her crew and not alone. They partied all night long, bathing in their treasure, all of them delighted they could have a fair share; although Arcelia would take the most since that was only fair. As Arcelia lay in bed, unable to sleep, thinking about the words on the paper. Not only did they have the location of the treasure, but something meaningful Arcelia couldn’t help but relate to.

“To whom it may concern, the treasure you seek lies not here, but upon the island. Where the bushes clump together, circling the trees. It takes those with the strength of heart and will of steel to live up to the great name of a pirate. Whoever finds this, is not a princess, nor a prince or any brand of royalty. You have found this treasure, for you, you are a pirate.”