Ransom, Jokes, and Promises

It is day 17. I listen to the oars splash into the ocean as the haggard galley slaves propel our ship forward. Where the pirates are taking me, I do not know. All I know is that apparently, the pirate captain, through his intermediaries, sent the ransom request back to my family in the capital city. I sit in the main cabin of the ship. The sun is merciless, and even inside, with the slaves serving me water and cooling me with fans, I am still covered in sweat and light-headed. If I was a commoner, I know the pirates would have already put me in the galley, rowing with the other slaves, or worse; thrown me overboard in order to avoid a useless mouth to feed. A boy of 17 years with a weak physique has little use on a pirate ship. To my fortune, I come from a wealthy family. In fact, I can trace my lineage to the very founding of the capital city, and my family holds significant influence in government, the military, and merchant guilds. My family name is known far and wide, and was immediately recognized by the pirates when they asked me who I was. And this is what has led to my current situation; sweating, consumed by boredom in the the captain´s main cabin, waiting for my ransom to arrive. The only thing that can distract me from my insufferable boredom is my contempt for the captain and his pirate crew of lawless brigands. They boarded my ship, killed my servants and companions, and publicly disgraced me. The Captain grabbed me by my toga, and flung me into a semi-circle of his compatriots. They laughed at me, and made a mockery of the fact that they were going to receive so much ransom money for so frail a thing. I held my tongue, calling upon all my reserves of patience and perseverance, so as not to arouse their anger. Although I am weak physically, It has been said that I have a sharp tongue. This comes as no surprise to me, as I was trained by the finest orators and debaters in the capitol. But I kept reminding myself that patience is a virtue, and once my ransom is paid, and I am free, I will have my retribution. I was able to gather from the captain´s servants that were attending me, that our destination is the home port of these pirates. I know that once these swashbuckling bunglers take me to where their home port is, I will etch its location and the route to get there in my memory, never to be forgotten until I get my retribution. Once I am free, I will pay for a legion of my county´s finest marines, and we will sail an armada to the most distant corners of the earth if need be in order to hunt these brigands down. This is my plan at least. This afternoon, events took place that make me feel as if my fate were a little less uncertain. The captain, with a crooked smile, and reeking of alcohol, entered the cabin and ordered me onto the deck. There, I was surrounded by the majority of the crew, and the captain announced that my ransom had been sent to my received by my family, and naturally, they agreed to pay it. When the captain told his crew the amount that was to be paid, there was jubilation. The crew erupted in joyous applause. This however, was too much for me. I flew into a rage, not because the ransom was such a burden for my family, but because the ransom was so low for someone of my rank. I am the son of high nobility, and the descendant of kings. The bandits could have received three times as much if they had asked for it. The fact that they requested such a low sum, was a disgrace to me and my family name. It was then and there, before the gods, the captain, and his crew, that I made them all a vow: Once freed, I would track them down with the finest ships and marines of my country´s navy, and hang them on their own ship´s masts for the sport of the vultures and crows. They laughed at this, and sent me back to my cabin. In hindsight, I can see that I was rash and should have shown restraint. I think, I am still safe. My safety will only be in question if the goddess of wisdom enlightens any of the crew, or its captain, that this was not a threat, but a promise. It was that night that we experience a violent storm. This was the most violent storm that I had ever experienced, and I was especially concerned when I saw that the captain and crew were just as afraid as I was. Waves were battering the ship from all sides, and water was flowing into the lower deck were those poor souls were rowing, moving the oars in a vain attempt to maintain our course. Water was even flowing into the quarters where I was being held. The servants staying in my same quarters were on their knees praying to the god of the sea to deliver them from the tempest. It was at this time when the night was at its darkest, and the sea at its most violent, that the main mast of the ship snapped and plunged into the sea with several of the crew members. I knew in my heart that all was up, and the ship would surely be destroyed. But immediately after this thought entered my head, I flicker of hope entered my heart. This is my chance to escape. I would rather die anyway than be held another day longer in my disgraceful confinement. I ran onto the deck. Men were running to and fro, and chaos rained. I quickly grabbed hold of a barrel that I saw rolling down the deck, and jumped into the sea. And against all odds, I survived the storm. The sea is calm now, and I cling to my barrel awaiting rescue.