Aurélie and the Adventures of the Aquitaine

"Well isn't this lovely..."

Aurélie Castille stood, her back to the ship's pantry, cursing herself for coming out of hiding. She faced two dirty young men who looked just as shocked to see her as she was to see them.
"Why can't anything go according to plan?" she muttered darkly, assessing her situation.
Her hair had fallen out of the hat she was wearing and now hung in dark curls around her shoulders, making her visibly a girl.
I have two options, she thought, quickly looking around for a way of escape. I can take my chances with the porthole and the sea below it or I could take these two on and see if their sword skills match their appearance.
The one on the left made a motion at the other as he turned towards the stairs to the main deck.
That's it then.

Making her decision Aurélie lunged forward, a heavy metal ladle in hand. Bashing the second one on the head, she grabbed a skillet from the shelf above her. She spun to face the two of them, who had drawn their swords, and began to back towards the wood stove with looks of astonishment. Both boys looked at each other and nodded, coming at her together, slashing away wildly. She parried and dodged to the best of her ability, backing up once again towards the pantry.

She quickly assessed her opponents. One was tall and well built, with shaggy blonde hair and a red hat; his hits were too high and easily dodged. Now the other was short with brown hair and heavy swings. He put all of his weight into every blow. perfect

The runaway girl locked her knees and prepared herself. The tall one moved in, aiming a swift blow to the head, Aurélie ducked and swiped the skillet at the blade sending it towards the short one who yelped and stumbled over his own feet. With him already off balance she yanked open the door to the pantry and shoved him inside, dropping down just in time to dodge a sweeping slice from the other.

There was a large crash and an omph heard from inside the pantry as the young Miss Castille slid the ladle under the handle of the door. Turning to face her last opponent she saw something else that wasn't a part of the plan.

~.~.~.~.~

Captain Dodger smiled to himself as he gazed out onto the glistening sea. Any thoughts of the home he left across the blue waves disappeared every time his gaze wandered from the clear sky to the vast horizon. Looking around the deck, he surveyed the crew of the ship they had boarded: all the merchants lined up and shaking in their boots.
Dear god where are Perry and Snapper? He thought, while his first mate Lucas explained to the merchants that they were simply in need of some wood and food.
With their cooperation, there will be no slit throats today.

Giving in to his impatience, Dodger walked down the deck to the lower deck stairs and was greeted with a most peculiar sight.

Perry and Snapper had a girl backed into a corner, swords drawn. She was facing them with a surprisingly level gaze, her dark hair falling into her eyes. Perry lined up to take a shot at her head; Dodger was about to intervene but was halted by her quick movements. Dodging Perry's blow with astonishing speed the girl swung what looked like a pot at Perry's sword and in the blink of an eye had Snapper locked in the pantry behind her.

With the pot held in front of her and her knees bent, she blew her hair out of her face and turned to Perry ready to take him on. The poor lad was practically quaking.

Dodge's astonishment melted away into hysterics. He announce his presence by bursting into very undignified laughter.

"M... my goodness.... it...it seems you have a live one, Perry." he coughed out, grinning at the sight of the ship's rookie shaking under the glare of this fearsome girl.
"Mademoiselle, what on earth has my friend done to deserve being beaten with a skillet?"
She turned and looked up at him with surprise as a flash of fear moved through her vibrant, violet eyes. Clearly she hadn't expected this. Dodger was caught just as off guard by those eyes, so alluring ha found himself catching his breath.
Coughing slightly he aroused himself from his stupor.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Captain Dodger," he said shakily removing his hat and bowing, “and who might you be?"

"Au- Lee... Ellie… Ellie Collins. I'm a stowaway... I was hiding in the pantry, sir." Aurélie answered, quickly looking at her shoes in what she hoped was a convincing act of surrender. That was unexpected. She thought, her mind racing with the possible outcomes of this scenario. None of them seemed to work well in her favor.

"Well Ellie Copperfield, after seeing you handle a skillet, I would love to see how you handle a sword." The captain replied with a wink and a thoughtful yet playful smile. His mind was at work, yet Ellie couldn't read anything in his eyes. An odd sensation for the young princess.
"How would you like to teach Perry here a few lessons? I'm sure he could learn a lot from you, isn’t that right P?"

Perry looked frazzled and wildly looked back and forth between his captain and the girl, who looked practically knocked off balance.
"I… s'pose." Perry mumbled, not liking the idea of a girl teaching him swordplay.
"What was that? Speak up boy."
"Yes, Capt'n!"
"Good lad. Right this way if you please, Miss Copperfield."
Dodger lead the way, his thoughts in overdrive as he tried to determine what possessed him to invite this strange girl onboard his ship. Surely I'm not being mindlessly governed by my loins, for God's sake. He shook the thought from his head, he was definitely smarted than that.
There's something intriguing in those eyes...

Ellie was so befuddled that it was all she could do to follow the young captain across the main deck, eyes on the floor as if it was the most fascinating device in the world.

And that is how Aurélie Castille, or should I say Ellie Copperfield, wound up on the quarterdeck of the Aquitaine.