Only Time Will Tell

The sun had begun to set as the four men approached the old tavern. The tallest man reached the door first and pushed it open to reveal a sparsely filled place that was eerily quiet. In the far corner sat a group of men, and that was the direction that they headed towards. As they approached, one man stood to his feet and stepped towards them. "So glad you could make it," he said, clasping the back of one of the men.

"Didn't realise you would have company, Matthew," the man said, nodding towards the other men who had stayed seated.

"All will be explained in good time," he reassured them, as the remaining men sat down. "We have a lot to discuss."

The tallest of the four glanced around the tavern and then looked back at Matthew. "Where is everyone?"

Instead of Matthew replying, one of the men that were in the tavern originally piped up. "Our plan is private, and I knew the owner," he replied gruffly.

Clearing his throat, Matthew got down to business. "I'm sick of my life. The same thing, day after day, is too much for me. All the work I put into my job does not get appreciated, and I am worth more than that. These men, they have found the perfect life. And I'm joining them," he announced, gauging the reactions of his four friends.

One of the men, who went by the name of Zachary, frowned and glanced at the men sat behind his friend. "Joining them? Are you in some sort of trouble?"

"This is what I mean! I have found a life where taxes are not important, obedience to the King is not a requirement, and trouble is nothing but nature and her tricks. All I have to do is give up a life based on land, and I am free."

With those words, Zachary's mouth dropped. "Piracy? Are you mad, Matthew?

"Watch it," the man who previous spoke barked, clenching his fist.

"Why must I be mad? What is mad is staying with a life that drags you down and takes away your manhood. I invited you here to say that we intend to obtain enough gold to purchase a ship, and once that has been achieved, we will set sail. And before I continue, I must ask: who is in?"

Zackary scoffed and was about to push out of his seat when the man next to him raised his hand. "Tell me, how often would we venture onto land? I must be able to have my share of fair maidens," he said.

This time, a different man from the gaggle behind Matthew spoke up. "Trust me, there are plenty of maidens. More than you would have if you stayed here."

"That settles it. I'm in."

"You cannot be serious, Brian," Zachary protested, turning on his friend.

Brian shrugged. "Why not? The best part of the last five years has been spent working as a stable hand. My father's name prevents me from gaining better work, so why should I not become a pirate? Gold, maidens, freedom - I see no fault."

Another of their friends, a man called James, nodded. "I agree. Matthew knows what he is on about, and he spoke to me before. I already agreed on joining him with the men behind him," he said, clapping Zackary on the shoulder. "I have nothing else to lose."

"Me either," the last of the four said, scratching his nose. "As long as there's ale, I'll join you. I have no ties here anyway."

James rolled his eyes. "Jonathan, you'd go anywhere ale was."

"True."

Matthew looked back at Zachary. "Do you really want to remain poor and downtrodden for the rest of your life?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "We can make something of ourselves, without having to run anything past the King."

Zachary glanced between him and his other three friends before sighing. "I'm in," he agreed.

Upon hearing those words, one of the men behind Matthew rose to his feet and grabbed a chair, dragging it over to the door and wedging it shut, promptly making sure that no one would be able to enter the tavern. He then joined the others who had crowded around the table for the plan. Once everyone had settled, Matthew brought out the plans he had kept with him.

"We need to acquire a ship. These men lost their previous captain at sea and have not been out since. We have few coins, but there is a solution," he said, unrolling the plans. "In five nights' time, the King will be hosting a ball in celebration of his eldest daughter reaching the age of marriage. It is there we have the chance to acquire all the gold that we need to purchase a ship."

Brian looked over the plans and shook his head. "We would never make it past the royal guard," he pointed out.

One of the pirates barked out a laugh. "You think this is all, lad? We have an entire crew awaiting a ship," he informed them.

Matthew nodded. "And plenty of weapons to storm the palace. Once inside the ballroom, there will be enough time for us to gather as much gold and jewels as we can before getting away prior to the extra guard being summoned. We will then travel East, where we will sell the jewels to get all the coins we need to purchase a ship," he continued, before gesturing to one of the pirates to his left. "I believe he has a ship in mind."

"The Maiden Pearl. She's a beauty," he confirmed.

Once again, Brian spoke up. "So, for clarification, we are going to storm a royal occasion and only get away with jewels and gold? What about all the fair maidens that will be in attendance?"

Matthew rolled his eyes while the pirate who just spoke grinned. "Take your fancy. Courting is for those who are too afraid to take what they want. We, however, steal the women we want and keep them."

That made Brian grin. "Those royals won't be likely to forget that ball any time soon."