Honour Bright

Off the coast of Beaumaris, Wales---1645 "Keep rowing. It's right.....over....THERE!" The two pirates were in a skiff, the younger one rowing and the older one keeping his eye on the rugged coast. "Are you sure?" The older retorted, "Excuse me, Mr. Wet-Behind-The-Ears! Who has been in the sweet trade longer, you or me?" "You." "And who is your captain?" The younger man grinned, "You, Uncle Henry." Henry Morgan looked at his nephew with affection. "Damn right! And see that you remember that, Rhys!" The two men jumped out of the skiff and pulled it onto the shore. Henry Morgan shaded his eyes and looked out towards his pride and joy, the Neptune Rising. He lifted his face to the sun and breathed deeply. "It doesn't get any better than this, Rhys!" Rhys laughed, "That's why I joined you, Henry!" Rhys tied the skiff to a gnarly tree that was near the small beach where they landed. He surveyed the land. "This is what you picked out?" Henry turned his attention to Rhys. "Sure as I am standing here, boy! I did my research. The land here belongs to Lord Rhodri Conaway. The manor is about a mile inland and he never ventures down here. The caves are deep and stay dry for the most part because of this incline here. And further on down the coast about ten miles is an estate called Castlemaine. Same set-up with the caves. Only his go back even further but it is a little less accessible. His estate has that big bluff with the rock jutting out that looks like a figurehead on a ship. See it over there?" Rhys shaded his eyes and nodded. "And the goods will be safe there?" "As safe as in yer mother's womb, boy!" Henry laughed. "Don't be so apprehensive!" "I'm not. I just want to make sure our goods are safe." Henry looked at his favorite nephew and smiled, "Have you ever known me not to cover all situations?" Rhys shook his head. "Then what make you think I didn't this time? In fact, this cave is a virtual labyrinth of tunnels. I have them marked and mapped out so we can hide things far back into it and no one will be the wiser. Especially Lord Conaway." "Conaway. Welsh name. Are there many in the area?" Henry gave a non-committal shrug. "Damned if I know. All I know is that the Conaways have held this estate since the Domesday book. Lost his wife a few years ago under suspicious circumstances. Constable ruled out foul play and it was just an that--an accident. Whatever it was." "Did he have children?" Henry looked at his nephew with exasperation. "Why all the questions?" Rhys rubbed his chin. "Nothing, really. Just trying to find out if any children will be playing around the cliffs and get into the caves. You know how children are. You WERE one yourself once, weren't you, Henry?" Henry clapped his nephew on the shoulder. "No. No, I never was." He burst out laughing at Rhys' puzzled look. "What say you that we start exploring the caves and finding the best way to angle all the chests?" Rhys nodded. But he couldn't help but think of the enchanting little girl he fished out of the ocean less than a month ago. Complete with a dog.

You are engaged in a conversation with someone. Someone else you both know comes up and interrupts to talk to the other person. They totally act as if you are non-existent. Helloooooo????? Do I look like a fencepost? At least acknowledge my presence. Usually I just walk away. And they don't even notice that.

On the shore, a young man watched the skiff rowing out of the docks. He stood there staring incredulously and then swore. "Uncle Henry will flay me alive!" Just then the boat had overturned. He yelled, "God above!" Hastily he took his boots off, throwing them onto the dock. He threw his coat off, then tossed his hat and dove into the water. As he swam towards the overturned skiff, he saw the young girl clinging to a dog's neck. She was hanging on for dear life. As he reached her, she gasped, "I'm so sorry, Mister! There was this seagull and my dog jumped and--" He said, "Are you all right?" She nodded. He righted the skiff and climbed into it. Extending his hand, he pulled the girl into it. She immediately reached for her dog. "Where I go, he goes!" The young man yelled, "What were you thinking of, little girl?" She said darkly, "I'm ten. I'm not little." He fumed, "Alright, young lady! What was the big idea?" Her teeth chattered, more from excitement than from the cold. "I wanted to see the name of the ship." "You mean The Neptune Rising?" "You know the ship?" He couldn't help but grin. "I most certainly do! The ship belongs to my uncle. I'm an apprentice first mate. He proudly added, "And he promised it to me someday." Her eye widened. "You--you're a pirate!" She looked with astonishment at his face, taking in his light brown hair streaked blond from hours spent on sea and salt. His grey-green eyes were mirthful and he wore a gold earring. He laughed and said, "Such a label! I prefer to think of myself as a privateer with an unusual outlook on life." "It is a grand ship. Nanny Greyson would tell me stories of the sea. She heard them from her father. Someday I should love to sail. Be free! As free as the birds!" He laughed. "Lasses do not belong on ships. T'would tempt the sea. She is a jealous mistress." The young girl retorted, "I'm not afraid. Maybe the sea needs to be afraid of ME! Someday...." He rowed up to the docks, tying the skiff to the wharf. He extended his hand to help her out. "Good! No one made off with my clothes," he said. She looked at the pile of clothes on the grass and exclaimed, "Ooooh! What great boots!" "They're from the finest boot maker in France." She wrung her dress out, rivulets of water cascading onto the grass. While the young pirate was wringing out his shirt, she took the boots and put them on. She tried on his coat and clamped his hat on her head. "How do I look?" she asked, twirling around. He looked up and retorted, "Ridiculous! Give them back to me!" She pouted, "I thought I looked like a real pirate!" He snatched the hat off her head and she said, "Hey!" "Yes, real piratey in that dress. Where do you live, anyway?" he asked. She pointed to a large greystone building on the bluff. "Up there." "The Order of St Brigid? You're a NUN?" "NEVER!" she said, trying to separate the strands that were plastered around her face. Pieces of seaweed were caught in her wet hair. He held his hand out and she said petulantly, "Oh, alright! Take your old coat!" She handed it back to him and said darkly, "Just wait till I get a bodice." He raised his eyebrow and she looked down. "Well...someday! When I have something to put in it." He laughed and said, "Then I shall look forward to that day!" "Shall I deliver you to the abbey?" he asked. She shook her head. "No, I can slip in without anyone knowing I was gone and change into dry clothes. But thank you all the same. I'd like to thank you for the rescue, Mr....?" He said, "Morgan. Rhys Morgan." She smiled at him and said, "And I am Miss Conaway." He tipped his hat to her and said, "It was a pleasure to rescue you, Miss Conaway." She curtseyed and replied, "And it was a pleasure to be rescued, Mr. Morgan." As she turned to go, she looked over her shoulder and asked, "How old are you?" "Twenty," he replied. She laughed and said, "Someday I shall be that old----Rhys! And wearing a bodice!" She walked off, her dog trotting beside her. She climbed through the window into her room. As she leaned over the sill, she fell forward and hit something solid. She looked up into the furious face of Mother Superior, tapping a switch in her hand. She whispered, "I think we are in trouble, Muir. Again." That night, the little lass crawled out of her bed to gaze at the stars from her bedroom window. Muir sat next to her. She put her arm around the dog, willing herself not to cry. It was this stoic demeanor that earned her even more lashes from the switch that Mother Superior wielded. The more she steeled herself not to cry, the harder the nun punished her. This was no exception. She ached from the beating she received. She whispered, "We did have a grand adventure today, didn't we, Muir? It was worth every stroke that Mother Superior gave me." She found her youthful mind drifting back to the young man who rescued her. And for some reason, wondering what her first kiss would be like and whom it would be. She turned to her dog and gave him a smile. "Rhys Morgan. A nice name for a nice man. Perhaps we shall see him again, Muir." As she settled back in her bed to go to sleep, the thoughts of a ship called The Neptune Rising came to her mind. Along with the thoughts of a young man with eyes the colour of the sea.

Wales, 1645. Four years later… "Come on, Muir. Let's go! I want to see what ships have docked since this morning!" Her loyal wolf dog barked and jumped on her. He seemed to know what the word 'ship' meant. It had become a Saturday morning ritual for the two of them. He and his mistress would run to the port and sit on the grass. The dog, who had always been her faithful companion, would sit next to her. Together they would gaze off to the horizon. She absentmindedly stroked his head. "Someday, Muir---someday! Someday we shall go sailing off and be free as---" she pointed to the sky, "-as free as those sea gulls! No one to tell us what to do or where to go!" Back at the Order of St. Brigid, the novitiate had come back, nervously wringing her hands. "I'm sorry, Mother Superior. She's not in her room." Mother Superior's lips were drawn in a tight line. She exclaimed, "Once again! TROUBLE! I should send her back to her father." The novitiate asked, "Why don't you?" The Mother Superior shook her head and said, "Her father is our most generous benefactor. On one condition." "What is that?" "We keep her here with us." "Shall I continue to search for her?" The elderly nun let out a pent-up sigh. "No. I have an idea where she is. And when she returns, I shall deal with her. Again." She walked to the docks, passing a fruit vendor. The young lass known to them all, she was quick with a smile and a greeting for them. "Hello, Pierre." "Ah, bon jour! If it isn't the little nun!" She stamped her foot and said, "How many times do I have to tell you? I am not little and I am not a nun!" He laughed. "Once again I apologize, ma petite! Will an apple make up for it?" She broke out in a smile. "Indeed it shall! You know how I love apples!" The vendor took a bone and Muir's tail thumped on the ground. "And one for le chien, oui?" The young girl and her dog walked back to the dock. Upon arriving the two companions sat down on the grass and looked out to the sea. She spied a ship with impressive sails. "Isn't that a beautiful ship, Muir?" The dog paused from gnawing on his bone and barked as if to answer in the affirmative. She looked over and saw a small skiff tied to a pole. "I want to take a closer look at that ship, Muir. It looks like one that I saw a long time ago. But I can't remember the name.... It was the day we picked blueberries back in Beaumaris." She stood up and looked around. No one was watching. "Muir, I bet we can row it out and look at the ship's name and then be back before anyone knows it is missing." Muir jumped into the skiff when he saw his mistress put one foot in it. She untied the rope and picked up the oars. "Now you sit there and don't move! This won't take us long." As she rowed the skiff out of the harbor, a sea gull landed on her head. She screamed and waved her hands to ward it off. "AHH! OW!! GET OFF ME! OFF! OFF! STUPID BIRD!" Muir jumped at the chance to chase the bird. "Muir! NO! Sit! SIT!" But it was to no avail. It was then that the skiff overturned, promptly plunging its occupants into the sea.

She sighed. "I won't be here long. I am to go away to some sort of school. Father said so." "Oh? And why is that," he asked. "Just because I took Goliath out for a ride, and other things that seem to upset my father." "Really! He sounds like an impressive beast for one as small as you." She said with a imperial air, "Oh, it's not the first time. I've taken him out lots of times! And I am NOT so small. I keep telling you--I'm six years old!" He tried to keep from laughing. "Yes, I can see you are quite the young lady. So..when are you leaving?" Sadly, she said, "I shall be leaving tomorrow." She looked over the harbor and her face brightened. "But I would so love to see your ship!" He laughed and said, "Why not, little missy!" She stamped her foot and said, "I am NOT little! I already told you that I am six years old." He gallantly swept his cap off his head and dipped low into a bow. "And I am at your command, mademoiselle!" She looked up at the sails. "Those look different than the others." She ran her little hands over the captain's door. "Oooh! Smooth! Why don't you carve your initials in the door? That way you will know which one is yours!" He said, "I'm sorry but they are not mine. No one marks this door. The captain is very particular about it. It is teakwood." She looked over to the sun setting and sighed. "I guess I should be going back home. Why I don't know. They are already sending me away so what more can they do to punish me?" She pointed to another ship. "See that one? That one belongs to Captain Henry Morgan. His ship is the Neptune Rising. Someday I should like to meet him. Maybe even sail with him! But he's an old man." "Really! How old is he?" She wrinkled her brow in thought and said, "I'm not sure. But he's probably as old as you are!" The young man winced. He had just passed his twenty-first birthday and really didn't think of himself as 'aged.' She turned to the young man and held out her hand. "I want to thank you for a wonderful time, Sir. Perhaps I'll see you again." He took her little hand and kissed it. "I should be honored. My name is John Michael Wolfe. And you would be........?" She smiled and said, "I'm not allowed to talk to strangers let alone tell them my name." She then cupped her hand to her mouth and motioned him towards her. Conspiratorially she whispered, "But my name is Rhiannon!" He smiled back at her, "I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Rhiannon." Looking at the sun dipping in the sky, she sighed and said, "I really must be going." He took her hand and kissed it again and said, "Good day, Miss Rhiannon. It was a pleasure to meet you." She waved and ran off the docks, her dog trotting alongside her. What a precocious child, he thought. And for sure she will grow up to be trouble for any man.......

She walked down to the docks of her coastal town in Wales. 'So what if I took Goliath out riding? It's not like I hurt him. No reason to send me away.' Her wolf-dog Muir jumped along beside her. Suddenly the dog ran ahead and saw a young man looking over the port. Muir jumped up on him. The man laughed and rubbed the dog behind the ears. "Good dog!" The little girl ran after her dog and panted, "I'm so sorry, Mister. My dog means no harm." The young man stood up, running his hands through his unruly brown hair and smiled at her. She was quite the sight. Her light blonde hair hung down her back in a tangle. There was a streak of dirt on her face and her hands were stained with blueberry juice. "Well, what on earth have YOU been into, little girl?" She looked down at her chemise that was covered in blueberry juice and the grass stains on the back of her skirt. "I...um...fell down." "Really? How many times?" She laughed. "Quite a few!" "And blue hands?" "I had blueberries." She pulled a handful out of her pocket. "I'd offer you some but they are a little squished...oh bother!" "What, little lass?" "My dress. I keep getting the laces all knotted. Nanny Greyson said it means I am trouble. With a capital T." Muir was running excitedly up and down the docks. She frowned. "He never acts like that at home. I think he would like to be on the ships. His name is Irish for 'Sea' " "Ah--you are Irish?" "No--I am Welsh. Where do you think you are, anyways? Are you lost?" He was taken aback by her forthrightness. "Not at all. I just made port this morning. She looked over the harbor, her finger on her lips, deep in thought as her eyes searched the newly arrived vessels. "Which is your ship?" He pointed to a large vessel with impressive sails."That one." She looked over the harbor and said, " L-A-U-R-A..A-N-N-E." She looked at him with pride. "The Laura Anne!" "You can read? A little thing like you?" She drew herself up and said, "Of course I can read! I'm already six years old!" A grin crossed his face. She obviously was a lass who knew her own mind. "So who is this Laura Anne and what did she do to deserve her own ship?" "Well, um...I don't really know..." She interrupted him. "Well, I think you should! After all, she is letting you sail on her ship. Can I meet her?" The young man hesitated. There didn't seem to be any reasoning with a little lady who had her mind made up on certain things. "I think she is indisposed right now." The little girl tossed her blonde mane and said with a dignity that spoke of breeding, "Well, maybe some day Laura Anne's path and mine will cross. Until then, please give her my regards." She looked at her blueberries and threw them in the water. "I should have planned better. I'm hungry now." The young man took an apple out of his pocket. "Will this help?" She smiled at him and said, "Thank you!" She bit into the apple, the juice running down her chin. She took her fingers and wiped her chin with them.

From the stairways, the little girl had been listening to the entire conversation. The teacher was in his room, gathering his belongings. She hesitated at the door and then said in a small voice, "Master Scholar?" He turned at the sound of her and smiled gently. "Yes, child?" "I wanted you to know that I learned to read and write while listening to you." She showed him a slate where she had written some words. She stood there and waited for his reaction. The teacher took the slate and said, "That is excellent! You far outpass your sisters." She took her slate back and said "Thank you. I sat outside the door and listened and copied everything you said." He put his hands on her shoulders and said, "Remember this, child. Knowledge is power. You have that and you can rule the world!" She looked up at him and tried to put on a brave face. "I shall be leaving tomorrow. I am taking my dog with me. He will protect me. And I shall fear nothing." The teacher gave her a smile. "Perhaps some day our paths will cross, little one. Until then, keep safe." Her wolf-dog came into the room and stood by her side. "We shall. Thank you, Master Scholar. I shall not forget that I owe my desire for learning to you." He was amazed at her sharpness of mind and the adult way she had of speaking. It had touched his heart and he gathered his bag. "God be with you, young one." "And you, too, Master Scholar." She offered her hand to him and he took it. On impulse she gave him a hug and then quickly ran out the door. The teacher gave a sigh, grabbed his bag and walked out, looking back just once. Then he walked away.

Beaumaris, Wales---1641 Daddy? You called for me?" The imposing figure towered over her. "Yes. Sit down." She sat on the edge of the chair, her feet never touching the floor. He stood there and cleared his throat. "I have made some new arrangements, child. You are being sent away to a convent." "Daddy? I am to go away? Please! I'll be good. I promise!" "You are beyond control. You have the house servants wrapped around your finger to the point where they are covering over for the mischief and mayhem you are causing. I shall not have this house in a constant uproar due to your shenanigans. We have already gone through five governesses in the last year." Her lower lip trembled at the thought of not being in her home with her sisters. But she put on a false bravado. "And where am I to go?" "To the Order of St Brigid. They are expecting you there in the next few days." Her father walked over to her and said, "I have Nanny Greyson packing your things now. Tomorrow she will be taking you to the convent." She stood up and said defiantly, "I shall go but I am taking Muir with me." She left the room, her little head held high but inside she was quaking with fear of the unknown. The teacher, known affectionately to the little girls as Master Scholar, stood in the doorway and asked, "Do you think that was necessary?" Her father turned around and said, "She's six years old! Do you know what she just did this morning? She demanded of Parry the head stablemaster that she will ride Goliath instead of her pony. Goliath! That horse stands 17 hands and is raw power! She told him that she had my permission. Parry knew I would never let her ride Goliath so when his back was turned, she opened the stall, climbed on the rails and hopped on the horse. She held onto his mane and the last Parry saw of her, she was galloping off towards the open meadow and into the woods. He tried to ride off to catch her but she was gone. He was frantic. And do you know where she was?" The teacher shook his head. "She went swimming in the pond in the middle of the clearing. Quicksand all around. Then she decided she was going berry-picking. She picked berries alright. She came home...BLUE! Seems she squished them in her pockets. Those were the ones she didn't eat." The teacher said, "I admit that was a little extreme..." The father interrupted him with, "Oh, that's her on one of her GOOD days." The teacher said, "Mayhaps you have had the wrong servants watching her. She has a quick mind. If you would allow me to..." "No! She is going. That is final. Let the order educate her." "And what order is that, if I may be so bold as to ask?" "That is not your concern. And if you continue to pry, you shall be out of a position." The teacher finished his rum in one gulp and said, "Don't bother. Anyone that would turn such a little girl away from the only home she has known....I'll be moving on." He turned and walked out of the study.

Never had one. I had sisters--that was plenty! Now why does the song 'Imaginary Lover' go through my mind?

That's what happens when you buy a cheap table at a yard sale....

What about Alan Rickman? His voice alone would do it for me.

boo-boo

cat o' nine tails

Behind

(gravy) train Whatever that is....

I cocoon from the beginning of November till the mid-January semi-annual sale at Victoria's Secret. Why? A girl just can't have too much underwear.....oh! You wanted to know why do I cocoon! See Captain Bo's answer for a good reason to sleep for two months. Ho. Ho. Ho.

Plain old-fashioned greed coupled with a me-first attitude.

I'd have to say El Lobo del Mar. Huh? You haven't seen it? Oh..well, we haven't finished writing the book yet.....and then there are those pesky Hollywood details...... OK I'd have to say aside from the obvious of POTC: Black Pearl, I would have to say as far as thoroughly enjoyable it would be THE GOONIES.

I spent the weekend with the Pirates Magazine crew and we discussed the upcoming issues. Lots of exciting things planned! I'm really enjoying the development of the characters. No Harlequin romance characters there--no heaving bosoms or gasps and sighs. Just two flawed people trying to make it through life! The characters. Not Jack and me.

I shall be there at least on Saturday, possibly Sunday at the Pirates Magazine booth. Anyone else going or will I be there all by me onesie?

Welcome, Northwest Jack! Nice to see you here. I am one of your contributing writers (El Lobo del Mar) along with Mad Jack Wolfe. Perhaps I shall see you at Florida Piratefest in November in St Petersburg?

OK, so is this the official introduction thread? Some may know me under another name at R/F.com. Anyways, I've been around. I mean, I've been on the forum a while. I am the literary partner of Captain Mad Jack Wolfe, positively the most fearsome pirate in the Caribbean but a pussycat if you push the right buttons. Nice work, Captain, getting the moderatorship over at the literary section. PG-13 my arse! Oh....and I'm partial to frozen mudslides. With extra whipped cream and a cherry.

HAWWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNKE! *sniff sniff*