Heroes & Thieves

by Heather C. Myers

  Chapter XXV

  Belle was sitting idly on her cot in her room, thinking about all that had happened that day, when Brylee bustled in quite dramatically. A bemused smile touched Belle's lips as she watched her sister slam their door shut and begin to furiously pace up and down the small confinement. Whenever Brylee was in disarray about something, she would scrunch her nose, indicating that she was deep in thought, hoping to solve some sort of problem. She always told her older sister about it as well so Belle calmly waited as Brylee all but stomped up and down the wooden floor.

  "I cannot believe this," she began to mutter under her breath as she pivoted around on the ball of her feet before continuing to pace. "I cannot believe this." She stopped so abruptly that Belle blinked a couple of times, double-checking to make sure that she saw right. Brylee's crystal blue eyes were on her sister now, narrowed in Belle's direction almost accusingly. "This is all your fault, you know."

  "And what, may I ask, is my fault?" Belle drawled as a smile slowly etched out onto her lips. She didn't seem perturbed in the slightest at the accusation her sister threw at her.

  "This!" Brylee exclaimed, throwing up her hands so her palms faced her sister.

  Due to the limited light cascading in the room because of the sun's descent, Belle had to furrow her brow and tilt her head more in Brylee's direction. However, she still didn't see what Brylee was indicating. When Belle looked up with questioning murky green eyes, Brylee let out a growl before a 'humph' escaped from her lips and she started pacing once more.

  "Calluses, Belle," she cried as though it was the end of the world that her hands were not as soft as they once were. "Calluses. I've never had calluses before, in my entire life. My hands have always been soft to hold, but now…" She threw her head down in a tilted angle, and Belle pressed her lips together, desperately trying not to laugh. Brylee had always been rather dramatic. "My muscles are sore – I have probably pulled something that cannot grow back, you know. And my beautiful hands." This time a sob escaped from her lips, though no tears poured out of her eyes. "I have enough calluses to scare off even the lowliest of suitors!"

  Belle's amusement suddenly slipped from her face and she gave her sister a somewhat pointed look. "You have yet to scare of Rick," she pointed out in a calm voice.

  Brylee balked at even the notion that she could even be remotely interested in catching that pirate's fancy. "That is because Rick Fraser is the furthest thing from Prince Charming I have ever encountered," she said, and then crossed her arms over her chest as though that would successfully end the conversation.

  However, that was not the case, particularly because Belle felt offense at what Brylee had said concerning Rick. Rick had been kind to Belle since the two had met, and she considered him as one of her few friends. Just because Rick was a pirate did not mean that he wasn't worthy of pursuing Brylee or anyone for that matter.

  "Prince Charming is a matter of perspective," Belle reminded her sister in a firm, unwavering voice. There was also a very soft inflection of warning in her tone as she raised her brows in order to emphasize her point.

  "You want to know what I think?" Brylee asked, her voice quivering slightly as she regarded her sister. She had never felt so helpless in her entire life, especially since she was trapped on some boat.

  "Do I have a choice?" Belle retorted, flickering her gaze at her sister and refraining greatly from rolling her eyes.

  Brylee opened her mouth as though she was about to answer the obviously rhetorical question. However, she decided against it and shut it abruptly before scowling at her sister. "I think that you, dear sister, are developing feelings for a wanted man!" she exclaimed. Brylee had turned red at the mere thought that her sister could be something resembling sympathetic for a notorious outlaw. "I see the way you look at him with… with… goo-goo eyes!" She threw her hand out angrily, her face now completely red. If Brylee wasn't throwing around such accusations, Belle probably would have laughed at the sight.

  Instead, she clenched her teeth together, and glanced out the window for a long moment before returning her frosty gaze at her sister. "That is completely untrue and irrelevant," she all but snapped. "Yes, I may respect the man and I can admit that I admire what he does for the lower class, but he is the most infuriating being that I have ever met in my entire life and as such, there is no way I could have any sort of romantic notion about him nor could I make goo-goo eyes, or whatever you call it, at him. I do not even know what goo-goo eyes are."

  Brylee let the silence linger in the room much longer than Belle expected. She was studying her older sister quite intricately instead of yelling or arguing like she usually did when the two had some sort of disagreement. She might not have seen Belle in a while, but she knew when her older sister was keeping something from her, and right now, Belle was definitely keeping something from her.

  "Just how much do you respect the man, Belle?" Brylee asked, her voice suddenly low and articulate.

  Now it was Belle who opened her mouth to answer, but then slowly closed it and glanced out the window once again. Brylee's mouth dropped slightly – Belle was indeed hiding something from her, but as of yet, could not get it out of her sister.

  "Belle?" Brylee pressed, her brow pushing up to an arch.

  "Not that this is any of your business," Belle said hurriedly, making it a point to avoid any and all eye contact with her sister, "but I have agreed to help Captain Donovan with his next plan – escapade, if you will. To rob somebody wealthy and unappreciative of what they have, and disperse the findings to those more deserving…" She let her voice trail off before swallowing a bit.

  With every word Belle said, Brylee's red face began to pale. When Belle finally finished her explanation, Brylee let a long, frustrated sigh slip out of her nose before closing her eyes slightly.

  "How could you, Belle?" she said in the same soft tone, finally opening her eyes to regard her sister. "Do you realize what you have done to yourself? To your family? If you go through with this, you will be wanted for piracy. If the Navy catches you, they could kill you on sight or bring you back for a trial before you are hanged along with the rest of the dirty scum! How could you do this to yourself? To me?" Belle opened her mouth to respond to Brylee’s outburst, but before she could actually say something, Brylee continued her rant. "I just do not understand you anymore, Arabella! What happened to the young girl I knew who admired pirates but only from afar? What caused you to run away, to change so? What could Commodore Commack have done to change you so?"

  "I am not changed, Brylee," Belle told her sister cryptically. "This is who I am."

  "If that is so, the cause is still Commodore Commack," Brylee argued, though her blue eyes were pleading. "You would not have run away if it were not for him. You must tell me, Belle. Please. I am your sister."

  "Which is exactly why I should not tell you," Belle said, her voice hitching slightly. She was getting nervous, Brylee could tell, which meant Brylee just might get Belle to open about her secret ordeal concerning Commack.

  "Please," Brylee repeated. "Please. I will never understand otherwise, and please do not say that I do not need to understand because I do. I want to. Please, Belle."

  Belle opened her mouth to refute Brylee once more, but something in Brylee's eyes cut her off, and she hesitated. Maybe she should tell Brylee… It would be hard, of course, but Brylee was right; her younger sister had every right to now.

  "I will tell you if you swear to me secrecy, Brylee," she told her younger sister seriously. "And this is not some game, Brylee. When I say secrecy, I mean it."

  "I swear," Brylee agreed, praying the obvious hope was not tainting her voice in any manner. "You have my word."

  "When I was thirteen…" Belle let her voice trail off and tilted her head. That was not how she wanted to start. "The day I ran away…" No, not like that either. Hmm. "The reason I ran away was Commodore Commack," Belle tried once again, and this time, was satisfied with her beginning. "It was not becaus
e, as so many people have speculated, because we were engaged. It was far worse." Belle paused as her eyes began to burn. This would be the tricky part, but she needed more than anything to push through it and tell Brylee. "I was alone in my room because Papa had been called upon. Commack entered my room without supervision, and… and…" Belle clenched her jaw, noticing the quiver. She had to continue. Had to see this through. "He took from me what I can never get back." There. She had done it. And oddly enough, she felt as though the whole world fell off from its usual resting place on her shoulders.

  Brylee's face upon hearing Belle's explanation was completely white, her blue eyes wide in horror, and her mouth slightly ajar. She didn't know what to make of this, didn't know what to say.

  "You saved me," she suddenly murmured, her voice breathy and disbelieving.

  Belle had saved her, she realized.

  With that, she threw her arms around her sister, and for a time, the two sisters cried together.

  Chapter XXVI

  It was the next night, and currently, Aaron's whole crew surrounded the dining table in the galleys, huddled close together in order to look at a scrawl of the grounds they were about to rob. Since last night's confession, the two sisters had gotten closer, and Brylee even decided to attend the meeting to try and show support for her older sister. She didn't exactly agree with what they all were doing, but she felt obligated to help, especially since Aaron had agreed to allow her to stay aboard his ship. He didn't even know why Belle insisted upon it, and still he had agreed. He might have been a pirate, but he was rather decent. At least, that was Brylee's current conclusion on the entire situation. And she had kept Belle's secret as well. Yes, it had only been twenty-four hours, but Brylee was quite intent on proving to her sister that she was trustworthy, at least when it came to such a weighty subject matter.

  "All right," Aaron began, cutting off Brylee's train of thought. Aaron was at the heart of the crew, his torso leaning over the table at a slight angle, his hands placed on either side of a map that took a good portion of the wooden table. Belle was on his left while Rick was on his right, both peering over his shoulder (in Belle's case, under his shoulder due to the difference in height between the two) in order to look at the map better. "Barnes, I want you and Knoble to take the guestroom here." He pointed his long fingers at a place marked on the map. "Simon, you and Red will take the other guestroom here, while Craig and James keep a sharp eye on the north section of the grounds.

  "Rick, you and Brylee will be our means of distraction," Aaron announced, catching Brylee by surprise. Sure, she had come to this meeting, but not in order to participate. This must be some sort of mistake, but Aaron continued as though it was not. He glanced over at the young woman in question, currently by Belle's side, in order to catch her gaze. "By means of distraction, I mean that you and Rick will provide a necessary reason for us to be at the Branch Plantation."

  "And just how do you expect we do that?" Brylee asked, trying to keep her disdain out of her voice.

  "Much the same way your sister and I fooled your family," Aaron said with a lazy drawl and an arrogant smile. "You put on the façade of marriage, of course. The wealthy always find interest in young newlyweds, especially ones with beneficial prospects."

  "Can Belle not reclaim her role?" Brylee asked. "Do you really need me? I may be content at present staying on a pirate ship, but I do not intend to become one."

  "Darling, in essence, you already are one," Aaron told her bluntly, though his demeanor was careless. "Belle and I cannot pretend to be betrothed because our positions are on the second story of the building. I figure since you are quite the heiress, you would have no problem fitting into such a role."

  "I am not sure whether or not I should be offended," Brylee muttered with obvious sarcasm, but it was noted she did not refuse. At least not yet.

  Belle hid a smile, and soon, the men dispersed, ready to take their positions. Brylee was fitted into a dress as quickly as possible with Belle's assistance, and she met Rick at portside of the ship. It did not escape Belle's eyes the look of utter surprise that crossed her sister's face when she first looked at Rick. Another smile tried to crawl onto her face, and this time, she didn't try to suppress it.

  "She looks shocked that Rick can actually clean up," a voice drawled from beside her, and Belle looked up only to find Aaron looking over at his first mate and his supposed wife.

  The crew waited a good hour and a half after Rick and Brylee left before finally making their way towards the Branch Plantation. Belle felt her heart pound rapidly against her chest, and on numerous occasions, could swear she could hear it beating. However, that did not stop the obvious excitement from coursing through her bloodstream, nor could she bite back the smile from her face.

  Aaron glanced down at her, enjoying the way Belle looked currently. She wasn't wearing anything special; breeches, boots, and a fitted tunic occupied the appropriate parts of her anatomy. It was the look on her face that caused him to stare. She was excited at such a venture, and he couldn't help but be enthused at how contagious it was.

  The plantation itself took up fifteen square acres of land, but it was the mansion that was the primary focus of the pirate crew. It was white, with blue shutters on every window, and every second-story room had a balcony. The crew slowly began to take their positions, and that included Belle. Aaron had assigned her to what he thought to be a child's room. Though Belle wanted to be more than just a maternal distraction, she made no argument especially since Aaron was so insistent. She glanced around and saw that some of the men began entering the mansion by climbing up different sections of the house and hoisting themselves over the balcony before disappearing into the rooms.

  The nearest thing Belle could find that she could actually climb up with relative ease was a tree. In a manner of moments, Belle was standing on the balcony, her face flushed red with adrenaline. She tilted her head slightly to the side, allowing her eyes to get used to the darkness before taking a look in the room. There was a faint glow coming from where the bed was located, but from where she stood, Belle could not see anyone present in the room. Cautiously, Belle took a few steps until she reached the edge of the room. She took another quick look before deciding that it was safe for her to enter.

  It was then that Belle noticed a girl of no more than five sitting at a desk she hadn't seen before. It looked as though the young girl was reading a book, the candle next her giving her the proper light to do so. Luckily for Belle, the window had been open so the girl had yet to notice Belle's presence. The older woman paused, not exactly what she should do in her situation. In all honesty, she believed the child Aaron had informed her about would be asleep.

  It was then that the girl turned around and looked at Belle dead in the eyes, as though she could sense Belle's presence despite the silence that still rang true through the room. Oddly enough, she didn't look scared. Rather, she appeared to be interested, her curiosity piqued.

  "Are you a pirate?" she asked in a barely audible voice, her arm clutching a teddy bear Belle hadn't noticed before.

  "Yes," Belle said in a voice just above a whisper. "I am sorry to inform you that my presence here is not coincidental. The crew – my crew - … There are people out there who need stabilization, and since your family has so much of it…" She let her voice trail off, unsure how to explain morality to someone so young.

  The girl didn't seem very interested in what was happening though. In fact, she didn't even seem scared. "Can I be a pirate?" she suddenly asked, tilting her head to the side.

  Belle chuckled a bit before nodding. "Of course," she assured the girl. "You can be whatever you want."

  This seemed to please the girl because the tips of her cheeks flushed and she smiled almost shyly.

  ---

  Unbeknownst to the two of them, Aaron was watching the exchange between the two from the opened doorway with an amused smile etched out on his face. It was then that Belle spotted him. The way his eyes looked
just then caused her cheeks to color and she looked away. She should have spotted the opened door, should have been more wary of her surroundings rather than let herself get distracted by some girl. However, what was done was done, and she couldn't do anything to change it. Instead, she knelt down and whispered something in the young girl's ear before standing upright and walking over to Aaron.

  "What did you tell her?" he asked the young woman as he watched the girl crawl into her bed.

  "I told her she should get to bed," Belle replied, glancing over her shoulder at the young girl as well. "And that when she woke up in the morning, it would be all over."

  "You would make a good mother," Aaron stated, his eyes returning to look at Belle.

  The statement caught Belle by surprise, and her flush only deepened. "Well," she said, trying not to notice the effect his words seemed to have on her. "Do you want any children?"

  Aaron paused for a moment, pursing his lips a bit as his eyes found the ceiling, looking for answers there. "I understand that my life might end rather abruptly, entailing a swift but honorable death," he began finally, "but I do want one or two boys."

  "I have always wanted four children," Belle admitted, though she wasn't quite sure what compelled her to reveal such a thing. Aaron openly gaped at the notion of having four children, causing Belle to get somewhat defensive. "What?" she asked. "I have never had a big family, and though I love my sister very much, I wouldn't have minded more siblings." Aaron opened his mouth, about to respond, but shut it. He had not yet digested what Belle had said. Belle was clearly offended by his disbelief, for she swept an errant strand of hair behind her ear and murmured, "Well, it is a good thing there is no way we would ever have children together." With that, she headed down the hallway, not exactly sure where she was going, but with every intent to temporarily distance herself from the pirate captain.