A Tale That Never Was

Captain Hook was looking through his skyglass at the battle happening a few hundred yards away. The merchant ship appeared to be losing badly as the pirates were already on board and slaughtering the crew. Selvina could hear their cries and it made her body tremble.

“Jack!” the captain called out, making Selvina jump at the sudden sound.

“Yes?” Jack, standing near her, asked.

“Get the girls to the cargo hold and stay with them. Under no circumstance are they allowed on the main deck until the battle is over.” He turned away from his spyglass and gave the young man a hard gaze. “Do you understand me?”

Jack gulped as his face paled. “Yes, captain.” He then gestured to a hatch near the middle of the ship and urged the young women to move. Selvina and Cindy were more than grateful. Red stood her ground.

“I can fight, Captain Hook,” she said with a frown, her blue eyes staring at the man with the feathered tri-corn hat. She produced her crossbows and fit a bolt into each of them, grabbing two from the quiver she held against her lower back. “I can help you.”

Captain Hook shook his head at her. “No. You go below, Riding Hood. You do not want to fight this monster.”

“I’ve dealt with monsters my whole life, captain! I choose to do this.”

“Red!” Selvina called from the hatch as she let Cindy climb down first. “Please, come down with me…”

“Stay with Selvina,” the captain said with concern. “I am aware that you are capable and a skilled woman but I need you to stay out of this. Trust me on this.”

Red took a few moments before sighing and responding. “Yes, captain…”

Captain Hook gave the battle another glance and then gestured to the open hatch. “Go. The pirates are headed this way.”

Red glanced at the battle to see the merchant ship listing dangerously low in the water as the black sails on the brig were unfurling, the ship slicing through the water toward the Jolly Roger. She then hurried to the hatch and waited for Selvina to climb down. Jack brought up the rear and closed the hatch behind him.

Down in the cargo hold, Selvina huddled in a corner between several large crates with Cindy curled against her side. Red was pacing about, her crossbows still in her hands. Jack sat near the other two girls and kept them company. Above them was the crowded gun deck and one level higher was the main deck, where the battle would be fought. So far all was silent.

“Red,” Selvina pleaded, her spine cold and goosebumps popping up all over her body. “Calm down and sit with us, please.”

“I should be out there,” Red growled. “I can help them, Selvina! I might not want to kill but I can still help them! I feel useless down here!”

“You’re not useless! Red, I’m terrified. I never wanted to be in a battle! I just want to go home… I’d feel better if you were closer.”

Red shook her head and her scarlet tresses waved about, framing her face like a wreath of fire. “I can’t sit, Selvina. I need to be up there.”

“Red,” Jack said firmly. “I’m part of the crew. Don’t you think I want to be up there fighting too? Captain Hook wanted us here so here we will be. Put your crossbows away and come with us.”

Thunderous bangs that shook the entire ship suddenly cracked the air and had Selvina and Cindy shouting in surprise. There were several more bangs and hurried footsteps could be heard above them.

“They’re getting all the cannons ready,” Jack said, looking up at the planks above as if he could see through them. “Those first ones were test shots. Captain Hook is letting Peter Pan know that he wants a fight and gauging the range of his cannons at the same time.”

“Is there a chance Peter Pan might just go away?” Selvina asked, her opal eyes wide.

“Not a single one. He was coming toward us first, remember? Captain Hook has been hunting Peter Pan for years yet he always manages to get away. He’s not going to let him do that this time.”

More explosions were heard as every cannon on Jolly Roger’s port side fired in succession. Shouts and cries came from above as the cannon crew reloaded. Selvina and Cindy leaned close against one another, their eyes shut and hands on their ears.

“Broadside,” Jack explained, still looking up. “Peter Pan doesn’t want a ship battle. He wants to board us. That also means…”

Selvina popped her eyes open. “What does that mean, Jack? Tell me!”

There was more thunder, this time from outside of the ship, and within the time it took to blink an eye the port side of Jolly Roger was struck with multiple cannonballs. Sitting near the starboard side, the girls and Jack heard the cracking and splintering of wood and bright light filtered through from across the hold. The sounds of battle became much clearer and men from both ships could be heard shouting, cursing and calling to one another. Selvina gazed across the cargo hold, beyond the piles of crates and boxes, and could see blue light from cracks in the ship. Water was heard splashing and she thought she could even see some flowing inside the holes from the cannon attack.

“He’s trying to sink the ship!” Jack said as he ran to the damaged port side. He immediately began gathering tools and pieces of wood to patch the holes.

Selvina watched him work and wanted to go and help him but fear’s icy claws were keeping her in place. Cindy whimpered at her side and she hugged her close, failing miserably at putting on a brave face. She had never experienced anything as frightening as this battle before. She had lived a rather pampered life and the greatest fear she had ever experienced was not handing in a school assignment on time. She had gone camping with her family on several occasions but her father’s camper was huge and comfortable and the places she had gone to were well-maintained and populated mostly by squirrels and deer. She had never even seen a real bear outside the zoo.

There was another volley of cannonballs and more holes pierced Jolly Roger’s port side, sending chunks of wood flying across the hold. Some cannonballs careened across the cargo hold and slammed into the opposite wall or crashed through crates and barrels, shattering them apart. Several crewmen appeared, descending the ladder and dashing to Jack’s aid, quickly gathering spare planks and more tools. Selvina glanced around for Red, hoping she was ok, and gasped when she saw no sign of her.

She was gone.

Selvina’s terror increased. She heard the sounds of battle from the holes in the side of ship and they made her shiver and twisted her stomach around. There were swords clashing and the sound of firearms being discharged. Men were shouting and screaming in agony. Footsteps pounded the boards above her head. Cannons boomed and shook the floor she sat on. Voices, explosions, clashing, and last cries filled her ears. She pressed her hands on them again and though it helped she could now hear just how quickly her heart was pounding. She felt Cindy trembling beside her and there was coldness against her side. When she looked down she saw that the girl was weeping on her dress and the tears were soaking through. She couldn’t blame her as tears were streaming down her face as well just as chilling sweat beaded under her armpits, along her neck, between her breasts, and along her back.

“Selvina!” she could hear Jack yelling. She removed her hands from her ears and looked up. Somehow she managed to feel colder than she already was as she found him with his crewmates battling against men she didn’t know. They were outnumbered and Jack was already cut in a few places.

“Get out of here!” he shouted as he blocked a club with a plank of wood. “Find Captain Hook!”

Outside? Selvina’s mind shreaked. She had to go on the main deck? Captain Hook had clearly said that he didn’t want that to happen. As more enemies appeared through the gaping holes in Jolly Roger’s side she had no choice but to do as Jack said. She didn’t want to leave him but if she stayed she would be endangering not just her life but Cindy’s as well. Her decision was clear, if terribly frightful.

“Come, Cindy!” she urged the girl as she stood up. “We have to go see the captain.”

“He told us to stay here!” Cindy cried through tear-stricken and bulging eyes.

“We’ll die here!” Selvina had no patience left. With a glance to the side she could see that some of the pirates were moving toward her. She grabbed Cindy’s hand and hauled her up to her feet. She then pulled her along as she charged toward the ladder. She reached it with no fuss and let Cindy climb up first. As the girl quickly scrambled she gazed back at the battle nearby.

“Jack!” she called out. “Jack, come with me! Jack!”

Her only reply was the sound of swords clashing and men dying.

Cindy called down to her when she reached the top and Selvina, rivers of tears flowing down her cheeks and splashing on the floor, reluctantly climbed up after her. Cindy set foot on the main deck just as Selvina poked her head out into the open air. She gasped and nearly lost her grip on the ladder when she caught sight of the carnage happening all around her. Dozens of men of all shapes and sizes were locked in fierce combat. Swords clanged together and cut and stabbed through flesh. Muzzle-loading pistols and muskets shot with a sharp bang and great clouds of smoke, striking flesh, ship or air. Fists flew and collided with face, gut or chest. Axes swung with great sweeps cleaving arms, legs, or heads. Blood drenched the deck, soaking it red, and filled the air with a bitter, coppery scent. Selvina’s stomach turned and she felt her head lighten considerably. She was wholly unaccustomed to such violence and she had no intention of venturing further into the nightmarish scene yet she knew she must. Blinking her eyes rapidly and taking a deep breath, her cold body rigid, she glanced about. Cindy crouched near her head, as if wanting to jump back down into the hatch.

She spotted Sinbad and managed to marvel at his fighting prowess through the tight grip of fear that clenched her body. He was as fluid as water and more agile than anyone she had ever seen. She watched him leap on the balustrade and jump backward. He then turned around in midair and with his twin scimitars spinning, slashed the throats of two pursuing pirates. Blood gushed out of their wounds and before they hit the ground Sinbad had already slain a third. He ducked under a sweeping axe, sliced into the wielder’s armpit, kicked the side of the man’s knee, forcing him to kneel, and then slashed the back of his neck, effectively killing him. Two more pirates engaged them but he parried and blocked their attacks with ease. Nothing appeared capable of stopping him.

A swirl of red to her right made her glance that way and her breath caught in her throat as her eyes bulged so wide they threatened to leave their sockets. There was Red Riding Hood, fighting as if she was born to do it. She was quick and agile but not as fluid as Sinbad. She rolled aside from an axe chop and shot the man’s neck with a whistling crossbow bolt. She then launched a second bolt into a pirate rifleman, striking him in the side. As the two men she shot succumbed to the bolts’ poison she reloaded her crossbows and then fired two bolts into a huge hulking man with two axes. He shrugged the hits off and attacked her with power and fury, swinging wide and chopping hard. She was quicker than his attacks were but she had no time to reload and was forced to back away deeper into the battle where Selvina feared she’d get surrounded. She almost looked away when the large man raised both axes over his head. Red lunged toward him and slid on her knees just before he chopped down with his axes. She then struck out with her unloaded crossbows, using them like clubs, and hit the man with two quick but forceful strikes in his groin. Red rolled to her feet as the man fell to his knees, groaning in pain, and collapsed, the bolts’ poison finally taking a hold of him. She reloaded her crossbows and glanced about, searching for another victim.

“Red!” Selvina shouted, using the opportunity to perhaps get her friend to protect her and Cindy.

The redhead turned around and widened her eyes when she saw Selvina and Cindy running toward her. “What in the fiery depths of Tartarus are you doing here?” she exclaimed. “Selvina! Get back down there! This is no place for you!”

“I can’t!” Selvina argued, tears returning to her eyes. “There are pirates down there too and they got Jack!”

Red’s face paled. “They got Jack? Are you sure?”

“I couldn’t find him! Before I lost him he said to find Captain Hook.”

“Gifts!” a loud, almost childish voice called out over the din of battle. “Captain Hook comes bearing gifts for me!”

The battle quieted as many of the pirates and Jolly Roger crewmen looked up. Red, Selvina and Cindy followed their gazes and saw a slight man dressed in red and white doublet, tight leggings and pointed shoes hovering in the air. He had pointed ears, short orange hair, and a disturbing grin that nearly reached his ears. He lowered through the air as his glittering purple eyes remained fixed on the three young women. He spread his arms wide and laughed a high-pitched and bone-chilling laugh. “Three lovely, little women! How I want to just eat you all up!”

Red pointed her crossbows at him and shot them simultaneously. The man gave one hand a quick wave and the bolts flew harmlessly aside. He laughed again and arched his eyebrows in surprise.

“There’s still fight in this one!” he said, pointing a bony finger at Red. “I like it when they struggle.”

“PAN!” Captain Hook’s voice boomed across the deck. “Your fight is with me!”

The grinning man narrowed his eyes and turned around, still hovering in the air, and set his eyes on the captain approaching him, his two sabres dripping blood and his face dotted with red. He reminded Selvina of an invincible beast out for blood. He spat out a glob of bloody saliva and stomped over toward the floating man and the girls.

“Oh, good captain!” the grinning man said with a clap of his hands. “Had you told me that you were bringing me treasures I wouldn’t have damaged your ship and killed so much of crew. Hahaha! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“They are not gifts,” Captain Hook growled as he placed himself in a fighting stance. “Your kidnapping days are over, Peter Pan.”

The floating man laughed heartily and rolled end over end in the air, his hands holding his stomach. When he finished laughing he stretched his legs out and pointed at the captain. “Kidnapping? Is that what you call it? I’ve never kidnapped anyone! I ask them if they want to come along for a great adventure and they always say yes! They want to be with me, captain!”

“You’re nothing but a lying, thieving, raping, sadistic sack of shit, Peter Pan! I’ve waited for this day for too long.”

Peter Pan floated higher into the air and put a finger to his chin. “Oh? What day is that? Would you mean the one where you catch me? Come now, captain, don’t be foolish. You know that can’t happen. You can never catch the great Peter Pan!” His eyes glinted fiercely and he grinned toothily. “Men, how about we finish this once and for all. The one who brings me Captain Hook’s head gets to….oh I don’t know, keep all the treasure they find here! How does that sound?”

His pirate crew cheered and immediately resumed the battle, though many were now breaking off from the men they were fighting before and rushing the captain. Captain Hook wasn’t agile like Red and he wasn’t fluid like Sinbad but he was tougher than all of them combined. He parried, blocked, deflected any and all sword attacks and countered back with slashes, cuts, stabs, and chops. Red joined the fight, reloading her crossbows and firing two bolts into two pirates. Sinbad was by his captain’s side, defeating pirate after pirate with hardly a scratch to show for it. Even so, the battle looked impossible to win.

And then everything changed.

A loud, wailing howl rent the air for many moments, each passing second of its duration drilling fear into the faces of the pirates and freezing them in place. When the howl ended there was growling, screaming, shouting, and loud banging and crashing coming from belowdecks. Selvina glanced up at Peter Pan, whose smiling expression had disappeared and was replaced by one of curiosity. The crashing continued for a few brief moments and then everything went silent. Just as battle began to resume a huge black shape catapulted out a hole on Jolly Roger’s port side and landed on the pirate ship beside it. With red eyes glowing, Bigbad charged across its deck, storming through the pirates still upon it and clamping his jaws over their heads, necks, arms, and legs and tossing them overboard. The pirates, terrified but brave, fought back and stabbed, slashed, shot, and pierced the huge wolf’s hide but they could never get more than one attack in before they were swiftly killed. Like a charging bull the wolf rampaged aboard the pirate ship, wreaking havoc and ridding it of all life.

“This is a horrible gift, captain!” Peter Pan shouted, his face as red as the blood now staining the deck of his ship. “How dare you do this to me!”

“Shove it up your ass, Pan!” Captain Hook shouted before squeezing his pistol’s trigger. A cloud of smoke erupted from the barrel and Peter Pan elicited a cry as the round grazed his forehead, leaving behind a long red streak.

The floating man put a hand to his bleeding cut and began hovering toward his ship. Meanwhile, Bigbad had leapt over from the pirate ship onto Jolly Roger’s deck and was setting himself upon the pirate crew like a vicious beast. He grabbed one pirate in his teeth and threw him off the side, and then snapped his jaws over the arm of another and with a violent wrench ripped it off. The pirate squealed in pain before he was killed by one of Hook’s crewmen. Bigbad pounced on another pirate and ripped his intestines out of his still-screaming body before charging into another and pushing him overboard. By then the other pirates were already leaping off the side and struggling to return to their own ship. Within moments they were all gone and the deck was cleared of any and all living enemies.

The pirate ship’s black sails filled with wind and Peter Pan, at the wheel, guided it away, his hard gaze on Captain Hook. The captain glared back as a hand pressed against a wound on his shoulder. The enemy ship departed the scene quickly but it listed to one side, damaged from the cannon fire it had suffered.

Selvina watched Red approach Bigbad, the wolf’s eyes still glowing red, and place a hand on his snout. At once his eyes changed into their customary blue and the wolf’s body relaxed. He gave Red a lick on the face and then sat on his haunches. She walked up to him, Cindy clinging to her side, and gingerly extended a hand toward the huge canine. Bigbad gave her hand a sniff and then licked it.

“See?” Selvina said to Cindy. “He’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Cindy just nodded but didn’t try to touch the wolf. She glanced back and Selvina followed her gaze to see Captain Hook limping toward her, Sinbad at his side. His frown brought the crippling fear she had experienced earlier return.

“I told you to stay below!” he growled at her. “Why did you disobey me? Did you want to get killed?”

Red placed herself in front of Selvina and Cindy. “I told you I could survive this, captain. I did disobey you but I like to think that it was for a good reason. Even so, I’ll take whatever punishment you have for me.” She nodded to Selvina and Cindy. “As for them, the cargo hold was overrun and their only hope was to find safety at your side.”

Captain Hook set his eyes on Selvina but his frown did not disappear. “You could have hid somewhere inside the ship. Coming to the main deck was a horrible idea.”

“Jack told me to do it,” Selvina said, wiping tears from her eyes. “I don’t know the ship well enough to hide anywhere anyways.”

“Where is Jack?”

Selvina gulped and sniffed, finding more tears to shed. “He…he…”

“He’s right behind you, hot stuff.”

Selvina turned around to find Jack standing there, cuts and bruises all over his body but with his characteristic smirk on his face. He gave her a wink with his one unbruised eye. Overjoyed and relieved, Selvina wrapped him in a tight hug, ignoring the blood on his shirt. Jack hugged her with one arm and gave her forehead a gentle kiss.

“Not so tight, Selvina,” he winced. “I’m pretty sure I have a few broken ribs.”

“What?” the blonde asked with wide eyes. “Are you going to be ok?”

Jack waved her question aside dismissively. “I’ll be fine. Wouldn’t be the first time I hurt myself.”

“How is the cargo hold, Jack?” Captain Hook asked him, the frown on his face lessening slightly.

“Leaking bad, cap,” Jack answered. “The carpenters down there are patching up the holes as quick as they can but we’ll run out of spare planks soon.”

Captain Hook nodded and sighed. “I feared as much. I knew I should have purchased more in Tortug. We’ll have to set port in the nearest town.”

“Can’t we turn around and head back to Kenmard?”

“The ship will never handle those waters in this condition. We have to keep moving west.”

“The Kingdom of Frenis is nearby,” Sinbad notified. “It’s a short sail to the northwest, maybe two days away.”

Captain Hook made a brief scowl but nodded. “I’ve heard disturbing stories from there, something about a beast hiding in an abandoned castle, but it’s our only hope.” He looked at the girls and Jack and stood as straight as he could, wincing as he did so. He gave them a sincere nod and a small smile. “I know I was harsh on you all but I did not want any of you taken from me or my ship. Peter Pan has an insatiable taste for young women and he would have done some treacherous things to you all. Selvina, I will get you home but I fear we will be delayed with repairs to the ship. I will do all I can to make certain they are done in a timely manner. Red, you fought well and I will be honored if you fight by my side next time danger appears.” Red nodded, smiling wide. “Cindy, my dear, I will take you somewhere safe and away from all of this danger. I am sorry you had to experience all this but the Pirate Lord Peter Pan needs to be stopped or more innocent lives will be lost. I saw my chance to do that and I took it, even if I failed in the end. I do hope you’ll find it in your hear to forgive me.” He bent to one knee, took the young teen’s hand in his and gave it a kiss.

Cindy, still overwhelmed by everything that had happened, nodded. “I…I forgive you, captain.”

Captain Hook smiled and then jabbed a sabre into the planks to support himself as he stood up. He then turned his head to Jack and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I am grateful you survived, Jack. I know you wanted to fight but you made me proud when you didn’t argue with me about protecting the girls. I am honored to have you on my crew.”

Jack’s face reddened and his smile nearly reached his ears. He gave the captain a shrug. “Thank you, captain. Their lives are more important than a ship anyway.” He gave Selvina a wink and she smiled back.

Captain Hook nodded and then limped over to the huge, black wolf. He looked up at Bigbad’s face and rubbed a hand on his muzzle. “You’re the biggest hero of all, Bigbad. You truly saved us out there. I’ll have a heaping pot of chicken ready for you as soon as I can.” Bigbad’s ears perked up and his tail wagged rapidly. The captain examined the wolf’s body and furrowed his brow. “You’ve got a few cuts and stab wounds but they don’t appear too bad. You’re built like a rock, my furred friend.” He scratched under Bigbad’s chin and then continued on his way to the wheel with Sinbad aiding him.

Selvina eyed the dead bodies all around her, the blood at her feet, the organs, arms, legs, and heads dotting the deck, and the injured crewmen struggling to survive. She listened to the squishing sounds of boot on blood, moans of pain, and the slicing of men ending the lives of those unable to be saved. The smell of blood, fresh meat, excrement, salt water, and sweat stuffed her nose and it all became too much. She couldn’t hold it in any longer.

She puked.