1. Captain Raider and the Curse of the Amarites

Bryn could see the woman was listening to her. When she asked what rape was, Bryn glanced at the men. She would have gladly told the young woman what it meant, but she didn’t want to embarrass Meggie in front of the men. Even though they had heard it all before.

“Rape isn’t something you want…and yes, they will try to do that to me too.”

When the young woman changed her tune and stated she would show them where they could seek shelter, Bryn blinked. Had the woman been in the wild too long that she didn’t know what it was like to be sociable? Yes. That much was obvious.

Looking to Raider, she saw the Captain had observed everything with a hawks eye, like always. When he nodded, Bryn looked back to Meggie and nodded as well.

“We need to get the others before we go.”

Atien and Bryn quickly made their way back to the cave Erwin had discovered. The man was beside himself when they got there.

“Is the ship full of friendly’s or hostiles, Bryn? Will we be getting off the island? Oh dear…who on earth is THAT?”

Erwin pointed to Meggie when he saw her. Before Bryn could speak up, Evangeline spoke instead.

“It’s a woman, Mr. von Halde. Just like Bryn and myself. You can close your mouth and quit staring now.”

Erwin recovered from his shock and did just as Miss Dowd had instructed. Bryn looked to Rubins then.

“We’re going to an alternative cave until Raider and the others can figure out what’s going on with the approaching ship. This young lady is Meggie MacKellar and this is her island and she is going to help us hide until all is clear.”

Erwin furrowed his brow.

“But…I thought Raider said the islands were…”

Once again Evangeline butted in.

“It doesn’t matter what Raider said, Mr. von Halde. This is Meggie’s island and we need to do as she says.”

With everyone quickly getting over the shock of seeing the wild woman, they followed along behind Bryn and Atien and followed Meggie to her cave. During the trip Bryn felt a sharp, stinging pain in her foot as she walked along with the group. It was so bad that she had to have Atien’s help getting the rest of the way to the cave.

By the time she made it to the cave, her foot felt like it was on fire and that burning sensation was goring up her right leg as well. When she sat down for Atien to look at it, the look he gave her wasn’t good.

“Miss Bryn….it looks as though you have been stung by someting. Someting with a big stinger. And de venom is making it’s way quickly up your leg.”

Bryn had never felt anything quite so painful in all her life. Clenching her jaw to fight back the urge to scream, she trembled now as the pain grew more intense.

“It’s…OK…Atien…..I’ll…be OK.”

Atien furrowed his brow and shook his head.

“No, Miss Bryn., You will not. I seen dis before, back in my home land. We must drain the poison from your foot in order to keep it from going any further. Oderwise, you could die.”

How ironic, Bryn thought. If they only knew the truth. But even in this earthly form, she was ceseptable to these sorts of things. Finally she nodded as she grabbed a hold of her leg.

“Very well then…do what ever it is you need to do.”

Atien, with Rubins help, guided Bryn into Meggie’s cave and laid her down. Looking to Meggie, he asked her the all important question.

“Do you know what plants help draw poison from your body when you are stung?”

The pain in Bryn’s leg felt like someone was holding a hot poker to it and once again she clenched her jaw to stop from screaming out. Atien saw the look on her face and tried to reassure her.

“It’s OK, Miss Bryn. We get you fixed up soon.”

It was the last thing Bryn heard for the next thing she knew, her world faded to black as she slipped into darkness. Pain free, blissful darkness.

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Meggie knew what had stung Bryn. It was the giant scorpion ant and the poison was extremely painful and could be deadly. Meggie looked at Atien, nodded and rushed out of the cave, gathering the plants she needed in order to make the poultice for Bryn. It took some time, but she found it, as well as men rowing up to the island.

She ran back to the cave, handed the plants to Atien, along with her pestle and mortar. "Mash all of these up into a pulp, then place them over the sting entry. Do this now and again tonight. She will sleep for a long time, so don't be alarmed for it may be days before she awakens." She rushed over to the man with the long yellow hair, ignoring the other lady and the man she was with.

"Those men from that ship are coming ashore and they do not look very nice. Stay here and take care of your people. I am going out to watch them. I will cover the entrance of the cave so that noone but me can find it. I will return in an hour's time, til then, keep quiet."

She grabs another spear and sheaths her knife, heading out into the jungle.

"THEY BE FLYING FRENCH COLOURES CAPTAIN!" the lookout called out "SHE BE HEAVIN' TO AND LOWERIN" A LONG BOAT."

"VERY WELL MR. O'CONNOR, YEA BE KEEPIN' A WEATHER EYE THAR." Raider 1. Captain Raider and the Curse of the Amarites - Page 2 Captain_Raider1

1. Captain Raider and the Curse of the Amarites - Page 2 Captain_Raider1

said as the woman calling herself Meggie MacKellar ran off to watch the approaching sailors from a secluded and hidden place.

Meggie ran through the jungle, barely making a sound, leaping over fallen logs, scurrying up leaning tree trunks only to jump down nimbly, landing on her feet until she came to a hill overlooking the beach. She could see the long boat on the beach and the men, looked like about 12, taking a look around. She watched for a few minutes, then decided to get closer.

Working her way down, closer to the beach, she found a place, not too close to where they had landed, but close enough for her to get a better look as they walked down the beach. She crouched down behind a large boulder surrounded by tall grass and one palm tree growing in front of it. She watched, but wasn't close enough to hear them. She debated on whether or not to move closer and decided to get closer.

She worked her way around, staying hidden in the tall grass, moving a little closer, trying to hear what language they were speaking. When a couple of them turned, looking in her direction, she knew that she couldn't get any closer or she would be discovered. Quietly, she turned to start to go back, not realizing that she'd stayed out past the hour she'd said she would to the captain by almost 45 minutes.

Raider watched the long boat pull ashore and an Officer and four men disembark, leaving three behind to watch the boat as they walked up the beach. Through his glass could see the officer wore the uniform of a French Lieutenant. Experience had taught Raider to not always trust what he first saw. As time continued on, he realized the young woman had been absent far longer than an hour, and Von Halde's persistant mutterings were begining to feel like barnacles rubbing across his skin. "Ye stay here. ..... Mr. O'hara see to it that they do. Ye keep, an eye on Byrn as well." Raider said as he moved off inn the direction the young woman had gone.

"Aye Aye Captain." Mr. O'Hara said.

Meggie was making her way back, when she realized that she didn't have enough in her food stores to feed everyone. Collecting on of the big leaves from a nearby tree, she quickly fashioned a makeshift basket using a thin vine to hold it together.

Finding an almond tree, she began to pick almonds, the went on to gather some mangoes and other island fruit. She stopped as she heard someone coming.

Thinking it was one of the sailors from the beach, she quietly moved to a nearby bush, crouching down behind it. All she would see from her postion was booted feet as they came closer. She waited, looking up to the man's chest and not further, her nerves already strung so tight that she didn't think, just acted.

Not making a sound, she leapt, tackling the man to the ground, staddling his chest, her knife to his throat. "I told you to stay put and keep quiet, man with the long, yellow hair," she whispered to him, when she realized it was the man with the long yellow hair. She leans over, her face in his face. "Why do you not do as you are told. This is my island. MINE! You are the threat here."

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Raider brought his leg and hooked it around the young woman's shoulders flipping her backwards, and lept to his feet. "Ye be a fiesty wench, that I be givin ye." he said as he drew his broadsword and placed the tip just under her chin. "True it be that ye may lay claim ta this speck of sand and rock. But I be Captain here now, and ye be doin as ye ar told. Or do ye want I be tossin ye across me knew and paddelin' yur stern?"

Meggie snarled up at him, showing straight, white teeth, all but snapping at him. She pushed her throat into the point of his blade, causing it to nick her slim neck. "I have been here for ten years, NOT YOU! You will do as I say. I know this island, NOT YOU! You are not captain here, I AM!" She glares up at him, her light green eyes spitting fire, but there was fear behind that fury, and yet she wouldn't back down.

She quickly hooked her foot around his ankle, pulling foward, laughing as he landed on his backside. She was on him in seconds, her blade back in her hand and it was at his throat. "I washed up here when I was 15 and I survived here waiting for someone to come. I stopped waiting after 3 years. Now YOU show up and think to take it from me. NO! This is my home and you will do as I say!"

After ten years of being alone on the island, Meggie was pretty much completely wild. Beautiful, but wild, her light green eyes flashing fire at him. "I know what to eat, where not to step, where fresh water is, not you! I made a home here waiting for someone to come. You will not take it from me! Neither will the sailors on the beach. So, do you yield?"

Raider raides his hand calmly and with one finger pushed the blade from his throat. "All ye say may be true me little sea nymph. I have no desire ta take this speck of sand from ye..."
Raider quickly brought his hand to her mouth and shoved her on her back, laying his mouth close to her ear and whispered ..... "Hold yur tounge lest ye wish ta be a plaything for the likes of a lonely sailor. Thar be one not more than a marlin spike frum yur head." Raider and Meggie lie there as the sailor passed but a boot length from them.

After the sailor had passed, Raider motioned for Meggie to follow him as he crawled away towards the cave.

Meggie stiffened as Raider lay over her, her eyes wide with feelings she'd never felt before. She looks up to where he's mentioned, where a sailor is walking by, then looks back at his face, studying it. He was nice to look upon, she noticed and reached up to touch his hair, which was long, like hers and soft as she lightly ran her fingers down a strand, her curiosity getting the better of her.

He'd mentioned something about a plaything. She didn't want to play, she wanted.......she no longer knew what she wanted. Having people around, even for this short time, has caused her to remember her father and others.

She lays still, waiting for Raider to remove his hand, and if he doesn't soon, she's going to bite him.

Raider slipped his hand from her mouth, picked up his sword and began to crawl towards the cave. After they had crawled an shot distance and he was sure that the sailors and officer were not near he stood up, and offered his hand to Meggie, to help her up. "I think it be wise ta return ta yur cave now." he said

Meggie stared at the hand he offered to her for a second before accepting it, her hand dwarfed by his larger one. She stared at her hand in his, wondering about the size difference. Her father's hands were bigger than hers, but she couldn't remember what he looked like.

As they were making their way back to her cave, she began to speak, her nervousness and confusion over the way he was making her feel, giving her the means to tell him how she wound up there.

"My name is Meaghan, Meggie, MacKellar. Ten years ago, my father was taking me on a journey for my 15th birthday, but he wouldn't tell me where we were going, just that it was a surprise. After a few days at sea, there was a storm, a bad storm and it battered the ship. Father was trying to get me to the lifeboat, but a wave came and then I was in the water." She was beginning to remember the more she talked. " The next thing I knew, I was waking up here, on the beach.

My father was a survivalist and I was able to survive here although I made many mistakes. I waited and waited for someone to come, but noone came. I used what washed up on shore if I could." She stopped, looking up at Raider, "After 4 years, the first boat came, and I thought I was rescued, but it was not to be. They were men, but not like you. They had 2 women with them, captives, they called them. I still hear their screams at night when I lay down to sleep. I couldn't help them, but after that, I stayed away from any boat that came and would hide. I buried the women's broken bodies on the other side of the island." She didn't talk about what she'd seen the men do to the women, but Raider knew. She'd seen rape, first hand, even though she didn't know it was called rape.

Then, in her innocence, she looked up at him again before they began to move again. "Why would that sailor want me as a plaything? I am not a toy."

Bryn lost consciousness and from that point on she faded in and out of reality. Each time her green eyes fluttered open she would see faces swimming before her. One time it would be Atien. The next time it would be Erwin. Another time it was Evangeline Dowd. Roubins and Cooky’s face appeared to her and on occasion Mr. O’Hara’s would as well. Each time she would attempt to say something only to have the unrelenting pain in her foot and now her head rob her of all else. In all of her life she couldn’t remember anything quite so painful and each time she would beg to be released from it.

On several occasions she saw other faces swimming before her as well. Thor. Helga. Even Odin she saw a couple of times and each time she saw them it was with a look of great concern. Thor’s was the one she saw the most though. The golden haired God of Thunder wasn’t carrying his famous hammer with him any time she saw him and when he would speak to her it was with a voice that was soft and comforting. So unlike the God she thought it was rather strange.

“You have to come back, Brynhylde. It won’t be the same without you if you don’t come back. Your sisters won’t be able to bring you back if you should pass through. You weren’t in battle and therefore they are prohibited from coming for you.”

Other time he wasn’t so compassionate.

“Fight damn you woman! Fight! Don’t be weak and let this small thing take you away from us!”

And then there were times he seemed to be almost pleading with another.

“She would if she could. But she was doing it for YOU. You can’t take her away from us. NO! It’s not fair!”

As she mind took her to other places, the reality of the situation was grim. Fever raged within her body. Her foot swelled terribly and grew a very angry red color. Atien told Radier on several occasions he was certain her foot would have to come off but Raider would shake his head and adamantly say “NO”.

Erwin fretted over her prone form a great deal, offering her a touch of cool water to her parched lips when he watched over her. Each time she seemed to seek more but he was unable to offer her anything else for fear of giving too much. How ironic, the gemologist thought, too much of a good thing could kill the woman who had pledged herself to protecting him.

Evangeline Dowd watched the red haired woman suffer with a mix of compassion and apathy both. When it was her turn to the sick woman she would tend to Bryn like a nurse would a sick patient but when she wasn’t tending to Bryn she looked at the woman with an emotionless expression.

Roubins would look in on Bryn occasionally but he would quickly leave. That is until Evangeline was preoccupied with something else. Then he would sit for hours and just watch her. Once he leaned down and whispered something into her ear and let his fingers graze hers and it did seem to have a calming affect on her, but nothing more. And he would make sure I was always after the sun went down so Evangeline couldn’t see him that well.

Finally Bryn’s fever broke and she began to rest much more peacefully. Even the swelling in her foot began to recede. Of course none of that would have been possible without such wonderful doctors like Atien and Meggie applying the poultice to her foot and making sure she received the right amount of water each day.

The next thing Bryn was aware of was an aching back, a throbbing head and legs that felt like jelly when she tried to move them. A low fire burned in the center of the cave and as her eyes began to focus, Bryn slowly forced herself to sit up. She felt like crap, most likely smelled like it too, and wondered what all the prone bodies all over the cave floor were all about. Not knowing it was night time, she thought she had perhaps been buried with other corpses. Fear gripped her heart and she was about to cry out when she felt a strong but gentle hand on her shoulder stilling her from moving any more.

Whipping her aching head around so fast it thumped painfully and caused her vision to blur she saw the long, blond haired man beside her. Instantly she thought she had returned to Valhalla and the God was there to tease her yet again. Palming her head in her hands, she gently shook her head. Using her native language, she told the God just how she felt.

“behage Thor…..Jeg er ikke i humør til vitser. Jeg ha ettall avbryter av en hangover.” (Please Thor...I'm not in the mood for jokes...I have one heck of a hangover.)

It wasn’t until she heard the familiar voice speaking softly in seaman’s talk that she realized she wasn’t in Valhalla and it wasn’t Thor she was speaking to.

“I didn't realize you knew Thor so well, Bryn.”

Blinking her eyes several times, she finally cleared her vision and looked at him with a rather confused look on her face.

“Captain Raider?”

Looking around at the others still slumbering, she was even more confused as she looked back to the Captain.

“What….are you doing here?”

Thinking he had been killed in battle and was in Valhalla with her, she got a troubled look on her face that was cross between fear and elation.

“I….don’t remember bringing you here. I didn’t think you’re time had come yet….not for a while, anyway.”

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Meggie with a little prodding from Raider made thier way back to the cave, unnoticed by the sailors who had come ashore.

"Ye not be in Davy Jones Locker ar Valhalla yet lass, ye be in the land of the livin'. So ye be puttin' ur mind ta rest. Tis been many a day since ye be raked with the fever. But thanks be ta Atien and Meggie and thier ways with the herbs ya be comin' ta be right as new paint. Now rest ye, much has passed .... a ship has come and a party has made landfall. I know not what ta make of it yet. She be a French rigged ship, but she may be a wolf in sheeps clothing, if ye catch me drift. Mistress Dowd, Erwin nor Mister Roubins have this knowledge as yet. Ye be keepin it ta yurself Bryn, till we be sure if they be friend or foe." Raider then smiled at her "Tis a joy be in me heart that ye be cak amongst us."

Meggie pushed her way past Captain Raider, not pleased with the way he handled her nor the way he was trying to take over. Her light green eyes glared at him as she knelt next to Bryn. Feeling her forehead, she then looked at the bottom of her foot, noticing that the swelling was gone and Bryn was going to be fine. "You will live, lady, and I will gather leaves for a tea that will help you regain your strength quickly."

Rising, she grabbed a short spear and her knife and stood in front of the captain. "I must go out and gather what the lady needs in order to regain her strength. If you must, you may accompany me, but, you step where I step, you do what I tell you to do, and you try to keep up." She smiled sweetly at him, then turned and ran silently out of the cave and disappeared into the jungle, not checking to see if he had followed and not waiting to find out.

Keeping her eyes and ears open for the sailors that had invaded her home, she rushed to the other side of the island where the flowers were that she needed for the tea for Bryn. She had to go through the thickest part of the jungle and then climb up one of the large hills to reach the flowers she needed. Finding the beautiful, red and purple flowers, she carefully plucked 3 large blooms and tucked then into the side of the short wrap covering her bottom half. Standing at the top of the hill, a sheer drop underneath her, she looked out at the ship bobbing in the water in the distance. She couldn't help but feel angry at the Captain and his crew as well as these new men who had come. Ten years, she'd been here, waiting to be rescued. She had all but given up hope after she'd seen the sailors from years past bring the two women on shore and kill them. Now, it seemed as if everyone was showing up and she had no idea what to do or how to react. She remembered some things from when she lived with people, but not much. She was pretty much wild and she liked it that way. She didn't like people in her cave, although, Bryn was interesting and the Captain was nice to look upon, even though he thought he could tell her what to do. She made a very unladylike snort at that thought. This was her island and she was Captain here.

She turned, making her way back down the hill reaching the bottom in record time. She then turned, thinking on which way would be quickest to return to the cave. As she turned, she saw 2 of the sailors and quickly crouched down, watching them. She quietly begain to go around the hill, realizing that the way she had come was blocked and she would have to somehow go around the beach without being seen. Mumbling something about 'invading people' she quickly and quietly headed for the beach, staying in the tall grass.

Bryn listened to what Raider told her. She was….alive. By Odin she was alive! That meant she was going to be OK. At least for now. Obviously her time had not come either. Not yet anyway. SHe knew the time would come when she would have to leave this earthly plane and return to Valhalla with one or more of these people accompanying her, but now right now.

Bryn would celebrate her recovery later. Right now she couldn’t get past the French ship news. Or what appeared to be a French ship from what Raider was telling her. Keeping her voice low, she spoke to him quietly.

“Have you been able to get close enough to it or any of the crew to find out if they are indeed French? And the bigger question would be do you think we could over take her?”

When Meggie pushed past Raider and checked on her, Bryn felt the cool touch of her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes for a moment. When the wild woman checked her foot, Bryn held her breath and waited for the pain that was sure to come but when there was very little, Bryn actually blinked and smiled. Looking over at Raider and Meggie she smiled even more.

“Thank you….all of you. I owe you all a great deal.”

“It was noting Miss Bryn. You are a good fighter and have won dis battle. You will live to fight many more.”

Bryn looked over into the smiling face of the large African and smiled back, nodding. When Meggie announced she was going to get the herbs to make the tea Bryn needed and heard the way she spoke to Raider, Bryn raised a brow in curiousness. Seeing the look on Raiders face she knew the man wasn’t all that happy but he would do what he had to do. Before Raider moved to get up Bryn reached out and touched his forearm.

“Watch yourself out there, Raider. A wolf in sheeps clothing is harder to see and twice as deadly.”

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"Aye. be keepin' a weather eye I be. Now ya lay right cheer an' store yur strength. Ye not be worrin'. If they be British take em we will. An them that don't join us we'll send ta Davey Jones, by the powers I swears it." Raider then rose to follow Meggie "Damn that wild cat, she be tryin ta a man, that she be." he muttered as he followed Meggie out of the cave.

Meggie made it to the beach without being seen, but it had taken her over an hour. Closer to the beach were even more of the sailors and she'd heard them speak of a scantily clad girl they'd seen on the beach days before.

She quietly made it through the tall grass unnoticed, and as she did so, she kept an eye on the men. Something didn't sit right with her, but she didn't know what it was about the men that bothered her. Mentally shrugging her shoulders, she chalked it up to being alone for so long and to what she'd seen years before.

Reaching the jungle once more, she straightened, moving silently in the direction of her cave when she saw Raider. Snarling, she shimmied up a tree, moving through the branches, staying above him. Looking around, making sure there were none of the other sailors around, she dropped down in front of him, landing silently in a crouch before him. She handed him the 3 flowers, "Take these back to the cave, fill the small pan with water from the hanging bladder and set it on the fire til it bubbles. Put one flower in the water and take it off of the fire and cover it, so that it can steep for an hour. Have the lady drink it and do it again tonight and again in the morning." Her look dared him to defy her.

"I am going to another cave on the other side of the island until you all leave. The lady will be fine and I will keep an eye these other men, but you have invaded my home and now my cave. Have it, I have found another."

She didn't know if this was the wisest of choices, but she had a sneaky suspition that Raider, Bryn, and Atien would make her leave with them. She may have the mentality of a young girl, but she was smart enough to know that she would never be able to return to society now. The other side of the island was more dangerous, the jungle thicker, the animlas more aggressive, but she'd gladly take it compared to her confusion in being around Raider and his people. She just truly didn't know how to handle any of this, she'd been alone for so long and she didn't like the fact that she was realizing just how much she'd missed being around people, hearing their voices. But, she knew that it was no longer for her. She'd been on her island for too long, so she thought.

As she turned to walk away from him, she made sure there was no one in close proximaty and turned on Raider, fury making her green eyes bright, although she had enough wits about her to keep her voice in a low yet fury filled whisper. "Why now?! Why did all of you have to come now?! Why not years ago?! Ten years I have waited! TEN!! No one but bad bad men show up in all that time! Then you and your crew come! I have been alone for ten years!!" Meggie's eyes shine brightly with unshed tears, yet she refuses to let them fall. "I made this my home! Then you and those other men come and invade it!! Why not years ago?! Why now?!" She turns, running away from him, heading for her cave to collect what she needs for living on the other side of the island.

Meggie returns to her cave, still holding back the tears, but her eyes are bright. "Captain Raider is coming with the flowers you need to make the tea.", she says to Bryn as she collects a change of clothing, if that's what you can call the strips of animal skins she wears, and a water bladder. She left the two largest ones hanging on the cave wall. "There are baskets of nuts and fruits back in the back where it is coolest and both bladders are full of water. There are spears placed throughout the front part of the cave for protection and over there," she points over to the left side of the cave, "is a small pile of spears, should you need them. You will be safe here as long as you stay quiet," she gave the other lady and the man with her a stern look, "but I am going to a different cave on the other side of the island."

She turns to Atien and tells him the directions for making the tea and when to give it to Bryn. "She will be perfectly fine by tomorrow, but the tea will be very bitter."

Turning, she heads back to the front of the cave, glaring at the captain as she tries to get past him.

Raider stood blocking Meggies way out of the cave, he looked sternly, his eyes as cold as icebergs, at her and said.
"Now ye listen ta me well ye young hell cat, we came to this rock only ta resupply me ship. Me ship that be stolen by the thieving Brits, those men out thar, they be at sea a long time with not but another sailor and a shark ta be clamping thar eyes on. If ye not be keepin a weather eye out, thay be havin' thar way with ye an passin ye around like a bottle a rum. Then when they be done with ye it be Davey Jones fur ye if ye be lucky. Now tis my thinkin' ye be better off berthin here with tha likes of us, than with the likes of them. But ye do what ye will, bein as stubborn as a lubbers mule ya be. ..... I not be stayin in this 'ole in the ground like some hermit crab in his shell. I be out tryin' ta figure if they be friend or foe. If foe they be then I be doin' them limey bastards in and takin that thar ship. Then me an me mates be leavin' this island for we have buisness else where ta finish. If ye wish ta stay on this rock till the second coming, I don't give a damn. If ye wish ta leave this rock with yur virtue and life then ye kin sighn articles and join up with us. That be the way of it." Raider then turned and walked out.

[size=18]Meggie threw her things down and went after Raider, grabbing his arm just before he walked out of the cave. "You don't care if I stay here? You won't force me to leave?" Meggie didn't know whether or not to feel relieved or not. She was so confused that she truly didn't know which way was up or down anymore.

"I will go with you when you go out, to help you avenge yourself and get a ship." She layed her stuff down behind a large rock, and walked back over to him, her head down. "You don't understand. I can't go back now. I would no longer fit in with people." She was definately not dumb, she knew that she'd been alone too long and had become too independent and wild to fit back in. The longer they were here, the more she remembered about her life with her father, the teas and dresses.

She walked to the entrance, turning she looked up at him, "I am sorry I spoke poorly to you. It's not your fault you wound up here." She walked out of the cave, leaving Raider standing there, hopefully feeling like an ass for what he'd said to her about not caring if she stayed or not. [size]

Bryn and Atien both sat and watched the exchange between Raider and Meggie with mild amusement. Had the Captain found his match in this half wild, untamed, young woman? Bryn couldn’t suppress the smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth. This was better than watching two men fight at a tavern. Of course Bryn thought Meggie could use a swift turn over Raiders knee for the way she was speaking to the man, but that wasn’t her call to make.

Evangeline, Erwin and Roubins all sat with equally bewildered and amused expressions on their faces. Evangeline rolled her eyes a few times while Erwin brought out his badly soiled kerchief and patted his brow in nervous anxiety. Roubins expression was, as always, unreadable but from time to time Bryn saw a twinkle in the brown depths of his eyes.

Looking at Atien and sharing the like minded look with him, Bryn glanced between Meggie and Raider as they exchanged barbs with each other. The only thing missing now was a good tankard of ale and perhaps some cheese and meat with fresh baked, brick oven bread.

Atien started preparing the tea as Meggie instructed as he watched the wild woman and Raider in the cramped cave. He was, to say the least, relieved when the woman decided to stay put with them. They couldn’t take any chances with her being discovered by the sailors. The woman would find herself in the worst way if that were the case. Not to mention the element of surprise from Raider and his crew on the sailors would be completely lost.

When Meggie walked out of the cave, Bryn finally cleared her throat and spoke up.

“Well……that was….interesting. I’d say keeping her close would be the most beneficial to all of us right now. If she gets out there and is caught by those sailors, we wouldn’t have a snow balls chance in hell of doing anything.”

The tea had stepped long enough and Atien poured it into a cup for Bryn to drink. As he handed her the cup he spoke up as well.

“Miss Bryn be right, Captain. If we let her go out alone we take a huge risk we cannot afford to take right now.”

As Atien spoke, Bryn took a sip of the tea and when she choked down the first swallow, she coughed and made a rather nasty looking face.

“By Odin this is most likely the most horrible thing I’ve ever tasted! Please tell me Cooky has something that will rid this horrible taste in my mouth.”

Atien looked over at Bryn and smiled brightly.

“De bitterness means it will work fast for you, Miss Bryn.”

“Well that’s excellent news, Atien, but that still doesn’t answer my question now, does it?”

Atien chuckled.

“No….it does not.”

About that time Cooky spoke up as he handed over a mango.

“Since when did ye think I dinna have something that wouldn’t agree with yer pallet, lass?”

Bryn smiled and accepted the mango biting into the sweet, tangy fruit and getting the taste of the bitter tea from her mouth.

Meggie slipped quietly out of the cave, waiting for Raider to follow. Once he did, she pointed to the east, "Over there is a small hill. I will take you to it. Climb up and once you reach the top, you will see that you can see all around you, especially to the beach for there is a clear path in the trees from the top of the hill. There is also tall grass, a medium boulder and a couple of trees on the top of the hill to use to hide." She led him to the hill which was about 35 yards high and climbed to the top with him. "Use your spy-glass and you can see most of this side of the island. I will return to the cave, I guess."

Turning, Meggie quietly made it back down the hill and back to the cave, her demeanor completly opposite from before. She entered the cave and checked on Bryn and the others, making sure that everyone had enough to eat and water to drink. Then, she stepped on farther back into the cave where it was darkest and finding her little cubby hole that she would hide in during storms, she curled into it. It was a 6 x 6 foot hole about 4 feet into the wall. She was confused, frightened, and tired. She hadn't slept very much since she had brought these people to her cave a few days ago and having them here was causing her to remember a time before she had been stranded here. It was making her feel very isolated and even more alone than she'd been before they'd come. They'd made her realize just how much she'd missed hearing other voices other than her own. How much she'd missed the companionship of others. And, how much she would miss it when they left.

Sighing, she felt the wetness on her cheeks and swiped at the tears. She pictured Bryn's clothes in her mind and then her own, how much more socialized Bryn was compared to her. Then, the other lady, she couldn't remember her name, but she looked like a lady. Meggie had vague memories of dressing like that at one time, but knew that she could never go back to that now. And, the captain. He was harsh with her, but she knew that she'd been in the wrong, even if it was no more than her being defensive. He was nice to look at, but he wanted to tell her what to do and noone had done that in ten years. She had had to take care of herself, survive.

She didn't know what to do, how to react, or how to speak to these people. All she knew was that she would miss them when they left and she would be alone again.

Meggie lay in her cubby hole, feeling confused, scared, and sorry for herself. After she'd finished her quiet little breakdown, she emerged from the indent in the far cave wall and walked back in to the main area where everyone was. She looked over everyone, her gaze finally settling on Bryn and Atien.

She walked over to them, sitting down in front of both of them. She looked around, clearly wanting to say or ask something but uncomfortable in doing so. She finally looked up at Bryn after a few moments of thinking. "Do you know what it's like to be alone for a long time, then suddenly have people show up? To remember things you had thought you had forgotten. Having you all here, I remember my father, only, not what he looked like. But, I remember things, things I can never go back to." She watched the expressions cross Bryn's face and before Bryn could answer, she went on, "I have been here for ten years and the only ships to show were filled with horrible men. I watched one ship come and some of the men brough two women to the beach. I hid and watched as they made them scream, ripping their clothes from them, then killing them. I buried the women on the other side of the island. That's what those sailors will do to me if they find me, won't they?" Again, she didn't wait for Bryn to answer. "I made your captain angry with me, and I am sorry. I am frightened and confused with all of you here." She stopped, becoming uncomfortable, struggling to say what it is she wants to say to Bryn and Atien. "If I come with you, will I have to be with people again, other than all of you? Because, I know that I can never fit in again and, I will admit to you because you and the dark man seem nice, but it frightens me when I think of being around people again. But, I don't want to be alone again when you all leave here either."

She now has tears once again falling down her cheeks and she swipes at them, angry at herself for allowing them to fall again. She sighs, "Can I come with you when you leave here? I don't know if your captain will allow it as I made him angry, but maybe you could talk to him."

Bryn sipped the bitter tea followed by a bite of the juicy mango as she watched the exchange between Raider and Meggie. When the young woman finally sought refuge in a back corner of the cave, Bryn and Atien shared another knowing look. If Bryn had the strength she would have gone to the young woman and tried to talk to her, but there was no way she could trust her legs right now. She had just finished the bitter teat and was just finishing up the mango when Meggie returned and sat in front of her and Atien.

As Meggie began to talk, Atien and Bryn once more shared looks with each other that spoke volumes to each other. Bryn listened to what the young woman said and as Meggie explained things, she knew that she and Meggie were more alike than the young woman knew.

Atien, true to his quiet nature, sat and listened attentively to Meggie as well as he prepared a new bandage with poultice on it for Bryn’s foot. He didn’t look at Meggie when she got done talking, but he did let her know something he was certain Meggie would need to hear.

“De Captain….he be a fair man. His temper is not something you want to see, but a fairer man on de sea, you will not find. Work hard, earn your place on de ship and de Bill of Rights be your home for as long as you wish it to be.’

Atien finished wrapping Bryn’s foot then looked up at the red haired woman and nodded before he silently excused himself, taking Bryn’s now empty cup with him. He knew Bryn and Meggie had more things to discuss with each other that he didn’t need to be there to hear.

Bryn waited until the large African was out of ear shot before she looked over at Meggie and studied the young woman’s face for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she tired to find the right words she knew Meggie needed to hear.

“You never realize how much you miss being around others until they are no longer around you. As frustrating and complex as other humans can be, it’s undeniable they play a vital role in our daily lives.”

“You are correct when you think the sailors would do those horrible things to you, Meggie. What you saw was rape. It’s a brutal, violent act of sex men use to hurt women. Even kill them as you saw first hand. It’s not something you want to experience. You’re very innocent and that’s why we were so adamant about getting you back here with us. We didn’t want to see you get hurt that way.”

“Like you, it wasn’t our choice to get stuck here but stuck here we are. I know what it’s like to have a rush of memories invade your mind you thought were long gone. But don’t let those memories make you sad or scared. Remember that they are who you were and played an important role of making you the young woman you are today. If it weren’t for those memories you wouldn’t have had the strength to survive as long as you have on this untamed, wild island.”

“I know we frighten and confuse you. Hell, I was once like that myself, but instead of keeping us at a distance, come closer and let us teach you what we know. At the same time, you’ll be teaching us what you know. And while you made Raider angry he wasn’t angry at you personally. He was angry at the fact you’re as head strong and stubborn as he is. Like we all are. But listen to what he says. Don’t think he’s trying to tell you what to do. He’s merely trying to protect you as he is the rest of us. I can’t be the one to say you can be a part of the Bill of Rights. I’m not a member of the crew. I’m with Mr. von Halde over there and we are just passengers along for the ride. (pointing to Erwin) That will have to come from Raider.”

Bryn reached out and touched her finger to Meggie’s cheek as a tear slipped down, wiping the tear away.

“You don’t need to fit in anywhere. Be who you are every where you go. Be true to yourself and who you are and the hell with the rest of the world. All that matters is you.”

Bryn’s face slowly eased into a small grin.

“Although, I would suggest just a hint more clothes. Raiders crew are honorable, loyal men, but even they can be hard pressed to mind themselves with a woman who barely covers her assets. I’m not saying hide the fact you’re a woman. I think you should make no mistake you are female, but at the same time you need to make sure you don’t expose too much. If you have some skins or more clothes somewhere, I’ll be glad to help you make some clothes that will cover just a hint more skin in the right places. But the choice is up to you, Meggie.”