Embedded Files
By: Riley Buckingham
The wind in her hair. The bag of jewels tightly clutched in her hand. Her boots hitting the stone streets as she runs. And her smile, a bright grin plastered on her face. Sally was happy. Sally was free. And Sally was in trouble with the crown. Again.
“Stop them!” she heard the guards behind her shout. The protests of the townspeople filled her ears, accompanied by the loud pop of shots being fired. Despite all this, the pirate captain’s mood never sways. She continued running down to the docks, the smile remaining on her face.
Sally began to laugh as she ran, untouched by the idea of possible capture and death. She had been in these situations before. She and her crew would steal what they could and run, often while being chased and shot at. But they always emerged unharmed, untouched. They would sell what they stole and spend their money, moving onto a new city, a new town, the next day.
But this heist was different. These jewels were from the king, the one who controls everyone. His sacred jewels, from his god-forsaken kingdom. These were from Clay.
Sally left the kingdom ages ago. She left her father and mother behind. Both refused to notice the strings they were attached to, the controlling hand they were being held in. But Sally saw it. And she knew she didn’t want her life to be like that, controlled by a man who only had a title. So Sally left, bringing with her only Nina and Jack. They found orphans, fugitives, anyone looking for a way out on their voyages, and slowly grew their crew. They became an escape for themselves and so many others.
The smell of salt filled the wind as they ran, and Sally knew they were growing closer. Closer to another job done, another meal bought. Closer to the sea, the ship, their way out. Closer to home.
People scattered and fled once Sally and her companions reached the docks. The trio of Jack, Nina, and Sally walked slowly through the throng of people, eyes flitting around in the crowd. Nina’s grip tightened on the bag of gems.
Shots sounded in the distance. The guards were too far away to catch up and have any hope of saving the gems. The people knew better than to try and stop Sally and her crew.
The group boarded their ship, gems in hand. They removed the boarding plank from the dock, severing their tie to the kingdom. They began to sail, gems on board, away from the cursed kingdom. The people returned to their business. They knew these pirates would return another day.
“How much do ‘ya think they’ll go for?” Jack asked. Sally looked at the gems, now spilled over a table in the cargo hold. There were shining emeralds, diamonds, and bars of gold. It was enough to feed the crew for weeks.
“A lot,” Sally responded, laughing. She picked up one of the gems, tossing it to Jack. “They’ll go for a lot.”
The crew gained a few days of peace while sailing. But nothing was smooth for too long for this pirate crew. The tides always turned. The winds always changed. And the problems always resurfaced. This time it was in the form of a ship from the king’s navy. It was following them.
“What do we do?” Nina asked Sally once they spotted the ship.
Sally knew they couldn’t expose the location of their buyers. “We anchor and let them board,” she said, looking at her crew. Some would think this idea was crazy but not this crew. They trusted their captain and knew this was the right decision.
A man by the name of Nick arrived on the ship shortly after. Sally’s mind traveled back to her previous encounters with this man. Every fight they’d had, Sally had always won. He posed no threat.
He passed Sally a scroll, neat, curvy writing etched onto it. She felt her crew reading over her shoulder. It took her a few times to really understand the message.
“You want us to return to the kingdom?” Sally asked, looking up. It didn’t sound right. It sounded like a trap.
Nick rolled his eyes. “If I had it my way, you would be returning in chains to the prison. But alas, the king had requested an audience. He has a job for you, and he’s willing to pay handsomely.”
The prospect of pay got the crew’s attention. No matter who it came from, coin was coin, and money was good everywhere. The pirates all looked at one another before looking to their captain. A glint of trust was in their eyes.
Sally tossed the scroll back to Nick. “Lead the way.”
---
Clay sat on his throne, regal as always. Sally’s fists tightened. She could do it. She could kill him. The guards were dismissed at the door. It was just her and the king. But he knew she wouldn’t try to kill him. Not yet, at least. And that thought made her even angrier.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I summoned you here,” Clay stated, his voice echoing in the large room. Sally didn’t respond.
Clay scoffed. “Have you heard about a revolution, Captain?”
The word took Sally by surprise. No one had ever spoken such a word before. Revolution. The idea that the whole kingdom could be done away with, replaced by something else. The idea that there were more people out there like Sally, ones taking action just as she is.
She shook her head. The king continued. “Most recently, a man of the name Alexander has decided he’s going to play hero and create a new nation.”
“What does this have to do with me?” Sally asked.
“Quite a lot, Sally dear,” Clay responded. “You see, you have a tendency to cause a ruckus in my kingdom for your own gain.”
“Are you suggesting my crew and I have something to do with this revolution?”
Clay sighed, fed up with the frequent interruptions. “No, I am not. Though I would not be surprised if you gain connections in the future. And please, don’t call it a revolution. It’s just one man.” The king stood. “Yet this man has been causing me nothing but trouble.”
Sally laughed. “We only kill those who threaten us, majesty. You want someone dead? Do it yourself.”
Sally turned to leave but froze at the sound of Clay’s voice speaking once more. “I don’t think you’re in the position to bargain, Captain. If my sources inform me correctly, you seem to have stolen some of my jewels but a mere few days ago.”
Sally tightened her jaw and turned to face the king.
“And let’s assume these jewels have yet to be sold off,” Clay continued, walking around the room. “This leaves me with two options: throw those who stole my jewels into jail, or offer them a proposal to, perhaps, allow them to keep said jewels and drop charges in exchange for their services.”
“What do you want?” Sally demanded, her hand tightening around one of her swords.
“Find this man. Bring him to me. And I will erase all crimes from your records. For you, and those on your ship. All of them, gone. I’ll even let you keep the fruits of your ‘labors’.” A smug smile appeared on Clay’s face. He knew what he had done. He had made an offer, one he knew Sally couldn’t refuse.
“You make quite the bargain, your highness,” Sally considered. “We’ll do it.”
---
“Do we spread out?” Jack asked as he stepped beside Sally onto the soft sand. It took them a week to sail to the island. Some forgotten coast, where Clay thought Alexander would hideout.
“No,” Sally commented simply. “Too much ground. If he’s near, he’ll see the ship. He’ll come to us. If he isn’t here in a day we’ll travel in, looking. No one hurt him. We take him aboard and bring him to Clay unharmed.” Jack nodded and boarded the ship. Sally took one last look at the beach before following.
“You think we’ll find him, captain?” Nina asked when she saw Sally.
“I hope so,” Sally mumbled. “Otherwise we might be in trouble.”
Nina laughed. “We’re always in trouble, Sally. What’s new?”
The snapping of a twig woke Sally up. Bright torch light emitted from the tree line, the fiery glow shifting through the branches and leaves. Sally picked up the bag of jewels and tossed them into a barrel, burying them under gunpowder. She drew her swords and slowly moved to the edge of the ship crouching down low.
A man emerged from the tree line, barely illuminated by the torch he held. He began to move closer to the ship. Sally jumped from her hiding spot, looking down at him over the deck rail. “Who goes there?” she shouted.
The man took in Sally’s stance and swords and, deciding it would be best not to cross her, opened his mouth to speak.
“Alexander,” he said. “My name is Alexander.”
---
“Will you let me free, please?” Alexander mumbled as Sally checked his knots.
“I will, once we reach shore,” she responded, turning her back on the man as she coiled the extra rope.
“So you can turn me over to the king,” Alexander asked. “You people seemed to me like the ones who would do anything to defy the man.”
Sally laughed, hands on her hips, and turned back to face Alexander. “And why is that?”
Alexander smirked. “I hate to break it to you, darling, but you don’t exactly look like the navy type.”
Sally drew one of her swords and struck it against the post, barely missing Alexander’s head. “And you don’t look like the criminal type, and yet here we are.”
Alexander turned his chin upwards. “Touche, Captain”
“We’ll arrive in a few days. You’ll stay here until then,” Sally stated as she put her sword away. “Try not to cause trouble.”
“How is he?” Nina asked as Sally returned to the deck.
“I don’t know. We plucked him off the island only to restrain him and tell him we’re bringing him back to the kingdom, where he will most likely be killed. And he seems okay with it. He seems to know it’s his fate. That he’s destined to die for the revolution he wished to create.”
“It must take a brave man to do that,” Jack said as he approached. “To have the courage to do something against the crown, something you could die for, and be willing to die for.”
Sally looked around at her crew. Sailing, without a care in the world. Free. Free from the wrath of the crown, from the pressures the kingdom placed upon them at birth. From worry and fear. Because they placed their lives in Sally’s hands and trusted her to keep them safe.
Sally thought back to when she decided to be free. To choose a life of freedom, a life of chaos and confusion and fun. A life spent running from the crown, instead of chasing it as she always thought she had to do. Cutting herself free from her strings and becoming the most feared pirate in the kingdom. Finding her courage to do something against the crown, something she could die for. Something she was willing and is still willing to die for.
Sally smiled and looked to Jack, thinking about what he had said. “Or a brave woman.”
---
“She returns,” Alexander called as Sally walked below deck. She scowled as she sat in a chair across from Alexander. “Is it time to turn me in?”
“Alas, not yet,” Sally mumbled, “but it will be soon, hopefully.”
“Hopefully?” Alexander cried in fake hurt. “Have you not enjoyed our past days together, captain?”
“Hardly,” Sally responded sternly. They sat in silence for a moment, before Sally spoke again. “Why did you do it? Run away, try to start a revolution?”
Alexander sighed. “I didn’t start one, not yet. But I will. As for why I’m not sure. I didn’t want to spend my life tied to puppet strings. I wanted to be free, wanted to do something, choose something for myself for once. And that taste of freedom was amazing.” His eyes seemed distant, far away. Alexander snapped back to attention and looked back up to Sally, whose mouth was slightly agape. “What about you? Why the pirate crew?”
Sally considered the man. “Same reasons. I wanted out. I wanted away. I wanted freedom,” she breathed. “I left my parents. Both worked for the king,” she scoffed, thinking back to the old memories. “Neither of them saw it. The way their lives were held in Clay’s hands. It was maddening.”
Alexander’s eyes seemed to soften at her story. “It must have been terrible, leaving them like that.”
“It was. I didn’t tell them. I had plans with Nina and Jack to leave. I packed my bags and left without saying goodbye. We stole this ship and just sailed away. Everyone came along from voyages and heists. We built a family, slowly but surely. These people have replaced my parents. They see what I see, and try to change what my parents saw. We all believe in hope.”
“You and I have a lot in common it seems, captain,” Alexander stated.
Sally laughed. “It seems we do, Mr. Alexander.”
There was a mutual understanding and respect in the air between the two. Two people who finally found someone who assured the other they weren’t crazy. Two people who saw what the other saw, who believed in the same thing.
Two people who were doing two widely different things, but both for the same reason.
The idea was sudden. It entered Sally’s mind like a flash. She was shocked she hadn’t thought of it before. But she needed this connection, this reassurance, to create the idea.
She was playing right into the king’s game if she brought him Alexander. She would be going against everything she believed in, everything she created her life for. And that was the game Clay was playing. He knew the dilemma Sally would be in. And he expected her to give in. He wanted her to give in. The thought set Sally’s mind aflame. She refused to give the king what he wanted. Now she would give him less.
“I’m not turning you in,” Sally shouted suddenly.
Alexander looks up, surprised. “Why not? If you turn me in, your crew goes free. You go free.”
Sally tried to speak, but Alexander interrupted. “I knew I took a risk when I ran. The same risk I know you took years ago. It’s just your risk will be lasting longer than mine.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Sally said, desperate to make him understand. “You and I are the same. Making you give up your dream, your hope, would be like me having to do the same. I know I could never part with the life I’ve built for myself. I don’t want to be the one to make you part with yours.”
“But if you let me go, you’ll still be in trouble with the king. He’ll keep coming after you and your crew. You’ll never be free.”
Sally smiled. “I’m free. I always have been. A life of running from the crown, of breaking the law, that’s my freedom. Not giving into pressure, not playing some twisted game.”
Alexander’s eyes considered the proposal. He seemed to finally decide that Sally would not budge, and that he wanted to live outside the kingdom.
“Where will I go? There’s nothing back on the island for me,” Alexander said, looking up to Sally.
She laughed. “We could always use another hand on deck, Mr. Alexander.”
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