Pirate Mama

“It will never happen. I feel like we’re on borrowed time,” she admitted. Of course, her backup plans meant hiding in neutral territory if everything came crashing down. Or she’d hide with a friend. “The royals are political killers. The only difference is, the law doesn’t apply to them. If it did, they’d change it so it wasn’t.”

“That is what I’m afraid of” said Genevieve. “But we can’t worry about that.” If they did, the stress would kill them all before the monarchs ever could. “Of course it doesn’t. When you make the laws, its easy to write them so that you can do what you want.” Which was worse, in Genevieve’s book, than just outright breaking the laws.

“The dessert table,” She raised both hands in mock surrender while a laugh escaped her lips. “I never realised that non-Italian desserts could taste this good. But I have been surprised.” Especially those chocolatey and melty s’mores. The first time she ever had one was from the bonfire party and could never go without one after. “A rather tame party?” She stated with a shrug. “Though I think that’s not what the pirati wants huh?”

“Every country has desserts it does well” said Genevieve. “Although I will admit that Italy has some of the best.” Having an Italian father meant growing up on treats like tiramisu and cannoli. “Along with France of course.” She’d also grown up on macarons and creme brulee. She laughed at that. “If there is one thing I think pirates and royals can agree upon, its that a tame party isn’t a party at all.”

“Deliziosa?” And of course that was the only word that she could think of. While the other royals were probably indulging in all the drinking and fun activities, some of them probably getting frisky even, Laela was keeping herself busy with the food. That was, in her mind, the safest thing to be doing. She wondered if the oldest Rossi would be proud that she was keeping herself out of trouble or rather disappointed that she was still unable to step out of her shell. “Seems like everyone is definitely partying hard. How much alcohol is there?” She asked with furrowed brows. “I honestly don’t know how everyone can drink like that.”

Genevieve laughed at that. “Well, I’m glad you find the food delicious” she said. If nothing else would entertain the princess at this party, at least the food would. A smirk came to her lips. “Enough” she said nonchalantly. The pirates often seemed to have an endless supply of alcohol on the island, though of course Genevieve knew that wasn’t really the cast. “What kind of party would it be if there was no alcohol?” she asked pointedly.

“Fun would not be the exact word I would use but… The dessert table is definitely the best part for me,” She laughed with a shake of her head because she sounded like a complete glutton. Then again there were little moments in her life where she really was not more excited about the food than anything else. “I am starting to feel that we have more parties and celebrations here than anywhere else in the world. Which is saying a lot considering that I come from Italia where we eat and drink in celebration almost everyday.”

“What word would you use?” asked Genevieve pointedly, eyebrows raised in curiosity. “Well, at least you’re enjoying part of it” she added. She made a mental note that the food appeared to by popular with the royals. With a small laugh, she said “We work hard, so we like to party hard as well.” Besides, what was the point of being a pirate if all they did was work?

Katla took a long swig of her drink, she wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but it came highly recommended from the bartender and it was nice and strong, which was exactly what she had hoped it would be. A smile spread across her face when she spotted Genevieve, she honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her, which felt so odd when they were used to seeing one another every day on the Trident. “I am having an excellent time, I hope you’re having one too?”

“So far its been enjoyable” said Genevieve. “But we’ll see how I feel in a couple hours” she added candidly. Genevieve always felt like she spent more time at these parties worrying everyone else was enjoying themselves than actually having a good time herself. “How have you been?” she asked Katla. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while.” With them both being stuck on the island, they weren’t seeing each other as often as the would have if they’d been at sea.

Lili held some sort of vodka grapefruit, lemon, and orange drink in her hand, taking small sip as she peered around the beach for no one in particular, just enjoying the view of people with smiles on their faces. Seeing a brunette with her eyes also scanning the crowd then meeting with hers, the blonde offered up a bright smile. She nodded at the question, “I am. Although I think whatever this is, is far too dangerous to be drinking,” she joked and showed her drink to the woman. “How about you? Are you enjoying yourself?”

Genevieve laughed at the blonde’s words. “Well, what is life without a little danger?” she asked. “It would be dreadfully boring if you didn’t take any risks.” Besides, she had a feeling most of the royals could hold their alcohol almost as well as the pirates. Genevieve, at least, had developed a high tolerance during her days as part of the aristocracy, and she imagined it was no different for the royals. “As me again in a few glasses” she said, a wry grin on her face. “These parties tend to get more fun the more I drink.”

Mixed drinks were ordinarily Ainsley’s forte, but this time, she kept it simple with whiskey on the rocks. It was the cheap stuff, but she knew that top-shelf wouldn’t be available to the masses. She still salivated at the thought of 30-year Glenlivet or Cambridge gin. “I am,” she answered, swirling her drink in the glass. “Are you?”

“That’s good” said Genevieve with a nod of her head. She knew the youngest Dughlas was the sort of woman who liked to party (or so she’d read in the news), so if she was having a good time, the party was promising. A half-smile formed at the princess’s question. “Ask me again a couple drinks from now” she teased.

As always with most, if not all the parties, on il isola, the first place to find the Italian would be wherever the food was placed. She had picked up a few desserts and nibbled on them before moving on to the drinks. There were a few that had liquor in them which she passed and picked up a refreshing sounding option before sipping on it happily. Then she found a spot on the beach where she could sit down and enjoy her meal in peace, not before scanning the crowd in search of a familiar face but could not see them anywhere. Though she was surprised to hear someone speak to her to which she was quick to respond with a, “so far, its pretty fun.” She chuckled. “It should not be a surprise that its going to get a little more rowdy as the day progresses?”

“Well, I’m glad you’re having fun” said Genevieve. If the royals were having fun, they couldn’t be plotting any sort of rebellion. For that reason and that reason alone, Genevieve was willing to dangle parties in front of the royals every now and then. She chuckled at the princess’s question. “I would definitely not be surprised if it did” she said before taking another sip of her drink. Then she spoke again. “After all, the whole point of celebrating the longest day of the year is that there’s more time to have fun before the sun goes down. Might as well make the most of it, since it only comes once a year.”

“Have you had more than one? Soulmate, that is,” Wendy asked, licking her lips gently. “I don’t think I’ve even found one,” she admitted, her voice dropping slightly as she looked down at her book, running her hand along the spine. She had found love through the pages of stories, but never that in real life. “Well, perhaps it is,” she said, laughing softly under her breath. “Every good story has some good drama as well as romance,” she pointed out, offering the other a gentle smile. 

She considered the question the princess had asked her. “You know, I would say I have” she finally answered. She knew Roman was as perfect for her as any couple could be, but she also had a girlfriend she loved very much and who she’d been with for over a decade now. “Everyone has more than one” she assured the blonde. “Its just a question of finding them.” She nodded. “Now that I can definitely agree with” she said. “Drama is what keeps life interesting.” Otherwise people got bored in their relationships.

“Maybe they’ll start to realize we deserve to live period and most of us are victims of circumstance.” Emerson was a product of her environment. She was a pirate, merely because she knew no other way of life. It was as ingrained in her as her name. “But those who have killed royals, like Miles and I, we’d be shown no mercy.” 

Genevieve sighed. “If they want peace, they’ll have to agree to let all of us live” she said. She and Roman certainly wouldn’t hand their own children over to killed, and the rest of the fleet took their lead from Roman. “Besides, its not as if the royals don’t have blood on their hands too.” Rome had burned already for Luciana’s death.

“It might be a bit too optimistic and… well, mad, but I really do hope I can go home when this is all over; but if that doesn’t happen then I’ll be alright with what I’ve done here. I have that, at least.” Finn raised a hand to rub at his face and found that his fingers were beginning to grow pruney– a sure sign he had spent far longer in the springs than he had initially planned but he was very easily drawn into conversation and Genevieve was remarkably easy to speak to when he got over the slightest bit of intimidation he felt in her presence. “Not at all, no,” He agreed with a laugh, “If that was all we were doing for a living I don’t reckon we’d get very far. Even in the fifteen and sixteen hundreds pirates did a whole hell of a lot more than that– they probably had more buried treasure to look for, though. Most everything’s been found by now,” Finn continued as another laugh rumbled in his chest at Genevieve’s final comment, “Well, shit, that’s a relief. I’d hate to be borin’ ya to death. I reckon I might have to get out soon.” He raised his hands to show off his fingers in lieu of further explanation, “If you’re ready to leave as well I’d be happy to walk you back to your villa.”

“One day our kind will be able to go wherever we want without fear of what the royals will do to us” Genevieve said confidently. That was part of Roman’s grand plan, she was sure. “And we deserve that much.” She was of the mind that the royals deserved whatever they had coming to them and that those who tried to cause trouble for the pirates would be crushed one day. She smiled. “Although I supposed there’s some truth to how the stories depict us. I do love my rum” she confessed with a laugh. At the mention of getting out of the water, Genevieve glanced down at her own hands and saw they were pruning as well. “That sounds like a good idea” she said. “I don’t need any wrinkles.” While the brunette knew she looked good for her age, she was over 50 now and preferred to not add any extra wrinkles to her body, even temporarily. Never one to be shy about her body, Genevieve stood up and stepped out of the water, before she grabbed the towel she’d brought with her and began to dry off.

Bella nodded in agreement, it was very frustrating, “But I think it makes us closer in that way,” she shrugged and added, “I mean we are closer because the time we do get together is filled with catching up and time we want to see each other. Other people have to force themselves to see their families.” Not that Bella could imagine not being excited to see her siblings or her parents - step or otherwise. She turned to a cabinet to reveal glasses before taking out the corkscrew. “How have you been, maman?”

“I suppose there’s some truth to that old saying about absence making the heart grow fonder” said Genevieve. Plus this way nobody could say the Tulach children were coddled. They all had to work for their roles, just like anybody else in the fleet had to. “Trying to get used to be landlocked again” she admitted. “There’s always going to be a part of me that misses being on the sea.” She was like every other pirate in that way, at least. “How are you?” She knew that Luciana’s birthday was coming up and always tried to make sure she spent extra time with Bella when that day came around.

“Your kids are lucky to have you as their mum,” Finn said softly after a long moment spent silence; the smile he offered Genevieve after his impromptu compliment was warm but it took it just a few seconds longer to reach his eyes than it might have on any other day. “I’ve only met my mum twice and she’s– she’s a good woman but my fathers are my parents. We’ve always been close, to answer your question. I write them letters I know I probably won’t be able to send them most of the time but they’re with me… for whenever this is all over.” He cleared his throat harshly, emotion catching and settling in the form of a hard lump that took him several seconds to swallow past. “When I joined up with the ‘Tsunami I was mucking about looking for something that’d change my life. I’d been a museum curator in Cardiff a couple years by that point and I loved it but I hadn’t really planned on becoming an archaeologist so I could sit around waiting for artifacts to come to me. Being a pirate– making a change for something I figured I could believe in– that sounded a right sight better to me. I’ve yet to find any ancient treasures and things but here’s hoping,” His voice lilted at the end of the comment with something that might have been laughter as his expression brightened for a moment– clearing the clouds that had been hanging over him. “I didn’t mean to go and give you my whole life story,” He continued, “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“I like to think so” said Genevieve with a smile. “But thanks for saying that.” Genevieve might have her flaws, but she really did consider herself a good mother. She tried to always support her kids and protect them without coddling them. “Its good that you are close with them” she said. “I just wish things were different so that you could be in contact with them.” She knew it wasn’t easy on the crew to be cut off from the rest of the world at times. Still, it was necessary to protect the fleet and keep their island a secret. She smiled again as he explained why he’d become a pirate. “Its not exactly like most people think it is, is it?” she said. “Everyone thinks all pirates do is drink rum and look for buried treasure.” But the life came with very real responsibilities and sacrifices. Not to mention a good deal of risk-taking. She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Believe me: if I was bored I would have cut you off.”

Genevieve’s worries mirrored Emerson’s. She hadn’t voiced it, but it was still a worry in the back of her mind. Rival pirates never acted alone and now was the worrisome time that they might rear their heads again. If they dared, she was willing to fight again. “You and I both,” she admitted. The details still plagued her nightmares, leaving her waking in a cold sweat and gasping for air. “I don’t think they all hate us as much as their enemies do. I think some of them might actually see us as people who don’t want them here anymore than they want to be here.” Emerson herself had rather large targets on her back due to how she conducted her business, but the people outweighed the adversaries. She felt like she was drowning some days, but the others, she was on top of the world. The claws formed on the young Tulach faster than on some other people. She’d learned how to fight back. If they didn’t ride for her, they needed to get out of the way. “I’m going to take a crew to patrol around where the Poseidon went down and make sure no one gets any funny ideas.”

“That might be true” said Genevieve, considering her daughter’s words carefully. “Maybe one day they’ll start to recognize our right to live our lives as we wish.” She wasn’t going to hold her breath over it, though. After all, these were the children of men and women who had decided the pirates didn’t even deserve a fair trial before being imprisoned or executed. She nodded. “I suppose that’s a good idea. Make sure you take people who you can trust to have your back.” If Emerson ran into trouble, she would need all the help she could get. Which meant taking those who wouldn’t try to betray her by changing sides or handing her over if things got dicey.