Krakens Dream

Men were falling to their deaths out of the jagged holes in the hull of The
Dragons Revenge. The tide was not on their side. Flaming pieces of wood and loose
metal followed the men, some piercing the heads and bodies of the men whilst they
were struggling to catch a breath in the dark sea. The water turned a grim shade of
crimson and the screams grew quieter, but did not die completely.
Aboard the Krakens Dream, Jacqueline rushed down to the hold to grab two
more medium cannonballs. They were stored in wooden crates, racks upon racks of
ammunition, for situations such as this. She ran back to her fellow gun-mate, a boy no
older than 16, handed him the two shiny silver cannonballs, and began loading the
cannon with powder, using the rammer to pack in it. Petr, her fellow gunner, rolled the
cannonball down the barrel, and waited for the command to fire.
Hold steady, hold steady! Fire! First Mate Jon Jackson bellowed when the
opposition was in range. Petr lit the fuse through the touch hole. They both arched
their backs away from the muzzle as the powder sparked and the ball fired, ripping
into the hull of what they could see was The Dragons Revenge. The cannon recoiled
on its wheels before hitting a stanchion and coming to a halt. Petr and Jacqueline ran
back to grab the cannon and rolled it back towards the gunport where it previously
was. Jacqueline scrubbed the cannon quickly with a sponge, refilled it with powder
and rammed it down once more.
Ready to go again. Jacqueline stated.
I live for this shit! Petr shouted, his voice high and unbroken, getting
drowned out by the rumbles of the other cannons on the ship. Petr rolled another
cannonball down the barrel.
Youre 16, youve hardly lived at all you bilgerat. Jacqueline yelled back at
him. There was only 2 years between them, but Jacqueline was always teasing Petr
about his age. You needed to be able to give and receive a certain amount of banter if
you were to survive on Krakens Dream. Jacqueline loved the banter. Petr, who was
mostly on the receiving end form the rest of the crew due to his voice, did not.
They had not long been sailing long through Barnies Bay, perhaps only 2
days. Captain Wailgold, the captain of Krakens Dream, had signed up several new
crewmembers for this voyage. A pillaging mission, targeted at some foreign merchant
galleons rumoured to be holding a galleons worth of hemp, metal and cloth, heading
to the respectable port of Halas-Lahar. The Dragons Revenge had begun tailing them
at dusk of the second night, but it was dawn before the occupant of the Crows Nest
had spotted them. There were rumours aboard that he had been sleeping on duty, but
Wailgold had said he wanted to hear no more of it until after the battle. Captain
Wailgold had called for all hands to stations not long after the sighting of the black
flag.
We see fellow pirates, my friends! He roared. What do we say to our
unfortunate pursuers? You chose to die today, Jacqueline knew. What do we do to
pirates? Murder them, as they would murder us. Our ship might be small in
comparison, but size isnt everything, boys. Be sure to remind them of that when
youre thrusting your rapiers through their backs! Captain Wailgold had a way with
words. He inspired confidence into his crew, a true leader.
It was true; Krakens Dream was about three quarters the size of her pursuer.
But a smaller ship is easier to maneuver, and faster. What she lacked in firepower and
manpower, she made up for in experience, skill, speed and turning. Captain Wailgold

knew how to use this to his advantage; he knew his Merrymen could slaughter two
men for every one of opposition. Possibly even three.
Captain Wailgold and the Merrymen were revered across land and sea. There
were always new rumours sparking in Silvermoat of their acts of piracy; the giving of
no quarter, the merciless killing of merchants, and the mountains of gold they shared
between themselves.
Captain Wailgold was Jacquelines first Captain, and Krakens Dream was the
first ship shed been on. Jacqueline had approached Wailgold whilst he was drinking
in The Salty-Old Dog at the port of Silvermoat, the town that she called her home.
I wish to join your crew, Wailgold. Captain Wailgold, I mean. As a cabin boy.
If youll have me. She had said, clearly, boldly and confidently, although perhaps the
words had not quite exited her mouth as well as she had anticipated. At first, the
thought of a woman aboard made Wailgold cackle, a raucous laugh seasoned from
years of drinking rum and breathing salty sea air, but her courage and daring had
impressed him.
A beauty such as yourself at sea? Aye, my Merrymen would have fun. Im
not sure I can say the same for you, though. Youd serve my crew better if you were
warming their beds. Tell me, wench, is it your lifes desire to be a whore?
He was not the first man to ever remark upon her beauty. Jacqueline was
certainly unnaturally stunning. She had hair that flowed over her shoulders in rich
golden curls, deep green eyes and a soft face that women envied. Her body was
slender, feminine and toned. She dressed modestly, and was still pure. Men would
have never known how well she had developed in her 18 years.
No, Captain. I wish to be rich beyond my dreams. I wish to make my name
known. I was told the exalted Captain Wailgold and his Merrymen were in my port,
and decided that I might begin by approaching them.
Jacqueline had continued to persist. When she mentioned she was the daughter
of Stephanie and Jack Halloway, he required no more persuading. He took her outside
the brown walls of the inn, riddled with rot and moss, and agreed to allow her aboard.
He told her that she must keep her gender secret as long as possible, and she was
lucky that he didnt believe in superstition.
You will be known aboard as Jaccy Halloway, Wailgold told her. No one
will know of any Jacqueline Halloway. If they do, most like youll know about it
before I do. I might not be a superstitious man, but many of my Merrymen are. Ill tell
them when I want to tell them, not before. Keep yourself to yourself; try not to
develop any more breasts. Im sure the lads wont even notice you, to tell the
truth.
So Jacqueline had turned herself into a boy. She acquired mans attire from her
new captain, and a new weapon from their abundance of captured swords. Her hair
was always tied at the top of her head, flattened beneath a gold and black bandana, as
was the custom for the Merrymen. It held the crest of their crew upon the right side, a
single dagger crossing through an eye. So far, only Petr Lamante and Wailgold knew
the truth of her sex, and she trusted both of them not to divulge.
This time shots were coming at them, not going away from them. She could
only watch as the frigate lit their fuses and blasted their cannonballs towards them.
Several went over the ship completely, flying off into the distant water. Others didnt
even make it to Krakens Dream, and joined their brothers in the black salty water.
But some hit the hull, pounding holes and openings into the gallery of Captain
Wailgolds pride and joy. Luckily the hits were several yards behind her and Petr and

the rest of the cabin crew. The damage was purely cosmetic, but would have to be
repaired later, after the battle.
My rapier will be going up their arse, Jaccy had said to Petr. Not through
their backs. It will be going up their arse till I see the silver of my blade coming
through their mouth. There were still screams coming from the distance from when
men had fallen into the water before. Many pleaded to their Gods, others pleaded for
mercy, but all were ignored.
Lord, how feminine! Such elegance. Such a beauty! Petr replied
sarcastically.
Keep your fucking voice down. You agreed that you wouldnt mention
anything! How exactly is this not mentioning anything? Are you stupid?
I know, I know. Dont worry. Youre secrets safe with me. But how much
longer can you keep this charade going? Youve got fucking massive tits. He said
with a wry smile that was custom to Petr.
Itll be your balls next into the cannon if you dont shut up. Jaccy snapped.
Ever heard of Blowing from the gun?
Hold steady, hold steady! Fire! First Mate Jon roared again. Petr lit the fuse
again, and they both arched their backs in cover. The cannon blasted the metal into
another section of the ships hull. They pushed the cannon back into position once
more. Shots from The Dragons Revenge answered in response, but they had been too
late in firing, as Captain Wailgold navigated Krakens Dream towards her attacker,
going in for the ram. The shots landed in the water again, as the ship shook from the
impact of the ram.
Grapple hooks! Get those fucking grapple hooks over there! Jaccy heard
Captain Wailgold bellow from above. That was their cue to abandon their cannons and
prepare for broadside.
You heard him! bellowed First Mate Jon, Get up there! Jon began
climbing up to the main deck. Jaccy, Petr and the other gunners followed suit, making
their way up the ladders that lead to the main deck.
Up there were most of the other members of the Merrymen, aside from the
crewmates who got stuck with clearing the bilge water were always last up to the
main deck. Four grapple hooks had been flung, spaced evenly along the deck, each
having 4 men heaving in unison to bring the two vessels close enough to engage in
combat.
As the vessels neared, Jacqueline started to feel excitement, a deep lust within
her yearned for blood. She knew this was the life she was meant to lead. But she was
nervous, too. Not long before she had only been a tavern worker in Silvermoat. She
looked down at the hilt of her rapier, slim and sleek and dangerous, like she imagined
herself.
She had picked up swordfighting with ease. Wailgold had assigned one
Charlie Cutthroat to give his new cabin boys a master class in the art of
swordfighting. His name was not a coincidence. Charlie had sailed with Wailgold for
seventeen years, and he estimated he had killed over a thousand men.
Jacqueline was left-handed, which meant she had a slight advantage over men
who were used to fighting only right-handed opponents. She could catch them off
guard with ease, and ofttimes the other men she practiced with would have ended up
skewered like a piece of meat would it have been a real fight.
Through the weeks of practicing the other men ended up being no competition
to her in the end. She could even defeat some of the more seasoned sailors on good
days. The men got quite frustrated at being beaten by a small lad of fifteen who had

no advantage other than his sword hand orientation, it seemed. She giggled at the
thought of being a fifteen year-old boy.
Jaccy had never killed a man, only practiced at it. This would be her first
opportunity for her to put her training into practice, albeit a lot sooner than she had
anticipated. She took deep breaths and tried to compose herself. She watched the
other crew roaring with bloodlust, rapiers and cutlasses in hand, thrusting into the air.
If only I could be that confident, Jacqueline thought. Maybe one day. Maybe one day
Ill be as revered as Marco Wailgold. She grabbed the hilt of her rapier, yanked it out
of its scabbard and joined in the war cry with the rest of the crew. I am ready, she
knew. If not I am dead.