Being Sold

Angel could not believe it. Beth the Death the person she herself had helped get out of Port Royal sold her. She sold her for two bottles of rum and Cuban cigars. She was worth that little apparently. As her "master" ate, drank, and gambled, she walked around.

"I'm keepin' my eye on ye" he said pointing to his good eye considering the other had a patch.

She nodded absentmindedly.

"Of course" she replied and walked away gritting her teeth.

Arabella, who was still on the island visiting her father, was wiping down tables and humming softly to herself, quite unaware that there was a distressed girl in the family bar.

She walked tentatively wondering how far she could get without being caught. She saw a woman unfazed by the chaos around her. She walked towards her a few steps at a time careful not to be stopped.

"Excuse me" she whispered distressed.

"Mm?" Arabella turned at the sound of a girl's voice. "Can I help ye?"
After looking at the way the girl was dressed, Arabella concluded that she was very out of place in the dirty Tortuga pub.

She smiled politely.

"I don't mean to be a bother, but do you know any way to avoid enslavement or the selling of people?" she asked "Is it legal here?"

Arabella tossed back her head and laughed. "Now, child, everythin's legal in Tortuga! Doncha know anything about pirate ports?"

She shrugged.

"I barely know where I am" she replied honestly "But about an hour ago I was sold" she hissed.

She turned discretely to a man watching her with his good eye. She waved politely and he lifted his mug saluting it to her and taking a gulp.

"To that man there" she added in disgust.

Arabella's laugh faded, and a more serious expression formed on her face. She looked over to where the man was sitting and scowled.
"I'm sorry t' hear that. How much was ye sold for?"

She gritted her teeth.

"Two bottles of rum and a box of Cuban cigars" she muttered.

"Hm...lemme see what I can do." Arabella muttered. She held up one finger, a sign that the girl was to wait there for her, and disappeared into the back of the pub. She returned a moment later with a keg of rum and a small bag of silver. "Give these ta 'im, and tell 'im that the Faithful Bride is buyin' ye."

She smiled brightly and nodded. She walked over to him and smiled tentatively.

"Miss me already ma'm?" he said pulling her to him.

She wrinkled her nose and pulled back.

"Sir.......the Faithful Bride wants to buy me" she replied "They offer a keg of rum a small bag of silver and I myself add his bracelet" she said handing him her silver bracelet. "A deal yes?"

He slipped a finger in his ear trying to see if he heard correctly making her wince.

"Aye lass, get out of me sight will ya?" he said pushing her away "You're bad luck , I mean you ruined me hand" he said showing her his cards.

She smiled brightly and walked over to Arabella.

"May God praise you and your bar Miss" she said smiling "While I'm stuck her, I'd like to ask, would you need any help around here?" she asked.

"None o' that 'miss' nonsense, it's Arabella." she replied, offering her hand. "Ye can help if ye'd like ta, I'll see if we can find a place for ye to rest as well."

She smiled brightly and nodded.

"I can't stay for long, just till I can find a ship towards Port Royal or anywhere near there" she said softly. "Thank you Arabella I'm Angel Todd, but call me Angel Lovett, it's me mum's last name" she explained

"Ah, I see. Well, I'll try ta keep an ear open and find out when there'll be a trustworthy ship headed that way." Arabella nodded. "Till then, ye can call this little ol' place home."

She smiled and nodded.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I'll have ye sweep up a bit, waitin' tables can be tryin'." Arabella replied. She was referring to the fact that many a drunken sailor would reach for a lass's behind when being served.

She nodded and walked towards the side. She got a broom and smiled.

" I'd do anything you asked considering you saved my life" she said "I wouldn't want to be touched by those..........men" she said

"It's nothin', Angel. Us lasses gotta stick together." Arabella smiled, wrinkling her nose in agreement about the sailors.

She smiled brightly and began to sweep the shop.

"I have to say, I've never done this before" she admitted.

"Imagine not, where do ye come from in Port Royal, by the way?" Arabella questioned.

She smiled softly.

"I live near the town square considering that my stepfather is a barber and my mother a baker. Big Business"

"That sounds very nice, do you enjoy living there?"

She shrugged.

"I'm living" she said simply. " It's not the most spontaneous life but it's living"

Arabella smiled knowingly. "The same lifestyle gets boring after a while, yes?"

She smiled shyly.

"It is" she replied "When I was younger I wanted to be a pirate, but this seems not the life for me" she said amused.