Forty Part Two

Betsy stepped up to stand in the center of the dining room doorway. The King stood behind the adjacent wall, grinning swarthily.

Violet felt Betsy's presence as soon as she appeared. Vi looked up from his coffee, and the conversation he had been in the middle of with the King's reverend who had only just arrived. The reverend having gratefully joined the men at their breakfast and brews.

Betsy smiled at Violet gloriously, before straightening her face and calling out, "All hands on deck."

Each and every man of the crew stood immediately. Some already faced her, those that did not stepped over their benches and then turned to face their young mistress.

Betsy stood ramrod straight, her hands clasped behind her back, as she paced back and forth in the double doorway. "Since Violet is the Captain of yon ship in the yard..." Daring any man to refute her, Betsy's eyes sparkled with mischief, as she frowned her feigned authority while awaiting any objections.

None came.

"And since I would be the quartermaster of yon ship...." She again stopped her pacing to await any words against her. Her brow raised as she looked to every man.

They all smiled and chuckled at her act, almost making her lose her composure. She held onto it by a thread, looking at Violet, who supported her with a serious mien.

"I would like ye all ta meet our newest crew member, yer new first mate...." Betsy was interrupted.

"Ahem."

Betsy turned away from the room where the crewmen sat patiently, wearing half smiles and raised brows, all of them wondering what she was up to now.

The King stood against the wall beside her, hidden, waiting for his introduction.

"What?" Betsy whispered harshly at the King, as he had stood from the wall, straightening to his full height.

As if that would intimidate her.

"I should be Captain, no less." The King said quietly, yet testily.

"Oh right," Betsy snapped. "And that will really help your disguise!" She narrowed her eyes, crossed her arms, and tapped her toe at him.

He glared back at her for a few seconds. "Fine! Quartermaster it is." He nodded sharply, as she continued tapping her toe and looking at him dubiously with the still raised brow.

"I am quartermaster." Betsy stated in a tone that brooked no argument.

The King gave her a petulant look. "Fine! I will be first mate!" Though it galled him to be under another's rule, the King had decided to blend in with his people who came to attend the festivities. To walk amongst them, to spend time in their presence, without the intimidation factor his position always brought about. He hoped to blend in and not be recognized by the populace this day.

Betsy smiled smugly at him, accepting his wisdom in agreeing with her before turning back to the dining room.

Damn saucy wench! The King growled at her slightly.

Betsy giggled, she quickly made a face at him, wherein her tongue protruded from her lips, and then she cleared her throat of laughter to address the men once more. "May I present, The Shadow of the Seas, your new first mate, Little John."

"Why that?" The King furrowed his brow as he whispered harshly. He was not little. Shadow of the Seas sounded good, and John was fine, a common enough name, but he was definitely not little.

Betsy turned back to him. " 'Tis a deception, you know, as Tiny, on the Green Eyed Lady. He was incredibly large, as you are tall." Betsy waved her arms way above her head to show Tiny's size in gestures.

The King thought for a moment. "Fine!" He then grumbled, "At least it shall be easy to remember." he should have thought up his own pirate name. Surely he could have come up with something much more colorful than that, given a bit of time to think on it.

"As I was saying...." Betsy swept her arm and moved to the side, as the King stepped forward into the doorway and gave the men his best evil grin.

All eyes turned round as saucers, the men were taken aback, gasping as a group, except Violet. Violet snorted, trying not to laugh, until he could not breathe any longer. Then he covered his mouth with a hand and chuckled as quietly as he could.

The King was dressed in knickers. Betsy had sliced and torn his breeches up raggedly to below his knees.

He wore short boots that just barely covered his ankles, his calves were bare and lightly furred, soot was rubbed into his skin here and there.

A red, dirty tunic graced his torso, Violet was sure that was also soot smeared upon his royal clothing. The tunic was tied around the waist with a thin rope that held a sword and a sheathed pistol. A knife stuck out of the King's boot, his face was shadowed with soot, and a red scarf was tied around the top of his head. He sported an eyepatch and a golden hoop in his ear.

"Well?" The King looked to the men hopefully, seeking their approval.

The men did not know what to say. The King looked as a storybook pirate, they, on the other hand, looked as simple sailors.

"Why do you not look as pirates?" The King noticed their lack of participation.

Brutus looked to Violet, who still chuckled, and then grinned beside him. Violet was being of no help at all... Brutus stood and executed a short bow, " 'Tis a fine costume, my liege, we have not dressed our parts, yet, is all."

"Oh, well. Good, good, I would not want to be the only scurvy mate among us." The King replied. He moved into the room, escorting a brightly smiling Betsy.

The King handed her to the seat that opened up beside Violet, Sadie bringing them tea and coffee immediately.

Betsy sipped her tea and took in all the men around her. Smiling around her cup, she listened to Violet as he spoke with the reverend sitting on his other side, both men clutching their own steaming mugs.

"We should send wagons in that case." Violet seemed concerned about something, so Betsy paid closer attention.

"It will take them hours, if not." The reverend replied.

Violet nodded and stood, going to Pete and Sam, he spoke quietly to each, the men nodding, before leaving the room.

"The good reverend said there are at least a hundred townsfolk walking this way." Violet told Betsy this when he returned to stand beside her. His face revealed a small bit of concern. "Are we prepared for that many, do you believe?"

Betsy smiled at her anxious man. "Whether we are or not, will not matter soon, it seems. We shall have to pray and trust that all will go well, Violet." Betsy's eyes shone with humour. "Sit." Betsy scooted over a bit, her hip tapping the Monarch's twice before he noticed.

The King ceased his lesson with Brutus on a first mate's duties, scooting down the bench to accommodate Violet. Smirking at the small sprite beside him, who acted more as a daughter than a royal subject, the King then raised his gaze to Violet as the man took a seat, his full attention on his small wife.

"Give me your hands." Betsy held out her own to her husband, he taking hers immediately.

Violet closed his eyes, and bowed his head, as he knew where she was headed.

"Heavenly Father," Betsy lifted her face to the ceiling, that look of peace and tranquility, mixed with amazement, coming over her visage.

The King followed Violet's lead, bowing his head, his eyes downcast, he also, paying homage to their God.

"I come to you in humble thanks..." Betsy began.

Every man in the room had immediately ceased their conversations to also bow their heads.

"We have been blessed beyond measure, Lord, and we are truly grateful." Betsy spoke as if to her best friend.

The King's reverend could be seen smiling indulgently as he covertly took in the crew of seasoned sailors praying with the small miss.

"We know helping the children is Your will, so we ask that You bless our efforts and bring Violet peace. Let him walk in faith, knowing that You will guide him every moment, and that You will lead him in this endeavour."

Violet, and the King, raised their eyes slightly, to see if she was finished praying.

Both men snapped their eyes back down as she drew breath to continue.

"Please be with us today, Lord. Let all that transpires be covered in your grace, please give us all wisdom and discernment as we strive to serve You. We ask that You provide if we are lacking, to watch over all who come to share this day with us..... And I would ask a special blessing upon the King, that he be able to act as a normal man for just a short while."

The King raised a brow at this plea, curious as to what Betsy's idea of normal for him was.

"I ask all in Your name, and I thank You, knowing in faith that You hear our prayers." She smiled assuredly upward. "Amen."

The men all agreed with their own 'Amens'. The conversations resuming, but not before every crewman smiled upon Betsy in approval and humble thanks.

Violet kept hold of Betsy's hands, raising them, kissing one after the other.

"Thank you." Violet's eyes shone with moisture, loving the way she did that to him. The way that she, with a simple prayer, grounded him and added to his faith, reminding him he was not alone.

Betsy leaned forward and kissed his lips, then drew back to look into his eyes.

After a moment of appreciating one another, Violet caught her up on what Pete and Sam were about. "It will take the townsfolk a matter of hours to walk all of the way out here. I have sent the men with wagons to shorten their journey. The reverend said entire families, some with small children, are walking all this way."

"Well then, we had better get busy." Betsy stood, but she did not stay up. Sadie's hand appeared on her shoulder and she pushed Betsy gently back down.

"We have all under control, Miss Elizabeth, enjoy your breakfast first, please." Sadie set a platter of coffee cakes in the center of the table. "The King's cook has provided us with cakes and pastries, he has the pantry shelves full to bursting with wonderful things for the people once they arrive. We are ready, the men have already stocked our booths outside and all only await our guests."

Betsy turned shining eyes to Violet, eyes that spoke to him that their prayers were already being answered.

"Thank you, Miss Sadie." Violet said warmly. He resolved to make sure the staff enjoyed themselves also over the next two days, he and the men would pitch in to help man the booths, to allow them to do so.

Pete and Sam appeared in the doorway. "We are off...." Pete started to say.

The King spoke enthusiastically, "That is much better!"

Pete and Sam both bowed towards their King, having livened up their own apparel with swords, guns, scarves and soot.

As they left, the men who had finished eating, rose and went out to the bunkhouse to be about the same business. They added their weapons, and their tools of the trade, their conversations were lively as they looked forward to the festivities themselves. They did not dilly dally about, but quickly made their way to the ship, as it seemed that their guests would be arriving soon.

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