Pirate Chronicles

"I beg your pardon. What kind of woman do you think I am?" I said as my eyebrows met.

Jacob chuckled, "A very beautiful woman who does not listen well to her husband."

"We got ALL their things, Captain," Puma said as he walked in with Fifer and Brenlyn.

"Time to go," Lowen said and eyed his family.

Carole whispered in Ferdie's ear and the ten year old nodded. He looked at Lowen. Lowen smiled, "Come here, young man. This embrace is long overdue," he said and opened his arms.

Ferdie sighed in relief and ran into his arms. They embraced. Carole stood up. Fifer and Brenlyn took Janus to free Carole's hand. Carole walked to the father and son and joined in their embrace. "Finally," I heard her say.

Jacob put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him, "Shall we go?"

I looked at him and gave him a peck on his cheek, "We shall."

In no time, we were in Labyrinth. Thaddaeus gave me a big smile before maneuvering the sails so we could sail faster away from Penelope. I smiled as the familiar feeling of home enveloped me. I closed my eyes and inhaled the scent of the sea. HOME AT LAST!

Paco embraced me right away. "Welcome back. You're home."

I nodded, "Thank you. It looks like everyone stayed the same and is still here."

Paco chuckled, "Looks like we have new members in the family. I've never seen Fifer and Lowen this happy."

Neville opened the door to the kitchen and yelled, "EVERYONE COME TO THE KITCHEN! I COOKED A FEAST!"

I scrunched my forehead, "It's too early for dinner."

Neville widened his eyes at me, "It's never too early to eat. Come on! Before the food gets cold."

It was indeed a feast! The table was brimming with food. The delicious smell of different types of meat wafted through the air. I was not hungry but after smelling the food, my stomach growled.

"Did you cook everything in the storage room?" I asked.

Neville beamed, "You do not have an idea. When we were in Filiphin, Thaddaeus made some changes in the ship. The lower deck is now equipped as a stable. We have different types of animals there. We have live goats, chickens, and cows. We also have an indoor garden. It's not too big but we can grow our own vegetables from there," he explained.

I laughed and teased, "Great! Looks like we can open a restaurant."

The pirates grew quiet at what I said. I stopped laughing. "What is going on?"

Jacob chuckled, "Well, as a matter of fact, that is the plan. For the meantime, our piracy will be put on a hold. We will resume with it once we hear of corruption going on again. For now, we will turn Labyrinth into a restaurant at sea."

Carole and Brenlyn clapped, "That is a great idea." They said simultaneously.

Brenlyn added, "We wanted to be useful as we make Labyrinth our new home. If we have a restaurant I could help with it."

Carole agreed, "Very true. I do not know anything about swords and guns but I can cook, clean, serve, manage, and I'm good with budgeting."

Neville cleared his throat, "I will be the head chef. No one else," he said and laughed.

Charles laughed, "I will help with the serving. I'm a very skillful butler after all."

Puma raised his hands, "We'll take care of the music."

I shook my head, "But you only knew how to play a harmonica."

Laurel shook his head, "No, Miss Darling. The Filiphinos taught us how to play the guitar. You should hear us play."

I rested my chin on my fist, "Restaurant at sea… hmmm? We might not have a lot of customers."

"We already sent news of the plan to our friends," Wabi said determinedly.

I shrugged my shoulders and put food on my plate. The food that Neville prepared this time was more scrumptious than before. "This is something else," I said, then I took a bite of another dish. "So is this."

Neville put his hands on his waist and bellowed. "The customers will be chasing us after they tasted our food."

Five months later, what Neville said became true. Navy ships and pirates alike would chase Labyrinth to dine and taste our food. Most of them admitted that they love the mystery of finding the location of Labyrinth. Our restaurant at sea has become the gem of the oceans that many seek! We never ran out of customers. There were slow days especially if the weather is bad but most days we were full. And when we dock to replenish our supplies, there is always a line.

We never stopped sailing of course! And because of our reputation and the support we have from Francua and Filiphin, no one dared to cause trouble during dining time. Admirals, merchants, pirates, nobles, and common people come to eat if they find us. 

Captain Meltzar and his crew were constant customers. They have been in the restaurant thrice as if they knew where to find us! If only Monika timed it right, her quest could've ended earlier. She found the restaurant once. But it looks like Monika and Captain Meltzar were always on the wrong timing. 

Jeu's crew also just found us once but it was a riot! Thaddaeus and Emil became friends right away and Emil showed Thaddaeus some tweaks and tricks to make Labyrinth sail faster. Rocco and Lowen had a shooting contest, some of our customers had to leave! Neville and Teresa were in an argument about cooking styles that Mik and Gondro had to paralyze them both before they hurt each other. Jeu tried to flirt with me but stopped right away after seeing my growing belly. 

The only ones that have not found our restaurant at sea were the Geles brothers. Urdel was happy with us and did not regret his decision to keep sailing but I could tell he misses his brothers. Besides that, everything and everyone was perfect. It was a life filled with adventures and food. And now, a growing family of my own.

Jacob stood behind me as I veered the steering wheel to the left. He whispered in my ear, "Where to, my Darling?" He placed his hand on my swollen belly and for some reason our unborn child moved. We chuckled in response.

"To uncharted waters, Jacob…" I said and giggled.

"Feisty," Jacob replied and we kissed.

It was our own happily ever after. Finally, our problems are over and we are now living the life we always wanted. Well, that's what we thought! 

However, life has a way of teaching us that we are all connected to each other and what we do greatly affects another. In this case, during our happy moments, we had forgotten and were unaware of the pain we caused to an innocent woman who just desired a peaceful life. The aftermath of the war between Beckforth and Francua changed her greatly and now, she's after us: ANGELA ISABEL OF THE HOUSE OF DARAGIEL, former princess of Beckforth, Eric's sister!