Sunset stained everything blood red as the brothers stood face to face. Elise watched with her head looking back and forth between the captain and the admiral. The small uneasy smile on Captain Archibell's face was dwarfed by the size of the admiral's self satisfied sneer.

"Your move," the admiral said, performing a skilled joust with his rapier. "Though I must add, you are turning greener than a sea sick sea serpent, you scoundrel!"

The captain, who was still clutching the Lyre's former sail, smiled. "Bro, your overconfidence has left you blind!"

With a 'whoosh' sound, Captain Archibell attempted to throw the large sail over the admiral and his brigade, but it fluttered harmlessly to the ground.

Captain Archibell squeezed Elise's shoulder. She looked up at him. "Know what the plan is now, first mate Freckles?"

"What?" Elise asked innocently

Panic and terror filled Captain Archibell's wide eyes. "RUN! he squawked

He seized Elise's hand and leaped onto the Lyre. After Archibell sliced the rope, Elise watched as the Lyre's sail filled with wind, and they set sail once again.

The admiral's eyes seered at them from the dock. "Ever since my wedding night," the admiral howled, "you've always taken the coward's way out. Men, to your boats!"

As the sail propelled the boat forward, Captain Archibell gazed up at it. "I was gonna ask ya, Freckles, where you got that piece of junk sail, but it seems to be doing its job!"

"Luckily," Elise grinned a gap toothed grin. "I didn't even pay for it."

"Who did?" Archibell asked.

"Your brother," Elise beamed. "He felt bad for me!"

Captain Archibell put his hand on Elise's shoulder, a look of pride on his face. "Swindling a navy man with your feminine wiles, eh? You're well on your way to becoming a crafty female pirate, Freckles."

Elise hopped up and down excitedly, but her celebration was cut short by the loud splash of a cannonball landing next to the ship.

Elise squinted her eyes and saw a cabal of green and white navy ships off in the distance. There was a tiny man standing on the front of the leading ship, raising his fist dramatically.

Archibell pulled out his telescope. "Pompous blowhard off the port bow!"

Elise held her hand to her sundress in fear. "Think we can outrun them?!"

Captain Archibell lowered his telescope. "We hafta or it's tha barracks for us."

"Where should we go?" Elise said, shivering over the thought of a public execution.

"Anywhere he's not!" Archibell said wryly and he dashed up to wheel, boldly seizing and spinning it. The ship lurched in the opposite direction.

"What do I do?" Elise said, looking around.

The captain hurled the telescope to Elise. "You be the lookout, kid. You can tell me when they've caught up to us and are about to put our pirate heads on the chopping block."

"Won't you know if your head is on the chopping block?" Elise responded, but the captain caustically snapped back.

"I'm trying to give you something to do kid, otherwise go play hopscotch or something!"

Elise heeded the captain's words, but the official job of lookout was a nervewracking one.

The white and green vessels were encroaching on them at a lightning-fast pace, and Elise quickly realized why--steam puffed out the funnel on the top, as churning waterwheels propelled the ships forward.

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The Lyre was a good, old fashioned, nimble vessel, but the steamboats were clearly superior. Elise danced frantically like there was a bucket of live minnows in her dress. The navy ships, once white and green blips were directly on the Lyre's tail.

"The boats are catching up!" Elise cried and Captain Archibell bit the side of his lip.

"Well kid," he said petitioning the sky. "We're going to need a complete miracle or complete chaos to survive this!"

There was a moment of silence before a loud grumble sounded in the water. The Lyre came to a halt as an eruption of water blasted in front of them. Elise turned around and squeaked in fear. There was a towering sea serpent sticking out of the water. Its elongated body was scaly and flesh colored with tiny hands and an enormous snout and tail. About the size of a three story building, the creature eyed the tiny Lyre with beady white eyes.

"Well madam," Archibell said with a humble bow. "Chaos has arrived!"

"W-what is that thing?!" Elise stammered.

"That my dear," Archibell said, "According to my sailor's handbook, this beastie is a watersnout. They create water spouts with their long tail that ensnare passing ships!"

As if cued by Archibell's words, the water snout began whipping its tail round and round, causing an enormous updraft of water. Water spiralled up out of the ocean, creating a perfect cyclone.

"What are we going to do?!" Elise cried.

"Why…we should," Archibell remarked. "Chase the dragon and ride the winds."

"But…" Elise said, her eyes almost as big as her glasses. "What if it eats us?"

Archibell leaned up against the wheel. "Freckles, there's no inter-sea politics here. If this beastie eats us, she was only doing it because she's hungry. The admiral, on the other shoulder, will rack us up and torture us"--the captain smirked--"he's into that kind of thing!"

Elise sighed. "I get it, but captain, you are crazier than a coconut."

"Speaking of which," Archibell said, turning the starboard towards the tornado. "If we get outta this, I'm making us some excellent coconut milk pina coladas!"

Elise raised on eyebrow.

Archibell squawked in laughter, "Non-alcholic of course!"

Archibell chortled as the ship was lifted into the water tornado.

Elise screamed and grabbed onto the mast for dear life. Her brain did somersaults as the Lyre spun around like a bottled ship in a water funnel.

She could no longer see the naval fleet or the sea beast; all she saw was white water spinning around in an endless circle.

"Yahoooo!" The captain hollared but Elise couldn't share the sentiment.

Her stomach gurgled loudly in her gut. "We need to get out of here!" she whined.

Archibell kept turning the wheel. "We gotta stay inside, Freckles!"

"Why?!" she screamed.

"So we can shoot out the top, kid!"

Elise nodded, though she wasn't sure how much she could hold on.

Suddenly, Archibell screamed. "Freckles, look out! Duck!"

Elise turned her head An enormous snout chomp right at her. She heeded the captains words and avoided getting devoured by the creature's gaping maw.

Surviving another brush with death, but Elise signed in relief but not for long. In order to escape the sea beast's clutches, she released her grip on the mast and was about to be sucked into the maelstrom.

Elise's tiny body was pulled right off the deck, but at the last second, she grabbed the Lyre's wooden railing, all while screaming and crying.

"Freckles!" Archibell yelped. "Hold on as long as you can! We're almost at the top!"

Elise nodded as tears were pulled off her face into the tornado. Squinting through the whipping water, Elise's saw the golden glow of the sunset.

The captain turned the boat round and round, until the boat reached the top and erupted out of the spout like a volcano.

As the boat launched across the open sky, Archibell screamed, "Cowabunga!"

Elise managed to pull herself up onto the ship and watched as they left the naval fleet and the watersnout far behind.

Their destination was unknown, and she had another scary brush with the sea reaper, but at least, you in the air, they were far away from all the ruckus.

Islands rolled by left and right, before they landed with a hearty splash in front of a large land mass. Elise was so dizzy she immediately plopped down on her rear, and took a deep breath.

"Freckles," Captain Archibell cried and ran to her.

He crouched down and shook here. "Are you alright kid?"

She moaned softly and wearily opened her eyes. Once the sky had stopped moving, and Archibell's face stayed in one spot, she softly whispered, "Archibell...."

The captain held her soft hand in his own. "What is it kid?"

"I have a question…Can I have..."

"Kid…" Captain Archibell said with a nervous expreession. "I'll give you anything you want...Do ya need medical attention?"

Elise managed a gentle smile. "Can we have the pina coladas now?"