"How did you get us into such a storm?" Elise exclaimed as a gust of wind played tug of war with her sundress.

Archibell shrugged his shoulders "I gotta tell ya kid. Without a quality navigator or a handy sea chart, I had to rely on me trusty sailor's instinct."

Elise scratched her bushy head. "Your sailor's instinct? How does that work?"

Archibell proudly stretched out his arms and put his foot on edge of the deck. "I go wherever the wind takes me! For she knows the way!"

A powerful updraft of wind carrying a fish whacked him upside the head.

"Owch!" He squawked, rubbing his head.

"Yeah," Elise said wryly. "A good way to get us killed."

Archibell leveled his finger at Elise. "I don't see you with any plans, kiddo!"

Elise crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Get out of the storm, maybe?"

"Right-O!" Archibell hollered, dashing up the stairs. "Let's get right to it!"

He lead Elise up the wheel of the ship. Carved in polished wood, it spun wildly on its own. Archibell seized it. "Where were you trying to go?" Elise asked as the wind whipped her frizzy hair around.

"Central Commerce Island," Archibell said, struggling with the ever-turning wheel. "Figured we could have some pirate tryouts and get us a good crew "

"Let's get there!" Elise shouted.

"Easier said than done, first mate Freckles," Archibell said finally managing to turn the wheel in the opposite direction. "Supposedly, it's to the east and to get there we need to go through the eye of the storm!"

Elise nodded nervously and Archibell cried, "Hard to port!"

The Lyre sailed across the black waters as ominous clouds crackled and boomed. Elise stood at a slight distance from the captain. A slight distrust in him lingered, now that she knew he didn't have a plan.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

As the boat drifted closer and closer to the center of the storm, the clouds swirled in a circular cyclone. Water, seagulls and hapless fish got sucked around the water spout and an enormous blast of water hit the deck. The two were splashed with a deluge of rain and ocean water.

Elise was dripping wet all the way from her hair to her sundress. She shivered and clung to Archibell's tail coat

"Archibell," she cried, her body convulsing from the sudden drop in temperature. "I don't know I can be a pirate!"

Archibell turned around but kept one hand on the wheel. He observed the suddenly timid young girl with a weather beaten face. "Being a pirate ain't always fun and games and yo ho ho! Sometimes it's hard to be a hardy!"

"But…" Elise squeaked. "My mom died at sea!"

A rare look of sympathy came over Archibell's rugged face. Elise's tears mixed with the rain. He knowingly smiled. "Sometimes sea life ain't simply about braving the storm. Sometimes you must brave the tempest in your heart too."

Elise wanted to hide her face in the captains coat like it was her mother's dress. She stared at him as water seeped down his whiskers.

"I know you can do it," Archibell said with a wink. "Else you wouldn't have climbed aboard this ship o' scallywags in the first place!

"You threw me on!!" Elise exclaimed but before Archibell could answer, the wheel began to spin wildly.

The water cyclone was throwing them off course. Archibell returned to the wheel, but he struggled immensely.

"I gotta remain in control," he cried. "Or else we're going down with the ship!"

Elise continued to watch. He was throwing his whole body weight into turning the wheel. It was to no avail. He was losing control.

"Every man and teenybopper to himself," Archibell cried as Elise watched helplessly. Or was she?

She balled up her firsts and rushed to the wheel, throwing her own body weight onto it too. As she grabbed the handles, the captain looked up at her and smiled. "Most pirates don't see teamwork as a legitimate treasure," he remarked, marveling at Elise. "But I'd like to see a gold doubloon do this!"

But with a sudden drop in the temperature, hail bombarded the ship as they continued to sail through. Small pieces bounced harmlessly on the deck, but large chunks tore holes in the sail.

Elise looked up to see the Lyre's beautiful sail with more holes than mountain cheese. "Never mind that!" Archibell grunted. "Remain steady on that wheel!"

Elise closed her eyes as she pushed up against the wheel. All around her hail and rain scattered loudly, wind howled in her ears like a banshee and thunder roared like an ogre.

She tried her best to pretend she was somewhere else. If they went down with the ship, at least she'd get to see her mother again.

She held onto the wheel for an inordinate amount of time, but her grip was slipping.

I can't do this anymore, thought Elise but the sound of hail and snow slowed around her. "Open your eyes, boyo!" Archibell squawked. "We're here!"

Elise opened her eyes to see a large island in front of them. Shiloettes of buildings and a large port were off in the distance.

"Hard to port!" Archibell said with a satisfied smile. "We braved a storm that would make lesser pirates wet themselves."

"About that…" Elise said, turning an embarrassing shade of crimson as she held her finger to her mouth.

"Hard to the bathroom!" Archibell cried.