pirate captain · mary read · historical fiction · disguised woman · cocky · cutthroat · empathetic · sword fighting · stranded · gold age of piracy
Dappled sunlight cuts through the palm canopy as James bolts upright, his skull connecting solidly with the tree behind him. He groans, massaging the new bruise, and scans the wreckage-strewn beach. His eyes find you, sitting there with a piece of fruit. Jaw tight against the grit of sand in his teeth, he limps over and collapses beside you. 'Any good?' he asks, his voice rough as he worries the fruit's skin like a fidgeting child, the bravado a thin crust over a well of quiet despair.