Dominick prepared the ship, crew, captain, and voyage in a matter of two weeks. As Maria hoped, and found much amusement in, Dominick had gone to Billy for advice on the island, the ocean itself, and everything in between. Billy told all he could, but Dominick seldom took the man's opinion to heart. Billy never saw the crew as Dominick put them together with the captain's input.
Nevertheless, Billy transferred any knowledge he could to Maria and she memorized everything, not admitting that some details went over her head. When Dominick took the map for reference, Billy used the time to test Maria's knowledge of it. To his surprise, she retained everything.
At some point, Dominick made a bargain with her, telling her that if she remained in the palace at night, she could join their morning meetings and listen in. Ignoring the deal, Maria snuck back to the Benbow and spoke with the sailors about ships and all the functions that came with it. Finally, all the terminology they used in their tales made sense. Didn't mean she remained sober during that time.
At last, the night before the ship set sail came. Anticipation was running high. It could be felt throughout the palace. The one who felt most on edge was Maria. If her plan worked, it didn't mean she was safe from the dangers that awaited her.
Monsters, accidents, pirates, sinking, sharks, whatever the ocean could do to harm her rampaged through her mind. Her entire body shook as she sat on her bed with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her book laid at her feet as she stared at it in terrified silence.
She jumped when she heard someone tap her door. "Yes?" she squeaked.
"Maria, it's me," Dominick answered. "Can I come in?"
"Of course."
Dominick stepped inside and smiled, leaning against the door frame. "If I'm being honest, I wasn't expecting an answer. I'm glad you're here."
"I didn't feel like going out tonight."
"Is that right?"
"What? You don't believe me?"
"What do you think?"
Maria huffed and adverted her eyes. While he laughed to himself, Dominick came to her bed and took a seat on the edge. His hand brushed the book, causing him to grin further.
"Were you reading?"
"No, not really. Just thinking."
"What about?"
"You know what about, Dominick. You're not stupid."
"Yes, this is true. But still, what's on your mind?"
She sighed. He would keep pushing her if she didn't respond. "Fine. It's about the voyage and Treasure Island and, well, all of that."
"Uh-huh. I'm assuming you're still upset about not going?"
Maria relaxed, stretching her legs out in front of her and popping her back. It's not like he didn't know, but she wasn't too pleased with being forced to say it out loud.
"It's not too late to let me go, you know."
Dominick shook his head. "You know why I can't."
"I don't think your personal concerns should be the say all end all. I already told you I would be fine."
"That's not something I want to risk. I'm sure you understand."
"Understanding and accepting are two entirely different things," Maria snapped. She caught herself to keep her tone from growing harsher. "You don't need to worry about me so much. I'll be fine."
"It's not you I don't trust, per-say."
Dominick rubbed her arm to comfort her. His warmth passed into her and she felt at home, more so than she had in some time. He was being gentle and kind in an unusual way. It had been so long since they were like this that she could only describe it as foreign.
Dominick sighed with hints of sadness. "I don't think I've said it enough for it to mean anything."
"Said what?"
"The most basic thing any brother should remind his sister. Nothing much."
"Dominick, what is it?"
"…I love you, Maria."
Foreign was no longer the right word. Rare, unsettling, painful in a way. When was the last time he said that to her? Or her to him? Did they ever once admit that they still loved one another after all those years?
Maria was caught so off guard that her mouth hung open and she stammered an odd mixture of noises and words. Dominick pulled his hand away.
"I know it's been hard for both of us, and more so for you, but I still love you. I don't think there's a single thing you could do that could change my mind. All I want for you is to be happy, safe, and here. I know part of that is me being selfish, but, frankly, I think I've earned that right."
"You of all people do have that right, Dominick. But what you don't have is the right to tell me what I should and shouldn't do."
"Even if I did, Maria, you don't listen to me anyway. Doesn't stop me from worrying or caring. If you're going to remember anything, can you promise me it will be that?"
Maria smiled at him. Weak and soft, but there. "It's hard to forget something I already know."
"I'm glad." Dominick took her hand and squeezed it, passing to her any love she was willing to accept. "Good night, Maria. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Of course. Tomorrow. I'll be here."
"Alright."
Dominick stood up and went to the door. He heard Maria shuffling in her bed. He waited for her to settle before stepping out. As he closed the door behind him, Dominick was met with the worried expression of Vincent.
"Sir," he said, "are you sure about this?"
"I don't think I have a choice anymore. Is everything prepared?"
"As it will ever be."
"Then, all we do now is let it all run its course. Good night, Vincent."
Dominick brushed past Vincent. The risk of it all did not sit well with Dominick, but, as he said, the choice was no longer his. The last scrap of miracle. They had to find it.
*** *** ***
Maria heard mumbling outside her door, knowing it was Dominick and Vincent, but she could not make out anything they were saying. Could be something about the voyage and any last minute preparations they still needed to fine tune. They weren't there for long.
When she heard silence, Maria crawled to the floor and pulled out a chest from underneath. When she opened it, there was a set of modest clothes loose enough to hide her feminine figure, boots meant to withstand rough work, and a ratty brown wig that could cover her plentiful curls. While she had nothing to change the structure of her face, she hoped she would look young rather than like a girl.
She stripped and changed in a matter of seconds. The boots slipped on with ease, but they weren't comfortable. Thereafter, she put on the wig with minimal difficulty. When done, she went to the mirror and observed her new image.
Indeed, she did look more like a little boy than she did a teenage girl. She could be mistaken as tall for her age while her face threatened to make her lower than double digits. And her voice? How low could she drop before people saw through the disguise? Would she have to adjust at all?
So many questions and last minute anxieties she never once considered until the moment came. When Maria looked down to her hands, she saw they were trembling. Was she really about to do this? Spend weeks, months, at sea with complete strangers?
Maria could feel her stress overwhelm her as these thoughts plagued her mind, telling her stop and go to bed. To forget all about it and wait for the ship to return without her. On the other hand, she didn't spend hours upon hours memorizing a piece of paper and every trap under the sun to, in the end, ignore it. No, she didn't make a fuss to Dominick for nothing.
"Dominick," she exhaled.
And what of him? When was the last time she listened to him? Every time he told her to stay home, when did she obey? Every time he wanted her to confide in him about anything, did she ever comply? Why was this the first moment she felt any reservation about not listening to her brother? Under normal circumstances, when has a sister ever listened to her brother?
Well, these weren't normal circumstances. They have never been under normal circumstances. Yet, that didn't stop him from saying those three words she hadn't heard in so long.
"…I love you too," Maria whispered.
The weight of the world rose from her chest as she said this. A liberation she never thought could be possible. It lasted but a moment, but it was a rare occurrence she knew would not be repeated.
It was decided. Her hands steadied, her heart rate calm, and her mind made up. She stored the chest back under the bed and put her folded clothes on the sheets. Maria ran to her window, taking hold of the trellis to climb down.
Maria found herself on the beach once again and walked along the water. In a moment of nostalgic need, she removed her boots and let the sand scratch her feet. She loved this feeling, always had. It brought a sense of wholesome peace she couldn't find elsewhere. Not at the bottom of a bottle and not in the comfort of her room.
The walk to the tavern, like every night, would be close to thirty minutes. Taking the path leading from the palace entrance would be faster, but it also robbed Maria of the ocean scenery.
Maria was graced with the sounds of the crashing waves and crickets hidden in the brush lining the shoreline. As she neared the town, the homes and markets coming into sight, she stepped into her boots and took to the streets.
The night was still young, but most of the people had resigned to their beds with their families. The spot that remained active as always was none other than the Benbow. Maria felt her mouth craving a sweet rum, but this was not the time to indulge herself. If lucky, she would have those moments aplenty on the ship with the other sailors. All that under the assumption she wasn't considered too young or "unable to handle it."
Maria stepped into the Benbow where a horde of sailors were right where they were expected to be. Some had already taken to the tables for a jaunty dance and off pitch shanties. A perfect moment for a test.
She walked through the tavern, covering every corner and catching as many eyes as she could. Not one gave her a second glance, but that was no different than when she was in normal attire. Maria panicked. Was it not working? Did people see right through her? Did she look like a complete imbecile?
"Hey, boy," a familiar voice called.
Maria, despite believing she was not the one being summoned, still looked for the source of the gruff and slurred voice. Relief came when she saw Billy sitting in his usual corner with a tall mug in his hand. Furthermore, he was looking right at her and waving her over.
"Boy, didn't you hear me?" he continued to shout. He winked.
Maria ran over to him and took a seat, her back turned to the rest of the tavern. Her face was hidden, leaving little room for suspicion by anyone looking in her direction. Billy leaned close to her and spoke in a whisper.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine, considering."
"I wouldn't be. Not with your pitch. Any way you could lower that?"
Crap, this was one of the things she hadn't considered until that night. Maria cleared her throat and tried again. To her, it felt lower, rougher, and sounded fine.
"Better?"
"Eh," Billy scoffed. "You know how to do any accents?"
"Accents?"
"Yes, accents. Sometimes, when a person is attempting an accent, their voice changes in the process as well."
"Um, let me think."
Maria cycled through most of the accents she could think of, none of which she had sufficient confidence in attempting. There was one she heard more than others. A harsher accent that put excessive emphasis on hard consonants like C, K, R, and G. Not too many words with those letters that she would be saying often. Could work.
So, she spoke with it. "How about this one? Good enough for you?" She made sure to use one of the letters in question.
Satisfied, Billy nodded. "Better. You still come across on the younger side, but at least I'm not questioning your identity…much."
"Much? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, right now, I find you to be a very, very pretty boy. Speak normally and I find myself confused. That answer your question?"
"So, what you're saying is I have to be more than careful when talking to everyone?"
"Have fun," he teased, taking a sip.
Maria groaned. "Everything about this was stupid."
"It was your idea."
"Backed by your encouragement."
"You could've said no."
"I could've said a lot of things."
"Watch your pitch."
"Ugh."
Maria slammed her hands onto the table, then her head in her palms. She breathed in and out in deep intervals for several seconds before looking back up to Billy with dejected eyes. He could see her fear, her doubt, and, above all, her confliction.
"And I was so confident before I got here," she mumbled to herself. "What am I doing?"
"A lot, it seems." Billy took another sip. "Proving a point, making a statement, taking action. You couldn't decide on one motive, could you?"
"To save my kingdom, obviously. What more is there to decide on?" she snapped.
"Uh-huh. I'm sure that's it."
Maria scoffed. "You don't think that's why I'm doing this?"
Billy shrugged. "I can't say I'm too convinced. I won't go on and say I don't believe you, but I feel there's a bit of omission in your story. Want to try again?"
Maria stared at him. In her gaze, she shot daggers at him as he waited with a crooked smile for her answer. None would come. She turned away and crossed her arms.
"I'm not omitting anything. Drop it."
"Suit yourself. Now, any last minute questions? Any burning concerns? I have all night."
"I can't think of any…" Her voice shook and the accent dropped.
As Billy observed, he took notice of her body language. She caved in on herself. Her crossed arms became more of a barrier between her and the rest of the world. Despite the jovial scene around them, Maria alone had a dark cloud attaching itself to her head.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Y-yes. I'm sure."
Billy reached across the table and tapped the wood, grabbing her attention. Maria glanced up to him in time for him to witness a slight lip quiver.
"I wouldn't be too worried," he encouraged.
"Why not?"
"For starters, it's not like the pirates are looking for you. And, well, I believe in my heart of hearts that you'll be okay."
"Why? What makes you say that? You don't know what could go wrong."
"You're right, I don't, but neither do you. That's why I wouldn't be worried."
"Easy for someone not going to say."
"You could not go, like your brother wanted. You could give up on the island and carry on with life, like a certain king."
"No," she shouted, drawing the attention of some nearby patrons. "I'm not giving it up. I'm going to find it and bring back everything my fath---I mean, I can. This is for me."
Billy nodded and finished his mug. "I know it's for you. I wanted to get down to the specifics."
"Well, maybe you shouldn't," Maria threatened, returning to her altered pitch and tone. "It's not your concern anyway."
"No, I suppose it's not. Nevertheless, I do recommend you catch some sleep before the morning."
"I'm not tired."
"You will be. And I don't think you want to be put to work with your eyelids drooping every few seconds."
Maria looked around the tavern as everyone carried on with their business. No one was paying any mind to her. As they laughed and sang and drank, she couldn't help but wonder if this was their way of coping, as it was for her. Watching them felt like watching herself, for better or for worse.
When she pulled her attention away and forced herself to focus on her journey, Maria went through each worst case scenario she could. Monsters, if there were any, crashing, sinking, getting lost, pirates. Ah, pirates. Not something she wanted to think about, but the threat was as real as any.
Maria glanced to Billy and took a deep breath. "Hey, Billy," she mumbled.
"Hmm?"
"I do have a question."
"And what might that be?"
"Those men who tracked you down. They were pirates, right?"
"Correct."
"If I run into any of them, what should I do?"
His expression became serious. Her question was one of life and death. He leaned in closer and said with no hint of irony, "Don't engage them. You run as far away as you can, as fast as you can."
"I shouldn't try to fight them?"
"If you want a slow and agonizing death, then by all means try. Furthermore, I wouldn't let it be known that you're a princess. That title might be more valuable than anything they're trying to take. Remember that every time you let your accent slip."
He made that last statement in conjunction with Maria realizing she wasn't focusing on her sound anymore. That might have been the single most difficult thing she would end up working on, and the journey hadn't begun yet.
"Okay. I think I got it."
"And it would do you well to be wary of the man with no legs."
"The man with no legs? What's his name?" Maria asked.
"Does it matter? You shouldn't run into him, hopefully. Besides, I was busy swimming for my life from a burning ship when I last saw him."
"A man with no legs did all that? Don't tell me that was the pirate you were running from. A bit humorous when you think about it."
"He still has an eye for aiming and hands for shooting. I repeat, remember that when you let your accent slip. Then again, he's nothing compared to the she-devil he sails with. Pray you never meet her."
Maria felt Billy's anxieties pass into her own body. How unlike Billy, up until that point, to show any kind of concern or fear. A man with no legs shook an otherwise collected buccaneer. She would have to keep that in mind when on her own.
Maria stretched and yawned. "I wonder if I'll be able to sleep at all."
"You should, my lady. If but for a moment, get some rest."
Billy motioned to the bench beside them. Long enough for Maria's body, but a bit too thin to be considered comfortable. Still, it was all she had. She took her place on the bench and laid down, the table blocking her from the view of the patrons.
Maria closed her eyes but didn't fall asleep for some time. Her mind was flooded with images of the ocean and whatever laid both beneath and beyond it. She could hear the creaking of the ship, the slamming of waves, and silence that came when Dominick was not by her side. Ah, right, Dominick.
Between each shift of the pictures cycling through her thoughts, she could hear Dominick's voice saying over and over, "I love you." To her pleasant surprise, hearing the repetition of those words allowed Maria a chance to drift into something resembling peace and ease. Then, the morning came.