Open Wardrobes

...victory!!! This afternoon (in fact, just minutes ago) I crossed the 50,000-word mark in the great quest that is NaNoWriMo and am now officially a winner! It's been an interesting, crazy experiment this month (and not really over yet), and I'm still amazed that I've made it this far. Even if nothing further ever happens with the pirate Red Foxx's adventures, it's been a great way to get writing and keep writing, not worrying so much about how good it is. That's difficult to do, but I think it's always important in the first draft of anything. It's so easy to let the worry of "Is it good?" keep you from putting anything down on paper. And really, it's only once you have that you can truly judge how good something it is. One of the hardest things I've had to learn as I writer is to be OK with writing something that isn't any good. We are all going to create things that aren't as good as we like, but the key is to let those be practice and learn from them. Even if only one word in a hundred is the right word, you still need to write the other 99 to get there.




They continued in this manner for many more days, making several more stops and along the way gathering a few more of their own vessels. Red Foxx had risen high already in the estimation of her people, being now so close to the end of a task even the great Grey Foxx could not complete. Red Foxx wished however that this made her feel more secure in her position, but in truth the knowledge that the Sorcerer knew her secret continued to gnaw at her. It forced her hand to make such knowledge public far sooner than she had intended, and this was not the time she would have chosen for such a revelation. She hoped that since the Sorcerer had kept his silence this long he would do so long enough for Red to reclaim the Heart.
Another problem in the form of Captain Blackfoot irked her as well. He and a couple other of the captains persisted in a desire to see the map for themselves. Howl Matton had seen it, as well as Jat, but so far they remained the only two. Red Foxx knew better than to trust Blackfoot with even a glimpse of it, lest he seek to continue on the path ahead of her with whomever would follow. She had put him off so far, but was not certain she could do so forever.
Red Foxx sat up in the crow's nest contemplating such things as they sailed towards the sixth point on the map. Blackfoot plotted, the Sorcerer plotted, somewhere no doubt Lemuel Drake plotted as well, and all their plots centered around her. Even since her ascension as the new pirate "king" the thought of finding the Heart had consumed her. Now she realized that perhaps she had neglected other matters in its pursuit. Could she rely on the Heart to see her through these other challenges? Or would others see their plans into motion before she held it? She and Jat had discussed many times how best to reveal their secret. Jat urged her to wait until the Heart was in their possession, for such a sign would surely, so Jat thought, quell all doubts of a pirate queen. As for Blackfoot... He was a fool, but a dangerous one. Red Foxx knew that the other pirates, most at least, would never follow him as king. But it was little comfort to Red Foxx if Blackfoot discovered that only after she herself was dead. A fool indeed, but still one she could not predict. How then to counter whatever scheme he had devised?
When Red slid down the riggings to deck hours later she had decided upon at least her next step. She ordered a signal sent to the Sea Wolf asking for Captain Matton's presence on board the Arrow. She brought Jat into her thoughts as they waited for Howl to join them, and for the first time since Red had know her first mate, Jat sat and said not a word.
"What think you then?" Red asked her. "We shall need the support of someone such as Howl who the others all trust."
Jat nodded slowly. "Aye, I suppose that be true."
"You object to something else then?" Red pushed. She needed to know her first mate's thoughts.
"Not as such, Captain," Jat began, but then faltered.
"What then?"
"I cannot rightly say, Captain, what it be that bothers me so."
"It is not without risk," Red admitted, "but would you have me wait until the Sorcerer does the job for us?"
"Of course not, Captain," Jat said. "But..."
"Howl shall be here in minutes," Red reminded her. "I trust your instincts, Jat, but I must take steps I believe necessary if you cannot show me any reason to act otherwise."
Finally Jat looked at Red direct, and it seemed that her mind was more easy now. "I think, Captain," she told Red, "it be the loss of our secret I think I should miss more than anything. The others, you cannot say they will not look at us different, be they acceptin' ye or no."
"I suppose that is true," Red said, "and I think I see your meaning. But in the end, should we not be known for what we truly are?"
"Aye, perhaps that shall be for the best," Jat admitted. "And I think ye be right that Howl is the best of them to aid us in this." Jat's eyes twinkled. "I cannot help but think that he shall be a mite surprised."
"Yes," Red grinned, "I think that much certain."
Soon one of the crew came to announce that Captain Matton had arrived and Red had him shown into her cabin.
"Afternoon, Captain," Howl said to her, "what is it I can be doin' for ye?"
"There is something I must share with you, Howl," Red began slowly. "It is a secret I and my crew and guarded for some time. But it has become known to me that the Sorcerer knows it as well, and I would not be held hostage to his knowledge."
"Wise enough," Howl agreed.
"As such I think it is time that you, at least, be brought into this secret," Red continued. "When the time comes for all to know I would have you at my side."
Howl nodded. "Ye know ye can count on me for anything, e'en as yer father did."
"I certainly hope that much is true," Red said, and after a moment's hesitation she undid her hair and removed her heavy coat. "My father Grey Foxx never had a son," she told Howl, "but a daughter."
Whatever Red had expected Howl's response to be, it did not match the reality.
Howl simply nodded again. "Aye, Captain."
Red and Jat stared at Howl openmouthed, for he looked at them as if he still expected the revelation to come. After several moments Howl broke the silence.
"And the secret be, Captain?" he prompted.
"But that is it!" Red exclaimed at last. "Do you mean to say you knew already?"
"That be all?" Howl asked and on seeing it was so laughed long. "Oh my young captain," he said at last, "ye be underestimatin' yer own father's wisdom!"
"What do you mean?" Jat demanded.
"Captain Grey Foxx knew that one day ye needs must tell all this secret," Howl told them. "He broke it to me some time ago so that I might be of aid to ye when the time came."
"Then you have known along about Jat and I?" Red pressed, still not quite able to believe it had been this easy. "And the rest of my crew?"
"Aye," Howl said. "I must say I be a mite surprised when he told me, but ye are a fine captain, and yours be one of the finest crews I e'er seen. And if the old Grey Foxx thought it right, who be I to think any different?"
"Howl," Red said to him, "never do you cease to amaze me. I thank you that you have faithfully kept this secret for us and they you will be there to help us see the others accept this truth as well."
"No one can doubt ye are yer father's child," Howl said to her, smiling, but something in that struck a nervous chord within Red.
"And what if that was not true?" she said before having time even to think it over.
"What de ye mean, Captain?" Howl asked, more serious now.
And so Red told Howl of Lemuel Drake's belief, and of the strange dreams she had had of late that did not seem to fit with what she had always believed of herself. When she had finished Howl thought it over carefully.
"It is possible, I think," he said, "but if ye think it changes my view of ye as our Captain and king, ye be mistaken."
"And yet, if true, will all think that way?" Red asked sadly. "It may be one thing to ask them to accept a pirate queen, but if it should be that I am not truly the old Foxx's daughter..."
"There be more to kinship than blood," Howl reminded her. "I be always behind ye, Captain. Though if ye ask me," he added, "I would not say any of yer parentage until these mangey curs we call pirates have accepted ye first as a woman."