I wrote this a while ago, but I don't know if I actually posted it anywhere

The pigeon landed on Hannah's gloved hand. She removed the tiny band around its ankle, fed it a crust of bread and then set it free. She hated caging pigeons, even for the few minutes it would take to scribble down a reply. They were better off free, just like she was.

Hannah unrolled the slip of paper and quickly decoded it.

SERVANT'S SITTING ROOM IN USE
FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM NOW
PLEASE COME HOME
A

It was just as well, then, that she hadn't kept the pigeon for a reply. She wasn't ready to go home yet, and she couldn't explain why, not via pigeon.

"Nolan!" she called. "Adjust the sails to catch that wind. We're headed out to sea."

*****

The crew was rather an odd one. Benjamin was the only one who looked like a pirate. He was rather old, had a peg leg, and was missing a few teeth. Out of all of them, however, he was the least pirate-like and, rather than raiding and pillaging, preferred to sit in his cabin and knit or tell hyperbolic stories about his own bravery. Hannah wasn't really sure why they kept him around, but she couldn't think of a good enough reason to get rid of him, either.

Nolan was the good-looking one of the bunch. Hannah still was uncertain how he could climb down from the rigging without one curly brown hair out of place. Nolan was theoretically the captain, but he wasn't especially fond of talking or doing anything interesting, whereas Hannah actually had plans and gave orders despite lacking any titled position.

Mary was Nolan's younger sister, though she'd sort of adopted the rest of them. She was one of the sweetest, kindest people Hannah had ever met, and her presence helped keep her sane. She had a habit of calming people down and was rather good at diffusing tension.

Ramona and Leonard were twins with slight Sensitive tendencies. Their talent wasn't something Hannah could quite classify as magic, exactly, but it was certainly unusual, and certainly came in handy. Ramona, like Hannah, generally dressed like a man.

Hamish was the Scottish one, and also the most bloodthirsty. Robert was the first mate, and the one who challenged Hannah's authority. Peter was the small one, and probably the youngest besides Mary (he refused to give his age). James was the cook.

They were happy, mostly. Nolan worried about his little sister, and the fact that she really wasn't getting a proper lady's education (Hannah and Ramona tried, on occasion, to remedy that, but neither was among the most lady-like of people). Robert and Hannah clashed, sometimes to the point where they wouldn't speak to each other for days, and Nolan and Mary tried to patch things up. Leonard twisted his ankle once, and Benjamin broke a knitting needle.

Then, of course, there were the raids and sea-battles and that sort of thing.

It was easy to forget sometimes...

When Hannah chose to lie to herself, that is.

*****