Emile and company followed Adelaide aboard the Bevrijder. Niall took Duncan straight below to help him take care of his burns, leaving Emile and Allegra on the deck to deal with Adelaide.<br/><br/>"You watch her," Emile said, "I'll get the captain."<br/><br/>"And if she changes her mind?" Allegra asked, leaning against the mast with her arms folded. Emile shrugged.<br/><br/>"Then throw her in the brig," he replied, "but watch your sword."<br/><br/>Allegra shrugged, watching him ascend the steps to the captain's quarters. Emile knocked hard on the door a few times. The widows in were filthy and impossible to see through, but Emile thought he had detected a little bit of light. He was about to strike the door again when he heard the flick of a latch. The door scraped away from the frame and an old, bearded man emerged. It was Captain Christoffel Emerens. His hair was white and gray, thin and wispy, and he had a slight hunch in his posture. His eyes had gone from brown to gray in his old age. Indeed, he was one of the oldest men Emile knew.<br/><br/>"What's going on?" The old man asked, concerned. It was rare that anybody bothered him at this hour.<br/><br/>"We have company." Emile said. "A hostage, actually."<br/><br/>"Shit, Emile," the old man cursed, "and who is it, the Queen of England?"<br/><br/>"Relax, she came willingly." Emile said, amending, "Well, sort of. I'll explain later, but we need to get off the ground tomorrow morning."<br/><br/>"It can't be done." The old Dutchman argued.  "We've hardly got a skeleton crew left, and the Bevrijder won't sail."<br/><br/>"Yes, but if we get a good ransom she'll make it out of Yarmouth and we can go make repairs in Spain."<br/><br/>"You want to sail into Spanish water on top of that? Look, Emile, you're a good lad," he pushed the door to his cabin wide and pointed to the ceiling behind him; Emile, flabbergasted, observed a noose and a rickety old stool beside the bed, "but I'm already planning my funeral. This is how I plan to retire. And I want you to sink this ship with me on it and run off. Join somebody else's crew, because I quit."<br/><br/>"What?" Emile replied in a panic, "you can't hang yourself, not now! Look, I'll give you whatever kind of funeral service you want when you go, but not like this. We have a ransom to collect. After that, I'll even kick the stool for you."