10. Epilogue
In every journey, dear reader, there comes a point when there’s no way back. One mistake can be forgiven. Multiple mistakes can be made right. But both our characters, Pi and Paunet, had months to change their mind and still made a different choice.
And now they were buccaneers, whether they wanted it or not. The Raid of Pi became legendary, a warning tale told to children all over Somnia, until the words merged. Sea bandits would be called Pirates from now on.
The Golden Age of Piracy had arrived.
Casbrita, like most empires, had issued an official pardon. Any pirate who returned home and surrendered, would be given back their freedom. No punishment, no consequences. It might have been out of the kindness of their heart, but they mostly wanted back their ships, and they wanted to stop losing money and men on fighting.
Pi thought about coming home, until he discovered that the pardon had made an exception especially for him.
Any pirate had a chance to return to an honest life, apparently—all except for him.
The world saw him as a cruel Pirate. And he agreed: he’d attacked places and beings without good reason, even without giving them a chance to defend themselves.
The pirates, on the other hand, saw him as their Pirate Captain. The best to ever do it. Most pirates could only fight or fire cannons, but Pi was clever and experienced in all sorts of things. He inspired animals around the world to become a pirate, no matter how much he tried not to.
He’d let Paunet and his impressive ship go. He knew they’d be hunted by Casbrita now until they were destroyed. Without him, the odd peacock wouldn’t have survived a day. But simply by association—the peacock that helped Pi—he also became a legendary pirate now.
He wanted nothing of it.
The other pirates had given him endless gold, treasures and other gifts.
He wanted nothing of that too.
Piles of gold would just make everyone suspicious of him, even if he changed his face. If he bought a home in Casbrita with a million Soliduri, the police would arrest him the next day. He was rich, but couldn’t actually use that money. Nor did he care.
Only one thing remained.
Under cover of dark he fled the Council of Pi. Near Caribean, he discovered an island that wasn’t on any map he’d ever seen. Uninhabited, undiscovered. He called it Gardenhill.
He put all his gold and possessions into multiple treasure chests and hid them all over the island. His bottle of Fartherwater was hidden in the biggest chest with the strongest lock. Not long after, a small cottage appeared on the island, with a well-tended garden around it. In a few years time, he’d have a nice mansion here that would allow him to grow old in peace.
Large parts of the Caribean had declared themselves to be part of a new territory: Pirate Republic. No King would ever rule them, no President or Council. Nobody ruled anybody here and the pirates did as they pleased.
Only one island remained independent: Barbala. It had fought with so much passion, led by some peacocks, that no pirate ever set foot there. It was a true mystery where such immense hatred for pirates could’ve come from …
So Pi sent a message. Asking permission to dock there. Asking if his wife could come too. He was desperate to see her again. Owning an island and piles of gold meant nothing without the warmth of his family. He asked if he was allowed to give a speech claiming why he would still like to receive a pardon and live an honorable life again.
Barbala allowed it.
As he left for Barbala in a small fishing boat, he prepared his speech. The exact words he needed. To convince everyone the cruel things they said were true … but also not.
Along the way he was frequently attacked by pirates. He estimated there were ten times as many pirates as there were fishermen in these waters. The only reason he reached Barbala at all was because they recognized him and then left him alone. He was scared to death of meeting his old crew that he abandoned; they’d offer him no mercy.
Once he’d arrived at Barbala harbor, he could hear the whispers all around. About the cruel pirate he was. About how this confirmed that demigods were evil creatures that should be removed from the world. How women and children ran away when they saw his face.
If he hadn’t met some kind, familiar faces, he might have turned around and left.
Thorngold, Karlos and Widagai spied on someone from behind a palm tree. The rhino had decided to permanently strap his beloved cannon to his large back. He nudged Pi’s shoulder with force.
“Aye, Pi, mate! We thought ya gave up pirate’s life.”
“Don’t talk so loud,” Pi hissed.
“We found a promising pupil, aye. I’m mentoring him. Karlos is convincing him to become a pirate. They already call ’em Blackbeard. The Casbrita are building the largest boat ever and he’s planning to steal it immediately.”
Pi shook his head. There’s always a bigger boat, and that will never change.
“I am no pirate. Don’t bother me again with this. I only fight for one goal now: get that pardon and reunite with my family.”
He crossed the square, head held high, on his way to meet someone called Paula. That family member of the President was selected, for some reason, to judge his case. His future and family were in her hands.
He only wished she had a sliver of mercy left to give to a so-called pirate.
And so it was that life continued …