A few months later

For the next few months, all is quiet. You've volunteered to take as many shifts watching the prison (and the scheming pirate girl, whose name you've since learned is Ann) as you can, though your eagerness for such a dull assignment on an already often sleepy assignment is a surprise to some of the troops. Since most of the pirates surrendered, there have been many prisoners, and legals experts have been called from other nearby colonies to speed up the trial process. Good fortune has had it that the redhead is almost last when she is called, for many pirates have already been sent to the execution block. When the soldiers arrive to escort her to the courthouse, you shoot her a worried look, but she smirks back at you. You take that as reassurance, and go back to your assignment anxiously.

The result of the trial becomes the hottest talk in town. Shortly after it began, Anne pulled up the hem of her shirt, revealing the modest but very noticeable bump in her thin stomach. A great gasp supposedly went up, and Anne was hurriedly moved to another room, where she was soon inspected by a group of the most respectable women in town. They reported that she was in fact both a woman and pregnant, and asked for the charges to be dismissed. The judge, additionally assuming that a woman could not be a pirate and must have been a captive sex-**** (and you were the only possible witness to the contrary), dropped the charges. Anne was **** to swear an oath of loyalty to the Spanish crown, and was subsequently released into the colony. You were greatly relieved at the news, to such an extent if fact that you were surprised by how deeply connected you felt to the goings on.

After your shift ended, you went looking for Anne and found her at the tavern, eating a hearty plate of meat and bread. Not surprising, since her prison meals mostly consisted of mealy hard tack. You sit down near her, looking at her questioningly.

"The ladies" she says in between noisy bites, "gave me some money. I stay here now" she says, patting her belly happily, not sure over her get out of jail card, her food, or both.

"Here" you say, sliding her some pocket change, "buy some new clothes too." She looks at it for a moment, then takes the money eagerly. "Gracias papa!" she says goofily, causing you to cringe. "Shh, we are in public!" you tell her in a hushed voice. She rolls her eyes, but you grab her hand as furtively as possible. "Don't tell people!" you tell her angrily, then get up to leave.