Sea Bound

Water Under the Bridge

I watch him as he stands there, so composed and completely indifferent. It would be easy to think he hadn’t just been f*****g me on his desk, what with the expression on his face. But his eyes are glinting in the pale moonlight, and it’s the only gauge I have that he’s feeling anything at all. 

“The cipher.”

He repeats his words, watching me with those eerily bright eyes. I purse my lips, shrugging. 

“My escape.”

He sighs, turning his head and pouting magnificently. I feel a teasing smirk playing on my lips. I steadily wander over to one of his bookcases, pouring over the tomes there. 

“Did you know that most pirates can’t read?” I ask casually, my eyes still focused on the books.

I don’t look at him but I feel his curious eyes on me. 

“It’s a shame. But when one of us reaches the rank of Captain, learning to is mandatory.”

I pluck a book from the shelf, turning it in my palm before putting it back. I can feel his impatience in the air, but he doesn’t interrupt me. 

“We’re simple creatures when it comes down to it.”

I pull out another book, smiling as I recognise the title. My hands brush over the beautiful golden script sprawling across the cover. 

“Every Captain has a favourite book, Alexander. And that book is our code.”

I close the book with a resounding thump, before putting back on the shelf and turning back to face the other. I cross my arms and look at him expectantly. 

“When I’m sitting on a rowboat, out of your reach, I’ll tell you what my favourite book is.”

The air between us is heavy as we lock eyes. We are at a stalemate. Whatever activities we had just participated in hadn’t tipped the scales in either direction, and all we have is our word. 

To be fair, I wouldn’t trust me either, but he didn’t have much of a choice. 

“So what do you think, Captain? Will you trust a pirate?”

Alexander scowls at me before he pushes himself up and strides towards me. I brace myself for his reaction, but he only glares at me and shoves past, knocking my shoulder as he goes. 

He storms through the cabin until he reaches the door at the end, throwing it open. As he’s about to step through, he glances at me over his shoulder. 

“Well? Do you want to leave or not?”

My eyebrows rise in surprise, but I’m quick to jump forward and follow him. 

Stepping out onto the deck, I notice that it’s eerily quiet. Men are still strewn about, some still cradling their rum bottles like babes. I roll my eyes. Really, what if they were ambushed? 

The waters are calm, and the boat sways soothingly.

Alexander still has a lot to learn about running a crew. But it’s not my place to teach him. Instead I follow him from the quarter deck and onto the main deck, where the longboat is hanging over the gunwharf. 

“Take that side,” says the Imperial bluntly. 

I see him gesturing at the left side pulley, so I do as I’m told and together we lower the longboat into the water. As I watch it swaying in the faint current, I feel Alexander’s eyes on me. He’s waiting for the cipher. 

“The numbers; page, line and word.”

Alexander nods, clearly having figured out that much. I nod in return, because now my heart is racing. I wrap the pulley rope around my hand and wrist, using it to pull myself easily onto the gunwharf. My eyes are on the longboat. 

Just jump down, get in, and row away. I’ll be laughing my arse off all the way to Purgatory. 

As I am about to do so, resolute in my decision, I hear a faint clink. 

Turning my head, Alexander is facing me. His hand is up, and my watch dangles from it’s chain between his fingers. It sways in the breeze and I feel the surprise on my face. I had… completely forgotten.

Using the rope, I swing myself around until I’m balancing effortlessly on the ship’s edge. I’m right in front of him, standing much taller. 

With a small frown, I crouch in front of him, my arm raised from where it’s tangled in the ropes. I c**k my head as I study him, but he’s just so unreadable. With slow movements, I reach out and gently clasp the watch in my palm. Alexander lets it go, his eyes boring into my own before he coughs and turns his head. 

The watch is heavy in my palm, and I run my thumb over the old metal. He… didn’t have to give this back. Is this some kind of test? Or is he… just being nice? 

Surely, it’s a tactic. How could it not be? The man is manipulating me and I’m drinking it in like a thirsty w***e. I slip the watch into my pocket and look up. He’s watching me again, those sea blue eyes dancing. 

“Tell me the cipher.”

His voice is soft, almost inviting. I want to, which is an odd sensation. But I lean forward, holding myself with the rope and stopping inches from his face. My eyes roam over his lips, to the mussed up blonde hair. I can still hear his moans in my ear. I smirk, my lips grazing over his. 

But the biting remark dies on my tongue. The watch is heavy in my pocket. I… can’t lie.

“The Sea Song.”

His eyes widen and I feel a rush of embarrassment colour my cheeks. There’s not much I can do about it. It is my favourite book, be it a child’s story or not. 

He opens his mouth before he seems to think better of it, snapping his mouth shut and nodding. 

“Alright.”

There’s a heavy moment, one that makes me hold my breath. He has what he wants. Our eyes both go to the pistol sitting in a holder around his chest. I swallow thickly. Have I made a fatal mistake? 

Alexander’s jaw tenses before he gestures with his head at the longboat. 

I let out my breath in a rush, tightening my grip on the pulley before using it to absail down the side of the grand ship. As my boots hit the longboat, I glance up. 

Alexander is leaning on the gunwharf, watching me curiously. No pistol in hand. 

I take my chance, setting the oars in the fixings before letting them dip in the water. As I begin to row, I can’t help but look up at the captain. He’s standing there, getting smaller and smaller the further the current carries me away. 

I’ve f****d over the entire pirate fleet. They’ll be out for blood. 

Ah, well. I’ve got to survive this first. Looking back again, the Lady Nightingale is swaying on a steady breeze. I can’t see her Captain any more, but I can feel his eyes on me. 

                                                                                                               ~

I make it to a tiny little island with one tavern and a harbour after a couple of days. I’m exhausted, thirsty, and filthy. 

The only thing I have to trade is the little stolen ruby egg, which the barhand/shop keeper scoops up greedily. He gives me pittance for it, but it’s enough for a room, food, launder and passage on a little fishing sloop back to civilisation. 

But my escape is nothing compared to what happens over the next few months.  

Alexander absolutely decimates the pirate fleet. 

Raids on safe houses, ambushes on ports. They seize caches and whole islands. They take no prisoners, and God only knows how many pirates they kill. 

I manage to recover some of my own gold, but I have to let the rest fall. If I don’t, I’ll be a suspect, and the pirates are f*****g raging. 

So many crews disbandoned, Captains captured and hung. Pirates are swarming the free ports, looking for work. Some of them are just drinking themselves to death. 

Do I feel guilty? Eh, maybe. But it was my life for theirs, and I sure as hell am not dying for those scummy bastards. 

I use my stashed gold to buy a small schooner. It’s a ramshackle piece of s**t, but it floats. Picking up a crew is easy enough too, considering they’ll work for pennies. 

Once I feel in control again, I find myself sailing towards Purgatory. The island is a bottomless pit of sleazy antics and primal debauchery. It’s my favourite place. 

We managed to raid a couple of merchant vessels along the way without doing much but raise our flag. They surrendered their cargo willingly, even helped us move it on board. They were very considerate merchants, and I had even invited them to join my crew. They didn’t take my offer, but they did share some rum with us. 

So we have plenty of fine silks and potent spices to sell. It should be a good haul. 

I’m probably going to let my crew go. They’re not particularly good pirates, and in all honesty, they can’t sail for s**t. I’ll have to recruit some half decent sailors before I set sail again. Although there’s nothing to really sail for. The Imperials are on every ocean, patrolling the busiest intersections. 

If I can avoid them, though… the merchant vessels are getting cocky with all the pirates off the waters. It’ll be easy pickings. 

                                                                                            ~~

The noise is almost deafening. A mixture of drunken shouts, with the clinking of glasses. There are high pitched, forced giggles from the working girls. The place is shabby, with low lighting and cheap silks. But it’s entertaining, and one can simply fade into the crowd. 

I’m sitting in a corner booth, my boots on the table. There’s a strapping young lad under my arm, and he’s doing some delightful things to my neck. I’m half-cut on bad ale, but I’m the most relaxed I’ve been in a long time. I sigh, letting my head fall back as the lad’s lips move across my pulse point to under my chin. 

He’s certainly talented, I’ll give him that. It’s quite a luxury to be the one paying for a change. 

The lad starts on the top buttons of my shirt, popping a few and slipping his hand inside. He gently caresses over my collarbone, his fingers pressing in slightly. I let out a small moan, completely content to be pampered. He rubs my chest for a few moments before he adds his lips to my neck again. 

I feel a lazy flicker of lust in my gut as he keeps moving. I don’t even remember his name, or what he looks like. But he cost me two gold coins, so I only expect the best. 

He seems to sense my arousal, shifting himself until he’s straddling my lap. I crack my eyes open, putting my mug of ale on the table so that I can grab his arse with both hands. The lad moans expertly, leaning forward as he bites his lower lip. 

Oh, he’s good. I bet he’s got half the clients in this place eating from his palm. 

I lift my head and smirk as he settles on my lap. No one is paying us any mind - but even if they were, there are far worse things going on out in the open. s*x is cheaper without a room, and no one here has any modesty. 

I’ve paid for the night, and a room, so this is just the beginning. 

He works his clever fingers over my buttons until the front of my shirt is completely open. He’s a good actor, because I see the want in his eyes. That kind of facade is hard to master.

I’m too engrossed in what he’s doing to hear that the din of the brothel had quieted somewhat. It’s only when the lad stops and turns do I look up. 

A group of men are walking into the heart of the brothel. They’re ragged and wearing a lot of black leather. I frown, wondering who had forgotten to pay a tab. The men part a little to allow another to come through, and that’s when I feel my heart sink into my stomach. 

“Where is he?”

I swallow thickly, letting myself sink further into the cushions. The brothel is silent, obviously noticing who the men are. 

My eyes are locked onto the man speaking. 

He’s tall and slender, with a splash of dark brown hair falling into his eyes. He’s wearing a black shirt, the sleeves rolled to the elbow. There’s black leather gloves on his hands which match the  vest. Dark breeches with a shiny black belt. A sword is sitting against his hip. There’s two pistol holders around his chest, the twin guns sitting above his hips, catching the light as he turns from side to side expectantly. 

No one speaks. 

He smiles. Ah, that face. 

His features are hidden by a short black beard, but his eyes are brimming with life. They stand out stark against his tanned skin, as grey as molten steel. There’s a mischievous air about him as he starts to circle around the room. 

The patrons and workers are silent, watching the intruders with bated breath. 

I feel the lad on my lap start to shift, but my hands fly up to his hips and hold him there. He turns to me, his eyes narrowed. Something is obviously written on my face, because his lips part in surprise before he looks back at the men.

“I know he’s here… Oh, Hamish Black - won’t you come out and say hello…?” He sings, his voice dropping and pitching dangerously.

I flinch and the boy sensing danger, scrambles out of my grasp. He pulls away from me, leaving me exposed. They haven’t noticed us, since we’re so far back, but the man at the front of the brutes snaps his fingers. 

The thugs burst into motion, spreading in every direction. There’s yelps and shouts as they shove people, pull them up and out the way. Chaos ensues as they begin to tear the brothel apart. I grimace, slipping from the cushions and under the table. 

The working girls are shrieking, fluttering and skittering about. The patrons are shouting, starting to fight back. But they’re no match against Morgan’s crew. 

I know it’s them, and not just because of their leader. They’re all wearing identical red sashes around their waist, with gold thread embroidered throughout. 

From my perch under the table, I can see them tearing their way through the room. They’ll be on me in moments. I glance around, noticing the small door behind a curtain to the right. The working girls are making their way to it. Taking a breath, I scurry from under the table and into the flow of the girls. I’m a hair’s breadth away from the threshold of my escape before I feel an iron grip around my arm. 

I yelp as I’m hauled backwards like a f*****g ragdoll. I grunt as I hit something hard, and said something is quick to shove me onto my knees. Two men grab my arms and twist them behind me, sending a shock of pain into my shoulders. 

I growl as I struggle against them, but it’s no use. 

The brutes are surrounding me, the victory clear on their predatory faces. I hear a low chuckle as the steel-eyed man saunters over to us. He stops just in front of me, so close that I can see the intricate detail on his expensive boots. 

“Hello, Hamish.”

Taking a small breath, I raise my head with a bright smile. 

“Julian! What a pleasure, I didn’t see you there!”

Julian gives me a wide, s**t-eating grin and I feel my heart slamming against my ribs. 

“How’ve you been? It’s been a while,” I ask casually, as though we’re having tea and scones.

Julian crosses his arms, waving his hand casually as though I’m not on my knees in front of him. 

“Yes, well, I’ve been exploring the warmer seas.”

“Oh, how lovely. Did you find your fortune?”

The man clucks his tongue, laughing at my casual tone. I hear a few of the brutes around me laugh at my audacity. There’s not much I can do, considering they’ve caught me. 

“Yes, I did. Enough to replace the cache you stole from me.”

The hands holding me tighten, pulling my arms back harder. I cry out, feeling the pressure in my shoulders. They’ll pop them both out, and I suppose that’s what they’re intending. I gather myself, laughing politely even as I wince. 

“Ah, that. I thought you would have let that go by now. It’s been, what? Four years? Water under the bridge by now, eh?”

The sharp, blinding pain across my face tells me that, perhaps, it isn’t water under the bridge. 

I roll my jaw before gathering the blood in my mouth and spitting it to the side. 

“Guess not.”

Julian’s eyes flash and he narrows them at me. He sneers before jerking his head. 

“Take him to the ship. I think my father has a few choice words for him.”

All playfulness vanishes from my face and I blanch. He smirks at my reaction before I’m hauled roughly to my feet. I can hardly breathe from fear as they pull me out of the tavern. I start to struggle as they drag me by my arms through the streets. 

I see people watching us curiously, but no one dares to interfere. The thought probably doesn’t even cross their mind. 

We get closer to the harbour, and I see the beautiful brigantine looming before me. I know the ship, I recognise her. She’s still much the same, if a bit more weather beaten. The sails are pulled tight but the flag is still at full mast.

The background of it is red, with a black flaming skull at the center.

The panic overtakes me and I really start to struggle in earnest. The pure terror of knowing that Kellian Morgan is aboard that vessel overwhelms me. I kick and twist, managing to get one arm free before there’s a debilitating punch to my gut. 

I grunt and crumple, before my arms are taken again and I’m hauled up the walkway. The pirates drag me across the deck and I’m still struggling to catch my breath. 

Suddenly I’m dropped unceremoniously. I hear their cruel laughs fade as a door is slammed and I’m lying in the dark. I cough hard, my stomach aching and my cheek stinging. I groan as I roll onto my back, still struggling. I’ve had far worse, but being slightly drunk isn’t helping much. 

After a few moments, I manage to force myself to sit up. 

Looking around, I’m in the captain’s cabin. It’s small, but it’s familiar. 

The same small table, the same rickety desk. The same shelves and books. I turn and see the cot at the far back. Clothes are sprawled across the room and I feel a little tug of nostalgia. But it’s replaced quickly by terror. 

I can’t see Kellian. If I see him, he’ll kill me. Or worse. 

I’ve learned there are things a lot worse than death. 

Regaining some strength, I scramble to my feet. Without a moment’s hesitation, I make for the window at the back of the cabin. I push at it, fumbling with the catch. It’s locked. There’s a small padlock around the catch and I curse under my breath. 

Looking around, I grab the nearest piece of clothing. I wrap it frantically around my hand before turning back to the window. Bracing myself, I force my wrapped fist as hard as I can through the glass. 

It explodes into tiny little fragments and I let out a triumphant gasp. With my hand still wrapped, I push at any remaining fragments around the edges until its completely empty. Someone will have heard that. 

I throw the material from my hand and lift my leg up, hooking it outside. I’ve just about got my footing along the ridge outside, when I hear the resounding slam of a door closing. 

I look up. 

Julian is standing there, in all his dark glory. I can’t see his face, but I can see the mirth in his eyes. 

“Going somewhere?”

I lift my other leg, trying my damndest to shove it out the window. 

“Oh well it’s such a lovely night,” I start frantically. “I would hate to - umph-”

My words are cut off as something grabs the back of my jacket. I’m yanked effortlessly back through the window pane and shoved back into the cabin. I stumble before catching myself on the edge of the desk. 

I swing myself around, keeping him in my sight, but I still can’t see his features. There’s no escaping him now. I’ll have to face my fate. I wince and brace myself as he storms towards me. I smell the sharp tang of salt water and gunpowder emitting from his skin, he’s standing so close. 

I close my eyes, awaiting my fate. 

Arms are suddenly engulfing me, as strong as iron bars. I barely have a chance to gasp before hot lips are on mine, rough and hard and demanding. 

Relief floods through me so fast that it makes me dizzy, but I lean into the desperate kiss. I wrap my arms around his shoulders and pull him close. 

His taste is so familiar and comforting that I never realised just how much I’ve missed him. His tongue floods my mouth, searching and demanding a response. I oblige, moaning as his arms tighten around my body. 

The hunger is apparent as he crushes my body against his own. 

I gasp, trying to catch my breath. But he’s not finished, chasing my lips with his own. My arms around his shoulders tighten before I effortlessly haul my legs up, clamping them around his hips. He shudders against me, pulling away for a moment and resting his forehead against mine. 

Our breath is mingling, the two of us panting. 

“I’ve missed you so much.”

His voice is quiet, tender, and it makes my stomach flutter. 

I smile faintly, moving my hands up and into his hair. 

“I missed you too, Jules.”

His arms tighten around me and he leans back, his eyes so much brighter now they’re so close. He searches my face for something, but I’m not paying any mind. Instead I’m studying the little creases in the corner of his eyes. 

There’s a new scar through his eyebrow, long since healed but leaving a little silver sliver.

My hands tighten in his hair. I didn’t think I would ever be in his arms again. I didn’t think he would ever want me in them. But his smile is playful, as mischievous as ever. He’s just like the young lad I once knew. 

He leans forward and presses a flurry of kisses against my lips and in each corner, and I laugh. 

As he burrows his face into my neck, I let out a long sigh. 

Then it’s like something flickers to life in my mind, and I lower my legs before shoving him away with all the strength I have. 

He blinks, bewildered, before I raise my hand and land a smart slap across his face. 

Julian starts, his hand cupping his jaw before he turns his head back towards me. A grin is plastered over his rugged features and the scowl on my face soon melts into a mirroring grin. 

“I deserved that.”

“You’re damn right you did. Slapping me like a b***h in front of all your men. Big man now, are we?”

Julian shrugs before his cheeky smile infects me again and I laugh.

“Well I am a Captain now.”

My eyebrows raise in surprise. 

“Huh. So old Kelly’s finally retired then?”

Julian lets out a bark of laughter. 

“Hamish, you know he would never. That man’s gonna die at the helm.”

I hum thoughtfully, watching the other as he shoves his hand into his hair and brushes it back.

“So you’re his errand boy, then?”

Julian looks up at me with a scowl and I snicker. 

“I captain The Killer’s Pride.”

I nod. From what I’ve heard, Kellian Morgan has accumulated quite the fleet. He’s the biggest pirate on the ocean, with at least five ships under his command. It makes sense that his son is at the helm of his second biggest ship. It still surprises me, though. 

“I thought you never wanted to sail under his flag.”

Julian sighs, turning towards me and closing the distance between us. One of his hands reaches up and he wraps a finger around one of my curls, tugging gently. The gesture is so achingly familiar that I hold my breath and my heart flutters. 

“This is the first time you’ve seen me in two years, and you want to talk about my father?”

I smile, shaking my head. 

“And what is it you want to do?”

His wicked smirk is answer enough.

---

Julian

I knew he was here. The moment we moored in the dock and I saw that rickety piece of s**t barely keeping afloat, I knew it was him. 

My heart raced at the thought of seeing him again. After coming back from my travels, I had intended on hunting him down as soon as I could. But I was called back for a reason, and my father informed me that the pirates had been made. They were being destroyed from all angles. 

They were in a race to secure their fortunes, and I was sent to secure my father’s loot. We needed new hideouts, new stash locations. New recruits, new ships. The Imperials had information that they shouldn’t have, and they were using it to cleanse the oceans. 

The past few weeks had been spent going to and fro, finding my father’s treasure and taking it to his new island. 

But my men needed a break, and so did I. It’s just my luck that I see his schooner bobbing up and down in the Purgatory harbour. 

I’m excited. My stomach is rolling as I send out my boys to go and find him. 

He’ll be in some back alley brothel, I’m sure. Not hard to figure out, that one. 

As soon as I see him trying to scurry out the brothel like the little bilge rat he is, I feel the familiar ache in my heart. He’s not changed at all. No bigger, no smaller. Still just as arrogant and stunningly beautiful. 

He always has been, even that skinny little runt that my father bought all those years ago. 

As I look at him, the two of us standing alone in my cabin, I have to fight the urge to completely claim him. I want him, I always have. There’s always been a soft spot for this cheeky devil in my heart. I don’t dare admit it, though. All it’ll do is scare him off. 

So I take what I can, when I can. I know he feels something for me. I know it in the way he moans my name. But whatever we have, it’s left unspoken. God forbid Hamish have feelings. Not that I blame him. I know what he’s been through. I know why he is how he is. And there was nothing I could do to help him. Not when we were younger. Not now. 

I close the distance between us, twirling a curl around my finger and forcing him to look up at me. Those eyes are dancing, always so expressive and alive. I smile, leaning down to kiss him gently. 

I’ll take what I can.