"Piracy Of the Heart"

This is a songfic based on Love How It Hurts by Scouting For Girls. The setting is how Nassau is portrayed in Black Sails. French is included and all necessary translations are at the end of each part.

Part One - Second Sails

Captain Arthur Kirkland, a name known and feared by many as he would do anything to get what he wanted no matter the cost to those around him. His crew, the most loyal group of blaggards you could have. They were so grateful to have him as their captain, as he made them the richest men in the West Indies at the time. The other pirates wanted to be him, the whores wanted to be with him but the Navy, well they wanted to behead him. Arthur never disclosed how he got those men so rich to anyone but the lads on the island. But the Navy knew. They had been tracking the same riches for YEARS.

The famous treasure of Captain William Kidd, a courageous Scottish pirate that died in 1701, leaving behind millions worth of silver and gold ingots in an unidentified location off the African coast. Arthur however, figured it out after years and years of dedication, study, and scraping by on small prizes. At first, his men hadn't believed him, hell no one on all of their home on New Providence Island believed him. But the day his ship the Mercury had come back from Île Sainte-Marie near Madagascar, he had proved them all wrong, he became the most fearsome pirate of his time.

'SAILS' was yelled from the crow's nest and Captain Kirkland ran atop the deck. The ships Quartermaster, Alfred Jones ran to the wheel to get the telescope which was stood upright beside it, bringing it down and opening it before handing it to the Captain. 'It's a schooner,' the captain stated, deciding the boat was far too small to carry a grand prize 'not worth our time.' He shook his head at the ship's First Mate who was behind the wheel, Arthur's brother, Allistor Kirkland. 'Sir, it may be a small one, but...the flag.' the Quartermaster pointed out as Arthur furrowed his brows in confusion before taking another look through the telescope. The King's flag was raised from the main mast. The Navy. 'Lower the black and get us underway' he yelled to his crew of 10 as he made his way back to his cabin.

Arthur stood before the mirror in his quarter's and just stared at himself. He was a sleek young man, toned body yet not too tall. His hair a short blonde which was slicked back and his slight stubble were an easily recognizable look the man's face always carried. Eyes a deep shade of sea green and prominent eyebrows were mesmerizing to watch, according to one of the whores back in Nassau but Arthur liked to think so too. He hadn't very interesting features but one thing that stood out about his appearance were the scars running up and down his chest that he had received from a man that once kept him prisoner. Arthur was at some times ashamed of them, but other times they gave him great pride.

He wore a long white puffy shirt with sleeves ripped and the ends tucked away beneath the same brown pants the rest of his crew dressed in. He did, however, have a pair of leather boots personalized with his sigil, a skull with a dagger piercing the right eye socket.

As the flag of the ship was lowered and the vessel was turned around to face home, Sadik Adnan up in the crows nest yelled again, 'SAILS'. Sighing, Arthur opened the cabin door and shouted up at him, 'We heard you the first time, Adnan.'

'No. Second sails.' Sadik called back as Alfred re-appeared by the captains' side, telescope in hand. Arthur took it from him and faced it in the direction Sadik had pointed.

This ship was close to land, their land, but there was something off about it. Tilting the telescope upwards, the Captain saw the flag and gasped aloud, 'French. A French merchant.' he distinguished, 'Why is it near New Providence, captain?' asked one of the confused crewmen. 'I have no idea lad, but how's about we board her and grab ourselves a French prize?' he laughed as the men jeered and got ready to set upon the ship. They had enough resources to take the trade vessel but they would have to make some compromises in the act by forgetting about the nearing navy ship that watched them closely.

As the Mercury made way to their prize, the opposite ship stopped. 'Raise the black.' Arthur ordered one of his men as he watched the Frenchmen's reactions through the telescope. They were close, quite close. He saw a few of the men scramble as they noticed the flag go up and a voice came from the starboard side of the boat, 'Vous imbéciles, vous avez peur d'une menace mineure' the French captain yelled at the trembling sailors.

A man with silky blonde hair, long and tied back into a pony tail that reached down to the midpoint between his shoulders. He wore a purple shirt that was similar to Arthur's own but his trousers were white instead of brown. He carried no weapon but did carry a noble brooch on his shirt from the French first class which the Englishman recognized almost immediately. What was a man like him doing in a place like this? Why were they not sailing away in fear?

I've been waiting

All my life

For someone like you

To come mess with my mind

The merchants complied and allowed the pirates to board them, all 6 of the French crew kneeling weaponless in a bunch before Alfred who had his pistol at the ready.

'And where might the captain be?' Arthur asked, chuckling as the blonde man had clearly abandoned his crew to hide in his quarters, which he was right about, as one of the trembling sailors pointed towards the cabin door.

Sighing in sarcasm, 'Too easy' he whispered, slowly opening the door and heading inside, closing it behind him. 'Captain? Where aaare yooou' he singsonged as he looked around the empty room. 'That's Capitaine to you.' a voice, thickly accented came from behind the large desk as the chair was swiveled around. The man sat there, not a care in the world. No weapon, no fear and certainly no boundaries as his shirt lay half off his shoulders.

Icy blue eyes stared at him with a crease in each corner growing as the man broke into a smile, 'Ah, Captain Kirkland. The stories I've heard of you don't even come close to the real deal. It's nice to finally meet you.' The Frenchman stood up from his chair, heading over and extending his hand, expecting it to be shaken. 'Who ARE you?' Arthur asked him, putting his gun away and shaking the man's hand. He had never seen such confidence before and normally he would have already shot him, but this felt different. Something inside him told him not to shoot, but he couldn't tell if it was his head or his heart.

'My name is Francis and I-' the intriguing stranger started before being interrupted, 'Bonnie-foy? What kind of surname is Bonnie-foy?' the Englishman snickered, reading the spelling of his full name from the journal that lay upon the desk. 'It's pronounced Bonnefwah, don't be rude ma douce' the pirate turned up his nose at the pet name as Francis corrected him with a slight hint of annoyance in his tone. 'Anyway, I am here because I want to join your crew if you don't mind. The stories of you impressed me and I want to experience these adventures too. I am quite a big deal back in France if you couldn't already tell, so I have no problem providing money for expeditions or the like.' The man spoke with confidence and nonchalant, although with an accent that Arthur found sometimes hard to make out. 'Wow, full of yourself much? They're not just expeditions, lad. This is a life you have to give up everything for. It's not as pleasant as the stories make it seem you know.'

Arthur didn't like that Francis didn't see the danger or the hardship of the life of a pirate. They faced death almost every day. The chances of poverty, scurvy and being caught by the King's men were ten times larger than those chances would be for a nobleman like him.

'You have it easy already, don't change that for this life.' Arthur informed him, not understanding why the man was so adamant. 'I don't want the first class life, there's no excitement, no adventure. Just the same boring repetition of events every damned day of it. I wish to explore with you and your men. I wish to see the world and to try new things and meet new people. Our native countries are finally getting along, Capitaine, why can't I join you?' Francis almost pleaded, but in his eyes, it was more of a negotiation.

'I don't think you understand what this life involves...' the Pirate trailed off, looking down at the sword in its black and gold scabbard. 'Then show me, mon amour.'

Arthur didn't know why, but this time he wasn't as disgusted with the pet name as he was initially.

Ma douce - My sweet

Vous imbéciles, vous avez peur d'une menace mineure - You imbeciles, afraid of a minor threat

Capitaine - French for captain lmao

Mon amour - My love