The pirates were very confused at first at seeing that they were sailing into Paris again. They hadn't been there since their adventure with Communists. Upon asking the Pirate Captain about it, he told them that after the success of his proposal to his beloved first mate, the Pirate with a Scarf, he thought it would be a very good idea to celebrate by going to the very place nicknamed "The City of Love". They all agreed that that was a very nice idea and decided to go along with it. So, when the boat docked at the Paris harbour, they got off, wearing the same girl guide disguises they wore during their adventure with scientists and proceeded to make their way into the grand French capital.
During their stay there, the excited pirates explored the city of Paris and visited many of its famous sites, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum and even the Notre Dame Cathedral. They also went to see the cabaret shows and the Cancan dancers at the Moulin Rouge theatre. They then decided to go and see a production of Faust at the famous Paris Opera House, where they heard stories about the notorious "Phantom", said to haunt the catacombs of the theatre. This frightened the Albino Pirate a little, but the Pirate Captain just scoffed and dismissed it as superstitious nonsense.
In between visiting these amazing sites, they also went to a lot of shoppes and bought themselves plenty of souvenirs to take back to the boat with them. The Pirate Captain even suggested to the Pirate with a Scarf that they excuse themselves from the rest of the crew and go and have a private romantic dinner in one the restaurants at some point. However, the first mate wasn't so keen on that, despite the fact that he would really have loved to as well. This was the Victorian era after all, when any gay couple seen together in public, even if they had been caught doing something as innocent as a mere smooch, would end up getting arrested on the spot. Having been once again reminded of this fact, the Pirate Captain reluctantly agreed and decided against it.
Soon, it got very late, and a lot of the pirates were getting tired, so the Pirate Captain allowed them all to go back to the boat, whilst he and the Pirate with a Scarf waited behind a little longer. The crew all agreed and said goodnight to their Captain and his new fiancé before heading back to the boat. Since it was late, the streets of Paris were now practically empty because a lot of the citizens would have also gone to their beds by now. This caused the engaged pirates to feel safe enough to shed their disguises and walk through the streets together in their normal pirate attire. They even summoned up enough courage to walk hand in hand together when they were alone, but would immediately let go and pretend to be just friends when they saw or heard someone coming.
It really was a beautiful night the two pirates shared together. Despite the horrendous light pollution caused by the many lit street lamps along the city pavements, the stars could still be seen shining brightly in the pitch black sky above. It was the perfect night for a soon-to-be-married couple like the Pirate Captain and the Pirate with a Scarf to spend together, especially in Paris, the City of Love.
Eventually they both came to the Pont des Arts, one of the many bridges crossing the River Seine, and were both confused at seeing quite a lot of padlocks fixed to the railing. Taking the opportunity to examine a few of them, they saw that some had names or initials written on them, either with a few small heart shapes in amongst them or one big one encircling them. Some even had short romantic messages on them.
"What do you suppose these are, Number Two?" asked the Pirate Captain.
"I think these are love locks, sir," answered the Pirate with a Scarf.
The Pirate Captain just looked up at his first mate. "Oh? And what is a love lock?" he asked again, his confusion now replaced with interest.
"One of these traditions that sweethearts sometimes do," the younger pirate began to explain. "It's sort of like when they carve their names or initials into the side of a tree. Only here, they've written them onto these padlocks, fixed them to the railing and have thrown away the key, as a symbol of their undying love for one another."
Once his beloved deputy had finished his explanation, the Pirate Captain stood still to think for a few moments before finally saying, "You know, that's... really rather a good idea. We should make one for ourselves!"
The Pirate with a Scarf just looked at his captain with a look of fear in his eyes. "Captain, are you really sure that's such a good idea?" he asked nervously. "I mean, what if someone passing by should read it? They'll know it was put there by two men!"
The Pirate Captain just chuckled to himself as he shook his head. "My dear Number Two," he said, unable to take the smile off his luxuriantly bearded face. Walking up to his scarf-wearing fiancé, he put his hands on his shoulders and looked deeply into those gorgeous ocean blue eyes as he continued, "You always worry yourself so much about getting found out. You're forgetting, we are pirates, which means we are already outlaws on the run. What difference is a padlock with our names written on it going to make?"
For a few seconds, the Pirate with a Scarf hesitated before sighing and shaking his head. "Not that much of a difference, sir," he answered.
"No difference at all is the correct answer, Number Two!" said the Captain, winking cheekily at the first mate. He give a small, chaste kiss to his deputy's lips before he began to lead him away by the hand.
"Where are we going, sir?" asked the Pirate with a Scarf, now confused as to why they were leaving the bridge.
"I'm sure I saw a locksmith's back along this way somewhere," answered the Pirate Captain. "We should be able to get a padlock out of there."
"But, sir, don't you think it's a little late?" asked the Pirate with a Scarf again. "Most of the shoppes will be closed by now."
"Oh, no need to worry about that, Number Two," the Captain said reassuringly to him. "We could always retrieve one the good old pirate way; by breaking in and stealing one."
Upon reaching the nearest locksmith's, the two pirates found that it was indeed closed and appeared to be empty. Knowing the the door would already have been locked, the Pirate Captain took his World of Hooks discount card out of his pocket, slipped it the crack between the door and the door frame and wriggled it about for a few moments before he heard that telltale click! which meant that the door was now unlocked. He pushed the door open as slowly as he could, thankfully without a sound, and tiptoed into the shoppe. The Pirate with a Scarf watched anxiously as the elder pirate disappeared into the dark shoppe, hoping that he wouldn't be heard by anyone who may still have been inside. He then took a look around him to see if anyone was coming. Much to the first mate's relief, the streets of Paris remained empty and silent, save for the noises of a pirate searching for a lock inside a dark, empty shoppe from within. Thankfully, it seemed only a couple of minutes had passed until the Captain finally emerged, a smug grin on his face as he held a large, brass padlock up between his thumb and index finger.
"Success!" he whispered triumphantly.
The Pirate with a Scarf fought to suppress a laugh as he and the Pirate Captain began making their way through the streets, heading back to the Pont des Arts.
"But, sir, supposing someone sees us fixing that padlock to the railing," he said when he felt his nervousness returning to him.
The Pirate Captain chuckled again. "Oh, we could always make a run for it," he answered, winking at the younger pirate.
Once back at the Pont des Arts, the Pirate Captain gave the padlock to the Pirate with a Scarf, along with the black permanent marker he had taken out of his pocket. The younger pirate took the hint and wrote the Captain's initials onto it in block capitals. He then handed both the padlock and the marker back to the elder pirate, who wrote a plus sign under his initials, followed by the Pirate with a Scarf's initials under that before encircling it all in a huge love heart. The Captain then fastened the lock onto the railing before turning back to his beloved first mate.
"There," he said, smiling lovingly. "Our love is now officially sealed."
"Not just yet, it's not, sir," replied the Pirate with a Scarf, returning the Captain's smile as he walked right up to him. Wrapping his arms around the elder pirate's neck, he added in a lower voice, "First, you need to throw away the key, remember?"
"Hm...? Oh yes, quite right," answered the Pirate Captain, his own voice also barely above a whisper. He gazed deeply into the younger pirate's sapphire blue eyes, which seemed to be filled with that look of love and longing he recognised all too well. He pulled the Pirate with a Scarf close to him and their lips met in a passionate kiss. During their lip lock, the Pirate Captain absentmindedly held the key over the railing. For a few seconds, it hung loosely between his fingertips before he let it slip free. It plummeted from quite a height before it finally hit the water with a splash!, which could barely be heard by the kissing pirate above. It quickly disappeared into the dark depths of the Seine where it could never be recovered, thus sealing their love forever. Sadly, they were soon forced to part lips thanks to their growing need for air and just continued to gaze deeply into each other's eyes.
"Thank you so much for today, sir," the Pirate with a Scarf whispered.
The Pirate Captain smiled. "Think nothing of it, Number Two," he whispered back, putting a calloused hand to his lover's cheek. "The pleasure was all mine."
The Pirate with a Scarf returned the smile before leaning in for another kiss, which the Captain returned enthusiastically. This only lasted for several more seconds before the elder pirate pulled away and said, "Well, we'd better get back to the boat now."
The Pirate with a Scarf nodded. "Yes, good idea," he replied.
With that, the Pirate Captain began leading the Pirate with a Scarf by the hand along the streets of Paris, heading to the docks where their boat was waiting for them. Behind them, they left the padlock on which they had just written each other's initials, hanging from the railing of the Pont des Arts, the symbol of their undying love.