Genre: Romance/Fantasy
Rating: T/M
Summary: Growing up the subject of pirates had been somewhat vague. What else could one expect from a society fearing a lifestyle unfamiliar to them? Though, I suppose society may be the incorrect term as it implied collectiveness. I never feared pirates, until now. "You are a monster" "I'm a pirate, love."
A tale of shattered morality and sinfully sweet abandon
Pirates. Thieves, scum of the sea, scallywags, buccaneers. All were correct terms amongst the general population and then some. Though, none of them belonged on the tongue of a civil man. 'Criminals' they were often whispered amongst each other, rarely did one ever let the term 'pirate' slip from their mouth if they hoped to maintain a certain level of respect in society. The only times such vulgar was freely spread was amongst the crowd in the gallows, encouraging their senseless slaughter with vicious, taboo language.
Seemingly senseless as it were, the act or even aiding and abetting the cause of their extermination was considered such a holy operation. Those responsible were often fussed over. In fact, most if not all of them at some point ended up leading a battalion against the pirates. It was addictive to them. Humans naturally fear what they cannot control and so the problem became an epidemic.
There were those, and others who chose to let such hatred reside far from them. Yugi was one of these people. It was not that he stood for the morals of a pirate, just the opposite in fact. He was the son of an honest merchant. Though, honest was certainly not an adjective he would use loosely to describe his father, criminals had no place in his upbringing. He'd simply been exposed to the negativity of the subject his entire life, and there for had lost all sensitivity to the meaning of the word 'pirate'.
One does not fear something they have never had the misfortune to cross paths with. He'd never met a pirate. The only glimpse he was ever allowed of the thieves were the occasional times he would walk past the gallows on his way from the Lady Mai's Tailoring Shoppe. Other than that his image of society's claimed enemy was but a vicious blur in the back of his mind he rarely paid heed to.
Yugi had no time for such trivial concerns.
"Good evening, Lady Mai," young lad greeted, courteously bowing to the woman in question. Despite the formal greeting he had presented the maiden with, the two were very much close friends. Unfortunately, seeing as how Yugi was born into a family of merchants, he was constantly moving around, following the population where it grew from and where it withered. Their life was business, and he accepted this. However, given the steady flow of production and profit, they were currently experiencing something of a golden age and had not moved for a solid four years. This had enabled him to finally make attachments with his fellow neighbors, though he had few.
The maiden's body had flinched, albeit slightly; it was a motion that could not be caught by anyone lacking a keen eye. Though she was not facing him, he noted her sudden stiffening and the relief that followed after looking over her shoulder, only to be greeted with the sight of her loyal friend and long time customer.
"Oh, Yugi darling, you frightened me." The blonde woman placed a feminine hand atop her bosom, over her heart. Her full lips had curled upwards upon notice of the boy waiting respectfully to be allowed passage at the door jamb; using her other hand, she motioned the boy forward as a silent plea to just allow himself in.
The boy curtly nodded, entering the tailor without a moment's hesitation as to quickly rid of the frigid autumn air nipping persistently at any inch of his exposed, reddening skin. He promptly sealed the shabby wooden door shut behind him, not wanting to inconvenience his female counterpart by allowing the unpleasant outside air to mingle with the quite warm and pleasant atmosphere lingering in the confines of the shoppe.
Mai rose from her knelt position on the ground before the walls stocked with a plethora of colorful fabrics and threads alike. It was not proper for a lady to be working in such conditions, let alone squatting down during the job or at any time for that matter. This was one of the things Yugi liked about his female friend. She did not allow society to cloud her judgment nor her plan of action in life. She was far more outstanding than himself, in his own opinion.
"It's nice to see you, milady." Yugi smiled, drawing closer into the room and further away from the door behind him. Milady was not a term one may usually hear addressing a commoner, but the boy's father had always made it a strong point that, while he was to respect both his customers and superiors above all, he must treat every single women as though she were a princess. The notion in and of itself seems ridiculous, even to the most noble of men. The young male had assumed the moral had stemmed from his mother's untimely death, though this was also before his father began to partake in the nasty habit of drinking.
The respective 'princess' before him simply shook her head. After four long years of assuring the male he could dispense with formalities and coming up with not an ounce of success, she chose to accept his admirable endearments. Though, there were times were she had managed to influence a slip up or two, whether it be by their increasing familiarity or her insistence.
"Yes, well, I fear you may have caught me at a rather awful time. It appears the silk weaver I had been negotiating prices with had seen it fit to decline my offer and opt for a new one initiated by a noble man's wife, in Spain no less." The woman released a labored sigh through her nostrils, brushing the wild blonde curls that insistently stuck to her face due to the heavily stress induced sweat clinging to her skin.
Yugi blinked, granting his friend a peculiar expression, "Silk? Why are you in need of silk?"
Mai turned to the young man, smiling in a rather sheepish manner as she proceeded to comb through the knotty strands of her hair, "Well… I had been hoping to keep the entire situation under lock and key so I have yet to tell the townsfolk, but I have the utmost trust in that you will not inform them of my intentions."
The male in front of the counter nodded as if to confirm her humbling inference; yet, suddenly, he was intrigued by the level of importance the unknown subject at hand seemed to hold for his female companion.
Her soft grin further became uncharacteristically timid, her cheeks lighting up with the faintest of blushes that made the gentleman watching feel as though he may have the ground slip up from under him at any moment. "He proposed last week. I've been gathering the necessary materials to tailor my wedding dress for the occasion." Her confession had come out quite easily, given her substantial confidence in the young merchant.
It took the male a few moments to comprehend her words, before realizing 'he' was probably referring to Duke, the naval commissioner's son she had entered a courtship with. The news was quite scandalous when it first came to light. Not many chose to accept such a refined nobleman would become so infatuated over such a hard up and crude common lady. It was sure to be the most controversial wedding of the century.
Aside from these thoughts, Yugi responded to the maiden's enthusiasm with his own, though it was clearly not as intense. Duke was a fairly decent man, though he could not help but be aware of the blatant fact this would more than likely result in her moving up town with her new fiancé. He was happy for her, but he knew he would miss his friend dearly.
"We have been unable to arrange the details as of late, what with the recent bereavement of his father's death, but I would prefer it if you and your father found time to attend the after party." Her expression was hopeful, but it held a slight sense of inevitable defeat. This was reasonable, taking into account his family's current situation.
Yugi's father had not attended a party, nor anything of official ordinance for that matter for quite some time. The only thing the merchant had in any sense of the word attended had been the occasional brothel or tavern. Don't misunderstand, his father was generally a decent man, but he just had an unrestrained taste for booze and a libido that could rival that of any given Greek god. Despite this he was by and large a conscientious father. Just like any other he would ensure that food ended up on the dinner table, and provide the boy with gifts on special occasions. Though, the gifts usually withheld some sort of suggestive subtext or were entirely unethical practical jokes.
The young lad shook his head, offering an expression of gratitude concerning the polite invitation. "Speaking of my father, I came by to see if the clothing had been prepared yet. Unfortunately, all of his clothing is beginning to reek of discarded rum and, if my nose dare not deceive me, a slight twinge of desperation."
Mai's eyes lit up in good humor, chuckling lightly before pulling a moderately sizable stack of sewn material onto the counter from beneath its wooden panels. Yugi immediately reached into his pocket to compensate her service with gold, but was quickly halted by a gentle grip seizing his wrist before it could delve into the confines of the fabric compartment. "You needn't dwell over any price. My services to you are merely as one friend to the other."
The young lad shook his head fervently, pulling his wrist back when it was released by the young tailor, "Lady Mai—
"Hush, now. You forget that I am soon-to-be wed to a nobleman. Money is but a trivial concern. But, if you truly wish to pay me back, you may do so at my wedding reception." The maiden smiled gently at the slightly defeated look upon the merchant's features. She would get her way, one way or another. Yugi should have known his female companion would resort to lowly tactics such as blackmail to assure his appearance at her wedding. Though, this was not to say he had decided otherwise in the first place.
A gentle smile replaced his goaded scowl as he loaded the clothes into the woven basket in his grip. He remained careful as to not allow the small bits and pieces of straw breaking off from the bottom to ruin the recently tailored clothes, for he did not wish to wear them out quicker than necessary. He had known the maiden far too long to become bothered by such a trifling occurrence; the fact was his female friend was merely doing the young male a favor. A favor of which he had no need of, but accepted gratefully despite.
"Very well, then I shall look forward to seeing you in dress, Lady Mai." He subtly accepted her invitation, or, rather, challenge if the dubious look the lady was currently sporting had anything to say on the matter. It needn't matter; the assurance that the male would be right by her side up to the alter had been an implied covenant between them for quite some time and he would not miss it for the world.
The seamstress leaned back, watching the lad shuffling back toward the door and pulling his cloak tighter against his body as the cold air greeted him with open arms once again, "And I shall look forward to seeing a very sober Mr. Mutou gracing me with his presence," implying the demand in a warning tone, while allowing a hint of mischief to reign upon her words.
Yugi merely rolled his eyes, turning away as he called back to the maiden, "Then you shall be waiting longer than you may think, madam!" these were his last words before he quickly sealed the ragged door shut once more, only to recoil and cringe at the sound of a somewhat sizable object thumping against the adjacent side of the door which had caused it to shutter slightly. He rarely ever called the Lady Mai 'madam', as he was aware it made her feel quite aged. Thus, that was the reason why she had more or less just aimed to, in the least, mortally wound him.
The young man released a hearty laugh, quickly scurrying down the wooden steps of the architecture in a sudden frenzy, as he was sure if he did not remove himself from the scene quickly or the tailor would do it for him. Assuredly, the Lady Mai was stronger than she appeared.
He glanced around as his run had steadied out into a brisk walk. It was nearly midday, and as one would observe the families spilling from their doors, one might think nothing of it. It was the time of day when children were allowed free reign on the streets. Mothers and wives alike would begin their laundry in a routine fashion; every now and then, the housewives conversed to one another on the subject of both their children and husbands. But the day they greeted was unlike most others.
While Yugi generally could not be bothered with town gossip, the news of the day had spread like wildfire. It was unavoidable that the boy knew their occasion. Assuming the whispers infesting the town as of late were correct, a crew just off the shore had spotted a pair of pirates loitering about the deck in a dingy and had been tried and sentenced to the gallows.
The presence of unanimous elation upon news of their death sentence was to such an extent, it had every household in ear shot pouring out of their homes like ants may have startled, or even repulsed, them. However, the occurrence of a simple hanging was nothing of substantial news to the young man passing by.
Piracy was a crime. A crime could not go unpunished, or it would fester and influence the morality of those looking on. Examples had to be made whether or not they were going to learn, as the government would proceed with its harsh castigation; if not to convince the general populace the act of piracy would receive no exemption to the rules, it was to eradicate the entire genus itself.
While he did not understand the excitement it might have brought one to witness the death of these criminals, he certainly agreed they must be dealt with in some manner. Fortunately or unfortunately, his view on the matter was incredibly limited, and this was the only thing he had to say on it. He had yet to develop a personal vendetta.
Upon sighting his home and workplace, he quickly pushed these thoughts aside, clutching the cloak around his body tighter as the wind tempted the attire to become airborne. He hated autumn. It was neither beautiful nor warm, especially not its late stages. Though, he supposed he should be grateful he was a good month away from the bitter conditions of winter as he did not want to commute on errands in the thick of snow.
Rain was beginning to leak from the sky. The wind played as its ally, greedily snatching the droplets that fell and whipping them in whichever direction. The clouds seemed far too sinister and foreboding for a town that had just flocked to the gallows for justice and entertainment. However, it seemed befitting of the situation, given its circumstances. Not even the sun would smile down upon the last fleeting moments of a pirate's life.
He made haste of turning the door knob, not wanting either his own nor his father's clothes to become soaked in what looked to be an oncoming, savage storm. Such occurrences were common given their geographical setting, but that did not mean they were not perilous and ruthless. In truth, they'd had to replace several small sections of the roof quite a few times from both treacherous gale winds and unanticipated storms. He considered himself lucky to have not lived near the beach as that was the most hazardous area.
Yugi quickly stumbled forward, making quick work to seal the door behind him, though the wind fought him to the end. Eventually it shut, prompting him to move into place the metal locks of which hung loosely over the hinges. He released a breath of relief, allowing the hood of his cloak to fall back before turning to proceed in his daily chores.
The lad was abruptly halted, however, by the shadowy image of a man standing at the counter of their shoppe. Given the dark tint of which the sky had taken on, the light had that normally flooded through the windows was dim, and provided a lack of visual. Despite this, he was able to distinguish a definite male outline, and though he was short, he looked quite built beneath the layers of clothing that hung loosely from his body. The male had turned to him upon entrance; head concealed beneath what the merchant guessed was a fairly sizable hat, implying affluence and power.
"Is this the Mutou residence?" His voice was low, dripping from his lips akin to honey as he twisted completely to face the beguiled merchant's son standing flabbergasted and slightly caught at the frontal vicinity of the doorway. The voice was very befitting of his reasonably strapping observable form, though the only thought running through the young male's mind at the time was just how the mysterious chap had found his way into an unmistakably closed shoppe.
He hesitated, jumping slightly when an incandescent bolt of lightning accompanied by a flamboyant role of thunder struck from the sky above, illuminating the room for a transient moment thereby allowing the petit son to fully gaze at the representation of the once shady gentleman before him. It was brief, but he noted the sharp blonde bangs jutting out from within the confines of the hat he immediately recognized as one belonging to an upscale captain. He observed the way the clearly decorated male's lips had thinned upon halting their movements. His jaw line was sharp, and assisted in the image of a gentleman who quite evidently meant business.
As abruptly as it came, the inundation of light had swiftly passed, leaving only the lingering open ended question amid them. The young male plainly shook it off, straightening his posture. "Yes... I'm sorry, do you wish to purchase something?"
Yugi turned, ridding his body of the ragged cloak upon his shoulders before hanging it up onto one of the crooked hangers atop the doorway. He vaguely registered a faintly ominous chuckle from behind him as he opted to ignore the sudden gloom of the current situation.
"I am here to retrieve something of my possession… though, I cannot purchase the item in question as I have already done so long ago." The inauspicious male explained, his shady figure leaning against the counter he had once been spotted standing over.
He gave the male a strange look, shaking his head flippantly as he made his way to his usual place behind the counter, "I'm sorry sir, we do not do pre-orders. I fear you must have us confused with another." He felt somewhat violated for unknown reasons; perhaps it was due to the fact the customer's face was angled at such a degree it implied intense eye contact. Something about the man simply did not sit well with Yugi.
"I am here to collect on a debt." He clarified.
Yugi's suspicious manner suddenly dropped, a theory influenced by years of experience clicking within his mind instantaneously, "Ah…You must be the victim of one of my father's most recent gambling scandals," he chuckled, a small grin of amusement replacing his bemused expression, "if you prefer, I can recover him from his quarters and he will with pleasure compensate his debt."
The slightly taller man's lips mirrored Yugi's own, his body shifting slightly against the wooden surface separating them, "I highly doubt that he is going to allow me to take what I have come here to retrieve…" His considerably baritone voice had lowered further if previously thought possible, immediately placing suspicion back into the heart of the young merchant gripping at the edges of the counter in slight anticipation. Of what, he hadn't the slightest.
He narrowed his eyes at whom he inferred to be a captain. Though the hat was of unfamiliar decoration and was certainly not included in the common uniform of his parts. "Look, if I am of no service to you, I must kindly ask that you leave, sir."
The taller man's smile had morphed into an irritated frown upon hearing these words. He had no interest in this boy's… opinions, "I'm afraid I cannot. I have been promised a treasure and I am not leaving until it is safely within my grasp." He adjusted his hat so that his narrowed eyes could be seen by the merchant; though, given the lack of lighting, Yugi continued to have difficulty creating any substantial eye contact.
At this point in their conversation, Yugi was far from convinced the male's intentions within his home were none but decent. He seemed civil enough; although one should not judge a book by its cover, and the male's cover was quite striking. He had but a glimpse at the dodgy fellow and could wholeheartedly infer the gentleman was most likely quite the ladies man. Nevertheless, he had no desire to observe what was inside.
"I have given my offer and if you choose to decline I fear I must request you either make a purchase or remove yourself," he reiterated with tight lips. Though his tone was far from its previous good nature, it still held somewhat of a sense of professionalism. He would not allow a simple sharp tongue to spoil his reputation nor profit.
The owner of said sharp tongue froze for a moment, the words surprisingly seeming to take effect. Rather than satisfy the young merchant, however, it continued to confound him. The captain's perplexed look was but a mere temporary falter, as his expression had soon leveled out once more along with his posture. "Ah…So he has not told you yet, has he?"
It was Yugi's own turn to pause, though their expressions were far from alike. His less than convenient customer was beginning to grate on his nerves. To walk into a man's shoppe during its closing hours was one thing; nonetheless, it was entirely another to begin demanding free merchandise. Though, the male in question certainly did not seem at all attracted in the commodities resting on the shelves around them; he seemed to be far more enthralled in an oncoming game of cat and mouse. Unfortunately for the sailor, the young merchant did not mix business with pleasure. This was not to say the current happenings brought anything of the sort to begin with.
The chap clearly was not a local. His accent seemed quite off, sounding both exotic yet quite mysterious. At first he had guessed it was merely his tone influencing this; however, the more he heard this intruder speak, the more he realized he could not heed any certain ethnical influence upon his words. His clothing was also quite out of fashion; though this did nothing to take away from the male's physical appeal, it certainly raised questions of his familiarity with their current geography.
Tourist or not, it gave no man the excuse to bombard upon another's territory, and certainly not without cause.
"If I may be so bold, I might inquire as to what on earth you are speaking of." The smaller lad's tone became somewhat sharp. It was obvious the sailor's words had struck a chord within him.
The stranger chuckled, his good spirits returning much to the younger's chagrin. "I speak of a precious treasure…One that resides within this merchant's shoppe."
Yugi narrowed his eyes in plain suspicion, "Impossible. How can such a treasure exist in a mere common shack?" he muttered beneath his breath, though it was clear he did not care for the answer as he was all but convinced the man standing in his home had either lost his marbles or had stumbled into his humble abode upon getting tanked from the nearby tavern.
"How indeed…" The man's reply had been equally as baffled as Yugi's own, much to the merchant's disclosure.
An explosion of light submerged the room once again, this time allowing the young male behind the counter to observe his facial features. Lasting longer than the previous, his mind could only be bothered to register one lone attribute the stranger's sharp expression possessed: his eyes. They burned like fire, threatening to consume the boy beneath him. Their exotic color gave one the impression of precious rubies, though he would avoid using this word as it held a flattering connotation. They were stunning, yes, but they were not something he felt he could stand boring into him for long. He felt his soul may burst into flames at any moment and be pulled into them.
"Have you ever heard the story of the ill-fated Romeo Montague and his love stricken Juliet?" The question had followed upon the dimming of the room, pulling the young male from his thoughts.
He narrowed his own violet eyes, "Who hasn't?"
The stranger leaned in close, escalating the youth's already rather considerable discomfort. He smirked as he observed the immediate withdraw of the merchant's head, declining to allow the offender admittance into his personal vicinity.
"Then tell me, Love. Was ever book containing such vile matter so fairly bound?" he whispered, despite their recent distance put between him by the skittish merchant reaching out to trace a finger gently along the line of the young lad's soft jaw. "Oh that deceit should dwell in such a gorgeous place…"
Yugi had remained motionless, rather than heating up feeling his skin grow cold under the other's affectionate touch. His passiveness had not lasted long, however. He quickly drew back from the touch, narrowing his eyes at the sailor's audacity to make such inappropriate contact with the lad.
"I will only tell you once more…to please respectfully leave this premise," the boy released a sound akin to a growl, to either of their shock entirely out of character for the young man.
A thick silence followed suit. If the stranger chose to decline his offer yet again he would not hesitate to flee to the authorities and tell them of the vulgar male's insistence upon resisting removal from his property. Though, this was in case his intruder had not eventually decided to consider force as a method of his mysterious… retrieval. Such was not an image he preferred to perceive in his mind; therefore, he chose to take comfort in the fact that his father was just upstairs sleeping off his drunken state from the previous night. Upon further contemplation, he found this fact did not comfort him at in all in actuality.
His hands steadily groped for the object he knew lay hidden beneath the panels of the counter, out of sight from his current offender. While he himself was not one for fighting or violence, a partial reason he had yet to jump the pirate-fever bandwagon, being a merchant, it was necessary that one know the basics of armed conflict. Thereby, it was also expected of those working the counter to have such a weapon near them at all times. He and his father were no exception to this.
He took a shaky breath as he felt the sailor's face inch closer to his own. This caused his blind search from beneath the counter to become further frantic. It was not common for most males to be subject to… certain types of violence most women usually feared. It wasn't a subject taken lightly in society. Men wanted women as women wanted men. This was considered natural. However… the predicament he was currently being subjected to was certainly not.
The moment he felt the elder's breath mingle with his own he had successfully grasped the handle of the pistol, quickly jerking it from its place upon the wooden panel below before shoving it roughly against the captain's cheek. He pulled away, taking comfort in the fact his advance had been brought to a sudden halt.
Their faces remained within close proximity to each other, though this was quickly amended as Yugi insistently pushed the weapon further against the elder's no doubt bruising cheek due to the unyielding force.
The foreigner merely chuckled, unfazed by the hazardous firearm prodding him stringently. "Very well…" he whispered, seizing the hand that held the weapon flush to his face. Yugi immediately panicked; he was unable to command his body to move as the grip forced his hand upward, redirecting the aim toward the ceiling.
His hands squeezed the smaller's wrist, forcing his finger's tight grip upon the handle to loosen and causing the pistol to fall to the floor with a light thud. He gazed in amusement as the youth began to pitifully squirm in the larger male's unrelenting clutch. "I shall take fourteen grains of gun powder and forty shots."
Yugi scoffed at his audacity, hurling his arm back into his body upon immediate release. He growled, his mind immediately encouraging him to reclaim his artillery from the floor before a booted foot crashed down upon the forgotten pistol. His gaze followed the boot up to an arrogant expression.
"You have quite the audacity to demand my services after such crude words," the merchant's son growled just beneath his breath, begrudgingly sauntering toward the shelves to acquire the appropriate amount of the requested goods.
The sailor merely chuckled, holding his arms out when he was handed the supplies. As soon as the lad was about to turn, however, the elder grabbed his arm roughly and shoved him against the counter beside them. The boy released a startled gasp, eyes widening in influential trepidation when he felt the cold barrel of the gun now pressed against his own cheek.
Yugi struggled against his grip despite the threat of gunfire looming quite hazardously above him. He cringed when he felt a pair of lips brush against his ear and a hot breath of air caress against the lobe, "Good night…" he whispered noiselessly, a baleful chuckle arising at the young lad's feeble attempts to escape the man's forceful seize. "Parting is such sweet sorrow... that I shall say goodnight 'til it be 'morrow,"
The grip immediately slackened, the sailor taking advantage of the merchant's terror-stricken state to pull three gold coins from behind the folds of his ear as one would during then performance of a magical act. He dropped them onto the counter below, quickly removing the pistol from the quivering youngster.
It was at this point the merchant's son had eventually brushed away his previous fear induced paralyzation and fumbled for the firearm carelessly dropped onto the floor beneath them. However, upon hastily scrambling up after reacquiring his weapon, the only company he could greet was the sound of a bitter, reckless breeze swirling in from the door left hanging open, creaking faintly as it continued to shutter from the stranger's evident escape.
He simply stared in shock, though quickly lurched back over to the door to secure it shut and refasten its unlocked hinges, fueled by both the irrational dread of the sailor's return and to prevent the rain water from flooding their home. He leaned against it, panting as he calmed down from his shaken state. Though these measures he had taken did not rid of his fright.
He placed his hand over his chest as he slid down the door and onto his bottom. He certainly hoped the delinquent would not fancy a return trip.
He took a few moments to allow himself quivering breaths. His hands continued to clutch tightly to the barrel of the gun in his grasp as he leaned his head against the door, continuously panting as he came down from his sudden adrenaline rush. He vaguely registered the faint sound of intoxicated hurling resonating from the room beside him. He quickly dismissed it. His father's drunken state would end; the looming threat of his predator would not.
His eyes shifted, watching as the wild storm of which the man had recently fled into. The rain that violently pattered against the stained glass oddly eased his nerves. While the wind was unpleasant company, he had to admit it was far better than its predecessor who'd held him at gunpoint.
'Rest for now, Little One. For it is only the beginning'
"Hurry up, the both of you!" the sailor from before scowled, glancing behind his shoulder before coming to a gradual standstill as he awaited the bumbling duo.
The pair panted hysterically, approaching their captain before practically collapsing onto the wooden surface beneath them. They had no breath to retort as their savior muttered curse words and insults alike. He ignored the two useless lumps beside him as he made quick work of the thick rope strapped to the dingy they had been previously detained in.
Unfortunately, he could always count on his crew to be utterly dim-witted and senseless. Specifically dumb and dumber beside him practically strewn out like a couple of deceased corpses. In fact that was exactly what they were worth. He growled upon finishing, noting that they had not moved a single inch from their pathetic positions on the deck.
"Joey! Marik! This is no time for a cat nap!" he snarled, slapping each of their faces to ever so rudely bring them from the depths of their relentless exhaustion. Both groaned, quickly scrambling up before following their captain suit into the dingy he'd prepared.
The captain quickly glanced off into the distance, being able to vaguely make out an approaching mob. Upon this sighting, he quickly seized the pair of paddles beside him and began rowing fervently, knowing full well his useless comrades would be of no assistance in their rubbish condition. He growled lowly, shoving both of their slackened bodies as to reawaken them for the second time, "Oi! This may not be a ship but the least you could do is sit up so the boat doesn't turn!"
The two quickly straightened at the demanding male's orders, glancing back as the land became a mere island in the distance. Their audience would not reach them at such a distance, as they would more than likely reach their ship beforehand.
A labored sigh escaped through the nostrils of one very displeased captain, glaring at the two lackeys he'd, yet again, snatched from the threshold of danger, "Next time, I will not have even the slightest of second thoughts on leaving the pair of you to hang at the gallows," he muttered, throwing his own sword over toward his crewmates to rid of the remnants of rope that hung from their necks.
Both grinned sheepishly, gratefully taking up the silent offer to remove the choking devices, "'Ey! You were the one who wanted to make port 'ere," the blonde snorted, the Egyptian beside him nodding in agreement.
His scowl deepened, "Yes, for a personal rendezvous. In no part of the plan did it involve the two of you coming ashore."
The Egyptian labeled as Marik shrugged, his mischievous grin still intact despite the elder male's sour disposition. "You can't blame us, Yami. We've been at sea for nearly three months without making port. In truth the crew was a bit disappointed when you told us you'd be going alone," he informed with great caution, placing the sword onto his captain's lap with care.
The male labeled as Yami merely shook his head. "Keep in mind that if I had indeed acquired what I had come to obtain, your corpses would be hanging outside the king's door step like Christmas decorations," he rather impatiently warned.
Both blinked at this, sitting up to gaze incredulously at their captain. "Wait, so you didn't get the treasure?"
Yami glanced out into the sea, watching as the shore became nothing more than a meager speck in the distance. It was true, things had not gone entirely according to plan, but this was of trivial concern to the pirate. The trip had not been a waste. He merely required a change in tactics. He had waited sixteen years to make good on his long-awaited debt. It would make no difference; what belonged to a pirate could not be kept from a pirate.
He allowed the faintest of smirks to grace his picture, sheathing his sword as they approached their ship.
"…We'll be back…"
And so another adventure begins~
Before I continue with this story I would like to ensure that you all know this story has nothing to do with the Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise! Do you hear me?
Yes, I will be using terms such as "Parley" and the process of marooning an individual to an island, but that is because both I and the writer of the franchise have one thing in common: we both have done extensive research for our stories. The content of this story stems from legitimate pirate history. I am not copyright infringing fictional information.
I'm sure you've all noticed the dialogue in this story is very official, and this is because the story takes place in the early 1700's during the golden age of piracy where such was mainstream. There will be an exception to this rule, however, specifically a lot of the pirates in this story, I even had to tone down Joey's Brooklyn accent a bit. This is also the reason you will find that 'shop' is spelled as 'shoppe', as that was how they were spelled in the olden days. Was this necessary? No. But I like it.
Do not worry, this story takes place well after the Shakespearean timeline, so you won't be seeing anything about women getting their maiden heads chopped off (*insert immature giggle*), or other such language.
A thank you to my friend Tristan who was a beta for this chapter*
Please leave a review! I hope they all make me want to update soon!*