Song Title: Odyssey by Kerry Wheeler ft. Ashton Palmer

The North Sea King was leaning back leisurely against his fine leather chair, brown boots with their straps undone propped up against the edge of his desk. In his right hand was a gold coin he absently flipped back and forth along his fingers. The other hand was holding up his chin as he rested his head on top of it. Despite his apparently lax position, the captain was actually quite frustrated. The source of his frustration came in the form of a recent tall recruit named Berwald. The Swede was desirable at first glance, but what made him more enticing and pivoted Mathias to take such an immense interest in him was his former profession. Sure, Berwald has told him that he was only a laborer and worked in the back of the brothel, but the captain knew enough about the business to know that the blond served other functions there as well. With the man's looks and physique, he was sure there were more than a few who have asked for his services. Just thinking about it made Mathias lick his chops. This led him to his current predicament. The captain has been trying to woo the former prostitute for the longest time, attempting to go about it the gentlemanly way…but his patience was running thin. He will have the man this time, and make sure that everyone else on the ship knew who he belonged to.

There was always a sense of dread whenever Berwald walked through the hall leading up to the double doors of the captain's cabin. He still loathed the man for forcing him into this situation, but he refused to falter and show any signs of weakness while he was on the ship. He would always come when called upon to take his money, mind focused on freedom. However, it stressed and strained his mind and body from always having to be on guard while around the captain, but he would make it. He has been through worse. Being on the ship and away from his former life gave him a renewed sense of self-worth for some reason. It still wasn't much, but it was something. He didn't want to admit it, but the new lifestyle was refreshing to some extent.

Subconsciously, Berwald looked to the door that led to the Reaper's room and saw that it was fully closed. He had probably turned in for the night. The image of his face was never quite far from the surface of Berwald's mind all day.

With a reserved sigh, he dragged his feet along to the end of the dark hallway and through the grand double doors where a glowing blue eye greeted him. The smirk on the captain's face was wider and showing more teeth than usual.

"Ber, come in, come in!" The North Sea King sprang from his seat and made his way around the large mahogany table, gesturing for the taller blond to have a seat on any of the fine furniture lying around the room. Silently, he closed the doors behind them. He continued eyeing the man as he walked past him, noting how the gold sash on the other's hips with its tassels swayed provocatively with each step.

Berwald looked around the room with disinterest.

The captain was far too chaotic and showy with his taste in design. Windows were set on either side of the room, one in particular right above a grand bed with red velvet covers, large pillows, and a nightstand next to it. The desk on the opposite wall of the bed, the one he often saw the captain behind, was littered with various trinkets, glasses and bottles of alcohol, pieces of silver and gold, jewels, papers, and maps – all haphazardly placed on its smooth surface. A lamp with its body in the shape of a silver mermaid was placed precariously in one of the corners of the table. Large chests full of coins and jewelry were shoved in the back at the far end of the room in the corner and lined the walls. Extra coats and garments were strewn across the floorboards. A giant pole axe, its blade sharp and polished, leaned against the back wall in a corner. Luxuriously cushioned chairs that didn't match each other spotted the room.

Berwald chose to sit on none of them and stood stock-still instead, black gloved hand out expectantly at the captain. The other never made this easy for the Swede. "M'pay," he grunted.

"Ah yes, yes," Mathias took his sweet time walking back to one of the trunks filled with gold. But when he was there, he paused and turned around with a proposition. "Say Ber, it's been on my mind recently, but I couldn't help but wonder how ya got yer hands on such fine clothes. They suit you," He made his way back to the Swede, his black long coat flowing behind him.

"Saved enough," was the simple answer.

"Really now?" he purred. "It sounds like ya owe me for such a nice outfit ya have on now," They were only a foot away from each other. He saw the other straighten up at their proximity and it only thrilled him further. "How would ya like a chance to get even better clothes?"

"No-"

The captain didn't let him have a say in it and continued. "If you play your cards right tonight, dear Ber, you just might get paid more than usual – an additional amount of gold on top of your usual work's worth,"

Berwald scowled, staring threateningly at the shorter blond. The other shot him a suggestive look, blue eye hooded. There was only one thing the captain wanted at the moment that would get him paid more.

An overbearing silence hung between the two as the Swede refused to answer.

"Aww what's the matter? Ya don't have to be shy around me, Ber," Mathias cooed. "This is something yer used to, right?"

The taller blond's fists clenched tightly at the implication. "No, I just want m'regular pay," he flatly refused. "I'll pay m'debt another way."

Something snapped in the captain – his last thread of patience for the other. He was offended by what he was hearing. "What, I ain't good enough for even a whore like you?!" The question was biting. "Do you have any idea who yer talkin' to?!" He growled, hands bunched up in the material of Berwald's beige coat, pulling the man down closer to him.

"Don't wanna do that anymore," Berwald retaliated. Damn it, he had more dignity and honor than being just rough trade, a person's plaything for the night! If there was another way to get paid aside from using his body, he'd do it. He didn't want to return to those dark days at the brothel so soon. He shoved the captain away, but the man was persistent. "I just want my pay!"

"Oh I'll give it to ya…once I'm through with you!" The North Sea King grabbed Berwald by the sleeve of his coat when his Swede tried to turn towards the doors.

Smack!

Mathias didn't expect the other to whip around and punch him square in the jaw. "You bitch!" He spat out, readjusting his eye patch before he tackled the other, forcing him up against the work desk. The papers and trinkets fell off the table from their struggle with a loud clatter.

Berwald snarled as he prevented himself from getting trapped beneath the other. Their bodies were pressed up against the wooden desk, the Swede's back lying on top of it, his head next to a bottle of spilled rum that dyed the parchment surrounding it a deep burgundy color. The tips of the navy bandana on his head absorbed some of the alcohol as well. He pushed back when he felt hands on his forearms, preventing the other from pinning him to the table. One of his legs tried to slip in a kick to put some distance between them. "Get off me!"

But the captain was strong. He dodged and blocked all of Berwald's blows. The taller man may be strong, but he lacked technique. His underling was giving him a hard time, but this only served to excite the captain even further. A maddening chuckle erupted from his throat, a hungry glint in his sky blue eye as he finally had the other pinned to the desk and nestled himself between those strong legs. "Don't worry, Ber, you're in good hands…you're in my hands!" He swooped down to bite into the other's taut neck, sinking his teeth past the material of the black undershirt with a force almost hard enough to break skin.

"Gah!"

It delighted Mathias to feel the other man squirm beneath him. "Ya like that, don't ya?"

Knock. Knock.

"Captain?" A voice floated through the oak doors. It didn't wait for a response from anyone before the pirate entered the room.

Reaper?

Berwald craned his neck away from the man above him to get a better look at the newcomer. He was greeted with a porcelain face and violet eyes.

The Reaper's intrusion angered the North Sea King greatly; he was just about to have his way with his treasure! "What?! What d'ya want, Reaper? Can't ya see I'm busy right now?!" He looked over his shoulder and scowled at the platinum blond, not even a bit ashamed that he was caught.

The shorter male saw the two on the desk and glanced at Berwald before saying "I need to have a word with you, captain. We're landing soon,"

"Yeah, yeah, can't it wait?!" Mathias scoffed, putting pressure on the body below him to make sure the other didn't slip past him.

"No."

The captain laughed sardonically at the response as the figure came closer to them. "Don't fuck with me right now, Reaper. Just take orders from Nyk,"

The Reaper was close enough now to see that Berwald was forced to have his legs spread out for the captain, pinned by the wrists. The taller blond's expression was nearly inscrutable, grim and menacing, but he was quite certain there was a small plea for help held within those cyan eyes. He flicked his violet eyes down at the Swede before addressing the captain. "He's had a rough day today. Perhaps you should call it off tonight," He tilted his head slightly towards Berwald, voice soft and light.

"Ohh I bet I can make it even rougher," Mathias replied huskily. He looked back down at his prey and said "He is rough trade after all!" Guffawing at his own crude joke he ordered "Now get outta here, Reaper," But then a thought occurred to him and he smiled wickedly at the man. "Unless of course, ya wanna stick around to watch?" he invited lewdly.

Oh gods, no! Berwald renewed his efforts at the notion, only to be fastened tighter onto the desk.

The platinum blond was silent before saying calmly again "I need to speak with you, captain."

The atmosphere in the room was tense once again.

"Haha, oh ReeRee," Mathias said off-handedly, nonchalantly. He eased off of Berwald to turn his body slightly towards his crewmate. His eye flashed dangerously with intent to kill. "You just don't know when to quit!" In a flurry he whirled around to punch the other with all his might.

But the Reaper read his move with ease and caught it, clasping the fist with the palm of his hand and holding it there, staying silent the whole time.

Mathias snarled.

The strain and standstill between the two implied that the Reaper was equally strong despite his smaller stature. He remained unfazed as he peered into his captain's burning blue eye, his voice low and stern as he said "I insist, captain."

His subordinate's persistence aggravated the blond captain, but he nonetheless relented, removing himself completely from Berwald. "…Fine. But ya better make it worth my while, Reaper!"

The two made their way outside towards the hall, the Reaper closing the double doors behind them.

A bit shakily, Berwald got off the hard desk and shifted to a more comfortable position. He readjusted his shirt and coat from the manhandling to look more decent and awaited his fate. There was no point trying to escape – he would just get caught down the hallway. As he leaned on the messy desk, he calmed his breathing and strained his ears to listen to the other two's conversation on the other side of the double doors. Much to his displeasure, he could only hear the captain's brash voice in small segments.

"Fuck! I…Why…fuckin'…soft on 'im?!"

When they finally came back inside, the captain stormed towards the nightstand where his black hat rested and grabbed it to place it on his head. "I'm headin' out," he proclaimed gruffly. He left Berwald alone, but not before leering at the Swede and stating "Consider the price on your head doubled for your insubordination tonight." The North Sea King then walked off without closing the doors behind him.

What?!

"Are you all right?" The Reaper's voice distracted Berwald from his inner turmoil and angst. The other scanned the assaulted man for any signs of injury, his violet eyes landing on the wound on his neck hidden by the undershirt. "Do you need to see the doctor?"

"Uhn…no," he managed to say as the platinum blond got closer to his spot near the desk. He shied under his incredulous gaze. This earned him a small smile from the other - it looked rather sad.

"You must be tired, please try to get some rest," his voice was soft and gentle again. "It's okay, you can rest easy now in your own cot if you want,"

They were so close to each other near the desk. Perhaps it was just because the Reaper wanted to keep his voice down and so had to be near Berwald to be heard…or that he was assessing his injuries. Either way, this was the first time Berwald ever saw the Reaper's real face so close up, locking eyes with him. He didn't have to sneak around the other's door to see the man so clearly now.

In the ambient light provided by the mermaid lamp, the taller blond peered into deep pools of purple. He noticed that they were dull, the light in them snuffed out long ago and giving way to an ashen hue. His face was rather round, thin lips curved in a small smile that belied sorrow. His skin was smooth and radiant in the lamplight.

"Mm." Berwald struggled with his words to say something to the other. He remained fixated on the floor, suddenly unsure of himself.

"Hm? Is something wrong, Mr. Ox-"

"Thank you!" Berwald blurted out. "Thank ya for saving me back there, thank ya fer the clothes…thank you…" His thanks all gushed out at once and he curled in on himself.

For a moment, the Reaper's eyes went wide and he just blinked a couple of times. He looked like he didn't know what to do with all the thanks that were just given to him. But then a small chuckle, just a soft huff of air escaped him and he smiled up at Berwald warmly, sadly. "Don't worry about it; you don't even have to mention it."

The Swede muted himself, no longer trusting his voice and simply nodded his head in understanding.

This response was satisfactory to the platinum blond who then turned around and headed for the open doors. His long black coat with the tattered ends swayed from the movement. "We'll be docking at a port in town soon to resupply, but there's still some time left for you to sleep," he offered. "Goodnight."

Berwald continued staring at the Reaper's back until it vanished into the shadows of the dark hallway. Only when he suddenly felt disgusted staying in the captain's cabin by himself did he make his way downstairs to the general sleeping quarters where most of the crew members were still fast asleep. He didn't get much rest afterwards, his mind reeling from the encounter. What Mathias and the Reaper discussed he didn't know, but all the same he was grateful he was spared from having to turn back to his old profession. He never realized how much he despised it until now that he was given a chance to do something different. He held onto the opportunity tightly, refusing to be used like that ever again.

After the other night's incident, despite the rumors surrounding the infamous pirate, it became obvious to Berwald and he deemed the Reaper as not a bad person and wanted to know more. In fact, he felt that it was long overdue considering how long he's been on the ship now and yet he still didn't know a lot about any of the important crewmates of the vessel. The days were long and so many things happened that he couldn't get his bearings until now. All the faces and names he came across as well as his duties were only sinking in recently.

They have arrived in another town Berwald knew nothing about. Since that night in the captain's cabin, Mathias went out and hasn't returned to the Swede's relief. He couldn't believe the other so casually went back on his word and increased his debt just like that...just because he rejected the captain. But then again, what did he expect from a pirate who tricked him into becoming one himself in the first place?

It's just a small setback…he told himself. He would eventually make it.

He carried out his usual chores and tasks for the day, making time to check up on Peter and Erland and before he knew it, the sun has set. He has not bumped into the Reaper at all that day, the man out of sight once again.

After dinner was served, Berwald decided to visit a certain doctor in order to get more information. From his past encounters with the German, Ludwig was someone who had a good head on his shoulders. A very serious, straight-forward, and knowledgeable man, the two of them were on steady terms and it relieved the Swede to know that Ludwig would not try to avoid him or go spastic should he say something. He caught the man resting on his cot and went over, catching the German's attention. Surprisingly, Feliciano was not with him at the moment.

Ludwig got the message that the other wanted to talk without the taller blond even having to say anything and motioned for him to have a seat on the unoccupied cot across from him. It was a mutual understanding of sorts. "What seems to be the trouble? What's on your mind?" he started.

"Can ya tell me more about the captain and the ship we're on? Tour wasn't enough," Berwald got right down to business.

The doctor cocked an eyebrow at the sudden and rather odd inquiry, but if it was something he could answer, then he would. "Well, the Draugen is a military ship that belonged to the captain's family," he paused. "The crew has three founders who are also brothers – Mathias, Lukas, and Emil. They were once nobility in Denmark before having their good name besmirched and property stolen and burned by a rival family, causing them to resort to piracy in order to survive." When he gave his companion enough time to absorb the new information Ludwig then went on to say "The captain, Mathias, suffered the most from the loss. If you listen closely enough sometimes when they go out drinking, you'd get an idea of their story." The doctor was very thorough with his explanation, going through the profiles of the three brothers.

Berwald learned that Mathias was the eldest brother, whose preferred weapon was a long pole axe named "Maelstrom." He had wanted to become a soldier and serve before the tragedy robbed him of that opportunity.

Lukas, the middle child, was the first mate, tactician, and navigator of the crew. He wielded a rapier called "Grim" and was going to become a scholar. He was studying abroad in Norway when the incident happened.

The youngest brother, Emil, was rather indifferent about where his future led him. He was away in Iceland visiting distant relatives when news came to him of what happened to his family and home. When the captain wasn't on the wheel, he would be the one steering the ship and was responsible for its artillery and defenses. His weapon was a small curved dagger he always liked to keep by his side called the "Bitter Touch."

"However, I feel like there is one other person you want to know the most about," Ludwig said when he was done with his explanation. "I suggest you ask before there are more ears around,"

The doctor was very perceptive and caught onto Berwald's intentions rather easily. He also had a point - most of the crew members were about to turn in for the night soon. "Mm, Reaper."

The German leaned in a little and started slowly "Everyone here on this ship has a role – chefs, workingmen, repairmen, navigator…what do you think the Reaper's role is?" He didn't wait for a response as he continued "You may see him doing other tasks, but his real job begins when we're under attack, or when we're the ones doing the attacking," Ludwig's voice lowered a bit, as if this was all a secret. "He is our rifleman, and a very talented one at that. His main weapon is a pair of flintlock pistols – 'Huurre' and 'Kuutamo.' His main job is to kill anyone under the captain's orders,"

Berwald nodded his head slowly, understanding why the man was given the name "Reaper." He then remembered something. "What's his real name?"

At this Ludwig could only shake his head, apologizing. "I don't have the answer to that one. You would have to ask the man himself to know. Reaper doesn't share much about himself. He told me once that he's from northern Finland, but that's about it, I'm afraid." The doctor seemed to remember something then. "Based on what I've heard, next to the brothers themselves, Reaper is a veteran on the ship…or at least the one who has stayed on the ship the longest and lived…" His sharp blue eyes were staring into Berwald's cyan ones intently. "What Lovino said before back in the kitchen was uncalled for...however, it was not entirely false either," his voice was but a whisper near the end. "But, as I've said before, if he was the one who took you in, you're in good hands – the Reaper protects those under his care. He has been doing so for Feliciano, Lovino, and myself since we've boarded," Ludwig tried to end it on a positive note.

"Mhm." Berwald could attest to that. Whether or not it was pure chance the man came in when he did last night, the other's various acts of kindness was more than enough to dissuade the ever-looming suspicion that the Reaper was hostile. He just didn't have to be an enemy of the platinum blond, which in all honestly wasn't hard at all to do. They hardly saw and talked to each other after all. But for some reason, Berwald wanted that to change. He wanted to know more about his "savior."

By then, other crew members were filing into the sleeping quarters, groaning and jeering at one another before finally settling into their respective cots.

Berwald thanked the doctor and hauled himself over to the far end of the space where his cot laid. He reached under his pillow, making it a habit to check since every so often he would find a handful of coins there. Tonight was no exception, and he pocketed the coins into the pouch he kept in his trousers. This money was different from the payment he received from the captain, but Berwald was not about to complain. Money was money, and he wasn't about to question how or why it kept appearing under his pillow. Soon he wouldn't have to question it at all, as he would be off the ship soon enough – leaving life on the sea, the captain, and the Reaper all behind him. Or at least, that was what he kept telling and hoping for himself.

Endnotes: There's something about me and naming things, but since I'm already writing a pirate AU, I might as well go all the way and start naming their weapons too eh? This was fun and I earnestly don't expect anyone to remember; it won't harm anyone anyway. Although some are explicit, a couple of the weapons' names may need some clarification.

Weapon Names:

Grim - Short for the "fossegrim" in Norwegian, Lukas' weapon is named after a water spirit who is known to be a talented violin player who resides near waterfalls. Historically, although a harder weapon to master, a rapier wasn't a pirate's favored weapon because it would break under the force of a heavier weapon. Also, the size and space needed to properly use it was also an issue on a ship but Lukas is too classy to care in this case and will stick to his noble heritage through and through.

Huurre - "Hoarfrost" in Finnish

Kuutamo - "Moonlight" in Finnish