Hello again! It's been a few days, but I finally have this! I hope you like it, it's very entertaining. I think this might be one that I continue...? :D
Day Fourteen: Pirate
Gilbert grew up in a… dislocated family, of sorts. His mother, Monica, was constantly gone, leaving his father to take hold of him and his brother. His father was always receiving letters from his mother, and when Gilbert turned sixteen, his mother returned, and took him away.
"Now, I shall explain to you the family business," His mother had informed in thick German from her horse. She had brought two, for the courtesy of Gilbert. He was extremely confused, as his father was a general produce seller in their town.
"What do you mean?" He asked slowly. She gave a grin.
"Patience, my dear boy," She had sighed, as if relishing in the name, as if it brought her some strange comfort, or it was the name of someone far off, faintly remembered, but long forgotten. "Patience."
The trip took four days to get to the French shore. His back ached, and his mind was exploding with thoughts. His mother was… a pirate? A pirate captain? Surely, there must be a misunderstanding! His mother was a woman, of all things; such a finesse being should be properly jobbed! She was ill-suited to be a pirate! He could tell that she meant business, though; her hair had been cut short, and no trace of powder or rouge was found on her features, natural, motherly beauty radiating off her slightly tanned skin. There was no chance of her cross-dressing, as her endowments prevented it permanently. Although she's dressed a man's dress shirt and trousers, it's obvious what gender she is.
"Why did you take me? Why not Ludwig? He is the better sibling, after all…" Gilbert questioned. She smiles.
"'Better' is not what I need from a crewmember. I need someone who will pay attention when needed, and you give your father too much trouble. Much like me, in that aspect." She gives a small laugh. "But where there is crime there is punishment, so do not break any of the rules."
"Rules?" Gilbert squeaked, momentarily surprised at his mothers' affections.
"Oh dear, I forgot them, didn't I?" She hummed absently, before beginning. "Well, please call me Captain Monica when on deck. I don't need the other crewmembers knowing about our relation. I will not give you any special treatment, besides the necessary. I will not tolerate any tom-foolery, blatant dishonesty, and being out past curfew unless ordered to. Not following any of these orders will get a finger or two cut off." Gilbert gulped.
"Yes, mother." She gave him a glance, about to comment on how he had already broken a rule, when she sighed.
"Yes, I do suppose it is alright for you to call me mother when in private. But we're almost to the ship, so no more of that, alright?"
"Yes, Captain Maria."
"Good boy."
Gilbert easily adjusted to the life of the ship, and now sits, playing cards with his captains' right hand man, Antonio. Because of Gilbert's mothers' gender, Antonio pretends to run the ship for her, so she won't be underestimated and attacked. Antonio is a generally helpful and nice guy, and has a kid of his own waiting at home, a little boy named Lovino, who is currently being taken care of by Antonio's wife, Emma, and her elder brother, Abel.
Antonio is also a great story teller and describer, which is another reason why Gilbert has quietly latched onto Antonio as a father figure. Antonio has easily described his wife (blonde hair, green eyes, very pretty) and their child ('with my complexion and hair color, although his eyes are more of the green of Emma's than mine, and his hair is straight, like hers,'), and during their game of Gin Rummy, is explaining this one time he and a French friend of his wrecked utter havoc on shore at one point, getting kicked out of bars and flirting dangerously with countless girls. Gilbert loves the Spaniards stories, and can barely wait for his own.
A scream echoes from the lookout's nest.
"Ship off the starboard! Ship off the starboard!" The above crew members look over the right side of the boat, and sure enough, a ship is gliding across the water like a swan on glass. With further inspection, Antonio whispers to Gilbert,
"That's the Kirkland ship. It's run by Arthur Kirkland, a feisty Englishman who likes his tea the way he likes his blood; hot, and spilled on his trousers." Gilbert gives a short gulp, and a loud bang ricochets around the boat as his mother bursts through the door to the captains quarters.
"What is going on?"
"Kirkland's ship is over starboard, Miss." Antonio informs immediately, refraining from calling her Captain in public. Monica's eyes darken, and a small grin overtakes her face.
"How about we give them a little fear?" She says, determined. Antonio nods, and turns to the others.
"Prepare for attack!" He shouts. They all give great hurrahs and trample downstairs for weapons, leaving Monica, Gilbert, and Antonio above deck.
"Will he be okay, Captain?" Antonio asks worriedly. Monica looks to Gilbert, and gives a short nod.
"He'll be fine."
Soon, war has overtaken both ships. Gilbert can barely tell between his fellow crew and his enemy. He hasn't caught a glimpse of this famed 'Captain Kirkland' but he knows that if he does, it will most likely be his last sight. Still, that would be the pleasure to end all pleasures, at least in Gilberts mind. He has enough sanity to not go looking for the Captain, continuing to fight a trespasser. A loud vibration moves through his feet, and he hears someone shout 'Cannon!' before he is shot off of his feet, soaring through the air like a bird. The frigidity of the water clashes with the heat of his back, and he opens his eyes underwater, watching debris shoot into the water next to him. At first it's soothing, the lack of sound, the smooth sliding of the water against his body. But then, he remembers.
He can't swim.
Gilbert begins struggling in the water, trying to force himself to the waves, but it seems the efforts only take him lower and lower. Giving up, he begins to sink.
Suddenly, something spirals around him, and he comes face to face with a beautiful woman. Her hair is like shiny grain, long and billowing smoothly in the saltwater. Her eyes are an electric green, the color of fresh grass. Her skin is a milky color, and he longs immediately to touch her. He looks down, and nearly barks out the last of his air at the sight of her glistening green tail. A mermaid! She calms him, surprised at his shock of white and red; she has never seen white hair before on a person, unless they are an elder, although this man seems to be relatively young. Soon, she takes his hands, and starts pulling him upwards, towards the air. He seems in a daze, and almost feels like he's dancing with this strange woman.
They burst through the surface, and Gilbert begins coughing wildly. The woman begins hoisting him up, towards a lifeboat that was thrown out, and he's soon onboard the small ship. She leans herself over, careful not to tip the boat, and gets a good look at the man. He's handsome, although his hair and eyes are a surprising contrast to his fairly tanned body. His eyes open, and blend with hers for a moment, before he leans up and plants a soft kiss to her lips.
"Thank you," He whispers hoarsely, "Mermaid…" She gives what she believes a smile, revealing sharp, pointy teeth, perfect for eating fish. Not humans, of course. Never humans.
"Alice," She responds, voice hilting and melodic, almost like a song within itself, "My name is Alice."
"I'm… Gilbert." He wheezes quietly, but she is gone, disappeared into the depths of the ocean.
The crew members don't believe Gilbert's story after he is hoisted back onto their ship. It's a little run down and damaged, but nothing a good scrub and some minor repairs can't fix. Captain Arthurs' ship had come and gone like magic, and once again they are alone in the water.
At first, Captain Monica seems to not care that her son almost died, acting indifferent and calm throughout his treatment (too much salt in his lungs and body, and a minor sunburn and scrapes). But afterwards, while Gilbert is resting quietly in his cabin, Monica bursts through the doors, hugging him tightly.
"Don't ever scare me like that, ever again. Do you hear me, Gilbert?" She growls, clenching him into a deathly grip. He barely notices her anguish, although the grip is strangling him and causing him to cough.
"Yes, Captain Monica." He answers smoothly, and is almost given a slap to the face.
"I am your mother, don't talk to me with such ease."
"But I am not afraid of you…" He replies hesitantly. The gaze in her eyes darkens, with a noticeable change in the way she holds herself. She looks almost appalled and offended, but something like revenge shows in her bright blue eyes.
"You should be."
They head towards shore to get the replacements ordered, and Gilbert is invited to tour the town with Antonio. Needless to say, Gilbert almost immediately says yes, and they begin walking, twisting through the streets with ease. Antonio winks at many girls, who giggle and flush at the thought of bedding a traveler who they would never see again.
"Why do you flirt so easily with other women, when you have your own at home?" Gilbert asks him quietly. Antonio laughs.
"Why, flirting is but being nice to others who you wish to court at a later date," the Spaniard responds happily. "I am only being generous, as I know for a fact that none of the women here could ever compete with my Emma~" Gilbert nods, not sure he understands what Antonio means. "Don't worry, mi amigo, your time will come."
They go to a bar. Gilbert becomes a little too fond of beer, and when they stumble home, Antonio laughing the whole way, Gilbert nearly falls onto his face multiple times. They finally reach the boat once more, and Antonio bears Gilbert goodnight, as the Spaniard is tired from the laughter and heartfelt stories. Gilbert plops down on the dock, and looks down at the water, admiring its beauty with calamity and peace.
A head perks up from the sea. Gilbert nearly shrieks and flies backwards.
"Hello, Gilbert~" Alice greets coyly, hoisting up her upper half to lean on the wooden dock.
"A-Alice? How did you find me?"
"Following a boat is rather easy, Gilbert. No time at all. I just had to wait for the perfect moment." There's something in her voice, a quiet reverberation, an accent almost English, but not at all at the same time.
"What are you?"
"Well, I have a tail, and I live in the water, although half of me is almost human. I think you know what I am."
"No," Gilbert says sarcastically, "I thought you were a fairy." He gets back to the point. "It's your accent, what sort of accent is that?"
"It's Sea-ish." She explains, her voice almost rocking Gilbert to sleep, if not for the fact that she was a supernatural creature that held his attention constantly. "We evolved from the original mermaids in Sweden. They spoke Swedish, but after a few generations, it became a different language all together. I personally reign from the English shores, so I speak fluent English, with a bit of their accent, along with Sea-ish. But, now it's your turn," She gives a wolf-like grin. "What is your accent? I've never heard it before."
"U-uh…" Her eyes were upon him, dominating him like a prey to its meal. It frightened him, but he somehow felt a passion for it. "I-it's Germanic. I am from Germany. Prussian decent, of course." She nods, as if she knows what Gilbert is talking about. She has never heard of 'Germany' or 'Prussia', but for some reason wants to seem important and knowledgeable to this man.
"Why are your eyes such a miraculous shade of red?"
"It's a curse, I suppose. I was born like this. Is your tail a curse?"
"I was born like this as well."
They go back and forth, and learn bits and pieces about each other. Alice has no reason to lie, nor does Gilbert. Alice says that her father is a merman as well, and that he works with the law enforcement of her little city underwater. She doesn't know what reading is, but knows how to sing perfectly.
"I could show you, if you like~" She invites, wanting him to hear her. She wonders momentarily why she isn't just going for it, and why she hasn't sung for him already. She is very proud of her talent. She could even say it has a bloody good finale. Gilbert shakes his head slightly.
"Actually, I think I need to go to bed soon, the sun is rising. My Captain will be worried." He gives a sheepish grin. She nods acceptingly, cursing herself for wasting so much time on this finicky, inexperienced German. But something about the way he smiles, and says goodbye; the way he blushes a little when she blows him a kiss; the way he stumbles up the ship and in through a door; it makes the chase worthwhile, in her opinion.
For him, she can wait. Although she's getting a little hungry.