As the sun reached the horizon, Alfred eyed his catch of the day. It wasn't too bad. The fish wasn't going to start tilting the boat but it was enough to feed his family for a couple of weeks plus have some extra to sell at the local market. The well being of his family depended on it and him for their survival. It was a tiring grueling profession but living in a small coastal village didn't leave one with much options in life. His father before him was a fisherman as well and when he was sadly overcome by his illness it was up to him to take over the family business and get to work. It was a lot of pressure to take. If he wasn't able to capture enough during his outings his family would struggle for the next coming weeks so every little bit was important.
Satisfied for the time being he decided it was time to pack up, staying out too late would always be a call for trouble. There's many dangers out at sea. There was the unpredictable weather, sea creatures, and mostly dangerously, pirates. He'd been attacked once before. It was both terrifying and humiliating. He didn't have much of value in his humble fishing ship other than the fish itself and that was exactly what they took. He was much farther out at sea that time around with virtually no means of escape. They had bombarded his boat and seized all his prized belongings. They had bound him for no other reason than because they could. He was the lone person on the boat amongst the crowd of pirates with an array of weapons, many with one in each hand. They could have taken him without a fight but instead decided to jump him and bring him down to his lowest. His hands shackled behind his back, on his knees as the pirate captain came prancing on board as if the boat was his to begin with.
His tattered red coat swung behind him not unlike a cape in the wind, his boots pounded against the wooden floors, the vibrations reaching his ears with an almost deafening clunk amplified only by his own trepidation. As the surprisingly shiny boots reached him he feared that he was further losing his hearing until he realized it was his heartbeat and breath that was clouding his senses. Dread washed over him once the pirate leader bent down to his level, his dark green lined eyes commanding his full attention. He attempted to avoid eye contact as much as possible but their pull was too hard to defy and found himself raising his head just enough. The thought of death approached him at that moment but not of his, no. He had no desire to die but he would welcome it if he had no other choice. What really ran in his head was the livelihood of the members of his small family. His mother depended on him to catch fish for her to sell at market and his brother was still too young to be able to fend for himself. They needed him alive. That notion alone made his brows narrow in rebellion, provoking a slanted smile to creep its way onto the lips of the pirate in front of him.
"My my, this one has spirit." he said, lifting his cutlass in his direction. "If eyes could kill." he purred with a laugh caught at the back of his throat. "Now tell me." he tilted his head, an eye being hidden by the shadow of his tricorne. "Besides my dinner, do you have anything else that would catch my fancy?" he asked, edging the cutlass dangerously close to his captee's cheek, receiving a low snarl in return. Luckily, for the fisherman, this only amused the pirate further. Not many chose to display this level of defiance in his presence. He found it refreshing. "mm.." he hummed, his chin lifting upwards, clicking his tongue. "I guess a free meal is enough this go around. You did catch me a pretty penny." He said, his glaze roaming around the contents of the boat.
This action caused Alfred's blood to bubble over. He could feel the rage beginning to overcome him. To not only invade his boat but to have the sheer audacity to claim his hard labor. He didn't spend hours on end, gaining every callous with pride to have this seawolf scavenge his hunt. He had to do something. He had to fight back, to fight for himself, his family, and his pride. Glancing further up to the square jawline of his capture he figured this would be the best entrance for offense. The pirate seemed distracted enough and his lackeys paid no mind to their exchange, instead deciding to explore the deck. This too brought him much frustration but he knew he needed to focus.
As the captain lowered his sword further away once he turned his body slightly, Alfred wasted no time in standing. It was a struggle with his hands still tied behind his back but he managed, only leaning forward slightly to catch his balance. He grinned inwardly at his amazing feat before it was quickly replaced by a panicked expression. The pirates' reflexes were much faster than he had expected. At the first sign of movement, the pirate captain swiftly regained his own footing, lifted a leg, and a heavy boot made contact with the fisherman's chest, his eyes almost losing the thin frames that on his face.
The fisherman now found himself on his back, the piercing green looming over him. His own blue widened in horror as the rest of the pirates gathered at the commotion, no doubt about to defend their captain's honor. As they reached him he swallowed the bile beginning to rise. To his blessing, the captain himself lifted a fist, the crew stopping immediately at his command. He released a breath he had stored as he peered at his ironic savor.
"And to think." the captain growled out of the corner of his mouth. "I was going to be nice to you." He swayed over to the large nest containing his catch, plucked out a single fish and hurled it in front of the fisherman whose body now refused to move. "Thank you for your service." he said before turning away, ordering his crew to round up the rest with a twirl of a finger. Alfred laid numb as he watched the scoundrels walk away with everything. What had he been thinking? Even if he had managed to attack back he was still greatly outnumbered. He had no other choice but lie in the shame that pooled over him as the captain looked over his shoulder at him one last time before boarding his pirate ship.
Ever since that day he vowed to not tempt fate and made sure to start moving closer to the coastline after a certain hour. He knew he had been lucky to have not been killed or have his boat burned to a crisp. The look of worry on his mother's face when he wandered in, his feet dragging behind and the lone fish in his still tied up hands was just too much to bear. He felt void of any emotion for a few days after the event until his mother ensured him they still had enough to make ends meet with his previous catch that week. Which is why his heart dropped into his stomach and tinnitus rang in ears at the sight of familiar looking black sails in the distance.
He knew he had no time to waste, they could catch up to him easily. The village was also clearly visible so he had no doubt that that was the pirates true goal. He had to get home, had to hide their belongings and make sure his family were safe from the pending invasion. He couldn't rely on his dumb luck once more. He made it to the village as fast as he could muster. As soon as he reached the harbor he thrust his anchor into the water, not bothering to rope his boat properly, rangeled his catch, and hastily jumped off the bow.
"Matthew!" He shouted, entering his home with a slam. He frantically dragged his net through the threshold behind him, rushing to dump his catch in a nearby barrel. "Matthew!" He shouts again, as he begins to roll the barrel. He wasn't quite sure where he was going to roll it off to but he was going to find a hiding spot somewhere. "Matthe—"
"What?" asked an annoyed voice entering the room. Stopping mid step he turned to the young boy with a sense of relief.
"Is mom here?" He asked as he continued on his quest, shoving the barrel into a closet and covering it with worned out burlap sacks. It's the best he could come up with in such a short notice.
"Yes, she's out back." answered the young boy. "Alfred, what's going on?" she asked, the previous irritation all but expunged, replaced with a slight trimber of worry as he finally caught on that his big brother was definitely scared about could feel the seriousness in the air and the anxiety spilling out from his sibling.
"Pirates." is all he managed to say before a door leading deeper into the small home opened, a concerned woman walking through.
"Alfred, thank goodness." she said coming towards him. "I thought I saw pirates." she continued, about to make her way to the front door before being caught by her arm. She looked up to her son, wondering again when he got so big. She could still remember when he was a young boy now he had become a man in his own right.
"You did." he replied, releasing her. "Don't go outside, they should make it on shore any minute now." he said, glancing over to the closed door, his mother and brother matching his movements. Then as if on cue the sound of thundering footsteps, loud bangs, and yelling came from outdoors. "They made it." he whispered, his hands beginning to quiver as he reached for his mother's shoulder. "You and Matthew have to go hide." He said, gently pushing in the direction of the door that led to the rest of the house. "I'm going to barricade the door before joining." he continued, interrupting his mother's attempt to protest the suggestion the second she opened her mouth. She did not want her son to fend for himself against these pirates. He had already been through it before and she knew how much it affected him despite how much he claimed he was fine. She didn't agree but had already pushed her through the door. Her younger son joined her soon after received a nod of the head from her big brother.
"Really mom." he smiled bitterly. "Go hide somewhere. A closet, under the bed, anywhere. I'll go after I secure the place." he said as a crash just out the door caught his attention. "Go." he said one last time before closing the door on them. As soon as he heard the door click, he quickly lept into action. He gathered anything that could be used as a roadblock.
He knew he didn't have enough time to close off both the front door and the door leading to the sleeping quarters. With his limited time he decided the best course of action was to protect the latter. If he had to go down fighting for his family then so be it. He gathered boxes, chairs, a table, and a shelf, piling it all in front of the door just as he heard a clicking and a slam of the door behind him. He stood frozen in place feeling the presence of a new body in the room. The other person hasn't said anything, instead choosing to ignite his nerves with silence. He fought the urge to turn around all while simultaneously fighting the urge not too. His body and mind were confused on all levels. It wasn't until he heard the sound of a familiar vibrato that his battle ended, turning his head to confirm.
"Oh, I remember you." rang the voice of the infamous pirate captain once he got a good look at his horrified face. "I liked you." he proclaimed, moving closer to the still frozen man. "You had a bite on you." he lifted his brows. "I didn't appreciate the attempt on my life but I respect the effort." he continued, stopping just a few feet away from the fisherman. "It keeps things interesting." he finished, eyeing the fisherman with a smirk. He waited in silence, somehow knowing that was the best way to unnerve him. He was both amused and entertained by the fishman's static eye movement, it appearing as if he was in a daze, as if not even registering the pirate's presence at all. "I just have to let you know." he said with a tilt of the head, the feather on hat flicking to the side. "That fish of yours was the best sustenance I could ask for." he said, finally receiving the reaction he desired, a glare that almost connected his hostage's brows into one. "There you go." the captain replied, satisfied with his achievement.
Alfred was hit by a conundrum of thoughts and emotions. He had a desire to release his own retort against the pirate captain in front of him but he also didn't want to give him the satisfaction. He was aware that the feathered man was egging him on, attempting to get a reaction out of him. He couldn't lie to himself, however. He knew very well that his lack of movement was also in part involuntary. Even when he demanded his body to move, he didn't seem to be able to.
Wanting more out the fisherman, the captain lifted his unsheathed blade up to the villager's ear. "So, do you have any hidden treasures for me back there?" the pirate asked, using his chin to point at the pile of items behind him. "You clearly went to many lengths to try to hide it from me." Alfred inwardly kicked himself, of course he would notice the random pile on one side of the room. "You have a pearl for me?" the pirate asked in a husked whisper, taking the few steps he needed to close their gap. The fisherman stiffened as the captain's still armed arm rested on top of his shoulder.
Alfred blinked, realizing for the first time that despite being very close in height, he still managed to overcome him by an inch or two. He also noticed that he was younger than he had previously perceived. That of course, didn't make the captain any less intimidating especially as he stared him down with sea greens and a slanted grin, the sword dangling behind his back also being a weary reminder to keep his guard up. Alfred just couldn't help but to wonder how he had made it to captain this young as an intense staring contest ensued. The contest continued for an unknown amount of time, the only thing marking any passage was the clicking of the clock in the corner of the room. It wasn't until something caught the pirate's attention off to the side, that the game ended. "Or do you have something more precious?" he asked, still looking to his right, behind the fisher.
Curiosity catching the better of him, the fisherman reluctantly took his eyes off the captain and followed his gaze, turning to his left. He now understood what had stolen his attention. Behind him was a window to the rest of the living quarters, the thick fabric curtains jolting from side for side. A small hand was visible for a mere second before the cloth covered up the window fully once more. Alfred cursed his brother's curious nature. "I didn't peg you as a young father." the red coated pirate commented.
Alfred's jaw tightened with tension as he turned back to look at the man still hanging off of him. Close enough to breathe in his rum scented breath that threaten to fog his glasses, burned his nasal passage and dilated his pupils. "He's my brother." he said, opening his mouth to speak for the first time. At last losing the battle to suppress his voice and stay silent, the burning feeling that compelled him to correct the pirate's assumptions was just too much to win against.
"Hmm….You do speak." The pirate hummed, taking his eyes off the window. "Good to know. I'm glad." he said, confusing the fisherman about what exactly he was referring to by that statement. What he did know was that he was failing at avoiding eye contact again now that the pirate's attention went back to being solely on him.
Taking a low elongated breath, Alfred opened his mouth during exhalation, preparing himself to speak once more. The pirate's head tilted in curiosity when his mouth remained open in silence for a few seconds until finally with all the willpower he could summon some broken syllables were released until he managed to say one single word. "Don't." he said in a near whisper.
"Don't what?" the captain asked, cocking a brow.
"Just don't." he retorted softly, still not managing to say many full sentences.
"You know what?" the pirate captain asked rhetorically, at long last taking a step back, gliding his arm off the villagers shoulder and sheathing his sword. The villager held in a sigh of relief but then held in an inhale when the pirate grabbed hold to either side of his coat, "I'm going to keep you around." he said, adjusting the coat's collar just before letting him go all together.
The pirate wiped his hands on his long red coat, dusting off any imaginary dirt before swiftly turning around and walking away towards the front door. Alfred stared at his back as he swayed away, wide eyed and bewildered. Pausing with his hand on the doorknob, the captain looked behind his shoulder, in a similar fashion to the way he did during their first meeting. "I like myself a feisty one." He said with a wink before opening the door and leaving the humble home.
Alfred did what he did best after the door shut behind the buccaneer, he stood silent and still for minutes on end. The ticking of the clock again being the only thing helping him blur out everything around him, helping him lose all concept of time and space. It wasn't until an unknown amount passed by that his mother and brother emerged from the back room and placed a soft hand on his back that Alfred finally snapped out of this trance, sunk to knees and released a single tear. As his mother embraced him, he couldn't help to wonder if he'd ever see the pirate captain in red again, a feeling of great disturbance quickly began to fill within him after coming to the realization that he wanted to.