Chapter 18 THE LOCKER MAY 1698
It was almost June when Britannia recovered enough to resume her duties.
She was still weak and would occasionally get winded if she worked too hard.
But at least, and Flying Dutchman could confidently believe this, that Britannia was finally on the mend.
Flying Dutchman returned late that day to find her mentor painting outside.
She was humming to herself happily.
"Nice to see you in a good mood!" Flying Dutchman called.
Britannia turned to her and smiled. "Thanks to you." She replied.
"Ah, I can't take credit. You just needed a little push is all." Flying Dutchman replied.
"I had a little help coming up with the paints though."
"Oh, who helped you?" Britannia asked.
Flying Dutchman grinned, glancing down at the water.
As the Kraken emerged, she turned to a wide-eyed Britannia and said "Britannia, meet Kraken."
The old ship eyed the cephalopod curiously.
"We met once before I think." She said.
"Yes, as I recall I tried to destroy you." The Kraken said.
Britannia shrugged. "You'd had a bad string of luck and were very desperate for food. I don't hold it against you." She replied.
"How did you survive Britannia?" Flying Dutchman asked, shuddering as she recalled her own first encounter with her pet.
"She let me go. Said I was 'different'." Britannia replied.
"She said the same thing about me!" Flying Dutchman exclaimed, surprised.
"Our powers give off a scent unique to other ships. Oh, not one we ourselves can smell." Britannia added quickly as her apprentice tasted the air.
"But they are recognizable to certain creatures such as Kraken."
Flying Dutchman nodded. Now she understood.
"When I came across you, your scent carried that of magic but it wasn't nearly as strong as Britannia's. Britannia, I can never forget her scent. She's a living vessel of the stars themselves. You, yours is a different magic. I could smell the stars on you, likely because of your interaction with Britannia. The smell of dark magic, however, frightening abilities were stronger and one of those abilities was to be a submarine. That's why I pulled you underwater. I wanted to show you what you could do." The Kraken explained.
"Submarine, that's what you're calling it?" Flying Dutchman laughed.
Britannia chuckled too.
"It was nice meeting you Kraken." She said.
"And you." The Kraken smiled and dove beneath the water.
As soon as she was gone, Britannia's smile faded and she turned to her apprentice.
"How long have you had Kraken?" She asked.
Ten years." Flying Dutchman shrugged.
"And you never once thought to tell me?" Britannia sounded more hurt than angry.
Flying Dutchman winced. "I'm sorry." She said.
"I thought you trusted me." Britannia said brokenly.
"I do!" Flying Dutchman cried.
Britannia just shook her head and turned away.
"Britannia!" Flying Dutchman yelled, blocking the older ship's path. "Stop, let's talk about this."
"What is there to talk about?" Britannia snorted.
"I trusted you to tell me what goes on and you didn't. There's nothing more to it." She pushed past Flying Dutchman.
"As if you don't have secrets of your own!" Flying Dutchman growled, beginning to lose patience.
Britannia paused. "I don't share them with just anyone." She said. "One has to earn my trust."
"And did I?" Flying Dutchman asked.
Britannia nodded. "Only one other ship can know my secrets and that's because I'm forced to share them. I'm bound to her orders." Britannia sighed.
"The British commander." Flying Dutchman realized.
Now she understood why Britannia was feeling this way.
The fluyt was the only ship, the only ship who Britannia actually trusteed, chose to trust, with her secrets. And here she was keeping her own, no wonder Britannia was hurt by this!
Shifting awkwardly, lying Dutchman said "Well you never told me anything so I just assumed…" Britannia cut her off.
"You just assumed that I didn't trust you." She whispered.
Flying Dutchman nodded solemnly.
Britannia looked away. "You should know me better than that." She whispered.
Flying Dutchman felt a pang of heart wrenching sorrow before, nothing.
Absolutely nothing, not even the usual buzzing in the back of her mind that would indicate the bond was present between them.
Frantic, she reached out over the bond only to find that she couldn't.
"Britannia…" She whispered. "What have you done?
"It's not dead, merely dormant." Britannia replied. "And I will keep it that way until I feel that I can trust you again."
Flying Dutchman let her sail past her, too lost to do anything. "I'm sorry Britannia." She whispered.
"Being sorry and being forgiven are two different things. Perhaps one day, I will forgive you. But I can't yet." Britannia replied and vanished inside her tent, leaving the half-finished painting behind.
Flying Dutchman sighed. "I still love you." She whispered brokenly after her and sailed off to her own berth for the night.
The following weeks Flying Dutchman spent sailing aimlessly between the mortal realm and the Locker.
She rarely saw Britannia anymore.
The old ship wasn't home to greet her usually or if she was there, she'd merely give Flying Dutchman a cool nod but she never said anything.
Her silence hurt Flying Dutchman more than anything and the fluyt longed for the days when they were close. "She'll come around." The Kraken assured her.
Flying Dutchman winced momentarily as the Kraken's voice filled her head before replying "I miss her."
"I know you do." The Kraken sighed. "But she needs time."
"I'll always wait for her." Flying Dutchman said.
"I know you will." The Kraken replied. "You Love her."
"She means everything to me." Flying Dutchman agreed.
"I know she does. I cannot claim to know everything about a ship bond but I do know it's sacred and more precious than diamonds." The Kraken said.
Flying Dutchman nodded. She missed her mentor now more than ever.
"God I've been stupid." She sighed.
Why hadn't she just told Britannia about the Kraken? If she had this whole thing could've been avoided.
Her mentor's beautiful face crowded her mind like it had often these past few weeks.
Her bright sea blue eyes burned their way into Flying Dutchman's soul, forever leaving an imprint on her memory.
She was shaken from her thoughts as the Kraken cried out "Fleet of ships on the horizon"!
Flying Dutchman turned and sure enough there they were.
There were about fourteen of them, most were fast sloops escorted by a few brigs.
What stood out, even from this distance was the demon red flag.
Flying Dutchman could hear the Kraken's hungry growl in her mind.
There was only one thing this fleet could be.
"The Rogues!" Flying Dutchman hissed.