"Look!" Kendall gasped and pointed down into the clear water. They had stopped by a small island to gather water. "Look at the creatures down in the water!" The prince said and the pirate captain chuckled softly and nodded his head.
"Mermaids, your majesty." He said and nodded into the water. The blond smiled and looked down at the mermaids down in the water. Their colorful tails glittered under that surface and their long hair gracefully floated around. "Would you like to meet them?" James asked.
The young prince turned to him with wide eyes. "Meet them?" He asked. "Are they friendly?
"Very friendly." James assured. "Come on, I'll teach you how to swim while we are at it." He said and shed his red coat. The prince hesitated before doing the same and took his own gray coat off. James chuckled and stripped down until he was only in his black cotton pants. "Come on." He said and climbed off the boat and jumped into the water.
Kendall hesitated and glanced around. The crew was busy and didn't really bother with him and the blond knew that they had since long lost interest in him since James had already claimed him his. They'd look but never touch.
"Are you coming?" James asked from down in the water. Kendall gulped and shed his shirt and carefully climbed down and hesitated a bit holding on to the ship while looking down at the blue water. He could feel everyone's eyes on him. The strange marks on his body did not go unnoticed. "C'mere." James cooed.
Kendall frowned a bit before jumping in, straight into the brunet's arms and squeaking when his head dipped under the water for a second and he sucked in a breath of water. He sputtered and coughed and James chuckled a bit, patting his back and holding him over the surface.
"You can't breathe water, love." He said softly and Kendall frowned, holding on tightly to the captain. "Take it easy, I've got you."
"D-Don't let go." Kendall whined and looked around with a big frown adorning his face.
James chuckled a bit and instructed him to tread water with his legs to keep him afloat. It didn't take long until they caught the mermaids attention and they came swimming, circling around the two. The giggled a bit and playfully splashed water at them.
"We want to play too!" They giggled and James chuckled a bit.
"Ladies..." He said charmingly and Kendall pouted. "We are in the middle of a swimming lesson." He said and the beautiful creatures turned to the blond who looked lost and worried.
"We could help." One of the suggested and took a gentle grip of Kendall's hands and pulled him away from James. The young prince frowned but James didn't seem too bothered, almost as if he trusted these creatures.
"Captain Diamond, you have to tell us where he comes from, he's so beautiful." Another mermaid sighed and smiled, circling Kendall. "He's like nothing I've ever seen..." She murmured and ran her hands over the blond's pale shoulders.
James let out a breath and smiled lovingly at the blond. "He is sent down by the Gods to me." He said and Kendall blushed. "A divine being who has fallen from heaven down into my arms." he murmured and Kendall looked away, blushing. "An angel who does not believe he is worthy of my praise."
"James..." Kendall mumbled shyly and looked embarrassed. The mermaid holding Kendall giggled and eyed him and Kendall and James was reunited again and swam over to where the water was shallow and James seated himself on the sandy beach with his lover securely in his embrace.
The mermaids begged and pleaded for James to tell them more and James went ahead and declared his love for the blond and told them about how Kendall had saved him from a hanging and the mermaids gasped in delight.
Kendall was mostly quiet and just sat and smiled softly when James praised him and talked so nicely of him and he just knew it in his heart that he truly belong together with James.
Linelineline
When the crew had gathered all the supplies needed and stopped to rest up on the sandy beach or entertain themselves in the water with the playful mermaids, Kendall made his way back onto the ship and into the captains cabin.
He was a bit tired – in a good way – and he dried up before getting dressed again and then climbing up in the mast and having a seat at the top of it and looking down, surveying the crew down below in the blue water and on the white sand. He let out a sigh and turned his gaze towards the horizon. The sun was high up on the sky and there wasn't a single cloud to be seen.
Something caught his eye and he stood back up and shielded his eyes from the shining sun. In the far distance he could see a ship. A large ship, a lot larger than the Tainted Diamond. "H-Hey!" He called and waved down at the crew. "Hey! S-Ship ahoy!" He yelled and waved his arms and pointed.
Down from the beach James spotted his blond waving and yelling. He shot up from the ground and ordered the crew to get back to the ship and the mermaids disappeared down into the deep blue ocean. "What do you see?" James yelled up to Kendall who pointed.
"There is a ship heading this way!" Kendall yelled from the top of the mast.
James cursed and ordered Carlos to climb up and scope things out while the rest of the crew got the Diamond ready to sail. When the small latino came back he looked pale and hurried to James' side. "Three masts, Captain. Red sails." He said and James cursed.
"Are you sure?" He asked and Carlos nodded. "Kendall!" James shouted and the young prince climbed down. "Take Logan and go down to the sickbay." James ordered.
"Captain-" Kendall said with a frown.
"No, do as you are told." James said sternly. "Go now, do not come out unless I say so. Lock the door, stay quiet, no matter what you hear." He said. Kendall pouted and huffed out a breath of air before stomping down under deck followed by a hesitant Logan.
The two went down to the sickbay and Logan sighed, finding the lock broken. "Damn pirates..." He muttered quietly to himself and then turned to look at the blond who sat with his arms crossed over his chest. "M-My prince."
"Do not talk to me." Kendall grumbled. Logan frowned a bit and slumped.
"But-"
"I do not wish to talk to you." Kendall said. "Leave me be, I have got nothing to say to you." He mumbled. Logan frowned and looked hurt. Kendall noticed and frowned. "I trusted you Logan..." Kendall said. "I trusted you and you... you betrayed me... you are sick."
linelineline
"Captain Diamond, so we meet again." The dark skinned man said, boarding the Tainted Diamond and smirking. "What a surprise finding you here amongst the mermaid islands." He said and James forced a smile.
"I wish I could say the same, Hawk." He said. "Say. What brings you here? To this part of the sea? To my ship?" James asked and the other pirate captain chuckled darkly and waved his hand a bit, making his own crew board James' ship.
"Oh, James." Hawk said and shook his head. "There isn't many news that bypasses me." he said and James' smile fell into a scowl. "I've heard you've got a real treasure on board." He said and his crew barged their way into James' cabin.
James' eyes narrowed. "I've got nothing that would be of value to you." He gritted out. "Now take your men and leave my ship." He hissed and drew his sword. The intruding crew chuckled and their captain just shook his head and laughed darkly.
"You've always been a funny one." He said. "I've known you for ten years, James. Your ways are as your looks, they never change." He hissed and James glared at him. "But don't worry, sooner or later even you'll age."
"Get off my ship." James hissed and the Tainted Diamond's crew too drew their weapons. Hawk motioned for his crew to defend themselves. "Leave and I might spare you." James threatened and pressed the tip of his sword towards Hawk's chest.
Hawk had a sly look on his face and shrugged. "Now... if you didn't have anything valuable on this ship you wouldn't have threatened me. You're keeping something from me, James." He murmured and James gritted his teeth.
"Leave." He growled. Hawk only smiled and gave another chuckle while shaking his head.
"Let go of me, you big brute! Let me go!"
James' heart sank hearing that voice and his eyes were blown wide when a tall man held his precious prince in a tight grip, holding a silvery dagger against his throat. The brunet gulped and his hands trembled. He turned to Hawk that gave him a smug look and the sword fell from James hands and fell to the floor with a clatter.
Hawk looked amused. "It looks like we found what we came for. The prince of the Blue Kingdom." He said and walked over to the blond and eyed him. "There's a fortune waiting for us when we turn him in."
James shook his head and took a step closer. "No, please." He said and frowned. "Not him. You can have anything you want, but you cannot have him." He said and shook his head. "Anything, take anything you want. My gold, my treasures, my ship but please..." He pleaded. "Not him." He begged and shook his head.
"J-James..." Kendall whined and struggled to find his footing – which was hard when he was held about a foot above the deck. James looked at him with panic struck eyes and then turned back to Hawk.
"Anything. I'll give you anything." He said.
"No, James!" Kendall whined and elbowed his captor in the stomach and snaked out of his grip, landing securely on his feet and hurrying over to James. "James, you-"
A shot was fired and everything in Kendall's head froze. He turned around and looked at the unknown pirate captain and saw the smoking gun in his hand, aiming it towards them. Kendall's head snapped back to James who just stared.
"J-James!" Kendall exclaimed and grabbed a hold of the brunet's arms. James let out a pained groan and struggled to stand up straight. "No, no, no." Kendall whined and looked down at James' blood soaked shirt. "James, come on." He whined and started crying.
"I believe that's my cue to leave." Hawk said and one of his crew members grabbed a hold of the blond and locked his arms behind his back. The young prince struggled.
"No! No, you can't!" He shouted and kicked with his feet. "You can't-... J-James!" He shouted and cried when he was carried away. The Tainted Diamond's crew stood like paralyzed and Carlos hurried to James' side. "James!" Kendall cried when he was carried onto the larger ship.
"Don't let them..." James said and pointed at he ship but it was already too late. James' face was twisted into a pained frown and he clutched his hand over his chest. "Please..." He whimpered and looked up at Carlos.
"C-Captain, try not to speak..." Woodland mumbled and immediately started to try and stop the bleeding. James shook his head.
"Never mind me." James said. "Please... don't let them get away. I'll be fine." He said and managed to get back up on his feet. "Raise all sails! Full speed ahead! Do not let those bastards get away!" He ordered and the crew scurried to follow the orders given.
"Captain Diamond, you have to rest." Carlos said warily. "You just got shot."
"I'll live." James hissed and stretched a bit and grunted. "Don't lose them, whatever you do. Do not lose them." He said and gave his friend a pleading look.
Carlos gulped seeing the captains look. He had never ever seen the brunet look so desperate and so destroyed. He must really love the prince, thought Carlos and then nodded his head. "I'll make sure of it." He said softly. "If you just rest for a little bit." He continued and James let out a frustrated growl but agreed, after all it was pretty painful to get shot.
"Ar." James grumbled and staggered into his cabin and flopped down on a chair. His heart was aching and never in his life had he felt this miserable. Not ever. He couldn't lose Kendall, he just couldn't. Not yet, their time together had just barely started and this was way too soon for it to be over.
Back on deck Carlos made sure that everything was going according to plans. The sails were all set and the chase was on. Woodland was in charge of the rudder wheel and Carlos took a few minutes to try and find Logan but the former servant was no where to be found.
I swear, this story is like one adventure after another. Is it weird that I like that?
Yay, updating 'cause I missed all of you! :)
I really, really, really hope that you enjoy the chapter. Thank you so much for reading :)
oxox Hannah