Kendall felt a surge of power welling out of him and he swung his arms out and with that the whole ship seemed to crumble and explode into thousands of pieces beneath him. How he was not hurt by debris and shards of wood, glass and metal was beyond him.
He heard someone call out for him but his name seemed so distant. He could see the crew of the enemy ship crash into the water and disappear down into the abyss as if they were all weighed down. He could see the captain glare at him and curse at him before he too disappeared into the deep blue eternity.
Kendall gasped and felt his energy start to slip away, then he hit the water and sunk along with the various items from the ship.
The underwater world was peaceful and silent. The only sounds you heard was the sounds of the air bubbles racing each other back up to the surface. Kendall blinked his eyes and stared. He'd never seen so much blue before, so much water and such an infinity of nothing but the azure blue color.
A distant crash was heard and then a pair of arms were wrapped around him. Kendall looked up at saw James. He smiled softly. "James." he cooed and the brunet furrowed his eyebrows, puzzled to why the prince needed no air to speak.
James looked again and saw the thin walls surrounding him and the prince, shielding them from the water. He dared to suck in a quick breath and then relaxed when it was air and not water that entered his lungs. "James." Kendall whined and hugged the brunet tightly.
"Hush, I've got you." James said and tucked the blond's head in under his chin. They sat there for a while, wrapped up in each other while sitting in the small bubble surrounding them. James looked around and then down at the young prince. "I've got you, love." He said and Kendall smiled.
"I-I knew you would come and get me." He whispered and James kissed him. "I knew you would."
linelineline
"Where are they?" Logan asked worriedly. "I can't see them! Where did they go?!" he yelled and stared down into the water. Carlos – that was too leaning far over the railing – shared a worried look with Logan.
"Please." He almost begged. "Please..." He sighed and let out a big sigh of relief when the captain and the prince resurfaced.
Kendall was sputtering and gasping for air while James had him a secure grip, keeping him from sinking when the blond's swimming abilities weren't enough. They were helped back up on the ship and Kendall clung to James like a second skin. The handsome brunet held him tightly in his arms and cooed in his ear, "Don't worry, I've got you."
"B-By the Lord..." Woodland mumbled and Kendall looked up and frowned.
His face was framed by a green vine patterns. The ornate lines created a magnificent frame that went from his jaw up to his temples and further up on his forehead where it created a crown of green. Kendall gulped and looked around at the ones who were staring at him before looking down at his hands where green marks outlined his fingers and the back of his hands. "J-James?" he whined and looked up at the brunet who was also eying him.
"I-... I think I know what's going on..." Logan mumbled and James turned to the raven haired boy. "Your majesty, I think you sealed your powers within yourself when you... b-branded yourself with that seal and instead of leaving your human body, your powers are..." He mumbled and hesitated a bit. "Your human body might be evolving to readjust to..." He mumbled but stopped.
Kendall turned to the brunet that was still holding him. "Is he going to be alright?" James asked and Logan gulped a bit.
"I-I think so, Captain Diamond." Logan squeaked before retreating away from Kendall's glare. James turned his attention back to the young prince that was trembling, seemingly out of fear. He gently stroked his hand over Kendall's cheek and traced the new lines running along his jaw.
"I-I-I-..." Kendall whined and trembled even worse than before. "I-I am a monster... a-am I not?" He asked and frowned a bit. His eyes were glossy and his bottom lip quivering, suggesting he was close to tears.
James quickly shook his head and looked into the prince's eyes. "You are no more monster than I." He said softly and Kendall's frown grew and James got up and helped the blond to his feet. "Let's get you back into the cabin, you need to rest."
Kendall's head snapped up and he looked with worried eyes at the brunet. "James, what about you?" he asked. "Are you hurting?" James smiled at him and shook his head.
"Not anymore. Not with you here." James murmured and Kendall seemed to feel a little better with those words. The two disappeared into the captain's cabin and the crew went back to doing whatever they were doing before, with Woodland ordering them around.
Carlos let out a shaky breath and sat down on the stairs by the rudder deck, relieved and trying to pull himself together. Everything was alright. Everything was back to normal and he hadn't lost his friends.
"Are you alright?" Logan asked warily and Carlos looked up. "Carlos?" The raven haired boy asked and the latino shot up and hugged him.
"Thank you." Carlos said. "Thank you for doing that." He said and then held Logan an arms reach away. The former servant blushed and looked troubled. "What's wrong?" The latino asked worriedly. "Are you hurt?"
Logan quickly shook his head and looked at the latino's arms. "N-No..." He mumbled. "I just-... I've never-..." He mumbled. "I've never gotten a hug like that before." He confessed and gulped. "You took me by surprise." Carlos gawked at what he was hearing, who in the world had never gotten a hug before? Even Carlos – who had been living on the street – had gotten hugs.
Carlos frowned a bit and brought a hand to Logan's cheek. "It's okay." He said. "You're not who you once were." He said and Logan gulped and looked away. "You're not a servant anymore. You are a free man." Carlos continued. "Free to do as you'd like and go wherever you want."
"Am I?" Logan asked. "Then why don't I feel that way?" he asked and put a hand over his heart. "I'm weight down by guilt, Carlos. I've done such horrible things. Made awful promises." He mumbled and Carlos eyes him.
The former servant sighed a bit before sitting down. "You don't seem all that bad in my eyes." Carlos said.
"I betrayed the prince, with his body as a reward." Logan mumbled and Carlos eyed him.
"We've all done mistakes. That's why we're pirates, Logan." He said and sat down beside the raven haired boy. "We've got all sorts of people here. Murderers, thieves, liars and everything you could ever imagine. But they've all let go of their pasts and now they're free.
Logan nodded slowly. "I have a hard time understanding your type of freedom." he sighed and Carlos chuckled.
"You'll get used to it." He said. "Now, would you like to share a bottle of rum with me? I've got one hidden away." He offered and Logan looked up at him before shrugging his shoulders and getting up from his seat.
"Sure, why not?"
linelineline
The young prince fell asleep the moment his head touched the soft sheets and James sat there and held him in his arms, not moving an inch or even thinking that thought of doing so. Kendall was back with him and that was all that mattered. Whatever wound he had was since long forgotten and most likely healed up already and all James had in mind was the blond beauty in his arms.
Kendall was humming in his sleep, melodic and soothing, like he was lulling himself into a more peaceful sleep. James caressed his cheeks and his forehead tracing the delicate lines running down his features.
"'Tis strange how a god has mistaken himself for a monster..." the brunet murmured. "You are nor could ever be a monster, love." He cooed. "You are merely a lost divinity in a world full of small humans. A beauty whose mind has been washed away for the sake of acting a luck bringing beacon."
James sighed and leaned down and pressed his lips against the blond's forehead. "I don't know if I'm blessed or if I'm just a fool for falling for you." He said silently. "You are certainly a fool to have fallen for me... but perhaps... you did for a reason?" He asked more himself than anyone else.
The handsome brunet gave another sigh and placed another kiss to the prince's head before he hugged him closer and closed his eyes, relishing that he had his love back within reach.
Linelineline
"You're kidding?" Carlos chuckled and eyed the raven haired boy who seemed awfully suspicious to the golden drink in the bottle he held. "You've never had a drink before?" He asked and Logan shook his head. "That is ridiculous!" Carlos laughed. "No wonder you don't know what freedom is!"
Logan frowned a bit and smelled the drink, furrowing his eyebrows and wrinkling his nose. "I fail to see why this should make me feel more free." He sighed. The latino chuckled and jutted his own bottle towards the former servant.
"Have a drink! Loosen up! Be free!" He laughed and Logan took a hesitant sip from his bottle before he frowned and pouted his lips. "Now try and tell me that wasn't the most liberating sip of liquid you've ever had." Carlos said and took a deep sip from his own bottle.
"How do you keep if down?" Logan muttered but drank again.
The latino grinned at him and nodded. "That's the thing. You don't have to." He said and Logan gave him a disgusted look. Never had he ever heard of something more distasteful. Carlos noticed the look and smiled softly, leaning against the wall he stood by and looked down at his bottle. "Hey... it's alright though." He said. "There's lots of pirates that doesn't drink. Take Oelberg, he hasn't had a drink since the day he left his old life. There's other things to do."
"Like what?" Logan asked.
"Like..." Carlos hummed and nibbled on his bottom lip while looking into the distance. "Like music, art and stuff like that. There's this thing they do in the far west where they inhale the smoke of different plants, in the distant east they draw patterns in the sand to find peace... it's different."
"And how do you know all of this?"
"I've seen it." Carlos said. "Captain Diamond's taken me all over the world." He explained happily. Logan nodded a bit and hummed.
"Captain Diamond isn't quite like I thought he'd be." Logan muttered and drank again, wanting to feel that warmth in the pit of his stomach again. "He's not the bloodthirsty monster I thought he would be."
Carlos chuckled lowly and shook his head. "The captain is a weird one." He said. "I don't know what it is but he's wiser than his age. I'll tell you, he doesn't look a day older than he did ten years ago when he picked me up." Carlos chuckled.
Logan nodded a bit. The captain looked very young, too you to be the captain of a feared pirate ship. Too young to have earned such respect amongst men looking far older. "How old is he?" Logan asked and turned to the latino. "Surely he's not much older than your or I."
"That's the thing about him. No one knows." Carlos hummed and tilted his bottle and watched the rum splash around. He gave an amused chuckle and nodded. "I must be mad but a part of me thinks he's older than any of us."
"Care to elaborate?" Logan asked and leaned against the wall he stood by, drinking again.
Carlos smiled to himself and sighed. "I believe in magic, Logan. I always have."
"So you're saying the captain uses magic to stay young?" Logan asked and the latino shrugged his shoulders and seemed to find the bottle he held incredibly interesting. "What am I saying? I've lived my entire life surrounded by divine magic and now I'm suddenly doubting it?" Logan sighed. "It must be the drink." He mumbled and Carlos laughed softly but the raven haired boy didn't care and gulped down the rest of his drink and then put the bottle away.
"Didn't know fortress people were such drinkers." Carlos chuckled and Logan looked up. "Downed that bottle like a real pirate."
"I suppose that's a title I should get used to..." Logan sighed and sat down. "So tell me... what does pirates really do?" He asked and flopped down on a stool.
"Whatever we'd like." Carlos said. "We can do whatever we want."
Logan's eyes shifted into a darker tone. Confusion hovering over the chocolaty brown orbs. His face wore a lost look that suggested he hadn't wrapped his mind around the fact that whatever you'd like meant whatever you'd like. The mere thought of being able to do whatever you would want and not just follow orders was near impossible to him.
The latino look down at the former servant wondering what went trough his mind at the moment. Was he pondering his freedom? Was he doubting it? Was he maybe considering going back to the safety in the fortress?
Carlos gave a sigh and put his half empty bottle down. "It's frightening, I know." He said lowly and Logan looked up at him from his seat. "It's scary to suddenly have all of this freedom but I'd like you to know that being a pirate isn't just being free to do whatever you want, it's being free to think whatever you want."
"That explains the prince's desire to be one..." Logan muttered. "I've never thought for myself before, someone's always told me what to do and say and think and believe... how am I supposed to know what I myself think when I've never done it before?" He asked.
Carlos shrugged. "That's what you figure out as you go." He explained and sat down next to the raven haired boy. "Traveling the world isn't just about finding new places and treasures... it's also about finding yourself." He said. "It's a shot in the dark, really." He mumbled and Logan nodded.
"Finding myself, hm?" He asked silently and nodded his head. "It's going to be difficult to find oneself when you don't know who you are."
"You're Logan. That's who you are." Carlos said. "Anything else doesn't matter."
Logan gave a weak smiled and nodded. "Thank you." He said. "For trying to widen my vision... I needed it." Carlos smiled back.
"You're welcome."
Hey guys! Updating! Wie!
So yeah, even though my stories are going pretty slow at the moment I have a decent idea of what I want to happen. Let's just see if I can get that down alright...
Thank you for reading. I love you all, I hope you enjoy :)
Take care!
oxox Hannah