Chapter 12: Port Royal
Go
I was a coward. I watched as the crew dragged away Awayuki and all I had done was fall back to avoid getting caught myself. I couldn't bring myself to go visit him. What would I say? I returned to my work, trying to forget the failure that had been the mutiny and that a new cabin boy had ever come aboard.
When I thought of how Hayate had single-handedly brought down the mutiny, or how easily Sasame had turned the crew against Awayuki, I realized that our plans were hopeless from the start. The bit of hope Awayuki had given me faded away. Things would return to how they always had been, and would remain that way forever…
I could hear Kei's voice, commanding the crew in cleaning up the ship following the aftermath of the mutiny. There were only a few crewmembers that weren't injured, and morale was at an all time low. After all, they had just lost a chance to take over the ship and a chance to cash in precious loot.
The state of the Pretear herself wasn't much better than her crew. She had been battered by the storm, and was still missing her main mast. It seemed a miracle to me that this ship was still floating. I surmised that it was Sasame's will that kept together a broken ship and a broken crew.
"Land ahoy!"
Despite my desire to stay below deck and out of sight, my curiosity for where we were headed got the better of me and I went up onto deck. I squinted at the formations of land distant in the horizon and shrugged. As I was about to head back below decks, I saw him. Hayate.
My anger surged at seeing him at the helm, confidently staring forward with an apathetic look on his face. I stood there frozen between wanting to strike out at him and a desire to hold onto my life. The instant I struck out at him, my life as a human being would be over.
As I stood there paralyzed between anger and—though I didn't want to admit it—fear, I saw Awayuki come onto the deck. My eyes widened in surprise and relief. I was glad he was still alive and that he seemed to have gotten away with only whippings from the look of it. I opened my mouth to call out to him, but no sound came out. Because I was nothing but a coward.
He seemed to sense me, however, and turned his gaze to me. He gave me a soft smile and a look that I could only place as apologetic, before turning his gaze away from me and towards where Hayate stood. I watched him sadly as his shoulders sagged as he walked over to Hayate. A defeated stance that mirrored my own.
The patch of land on the horizon was getting closer, and with an inward groan, I recognized where we were heading. If I had entertained any thoughts of escaping before, they were gone. We were heading into one of the most notorious pirate strongholds in the Caribbean—Port Royal.
Usually when the Pretear docked at a port to restock on provisions and for repairs, I was left aboard with a rotating guard. This time was different. Perhaps it was because we had major repairs to do and were short on uninjured crew, or that the mutiny had left all of the crew in a similar position of suspicion as me. But this time I was allowed off the ship for the first time in ages.
"Go," I heard Hayate's disgusting voice say, "you'll be with me and the cabin boy."
Great. Just peachy. As much as I wanted to talk with Awayuki—to apologize for my cowardice—Hayate's presence would put a damper on anything I could say to Awayuki. But it made sense—the two instigators of the mutiny would be placed with the most loyal member of the crew. Though I would have gladly preferred to spend the day with Kei instead.
As soon as we disembarked from the ship, I felt my legs gladly stretch and I appreciated the feel of the firm earth beneath me. The first thing that hit me was the stench of alcohol and sweat, hanging in the air like a thick fog. The sounds of prostitutes waving their sheets out windows, their breasts sagging out of the confines of their clothes and the drunken responses they would receive from the ruffians on the street followed the smell. The occasional gunshot and altercation spilling out of the taverns onto the street reminded me of one fact: I had returned to what was once my home.
"We're re-stocking our ammunition," Hayate announced and tilted his head, indicating to us to follow him.
I followed him silently brooding. Being on land for the first time in a long time, I felt unsteady physically and mentally as waves of uncomfortable nostalgia hit me. I turned to see Awayuki's reaction to Port Royal and it was as I expected—a contained expression of disdain at the looseness of behavior mixed with fear. We were surrounded by pirates at their worst, after all. We didn't have much to worry about in terms of being randomly provoked. Hayate's stern presence, his hand on his scabbard, was threatening enough to keep the pests at bay.
It wasn't enough to keep the women away, however. Completely ignoring our presence, a woman whose top half was completely uncovered came up to Hayate. Even though he was glaring daggers at her, she boldly approached him.
"Long time no see, Hayate," she said in a voice dripping with honey.
"I see you're doing well," he answered curtly in manner that indicated he wanted nothing further to do with her.
"Oh, it's been absolutely boring without you here," she crooned, pressing herself onto Hayate's chest, "Gentlemen like you are hard to come by."
"I appreciate the complement. Now if you'll excuse us," he said, while disentangling himself from her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Awayuki smile faintly and felt a mild irritation.
"Feel free to drop by if you want some comforting, dear," she said, waving at him. He continued to walk away without turning back to look at her.
I raised an eyebrow at the interaction. Why didn't I have women come up to me? I looked down at my tattered clothes and saw my reflection in a broken window. I was a hollow, gaunt specter still walking. Hell, I wouldn't approach someone who looked as dead as I did. I turned to Awayuki, who was getting called out; women liked them young and innocent too, I supposed. He was looking straight ahead at Hayate's back, seeing nothing else around him. I sighed and continued forward.
We arrived at the shop and I winced inwardly at the familiarity. Ignoring the memories that threatened to surface, I headed inside. The heat from the furnace and the smell of melting iron greeted me and I tried to swallow the lump forming in my throat.
"Go! What are ya doing? Bring that hammer over here!" my brother called out to me. I had been watching the way he worked in such awe I had been standing still.
Nodding, I grabbed the hammer, ready to strike the hot iron. This was my favorite part of forging—bending the metal into shape. It was satisfying to take that raw shapeless metal and turn it into the desired form. My brother and I always argued out whether the bending or the drawing out was the most fun process of the forging.
He smiled as I approached with the hammer in a warm and comforting gesture that never failed to reassure me that everything would be okay.
"Can we practice swords again today?" I asked as I brought the hammer down. He nodded, wiping sweat off of his brow.
"Once we're done with this batch," he promised, holding tight to the hot metal with his tongs.
I smiled. It was our daily ritual to end our day of work with swordplay. It had been this way ever since our father had passed away. We had traveled from port to port to find someone who would take the two of us in as apprentices. We had no money, nothing to our name except the knowledge of how to work with metal. We had been fortunate to be taken in here, despite the degenerate behavior that surrounded us in town.
I shook my head to clear the memory. We had work to do. I pulled out the inventory list Awayuki and I had made and stepped over to the counter. The master of the shop was a rotund man who clearly had plenty enough to drink. His beet red face came up to mine. I resisted from hitting this man who reminded me of my old master. I read from the list, knowing full well that most here did not read. He grunted and called out to his apprentice boy in the back.
When there was no response, he went into the back and I heard sounds of blows and a suppressed cry of pain escape. I winced. Would the cycle of abuse never end?
The door burst open and the smile on my face faded. Our master had come back, drunk as a skunk as usual. He staggered in, surveyed our work and frowned.
"Where the hell's the other half of the swords?" he drawled, his face tight with anger.
My brother stepped forward in front of me, shielding me from our master's wrath.
"They will be done soon, not to worry," he said calmly. I could see him trembling in suppressed anger. Our master was not pleased. His hand swung and hit my brother in the jaw. I felt angry. Angry that my master felt entitled to hit my dear brother. And angry that I could do nothing about it.
My fists clenched with the memory, as I stood frozen at the counter. There was nothing I could do for the boy. I certainly couldn't offer him a better alternative. Finally after several moments, the boy emerged, his lip cut and swollen, wearing a defiant look in his eyes. He was no more than nine or ten, with white, spiky hair and purple eyes that would have reminded me uncomfortably of Sasame's, except that they were so honestly straightforward.
"Two dozen rapiers, sir," he asked. I nodded. I watched him carefully, seeing myself in his place. But he had no older brother to protect him from the blows.
When our work was finished and I had gathered our goods, Hayate paid the master. I caught the boy's gaze and smiled in what I hoped was an encouraging way. He frowned and turned away. What a little brat, I thought smiling as I imagined him surviving and making his way out of here to better things.
Just as we left the shop, the door flew open and the small form of the boy went flying out of the shop. I headed over and caught him before he impacted with the ground. I turned and saw that Hayate and Awayuki had gone ahead. They were too preoccupied with bringing the weapons back to the ship to notice my absence.
"You okay, kid?" I asked. He slapped my hand away, struggling to get up. A true defiant fighter, I thought, encouraged that the world had not crushed his spirit yet.
"I didn't ask for your help," he snapped. His eyes were blazing but full of pride. How could I have even thought they were similar to Sasame's? Their eyes were like night and day.
"Yeah, yeah," I replied, ruffling his hair. He attempted to slap my hand away again. I was taking a liking to this kid.
"Stop treating me like a kid!" he shot out.
"Is that the way you speak to all customers, kid?" I asked. His rudeness was refreshing in its own way. It displayed a naïve lack of fear.
"I said to stop calling me a kid! Besides I'm not gonna work in that shop anymore," he said with his arms crossed.
"What are ya gonna do then?" I asked, out of both curiosity and concern.
"I'm going with you," he replied matter-of-factly.
I got up and started to walk away from him.
"Sorry kid. Find someone else to tag along with. Being with me ain't the best option," I replied and lifted a hand back to wave goodbye to him.
I decided trying to both lose the kid and return back to the Pretear were my best options now. Even if I tried to run away now, the port was swarming with pirates who knew the infamous Captain Sasame and would be more than happy to capture and bring me back to him for either gold or just for his good favor. And if that kid was leaving his abusive master, all the luck to him. If he came with me he would just be entering a new hell that was worse than what he had already experienced.
When I reached the port, I was approached by—if it was at all possible—an even more displeased Hayate.
"Where have you been?" he hissed.
"Taking care of some business," I replied cockily.
"If it's the brothels, you are welcome to head over with the crew in the evening—only once your work is finished," he snapped and turned back to giving orders to the crew. I was surprised at his uncharacteristic leniency.
Awayuki came over and began listing the changes to the weapon inventory that had resulted from both our purchases and from purchases made by the rest of the crew. I was only half listening to him, however. I watched as temporary hired hands helped with the crew in repairing the main mast. I remembered that moment when I feared that Awayuki would be lost in the sea. And once again, I had not been able to save him. It was Hayate—it was always Hayate…
"Go, you seem to have a follower," Awayuki said suddenly, breaking my thoughts.
I turned and realized that I had failed to lose the boy from the shop.
"What are ya doing here, kid?" I asked him.
"I said I'm going with you," he replied. His arms crossed again in defiance.
"I thought I made it clear—I said no," I stated firmly.
"Well, since you're here, we might as well take care of those bruises. I'm Awayuki. What's your name?" Awayuki asked him. I saw his expression soften at being accepted by someone. But then again, Awayuki had that effect on people. Perhaps it was his kindness that he could not hide away.
"Mannen," he replied.
"Nice to meet you, Mannen. Wait here, I'll bring some bandages and ointment," Awayuki said, smiling. For once, he actually listened and stayed put.
"So you're willing to listen to him, huh?" I mused aloud.
"That's 'cause he doesn't treat me like a kid," Mannen answered, his expression hardening again.
"Ain't nothing wrong with being a kid," I responded.
"…not strong enough…" he muttered.
I felt a stab of pity for him. He was so similar to me when I had been in Port Royal. The same defiance and desire to grow stronger. Which is why I knew that if he came aboard the Pretear, his spirit would be crushed like mine was.
Awayuki returned with the bandages and ointment. He carefully applied the cream over the bruises not only on his face, but also on his arms and legs. He stood silently, biting his lip as the ointment stung on open wounds. When Awayuki had finished wrapping the bandages, he said softly, "You should get going now."
Mannen's face fell. I watched as his shoulders sagged and he walked away, defeated.
"It's for the best, right?" Awayuki said softly. I nodded in agreement with him. Best to not be involved with this hell ship.
We both boarded the ship again as the rest of the crew were heading out in full force to enjoy the night pleasures of Port Royal. I could already imagine the crew the next day—hung-over and loudly proclaiming their sexual feats the night before—and retreated into my work cabin in a plan to avoid them for the next few days at the least.
Several days passed in this manner. I took stock of the weaponry and made sure that all the cannons were in working order for when the ship would be back in action again. I could hear the repairs on the main mast, the rigging and the woodwork continue. Every night the ship became quiet as a majority of the crew went ashore to enjoy drink and women with their earnings.
I had been so lost in thought one evening that I had not noticed that Awayuki had come into my cabin. When he began speaking, my head snapped up in surprise.
"I'm sorry about the mutiny," he said softly. I shook my head.
"That wasn't your fault. I should have warned you more…" I replied. Awayuki avoided looking into my eyes.
Up close and alone for the first time since the mutiny, I noticed how drained he looked. Although I could not see the scars from the whippings on his back, I imagined them and it sent a shudder down my spine. I felt guilty for doing nothing to protect him—for not even checking up on him because I feared the worst. I rose and pulled him into a rough hug. He stiffened in surprise before he relaxed.
"I'm glad you're alright," I said low into his ear before releasing him.
When I released him, his eyes were filled with tears and he gave me a weak smile before burying his face into my shoulder. Several hours later, he had fallen asleep after crying. I imagined his eyes would be red-rimmed tomorrow and I hoped he would get the rest he deserved. Poor kid, I thought, leaning in and kissing him on the forehead. I decided to go up onto deck to give him some privacy and space.
I reflected the amount of burden I had placed on Awayuki. His earnest determination had caught me off guard, and I had forgotten how young he truly was.
Ain't nothing wrong with being a kid…
I sighed. I needed to get off this ship for some time. I took my earnings and headed off with the crew in the rowboat. As I landed ashore, I reflected that it had been a while since I had even entertained thoughts about enjoying the spoils of debauchery. But I felt like I needed it. Seeing Awayuki fall apart like that had awakened me from the stupor of half-alive I had been in for the past month, and it jarred me uncomfortably.
I walked into a tavern and ordered a drink. As the liquor burned down my throat, I decided I would try to forget it all—the mutiny, any hopes I had of leaving the crew, and his tears—and what better way than to get drunk beyond all reason?
By the time I had left the tavern, my coin bag was lighter and my vision and balance was swaying. I decided what I logically needed next was a woman. I didn't need to go far. I stumbled into the adjacent establishment and was surrounded by women in all states of undress. The sounds of copulating filled my ears, and despite myself I felt my ears burn in embarrassment and was beginning to regret coming in. Before I could turn away, a girl—who looked like she was close to Awayuki's age—grabbed my arm and pressed her breasts against me.
"Leaving so soon, sir?" she asked coyly. I gave her the rest of my money and followed her into the room. It had been a while since I had been with a woman, but I had not forgotten what to do. She was sweet with me, coaxing me out of my initial embarrassment. As I ran my hands over her body, I thought of the rough hug I had given Awayuki. He had been trembling as he cried into my shoulder; it had taken a considerable amount of self-restraint to resist pulling him in closer.
Did I desire him the way I desired women? No…Awayuki was different…
"Is all this money for me?" she asked once we were done. I nodded in assent. She snuggled down beside me and said, "It's enough for the rest of the night. Shall we go again?"
I shook my head. Just laying there with her warmth beside me was soothing. As the moonlight from the window streamed onto her face, I reflected that she was nothing like Awayuki. Just a similar petite frame, but otherwise her aura was entirely different from that fierce, determined boy's aura. I sighed and turned to kiss the woman beside me once more…
As I stumbled out of the brothel, she gave a peck on the cheek as thanks, possibly for letting her sleep soundly through the night for the first night in a long time. My head was pounding and I remembered why I had vowed not to drink again. While I felt tired and was suffering from what was decidedly one of the worst hangovers of my life, I also felt oddly refreshed.
That was when I saw him again. I blanched and tried to lose him in the crowd of hung-over corsairs, but I was too tired and he was too quick. He caught up with me and I gave up, letting him follow beside me wordlessly. The crew looked in my direction in surprise as the kid followed me into the rowboat back to the Pretear. I tried to shake my head to indicate that I didn't have hobbies like that, but my throbbing head decided it was best for me not to speak.
After a while of silence, I turned to the kid and asked, "Do you swim?"
"Yeah, of course I swim!" he retorted.
"Good," I managed weakly, before tossing him over the side of the rowboat. He surfaced shortly after, yelling profanities at me. I rubbed my temples before looking up and sharply crying out, "Get out of here, kid!"
That shut him up. I averted my eyes to avoid looking at his eyes that clearly reflected how deeply my rejection had hurt him. It was for the best. I headed aboard the Pretear with a pit in my stomach. I hoped he had made it back ashore all right. I thought I was past feeling anything when I hurt others, but Mannen had proved me wrong.
With a miserable feeling in my gut, I looked absently over the side of the ship. It was then I saw him. White hair on a small frame holding on desperately to a rope.
That stupid, stupid Mannen!
"Pull up the anchor!" I cried out. The crew completely ignored me in their drunken stupor.
I turned back to where Mannen was holding onto dear life and cried out, " Let go of that rope!" I cried.
"No way!" he snapped.
It was then I saw that he was holding back tears. Furiously, he was trying to shimmy his way up the rope, but the wet rope did not give him enough traction and he slid—until he fell off the rope into the water.
Hopefully he'll give up now, I thought. I tried to turn away, but felt bothered by the fact that he had not come up for air. As I stood there, I became more and more worried that he had hit his head against the anchor. The water was deep enough where the Pretear was anchored that drowning was definitely a danger. Irritated at the kid for his perseverance—while respecting him for it all the same—I took off my boots and jacket and plunged into the cold water.
The impact of the water hit me and threatened to expel the air I had trapped into my lungs. I rotated in place looking for a head of white hair. Bingo. I saw his small figure slowly sinking in the water as if suspended by tendrils of light.
Even after we broke the surface he wasn't breathing. I made my way over to the ship and was surprised to see a fresh rope thrown out to me. I looked up and frowned. Hayate was holding the other end. I reluctantly grabbed the rope and allowed him to help the kid and me back onto the ship.
Once on deck, I tried to pump the water out of his lungs, but to no avail. Hayate shoved me aside and brought his lips to the boy's, breathing life back into him. He spluttered and I sighed in relief.
"A stowaway?" Kei asked Hayate, completely ignoring my presence.
"We could use a new cabin boy," Hayate stated. I froze. What would happen to Awayuki?
"You mean to have Awayuki take the position of boatswain instead?" Kei asked. Awayuki as the new boatswain? What had happened to the former boatswain?
"Yes. His knowledge of the ship maintenance was crucial in the repairs that occurred after the former boatswain abandoned the crew," Hayate said.
"So the matter of the boatswain was taken care of?" Kei asked.
"I personally handled it, under the captain's orders," Hayate responded.
There was silence, punctuated by sounds of the boy coughing up water and wheezing in air into his lungs.
"Well, I shall make the changes in the log book. At least we're not expanding the size of the crew. I would have had to make changes in the calculations for loot distribution then," Kei stated.
"Well, well, a new face," a familiar voice drawled. I felt a shiver run down my spine, and it wasn't from the chill of being wet.
"Our new cabin boy," Hayate stated simply. I turned to face Mannen and realized that he was frozen in place at the sight of Sasame. I moved to place my hand on his shoulder, which jolted him out of the fear that had rooted him to the spot.
"Welcome aboard the Pretear," Sasame said to the boy with a smile that could have frozen him solid.