*Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia, or any of its characters. Just the ideas and what I am writing.

*Author's note: Different chapters may be different content ratings. And, feedback is always welcome. So I know whether to keep going or not. And "positive constructive feedback is always welcomed.

*Pairing/Shipping: Pirate EnglandxReader

You sat straight up in bed, frozen with fear and fright. Unable to move any further, with so many thoughts running through your head. You kept commanding your body to move, but still it remained there in a frozen state. A statue is what your body had become, then finally, you managed to force yourself off the bed and hit the floor with a thud. Adrenaline and fear is now running through your body. You flung the curtains that were hanging over your window to the side and saw bright flames from the festival island. The island was not far off, but you still could not tell what was set ablaze.

Fighting with your instinct on hiding, your legs seemed to move on their own and go towards your bedroom door. About swinging the bedroom door off its hinges, you started down the dark hallway when you ran smack into someone and fell back onto the floor. With a groan you held the side of your head, slowly moving your hand to where you had bumped it on the front. Eyes watering a little from the now throbbing pain, you saw a shadowy figure and immediately scrambled up to find that it was your friend Sarah. She had come back a little before you and was checking to see if anyone was here. She, too, was rubbing her forehead.

"W-wh-at's going on?" Sarah stammered as she finally stood up and holding onto your arm.

You were just as scared and dumbfounded as she was. You did not know either, but not sure on what to do. "I-I-I dunno, I didn't even KNOW anyone was here. I thought I was the only one. And you scared me to death! I thought someone broke in and," you stopped when you heard a loud thunderous boom.

You both ducked to the ground and then crawled to the nearest, unoccupied room where a window was blazing with sunlight from the fires across the sea. You both just stared, unblinking and unable to muster any words. Time seemed to have stopped in your minds, and yet, everything seemed to be moving slowly. The fires seemed to be slowly crawling up some invisible vine to reach the night sky, and dawn was fast approaching. However, Sarah shook from her gaze and took you by the hand and led you down the stairs carefully. Unsure of what is really going on, you still wanted to be cautious in case there were looters that might be in the tavern. There were none and you both finally made it to the door and walked outside, slowly, to the side of the building to try and see.

That's when you could hear some local people, who had come to settle in for the night, start yelling and calling to one another for assistance in putting out that fire. Anyone who was not passed out and drunk started sprouting from nooks and crannies and buildings. All running towards the flames that seemed to be engulfing something. But what? Knowing that it was not a raid, Sarah and you began to move towards the docks where the small ferries would be waiting to take any able bodied men to the island to help put out the flames. You reached the dock line and men were scrambling in every which away to get to a ferry. You tried asking questions, but no one seemed to stop and try to explain anything. Until you heard someone shouting that a few ships carrying fireworks were on fire and were about to explode. One of the ships had, which is why you both had heard that thunderous boom earlier. All of the major fireworks had been used in the nightly displays. Only the smaller ones, that were not used, were on the ships, and were about to make an extravagant view for any spectators watching, within a safe distance.

You wanted to help, but knew that an explosion like that would cause some serious damage if you were caught near it. Before another thought entered your mind, hand was on your shoulder; making your shriek and turning around in surprise. A panting Captain Kirkland was right behind you with wild eyes and messy bed hair. Just seeing that you were okay slowed his breathing down some. His stunned face seemed frozen until he started to relax.

"Aye, luv. I thought sumt'in' ad 'appened to ye when I couldn't find ya in the tavern," he said still breathless from the sudden rush of being awoken and running around like a crazed chicken with its head cut off. "I think ye should be gettin' back inside where it's safe."

You brushed his arm off your shoulder and replied, "What about you? And did you wake up from that big boom from that other ship that had exploded?" You were curious on how he woke up, but figured one of his men might've told him.

"Aye, I 'eard the boom, but some of me men 'ad come back when all 'ell broke loose," he said as calmly as he could. "I figured I'd go try to help, but I wanted to make sure ye were all right, along wit yer friends. I take it Mrs. M didn't come back yet?"

"No, just Sarah and I were there. They might be helping to put out the flames...or now try to get away. I just hope no one was hurt from that blast," you said worriedly.

Captain Kirkland understood, he was hoping the same thing. But tried to act strong and brave in front of you girls. Another ship set off a loud explosion and more screams were heard. Now, anyone who was over there stopped trying to put out the flames and were running in the opposite direction. Trying to get away and just let the flames take over. It was hard to make out any single person among the many that looked like ants.

"There be a ferry left, I'm gonna go see if I can 'elp and find Mrs. M. Ye girls stay 'ere and go back to the tavern, k?" He asked and looked deep into your eyes.

You nodded, and watched him go with several of his men and others to go across the sea to the island. Soon he was out of your sight and onto the island, after that, you both just stood there; forgetting what he had said. The flames kept burning and burning, then you both decided to go back to the tavern, hoping that some of the other girls, who sometimes stayed there, would have come back. Just before you rounded the corner to go to the door, you stopped dead in your tracks; Sarah bumping into you. What you saw next, you were not ready for.

"what are you stopping for?" Sarah asked confused.

You spun around and planted your hand over her mouth to tell her to be quiet, and had the other hand with a finger on your lips. She quieted and you both peered around the corner.

Around the corner you saw black shadowy figures going in and out of shops. Looters. This was planned. They had knocked out most of the lampposts in the area. Using as few lights as possible. Glass to the shops had been broken, doors were kicked in. Anything they could carry off was in their arms. Then one of them was making his way towards you. Both of you backed up slowly and started towards another building. There was no way either of you were going to even try to fight. It was a good thing you both had left when you did. You were making your way to the other docks slowly, when you heard a girl screaming. You both looked back and tried to follow the scream. It was another tavern girl who worked with you. You almost always had a hard time remembering her name for some reason.

Haley, that was her name. All you both could do was watch as a few men covered her mouth and took her away kicking and thrashing around until she was bound and gagged to make her still; then took her off. A few more women were being taken back as well. Sarah covered her own mouth with tears in her eyes, knowing there was nothing either of you could do. These pirates, you knew were not customers. You could remember all of your customers faces, but you had never seen any of them, that you know of wit the small amount of light glowing onto them.

That's when you both decided to make a break for it back to the docks. Unsure of just how far inland the looters had come, and where they all were. You both were getting close to your destination when you noticed something was off. You both were relatively the only ones on the island. There were no more ferry boats to get on and the only way over was either swimming, or flying. Flying was out of the question. That's when you noticed that there was no way you could swim that far. Even if you could, what a shark or some other sea critter came up to take a nibble on you? There seemed to be nowhere to hide or even get word to the other island on what's happening. Confusion and hysteria were starting to fester into your mind. Sarah was looking around for anything that was afloat for both of you to stay on. She had gone a little ways down when a shadowy figure grabbed you unexpectedly by the arm. You turned around and saw it was one of the plunderers. You started to yell and kick him. You kicked him right where it counted, but he still had a grip on you. Sarah came up from behind and busted a big glass bottle over his head; making him loose his grip on you.

The last boat exploded and flame were going in every direction. You took a quick glance at the water and noticed there were ferry boats heading your way. Maybe some of the screams from the girls being taken away had caught the ears of some of the people over there. The pirate who had grabbed your arm was knocked out on the ground with some blood coming from his head. So you both moved down, the islands shore and started yelling as loud as you could to the people on the boats. Waving your arms furiously and sweating your lives out from doing so. They were getting closer now, and you noticed a few more of the plunderers were either going back to whatever ship they were on or finishing up grabbing what they could. Some of them started setting the buildings on fire. Sarah was still screaming at the people in the oncoming boats and you noticed the direction of where the plunderers were going. They were going to the opposite side of where the regular privateer and merchant ships were. Some of their ships were starting to catch fire and flames were turning more bright with the dawn.

Finally, when a few men who had been helping on the other island arrived, you both tried frantically to tell them what happened. That's when everything started getting more chaotic. They grabbed what they could and started after the thieving dogs. However, there was more than one ship apparently. It seemed like a whole armada of scoundrels had decided to take the small islands when everyone was off guard. You were hoping to see Captain Kirkland coming in at any moment, but there was no sign of him anywhere. You did realize just how close you and Sarah had gotten to the other side of the island. There was no point into going to the other island because that's when canon fire could be heard. Just 100ft from you a straight line of hay, fire and anything in the balls path was destroyed. Your heart dropped and Sarah and you started running in any direction you could to hide.

That's when someone grabbed your hair from behind and covered your mouth with a cloth. You were trying to fight but someone else grabbed your hands and bound them. The most unthinkable thoughts were running through your mind. You didn't know what to do except try to keep fighting. You were about to pass out when your body fell limply to the ground. The next thing you knew, you were out like a light.

Gun fire, canon fire, swords slashing, screams, yelling, the sound of the roaring waves hitting the shores; everything dancing into a swirl inside your head. Soon, it all started to dwindle down to wear there was only a back and forth rocking sensation. Waves lapped up the sides of the ship gently, and the wind blew its course.

You slowly, ever so slowly started to open your eyes. Blurred vision is what you had to wake up to. You started to moan a little bit out of pain. A throbbing head was making you feel as though a rock had smashed into it. All you could do was move a little at a time. You had no idea where you were or if you were still in some bizarre dream. But then he came to your side. It was your beloved hero, Captain Kirkland. He looked white like a ghost and you could tell he had been in the fight. Bruises and cuts donned his body. But he was smiling down at you, thankful you finally came around.

"Just take it easy fer a while, luv," he said cooingly. "Ye had quite a evening, or should I say mornin'?"

You wanted to talk, but faded back out again. When you finally reawakened, it was near evening, and you could smell some delicious food. You opened your eyes and tried to speak, but could only groan. Arthur perked from his desk and brought a plate of food over to the table beside where you were laying. He took a wet rag from a nearby bucket and squeezed some water out and placed it over your head. Nice and warm. You adjusted your eyes and could see more clearly now.

He smiled warmly down at you and asked, "'ow are ye feeling, luv?"

You carefully scrunched up against the headboard of the bed and replied softly, "My whole body still hurts. W-what happened?"

The smile in his face was trying to hide the pain behind it. He didn't want to tell you what had happened after you passed out, not until you were a little be stronger.

"'ow 'bout ye try to eat some, and when yer a little bit better I'll tell ya? Sound good?" He said holding the plate in his lap.

You nodded and tried to eat small bites of the food. It was delicious. A little bit of meat and vegetables. And a small glass of water to wash it down. When you were done, Captain Kirkland took it from you and set it aside. You tried to get a little bit more comfortable and just stared at him. He knew that you wanted to know what all happened, but he felt like he might lose it if he did.

"So, what happened?" You asked looking at him sadly.

He sighed and folded his arms, hunched over little trying to get a bit comfortable himself. "I dunno where to start, luv. So much 'appened so quickly, it be like a blur at some points. All I can say, is yer home is now in ruins."

Your eyes opened wide a bit as you remembered a little bit of what went on before you fainted.

"Wh-what happened to Sarah? Is she all right? Did you see her?" You asked all at once.

Arthur held up one of his hands to stop you from asking anymore before replying, "I dunno, luv. I didn't see 'er when I came to 'elp you. Maybe she got on one o me friends ships. We 'ad to scatter af'er I got ye onto me ship because the enemies armada was practically tailing us until they just gave up and left us be when we split. I figured they thought they'd done enough damage to our ships that we'd just sink to the bottom o Davey Jones locker. Our ships are in some bad condition, but enough to get us to a friends to get some repairs done. 'opefully yer friend will be there." He sighed before continuing, "I had found Mrs. M, but af'er I got back, we lost each other. I dunno where she be either. We captains let as many of the locals and other shipless crew members onto our ships as fast as we could before we 'ad to abandon everyone else. There were no options. It was either leave or die. And those scoundrels weren't going to win."

He then explained all that had happened when he went to the island. How he and others tried to save the ships, but once the fire reached a certain point, they had to abandon them. They realized it had been a plot of an attack after they caught one of the scurvy pirates from the armada. And they tried to get back as soon as they could, but were fighting off a bit of the enemy in the process. Then they heard screams and cries from over at the shore and realized it was you and Sarah and tried to hurry back. He said he was told later that all the other surrounding small islands were now in ruins as well. He told you that you had been out for a few days, and had been taking care of you, along with his first mate. But Captain Kirkland tried to explain this with as little details as possible, but gave you enough to know what happened. He didn't want to upset you anymore than necessary. Although, he didn't want to tell you in the first place, but he knew you needed to know. And now all of you were safe, for the time being.

You tried to take this all in, but tears started swelling up in your eyes. And the softness of the captain came out more than ever. He slid closer to you and held you in his arms. His strong arms that protected you when you thought he'd never come to your rescue. You could hear his heart beating, the warmth of his embrace and the tenderness in that firm and safe enclosure. And you just fell to pieces; sobbing and letting it all out.

After awhile of crying, you finally stopped and were only sputtering some. It just did not seem fair. First your parents, then your aunt and uncle, now your home and probably your friends. How could you stay optimistic in any way? Sure, you had the captain and his friends and hopefully seeing a few of your own friends to wherever you were going, but what if they did not make it? You felt so helpless, and alone. Even though you were receiving help, you had never felt this alone in your entire life.

For the next few days, you tried to gather your strength, and sanity, and tried to get up and walk around some. The Captain helped you as much as he could without smothering you like a mother hen. You were so grateful that he was helping you like he was.

You sat down in one of his velvet chairs and sighed with a smile, "Just staying awake seems to be like a chore nowadays," you said tiredly.

Captain Kirkland only smiled and sat down in a chair across from you, "Aye, but ye'll get be'er soon. Just gotta keep up at it. When me men goes to eat fer supper, would ye like to go up to the deck and get some better fresh air?"

You perked up. You had been wanting some fresh air, but were too tired to even stay awake long enough. You nodded, "I'd like that. Some fresh air might do me some good."

Supper time finally rolled around and the captain took you up to the deck, nice and slowly. Making sure you were not about to faint from the walk up there. You both finally made it up to the top where the helm was and went to the side of the ship to gaze at the horizon and the evening stars that were beginning to twinkle in the darkest parts of the sky. You crossed your arms and leaned onto the wooden frame and stared out to the sea. As did the captain of course. Both of you enjoying the smell of the breeze.

"You know what?" You said out of the blue.

"What, luv?" He replied.

"Irony, is such a funny thing in life."

He turned his head toward you and raised an eyebrow, "What do ye mean?"

"You remember what you asked me the other night when you brought me up here?"

"Aye. And?"

"I didn't get a chance to give you my answer, but now I guess it's certain."

"And what answer be that, luv?" He said smiling, already knowing what you are going to say.

You turned your head and looked at him, your hair blowing to the side. Those illuminated orbs of his, so enticing. Whatever could have made you doubt your decision in the first place?

"Yes, I'll come with you".