Chapter 6: Tempest

"Hahaha . . . I'll fucking kill you!" is the first thing Roberts says as the other man draws his sword.

Roberts opponent has a peculiar look to him with his silvery hair and eyepatch. He wears the uniform of a high-ranking military officer. He's tall and lean, but by no means is he skinny. Toned would be the best way to describe him

The two stare daggers at each other. Not one person from our crew, nor theirs, makes a move to stop them, so I do.

"Not here, please" I say stepping between them. The thought that it would be very easy to be killed doesn't cross my mind at the moment.

"Out of my way!" says eyepatch, trying to shove me to the side. But I don't budge.

"No! You two need to calm the fuck down!" I shout. I refuse to move until the both put their weapons away. I'd seen many bar fights in my day, many both with and without weapons, and they almost always end up with one guy out cold. And though I knew Roberts was strong, this isn't a risk I'm willing to take.

Just then a blonde man in a similar uniform to eyepatch over here approaches us. The floral scent that clings to him throws me off.

"You're quite the troublemakers, aren't you?" he says. "We're in a neutral territory, meaning fighting is taboo. So I wouldn't cause a scene unless you want to be subject to court-martial."

"Lord Effingham?" eyepatch asks. "You're here too?"

Lord Effingham? That must mean he's the nephew to the Queen of the Queens Coast. . .

"Look at how distressed the lady is; where's your chivalry, Captain?" Effingham says to eyepatch. I giggle. Finally, a gentleman.

Eyepatch falls silent and lowers his hatchet.

Effingham turns to Roberts. "And you, Black Baron, won't you lower your sword?"

"Tch, I've lost the urge to fight anyway" Roberts says, still trying to maintain his tough attitude. And I feel the tension drain from my shoulders.

"I was gonna drink here 'til morning," Roberts continues. "but the smell of the queen's men in the air makes me want to vomit. Let's go."

As Roberts leads us out of the bar, I follow, just glad that a potentially fatal altercation had been avoided. I ignore the queen's men calling out to me as I leave.

Back at the Black Swan, I'm still thinking about what just happened. I decide to visit Yoh in his room. Unlike my room, his quarters were mostly bare despite the fact that he was sharing them with Nagisa.

"Yoh?" I called out in the dark room. Out of the corner of my eye I see some shuffling in one of the hammocks.

"Yoh?" I ask again. There's some more rustling and then the hammock spits out Yoh onto the floor. "What? Were you wrestling the hammock?"

"Yes, it was an intense battle to the death" Yoh says. "Anyway, what did you want?"

"What happened back at the bar?" I ask, taking a seat on one of the empty barrels.

"Oh that? Roberts and Drake are old friends."

"Drake?" I ask.

"Guy with the eyepatch."

"Oh."

Yoh continues. "Drake was born into a poor family, Roberts' family was shattered by war so they just naturally banded together" he explained. "They joined a pirate crew together and Roberts was able to make a name for himself as a pirate when he was still in his teens. And then he left to start his own crew. Drake resented him for leaving, so he joined the Queens Coast of all things."

"And they've been at each other's throats ever since" I finished. Yoh laughs.

"Yeah, pretty much."

I thought about it for a second. "So they have a lot in common, don't they? Roberts leads a crew that fights for the weak without needlessly killing people . . ."

"Yoh!" Nagisa sing-songs as he opens the door. "Oh, Avalon, you're here too?" he asks.

"I was just leaving" I say, deciding I'd like to spend some time on my own for a while.

"You weren't telling him nasty things about me, were you?" N asks jokingly.

I laugh. "Don't worry, N, I won't steal your man."

I say goodbye to Yoh and leave for my room. Walking down the hall, I think about it some more.

Despite his good intentions, Roberts really lives without conviction, doesn't he?

I recall the countless newspaper articles I've read about pirates being hanged. I cringe knowing that its a possibility for Roberts and his crew.

All of a sudden there's a loud boom. The floor shakes violently and I come crashing to the ground. I hear yells about the Arc Royale from up on deck, and I race up the stairs. From the deck I see the Arc Royale, the Queens Coast ship, coasting toward us, casting its lights over the darkened water.

"What? Is he trying to settle our grudge on land out here at sea?" ask Yoh, who is suddenly right next to me.

"Fucking hell!" Roberts yells, storming onto the deck.

There's another boom, making it apparent that we've been hit by another of their cannon shots. Though it misses the ship's core, the main mast goes up in flames.

"Eyes!" Roberts calls out. Eyes is there in an instant.

"Yes, sir?"

"Kick those sorry bastards in their asses!"

"Yes, Captain."

Roberts then turns to Yoh. "Yoh! Get on the cannons! Fire on them from behind!"

Yoh hurriedly gets to his post and prepares the cannons.

Turning to me, Roberts says "Avalon! Get somewhere safe! Where's Nagisa?"

"I've been here the whole time" N says from right behind Roberts. "Honestly, I've been waiting on baited breath to see when you'd notice me."

"Take your sister and hide near the entrance to the cabins!" Roberts says.

There's another boom, another shell hitting us. I topple to the ground again, but this time Roberts catches me. "I said get to the cabins!" Roberts yells again. "It's dangerous out here!"

"I'm not gonna let you die or get carried off by the navy!" he says, still holding me. "Not until I get my treasure."

I nod, and turn to run. N and I end up hiding right at the cabin entrance behind a thick wooden wall.

"Hard starboard, turn us right!" I hear Roberts yell.

Another boom.

"Argh, we've been hit to starboard!" yells one of the crew members.

"It's not enough to sink us!" Roberts yells back. "They're burning more than we are."

Looking out from around my safe haven that is this wall, I notice that the Arc Royale is almost engulfed in flames. The sea between the two ships is now thick with smoke, making it almost impossible to tell which ship has sustained more damage. I am suddenly overcome with fear.

Noticing my discomfort, N holds me, rocking slightly. "It's okay, it's okay" he whispers over and over again. "If it looks like we're going to sink, we'll fun to the rowboats."

Biting my lip, I peek around the corner again to the dark figure of Black Roberts shouting orders to the rest of his crew. All of a sudden, the air starts to fill with the damp smell of rain. A storm's coming.

Like clockwork, the skies suddenly open and rain pours down on us, the two ships battered by the intense rain. The thunders rage against the sea like a dragon.

"Captain, the Arc Royale is backing down!" I hear Eyes yell.

"Alright, time for us to withdraw as well!" Roberts says. "We can't fight in this storm, they won't pursue."

That's the last thing I remember before I lose consciousness.

I open my eyes to the ceiling in my room. Sensing someone next to me, I turn my head to find Roberts sitting on a crate by my bedside.

"Roberts?" I ask, still half asleep.

He says nothing and instead places his hand over my eyes, gently closing my eyelids. His cold hand feels nice on my face.

"...sleep some more" he finally says. And somehow I drift back into dreamland.

The next time I open my eyes, my cabin is filled with light from the window. When I turn my head, I find that Eyes has take Roberts' place on the crate.

"So you're finally awake. Your fever has abated too" he says.

"Where'd Roberts go?" I ask. "He was here last night, right?"

"You should ask him about that."

Eyes' familiar bitch face is somehow comforting in this moment. "Oh, speak of the devil" he says looking up as I hear my door open.

"Eyes, is she still asleep?" I hear Roberts voice ask.

"Actually," Eyes says. "she's just woken up."

I hear my door close and Roberts sits down on the crate. He isn't looking at me, but I say it anyway.

"You brought me here last night, thank you" I say sincerely.

His cheeks flush a bright pink once again. "Whatever, it was nothing."

I roll over to my side and prop up my head on my elbow. "You don't have to act tough; I know you stayed with me the whole time."

Embarrassed, Roberts scolds me. "All I did was sit here! I didn't do anything!"

"It's still very sweet" I say with a flirty smile, making his cheeks go even redder.

"What? Are you an idiot?" he scolds me again, still blushing like he's the idiot. Quieting down, he says "So are you okay now? Does your head hurt?" His genuinely concerned tone warms my heart.

"I'm fine" I say. "I think it was just the cold rain."

Roberts smirks. "Yeah, you're pretty tough aren't you? By far the toughest whore I've ever met. But you're still small. . . Everyone was worried you were gonna die on us."

"I wouldn't die so easily" I say, pulling the top of my dress down just slightly, just enough so he can see a few of my stab wounds. At first he's confused at what I'm doing, but then he sees.

"You're right, you are pretty strong. I like that about you" he says, avoiding eye contact.

Still without looking at me, he readjusts the cold cloth on my forehead. "Anyway, get better soon. We miss your yapping."