Chapter 5
"You are arrested under the name of King Kouen and charged with murder, theft and rape."
For a second the statement went right over Ja'far's head. Sure, he might have killed a few people in his past assignments, but he wasn't desperate enough yet to steal and rape. When had he—
He looked down at his handcuffs and cussed. Sinbad's tattered coat still hung onto his frame like a proud beacon announcing its owner's status as a pirate. The bruises and cuts he acquired over the past day completed the picture.
"I can explain…" Ja'far trailed off when he saw the hostile expressions on the men surrounding him. No one here would buy a pirate's words and any resistance would be interpreted as a guilty conscience. Rather than arguing a losing cause, he might as well save his breath and focus on a more strategic plan of action, which currently, seemed to be going with the flow of things. Ja'far settled for a sullen glare at the people around him.
"The sun's setting. Bring him on board for interrogation."
The clerk was quickly jostled onto a small boat and transported back to the navy vessel.
Once onboard Ja'far immediately spied the leftover crews from the cargo ship. A few of the previously wounded members were strolling about the deck, chatting amicably with the soldiers – no doubt retelling their precarious encounters with the island savages. Ja'far scrunched his brows slightly when he saw the looks of disbelief, confusion and anger casted his way. Did they not recognize him?
"The materials onboard were not sufficient for repair…"
A familiar voice coming his way caught Ja'far's attention. He would recognize the cargo ship captain's voice anywhere, courtesy of the man being his sole-contact during his time on the vessel.
The captain halted in his tracks as well when he saw the white-haired clerk. Unlike Ja'far though, there was no hint of the respectful familiarity he had addressed the younger man with back when they were sailing together. Instead, he threw a frigid glare at the clerk.
"Cap-" Ja'far ignored the captain's abnormality, seeing as the captain was the only man onboard who could explain his situation to the navy. But before he could even start, the man rushed him, seized him tightly by the collar and began raining punches.
Under normal circumstances the older man was no threat at all to Ja'far, but his hands were currently bounded and the captain was acting like a raging beast, spouting words of profanities and accusations with each blow he delivered. "Traitor", "joining hands with the pirates", "pirate scum" were just a few of the choice statements that Ja'far made out before they were separated by the navy men and he was led to the cells underneath.
Unlike the dark, damp cubicles that comprise most ships' cells, the royal navy's was a blessing. They were relatively clean with enough space for a full-grown man to move about seven steps in every direction. There was a hay bed in a corner for the prisoner, which, Ja'far noted to his satisfaction, contain only a few lice and bed bugs. The cell food was also edible solid food, not the liquid mush that most prisoners encounter on lower-ranking ships. The only downside was that it was slightly chilly in the night, but that was only a minor inconvenience that Ja'far could tolerate.
For the rest of the day and the next day, several officers took turns questioning him about his whereabouts in the past few days and the locations of the pirates. In turn, he answered to the best of his abilities, knowing that the truth was his best alibi. Yet despite his consistent answers, the navy men were still skeptical. They wanted to know why Sinbad had spared him amongst all the crew members, why the infamous pirate had let him go so easily and why he had returned to save the clerk later on. To these Ja'far could only shrug his shoulders helplessly. What could he say? The pirate was a fickle man? Or that Sinbad said some mumbo jumbo about his true nature? He was lucky that they hadn't thought of using physical torture to force answers out of him. Yet.
"Do you think he is speaking the truth? His answers were consistent."
"Who knows, there were a few suspicious points in his testament."
"Let's just hang him on the deck. Maybe that could draw out the other pirates."
"I don't know, do you think a pirate would save another pirate?"
The two guards outside his cell were chatting as if he weren't there. Or perhaps they didn't care about a 'pirate's' fate. Ja'far feigned sleep as he thought further about his course of action. Escape was the first thing on his priority list, but after that, he didn't know what his next step will be. The moment he escapes he would affirm his status as a pirate member and the navy would be after him. But he didn't want to return to the pirates' side either, no matter how much Sinbad had assured him that they would welcome him. Correction, no matter how much Sinbad would welcome him. He didn't know what the other pirates thought about him, especially after the little stunt he pulled back at the den. If he stayed behind though, death was imminent. The former of the two was the better choice.
After much deliberation Ja'far settled for forging an escape off the ship. While the navy searched for him, he would round back and hide on the ship. By and by they would have to give up finding him and return to the main land where he would immediately assume a new identity and start a new life somewhere else.
The biggest loophole in his plan though was escaping from the cells. His limited mobility and the guards stationed outside would greatly hinder him from obtaining any useful materials for escape.
Fortunately an unexpected change occurred in the afternoon. Ja'far was still plotting his grand escape when he heard shouting on the deck. His two guards ran out, leaving their prisoner unattended. It was the perfect opportunity for escape. Ja'far scaled the cell looking for any openings he could use to his advantage. Much to his disappointment, the cell walls and door were sturdy.
It didn't take long for the navy men to return with another prisoner between them. They were chatting excitedly when they pushed the last man Ja'far wanted to see into his cell.
"Hey, good to see you again."
It took all of Ja'far to not screech why are you here at the pirate before him. If it hadn't been for Sinbad, he would not be trapped on a navy ship, cuffed without knowing what his fate would be in the next second and stuck plotting a poor escape plan. More importantly, he would have neared his final destination and would be looking forward to a sumptuous pay. Things would have turned out very different if it hadn't been for Sinbad. That imbecilic, moronic, heaven forsaken—
On the other hand Sinbad didn't even flinch with all the glares thrown his way, completely unaware of the colorful language racing through his cell mate's mind. He was just happy to meet the man again.
"Nice sleeping place," Sinbad looked about the cell.
"What are you doing here?" Ja'far seethed.
"Rescuing a damsel in distress?" Sinbad dodged a kick thrown his way. "You don't look too happy to see me." He tilted his head sideways and looked towards the cell doors, hinting with his eyes that the guards were still there.
Realizing that their little commotion had drawn the attention of the guards, Ja'far quieted down considerably. When the guards finally turned away, he mouthed: "How do you intend to do that?" Never mind that the cell walls were impenetrable, but both of them were cuffed and under scrutiny.
Sinbad grinned and inched closer to him. Ja'far immediately scooted back, staring wide-eyed at the pirate. Unbidden, the memory of Sinbad kissing him the first night came back. But Sinbad continued inching closer, though this time he switched to a more sober expression, signaling that there was something he wanted to tell Ja'far.
The clerk sighed in relief when he realized that the pirate wasn't about to do anything inappropriate for once. He let Sinbad approach him, even going as far as to hold himself still as the pirate leaned forward, looking like he was nudging the clerk affectionately. But Ja'far saw from this angle a glint of silver in Sinbad's inner shirt. His eyes widened when he realize it was a set of keys.
"How did you get that?" In his excitement, Ja'far forgot to lower his voice.
"What are the two of you chit-chatting about?" One of the guards shouted when he saw the suspiciously affectionate position between the two pirates.
"Mmm, reuniting with my partner." Sinbad planted a quick kiss on Ja'far's cheek and leaned back, allowing the keys to slip back into his shirt.
Knowing that this was only part of an act, Ja'far screwed his face to look neutral, though he knew by the burning sensation that his cheeks were red. The questionable choice of word made him cringe.
The guard turned away, muttering about pirates and their accursed behaviors.
Ja'far cocked his eyebrow at the other man. There was still the question of how they would escape once they freed themselves from the cuffs. Sinbad wiggled his brows back at him, telling him to be patient.
But just when he thought that there might be some sort of hope for escapade, it was dashed again when a navy came in.
"We have decided that only one of you is useful. If one of you volunteers to tell us the location of your den, we'll let you go and hang the other."
Ja'far looked quickly towards Sinbad. It was a tempting offer, but right now he was the one at a disadvantage considering that he didn't know their hideout. Sinbad, on the other hand, could easily betray him and have him executed. Ja'far also began thinking of a backup plan. He could lie and save his own hide. But not only would that go against his own sense of morality, he would also lose the opportunity to obtain the key. Could he trust the pirate…?
"What if the both of us don't tell?"
The navy guard looked torn for a moment. He hadn't expected that answer. Weren't pirates usually cowardly and more than willing to sacrifice their comrades in return for their own life?
As if sensing the guard's conflicted thoughts, Sinbad turned towards Ja'far and offered a reassuring smile. With that, Ja'far put his doubts to rest and followed the other's example.
"Neither of us will answer you."
Suffice to say the guard was upset about their decision and left them alone for the rest of the day.
A/N:
Sorry for the late update, I was occupied with other things for awhile!
Lylia00: With how Sinbad turn up around Ja'far, I think they will just mistake him more and more as a pirate!
spiritleopard: Ah, sorry for the late update then! I hope you find this chapter enjoyable still!
Nato Apple: Of course I still remember you! :) I used Kouen's name because I couldn't think of anyone else appropriate at that time xD But glad you like the story so far and I'll try to keep writing!