Contains consensual sex, references to prostitution, implied rape, vulgarity, theft. Also, I may have stolen a line from Jack Rackham in Black Sails because I thought it fit perfectly.
XV.
Hook locked the cabin door behind him as he left his quarters and quietly ascended to the deck. He knew Emma would be livid if she awakened and realized that she'd been confined, but he wanted to assess the state of the crew before allowing her to roam freely. The men were generally milling about, a relaxed atmosphere having settled over the ship now that they had enjoyed a good fuck. He assumed the whore had already left, and some of those who weren't clearly hungover from the previous night's debauchery were still lazily dozing, but all snapped to attention when he appeared. "Rise and shine, ya bilge rats! I want to be setting off by midday, so get a move on!"
They started to attend to the necessary chores, ears perking up when they heard Billy yell, "Can do, Cap, but you gotta tell us how she was!"
"Let's just say that I had a lot of expectations and she exceeded every one."
"Oh, come on, you gotta give us more than that!" Mullins encouraged.
He raised a brow, smirking as enigmaticly as possible. He knew the smart thing would be to hold his tongue, but he couldn't resist a little bragging.
"What's to say? You've seen her- she has the body of a goddess, gorgeous on the outside and so tight and perfect on the inside. Her cunt is fucking incredible, so hot and absolutely dripping wet for me."
"Son of a bitch. You know I love ya, Cap, but right now I really hate ya," Billy laughed, shaking his head. "So fucking close..."
Hook nudged Billy's shoulder, then clapped him on the back. "Next port, I'll buy you and Mullins a girl as a 'thank you' for finding her, alright?"
"I'll hold you to that."
"So, where to?" Ed asked as he walked over, unrolling a map.
"Hadn't really thought too hard on it. Any particular requests from the crew?"
"You know them- they'll go anywhere with good food, beautiful women, fine weather and trading ships to plunder. I've heard them talking about about the Amari Islands, The Pentelic Coast, Avalon, Florin..."
Hook ran his hand over his jaw, weighing the options. "All good suggestions. Where do trade routes run most this time of year?"
Starkey moved to join them, pointing to some lines drawn on the map."I'd say mainly from the south towards this general direction or more west. Of course, none of this takes us anywhere near the Sylvan region, where the princess is from. For that, I'd suggest we head out to these islands immediately and then make our way back east."
He could tell they were watching him as he stared at the parchment, wondering what his plans for the princess really were. "Hmm, at this point we would have to avoid going ashore, which means a month or more at sea. Might be nice to take our time. I'd prefer to ravish my princess for a while, and we should have plenty of plunder and excitement. I see no reason to sail east."
"I'll begin to plot our course immediately, captain," Ed responded. Hook kept meaning to get a navigator, but with Ed's skills, the position seemed redundant. He returned to the cabin, watching in amusement as Emma gingerly moved around the room with a slightly pained gait- a sign of the well-used ache that only came after a night of passionate, rough sex. "You alright there, Princess?"
She glared at his cocky smirk, rolling her eyes. "There is no way in hell I'm letting you anywhere near my... You know tonight."
"It gets better darling, I assure you. And you know I'm quite content with your pretty mouth."
"You're not serious. Again?"
He laughed. "Emma my dear, I took you three times last night alone. Why would you doubt that I'd expect you to satisfy me at least once each day and more than once, after you're accustomed to it. I have no intention of using my hand while you're sharing my bed." Guilt briefly passed through him when he saw her wince slightly as she sat down to slip on her stockings. He'd tried to limit himself, but the nearly bestial sound of his crew having their way with the whore had been his undoing, and he wanted them to hear his pretty princess scream for him again and again. It was competitive and childish, but he was the captain and never wanted to be outdone, whether in the bedroom or on the battlefield.
"I thought you were going to be understanding about all this."
"I have no intention of hurting you, but I do expect you to hold up your end of the bargain."
"Yeah, well, even if I weren't incredibly sore, you try bleeding for 5 days out of every month and we'll see how amorous you feel," she grumbled.
"Actually, I probably do end up bleeding from somewhere at least 5 times per month," he mused. Unexpectedly, she grimaced, and he remembered Milah during her monthly time, how she was always so miserable and in pain, his mood softening slightly.
"Finish getting dressed and come on deck, lass. We're setting off and I want the townsfolk to see you by my side. Then, if you prefer, you can come back to bed. I have some undergarments for you, and some herbs that, I believe, should ease your discomfort." When she looked at him quizzically, he shrugged. "Well, truth be told, they're somewhat old, but they may still be effective."
Wearing a simple blue dress, and thankful for proper underclothes, she met the captain on deck a few minutes later, as requested. He introduced her more formally to his crew, who bowed respectfully despite knowing exactly how she'd spent the previous evening. Smee, Ed, Victor, Mullins, Billy, Auggie, Walsh, Murphy, Turley... She knew she'd need some time to get it all straight, and vowed to acquaint herself with each man.
Producing some sweet buns for her breakfast (still warm, and deliciously gooey,) Hook led her to his post and barked out orders as his crew cast off and the Jolly Roger took to the sea. She'd never spent much time with the sailors on the Swan, but she found the salty air and cool spray invigorating. The ache in her belly had calmed slightly, the herbal tea Hook had given her working a small miracle. She sat on a stool by the helm as he steered and explained the basics of sailing, but by dusk she excused herself, needing a light meal and a nap. He sent Starkey with some bread, hard cheese, and fruit, hoping the food would be appropriate.
When he relinquished the helm a few hours later, they were well out to sea. He had every intention of making her service him in spite of the late hour, but when he came to bed and found her brow furrowed and muscles tense in her sleeping state, he silently climbed in next to her and ran his hands over her back until her forehead smoothed out and her body relaxed. In response, she breathed a quiet sigh against his neck, tucking herself into his chest with her arm coming up to drape across his waist. It was at that moment he decided that, perhaps just this once, he could go to bed unsatisfied.
When she woke in the morning, wrapped in his arms, she was surprised to realize he'd let her sleep. Though the next few days would still be somewhat uncomfortable, her second day was always the worst, and a good night's rest had improved her mood and lessened her discomfort. Not one to repay kindness with anything less than sincere gratitude, Emma quietly disentangled herself and moved between his legs. After gently massaging his balls with delicate fingertips, she wrapped her lips around his cock, teasing and sucking until he was hard and thrusting into her mouth. She smiled up at him when he began to stroke her hair, murmuring her name with such wonder when she opened her throat and took him deep that a strange sort of pride overcame her. She let a little of his seed escape the corner of her lips when he finally erupted in her mouth, then cleaned him off with gentle swipes of her tongue before crawling back beside him and letting sleep overcome her again. When he woke a few hours later, she laughed when he asked if she was sure she'd been a virgin, then kissed her until she was breathless.
She spent the morning by his side again, watching a pod of dolphins play in its wake, as he taught her things like port and starboard, the names of the different sails. Though he maintained his authority, his affection for his crew was obvious by how he joked with them. He looked completely in his element, an easy grin settling on his face as he lovingly stroked the wheel. She felt his eyes dipping more and more to her exposed décolleté, until he finally led her to his cabin around dinner time and he proved how very unafraid of blood he was by rolling her on her back and fucking her almost lazily while kissing and suckling her breasts. The slow pace and deep circular motions of his hips gradually chased away the cramping pain and replaced it with enough pleasure to have her clawing at his back and begging him to pick up the pace. When he grinned devilishly, promising "all good things to those who wait," she considered killing him until he quickly changed his movements and easily made her come undone.
When she tried to silence her cries by clamping her hand over her mouth, he pulled her hands over her head, growling "I bloody love it when you scream my name. Let's try that again, shall we?" Moving with surprising efficiency, he made her come again before he filled her with his sticky release and pulled her into his arms, lips brushing her forehead gently.
If it had felt a bit more like making love than fucking... Neither one was ready to admit it.
Following two fairly calm days at sea, a merchant ship was finally spotted on day three. After insisting Emma go below deck (and practically having to drag her to his cabin when she protested), the crew of the Jolly Roger replaced their flag with one of bright red and unfurled the sails to pick up speed. Emma grabbed a knife from their dinner cutlery, not wanting to be defenseless as she expected a fierce battle, but to her surprise the merchant ship stopped and allowed the pirates aboard.
Hook escorted her above deck and onto the other vessel with a flourish, making their way to the other captain's quarters. They passed the rival crew on their way, all of whom were quietly sitting on the deck. "I don't understand. Why are they just sitting there?"
"The ship surrendered. We'll take whatever items we deem particularly noteworthy, and let them leave."
"But, you killed everyone on the Ivory Swan!"
He leveled her with an impatient gaze. "They didn't surrender. I'd much rather take a ship without a fight. Less risk. But once I'm forced to take the ship by boarding her... Well, there has to be a price for ignoring the flag. If I threaten to give no quarter, best believe I mean it lass."
"But you spared me."
"Aye. You're more valuable alive. For so very many reasons." He winked, striding towards the captain's desk, where he picked up a book, leafing through a few pages before shoving it under his arm.
The ship was carrying mostly fine fabrics, so they loaded up a few bolts to trade and a cask of rum, then sent the ship on its way. It was surprisingly civilized, aside from the stealing part. As it turned out, most vessels surrendered once they realized it was the dreaded Captain Hook and his Jolly Roger chasing them. His bloodthirsty reputation was enough for most savvy captains to decide it was better to lose their cargo than their lives.
Until the sixth day, that was. A large ship carrying spices surrendered quickly, and business continued as usual. In addition to the crew, there were a few passengers who'd paid for transportation from the southern islands, mostly poorer folk who had little of value and were therefore ignored.
As the crew searched the cargo, shrill scream suddenly pierced the air, and Hook's hand immediately clamped down on Emma's bicep, pulling her close as a young woman, perhaps a year or two younger than Emma, was hauled up from the hold by Murphy. Dressed in a simple skirt and bodice, with straight dark hair and wide brown eyes, she wrapped her arms around herself as she cowered. "Looks like I found something else that's worthwhile on board after all," he announced gleefully.
"Please, please, don't kill me," she begged.
"Kill you?" Mullins laughed. "I think we've got a far better use for you, sweetheart!" He smacked her ass, then began to unlace her bodice. "You know how to please a man?"
"Do something!" Emma whimpered, unable to look away from the clearly terrified girl, who was nodding in answer to his question.
"What exactly do you want me to do, princess?" Hook hissed.
"You're the captain! You could stop this!"
Murphy had lifted the brunette into his arms, carrying her into the cabins, and Emma could only imagine what was about to happen, her heart breaking for the other woman. "Please, they can't."
Hook spun her towards him, eyes narrowed. "Yes, they can and they undoubtedly will. This is not up for debate and, quite frankly, better her than you. I don't think I could stomach watching the men dragging you into that cabin as well and having their way with you which is where I fear this story ends if I attempt to intervene to protect your delicate sensibilities." He paused. "I won't risk it." He turned to Ed, who was standing nearby, handing him a small pouch of coins. "Make sure she's well compensated."
Hook dragged Emma back to his cabin, thankful that she'd kept relatively quiet. As soon as the door closed, she snapped at him
"What is wrong with you? How could you let them do that?!"
"They're pirates, Emma! What did you expect? They don't hesitate to take what they want and, yes, that includes women- especially pretty girls found on the ships we take."
"You're saying... They would have..." She couldn't finish, fear creeping into her as she thought of the men practically lining up behind Murphy.
"If I hadn't gotten there in time? Yes."
"Except you stopped them." He nodded. "Why?"
Looking at her hopeful eyes, he wanted to tell her something noble, but the sordid truth was that he'd been minutes from fucking her beautiful, unconscious form himself.
He remembered the first time he'd laid eyes on her, glowing in the sunlight, her soft breasts and creamy thighs tempting him from across the room. If not for her royal standing, he would have eagerly taken her right then and there. At the time it was greed, not chivalry, that had kept her safe.
"I don't know. Certainly, once I figured out who you are, there was no question."He paused searching for the right words. "You're so much more than a pretty face, Emma, but I didn't know that then. All I knew was that I didn't want that for you."
Because I wanted you for myself he thought, remembering how hard he'd fought to restrain himself. She seemed to suspect that there was more to the story, but appeared satisfied enough with his answer to change the subject.
"Well, if you're so worried, do something about it. Give me a damn sword and I won't be so vulnerable."
"And wake up to that sword in my belly? I think not."
She rolled her eyes. "If either of us really wanted the other one dead, we could have accomplished the task a dozen times by now."
He chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Fair enough. Do you even know how to handle a sword, princess?" She arched a brow, but her eyes followed his hand as it rested on his belt buckle and looked down to his crotch briefly before returning to his face, only to see him smirking. "I meant the other kind, though if you want to practice your form with that, I wouldn't be opposed."
She huffed, "I'm being serious."
"Fair enough. Perhaps tomorrow I'll let you demonstrate. It would be a comfort to know you can defend yourself, if need be."
He wrapped his arms around her gently stroking her hair as she rested her head against his chest. "I am sorry you had to see that, love, but with you on board, things are complicated. Truth is, I bear her no ill will, but I won't share you with the crew and therefore don't particularly care what happens to that girl if it helps to keep you safe. I'm not a good man, Emma."
"No, you're not," she whispered, "but you could be. People can change."
"No, I'm not a fool. Some men can change, but I can't. Sorry to have to disappoint you, but it's far too late for me. I'm a pirate, and I always will be."
