He lifted his arms above his head, letting them fall behind him his head as his hips jutted up. He rotated them, eyes cast down and half lidded. He slowly started to move forehead, hips rotating and popping with every move. The bells jingled and the beat picked up. He started to move faster, dancing around the room, flexing and twirling his body. It went on and on for a while until the music was losing its tempo. He slowed his movements, dancing over to Jake. As the music died down, he fell to his knees, staring up at Jake who swallowed uncomfortably. He had been watching the whole performance, heart beating rapidly in his chest. At the last beat, Dirk hung his head, staring down at Jake's feet.

The people clapped and Jake pulled Dirk up slowly. Dirk bowed to him and then bowed to the king. "Enjoy your birthday, my lord. May it be the best you've ever had."

"Thank you, lad," the king chuckled, standing up and clapping Dirk on the back. "It's been quite a while since I've gotten to see the gypsies dance. I have seen many people dance for me and you are by far, the best."

"Thank you, my lord." Dirk swallowed and stepped away, heading back to Roxy as another wave of music started.

The king sat back down with a loud sigh. He watched the two dance, so in sync with one another. He wouldn't be surprised if he found out that the two had known each other for years. They laughed and moved like a pair of lovers. His heart ached at the sight. It reminded him of his deceased wife who died from sickness when his youngest boy was just two years of age. And the years afterwards only added to the grief he held in his body.

His wife died from a disease that she caught in the New World. When she had passed on, his eldest son Broderick passed on as well. He died from a fire that had started on a cargo ship from England to Georgia. The people that we were responsible for killing his boy were hung by the neck. As they asked the murders if they wanted to say anything, the only word they received was 've~'. He rubbed at his chin and smiled fondly at the ground. She wouldn't want him to see him upset or grieving over her. She would want him happy.

Dirk frowned as he piled glass upon glass onto the small serving tray. His entire arm was tensed in an attempt to keep the expensive wine glasses from falling he stacked one more onto the tray and picked up to more in his hand. He began to walk back to the kitchen when Jake called for him. He groaned silently to himself and turned a quarter of a degree to look at him.

"Yes?"

"Finish up with the wine glasses," said Jake, walking past the blond. "Then get a basin of water, mint leaves, and a rag. Come to my study when you've gotten those items."

Dirk nodded his understanding and carried the tray of glasses to the kitchen, unloading them onto the table. He set the last one down and went about the room, collecting what Jake had requested. He washed his hands quickly and grabbed a clean rag. The blond threw it over his shoulder and picked up the washing basin, heading out into the hall. His bare fee made a soft 'pat' against the marble of the stairs as he ascended them. The house was mostly quiet, save for the soft murmuring coming from jade's room as she talked with Rose. Dirk let out a sigh, shoulders sagging as he passed the room. The talking ceased momentarily and then picked back up when the blond was several feed away. He stopped in front of Jake's study and brought his hand up to knock. His knuckles rapped against the dark oak doors and Jake opened the left door, shirt gone and boots missing.

"You took your sweet time getting here," Jake chastised, making his way over to his desk.

"Glass is easier to break than bone," said Dirk, placing the washing basin on the floor, kneeling down.

"To an extent," Jake replied, sitting down and extending his feet out. Dirk took one into his grasp, noticing how smooth they were. There were virtually no calluses on the man's foot and his brows furrowed. Jake lifted an eyebrow but didn't need to ask what was wrong as Dirk began to wash his foot.

The blond worked in silence, his olive skin contrasting against Jake's darker color. The dribble of water falling into the basin was the only sound in the room. It bounced off the walls and reverberated back into their ears. Dirk's hands worked from the toes to the heel and then up to the Englishman's ankle in a slow caress. He brought the towel down, wiping the remaining droplets of water away.

"Dirk," said Jake, nudging the blond's arm with his unwashed foot.

"Yes?" Dirk looked up at him, letting go of his foot. It swung back and Jake brought it into his lap.

"I have a few questions for you," he said, rubbing the cleaned heel of his foot along the palm of his hand. Dirk nodded, waiting. "Why did you become a pirate?"

Dirk sighed. He didn't want to have this discussion. He didn't want Jake to pry into his life. He swallowed and picked up the other foot, letting it rest on his thigh. "I became a pirate because I wanted to avenge my older brother's death."

Jake hummed softly, "So, you committed piracy out of anger?"

"It was done with a clear conscious," muttered Dirk.

"Dirk, what was your life like before you went and committed piracy?" Jake asked. His tone was curious and his voice was gentle.

The dribble of water was once again the only sound in the room for a moment and then Dirk spoke, "My father was a very wealthy man. When I was growing up, he expected his children to be the perfect gentlemen. It was awful." He sighed and looked up at him, "My mother was the only solace I had as a child. She dies when I was six. Some…illness from the new world took her away from me."

Jake looked at his desk and felt his throat close up. Did he feel pity for Dirk? He sighed inwardly and said, "My mother is gone as well. I, however, didn't grow up wealthy. I grew up Spain."

"Spain's nice," murmured Dirk.

"If you aren't considered gypsy scum then yes, it is," replied Jake, turning his head and gazing out the window. His face was void of emotion but his eyes gleamed with sadness. "I loved my mother very much and my father loved her with all his heart. She was his entire world but he never told her that he was married to Jade's mother…" He trailed off and ran his hand through his dark hair. He was quiet for a few minutes and Dirk finished washing his foot. The blond dried it and placed the basin on the desk, staying on the floor at Jake's feet. "My mother, Ramona, cared for me, kept me hidden from my father for the longest time. That was until I had gotten sick with a severe fever that many children died from. She took me to England and went to my father." Dirk was quiet, waiting patiently for Jake to keep going. He adjusted his kneel to where his back was against one of the legs of the desk, his toned legs stretched out in front of him. The brunet's foot rested on his thigh and Dirk tapped his fingers against the top of his foot.

"He was shunned by the people for having a child out of wedlock, a gypsy child too. He was hated," Jake closed his eyes, a few tears sliding down his cheeks, "He singled her out as an adulteress. They beat her, broke her bones and then they hung her in the town square. They killed my mother in front of me. What kind of sick bastard makes his own child watch his mother die?"

"The kind that wants to make his child stronger," Dirk replied, his fingers stilling. He looked up at Jake who had a hand over his mouth, staring out the window as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I mean-"

"I understood you just fine," interrupted Jake, wiping away the tears and clearing his throat. "Thank you, Dirk. You have tomorrow off to do as you please."

"Can I go onto my ship?" He asked, looking up at Jake.

"Take Equius or Jane with you."

Dirk nodded and rested his head against Jake's knee. The Englishman jumped and the blond let out a snort of laughter. He closed his eyes, his temple resting on the other's knee cap, fingers tapping rhythmically along his foot. Jake brought his hand down, combing his fingers through Dirk's hair.

After a while, Jake spoke softly, "Dirk, you father, who is he? Do I know him by chance?"

"Yes, you know him," Dirk answered, pulling away. He got up and collected the washing basin and towel, walking to the door. "You know him quite well actually. In fact, you invited him here for a party tonight. I danced for him and he said thank you." The pirate smirked and left, the door closing behind him with a click.

Jake sat dumbfounded at his desk, lips parted slightly in confusion. His brow furrowed and the door opened, Rose's head appearing in the crack.

"Is everything alright, Jake?" Her soft voice echoed in his ears and he nodded.

"Yes, I…" He stopped talking and closed his mouth as his brain finally put two and two together. He waved Rose away and the blonde haired girl left. Jake got up from his desk, his bare feet padding across the room. He plucked a book from one of the many bookshelves and flipped it open. He turned the pages one by one, small drawings of the king and his family floated across each page. His heart clenched at a small portrait of the late queen, smiling brightly on the yellowed parchment. He flicked through to the last page, the eldest of the king's son's scowling.

He stared at that picture for a long time, eyes boring into the page. Playful eyes stared back at him and he dropped the book, stepping away from it in horror. He scrambled to an adjacent shelf and tore a book from it. His hands were shaking with anger and shock. He flipped through it, every letter from the king, every account of where his sons could be, blurred before his eyes and he choked, knees giving out under his weigh.

The man whom he had been trying to kill, a man who had grown fond of for his wit and cunning attitude, was the same man that he had spent years of this life looking for. He couldn't breathe. He gasped for air and shoved the book onto the shelf. The room spun and he breathed in sharply and grasped the edge of his desk for support, closing his eyes to stop the spinning.

He slowly regained the ability to breathe, eyes opening a few seconds later. He went over to the book on the ground and closed it. His hands trembled as he put it back on the shelf, leaning against the sturdy wood as waves of shock ran through him. He carefully made his way out of his study, bare feet making a soft thumping sound on the floor. He made his way to the kitchen and brewed himself a cup of tea, being as quiet as possible so that he wouldn't disturb anyone. His heart pounded in his ears, his breathing shallow. He lifted the cup to his lips and drank small sips of the soothing herbal tea. It calmed his erratic nerves and made him sigh softly to himself.

Jake finished his tea and washed out the cup. He dried it and put the cup back in the china hutch. His feet carried him out to the garden and he sat down, his back to the house. He glared down at his feet, now soiled with dirt. He picked at a callus on his palm and decided that he needed to make a plan of action.

His mind slowly created a plan, eyebrows furrowed as he picked at the rough skin left from years of handling a gun. He'd have to keep this a secret from Jane and especially from Rose. "If they find out that Dirk is one of the lost prince's, they'll ask me to release him. The only strange piece was Roxy. She made no move to hug Rose or even to try to talk to her. The woman's supposed to be dead for a year now unless she faked her own death, which is the only feasible explanation," Jake said to himself, tearing away a chunk of skin. Blood bubbled out of the broken callus and he lifted his hand to his lips, sucking on the callus. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth and he drew his hand away, spitting the blood into the grass.

'I've got to continue as I have been and play it off as though I hadn't understood what he told me.' He wiped his hand in the grass and stood up, walking back to the house.