Gilbert

"This will not take any longer," Sakura muttered. Her shoulders were tense, just like mine and we both hated it to watch the battle take place without us. I wanted to help, to protect those who have grown close to me, especially Elizabeta. What if she was hurt? Gilbird was still sleeping in my scarf, the only one that kept me calmn.

"We need to stay calm," the mermaid commented, her eyes now on me. "They will succeed, they are strong."

Noah and Raivis agreed with her. Their nodding heads were accompanied by light smiles. It was pretty clear that both liked her. She had asked me if she could watch over the two befor the fights were starting; I did not deny her that request. If it were my little brother, I would have liked to watch over him instead of risking him fight in such cruel battles. "Do you think Roberts has already noticed that it is Elizabeta's crew?"

"I don't think so," I replied, "Their crew has a lot of new members and I think they are more focused on fighting the marine instead of realising if her crew is fighting against them."

We had settled in the woods near the battle but we had a good view on the happening fights. The only area we had not in view was Robert's ship. Sakura noticed my hardened grip on the hilt of my sword. "We still have not seen them enter the battle," I murmured. Eliz told me about their plan to free her father before she would join the main battle. "Almost an hour ago, they –"

"She is all right," Sakura said, her soft voice calming me a little down, "She is alive."

I hung my head, sitting down next to Noah, who was seated next to Sakura. "How do you know? Can your magic feel their life energy?" I asked and at that certain moment an idea popped into my head. "If you can, is it possible to make a protection spell on them?"

I did not know if she could do it, but it was worth a try. "I never tried before," she admitted, but after seeing how the two little boys looked at her, she stood up and analysed the situation. I put my scarf off, giving it to Noah who would take care of Gilbird.

Before Sakura could even start to chant a spell, a rustling behind me startled us. I pulled my sword, ready to strike when the situation was calling for it. The two boys hid behind a bush, while Sakura readied herself to fight. The atmosphere grew tenser as I turned around towards the culprit that had dared to approach us.

"Finally."

I stared at the man in front of me, his face lined through wickedness. "The Prince and the amulet," he diverted his eyes to Sakura and saw the marked symbol on her arm, "And it seems that she has some powers too." He looked at me again and grinned like a maniac. I have never seen this man before, but I knew who it was. Captain Roberts had found me.

"Could it be that she is a mermaid whose family line is supposed to protect you," he commented before making a sign with his hands, "good that I am not alone." Three other men came into the scenery. How could it be that every pirate knew about Sakura's and mine family's line being connected, except for myself?

My sword was pointing at them, whereas Sakura formed water balls in her hands while the air around her got foggier. Her eye colour had changed; from light brown to magenta. Probably a side effect of using stronger magic. Without losing any more time, I swung my sword, blocking Robert's attack. "I never thought that this Island would be inhabited by Héderváry's crew and their abducted royal cargo."

"You," I muttered darkly, "you and Edelstein have brought so much pain into the world. My kingdom, Elizabeta and my friends a –"

His laughter echoed through the woods. "So you consider Elizabeta a friend? Well if that does not change some things," his grin widened again, "and yes, Edelstein is very generous in his payments."

Those two men were disgusting me, and I pushed him forward with my sword. I quickly glanced at Sakura and saw that she had no real problems defeating the enemy pirates. Roberts seemed a little shocked as she killed his men. The mermaid used the water balls in her hands to isolate their faces. The two men could not breathe and drowned even though their feet were on earthy grounds. "Where is the third one?" I whispered a little distracted in worry for Sakura. I composed myself quickly but it was too late as Roberts knocked me off my feet. Sakura's eyes lit up and rushed towards me, pushing Roberts away from me. "Behind you," a voice behind Sakura whispered.

My blood froze as I observed her eyes widening in shock; she had not been prepared for his appearance and due to her running towards me, she had broken the connection to the magic. It needed some time to be used to full potential.

Intervening was out of question when Roberts' foot pushed my upper body against the ground. That idiot had been recovered fast. "Sakura!" I screamed. Her hand shot up, a natural reflection to block the hit. Seconds were separating her from suffering a fatal hit. Everything happened so fast.

"You bloody bastard!" An all too well known voice sounded.

"Kirkland!" I shouted, as he blocked the enemy's sword while pushing Sakura softly to the ground. "How dare you attack her with your filthy sword," he hissed, swinging his weapon in order to kill the man. Roberts' foot disappeared from my body. Kirkland must have distracted him greatly. "Captain Kirkland," he hissed darkly but I lost sight of him as he retreated back behind the trees. I sprinted towards Sakura, who was regaining her energy quickly, while Kirkland almost beheaded his enemy. The raging green eyed man was clearly upset; only thinking about what he would have done if the enemy had succeeded in killing her, I did not dare to imagine. "Are you all right?" I asked her and she only stared at me. "The question is if you are all right, Sir?"

I nodded, pulling her up. At that moment, Kirkland had burdened his sword with shedding new blood. The enemy screamed before his voice ceased; just like his breathing. My eyes wandered around, looking for Roberts. "He escaped," I breathed.

"The children," Sakura whispered before turning to the bushes to find them unharmed. Raivis dashed towards the mermaid and hugged her with a shaking form. Noah on the other hand was calmer, but approached her nonetheless. He patted Raivis' back. Kirkland and I looked around us and found no traces of Roberts. "That bloody twat," Kirkland muttered. I eyed him, "he seemed to be on bad terms with you."

He smirked triumphantly, "Half of the pirate world is on bad terms with me. So, I am not that popular among criminals."

I suppressed my laughter with every power, but my grin was still reflecting my reaction towards his statement. "Well is this not the best requirement to be a royal admiral? You are well qualified for that rank if criminals already hate you."

"You may forget that I am not quite popluar among the marine sailors."

"It does not matter, when I am ruling the kingdom. What are your plans after this? A lot will change," I told him, observing our surroundings for any danger. He shrugged but his face was betraying him; the pirate was thinking of the future. "I will give all of you a second chance under my rule. Toris will certainly be promoted, the two little boys will be given education in my castle, Feliks will probably want to redesign our uniforms," I chuckled, not sure of the last future occurrence but I could imagine him being in that position. "And Sakura has grown close to the two little boys and will stay in my kingdom."

At the last sentence, Kirkland's ears perked up and his eyes were staring at me intensively. There was no need for him to speak up; I answered right away. "Her family has been connected with mine since the dragons had been sealed away. Sakura's purpose in life is to protect me, my family and the necklace. We both share a bond which had only strengthened due to the breaking seal of the amulet." I did not need to show the mark on my arm, which held the symbol of the former seal. To say that he was glaring at me was an understatement. For the few days I had known the Captain, I was able to conclude that this man – apart from his good traits – was overprotective, jealous and had serious mermaid complex. The latter three traits were always becoming effective, when Sakura was concerned. Kirkland had no time to reply when we hear rustling noises.

"Is he back?" I asked lowly, grabbing the hilt of my sword again. My eyes wandered to Sakura, who had noticed the odd noise too, she stood in front of the two boys, her body positioned in a strong and protective pose. Her sight analysed the environment; her complete stance on wary.

Another rustling startled us, this time near the two boys. Kirkland and I moved to Sakura, encircling Raivis and Noah. For some minutes we stood still, not hearing any odd noises anymore. The only ruckus that could be heard was from the main battlefield. "Seems like they are gone," Kirkland muttered, his impatience growing minute by minute.

A shot broke the silence. The bullet darted through the woods, targeting us. Fortunately, no one was hit and Sakura inspected the trees again. Loud cheering shouts echoed through the Island. I looked to the main battlefield. The only people that were present were the members of the marine. "They won," Sakura analysed, walking to the trees.

Neither of us saw the dark figure appearing behind her, only after we heard a light clink of a blade.

"Roberts!" I shouted.

He was back and swung his sword to kill Sakura. In one moment Kirkland pulled her aside to protect her, but he was not fast enough to pull his blade to block the attack. With one move, Roberts stabbed the blonde Captain; ramming his sword in his chest.

Arthur cried out in pain. Sakura's eyes widened and she froze in her movements, watching from the ground how he fell down. Shock claimed me for seconds, before I reacted. I took my sword, heading to the bastard whose smirk was pure evil. At that moment, the culprit ran; he sprinted through the woods as other voices nearby became louder.

"In the name of the King, I order to halt and to surrender!"

The marine. Sakura sat beside Kirkland, pulling the sword out of his chest. His mouth was framed by blood, his eyes wide and his breathing short. The poor young man looked as if he wanted to say something, but coughed up blood every time he opened his mouth. Roberts had hit him in the upper part of the chest; his shoulder and lungs were pierced.

"T-the Subclavian artery[*]," she breathed nervously, her shaking hands trying to patch him up. "T-the what?" I asked, watching in the direction of where the soldiers' voices came from. They were coming closer. "I-it is an important artery… He will bleed to death."

Noah ran towards Sakura and gave her my Scarf – Gilbird was settled in his trouser pocket – to stop the bleeding. "Prince Gilbert!"

Oh no, they were in sight. Sakura eyed me with great concern, before she muttered some unfamiliar words. I diverted my eyes to her and saw how blue light came out of her hands. She was performing magic and it seemed as if it was a spontaneous move from her. Within seconds, a blue coloured patch was closing his wounds. It held the same symbol as our markings from the amulet.

"Prince Gilbert! Step away from the pirates!" The voicing soldier was some metres away from me and I shot Sakura an urgent look. The mermaid understood immediately. "Noah, Raivis, when they come, they will separate us. Please take care of him and yourself," she whispered commandingly, observing Kirkland, who had by now closed his eyes. Raivis panic-stricken face was describing his fear of the horrifying scenario, especially if they would be captured by the Borussian Marine. His greatest fear, as he had told Toris and me days ago in the hold. "Prince Gilbert!"

I turned around and stood face to face with a visage I did not know. "Private Eduard, at your service, Your Royal Highness. We are here to save you," he said, pushing his glasses up which were slipping every five seconds from Nose Bridge. It was a nervous fellow I could already tell. With a raised eyebrow, I made sure that I held my promise. The pirates would be safe under my order. "Tell your comrades to stop the fighting, immediately," I ordered. The thought of Elizabeta being hurt or killed hanted my mind. I turned back around and saw how the other marines pulled Raivis and Noah away from Sakura. "Don't touch me," she snarled, kicking one young marine soldier in the stomach. Although she always seemed calm and quiet, she was still upset because of the previous scene.

He looked angry, stood up and watched her with wary eyes. "Look at her arm."

"The symbol of the amulet," Eduard said. Everyone darted their eyes to me. "You will take all of us back home, and won't harm any of the pirates. If you dare to do so, the consequences will be harsh," I ordered darkly. The atmosphere changed dramatically, the young marine officers gulped but obeyed. Sakura watched the two boys as they protectively held Kirkland's hands. "You won't separate them."

Although they were considered pirates, Raivis, Noah and Arthur received help from the marine. They knew that if they would anger me, I would disapprove greatly of their actions. My orders were taken seriously and we made all made our way back to the shore where the Marine's ship waited for us to return home. Roberts had escaped with the rest of his crew. That bastard would get his punishment the next time I would see him.

"Ah Sir." I turned around shortly, seeing that Noah put Gilbird in my hands. "I think you need him more than I do," he said quietly. After this gesture, my eyes searched for Elizabeta. To my dismay, I could not find her and worry was claiming my mind.

"Your Royal Highness, what do we do with the Prisoners? I know you want them to be treated nicely, but the hate is mutual. They will attack us."

It was the Captain of the marine; his men stood ready to shot the pirates. My glare was piercing the Captain's soul. "We take them with us, put them in the cells but provide them with lots of food, medicine and water. I need to talk with my father," I replied loudly, "If you harm any of them, you will be hanged."

If we would arrive at the harbour, people would ask questions of why the pirates would be free on deck, so I decided to place them in the cells where lots of sleeping places could be placed. After docking, I would take them to the castle; the inhabitants would think that they would get a process before being imprisoned. But my father should learn the truth.

Toris approached me instantly; a relieved sigh escaped his lips. "No one was killed. I dare say, Sir that it is a miracle."

Thank God, that meant that Eliz was safe.

The way they were shooting me confusing glares was odd. They never had questioned orders, but now they witnessed someone who protected those pirates. They would know the truth but before then, these men will be punished if they dared to attack the prisoners; People I now consider my friends.

[A/N: Please don't hate me x'D]

[*] The Subclavian artery – Important artery near the collarbones.