Previously, on Pirates In Love...

Russell - "Alex…"

He grimaced a little, like he was struggling to say something.

Russell - "Next time… I'll be the one to protect ya, got it?"
Alex - "Huh?"
Russell - "I'll protect ya, yer less than useless if ya get hurt."

There it is again, I'm useless!

Alex - "I won't get hurt!"
Russell grabbed my shoulders roughly and shook me. "Ya will if ya keep doin' dumb stuff like last time! Just leave the fightin' ta me!"

He stared at me intently, brows furrowed. My eyes widened with fear and surprise. He was acting so… passionate. His face moved closer. I could feel my heart quickening with nervousness. My body tensed up, I was paralyzed. He had me locked in his gaze. He pressed his forehead against mine.

What is he gonna do?

I stared at him for what felt like forever, the ship swaying beneath us like a pendulum. We were the slow tick tocking of the sea. He closed his eyes.

Russell - "I will never let anyone hurt ya again."

I shied away from him. This was not the Russell I knew. It was too confusing. Was this because he was drunk? I didn't know what to say. Thank you? No thank you? That be jolly good of ya? I was starting to panic.

Alex - "Um… Russell… I -"
"Oi! Wind's pickin' up, let's get 'er goin'!" Nathan yelled up at us from the deck.
Russell - "Dammit, party's over. Move!"

I scurried down the ladder, not saying another word. I ran over to Thomas and asked what I could do to help. I couldn't be around Russell, not after that. I still didn't know what to say! Even after we'd unfurled the sails, I continued to avoid him. There was no way I could hide from him forever, but I had to try. I stepped into the navigation room, thinking it would be empty and quiet.

"What are you doing here?"
"Eeep!"

I turned to see Eduardo seated at the table, maps spread around him, some pointy objects, and a compass in his hand. I thought I last saw him at the helm.

Alex - "I… am…" I spoke slowly, trying not to stutter and stalling so I could think of an excuse.
Eduardo - "Hiding?"
Alex - "... Yes."
Eduardo - "From Russell?"
Alex - "How'd you know?"
Eduardo - "I don't hear his obnoxiously loud voice like always. He must be feeling off. Also you two were in the crow's nest together. Did something happen?"
Alex - "No… I mean, it's no big deal."
Eduardo - "Alex, you're a shitty liar."
I sighed and sat down across from Eduardo. "He just… was nice and caring for once and I didn't know what to do. I'm used to him being… well, obnoxious."
Eduardo - "Did he touch you?"
Alex - "No! It's nothing like that. Why do you always go straight to that?"
Eduardo shrugged. "You're on a ship with drunken pirates, it'd happen to any ordinary girl."
Alex - "... Am I not… ordinary?"
Eduardo smirked and changed the subject. "You can't avoid Russell forever."
Alex - "I know… I just don't like that he thinks I have to be protected all the time. Christopher thinks the same, too! But I do fine on my own."
Eduardo stared at me in disbelief. "Your bakery was ransacked and you almost got kidnapped by goons -"
Alex - "That was just a bad day -"
Eduardo - "- Only to pass out in a barrel, of all places, which inadvertently got you kidnapped by pirates."
Alex - "That was a coincidence -"
Eduardo - "You accepted a job from ladies who you didn't even know were prostitutes, and they had to constantly save you from men -"
Alex - "Okay! I get it. I can't… survive on my own."
Eduardo - "I don't know what makes you think you can survive on a pirate ship without one of us protecting you."
Alex - "Because… if I can't, then there's no point… in living."
Eduardo - "What kind of crap logic is that?"
Alex - "If I can't survive on my own, I don't want to live! I don't want someone protecting me because I'm weak, I want them to do it because -"
I stopped. I couldn't believe what I was about to say. Eduardo waited for me to continue.
Eduardo - "Because?"
Alex - "... I want them to protect me because… they love me."
Eduardo - "... How do you know which one is Russell's reason?"
Alex - "As if, Russell doesn't love me, he thinks I'm weak. No one's in love with me here, I'm just some girl you pirates found in a barrel. So my only option is to get strong, and be able to fight for myself." I swung my fists in the air, beating on invisible enemies.

Eduardo had paused his movements. I thought he was looking at me sadly until he blinked and went back to work.

Eduardo - "Captain would probably teach you. He's an excellent swordsman."
Alex - "Would he? I'm afraid to ask…"
Eduardo - "Or you can ask Russell. He's also a great fighter."
Alex - "..."
Eduardo snickered and shook his head. "I'm busy here, you need to either leave or shut up."

I didn't want to leave, so I stayed put and sat quietly. Eduardo was right. I wasn't very good at taking care of myself. Even at home, I always I had Charlie… How did I survive on my own as a child? … And on another note, there was nothing Russell had ever said or done to make me think that he loved me. He was always calling me weak anyway. And yelling, and pulling on my braid, and complaining that I'm a woman... I didn't want to think about it anymore, so I studied the tools on the table. There were things that looked like pencils but had no lead. More pointy things attached to each other. Something that looked like a triangular gear. And the compass. I had heard of compasses and what they did, but I'd never seen one and I didn't know how they worked.

Alex - "How does this work?" I pointed at the compass.

WHACK!

Alex - "Ow! What the hell…" Eduardo had reached over and smacked my head.
Eduardo - "I said be quiet."
Alex - "Fine…"

After a moment's silence, Eduardo spoke. "It tells me which direction North is."

Alex - "... How?"

Eduardo explained the cardinal directions to me, how the magnet made the arrow always point North, and by that he could tell which direction he was facing. I asked about the pointy objects. He said they helped calculate distances on a map. I asked how he navigated by looking at the stars. He explained that the stars' positions never change and based on their orientation, he could tell where we were. I continued to ask him about maps and navigation, fascinated by how much he knew. He was educated, and yet he was such a douche. Oddly, whenever I would try to talk about Moldor he would hit me for asking stupid questions, or just change the subject.

Russell had returned to normal the next day, and when I wanted to talk to him about what happened, he said he didn't remember. I was thinking about what Eduardo said about Russell, and wanted to know the truth. But it seemed that Russell just wanted to pretend like it never happened. Was he offended by how I didn't answer, by how I just avoided him? I felt bad about it all. But at least things were back to normal between us. Despite that, I found myself hanging out with the other crew members more, still avoiding him. Helping Nathan in the kitchen, playing hide and hit with Thomas, asking Doc and Eduardo all kinds of questions about their professions. Eduardo would get annoyed by me very easily and kick me out of the nav room all the time, but Christopher was very patient. I eventually got the courage to ask Morgan to train me in fighting. At first he thought it was a joke, but agreed to teach me. I got a few days of training in before reaching Moldor.

After being out at sea for three weeks, we were almost at Moldor. Eduardo said we'd get there tomorrow afternoon. I had kept quiet about the map he had found for this whole time, but it was really getting to me. I didn't like keeping secrets from the crew, especially if they were someone else's. I could only imagine how pissed they would be if they found out that I knew more than them about the treasure.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Alex - "Eduardo…?"

I opened his door and stepped inside, closing it behind me. Eduardo walked towards me and banged the door shut behind me. He loomed over me, angry… and shirtless.

Eduardo - "Do you have manners? You wait to be invited into someone's room!"
Alex - "Sorry!"

He grabbed my hair and pushed me against the door. His bare chest was almost right up against mine.

Eduardo - "And next time, knock four times!"
Alex - "Aaah, yes sir!"

He let go of me and walked back to his table and chair. His room was minimally furnished compared to the Captain's quarters. He just had the table and chair and a bed, some shelves, a wardrobe, and a chest. He had a lot of equipment neatly organized on the shelves. I could only guess that they were for navigation. The small chest was open just a crack, and I could see his pistols and rounds in there. There was a polishing cloth next to them, along with his boots in a neat row. Everything was so clean.

Eduardo - "What do you want?"
Alex - "..."
Eduardo - "Answer me."
Alex - "I'm not comfortable that you haven't told anyone about the map you found… I don't know if it's any of my business, but shouldn't the crew know about it? I mean, even I know about it!"
Eduardo - "Have you told anyone?"
Alex - "No, of course not! But… it doesn't feel right, to keep it from them… Don't you trust them?"

Eduardo was silent for a bit, his back to me. After a long while he spoke.

Eduardo - "Come here."
Alex - "Why?"
Eduardo - "Don't question me!"
Alex - "Okay!..."

I walked over to him hesitantly. His words echoed in my mind, "You're on a ship with drunken pirates. It'd happen to any ordinary girl." He was already half naked. We were alone in his room. I stood beside him a good foot away. The map he had bought was on the table.

Eduardo - "See this script?"
Alex - "Yeah."
Eduardo - "It's old Ullr writing. This map piece is very old, older than the rumours we're hearing about the prince's treasure. This isn't related to what the Captain is trying to find."
Alex - "... Then why did you get it?"

Eduardo reached up and took his eye patch off. I couldn't believe it. He always had that thing on. What kind of scar was it hiding? I would finally know… Instead of a scar, I saw a regular eye… but it was a different colour!

Alex - "Oh! Your eyes…"
Eduardo - "I carry the blood of a Moldor and an Ullr. Eons ago when the two were at war, the Moldor empire was very close to getting their hands on the Ullr treasure. But they hid it before Moldor won the war. Moldor took the rest of their wealth away, and let them stay a separate nation, but they are forever in debt to Moldor. Moldor destroyed the people of Ullr… This could be part of a map that leads to that Ullr treasure."
Alex - "You want to restore the Ullr empire?"
Eduardo - "Yes… and I want to kill my father."
Alex - "What?!"
Eduardo - "He's Moldor. He forsook my mother and I, left us to rot to further his political game. He's a general at Moldor now…"

I didn't know that Eduardo had a past this difficult. I had never seen him so enraged. He was always cold and distant, aloof. He never let anything get to him. I wondered how hard of a time he had pretending everything was okay… I put a hand on his shoulder.

Alex - "I'm so sorry… that your people were treated so horribly."

He put his hand on mine, staring at the map.

Alex - "I still think you should tell the crew. They could help you find the treasure!"
Eduardo - "... The Captain knows. And Christopher. It's why we're going to Moldor first, and not the Reiz empire."
Alex - "Oh... I'm glad you told me, too, Eduardo. I was worried about you."
Eduardo - "Heh, me?" He stood up and I took my hand off his shoulder. He grabbed the back of my neck and drew me close to him. "If you tell any of the other crew, I'll have to punish you."
I gulped. "I won't!"
Eduardo - "Promise?"
Alex - "I promise! My lips are sealed!"

He stared at me for a moment.

Eduardo - "Maybe I should seal them for you…"

He brought my face closer to his. His words left me breathless. But I couldn't let him get at me so easily. His lips were about to touch mine when I pushed him away.

Alex - "Sorry!"

I ran out of his room, down the stairs, and into Thomas's bunker. I was breathing hard even though I didn't run far. That Eduardo, he really pushes his luck, doesn't he… Every time I'd get close to him in some way, he'd always do something stupid and forward like that. Or he'd hit people. He really wanted to keep people at a distance. Not that I wanted to get close to him. Not that I cared… right? These weird encounters with the men on this ship left me confused, so confused. This was the most emotional journey of my life. It made me miss the simplicity of home. I can't believe I even considered staying on this ship. I can't believe I tried so hard for their approval. Would I ever get back home?

Since the navy would be on the lookout for pirates, especially the Sirius pirates, we couldn't go straight to a port. So, when we arrived at Moldor, we anchored near an uninhabited beach. It was cloudy, but the beach looked sunny. What light came through bounced off the water and sand. The rain left on the plants and trees shimmered. There were dirt trails going into the forest, like a sandy red carpet leading to the main city. Captain assigned teams and sent everyone off, except Thomas who would stay behind to watch the ship. I got paired with Eduardo again.

Alex - "Aw, man…"
Eduardo - "Are you upset?"
Alex - "Aren't I just gonna get in your way?"
Eduardo - "Please." He smirked, "I requested you."

He walked ahead of me off the ship and into the rowboat, leaving me shocked. Why me? Was he gonna find some way to kiss me again? Despite his deep dark secret, he really had a one track mind, always stationed in the gutter. We reached the beach, dragged the rowboat onto the shore and headed to the main city of Moldor.

It was even more crowded than Hoenn. The streets were covered in dirt and there were so many arches it felt like we were in a cave. It had just rained, so everything smelled dank and moldy, and the number of ragged commoners crowding the streets didn't help. There were mostly food vendors clogging the air with various smells. It was cloying. Eduardo grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me through the smelly, smoky crowd, keeping to the smaller streets and cutting through alleys. We were soon separated from everyone else.

Alex - "What are we looking for?"
Eduardo - "It's who are we looking for."
Alex - "Okay then, who?"
Eduardo - "The merchant who sold the man in Hoenn the map piece."
Alex - "What about the prince's treasure?"
Eduardo - "The other guys are handling that. We have our own agenda."

Maybe that's why he picked me… I'm one of the only ones who knows about the other map. We looked for hours, but no one knew of such a merchant. We began to think that maybe the merchant in Hoenn had lied to us. We were stopped by a crowd of people trying to squeeze through the middle of the street. As we waited for it to clear a little bit, I heard faint marching sounds coming from behind us.

Alex - "Eduardo! Do you hear that?"
Eduardo - "Yeah."

He was already trying to find a way out, but with the road blocked in front of us and no alleyways on our sides, we were trapped. It sounded like a big group of navy soldiers approaching us. We could only hope that they wouldn't recognize us. They were coming closer and soon the tips of their raised bayonets came into view. The lump in my throat got bigger.

Eduardo - "Don't move."

He shoved me against the wall just as the navy came up to us. He cupped my cheek in one hand while the other grabbed my arm. I could only utter "What're you -?" before his lips were on mine. My eyes widened in surprise.

Eduardo, what are you doing?