Pirates In Love: The Novella

by Sevenity

Who doesn't like themselves a good harem? You know what they look like, you know who they are. Here are the tantalizing words that'll bring you from rosy cheeks to tomato red. This spritely game is put into novel form with a new main character that has a rich backstory, and a personality that is just irresistible to the Sirius Pirates.

9. Chapter 9

Previously, on Pirates In Love...

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?

---

His body and lips were pressed up against me. He gripped my arm so hard it hurt. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't even think. A million questions ran through my mind, the most important one being, WHAT THE FUCK EDUARDO? THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR THIS. My heart beat so fast from his sudden move, and the approaching soldiers made it worse. I could hear the navy's boots stomping right in front of us, then past us, then farther away…

He released me, and I started breathing again, heavily. He smiled at me.

Eduardo - "Made you a little hot, did I?"
Alex - "No! You scared me. What the hell was that?"
Eduardo - "I needed to hide my face without being suspicious. They'd recognize me right away."
Alex - "You couldn't have just hid in a group of people? There's tons around here."
Eduardo - "It's not that easy… I do have an eyepatch, y'know. Pretty obvious. And stop complaining, it worked, didn't it?"
Alex - "I guess you're right…" I grumbled.
Eduardo - "Let's head back to the ship… There are too many soldiers now."

We snuck our way back, slinking behind groups of soldiers, hiding around corners, and at one point I shoved Eduardo into a bale of hay and pretended I was a beggar. He didn't like that one bit.

Eventually, everyone returned to the ship, empty handed. No one got any new information about the prince's treasure. The Captain decided that we stay a few more nights, but we moved to a more secluded area of water so as not to be detected by the navy. The forest surrounding Moldor was wild. Giant palm trees curved over the ship from the shore, grass as tall as myself grew in thick patches everywhere, and gnarly roots covered the ground. Despite the sophistication of the city, Moldor was quite the tropical land. I noticed the days were getting hotter. I had switched back to shorts and a tshirt, and would occasionally tie up my shirt to expose my midriff, trying to cool down.

I asked for a quick training session from the Captain since I couldn't sleep. He was awake anyway, drinking. He tossed me the dagger I had been using. We sparred for a bit. Even though he was drunk, I still couldn't manage to get close to hitting him. I got frustrated. I was sweaty and had a headache. I yelled angrily and thrust my dagger at a pole. It hit dead centre.

Morgan - "Haha, nice shot! Was that on purpose?"
Alex - "Huh? Well, I was aiming for the pole, I guess."
Morgan - "Hmm… wait here."

He ran into the hull and came back with some smaller knives.

Morgan - "These knives are specifically weighted for throwing. Try them out."

I took them from him and bounced them in my hand. They were heavier than most knives at the point. Gripping the point, I chucked it at the mast that had my dagger lodged in it. It landed right beneath the dagger.

Morgan rubbed his chin. "You're pretty good at that."
Alex - "I've had a lot of practice."
Morgan - "Throwing knives?"
Alex - "Throwing anything. Sticks, stones, bits of wood. I was bored a lot as a kid, and even when I moved in with Charlie. I'd go out to the beach and throw stuff, skip stones. I stole some senbon when I was in Yamato and threw those at a wooden fence before they got stolen from me. I've probably thrown a knife or two before."

I picked up another knife and threw it at the pole. It landed directly over the dagger. I threw one sideways and it landed between the knives. Morgan laughed.

Morgan - "Looks like we found your signature weapon!"

I smiled. Who knew that being bored as a child would pay off. Morgan grabbed the knives and dagger out of the pole. He handed them to me.

Morgan - "I've got a belt that these fit in. And a sheath for the dagger. Why don't you keep them?"
Alex - "Really? Are you sure?"
Morgan - "No one else is using them. And I trust you not to do anything stupid, like stab one of us. Haha!"

Was he actually joking? Such dark humour… My own set of weapons… Finally something to show that I'm capable of protecting myself! I couldn't believe it. I was so excited.

Morgan - "Don't get too excited now."
Alex - "Why not? I'm so grateful! I'll cherish these gifts."

I held the knives against me and smiled at the Captain. He looked away and scratched his face.

Morgan - "I just mean, carrying weapons like that, lookin like a pirate, hanging with pirates, it all comes with consequences."
Alex - "I feel like I've got some experience with that already."
Morgan looked surprised, but then laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right!" He patted me on the back. "Welcome to the club!"

Welcome to the club, huh... I had joined a secret club. Well, not so secret. Pirates, especially the Sirius pirates, were pretty well known. Once I put these weapons on, there was no way I could pass for a commoner on land. Even as a girl, especially as a girl, I would look awfully suspicious. It was bittersweet… The guys were really changing, though, treating me a little better. Treating me like one of them. It was nice! But… I thought of Yamato. It meant I could never go back there and stay. I could never return to my old life. The navy had seen me with the Sirius crew. Morgan was right. If I walked back into Yamato looking like I do now, the navy would find me eventually and toss me into prison for being in cahoots with pirates.

I could hear Morgan yelling, "We're having a party! Thomas, find the kegs!"

I wondered how much I would have to drink to gain everyone's acceptance of me as a fellow felon. My face paled at the thought. Morgan mentioned the dangerous consequences, but I had forgotten about the alcoholic ones. Thinking about Yamato though, I thought I needed a good night of drinking to forget about my troubles.

After Morgan handed me a belt and sheath, I fixed the dagger onto my waist and the knives onto my thigh. The blades glinted in the moonlight. Thomas mentioned that I should probably hide them a little better. Honestly, I think he was just nervous about how much skin I was showing these days. I ran down to where I kept the shirts I found a while back. After some time tearing and sewing, I tied a triangular sash around my waist, covering the knives and revealing only the hilt of my dagger. I rejoined the men on deck, some of whom had woken up to start drinking and partying in my name.

We all drank copious amounts of alcohol. We laughed and joked, and shared stories of what happened to us in Moldor. I kept quiet about Eduardo and I, but that didn't mean Eduardo would follow suit. He spilled the beans about stealing my first kiss.

Eduardo - "It was Alex's idea. She wanted to kiss me."
Alex - "It was not! You did it without even asking!"
Russell - "He kissed ya?!"

I crossed my arms and remained silent. I didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Eduardo - "Jealous?"
Russell - "Tch! No!"
Eduardo - "I only did what you don't have the guts to do."
Russell - "Are ya deaf? I didn't say I wanted to."
Eduardo - "Heh. Sure."

Russell scowled.

The night wore on with chirps and quips and teasing and jokes. I started to feel a little sick. I wondered if the seasickness was coming back. Oh, Christopher wouldn't be happy about that. Or would he, since he would get to take care of me. Oh, right, I still needed to thank him. I couldn't go on thinking about it. I ran to the other end of the boat and nearly tossed myself over the railing vomiting into the sea. All that came out was the liquid I had just drank. It felt awful. I groaned for a while, nursing my stomach by the edge of the ship.

Nathan - "Hey, ya alright?"
Alex - "Hey Nathan… Oh, I'm fine. Just dying."
He laughed. "Call me Nate."
Alex - "Wuh?"
Nathan - "The boys all call me Nate. Yer like, one o' us now, so call me Nate."
Alex - "Hokay, Nate."

Nathan and I chatted for a bit, but I don't think I made much sense. Either that or I was really funny because he kept laughing at me. Every now and then he'd help me stand up again.

Nathan - "I have somethin' for ya."
Alex - "Oooo, what is it?"

He grabbed my bandana and pulled it over my eyes.

Alex - "Hey!"

Something smooth passed between my lips and into my mouth. It was chewy. And minty and sweet! I smiled and lifted my bandana. Nathan had an empty wrapper in his hand.

Alex - "Caramel! Mmmm, thank you!"
Nathan - "More for my sake. Your breath is awful."
Alex - "Hey!" I covered my mouth. "I's not ma fault!"

We laughed.

It was one of the happiest days of my life. But it was followed by the worst. I had my first, and what I hoped would be the only, awful hangover I would ever have. I was so down and out that I couldn't join the rest of the crew in Moldor that day. Instead I stayed on the ship with Thomas, who sat by my bed telling me stories of the Sirius' past adventures.

Alex - "Hey Thomas."
Thomas - "Yes Miss Alex?"
Alex - "Why did you join the Sirius? What did you do before being a pirate?"

Thomas went quiet. His eyes grew sad and clouded, like he was remembering something painful. I felt I'd asked the wrong question.

Alex - "You don't have to answer! I'm sorry if it was too much…"
Thomas - "No, I want you to know." He smiled sadly.

Thomas told me of his simple life as a blacksmith's son. It was good up until their home, Prica Island, was attacked by the royal family of Reiz because the island was accused of treason. The entire island? Is that even possible? Thomas didn't know the details, but both his parents had died after they tossed him into a boat and told him to flee. He had gotten lost at sea for quite a bit until the Sirius had found him. They dropped him off at Prica Island where the battle was long over. He had a chance to bury his parents before pleading with the Sirius crew to let him come with them. They agreed on the condition that he pull his weight on the ship and do some (more like most) of the work.

Thomas - "And now we're here!" He still managed to smile after that harrowing story.
Alex - "Oh, Thomas…" I had tears in my eyes. "I'm sorry!" I hugged him tightly.
Thomas - "M-Miss Alex?!"
Alex - "I'm so sorry! That's horrible. You lost them both so fast…" I sobbed on his shoulder while he patted me on the back.
Thomas - "Miss Alex… I'm okay." I pulled back and looked at him. "It was years ago. I'm sad that they're gone, but they'll always be with me in my heart. And I have these keepsakes to remember them by."

Thomas pulled out a pendant necklace and his shortsword. They both had identical symbols on them. The symbols looked familiar… Where had I seen them before?

Alex - "What is that?"
Thomas - "It's the Reiz empire's stamp. It represents them. You can see it on their flag."
Alex - "So… you're a citizen of Reiz then?"
Thomas - "Yeah. Sort of. It's why Captain doesn't want me in Moldor. They trade with each other, but the Moldor people and the Reiz are not friendly with each other."
Alex - "Wow… Your story is so inspiring!"
Thomas - "Huh?" He had a blank look on his face.
Alex - "You became a great pirate after losing everything… You're my inspiration! I'll be a great pirate, too."

Thomas blushed and rubbed the back of his head. He couldn't look me in the eye. Ah, he's so shy…

Thomas - "Th-thank you Miss Alex. You're so kind."

We looked at each other for a moment. It was blissful -

BANG!

Eduardo - "Hey you two lovebirds, get up here!"

Both of us said, "Yes sir!" and ran up the stairs. Thomas and I were used to the jokes the crew made about us at this point. Always poking fun about how we'd make a good couple since we were so close in age. We reached the deck where the Sirius crew was gathered.

Morgan - "We've got it!"

He waved a half map in the air. We all cheered.

Morgan - "We can celebrate later. The navy might be hot on our heels."
Alex - "Where'd you find it?"
Morgan - "We didn't find it so much as… took it, from unwilling hands."
Alex - "Oh… Ooh! Crap we gotta go."
Morgan - "Men, hoist the sails, let's get goin'! Eduardo, bring us 'round Moldor!"
Eduardo - "Yes, sir!"
Alex - "Um, I'll go with you!"

I ran after Eduardo and joined him in the nav room. I could hear the creaks and groans of the ship as the crew prepared for sailing, they shouted orders all over the ship. Eduardo stood at the table, leaning over the map and studying it intensely. It was like he didn't even know I was there.

Alex - "Eduardo?"
Eduardo - "Now's not the time."
Alex - "I just wanted to know if you found anything out about the Ullr map, too…"

Eduardo simply reached into his coat and handed me a piece of rolled parchment. Feeling the coarse parchment's fragility, I opened it slowly. It looked exactly like the other parchment, but less Ullr script and bolder outlines of islands and water.

Eduardo - "This one is better preserved. I still need to restore the other one. Based on these two pieces, though, I think there is only one more."
Alex - "This is amazing! Can you tell what part of the world this map shows?"
Eduardo - "I'm not sure yet, Alex." He snatched the map from me. "But like I said, it's not important right now. We have more pressing matters -"

A commotion on the deck caught our attention. It didn't sound like the usual hustle and bustle of preparing the ship. There were many more men stomping around on the deck than in the Sirius crew.

Eduardo - "This is bad."
Alex - "Is it the navy?"
Eduardo - "Most likely. A lot of them, too… Maybe 15, 20. We can get the upper hand if I can ambush them. But they need to be distracted."

I remembered something Christopher told me. He had me hang onto some herbs in case of an emergency. The herb was too old and, therefore, useless in medicine, but it could provide a good distraction if I ever needed to escape. I knew Christopher wouldn't like me using it to attack, but I wasn't the kind of girl to run and hide. Christopher would have to just deal with that. I frantically started searching in drawers for some matches.

Eduardo - "What are you doing?"
Alex - "I'll make a distraction. Some of the men will come down here to investigate the smoke, but the rest will be looking at the bow and not the stairs to the hull. You can take out the guys that come into the hull, and hopefully the rest of the crew will get the idea." I found the matches. "Do you think it'll work?"
Eduardo was very surprised. "That's a good plan, coming from you."
I grinned. "Thank Christopher, he's the one who taught me this."

We split up. Eduardo positioned himself at the bottom of the stairs. I ran into the storage section of the hull with a bucket of water. I threw some water on crates by the gun ports. Placing the herbs on the crates, I lit up the bunch closest to the bow and waited. The herb smoked up easily. Black clouds floated out of the gun port and up the side of the ship, and a bit of it clouded the air around me.

Soon I heard yelling up top and feet thundering down the stairs. Shots rang out. Eduardo was on the move. I quickly ran to the other bunches I had set up and lit them. Then I hid behind some crates. It didn't take long for the foggy smoke to fill the hull. As long as no more than two guys come down here, I'll be fine. I could hear the clamour of fighting on deck. I thought back to when Thomas and I would play hide and hit. It was the real deal now.

Navy Bastard 1 - "The smoke is coming from over here!"
Navy Bastard 2 - "Damn, it's real smokey… You think they'd really set their own ship on fire?"
I heard a third, unfamiliar voice. "We need to make sure, we're on this ship too. We could get caught in the fire."

Dammit! I could hear them separating, taking different sections of the hull to search. One to my left… One right behind… One on my right. The one on my right was closest. If I could take him out, then I could hide by the crates next to the opposite wall… Take him out? Does that mean I have to kill him? I started shaking. I wasn't ready for this kind of fight. What other consequences about being a pirate had I not thought through? It did occur to me that killing people was a part of the lifestyle, but I didn't expect the opportunity to come up so soon... I gripped my dagger, trying to steady myself. I didn't want the crew doing the fighting for me for the rest of my life. It was time to become a real pirate.

He was coming closer. I peered around the bottom of the crate. I could see him moving slowly, parallel to me, not towards me. My heart was throbbing in my ears. It was a wonder the soldiers down here didn't hear it, it was so loud. Maybe if I'm quiet enough, I can just sneak out. I took a small, tentative step forward…

CREAK!

I froze and squeezed my eyes shut. Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuckity, fucking shit, fuck!

Navy Bastard 1 - "Over there!"

I heard their footsteps running towards me. I had to move. I had to move now. But my limbs were frozen with fear. This isn't the time for this, Alex. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I forced my fingers to wrap around two throwing knives. Taking a deep breath, I leapt out and threw them.