Author's note: Okay, I know AOS got cancelled a loooonnng time ago but it is part of my childhood memories and it drives me crazy that we never got to know more about Maeve's backstory... or where her relationship with Sinbad could have gone.
English is not my first language so please considere this whenever you see mistakes.
Let me know if you like this! It takes place after the last episode of season one.
As they were all cheering for their victory, villagers gathered around Sinbad to congratulate him. The crew all knew that it was a team effort but soehow people tended to see Sinbad as the hero. He was the leader after all. Maeve noticed how a young woman was looking at him with admiration. She grabbed his arm to catch his attention. "You saved, us all. I could never thank you enough." Maeve squinted as the woman kissed Sinbad passionately. The sorceress sighed and turned around. She passed Doubar and Firouz with a furious look. The two men looked at each other and shrugged with a complicit look. Sinbad pulled back and looked for Maeve in the crowd, somehow worried about her reaction. They had never talked about where exactly their relationship was standing. He was not sure why, but he did not want to disappoint her. He saw her walking away as people were surrounding him even more to manifest their gratitude. Maeve sat at a wooden table in front of a small inn where a man was serving fresh drinks. As she took the first sip of her ale, a handsome man pointed the seat in front of her. "May I? he asked" Maeve smiled and nodded. She then glanced down to stair at her cup. Her mind was trying to brush away the feeling of jealousy that was invading her. "You and your crew seem to go through all sorts of adventures." Maeve shook her head, as if to shake the thoughts out of her head. She locked eyes with the man in front of her. She did not feel up for small talk, but she did not want to be rude to this man who did nothing to her. "Yes, I guess it's because we travel a lot." The man raised his hand to indicate to the owner that he wanted a drink without ever taking his eyes off Maeve. He was clearly interested to know more about her.
· I'm Kaled, he said.
· Maeve, she responded with a faint smile.
She started to tell a few adventures she and the crew went trough, adding a touch of humor to the stories. Kaled listened passionately and laughed out loud. When Sinbad and the crew came to join them, Maeve glanced at Sinbad before putting her hand on Kaled's arm and burst into a loud laugh. She then grabbed her hair and pulled it on one side of her neck. He could see she was flirting with him. He reluctantly sat on the opposite side of the table and engulfed his ale. All the other crew members were sitting between him and tried to not let it show, but he was feeling uneasy about the situation. He glanced a few times down the table to see what was going on. Maeve and Kaled seemed to have a private conversation. They were not mingling with the crew. Sinbad clenched his jaw and took a big sip of his ale every time he could not resist the urge to look. Slowly, the sun was setting. As the last rays of light painted the sky with a pink color, Firouz rised from his seat. "We should got and get some sleep, Firouz said." Doubar got up as well, followed by Rongar. "It was a long day, he said. A little rest wont hurt." Sinbad took out his money bag to pay for the ale. "Good idea, he said. We are setting sail at dawn tomorrow morning." He then glanced down to direct his last words at Maeve. "We should all got get some rest." Maeve gave Sinbad a serious look before getting up. The captain felt relieved that she agreed to follow them. Even though he was her captain and he theoretically had authority upon her, he knew Maeve had her own mind about how things should go on. He threw a few silver coins on the table. Kaled rose a hand. "Oh, don't bother captain, he said. I took care of it. Consider it as a symbol of gratitude for your heroic gesture." Sinbad clenched his jaw once more and picked his silver coins back. "You shouldn't have, he politely argued." As they were all entering the inn, Sinbad turned back when he heard Kaled's voice again.
· Maeve, I was thinking of going for a night stroll on the beach. Would you care to join me? he asked with a seductive smile, putting his elbow out as an invitation for her to lean on his arm.
· I'd be delighted, she responded.
Maeve picked up her cloak and through it on her shoulders. She then slipped her hand under Kaled's arm and took a last look at Sinbad before heading for the beach with Kaled. Sinbad felt his blood boil inside of him. "Are you coming, little brother? Doubar asked." Only, then, Sinbad noticed that he was still in the door frame of the inn. "You go ahead, he replied. I'm gonna wait here to make sure Maeve comes back safe and sound. We don't know this guy." Rongar gave a friendly nudge at Firouz and they both laughed. "Do you really think this man is dangerous... Said Doubar, pausing in mid sentence to emphasise the end. Or are you jealous?" The crew tried to contain their laughter, but Sinbad looked annoyed. "I am just making sure all my crew members are safe, he argued." His friends laughed once more before entering their respective rooms.
It was now really dark. Sinbad was sitting at the same table they had sat earlier. A small oil lamp was shedding a little dimed light before him. He was not sure how long he had been sitting there, but even the owner had gone to bed a long time ago. Sinbad was staring at the few sips of ale that remained in his cup when he heard some voices. He squint to try and see who was approaching, but it was too dark for him to recognize their faces. He studied the silhouettes as they were coming closer. Two people. A man and a woman. He focused on the woman, the way she walked. She reached her cloak on each side of her shoulders and pulled it in front of her. Sinbad had seen this gesture a thousand times. He was sure now. It was Maeve. She and Kaled did not notice that Sinbad was sitting just a few feet in front of the inn. They stopped walking a few meters away and faced each other since Kaled had to go in the other direction to head home. Sinbad could not hear what Maeve said, as it was almost a whisper. She then leaned forward and kissed Kaled on the cheek. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently as she was pulling away. Maeve smiled and turned to walk towards the inn. Sinbad could now see her face. She looked smitten. Her eyes were looking at the grown before her as she was trying to figure out where to step in such a dimed light but a faint smile seemed to be glued on her face.
She almost got to the door of the inn and was about to push it without noticing Sinbad. "You shoudn't stay out so late alone at night, Sinbad said breaking the silence." Maeve jumped back and put her hands on the grip of her sword. She sighed when she recognized her captain. "You scared me, she said with an annoyed tone. I wasn't alone, Kaled whas there." She paused as Sinbad rised from his seat. "Besides, I can take care of myself. You didn't have to wait for me." Maeve prceeded to enter the inn, followed by Sinbad. "You don't even know this guy, Sinbad said. What if he had bad intentions?" He regretted those words almost as soon as they left his mouth. He just knew where this was going. She turned back to face him with a dfing look. Her hand was on the handle of her bedroom door, indicating that she was eager to end this conversation. "Jealous? she asked." He could almost detect a glimpse of a smile. She seemed happy to have the upper hand in the argument. Or was it that she was toying with him? intentionally wanting to make him feel bad? Either way, it made him furious. "It is my duty to make sure my crew is safe and not acting foolishly, he said louder than he meant." Maeve looked at him with wide eyes and grabbed his shirt while entering her bedroom, pulling him inside. "Would you keep your voice down, she said in the loudest murmur he had ever heard. You're gonna wake the others" She crossed her arms in front of her and sighed, obviously mad at him.
· I was just having fun. Is that a crime? I am not aloud to spend a little time on my own once in a while?
· Of course you are, but we were all worried about you.
· Are you sure about that? Because I didn't see anyone else but you sitting outside waiting for me like a creep.
She went too far. He was only worried about her safety and she was using it as an insult. He stepped closer to her and tried to argue with his point of view but at that point, they were both talking on top of each other. As both of their voices were raising in a desperate attempt to get their point across, they seemed to realize that neither of them wanted to get in a fight and wake up the entire crew. They stopped talking almost at the same time, not knowing what the other had said but feeling the anger emanate from each other's skin. Maeve rose her eyes to the ceiling and Sinbad glanced at the door, debating whether or not he should storm out. They were both breathing heavily, trying to calm themselves down. A few seconds passed before they had the courage to meet eyes with each other again. In anger, their faces got only a few inches apart. Now that the atmosphere had changed, it felt slightly uncomfortable.
Maeve looked deep into Sinbad's eyes. He wasn't sure if she was giving him a defiant look or if she was trying to make peace with him. As he was trying to study her expression, his eyes lingered on her lips. He didn't think about what he was doing. His body seemed to rebel against his will as he closed the gap between his lips and hers. He did it with such passion that she had to take a step back to avoid falling over. Maeve rose her eyebrows in surprise before surrendering to his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. Sinbad tried to get closer as waves of emotions were shattering inside his body but she kept stepping back until her back rested against the wall. He could feel her body relax as his hand rested on the back of her neck. As her arms tightened around his neck, their hips collided. He was about to lose his mind when he broke the kiss, trying to get back to reality. He put both hands against the wall and stared at the floor. "Sorry. I'm sorry, he managed to say between to breaths."
Maeve let her arms drop beside her, panting heavily. Time seemed to have stopped. Anything that happened before or could happen after didn't matter. She was so used to be in control. She never let her emotions guid her. But Sinbad had caught her of guard. She did not expect things to go like this when she pulled him inside her room. Now that he had kissed her for a brief moment, she did not want him to stop. She bit her lips in an attempt to fight her impulses but failed in a matter of seconds. Her chin moved towards and her lips locked with Sinbad's again.
He did not completely understand why she was not pulling away, insulting him for having crossed a line. Whatever it was that made her want to kiss him even more, he welcomed it with a faint moan. He pulled her closer to him, moving away from the wall.
Maeve's hands grabbed his and slowly moved upwards, caressing every muscle on the way up to his shoulders. She turned slightly her head to the side, leaving him no choice but to kiss her on the cheek. "Sinbad, she murmured." He continued to kiss her face, moving down her neck. He could sense that she was pushing his shoulders back but he did not want this moment to end. "Sinbad, she insisted. I think you should go."
Sinbad took a step back. Had he gone too far? Was he taking advantage of the situation? He frowned, not proud about the fact that he had lost control. "I'm sorry, he repeated."
She did not know what to say. She did not want him to feel sorry about what just happened, but she also knew it was best to find a reason to keep him at a distance. She could not let her emotions distract her from her goal of vanquishing Rumina. If Sinbad had to feel guilty about this brief moment of path, then so be it. Sinbad turned away from her, stepping toward the door. He turned back to look at Maeve one last time, his eyes almost begging to let him stay. "Please, she begged." She knew if he kissed her again, she could not find the courage to push him away once more.
The next morning, Sinbad came down the stairs leading to the main floor. The door to Maeve's room was open. He stretched his neck to see if she was still there, but the room looked empty. He heard a laugh outside. It was Firouz'. Sinbad pulled the door that led outside and squint as the sunlight reached his eyes. Rongar pointed him to alert the others that he was there. "Sleeping late, little brother. Doubar declared in a mocking tone" Firouz nudged him playfully. "I know you said you wanted to leave at dawn, but you seemed really tired this morning, the scientist pled." Rongar nodded in agreement as Sinbad sat down. "That's what happens when you stay up so late! Doubar said before bursting into laughter" The crew laughed with him, except for Maeve. She was sitting on the other end of the table, at the exact same spot where she was the night before. Only now she looked quite disturbed by Sinbad's arrival. Doubar noticed that she conveniently focused her attention on Dermott while they were mocking Sinbad. He also noticed the dark spots under his brother's eyes, meaning he had not get much sleep. Rongar exchanged a look with Firouz and Doubar before he shrugged. Normally, Sinbad would have protested and argued anytime they would make fun of him regarding Maeve, but not this time. They somehow understood that he wanted to dismiss the subject. The way Maeve tensed when Sinbad sat, the way she slightly turned her back to him to focus on Dermott let them knew that something happened last night. They could not tell what, but something was different. They all continued to eat their breakfast mostly in silence.
They were almost ready to hop on the longboat when Kaled appeared on the beach. Sinbad and Maeve exchanged a look before the sorceress walked to meet the man. "I wanted to say goodbye, Kaled said when she got close enough to hear him." Maeve took a few more steps to make sure they could speak in a private manner. She managed to give him a faint smile, trying to hide how torn she felt inside. "I'm sure you are going on extraordinary adventures, he said." Maeve nodded, desperately trying to find something to say. She turned back to see that Sinbad was watching them from a distance. Kaled glanced further to see that she was looking at her captain. When she turned back to face him with a preplex look on her face, he understood what was going on. She opened her mouth, ready to try and say something nice but he did not give her the chance. "You know what? he said in a rhetorical way. I am sure you are eager to go back on the sea with your friends. I won't take too much of your time. I just wanted to let you know that I had a great time last night." Maeve now felt sorry for him. She felt guilty about giving him the wrong impression. She also had a great time with him, but she was now sure it did not mean the same thing for her as it did for him. "It was very nice, she managed to say." He gently took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. "If you ever feel like having an ordinary life, he said, you will always be welcome here." He said it in a very polite way, but Maeve knew it was more an attempt to let her know that if there was ever a place in her heart for him, he would gladly take it. She hugged him as a gesture of gratitude for making things easier for her. She had never been very good with mixed emotions. They parted quickly, marking this as a friendly hug and nothing more.
Maeve walked back to the longboat and ignored the fact that the whole crew was now looking at her, trying to study her face. They eventually set sail before noon and everything got back to normal.