[Fanfic] Of Land and Sea (Chpt 1/?)
Title: Of Land and Sea (Chpt 1)
Author/Artist:
lilflow
Genre: Adventure/Romance
Characters/Pairing(s): America, England, France, Canada, Germany, Rome, Spain (and others) (USUK)
Rating/Warnings: T
Summary: Arthur Kirkland is a pirate Captain. Alfred Jones is in the Navy. In a world ruled by five Lords bent on keeping their own twisted order, these two unlikely souls meet in the most unfavourable of fashions. AU
“The sea is an untameable mistress. She cannot be controlled no matter how hard you may try. She can turn from serene calms, to angry waves with the blink of an eye, and a gust of wind. And yet, if we treat her with respect and proper judgement, then she will allow us to take sail upon her. It is only with this amount of trust in our watery mistress that we manage to stay alive even now, under the blanket of the night sky.”
“Captain?” The Mate stood forward, staring at the man in front of him.
The Captain leant on the bulwark, his coat billowing out behind him in the night’s cool breeze. His hat was pulled low on his head, hiding his features in shadow as he looked out into the black waters, watching the little dots of light that were being reflecting in them from the stars in the sky above.
He had been standing there for quite some time now, taking no notice of the gradually dropping temperature as the night bore on. It was the first time in long over an hour that he had actually spoken to his Mate, but even now it felt like he wasn’t actually addressing anyone in particular. But the Mate had learnt to get used to his Captain’s cryptic messages, and no longer paid them any mind.
“Captain, the crew has finished their duties and I have sent them to their quarters for the night.”
The Captain finally raised his head, turning to face his most trusted crew member, the light of the lanterns now reflecting in his almost startling green eyes. “Very good, Mr Mate.” He nodded, his brow naturally sloping down despite the lightness of his tone. “You may stand down for the night. I will keep watch. I want the crew up at the stroke of dawn. This ship will not sail herself.”
“Aye aye.” The Mate turned and strode back the way he had come, below deck. He had long since accepted the Captain’s wishes to be alone upon the deck at night. When morning came and the crew rose to their day’s work the Captain would once again retreat back to his own cabin to sleep for a few short hours before he once again took his place at the helm once the sun had risen high in the sky.
The Captain watched his Mate go, not taking his eyes away until he was sure that he was now alone on the deck. It was in these moments, when he didn’t have the rest of the crew to control that he was most at peace. It was just him, his beloved ship, and the crisp ocean waves. And God help the man who tried to disturb this tranquillity.
He let his hand graze over the polished wood of the helm before taking hold of it. The crew rarely saw him steer the ship, usually leaving it to the Mate or the helmsman unless it was in dire need that he took control, but it was at these quiet moments when he really felt like the Captain of this ship, not just someone who barks orders at a rowdy crew. This was his ship. And she was beautiful.
It was well known that men of his nature were not well-liked by the people of this world. If the men of so-called ‘authority’ had anything to do with it, the crews of the ships like his would be wiped out of existence. But they would have to catch them first. And if this Captain had a say in the matter, that most certainly would not be happening any time soon.
•••
The door burst open with a flurry of loose papers, the figures sitting around the table looking up to see who had entered, looking obviously exasperated at his usual lateness.
“Ah, Captain Jones,” the only one of the group standing spoke up, pulling off a pair of glasses and running a hand through his slicked back blonde hair. “So nice of you to finally join us. I take it that you have some kind of valid reason behind your delay?”
“Now, now, Ludwig, no need to be so rigid.” The oldest of the group laughed, leaning back in his chair and waving down the first. “I’m sure he has a perfectly good reason for being the slightest bit late.”
Ludwig frowned and took his seat, folding his arms neatly and surveying the man who was still stood by the door, having collected his fallen papers.
“Yeah. Um, yeah! I have a reason!” He pushed his glasses up his nose, grinning around at his colleagues sitting in front of him. “I was just grabbing these.” He motioned the papers. “It’s a report from one of my men. I thought that it was important for us all to take a look over them.”
Alfred Jones was known for his more eccentric ideas and plots to help the Navy ‘save the day’. Indeed, his fellow Captains often referred to him as having the world’s biggest hero-complex, but it didn’t bother him in the slightest.
He hadn’t long been promoted to his position, but now that he had his own ship and crew, he wasn’t going to let any wrong-doers or criminals get the better of him. Oh no, they would be sorry the day they crossed Alfred F Jones! He would make sure of it. He could just imagine what he would do if he was faced with one of the sea’s notorious pirates right there and then. Well, let’s just say that he would, of course, be the one coming out of the resultant brawl victorious.
“Go on.” The second man nodded Alfred forward to his place around the table with the other Captains.
“Well,” Alfred’s smile wavered slightly and his tone became more serious, and the other Captain’s readied themselves for upcoming suggestion of yet another idiotically heroic plan. “According to my Officer, the fishermen who work in the seas around Faran’s capital have spotted an unknown ship not far off of their shores. It’s been sailing in these waters for the past few days. It’s all in the report.”
He slid it across the table and took his seat, biting his bottom lip as his superior took the papers and began to skim through them.
“Pirates? Are you sure?” He looked stern, peering over the papers at Alfred.
“Almost positive, sir.”
“And what do you propose to do?”
•••
“What do you mean ‘ready the ship’?!” The news had not been taken entirely as Alfred had plans as his cousin stared him down. “We only docked two days ago! We’ve barely had time to resupply yet.”
“I know, Matt.” Alfred sighed, running his hand through his hair and walking past his fuming relative. “But it’s Admiral’s orders. There’s nothing we can do about it. We need to leave as soon as the preparations are done.”
He paused on the gangplank, looking back over the harbour and carefully avoiding Matthew’s eyes. It really was too soon for him and his crew to be setting out again and he had tried to tell Admiral Vargas this. But, the Admiral being the Admiral, and as laid back as he was, he had brushed aside the minor detail of the crew’s need for food and fresh water supplies and had placed the order for them to set off immediately.
“Tell the men to ready what supplies we have got left and to stoke the engines. We’re leaving in an hour.”
“But Alfred!”
“That’s an order, Matt. You’re my Lieutenant, right? So follow my orders.” Alfred frowned down from the gangway, almost wishing for a moment that he hadn’t been promoted after all.
“Aye aye, sir.” Matthew begrudged. He bustled past Alfred, shouting orders to the other crew members as he went.
The two cousins had always gotten on well. It was how they had managed to be placed in the same crew ever since they had enrolled in the Navy, but it didn’t stop them from having their arguments. It didn’t help that they were almost identical in appearance, Matthew’s hair being slightly longer and wavy and his eyes having more of a violet tinge than Alfred’s, and they had been mistaken for each other on a number of occasions, meaning that awkward and, often, very annoying explanations and apologies had to be made when orders were given to the wrong person. This situation only getting worse when Alfred was given his promotion to Captaincy, meaning that when Matthew, his Lieutenant, was passed the orders intended for his cousin from another commanding officer, he was forced to be reminded yet again, when explaining to said commanding officer, that he was not the cousin that had received the promotion. Not that he wanted to be pushed into a role of higher authority. He was quite happy on the side-lines, making sure that the orders that were given out were carried out smoothly.
Alfred was glad to still have Matthew at his side after their short time in the Navy after travelling to the mainland. There was so much more to remember here now that they were away from their homeland on the Afunden Islands, especially with the five regions of the mainland each being under the rule of their own Lord.
The Dynerice Lords were well known even in the furthest reaches of the world where their rule had no effect. They each had their own say over the Navy, which had been established purely to protect the borders of the separate lands, and Alfred almost constantly got them all confused with each other, having never been an expert at decoding maps. He always left navigation to Matthew. He preferred being at sea, anyway.
They were currently docked in the main shipping town in the Southern region of Suprador, having completed their last set of orders given by the Admiral. The crew really would not be happy about setting out this soon. But, orders were orders. They had no choice. Bringing about the demise of the sea’s pirates was their job, and that’s what they were setting out to do.
The ship’s engines roared into life and Alfred watched as Matthew took his place on the bridge in front of the helm, carefully starting to steer them out of their docking post.
There was a thick fog outside of the harbour wall, not ideal at all for where they were heading a little further north between the borders of Faran and Suprador.
It was a relatively thin stretch that led out into the wider waters of the Fullmaegen Sea, but it was also treacherous, often leading less skilled sailors to their deaths at the deepest depths of the ocean, their boats perishing against the rocks at the foot of the headlands.
This also made it the usual place to find pirates when they were in hiding. But as the Navy vessel made its way further out to the mouth of the river with still no sign of the unknown ship that they were searching for, Alfred was growing more and more worried.
The fog was still as thick as ever, making the shadowy silhouette of Faran’s capital of Cynest grow fainter and fainter as they made their way past it.
“Matthew.” Alfred started, making his way to the bridge, “Does the sea seem a little still to you?”
“A little.” Matthew sighed, “But it’s just because of the fog. There’s no other boats out apart from us.”
Alfred shook his head, looking out over the waters again trying to find some sign of another ship out there in the haze. “It’s not like that. There’s definitely another ship out there. The waves aren’t parting right for it just to be us.”
And then he saw it. A faint shadow that was gradually getting closer and closer to them, until the shape of an old-fashioned forty gunner was just visible to their starboard side.
“Get the men armed and ready for confrontation.” Alfred murmured, taking to helm from his cousin.
But before he had time to move the wheel an inch he felt something cold and sharp press up against his neck, feeling Matthew freeze beside him as well.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” A gruff voice spoke in his ear and Alfred could tell that the man was smiling as he said it.
He looked around, only now noticing the massive group of unknown men and women that had invaded his ship, each one of them holding a threatening blade up against each of his own crew. They had sailed straight into a trap. The biggest mistake in the book.
“So, which of you two is in charge of this rust bucket?” the pirate stood back, still poking the tip of his cutlass dangerously close to Alfred’s throat. “My Captain would very much like to meet him.”
Alfred glared at him, trying to ignore the little voice inside his head that was telling him that if he stopped holding his breath then the tip of that blade would stick into his neck. Matthew was failing to struggle away from his own assailant, only stopping when the familiar sound of the engines cutting out left them with just the splash of the waves under the fog to listen to.
“Oh, come now.” The pirate sighed, his smile not faltering as he looked around at his crewmates scattered around the deck of the navy ship. “If you don’t cooperate than things are going to get messy, and we don’t really want that now, do we? Not after we commandeered your ship so easily. You should probably pay more heed as to what might be hiding in the mist.”
Alfred closed his eyes, finally letting out his breath and pushing the blade away from him. He pulled himself up to his full height, trying to seem as imposing as possible, without letting his hand twitch to the shotgun on his belt. “That would be me.” He grunted, “I’m the Captain.”
“What’re you doing?!” Matthew choked, being pulled back by the man holding him.
“And what’s your name, Captain?” The first pirate grinned again, ignoring Matthew.
“Alfred F Jones.” Alfred’s eyes didn’t leave the man in front of him, silently daring him to make a further move.
“Captain Jones? You don’t sound like a Dynerice man. But that’s not important right now. Bind his hands.” He motioned a couple of his men forward, watching as they tied Alfred’s hands behind his back and steered him towards the side of the ship where they had entered.
Alfred jerked off the hands, glaring around at the people who had invaded his ship, finally letting his eyes settle on Matthew. He smiled, shrugging in what he hoped was a light-hearted fashion, “Dock in Faran and send a report. You know what to do after that.”
And then the hands appeared again and he was turned around and forced off the ship and onto the small bridge that led over the waters beneath them.
“So if you’re not the Captain, then who is?” He bit out to the pirate leading them, still doing his best not to seem the slightest bit afraid of the predicament he had gotten himself into.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
“If he didn’t have the grace to commandeer my ship himself, then why should I do as he says?”
“Do you want to be thrown into the depths?” He sneered at the Navy Captain’s scowl, “No? Then behave yourself.”
Alfred was hauled onto the pirates’ ship, and shoved towards the bridge. It was like being dragged years into the past. He’d always thought that all of the galleons had been permanently docked as technologies had advanced and ships had begun to be built from more hard wearing materials like the Naval Ships. But here he was, on a ship very much built out of wood, with the traditional masts and rigging, and he very much the prisoner of the sailors that made up its crew.
And there, standing at the helm with his face hidden in the mist and the shadow of his hat, stood the person who was most obviously the Captain of this crew of outlaws. His coat billowed out behind him as the ship moved off again, powered by what seemed to be engines hidden somewhere below deck because there was no wind to speak of.
“What on earth have you brought me this time, Carter?” His voice was a lot younger than Alfred was expecting. He couldn’t have been much older than he was. “You can’t expect me to believe that this child is the Captain of those Naval dogs?”
“Sorry to disappoint you.” Alfred spat back as the pirates holding him forced his head up so their own Captain could get a better look at their captive.
“Well it’s no wonder they were easy to ambush.” The pirate Captain sneered, his face still hidden from Alfred’s view. “He’s obviously incompetent. Name?”
“Alfred Jones.” The pirate who was now clear to be the First Mate spoke up, making his way up the bridge so that he stood next to the Captain.
“Not from around these parts are you, Jones?” The Captain spoke again, leaning on the helm, “Otherwise you would have known just how easy it is for Privateers, such as ourselves, to hide in these waters. Weather conditions here are a godsend, you see.”
He motioned to the fog, and Alfred caught a quick glimpse of a grin on the man’s face. He let his glare deepen; making sure that there was no doubt amongst this crew that he hated each and every one of them. They were criminals, and it was his job to rid the world of them.
“Feeling gloomy, are we?” Alfred was getting sick of the smugness of the pirate’s voice, “Well, I suppose we will have to save our little chat until you’re feeling a tad more spirited. Put the dear Captain in the brig for now. I’m sure the Frog will love the company.”
He was forced to turn, hands constantly gripping at his shoulders and pushing him forward towards the stairs that led below deck. He felt stupid, being dragged around like this. It was like he was a kid again and had no choice but to do what these people want.
“What? You too scared to show your face to some Navy Dog?” Alfred snapped, shoving off one of the pirates holding him, “You think you’re all impressive standing up there? But you’re nothing but scum.”
There were even more hands on him now, herding him below deck, and not being all too gentle about it. If Alfred had wanted to be thrown overboard, then it seemed that he had gone the right way about it. He just thought himself lucky that his captors had already been ordered to throw him in the ship’s brig.
“Hold it.”
He didn’t need to be told that the Captain had now descended from the bridge. The crowd of pirates holding him had parted, keeping enough pressure on him to stop him from moving, but letting their Captain through.
Alfred had very little time to observe just what the man was like, like that he was actually slightly shorter than Alfred himself, before his fist hit him hard in the face.
“Back to your posts. I’ll take him from here.” The Captain ordered, grasping hold of the back of Alfred’s neck and pushing him through the door that led below deck. “You’ll find that I am not very lenient towards those involved in the Dynerician Navy, Jones. I make it one of my personal duties to cripple any one of their ships that crosses my path. Be that taking one of their crew members captive, or just blowing a hole in the side of their bucket and leaving them to sink into the depths. You see, this is not any ordinary ship. She is my pride and joy, and most certainly does not go down without a fight.”
Alfred had settled into a kind of stunned silence, no longer resisting against the hand that was clamped down on his shoulder and what seemed most likely to be the barrel of a pistol pushed firmly into his back.
He’d never heard of a pirate captain being so young. Heck, this captain looked younger than the vast majority of his entire crew. There was no way that he could be much older than Alfred himself, and Alfred was too often told that he was too young to be a Captain.
He was led down into the depths of the ship, the corridors passing the cabins never seeming to stop, and all the while Alfred was being shown the inner workings of what he thought had been a pirate’s galleon. He should have known that there was more to it than met the eye. From the looks of things, the ship’s wooden exterior was just for show, because all of the inner walls were constructed much more along the same lines as the Navy’s ships - reinforced steel. This wasn’t the ancient ship he had believed it to be.
“Stop gawking like a five year-old. You’ll have plenty of time to take in the scenery from the brig.” The Captain shoved him down another flight of stairs, this time taking them to the very bowels of the ship, and revealed the dimly lit room that was its brig.
“Ah, Arthur, you have brought me a companion!” Alfred started. He hadn’t noticed anyone else in the gloom before the person spoke. He searched for the source of the voice, his eyes finding a figure lounging on a bench behind the bars at the far end of the room. A figure that, as far as he knew, should definitely not know a pirate by name.
Francis Bonnefoy was notorious for not being the conventional lord like the others, but he was a lord all the same. Suprador was often in the spotlight due to its lord’s more extravagant behaviour, but maybe that was why many considered him so likeable. The other men in the Navy always said that if they had ever been to a good party, then it would have been one of Lord Bonnefoy’s. But then, he was known for being somewhat… unpredictable.
Alfred remembered that his first encounter with this man hadn’t exactly been an ordinary meeting. Unless ‘flirting’ with the new Navy Captain in front of his superiors was considered ordinary in Dynerician society.
“Shut your trap or we’ll be seeing if you can swim like the frog you are, Bonnefoy.” The pirate spat, driving Alfred towards the small prison. “You’re captives, not consorts.”
“Ever the charmer.” Bonnefoy smirked as Alfred was forced through the door to join him in the cage. “Though a Navy Captain is almost too good a gift. Tell me, what is the occasion?”
“The occasion, frog, is that I do not appreciate these dogs attempting to blow a hole in my ship, so I decided to wound them first.” He glared through the bars as he relocked the door, “Now if you will excuse me, I have more important things to do than attending to two idiots.”
He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him, leaving his two prisoners in an almost stunned silence.
“Oh, do not look so shocked, Captain.” Bonnefoy smiled, leaning back against the wall. “His short temper is nothing new. It is just one of his many charms.”
“Excuse my rudeness, sir, but I’m more shocked about you being here.” Alfred gave the man a short bow of the head, not wanting to seem any ruder than he already knew he was being. “The officers in Suprador were going crazy about you suddenly disappearing.”
“Really?” Bonnefoy seemed more amused than anything, “How unusual. They know what I left to do. Though, that may be reason to panic, looking at it from their point of view. You know what they call me, do you not?”
“Yes sir.” Alfred frowned harder. He couldn’t understand Bonnefoy’s light-heartedness.
“The Pirate Lord.” Said Lord chuckled, rolling his eyes. “It is not as if I pillage. That would be taking from my own people. I am not a petty crook, Captain, just a man who finds it amusing to tease a certain other pirate captain. This is not the first time I have been locked in this forsaken place.”
“But sir, that’s dangerous!”
“Of course it is! But that is half the fun! Do you not know what ship you are on?” Alfred shook his head, not liking one bit how his lack of attention to detail had been raised so easily. “This, dear boy, is The Guinevere! A truly handsome lady if I do say so myself. Her stories date back from far before her current crew but do not run any less true because of it. She is a truly mesmerizing creature.”
“It’s just another pirate ship.” Alfred flopped down on the floor, pushing his hair out of his eyes and glared around the room.
“That is a naïve assumption, Captain.” Bonnefoy sighed. “But one I believe is common within the Navy. But then, the crew of this ship are not like other pirates either. Especially our dear Captain friend. He is the most unusual of them all.”
Bonnefoy paused, glancing at Alfred as if expecting him to say something. Alfred, however, stayed silent. As far as he was concerned, all pirates were the same - law breaking lowlifes who deserved to be shot down one by one, as painfully as possible.
“You must have noticed how young he is. Though, not quite as young as you, I might add.” Bonnefoy sighed, “That young master has problems that you would not believe. It’s no wonder that he has reverted to this kind of activity. He is troubled, to say in the least.”
“And why should I care about a pirate’s troubles, sir?” Alfred grumbled, leaning his head back against the wall.
“Look around you, Alfred Jones. This ship is not unlike your own Navy vessel. The wood and masts are nothing more than mere decoration so that it still appears to be the old galleon it once was. Its engine is much quieter than any other ship, yet it still sails just as fast, if not faster. I saw how quickly your crew was hunted down, Captain. It is not the first time that a Navy ship has been outwitted by the Guinevere, and I dare say that it will not be the last. That is why you should care. Any person with the mental state of this ship’s captain is worth worrying about; otherwise I would not bother myself checking in on him like this.” He stood and crossed to the bars, looking out through the porthole. “Though it looks like my visit will not last much longer.”
Alfred looked over to the other man just as a low thud came through the ceiling. He stood up, crossing to stand next to Bonnefoy. At first he thought the porthole had been blocked over, but considering that only minutes before he could make out the fog outside this seemed unlikely. It was only when he leant a bit closer, and saw whatever it was outside move slightly with the waves that he realised it was another ship.
“Things are about to get noisy.” Bonnefoy smiled, sitting back on the bench. “I would stay away from the bars if I were you, Alfred. We wouldn’t want you getting hurt now, would we?”
True to his word, seconds after Alfred had taken a step back from the bars, the door burst open, revealing, if possible, the pirate Captain in an even fowler mood than before.
“Bonnefoy!” He stormed into the room. “You-! You-! You bloody rat!”
“You wide use of vocabulary is astounding, Arthur.”
“You sent for Carriedo to rescue you. Carriedo?! Of all the bloody pirates sailing these seas you had to choose him!” He spat, glaring through the bars at the lord.
“Of course I sent for Antonio.” Bonnefoy waved a hand, disregarding the fuming pirate. “He is a good friend of mine. Why wouldn’t I call for him?”
“Need I remind you of the last time you caused me to cross paths with Antonio Fernández Carriedo?”
“I don’t think there is any need for that.” Alfred turned back to the door at the unfamiliar voice, only to see yet another pirate stood there, although this one didn’t seem quite so sure of himself as he leant on what Alfred could only describe as a battle axe. “After all, I have no intention of harming any of your crew, Kirkland. In fact, taking Francis off your hands would surely be doing you a favour.”
Alfred recognised the man from the wanted posters scattered around the Navy buildings, as if the name hadn’t been a giveaway. “Sir, that’s-!”
“You got here faster than I expected, Antonio.” Bonnefoy chuckled.
“I was in the area on business.” Carriedo frowned. “And it is not exactly wise to refuse the order of one of the Five Lords now, is it?”
“Ah, this is true. Though I hardly believe that you would expect me to punish you if you did ignore my summons, not with my record of trying to catch pirate captains.”
“Have I turned fucking invisible?!”
“No, I don’t believe so, Arthur.” Bonnefoy was enjoying this, Alfred could tell. “Are you not enjoying the company?”
“Enjoying the company?! The company can get the fuck off my ship before I blow a hole in that one as well! If I remember correctly she is the last of your precious Armada, am I right, Carriedo?” The captain smirked, glancing over at Carriedo.
“You leave my Isabella alone!”
“He won’t be touching Isabella, Antonio. It’s just an empty threat.” Bonnefoy sighed. “Don’t pay any attention to it.”
“Stay here much longer and it’ll be a promise, not a threat.”
“Now, now, Arthur.”
“I’m serious.”
“I came here to collect someone, Kirkland, and I am not leaving without him.” Carriedo stepped forward, standing face-to-face with the pirate. “You can’t get everywhere with those threats of yours.”
Alfred watched as the two pirates stared each other down. He really didn’t get it. Sure, he knew that all pirates were scum and they never really got along with each other, but he expected them to always just blow each other up at the mere sight of another one’s vessel. Not come aboard and start petty little arguments, started by someone who in any right should not have been there. It was just not heard of.
Finally, the captain looked away, glaring at the floor instead. “Fine.” He growled, turning away. “Take them and go. I don’t have time for this. I have more important matters at hand. Don’t disturb my crew and get off my ship.”
He stepped towards the door, his coat sweeping out behind him. “Oh,” he smirked, “you’ll have to get them out of there first, of course.”
He laughed and slammed the door behind him, leaving the three remaining inside in a kind of stunned silence.
“Is he really that dense?” Carriedo sighed, running his free hand through his hair. “Does he think I carry this thing around for nothing?” He hauled the axe onto his shoulder, seemingly contemplating the bars with what Alfred thought was a very sick smile.
“Don’t do anything brash, Antonio.” Bonnefoy frowned, moving slightly further back from the bars along the bench.
“I’m simply going to break the lock.”
“Break the-!” Alfred stepped back just as Carriedo took a swing, missing the padlock and hitting the bar next to it. “You nearly hit me!”
“You’re in the Navy, right? No loss.” Carriedo huffed, readying for another swing.
“Bastard, if I was on my ship-!”
“There’s no need for that, Captain. And Antonio, try not to kill him, I really would not appreciate having to explain that to his superiors when I get back.” Bonnefoy stood, pushing Alfred aside so that he stood in front of Carriedo. “Concentrate this time rather than just using brute force and you may just hit the target.”
“I know, I know.” Carriedo bounced the axe on his should a couple of times before swinging it around again, this time hitting the mark.
It took a few more hits, but eventually the lock broke and fell apart. “There, you see? That was not so hard, was it?”
“Be quiet or I might leave you behind after all, Francis.” Carriedo smirked, leaning on the handle of his axe and surveyed his work. “Let’s go, I’m getting anxious being here for too long. Next time get Gilbert to save your behind.”
“Ah, but you see, Gilbert says he has grown tired of having to visit dear Arthur on my behalf. It seems I am running out of rescuers.” Bonnefoy laughed, “But yes, we really should leave, don’t you think, Captain Jones?”
“Yeah, you should.” Alfred leant back against the wall, watching the two other men’s expressions change.
Bonnefoy took a step towards him, a frown fixed on his features. “You do not expect me to believe that we are to leave without you?”
“Forgive me, sir, but yeah, I do.” Alfred looked him in the eye, something that in all manners of speaking, should not usually be done when regarding one of the Lords.
“That would be an extremely unwise choice, Captain.”
“With all due respect, sir, I don’t really think, seeing as I’ve already been taken aboard one pirate’s ship, that going onto another one would be the best idea.” Alfred sat down on the bench, motioning to Carriedo.
“But you would be being escorted by myself, Alfred, surely that counts for something with my authority.” Bonnefoy was looking more and more stern with each passing minute, not used to being spoken to this way by a member of the Navy.
“No offence, sir, but if I went on that ship with you, I’d be in the company of two pirate captains, which ain’t exactly gonna make me look good. I’m in the company of three right now, so my hopes aren’t that high at this very moment.” Alfred laughed, sounding slightly more sarcastic than he would have liked. “I think I’m better off facing my chances here, if I’m honest.”
“But that is not-”
“Leave him be, Francis.” Carriedo cut in, placing a hand on Bonnefoy’s shoulder. “If he wants to stay and put up with Kirkland, then let him.”
“Arthur will not be happy.” Bonnefoy sighed.
“When is he ever happy?” Carriedo snorted, turning back to walk to the door. “We’d better go while we still can.”
“Very well.” Bonnefoy grumbled, “But there’s one last thing that you should know if you are going to stay here, Captain Jones.” He strode out of the small prison to stand next to Carriedo at the door. “Captain Arthur Kirkland may be a pirate, but he will probably save more lives in his time than you ever will. Just think about that.”
Alfred stared at the two men, not fully understanding what he had been told. How on earth could a pirate save lives? All they ever did was kill and pillage for no good reason other than for riches and to cause as much trouble as possible. But before he had the chance to question Bonnefoy further, they had swept from the room, taking with them any chance Alfred had of escaping.
Author Notes:
Hey guys~!
I'm finally back with a new chapter fic! I've had this baby planned out for a while. So much so that I pretty know everything that's going to happen, minus the actual ending ^^;; It's not going to be a very long fic (because otherwise I get bored... .), but hopefully I'll still catch the essence of the boys =p
We'll get more Arthur and Alfred interaction from now on. This chapter is literally setting the scene of it. (Sorry for yet another pirate!UK, navy!US story, but I just had to write this!)
My good friend
Loopstagirl gave this a read through for me just to give me the go-ahead before I posted it =)
Thanks for any feedback, my loves~!
Author/Artist:
lilflow
Genre: Adventure/Romance
Characters/Pairing(s): America, England, France, Canada, Germany, Rome, Spain (and others) (USUK)
Rating/Warnings: T
Summary: Arthur Kirkland is a pirate Captain. Alfred Jones is in the Navy. In a world ruled by five Lords bent on keeping their own twisted order, these two unlikely souls meet in the most unfavourable of fashions. AU
“The sea is an untameable mistress. She cannot be controlled no matter how hard you may try. She can turn from serene calms, to angry waves with the blink of an eye, and a gust of wind. And yet, if we treat her with respect and proper judgement, then she will allow us to take sail upon her. It is only with this amount of trust in our watery mistress that we manage to stay alive even now, under the blanket of the night sky.”
“Captain?” The Mate stood forward, staring at the man in front of him.
The Captain leant on the bulwark, his coat billowing out behind him in the night’s cool breeze. His hat was pulled low on his head, hiding his features in shadow as he looked out into the black waters, watching the little dots of light that were being reflecting in them from the stars in the sky above.
He had been standing there for quite some time now, taking no notice of the gradually dropping temperature as the night bore on. It was the first time in long over an hour that he had actually spoken to his Mate, but even now it felt like he wasn’t actually addressing anyone in particular. But the Mate had learnt to get used to his Captain’s cryptic messages, and no longer paid them any mind.
“Captain, the crew has finished their duties and I have sent them to their quarters for the night.”
The Captain finally raised his head, turning to face his most trusted crew member, the light of the lanterns now reflecting in his almost startling green eyes. “Very good, Mr Mate.” He nodded, his brow naturally sloping down despite the lightness of his tone. “You may stand down for the night. I will keep watch. I want the crew up at the stroke of dawn. This ship will not sail herself.”
“Aye aye.” The Mate turned and strode back the way he had come, below deck. He had long since accepted the Captain’s wishes to be alone upon the deck at night. When morning came and the crew rose to their day’s work the Captain would once again retreat back to his own cabin to sleep for a few short hours before he once again took his place at the helm once the sun had risen high in the sky.
The Captain watched his Mate go, not taking his eyes away until he was sure that he was now alone on the deck. It was in these moments, when he didn’t have the rest of the crew to control that he was most at peace. It was just him, his beloved ship, and the crisp ocean waves. And God help the man who tried to disturb this tranquillity.
He let his hand graze over the polished wood of the helm before taking hold of it. The crew rarely saw him steer the ship, usually leaving it to the Mate or the helmsman unless it was in dire need that he took control, but it was at these quiet moments when he really felt like the Captain of this ship, not just someone who barks orders at a rowdy crew. This was his ship. And she was beautiful.
It was well known that men of his nature were not well-liked by the people of this world. If the men of so-called ‘authority’ had anything to do with it, the crews of the ships like his would be wiped out of existence. But they would have to catch them first. And if this Captain had a say in the matter, that most certainly would not be happening any time soon.
•••
The door burst open with a flurry of loose papers, the figures sitting around the table looking up to see who had entered, looking obviously exasperated at his usual lateness.
“Ah, Captain Jones,” the only one of the group standing spoke up, pulling off a pair of glasses and running a hand through his slicked back blonde hair. “So nice of you to finally join us. I take it that you have some kind of valid reason behind your delay?”
“Now, now, Ludwig, no need to be so rigid.” The oldest of the group laughed, leaning back in his chair and waving down the first. “I’m sure he has a perfectly good reason for being the slightest bit late.”
Ludwig frowned and took his seat, folding his arms neatly and surveying the man who was still stood by the door, having collected his fallen papers.
“Yeah. Um, yeah! I have a reason!” He pushed his glasses up his nose, grinning around at his colleagues sitting in front of him. “I was just grabbing these.” He motioned the papers. “It’s a report from one of my men. I thought that it was important for us all to take a look over them.”
Alfred Jones was known for his more eccentric ideas and plots to help the Navy ‘save the day’. Indeed, his fellow Captains often referred to him as having the world’s biggest hero-complex, but it didn’t bother him in the slightest.
He hadn’t long been promoted to his position, but now that he had his own ship and crew, he wasn’t going to let any wrong-doers or criminals get the better of him. Oh no, they would be sorry the day they crossed Alfred F Jones! He would make sure of it. He could just imagine what he would do if he was faced with one of the sea’s notorious pirates right there and then. Well, let’s just say that he would, of course, be the one coming out of the resultant brawl victorious.
“Go on.” The second man nodded Alfred forward to his place around the table with the other Captains.
“Well,” Alfred’s smile wavered slightly and his tone became more serious, and the other Captain’s readied themselves for upcoming suggestion of yet another idiotically heroic plan. “According to my Officer, the fishermen who work in the seas around Faran’s capital have spotted an unknown ship not far off of their shores. It’s been sailing in these waters for the past few days. It’s all in the report.”
He slid it across the table and took his seat, biting his bottom lip as his superior took the papers and began to skim through them.
“Pirates? Are you sure?” He looked stern, peering over the papers at Alfred.
“Almost positive, sir.”
“And what do you propose to do?”
•••
“What do you mean ‘ready the ship’?!” The news had not been taken entirely as Alfred had plans as his cousin stared him down. “We only docked two days ago! We’ve barely had time to resupply yet.”
“I know, Matt.” Alfred sighed, running his hand through his hair and walking past his fuming relative. “But it’s Admiral’s orders. There’s nothing we can do about it. We need to leave as soon as the preparations are done.”
He paused on the gangplank, looking back over the harbour and carefully avoiding Matthew’s eyes. It really was too soon for him and his crew to be setting out again and he had tried to tell Admiral Vargas this. But, the Admiral being the Admiral, and as laid back as he was, he had brushed aside the minor detail of the crew’s need for food and fresh water supplies and had placed the order for them to set off immediately.
“Tell the men to ready what supplies we have got left and to stoke the engines. We’re leaving in an hour.”
“But Alfred!”
“That’s an order, Matt. You’re my Lieutenant, right? So follow my orders.” Alfred frowned down from the gangway, almost wishing for a moment that he hadn’t been promoted after all.
“Aye aye, sir.” Matthew begrudged. He bustled past Alfred, shouting orders to the other crew members as he went.
The two cousins had always gotten on well. It was how they had managed to be placed in the same crew ever since they had enrolled in the Navy, but it didn’t stop them from having their arguments. It didn’t help that they were almost identical in appearance, Matthew’s hair being slightly longer and wavy and his eyes having more of a violet tinge than Alfred’s, and they had been mistaken for each other on a number of occasions, meaning that awkward and, often, very annoying explanations and apologies had to be made when orders were given to the wrong person. This situation only getting worse when Alfred was given his promotion to Captaincy, meaning that when Matthew, his Lieutenant, was passed the orders intended for his cousin from another commanding officer, he was forced to be reminded yet again, when explaining to said commanding officer, that he was not the cousin that had received the promotion. Not that he wanted to be pushed into a role of higher authority. He was quite happy on the side-lines, making sure that the orders that were given out were carried out smoothly.
Alfred was glad to still have Matthew at his side after their short time in the Navy after travelling to the mainland. There was so much more to remember here now that they were away from their homeland on the Afunden Islands, especially with the five regions of the mainland each being under the rule of their own Lord.
The Dynerice Lords were well known even in the furthest reaches of the world where their rule had no effect. They each had their own say over the Navy, which had been established purely to protect the borders of the separate lands, and Alfred almost constantly got them all confused with each other, having never been an expert at decoding maps. He always left navigation to Matthew. He preferred being at sea, anyway.
They were currently docked in the main shipping town in the Southern region of Suprador, having completed their last set of orders given by the Admiral. The crew really would not be happy about setting out this soon. But, orders were orders. They had no choice. Bringing about the demise of the sea’s pirates was their job, and that’s what they were setting out to do.
The ship’s engines roared into life and Alfred watched as Matthew took his place on the bridge in front of the helm, carefully starting to steer them out of their docking post.
There was a thick fog outside of the harbour wall, not ideal at all for where they were heading a little further north between the borders of Faran and Suprador.
It was a relatively thin stretch that led out into the wider waters of the Fullmaegen Sea, but it was also treacherous, often leading less skilled sailors to their deaths at the deepest depths of the ocean, their boats perishing against the rocks at the foot of the headlands.
This also made it the usual place to find pirates when they were in hiding. But as the Navy vessel made its way further out to the mouth of the river with still no sign of the unknown ship that they were searching for, Alfred was growing more and more worried.
The fog was still as thick as ever, making the shadowy silhouette of Faran’s capital of Cynest grow fainter and fainter as they made their way past it.
“Matthew.” Alfred started, making his way to the bridge, “Does the sea seem a little still to you?”
“A little.” Matthew sighed, “But it’s just because of the fog. There’s no other boats out apart from us.”
Alfred shook his head, looking out over the waters again trying to find some sign of another ship out there in the haze. “It’s not like that. There’s definitely another ship out there. The waves aren’t parting right for it just to be us.”
And then he saw it. A faint shadow that was gradually getting closer and closer to them, until the shape of an old-fashioned forty gunner was just visible to their starboard side.
“Get the men armed and ready for confrontation.” Alfred murmured, taking to helm from his cousin.
But before he had time to move the wheel an inch he felt something cold and sharp press up against his neck, feeling Matthew freeze beside him as well.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” A gruff voice spoke in his ear and Alfred could tell that the man was smiling as he said it.
He looked around, only now noticing the massive group of unknown men and women that had invaded his ship, each one of them holding a threatening blade up against each of his own crew. They had sailed straight into a trap. The biggest mistake in the book.
“So, which of you two is in charge of this rust bucket?” the pirate stood back, still poking the tip of his cutlass dangerously close to Alfred’s throat. “My Captain would very much like to meet him.”
Alfred glared at him, trying to ignore the little voice inside his head that was telling him that if he stopped holding his breath then the tip of that blade would stick into his neck. Matthew was failing to struggle away from his own assailant, only stopping when the familiar sound of the engines cutting out left them with just the splash of the waves under the fog to listen to.
“Oh, come now.” The pirate sighed, his smile not faltering as he looked around at his crewmates scattered around the deck of the navy ship. “If you don’t cooperate than things are going to get messy, and we don’t really want that now, do we? Not after we commandeered your ship so easily. You should probably pay more heed as to what might be hiding in the mist.”
Alfred closed his eyes, finally letting out his breath and pushing the blade away from him. He pulled himself up to his full height, trying to seem as imposing as possible, without letting his hand twitch to the shotgun on his belt. “That would be me.” He grunted, “I’m the Captain.”
“What’re you doing?!” Matthew choked, being pulled back by the man holding him.
“And what’s your name, Captain?” The first pirate grinned again, ignoring Matthew.
“Alfred F Jones.” Alfred’s eyes didn’t leave the man in front of him, silently daring him to make a further move.
“Captain Jones? You don’t sound like a Dynerice man. But that’s not important right now. Bind his hands.” He motioned a couple of his men forward, watching as they tied Alfred’s hands behind his back and steered him towards the side of the ship where they had entered.
Alfred jerked off the hands, glaring around at the people who had invaded his ship, finally letting his eyes settle on Matthew. He smiled, shrugging in what he hoped was a light-hearted fashion, “Dock in Faran and send a report. You know what to do after that.”
And then the hands appeared again and he was turned around and forced off the ship and onto the small bridge that led over the waters beneath them.
“So if you’re not the Captain, then who is?” He bit out to the pirate leading them, still doing his best not to seem the slightest bit afraid of the predicament he had gotten himself into.
“You’ll see soon enough.”
“If he didn’t have the grace to commandeer my ship himself, then why should I do as he says?”
“Do you want to be thrown into the depths?” He sneered at the Navy Captain’s scowl, “No? Then behave yourself.”
Alfred was hauled onto the pirates’ ship, and shoved towards the bridge. It was like being dragged years into the past. He’d always thought that all of the galleons had been permanently docked as technologies had advanced and ships had begun to be built from more hard wearing materials like the Naval Ships. But here he was, on a ship very much built out of wood, with the traditional masts and rigging, and he very much the prisoner of the sailors that made up its crew.
And there, standing at the helm with his face hidden in the mist and the shadow of his hat, stood the person who was most obviously the Captain of this crew of outlaws. His coat billowed out behind him as the ship moved off again, powered by what seemed to be engines hidden somewhere below deck because there was no wind to speak of.
“What on earth have you brought me this time, Carter?” His voice was a lot younger than Alfred was expecting. He couldn’t have been much older than he was. “You can’t expect me to believe that this child is the Captain of those Naval dogs?”
“Sorry to disappoint you.” Alfred spat back as the pirates holding him forced his head up so their own Captain could get a better look at their captive.
“Well it’s no wonder they were easy to ambush.” The pirate Captain sneered, his face still hidden from Alfred’s view. “He’s obviously incompetent. Name?”
“Alfred Jones.” The pirate who was now clear to be the First Mate spoke up, making his way up the bridge so that he stood next to the Captain.
“Not from around these parts are you, Jones?” The Captain spoke again, leaning on the helm, “Otherwise you would have known just how easy it is for Privateers, such as ourselves, to hide in these waters. Weather conditions here are a godsend, you see.”
He motioned to the fog, and Alfred caught a quick glimpse of a grin on the man’s face. He let his glare deepen; making sure that there was no doubt amongst this crew that he hated each and every one of them. They were criminals, and it was his job to rid the world of them.
“Feeling gloomy, are we?” Alfred was getting sick of the smugness of the pirate’s voice, “Well, I suppose we will have to save our little chat until you’re feeling a tad more spirited. Put the dear Captain in the brig for now. I’m sure the Frog will love the company.”
He was forced to turn, hands constantly gripping at his shoulders and pushing him forward towards the stairs that led below deck. He felt stupid, being dragged around like this. It was like he was a kid again and had no choice but to do what these people want.
“What? You too scared to show your face to some Navy Dog?” Alfred snapped, shoving off one of the pirates holding him, “You think you’re all impressive standing up there? But you’re nothing but scum.”
There were even more hands on him now, herding him below deck, and not being all too gentle about it. If Alfred had wanted to be thrown overboard, then it seemed that he had gone the right way about it. He just thought himself lucky that his captors had already been ordered to throw him in the ship’s brig.
“Hold it.”
He didn’t need to be told that the Captain had now descended from the bridge. The crowd of pirates holding him had parted, keeping enough pressure on him to stop him from moving, but letting their Captain through.
Alfred had very little time to observe just what the man was like, like that he was actually slightly shorter than Alfred himself, before his fist hit him hard in the face.
“Back to your posts. I’ll take him from here.” The Captain ordered, grasping hold of the back of Alfred’s neck and pushing him through the door that led below deck. “You’ll find that I am not very lenient towards those involved in the Dynerician Navy, Jones. I make it one of my personal duties to cripple any one of their ships that crosses my path. Be that taking one of their crew members captive, or just blowing a hole in the side of their bucket and leaving them to sink into the depths. You see, this is not any ordinary ship. She is my pride and joy, and most certainly does not go down without a fight.”
Alfred had settled into a kind of stunned silence, no longer resisting against the hand that was clamped down on his shoulder and what seemed most likely to be the barrel of a pistol pushed firmly into his back.
He’d never heard of a pirate captain being so young. Heck, this captain looked younger than the vast majority of his entire crew. There was no way that he could be much older than Alfred himself, and Alfred was too often told that he was too young to be a Captain.
He was led down into the depths of the ship, the corridors passing the cabins never seeming to stop, and all the while Alfred was being shown the inner workings of what he thought had been a pirate’s galleon. He should have known that there was more to it than met the eye. From the looks of things, the ship’s wooden exterior was just for show, because all of the inner walls were constructed much more along the same lines as the Navy’s ships - reinforced steel. This wasn’t the ancient ship he had believed it to be.
“Stop gawking like a five year-old. You’ll have plenty of time to take in the scenery from the brig.” The Captain shoved him down another flight of stairs, this time taking them to the very bowels of the ship, and revealed the dimly lit room that was its brig.
“Ah, Arthur, you have brought me a companion!” Alfred started. He hadn’t noticed anyone else in the gloom before the person spoke. He searched for the source of the voice, his eyes finding a figure lounging on a bench behind the bars at the far end of the room. A figure that, as far as he knew, should definitely not know a pirate by name.
Francis Bonnefoy was notorious for not being the conventional lord like the others, but he was a lord all the same. Suprador was often in the spotlight due to its lord’s more extravagant behaviour, but maybe that was why many considered him so likeable. The other men in the Navy always said that if they had ever been to a good party, then it would have been one of Lord Bonnefoy’s. But then, he was known for being somewhat… unpredictable.
Alfred remembered that his first encounter with this man hadn’t exactly been an ordinary meeting. Unless ‘flirting’ with the new Navy Captain in front of his superiors was considered ordinary in Dynerician society.
“Shut your trap or we’ll be seeing if you can swim like the frog you are, Bonnefoy.” The pirate spat, driving Alfred towards the small prison. “You’re captives, not consorts.”
“Ever the charmer.” Bonnefoy smirked as Alfred was forced through the door to join him in the cage. “Though a Navy Captain is almost too good a gift. Tell me, what is the occasion?”
“The occasion, frog, is that I do not appreciate these dogs attempting to blow a hole in my ship, so I decided to wound them first.” He glared through the bars as he relocked the door, “Now if you will excuse me, I have more important things to do than attending to two idiots.”
He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him, leaving his two prisoners in an almost stunned silence.
“Oh, do not look so shocked, Captain.” Bonnefoy smiled, leaning back against the wall. “His short temper is nothing new. It is just one of his many charms.”
“Excuse my rudeness, sir, but I’m more shocked about you being here.” Alfred gave the man a short bow of the head, not wanting to seem any ruder than he already knew he was being. “The officers in Suprador were going crazy about you suddenly disappearing.”
“Really?” Bonnefoy seemed more amused than anything, “How unusual. They know what I left to do. Though, that may be reason to panic, looking at it from their point of view. You know what they call me, do you not?”
“Yes sir.” Alfred frowned harder. He couldn’t understand Bonnefoy’s light-heartedness.
“The Pirate Lord.” Said Lord chuckled, rolling his eyes. “It is not as if I pillage. That would be taking from my own people. I am not a petty crook, Captain, just a man who finds it amusing to tease a certain other pirate captain. This is not the first time I have been locked in this forsaken place.”
“But sir, that’s dangerous!”
“Of course it is! But that is half the fun! Do you not know what ship you are on?” Alfred shook his head, not liking one bit how his lack of attention to detail had been raised so easily. “This, dear boy, is The Guinevere! A truly handsome lady if I do say so myself. Her stories date back from far before her current crew but do not run any less true because of it. She is a truly mesmerizing creature.”
“It’s just another pirate ship.” Alfred flopped down on the floor, pushing his hair out of his eyes and glared around the room.
“That is a naïve assumption, Captain.” Bonnefoy sighed. “But one I believe is common within the Navy. But then, the crew of this ship are not like other pirates either. Especially our dear Captain friend. He is the most unusual of them all.”
Bonnefoy paused, glancing at Alfred as if expecting him to say something. Alfred, however, stayed silent. As far as he was concerned, all pirates were the same - law breaking lowlifes who deserved to be shot down one by one, as painfully as possible.
“You must have noticed how young he is. Though, not quite as young as you, I might add.” Bonnefoy sighed, “That young master has problems that you would not believe. It’s no wonder that he has reverted to this kind of activity. He is troubled, to say in the least.”
“And why should I care about a pirate’s troubles, sir?” Alfred grumbled, leaning his head back against the wall.
“Look around you, Alfred Jones. This ship is not unlike your own Navy vessel. The wood and masts are nothing more than mere decoration so that it still appears to be the old galleon it once was. Its engine is much quieter than any other ship, yet it still sails just as fast, if not faster. I saw how quickly your crew was hunted down, Captain. It is not the first time that a Navy ship has been outwitted by the Guinevere, and I dare say that it will not be the last. That is why you should care. Any person with the mental state of this ship’s captain is worth worrying about; otherwise I would not bother myself checking in on him like this.” He stood and crossed to the bars, looking out through the porthole. “Though it looks like my visit will not last much longer.”
Alfred looked over to the other man just as a low thud came through the ceiling. He stood up, crossing to stand next to Bonnefoy. At first he thought the porthole had been blocked over, but considering that only minutes before he could make out the fog outside this seemed unlikely. It was only when he leant a bit closer, and saw whatever it was outside move slightly with the waves that he realised it was another ship.
“Things are about to get noisy.” Bonnefoy smiled, sitting back on the bench. “I would stay away from the bars if I were you, Alfred. We wouldn’t want you getting hurt now, would we?”
True to his word, seconds after Alfred had taken a step back from the bars, the door burst open, revealing, if possible, the pirate Captain in an even fowler mood than before.
“Bonnefoy!” He stormed into the room. “You-! You-! You bloody rat!”
“You wide use of vocabulary is astounding, Arthur.”
“You sent for Carriedo to rescue you. Carriedo?! Of all the bloody pirates sailing these seas you had to choose him!” He spat, glaring through the bars at the lord.
“Of course I sent for Antonio.” Bonnefoy waved a hand, disregarding the fuming pirate. “He is a good friend of mine. Why wouldn’t I call for him?”
“Need I remind you of the last time you caused me to cross paths with Antonio Fernández Carriedo?”
“I don’t think there is any need for that.” Alfred turned back to the door at the unfamiliar voice, only to see yet another pirate stood there, although this one didn’t seem quite so sure of himself as he leant on what Alfred could only describe as a battle axe. “After all, I have no intention of harming any of your crew, Kirkland. In fact, taking Francis off your hands would surely be doing you a favour.”
Alfred recognised the man from the wanted posters scattered around the Navy buildings, as if the name hadn’t been a giveaway. “Sir, that’s-!”
“You got here faster than I expected, Antonio.” Bonnefoy chuckled.
“I was in the area on business.” Carriedo frowned. “And it is not exactly wise to refuse the order of one of the Five Lords now, is it?”
“Ah, this is true. Though I hardly believe that you would expect me to punish you if you did ignore my summons, not with my record of trying to catch pirate captains.”
“Have I turned fucking invisible?!”
“No, I don’t believe so, Arthur.” Bonnefoy was enjoying this, Alfred could tell. “Are you not enjoying the company?”
“Enjoying the company?! The company can get the fuck off my ship before I blow a hole in that one as well! If I remember correctly she is the last of your precious Armada, am I right, Carriedo?” The captain smirked, glancing over at Carriedo.
“You leave my Isabella alone!”
“He won’t be touching Isabella, Antonio. It’s just an empty threat.” Bonnefoy sighed. “Don’t pay any attention to it.”
“Stay here much longer and it’ll be a promise, not a threat.”
“Now, now, Arthur.”
“I’m serious.”
“I came here to collect someone, Kirkland, and I am not leaving without him.” Carriedo stepped forward, standing face-to-face with the pirate. “You can’t get everywhere with those threats of yours.”
Alfred watched as the two pirates stared each other down. He really didn’t get it. Sure, he knew that all pirates were scum and they never really got along with each other, but he expected them to always just blow each other up at the mere sight of another one’s vessel. Not come aboard and start petty little arguments, started by someone who in any right should not have been there. It was just not heard of.
Finally, the captain looked away, glaring at the floor instead. “Fine.” He growled, turning away. “Take them and go. I don’t have time for this. I have more important matters at hand. Don’t disturb my crew and get off my ship.”
He stepped towards the door, his coat sweeping out behind him. “Oh,” he smirked, “you’ll have to get them out of there first, of course.”
He laughed and slammed the door behind him, leaving the three remaining inside in a kind of stunned silence.
“Is he really that dense?” Carriedo sighed, running his free hand through his hair. “Does he think I carry this thing around for nothing?” He hauled the axe onto his shoulder, seemingly contemplating the bars with what Alfred thought was a very sick smile.
“Don’t do anything brash, Antonio.” Bonnefoy frowned, moving slightly further back from the bars along the bench.
“I’m simply going to break the lock.”
“Break the-!” Alfred stepped back just as Carriedo took a swing, missing the padlock and hitting the bar next to it. “You nearly hit me!”
“You’re in the Navy, right? No loss.” Carriedo huffed, readying for another swing.
“Bastard, if I was on my ship-!”
“There’s no need for that, Captain. And Antonio, try not to kill him, I really would not appreciate having to explain that to his superiors when I get back.” Bonnefoy stood, pushing Alfred aside so that he stood in front of Carriedo. “Concentrate this time rather than just using brute force and you may just hit the target.”
“I know, I know.” Carriedo bounced the axe on his should a couple of times before swinging it around again, this time hitting the mark.
It took a few more hits, but eventually the lock broke and fell apart. “There, you see? That was not so hard, was it?”
“Be quiet or I might leave you behind after all, Francis.” Carriedo smirked, leaning on the handle of his axe and surveyed his work. “Let’s go, I’m getting anxious being here for too long. Next time get Gilbert to save your behind.”
“Ah, but you see, Gilbert says he has grown tired of having to visit dear Arthur on my behalf. It seems I am running out of rescuers.” Bonnefoy laughed, “But yes, we really should leave, don’t you think, Captain Jones?”
“Yeah, you should.” Alfred leant back against the wall, watching the two other men’s expressions change.
Bonnefoy took a step towards him, a frown fixed on his features. “You do not expect me to believe that we are to leave without you?”
“Forgive me, sir, but yeah, I do.” Alfred looked him in the eye, something that in all manners of speaking, should not usually be done when regarding one of the Lords.
“That would be an extremely unwise choice, Captain.”
“With all due respect, sir, I don’t really think, seeing as I’ve already been taken aboard one pirate’s ship, that going onto another one would be the best idea.” Alfred sat down on the bench, motioning to Carriedo.
“But you would be being escorted by myself, Alfred, surely that counts for something with my authority.” Bonnefoy was looking more and more stern with each passing minute, not used to being spoken to this way by a member of the Navy.
“No offence, sir, but if I went on that ship with you, I’d be in the company of two pirate captains, which ain’t exactly gonna make me look good. I’m in the company of three right now, so my hopes aren’t that high at this very moment.” Alfred laughed, sounding slightly more sarcastic than he would have liked. “I think I’m better off facing my chances here, if I’m honest.”
“But that is not-”
“Leave him be, Francis.” Carriedo cut in, placing a hand on Bonnefoy’s shoulder. “If he wants to stay and put up with Kirkland, then let him.”
“Arthur will not be happy.” Bonnefoy sighed.
“When is he ever happy?” Carriedo snorted, turning back to walk to the door. “We’d better go while we still can.”
“Very well.” Bonnefoy grumbled, “But there’s one last thing that you should know if you are going to stay here, Captain Jones.” He strode out of the small prison to stand next to Carriedo at the door. “Captain Arthur Kirkland may be a pirate, but he will probably save more lives in his time than you ever will. Just think about that.”
Alfred stared at the two men, not fully understanding what he had been told. How on earth could a pirate save lives? All they ever did was kill and pillage for no good reason other than for riches and to cause as much trouble as possible. But before he had the chance to question Bonnefoy further, they had swept from the room, taking with them any chance Alfred had of escaping.
Author Notes:
Hey guys~!
I'm finally back with a new chapter fic! I've had this baby planned out for a while. So much so that I pretty know everything that's going to happen, minus the actual ending ^^;; It's not going to be a very long fic (because otherwise I get bored... .), but hopefully I'll still catch the essence of the boys =p
We'll get more Arthur and Alfred interaction from now on. This chapter is literally setting the scene of it. (Sorry for yet another pirate!UK, navy!US story, but I just had to write this!)
My good friend
Loopstagirl gave this a read through for me just to give me the go-ahead before I posted it =)
Thanks for any feedback, my loves~!