A Pirate's Tale [Larry Stylinson]

21 - Gray

Louis propped himself up, looking over his shoulder, only to find an empty bedside with the covers wrinkled and messy, like Harry had fled their warm nest.
Confused, he sat up, curious to find out what had caused Harry to hurry off so quickly. But it took a while before he was in the condition to do so, without the risk of immediately fainting from a lightheaded sensation.

Eventually, he managed to crawl out of bed, putting his clothes back on, which laid either at the end of the bed or scattered across the floor.

More convenient than having to pick out new ones, Louis thought, dressing himself up before leaving the room as well. But he didn't get far beyond the doorstep because a blond, freckled adolescent had just barely managed not to step on the pirate's foot as he snuck around on deck, hiding away from the responsibilities of work.

,,'cuse me," Dean said, before realizing that it was only Louis he had almost run over. ,,Mornin' mate. What were ya doin' in the captain's room?"
,,Looking for him. Have you seen him?"
,,Sure. Front." He spat out quickly, pointing towards a small group of crew members which had gathered at the tip of the ship. Hard to see due to a thick mist haunting the waters this morning. One could barely see past one's own arm-length. Let alone see much beyond the board walls. So dense, in fact, that Louis could barely make out if it was truly the captain standing at the far end.

But Dean must surely know. He had probably snuck around the whole deck this morning.
The foggy, gray veil was basically perfect for a game of hide-and-seek, like that 'Chicken' was playing it. That lazy sloth of a boy.
But Louis knew he would have done the exact same at that age. So he didn't think much of that silly game.

,,England is close. Bet we could see it if it wasn't for the weather today."
,,Yea. It's scary almost." Louis hummed as he listened to the quiet on the ship's deck in contrast to the seagulls screeching without being visible. Their cries echoed over the sea, audible from ever-changing directions, while the ship kept sailing, cracking as the waves maneuvered it over the sea.

,,Can't wait to-" Dean was stopped mid-sentence when an alarmed call reached their ears, making their heads turn simultaneously.
One of the men at the front had just informed the remaining crew of potential danger. And that was never a good sign.
Louis was curious, and so was Dean. But he stayed back, probably too shy to risk stepping into the captain's field of vision. So Louis went alone, hurrying to find Harry with his co-captain and Liam leaning slightly over the vessel's railing.

,,Anything in sight?" The smaller pirate asked as his shoulder nudged Liam's, who tried to make out something in the distance through the thick mist.
,,We suspect a ship. One passed by when the fog was lighter, and some men said it was an English navy ship."
,,Oh-Oh, that's not good."
,,You bet." Liam said, his voice on the down low.

,,Should we change the course?" Niall chimed in, his question directed at the captain himself.
,,No. We can't. We have to take the channel. Otherwise, it would cost us valuable time if we stray from our route."
,,But the navy ship."
,,We'll just have to be quiet and hope that the fog stays." Harry declared, finally abandoning his position at the front of the ship to tell the members of his crew responsible for directions, to begin setting for the channel, which was a hard enough task now that sight was limited.
But Harry had competent men, who managed to work out a route, leading their ship right along the channel, till finally, they reached the harbor at the southernmost point of the English mainland.

The closer they had gotten, the lighter the fog became and by the time they anchored by the docks, small rays of sun had managed to crack through the gray veil.

The men got ready, leaving the ship once Harry had given the command. Each armed with swords and guns. Just in case. Because, remind you, Styles is still the most famous and most hunted down pirate in all the seven seas. It would make a man rich to capture him and turn him over to the authorities. Louis couldn't even remember the bounty that was set upon his head, but he knew it was high enough to grand a few prosperous months- if not, years.

But in order to get money, people would have to capture him first, and surely, that wasn't gonna happen. Louis wouldn't let that happen, and neither would his crew.