Tainted Tides

Chapter 31

*Dec's POV*

At the end of the second full day of Ant not waking up, I sat on the floor with my back against the edge of the bed, lost in my thoughts while idley nibbling on pieces of an orange. Turning back to look at Ant, I watched as the dim candlelight flickered over his features. His face and gotten pale from the pain, and his cheeks had begun to hollow out. No surprise, considering all he'd eaten since the duel was various herbs and a few sips of water.

I took a slice of my orange and lifted myself off of the ground. Gently tilting Ant's head upwards, I guided the orange slice to his lips and slowly squeezed the juice out into his mouth. He needed to eat something, and I had no idea if a bit of orange would help but it was all I could give him without him needing to swallow. At the very least, he won't die from scurvy while trying to recover.

Unexpectedly, Ant swallowed the juice and pulp in his sleep, and his features seemed to relax a bit. With a grin, I leaned down to kiss Ant's forehead while reaching for another slice of orange. Slowly, I squeezed the orange slices into his mouth, ringing them dry and flavourless before finishing the husks myself, and gently placed Ant's head back on the pillow. He shuffled and turned onto his side, his injured shoulder in the air, sleepily seeked out my body with his nose. I smiled at his actions before sitting on the edge of the bed with my back against the headboard. I guided his head to nuzzle into the side of my thigh while I lightly stroked his hair, guiding back into the deep slumber I'd interrupted.

I'm glad he seemed to be able to move a little now, and more importantly, eat... That was a solid improvement.

******

I awoke the next day, to the sound of loudening waves, although the ships sway had not intensified. It was a sign that we were approaching land. I pulled myself away from Ant, stretching my back as I stood up. Sleeping upright was not the best of positions but Ant had done it for me, it was the least I could do in return. My heart clenched at the sight of him, I leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek while whispering, "I'm sorry you're going through all of this for me. I promise, I will make it up to you."

I watched his face soften as I pulled away from him and his hands curled into the warm spot on the bed where I had been sitting. With a smile and a soft sigh, I left the room.

I made my way to the forecastle deck out of habit. It hurt to be there without Ant but it was still the most comfortable spot for me to get some fresh air. As I climbed the steps, I noticed Stephen sitting on the floor with his back against the railing and his knees drawn upwards, and beside him, Robbie leaning against the tail looking out at the horizon. I followed his gaze as I approached and noticed a faint bump protruding from the horizon.

"What's that, Robbie?" I asked, leaning over the railing from Stephens side.

"The first of the islands. We will be leaving Charles on one of these islands."

"That was rather quick... I expected it to take us a few days-"

"we're not leaving him on that Island you see there. Too high of a chance a passing ship will rescue him."

"Oh," I replied.

"Give it another day, Dec," Stephen said as he stood up and joined us in looking out at the horizon, "We're trying to buy time anyway... In case we need to bury-"

"we won't!" I said louder than planned, "we won't need to... He's... He's getting better. A lot better..."

Stephen nodded and didn't finish his sentence. We continued to watch in silence for a few minutes, attempting to enjoy the brisk sea breeze while suppressing our heavy hearts and ongoing concern.