𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖑 [currently on hold]

chapter 1 - work

Nikolai honestly didn't know how he managed to get work done.

He had always been a driven man, even as a child he was driven. He constantly had to be doing something to keep him occupied, tinkering with items or sketching out designs. Anything to keep him busy.

That's why life as a privateer suited him as opposed to his other lifestyle.

Life as a privateer was full of adventure and constant change and work. Sure the daily chores of cleaning and maintenance were repetitive but they were something to keep him occupied in between jobs.

But there was an adventure, new places to explore with new people and new cultures. Nothing of the boring day to day life expected of a prince, as a prince does not dangle off the side of the ship to clean fish guts.

That's why he loved this life. Here he was Captain Sturmhond, sure he had to sacrifice part of his deviously handsome looks, but the freedom was worth it.

And everything had been perfect, everything was working out just fine until she happened.

They had been on a smaller job delivering goods to Kerch from the Wandering Isles. The job had passed smoothly until a large storm had unexpectedly risen. But the Volkvolny was a large ship and had whether larger storms. The only thing they could do was wait for it to pass.

And that was what they did, only in the morning, they discovered that they had been washed a large distance away from their original location and was amidst a large amount of sinking ships.

It seemed the storm had washed anything from small fishing boats to large trade ships. Nikolai and his crew had gone to scout for saviours, privateer code and all. And that was when she happened.

Saints, tangled in the rope, sickly in colour and utterly enchanting. Growing up in the Ravkan court Nikolai had seen his fair share of beautiful women, his extensive travels extended his shares. But she was something else. He'd have thought he was being lured in by a siren if it were not for her obvious state.

Nikolai had immediately detangled her and called for the healers, there was a bone-deep feeling that the girl in his arms would change his life and boy was he right.

That had been months ago, and Nikolai was in love. First, he had assumed it was a simple boy crush, one he assumed he had grown out of. He had also assumed that he would stop being stunned by Galia's beauty every time he saw her.

That was not the case.

Saints, Nikolai could fool an entire court, lie to every soul about his true identity, stomach anything that privateer life could throw at him. But he could not hide his love for Galia, he couldn't even find it in him to be embarrassed about it.

His crew teased him relentlessly, Tamar made him out to be a lovesick boy incapable of talking to his crush.

Nikolai and Galia talked every day, they talked about anything under the sun. Sturmhond's adventures, Gaila's adventures daily life on the ship, from poetry to ways to get the layer of salt out of one's hair.

Galia was Nikolai's best friend, his most trustworthy companion and possibly his soul mate.

Nikolai was still a prince, a greedy little prince. He wanted all of Galia's gazes, every breath that she effortlessly took from him. He wanted every look filled with love, he wanted every thought about him.

It was stupid and reckless, but Nikolai craved her, needed Galia.

At first, it felt like an obsession, he was concerned for the girl, wanted her to recover. Then she woke up, they talked. She worked on a ship, loved the smell of salt, felt like the ocean was in her blood.

They talked and talked, originally Nikolai was going to let the girl gain her health back and leave her at the next dock with enough money to look for another job. But once he looked into those eyes, just as blue and deep as the ocean. It was over for him.

He gave a job for Galia, not that he needed any other crew members. The rest of the crew knew this, and he did not miss their reactions to the news, Tolya's smirk was almost as insufferable as his own.

Then she was everywhere, expected when you work and live on a boat. But her presence consumed Nikolai, saints she had him addicted to her.

It made getting anything done impossible. He would be reviewing maps, planning routes and then begin to see the shape of her nose in the spilled ink. Maintenance would be going as fine as maintenance could go and then he would see her sweeping with a broom and dancing to her tune and all he could picture was him replacing the broom and the ship becoming a large ballroom.

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In honour of Nikolai getting cast I finally got some inspo to start writing, anyway full simp Nikolai