Tides that Bind

Chapter 1

Above the tavern were three bedrooms, mainly they were used for entertaining high end clients, today though they housed a young captain and his crew. The rooms weren't very big yet after spending the last eight months at sea, the crew would take anything. The crew was made up of thirty men, one woman, a cook and the captain. Seven men remained at the ship to keep unwanted guest from adventuring on board. In the end the rooms were broken down to ten men each while the captain, quarter master, the woman and the cook shared the last one.

The room was small with one large bed and an attached bathroom. The walls were wood panels that reminded the captain of being on his ship, The Sea Flame. The captain looked around the room from under his oversized hat and noticed the new bedding and knew that it was his mothers doing, she handled the girls in the tavern as well as supplying him with leads.

The mirror on the dresser caught his attention, he hadn't seen himself in months. He stood tall and thinner than usual, his long black coat swallowed him. His hair was stringy and past his collar bone, stained red from the blood he could never wash out in time. Under his faded red hat, a ring of white blonde still remained while his skin remained pale from the constant shade. The last remains of a life long past.

In the mirror he caught sight of his quarter master, a equally tall man with a muscular build and long dreaded black hair. Unlike the captain, his skin had turned golden brown from constant sun causing his ice blue eyes to stand out regardless of the time of day. Jamie had been there since they both washed up on the shore together. His loyalty and quick wit made him an easy pick to be the voice of the crew. He also was the only one to stand up to the captain.

The older man in the corner was the next person to come into view. He was significantly order than the other boys or really anyone on the ship. He was a heavier build man with thinning grey hair and a lazy eye, yet he could keep his mouth shut and cook with limited supplies. He never spoke much except to Jamie, but that didn't bother the captain. If George didn't want to talk his ear off than the captain was more than grateful.

"Are you gonna start at yourself all night?" Came a female voice walking out of the bathroom. The captain shifted his eyes to see the brown skinned girl standing in the doorway. Amara, his first mate, a small woman with a fierce temper. She must have bathed, her hair was wet but the braids remained in tack. She had put a few throughout his hair that reminded tight and in place. "You could almost pass for a respectable young lady." The captain replied with a smirk. "And with that I'm going downstairs to do disrespectful things." She replied signalling the cook to follow.

"I never thought they would leave." The captain said walking over and falling into the bed next to where Jamie was sitting. His hat fell off revealing his eyes, one of deep ocean blue and the other a jade green. "It's good to be home." Jamie replied laying back and moving the hat so he could meet the captains eyes with a fond smile. "Killian." Came a familiar female voice from the other side of the door, the captain knew it belonged to his mother.

"A moments peace." Killian sighed in a low voice before getting up and crossing the room. He opened the door and was met with his round bellied, sweet faced mother whom he had to look down at to even see. "What's wrong, mom?" Killian asked now seeing the anxious look she wore. "There is a man here. He's asking questions about you, and the lost prince." She said in a hushed voice. "Let's give him some answers." Jamie said coming over and putting Killian's hat back on.

Killian said nothing, he only nodded and fixed his hat so it covered his eyes. "What if he is from the palace?" His mother said anxiously. "Then tonight just got interesting." Jamie replied pulling on his coat and exiting the room. "That boy will get you killed, one of these days." Was all his mother said before Killian leaned down to kiss her cheek and hurry off to catch up.