The Dragon Prince - Soren x reader (f)

- Ocean Arcanum -

Villads, Soren, River, Ezran and Rayla are lined up on the deck once again. Hands tied. On their knees. I stand in front of them, a bit off to the side by Elmer. I wonder why Finnegrin called for us, until I see him walking across the deck.

A bruised and bloodied Callum is dragged alongside him.

Rayla is the first to lash out screaming "let him go!" Elmer grabs her before she can leave her spot.

"Control the prisoners, Deadwood, or I'll chop you up to make a new mast." Rayla's body is dropped down to the floor on Finnegrin's command.

I stare at Callum's discoloured eye, swollen lip and bloodstained cheek. "What did you do, Finnegrin," I sneer, walking towards my friend's body. "You told me you were questioning him?"

"Ah," he chuckles, ignoring the fact I used his name. "This is what happens when he doesn't answer my questions." He sees the displeasure on my face. "Don't help him," the words are like a bite. "Stand by me," he says as an afterthought. I'm so over this shit but my feet take me to his side. I asses my surroundings, looking high and low. I've got a sword. I've got a dagger. I just need a moment to pounce. "Big dumb hunka wood-if-he-could," Finnegrin addresses Elmer.

"Hey!" Soren exclaims. Being belittled by the person you respect is a sore spot for him. "He's actually doing a great job. I'm very under control."

Finnegrin ignores him. "You all care about justice, right?" It's rhetorical. "Well, one of you stole my glow toads... so one of you has to pay."

"With all due respect, Finnegrin," I voice, "don't you think you're above these reckless mongrels?"

"Hmm," the moment the noise comes from his mouth I know it's fake. Taunting. Playing with his prey. "No. Now the old-fashioned price for stealing is the thief's hand," he describes, drawing a small blade. "So, boy," he motions for Callum, "which of your friends is losing a hand?"

The five of them look stern. "Surely there are alternatives to Glowtoads?" I inquire. Finnegrin shoots me a look that screams shut up. "We could sail off the Eastern seas," I continue, "leave this trash."

"NO!" Finnegrin yells this time, losing grip on his sanity. That must be a sensitive topic. "Justice," he repeats. "I give him the choice... to make it fair."

Nothing about this is fair. It's psycho. Rain clouds thunder in.

"No," Callum's head hangs weakly. "I won't pick."

"Oh, you will," Finnegrin ensures, "or I'll take a hand from each of 'em." Well that certainly can't happen. There's crew mates posted around the edges of the ship. They watch the situation unfold... a sort of fear in their eyes. It's the first time that I realise some of them have chains around their ankles.

Actually, most of them do.

I curse myself for being so unobservant.

A clamour of voices ring out. First Ezran, followed by River, Rayla, Soren and Villads. Each of them offering up their hands. Finnegrin waves the small dagger around in frustration. He stops next to the piled crates, starting to laugh to himself. His positioning is perfect. My heartbeat thuds in my ears but now is not the time to hesitate. The rain starts.

Drawing my sword, I dart to the boxes, leaping onto a taller one. With my left hand, I grab a clump of Finnegrin's black hair, pulling his neck back to keep it exposed. My blade in my right hand comes right up to his throat. "Maybe you should've taken my hands." I whisper in his ear.

Soren calls out my name. My actions lead to an immediate uproar from Elmer and the rest of the crew. But Finnegrin barks orders at them to stand down. "You lying bitch," he sneers. I put more pressure on his neck and he raises both hands in mock surrender. "I should've known something was off with you," the Elf laughs to himself harder now. "You were just so tasty... two of your companions definitely think the same thing." The last sentence is whispered only for my ears, but Rayla hears. We both glance at River and Soren.

"Don't you touch my friends ever again," I hiss. "Your greed for power corrupts you," pulling his hair tighter earns me a wince. "But so long as we protect each other, so long as we love each other... You can never control us."

Finnegrin does not like those statements. "You're tugging my heart strings, (Y/n) darlin'," it sounds so much worse with my real name. "I think I feel a good cry coming on."

I contemplate slitting his throat right there. For everything this Elf is and stands for. But the sound of metal hitting wood distracts me, and I see Rayla break free, taking down Elmer. It's all the time Finnegrin needs to unarm me, throwing my body against the stairs.

My ears ring. Head spinning. Eyes blurred. That didn't go as good as I hoped. An Earthblood elf blocks Soren from my sight. Now it's Callum's voice I hear yelling and it's only when I see Rayla's screaming state that I understand why.

It's the agonising display of someone's viens being frozen. 

I see Finnegrin's discarded knife 2 meters from the bottom of the stairs. There's a boy who stands above it. His ankle is chained. We lock eyes, both glancing between each other and the blade. Then he picks it up, and after checking his Captain's attention is elsewhere, tosses it to me. I catch the weapon by the handle, and in one quick move, I throw it.

Destination: Finnegrin's back. 

It hits its target, lodging deep into his right shoulder. Rayla turns back from blue to her more natural colour. "You're gonna regret that," Finnegrin growls at me, ripping the blade out of his shoulder. I take the time to carefully unsheathe my dagger. Rayla is panting painfully on the ground, Callum now at her side after losing his own cuffs. "At least now you all see what keeps everyone on my ship in line," Finnegrin muses. "The chains, well, they're really just for show." Callum chooses to stand, walking towards the Elf and I watch his finger trace a spell in the air. A hopeless attempt. With a flick of his wrist, Finnegrin stops his efforts. We witness Callum's own body start to turn blue. "What did you think you could do, boy!?" Finnegrin exclaims. "I control everyone on this ship," he motions around, "everyone."

This time, his victim doesn't scream out in pain. Instead, Callum looks focused. Concentrated. Until suddenly, the freezing stops. Finnegrin exclaims wildly. Disbelief spread across his features as it is mine. I haven't seen this happen. You don't control anything!" Callum tells him. "But you already knew that, didn't you?" The rain is so heavy now I kneed to wipe my face in order to still see the game at play. "Because it's the secret of the ocean itself... the Arcanum."

"Impossible," Finnegrin seethes.

"You helped me figure it out," Callum remarks, gaining confidence and stepping towards his opponent. "I thought it would be about controlling the tides or fighting the currents. But... it's the opposite." I see Soren and River from across the deck. We share puzzled looks, unsure of this speech. "The Ocean arcanum is accepting that there are depths you can't see," Callum continues. "Parts of yourself that you can't understand." He takes more steps closer. "And things you can't control..." rage fuels Finnegrin. "You were born knowing it. No matter how much you try, you'll never control anything... and that terrifies you."

The Elf's anger morphs to an evils grin. "Oh, you're wrong, boy. I can control you." With that, Finnegrin shoves Callum backwards into a large crewmate, whose arms capture him like jaws. "You see, after all of that... I win." He motions for another servent of his to go behind my friends. Then, Finnegrin walks to where I lay on the steps, his boots splashing in the forming puddles. "Now, didn't I say something about making you... regret?"

I await a sword to the gut. Someone chopping off my head. A wave to throw me overboard.

I do not anticipate seeing both River and Soren fall to their knees.

~~~