Isle of the Captain's Oath | Seongjoong AU

𝟘𝟝

♥╣[-_-]╠♥

- ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔣𝔦𝔳𝔢 - 

A Clash of Loyatlies

Seonghwa woke up groggy, his body aching with a dull, persistent pain. The sharp sting in his side reminded him immediately of the battle he'd just been in. Instinctively, his hand moved to the wound, fingers brushing over rough bandages.

His surroundings slowly came into focus, and he realized he wasn't in familiar territory. The dim light of a single flickering candle illuminated a narrow hallway outside what appeared to be a cell. He was lying on a hard, wooden floor, surrounded by cold iron bars. The air was heavy with the scent of seawater and damp wood, and the faint creaking of a ship's hull echoed through the darkness.

Seonghwa tried to sit up, gritting his teeth against the wave of pain that shot through his side. The low, persistent rumble of the ocean beneath the ship reverberated through his bones, reminding him that he was no longer on land. He was on a ship—their ship.

Above him, the unmistakable sound of raucous laughter and muffled conversation filtered through the wooden ceiling. The pirates. Hongjoong's crew. His heart sank as the memories came rushing back. The battle. Hongjoong's taunts. Wooyoung leaving his side.

He forced himself to his feet, leaning against the cold bars for support. His eyes scanned the small cell he was locked in—barely big enough to stand in, with nothing but the rough planks of the ship's deck beneath him. His sword and gear were gone. The only light came from the hallway, where a lone candle flickered weakly, casting long, eerie shadows against the damp walls.

Seonghwa's head throbbed, but he forced himself to stay focused. He had to figure out a way out of here. He stumbled forward, grasping the bars of his cell, his hands gripping the cold iron as he peered out into the narrow hallway. Beyond his cell, the corridor stretched into the darkness, lined with other cells—empty, as far as he could tell.

The laughter from above grew louder, more raucous. They were celebrating. Seonghwa's mind raced. They thought they'd won. They thought they had him beat.

He closed his eyes briefly, steadying his breathing, trying to think clearly despite the pain radiating from his side. His men—his crew—they didn't know where he was. They didn't know what Hongjoong was planning. And if what he had feared was true, if they were really after the Cromer...

Seonghwa shook his head, trying to focus through the haze of exhaustion. He had to get out. He had to stop them before they got their hands on whatever it was they were hunting.

His thoughts were interrupted by the creak of footsteps approaching. Someone was coming. Seonghwa backed away from the bars, pressing his back against the cold wall of his cell, bracing himself for whoever was about to appear. His heart raced, but he steeled himself. He wasn't going down without a fight, even if he was unarmed and outnumbered.

The candlelight flickered as the footsteps grew louder, echoing through the narrow hallway. Seonghwa's muscles tensed as a figure appeared at the far end of the corridor, moving slowly toward his cell. The silhouette was familiar, though shadowed by the dim light.

And then, as the figure came closer, the face that emerged from the shadows sent a jolt through Seonghwa's chest.

It was Wooyoung.

His heart clenched painfully at the sight of his old friend. Wooyoung's expression was guarded, his eyes flickering with something unreadable as he approached the cell. There was no trace of the usual mischievous grin on his face, no hint of the lighthearted boy Seonghwa once knew.