Pirate!England X Male!Pirate!Reader ~ Masquerade

Chapter 2

Allowing Anthony to control the helm, Arthur stood back and watched the [ship's name] as they left it behind. He couldn't help the grin that leapt to his face as he saw you informed that Anthony had in fact sabotaged your ship, so that it would be a lot longer before you were able to travel and pursue him. He laughed openly as you stomped angrily towards the retreating ship and threw a boot at it, barely close enough for the item to hit the back of the ship.

"Where to, sir?" Anthony asked him then, watching in amusement.

"We got what we came here for." Arthur pointed out, "How about we go and terrorise a few Italian port towns to celebrate?"

"Aye, captain."

Anthony adjusted his course slightly as he headed out into the openness of the Mediterranean. They were just off the southern coast of Spain, in relatively familiar waters, and Arthur turned his gaze to the ocean, in search of the vague shapes of ships on the dark horizon. Sailing in Spanish waters was risky for him and for you, and he questioned why you had been anywhere near there in the first place. You could well have been just trying to get him off your tail, but after three years of pursuing you he doubted that was the case. His hand slipped into his pocket and pulled out the ruby he had taken from you, turning it in certain ways and admiring how the moonlight reflected on its fiery surface. A beautiful gem, certainly worth a lot of money, but surely not enough to risk life and limb of yourself and your crew in order to acquire it. With a huff of frustration he decided for what must have been the 70th time since meeting you that he would never be able to understand you or your strange ways. He returned the stone to the safety of his pocket, and clasped the pendant around his neck where it belonged, as he returned to his cabin. Its familiar weight eased his mind somewhat.

His cabin wasn't a particularly large room – compared to the cabins on other ships he had seen. His double bed was pushed up against the wall beneath a small window. The clothes chest was compact, as was the small bookshelf in the corner. The contents of the bookshelf were a mix of fantasy books, and charters to distant lands. The desk was across the room from the bed, up against the opposite wall, littered with various sheets of paper and notes.

Sitting down at the desk he looked through the pile, setting aside a report from the ship's doctor about a certain medicine he needed, and a map showing merchant shipping routes around Great Britain, until he came to a sheet written in Spanish – a piece of parchment Anthony had swiped from your own cabin while everyone had been at port. It was old, the kind of parchment that looked like it had been fished out of the salty water many a time. It looked so ancient and fragile that he was wary of touching it for fear that it would crumble to dust in his hands. He couldn't understand a word of Spanish, and wasn't too eager to head back to shore and ask somebody for a translation. Maybe one of the Italians, or someone he met on the way there, would have some idea. Getting to his feet once more, he left the parchment on the desk to keep it from being damaged as he decided to try a long shot. He swung open the door to his cabin and peered out into the darkness.

"Oi! Do any of you speak any Spanish?" He called to the crew. For a few moments silence was the only response.

"Si!" Someone called back then, and Arthur's eyes widened, his hand flying to his sword hilt as he recognised Antonio's voice. He heard loud cries from his crew members, including Anthony up at the ship's helm, as they too struggled to draw weapons. Arthur quickly ducked back into his cabin, taking the parchment, which he carefully folded and tucked away in his coat pocket, and his pistol, which was already loaded and ready, from his desk. He returned to the deck to find that Antonio had unshuttered a lantern, illuminating the deck and the small group of Spanish pirates that had managed to get onboard. "So, my friend, what brings you to my fair country?" His crew had taken the chance while the Brits were surprised to incapacitate them. Arthur's men were now on their knees on the deck with blades at their throats, or guns to their heads. The Spaniards were outnumbered by their opponents, but they had already bound several of them – including Anthony – and more were coming across the gangplank between the ships. Arthur cursed himself for having been too distracted to realise the enemy ship was pulling right up beside the Red Dawn.