Princess!Reader x Pirate! Spain and England: Love Lost at Sea

Chapter 9

____ felt the color quickly drain from her face. "Three days..." She repeated his words dully, shocked. He gave her a awkward smile. "Sí, chica. You hit your head pretty bad." She went up to touch the bruise on her head that was throbbing. ____ hissed in pain. "I see..." He let a frown take over. "Honestly, ____, what were you thinking? Out there in that storm..." She blushed from embarrassment. "I'm sorry... I just wanted to help..." Antonio eased his frown. "Well Teddy tells me you really did help... So thank you. I'm just glad you're ok." Her heart soared at his words.

Antonio left briefly to order someone to bring food and water. When he returned, ____ finally noticed his tired expression. Dark circles lined his gorgeous eyes. "Antonio... Are you alright?" He flashed a weary smirk. "Worried about me, huh?... Yes. I am fine. I haven't slept in a few days.." he took a seat next to her, letting out a long tired sigh. "What did I miss?"

"Well, thanks to the storm, we have escaped the pursuit of the (k/n) navy... We've been making sure we're hard to track." She nodded, relieved at the news. "____... I guess this means that you're staying." The princess nodded. "I want to... I don't want to go back." He smirked and his eyes sparkled with excitement. "Then you will become a pirate! Which means you will need to be trained." "Trained?" "Yes. You'll have to pull your weight around here. Learn how to shoot. Learn how to sword fight." ____ tried imagining herself shooting a gun or holding a sword; it wasn't something she could see. Me, a pirate?? ____ looked at her small, delicate hands, red with rope burn. She was unsure of herself. Am I capable of being a pirate?.Despite her doubts, excitement began to build. There was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Teddy opened the door, entering with a plate of bread and cheese. "How you feeling, lass?" ____ grinned at him. "As good as can be expected after sleeping in for three days." He chuckled. "Days of sleep sounds great to me." She was handed the plate and a bowl of water, which she took gratefully. Her stomach grumbled loudly, making her blush. Teddy just laughed loudly. "Now you've got quite a bit of eating to catch up on!" ____ smiled and began to drink. Her dry mouth and lips felt relieved at the cool liquid. She drank the entire bowl, then focused on the food.

"Captain, may I say something to ____?" Antonio raised an eyebrow. His eyes narrowed as a frown stretched across his face. "You may..." Teddy proceeded. "Well... I just wanted to say thank ye... Before this, I had thought that the nobles were all rich and stuck up..." He blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "But you proved that wrong..." ____'s eyes widened. "I think you're going to make a good pirate, lass..." The doubt from before began to fade. If Teddy believes in me... Maybe I CAN become a pirate... She gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you, Teddy..." He smiled in return...

Antonio's sharp voice cut between them. "You're dismissed. Get out of here." Teddy straightened up. "Yes, cap'n." ____ watched as he quickly left. Her stare shifted to Antonio. Sometimes he is completely different... One moment he's smiling and easy going, then the next he's stern and harsh. He returned his attention to ____, catching the stare. His cold expression faded and he gave a smile. "I'll let you rest a little longer. We'll try to get you standing and walking in a bit." Antonio stood up and made his way to the door. Soon he was gone, leaving her alone.

The ship rocked gently. ____ could feel the waves and the steady breathing of the ocean... She was alone, in her thoughts... The dream from before came to mind. Alfred... Trembling fingers shot up to the ring. It hung on her neck, dangling on a gold chain. The girl's heart ached. "I always thought I'd be the one to marry you..." ____ closed her eyes and sighed. "Alfie..."

____ grew bored quickly. It was something that always happened to her. She was a girl with a sense of curiosity and an urge for excitement that could not be satisfied. ____ decided that she had been in bed for far too long. It was time she got up and did something. ____ set her plate and empty bowl to the side. She attempted to move her legs. Pins and needles. Slowly, she swung them over the side of the bed. ____ let out a sigh as she stared at her bandaged ankle. It didn't hurt her at the moment, but she feared that if she walked, it would be painful. "Come on... I've sat around long enough..." Her feet fell surely on the floorboards. No pain. A sigh of relief left her and she stood up completely.

"A-ah!" Her knees were weak and gave way under her. ____ fell to the floor. She frowned. Her whole body was trembling. Pins and needles everywhere. "Three whole days... Three!" ____ repeated this as she gripped the bed and pulled herself up. "Come on..." She cheered herself on as she stumbled across the room. "You got this-AH!" The door swung open just as she began to fall. ____ closed her eyes and prepared for impact...

But instead she landed in someone's arms. She looked up. "Stupid ragazza." He said with his typical frown. "You actually thought you could-a walk on your own after not moving for a whole-a three days?" ____ scowled at the Italian. "What? Gonna throw me overboard for trying?" Romano was taken aback by her bitter tone. It threw him off. He blushed and turned his head, avoiding her heated stare. "N-no... Well... Ah, shut up! That pirate bastard told me to-a come in and-a help you, but I will leave if I-a want to!" ____ stuck out her tongue. "Oh whatever. He's got you whipped." His blush intensified. "N-no he doesn't!!" She almost laughed at his flustered state. Her firm frown began to curve into a smile. She stiffled back a giggle. Romano growled. "You're-a making fun of me!!!" "I just always imagined pirates as scary, tough, and authoritative. You don't seem to be any of those things." ____ teased.

Romano was not amused. "Well I wasn't always a pirate, so excuse me if I'm not-a what you expected." ____ opened her mouth to ask what he had been before, but she didn't have enough time to ask. "We're moving." He stated. Romano quickly shifted her to where they were side by side; he had a hand on her waist and her arm was over his shoulder. Slowly, they began to walk.

When they left the room, the princess was greeted by harsh light. She squinted her eyes, trying to adjust. "A lot's been-a happening in the past-a week." "Where are we even headed?" "Port Royal. It's a safe haven for pirates." "Port Royal... Where's that?" "Jamaica." ____ cocked her head in confusion. "Where is that?" She had never even heard of such a place. To be honest, she hadn't heard of many places. Her father kept her knowledge of the outside world to a minimum to suppress her urge to travel. "It's on the other side of the-a world. We're about half-a way there. We expect to reach it in a week." She looked around. The crew was maintaining the sails and such, swabbing the deck, and joking and laughing. She looked up to the helm. Antonio stood there, talking to the pirate that steered. ____ watched him with slight fascination. She admired his beautifully tanned skin and his emerald eyes, his beautifully sculpted features. He looked like royalty. Not a pirate. She wondered how a young handsome man like Antonio became a pirate... And why he was such a nice one. ____ only heard stories of rotten pirates who pillaged, stole, and killed in cold blood... Looking at Antonio, she couldn't see him doing any of that.

The captain caught her stare and turned, flashing her a dazzling smile. "Everyone!!" The crew fell silent and turned to stare at her. ____ blushed at the sudden attention. "____ is going to become a pirate!" Silence. She looked around and felt nervous. "Well the lass did help during the storm!" Teddy said. Murmurs of agreement ensued. "But who's ever heard of a princess pirate?? She's too soft!" More mutters. "I'LL TELL YOU WHAT!" The men hushed. Antonio grinned slyly. "I have a proposal!"

"____ will have time to train to become a pirate. When that time is over, one of you can fight her. If she wins, she's one of us, and will have your ration of gold... But if ____ loses... You not only get her ration... But you'll do the honors of throwing her overboard. It's a good deal, no?" The crew broke into grins.

But ____ felt her heart jump. His words began to sink in...

Antonio... You pirate bastard...