To Sail the High Seas: Pirate England x Reader #Wattys2017

Chapter Fifteen

Previously
“You mean you don’t know? There have been pirates all over town looking for an oddly dressed woman and a young boy. I’ve heard that Kirkland is furious.”
Now
Those words rung over and over inside your head like an alarm bell, resounding within your skull and battering against your mind.
I’ve heard that Kirkland is furious.
You’d known that leaving the ship wasn’t the wisest thing to do, but you’d never thought that he’d send people after you. It wasn’t even as if you’d slunk away in the dead of night; it had been broad daylight and you’d practically announced your plans to six members of the crew. If someone had thought to stop you it would have been easy, there’d been ample time. The real question was how on earth had you managed to subconsciously evade any and all members of the crew as you flitted around the town without a care in the world?
Kirkland is furious.
“How long have they been looking for us?”
“I’d say maybe an hour or so.”
An hour. So your absence hadn’t been noticed immediately. Considering you’d spent the best part of the afternoon browsing market stalls in the winding backstreets, you supposed an hour was a reasonable amount of time to have successfully avoided being caught, however it was also plenty of time for the hot-headed captain to brood and his temper to boil.
“(y/n), Arthur’s going to be angry isn’t he?”
“You could say that.”
“Is he going to hit you again?”
“Not if he knows what’s good for him.” You looked down into his fearful face and winked, hoping your false confidence would mask the concern in your voice.

When you and Peter arrived at the docks, you could hear roaring from what sounded like a very one-sided conflict. For a moment you considered running away as the Captain had clearly presumed you to have done so already, however one look at the boy beside you made such an act impossible, you’d seen how Arthur would treat him when enraged and that wasn’t something you’d let him be subjected to again. Mustering all the courage you had left, you strode forward with your head held high, Peter following timidly at your heels. A large crowd had formed on deck, burley men who reeked of whiskey acting as a wall to shield you from the commotion. However their presence did nothing to prevent you from hearing the scene unfold as every man on deck was deathly silent.
“You mean to tell me that she was here. You saw her leaving the ship. Yet you, and I quote, just let her go.” The dangerous undertone of his voice sent waves of fear rippling down your spine and every muscle in your body tensed for the oncoming storm.
“Yes Captain.” By the sound of it, the group who were the object of the Englishman’s current rage consisted of the closest thing you had to allies upon this godforsaken vessel.
“WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD LET A CAPTIVE WALTZ OFF MY BLOODY SHIP WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD!?” He sighed and suddenly his voice was overcome with another temporary calm. “Did you think you were clever? Well?”
“N-No Captain, we just-”
Hurriedly you ushered Peter below deck and away from the scene, hushing his whispered complaints with a murmured “I’ll handle it”. Though you weren’t exactly sure how you were planning to do such a thing, all you knew was that those men did not deserve this, and there was one sure way to redirect the Captain’s attention. Running up the curved stairs to the raised deck gave you a view of the proceedings, and it wasn’t a pleasant sight. The six men from earlier stood at attention in the centre of the deck as the blond Kirkland brother circled them like a predator stalking its prey.
“I see. You were just too busy flirting with her to think straight, is that it?”
“No captain we wouldn’t-”
“Are you afraid boy?” He was now directly addressing the lad who you’d blown a kiss towards earlier.
“Y-ye-, I mean no Captain!”
“Well you should be.” He began to approach the men with a painfully slow pace, his cutlass glinting in the sun’s rays. “Do you have any idea how I repay incompetence?”

“Almost as well as you repay disobedience I’ll bet.” You were surprised how steady your voice sounded, ringing out over the otherwise soundless ship. Every eye was instantly fixated on your figure as you leant on the banister with what you hoped was a cocky smirk on your lips. You, however, had eyes only for the Captain.
His interest is key. Lose the upper hand for one second and you might not live to see another sunrise. Lose his attention and your life won’t be the only one of the line.
You were a merchant. You’d spent your entire life travelling to various towns and villages across the seas. You’d seen so many different places with so many different types of people. Right now, you needed power, you needed control. You’d met women like that; women who were fond of the exotic furs your father brought from far off countries, women who made everyone around them want to please them. Those women were difficult to trade with. You’d seen it once before, with a particularly influential lady from France. She’d had your father wrapped around her little finger. If you remembered correctly, there had been a certain sway to her hips and a seductive curl in her words; her eyes had promised so much and given so little. She had been enchanting. Your father had lost money that day, having practically given the goods away for a kind word, but you’d learned things. The knowledge you’d gathered, even as a child, from just observing people was one of your most valuable treasures, and right now, it was the only thing that mattered.
You ran your tongue agonisingly slowly over your lips, and were pleased to see how many of the men on board mirrored the action without meaning to.
Promise things you never intend to give.
“Honey, I’m home.” You voice was barely above a whisper and yet it seemed to carry on the light breeze and sing to your audience. “Did you miss me?”
Play a melody without making a sound.
You tilted your head to the left fractionally and exhaled smoothly, your lips curving into a captivating smile as your eyelids fluttered for a moment and your gaze ran down the captain’s chest. Allowing him to catch your admiring glance, you pulled your eyes back up to meet his, having noted how he gripped his weapon with white knuckles.
Tell them exactly what they want to hear without uttering a word.
Standing up properly, you stretched with your arms over your head arching your spine and letting out a hum of satisfaction, eyes still locked with the Captain’s. You stood there for a moment longer than necessary, holding his gaze, assuring yourself that he was completely focused on you, before slowly turning and stalking into his cabin. You felt the dozens of eyes on your backside as you went, your confident slow stride and subtle swing of your hips memorising them as you disappeared from their sight. When the door swung shut behind you, a wave of relief washed over you at the relent of the men’s hunger raking up and down your body, practically undressing you as you stood before them. However even now you felt exposed as one pair of eyes seemed to penetrate the thick oak doors, and you knew the intensity of his gaze was not to be taken lightly.
Hook, line, and sinker.