The cannon-fire had been raging on for an eternity, and yet from the sounds which slipped beneath the heavy oaken doors it didn’t seem like either ship was trying particularly hard to hit the other. As if determined to prove you wrong, a great splintering creak pierced through the screams of battle; being unable to resist a moment longer, you pushed gently against the cabin door until a sliver of light fell upon your face and you were able to peer out upon the bloodbath which flooded both ships like a crimson wave. You caught sight of one of the Spanish masts as it plummeted towards the cold water - presumably felled by a shot from the vessel which you were currently aboard - and could only look on in horror as it came down upon the enemy ship, crushing then men who stood in its wake. Men of both English and Spanish origin scurried across the decks of their respective ships, avoiding the shrapnel which flew from all directions. Even as you watched, the crewmen were dropping like flies, and yet something seemed off. Although this was clearly a harsh battle where many losses had already been suffered by both sides, neither seemed to be aiming to sink the other. You then realised why. Just as with your merchant ship, the pirates were not aiming for victory, but profit. Destroying the Spaniards meant nothing to Arthur if he couldn’t gain some sort of reward for doing so, and Carriedo undoubtedly had many valuable trinkets aboard his fine vessel, and had likely attacked Arthur in the knowledge that he too had collected considerable wealth throughout his travels.
You drank in the scene before you, the chaotic turmoil assaulting your eyes and ears alike. Just as you were about to slip back into the relative safety of the cabin, you noticed four figures slip unnoticed over the side of the ship. They slunk through the confusion and disorder, not being spared more than a passing glance by any of the men - all of whom were preoccupied with preserving their own lives from the Spanish onslaught. When the strangers disappeared from your sight, you were presented with two options: do the smart thing, and stay put like the Captain had requested, or trail the suspicious party.
Obedience never suited me anyway.
Traversing the deck had been terrifying, the cannon-fire and screams of pain mingling into a thundering roar which sounded all too familiar to the day you had lost your father. However, now stalking the four men through the shadows, you found yourself on the lower levels of the ship in a maze of unfamiliar corridors which twisted around you to form a labyrinth. Oddly enough, the men you were following seemed to have no such issue, only pausing occasionally as if to mentally confirm their route before moving on. It didn’t take you long to pin the tanned brunet as leader of the little group, and from what you could see he was quite familiar with the narrow passages which you now scurried though like rats. They finally came to stop in front of an old door, and you hurriedly concealed yourself behind a conveniently placed crate. You recognised their hushed tongue as Spanish, confirming your suspicions that these men were in fact enemy pirates, presumably sent by Carriedo to loot the ship while the British crewmen were distracted above deck. This seemed like an odd choice of location though. Seeing as the brunet at least was so well acquainted with the ship’s layout, he must have known that the vast majority of Kirkland’s treasures were stored in the hold, with the most valuable items being displayed in his cabin.
So what are they looking for?
Listening intently to the conversation, you picked up stray words and phrases but were unable to make sense of the murmurs, despite having sufficient practise with the foreign language when trading. There was a soft click, and you heard the door swing open. Risking a quick peek over the top of your hiding place, you watched as the four men entered the room. After a moment they reappeared, each wearing a triumphant smirk as the brunet tucked a tattered piece of parchment into his shirt.
Carriedo would risk sending such a small party to sneak onto an enemy ship in the midst of battle for a piece of paper?
Not having time to consider this fact, you quickly ducked into the shadows as the group passed you, having clearly achieved what they set out to do. However as they did so, they continued talking, and you caught one word which made your blood run cold.
“¿Por qué no reunir un botín mientras estamos aquí, Capitán? Esto fue fácil, podríamos-”
“No, tenemos lo que vinimos a buscar.”
The group moved on but that word rang in your mind again and again: Capitán. Carriedo didn’t just risk sending a small party to sneak onto an enemy ship, he risked infiltrating that ship himself. Which begged the question, what was on that paper?
Stepping lightly so as to avoid detection you once again pursued the Spaniards, now exceedingly wary of the man whose identity seemed to be none other than that of Antonio Fernandez Carriedo himself. As you returned to the upper levels of the ship once again, a familiar cry made your heart stop. Desperately pleading to the heavens that the voice didn’t belong to the person you thought it did, you dared to peek around the corner only to have your hopes dashed and shredded in the most violent manner. Peter squirmed in the grasp of one of the men, completely powerless against the pirate’s strength.
“¿Un niño? ¿Qué hace un niño en el barco de Kirkland?”
As he spoke, your eyes fell upon the Spanish Captain’s face for the first time. He was very different to Arthur - his eyes, although green, reminded you of the deep forests which had surrounded your childhood home rather than the clouded crystal colour which the Englishman possessed. The soft olive tone to his skin and the dark brown tresses which framed his face contrasted drastically with Arthur’s pale complexion and tousled golden mane. However the way he carried himself, the air of authority which surrounded him, and the sharpness of his gaze all held glaring parallels.
“Let me go!” Peter’s strangled gasp brought you back to your senses, and you readied your pistol. If worst came to worst, you could buy enough time for the youngest Kirkland to escape.
“Calm down niño, what’s your name?” He spoke English remarkably well, but there was still a certain exotic curl to his words, betraying his heritage. Listening intently you prepared to open fire, but something about his tone stopped you. There was an unexpected kindness to his voice, one you hadn’t expected the infamous pirate Captain to have. Then again, pirate Captains were making a habit of surprising you lately.
“¡Responde!” Peter let out a pained whimper as a hand collided with his jaw, and you spun around the corner, your weapon at the ready. Two shots rang though the air, and the man who had hit Peter dropped to the floor in slow motion. You watched the blood pool from the wounds in his chest as the light faded from his eyes, but felt no remorse. This was different to the last time you had killed, this time your victim was no poor unfortunate who had been abused to the brink of insanity. This time your victim was scum, a man who would happily abuse an unarmed child. This time your victim had two wounds instead of one and you were sure that you’d only fired a single bullet.
Tearing your eyes away from the dead man, you blinked in surprise at the man who was frozen in the same position as you: arm outstretched, with the smoking barrel of his gun pointing to where the brute once stood. Forest green eyes mirrored your shock, but suddenly his face split into a wide smile.
“Hola señorita!”
A/n
Hey guys! This one isn't particularly violent, but death is death so I figured I'd put the warning there anyway.
Translations
¿Por qué no reunir un botín mientras estamos aquí, Capitán? Esto fue fácil, podríamos- Why not gather loot while we're here, Captain? This was easy, we could-
No, tenemos lo que vinimos a buscar. No, we have what we came for.
¿Un niño? ¿Qué hace un niño en el barco de Kirkland? A child?What is a child doing on Kirkland's ship?
¡Responde! Answer him!
YOU ARE READING
To Sail the High Seas: Pirate England x Reader #Wattys2017
أدب الهواةPirate England x reader
