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

Chapter Forty~Five

The first to notice you was Lovino who, unsurprisingly, marked your appearance with a torrent of cursing.
"Where the fuck have you been idiota!? We thought you'd fucking drowned!"
You opened your mouth to answer, the curl of your lips betraying your amusement, but Antonio interjected with a broad grin as he realised who the Italian was yelling at.
"Don't be silly Lovi, mi sirena cannot drown!"
"I don't give a damn what dumb-ass nicknames you give her, she's a fucking human and jumping into the sea like that was stupid and reckless and-"
"-not really all that risky since she's standing right here and is absolutely fine so you can stop worrying now."
The Spaniard chuckled at your smooth interruption to his friend's rant, while the auburn-haired man just glowered.
"Who the fuck was worried?"
"Not you, clearly." You shook your head with a smile, pretending not to hear his mumbled "damn right" which came from beside you, instead focusing on the foreign Captain who appeared to have noticed the slightly crumpled parchment in your hand.
"Is that what I think it is, sirena?"
"One map, as promised." The brunet held his hand out expectantly, but instead of handing it over you tapped it against his nose lightly. "Don't forget our deal Antonio."
"Mi amigo es suya."
His smile never wavered, but neither did your hand. There was still something about the Spanish pirate which put you on edge.
"And the English crew?"
"What of them?"
"I don't want them harmed."
There.
It was only for a second, but you were sure you hadn't imagined the flicker of irritation behind his eyes.
"That wasn't part of the deal, sirena."
"It is now."
Out the corner of your eye, you saw Lovino shift uneasily from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable with being witness to this silent battle of wills. Although your eyes were locked with the Spaniard's, you were acutely aware of the second green-eyed gaze which was locked onto your form. You could practically feel Arthur's fingers as they twitched on the hilt of his sword, ready for battle at a moment's notice.
"I reserve the right to defend myself." You blinked at his words. "If they attack first, I will kill them, si?"
"Si." You inclined your head in acknowledgement and handed the map over, relieving the tension almost instantly.
"¡Vámonos!"

You set off into the jungle again; Antonio and the map in the lead, you and Lovino close behind, and the remaining crew members in tow. Your party numbered at ten or so, around the same as the English group, and as far as you could tell everyone else remained oblivious to the man who shadowed them. As you plodded onwards, forcing your way through the thick undergrowth, one question weighed heavily on your mind.
"What are you going to do next, ragazza?"
"Funny, I was just asking myself that." You offered the Italian a half-smile, but he didn't take the bait.
"Did you deal with the English bastardo?"
"In a manner of speaking... He chased me, got caught in some sort of trap, and I stole the map before stumbling into you again." Well it wasn't a complete lie.
"You didn't speak to him?" Lovino looked somewhat surprised.
"Only briefly, why?"
"You're in a better mood than I've ever seen you."
"Oh."
There was a short silence.
"Did you tell him?" He caught your questioning glance. "That you love him."
You instantly cut him off with a sharp cough, feeling the heat in your ears spread across your cheeks.
"I am not having this conversation."
"I was just fucking asking."
"You don't need to ask, Lovi." He opened his mouth to retaliate, but Antonio got there first.
"Cálmense niños, we're here."
You didn't want to be the one to point out the obvious, but somebody had to and Lovino was too busy swearing.
"I fail to see what is quite so special about a tree."
"This is where el tesoro is buried."
"Do you suggest we just dig in the general area of the trunk or...?"
"There's usually some sort of hint or something." The Spaniard hummed merrily as he circled the thick trunk while you stood, unimpressed, with the rest of the crew. Lovino continued to curse.

An hour later you were sat on the ground, drumming your fingers absentmindedly across the tree bark as Antonio continued to search for whatever secret he believed was hidden here. The crew sat a respectable distance away, still a little wary of you, and Lovino had now resorted to trailing his captain around and attempting to convince him that you were in the wrong place.
Needless to say, it wasn't working.
You long since grown bored of watching the pair, and were instead trying to work out where Arthur was hiding without raising the suspicions of the crew. You were only half successful.
While none of the men seemed to be in the slightest bit interested in the way your eyes were continuously scanning the surrounding undergrowth (likely assuming that your actions were due to boredom - not that they would be entirely wrong) you hadn't the slightest inkling as to where the English pirate had concealed himself.
An exclamation of pride caught your attention.
"¡Lo sabía!"
"You're fucking kidding me."
Scrambling up from the floor you hopped over to where the two men stood, one the picture of triumph and the other dismay, unable to conceal your excitement. When you arrived at their side, you were not disappointed. At the base of the trunk, concealed between various thick roots, was some sort of wooden lever, bound in greenery to better disguise it from prying eyes.
"Oh my god." You breathed. Then, turning to Antonio, you bit your lip in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent yourself from grinning and repeated your exclamation. "Oh my god."
The Spaniard's smirk of self-importance grew in light of your wide-eyed delight.
"Careful ragazza, the last thing I need is for this bastardo to think he's any more important than he already does." You laughed at this, and despite his pout Antonio didn't look any less pleased with himself than before.
It took two of the men working together to force the lever down, but when they did so, the sound of rushing water that followed was enough to impress. Within seconds, the shallow valley which encompassed the tree and lead off into the forest was filled with water, flowing from a source just north of where your little group stood. Not wasting a moment, all of you were off, running up-river with newfound energy. What you found amazed you.
A large wooden contraption, almost like a door of sorts, had been built into the riverbank, directing the water down one of two paths. The path marked on the map, although waterlogged, lay relatively empty, while the other allowed the water to flow freely.
"Incredibile..." You nodded in agreement with the Italian, too awestruck to give a verbal answer.
Sliding down the bank and onto the saturated riverbed revealed a strategically-placed boulder which was quite a struggle to remove. When the crew managed to do so, however, Antonio led you all down the slimy stone steps which curled into the darkness.

A/n
Hey guys!
Translations:
Mi amigo es suya - My friend is yours
Vámonos! - Let's go!
Cálmense niños - Calm down children
El tesoro - The treasure
¡Lo sabía! - I knew it!