Battling the Storm

Problematic

Nearly two days had passed since Ronan and his crew along with his brother's had escaped from Tortuga. Both crews were tense as they sensed something was amiss, though they weren't sure of what besides the Royal Guard attacking.

Ronan had ordered Darius and Kincaid to keep the possibility of a traitor or stowaway from prying ears. He feared that if they caught wind of such things, they would begin to turn upon one another.

Levan had met with his brother many times over the past 48 hours but each time neither of them had promising news. Both ships were searched repeatedly, the brothers refusing to give up until they found the traitor. But the more time that passed the more frustrated they both became.

Ronan was beginning to think that perhaps there wasn't a stowaway or traitor and that the Royal Guard happened to have an inside man back on the island. Tired of mentally running himself in a circle, he stood abruptly and made his way to the door. He needed some fresh air or maybe a drink. As he stepped out onto the deck he cast a glance out over the dark open waters; his mind slowing down from the whirlwind it had been as he watched the moon's reflection dance across the water. There were few things the fear captain took solace in but make no mistake that the night sky and vast open waters were among the few.

Ronan heard voices drift across the water, sparking curiosity in his as he drew his eyes to his brother's ship. He could see a few men still awake as they huddled together over a barrel that was used as a makeshift table for a game. Ronan sighed before turning away, he decided he'd rather have a drink to blast away his rambling thoughts.

He peered into the dark depths of the cargo hold before he made his way down the steps, not bothering to take a latern. He knew where everything was and there certainly wasn't a need for him to be afraid of some shadows! It was a common joke amongst the crew that shadows were afraid of the captain!

Ronan approached the wall that held the few wine bottles they had and ran his fingers over each one. He felt the different grooves in the bottlenecks and the rough texture of the corks that sealed them, gently smiling as faint memories of where he got them flashed to the front of his mind. His moment of solitude was shattered when the faintest sound of scuffling came from the far corner of the cargo space. His faint smile was replaced by a prominent scowl as he angled his body towards the noise. It was obvious someone was down here with him but he doubted his crew would try to sneak around in fear of their Captain tossing them overboard.

Ronan quietly stalked toward the source of the noise, picking up the sound of quiet breathing the closer he got. It seemed whoever it was did not have any idea that danger was lurking so close to them. Moonlight steamed in through a crack in the boards of the deck above giving Ronan enough light to see a male who looked barely a man crouched behind barrels of water and sacks of grain. The man was faced away from the pirate almost as if he was unsure of where the entrance actually was. Ronan took his pistol and aimed it at the back of the man's head as he pulled back the trigger, readying it to be fired. The man froze as he heard the click. And in the small stream of moonlight, he turned to face the Captain with his wide eyes allowing Ronan to see a face he did not recognize. His thoughts of a stowaway were quickly thrown out as his face hardened while he glared at the younger man.

"Stand," he commanded, his pistol still loaded. "You will follow me quietly. If you decide to lash out, just know that the sharks would not mind playing with you."

The man audibly swallowed before standing and allowing the Captain to lead him to his quarters.

A/N: sorry for going AWOL y'all. I've been busy at work and in two weeks I start my last semester at college but I certainly have not been lacking on new story ideas haha! Ha...ha........

Someone please kick my ass because I need to finish my current stories, not begin new ones 😂