"It was pure luck, really, that this hadn't happened sooner. Two years of keeping out of his reach had really been testing the limits of fate, and the sane voice inside her head kept telling her she would have to face him eventually. The world was b...
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Five years ago
I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die.
Sanem had never really thought much about how it would happen, she knew that eventually - naturally - it would, the inevitable and unavoidable fate of being alive. But to be slaughtered by a band of savage pirates was definitely not something she would have guessed if she'd been asked the question a week ago. Now, it had jumped straight to the top of her list.
She closed her eyes tightly shut, hoping that when she opened them again she would realise that the last ten horrifying minutes of her life had simply been a fever-induced dream. That she would wake up on her bed in the Wigeon with Gypsy asleep against her arm and hear the call from Bata that they'd arrived safely at Katiket.
Instead, she blinked them open to find that the image of her friend, a sword through his stomach and blood dribbling from his chin, had branded itself onto the inside of her eyelids. It nearly made her want to throw up again.
---
The cocky smile that had been dancing over his face disappeared as Can noticed the immediate change in her eyes. With the mention of his name, gone was the feisty, little brunette that had just landed on the deck of his ship like a scrappy and angered kitten. Now she looked more like a baby rabbit that had just accidentally wandered into the darkness of a wolf's den, wide-eyed and trembling.
He felt slightly guilty but he also couldn't help being amused by her sudden change in tone, he'd never meant to frighten her. But she was an inlander. He'd had little experience socializing with non-pirates over the last few years but he was well aware of the stories and tales those living on dry land liked to whisper about him, it was clear on her face his name she was one she was familiar with. And for all the wrong reasons.
Perhaps he should have made a more gentle introduction if the slight shaking of her hands and the paleness in her cheeks was anything to go by. It was not the reaction he was used to, nor the reaction he tended to hope for when introducing himself to women for the first time, especially to those with such pretty, honey-brown eyes.
He nodded towards the two men that had brought her to him, dismissing them to join the others unloading the contents of the Wigeon.
---
Sanem noticed the exchange, tensing up, expecting to feel the grip around her arm return again. She was shocked when they didn't, leaving her free on the deck in the company of their Captain.
Can stepped towards her.
She stumbled back, her eyes flashing with fear.
"Relax okay, we're not going to hurt you." He sounded sincere, but Sanem couldn't help glancing towards the red-stained sword in his hands. He and his men had just heartlessly murdered a whole crew of innocent sailors, what was one more casualty to them?
