Prince of Flour

2. Stowaway

Seonghwa awoke to the thumps of heavy boots on wooden planks and raucous male voices growing closer. For a long, confused moment, he stayed where he had sprawled on the uncomfortable ground and blinked himself awake.

He remembered getting knocked down; remembered his task and why he came to the merchant ship.

However, he found himself in some cell now, and the ground beneath him swayed precariously. With a silent curse, he turned around to lift his hands to the injury at his head. His skull hurt upon pressure and dried blood caked his hair, but apart from that, he seemed fine. The hit had been not as powerful as he had expected.

Seonghwa lifted his head as two men stepped into his vision and halted in front of the iron bars between him and the path outside. His stomach churned at their sight.

So far, he had hoped there had been some misunderstanding, some accident, and he could go home as soon as he woke up. But these two savage-looking men didn't rouse any trust in Seonghwa.

One of the two was the fellow who had knocked out Seonghwa. He was tall, and his dark eyes exuded a coldness that caused Seonghwa to lean back from him on instinct. He wore a sleeveless grey vest with nothing underneath, some brownish pants that had been mended countless times and crusty leather boots. His fiery red hair stood out in the dim darkness of the swaying room.

The other guy disclosed everything about their preoccupation.

He had a devious smirk lazily playing around his lips that were adorned with a silver piercing underneath his lower one. The jewellery had the shape of a snake that curled around his lower lip. The sight alone made Seonghwa incredibly uncomfortable. His hair was long and done into blonde and black dreadlocks held back by a red hairband, and further pulled up into a ponytail. His all-black clothing melted into the darkness apart from the mismatching red sash wrapped around his hips. A polished cutlass dangled from the piece of cloth.

Seonghwa was done for.

"Ahoy, landlubber. Care to explain yer sweet visit to us?" The smaller man addressed Seonghwa. His hooded eyes glinted with sinister thoughts.

Seonghwa swallowed. He glanced at the other man, not knowing what kind of explanation he gave already.

His hesitance got mistaken for fear. Both men chuckled at Seonghwa, full of mockery.

"Still can nay believe ye just forgot 'im 'ere. Capt'n will be angry." Dreadlocks grinned up at the other man, who just drew his brows together while his eyes never left Seonghwa's face. Seonghwa shifted, not understanding the drawl of the pierced man's tongue.

"What did ye want on this ship, prettyboy? Ye know ye be shark bait soon if ye do nay answer. We be the nice ones 'ere."

Seonghwa's every muscle was clenched in fear, and his panicking brain had difficulties comprehending him. The pirate. They were pirates.

"I wanted... To deliver something. But I got on the wrong ship." Seonghwa was sweating by now, wracking his head for some way out. He had no possessions to promise them, nothing to keep him alive. Even the truth sounded like a feeble excuse.

The one talking grabbed the bars between them. His fingers were adorned by heavy rings and clanged noisily against the metal. With rapt attention, he stared at Seonghwa. Like an animal under that glinting stare in a murderous face, Seonghwa cowered in his corner.

"Ye be truly no lad o' the seas, 'uh?"

Seonghwa shook his head, wishing for their sympathy. He had had no ulterior motives. He just made a terrible, naïve mistake. A mistake that might cost his life from how he got gawked at as if he were dinner.