Chapter 14

You blinked your eyes open.

You were in a strange place you'd never seen before.

On the floor of a ship, in a large room, with a maroon, gold-embroidered Captain's coat over you as a blanket, still damp.

It was the Captain's coat, but where was the Captain? Was he alright?

You glanced around again. You weren't in the Captain's quarters or the kitchen, or anywhere else on the Scurvy Raider you knew of.

So if you weren't on the Scurvy Raider, where were you, and why did you have the Captain's robe?

You rubbed your eyes and sat up.

Nobody else was around.

"H-hello?" you squeaked to the silent air.

The thing was, the Scurvy Raider was never quiet. Never completely. Not while the sun was up.

You got up and went to the door, and peeked out through the keyhole.

You saw familiar, but sullen, faces across a familiar ship.

You sighed with relief. You were still on the Scurvy Raider.

You pushed the door open, and all of the sailors, mostly crowded around the mast, a few of which had been talking in hushed whispers, went silent and looked over at you. "What's...wrong?" you asked nervously, a sinking feeling in your stomach. Something bad had just happened.

The Captain, who'd been sitting on a short flight of stairs across the deck that led to the raised platform at the bow, was sitting there, alone. Separated from his crew, his knees to his chest and his head resting on his knees, not wearing his trench coat or hat, jumped up at the sound of your voice. Something was off about him. Very off. "Anika?" He ran to you.

"Yeah, but what happened? Why is everyone-"

He hugged you.

Stunned, but relieved he was alright, you immediately hugged him back.

"You feeling alright? Are you hurt? Is your head alright?"

"Yes, but Captain, I woke up under your trenchcoat, and you're always wearing your trenchcoat, I thought something might've happened to you! Gosh, don't scare me like that!"

"I'm sorry, but we were out of blankets," he said. "They washed away. The Captain's cloak was the last thing left."

"But is everyone else okay? You all look like..." You didn't finish. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"You gonna be tellin' Anika what happened, Cap'n?" Knoll snapped.

"Use that tone with me again and it'll be the last time you speak," the Captain hissed, not even looking a him. But it had no force behind it, as if he was just saying it, but it didn't mean anything.

Knoll rolled his eyes. "Harrr! In all three years I be knowin' you, minus him, you were never thrownin' a single dog off this ship."

"I said belay that gruff, Knoll. Shut it."

"First you be tellin' her what happened."

The Captain didn't reply to that. He looked to the ground. "Anika..." he said slowly, at first not meeting your eyes. "Blagden's gone. We can't find him. He was washed overboard."

Your throat went dry. "No...that can't be."

You'd never dealt with death before. You hadn't exactly been personal friends with him, but the thought that you'd just seen him so recently, like you wish you could go back to that spot, pull him out from time, and bring him back...it was hard. And you or the Captain could've easily been the ones washed over. "Captain, take it back. Tell me that's not true."

He couldn't meet your eyes.

"Captain!" you cried.

"You won't be gittin' much outta him," Knoll shrugged. "No one ever do."

"I said shut it," the Captain snarled, still looking at the deck.

"So secretive. He don't be needin slaves 'cause his entire crew already be one, and they be kept in line with hollow threats."

"Shut up Knoll!"

"So how do I go askin' how you and miss Anika be getting along? Remember that morning after we all bin drunk? You two'd got a little fun in the Cap'n's quarters while we bin finishin' yee grog?"

"I went to sleep early and alone! One more word, and I will cut out that mouthy tongue of yours!"

"You be gettin' anyone to vouch for that?" Knoll riled. "Besides yer saucy cabin wench, I mean."

"I mean it, Knoll! Another word and you're dead!"

"I supposed yee'll just have to be killin' me then, Cap'n."

The Captain spun around, marched up to him, and un-hesitantly slapped him across the face.

And punched him in the jaw. Knoll staggered back.

The Captain grabbed his shoulder to reel him back and kneed him in the stomach.

Knoll, stunned the Captain even reacted, was frozen, rubbing his jaw, not making eye contact, his eyes wide and trained to the deck.

The Captain stood right in front of him, so close his mouth was within inches of Knoll's ear, and stared him down. "Looks like you need someone to teach you a little respect."

"But...you ain't bin tryin' to teach anyone anythin' before..."

"I've never had to." The Captain hit him again, and Knoll stumbled back, utterly shocked.

The Captain paused before he did anything again.

"Anything to say, Knoll?"

Knoll's expression said a thousand words that he didn't dare let out his mouth. He looked at the Captain with a rebellious glint in his eye. His best friend was dead. Every still moment where Knoll's heartbeat rang in his ears reminded him how Blagden's heart was stopped. "You should've been the one sleeping with the fishes."

The Captain's expression didn't change. He simply reached for his belt, yanked it out, and held it up above Knoll's head.

Now Knoll looked scared. He'd spun from shocked to insurgent to now, terrified. The cold hard glimmer in his eye reflected similarly to when the Captain had caught you talking to his crew about his past. But now, it was darker; more prominent. It reminded those it sparked at that the Captain of the Scurvy Raider was a savior to his allies and an antichrist to his enemies.

Knoll deeply regretted his decisions. "I...I be sorry, Cap'n, I be wrong. You be right." He tried to laugh. "Yarrr, I don't be really meanin' anything by it, you know? You know me, always be...jokin' around..."

The Captain had raised the belt like a whip threateningly. "I thought you wanted me to teach you a lesson."

"No sir, Cap'n! Sorry sir!" Knoll even got on his knees before the Captain and pleaded. "I be swearin' it'll never be happenin' again. I be sorry! I didn't know..."

"Sorry, what? Didn't know I actually enforce my threats?" he hissed through his teeth.

He bowed to the Captain, his nose to the deck. "No sir! I mean, I was unaware sir, I mean-"

The Captain struck him, hard, lashing out with a swift and precise movement, and Knoll cried out in pain.

Knoll braced himself for the next blow. The Captain, when stirred, could raise hell. If the Captain had a clever mind about him, he might've thrown Knoll overboard and told him to climb back up himself. But the Captain wasn't satisfied with a wet time-out. He was here to release the hellfire that had been burning him up from the inside out.

You gave a little gasp. This was the terrifying side of the Captain. He was the Poseidon of the seas.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw the look in your eyes. The glint faded to a sorrowful glimmer.

The Captain sighed. "Knoll, you owe me another favor. Next time you won't get off so lucky."

Knoll, realizing he was off the hook, looked back up. "Thank you sir! Sorry Cap'n! It'll never happen again!"

"That's what I thought." The Captain hissed, turned around, and returned to your side. "Don't give me that look," he snapped at you, and turned towards the Mapping room.

But the Captain stopped when one sailor spoke up, "But really, Cap'n, if you don't be mindin' us askin', why you be appearing so personal with Anika?"

"I'm just protecting her," he said, not turning around to met his crews' eye.

Another pirate spoke up then. "But if during the eye of the storm, if you a' bin doing a knot check, instead of tying Anika to you, when you could'a bin sendin' her below deck, like the usual plan be, then Blagden might still be alive."

You looked up at the Captain.

He didn't say anything.

You realized that his eyes were getting watery. But only you noticed. The Captain had turned away from his crew to hide his shame.

"Really, Cap'n, you bin or you not bin gettin' personal with Anika?"

He still didn't say anything.

And a tear rolled down his cheek.

And the sight of it made you want to cry too. The Captain did not like death. The last time someone he'd cared about had died, it haunted his nightmares for years.

So you spoke up for him. "He has not had an affair with me, I swear it."

"Sayin' that anyways, you'd be," Hale scoffed. "You be havin' to follow his orders."

"No I don't," you said loudly. "And he hasn't gotten personal. Just protective."

"So he can be gettin' personal later," Kennard hissed.

"No. Because I'm rich."

They all looked confused.

"My parents are rich people, people who would be convenient for him to hold a favor from. He's protecting me for it." There was a pause.

"Cap'n, she tellin' us true?" Jagger asked.

The Captain didn't reply. He glanced at you, and walked right in the Mapping Room, slamming the door without a word.

"Umm..." Now what? You were left alone with a crew that still glared at the path their leader, whom they were bound to by oath, had taken.

"Well, if I may say," you said to everyone. "This ship is a mess. The sooner we can clean things up, the sooner we can move on. Blagden wouldn't want us bickering in his honor. He need to fix this ship."

They looked up little.

"Guys, you know the reason that the Captain is like this is that he misses Blagden too, it's not like he doesn't care. You guys are his family, and sometimes you make this a hard family to lead. So let's move on, and see if we can learn something from this. Do it for Blagden."

Reluctantly, the crew made some movement.

"Hey, all we know the ship's sinking right now because we're too lazy to go down and fix it. We'll need all hands on deck."

"Then why don't you be doin' it?" someone retorted.

"Because after yelling at you guys I'm gonna go yell at the Captain too. I'll join you when I can, and there's an end on it." They raised an eyebrow. They were getting the tide of motivation rising up, but their mood remained as dismal and suspicious as ever.

"You be not really...be havin' an affair with him or anything, you be?" Wyck asked suspiciously.

"No, I am not having an affair with him. I tell you true. I'm already betrothed, so I won't be having any affairs."

He nodded, satisfied, and they all got to work. Raising the sails to the clear, blue sky, checking the ship for leaks or damages.

While you went into the Mapping room.