The wheel cracked under Koen's grip, the weight of it unfamiliar and wrong. The same broad-shouldered man from earlier, whose name he had overheard was Van, had insisted he take over the steering. He stared out at the vast expanse of ocean, his knuckles white against the polished wood. The horizon bobbed gently with the movement of the ship, in contrast with Koen's churning stomach.

    "Captain!" Van's voice barked from behind him again, snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts.

    He flinched, the title still catching him off guard. Captain. That's what they were calling him, his brother. That's who they thought he was.

    Koen believed Van was to be his first mate, as he was always the one reporting to him or seemed to be the one taking control over the crew when he came out onto the deck that morning. The man was watching him expectantly, arms crossed over his chest.

    "We'll be at the docks within the hour," he paused, cocking an eyebrow after a longer-than-needed silence, "What's the call?"

    His breath hitched, mind scrambling for an answer. Docks? They were already there? The heist was happening now?

    He cleared his throat, "Right, um," he lifted a hand off the wheel, gesturing to the vast sea before them, "Stay the course, continue as planned." He tried to mimic the confident tone his brother may have responded with, quickly steadying himself back on the wheel.

    The man held Koen's gaze slightly longer, but nodded, "Aye, I'll have the men prepare for docking."

    He watched the man stride through the bustling crew, barking orders and sending them scattering amongst the deck. His heart continued to pound in his chest as he returned his attention to the swaying of the ship. The spray from the crashing waves mixed with the salty air made his dark curls stick to his dampened forehead.

    He was beginning to fear that this wasn't a dream. The creaking floor of the ship, the burning of the sun's rays on his skin, the blinding reflection coming off the water- all too real to be a dream.

    But it was all so unexplainable. How had he gone from sleeping in his bed in the palace and waking up here, in the body of his brother, head of a gang of pirates in the midst of their greatest heist yet?

Nevermind all that. How long would he have to continue acting as his brother? The very respected, trusted, knowledgeable captain of the Crimson Scythe Crew. The most infamous group of pirates known to this day. What would it look like if he couldn't keep up this act? Would he end up getting himself- or his brother- killed?

Koen had just started falling into the spiral of thoughts, the pace of his breathing becoming faster just when another voice called out from behind him, smooth as silk but laced with sharp confidence.

"Captain, you're looking unusually solemn this morning."

He swiveled his head to see her- the woman he'd seen earlier, leaning casually against the railing, her dark hair pulled into a loose braid swayed to one side in the wind. Two daggers strapped to each side of her hips caught his eye, reflecting the sunlight, but they didn't hold his attention for long as her piercing green eyes demanded his attention. They glinted with amusement, which made her all the more enticing in the most effortless way. Koen felt his pulse quicken.

Runa, someone had called her earlier. It suited her, a name with edge, mystery, and beauty, just like the woman before him.

"Not like you to be so silent," she pushed herself off the railing and sauntered toward him, "What's the matter? Plotting another secretive reckless adventure again, or just enjoying the view?"

Koen swallowed hard, heat rising in his ears. She was close now, her scent a mix of sea salt and something sweet- honeysuckle, maybe? It was alluring and unsettling. He straightened, cleaning his throat to act as if to shake off a daydream.

"Just... thinking ahead," he mustered up a disappointingly vague response.

Her head tilted, a teasing grin playing on her plum colored lips. "Thinking, eh? That's a first. Getting over risking your life by diving in blindly and hoping for the best?" Her tone was warm despite the joking response, and she held a familiarity that pulled at his chest. He could feel her comfortability with him- or rather, with Thane- and Koen pondered the depth of that comfort.

"You know I'm full of surprises," it was a dig at his brother yes, but the underlying sharpness in which he said it struck well with Runa.

She laughed, and his heart stuttered. It was a sweet, melodic sound that made him want to beg to hear it again. Something so soothing, yet it drove him all the more mad. "The truest thing I've ever heard you say, Captain." She paused, and her brows twitched as she studied him for a moment, her gaze swept his whole body, making his breath hitch. "You sure everythings all right?" Her eyes swept over him, sharp and calculating. "Van said you were acting odd this morning, too. Thought I'd come to investigate, myself."

His grip tightened on the wheel. She was sharp, observant. Her penetrating stare felt as if she could see right through him. He needed to steer the conversation another direction. Portraying his brother would be harder than he thought. It seemed as though this woman knew him even better than he did.

"Just trying to focus on the task at hand, is all," he had to tear his gaze away from her and back to the wheel to focus, "our biggest heist yet, everything must go to plan, ya know."

Another pause as she stepped closer to stand beside him, a hand delicately placed on his shoulder, "Aye, and a difficult one for you, I know. But you're not usually one to worry. That's my job, you do what you're best at, and I make sure you stay upright."

He glanced in her direction. Her smile softened, and Koen felt an unexpected warmth rise in his chest. He could see why Thane held her at such a high rank- steady, clever, fiercely loyal. And yet, that thought only made it pull he felt toward her harder to ignore. He caught his eyes lingering too long on the way her hair caught the sunlight, and the gleam of carefulness in her eyes.

He cleared his throat again, shaking himself out of his thoughts. They were friends- good friends- and seemingly nothing more. He couldn't let his feelings on this first impression ruin that for Thane. But no matter how hard he tried to remind himself of that, his gaze kept drifting back to her, and the guilt in his chest only grew heavier.

But there was something in Runa's eyes- something unreadable- that made Koen's resolve falter. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up the act, or worse, keep his stirring feelings in check.

She gave his shoulder a few reassuring pats before releasing him, "I know raiding the kingdom will be hard for you, but don't forget who has your back." With that she strode off to check on the crew.

Koen's gaze locked onto the open water, but his thoughts were anything but calm. Raiding the kingdom. His kingdom. The phrase echoed in his mind like a deafening alarm. The edges of his vision blurred, and his stomach churned as realization swept over him.

This wasn't just a heist for endless loot and treasures- it was an attack on his home- on everything he and his family had spent their lives protecting.

His brother had planned this. Thane had planned this.

Koen swallowed hard, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the wheel in a desperate attempt to steady himself. He needed to think. Fast. But he also needed to stay cool, collected- convincing.

"Crew's ready, Captain!"

Van's booming voice cut through the storm of thoughts in his head. His shoulders tensed. The brawny first mate was striding in his direction, heavy boots thudding rhythmically against the wooden deck. His sharp, dark eyes locked onto his, and Koen turned the wheel to one side, hoping to mask the growing fear in his expression.

"Now, I'm gonna ask one more time, mate." Van said, leaning forward so no one would hear his suspicions. His voice was kept low, but the weight of his words were apparent, "You sure nothing strange is going on? You seem rather distracted."

Koen painted a smirk on his features, hoping it looked more natural than it was and passed for Thane's usual careless demeanor. "Tunnel vision, my friend. Just getting focused. This is a big day for all of us."

Van cocked an eyebrow, his gaze lingering a few seconds longer than Koen preferred, but nodded finally, "I'll rally the crew for your final send off."

Final send off? Was he supposed to make a speech? Address the entire crew?

"Actually," Koen blurted, his heart pounding in his ears, "Take the wheel for a moment. I'll meet back here in a bit, just need to go back through some of the details."

Suspicion was apparent in Van's hesitation, but he stepped forward and grabbed the wheel, replacing the spot where Koen's hands had undoubtedly left their sweaty mark.

With a shaky breath, he walked briskly down the stairs toward the captain's quarters. He nodded and tipped his hat at the greetings of the crew members as he passed, forcing his shoulders to straighten so as to not draw any unwanted attention.

He slammed the door shut behind him, fumbling for the latch on the door, his hands trembling. Leaning back against it to catch his breath, the walls of the cabin seemed to close in on him. The weight of everything at stake threatened to crush him.

He peeled himself off the door and made his way to the desk across the room. Maps scattered across the table were scribbled on with various circles, lines, and arrows. Notes took up the margins of the papers, notes his brother had written. Though his handwriting was unfamiliar now, it gave him an odd feeling, a mix of comfort and anger, knowing Thane had been here, working over these plans. None of the notes made sense of course, a jumble of code and jargon he couldn't decipher.

There was one paper he could make out, though. He held it up, edges of the paper crinkling under his tight grip.

The kingdom. His kingdom.

His eyes traced the markings on the parchment, fingers threatening to rip the paper apart as they trembled. There were circles and arrows pointing toward what he believed were their entrance locations- ports, storage houses, gates that were notoriously under-guarded. Dread curled in his stomach.

They would hit the corner towers first, then the two north towers to take out the guards. From there, they'd split up, working their way through the castle, snaking in and out of corridors like thieving rats in the night. But one marking, bold and unmistakable, sent a chill down Koen's spine.

His room.

Koen sank into the desk chair, gripping the paper with one hand and running a hand through his coarse hair with the other. This wasn't just about treasure or supplies- this was a direct threat to the throne- to him.

He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't have spent his whole life searching for his brother only to be murdered by him or his crew. Everything he'd worked so hard for just to fall into Thane's hands. But how could he stop it?

He spotted a stack of blank papers on the desk. An idea sparked in his mind. Desperately, he scrambled for a pen. If he could come up with a new plan, something to delay the crew- give them something to do that felt like progress but steered them off the course- it might give him enough time to figure out a real plan. Warn the palace guards, warn his father, but still avoid being seen or raising suspicion.

Seemed easy enough.

Koen began sketching a rough map of the kingdom. His idea was foolproof: stake out the kingdom, stake out its defenses. Study the guard's rotations, mark the best entrances and weaknesses instead of going in blind. He knew it wasn't something Thane would do, based on Runa's words, but Thane's crew might see it as an acceptable strategy.

A shadow took over the window of the cabin door, and a knock jolted Koen from his frantic planning. His heart lurched into his throat as he scrambled to fold the map and shove it into his pocket.

"Captain? It's me," Runa's voice was soft but carried an edge of suspicion.

Koen cleared his throat, forcing his voice to stay calm, "All good! Just working through some last-minute kinks."

There was a pause, creating a silence that threatened to steal every breath he had left. He thought she might yell, or have Van break down the door. He was surely capable. But when she spoke again, her voice was gentler.

"I know you're worried. This one's different from the rest," she said, "But the crew's ready- prepared by the best there is. They're getting restless, though. Don't keep them waiting too long."

Koen exhaled a shaky breath as her shadow disappeared from the window. He felt for the folded paper in his pocket.

How long could he keep this up? How long until his plan blew up disastrously in his face? If he failed he would ruin his brother's life, and his own. If he wanted to save his kingdom, and everything he held most dear to him, he'd have to think on his feet.