Seonghwa had trouble sleeping.

Youjin had assigned him a hammock next to his own, moving the original owner to another one. The pirate wanted to keep a close eye on Seonghwa and Seonghwa appreciated that closeness to an extent. Laying down on that unfamiliar hammock on a swaying ship with a group of snoring men around him was no situation Seonghwa was used to. Since he only knew Youjin out of all of them, the man's presence promised a small amount of security.

When Seonghwa had mentioned his discomfort, Youjin had laughed and blamed it on him being a spoiled prince when really Seonghwa had only ever shared his room with his mother.

Even now, late into the night, while all the smelly pirates around him had fallen into a deep slumber, Seonghwa laid awake and rocked in his hammock. He thought about how he could flee this place in the middle of the ocean. The thought crossed him that if he had more skill and courage, he could kill all the pirates sleeping so deeply now. However, the idea of killing repelled him and he lacked the skill as well. Seonghwa would have to settle for finding a different manner to escape.

That was why he wanted to look around outside in the night's solitude.

He saw no harm being done since could not touch anything without getting all of them in trouble. At least he could use the peace to figure out a safe path from the ship. So, Seonghwa slid out of his hammock a few minutes later, sneaking out aided by the light that breached the small clefts between the wooden planks above his head.

Seonghwa climbed up to the eerie and empty deck, feeling a cool breeze ruffle his hair. A sigh of relief escaped him when the ocean air and the lack of people eased his tense nerves. For a second, he stood still, looking out over the endless expanse of dark water and the reflection of the full moon, beautifully shimmering on the constantly changing surface.

The limitations of the ship scared him. There was nowhere to go but this restricted area, no place to find security in. Trapped with the savages, Seonghwa's knees softened once more.

Seonghwa took a walk around the deck in order to calm himself. He wandered in mindless circles hoping to see something that gave him an epiphany on how to flee. Perhaps they had some small boats for emergencies stored away under some tarps.

If the pirates anchored ashore soon, he could take off from there while they were distracted. He could find somebody to bring him home. The lonely journey over land didn't scare him more than the pirates did.

Seonghwa got lost in the view of the extensive stretch of water and stars in front of him again, momentarily forgetting that he was aboard a pirate ship and had to fight for his life. For a second, he dared to breathe and shook himself out of his shocked numbness to enjoy his time.

As abrupt as his peace came, it evaporated when a voice called out behind Seonghwa.

"Who be out there? Mingi, ye be walkin' 'round at night again?"

Seonghwa turned around, checking to his left, when a dark chuckle sounded from his right.

"Oh, ye been wantin' to take a swim?"

A sudden hard push knocked the breath out of Seonghwa's chest, taking him by surprise. The press of the railing against his ribs forced a garbled sound from Seonghwa's lips. His insides chilled and cramped as he tumbled over the edge of the ship. After a mere moment, freezing water enclosed him, filling the void of his lungs.

Was he just thrown overboard?

His survival instincts kicked in, prompting him to move and twist in fear, but Seonghwa had had never learned how to swim, did not even know where the surface was. Helpless, he reeled around, the pushes of his body heightened in strength but not saving him.

A strong current yanked at him, trying to lure him deeper, as if the sea wanted to never let him go. His harsh panic made Seonghwa swallow more water. It was salty, stinging in his throat and freezing him from inside out. It got into his nostrils and grabbing at him as if with hands.

No, those actually were hands.

Seonghwa must have been down under for mere seconds, but as he resurfaced again, he sucked in the air greedily, as if he had been way closer to dying. He still felt as if he were drowning and his heart hammered in his chest.

The combination of air and water was nauseating. Seonghwa painfully coughed and retched up water while he was still trying to breathe. His struggle went on until his eyes welled up with tears and his throat throbbed. Pitiful, Seonghwa shivered.

A hand in his hair had Seonghwa freeze again, his lashes fluttering to clear his wet eyes. Tears and seawater clogged them until he saw absolutely nothing that was not the murky sea.

Then he was pushed under again.

The water aggressively hit his eyes, making Seonghwa's body seize as he got no air again. The onslaught of pain overwhelmed his senses.

Seonghwa struggled, trying to break free. His flailing limbs hit a body behind him that pressed close and kept them up. Despite their help, Seonghwa swallowed more water and his heart felt as if ready to explode, the pressure upon his ears and nose increasing.

He got wrenched up again, coughing in the cold air. Every breath hurt.

"Plea-" His throat felt as if on fire, the metallic taste of blood mixing with the salty water.

Seonghwa saw the stars, his head being pulled around like one of a rag doll. A voice spoke at his ear, calm and collected but with poison dripping all over it.

"Think again about fleeing now, will you?"

Before Seonghwa could answer, he got dunked into the water again. However, this time it was even worse. The grip on his head was unrelenting, allowing next to no movement and even after a few seconds had passed, it was not getting any lighter.

Seonghwa was fighting with all his might, kicking and punching away, his lungs screaming at him to do something. Everything ached; he was so cold; he did not know what to do. Panic clawed at the inside of his chest as if trying to burst free before he killed both of them.

Seonghwa just ceased his fight and let himself be drowned when suddenly he got hauled up. The icy air bit his clammy skin. His brain was wiped empty, relying on bodily functions only.

Seonghwa puked out a gust of water, scrambling to turn around and cling to the body behind him. It was risky, and he weighed both of them down, but for the love of God, Seonghwa did not care. If he had to die out here, he could take this bastard with him.

Seonghwa slung his arm around the shoulders in front of him and coughed the seawater onto the other person's shirt. His shivering and spasming body felt no touch.

Seonghwa needed a moment to realise the hand patting his back repetitiously, aiding him in getting the water out of his lungs. When Seonghwa searched for his voice, he found it rough and distressed in the back of his throat.

"Please- please-" He sobbed, fearing for the water to meet him again. The other man jostled their bodies closer together, supporting Seonghwa with one hand around his hips.

"Shh, it's fine. No more. I think you've learned your lesson."

Seonghwa nodded more often than necessary. He was queasy and clutched onto the other body faintly as he moved them towards the black silhouette of the anchored ship. Seonghwa could discern a rope ladder hanging down from the deck to float on the water idly. As his hearing returned, Seonghwa recognised the voices yelling from above.

In the darkness of the ship's shadow, they reached the ladder. Seonghwa's faceless saviour hooked one arm and one leg in, motioning for Seonghwa to do the same.

Seonghwa grabbed something, his grip frail. The other man supported Seonghwa's sluggish body.

"Up!"

A commotion started on the deck. The men hastened around to pull them up and, a moment later, Seonghwa felt himself being lifted out of the freezing water. He pressed his dripping body close to the man at his side, favouring his body heat over the chilling reminder he had just attempted to kill Seonghwa.

Seonghwa nearly passed out on the way up, feeling hot blood cascade from his nose now that the blockade of water eased. He still retched up water onto the soaked shoulder of the other.

When foreign hands grabbed Seonghwa, pulling him over the railing by whatever they could reach, his heart regained its normal pace. A new tremor took over his body, different from the cold. Awareness came back to him and crashed into him like a slap to the face.

He was terrified. He just survived an attempt at his life and he was terrified.

Seonghwa wobbled, sinking against the nearest person without resistance. He was lucky to have found somebody who did not throw him back into the water, but he got some curious hands instead that held him weirdly. Seonghwa could not care less.

"Shall I get him to Yunho?" That was Youjin's soft drawl. Seonghwa tiredly turned around after wiping tears and blood off his face. He saw Youjin help their drenched captain back on board, and his stomach dropped.

Of all people, it had to be him.

"Don't bother. Make sure there's no more water in his lungs before you let him sleep."

The captain's eyes oversaw Seonghwa. He turned on his heel and strode off to his own quarters while trailing a wet path behind him. Even wet like a dog, he carried himself upright, his form striking.

Seonghwa was remained back puzzled. The treatment the captain forced him through left Seonghwa to wonder what the man was expecting him to do. The brooding captain had a habit of walking off before anybody got to talk.

Youjin nodded at the two guys with Seonghwa and then took off running behind their captain, disappearing together with him.

Seonghwa coughed and grimaced right after.

"Let's get ye to bed, eh? Ye should refrain from nightly dips from now on." The guy holding Seonghwa was tall and offered balance as he led Seonghwa towards the familiar scuttle. Seonghwa's eyes burnt in their reddened and swollen state, struggling to keep open. He could get no word out, so he simply nodded.

The two men helped Seonghwa down the stairs, waving off the other pirates who roused in their hammocks. They got him a bucket and a blanket they threw haphazardly over his shivering form. It might have been smelly and scratchy, but Seonghwa did not mind as he gagged himself to get the water out of his lungs.

He had heard about people drowning on land; about fishermen who went out to sea and swallowed too much water there. Even on land, they died of it a few days later. Seonghwa feared death, so he paid a lot of attention to his lungs.

Seonghwa's eyes teared up once more during the process, but he forced himself to puke everything out. Sometimes, he received helpful pats from the passing crew members. Each touch made him jolt.

Youjin came back not long after and closed the scuttle above with a sigh.

"Cap said ye need to scrub the deck alone tomorrow as a punishment fer keepin' us all awake. He wants it done an' ye in his cabin by noon." He sat down next to Seonghwa, patting him too roughly, but it helped.

Seonghwa felt so wet, so many fluids dripping down from his face, there was no way of knowing which was which anymore. Terror had him shiver, terror at the idea of having to see the captain.

"What did 'e do? What did ye do?" The tall man from before asked. He perched on the steps next to them and watched Seonghwa as he suffered in silence.

"I went outside, and he pushed me. Made me remember I can't swim." Seonghwa shivered, wiping his face with his sleeve. Youjin took the bucket away and let Seonghwa cuddle up into the blanket, completely vulnerable. After the captain had taken him apart, there was no more dignity and grace to protect. Cruel, the reminder where Seonghwa was, echoed in his stinging lungs.

"Ye can nay swim? What be they teachin' to the princes these days?"

"We ought to teach ye somewhen. Cap does nay like landlubbers on 'is ship," Youjin added with one of those sinister smirks. With a groan, he stood to fling his body into his own hammock.

"Take a caulk, mateys. We can sleep longer thanks to 'im cleanin' the deck tomorrow."

A chorus of sleepy hoots and thanks replied, but Seonghwa got no recognition out of them.

He laid awake for just a while longer, staring at the planks above his head and feeling sick.

If they taught him how to swim and he could jump off near the coast, he might have a chance at getting away. To an extent, the captain discovering Seonghwa could not swim had played right to his advantage. He would need good timing and maybe he could be home in a week.

When Seonghwa finally fell into a fitful sleep, he dreamed of drowning. He choked on the water while the fierce eyes of the bloodthirsty captain looked right through him until he was finally dead.