Daryl fought with the shackle that tethered him to the mainland outpost of the notorious pirate gang; The Claimers. He was supposed to be working on more cutlasses for them, but he was just trying to get free. His blacksmithing table was only inches away from him, his body covered in soot and grime. The glowing embers flickering in his eyes as he worked on the lock, his head perked up hearing noise coming from outside the door.

One of the pirates, Dan, stumbled in smelling of fish and mead.

Daryl stood at attention lifting his hammer to mesh metal when he realized why he had stumbled forward in the first place.

Blood soaked the ground below his fallen body. Daryl's soft blue eyes grew wide as he grabbed one of the cutlasses he had recently made off the wall. No more than a dozen men pushed their way inside the hideout. Daryl held his sword at the ready, the curved blade giving him a sense of stability.

One man caught his attention as their eyes met, Daryl held his sword at the ready. He was so close to freedom, he had almost broken his lock. He wasn't going to die like the flopping fish he knew as Dan.

He stood tall, wore a dark pirate captain's hat and coat. His cutlass leaning to his side as they met eyes. "Well men, take what I deserve. Don't leave a single coin out. I'll be examining my prize."

Daryl backed up slightly, his chain growing tight as the man stepped towards him. Daryl raised his weapon prepared for a fight. The man chuckled looking Daryl over with interest. "I would put the sword down if I were you."

Daryl grunted in response.

"Pretty blade, you make it?"

Daryl cocked his head towards his blacksmithing tools and nodded, he continued to hold the sword up. Light shined off the curved weapon, the pirate captain grinned. "You speak?"

Daryl shrugged, he could, but it had been so long since he had uttered a word he was almost sure he wouldn't be able to get it out. Ever since he was a child speaking would get him punished. Uttering a single word would end in a severe beating or being shackled and starved to the point he couldn't speak because of the hunger in his belly. "You either can or you can't." The man said as he raised his own cutlas towards Daryl. Daryl looked it over, but didn't back down from his blade. Daryl grunted in reply, Nega smirked. He liked the man who held a weapon to him. He liked this fire.

"Tell you what, we will work on the speakin' thing. You'll come aboard my ship. Become my chambermaid and I will allow you to join my crew. Got it?"

Daryl's hands shook.

He couldn't go on a ship, he was petrified of the ocean, he had been warned as a young boy to never touch the ocean. He was told his mother drowned at sea, that if got too close the waves would swallow him up and drag him away like his mother. However the idea of being a chambermaid wasn't horrible. He knew what it was, he had heard his brother and the Claimers talk about it a few times on their way back from raids.

Daryl shook his head in disagreement, and went to slash at the captain. He nearly knocked his weapon out of his hand, the captain was in disbelief that he had almost been bested by a slave. He held his position and the two began to spar, custlass against cutlass. Daryl panted, he didn't usually wield his weapons but he tried to practice as much as he could.

Daryl closed his eyes for a moment before looking up with wide blue ones. His sword knocked free from his hand after a few minutes of sparing.

"Got it?" The man asked again his own cutlass at Daryl's throat. Daryl nodded finally. "So you make weapons, that is gonna be real useful."

Daryl watched as the captain's men piled up weapons he had made and all the booty a pirate could ask for. Daryl was hoping to get free and run before they got to the boat, he could not go on the water. He didn't trust the waves, didn't trust himself on the open ocean.

He couldn't swim, and he wasn't allowed near it enough to know how to fish. When he was a boy if he got close to the ocean he was dragged back and beaten, waterboarded by sometimes disgusting water or even alcohol.

He was soon broken free of his shackle and thrown over the pirate captain's shoulder. Daryl kicked in surprise letting out a soft whine, but otherwise his silence continued. He felt a harsh slap come to his ass and stopped moving, he didn't wish to anger him. He was 'saving' him from his current situation, however he wasn't sure what the next little bit of life would bring to him, he was carried up over a slanted board connecting the ship to the doc. As Daryl was carried over the threshold of the ship the captain smiled. "Welcome aboard my Lucille." The man chimed. "You will call me captain or sir until I trust you enough to call me by name. First we need to work on your speech. You can speak, can't you?"

Daryl looked him up and down. "Mhhm."

"Alright, you're dirty come with me down to the bathing quarters."

Daryl shuffled his feet following his new master or captain, he couldn't decide which one, down two flights of stairs. The ship felt huge, however he had never been on a ship before. He prayed with the length of the ship he wouldn't feel the movement of the waves crashing.

He feared the ocean, but he understood the laws of the sword. He and this pirate captain had gone head to head in a sword fight, his sword was knocked from him and in turn he was to listen to his words or be cut down.

He went from a slave to a semi slave with choices and options. "My name is Captain Negan." The man spoke. "Can you spell at least?"

Daryl thought for a moment, he knew how to read to ensure he could make weapons in the way his capturers and Kin wanted them. He nodded and the captain smiled. "Excellent, I will have you tell me your name after your bath. Now drop your trousers and take that dirty top off."

The captain was filling up a large metal tub of water, they clearly had a set up. "This is cold enough to shrivel even balls of steel just as a warning to ya."

Daryl didn't move, he didn't want to drop his trousers. Not for a man he didn't know, he had nightmares of the pirates who he had been taken from stripping him and doing things to him. They always spoke about attempts but for some reason his father, the slimy bastard, always warned them not to.

He remembered his words. "Don't bed him, once you do you'll be trapped in desire for him."

He never understood it, but the warning saved him from a few things. He had however agreed to the new pirate captains request to be his chamber maid, and in turn that meant sexual favors would need to be given. He was just nervous and hadn't expected it so quickly.

Negan turned and narrowed his eyes. "Little fish, I told you to remove your dirty clothes."

Daryl crossed his arms stubbornly shaking his head. He was blind sided by a knife thrown at the wall right beside his head. "I'm trying to help you little fish. Clean you up and examine you for any wounds. I see your flesh is speckled like a flounder, all those bruises. I found you chained up to a wall, you were clearly not there by choice. I gave you a choice to be here. You battled me and I won, I own you by right of conquest. By the right of the sword. Now before you anger me, take them damn things off."

Daryl blinked a few times and nodded, he started with his pantaloons. He trudged them off, the elder man watched him carefully. He examined a few things instantly, where the chain had been was a bloody and tanned line. There were a few bruises on his legs, and it was clear one of his legs had been broken once and didn't heal properly.

"Your top now."

Daryl took the hem of his shirt and slowly peeled it off, it stuck to him like a second skin from sweat and grime. Negan examined his front, the man stood naked before him now, even with the coral garden of bruises he was beautiful. Clearly hardened by working on tools and weaponry. Negan licked his lips as he stepped towards him, the man shook in his gaze, yet he was extremely turned on by the power the man before him had. He honestly couldn't decide why he was excited by it, why his cock stood at attention.

Negan lowered himself to check over his belly, a scar ran from his navel to under his right peck. "You've been cut up I see."

Daryl nodded remembering where it came from well, he had been untied for a night. Joe, the captain of the Claimers, had tried to give him some trust and with it Daryl ran. He had been found quickly, beaten, stabbed and cut up. It took him three months to recover and all the while he was still hard at work blacksmithing.

Daryl took Negan's hand and trailed it to his hip. Negan removed his fingers slowly only to see a clear stab wound. "Same time?" Negan asked, raising an eyebrow in question. Daryl nodded affirming his curiosity.

"Damn shame." Negan muttered. He ran a hand along his chiseled abs. "Alright in the water now." Negan was infatuated with his new prize.

Daryl slowly made his way forward, eyeing the pirate captain with each step, but as he stepped into the water Negan froze with a grunt of disgust. "My god boy your back."

Daryl white knuckled the metal tub.

Memories flooding back to him. He once bit Merle, his brother, for trying to gag him. He drew blood as he scraped his teeth along his hand, he was beaten then. He tried to beg for forgiveness and for them to stop but he had been gagged. He was beaten harder for attempting to speak. Then another time, when he tried to sing after hearing the girls in the square he had been whipped again, he didn't know why, but he learned that speaking and singing was bad.

Negan helped ease him into the shivering cold tub, but it felt like heaven to Daryl. The moment he stepped into the water he felt at ease, felt calmer, and even felt more free.

His usual mode of being cleaned down was being stripped and buckets of water would be tossed over his head a few times till they felt it good enough.

Negan sat beside him and used a sponge to clean him. It was sensual and intimate, Negan was careful to care for him. By the time Negan was done scrubbing his dirty skin and stringy hair his infatuation with the boy was tenfold and the water he sat in was almost black.

Negan helped him from the tub and handed him a large rag to dress. "I'll be back, you don't move, you understand me little fish?"

Daryl nodded a bit nervous, he didn't honestly think the man was going to hurt him, but he was intimidating. Negan smiled heading up the stairs. "Dwight, I need some clothes for my new pet."

"Aye sir." Dwight nodded and headed to find his captain what he needed. Daryl sat dripping, he looked into the black water. He didn't know why but the water calmed him, he heard the crashing of waves on the side of the boat and panicked a bit. They were leaving port, and he was now a captive of The Lucille, of Captain Negan and his crew.