The hairs on the back of my neck stand on edge as the voice is better known, Captain Gnash stands beside me now his dark eyes reflect that of the island.

"You're in for an outlandish world where pirates Miss Evie, roam free and untouched by the laws of good ole England. I'd watch yourself here."

I take a step away from him, not at all enjoying his presence. His threat still rings loud and clear, he only takes pleasure in scaring me.

His head turns, facing me, "Do not be frightened, as long as you keep your head low and your mouth shut. No harm would be done to ya." He laughs, one of great velocity, it echoes across the ship until he walks off leaving me shaking in his wake. Why must he send me over the edge every time?

"He scares you." Peter says, I have yet to tell him of the threat Gnash made against us.

"Of course he does." I state, neither embarrassed by it either.

"Come on before the day is long behind us." Peter allows me to follow him, I step of the ship and feel the ground underneath me, solid and unwavering.

The docks are darkly lit compared to the streets of the small city. Peter grasp my hand as he walks ahead, guiding me to who knows where, I find myself quickly side stepping a woman who falls after a man who pulls her behind him, her loud laughter is rather contagious. I find myself smiling at her free nature.

I look up from the women, not realizing Peter had stopped pulling me along, he watches me his eyes deep in thought. "What?" I question.

He ignores me, pulling me along once more, "You must be starving, come we can eat and drink whatever you like."

I peer behind us, no other men from the ship appear they must be long gone, reeling in the arrival of our destination. All but one stays behind, Clay, his figure is hard to miss as he rests on the side of the railing. The full moon cast a shadow on his face, hiding only half of his expression. He is watching us, his eyes trained on me as Peter grips my hand urging me forward.

I force myself onward, hearing as Peter explains our surroundings. I am careful of the places I walk, the ground is filled with sand and gravel, with large stray rocks spreading in every other which direction.

"..all though it is quite exuberant, I find the people to reside here to me exciting. If you wish to speak with a person inside do so as though you belong. They are quick to spot a fresh face, especially one of your innocence."

He means one of my class, a girl from a family of rank, a family of England, also a daughter of a man who is loyal to the Royal Navy. My father has sentenced plenty of pirates to the gallows, he is well known and feared by most, no one not even me should utter my name. "You have been here before."

"Well yes, most all find themselves to want to explore such a diverse and most exciting of places." His excitement for this place does not pass unto me, for all I feel is fear.

He guides me along the gravel road, where people linger along the walls of taverns and brothels. There loud singing captures my attention, I find myself slowing to hear the men and women sing. Their song captures my attention as they sing about, of what they sing sounds every bit unfamiliar.

'The sea rages on,

Yet you stay calm.

A curse not given,

Is a curse unwanted.

Yet here I watch,

The sailor sing.

His song of riddles,

A pleasurous thing.

He calls only me,

To bring him such beauty.

A gift of a song I sing,

With fear in his eyes does he see,

A cursed siren in the depths of the sea.

So I steal his song,

Where no one will hear it but me.'

Peter stops along side me, "They sing for pleasure of their own Evie." He tries to urge me on but I am far too curious.

"Yes I understand but what they sing of, who does the man fear." A woman perhaps, the man desires such beauty.

"A cursed siren in the depths of the sea," I turn to find Clay echo the words of the men and women who sing. "He fears the siren who calls to him from the water, where she takes him to die."

"What is a siren?" I ask, curious about the woman they deem murderous.

Peter however answers me, "They are nothing but old tales, women who swim with golden tails that lure men from the deck of a ship only to drown them."

How strange, I smile at the absurd notion, "Who would make such a thing as a woman to be feared?"

Clay then too answers, "Mermaids, sirens, devilfish, they all come from the fear of men who have no other choice but to conjure stories of beautiful women that desire them only to kill them in the end."

I nod my head, he seems to know a lot about these tales, I wonder if he believes such things. Peter guides me away from Clay, only to stop at a tavern called The Plain Lily. The rather rumbustious building is filled with laughter and shouting, as we enter, all around are men and women mingling around us.

I spot the Captain in the corner, enjoying his drink as members of his crew sit around him. He eyes Peter with a nod in his direction I presume his way of an acknowledgment. When he sees me, all he does is smirk, his gaze one of amusement.

Peter pulls me along unaware of the Captain's expression towards me, his silent threat runs me cold.

"Peter where are we going." We end up outside once again, where people dance and enjoy a good laugh or drink.

"It's alright Evie, stay close is all." Neither I nor him want to know how these people would react to a Royal Naval Officer's daughter present at such a location.

I release a small nervous laughter, they'd have my head on a silver platter.

I just now notice we have stopped, a square dark wooden table with four chairs presents itself to me, spilled rum still lingers as I sit myself opposite of Peter. A women with a plunging neckline which happens to reveal the tops of her very large breasts, stops at our table.

She of course addresses Peter first not a single glance my way, "You're ya sight for sore eyes love, what can I get ya this fine evenin."

Peter smiles generously, "I will have a drink of the best you've got stocked here." After he is done looking to the woman his eyes find me.

I sit my arms crossed not impressed by her flirting or scandalous dress, "I will have the same but make it two for me."

Peter begins to protest but I quickly tell the woman that will be all for now, I throw my head back laughing at his very unamused expression.

He leans forward his elbows practically reach the center of the table."You have never drank in your life Evie."

I lean forward, matching him, "You know nothing of how I live and did you not say to fit in."

"I know enough and by fitting in Evie I mean by acting similar not to be blubbering on the floor drunk." He fires back.

He knows nothing of how I am or how much I drink until I'm blubbering on the floor,"You have never seen me drink and you would have if you would have attended at least one gathering. Lets not forget who left all those years ago as well." I didn't want to fight with him or mention any of our pasts but it came out of me like a storm. All those times I waited for him to show to at least one ball but he never came, although he accepted my Father's request every time. I soon learned to give up on him even as a young girl when he left a week before my birthday, he was a year and half older than me so at the time he had just turned sixteen and I fourteen.

He turns away from me, no longer worried about how much alcohol I consume, "You knew why I had left."

That is all he has to say after all these years, no apology, no explanation, he can't even look me in the eye, "Say something, anything other than that, you never once mentioned that you were in fact leaving. No one would tell me either when I asked." No reason was given, no goodbye was said to me either, I was left to think the worst.

"I was sent to live with my uncle, a man I scarcely knew. My parents said it would be good to send a boy with my behavioral issues to someone who would reform me to be a man."

"Your parents said you had behavioral issues, that's saying much. There wasn't anything wrong with you, of course you acted as a boy of your age would act. What's so wrong with that?" If had known, he was sent away on his parents demands than I wouldn't have blamed myself all those years.

He finally looks up at me,"It doesn't matter, what happened Evie, happened, I do not regret leaving, that man taught me everything I know and now possess, he pushed me in the direction I did not know existed and for that I will always be grateful. As for not saying goodbye, well I thought you'd change my mind on leaving."

I try so hard not to laugh, he really believed I could have changed his mind, "Do you really think I could have persuaded you otherwise." He wasn't one to listen to others.

A corner of his mouth lifts forming a small dimple on his cheek, "You got anything you wanted Evie, I am sure you would have gotten your wish to urge me to stay."

"You deem me as someone with all the power and charm in the world, if I remember clearly as a child I did not receive everything I desired or cared to possess." Not that I desired him in anyway shape or form.

He rubs his chin as if in deep thought, "Then I must be thinking about someone else because the Evie I remember wanted everything in her very wide path."

I shake my head, "That is so untrue, if anything my mother gave you more than she ever did me."

He laughs, "Yes well that I remember clearly."

There's still the question of why he never came after, why he never came to see me.

The woman with overbearing cleavage sways back to our table, preventing me from asking him my question. She presents us with our drinks, placing them on the table.

"Anything else." She still addresses Peter as if I was an invisible being.

Peter replies with a sincere no, indicating that she may leave, I recieve a long look before she busies herself with others.

I grip the large mug in my hands, lifting it up before drinking, "Cheers." I quickly drink the contents inside, I let go of the mug coughing and sputtering as the slow burn tortures it's way down my throat.

Peter's laugh is loud, tears come to his eyes as I cover my mouth, it threatens to come back up.

"That is not funny."

"Oh yes it was Evie, your cheeks are flushed."

I ignore him as I watch the woman who served us our drinks. She does what I did seconds ago only she finishes with a laugh with men at the table joining her, one of them being from the ship.

The sight of him brings up a question that plagued me at all hours of the night.

"If we are indeed hiding the truth from the Captain, why does Clay insist on betraying his Captain." He is the first mate, who is in charge of most orders, Gnash seems to trust him greatly.

He does not answer only stands, I think he is about to leave but he outstretches his hand to me, a smile that crinkles his eyes only for me, "Another time perhaps Evie, now dance with me."

••••••••••••••

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-Ash
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