"Make this quick, Kirkland." The men holding my arms force me to my knees, and I lower my head, accepting defeat. Shutting my eyes tightly, I listen for him to make his move to strike at me.

"... Captain? Aren't you going to fight?" I slightly peek my eye open to see Alfred touching Kirkland's shoulder.

The green eyed man shakes his head, his sword resting at his side, "It wouldn't be a fair win if I were to strike my opponent down on a penalty."

"I thought the Pirate King never fights fair," I sneer at him in disbelief.

"... Eight, Nine, Ten!"

I break my arms free from the men and snatch my blade from Jack's grasp, rushing at the captain who still hasn't moved an inch. My eyes stare directly at his chest, ensuring my aim accurate. He smirks at me as if he were welcoming my advances, and a scream erupts from my throat as I swing at him. He blocks the swing with ease, grabbing my other wrist with his free hand. "You are correct," he praises in a low voice before pulling my arms down and kneeing my in the stomach, "I don't fight fair."

The sword falls from my hand and my legs fold under me as I gasp for air, hitting the wooden floorboards with a dull thud. "I do believe that's a penalty, Cap'n," Jack speaks up, somewhat hesitantly.

"The wench can hardly breathe, let alone stand," the blonde shrugs, wiping his sword on his sleeve, "I'll take the penalty."

As Jack counts to ten, I slowly rise to my feet, a growl in my throat. "Take me seriously, you bastard."

"Still have some fight in you?" His eyebrow raises, as do the corners of his lips. Still unable to stand up straight due to the excruciating pain in my stomach, I rest my hands on my knees, building up the strength to continue fighting. Kirkland walks over to me and wraps his arms firmly around my throat, and squeezes. I claw as his arms, trying to rip them off of me as air becomes scarcer and my eyes feel as though they're going to burst out of my head.

"Arthur, you've made your point," I see Toby's boots walk up beside him. "Release her."

My vision clouds over, going black as I feel my body go limp and I fall to the floor.

What is he going to do with me...?

Kirkland's POV

I release my grip on the girl's neck, and she crumples to the ground. My crew cheers to my victory, and taunt the girl at my feet as Toby leans down and gently brushes his fingers against the red marks on her throat. "You could've killed her," he scolds me quietly, checking her pulse.

With a roll of my eye and a wave of my fingers, he begrudgingly stands and backs away. I pick the girl up and throw her over my shoulder, listening to my men. "What a prize, Captain!" One yells, pointing at the girl.

I pat the small of her back, "She isn't my normal type, but she will suffice."

"Better than the women at the ports," another adds with a shudder. "They make you pay, then all they do is put up a fight!"

I laugh heartily as my men playfully banter, and begin making my way back to the cabin, my men following closely behind. Jack runs up and spreads his arms out, stopping them at the top of the stairs. "Allow the Cap'n some privacy!"

Listening to their groans of disappointment, I close the door to my room and lay the girl down on my bed while I take my place at the edge. My eyes glaze over her; her chest was slightly peeking out of her blouse, disheveled from our fight. Heart pounding, I slowly crawl on top of her. I continue to stare down at her unconscious body, her chest raising as she softly breathes beneath me. My hand moves to her top and gently pulls at the collar, exposing more and more of her. I pull my face closer to her and trace my lips along her prominent collarbone before kissing it. My hand grips her waist tightly as I sigh onto her skin, teeth lightly nipping at it as my hand travels from her waist to her trousers, fingers slowly pulling at her waistband.

I am but a man.

(Name's) POV

My head is pounding.

My eyes slowly flutter open, and I inhale sharply as I jolt up and frantically look around the room.

This must be Kirkland's room!!

As my eyes adjust to the darkness of the room, I start to take in anything and everything. Dimly lit lanterns light the room from their places on the ceilings and wooden pillars. Countless paintings and treasure were strewn carelessly about the floor, along with chests and barrels. Right across from my place at his bed is another door and an unorganized, weathered dresser; every drawer hanging open with clothes seemingly just stuffed in them. At the far end on my left, a dark chandelier floats above a giant desk covered in papers, and behind that, a beautiful set of floor to ceiling windows, showing a surreal view of the ocean at dawn.

Sitting in the desk's chair was Kirkland; eyes closed, head resting on his hand, legs on the table.

It seems like I've been in his room for a few hours...

And I've been unconscious for the entirety of it.

My heart pounds as my thoughts start racing. I anxiously reach for my trousers, expecting to feel nothing but my skin— to find that they're still on. I then reach up to my blouse— all of the buttons are fastened, all the way to the top.

Nothing had been removed.

As tears of relief spill out of my eyes, I pull my legs to my chest and bury my face into my knees. After crying for a while, I am able to fully calm myself, and I lay down on the bed and I feel something in my pocket.

The Baneberries!

I jump up, once again darting my eyes to the sleeping Kirkland, then to the door out of here. I shake my head and touch my feet to the floor, slowly making my way over to his desk, careful to not step on anything that would make noise. As I get closer, I notice that the legs of his desk are surrounded by multiple bottles; many unopened, most emptied. I decide to use the silver flask that is resting on the table by his feet, and I reach over and grab it, picking it up without a sound. I screw the top off and reach into my pocket, taking out two berries at a time, and crush them with my fingers before stuffing them into the container.

I'm not sure how many he used to poison me; hopefully if he ingests enough, it'll kill him.

After all of the berries are in his flask, I screw the top back and and give it a quiet shake before placing it back where I found it. I loom over him, looking down upon the mop of blonde hair, the front pieces floating back and forth as he breathes quietly. Just as I turn to leave, I notice something. Although Kirkland was still wearing his eyepatch, I see a small scar peering out from behind it.

I heard that some pirates wear an eyepatch so they always have one eye adjusted to the dark— but he seems to have just lost his completely.

I turn and walk towards the door, turning the handle.

Of course— he locked it.

I sigh in frustration, hanging my head as I make my way back to the bed, plopping down on it. I cross my arms over my chest, listening to the waves outside until I drift back to sleep.

"This is becoming a problem, Arthur."

A voice wakes me, and I open my eyes to look into the room. The captain is now awake, hunched over his desk with his face buried in his hands, while another man stands on the opposite side, his leaning on the desk with his hand.

"I don't need you to lecture me," Kirkland scoffs, "I am your Captain, and I will do as I please."

"How do you expect to look after your men if you can't even take care of yourself," the man responds, a hint of worry on his voice.

The blonde laughs, raising his head to meet the gaze of the other man, his voice breathy and annoyed, "You are just like Dylan— so maternal."

"Is it not the job of the Doctor to ensure the crew is in good health?" I hear a cheeky smile on the man's voice, now recognizing who it is.

"I suppose," Kirkland sighs, "Thank you, Toby. I will try to be better."

"Good. Now," Toby nods curtly before turning and looking directly at me, "it seems like the little sheila's awake."

My breath gets caught in my throat and I slowly sit up. Kirkland waves his fingers at me, gesturing for me to join them. I hesitantly walk over, my hands tightly clasped together in front of me. Toby smiles as he places the back of his hand on my forehead, "Did you sleep well? How is your seasickness? Any fever?"

"I-I'm doing alright," I stutter.

He runs his finger under the sewn up cut in my cheek, "Seems to be healing just fine."

Toby continues to ask me questions about injuries I sustained in my duel yesterday, all while Kirkland remains silent. "Any bruising I should be aware of?"

"I-I haven't checked; I do feel a little sore in my abdomen, now that you've mentioned it."

All of a sudden, Kirkland stands and walks around to us, trapping me between them. "You must be parched," he whispers, holding out a flask to me.

I stare at it— it's the same flask I put the berries in. "I'm alright."

"A lady needs to stay hydrated," he insists, pushing the flask further into my face.

I turn away, "I don't drink."

"I've never met a Blacksmith who doesn't drink," he raises an eyebrow at me.

The way these men tower over me makes me feel— small. I swallow hard, attempting to come up with another excuse before Toby cuts in, "I need to take a look at her stomach, Arthur. I'll ensure that she gets plenty of water in the infirmary."

Kirkland's bright eye glares into Toby's pale ones for a few moments before nodding and returning to his seat. "Very well."

"Thank you. I will return shortly to take a look at you, as well." The doctor says as he places his hand on the small of my back, leading me to the door. He turns the knob, swinging the door open. As we walk out, I peer over my shoulder and see Kirkland, still holding the flask. With a dark glint in his eye and a smirk on his lips, he starts pouring out the contents of the container onto the floor.

H-He knew...?!

Toby shuts the door, continuing to lead me down the hallway and into the infirmary, shutting the door behind us. "Remove your clothes."

"Excuse me?!" I squeal, pulling my top tightly to me.

His eyes open wide before softening, "Oh, I'm sorry. It's not often that I treat a woman. I can assure you that I'm just going to do an evaluation of your injuries."

I still don't trust the men on this ship— in fact, I despise all of them; however, if I had to entrust my life to one man, it would be Toby. I nod, hesitantly raising my arms to begin unbuttoning my blouse. He abruptly turns and begins aimlessly looking through the medicines. As I reach the last button, the cloth slowly falls of my shoulders, gliding down onto the bed. "Finished?"

Although I know he can't see me, all I can do is nod; no noise is coming out of me. I cross my arms over myself, my face burning. He slowly turns, his eyes opening wide as they come to rest upon me. "I knew it," he whispers in disappointment, placing his hand gently on my stomach. I look down at the spot where Kirkland knee'd me the previous day; seeing the discoloration of purple and yellow formed a pit in my stomach. Toby reaches over to a chest near his desk and pulls out a white cloth. He holds it in his right hand as it travels behind me, his face getting closer until I can feel his breath on my skin. I turn away sharply in embarrassment as he reaches around with his left hand, grabbing the cloth and begins wrapping it around me. "I'm sorry, it will feel a little constricting, but hopefully it stops the bleeding and allows it to heal a little faster."

I nod as I stare down at his hair, watching as it sways with each movement he makes. Coming to the end of of his cloth, he tucks the ends into the already wrapped parts around me. "How does it feel?"

"A little tight."

"Good," he begins to stand from his stool, "Let me know if it comes off." I stare up at him, and he looks down at me, furrowing his brows slightly.

I cock my head, "Is something wrong?"

"N-No..."

I look down and realize my arms had fallen to my side, and I still hadn't put my blouse back on. My body heats up and I rush to grab my shirt, throwing my arms in the sleeves. Just as I start to button the bottom, his hand rests on the exposed skin of my shoulder, his finger brushing over my collarbone, and I wince. "Princess, did he-"

A knock at the door interrupts him. "Toby? Captain sent me to bring the girl to the mess hall."

"Leon," he places his hand on the door, holding it shut, "give her a moment."

I hurriedly finish buttoning it and tuck the bottom into my trousers. He turns the knob and opens the door, and the short man from yesterday stands across the hall, toying with the ends of his hair. He noticed the door opening and brushed it behind his ear, his amber eyes dull as he holds his arm out to me, "Come on."

I look to Toby before placing my arm in Leon's, and he begins leading me to the end of the hallway. "You're not coming, Toby?" I stop, turning back to him.

"No," his bangs brush across the bridge of his nose as he waves slightly, "I'm going to go and check on Arthur."

Leon lightly tugs at my arm, beginning to walk again, "Let's go, I'm hungry."