I scoff, dryly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I know who you are, who you're traveling with, and where you're going," she smiles, shooting a fierce, quick glance behind me.

"Who are you?" I ask as I turn to follow her gaze

Her small hand tightly grasps mine, bringing my attention back to her. "That's a pretty expensive answer, my dear, (Name)." I roll my eyes, turning my gaze back to my glass, now refilled. She quietly sighs and gazes at me with somewhat of a longing.

She almost seemed heartbroken.

"She loved you, you know." My heart stops and she nods, her lip slightly quivering. "More than anything." I stare at her in silence, unable to utter a word as her pale eyes shoot glances around the room to ensure no one was watching before leaning in, close to my ear, whispering: "The Daughter of the Pirate King."

I flinch away from her, pulling my hand from her grasp. "W-What...?"

"Mo," she mouths, the hand she used to grasp my hand, now resting gently on my knee.

"... You knew her?"

"We were a little younger than you are now when we met," her face glows, obviously reminiscing on fond memories as she flips a golden coin into the air. "But, I knew her long before that."

I take a deep breath, "You do know that she's-"

"Dead?" She snatched the coin, midair, twirling it between her fingers, her brows creasing as she nods slowly. "I was there."

You were there and you didn't help her...?

She seems to notice where my train of thought had gone. "I am everywhere— all of the time, (Name)." Her hands grasps mine once again, flips it over, and places the golden coin onto my palm. "A gift from me. I'm sure you'll be needing a big favor soon. Cash this in whenever you are ready."

I stare silently at the strange coin in my hand; I had never seen this currency before. A voice to my left suddenly cuts through my thoughts. "Mind if I take a seat?" I turn and make eye contact with Afonso, and I nod.

"Unusual that a woman like yourself would be sitting in a bar alone," he sits down and says to me, turning to the bartender, seemingly ordering his usual.

"I'm not alone, I was actually just talking to-" I turn to gesture at the woman in the green hood.

But she's gone.

"A chair?" He raises his eyebrow at me, teasingly. "Is that common practice in Fossores?"

"N-No," I shake my head, clumsily stuffing the coin into my pocket.

The bartender slides the leader's order down the bar top, to which he lifts his cup and cheers to him in thanks. "And one for my friend here, as well," he requests, and the bartender nods, pouring me a glass of whatever Afonso had gotten.

After a few moments of silence and sips on the new drink, I speak up, "Where is the Captain?"

"Charles? At the dock with your Carpenter, discussing repair costs and such with Chen," he shrugs.

Charles? He must've been given a fake name.

"You trust that man to be alone?"

He turns and looks down at me, suspiciously, "Is there a reason I shouldn't?"

I bite the inside of my cheek and shake my head. "No."

"A personal vendetta, is that it?" He smirks, easing the clear glass to his lips. "I admire that." He chugs the entirety of the contents of his glass, setting down the cup and sliding it back down the bar top to the bartender for another. "I sit at the heart of a Kingdom with the biggest military in the known world. A single man and his crew has never struck fear into me."

"What about the Pirate King?" A deep voice from the crowd behind us speaks up. The crowded bar's noise fades to silence.

Your reputation precedes you, Kirkland.

I turn to look, and am greeted with a man with short, dark brown curly hair, and equally dark brown eyes. My gaze falls back at Afonso, who shoots back with an annoyed tone, "Not even the Pirate King, Arman."

"His hair the color of blood," the man rises to his feet, standing a head above most men in the crowd, eyes wide as he menacingly walks through them as if he's telling an old wives tale— one used to get children to behave. "His eyes as icy as the strew of blue corpses he left in his wake."

Hair the color of blood, icy blue eyes...? Are they talking about Kirkland's father?

"His teeth, sharper than the sword he used to cut down women and children," another man joins in. The men all scream and 'ooh', obviously entertained by their scary story. "I heard he looked so terrifying, anyone who laid eyes on him dropped dead!"

The men's boisterous laughter echoes into the streets of the town, and Afonso slams his glass down on the bar top, "Enough of this man of legend. He is dead, as is his crew." I grip my glass tightly, staring into the yellow liquid.

... They don't know that the Pirate King has a successor.

"Pirates are a plague to the world, and they will all be dealt with as soon as the Sea Snake gets what he wants," Afonso shouts above the crowd.

Arman's dark, mischievous eyes peer out from above the glass raised to his lips, "Even your irmão (1), Chefe?" His tone was nothing short of patronizing.

Afonso storms up to the man and, without saying a word, punches him in the jaw, sending him crashing to the floor. The men around disperse slightly as their leader rains blow after blow upon him, his knuckles already red with the blood spewing from the man's nose and mouth. The brunette grasps the man's collar and pulls him up to look him in the eye, "Even my pathetic excuse for a brother." Afonso holds him there for a moment before releasing him, watching his body crumple to the floor before walking out of the bar.

I quietly walk out into the darkness in an attempt to follow after him, but he's gone. "Princess." I turn my head to find Kirkland leaning against the wall outside.

"What do you want?" I ask, my voice somewhat slurred as I sharply turn away. "I thought you were at the dock with Leon and Chen."

"I was," he shrugs. "My Carpenter and Navigator said they have the repairs handled, so I came to keep an eye on you." My eyes practically roll into the back of my head and I cross my arms, staring into the dirt below me as I hear the blonde make his way to me, each step kicking up a little dust. His shadow cast by the lights of the bar show his arm reaching out to me, and I slap it away.

"D-Don't touch me!"

His voice was annoyed as he reaches for me again, "For someone who doesn't drink, you seem to drink a lot." I feel his hands tightly grasp my shoulders and force me around to face him as I continue to stare at the ground, and his hand cups my cheek, raising my head. My body freezes as I lock eyes with him. His usual, cold gaze was soft and warm; his eyebrows crease as his thumb gently caresses my cheek. "You are drunk— you need to drink some water."

I don't know if it's the alcohol, or maybe my mind is buzzing from the fight inside the bar, but something about him was different than when I first crossed paths with him. Back then, I was so afraid that I couldn't move; but, right now...?

I'm choosing not to.

I no longer fear him, I have nothing but hatred in my heart for the monster who killed Mo— but the man standing before me was not The Pirate King. The man standing before me in this moment was a man named Arthur Kirkland— the same boy who's life Mo spared, despite the threat against her own.

"Princess, you need to drink some water," he repeats, his tone a little more forceful this time.

"Leave me alone. I can take care of myself," I snap back at him, pushing him away from me as I turn to start walking back to the dock. I hadn't even made it a few steps before I trip on myself, and I crash to the ground.

Kirkland slowly waltzes to me in the most condescending way possible. "You're more drunk than I thought," he groans in annoyance, grasping my hand and pulling me to my feet. A shiver goes up my spine as I feel him place his large hand on the small of my back. "Let's get you back to the ship. You'll get sick if you stay out in the cold any longer." The wind blows through my hair, chilling me to the bone.

I didn't realize how cold the night was here.

I nod and Kirkland's hand gently pushes me forward, and we make our way back to the ship. By the time we arrive, all of the inner crew had already made their way back and, judging by the amount of empty bottles, had already had a few rounds.

"There she is!" Matthew raises his cup as we walk onto the deck.

"Glad you made it back," Leon smiles gently, his cheeks red from the alcohol.

Alfred slams his cup down onto the wood below, obviously intoxicated, "Did those bastards at the bar give you a hard time?! I'll beat all of their asses!" I shake my head, feeling weirdly comforted knowing they care for my safety.

"Our little dove is just fine," I can hear him smile behind me, but he's gritting his teeth as he does. His grip on my shoulders tighten, his fingertips digging into me, and I wince under his touch.

"Let me bring the Princess to bed," Toby says as he walks up to his, holding his hand out to me.

Kirkland's grip loosens, just slightly. "I'll be escorting her this evening." Toby's hand shrinks away as the Captain turns me around, pushing me towards the stairs to the cabins. We start walking down the hallway, passing the doors until we reach the infirmary. As I reach for the handle, I miss it, as Kirkland continues to push me on.

"The Infirmary-"

"Shut up." I close my mouth and he leads me to the last door— the Captain's Quarters. "Get inside." He pushes me in, rather forcefully, and I trip over myself, falling onto the bed.

"What the hell?!" I turn sit up and scream at him.

"Why was the bar talking about the Pirate King?" He growls at me, his voice deep and menacing as he paces the floor.

"...What?"

"They know our crew," he rambles on, biting at the tip of his thumb to cope with, what seems to be, paranoia. "What did you say?!"

"I-I didn't-"

"I know you're lying," he yells, continuing to pace the floor.

"I didn't say anything!"

He stops dead in his tracks. I was lying— and he knew it. "You could've ruined this whole mission." With heavy footsteps, he walks over to me, placing his hands on the bed on either side of me, his face inches from mine. "So, what did you say?" I recall the comment I made to Afonso, and I avert my gaze. "You're going to get us killed!"

"Without me, the your crew would've been blown to bits before you hit the shore!" I yell at him, pushing his chest to get him away from me. "You thanked me, Kirkland; you knelt before me and kissed my hand— or do you not remember that?" He stands there in silence, his fists tightly clenched at his side. "I had every opportunity to tell Afonso who you are and what you and your crew did to me, but I didn't," my voice is clear and strong, having purposely left out the fact it was merely to save my own skin. I pull myself to my feet, my body lined up with his and I stand tall as I say, "Don't ever touch me again." Pushing past him, I carefully walk to his door, turn the handle, and leave. As I walk down the hallway to the infirmary, I hear him screech from his room, and a thumps shortly follow it. I stop and turn my head back to the closed door, wondering what might be going on behind it— but I continue walking to the infirmary and close the door behind me.

Arthur's POV

As the Princess shuts the door behind her, I pick up one of my paintings and chuck it against the wall before falling to my knees and screaming into my hands. I hear fast approaching footsteps and the door bursts open. "Arthur?" I look up and see Toby. He rushes over to me, kneeling down next to me with a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I almost ruined everything," I whisper through my tears.

"What is going on?" He asks, looking around the room.

"The men at the bar were talking about my predecessor," I grasp my pant legs, desperate to calm my beating heart.

Toby takes me into his arms and pulls my tightly to his chest, resting his cheek on my head. "He can't hurt you anymore, Arthur."

My father.

Against my will, he snuck me out of the Kingdom and onto his ship in the dead of night, training me until I was too weak to stand. My cousin, Toby, was also taken aboard the ship and trained, as my family had taken him in after the war had killed his parents. I made sure that he never crossed the Pirate King, especially for my sake. He excelled in sword fighting, and that pleased my father, but much like my brother, Dylan, he preferred the more peaceful position of the ship's doctor, which the Captain allowed.

My father knew that I was a sickly child and could barely pick up a sword, but he didn't care. He didn't care that I didn't possess Allistor's leadership and competence; he didn't care that I didn't have the strength of the twins, or Dylan's extensive knowledge. All he cared about was that his legacy outlived him, and it was going to happen, one way or another. After realizing that he could not control my brothers, he turned his attention to me. I was the youngest, the most naive— the most malleable.

I was a blank slate, and I could be made into whatever he wanted me to be.

And he tried.

He did everything within his power to mold me into the perfect successor, and I disappointed him, time and time, again. Every mistake might as well have been my last— he beat me to the brink of death many, many times. There were days that I couldn't even lay down in my bed, or sit in the mess hall, let alone walk around or train. Even then, I never received any sympathy from my father. After many attempts and fails of teaching me to sword fight, he threw a bow and arrow at my feet in frustration and disappointment; I mastered archery shortly thereafter. My skill set grew from bows to guns, and I became the sharpest shot in the Kingdoms.

Slowly, the Pirate King began throwing fleeting glances of pride my way, and I finally thought I was gaining his favor; then, Qiangxiang arrived. She became my father's favorite— his protege, if you will. He and I were both constantly reminded of my shortcomings as she picked up everything he taught with ease; he used her to belittle me, saying that she was everything I couldn't be. I was grateful someone had come along to satisfy my father's wishes, but I envied her. My hatred for her grew every time my father reminded me of how much he wished I was even half of what she was, which was often. The Pirate King was using all of his energy and time to train his "Princess", and I took it as my opportunity to disappear into the shadows.

Soon enough, my father forgot about me.

Or, so I thought.

I gently press my ear to the door of Qiangxiang's room. "It's beautiful," I hear her whisper from the other side. "A gift?"

"Kill my son," he responds, his voice unwavering. "Using this dagger."

My heart sank.

"Kill him? Why?" The volume of the girl's voice is slightly higher this time.

"Because he's weak," my father's hiss was cold. "And I have no use for sniveling, weak creatures on my crew. You must do it, Qiangxiang. You are the only one who can."

My hands shook as I slowly backed away from the door, careful to not make a sound. As I begin walking away as quietly as possible, I hear her respond: "I will. I won't let you down." As soon as I round the corner of the hallway, I run straight to Toby's room; I fell into his arms and cried. Between sniffles and sobs, I explained what I heard, and we decide that we're going to run away at the next port and escape this hellish life of piracy and return home to my mother.

My poor, sweet mother.

I hadn't been able to talk to or see her in years.

Each night until we reached the port, I laid awake in my bed, a knife in my hand and a gun under my pillow, just in case Qiangxiang decided to kill me in my sleep.

But, she never came.

As soon as my father and his crew weren't looking, Toby and I ran into the town, careful to blend in with the locals. By nightfall, we hadn't run into any of the Siren's crew, so we figured they had left without noticing our absence; that was, until we were at the bar and a mob erupted outside in the square. When we went to investigate, I saw my father being led to the middle, bound and bloodied. The villagers threw curses and threats at him; they had finally caught the infamous Pirate King, and he was to pay for his crimes against the Kingdoms. With his hands bound behind his back, they knelt him down in the center of the crowd and began throwing stones at him. Toby and I watched in horror as my father slowly made his way to the ground, the life slowly draining from his eyes. Just as he was taking his final breath, he looked directly at me and smiled. It wasn't a comforting smile, no. It was a smile of victory, a smile of malice.

I watched him fall; the man I once admired— the man who once was my hero... died a traitor to the Kingdoms and the Monster of the Sea.

With tears streaming down my face, I backed away from the crowd, making my way to the dock with Toby on my tail. As the water came into view, so did our ship.

And the flames engulfing it.

Translations

1. Irmão - "Brother" in Portuguese