(Name's) POV

After a long night of serving the rowdy crew, I finally finish cleaning the kitchen, the locket still weighing heavily on my mind. "How am I going to get it back if Carriedo is wearing it?" I mumble to myself. The footsteps of the men continuing to party overhead interrupt my train of thought, and I toss the rag into the bucket.

I'll figure it out later. I need to get some rest.

I walk quietly through the empty hallway and find my way to the spare room they've allowed me to use, kicking my boots off and flopping down onto the bed as soon as the door closes behind me. I gently pull the little horn from my pocket and roll over onto my side as I trace the designs with my finger. The look on Mathias' face that day hurt more than the fact they left me there— his bright, blue eyes bravely holding back the tears he, so desperately, tried to hide from me.

He was the closest thing I had to a father.

I wonder where he is now...?

I wonder where all of them are now. Are they even still alive?

The Vikings, Klaus, Arthur...

A R T H U R?

I roll onto my back and stare at the ceiling in utter disgust, placing the shell on the little side table to my right. "How dare that bastard come to mind," I sneer. Burying my face into the sheets, I slowly drift into sleep.

"(Name)."

My eyes abruptly open to the dark room and I grab the knife underneath my pillow as I shove the knife at the man's throat. Before I can get a word out, a hand tightly claps over my mouth, and I feel an arm wrap around my shoulder. I slowly look up to find a pair of piercing green eyes staring down at me; the moonlight illuminating the spikes of the man's hair was the only thing I needed to recognize who it was.  "Don't say a word." I slowly nod and pull the knife back, and he removes his hand from my mouth, leaning in closer. "This is the key to the Captain's dorm," I feel him gently take my hand and put something cold into it. "Get inside and climb through the window— there is a small balcony with access to the Captain's private rowboat on the lower side of the ship, I'll meet you there." He begins to back away, but stops for a second, mere inches away from my face. I see a slight smile in his eyes as he stands up straight and looks towards the door. "The next rotation of guards is in about five minutes, so you will need to move quickly, mid-rotation." As he begins to walk away, I jump up and manage to grasp the end of his sleeve.

"Abel, what's going on?"

He turns back and leans down to get eye level with me, "I'm getting you out of here." His hand reaches up and lands on my head, ruffling my hair, before he disappears into the dark abyss of the hallway. I quietly close the door and turn, pressing my back into it, my heart racing— I put my hand on my chest in an attempt to calm it. I walk over to the side of the bed and pull my boots back on, stuffing the knife into the special pocket Mo had sewn into the inner side of the right shoe. I take one last look around the room and my eyes land on the little shell. Taking it in my hands, I gently press it to my cheek.

"Not leaving you behind again," I whisper with a smile, putting it into one of the many pockets of my trousers. With a deep breath and anxious excitement on the rise, I press my ear to the door to hear for any activity. After a few moments of silence, I hear voices begin making their way down the hallway.

"Can you believe that Carlos out-drank the Captain?!" One of the men laugh, the clinking, of what I assume to be, a staff accompanying his every step.

"The man's a damned drunk-- I have to take a double shift tonight because he couldn't walk three steps without keeling over," the other scoffs, the sound of clanking chains swaying with his body movements. The tones of their voices tell me the two are younger-- they must be one of the deckhands, and they are taking their sweet time getting down this hallway. I sigh in annoyance, and as soon as the air leaves my lungs, the footsteps halt. My breath hitches in my throat as I press my ear a little harder into the door, hearing the men whisper amongst themselves.

There's no way they heard that...!

I slowly stand up straight, grabbing the knife from my boot and ready my stance, my heart pounding as I hear their footsteps draw nearer. Their shadows appear underneath the door and my stomach drops. "You two are talking an awful lot for slacking off on the job." I hear a booming voice echo out in the hallway.

"We were on our way, Captain!" One of them chuckles, trying to lighten the mood.

"Shit..." I mutter underneath my breath.

It sounds like he's on his way back to his room. How am I supposed to get through if he's in it?!

"I recommend you hurry on to your next station," the Captain's voice was calm, but it's gritty tone suggested otherwise.

I press my ear to the door once more as the men scramble down the hallway. The Captain sighs loudly, his footsteps following in the same direction, and the familiar creak of his door echoes down the hallway. "Captain!" A voice calls out.

"Cocinero?"

What is he doing?!

"Would you mind looking at today's fish haul? I'd like to plan what I should serve the crew tomorrow."

"Ah, yes. Lead the way," the Captain responds, shutting the door. I listen a while longer as their footsteps fade into the distance, and I open the door, peeking my head out into the empty hallway. After ensuring the coast was clear, I tightly clutch the key in my hand and make my way to Carriedo's room. I tightly grasp the handle, taking one last, quick, looking around before inserting the key and opening the door, closing it behind me. I stand there, frozen in silence, checking to see if anyone would come check; luckily, it seems no one heard me. Without bothering to close his door, I creep inside the room, keeping my eye out for the locket. After a few moments, I sigh in defeat, knowing I can't spend any more time on this. I walk over to the back of the room and trace my hand over the frames of the windows, trying to figure out which one opens. My finger gets caught on a small lever on the bottom of the far right window, and I smirk.

Just as my hand pushes the window open, I hear a voice shout from behind me, "Hey!" My head whips around, recognizing the voice as one of the men from the hallway. Time seems to move in slow motion as he runs towards me and I turn back towards the window, jumping out onto Carriedo's balcony.

But, I don't see the rowboat.

The man leaps through the window after me as I lean over the side of the balcony, looking for any means of escape. He grabs my shoulder and turns me around, leaning back before throwing his whole body weight into a nasty head butt that sends me crashing to the floor. He begins to scream for assistance, my head spinning as I paw for the railing of the balcony. Although my vision is blurry, I see a figure enter the room at full speed, and my heart drops knowing that everything Abel and I had done was in vain. The man quickly closes the distance between us, and I watch in shock as he throws a punch at my attacker. "(Name), are you ok? Get up! We have to go!" He screams, leaning down as he grabs my hand and throws my arm over his shoulder.

"W-What is going on?" I stammer, realizing it was Abel.

"They know," he grunts, his stomach hitting the top of the railing harshly as he looks over the edge. "We need to get out of here now."

I hear a wave of footsteps narrowing in on us, and my heart begins to race. "Here," he says, placing my hand onto the railing. "Give me one second and I'll help you over." He quickly hops over the small fence and stretches his hand to me, but I can't seem to move. "(Name), come on."

"I-I can't," I respond weakly, feeling my legs growing weaker.

His voice cracks in desperation, "Please, (Name)! This is our only chance!" I muster every ounce of strength I have into releasing the bar and grasping his hand, and he, quite literally, pulls me over the rail. The railing seems to extend along the side of the boat, and he positions me where my back hits his chest, and begins inching his way towards, what looks to be, a hidden deck. "We're almost there." I attempt to follow his hand and feet movements with my own, trying to work with him to get us across, but my head slowly begins falling back into his chest. "Stay awake, (Name)."

I-

I feel the bar slip through my fingers, Abel tenses up behind me, slightly pushing against me, screaming my name as my vision fades to black.

Leon's POV

"Arthur, open the damn door!" I roll my eyes, tightening my grip on the tray of food in my hands as Toby yells, his fist pounding on the Captain's door. Ever since (Name) was taken by the Renegado crew, the Captain hasn't set foot outside of his Quarters— going as far as refusing all food and drink other than Rum. This has become a daily routine, and the fact that Toby prides himself on his clean language only confirms the crew's suspicions that something is terribly wrong with the Captain.

Well, something was always wrong with him, but they did their best to keep that behind closed doors.

Hard to do that when the door won't open in the first place.

Toby's shoulders slump as he lets out a sigh and he turns to me with a defeated smile, "I'll go ahead and take it from here." He gently takes the tray from my hand, and dismisses me with a nod of thanks. I bow before turning away and begin making my way back down the hallway and onto the deck.

"I was wondering how long you'd be standing outside the Cap'n's door," Jack calls with a slight smile, raising his glass from the burning barrel some of the crew are sat around.

I shrug, taking a seat between him and Alfred, "Toby's still there."

"I just wish the Captain wouldn't be so selfish." My eyes shoot to an, obviously, drunk Matthew; he has no trouble speaking his mind when he's got alcohol in his system.

Alfred nudges his shoulder into his brother, "We're all worried about him."

"Can you imagine?" Jack's tone is still light and airy as he takes a swig. "The great Pirate King, slain by a broken heart."

"He, truly, would never be forgotten," I roll my eyes, slightly amused.

We all sit in silence, only the sounds of the crackling fire and roaring waves fill the air around us. "Oh, Leon," Alfred turns to me. "I broke my cutlass again. Do you think you can fix it so it'll last until we get to the next port?"

The unspoken role of a Pirate Crew's Carpenter: As pirates are not typically welcome at ports and we are at sea for months at a time, it is part of my job to mend weapons until we are able to find a Blacksmith willing to fix them.

"I'll start on it tomorrow."

"Thank you," he gleams. "I went ahead and left it in your shop."

I nod in response as I stand up, and begin taking my leave. Just as I start down the stairs, I hear a rush of footsteps run after me and a hand tightly grasps my wrist. "Where are you going?"

"To sleep," I whisper.

The hand tightens on my wrist and a quiet voice asks, "Do you have to? You can't sit with us a minute more?"

"Jack," I turn around to face him, only to find him staring at his feet, his cheeks burning bright red. I slightly lean closer to him as I search for his gaze, which he promptly moves further away. "You can help me in the Armory tomorrow."

A chuckle sneaks out of me, watching him perk up instantly, a stupid grin across his face. "I will!" We stand there for a few moments, looking at each other, clearing his throat and releasing me as soon as he realized he still had a hold of it. "Tomorrow in the Armory, then."

"I'll see you there." He nods in response and turns to join the others back at the fire, finally leaving me alone to deal with my pounding heart. I take a breath and finish the trek to my cabin, slowly closing the door behind me before sinking into my bed, burying my face into my pillow. Unable to fall asleep, my mind races through my past, eventually landing on the thing that drove me to become a pirate in the first place.

"What are you going to do about it, huh?" My childhood bully sneers, holding the slingshot he had stolen from me high above his head. The kid had pushed me to the ground before my sister had shown up.

"Give it back," she snaps, holding her hand out to him.

The boy blew a raspberry to taunt her, his friends erupting in laughter alongside him. "What are you going to do? Fucking orphan girl with no parents and no home-- stay out of my way."

Well, she wasn't actually my sister-- she was my cousin. Her parents' lives were taken by a hurricane when she was young, and my father had taken her in.

"Sis," I whisper pulling on her shirt. "Come on, let's just go."

"I told you not to call me that. I am not your sister."

Her words were like a knife through my heart, but I knew she didn't mean it. I can't recall much of what happened after that, but I know that by the time my father had found us and pulled her off of the boy, he had multiple teeth knocked out of his skull and a broken nose, and her face was battered and bruised. He had barely managed to land any punches on her.

My father was seething with rage as he scolded her fiercely for her carelessness. "What were you thinking, putting Leon in danger? Putting yourself in danger, over what? What did you think you were proving by beating that kid?" Her silence was more than enough for him. "That's what I thought. It wasn't worth it, was it?"

"Why do you care?" She shoots back. "You're not even my father."

"Is that why you said what you said to Leon?" His tone was soft, but I watched as she cowered away from the intense hurt in his eye. "Do you really believe yourself beholden to nothing, because you've lost everything? I'm doing my best. Leon is, too. He loves you. I love you."

After that, my cousin finally seemed to be break down her walls and let us into her heart. The one thing we really bonded over was our creativity. She was very good at fixing things, and my heart belonged to the arts-- I loved to draw. Any time I drew something, she would engrave it into the nearest object; nothing was safe-- trees, the house, the furniture, everything was marked with our creations. She was my best friend-- my only friend, and god, I loved her. Her and my father meant everything to me, and finally, my world was at peace.

Until it wasn't.

"You sure there's nothin' here we want?" A rough voice growls from outside the closet where my father had hid my cousin and I.

"No," my father replies curtly. "Surely, you'd want something more than a poor, infirmed man living by himself."

"Oh?" You can practically hear the smirk on the intruder's voice. "Maybe that's exactly what we want. Surely, you wouldn't mind dying at sea, since there's no one to miss you."

The next moments were a blur. My cousin pushes me deeper into the closet before bursting through the closet door. "No, you can't. You can't."

I peer out just enough to see my father's face drop in devastation. "Please," my father's voice quivers in a placating tone. "Take me if you must, but spare my children-"

The intruder, towering over him from his place on his knees, raises his hand to silence him. "State your case, girl."

"Take me," she says. "Please, don't take him."

"And, what do you have to offer me?" The man leans down to look her in the eye, a sly smile on his lips. "A weak, little girl like you-"

"I am not weak. I'll have you kn-"

I watch in horror as the man grabs a small knife from him boot, cutting her off with a slice to the face. My heart pounding in my ears made me unable to hear their next exchanges, but she was alive. I had no idea what was going on until the man turned to take his leave, and my father reached out and grabbed the hem of his coat. "Please, don't do this, shes too young-"

"Uncle Yao, please." Her voice was soft, gaze to the floor. "If you go, Leon will have no one."

NO.

I run out of the closet and grasp her arm as tightly as I can. "You can't go!"

"I have to," she says. "I'll come back for you."

I didn't fully understand what was going on-- the sheer weight of the situation would've crushed me if I did, but I knew, at least, I could trust her word.

"You have to promise," I manage to sputter out between sobs.

She places her hand on the one I had still tightly wrapped around her arm, a look of resolve in her eye, "I am going to find you. We will be a family again, I promise. Wait for me, okay?" She pries her arm from my grasp before she turns to join the man, waiting for her outside, and I run into my father's arms, unable to control the tears rushing down my face.

I waited for years for her to come walking over the hill and back into our lives, but she never came home. I didn't know where she had been taken, but I knew that the intruder came to our town by the sea, so I figured that would be a good start. Everyone I talked to, however, refused to let me board their ship.

"The sea is a dangerous place." I wipe the blood off my lip as I glare at the green eyed man standing before me— he had sent me crashing to the ground with one swift punch. "A man like you would never survive," he sneers, heartlessly, as he turns to board his ship.

My heart pounds in my ears, drowning out my thoughts as I persisted. "I will be a valuable asset to your crew!"

He freezes, turning his head back just enough for me to see the mischievous glint in his eye. "What could you possibly have to offer me?"

"I am a skilled Carpenter." I was sub-par, at best, but he didn't need to know that.

He turns away and stands there for a moment, shaking his head slightly. A man walks to the edge of the ship and rests his elbows on the bow, watching us with a slight smile. The blonde calls up to him, "Do we need a Carpenter, Toby?"

"Indeed. I think that is a much needed addition to our crew, Arthur," He responds. The man dubbed 'Arthur' turns again to look at me, nodding for me to follow him aboard. As soon as we step onto the deck, a crew of over one hundred men rushing to greet, who I learned to be, their Captain. "What is your name?" Toby had come to join me at my side— this guy never seems to stop smiling.

"L-Leon," I stutter.

"Welcome to the crew, Leon."

That first day, everything seemed to be according to plan-- until I realized who they were.

I had, unknowingly, become a member of the Pirate King's crew. I learned they adopted the guise of merchants whenever they docked in town.

I didn't care about what they did or how they did it, frankly. All I cared about was keeping my head down and surviving long enough to find my cousin.

Qiangxiang, I'll find you.

"G'day, Leon," Jack says as he walks into the Armory. The tone of his voice was a subtle mix of exhaustion and excitement. "How can I help you, this mornin'?"

Without looking up from the log books, I tilt my head towards Alfred's cutlass. "You can begin by taking a look at the sword and assessing the damage for me while I finish this up."

"It'd be a pleasure." I could hear the smile in his voice as he makes his way over and begins examining the damage. I get back to reading the log book and hear Jack mumbling to himself, probably taking mental notes so he can report to me when he's finished.

"Everything going alright over there?"

"The bugger broke the damn hilt clean in half!" He says in astonishment, walking the sword over and setting it down on the table next to me. "It was fine work, too. We could, probably, find an adhesive of some kind and just put it back together." It seems he senses my subtle look is disapproval, because he begins shaking his hands, as if surrendering to me. "O-Or I can carve another handle, it's no problem, at all!" The corners of my lips raise slightly, and it seems he notices that too, as he locks eyes with me, his hand slowly reaches up towards my face, "Leon-"

"So," I turn towards the weapon. "You said something about fine craftsmanship, yes? When was the last time he had it repaired?"

"I believe it was just before the raid on Lapis," he responds after a sigh of defeat. I take it in my hands and, instantly, my eyes are drawn to a little sigil carved right under the Cross-Guard. My fingers trace that all-too-familiar sign-- the one I drew when I was a child. "Leon? Are you alright?"

"I-I need to see Alfred, now," I harshly push past him, hearing him scurry after me in confusion. I march right up to the deck and see the blonde man raising the sails alongside some of the crew. The smile on his face disappears as soon as he sees me walk up to him, and I grasp his collar, throw him to the ground, and shove the broken cutlass handle into his face, "Who repaired this for you?!"

"What are you talking about?!"

I raise my foot and kick him in the shoulder, "Who was it?"

"It was (Name)," he growls.

"No one else was there?" I hiss.

"No!" The blonde insists. I can tell that he doesn't want to fight. I shake my head and do an about-face, running back down the stares and into the belly of the ship.

"Where are you going?" I hear Jack call after me, but I don't care— I keep going until I reach the Captain's door.

It seems as though Toby had given up, as he was sat quietly next to the Captain's door, tray on the floor and his knees to his chest. "Leon? I told you I had this handled. You can go relax."

I pound my fist on the door without acknowledging him. "Open the fucking door, Captain."

"Leave me be," he grumbles from the other side. "You lot are giving me a headache."

"We need to talk." My fists are so tight my nails are digging into my palm as I wait for his response. After a few moments of silence, I snap. I raise my foot and start kicking his door down.

"Leon, stop!" Toby jumps to his feet and wraps his arms under mine in an attempt to hold me back. I reach behind me, grab the back of his collar, and bend my knees to lower my center of gravity and pushing and pulling him up over me and into the door.

The Captain's room is dark, only faint sunlight peaking through the curtains drawn over the windows. That light was enough to see the numerous bottles around his desk, and his withering frame. Seeing us crash through the door, the Captain stands from his desk, almost falling over as he screams at me, "What is the meaning of this?!"

"The raid on Lapis."

He steadies himself, squinting his eyes into the bright light behind me, "What about it?"

"Alfred had his Cutlass repaired at a Blacksmith's shop that (Name) worked at." His demeanor, quite obviously, saddens at the mention of her name, and he plops back down into his chair as if the wind had been knocked out of him. "His handle has a sigil carved into it— a sigil that I drew as a boy with my cousin." The Captain continues to stare off into space, seemingly not listening to a word I said. "I know she never would've let you raid her home without a fight." I wait a few moments for him to say something— anything, but he remains silent. I walk over to his desk and slam my hands down onto the table. "Her name is Qiangxiang!" The Captain seems to perk up at the sound of her name. "I know you saw her, you must have! She has dark hair and fiery amber eyes."

His gaze slowly turns to meet mine, his voice low. "What did you say her name was?"

"Qiangxiang," I growl. The Captain shoots a look at Toby, who has since gotten to his feet behind me. I glance back and forth between them and my stomach drops as the weight of the world hits me. "Captain," my voice shakes. "Tell me you didn't."

He can't even bring his eyes to meet mine.

"Please," I fall to my knees in front of him, hanging my head as my fingers grip the desk. "I'm begging you."

Every ounce of confidence drains from the man's voice as he responds, "Leon, I didn't know-"

I abruptly jump to my feet, using all of my strength to toss the wooden desk aside, grab the Captain by the collar and throw him to the floor. I start kicking him as he lies, helpless, his body curled into a ball. "You knew I was looking for my cousin!"

"I didn't know you were looking for Qiangxiang!"

I jump on him, raising my fist. "You can't tell me that you don't think of her when you look at me!" He freezes, his eye wide as it moves to stare at mine. "Get up," I growl down at him.

Toby steps in between us to deescalate and places his right hand on my left shoulder, "Leon, please, let's just talk this through-"

I use my left hand to push his arm across my body, pushing my hidden knife to his throat and use my free hand to restrain him. "L-Leon," the Captain scrambles to his feet, his hands raised in an attempt to calm me down. "Let him go." I add a little pressure to the blade, making Tony tense up in my grasp— the look in his eye must've been gut wrenching, as the Captain begins to beg. "Let him go, Leon! He's all I have left!"

"Qiangxiang was all I had," I snarl back at him. "She was my everything, and you took her away from me!"

All of a sudden, his gaze diverts from mine, looking past me. His back straightens, and in a calm, yet powerful voice, says, "Stand down." The sound of a gun cocking and the cold metal hitting the back of my head sends a shiver down my spine.

That dog must've heard his Master in distress and come running.

"He's a threat, Captain," the Quarter Master snarls.

"I'm not afraid to die," I bluff, adding even more pressure to the knife, this time, breaking the skin and drawing blood. "I'll take him with me."

"Alfred," the Captain repeats himself. "Stand down."

I hear the blonde huff in annoyance, feeling his presence back away from me. My attention returns to the Captain, "Give me the dinghy, one of Matthew's maps, and enough food and water for a few days."

With no hesitation, the Captain nods his head. "Done."

Special thank you to persona-kath for the character that is her OC, Qiangxiang Mo, and the excerpt (Leon's backstory) used here from her story, "Memoir of a Forgotten Pirate". It is a deep dive on Qiangxiang and a fantastic, well written look at her backstory in my universe, Treasure. Please, PLEASE go give it a read!!!