His face inches towards mine, his eyes locked on my lips like he was ready to take advantage of me, nothing but a spoil of this war between brothers. I grit my teeth and headbutt him as hard as I can, our foreheads colliding with the entirety of my body weight behind it. He falls backwards onto his behind, raising his hand to his forehead with a hearty laugh. "Whit a wifie!" He snaps his fingers and the men dubbed The Twins grab me once again, raising me to my feet, shoving a cloth into my mouth and tying it at the back of my head. He stands and walks back up to me, looking down on me with a dark look in his eye. "Ah will be getting a taste o' ye soon enough, gaol." (1)

"You know the Prince wants her unharmed and untouched, you bastard!" Kirkland interjects with a growl as loud and intimidating as he can muster from the floor of the ship.

The man stomps up to Kirkland, and Dylan stands between them with his arms outstretched. "Git oot o' mah wey."

"You will not hurt him again, Allistor," the man stands his ground. I watch as his eyes gaze into his brother's, seemingly searching for his humanity.

The redhead pushes his body into Dylan's, knocking him off balance, but only enough for him to stagger. He looks over the man's shoulder to look at Kirkland. "Ah tak' orders from no man: Prince, King, or God."

Dylan shifts his body to block Allistor's view, his voice a little more hushed than before, "How do you think our poor mother would've felt, knowing her boys were fighting like this?"

"Dae ye think ah gie a damn aboot whit that wifie would've thought? " Allistor snarls at him. "She gawked in silence as oor faither descended intae madness 'n' dragged us doon wi' him. She is juist as responsible fur this as he is."

"She was terrified of him," Dylan shoots back, glaring daggers at him.

The redhead scoffs and turns his back on him. "Angus, carry th' lassie back tae th' ship. Seamus, grab th' others."

The Twin with the scruffy up-do nods at the one with the crooked nose, who, in turn, hoists me onto his shoulders. I kick and pound on the man's back, getting no reaction from him as the Siren crew helplessly watches as I'm, once again, taken captive.

The crooked nosed man, whom I'm assuming is Angus, walks me into the dark underbelly of the ship and tosses me into the cell, slamming the iron-bar door behind him as he retreats back to whence he came without uttering a single word. The first thing I do is untie the cloth and I throw it against the wall, uncontrollable screams of frustration erupting from my lungs. I still have no understanding of my past and the true reason why all of these pirates have been sent to retrieve me is still unknown; the fact that even after everything the Vikings and Mo had taught me, I still cannot defend myself from these men, is devastating. My fists hit anything within arms reach-- the iron bars, the wooden walls, even the dirt floors. After a while, I fall against the wall and sink to the floor, burying my face into my hands as tears fall down my cheeks and blood from my knuckles down my arms. A few minutes later, I hear a quiet shuffle coming from down the hallway, and when I lift my head and see Dylan smiling down at me, holding a little briefcase in his hand. "May I?" He gestures towards my hands. I turn away from him, shrinking into the wall to make myself as small and invisible as possible. I flinch as the iron door creaks open and slowly closes behind him. "Don't worry, (Name), I won't hurt you."

My heart skips a beat. The tone of his voice reminds me a lot of Toby. He sits down next to me and places a gentle hand on my arm, coercing me into showing him my hands that I had bloodied just moments before. He reaches into his case to pull out some bandages and a small bottle, which, I'm assuming, contains a bit of alcohol. After having me raise both of my hands, he opens the bottle, looking at me for the go-ahead. I nod, and he slowly pours the alcohol over my knuckles. I clench my jaw, my heels digging into the floor as I try to remain as still as possible. He gently pats my hands dry and bandages them, placing my hands back into my lap to signal his care is finished. "I'm sorry we had to meet again this way," he whispers, grazing his thumb across the tender spot on my forehead where I hit Allistor. I raise my eyes to meet his; even though we are both sitting, he makes me feel extremely small.

"Again?" I choke. The more I look at him, the more I realize that he is near identical to Kirkland— he even has the same bushy eyebrows.

He nods. "We met in passing quite often, if you'll believe it."

"I don't know what to believe anymore," my voice cracks, catching in my throat.

"I was often at the palace, studying under the Royal Physician." He sits against the wall next to me, pressing his shoulder ever-so-slightly into mine. "It will come back in time, enaid." (2)

"Palace?"

He presses a finger to my lips to shush me. "Seems like I've said too much. Not even Allistor knows that I've got a personal connection to you. So, for your safety, please keep that between us."

I nod, my gaze falling to the floor. After a while, I decide to speak up on something that's been on my mind. "Why did Kirkland offer to go in my stead?"

He pulls his knees up, resting his arms on them. "Arthur has always been somewhat sporadic."

"Why would he do that, though?" I look up at him.

He returns my worried gaze with a soft one, "He cares for you; he always has." I scoff, softly, turning away from him again. "Don't believe me?"

"I don't know if that man is capable of caring about anyone but himself."

I feel him shrug against me. "Do you know what will happen to him if he successfully delivers you to the Prince?" I shake my head. "He gets his title back, and the Kirkland house will be a respected entity once more. Our name will be redeemed and he will be held in the highest regard as the Savior of Unity." He pauses. "Do you know what will happen if he does not deliver you?" Once again, I find myself shaking my head. "He will continue to live this life he was forced into. He will be hunted like a dog until he is captured, tortured, then torn apart, limb from limb, just as our father once was."

Now that I think about it, I was never told about the demise of the Pirate King. Being torn limb from limb is a horrid death, even for a man like him.

"And to think that he rather be hand-delivered to the Prince than willingly hand you over speaks volumes to me." He stares at the ceiling above us, thoughtfully. "My brother is the best of us. He is everything we've failed to be."

My heart skips a beat, but inside, I'm torn. Kirkland said he had loved me for years, but knowing that he had thought about turning me over to a strange Prince of an unfamiliar land in order to regain his title is a scary thought.

"What is going to happen to him if he isn't the one to deliver me...?"

His gaze slowly lowers in realization. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Allistor may just kill him, himself, after all of this is over."

"Please don't let him die, Dylan," I beg him, grasping onto his sleeve tightly  "Please."

He places his hand on top of mine, his auburn hair swishing to the right as he turns to look at me. "I'll try to reason with Allistor, but he is somewhat of a fool. He often acts on his feelings rather than his thoughts, so no one truly knows what he is going to do until he does it." Abruptly, he shifts his weight and stands, "Thinking about it, I should get back. I shouldn't leave him alone with his thoughts for too long. I'll send someone down with food for you soon. Don't worry-- you will be taken care of."

I nod in understanding. "Thank you, Dylan," I mouth, weakly. The corners of his lips upturn in a small smile, and he opens the gate, closing it behind him as he disappears into the darkness of the hallway. I lean my head back against the wall.

How I did not miss being in a cell.

Something about this time was not as disheartening as the first, though. Maybe it's the fact that this is Kirkland's family, or maybe because Dylan looks like him and has Toby's comforting personality. Or, just maybe, I know I'll get out of this, somehow. I escaped the last crew, I'm sure I can do it again.

Footsteps wake me from my deep thoughts, and a boy comes into view. He doesn't appear much older than me. "Here," he says, curtly, pushing a tray under the bars. I pull the tray the rest of the way, suspiciously eyeing its contents. The boy lets out an exasperated sigh, "Dylan cooked and plated it, himself. You've nothing to worry about."

I take the bread and sink my teeth into it. It was sort of dry, but the texture was just right. "Thank you," I say between bites.

"Yeah," he replies. He doesn't seem at all interested in conversation. He pulls a chair up and places it against the far wall so he is able to sit, facing me. He takes a seat and pulls a book from his pocket and starts flipping through the pages. Something about him was familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. He was freckled and light eyed, much like the rest of the crew I've seen, but he looks off, somehow.

"What's the name of this ship?"

"The Mara Ríghrean."

"When did you become a pirate?"

"A long, long time ago."

"What's your name?"

He slams his book shut, raising his eyes to meet mine with an annoyed look on his face. "You're a curious thing, aren't you?"

"I've always been pretty good at making people talk."

"I'm not interested in talking with you," his voice was gruff, but not exactly unwelcoming.

I'll crack him in no time.

"Your hair."

"What about it?" He squints his eyes at me.

"You don't look like you belong here." His fingers brush through his dark brown, unruly hair, obviously confused. "Everyone I've seen has red or light brown hair. Your's is dark."

"Assuming you've only seen the core crew, they're all related, so that makes sense," he reopens his book. "There are plenty on this ship who look like me."

"How did you end up in this ship?" He glances at me, and with a shake of his head, turns his attention back to the book in his lap. I sigh, resigning from the test of wills, and return my attention to my food.

After finishing, I push the tray back under the bars and thank him once again. He closes his book and reaches down to grab the tray before turning his back to me. Just as he's about to leave the room, he freezes, and slowly turns back to me. I cock my head, and he brushes his fingers through his hair again. "My name is Caelan."

"I'm (Name)."

He turns his body towards me a little more with a spark of hope in his eye, but just as quickly as it came, it went, and gentle smile crosses his lips. "That's a beautiful name."

The next few days reminded me of my time with Bella aboard the Renagado; Caelan would join me at every mealtime, along with his book, and quietly listen to me ramble on about whatever was on my mind that day. On this day, however, Caelan seemed pretty interested in what I had to say. "So, you're telling me that the stories of the Vikings roaming the seas are real?"

"Yes!" I giggle, reminiscing on my time with those scoundrels. "Their leader taught me to use his battle axe-- it was over twice my size, at the time."

"I've never been trained with an axe, but I was quite skilled with a sword, once." There it is again, that sparkle in his eye from before. "The Master Swordsman who I trained under used to say I was unpredictable."

My head snaps up and I lock eyes with him. "Unpredictable?"

He slightly squints his eyes in confusion and he nods. "Yes."

With a single word it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. Everything I had endured over the last five years meant nothing to me: I've finally found a piece of home. "It can't be..." I reach my hand through the bar and gently cup his cheek, tears beginning to stream down my face. Through the lump in my throat, I whisper his name: "Klaus?"

His eyes open wide with shock and he backs away from my touch. "H-How do you know my name?"

"I can't believe I didn't recognize you sooner," I cry. He had grown significantly taller over the last few years, and he is a lot broader than I remember.

"(Name)..." The tone in which he spoke my name seemed like an un-placeable fondness to him. He takes a slow step towards me, his eyes gazing back and forth between mine, tears welling in his own eyes. "(Name)!" When he says it this time, it was as though he finally remembered why the name felt so special to him. He whips out a set of keys and unlocks the gate, throwing it open and rushing into the cell with me, embracing me with every ounce of strength he could muster. He did his best to stay hushed, but with every tremble of his shoulders, with every arm adjustment to grip me tighter, he couldn't hold his voice back. "My baby sister! You're alive!"

I press my forehead against his, my fingers digging into his torso, making sure this moment was real. "I've missed you..."

"I love you, (Name)." His voice was filled with regret. "I'm sorry I didn't say it more."

I look up at him and the second I open my mouth, a booming voice echoes around us. "Caelan! What are you doing down there?!"

Klaus quickly wipes his face, shouting back, "Waiting for the prisoner to finish her meal, Seamus. I'll be up in a moment." Seamus scoffs and we hear heavy footsteps walk away. He sighs, tucking my hair behind my ear. "I should go now, kleine." (3)

I gaze up at him, my chest feeling with the joy of childlike wonder. "It had completely forgotten you used to call me that when we were young..." He peeks over his shoulder before grabbing my wrist and shoving something into my hand. He walks out of the cell and closes it as I open my fist to find the key to the iron door. "K-Klaus!"

"Caelan," he corrects me. "You can't call me that, (Name), not here."

I reach through the bars and grasp his sleeve tightly. "Wait!" He places a hand on top of mine without looking at me. "Everyone has been telling me that they know me, that I used to walk the halls of a Palace and I am, somehow, connected to the Prince of Tealin." I feel his grip on my hand tighten. "Caelan, who am I? The only thing I remember before the vikings is you and our mother." A lump forms in my throat as I recall that last night in the village, the night that often haunts my dreams. "Luca and our village..."

"Maybe it's best if that's all you remember for now." His sleeve slips from my grasp and my arm knocks into the bars on its way back into the cell. "I will tell you as soon as you are safe."

"When will I be safe?"

He looks back at me one more time before exiting the jail, "When we hit the Port of Tealin."

I fall to my knees in defeat, questioning everything I had believed in up to this point.

What is this, seemingly, terrible truth that everyone refuses to tell me?

After finding my way to the floor, I curl myself into a ball, just wishing to just disappear.

"Port of Tealin, dead ahead!" A booming voice passing by the jail's exterior door wakes me. I scramble to my feet, attempting to get a glimpse out the window on the opposite side of the room. I read that Tealin was the biggest and wealthiest Empire on the Continent, almost doubling in size of the rest of the political entities combined. It was painfully obvious that the history books were true, as the buildings of, what I assume to be the capital, all seemed to be made of beautiful marble that glistened in the sun. I stared out the window in awe, when all of a sudden, the ship beneath me shakes and throws me to the floor. I hear screams from the deck as panicked footsteps echo around me, and I take the key out of my pocket, unlocking the door and escaping the cell. As quickly as I can, I exit the jail facility and rush towards the stairs I had been carried down before, and am blinded by the sun as I emerge onto the deck.

The Mara Righrean crew was in absolute disarray, gathering weapons and loading up cannons as multiple high-grade battleships surround them on all fronts. A hand grabs my shoulder, whipping me around, "What are you doing up here?!"

I make eye contact with Dylan, who looks at me with a stern, worried glare. "W-What's going on?"

"The Tealin Navy has come to greet us, it seems," he scoffs, sarcastically. "They have come unannounced, so we have no clue what's going on." His eyes scan the crew until they land on Caelan, and he waves him over. "Caelan, help (Name) free her friends and get her out of here." Dylan places a ring of keys in my hand with a smile. "Get out of here safely, blodyn." (4)

I nod to him in gratitude, and Caelan grabs my hand, leading me back into the ship. "Who else is here?"

"The entirety of your inner crew and Abel of the Renagado," he quickly replies. The boat shakes again, and we're thrown into the wall. "God, they never give us a damn break!" He helps me up, and we hear, what sounds to be, a plank drop, and dozens more footsteps creak the floorboards above us. The brunette pushes me deeper into the ship, whipping out his sword from it's sheath, "There are multiple dungeons in this ship, but I'm assuming that the Pirate King and your crew are somewhere down the hallway on the left. I'll stay here and stop them from pursuing you. There is a rowboat on the right side of the ship-- HURRY!"

I press my forehead against his back. "Thank you, Klaus." I run further into the ship, checking each and every door on my way down.

Just as I round the corner, I start hearing screams of agitation from behind one of the closed doors. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" I'd recognize that voice anywhere. I open the door to find Alfred, Matthew, Jack, and Abel all chained to the floor of the room. Their eyes light up, simultaneously as I come into their view. "(Name)!" Alfred cries. "What's going on up there?"

"The Tealin Navy," I respond, beginning to unlock their shackles. "Based on the amount of footsteps on the deck, I'm assuming they've boarded the ship by now."

"Why in the world would they start shooting at Mara Righrean?" Matthew mumbles, obviously confused. As soon as Alfred's chains are off, he immediately grabs some keys off my ring to unlock his brother's cuffs.

"Where is Toby?"

"I think he may be locked up with Cap'n," Jack responds.

Abel tilts his head to look up at me as I try to figure out which keys go to his cuffs. "Who let you out of your cell, (Name)?"

"One of the crew members set me free," I respond, wanting to keep my brother's identity a secret. As the last of the shackles hit the floor, I peek my head back out the door. I can hear Klaus engaging with, what sounds like, two or three enemies down the hall where I left him, so I look back at the men behind me. "As soon as we find Kirkland and Toby, we have to get to the escape boat on the left side of the ship and get out of here."

Jack's eyes light up with hope. "There's a boat?"

"Yes," I nod, checking the hallway once more before leaving the room. "Let's go." As quietly as possible, we check each and every room in that hallway, but to no avail; there is no sign of the Pirate King. "Where else could he possibly be?"

"Sometimes ships have an above deck dungeon," Abel speaks up.

Jack nods in agreement, "That is true."

We decide to make one last effort to find the Captain, and use a separate staircase to return to the deck. War has broken out on the surface, blood and body parts strewn about the floorboards. We do our best to stay out of sight by hiding behind cannons and barrels, but that cover won't last us long. All of a sudden, it seems like the fighting just stops. A woman with long brown hair and beautiful violet eyes crosses the plank from her's to Allistor's, the soldier's of the Tealin Navy all bowing their heads to her. "Who is that...?"

"The Admiral of the Tealin Navy," Abel responds, gravely.

Allistor sheathes his sword and stomps right up to her, screaming in her face, "Whit dae yi'll want?"

Although the redhead towers over her, she does not back down under his intimidating presence. "Allistor Kirkland," she crosses her arms, "You are under arrest by order of the Prince."

Additional men, more decorated than the ones currently on the ship, rush on-board and pull his arms behind his back. "O-Oi, whit's th' meaning o' this?!" His sword was confiscated as he was, quite literally, dragged off of the ship, kicking and screaming. "Lucille, ya bastard!"

The three remaining Kirkland brothers all press their backs together, attempting to protect each other as they're surrounded by the remaining men. The twins each pull out, quite fittingly, twin sabers, a type of backsword with a curved, one-sided blade, adorned with the head of a lion on each hilt. They begin cutting down enemies, one by one, seemingly doing most of the work as Dylan tightly clutches a medicinal bag to his chest. "Does Dylan not know how to fight?"

"Unlike Toby, Dylan actually received education and studied to be a Doctor," Jack crawls up next to me, his voice low. "Toby went through near identical training that Cap'n did aboard the Scourge of the Sea and excelled at it, but Dylan never had any formal training-- the only reason he's even aboard this ship is because he is fiercely loyal to Allistor. He thinks of himself as Allistor's logic."

I look around and see a fallen soldier's broadsword laying not too far from me. I take another glance at Lucille and the Kirkland brothers, making sure that they are preoccupied as I reach ever-so-slowly beyond our cover for a weapon. "What are you doing?" Alfred hisses.

"Do you have anything to protect us?" I shoot back, turning my attention back to the broadsword as my fingers inch closer.

"Traitors!" Seamus' voice is riddled with anger as his sword clashes against another. As soon as my finger tip brushes the hilt of the sword, the fighting stops. Thinking I had been spotted, I quickly grab the sword and pull it to me, taking a breath as I prepare to engage in battle.

"Where is she, Dylan?" I hear Lucille growl. I look through the cracks in the barrels to see her tightly grasping the Doctor's collar, pushing her gun against his neck. The twins are frozen in astonishment-- she must've weaseled her way through their defenses. "You are a smart man; answer while I'm asking nicely."

"I will never tell you!" He glares at her as his arms are pulled and tied behind his back. She punches him square in the jaw in response, and he falls to the ground.

I avert my gaze and look at the four men beside me, "We have to get out of here!" We begin our escape once again and as soon as we round the corner, we see two men carrying Kirkland out of the above deck dungeon Abel had mentioned. "Arthur Kirkland, Admiral Lucille," one of the men say as they drop him at her feet.

She walks over, leans down, and places her forefinger under Kirkland's chin, forcing his head upwards, exposing all of the cuts and bruises on his face. "Hello, Arthur."

"Lucille," he hisses.

She smirks at him as she stands-- she knows he is utterly helpless. "I believe you know what I am here for."

"He knew I was coming."

"Yet, your a prisoner on your own brother's ship," she crosses her arms, shaking her head in sarcastic disappointment.

"These are his pirates!" Kirkland screams at her. "Why the bloody hell would you attack your own vessel?!"

"Confidential information."

Kirkland pushes himself to his feet, attempting to bite at Lucille. "You bloody bastard! Allistor has followed your laws and has always served your beloved Prince faithfully!" Her men restrain him once again and he's forced back to the ground. He spits blood from his mouth and grits his teeth as he raises his eyes to meet her's. "You know, just as well as I do, that when the girl is delivered to him, he will cast you aside as if you never existed."

For the first time since she's boarded the ship, her face contorts in rage. She raises her foot and stomps down on the Captain's face, and I cover my mouth to stifle the gasp. "Take him to the torture chamber, and make sure you find the girl."

"(Name) come on!" I hadn't even realized I had stopped moving. Alfred grasps my wrist and begins pulling me along. He leads me towards the edge of the ship where the rest of our group had gathered. Among them, I see Toby. My chest fills with relief and run over to him, jumping into his arms.

"W-Where were you?" I cry, pressing my face into his chest.

His fingers tangle in my hair and he pulls me in tighter. "I was locked up in a cell next to Arthur's. Matthew just happened to check the dungeon on his way over. More importantly, did Allistor hurt you?"

I look up at him and shake my head, "No, I did not see him at all."

"What about the twins?" He questions, pushing me away by the shoulders so he can examine me.

"No, Dylan made sure I was well taken care of."

His face relaxes into a gentle smile, and Jack interjects, "I see the boat!" He points a little bit further down the ship, and we see the loading dock.

"Search the ship!" We hear Lucille order, and her men instantly begin spreading out.

"Hurry, guys!" I say, panicking as we pick up our pace.

Jack and Matthew reach the boat first and they start preparing to drop into the ocean. Toby has been picking up random supplies here and there on our way over, and Alfred, somehow, has ahold of three broadswords by the time they step foot in the boat. "THERE SHE IS!" I whip around to see a hoard of soldiers rushing toward us, and Abel, who was behind me, grabs my hand and starts running as fast as he can, dragging me behind him. The next few moments are a blur: I see Toby waving his arm, telling us to hurry, and it seems Jack and Matthew as struggling with a knot in the last rope. I feel Abel's grip on me tighten, and I look at him, seeing him clench his jaw.

What is he...?

He suddenly releases me and runs ahead as he pulls a small dagger from his belt, cutting the last rope, sending the boys and the boat crashing to the water. I scream as my body hits the gunwale of the ship, horrified that they might have been injured on the quick descent to the water.

"(NAME)!" I hear them screaming my name, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I lay my eyes on them.

"Paddle! Get out of here!" Abel yells as he's apprehended and forced to the ground. "We'll find you!

Translations:

1. Gaol- "love" in Scottish.
2. Enaid- "soul" in Welsh.
3. Kleine- "little one" in German.
4. Blodyn- "flower" in Welsh.