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jolly sailor bold
chapter three , where worlds collide

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        THE SKY WAS BLEEDING a rich red of sunset when the bandits ambled back to where Vengeance was docked in a harbour on the south-side of Narrowhaven, where most did not dare to venture especially when the sun had set.

Their knifes were still tightly grasped in their hands, once the bandits had navigated the narrow passageways and alleys on the way to the boat — if anyone had dared ambushed them, they would be met with a very sharp blade, after all Zardeenah didn't spend her sweet time sharpening them for nothing.

        "A new ship came into dock while you were out." Aravis told Mira as they climbed aboard, and her son wrapped his arms around his mother's middle.

        "Was it a big one?" Corin asked, looking up at his mother with wide eyes as she brushed the hair out of his face.

       "Biggest one I've ever seen." She chuckled, sparing a glance at the blonde standing not too far from them.

        "Wish I could have seen it." Corin mumbled with a light sigh, earning a light chuckle to escape Mira's lips as she surveyed the mother and son — despite the boy's exposure to the world's most horrific sights, his fascination with boats had never wavered.

        "It's still there." His mother told him with a small smirk, and ruffling his hair before pointing in the far distance. "Go on, have a look."

         Corin had to stand upon one of the crates at the edge of the deck in order to see over the side and get a better look at the ship in the distance. Mira didn't pay it much notice but instead found her gaze travelling around her own ship and the individuals upon, noting how she could not see one in particular.

        "Aravis?" She asked, calling the woman's name, her eyes narrowed in light confusion. "Where's Shasta?"

       Aravis' eyebrows only furrowed at the golden-eyes girl's question as she pulled her gaze away from her and began to scan the deck too.

        "I assumed he'd be with you." She replied, in a tone that did nothing to aid Mira's confusion.

        With neither of them knowing anything between them, Mira let out a gentle breath before turning her attention to the one person who would know the answer to her query.

        "Corin?" She called to the young boy, her arms crossing over her front as she caught his attention. "What have you done with Shas?"

        "Oh, he was arrested."

         "What?"

         "In the market." Corin explained, his tone just as nonchalant as it had been upon his first statement, as he descended from the crate and approached the captain. "But look what I've got!"

       After rifling in his pocket for a minute, the boy revealed a large array of gold pieces that he had no doubt manage to snatch from vendors during his and Shasta's expedition in the market that day.

        "Ah well." Tirian's rough voice entered the discussion as he took the gold pieces from the boy's hand with a light smirk on his lips. "I knew we'd have to shake him one way or another. Where to next, Mira?"

        Mira only pressed her lips together at his statement before hardening her gaze as he met it.

       "We get Shasta." She told him firmly, eyeing the gold in his palm which he begrudgingly handed over — there had been one too many a time, the crook had thought it wise to use their stealings in futile gambles. "Leave no man behind, Tirian. Didn't they teach you that in the navy?"

        Tirian merely let out a bark of derisive laughter at her statement before shooting her a glare — she knew it was a topic he detested.

        "I might remind you that I was given the boot from the navy."

       "For smuggling:" Zardeenah clarified from where she had appeared at his side, a grimace settled upon her features.

       "For bending their values ever so slightly." Tirian retorted, a smirk crawling onto his lips, sparing the dark-haired a wicked wink that only made her jaw clench.

         "Yes, the upkeep of your moral values is impeccable, Tirian." Mira cut through their bickering before it even began, her golden eyes suddenly bright flames as they burned into Tirian's. "We don't leave without, Shasta."

       This time, Tirian's attitude had changed instead jesting over the potential of leaving Shasta behind, he let out a light sigh, his tone more rational and his eyes bearing the slightest glint of concern.

       "They saw us in the tavern, Mira."

        "They saw you?" Aravis chimed in, her eyes widening at Tirian's statement.

        "One of them recognised her." Zardeenah muttered, sparing Mira a nod, who remained silent as she listened to their exchange.

        "Which means they'll be after us by morning." Tirian reminded the blonde with an arched brow at which she only scoffed.

        "They have no right to arrest us, they're as much criminals as we are." She replied, before letting out a slow breath. "They just want ... sacrifices, and we can outfight them with no problem. Stop your fretting."

        Her words seemed to instil a little more surety into her crew mates, who stopped bombarded her with concern at they took in her words.

        "Do you think Shasta will go to the mist?"

        Corin's cheeky grin had vanished from his face and was replaced with a forlorn expression as he looked up the LeFay girl, who gently placed a hand upon his shoulder.

        "No. He won't." She audited him, giving his shoulder a light squeeze. "We won't let that happen."

        "Shame really."

        "Tirian."

        There was some truth in what Mira had assured the young boy. It was unlikely Shasta would go to the mist — the sacrifices tended to be those the slave traders could not sell, or just those of the population who would prove no use to them. With Shasta being the strong young man he was, Mira had no doubt he would find a place amongst them doing the heavy-lifting or grunt work.

        However, the reality was that Shasta was slippery. While Mira thought dearly of him, she knew his allegiance could be bought — at the end of the day, he would save himself at their expense through no fault of his own. And Mira was not going to allow that.

        "So we'll be out of here by morning." She assured Tirian, bringing her mind back to the present, before quickly adding. "With Shasta."

        A tired groan left the crook's lips at the notion, before he narrowed his eyes once more.

         "And how exactly do you plan to achieve that?"

        Mira merely spared him a chuckle, his gaze panning around to the large galleon that sat on the horizon, the same ship Corin had been staring at with such awe; the ship that wore a Narnian flag.

        "Say, Corin?" The privateer caught the young boy attention and quickly hastened him back up onto the crate so he could see. "How would you feel about getting a bigger ship?"

       A bright grin broke out across the boy's face at the notion as he raised his arm to point out the galleon in the distance.

        "As big as that one?"

        Mira smirked, casting a glance back at her fellow bandits who seemed to immediately read her mind as they approached the side of the ship, their eyes on the prize.

       "As big as that one." She assured the small boy, pursing her lips as he slowly understood and gave her a cheeky grin.

        Oh, how worlds were about to collide.

***

CRASH! SHASTA WINCED once more as the rattling clang of the cell gate echoed around the dank cell in which he laid. He let out an annoyed huff catching the attention of the man who was responsible for such a noise.

Caspian turned sparing the man an expectant look, as he leant leisurely against one of the walls of the cell, his legs outstretching before him and looking all too comfortable.

"Don't suppose you'll offer to help me?" The King called over to him, his voice laced with slight annoyance.

"And exert energy, worthlessly?" Shasta all but scoffed as he leant further back against the wall, pursing his lips in faux thought as though actually considering the man's offer. "Not my style."

With an exasperated sigh, Caspian shook his head and clenched his jaw before turning back to the cell gate with a resolute look in his eyes.

Another horrendous clanging noise filled the cell causing Shasta to let out an audible groan of frustration, clamping his hands over his ears.

"Oh, give it up!" The thief advised the man at the gate, gritting his teeth together. "If I'm to be imprisoned then I want to at least have some peace and quiet!"

But Shasta's request went unheard as that same clanging sound drowned out his voice as — despite the thief's request — the man at the gate kept kicking at it.

Shasta let out another groan, squaring his jaw. If only his sword hadn't been confiscated upon his arrest, by this point in their interaction the thief would have already cut off his legs to prevent him from kicking anything.

He was relieved when the man took momentary respite upon realising that his companion — that Shasta observed had arrived with him — had awoken, stirring upon the ground.

"You alright?" Caspian asked, ignoring Shasta's stubborn gaze as he moved his attention to Edmund who was slowly sitting up on the floor.

"Yeah." The just king groaned as he lightly massaged the back of his neck which ached from a night's sleep upon the cell floor.

Edmund slowly got to his feet, noticing Shasta outstretching along the opposite wall who was staring daggers at Caspian's back as the King proceeded to kick at the gate.

Shasta gazed around the cell he was in. Surely, he could be craft and fashion some sort of weapon that would render this imbecile incapable of kicking. The thief — albeit still annoyed — began to find humour in the sight, the man's desperation was amusing and clearly blinding him to a solution. Anyone of any sound mind would know that, to get out of jail cell, a lock would need to be picked. It was unlikely that brute force against steel bars would see them free from the confines.

However, just as Shasta began to get used to the crashing, thrashing and frustrated grunts of the relentless man, a new voice spoke out into their midst.

"It's hopeless." The voice said, it was the voice of a man — old, by the sound of frailty in his tone. "You'll never get out."

Caspian stopped his incessant kicking and shot a look at Edmund and then Shasta, who wore smug look as the voice reiterated his very point. Squaring his jaw, the king looked away from him and turned in the direction from which the voice came from.

"Who's there?" Edmund called into the shadows at the far end of the cell.

"Nobody." The voice called back in response, almost derisively. "Just a voice in my head."

Shasta quirked an eyebrow at the scene unfolding before him and cleared his throat, before raising to his feet — he could find the energy to spectate and be entertained.

"So you listen to the mysterious voice in the shadows but not me?" He asked, his eyes fixed on Caspian who shot him a glare as he hesitantly neared the shadows.

From afar, it could be seen a figure was emerging in their direction too and when the light hit his face, Shasta felt a twinge of sympathy tug at his heartstring — however, he quickly shrugged it off.

His voice had given away that he was an old man but time in a jail cell had clearly worn him down. A long grey beard donned his face, and his eyes were wide and bloodshot as though sleep was a stranger to him. Yet, Caspian found recognition in his worn features.

"Lord Bern."

"Perhaps once." The man responded, his gaze falling to the floor, shamefully. "I'm no longer deserving of that title."

"Is he one of the seven?" Edmund asked in a low voice, casting a glance at Caspian who gave him a small nod of confirmation while Shasta looked on with complete bewilderment.

"I take it I'm missing something here?" The thief asked turning to Edmund with a quirked brow, trying to understanding just what was happening before.

Edmund shot the stranger a sympathetic smile and confirmed his query with a nod, before their attention back to the old man next to whom Caspian was now crouched.

"Your face." Lord Bern stuttered out, his eyes narrowing in confusion as he surveyed the King. "You remind me of a king I once loved well."

"That man was my father." Caspian told him, not expecting the deeply apologetic reaction it stirred in the old man before him who hastily moved so he could kneel.

"Oh my Lord, please forgive me."

"Please, please." Caspian dismissed Lord Bern's attempt at formality and instead helped him to his feet.

Shasta continued surveying the scene with the limited knowledge he had, trying to make sense of it. If the annoying gate kicker's father was a King, did that mean he was? He didn't look like much of a king, Shasta thought kings to be old and rich — this man looked too young and dressed hardly any differently to Shasta himself.

"Helaine!"

A panicked cry from beyond the cell broke the inmates from the individuals from their thoughts.

Edmund quirked an eyebrow in concern before hoisting himself up to the nearest barred windows so he could peer through and identify the noise. Caspian soon followed, standing beside him and peering through the bars. Lord Bern and Shasta didn't move an inch and shared a brief look of understanding; they knew precisely what was occurring outside those walls.

Caspian furrowed his brows and he tried to focus his gaze down on the street below them, and focus in the sound that had carried all the way to their cell.

He and Edmund watched helplessly as a cart full of people raced down the street as it was pursued by a man and little girl desperately calling out a woman's name. Within minutes, that woman and her companions in the cart had reached the nearby dock and were being ushered into a boat and pushed out away from land.

"Where are they taking them?" Caspian asked, sparing a glance back at the two other inmates that had elected not to observe the events.

"Keep watching." Shasta told him with a knowing sigh, crossing his arms across his front.

Caspian's eyebrows furrowed briefly at the man's tone. He had known him all of half an hour yet the way he spoken caught him off guard, it was defeated almost as though even he couldn't make light of it.

        The King tore his gaze from the other inmate and looked back out of the small window, where he saw the events that neither man had longed to describe to him.

        An acid green mist was conjured from below the surface of the water and moved with rapid speed towards the small boat containing the sacrifices, it seemed to have a life of its own; a hunger of its own. Caspian remained incredulously as it started attacking the boat, shaking it from side to side before eventually engulfing it whole and obscuring it in its foul green embrace.

       Then slowly it retreated, disappearing into thin air just as it had appeared, leaving no sign that the boat of sacrifices had ever glided out of the dock.

       "What happened?" Caspian mustered, his eyes wide with concern, turning to the Shasta as he and Edmund descended from the window.

        "It's a sacrifice." Shasta responded, his voice so heavy that he had to clear his throat.

       "Where did they go?"

        "No one knows." Shasta answered another query, his eyes not meeting theirs as he let out a gentle sigh — the mist was something they'd all grown accustomed to and discuss it any more than necessary hurt like a deep wound.

        "The mist was first seen in the east. Reports of fishermen and sailor disappearing out at sea." Lord Bern explained, taking the weight of the conversation off Shasta's shoulders and grasping Caspian and Edmund attention. "We, Lords, made a pact to find the source of the mist and destroy it. They set sail but none came back."

       The Lord's gaze hit the floor once more as Shasta regained his composure and allowed himself to step forward back into the conversation.

        "You see if they don't sell you to the slave traders, you're likely to be fed to the mist." He told them, sincerely, studying their reactions — the gate-kicker clenched his jaw while the other man let out a worried breath as he turned to his companion.

       "We have to find Lucy." Edmund told Caspian, the desperation in his voice rife as the King nodded in agreement. "Before it's too late."

       Shasta's sincerity was short-lived as he continued to survey the scene. If there had been anything he'd learnt while with the bandits, it was being opportunistic. The thief didn't lend much thought to who this Lucy was, but the tone of the younger man told him that in order to rescue her, they would need to break out.

        Shasta had a group of bandits to get back too, and was very sure that this King of sorts would gladly honour him for any assistance his gave — he seemed the honourable sort. And the thought of having a King in his debt ...

        "Don't suppose you'll need an extra sword?" The thief grinned, looking over at the two men who shot him grateful expressions.

        Oh, how worlds were about to collide.

𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖆 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖘!
bless caspian's soul,
boy has no clue just
what he's getting
himself into.

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