🌹Emerald Rose🌹

Chapter Two

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"So. You're the kid who Kirkland spared." Allistor says gruffly, his steel green eyes quietly looking him over. He may share the same eye color with Arthur, but Allistor's seemed colder, rougher and experienced.
It was quite clear why Arthur had him as the first mate. He would be capable of scaring small children in their sleep. Not like Arthur probably already did that.

 

"Yeah. I guess you're Allistor then?" Alfred said nervously. Allistor was huge. He was about six feet exact. He was intimidating like this in front of Alfred. And he was hoping for a friendly welcome into the crew he knew nothing about except that they just slaughtered his previous ship.

"Aye. You don' have to call me 'sir' or nothin' like that. Jus' Allistor." The Scotsman said. He gave a knowing smirk and held out a large hand for Alfred to shake. "Ya old enough to drink?"

Alfred frowns as he shakes Allistor's hand. It's firm and strong and almost rattles his body in response. "Yeah. I'm nineteen. I don't drink much anyway. Always thought it tastes gross." To be fair, there wasn't much alcohol to go around back at home anyways. Just rum and cheap wine. Drinking was strictly prohibited amongst the navy, so he hadn't actually drunk anything like that since he turned eighteen.

"Hm. Will have ta get used to it then. Mind you, we usually only have rum but, most of us tend to enjoy drinking parties after raids." Allistor chuckled lightly. He gestured for Alfred to follow. "I wager yer' quite exhausted. I can take ya to where you'll be stayin'. It's better if I go over the rules in the mornin'. Yer' mind will be sharper."

"Thanks," Alfred said politely, not at all even sure if he should be so nice to a guy who could've very well killed so many people he used to know. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. He just had to hope tomorrow is a better day. He swore this whole experience was going to turn him insane.

Allistor pointed out important parts of the deck on his way over to the other side of the ship. The room under the Captain's cabin was used as efficient storage. It seemed the ship was big enough for that. Big enough to accompany at least fifty men and all of their needs.

 

As they walked, many of the men on board glanced or turned their heads to look at the two of them. Alfred could feel eyes on him, and it was more than uncomfortable. He swore one of them snickered, and a pair tending to the mast seemed to have started talking of him. Alfred felt the sweat on his brow return.

"Why is everyone looking at me like that?" Alfred said quietly. The answer he received was a rather entertained laugh from Allistor. His laugh was like thunder, and yet still not as scary as most things Alfred could think of.

"My, you're slow," Allistor said, clearly amused. "It's not just every day our cold and distant Cap'n spares some average Navy soldier. Some bloke steals or swipes lil' more than their average pay, and the Cap'n throws them into the sea. Not you though." Allistor claps a hand on Alfred's shoulder, his force unsettling the American a little.

"I can't be the only one, right?" Alfred asked warily.

"Course not. Can't actually remember a lot, but he does get 'merciful'." Allistor said in a mocking tone. They had reached the other end of the ship; the bow. Allistor pulled open a pair of worn-down looking doors. The dark wood seemed to have more evidence of the use and age and traces of exposure to the sea and weather than the Captain's cabin door. "Course, he doesn't really ever. I advise you to not cross the line any more than ya already have."