The Sole Prince

You don't speak much, do ya? [part 2]

The captain soon walks across the wooden planks as well, excited for the possibility of being alone. That's not to say he hates the hustle and bustle of his crew. It's not that. It's more that he needs time to rejuvenate. The raid had gone well—more than well, to be honest. The captain had been planning it for a while, ever since he heard about a new ship on the seas that seemed off. The captain is fine with newcomers to the ocean he likes to think he owns—hell, he was a newcomer once—but something about those pirates seemed untrustworthy, ingenuine. So, the captain decided he needed to squash it before they became an actual issue. But, judging by how easy they crumbled as soon as the captain and his crew attacked, maybe they would've never been a threat at all. Who knows? And hey, the captain now has an extra boatload of gold, food, linen, and even booze.

The captain yells the typical commands at the crew before opening his door and stepping inside. It's a hot day on the ocean, and the captain can't wait to get out of his heavy clothes. He slumps down onto his bed, a groan releasing from his body. He's not even that old; why does his body feel so worn down? He leans down to pull off his polished pair of black boots, throwing them off to the side, not caring about where they'll land. His hat ends up a foot or so away from his desk. He then pulls his arms out of his coat sleeves, managing to get the heavy jacket off quite effectively. The black coat gets laid out on the bed as the captain moves to unbutton his white shirt, proceeding to untuck it from his pants as well.

It's not long until he's in his underwear, forcing himself to get up from the bed to put his clothes away. And now, all he's excited for is sleep. It's been a long day, but what day at sea isn't a long? Especially for a captain. He makes his way back to his bed, sliding underneath the covers, ready to be whisked away into the throes of sleep.

Unfortunately, his mind has other plans. When does it not? As soon as his eyes are closed and his head is on his pillow, memories of the day flood his mind. Specifically, memories of that prisoner that's now aboard his ship. Why did he allow this? It goes against everything he stands for. Captain Morrow doesn't take prisoners; everyone knows that. But now, he has one. And he would love to be able to blame it on Eric, say that his right-hand man had convinced him to bring on a prisoner for the first time and that the captain was doing Eric a favor. Yet, the captain also knows that if he had put his foot down, Eric would understand, and the body of the prisoner would be laying lifeless on that ship or floating off into the bottom of the ocean.

So, no, the captain can't blame it on Eric. In fact, the captain can't blame it on anybody other than himself. He was going to say no, he truly was, but then he looked over at the man standing behind Eric, and all plans were tossed overboard.

Tussled brown hair and light brown eyes, maybe even hazel, that revealed a layer of intelligence hidden beneath. Tattered clothes that were slightly too big for him. The way he looked at the captain.

It's stupid, the captain knows it is, but like Eric said, he would feel bad about killing him. And the captain hates himself for it. He's supposed to be a ruthless leader, not somebody who's sympathetic. He's supposed to be fierce and to say no. But he said yes. Why the fuck did he say yes?

He can't change it now—well not without getting out of his bed, at least—and all the captain wants is to sleep and forget anything had happened at all. He tries to change the topic of his mind's wandering thoughts, forcing himself to think about future plans for the ship, but all thoughts lead back to the man on the boat and the tragedy written in his eyes.

The captain wonders how he's doing. Wonders if he's asleep by now in the crew bunks. Wonders what he's thinking. And, no matter what the captain wonders, it's all about him.

He lays in his bed, hoping that sleep will eventually find him, but like most nights, it skips over him. The captain groans, sitting up in his sheets, the blankets falling down to his waist, revealing his exposed upper body to the night air. A slight breeze makes its way through the slits in the wall that whispers to him, telling him like many nights before, that the captain should cut his losses and accept that sleep will never infect him.

The captain stays sitting underneath his covers for a few more moments, his eyes open and staring out into the dark shadows of the surrounding room. The only part truly illuminated is his desk to the right front of the bed, but he can see the outlines of other things as well. His expansive bookshelf to the left, his closet to the right. There's a chest of drawers with extra blankets and booze and paper and other random items to the left front, with the door to his room directly in front of him.

The captain sighs, falling back down onto his bed, now staring at the ceiling of his private room. He's worked hard for it. Twenty-eight and a pirate captain is a large feat. The captain had never expected he would be in this position, but then again, who expects to become a pirate in the first place. It's not something that somebody chooses. The life is thrust upon certain individuals. It's not a calling or passion. It's an act of desperation after too much lost hope.

That's not to say that the captain isn't content with where he is. He's found himself a stable life—well, as stable as a pirate's life can be. He has a fine crew, riches upon riches, connections that run throughout the oceans and seas. So, yes, he's content with all of that.

But, alas, there are other aspects where the captain does not feel as satisfied. For one, he would love some sleep. For two, he had never realized how true the statement it's lonely at the top was until he was living it. It's not like pirates are known for their epic romances, but many do have a connection with at least a fellow crew mate. In fact, it's the norm. Yet, for the captain, connections seem to be inexistent. He could makes excuses and blame it on his busy schedule, yet to be honest, the captain doesn't truly know why he can't find anyone. Mostly he just accepts it. So, many nights, the captain finds solace in his hand. And he's not happy about it or even content, but at least he's come to accept it. Yet, for some odd reason, he can't shrug away the fleeting thought that if there were possibly a warm body next to him there's a chance that he would be asleep right now instead of staring at the ceiling and wondering what he's doing with his life.

Even more, what he's going to do with his life. He worked hard, and he worked quick. And now, he's twenty-eight and a captain. Where does he go from here? A pirate's life starts anywhere, yet it always ends in the sea. That's how it works. And for some reason, the captain feels that this end may come at any moment. He's made it, but will the ocean be kind enough to keep him afloat?

The captain breathes deeply, turning over to lie on his left side, now staring at his bookshelf. Maybe he'll read tonight. Maybe that would be too much work.

It's at this moment he hears a sharp scream come from somewhere on the ship. The captain ignores it at first, thinking it's just one of the crew mates joking with another. That's until another scream runs through the ship, this one coming to a piercing stop.

/-/-|-\-\

Thanks so much for reading! Please vote and comment and share if you feel up to it, and, per usual, I have some questions for y'all! Answer with a comment if you feel up to it, or really comment about anything! I love to hear from y'all!

1) And now we get to know a little bit more about the captain. But that's not the important part—well, it is, but the more important part is that scream! What do y'all think is happening? Another pirate attack? James trying to fight his way out of the ship? Let me know!

2) And, as always, a random question: Do you wear glasses? Funny story for me but I actually just got glasses! Turns out that I'm supposed to actually see things that are far away from me and not just guess about what's in the distance. Who knew! 

Alright, that's it for this chapter. Thanks so much for reading, once again, and please vote if you can cause it helps me out a lot! Love y'all and see you soon!

\-\-|-/-/