A Pirate's Heart

Chapter 4: Foe, Friend or Sweetheart?

Ansem sat inside the glass prison, his tail slightly bent for the lack of room. Four suns had passed and he had yet to be released. Desperation settled inside him as well as humiliation. If he hadn't been for his planned voyage for a mate in the faraway mer-kingdom in the north he wouldn't be trapped with his captor. Boredom was also another problem, he had memorized the captain's cabin. The desk was in front of him and to the side was a door that Andrea usually disappeared to when the sky turned dark, he imagined that's where she slept.

"I bought your dinner," a soft voice said. A young youth entered the cabin, his blonde hair glinting in the setting sun that filtered through the windows. The boy wore no shirt, showing his golden skin that had spent long hours bathing beneath the sun.

"I am not hungry," Ansem muttered, turning his head to face the wall with his stomach rumbling. He had barely taken a bite when he left his kingdom.

"Please sir. Andrea says if you don't eat she'll whip me at the stocks," he whimpered, the dishes on the tray rattling in his trembling hands.

Ansem glanced at the youth, "What are you called boy?"

"Sparrow," he mumbled inching forward and handing the food into Ansem's outstretched hands, a smile gracing the boys elf like features.

"Sparrow," he mused, "Isn't that a bird?"

Sparrow's cheeks flushed red, "Yes. The crew gave me that name because of my singing voice."

Ansem tore a piece of salted meat and slipped it into his mouth, wincing at the taste, "I wish to make a request."

Sparrow nodded eagerly, "Anything mister except releasing you!"

The merman dipped his fingers inside the clear fresh water, "Sing for me." Ansem took a sip of the water, his eyes landing on the blushing boy.

Sparrow's lips parted open the first verses of a song, his haunting voice sending a chill down his spine and towards his fins.

If I could save time in a bottle,
The first thing that I'd like to do,
Is to save everyday till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you...

Ansem watched in awe as the boy continued to sing the enchanting song with such passion he didn't notice that the ship had stopped. If anything he couldn't help but notice that his voice reminded him of a certain mermaid who had disappeared long ago.

Impossible, he thought before slipping back to a dreamlike state where the song continued to woo him.

If I had a box just for wishes,
And dreams that have never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory of how I had spent them with you.

It was too soon that he was yanked away from the the peacefulness that had settled inside him. He noticed that the young lad had stopped singing and sounds of applause filling the ship.

Sparrow's cheeks turned bright red, "That's all mister."

Ansem grinned, "You indeed deserve the name. Perhaps one day we could perform a duet."

Sparrow's eyes lit up, "Truly?"

Ansem chuckled, "Yes," he spoke raising the empty tray and placing it into the boys hands, "Now go, prove to your captain that I have taken my meal."

"Aye sir!" the boy exclaimed and took off, shutting the door behind him.

Ansem sighed softly to himself, Sparrow was a charming lad with an extraordinary gift.

"What did you think of Sparrow?" Andrea spoke as she strolled into the cabin.

Ansem watched her, the curve of pale cheek barely visible, "His voice is extraordinary. What is his story?"

The hourglass curves of the human woman attracted his line of sight as it disappeared behind a desk, exposing only her from her chest and above.
"Sparrow is an orphan, his father died before he was born and his mother died when he turned seven. He's a good lad with the dream of becoming a notorious pirate."

Ansem let out a low laugh, "How ironic."

Andrea laughed as well, a soft bell like sound that caused his heart to flutter. But what shocked him the most was the tingling sensation that spread throughout his tail.

It can't be, he thought, his fingers going over the glowing scales of his tail. No, no, no. Not now. A long line appeared between his legs and human skin began to appear, erasing the scales of his tail.

"Ansem?" a soft voice said.

The merman cursed under his breath, he only had a few moments left before the savage beast inside him stakes his claim.

When a mer finds a mate they will have the sudden urge to perform a ritual, a sacred bond between mates. Should one resist, a darker side would emerge.

The words of his father telling him the signs of his mate went to the back of his mind as he rose from the glass prison on his two legs.

The song that Sparrow sang is called "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce.