Saudade (Published under Indie Pop)

Chapter 23: The Adventures of the Brave Heart

"What are you thinking throwing yourself into the sea like that? Do you want to kill yourself? Do you want to die?"

He was almost screaming and the fire in his eyes was even more violent than the waves that almost crushed me to pieces. He was more dangerous than the storm and even colder than the wind. He was the world I wanted to escape but I chose to stay in because that was where I could be with him. And at that moment, I realized that I couldn't just leave him. If it was only pain he would bring then I'd be willing to feel it again and again. That was why I stayed – even though it was hurting me too much, I was willing to stay.

"She saved Roger!" Erasmus defended but the Skull glared at him like a destructive tornado that would ruin anything that's on his way.

"And where's the logic in sacrificing her life for a filthy cat? She should have let it fall and drown and keep herself dry!" He clutched my shoulders tighter this time.

But I didn't feel the pain at the moment. The only thing that came to me was anger – anger towards what he said. I looked at him in disbelief and said, "Since when did you start devaluing life?"

He seemed to be caught off-guard with my question for he wasn't able to answer right away. He returned my stare with the same intensity as mine. My question probably triggered something inside him for, after a few seconds of silently staring at each other, he silently let go of my shoulders and walked away. I was left trembling uncontrollably because of the extreme coldness and confrontation. I saw my wounds started to bleed again and everything that happened began to take a toll on me. I felt dizzy and weak, and before I knew it, I was already falling towards the floor. However, I didn't feel myself hitting the cold, wet floor and instead, I saw Owain caught me in his arms as I finally closed my eyes.

It felt like a deep and long sleep and I woke up still feeling dizzy but the smell of the hot cocoa urged me to open my eyes and rise on my bed. It all felt familiar – it was just that this time, there was no humming of an engine – only the laughter and cheers of the pirates that danced through the steady waves. I saw Erasmus sitting on my chair and the pot of hot cocoa and a new cup on my table. There was also a plate full of food and an apple on it. He seemed to already fix my room because the last time I remembered, it was ruined by Roger.

"Roger," I murmured when I remembered the poor cat. I wasn't able to know what happened to him.

"He's safe. He's with Alon. Roger was an old and a very sensitive pirate; he's usually stressed whenever there's a typhoon. He probably panicked because he felt caged inside your cabin and there was no way out for him to save himself," Erasmus said.

Somehow, I felt sad for Roger. We probably shared the same feeling at that time and I wasn't able to help him. I knew how it feels like to be alone and helpless so I told myself that if I would see Roger; I would give him a hug – even though he would bite or scratch me again. The only thing I could do for him was to understand him.

"You should eat. It was already late in the afternoon and you haven't eaten any food yet since last night. We've already passed the storm; we're going to another direction. You don't have to worry about it, Primrose."