Saudade (Published under Indie Pop)

Chapter 29: Far from the Land of Fairy Tale

The captain silently chuckled and said, "Always the smart one, the Skull. Is that how you defeated all your enemies?"

The Skull didn't answer. It was probably his best move because this wasn't his battleground. I knew that the captain wanted to belittle him and make the Obsidian look small in front of me.

"No one's going to argue about the power of the Pirate City because obviously, you have it and you're very proud of it," I said which made Captain Rowaen smirk on my direction. "However, my eyes will see what needs to be seen and I think we're seeing things differently," I continued.

The smirk on Captain Rowaen's face faded and was replaced by confusion. I could also feel the stare of the Skull at the back of my head. They seemed to be surprised at my guts to counter Captain Rowaen.

"And what are the things you see, my lovely Primrose?" He asked, challenging my ideas.

"I can see that we are in a grand vessel surrounded by hundreds of pirate ships," I answered.

"Obviously," the captain commented, chuckling.

"And we are in a bigger target; we can't hide or run away because we are in the middle of it. They look up at us thinking of the ways to bring us down. The Pirate City brags about being invincible and powerful while it is actually the walls that are making it safe and impregnable. And these walls are pirate ships that had been indebted to the Pirate City and these people are pirates – and what do you think pirates do? You can see this as a castle or a fortress while I see it as floating giant whale amidst hundreds of sharks. They are just waiting for the right time to devour their trapped meal."

It was followed by silence for a moment. No one dared to speak and I was starting to be conscious of what I just said. I turned and faced them, my cheeks flushing red. I saw Captain Rowaen looking surprised at me and then met the Skull's cold grey eyes; he still managed to look straight-faced.

"Are you telling me that these tiny, little pirate ships under my power are going to attack me?" The captain asked, amused.

"I'm saying that you are all pirates. I'm just stating what my eyes could see," I answered.

The captain became silent and pondered on what I just said. We remained on where we stood, waiting for him to manage his thoughts. It seemed that it wasn't every day that someone goes against his way. I tried stealing a glance towards the Skull but instead, I caught him staring intently on me. I could feel my cheeks becoming hotter and hotter and I knew that the sun had nothing to do with it.

After a few minutes of thinking, Captain Rowaen suddenly turned at us and walked to my side. He grabbed my hand and looked at the Skull, "I like her. She's who I want and you're going to give her to me, right?" He said with excitement in his eyes.

At that moment, his touch became burning steel that was ripping my skin apart. I instinctively pushed him away and got my hand back. I didn't want him touching me. I didn't want him getting near me.