The Hunter and the Pirate (Pirate!England x Reader)

Reunions

I would like to be the first to apologize for the ridiculously long hiatus I went on. Busy doesn't even begin to describe my life for the past year or so (mainly because I haven't been really busy so it literally does not even begin to describe my life). I still do have a passion for this story, and I do still feel immensely proud of it, but I just haven't really felt the urge to write until now. The good news? I think this story may have a few more good chapters in it before I can wrap it up in a nice, neat bow. The bad news? It's a real tossup whether or not I'm going to get it done. So much has happened to me! I got accepted to my top college, I got a boyfriend, I have a great school schedule, but that's all another story for another day.

Sorry if this chapter seems rushed, but I didn't really want to write the gushy stuff. I'm ready to move on past the awkwardness between MC and Arthur :p

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"Here's to the return of our ill-ust-ri-ous Captain!" Alfred cheers, one drink away from being black-out drunk. Gilbert laughs and raises his own glass, fully alert despite having had the same amount of alcohol as Alfred.

"Here's to being able to go back home without being murdered by the Captain's father!" Gilbert shoots back with a crooked grin aimed at you. You try to smile back, but the full drink in your hand betrays your troubled thoughts.

How long had Arthur been sitting in a cell? One week? Two? Likely three. All you know is that some filing error (what else can you expect from the bureaucracy?) was delaying you and your reclaimed crew from actually taking Arthur back to the Capital. Arthur's notoriety demanded nothing less than the highest level of criminal justice.

Three weeks and Arthur's face of betrayal still haunts you.

"-tain! Captain! How can you be drunk already? You had one drink!"

You're shaken from your daze by Alfred's excited bouncing. You start when you realize someone else had joined you, Alfred, and Gilbert. An official looking messenger is standing in front of you, looking at you expectedly.

"Miss [l/n]?" he asks with the air of someone who is consistently ignored.

"Message?" you ask.

He says nothing and hands you a white envelope with the royal seal on it. You don't even have to open it to know what it is.

"Summons," Gilbert says, voicing your thoughts. "From the King of England himself."

"Arthur's gonna swing!" Alfred yells boisterously. Gilbert's head snaps around to stare at Alfred incredulously.

"Alfred, I think you've had one too many drinks," he says. You're rather shocked as well. Alfred was a tactless drunk, as you liked to put it, which meant that he was truthful to a fault. From what you gathered, Arthur and Alfred were blood brothers. You're stunned that Alfred held enough bitterness towards Arthur to want to see him dead. What had happened between the two?

"Let's get out of here," you snap, wrenching the drink out of Alfred's hands and slamming it down on the table. "First mates do not say things like that, drunk or not."

"Yes, Cap! Sorry, Cap!" Alfred replies, complete with a sloppy salute. You sigh and turn to leave the bar, grabbing your blue coat as you go.

You don't understand the haze hovering over you. Wasn't this what you wanted? Your crew, your rank, your freedom? It had only been a matter of months since The Black Heron sank. Your head and heart start pounding as you realize what the summons mean for Arthur. It's basically a death warrant for him. Not such a huge fan of England, he had said.