Saudade (Published under Indie Pop)

Chapter 57: The First Rule

"Jonah of the Obsidian," she acknowledged.

"Primrose Crimson," I corrected.

She dismissed the name I had just given as she finally noticed Cecilia. "The lady must be dressing you excellently." She scanned my appearance disapprovingly. "I doubt you can use those fancy dresses in war."

Cecilia was about to retort but was stopped when Owain's body landed painfully on our direction. He spat blood before standing up again as if it didn't cause him any pain. Captain Rowaen sprung towards us but stopped when he saw me standing with the crowd.

"You're the most beautiful distraction. But I must ask you to stay away –" The captain wasn't able to complete his statement for Owain took advantage of it and attacked him. He was then straddling the captain and punched his face several times.

"You shouldn't be here!" Owain shouted at me when the captain was finally incapacitated and lying on the grass. The crowd cheered for Owain and some of them helped Captain Rowaen on his feet. I guessed that was how they concluded the match.

I grinned teasingly as I walked closer to them. They were both drinking water as if the scuffle didn't mean anything. The captain beamed at me showing his bloody teeth while Owain kept the frown on his face.

"Well, I can't miss the show particularly when I have the front seat ticket," I answered, amused.

Owain just gave me one of his usual, deadly glares and if I was an ordinary person who just met him, I would have been cowering in the corner because of fear. But I've learned a lot about him that I was able to see beyond his rude disposition. Captain Rowaen frowned at us as if he had been missing something in our interaction.

"So is it his plan for you to come here and distract me to get his victory against a great captain? I mean, I love seeing your face, my angel, but damn it, that was atrociously unfair!" the captain complained.

I chuckled at his assumption. "So I guess the captain of the Pirate City does not easily accept defeat."

His playful mood faltered and that was when I realized my insensitivity. But still, he answered, "I've conquered a lot of battles and the Pirate City was the greatest defeat I ever had."

"I'm sorry," I said apologetically.

He dismissed it with a smile, as if he didn't want to stay in the darker part of our conversation. He was probably avoiding it many times now, but I knew that soon, he would need to confront the pain of losing the Pirate City.

"Captain Rowaen, I think I need to have a conversation with you about what happened –"

Owain stopped me from saying more by gently nudging my arm. "Don't bother. If you're going to push about that thing, he might end up challenging you in a duel, too. And he will probably lose again against you."

"I will never challenge a lady into a fight, you moron!" Captain Rowaen glared at Owain before glancing back at me. He looked at me intently, like inspecting a strange object before deciding what to do with it. "Although, I might have to ask about the conversation you want to have with me. How badly you want me to be with you?" he asked teasingly.

"Well, I really want to talk to you," I answered.

His smile widened as if I had just fallen into one of his traps. "And what if I want to talk with you on my bed?" he challenged.

Owain's reaction was like a lightning as he leapt from where he was sitting and about to lunge towards the captain. I immediately grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He stared down at me like I had just lost my mind for stopping him.