Request from @yasmin_xiumin_yeol
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
On most days, you harnessed the ferocity of the winds to propel your fleet across the endless stretch of ocean. On most days, they would heed wordlessly to your every beck and call, obedient and submissive to their Captain's orders. On most days, you wouldn't have to beg them to silence their gales, as if taming a wild beast as you were today.
Now, the winds wail and screech against the very sails they once pleaded alliance with, tossing seawater on deck that threw your crew members who were steel-hearted enough to tough out the storm thus far overboard. Even with the infamous reputation of pirate you so ruthlessly cultivated, you had never felt more betrayed.
Every time you tried to spew out commands, you were interrupted by a mouth full of saltwater that left you choking and sputtering. Your signature tricorne had been swallowed, claimed by the sea long since then.
Your crew shouldn't see you like this. If they couldn't rely on their captain during such a crisis then who could they trust? Who could they rely on after having abandoned the prospect of land, and both the sea and the sky turned their backs on them?
You tightened your grip on the helm, infuriated by the dilemma and your acute incompetency to act swiftly. Why haven't you the faintest clue which direction you were heading and which leads to safety? How could you fail to read the signs preceding the onslaught of the storm, when you'd braved so many before?
Comfort had made you careless. Blasted seas. You should've known better than to give in to the lull of dormant waves, to the clarity of blue skies. You were all too familiar with the way the sea plays tricks on its sailors.
You couldn't even finish that thought until you spotted, in the corner of your eye, the heads of at least 3 crew members disappearing under a surging wave. Immediately, you were sent dashing across the deck, almost slipping and falling overboard multiple times.
Desperate not to lose any more of your founded family to this relentless tempest, you grabbed the forearm of the closest crew member who was already holding on to the other two. You yanked them backwards until all the bodies were safely onboard then cried, "Go! Get below deck with the others!" and shoved them below deck.
But before you could take another step following suit, the ship lurched sideways, knocking you to your knees.
Before today, you had every force of nature yielding to you with no more than a flick of the wrist. Now, you were grovelling for mercy, your status as captain no longer prevalent under the empty eyes of fate. The Gods were punishing you for letting greed run rampant with your pirating, and now, they were going to take away what you had struggled so long to attain for so long.
Beneath your feet, you could feel the bow of the ship creaking, groaning with every blow it was dealt by the ravaging waves. Now, it was going to fall apart right under your hands, taking your crew with it. Now, you were going to be left with nothing.
Nothing but salt and betrayal.
O, brave soul, caught in a storm
Come slumber in my arms,
Here you may lay in warmth
The notes, the voice were almost enough to convince you you had ascended to the land of the after, had it not been for the patterning of raindrops against your skin.
So tired, so lonely your journey has been
Come venture into the depths,
Where you may rest within
Enchanting. There wasn't any less of a word to describe the sensation coursing through your body, now immune to the brisk cold of the storm.
No, none of that mattered, because suddenly you were able to stand with your feet firmly planted on the deck, unmoved by the ragged gales. You were walking, one steady step in front of the other all the way until your ribs collided against the railings.
How calm in a storm is the eye
Its safety none dare deny
Sleep, cast all worries aside
The voice. So enchanting, warm. Its resonance reminded you of the comforts of home, memories of which you had long discarded since boarding the your first ship. How was it possible to find something so familiar in such uncharted lands?
You swung your head frantically left and right in search of the voice. You had never thought to look into the raging waves until a faint glow emerged from below.
Surrender your anguish, your pain, your tears
Let the water relinquish your deepest fears
The storm clouds parted just enough for you to discern the shape of a human head, soon followed by his upper body. His hair reached just above his shoulders, bleached white, as if pools of moonlight dripped from his head. The radiance emitting from his skin gave the surrounding waters a haunting glow.
You lost all strength in your legs when your eyes met his. His eyes, so devoid of any human emotion yet glinted green with gluttony. Beside him, you also caught the unmistakable flash of something glimmering in the water. Scales.
O, brave soul left astray,
No longer must you hide away
No, this creature wasn't human. But his presence thrummed with a vivacity that seemed to promise better than what was human. When he reached out his hand, your entire being was engulfed with the need to grab it and make haste into the land of song.
'If you take my hand, I can promise you a life free from distress,' he cooed, voice woven with silk. 'I can grant you the wishes you so dearly conceal in the crevices of your heart.'
The image of your crew flashed in your mind. But instead of envisioning the regular looting and raiding or the occasional drinks in taverns, what came to mind was the dream you would never in your waking days admit to them: a vision of security.
Of a time when you didn't need to run to the corners of the world just to sleep in peace, without bearing the guilt of innumerable dead bodies on your conscience.
Of a life that was comfortable and secure, eased from thieving and plundering. That was the life you wanted to grant your crew who strayed so far away from what they once called home. That was the life you could never give them with you as their captain.
'I can sense your guilt, fair maiden. I can feel your desires,' the creature continued. 'If you take my hand, all of what you dream can come true.'
Oh, his smile. It made you feel as if all the answers in the world could be found in the curve between his dimples. Slowly, you began leaning over the railing, hand outstretched towards him.
Surrender yourself, o lost soul
Never need you be brave again
The creature grinned, the mask of consolation now supplanted by one laced with malice. You were too entranced to notice, half of your body already hanging off the ship. A hair's width of space was all that hanged between your hands. You need only to shift your weight forward for it to all be over.
But before that could happen, the creature swam back a few paces with newfound hesitation. His gaze shifted from his dropped hand to your confused stare. It was almost unnoticeable, the trace of remorse that flashed in his eyes, accompanied remarkably by what appeared to be grief and shame all entwined in one.
You called out into the night, but your words fell on deaf ears as the creature of the sea retreated into his forsaken realm. You knew he was finally gone when the last notes of his song left your body. Sense returned for you to go below deck and reunite with your crew.
{...}
The siren's tail dragged slower than usual along the current behind him. His heart was a pulsating mess as he lifted his hands to his chest to slow its rhythm. Wait, he shouldn't be feeling his heart.
This was all wrong.
It was wrong from the beginning when he spotted your lone figure on the ship cowering from the storm. It was wrong when the first note of his song left his lips and reached your ears. It was wrong when you reached out his hand to his and were about to give up your life for an elusive fantasy.
But most of all, it was wrong that he stopped you from doing so.
Never before had he encountered a pirate so self-sacrificing as to trade her life in exchange for her crewmates. It almost reminded him of the fragments of being human.
Never before had he been the one to be enchanted.