ᵗʰᵉ ᶜʰᵃⁱⁿˢ ᵒᶠ ˡᵃⁿᵈ
𝔖𝔬𝔫𝔤: 𝔗𝔥𝔢 ℭ𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔬𝔣 𝔓𝔦𝔯𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔰 - 𝔗𝔬𝔱𝔞𝔩 𝔚𝔞𝔯: 𝔚𝔞𝔯𝔥𝔞𝔪𝔪𝔢𝔯 2 𝔖𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔨
Warnings: Major character death, brief mentions of blood, execution
♥♠♣♦ —— ☠ —— ♥♠♣♦
The dungeon was frigid. Frost crept over the dark slabs of stone, killing the weeds that had once sprung up between the cracks, persistent flora that had brought a bright shine of colour to the otherwise dark cell. Now, save for the haunting blue glow that shone off of the frost, the cell was always bleak. Charcoal, gunmetal, and onyx were three colours that the prisoners became very used to seeing as they sat on their sleeping rolls, trying to ignore the bite of ice that nipped at their toes through their worn boots. Save for a small pile of mouldy hay in the corner of each cell, there was no source of warmth for those in the deepest parts of the cavern.
Jade sat quietly, his back pressed against the stone wall as he stared at the iron bars that separated him from the hall that would grant him his freedom. Given there was a dead end at one end of the hall, and a large iron door that would prevent him from leaving at the other end, it was still more freedom than what he had, sitting there in the cell, awaiting his approaching demise.
A rat skittered across the floor in front of him and Jade raised his eyes from his legs, watching as it paused in front of him. It seemed to contemplate him for a moment before skittering away, uninterested by the boy who had lost all sort of flesh and meat on his bone. Even a rat, that would eat anything if it was starving enough, didn't seem to think him even worth a hiss. Jade glared at the creature as it slipped easily through the bars, though he smirked when he saw it being snatched up by the prisoner next to him. With a cruel grin, decorated with a golden tooth that shone in the moonlight, the prisoner sneered at the squirming creature. Then, the man laughed, gripped the rat's head, and cracked its neck. The crack echoed around the dungeon and Jade scooted away as much as his chains would allow, though still watching as the prisoner consumed the meat.
"Disturbin' ain't it?"
Jade felt a sense of relief wash over him as he heard the voice of the prisoner on the other side of the bars. He turned, trying not to show his delight, and watched as the prisoner emerged from the shadows. Once, she had been adorned with clothes of elegance, albeit stolen, worn and frayed from the salty sea air and torn from battles. Now, she wore nothing more than her base clothing. A once off-white blouse, now stained with blood, rust, and age, torn at the shoulder, and a pair of tight-fitting black pants that offered no sense of warmth.
"Y/N," Jade whispered, pushing himself off the wall. He tried to reach her, but the irons around his feet prevented him from doing so. They clattered against the floor with a sickening thud, reminding both the former captain and former right hand that they had been the victims of a mutiny, leaving them stranded in the Kingdom of Heroes. A place known for being rather... unkind to pirates that washed up on its shores.
"Don't strain yourself, lad," Y/N sighed, pressing a hand against her forehead. For the past week it had been throbbing violently, so much so that when the guards made their rounds, casting eerie shadows about the dungeon with their torches, Y/N had taken to pulling down the scraps that remained of her bandana, not wanting her mind to scream at the sudden light.
She got to her feet, leaning against the wall as she did so, and walked to the bars that separated her from Jade. She pressed her forehead against the bars, finding relief in the cool kiss of the metal, and her eyes flickered shut as her headache faded. It wouldn't last for long, especially as her body started to heat the metal to match her temperature.
Jade too, rose to his feet, approaching the bars. He shuffled forward, his bare feet scraping along the ground. Just as he was nearing the bars, the chains around his feet locked in place, preventing him from walking any further. He cursed, glaring down at the metal, wishing that it would freeze and snap off. He would rather lose his feet than be prevented from reaching the bars.
"Jade."
The boy looked up, his heart breaking when he saw the state of his captain. An eye, black and blue from the force of the punch that had knocked her back. Her lip, formerly perfect save for a single scar on her under lip from where she had been nicked as a child, was now cut and broken from the stale air and the beatings dealt out by the guards. Eyes that had one shone in the moonlight, dancing with the freedom of the sea, now hollow and dead, as if her soul was barely clinging to her, ready to let her go at any moment.
Y/N reached out through the bars, and Jade leaned towards her touch. The tips of her fingers met his cheek and he let out a shaky breath. The touch was like a blazing hearth in a cabin, lost to the rest of the world in a blizzard. Like a steaming beverage after running in the rain. It was everything he loved, and yet there was a hatred in his heart for her touch. It wasn't enough. He felt like a starving man, desperate for food and drink. He hated how her touch made him long for her embrace, long for her lips on his, and long to see her sailing away on the horizon, outlined by the hues of violet and rose.
"Jade?"
Jade broke from his thoughts, wondering what his captain had said. Or asked.
"You aren't too hurt, are ya?"
Jade glanced down at his body. No longer adorned with the rugged pirate clothing that he had grown to love. They had been replaced by what felt like a burlap sack, and his feet had been torn from his boots, which lay tauntingly just out of reach. Both his and Y/N's possessions were hanging on the wall opposite them. Beyond being stripped of his possessions, he had been left unharmed, for the most part. There was a single wound on his shoulder, caked with dried blood. The sting that had kept him tossing and turning now burned with a gentle throb. Nothing to worry about.
"I'm all right," he said. He lifted his chained wrists and gently cupped Y/N's hand, rubbing his thumb over her palm. He both hated and loved how addicted he was to her touch. He loved how gently she touched him as if he would break at any second, but he hated how he wanted more. He wanted to be lost in her. Perhaps spending time in the dungeon, starved of her touch, was starting to drive him mad.
"How's your cut?"
Jade glanced at the wound and shifted his shoulder to try and drop the shoulder of his garment. "It's fine." He turned to Y/N. "What about you?"
She chuckled. "I'm the captain, Jade. I've suffered worse than this." She gestured to her eye offhandedly. As if to prove a point, she pulled up the edge of her shirt to reveal a nasty scar that rose out of the hem of her trousers and continued to stretch up towards her chest. Jade had seen it before, but now... seeing it in the gloom of the dungeon, knowing that they might hang from the gallows at any second, the off-colour skin seemed to shine with the gloom of death.
Suddenly the grinding creak of the dungeon's door opening echoed through the room. Jade froze, his grip on Y/N's hand growing tighter. It was the one time he felt fear. The one time that he feared the phantom of death as it glided through the door in the form of two guards.
Y/N squared her shoulders, pulling her hand away from Jade and letting it rest on the bars that separated them. She had no fear of showing her love for her fellow prisoner, but these lowly cowards who hid behind the bars, making threats when they knew they couldn't be hurt, were not worthy of seeing the gentle side of the captain. They would be faced with only the ruthless ruler of the sea that yearned for their blood to spill.
"Time to go," one sneered, pulling out a ring of keys. He dangled it in front of the captain tauntingly.
"You know," Y/N scoffed, waiting for them to open up the bars, "you all pretend that you're high and mighty, seated in comfort and wealth in the shade of your king," she spat the word like a curse, "but you shall regret the day you made an enemy of me."
"Oh really," one of the guards asked. The lock clicked and he shouldered his friend into the cell, silently telling the man to unlock Y/N's shackles. "And just what will happen?"
Y/N smirked. As the guard approached her, kneeling to get at the chain's anchor on the ground, she swung her leg up, throwing the chain over the guard and wrapping the chain around his body. He fell to the ground and Y/N lunged forward, taking the chains between her hands and throwing them around his neck. She pulled them tight and chuckled as she felt the man start to squirm, his legs kicking as he tried to free himself.
"This." She pulled the chains, and the man suddenly went limp, his body falling to the ground as Y/N released him, her eyes remaining on the man still standing at the entrance to her cell.
She reached out and swiped the keys, which had fallen along with the guard, and twisted them into her lock. Once she was free, she stalked towards the guard, her eyes wild with the fire of the sea. Before the man could react, she twisted the key in her hand and drove it into the side of his head. Though it didn't penetrate his flesh, due to the steel helmet, it was enough force to send him into the bars, knocking him unconscious.
Y/N rushed over to Jade's cell and opened it, running in and throwing her arms around Jade. Neither cared how the other smelled or felt from not bathing in days. Each was only focused on how their hearts seemed to jump at finally being together again. Frenzied kisses that trailed the length of the face and neck, erratic movements of the hands that touched everything they could, and sounds and words that they had longed to hear from each other, spoken in hushed whispers for no one but them.
"Y/N," Jade whispered, his forehead resting on Y/N's shoulder, his hands gripping her waist. He wanted to embrace her, throw his arms around her and hold her tight, never letting her leave his hold. Y/N made quick work of the chains and as they dropped to the ground, Jade scooped Y/N into his arms and swung her around, his face still pressed into the crook of her neck.
But their happiness was not to last. As soon as Y/N was back on her feet, smiling up at the love of her life, the door burst open and a legion of guards swarmed in, all armed to the teeth with spears and swords. They poured into the cell, wasting no time in grabbing Y/N and Jade, wrenching them apart from each other and binding them with rope. Y/N gritted her teeth, trying to pull her hands away from the guards.
"Take them up."
* * *
The crowd was wild with shouts, all calling for the pirates to hang from the gallows. These were calls that Y/N was used to, but now, knowing that Jade would suffer with her, she felt the guilt overwhelming her.
"I'm sorry, Jade," she said as they were led through the crowd. A rock hit her in the head and she stumbled backwards, glaring at the woman who had thrown it once she was able to steady her vision.
Y/N turned back to look at Jade, a tear pooling in her eye. It seemed to glimmer in the rising sun, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. She turned away from Jade and approached the noose, staring at the rope that would end her life.
"No," Jade exclaimed, fighting the two guards holding him as he watched Y/N accept her fate. "No! Y/N!" He wrenched on his bound arms, trying to pull them from the guards. "Fight!"
Y/N ignored Jade, refusing to look at him, for she knew that if she did, he would break her. He would break her into a thousand pieces, none of which would ever reach the light of the sun again. He wouldn't be there to pick up the pieces...
The governor rose to his feet, holding a scroll in his hands. He waited for the shouting crowd to quiet before unrolling the parchment, clearing his throat, and reading aloud. "Y/N! You are hereby charged with piracy, murder, kidnapping, robbery, thievery -"
"Just say that I've committed piracy," Y/N shouted. "The others are a given." She smirked at the governor's appalled face.
He rolled up the scroll and tucked it under his arm, motioning for the executioner to place the noose around Y/N's neck. She stood still, waiting for the man. He moved slowly, as if trying to drag out the execution, and gently placed the rope around Y/N's neck, the coarse material of the rope scraping against her skin.
"Y/N! You are hereby sentenced to death by hanging. Either by your neck breaking upon falling or by hanging until suffocation."
"That's Captain Y/N to you," Y/N said, a grim smile on her face. She glanced over at the executioner and squared her shoulders, standing tall and proud. If she was going to go out, she wasn't going to go down with her head towards the ground. She was proud of her accomplishments, no matter how the rest of the world chose to see them. She wouldn't have changed anything for the world.
"Executioner," the governor called, raising his hand.
"No! Y/N," Jade yelled, his voice drowned out by the voices of the crowd as they screamed for Y/N's death. He elbowed one of the guards in the gut, trying to fight them off, but was quickly forced to his knees. One grabbed the back of his head and forced his gaze to his captain, the love of his life, as she stood on the trap door, the rope tight around her neck.
She glanced over her shoulder and winked at Jade. "I'll see you on the other side, love. Where we can sail beyond the horizons." She turned away from him and took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come. With luck, her neck would snap and she wouldn't be left to suffocate.
The executioner grabbed the lever. Y/N's heartbeat thundered in her ears, like the waves of her home. She could hear Jade screaming for her to fight. And with the thudding clank of simple mechanics, the floor beneath her gave way.
"NO!"