Chapter Thirty One: Art (II)
"Stop squirming, sweet cheeks" his voice drifted from behind the canvass before he peeked out from behind it, his eyes lingering over me for a moment longer than normal before he could shake himself and force his brush against the canvass.
"Oh, but being naked is odd! I'm completely used to you being beside and with me!" I cried as I lounged on the bed, the only thing serving as any type of cover was a thin, black lace overthrow which was translucent, so my body could still be seen beneath it. He had me lay upon my side, the side of my face pressed into a pillow as one of my hands laid upon my side, exemplifying to him the curvature of certain parts of my body, whilst my other hand was buried beneath the same pillow my head laid upon. The black lace draped over my midsection and pelvis, whilst my legs, thighs, and chest were more than visible to him!
"How then, do you believe I felt when you painted me?" Asked he, peeking back at me once more, his eyes swimming over me once more before meeting my own gaze.
"At least I let you have a full length blanket"
My complaint fell upon deaf ears. "Show our ring more--turn--that's it, sweet cheeks! There, now it glitters as you do." He complimented, causing a wave of a blush to color my cheeks.
"How much longer do we have in the bluffs, my Captain?" Asked I, resting my head more into the pillow.
"A day or so, we've reached the end, and then we will be en route to Singapore, where you will be thoroughly introduced to the rest of the fleet" he replied, his focus stolen away to the picture he was creating with a brush and paint.
"The fleet?!" I cried, whatever was he wanting to introduce me to the fleet for? My only reply from him was a grunt, and for a long while, he was silent! He paused for a moment before backing away from the canvass and setting his brush down, taking a momentary break.
"Yes, sweet cheeks, it's mandatory for Captains to show off their brides to their fleet--god knows Edward's done it enough." He explained, mumbling the last bit. I laughed so hard I nearly fell out of position! Especially as the boat rolled! For, Blackbeard did have quite a lot of ex-wives; I wondered how many of Edward's weddings the Captain had been a part of.
"So" I began, catching the Captain's attention, I could only see his eyes peeking out from behind the canvass, which sat upon a light wooded easel. "Edward's nickname among the pirates and other folk is Blackbeard, but is real name is Edward."
"Yes"
"And your real name is--"
"Yes" the Captain said quickly, I knew he really hated his name, but, not that much!
"Then, what's your pirate nickname?" I asked, giving a sly smile and setting my teeth on my bottom lip, keeping my smile.
"As far as I know, sweet cheeks, it's The Captain." Replied he, cracking his knuckles before turning back to his painting and lifting up his brush, dipping it in water and wiping it off as the boat rolled gently, the water lapping on the side of the hull being used as white noise to fill the silences.
"You're just so infamous you get to use the title!" I giggled, my laughter caused a weary smile to weave along his lips and hike them up.
***My Captain had almost completely healed, he still had a cough and his wound ached when the weather turned for the worst, but besides that, he was normal!
Well, normal for his standards.
On land, he proposed, which had taken me completely by surprise, I nearly thought he was going to do the exact opposite and leave me there with a little house or something! Alas, he proposed and after giving my answer of 'hell yes!' he fainted. He stayed conscious just enough to slip the ring on my finger and listen to people's shouts of congratulations before fainting into my arms! For his sake as a rough and tumble pirate, I will spare the details, but, let's just say I ended up accidentally dropping him when he fell into a dead faint.
At that moment, however, we were en route to Singapore with a refreshed and rehydrated crew; the Captain warned them, several times, that if anyone touched me or harmed me in any way there would be severe consequences, not only from himself, but from me as well. He gave me a bit more freedom with the boat, since we had an all new crew, he allowed me to roam about it if I pleased, but my favorite spot on the entire boat, was beside him when he was at the wheel; or, I would climb up the mast (I was finally taught how!) and sit near the crow's nest, where I had the beautiful visual of the entire ocean and the thin layer of diamonds that laid above it.
That was also one of my favorite places to sit not only because of the breath-yanking view, but because of the wind! It would whip my hair behind me and cool my hot skin with kisses of air. I especially loved sitting up there in the afternoon to watch the sun sink below the horizon line, it felt like it was the closest place to the shooting colors which mixed together to create the perfect cocktail of picturesque natural beauty.
***"Are you done yet, my love?" Asked I, feeling my legs begin to stiffen; they would surely cramp when I stood.
"Nearly" he replied, taking a pause for a moment. "I'm finishing your hair and then it will be done and we can hang it next to yours." He added on, I smiled. He'd found my drawing book, torn out the pictures of him bathing, and hung them all around the room! Along with my painting of him with only his pelvis beneath the blanket. He'd also moved my things into his room whilst I wasn't around, making it very clear he wanted me to be around him as much as possible!
"Done!" He cried, leaning back and admiring his work, when he leaned back, there were several blotches of paint on his face and more than a few all over his hands and his sleeves! Giddy, I leapt up from my seat, wrapping the lace blanket around me and nearly hopped over to him; and when I saw the painting, why, it took my breath away! His artwork compared to mine, why, mine looked like something a two year old would draw and his was a work that Michelangelo would be green with envy because of!
"Oh, Captain!" I gasped, nearly becoming overwhelmed with emotion at how truly majestic it was. "Why...oh, it's the most...most magnificent piece of artwork my eyes have ever seen!" I cried, sitting down on his lap whilst he wore a goofy grin, obviously reveling in my reaction. "Why didn't you ever tell me you could paint like a master craftsman?" I bubbled over, hugging him tight and peppering kisses to his cheeks.
"I didn't know I could paint, doll. I just let my hand free and watched you and this is what happened. It's as much a mystery to me as it is you." He explained, smiling at the kisses. We stared at it in silence for a while longer, before he tapped my behind and he stood, making me stand as well; taking a nail up, he hammered it into the wall, and, using the lip of the canvass, he hung the painting to the left of our bed (my painting of him hung to the right of our bed--so it looked very symmetrical). As he finished hanging the drying painting, there came a soft knock at the door, causing me to scramble behind the dressing screen before he could answer the door.
At the door stood a gangly crew member, scrawny in the sense that caused me to think that he didn't eat much; his hair stuck to his face, he was covered in dirt, sea salt, grime and glittered with sweat, he almost appeared as if he were going to pass out! "What?" My Captain snarled, at times like these, he hated to be interrupted.
"S-S-Sorry S-Sir, but t-there's a 'ang 'a ETC boats out 'here conversin'. The first mate stopped us behin' a rock wall, so 'ey cain't see us." The crew member said in broken english; I threw on clothes, and hurried out, setting a hat on my head as the two of them walked out, rushing to the wheel. I, however, rushed to the mast and began scrambling upwards; we hadn't been in a fight in a while, and I knew my Captain yearned to be in one, however, he didn't want to risk me, so he held himself back, normally.
This was not one of those times.
It was two East India Trading Company boats, and they floated side by side, exchanging treasure, prisoners, crew members, and everything else! As I stood next to the crows nest, balancing on a wooden pole which ran horizontally (where the sails and things were tied, as well as much of the rigging) I felt The Black Pearl lurch to a start from behind the rocks, and with a big burst of wind, began sailing very quickly towards the two boats! My Captain was bloodthirsty, this I knew, and now, he would sate himself.
With canons firing long before we even approached the boats, we managed to put a huge hole within one of the boat's hulls, and crack the other ETC boat's mast in half, the free half slipping into the water; killing multiple people as well as dragging them into the watery depths with it. As we passed between the two boats, we set anchor and pirates flew everywhere! With ropes and planks they traveled to other boats, stealing the stolen treasure and moving it to our hold--and both ETC boats were completely helpless! It was one of the greatest things I'd ever seen!
Except, when I noticed that the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon prematurely as we skated away from the wreckage, no worse for wear. I blinked slowly and held my head towards the dusk, only to see a bright, quick flash of emerald green take over the sky.
And something rose from the water that would haunt me in my worst nightmares.