CIRCE
I had thought that I would be prepared for the moment that we touched down on the deck of the ship. Anthemin's weight rocked the vessel from side to side eliciting cries of action from the surrounding crew as everyone scrambled for balance. I took a moment for myself, my lips pressing chastely to Obsidian's bloodied cheek, before I levitated him off Anthemin and down to the wooden planks of the deck below.
It was like I had unveiled the existence of a deity. The shocked cries that escaped the surrounding mouths, the harmonised 'thud' as many knees hit the deck – they were all seeing what they had thought was gone forever. His long black hair, reaching the deck before his body did and pooling around to create a pillow on which his head then lay, the scar that cut through one of his golden eyes, both of which were currently closed, the face of the legendary Pirate King, a face which belonged to only one other.
Jacob and Samson were easily the fastest to surround their resurrected Captain. Samson dropped to his knees beside Obsidian's unconscious body, one shaking hand reaching out to touch his Captains shoulder. His fingers made contact with the other man's skin and I felt tears pool in the corners of my eyes as I watched him bring his other hand up to cover his face, his massive shoulders shaking.
Hobbson had joined the brothers and the grizzled face of my tutor was almost unreadable as he looked down at the person laid before him. These three men were among the few that had travelled with Obsidian for far longer than I had known him. They had been, and still were, the best of the best amongst his crew. They knew things about him, about his past, that I hadn't even dreamed of imagining. That realisation suddenly made me feel very small.
I looked away for a moment to find that Nathaniel had approached also, his face almost as blank as the old man's. The only difference was that he kept sneaking glances at me, his eyes full of concern. I was about to approach him when Samson spoke, his voice gritty.
"He's alive?" The hand that covered the big man's face moved, his fingers pinching together at the bridge of his nose before it fell away and he looked up to me. "What happened to him?"
"He was in better shape a couple of ours ago," My voice was surprisingly calm despite the emotional situation and I couldn't help the tinge of annoyance that entered my tone with my next words. "But he decided to challenge Zalas before coming here."
Hobbson let out a sort of strangled laugh. "Should we assume then that the Prince Zalas looks just as shitty?"
For a moment I couldn't speak and then unexpectedly I began to laugh. It was just a little chuckle to start with, but soon it exploded into full blown hilarity. I could see the shocked expressions on all of their faces and it only made me laugh harder. Wasn't it just so fucking ridiculous? That I had found him healthy, despite everything and yet here he was again on his death bed, practically dying in front of me for the second time? Wasn't it hilarious how he hadn't even waited to be alive to the world again, before he had rushed straight into another death match? And with the person who had helped kill him previously none the less! How fucking funny was that? And what had he fought for? Nothing else but his stupid, fucking, pride. It hadn't mattered to him that there were people mourning his loss. It hadn't mattered to him that there were people desperately wishing for his return. It hadn't mattered that if he had died, if he died now, then there would be nothing left of me.
Somewhere in amongst all of these internal thoughts my manic laughter had turned into hysterical, frenzied rage. I suddenly found myself on top of him, my fingers digging into his shoulders as I shook him vehemently, screaming unintelligible words into his unmoving face. My heartbeat was all I could hear in my ears as I felt hands on me, pulling me back, prying my fingers off him, restraining my arms, lifting me up until my legs kicked through the air.
"Shh, Princess, shhh."
A strong hand pushed my face into a familiar neck. Blonde hair tickled my cheek and we were moving, moving from the deck, moving away from him and the group of people still huddled around his body. I felt my body spasm uncontrollably and it was only by the wetness on my face that I realized I was crying, my mouth open in some kind of twisted howl that I still couldn't hear past the rushing of blood in my ears.
A door must have opened in front of us because it closed in front of me, cutting of the scene on the deck. I felt the hands grasp me tighter for a moment as another door opened and shut, leaving us in blackness. The body that was embracing mine sank down, taking me with it until a mattress was beneath both of us. Like I child I clutched him desperately, burying my face into his shirt as I cried. I felt his head rest on mine, felt the vibrations in his chest as he spoke soothing nonsense into my ears. I heard the waver in his voice and felt all of the relief that he felt at my return in the encirclement of his arms.
Suddenly I found myself fervently longing for the days when this complicated, dangerous world had existed in my mind as nothing but fantasy. I had been so carefree, all of my worries then seemed so trivial to me now. Had I really wished for more adventure? Had I really dreamed of escaping to the ocean? Had I really thought of a Pirate's life as thrilling and unrestricted?
I was so naive.
As though sensing my destructive thoughts, Nathaniel's fingers began to comb through my hair soothingly, his fingernails softly raking my scalp with each stroke.
"Sleep, we will deal with it together when you wake."
His words were so compelling that I felt my body relax unconsciously. His fingers continued their path through my hair and gradually the thudding in my ears subsided until it wasn't my own heart I was hearing but his. The reassuring beat thumped steadily beneath his solid chest. Solid, warm, safe and unchanging, that's what he was.
This one thought lingered in my mind until I fell asleep.
*
COBALT
It was just past midday when Hobbson appeared on the deck of my ship, sopping wet and as naked as the day he was born.
I had been relaxing on the deck with Lacy, the younger girl had challenged me to a game of cards and watching her lose was growing increasingly entertaining. Jack was watching us, his hearty guffaws only adding to her frustration.
I hadn't told anyone else about Obsidian, including Lacy. Only Jack and I knew and every now and then we would exchange glances. There had been a storm earlier that had delayed our re-stocking but it had subsided with surprising abruptness and I couldn't shake the irrational feeling that my Brother was somehow responsible.
I wasn't exactly sure what I was waiting for, but until I was told otherwise I planned to continue as planned. The sun was shining again; the excess water on the deck had dried up in the first hour since the storm had passed. Crew members bustled around us, continuing with the resupply, occasionally voicing their opinion on our game. Much to my annoyance most seemed to favour Lacy and she had no qualms about accepting the advice being whispered into her ears.
She was on the fast track to winning the current game when Hobbson had made his timely appearance.
"Good God man! Put some clothes on!" I yelled at him, dragging Lacy over to cover her eyes before she could turn around.
"Let me go! I was just about to win!"
Jack roared with laughter at the sight and disappeared into the Captains quarters, his laughter following him into the room and back out again, this time with a pair of pants clutched in his hands.
"You've lost some weight since I last saw you, you old Dog!" He bellowed before throwing the pants at Hobbson with slightly more force than necessary. "These should fit you fine."
Hobbson raised a hand to catch the bundle of cloth before it smacked him in the face. As his hand dropped a grin split his lips.
"And you've gotten fatter Jack. What on earth has Cherry been feeding ya?"
Jack laughed and rubbed his belly. "Only the finest foods for this old geezer, she spoils me rotten she does."
I rolled my eyes, my hand dropping from Lacy's face once Hobbson had pulled the pants on. "I forgot that you two know each other."
Jack grinned at me. "All old men know each other Boy, don't forget that."
I shook my head and chose to ignore him, bringing instead the topic of Hobbson's sudden appearance to question.
"Hobbs, why are you here? Did something happen on the other ship?"
Hobbson's troubled gaze turned to me and almost immediately I knew what he was going to say. He seemed to realise what I was expecting because he asked if I wanted to go inside to talk. I shook my head. Everyone would find out sooner or later and although it had been on my mind since I had first seen him, I still hadn't managed to piece together a single explanation in my head that I could tell to everyone. But Hobbson was standing here; having just faced the truth himself and the words were already falling from his lips. I would let him be the one to speak. The story that I could tell had too many holes in it, holes that I couldn't even fill myself.
I felt Lacy begin to tremble beside me as Hobbson's words sunk in and I pulled her into my side, my arm wrapping around her shoulders. I felt the movements of the crew around us slowly come to a halt as they first realised Hobbson's appearance, and then began to process what he was saying. And then there were the words that had been suggested by my Brother but unconfirmed in my mind, at least until now.
"Circe brought him back."
Hobbson continued to speak, but I didn't hear a single word from that point on. She was actually alive. They had found her. She was on the other ship, a mere few hours sailing away. She had been found.
Suddenly commands were being issued from my mouth. Everyone was to immediately increase their pace so that we could leave. All hands were needed to assist in the loading and restocking of the ship. No-one complained, nobody asked questions and the carefree, good natured air from before had been replaced with urgency. Mine and Lacy's card game lay scattered on the deck, forgotten in the mad rush.
Lacy was still at my side, her hand squeezing mine fiercely. Circe's return meant just as much to her as it did to me and for a moment I thought of Amaryllis. The mermaid had been gone long enough that she should have reached her home by now and I wondered what had awaited her upon her arrival. I wondered what she would be doing now if she was here, Circe had been a dear friend to her as well and I hoped that somehow, news of this, of Circe's return would reach her. I closed my eyes briefly, forcing the hand that had gripped my heart to unclench and fall away.
I looked down to Lacy and managed a smile. "Are you happy?"
The younger girl bit her lip, her anxiousness clear. "I'm scared, I don't understand how he could just be alive. And I hope they are both okay."
"I don't understand either Lace." I said the next words for both of our sakes. "But I'm sure they are both just fine."
*
We managed to wrap things up at the docks surprisingly quickly after that. Although halfway through the journey out to where the other ship had dropped anchor, I found myself wishing for the frantic atmosphere. There was nothing we could do but wait now and the ship seemed to be moving at an agonizingly slow pace. Lacy had disappeared from my side to Leonardo's once he had returned from completing his tasks and I was left to stand alone at the helm.
Well not completely alone, Hobbson was there, filling me in on what he knew which turned out wasn't much more than I did. Jack, who had decided to come along for the short trip, and myself, filled in Hobbson with what we knew and what we managed to deduce was that Circe and Obsidian had been together at one point but had split briefly to carry out their individual needs, her to go and see Nathaniel and Anthemin, and him to come and find me. Hobbson's explanation of Circe leaving abruptly fitted in almost exactly with Obsidian's sudden departure. Circe must have run into trouble with Zalas first and Obsidian had left to find her. No doubt soon after that the fight would have broken out.
I remembered how my Brother had looked into my eyes and told me that he would get revenge for both of us. They had been going to fight anyway; I had heard them decide on a time with my own ears. I could only imagine how much more explosive the fight would have been if Circe had been the cause of it.
I leaned on the wheel of the ship, my eyes hooded as I lost myself to my own thoughts and theories, the murmuring of Jack and Hobbson fading into the back ground. We would be there soon anyway and then I could get some real answers.
All I had to do was wait.
*
CIRCE
When I awoke it was a little lighter than before due to the appearance of a small candle that flickered in the corner of the room, illuminating the body that lay beside me. Nathaniel's face was peaceful in slumber, although a small crease remained between his brows. Reaching up with my thumb I gently smoothed the crease away.
He mumbled in his sleep and one of his blue eyes opened blearily. We looked at each other for a moment and one of his hands came up to rest upon the side of my face.
"How do you feel?" His voice was soothing and I closed my eyes.
"Exhausted,"
"You should go back to sleep."
I shook my head. "I need to get up. I need to see him." I said the words but I didn't move. My body felt like lead and my mind even more so. I just wanted to stay here a little longer. In my safe bubble with the only person who had stayed consistent throughout this entire journey.
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, his eyes more alert now. "Do you want me to come with you?"
I couldn't decide. "Mmm. Yes, I think so."
We rose as one; he produced a coat from somewhere and slung it around my shoulders. I sat on the edge of the bed for a moment and he sat behind me, his long legs dropping down on either side of mine, his chest pressing into my back. His arms encircled me and we sat motionless for a long moment as I absorbed his strength and the warmth from his body.
"Is it dark outside?"
He hummed softly in my ear. "Yes, it will be by now. You've been asleep for some time." He felt me tense and continued hastily. "You don't need to worry though; Samson and Jacob are with him. He's been doing fine."
I made to stand and he stood with me, holding me for a moment longer before his grip loosened and he clasped one of my hands instead, leading me towards the door.
"Come, I will take you to him."
*
As soon as I entered the room, the hushed murmuring stopped. Samson and Jacob sat beside each other at the large map table in the middle of the room and on the table lay Obsidian. Both of the men got to their feet as the door shut quietly behind us and for a moment I didn't know what to say.
And then Samson strode across the room towards me and pulled me into a crushing hug. My arms came up automatically to return the gesture and I felt like my heart would explode from gratefulness.
"Thank-you, for bringing him back," the large man's voice was gruff as he pulled away, looking down at me with a deep gratitude in his eyes.
I felt the wobble in my voice as I tried to reply without bursting into tears again. "I'm sorry that I brought him to you all in such a state," I furiously wiped away a lone tear of anger that had escaped, before it could leave a wet trail on my cheek. "He wouldn't let me use any magicks to heal him, he kept talking about honouring the promise of a one on one combat." I could feel my frustration growing but at that moment Jacob spoke up.
"The Captain entered in one on one combat with that Dragon Prince?" His voice displayed an incredulity that only seemed to increase with my confirmation.
I had opened my mouth to ask him more but Samson's deep baritone interrupted me before I could speak.
"Does Cobalt know the Captain is alive?"
I nodded hesitantly, bracing myself for the question that I knew would follow this one. "Obsidian and I split up earlier in the day. I came here and he went to find Cobalt."
"So you knew when you came here, that Obsidian was alive. And you didn't tell us." Samson couldn't hide the slight accusatory tone that crept into his voice and out of the corner of my eye I saw Jacob tense, although he didn't look at me directly. "How exactly is he alive? How long have you known?" I could hear all of the things he didn't say loaded into those questions, all of the hurt, the grief, the sadness, the pain that came with being excluded. I could hear it all and knew that if I was in the same position I would be feeling the same.
"I didn't tell you because he wanted to tell you himself. I still don't really understand how he is here although he has explained it," I said truthfully, "although any explanation I could give you would sound like lies unless it came from him directly." I trailed off for a moment, desperate for them to believe me, but unwilling to say anything more. "I didn't know that he was alive until recently and even then our meeting was only by chance. He had been looking for me it seemed, but I hadn't realised of course, how could I? I thought he was dead." I said blankly. "I didn't even entertain the idea that he could be alive." I met Samson's eyes earnestly. "Please, you must believe me. I never intended to keep him from any of you. "
Samson studied me for a moment before sighing and placing his hands on the table where Obsidian lay. "I believe you." He said seriously, and then: "When then! I guess we had better fix his sorry ass up so he can wake up and provide some answers!" He sent me a massive smile as he raised his fist and good naturedly wacked it down on Obsidian's chest with a little more force than necessary. I felt Nathaniel breath in sharply at the action and I squeaked in horror. Jacob winced in sympathy before chuckling tiredly.
Samson leaned over and yelled into Obsidian's ear. "Hear that Captain? Hobbson's already gone off to get your Brother but he'll be back soon! You have a hell of a lot of explaining to do when you wake up!"
The invalid on the table let out a groan in response but didn't open his eyes. I let out a quiet sigh of relief that he didn't seem to be anymore injured than he already was. At the same time the tense atmosphere that had been lingering in the room till that point dispersed, Samson's good-natured, if slightly forced actions pulling the last traces of anxiety from our faces.
Samson clapped a hand down on my shoulder. I'll fetch you to stuff to patch him up with. If he's refusing your help then we will just have to do this the old fashioned way. If he wakes up while we are working on him I'll give him a good clout on the head to send him back under."
My mouth twisted into a grimace as I tried to figure out whether or not he was joking.
"I've got it, Brother." Jacob spoke up suddenly, starting forward from his place at Obsidians side.
Nathaniel's hands disappeared from around my waist as Jacob vanished into the bathroom. "I need to go back out on deck. Are you going to be okay here without me?"
Tiredly, I nodded my head. "I'll be fine, I'm just feeling a little tired. I want to get this sorted first though."
His face was concerned as he studied me but I held his gaze and eventually he fell away. "Very well, you know where to find me Sissy. Don't hesitate to call."
I nodded and attempted a smile. "I understand." I reached up to place a kiss on his cheek, my appreciation for him profound. His blue eyes lingered on me for a moment longer before the door clicked shut behind him.
Jacob appeared back out of the bathroom and placed a tin box in front of me. He paused for a moment as though thinking about something and then suddenly he took one of my hands in his and bowed low over it.
"Jacob," I said, startled. "What are you doing?"
"I want to thank-you," His voice was hoarse with emotion and to my other side I could see Samson wiping his face again, "for bringing him back to us safely."
I felt my expression darken. "It isn't even me you should be thanking. I couldn't even stop him from fighting. I couldn't even bring him back half alive, no, I wasn't even the one who brought him back. He brought himself back, I don't know, I'm so confused." My head fell in anguish and despair.
Jacob rose until he was standing again, my hand still clasped between both of his. At the same time Samson had stood as well and his hand grasped my free one, silencing my rambling.
"The Captain has only ever entered into two one on one combat's in his life time." He said sombrely, his deep voice somehow conveying the gravity of his words. "The second was the one that you witnessed and the first was in combat against his Father."
I felt my breathing slow as my eyes grew wide at his words. I was looking down at the floor boards beneath my feet and they seemed to waver before my unblinking gaze. A glimpse into Obsidian's past? Yet even more truths I didn't/ couldn't have known.
"He would not have issued such a challenge unless it was to fight for something that meant a great deal to him. We don't know what happened on that mountain the day that he died, but we do know that that Prince was involved. I am sure, Circe, that the fight had little to do with you and more to do with balancing the scales, if you understand my meaning."
I raised my head to look at their sincere gazes. Both of them had been through so much with their Captain. If this was the verdict that they were giving me then who was I to question their answers? I, a person who knew nothing at all about the past of their Captain, a person who had just randomly appeared along the road and had somehow ended up demanding his love. How could I not deliver for them now?
"Alright," I said, determination set in my gaze, encouraged my Jacob and Samson's smiles. I reached into the medical kit, pulling out what I needed and laying it down before me, half joking with them as I said, "Hey, remember when I first came on the ship and you guys tortured me half to death with that shrunken head you had? Funny how far we've come since then, guess you guys were just teasing me after all huh?" I laughed, oblivious of the guilty looks they were exchanging behind my back as they joined in the laughter awkwardly. My fatigue had evaporated suddenly and I was ready to get to work.
"Let us know what you need okay?" Samson declared, moving to stand at my side while Jacob shifted to the opposite side of the table.
Obsidian lay between us, present and not forgotten during our conversations. My make shift bandages had held up well until now, but it was time to get serious. Trying to distance myself from how horrible and bloody he looked I assessed the situation. I knew that he would have been healing while I slept; his abnormally fast healing was due to the transformations he had undergone when he had been resurrected. That and the fact that he had specifically requested that I not help him, was the only reason that I had no qualms now about having left him alone for so long.
The wound in his side, the two puncture holes were definitely the most serious, those and the large flesh wound that gaped in his shoulder. These were the ones that would need stitching. His head wound was reasonably severe, but head wounds tended to bleed over exaggeratedly, so it did look worse than it was. His nose was definitely broken and although his shoulder had been dislocated at one point, he had reset it himself and with the natural healing abilities that he had received from his fusion with Zarska, I wasn't overly concerned about it.
All of this I said aloud so that both Samson and Jacob would know what I was doing, save for the part concerning the Dragon. Zarska's story was for Obsidian to tell and him alone.
"He is injured on his back as well, but it's a burn, not a cut, so I'll bandage that once we have taken care of his front. He also has heavy bruising on his legs and there might be a cracked bone, but there isn't really anything I can do about that other than set it."
Assessment complete, I threaded a needle as Samson and Jacob unwrapped the rag around his middle, manoeuvring him more easily than I could of with his unconscious weight. As I suspected, the wound had already begun to heal itself, but it would still need to be closed. Blood oozed from the holes as I got to work and Jacob was ready with a hot cloth and a bottle of alcohol to clean the spot where I was working.
Meanwhile, Samson set about fixing his nose and I tried not to let the crunching sounds bother me as I sewed. Obsidian gave a few grunts, but nothing to indicate that he had woken up. Samson chuckled to himself and I heard him pat the side of his Captains face.
"Still as handsome as ever,"
In front of me, Jacob couldn't help but grin and I soon found their mood to be contagious. If they weren't worried about his survival, (and they still thought he was human,) then there was no need for me to be. I felt more weight lift from my shoulders and when I breathed out now, the shudders had gone.
We worked over his body quickly and efficiently, the two large men proving to be rather capable at handling delicate tasks. With their help, the stitching and clearing of blood proceeded quickly and soon a clean, bandaged, Obsidian lay before us. I had decided to splint his most damaged leg also, although I doubted that it would matter once he woke up. Obsidian was not one to remain bedridden.
I instructed them to flip him onto his back so that I could sanitize and patch the burn there. It was an ugly mark that scarred just the one half of his back and I remembered that it was only the one wing that Zalas had succeeded in burning through. I bit my lip as I realised that this meant that wounds from his Dragon body translated to wounds on his actual body. I thought back to the leg wound that he had had when I had stumbled upon him on the beach, the only reason I had found cause to approach him in the first place instead of running in the opposite direction.
My eyes drifted down to said leg, the ugly scar from the gash still raised, the new skin tender and pink. It was obvious to me now that this was the wound he had received while fighting Unabonan in his dragon form. Scars from a Dragon were the only ones I was unable to get rid of completely after all. Feeling nostalgic I softly traced the scar that ran down his face, cutting through his eye. I could barely remember what his face looked like without it now; it felt like such a long time ago.
We turned him back onto his front and with the help of Samson and Jacob; I located some spare blankets and a pillow. The table was probably the best place to leave him for now, it was hard and flat and I didn't think he would be pleased to wake up and find himself in my brother's bed.
Promising to return with food, the other two men took their leave after receiving my thanks. All of a sudden I was left with an unresponsive Obsidian and an empty room, not quite sure what to do with myself.
My eyes couldn't help but wander around the room a little and I noticed how very Nathaniel it was. There were little touches of him here and there, and I realised with sadness that the fact that this room felt lived in meant that it had been his for a while – which in turn meant that I had missed out on my Brother becoming the Captain of his very own ship. I wondered how it had happened, I had noticed from the outside that the ship resembled those from the Water Kingdom and I speculated at the idea of my Mother – our Mother, giving Nathaniel a Water Kingdom ship.
I sighed sat down on one of the chairs around the table, folding my arms and resting my head down upon them, my face only a little way away from Obsidian's. Now that he was cleaned of all the blood and dirt, he did look a lot better and his thick black eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks as he breathed steadily, his mouth slightly ajar. Even with all of his bandages and bruises, he still looked so solid and strong. His arms lay at his sides and without thinking I reached forward to grab his hand, my fingers twining through his and squeezing gently.
I leaned forward and lightly pressed my nose against his cheek, nuzzling his skin tenderly and breathing him in. Giving into temptation I kissed his lips softly once, twice, three times and he mumbled something incoherent against my mouth.
Sitting back I brought my other hand forward to stroke back the dark black curls from his forehead. I longed to climb up onto the table and nestle in beside him, but I was painfully aware of his injuries and how much he healing he still had to do. Swallowing my selfish desire, I rested my chin on my arm again and contented myself with just looking at him, drinking in his features as he slept. I yawned, my eyes growing heavy and I blinked once more before drifting off to sleep, his hand clasped tightly in mine.
*
COBALT
We had finally spotted the ship in the distance and I paced anxiously on the deck, her proximity only adding to my anticipation. She was so close but I couldn't believe she was really here until I held in my arms.
As soon as we were close enough I scrambled up the rigging, grabbing onto a loose rope and wrapping it around my hands. Down on the deck they were scrambling to pull the ship alongside it's partner so that they could lower a bridge. I couldn't wait for that. I heard Hobbson call out to me but I was already swinging across, the wind whipping through my hair as the deck of the other ship approached rapidly.
I landed gracefully on the wooden boards, standing up and looking around fervently.
"Cobalt!" Nathaniel was hurrying towards me, his face betraying his exhaustion.
"Where is she," I asked urgently, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Take me to her."
"They are both in my quarters. Last we checked, Obsidian was still unconscious and Circe was sleeping. I assume that Hobbson filled you in?"
"I understand my Brother challenged that pathetic excuse for a Prince, if that's what you mean," I spat out. "I heard he'll be fine though. What about her?"
Nathaniel smiled. It was obvious that he was only tired from worrying over her, I could see underneath how happy he was to have her back. "She's fine," He stated, "try not to wake her, she's exhausted."
I nodded and unable to wait any longer, slid past him and opened the door as quietly as I could. I slipped inside the room, shutting out the deck and the noise of the arriving crew and when I turned around, there she was in front of me.
She was indeed sleeping, her head resting on her arms, her long blonde hair spilling around her body, frail shoulders rising and falling with each breath. She was definitely thinner than I remembered and even in sleep her small face seemed pinched and troubled.
I approached her and quietly knelt down in front of her, noticing that she had one of Obsidian's hands trapped under her arms, her fingers intertwined with his.
I chuckled ruefully. "Lucky bastard,"
She had obviously been attending to him, I could tell that much by the neat bandages that covered his body. I did wonder why she hadn't used magicks to heal him, but I supposed that could be a question for later.
I reached out and stroked her hair, unable to resist, part of me wanting to assure myself, like I had had to do for Obsidian, that she really was here and wasn't just an apparition. She shifted at my touch her face lifting slightly and one eye opened, blinking blearily.
"Hmm?"
I was still kneeling, which made my face about level with hers and I saw her moment of confusion as she assessed who I was.
"Cobalt?" Her voice was still thick with sleep and I hushed her gently.
"Shhh, it's me, go back to sleep sweetheart."
I looked around, noticing that the bed was empty. I stood up, bending down to scoop her up gently, her head resting against my shoulder. She made a small noise of protest as Obsidian's hand slipped from her grasp but I rocked her quietly, murmuring soothing noises in her ear as I stroked her hair.
"I'll watch him, don't worry."
I held her with one arm for a moment, pulling back the covers with the other as I lay her down and tucked her in. Her arms had become a little entangled with my neck and gently I unwound them, crooning to her softly.
"Cobalt, I'm so happy you're here," She murmured, her eyes drifting shut as sleep found her once again.
I leant down to stroke her hair, pressing my face to the side of hers for a moment as I inhaled the scent of her deeply. As she had always done she smelt like a fresh ocean wind, the smell of freedom and adventure. I traced the bags that rested under her eyes, my fingers sliding up those sharp cheekbones. He might have found her, but her internal wounds were far from healed.
"Me too Princess,"
I moved back, taking the seat that she had previously occupied. I leant back against the table, my elbows resting up on the table top.
"You're a sneaky bastard, you know that?"
I chuckled deeply at his words. "How long have you been pretending to be asleep for?"
Behind me Obsidian grunted with pain as he shifted his position. "Are you sure she's asleep?"
I swung my head back to look at him, give him another once over. "You look like shit. And yes, she's asleep."
"I woke up around the time they were putting in the last couple of stitches. It would have hurt her more if she knew I was awake while she had no choice but to cause me pain."
"Aren't you the thoughtful one," I scoffed quietly, earning myself a good whack to the head.
"Say's you who was oh so considerate, carrying her to bed."
I spun around in my chair, careful to keep my voice low, my tone light and teasing. "Jealous?" I grinned.
He pushed himself up onto his elbows with a quiet growl. "No."
"You sure?"
"Shut it."
I chuckled softly before looking at him head on, my face growing serious.
"You're a fucking idiot though, you know that right?"
He fell back, his golden eyes looking up to ceiling. Again there was that feeling that I had felt before, that he had changed somehow, that we were no longer identical.
"Be quiet. Don't talk about things you don't understand."
"Of course I don't understand, you haven't told me anything."
"I can't tell you-"
"Have you told her?" He stiffened and then relaxed, his face turning away. My eyes narrowed. "If you told her, you can tell me. I'm your Brother." There it was, the ultimatum that he had always used on me. I'm your Brother.
I could see the internal struggle he was going through but when he finally turned to face me the emotion I saw there was not the one I had been expecting.
Fear, he was afraid.
"You idiot," I said quietly, leaning forward until our foreheads touched. "Look at me. What do you see?"
His eyes widened for a moment as he recognized the words we used to say to each other when we were small. "Cobalt, I don't have time-"
I knocked my forehead against his, forcing him to look at me. "Idiot! Look at me, what do you see?!"
He sighed in resignation. "I see myself."
My eyes were fierce. "I know that something has changed Brother, I know that we are no longer identical, but still! When I look at you too, I still see myself. That's why, you can tell me anything. We always told each other everything. It's hard to keep secrets from yourself, remember?"
For a moment, right here I felt like we were children again. When things got too tough, when it seemed as though we would never be rid of our tyrannical Father, when it felt like no one was there to help us, Obsidian would sit me down and ask me this question.
"Look at me, what do you see?"
"I see myself."
"And I see myself when I look at you. We are two halves of one whole. Together, we can do anything. I will never leave you behind. We can keep secrets from others, but we can't keep secrets from Ourself."
Ourself. That's what we had been. One entity in two bodies. We had truly believed that to be fact, we had made a promise on it, a promise to Ourself.
"How many times have you broken that promise since then?" I questioned. "Don't leave me in the dark again Brother."
His eyes were closed, his lip curled in pain as I pulled away. He knew what I was referring to, that past would forever be burned into our hearts.
"Very well, I will tell you." His hand came up to cover his eyes, his voice dark. "But you had better prepare yourself."
*
It was many hours later when the words falling from his lips finally ceased their flow. By this time his explanation had gone on for so long that I had somehow wound up on the table beside him, our shoulders pressing into each other, both of our faces looking up at the ceiling while his words filled my ears.
I listened from start to finish without interrupting once, soaking in all of the answers to the questions that had been pounding the inside of my head raw for months. He had raised his hand in front of our faces at one point and I had watched with a steady gaze as his skin had given way to black scales, his fingernails elongating into talons. I had turned my head to look at him at the same time he had turned to face me and I saw with my own eyes how his features changed into that of a beast's, noting the golden irises as they expanded to cover his whole eye, taking on a yellow tinge, his pupils shrinking and elongating to form lizard like slits.
My heart had hurt then. Never before had we been so starkly different. Part of me longed to change with him, part of me felt as though I was changing as well while I watched him. I could feel the scales covering my skin, feel as my face shifted and changed, but when I raised my hand there was nothing there. When I touched my face I felt smooth skin, wet with the tears that I had unknowingly shed for him.
And now that the explanation was over and I felt that I understood everything, this time the silent tears that fell were a tribute to the pain that he had gone through without me. All of those months I had spent thinking that the other half of me was dead, all of the anguish that I had felt, it was nothing compared to what he had suffered through to secure my freedom.
We had looked at each other for the longest time after he finished and finally he spoke.
"So now you know." His tone suggested that he was waiting for me to say something, but I didn't know what there was to say. So instead I said:
"Do you want to go home?"
Something broke in his expression then. I couldn't tell exactly what it was but at that moment I felt protective of him. He had always been the big brother, the older one, the one that took the responsibility upon him-self. It wasn't so much that I had let him, but it was just that that was where our personalities differed. He was the defender, I was the defended.
I got up off the table without another word. Circe was still sleeping as I crept over to the door. I pulled it open a little and peeked outside. I could only imagine how eager the others would have been to come into this room and I knew that Nathaniel or someone else understanding of our situation must have stopped them. I half expected to see the deck still full of impatient bodies but when I looked outside there was no one in sight. The moon was high in the dark sky, night had long since fallen during Obsidian's lengthily explanation and I concluded that everyone must have moved to bed. The planks between our ships still stood and it would be a simple matter to cross back over to our vessel.
I retreated back into the room to see Obsidian sitting up on the table, his face contorted with pain. As soon as he saw me looking his expression smoothed over, but he couldn't fool me.
"The coast is clear," I said, pretending that I hadn't seen anything. "Everyone seems to be asleep. Are you sure you want to move now though?"
He groaned a little. "This table is growing harder by the second. The thought of my own bed being so close ..." He trailed off but I nodded, knowing where he was going.
"I'll carry you then."
Obsidian in one of his darker moods would have never agreed to be carried, and even now he grumbled a little, but somehow I managed to persuade him and I lifted him carefully onto my back, his arms slung around my neck. His breathing was rapid, punctuated by short gasps and I knew he was in pain.
We both looked over to where Circe slept at the same time and I cut off his train of thought before he could begin to speak. "I'll come back for her." He nodded in agreement. We had both just found her again, we weren't about to let her out of our sight.
I felt excitement rise within me as we both peered out the door carefully, looking left and right for movement. The childish feeling was back, the feeling that I got when it was just my Brother and I, alone together, united against everyone else. His breathing on my neck, his face beside mine, sharp eyes keeping watch – it was reminiscent of a time when we were younger, when keeping watch had meant the difference between life or death, when he had changed it into a game to keep my fears at bay.
We exited the Captain's quarter's, stealthily creeping across the deck, the moon our only witness. I hitched my Brother up a little higher on my back, his breath catching at the movement. His hands tightened a little around my neck as he looked behind us, up at the quarter deck to check there was no one there.
"Clear," He whispered.
I nodded, moving swiftly over to the planks that had been laid down to secure passage between the two ships. The sea rumbled below and the creak and the sway of the two vessels echoed gently throughout the night air. I ventured out onto the planks, finding my footing quickly as I picked up my pace and rushed across, landing on the opposite deck with sure footing.
We took a few moments to pause and calm our breathing, the small adrenaline rush that had come with the excitement of evasion causing both of our hearts to beat at a faster pace. After taking in our surroundings and realising that this deck too was deserted I hurried over to the familiar door, opening it quickly and slipping inside.
I completed the action so easily it was as though my body had forgotten all the times that I had stood in front of that same door, my hand shaking on the handle as I tried to bring myself to enter the room beyond. The untouched room did not go unnoticed by Obsidian and as I helped him to the ground he stood with my support and looked around.
He uttered a sound, I wasn't sure if it was a scoff or a laugh. "You really are pathetic aren't you? You always complained that my room was bigger than yours, I thought for sure after I named you Captain that you would take it over."
I found myself blushing furiously, much to my annoyance. He had me there. "I don't need to explain myself to you," I spat out as I dragged him to the bed, dumping him down on it.
He sat down with a groan, shuffling his battered body over until he reach the side of the bed by the wall. He lay back on his pillows and let out a quiet sigh of undisguised relief. I looked at him for a moment, unwilling to admit how pleased it made me to see him in his own bed, in his own room, where he belonged. Where he had always belonged.
"Give me a moment," I said swiftly. "I'll go and get Circe."
I repeated the journey stealthily back to the other ship to where I had left her slumbering peacefully. She didn't wake as I lifted her into my arms, her head tucked into my chest. I carried her carefully back to Obsidian's quarters, starting to feel a little suspicious about the lack of people present on the decks. The night was a warm one and normally the more cautious member s of our crew would sleep in hammocks out on the deck, just in case of a raid. Even when we were in a secure position such as this one they would still do it out of habit. I looked up towards the crow's nest as I slipped back through the door but I could not see any figures standing watch.
Closing the door behind me I turned to face the room, noting with an exasperated expression that Obsidian had fallen asleep in the short time that I was gone, his bandaged chest rising and falling steadily with each breath.
I padded over to the bed, bending down to place Circe's small form beside him. She looked so tiny in the big bed and at the loss of my warmth she curled up a little, her knees tucking up to her chest. I tugged the corner of the blanket up to cover her. Although the air was warm her frailty worried me. I looked down at them both, unwilling to leave them, even if it was to sleep. The fear that they would suddenly disappear still lingered and as much as I tried I couldn't seem to shake it.
I had all but resigned myself to a sleep on the armchair by the table and was just about to pull away when Obsidian's hand caught my sleeve. His golden eyes were hooded as he stared up at me and for a split second I was looking into the face of a child.
"Stay."
His statement gave me the permission I had been dying to hear but didn't want to ask for, for fear of being ridiculous in my uneasiness to leave them and he didn't need to persuade me further. I sank down onto the bed, shuffling Circe over a little more until she was comfortably sandwiched between the two of us, the top of her head tickling my chin. I felt my body relax into the mattress; my Brother's breathing fanning my face gently. I slung an arm over her body and found his arm on the other side, his heart beat pulsing through the skin of his wrist. Circe murmured in her sleep and shifted to snuggle deeper into the blankets, her comforting heat and my brother's heartbeat lulling me to edge of sleep.
I would deal with the morning later. Right now, the two most important people in the world to me were gathered in one place, right within an arm's reach of me. When sleep did come, it was the best sleep that I had had in months.
*
HOBBSON
Jack and I watched from our shadowed position on the quarter deck as Cobalt carried his brother first and then Circe into Obsidian's quarters.
"Those two," Jack chuckled gently. "They may have grown up some, but nothing has changed."
We waited sometime but Cobalt did not reappear. Jack accompanied me down the stairs to the main deck and with all the stealth of snooping parents we edged the door open, sneaking a look inside.
The three were cocooned together on the bed, Circe's smaller form a barely visible lump in-between the two larger bodies of her protectors. They all seemed to be asleep so we shut the door again, careful not to disturb them.
Back on the quarter deck I took a swig from the bottle of rum Jack had proffered.
"Well aren't they just adorable?" I murmured to myself more than anything.
Jack made a weird noise and I looked over to see the other man wipe something quickly from his face. I laughed raucously, slapping him on the back.
"You old softie you! Don't tell me you're crying?!"
"Oh shut your hole," Jack grumbled, a scowl settling upon his face. He snatched the bottle of rum from my grasp and chugged back half the bottle. "You were the one who cleared everyone from the deck so as the leave them undisturbed. You're just as soft as me."
I looked up at the stars then, leaning my arms back on the railing. It had been a long time since I had seen Jack but our memories from the time we both spent on the ship of Zeus Gold had not faded from either of our minds.
"I'm just glad to see them happy again." I murmured. "I was worried there for a moment Jack, you know?"
"I know." The other man was sincere. "Those young'uns still have a lot more living to do." He passed the bottle back to me and I took a thoughtful sip.
"As to what will happen now though," I mused aloud.
Jack grunted in agreement. "I guess we will just have to wait and see.
*
__________________________________________________________
Hey Team!
I hope you enjoyed this Chapter after waiting for ages again, I got halfway through it and then lost steam and played around with a few different perspectives for a while.
Hope you are all well as we move into the Christmas season!
Lots of Love,
Daisy xox