It was a miracle that I didn't trip down the spiral stairs as I ran out of Ojigwa's tree hut. I still wasn't the most confident on my feet, but I did manage to make it to the ground without taking a spill. Leaves and small ferns were crushed beneath my feet as I came to a stop. I had no idea which direction Arthur went, and there weren't any clear paths to indicate which way the beach was.
"A-Arthur," I called out quietly. There was no response, but I didn't expect there to be.
Waiting around wasn't an option, so I picked a direction at random and began to walk. The jungle around me didn't seem to thin or thicken as I went on my way. I tried not to let the silence faze me, but the only sound was my feet stepping through the brush, and that was starting to become unnerving. Everything looked so similar that I was starting to wonder if I was just going in a circle. That's when an object in my peripheral vision caught my attention.
Something bright and yellow was twitching behind a tree not too far from me, and I took a few tentative steps closer. The thing didn't seem to notice my presence at all, so I slowly continued to approach it. I stepped around the tree and saw something unexpected. It was a plant. Sure, the whole jungle was full of plants, but I had never seen a moving plant before. Sometimes plants sway in the ocean as if they have a mind of their own, but I knew it was actually the sea currents
This plant, on the other hand, seemed to be moving on its own. It was a short tree about the same height as me with wiggling yellow blossoms. The branches would curl and uncurl like the tree was beckoning me while the flowers danced happily. I was completely entranced. There almost seemed to be a hum coming from the plant as it enticed me forward, and I complied. My hand seemed to move on its own as it reached out for a flower. The yellow blossom started to wiggle a little more excitedly than the others. It stretched its petals out toward me to embrace my fingertips, and I smiled blissfully.
Just then, something grabbed my wrist and snapped me out of whatever trance I was in. "I told you not to touch anything."
I gasped and took a step back. Arthur stood next to the tree with a blank expression on his face. His grip on my wrist didn't loosen as I tried to pull away.
"Yeah well, why should I listen to you?" I tugged at my wrist again.
"Because I know your name, (y/n)."
His words made me quit struggling, and my eyes widened in surprise. "What?"
An amused smirk pulled up the corner of Arthur's lips. "Don't act so surprised, love. You can't fool the great pirate captain Arthur Kirkland. I know all about your powers with names."
"H-how?"
He let go of me and shrugged. "I started to piece it together when we rescued you from that ugly frog Francis. You seemed to do whatever I told you to as long as I said your name. Granted, it was just conjecture then. I didn't know for sure until Ojigwa mentioned something about it."
"So you knew she was telling the truth," I said.
"She usually is." He folded his arms like this was just a pleasant talk between friends.
"But you still won't help me." I clenched my fists in frustration. "You know she was telling the truth, and you still won't help me."
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I kept you from being killed by this tree. I'd call that helping."
"The tree?" My anger was pushed aside by curiosity.
"Yes, this tree, which you so willingly blundered into, is one of the most deadly things in this jungle." He unsheathed his curved blade and deftly cut a single blossom from the tree. The whole plant writhed and shrieked as if in pain. "The flowers excrete some kind of numbing agent. If you had touched it, you wouldn't have been able to feel any part of you faster than it takes you to suck in a breath." He bent over to pick up the flower, and then slid his cutlass back in its scabbard. "The branches would have strangled you while you were paralyzed, and your dead body would have dropped to the ground to nourish the roots of the tree."
"What a pleasant thought."
He chuckled softly and smirked. "The only reason that old bat lets these grow here are because the flowers make for an excellent painkiller. Obviously, they don't do anything to you once they've been cut." He approached me with the yellow blossom and tucked it behind my ear. A soft smile replaced his cocky smirk. "There. A pretty flower for a pretty lady."
I didn't know whether to be flattered or upset. A blush rose to my cheeks as I stepped away from the pirate. "Stop playing games with me! I don't have time for someone who won't help me."
"Who said I wouldn't help you?"
"You did! In the tree hut."
"Hmmm, I suppose so." He waved it off. "That old bat always infuriates me with the way she talks, as if she knows everything, which of course she does. I just wanted to disagree with her. Have her be wrong just once." His eyebrows knit together in irritation. "It would seem she's right again, that old bat."
"So...you will help me?" I asked hopefully.
He sighed. "It would be ungentlemanly of me to ignore a lady in need. But if this turns out to be some kind of joke..." He fixed his gaze on me, and I knew what he was about to say would be the undeniable truth. "I will kill you myself."
~000~
She didn't even blink as he said the words, and the Captain was mildly surprised. It would seem she's made of tougher stuff than he gave her credit for. If anything, she looked more determined now than ever, which was something he admired in anyone.
"Should we get back to the ship now, love?"
She only nodded. Arthur lead the way through the green jungle toward the beach with confidence, and the mermaid followed behind him a little closer than he expected. Maybe he had scared her with his description of the kaleel tree. Whatever the reason was, he didn't particularly dislike it. Having someone of the gentler sex around was a refreshing change after being cooped up on the Queen Lady with a bunch of ruffians for so long.
He was lost in such thoughts when a squeak came from behind and something grabbed him around the waist. "What in the bloody name of-" He turned to see the mermaid bent over clutching at him desperately. "I said I'd help you but I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression..."
"What? Oh! No! I tripped!" Her face turned bright red, and Arthur couldn't help but smile. She was so cute when she got flustered. "I'm just not used to these...legs." She released her hold on the Captain and stood up straight. "It won't happen again."
"Are legs really that awful?" he asked her. He had seen that repulsed look in her eyes when she mentioned her new limbs.
"I hate them."
He wasn't expecting that. "They can't be all that bad-"
"I hate them!" she repeated with more force. "I hate everything that has to do with them! I just want to go back to normal!"
Her words sent a twinge of pain through his chest. He wasn't sure if it was because of what she was implying or this weird heart connection thing. There was still a lot to figure out about that.
"So, you hate everything that has to do with legs, eh? Does that include yourself too, or just the rest of us lowly and pathetic humans?"
The mermaid looked shocked. "No, I didn't mean-"
She didn't get to finish her thought because the Captain had already started walking again. He knew she was just speaking out of frustration, but it still sent his temper flaring. This was how he gets repaid for helping someone. Well, he had some choice words to say to fate for giving him this lot, and a nice pointy stick that fate can shove where the sun don't shine.
The two of them walked in silence for a while. Soon the beach came into view, and Arthur headed straight for the small rowboat, which was still lying on the sand where they had left it. He helped the mermaid climb into the craft without saying a word and pushed the boat into the gently rippling water. The only sound for the longest time was the slapping of the oars against the water. Arthur focused on that instead of the girl across from him.
Shouting greeted them as they drew closer to the Queen Lady moored in the cove. The rowboat was pulled up onto the deck by the strongest of the crew, and the Captain jumped out of the boat before anyone could say a word. He approached one of his men and spoke quickly.
"Find a room for the girl and make sure she has what she needs." The crew member nodded. "Post someone to watch the door and make sure she doesn't go anywhere until I ask for her."
"Understood, Cap'n." The man walked away to help the mermaid out of the rowboat and lead her to a spare room.
Arthur sighed and headed toward his private quarters. It had been a long day, and all he really wanted to do was kick off his boots and relax with some hot tea. Rum was good for small headaches, but he found tea was the best for situations in which he felt like his head was about to explode.
"Cap'n, a word." His large first mate intercepted him before he could get away.
"Make it fast, Christov," the Captain sighed.
"There's been...an incident."
Arthur raised a large brow. "An incident?"
"It would seem that we 'ave a stowaway."
The Captain grit his teeth. Just one more thing to add to his list of troubles. "Where?"
"We put the wiggly scoundrel in the storage room where we kept the girl. Some o' the men thought it' be funny t' throw the lad int' the tub."
The thought brought a faint smile to the Captain's face. "I'll see to that first then. Have the cook boil a kettle of water while I'm occupied."
He left his first mate and walked toward the stairs. His boots thumped loudly as he descended below deck and went in search of the storage room. The sooner he got this over with the better. No one had bothered to lock the door to the room, so Arthur stepped inside without having to pull out his obnoxiously large key ring. He hated having to search the thing for the right key whenever some idiot locked one into the room it was for.
The Captain closed the door, and then turned around to face the stowaway. What he saw was not what he was expecting. It was a boy. Well, he was older than Peter, but still couldn't be much older than eighteen or nineteen. He squirmed as Arthur moved closer, and the Captain realized there was still water in the tub. A snort of amusement escaped him.
"Well, well, well. It's not every day we get a stowaway, especially one as young as you. Usually they're trying to make off with our gold. You wouldn't be up to anything like that, would you?"
The young man stopped struggling, but couldn't answer because of the gag in his mouth. His glasses hung crookedly on his face as well, and Arthur wondered if he could even see the pirate standing next to him. The Captain straightened the glasses and removed the gag.
"Who are you, boy, and don't even think about lying."
The man in the tub spat into the sea water with a disgusted face. "Bleh! That cloth tasted awful. Is this how you treat everyone?"
Arthur felt his irritation growing. He didn't want to deal with this right now. "Don't change the subject, you bloody git! Who are you, and what are you doing aboard my ship?"
"I want to be a pirate!" the stowaway answered brightly. "I saw your ship back in Gaal and jumped on! I didn't know what to say, so I hid until someone found me!" He laughed obnoxiously, and Arthur was starting to think that putting his gag back on and leaving him here to rot would be a good idea.
"Look, I'm not here to play games with you. Either you tell me what you really want or-"
"But I am telling the truth." All traces of humor left the young man's face. "Seriously, I want to join your crew."
Arthur narrowed his eyes. It's possible the boy was being sincere. "What's your name?"
"Alfred. Alfred F. Jones."