I stretched luxuriously and enjoyed the feeling of something silky and warm around me. That wasn't right. My eyes flew open and I sat up straight. The sudden movement made my head spin slightly, and I had to take a few deep breaths to settle myself. Once I was feeling steady, I took a good look around. I was in Arthur's room.
"How are you feeling?"
I turned quickly to my left. Arthur was sitting in a chair next to the bed I was lying in and watched me closely. His deep green eyes were observant and calculating as usual, but there was something else in their mysterious depths. Worry.
"I, um...how did I get here? What happened?"
He sighed. "I had to pull you out of the center of that vortex. Did you do that?"
"Yeah." I nodded. It was my desperate attempt to get away from our executioners. "How did you get me out?"
"It wasn't easy," Arthur grumbled. "Almost couldn't pull you out, especially since you were unconscious. How did you make something so bloody big?"
I bit my bottom lip. It would probably be best to tell him everything I've deduced since we met with my father and the Council. "I made it with something called ocean magic. The merfolk can use two kinds of magic, ocean and mermagic. Mermagic is rather limited in its uses, and there's only so much I can use at once. Ocean magic has a much wider range of uses, and it's practically unlimited in how much I can use."
Arthur listened intently. "So that's what the Council meant by ocean magic. If that's the case, why did they say you would die if you ran out? You just said it's unlimited."
"Normally it is, but ever since I lost my fin..." I swallowed. "Ever since then I've been cut off from the ocean, I can't tap into its magic supply, so the only ocean magic I have is what I had before I was cut off. It doesn't naturally accumulate like mermagic."
The pirate's eyes darkened. He stood up from his chair and took a few steps before speaking again. "You endangered your life to save us. If you had used up all of your ocean magic, you would be dead. I would be too..."
"I'm sorry. It's a risk I had to take. I didn't mean to put your life at risk too. I wasn't thinking..." It was true. The thought that I might have killed Arthur never crossed my mind. All I could think about was getting him back to his ship alive.
I was suddenly surprised by his hand tilting my chin up. "Never put yourself in danger like that again."
My bottom lip quivered. "I w-won't." How could I have been so stupid? I didn't want to be responsible for Arthur's death.
He didn't move his hand, but his eyes dropped to the floor. "If anything were to happen to you...I..."
"I know," I whispered on the brink of tears. "You'd die too."
That caught his attention. He met my eyes with such an intense gaze that I felt kind of uncomfortable. "What? No! That's not what I meant! I just..." His jaw tightened, and his cheeks flushed. "I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you, (y/n). You drive me crazy, you're annoying, and you're incredibly infuriating, but I need you."
It wasn't obvious, but I was pretty sure there was a compliment in there somewhere. Arthur let my chin drop and turned away from me. All I could see was his broad back, clenched fists, and unruly blonde hair. My heart skipped. What was this feeling welling up inside me? I couldn't put my finger on it, but I knew that Arthur was someone I wanted to protect. Was this what people called love?
"Arthur-"
I was cut off by his lips pressed against mine. They were warm, fierce, and surprisingly soft. I didn't make it a habit to fantasize about kissing Arthur, but I didn't think his lips would be this warm and alive. His hand tangled itself in my hair by my ear, and he pulled me closer to deepen the kiss. I imagined this is what flying felt like. I grabbed the front of his jacket to pull him closer, even though there was no way our faces could be any closer than they already were.
His tongue teased my lips as if asking for entrance, but I didn't let him in. I've never kissed anyone before, and wasn't sure what to do. My initial feeling of ecstasy was beginning to fade into panic. I was kissing Arthur Kirkland, a pirate captain! Was this even allowed? I started to feel kind of light headed, and before I could react I blacked out.
~000~
A soft whimper escaped me as I felt myself waking up. Sleep was so nice, and I didn't want to leave. I was having the best dream about a handsome man confessing his feelings and then kissing me. Soft sheets wrinkled as I shifted my position. Why did that man seem so familiar? His hair, his eyes, his hands. I remembered them from somewhere.
Arthur.
My eyes shot open. I was still lying in his bed surrounded by silky sheets, fluffy pillows, and a large comforter. Maybe it wasn't a dream after all, and if that was the case I could never talk to him again. My face heated up as my heart clenched. Oh tides, what have I done?
"There's no point pretending you're still asleep."
I reluctantly sat up at the sound of Arthur's voice. He was now sitting at his desk instead of beside the bed. I couldn't believe he was so calm after what just happened. Or maybe it was a while ago. I had no idea how long I had been out.
"Is it morning?"
He pulled something out of an interior jacket pocket. "Technically, yes. It won't be light for another few hours though."
"What is that?" I asked curiously, my previous apprehension forgotten.
"A pocket watch. Come see for yourself."
Carefully, I slipped out of bed and padded over to his side. He held up a strange silver contraption that fit comfortably in my palm. I ran my thumb over its beautifully carved surface and pushed a small button like I had seen Arthur do earlier. The outside surface popped open to reveal some kind of mechanism with human numbers and moving pieces. I held it up to my ear and heard a faint ticking.
"It has a heart!" I gasped.
Arthur smiled wryly. "No, not quite." He took the pocket watch and slipped it back into his jacket with only a silver chain left visible.
An unnerving silence settled between us. I wanted to say something to him about the kiss, but I couldn't find the words. Instead, I looked at the random assortment of things on the pirate's desk. There were several things I had never seen before, and a few I was familiar with. That's when something caught my eye.
"Who is this?" I picked up a framed photograph of a woman before he could stop me. Photographs were not something the merpeople had, but I had heard of them before.
Arthur sighed, and I felt a stabbing pain in my heart. "My mother," he answered softly.
"She's gone, isn't she?"
"Yes."
"Mine too."
He looked up at me quickly in surprise, and I smiled sadly. His eyes were full of pain, but something else too. There was a mutual understanding between us. A bond. Much more than the magical bond I forged between us. This one was genuine and infinitely more powerful.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
I shook my head. "I was so young when it happened that I hardly remember her. Dad says I look like her, but I don't know." I laughed, but there was no joy in it. "You look like her, you know."
"No, I don't." Arthur looked back to the papers he was writing on. "I look nothing like her. Only like the man who drove her away."
"That's not true. You have her composure and determination." I set the picture back down on the desk. "I can see her fire in your eyes."
"Well, it wasn't enough to keep her around." He placed his face in his hands. "She ran away with another man, and I looked too much like my father that she didn't bring me with. Her disappearance made him worse, and soon I was left by myself. I'll never forgive him for that, or the man that stole her from me."
"Arthur..." I reached out to comfort him, but I stopped. What could I do to make him better?
My heart ached within my chest, and I placed a hand over it to try keep it from falling apart. His pain was so much worse than anything I've ever experienced. How was I supposed to ease pain like that? I took a few steps closer and did the only thing I could think of.
He didn't react as I slipped my arms around his chest. Then I softly rested my chin in the crook between his neck and shoulder, but I didn't say a word. We shared that moment in complete silence. I couldn't say for sure if what I did helped, but he didn't tell me to leave, and that was good enough for me.
Without warning, Arthur unwrapped himself from my arms and stood. "We're setting a new course for the Southern Continent."
His hands lingered on mine for a moment before he dropped them and walked to the door. He slipped through the threshold without another word leaving me alone, but I didn't mind. The pain in his heart had lessened, and that was good enough for me.
~000~
The Captain paused after exiting his private quarters. He knew it was ungentlemanly to walk out on a lady like that, but he didn't know what else to do. There were so many emotions swirling inside his chest that he didn't know what to feel. It was so unlike him. He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. It's become a norm lately for Arthur to not be in complete control of what was going on.
He released the air he was holding onto and began to walk to the helm after opening his eyes. That was the one place he felt like he was always in control of something. On his way, he passed Christov monitoring activity on the deck. It was still dark, but there were still as many men bustling around as if it were noon. A pirate's day starts early.
"G'mornin', Cap'n," Christov greeted.
"Yes, good morning. Tell the men to prepare the ship to sail."
"An' where would we be goin'?"
"Okonfo. It's the closest, and I have someone I want to consult."
"Aye aye, Cap'n."
The first mate took his leave and allowed Arthur to continue to the helm. He took hold of the wheel and watched his crew scramble below him on the deck. Sails rose and filled as the men did their work, and the Captain turned the ship to the east. A strong wind propelled the Queen Lady toward the sun just beginning to peek over the watery horizon.
Arthur felt calm for the first time in a long time. Maybe everything will work out for the best. Doubt gnawed at the Captain's stomach at the thought. There were so many things that could go wrong, and the price for failure was high. So high in fact, that failure was not an option. For the sake of his heart, Arthur wouldn't fail.
~000~
It had been a while since Arthur left, so I thought it was about time I went to my own room. I silently crept out of his room and headed for the stairs leading below deck. My mind was still reeling from what had happened between me and Arthur that I didn't notice someone coming up the stairs until it was too late.
"Woah there!" Alfred caught me before I could fall over. "Hey! It's (y/n)! You know, you gotta stop running into me like this."
"Sorry, Alfred!" I smiled in embarrassment.
"Don't worry about it," he said with a wave. "I gotta get going though. I slept in kinda late, and they need all hands on deck. We're setting sail!"
"Where to?"
"Beats me." He shrugged nonchalantly and turned to go.
"Wait, Alfred! I need to talk to you about something!"
"Tell me later!" he called over his shoulder. He waved once and was gone.
"That kid," I murmured with a shake of my head.
I continued down the stairs to go to my room. A few minutes later I was lying on my bed thinking about what had all happened in the last day. I had gone home, got banished, was chased by sharks, made a whirlpool, and kissed Arthur.
Arthur.
My mind went back to the moment where his lips claimed mine with gentle urgency. I wondered if he ever kissed anyone else like that. My heart ached. It may have been selfish, but I hoped not. I shook my head and sighed. I sounded so human. This was a really dangerous position I had put myself in. Not only did the heart-bond put me in danger, but so did my growing feelings for Arthur. Mermaids weren't supposed to fall in love with humans.
I stopped that train of thought before it could go any further. Why bother pursing this when I had no clue whether it would go anywhere? One kiss was an invitation, not a promise. It was up to me whether to accept or not, and I didn't know what to do. Maybe it was the heart-bond making me feel this way. These might just be his feelings being transferred to me. I took comfort in the thought. I was already in way too deep to be digging myself a deeper hole.
Suddenly, a new thought made itself known. I sat up and lightly hopped off my bed. The fish charm I had received from Ojigwa was still safely tucked inside the chest at the foot of my bed. I pulled it out and looked at it again. It didn't appear to have any special quality, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that it was important. I unclipped the chord around my neck and strung the charm on through the hole in its eye.
"Oh, mom..." I sighed and hooked the chord back around my neck. "I wish you could tell me what to do."
Of course there was no answer, so I turned to leave my room. No point in locking myself up. I left my room in search of Peter. If anyone could get my mind off my situation, it was him.