There weren't a lot of things in Louis' life that he was sure about. There were small certainties, like how he'd never be able to return to his family, that Harry was the one, that sailing was what he was made to do, and that he was pregnant.
There was not a single doubt about these things. Admittedly, the last one had only been a certainty for the last four weeks, but it was a certainty nonetheless. It started when Louis had been experiencing nausea and eventually started throwing up in the morning. Add to that the fatigue and moodiness, and it had been more than obvious that Louis was more than just a little ill.
It wasn't just the symptoms, however. Louis, somehow, just knew. He knew he was pregnant.
He hadn't actually told Harry about it yet. In fact, he hadn't told anyone about it. It wasn't a matter of trust, it was just a matter of personal pleasure. Louis basked in it, the fact that he was pregnant, that there was a baby growing inside in his stomach; he was carrying Harry's baby, his son or daughter.
Secretly, Louis hoped for a son. A son could take over the ship one day, become the next Captain of the Cursed Odyssey. A son was allowed on the seas. A daughter, however, was a different story entirely. Women weren't allowed to sail the seas, at least not with pirates, which would mean that either she was to be left at a house or an orphanage, or for Louis to leave the crew; leave Harry. But Louis knew that he'd never leave his child, not even for the person he knew had to be his soulmate.
But he'd also never ask Harry to come with him if he were to leave. He'd never ask Harry to abandon his crew, his life, everything he had fought for. The Cursed Odyssey and her crew were Harry's pride and his life, and Louis could never ask him to abandon that.
Despite his hoping, something inside of Louis knew it wasn't going to be a boy. He couldn't place his finger on it, but somehow, he knew it was going to be a daughter.
Perhaps it was that feeling that prevented him from telling anybody. It was terrifying, the thought of having to leave the life he loved so dearly, the man he loved so dearly and the men he considered family. He didn't want to lose that, he didn't want to gain a child and lose everyone he loved in the process.
Part of him knew he was being selfish. The happiness of being with child, Harry deserved that happiness too. The thought of having a baby, the pure joy Louis felt, Harry deserved that just as much as Louis did.
Now wasn't the time to tell Harry, however, because Harry was focused on other things. As soon as they'd be sailing again and it would a slow day, Louis would tell him, but for now, he kept silent, simply because he knew that as soon as he'd tell Harry, the captain would drop everything else in an instant to focus on Louis and their baby, to keep them both safe. That would turn into his number one priority, and Louis couldn't have him focused on that.
Instead, he had to stay focused on whatever secret business he was taking care of. He didn't tell Louis much about it, simply telling him that it was something from his past and that Louis shouldn't be worried about it. He clearly didn't want to tell Louis, at least not yet, so Louis didn't push him and kept to himself, waiting for Harry to decide for the right time to tell him. They had time.
For the time being, they were docked in Nantes, a port city on the Atlantic coast of France. It was only a week's sail away from England, and to Louis, it felt odd. To know that his family was so close, yet so far away still, was an indescribable feeling. More often than not did he find himself staring into the direction of England, wondering about his family, about his sisters and his mother. He knew that Harry was aware of it, of his longing, and sometimes, would silently kiss his forehead, squeeze his hand and grant him a moment alone.
They had been docked in Nantes for the last week and a half, and with every day that passed, Louis would get more and more restless. Not because of the thought of his family, but because of the fact that Nantes was one of the biggest ports in France, which meant that with each day that passed, the chances of them running into the English Navy were growing and growing. It was only a matter of time that the Navy would dock there as well, and all that it would take was for one of the men to recognise Louis, and everything would end in an instant.
If Louis would be recognised, the news would get out that the Crown Prince of England was alive and well, and a pirate. His father would either be dethroned, or he would be able to come up with a good story in time to keep his title, something about Louis being a runaway, that he fell in love with the most dangerous pirate in the world and chose to become a pirate over his own family.
Something like that. Either way, the life Louis loved would be destroyed within an instant. He couldn't allow that to happen.
So, every day, after supper, when he and Harry would be in the cabin, Louis would ask whether Harry was finally done with whatever business he was taking care off.
Tonight was no different. Harry was sat behind his desk, reading a newspaper Louis had bought for him while he was gone. Louis was watching him from where he was sat at the table, absentmindedly rubbing his hand over his stomach as he silently worried about their safety.
He could tell that Harry wasn't focused on what he was reading. The captain wasn't a fast reader, nor were any of his men, but Louis knew that it had nearly been half an hour and Harry had only flipped the page once.
After allowing Harry one more moment of peace, Louis stood up and walked over to his husband, hugging him from behind and resting his chin on Harry's shoulder. Harry instinctively reached up and held one of Louis' hands, linking their fingers together while he was focused on whatever article he was reading.
"Are you okay?" Louis asked softly, twisting his head just a little so that he could admire Harry's profile.
"'M'fine, darling," Harry said. "Just a bit tired, 's'all."
Louis knew he wasn't lying; at least, not entirely. He could sense Harry's fatigue, just like he could sense his stress and undefinable worry for something.
"How much longer?" he asked, referring to both their docking and Harry's silence on his personal matters.
"Few more days," Harry said, squeezing Louis' hand. "Patience, yeah?"
Louis nodded obediently, pressing a kiss to Harry's jaw afterwards. There was something so incredibly off, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He knew he had to trust Harry to eventually come clean about it, but there was simply something inside of Louis that was trying to warn him for whatever was in the shadows.
"I love you," he whispered, kissing Harry's jaw again. "A lot."
After a small moment, Harry let go of the newspaper and spun around so that he could face Louis, who straightened up to give Harry some space to move. He put his hands on Louis' waist, staring up at him with a soft expression that Louis knew was only for him. "I love you more," Harry murmured. "So much more."
Louis smiled, his cheeks tinting a light pink. Harry sounded so convinced of it, it was almost heart-wrenching. "Do you, then?" he said, running his hand through Harry's long curls. "Sound pretty confident of yourself."
"'Cause I know it's the truth," Harry said. He started rubbing his hands up and down Louis' sides, his gaze wandering over Louis' body. For a moment, they paused on Louis' stomach, and Louis' heartbeat picked up a bit. He immediately wondered if Harry knew, if he could sense it. But then his eyes returned to Louis' face and the flicker in them, that flicker of something, was gone. "Remember when we first met? When you told me you were just Louis?"
"Of course," Louis said, climbing on top of Harry's lap with his legs on one side. He leaned his forehead against Harry's, nudging their noses together. "Feels like a lifetime ago."
Harry smiled tenderly. "Look how far we've come."
Louis held up his hand, studying the ring on his ring finger. "Look how far," he quietly said, part of him back at the concern he felt whenever he thought of Harry.
"Stop worrying, love," the captain said, putting a hand on Louis' cheek to get him to look up again. "I can feel you're constantly worried. There's nothing to be worried about."
"I'm married to the most hunted man in the world," Louis reprimanded, cocking an eyebrow. "I have everything to be worried about."
Harry smiled cheekily, mischief flickering in his eyes. "Suppose everyone just wants me. Don't blame them, though, have you seen me?"
Louis chuckled and shook his head. "You're lucky arrogance suits you," he said, pressing a kiss to Harry's nose without really thinking about it.
"It's what made you fall for me, innit?" Harry quipped, his smile only growing when Louis rolled his eyes. They both knew that arrogance had not been the reason for that.
After looking at Harry for a few moments, Louis sighed and absentmindedly started playing with the curls on the back of Harry's head. "Will you be gone early tomorrow again?" he asked, hoping that Harry would say no and that they could have a morning together for once. He was quite sick of waking up alone every morning.
"Afraid so, love," Harry said, his eyes apologetic. "Won't be for much longer, though, promise."
Louis looked into Harry's eyes, trying to find anything to explain everything, but couldn't find it. So he put on a small smile and said, "Okay."
And just hoped that God was merciful.
༻♛༺
The next morning, Harry had kept to his word, because Louis woke up alone yet again. At least it meant he could throw up without having his husband witness it, but it still didn't feel right to not have him around when the sun was only barely awake as well. It was only when he was getting dressed that he noticed Harry's pocket watch on the table. Harry always took it with him lately to make sure he'd be back on time.
A moment of doubt had Louis wondering if he should follow Harry and give him the pocket watch, or if he should stay on the ship and not put himself at risk. Still, his curiosity was through the roof: he wanted to know what Harry was up to, because clearly, it wasn't anything good. The watch gave him a good excuse.
So, after making sure none of the crew saw him, Louis left the ship with the watch clutched in his hand. He had no idea where Harry actually was, so it was going to take him a lot of searching.
The bond, however, made it a lot easier. He blindly trusted the intuition it granted him, feeling as if someone was leading him to Harry. He hardly paused to wonder if he was going the right way or if it still was a good idea. It wasn't a good idea, probably, but when had that ever stopped Louis?
It was after twenty minutes that Louis spotted Harry. The captain was walking in a busy street, moving swiftly and easily through the crowd that seemed to part for him. It was obvious that his reputation was well known among the citizens of the port city. Louis did his best to follow him, keeping his distance and making sure he didn't look too suspicious.
Harry suddenly took a turn into an alleyway, momentarily disappearing from Louis' view. He didn't immediately follow Harry into the narrow street, aware that there were barely people there and that Harry only had to glance over his shoulder to spot Louis.
Louis was especially glad he hadn't entered the alley when he saw Harry pause in front of a door and look around before he entered. He looked unusually tense. His wits told Louis to turn around and leave, but his curiosity and indisputable stubbornness still had the upper hand, urging him to inspect whatever building Harry had entered.
He crouched under one of the windows, glancing inside to find Harry in the middle of a room, speaking to a woman that Louis instantly recognised. "Alice?" He whispered to himself, wondering how it was even possible that she was here. It had to be her magic, there was no other explanation for it.
At least Harry was with someone he could trust, right?
A rather irritating part was that they were speaking in French and that Louis only knew a little. There was something about safety, and they were clearly getting angrier by the second. Louis' heart stuttered when Alice mentioned his name, immediately sensing Harry's distrust.
"Pourquoi?" Harry asked, his voice wary and dark.
"Sans raison particulière," Alice said, glancing at her nails. "Je n'avais pas de nouvelles."
Harry suddenly continued in English, making Louis wonder what exactly was happening. "What's going on, Alice? What are you doing here?" He asked, but Alice didn't reply. "Alice. Explain."
Alice sighed heavily, clearly bothered by something. "I'm sorry, Harry. I truly am," she whispered, and Louis had half a mind to run inside and drag Harry out of the room.
"What did you do, Alice?" Harry asked, but before anything else could be said, the doors in the room suddenly slammed open, and multiple men dressed in Navy uniforms ran out, tackling Harry before he had the chance to defend himself.
Louis felt his blood stop in his veins, his mouth opening to scream. Before he could even get a sound out, a hand suddenly clasped over his mouth and he was pulled away from the window, his screams for Harry muffled and barely audible. He struggled to get out of his captor's arms, kicking and hitting blindly as he was pulled into a nook that hid him from anyone's eyes.
"Louis, calm down, it's me," the captor said, and when Louis recognised it as Liam, he stopped struggling, not even questioning how Liam had known where he was. He had probably spotted Louis leaving the ship and had followed him, just in case.
In horror, Louis watched how Harry was dragged out of the door, his face bloody and beaten. Tears escaped his eyes as he saw Harry completely defenceless, receiving merciless blows to the face and stomach as if he was nothing but an animal.
Louis started struggling again, screaming against the hand over his mouth to try and attract the Navy's attention, anything to try and free Harry, but Liam didn't budge. "I'm sorry, Louis," he said, his voice weak and distressed. "There's nothing we can do, not right now. We don't stand a chance. I'm sorry."
For a split second, Harry glanced over to where Liam and Louis were hidden, and despite being incapable of speaking, Louis knew that Harry knew they were there; or, at least, knew that Louis was there. It was a flash in his eyes and the feeling that Louis sensed, the feeling of regret and emotional pain, that let Louis knew that Harry had seen him.
And all he could do was watch as the Navy dragged him away, away from Louis, away from his ship and away from Alice, who now stepped out of the building as well and followed the group, her expression unreadable.
She had betrayed Harry. Harry, who trusted her, who considered her his friend.
And who was to be hanged in front of England's King if Louis didn't do something quickly.
༻♛༺
"How long is it from here to England?" Louis asked Zayn, who was across from him at the table. The two of them, accompanied by Liam, Ed and Niall, were stood around the table in Harry's cabin, trying to devise a plan to save their Captain - and in Louis' case, his husband.
"About a week, week and a half," Zayn said, pointing to the map and trailing out an invisible line for their ship to sail on. "If we follow this, we might be there before the Navy scum is back. We might even catch up if we're lucky. Navy carries a lot of shit on their ships, makes 'em heavy and much slower."
Louis nodded, looking up at Liam. "How many of our men are capable of fighting?"
"All of them," Liam immediately said, nodding to himself. "Most of them are capable of winning. Against the Navy, though, I don't know."
"We're not fighting the Navy," Louis said, but didn't explain it as he continued his questioning. "Say we make it to England after them. It would take the King a couple of days before he could hang the captain, he'll want to drag his misery out. Think he'll do it publicly?"
"Maybe," Ed said, furrowing his brows together when Louis didn't refer to the King as his own father. Little did Ed know that Louis had decided long ago he didn't have a father anymore. "He might want to show everyone he caught the world's most feared pirate. But he also knows we're coming to free him, he wouldn't want to put himself at risk in an open, public place."
"My money's on private," Niall said, who was only really there to provide Louis' some support as his best friend. With a speciality in cooking, he didn't have a lot to bring to the table (except food, probably).
Louis narrowed his eyes and nodded slowly. "They'll do it in the back gardens," he said, envisioning the gardens he used to walk through almost every morning. "In the back. Gives 'em enough privacy to do what they need to do."
"How would we get in, though?" Zayn asked. "We don't look the part of royalty, do we?"
"I think you forget," Louis said, smirking a little. "I'm the Crown Prince. I can march in there and there ain't nobody to stop me."
There was a small silence in which they were all thinking of a good plan. It was Liam who eventually spoke up. "Louis, you said we're not fighting the Navy," he said, and Louis nodded, still staring at the map in front of him. "Then what exactly are we doing?"
Louis lifted his head, glancing around the men with him. They were all loyal. They would follow him to the grave, they would destroy a country to save their captain. He narrowed his eyes a little and exhaled deeply, absentmindedly placing a hand on his stomach as he wondered about Harry's wellbeing.
"We're going to kill the King."