Alrighty I'm backkkk, baby
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Go On Account: A phrase pirates use to say they are turning into a pirate

Alistair

Coop was the first to reach the shores, sprinting forward and jumping from the ship before I could react in time to snatch him back aboard. His arm was in no shape to wade through the dark waters reflecting the night sky, but the distance between him and land shrunk with every passing moment he swam. He caught a powerful stride with his good arm, managing to keep his head above the water as he neared the shore.

Not even moments later, he had made it to the waters that was shallow enough for him to stand in. The other men were concerned at first with his sudden rash decision, but once they caught sight of what I did, his steady unwavering strides, we all let the man do what his heart desired.

There was light coming to the shores of the beach, a cluster of people walking towards us with brightly lit torches held above and in front of them. That light illuminated the face of a women who led the group, someone I recognized. It had been almost three years since we ported here last, and yet her face looked no different than it had those few years ago. The golden brown eyes an exact match for her son's.

Eyes that brought everyone, including myself, an almost eerie amount of comfort.

She had pushed out an exact replica of her beauty a few times over the many years she'd been alive for, her long sandy brown hair passed on to some of her daughters who had joined her on the beach this night. Coop was the youngest of the family, making the difference in age between him and his mother quite great.

Her gaze found mine as she walked, her feet bare and dragging against the sand beneath them out of choice. Once she finally noticed the drenched figure emerging from the black water, her pace slowed to a stop.

Coop wasted no time pulling himself up, his feet carrying his weight and that of the water as he pushed through the wet sand and hard into his mother's arms. The older woman was so taken back she almost dropped the torch in her hand.

"Cooper." I saw her lips form to his name, which the man reacted by tightening his arms around her frailer short body. He went rigid a moment, most likely remembering the gaping hole he very much still had in his upper arm. It would've been on fire now by the salt of the sea's water.

His mother, Gaia, turned from her son back to my ship. Snips was starting to tie us off, which was what signaled me to jump from this vessel myself. I beckoned Caspian and Cael in after me whilst my men finished up, to which they both reluctantly did.

A little water wouldn't harm them, and by the look Gaia was giving me as I made my way through the bitter cold water towards shore, I had some explaining to do.

The first words that came from this aged woman was "why is there a hole in my child?"

Her eyes were warm, but that was the only welcoming thing about her tonight. The tight lipped frown that sank creases further into her face told me everything I needed to know. So the first thing I did, was give my respect with a slight bow.

"Casualties of life at sea." Coop came to my defense immediately. He had since let go of his embrace with his mother, who was now inspecting his wounded arm.

"You made a promise." Gaia reminded me, to which I nodded.

"And I intend to keep it." I told her, watching Cael from the corner of my eye as he too bowed, before yanking Caspian's head down to follow his. Cael had felt the tension much like I had. "My promise brought me here, with my eyes set to Sicoria.

Gaia's face grew colder. She did not favor that neighboring island, yet I knew she, too, wasn't surprised that the man I wanted dead had ties there. "Then you're not docking here long, I presume?" She asked, to which I slowly nodded.

"Aye. Only a few days. I suspected Coop would appreciate the stop."

Coop gave me a large, gold toothed grin, to which his mother smacked his injured arm for. She never appreciated the devotion her son had for me and my crew, to which I could never blame her for.

I had done everything in my power to keep him safe, but he was still her youngest. Her baby. Her only son. A man who ran away to join my crew before he even reached adulthood. This wise beyond years of a woman made me promise her many things. And I had danced upon that line she drew... unintentionally, might I add.

No one could predict Coop being hit with a warning shot.

"My home welcomes you, but for now, I do not. You were to take in a surgeon years ago, Alastair."

"Aye." I nodded, keeping my gaze leveled with hers. Her stature was small, especially against my taller broader frame, and yet that was exactly how Gatvia had maintained its power. Every person who stood against this woman was taught a lesson. One brutal one, myself included. "You know the difficulties that poses. For now, I've brought him where he can receive the best care out of both sea and land. Home."

That reminder had caught Gaia a moment. There was this dance we did between each other, always testing whether either of us were making decisions out of genuine care, or opportunity. Gaia favored the former, while I, the latter.

This decision had been both, whether she cared to acknowledge it or not. I cared deeply for her son, and the almost two decades we had since spent at sea together proved that. Out of respect, I allowed this woman to believe whatever she wanted to. Once the sun set on our final day, she knew Coop wouldn't stay back. For all the years we returned, he never had.

"It's always a pleasure to see you, Cael." Her soft yet judgmental eyes shifted that from mine to my right hand man. Cael gave her a smile in return. A genuine one.

"The pleasure is always mine, Ms. Gaia."

Though Gatvia was a beloved location for most of my crew, Cael appreciated this island for everything my other men didn't. Couldn't, rather.

Cael once described this place as being favored highly by the gods. It was the first thing he said once he stepped foot on this island ready to pillage it of all its worth. Had I of listened to him then, I probably wouldn't have lost as many men as I did once Gaia and her people retaliated.

It had something to do with the stars. I was sure of it, seeing how most things did when it came to Cael. He had managed to slip past Gaia's family as we were held hostage on this island, and I immediately assumed he was going to get additional weapons on our ship to free us all.

Imagine my complete shock when he returned to myself and the men in captivity, laughing with the fucking enemy. Him and Gaia had a look on each of their faces that troubled me, but we were freed by the next nightfall.

Cael, with his horseshit diplomatic tendencies, had managed to draft a peace treaty between us and the island of Gatvia. Initially stipulated that both parties would never cross again, but then not more than a fortnight later, I had discovered her last born upon my ship, already tides off the coast.

It was safe to say that once I returned said son a couple years later, an entirely different understanding had to be met. In order to save the lives of myself and my crew, I offered Gaia and Gatvia protection they couldn't offer themselves. I protected the near waters and shores, keeping Sicorian men with thoughts of taking over this rich land, at bay.

I also gave this woman my word that her son would have my protection. And if were something to happen, I would avenge him.

Luckily Coop had managed to keep himself out of harms way until now, picking up sword practice from myself and Snips to secure his spot on my ship, though I had made it clear that as long as my rum and water supply was maintained, he'd never be asked to leave this ship.

"Now this one," Gaia pointed her finger towards Caspian, moving the blazing torch from her dominant hand to her other in order to do so. Caspian's head hung low, but he was far too tall to avoid contact with Gaia as she walked right up to him. Her own slightly sun-touched skin was a stark different to the paleness of Caspian's, yet I did make note that it paired well with the darker attire he had chosen for the night.

He had only just joined us on the main deck again, before Coop made that sudden decision to jump, so I hadn't noticed much of his better washed appearance.

The bath was needed.

"This one, I do not recognize." She took yet another step closer to the man. "or maybe I do..." that last whisper caught Caspian's attention, his eyes flickering up from the sand to finally meet hers.

They just seemed to stare at each other for a moment, neither one saying anything more. This had to be the first time I couldn't read the look of either individual at all. Something about their expressions went still, before Gaia's rich deep brown eyebrows slowly lowered.

"A new crew member?" That question was directed at me, but her eyes never once left Caspian's, who also held that gaze with an unpredictable amount of concentration. For a man with very few interests it seems like, something had grabbed his attention with Gaia.

Maybe he fancied her looks, I thought. She was a bit old, now approaching what I assumed was her seventieth year. I didn't exactly know how old Gaia was, but Coop had only spent seventeen years breathing this air before he invited himself onto my ship, and to add another twenty at sea, sixty...something sounded right.

She was still very beautiful however, as was Coop and her daughters. She had given birth to twelve daughters before having a son, all of which had different fathers. They passed down nothing of themselves to their daughters, so their voices around the home were really more accustomed to that of noise in the backroom of a pub.

Gaia didn't seem to fancy any of them anymore. It was interesting, to say the least.

When my feet first touched the soil of this island, I believed I sensed something. Or rather, something could sense me. Like something tried to touch my soul that wasn't there, and I could feel its handprint still lingering.

That should've been my first reason to turn right back around and board my men again, but that naive, young, fresh power running through my having just died body, pushed me to do things that almost lost me everything.

Gaia had known exactly who I was, having managed to ambush me as soon as my feet touched land. I didn't know the extent of my hallowed soul, and she was quick to show me.

Now almost twenty years have passed, and I still didn't know what soul I was looking at when I stared into her warm eyes. I wasn't sure if I sensed a soul at all.

"He's my slave." I replied to the shorter, barefoot women. The rest of her family were still further back a few steps, offer us a warm smile as my crew quickly made it onto land. I noticed the large swords strapped to the men, however there were now swords strapped to the women as well. Gaia mentioned something about training, but that was during the early hours of the morning during our last visit, when I was piss drunk and ready for rest.

I watched as the older woman straightened herself out a bit, her gaze finding mine again.

"Slave?" She asked a bit incredulously, to which I nodded. "This is no slave, Alistair. I shouldn't have to confess that to you."

Gaia wasn't the kindest with her words, but my eyes caught sight of Caspian as his body grew rigid. Gaia's words were expected, Caspian's reaction was not.

"Our agreement is a complicated one." I explained a bit slowly, my eye still eying Caspian. His body seemed to relax some at my words.

"Interesting." I heard Gaia whisper under her breath. "I tend to waiver expectations of all things, but you, Alistair Melek, are incredibly consistent in falling into holes you shouldn't. We need to find whatever rope you're tethered to and sever it."

This made Cael chuckle unexpectedly beside me, to which I drew all my attention to. He was a different man on this island.

"Unless you have plans to drain the sea, you're shit out of luck Ms. Gaia."

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