My bday is tomorrow or whatevahhh, so y'all might just get a few uploads today before and after I meal prep ;)
My family is also flying in from Kenya tomorrow so this week might be slow on uploads after today.
Stay tuned till the end for a little update to the fucktard that stole my work off Wattpad and published it on Amazon word for word at the beginning of this month...
But for now, enjoy lovelies!!
xoxo
(P.S. lemme know if you see any errors, I'll get that fixed with the second upload today:) )

Caspian

"I'm not doing that, Alistair-"

"Captain." Alistair corrected as he hurled another garment of clothing my way. It shot through the air, thumping into my chest with an impressive amount of force that almost made me lose my footing.

"Captain." The urge to roll my eyes to the back of my head was strong, but Alistair's irritations coupled with how early in the day it still was, kept my own annoyance contained.

He had woken me before light even thought of touching the sky, ordering me to leave my private room and enter his own. I could still feel the swaying of the sea below my feet as soon as I swung them off the bed and they hit the floorboards, which only intensified my own confusion.

We hadn't ported yet, the sea was too rough to mimic waves along a coast... and yet we weren't exactly moving. It felt like an anchor had been dropped.

I didn't have much time to ask questions on why that was, because Alistair was quite literally throwing clothes my way with an urgent order for me to change. The comment that finally made me halt the conversation and Alistair's actions entirely, was when Alistair suddenly suggested that I put ashes of charcoal in my hair.

"Captain," I corrected myself, adding just a smidge of irritance. "Why do you want me to put charcoal in it?"

This was the first time I saw Alistair's body still since he awoke me. Sleep hadn't quite left my eyes, yet his were more than on alert. He finally turned from his large open armoire to look directly at me as he spoke. "You're joining us in Sicoria." He replied, to which my eyebrows furrowed practically immediately.

Alistair had spoke briefly about the stop on this island, over supper the first night we were back on the ship, and according to him, I was to remain on said ship until he and Cael returned.

At the time, I felt my heart sink with yet another missed opportunity to get away from Alistair and his crew. Now... well, now I was more concerned about what made Alistair change his mind.

"Why would I need to put charcoal in my hair?" I reiterated. Maybe I myself was still partially asleep and just wasn't understanding his thought process correctly, but I doubted it.

Alistair was holding yet another black garment in his hands as he held my gaze. "Your white hair will give us away."

I felt my eyes narrowing before I could control my own emotions. I attributed this to the dazed state I was still in as I responded once more with a "no."

There wasn't much I could say I was proud of in this torturous life, however my hair fell into an exception. Asking me to mask the unique color that was held of royal blood alone, was a despicable act to my bloodline. Alistair didn't own the right to ask that of me. The insult of it struck every working nerve in this good as dead shell of a body, regardless of what Alistair did and didn't know to be true about who I was.

The look he was giving me was one I couldn't discern. He didn't immediately resort to anger as I expected him to. Instead, he looked, dare I say it, conflicted, before I saw that piece of clothing leave his hand with speeds that took me physical concentration to catch.

"Fine. Put this on, and tuck your hair back."

The material was heavy, the black leather causing my hands to believe they caught a bullet instead of a garment as I straightened the cloak out.

Great, I thought. As if the sun wasn't scorching this earth enough, I prepared myself for the treacherous position I was being put in by wearing this thick cloak in this heat. My stubbornness would truly have its limits tested, and yet I wasn't willing to budge. Not on this. Not when it came to what little was left of my family which included my hair. And so I found my fingers fumbling with the buttons of my top shirt, quickly exposing more of my upper body to Alistair as I worked to change into these clothes before this unpredictable being of a man changed his damn mind again.

His gaze didn't leave my exposed skin. Him not even bothering to turn himself around as I quickly pulled the soft shirt I slept in, up over my face, before setting it on the bed. Alistair had thrown so many things my way, most had ended up on the mattress. I stretched each piece out, desperately trying to understand what I was going to pull over this pale skin first. There has a black undershirt that was slightly too large for my frame, as was most his wardrobe, but I decided not to question it nor push my luck as I slipped it over my head.

Next were trousers, and while I could acknowledge my ignorance earlier, there was no missing how centered in the color black this man's armoire was filled with.

I straightened out the charcoal colored trousers he had set out for me, then started to fiddle with the tied strap around my waist that held my own white trousers comfortably at my waist. Alistair's body suddenly jolting to life, turning back to his armoire with his back facing me again as he started to select clothing that looked to be for himself.

Granted, Alistair's current attire resembled what he usually wore around the ship. It left me with nothing but more intrigue as I watch him strip himself of his signature leather jacket.

My own fingers finally got the tied knot free from the waistband, before I allowed the material to drop to the floor. With Alistair's back still towards me, I quickly pulled on the pants he chose, over my naked bottom half. This complete black attire was an interesting choice to say the least, because the color against my own skin and hair looked like night and day.

And yet, once I pulled the cloak over me, I understood what Alistair's approach was. The hood offered me the same concealment as the cloak Gaia was wearing the night she read my prophecy, had.

My gaze glanced up against my own better judgement as Alistair yanked the undershirt he was wearing, clean off. His back was still to me, however that did nothing when I attempted to avert my gaze.

The definition in his body was simply indescribable. My gaze followed as every muscle seemed to activate with each movement his arm made. I watched as his tattoos followed in suit, like his skin was created and bonded around the art itself, and yet he still willed each design and their movements.

He kept his pants on, the solid black material complimenting his own black cloak he slipped over those broad shoulders. At this point, I assumed we'd fall victim to the sun before falling victim to any of his enemies. Nevertheless, I still held my tongue as I watched him finish dressing himself. Silence was the best choice with the mood this man was in.

And to imagine that I assumed this part of the morning would be my most eventful moment all day, felt like a distant memory. The next thing Alistair did once he and I had finished changing and strapping weaponry, was to bring both myself, Snips, Cael, and two other men I now recognized as Hobbs and Gilly to the main deck. Light still hadn't touched the sky yet as we made it out to the clearing.

I had to mention both Hobbs and Gilly perceived their more childish nicknames- they were some of the most skilled swordsmen I'd seen since my days in the palace, only showcasing their incredible talent when I watched a bit of their sparring with Gaia's men in Gatvia.

Cael jumped onto the ledge of the ship, using a loose rope that was anchored to one of the sails beams above, to lower himself down into what I first thought was water.

As I looked closer past the side of the ship, and into the darkness that was the sea, I realized there was a small boat already lowered into the water. It bobbed violently against the waves of the sea.

I heard as Cael's thick, sturdy built boots hit the bottom of the boat after he jumped. Snips was right behind him, using the same rope that snapped back against the side of the ship, to lower himself. He was a bit less graceful with this than Cael, because I was sure the sound of his body smacking against the side of the ship when he failed to let go of the rope in time, was something everyone heard.

He did eventually make it to the boat with the help of Cael who stood easily on the rocking vessel to intercept him once he noticed the man's path was heading towards the water's surface.

Alistair gestured for me to go next once that rope snapped back once more, so I grabbed ahold of it and slowly lowered myself past the side of the large ship, and onto the bottom of the smaller paddle boat. Snips had shifted to the front, making space for me to sit down next to Cael.

Hobbs and Gilly followed with ease, though the impact of each one dropping his body in was felt on. And as Alistair lowered himself in last, I realized this boat was definitely at maximum capacity. Alistair's crew's build still managed to surprise me, even Snips whose stature was smaller than the others. They all made this boat look like a piece of shipwrecked debris.

Luckily with this many men paddling, it didn't take long to bring the boat closer to the shores. We had dropped the anchor and stilled the boat behind a massive formation of stone due west off the coast of the island. The stone that was in almost mountainous height, managed to conceal the ship entirely as this smaller party of men mad for the shallow southern coast.

The darkness of the sky concealed us, but it wouldn't be long before daylight cut through, brightening the land, and we needed to be deep into the capital by then.

Alistair spoke quietly of the plan as we rowed. Hobbs and Gilly would join Alistair and myself to track down a man named Finnik. To my understanding, he was the one capable of giving us more information on the captain Alistair was hunting down.

He then ordered Snips to join Cael, to which Cael looked annoyed but agreed to. It was Snips who had an immediate objection.

The very first words out of his mouth were "I want to slit throats. This man," Snips jerked his thumb in Carl's direction, "likes to pray for fun. Our definitions of joy are entirely different."

To which Alistair chuckled lightly, keeping his own voice hushed as he replied with "I promise there is reasoning to this split."

And that seemed to be where Snips accepted his fate. We didn't have much time, nor volume capacity, to continue into a disagreement.

Once the boat reached shallow enough waters, it was just light enough for us all to jump out and drag the heavy wooden heap up the sandy ground and away from the water.

We moved this boat up past the vacant shoreline and further towards the thick forest lining this side of the island. Cael managed to build a good cover for it with large branches and shrubbery that lined the ground of the entry to the forest. We would be leaving before the next daybreak, however Cael still took the time to make sure our means of passage back couldn't be spotted by the common eye.

We all then followed Alistair deep into the forest. The sounds of our wet boots squishing against the soft ground below was all that could be heard, each pirate choosing to remain quiet as more light cut through a the thinning forest. This border wasn't nearly as thick as it had been in Gatvia, which meant the outskirts of a town very soon appeared through the openings of the trees.

Sicoria didn't have a hilly landscape like Gatvia had, so it was difficult to see how far this city stretched across the island. There was a large stoned perimeter separating most of it from the surrounding forest, but Alistair led us to the west side where the wall finished, and the farmland began.

We still had awfully minimal light. So much so, I wasn't sure how Alistair could see so well through the darkness, but I didn't question it. I didn't say a word, mirroring the other pirates.

Past the wall, there were homes and buildings as far out as I could see. Lights from burning lanterns kept the paved cobblestone streets dimly lit, while very few people still wandered on them.

Alistair had tucked us away against the edge of the wall where it stopped, before whispering "Cael, you and Snips will meet us here before the sun cuts through the sky again." Cael shifted closer to seemingly hear Alistair's words better. "Keep to yourselves, and if you must find refuge for any reason, find the library owned by a man named Kiras and tell him exactly who you are. I'll be alerted to you there and will join you as soon as I can recalculate our next order."

Cael slowly nodded to Alistair, his own rich deep brown skin hidden by most of the darkness, but the whites of his eyes still visible by the light from the full moon above us. I could already see that sky start to lighten, turning the blackness into a deep blue.

"Aye," Cael and Snips both spoke as they nodded.

I watched the two men waste no time as they made haste through the dark open field, sprinting towards the first buildings nearest us before they found themselves on an open, empty, vacant path. Each man pulled their own cloaks over their heads, concealing most of them as they seamlessly mixed in with a the few drunk men stumbling out of a building, and out onto the street.

I had first assumed that these long cloaks would be more suspicious than not, however the few men that roamed the entrance to the town were also wearing thicker clothing, regardless of the warmth brought on with the season. Alistair must've known, I reminded myself.

All that were left now were Alistair, myself, Hobbs, and Gilly. I hadn't had the opportunity to ask why Cael and Snips were separating from the group, and before I could find the right words to question Alistair with, he turned swiftly on his heel before he himself took off into a sprint.

Hobbs and Gilly reacted with impeccable timing, as they too took off behind him. I, on the other hand, had a shaky start. Our boots were still wet, so trying to run against the fresh grass in them almost made me slide into Gilly's back when he stopped abruptly. I realized soon after that it was Alistair who had.

He had stopped us near the first building into the city. It was an Inn, however from the looks of it, it hadn't been operating for at least a few years. The sign was barely still hanging onto the front.

"Gilly, come here." Alistair gestured for the pirate to move closer to where he stood, by the large stone wall connected to the Inn. This wall still kept us somewhat hidden from the town. I watched as the large captain bent down slightly to whisper something into the man's ear, to which Gilly gave the captain a short nod.

"Hobbs," Gilly then whispered, gesturing for himself and Hobbs to move forward. "Let's go."

The interaction had been so brief, I barely managed to register that now it was just Alistair and myself, until I heard him clear his throat in annoyance. He had done so quietly to keep our voices down, but I noticed he was already taking more steps towards a more offbeat path that curved to the east side of the city.

"Move." He practically hissed, and that chilling voice forced my sea soaked boots forward.

••

Update:
Thank you to everyone for all the love and well wishes while I was dealing with that dickhead that published my CEO's Trilogy on Amazon. Everything has been taken down now, and I'm still working the back end for pursuing further legal action.
I just wanted to say thank y'all...

And I also wanted to reiterate that I meant the shit I said in an A/N at the end of Chapter 47 in The CEO's Kryptonite:

The CEO's Trilogy will always be here for free.

If you ever see those books published elsewhere as well, they will be promoted by me with fully edited and bonus content so it justifies you spending any amount of money on something you can already find here for free.

I will never, EVER charge you to read my drafts, and maybe I just needed this little full circle moment considering this year marks ten years in the game since I published my first story here on Wattpad... but I'll continue to fight for that.

When I said I started on Wattpad because I appreciated the free platform, and it brought me genuine happiness to have my work accessible to everyone, I meant it.

I believe in every word I put down to pad. I believe in every message I put into my work, and I believe every reader, especially those that can't escape the toxic saturated market of relationships in books... I genuinely believe that the stories I tell help readers. And I believe that to be true because I know that the stories I've wrote have helped me.

Helped me both through the best of times, and the worst.

My father always told me that a true artist is one who can find joy in giving their work away, because touching even one person with my art has, is, and will always be the goal.

I've turned down many deals with that trilogy to keep it here free, so if you ever get the idiotic idea that you have any right to place any monetary value on MY work that I determined I wanted accessible to the general public with no paywall, let's just say I hope you've got the stamina for the legal proceedings because I'll make sure you never write again.

Yet then again, you probably copied my work word for word because you yourself can't write at all.

Pitiful, really.

Anyways that's all I got to say on that fuck shit, and I love you guys so so so much! Also specific shoutout to the amazing reader who emailed me about these books being on Amazon in the first place, not sure if you're reading this George but you've got one absolutely fantastic soul <3

And I got more Derek art that I'll be updating that book with this week :) Thank you to everyone who's been submitting art, I genuinely have the most amazing readers on this shit show of an orbiting rock. Love you folks to bits, then a million little pieces

xoxo