Another one, cause I stayed true to my word by not doing jack shit this holiday lol
Enjoy, lovelies!
xoxo
P.S. I updated the playlist and added the song up above. This was the song being whistled, once you get to that part in the chapter :)
P.P.S. Lemme know if you find any errors (this mf is long), I'm going to edit after lunch then probably hit y'all with one more upload before the day ends

Caspian

Once Alistair's ship had pulled alongside one of the many open docks, ported, and dropped its anchor, the group of men who would unboard had quickly become apparent to both myself and Snips.

Hobbs and Gilly were the first who returned to the main deck to greet Snips and I, their cloaks pulled over their heads, covering their faces like Snips and mine now were. The next who joined us were Cael and Alistair, they had emerged from the study, a place I know knew they usually disappeared into while the crew carried out their duties. This was what had told the rest of the men that it was time.

And the last two to join were Simon and Finn.

Finn had clothes that resembled that of a merchant, clothes he usually tended to cook in, and the commonness of both him and his features was what told me that he didn't need a cloak. The same was for Simon who wore what he generally wore around the ship. He carried the same more indistinct features that Finn had, which practically made both men look like citizens of Azul at first glance.

Once we stepped off that main deck and onto the ledge of the ship, before hoisting ourselves on the dock that was flush against the right side of the ship itself, Alistair was the first to get us tied up to the dock's post.

I had watched many men tie a ship up, but the strength in which Alistair pulled on those ropes made me question whether any of those men had ever done it correctly before. For this ship would have had to be ripped away from the waters by another ship tied to it in order to part from this dock. And even then, I had my doubts.

Alistair, once done, finally turned to all of us, ready to give orders. "Snips, you'll join Cael-"

Snips immediately let out a defeated sigh at that. It was no secret now how annoyed Cael's lack of confrontation was to this shorter man, but he didn't protest his Captain however when Alistair's eyes peered over at him.

"Hobbs and Gilly, I have no tasks assigned to you but yet you requested to join us, so all I ask is that you do what it is you're good at. Moving with low visibility."

Hobbs and Gilly gave a firm nod to their Captain, before turning to make their way down the dock.

"Don't forget-" Alistair started, but Gilly turned back to him a moment.

"By nightfall. Aye?"

Alistair gave the stronger pair of his crew members a firm nod. "Aye."

Then the Captain turned his attention back to Cael and Snips. "The same goes for you two in terms of nightfall. You'll carry out orders pertaining to the ships repairs." There was no more protests from Snips with that. Then he turned to Simon and Finn. "You lot will carry out orders pertaining to the kitchen and the men aboard. Please do try to find whatever items they've listed, I cannot defend you after the amount of time we've been at sea."

Both two groups of men gave Alistair a firm nod, Cael and Snips starting their way down this dock before Alistair finally turned to me. The last remaining man beside he himself.

"What are we tasked to do?" I asked him, expecting quick instructions like he had given the others.

"A various degree of things." The man answered, his features shaded by his hood, yet his height allowed me to see a bit more of what was otherwise well hidden. He was far more vague than I was expecting, and when he gave me a smile to which I couldn't help but return, I allowed him to lead us down the same way his men went.

Our ship was docked at a deserted port, Alistair's vessel being the only boat as far as the eye could see. Whilst we had found something with good coverage and none others around, this had meant there was a distance to travel to before we made it to the busy shoreline of the main docks.

I didn't mind, however, allowing Alistair to guide as the familiarity of this air soon flooded my senses. It wasn't home. It wasn't Azultia... it was what stood above the ashes of my home.

And I absolutely hated the smell of it.

Alistair first led us through the path that cut through what was left of the lands forestation. Just the simple thought of how lush the forests that surrounded most of Azultia... of Azul now, had once been, forced more sudden emotion from me than I had expected. I remained silent behind Alistair for the majority of this tedious walk, for I was worried of the unevenness my voice could take if I spoke now.

There was no regulation in Azul. None to care about the land my father, and my father's fathers before him had built. What were once the roots of Oakrids, trees that grew as one, originating from what my father told me was the first magical seed planted, and baring replicas of that same tree that were all connected by one massive root below the dirt... most had been reduced to stumps. Even in such a short amount of time I had been at sea, they had ruined more of this land.

More of the things my family had worked to build. Worked to grow, and nurture with their own hands. Their own magic.

I felt the biting sting as my eyes started to well, water much like the sea blurring the vision ahead of me, but I held those tears back. Alistair could turn around at any moment, and I wouldn't know how to explain to him what had stirred my emotions. How deep this hurt had suddenly cut through me. And more specifically, why.

All I could do was follow this man, my hopes that we would soon find the clearing that opened up to the many roads of the city.

And eventually we did. We seemingly joined the other people of Azul that used these roads to travel by foot and by horse. Some even by horse driven carriages. Alistair continued to lead, yet he kept his pace directly in line with mine. It was like he knew exactly where I was behind him, even if he hadn't looked back once.

We continued down the dirt roads until more of the busy ports could be seen coming into view. I watched as people also dressed in heavier clothes moved rather silently, and as we continued to pass through larger crowds, I started to realize that the people were still here, yet the noise wasn't. The chatter. The business. Barely anyone was carrying conversation as they moved swiftly from one destination to the next.

This silence wasn't natural.

The first time Alistair finally looked back was when his left arm shifted to the outskirts of him, nudging me further behind him so we could make space for a large carriage approaching.

I wanted to reach out and grab hold of that hand, however something was telling me that Alistair was doing his best for us to blend in as seamlessly as we could. Our height already separated us from most of Azul's citizens.

I made sure to follow him closely, but I allowed my eyes that were partially concealed by this hood, to look out to our right at the homes that started to multiple as our feet drew us nearer to the shore. The same shore that brought in the most cargo for the city.

I could see the many ships now through the scarce trees, what had to be about thirty or so vessels lined up all along that coast. Some ships were large, almost the size of Alistair's, while others varied from smaller merchant ships, to dinghy's rowed up against their larger counterparts.

I had expected us to draw nearer, but with the direction Alistair was going, I quickly realized that we were heading towards the markets that were right after the docks and offload sites. More and more people were filtering up and down these roads, until we reached the main road that led right down to the markets themselves. That was when Alistair slowed, before stepping aside slightly to allow me to walk side by side with him.

"The people are awfully quiet today." He noted, whispering down to me.

"Aye." I nodded, but made sure not to tip my face too far up towards him, something that would reveal more of my features to the countless faces we were now passing. I had at least made sure to tuck my hair back, and not because anyone could recognize who I was, the people of Azul had long since forgotten about my family, and their distinct features. Barely any had ever laid their eyes on neither my brother nor I.

I had done this to ensure that I wouldn't bring any attention to Alistair, for something told me his reputation here preceded himself.

This winding roads towards the market had started to thin with people, which perhaps had Alistair feeling more confident to ask me another question without so many wandering eyes that could find us. It was just that the question he asked as he looked slightly over to his right and down, the side I took beside him as we walked and the side closer to the fields than to the opposite side of the road... well that question took me by surprise.

"Did you like the juice from the oranges Finn had prepared for our first supper together with my crew?"

It took me by such surprise, I found myself directly looking up at him as we continued on down this path.

"Uh-.. Aye. Yes, it was really good."

That made Alistair's lips tug up into a slight smile. "Once we reach the markets, why don't you go look for a bag? I forgot to detail it in Finn's list of items, and according to Simon, I believe they'll be looking for those instruments first. Judging by the amount of ported ships, I think you'll find riper bags before my men do."

I felt the edges of my own lips tugging up before I registered I was smiling. I knew how seriously this man took his rum. I didn't think he cared to think about anything else to drink aboard that ship.

But the smile quickly started to lower itself when I realized something.

"I... I don't have any cu-"

"Check your pockets." Alistair replied. I found my brows creasing with confusion, yet my hands reached into both the pockets I believed to be empty.

Sure enough, in my left pocket was a pouch. When my hands fumbled with the soft linen material inside the pocket, I realized that Alistair had put a considerable amount in there for me.

"I've been so preoccupied with making sure my men both got their requests in order, and over to Finn and Simon, I had failed to see what it was you wanted."

Alistair's right hand reached out to gently push me a little further behind him as we made way for a few horses that carried on heading in the direction we had come from. He lowered our heads some, allowing the cloaks to mask our faces until the two men and their horses had passed.

Once they had, Alistair slowed again so I could walk side by side with him once more. We were almost to the entrance of the markets now. I could already see the many stands stretching as far as any eye could see, filled with anything one could think of. Fruits. Vegetables. Jewelry. Militant weaponry.

When my eyes returned to his, I found myself saying "I don't wish for anything really."

Alistair replied to my words with "that not very much in line with the spirit of a pirate."

This made that smile of mine return, and perhaps return tenfold. "I don't- I've never had the opportunity to fill any void of mine with things." Not anymore, I had thought to myself.

"Well you've long since earned the right to find whatever it is that can. Whatever it is that you want. My men have already received their loot of our pillage, so what I set in your pocket is yours. Completely yours. Spend it how you like, or don't spend it at all. Whatever you choose. The distribution remains even for all my men."

And that made my smile widen.

I think I was starting to see the true appeal of piracy.

"Would you like anything?" I asked him.

His own smile widened. "I'd force you to return anything you bought for me with the coin that's yours. Aye?"

"Aye." I nodded, now forcing myself to look away for whatever words Alistair was saying to me was making my face flush. That would bring even more attention to my otherwise pale features.

We'd now reached the entrance of the markets, and Alistair stepped aside further to let me walk ahead of him. "I'll come find you in a moment. Don't stray far." He ordered, to which I nodded, obliging.

I started to walk ahead, continuing on the main road that ran through the beginning stands, whilst Alistair seemed to disappear down an adjacent road that ran parallel to this one through another series of stands.

My eyes looked past the people busying themselves at each stand, to the stands themselves, as I searched for fresh oranges. The smell of herbs, spices, and everything in between flowed through the streets, enticing more of my senses. I had tried to stray away from picking up any other food for whatever Finn stocked his kitchen with was more than enough for my taste.

We'd been at sea long, so the food he served at supper when my merchant ship first got ambushed, in comparison to what we had eaten this last fortnight, allowed myself a better picture of how well developed Finn's palette was. He was just working with dwindling fresh inventory as the time had progressed.

I trusted that he had most of anything I could crave on that list of his, most likely oranges included, but I still followed Alistair's orders- request, I corrected myself, to find a bag.

There was a stand that stood only a few steps ahead, its stand only occupied by a few customers, yet the crates piled high on top of each other displayed the most vibrant oranges I had simply ever seen. Alistair had been right about the quality being at its best now, and so I found my feet quickening their pace to move me faster towards those bags of ripe fruit.

The quietness even through the market still surprised me, as did the rather solemn look most faces I passed had carried. The man who operated the stand barely showed any interest as I approached. He didn't even pay attention to the now only other customer who too was looking for a ripe bag, their back turned towards me.

My feet carried me nearer to both men, but as I heard it, I felt my once hastened pace slowly start to slow.

The tune of the man whose back was turned to me, carried it with a whistle.

A tune I recognized all too quickly.

It made my feet slow to a complete stop, the distance between who this was and I only merely a step or so away from each other. I found my hand slowly reaching up against its very own will, moving against all my mind clearly warmed it of, to tap the shoulder of the man I could only see the long tied black hair of, but I didn't manage to touch him.

Instead, I heard Alistair's voice somewhere behind me, calling to me rather quietly.

"Cas!" I heard him say, his voice not nearly loud enough to draw attention to him, but loud enough for I to hear. I turned around from the stranger, to his direction, my eyes locking with Alistair who was holding something that looked like small bag of wound up string. Or perhaps laces?

I didn't have time to conclude what exactly it was in his hand that he was waving to me, because I felt something hit my right shoulder from behind me. Once I turned back again, I realized the other customer had turned in the same direction that I had, and the open bag of oranges in his hand had accidentally spilled a few to the ground below our feet.

"My apologies." I mumbled in embarrassment quickly, as I crouched down to catch the few released before they could roll away.

Once I straightened myself, handing the man the balls of fruit with now a bit of brushed dirt on them, I found myself telling the customer "just a bit of washing and they should be fine." As soon as he reached for the first orange in my hand, his eyes finally peered up enough to catch a glimmer of my face past the lowness of the hood.

And when my eyes caught his, my whole body stilled completely. My hand let go of the orange it was just about to pass to this man, barely registering it rolling past the both of us.

I was staring down into bright green eyes now...

Bright green eyes that shouldn't be.

And they were attached to a man that shouldn't be.

The years had aged him, yet there was no test of time that could erase those eyes, nor his features, from my memory...

For I had looked up into these emerald irises my entire childhood.

And when that same realization settled on his face, I watched his fair skin turn ghastly white. He whispered a word, a name I hadn't heard said, and in his voice nonetheless, in quite some time.

"Caspilius."

To which I returned with a name I hadn't spoke aloud since that night. Since the fire, and the burning of the palace.

Since he said his final goodbye to me.

"Dreska." I found myself whispering to a living ghost.

A man that couldn't possibly be.

••