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kpopnstarwars · 2 months

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Warriors: Choi San x Reader

A/N: ohh boyyy after the kpop fanfic drought im back and it's with warriors au choi san

Summary: San and Reader are mages, which means they are made to serve. They are lowborn, destined to obey humans - the nobles and the highborn - with their every breaths. What if they don't want that?

tw: 18+, smut (p in v, fingering, cockwarming sort of), swearing, violence, death, blood, minimally gory at one point, war, child soldiers (14 yo), society is a shit place to be if you're a mage, tons of worldbuilding, assassins, freaking bath sex, hint at sa at one point from some dude we hate, san is kind of a brat tamer, seonghwa cameo but sad, idk if you can tell but i suck at summaries, mention of a harem, mention of slavery

wc: 4.8k

As a child, you watched from afar, waiting for things you could not grasp.

They told you that you were made to serve. They recounted age-old tales, about gods that crafted humans in their divine hands, moulding the mages afterwards to be commanded by their beloved creations. They filled your mind with legends of faithful individuals of your kind who proved their worth with obedience until you wished to be like your forebears.

Back when you were but an infant, you believed it. You knew the two powers that were bestowed upon you by the gods, varying in every mage, were gifts made solely to assist the highborns. In your naivety, you thought the rosy flame cupped in your small, childish palms would be used to warm the nobles in the icy winter, and that you would fulfil your purpose through that, through being of use to them. They had no shame as they informed you you were just a tool forged for following their orders, and you were convinced it was all true - until you met San.

Although you were the one with the ability to summon an inferno, he was always the one with a burning fire in his eyes. Like all mages, he’d been taken from his parents the moment he didn’t need his mother’s milk - he was given as a peace offering from the Hwangso warlord for his control of water: helpful for the upkeep of the crops.

This occurred in the small period of time in which Hwangso, the neighbouring province, was attempting to forge alliances with your province, Neugdae. Soon after, your warlord breached their territory, claiming it as his - you often wondered if the news filtering back from the front lines of a new settlement captured ever affected San.

You met him when he was an eight year old filled with bottled fury too old for his years, and you were a quiet, invisible seven year old. At those tender ages, neither of you had developed your second ability yet, nor had you gotten a taste of the power at your fingertips, but San still held his head high; you remember marvelling at the way he’d make a point of meeting every single noble’s gaze and holding it. He was just a scrawny, sun browned kid back then - nothing like the elegant lethality of the man that he is now.

Every day until you turned fourteen, you toiled beside him. The work was cruel, your supervisors crueller; the sun would beat down on your back as you laboured in the fields, side by side with San as barely a quarter of the way across the settlement, the nobles sheltered beneath their silky parasols, boasting their pale, porcelain skin. Back then, San never spoke of the injustice of it all out loud, but something about the look in his eyes when he saw them swanning past stirred something inside you. He made you realise that you were not the soulless, mindless puppet that you’d been told you were, but a person.

It wasn’t simply the rage inside him that drew you to him, though. It was the way he remained sweet, kind, despite it all, making sure to send licks of cool mist down your neck when your supervisors weren’t looking, nicking extra crumbs of food for you and remaining beside you, a beacon of light that anchored you to sanity even in the dark.

Even when, you at fourteen, him fifteen, were sent out into battle.

There were always skirmishes between neighbouring warlords: a constant push and pull for more land, more resources, more power. They would attack on a whim - mages were expendable, nothing more than canon fodder; behind each squadron was a noble who would hang back behind the lines, commanding, unbothered by the bloodshed because it was the blood of mere tools.

By then, both you and San had developed your second abilities. San’s was the ability to manipulate shadows, turning them into almost solid shapes that could physically hinder attacks by forming daggers or clutching hands, or could temporarily block the world out in a shroud of rolling black fog. Yours was the art of shapeshifting; you let the outline of your body flicker between forms, changing into powerful, deadly creatures whose substance was inhabited by the soul of a wavering teenager.

You’d known that you’d be forced to fight since you were young, but you never could have imagined the brutality of war.

It was there, in the midst of the battlefield, that any lingering innocence was burned from your soul. You learned that San’s water did not just bring life, but could also fill up someone’s lungs until they drowned upon dry ground, that your fire was not just a source of warmth or light, but could also combust a man’s heart within his chest, that the animals you were teaching yourself to shapeshift into could maul and break bones.

Many nights, you would fall asleep, curled against San, your face buried in his side with his arm wrapped around you, the taste of blood still in your mouth from where you’d torn your enemies’ throat out with the vicious canines of a tiger or the needle sharp fangs of a lynx. You would leave the front lines soaked with crimson, the essence of other people in your hair, smeared on your face, caked and drying under your nails.

It terrified you, how easily you could slice their flesh open with your claws. Armour was not wasted on mages, only generals, so just like you, all they wore were roughly woven tunics tied at the waist and trousers - you met no resistance when you killed your own kind, silent apologies on your lips.

Within the squadrons were also humans that had fallen from grace - criminals who still felt entitled enough by their birthright to think they could have a fourteen year old mage’s body; San protected you until you could protect yourself. In the first few weeks, when the punches he threw were too weak to deter them, he would let them beat him, giving you time to escape before returning to you, limping, lip split and nose bloody but the fire in his eyes never faltering.

On those nights, tears of frustration would leak from the corners of your eyes as you cleaned him up. He could so easily stop them if he used his abilities, but by then doing that without being instructed to do so by a highborn would lead to a flogging or a beating - fairytales no longer worked on you at that age, so your commanders and generals utilised fear mongering instead. You remember the hate and helplessness burning inside you when you looked at them: if all the mages rebelled at once, the nobles would have no chance, but everyone was too scared. Using your abilities on humans only led to execution.

You remember Seonghwa: he was a mage a few years older who cared for you and San as if you were his blood. He got too strong - you can’t recall his second ability but his first meant he could push a man over the brink of insanity, until he frothed at the mouth and his brain boiled within his skull. When you first witnessed the depth of his power, you were originally struck by the pain in Seonghwa’s eyes, and then by the fear in your commander’s.

The next day, Seonghwa was gone.

Often, you wonder if he fought back, or if he just let them kill him.

After, you made San promise that he wouldn’t show them if his powers developed further. He made you promise the same, and when you fought beside him, he was a constant reminder to reign yourself in, to survive. You were more careful with your powers from then on.

Some nights, though, when the frost ridden night air cut right through the ragged material of your blanket, you huddled next to San and lit a small fire in your hands. He’d tell you to stop, and you’d point out that he was shivering; he’d reply that he’d rather that than get you caught, and you would ignore him, not missing the way he tucked himself closer to the flame.

You didn’t tell him, but sometimes you would shift into a small animal, like a raccoon, and steal food for him in the dead of night. You didn’t answer when he asked you where you got it from, just shrugging and thrusting the rolls of bread and strips of dried meat into his hands, telling him he should eat.

When you were sixteen, San discovered he could animate his shadows. He could mould them like clay in his hands, breathing purpose into them - they would disintegrate within about a week or so, their outlines fading until they dissolved into nothing. San shaped a little dragon for you, the length of your forearm and the width of one of your thumbs; he came to you with it cupped in his hands, awe limning his face as the two of you watched it wriggle through the air between you and coil itself around your wrist.

You have many memories of those times, but one remains crystal clear, even to this day. A year onwards from San’s dragon, you found yourself hemmed in by enemy forces, your body tired from the fight - victory was so close for your side, and because of it, the Hwangso fought even harder, like cornered animals. If you broke through them, you would have been able to easily end their commander, but they had you, six to one. Hands closed around your throat, choking, and as the consciousness bled from you, you heard San’s cry, smelt the fear in the air as he tore through them to get to you: that in itself would have been insignificant - you had saved each other countless times through the years - but he had disobeyed a direct command.

He’d been told to kill the commander. He’d had a clear shot, and even still, he’d ignored orders, choosing to save you instead.

Both of you were beaten for it, and even as you heard the sound of San’s ribs cracking, he held your eyes, silently telling you that he’d do it over and over again, if only to keep you with him.

You think that was the moment when the two of you truly got a taste for rebellion. It was the point in the long, winding thread of your life that made you realise that whatever they told you, you would disregard it if it were for San. Their words no longer had as much power over you, because you knew your bond with him was infinitely stronger than any fear they attempted to instil within you.

Soon after that incident, your commander retired, and he was replaced by a man who was more of a fool than him. You began to lose land to Hwangso’s troops, far enough that the settlement where you grew up in was ravaged, razed to the ground. Your commander informed you that you’d evacuate the highborns, leaving the child mages and the servants behind because they would only slow you down - that was the moment you decided to stop listening to him.

The last mage rebellion had been decades ago - they were not ready. It was pathetic how easy it was to overthrow them; together with the rest of the troops and the mages from the settlement, you rebuilt the town and fortified it. San treated his soldiers with respect, with loyalty, and they loved him for it, for the way he would march into battle with them instead of cowering at the rear, for the way he could often be seen in the newly restored fields, watering the crops, for the way he recognised them for who they were.

To this day, you’re in awe of it. Never in your whole life have you come close to anything but fear for a leader, and yet you see it clear in their eyes that they love San, and that he loves them. He is everything that the highborns fear - a powerful, confident mage, wreathed in righteous shadows, fiercely intelligent, a master of strategy.

One of his first moves was to ally himself with the Hwangso warlord, the very man who had given him as a gift to your province. Deep in the highborn’s eyes was the presumption that he could break San and make him yield, followed a month later by pure terror when you held a knife to his neck, hissing to never speak of San like that again. The two of you brought his head in a sack to Hwangso and claimed your rule over the province.

That didn’t mean it was easy, though. There were the nights when San would tremble in your arms, baring his fears to you, his doubts - that it was getting too much too fast: that maybe he really was just made to follow orders. You scoffed at that - you’d seen him grow up, watched his shoulders broaden and his figure fill out with muscle, you’d seen the fire in his eyes blazing with passion; you knew he’d always be more than enough.

You’re not sure when the love blossomed between the two of you. Maybe it was always there, first shown as fierce protectiveness, later as searing kisses where no one could see, of fingers laced with yours in the dark of night. He married you shortly after he began to be recognised as an actual warlord, not a rogue mage; it was a quiet ceremony, but the celebrations of your people were far from that - rumours of the Neugdae province’s mage warlord and his wife rippled like wildfire through the regions, stirring fear and hope alike.

Some wonder why San does not take more wives - he has control over the Baem province as well Neugdae and Hwangso now, and any warlord with that much power would take on a harem without blinking. Not San, though - he’s different from them, he is a mage, a lowborn, his bronzed skin a sign to them of his childhood in the fields, and they find he is an enigma, as is his mystery shrouded right hand man.

But not to you - you understand him as if you share a soul.

On the surface, you are his only wife, aloof and coldly beautiful. In the shadows, you are his sword, his hand. There are myths of you, of the fire wielding ghost that robes itself in a black cowl and changes its skin into a man’s worst nightmare; stories of how you will twist your victim’s thoughts around until he finds the tip of a blade poking out of his chest, speared right through his back. It’s how you prefer to operate - they fear the unknown, and you are the unknown.

The fabric of the bag held in your fingers is soaked with blood. Within it is the head of the Yong province’s advisor. He was an awful man who deserved what you gave him - in a locked room at the back of his house, you found several young mages, half starved and chained by wrist and ankle to each other and a hook set in the wall. Bile bites at the back of your throat at the thought: you’re lucky you never experienced the uglier side of mage slavery.

Night is falling, the sun casting long shadows down the road. You always find the darkness comforting - it feels as if San is near. Today he is; you raise your fist and knock thrice on the solid wood of the gates, lifting your hand in recognition of the guards who peek over the turrets.

Slowly, they ease open the doors, and you stride into the courtyard, your boots clicking against the roughly hewn pavings. A squadron of your soldiers are sparring, but they halt their training when you enter, snapping to attention as you stop at the centre of the space, the dying rays of the sun streaming down the steps towards you, the air still as you wait.

He appears, his gilded silhouette glorious at the top of the stairs. His shadow guards spill down the steps towards you as he descends; their bodies contort and bend, the swirling mass of them parting around you, liquid night, jaws snapping, circling you until you’re surrounded.

A smirk pulls at your lips, and you throw the bag at his feet. You do not bow low, simply dipping your chin as he extracts the head from the sack, inspecting it and nodding before returning it to its roughly woven grave and handing it to one of his shadows to take away. Meeting your eyes, his own filled with amusement, the hint of a smile flashes over his face.

‘Welcome home, my love.’

San’s words are soft, voice quiet enough for only you to hear. You suppress the urge to pull down your mask and kiss him, instead letting your fingers brush against his as you walk with him up the steps and into the hanok; his shadows close the door behind you and the moment they do, he hooks an arm around your waist and hugs you tight, his embrace warm and sweet as always.

You laugh. ‘I was only gone four days, Sannie.’

‘Four days too long for me to be separated from my wife,’ he replies, pushing your cowl back so he can kiss your forehead.

Gripping his shoulders, you tug him down so you can peck his lips before sending him out to the courtyard again - you’re the last person expected through the gates tonight, so he should go out and dismiss the mages training in the courtyard so they can go home to their families and lock up. A happy sigh leaves you as you toe off your shoes, walking through your home and stripping off your bloody clothes before submerging yourself in the pool sunken in the floor. San has already filled it with fresh water, and it takes you mere seconds to heat it up with your fire.

Leaning with your head against the wooden ledge of the pool, you let your muscles loosen, half closing your eyes. The silence doesn’t last long, though - there’s a soft, steady noise coming from the screen behind you, almost like… breathing.

‘Show yourself,’ you command into the still air.

A man steps into view - a human, eyes crazed, knife clutched in his fingers. You realise he does not know who you really are; he just assumes you are the mage warlord San’s wife, delicate and helpless, and you let that role engulf you, backing away to the other edge of the pool with your eyes wide, luring him closer.

‘Your man took everything from me,’ he spits, blade pointed at you as he stalks forward. ‘He took my power, my wealth, my squadron of soldiers. And now I will take his wife.’

Surging out of the pool, you dodge the swipe he aims at you, sending fire surging down the knife’s handle so he drops it with a cry and twisting his arm behind his back in the most painful way possible, wrenching him down to his knees with his face an inch above the water.

‘How did you get in?’ You ask coolly.

‘I’ll never tell y - ’

You send tongues of flame licking down his ribs. ‘Answer the question or suffer.’

The door eases open, revealing San. His eyes land on you, water dripping down your body as you pin the man to the floor, then the distorted reflection from the blade of the knife that’s fallen into the pool, and something dangerous flashes inside his gaze. You let him grab your attacker by the front of his shirt, lifting him off his feet as he brings him face to face with him; you see San’s jaw clench, his hands balling into fists.

‘How fucking dare you try to come anywhere near my wife,’ he growls, shadows coalescing behind him.

You can tell he’s about to say something else, but he stops as the man, trembling and fruitlessly clawing at San’s fingers, wets himself. Your husband’s lip curls in disgust, and he drops him at your feet, pressing him down onto his knees and yanking his head up so he is forced to look up at you. Bending down, you breathe in the sheer fear permeating the air, a soft smile on your face.

‘Now, answer the question.’

‘You’re not his wife,’ he whispers, pale.

‘Oh, but I am,’ you sneer. ‘But that’s not the only role I occupy.’

Slowly, his face drains of colour, horror rippling across it as it slowly dawns on him. He recoils in San’s grasp, scrabbling at the floor in a sorry attempt to put distance between you; he has finally realised who you are and he acts like fucking coward, his mouth gaping wide in a silent plea. Unhurried, you fish the knife out from the pool, twirling it around your thumb before gliding it gently over the skin of his throat.

‘I’m getting impatient.’

‘I - I - the guards, they were distracted upon your arrival, I snuck in at the southern perimeter, please don’t - ’

His words dissolve into a weak gurgle when you slice open his throat. Blood gushes from the seams of the wound, dribbling from his lips, and you step back as he tips forward, landing with a wet thump face first on the wooden floor. Glancing up at San, you sigh before getting back in the pool. One of his shadows carries the body away and your husband tugs his clothes off and slides into the water beside you, pulling you into his chest.

‘He did not hurt you, I presume?’

You snort. ‘He tried.’

San’s fingers run thoughtfully up and down your arm. ‘I’ll talk to the guards. I probably shouldn’t have put Jisung on dusk duty while he was recovering from that fever.’

You nod but don’t answer, instead pressing a kiss to his collarbone. He hums, tipping his head back to give you more access as you mouth at his skin, letting your palms wander over his shapely chest, grip his broad shoulders, skim his waist; you trace the many scars all over his body, and he allows you to, his strong hands gripping your hips when you settle in his lap.

He curses low at the feel of your teeth sinking into the spot where his neck meets his shoulder, his hips jerking upwards, and you both groan at the sensation of the underside of his cock grazing your clit. Smirking, you let your tongue lave over the spot where you bit, pressing a kiss to his jaw and pulling back as his hands tighten their grip on your ass.

‘Missed you too, Sannie. Good to know how much you missed me.’

‘So fucking bratty,’ he hisses.

A thrill shoots through you as he stands, the water sluicing in rivulets down the planes of his chest, lifting you and laying you on the edge of the pool, pinning your knees to the wood and spreading you open. The crude way he looks at you is all consuming, his eyes surveying you from where he stands with the water to his mid thigh, watching as your pussy clenches at the sight of him towering over you.

San remains there, just looking at you, and you curve your spine, almost whining in attempt to make him touch you without you asking for it. His lips quirk to the side as you squirm, trying to inch your hips down so you can grind against him, but his fingers tighten on you, refusing you.

‘What is it you require of me, love?’

Finding your attempts unsuccessful, you huff, glaring at him. He loves to do this, make you articulate exactly what you want from him - he likes the flush that heats your cheeks, your body still shy even after all your years with him, he likes the breathy noises you make when he forces you to tell him just what you desire when all you can think of is his dick, he likes it when you can’t help but beg him.

‘Y - your fingers,’ you mumble. ‘And your cock.’

‘Say that louder for me, sweetheart, I didn’t catch the last bit.’

‘Your fingers and your fucking cock,’ you snap - a sorry endeavour at trying to hide how much you love when he inflicts this upon you.

San raises an eyebrow, not moving to touch you. Waiting.

‘Please,’ you add.

He smiles. ‘There we go. Wasn’t so hard, was it?’

Your mouth opens to retort, but he slips his fingers inside you, and your back bows, a soft moan leaving your lips as he sweeps his thumb over your clit, his other hand palming your breasts, his tongue dragging over your skin. Burying your hands in his hair, you tug, making him groan low and deep as you pull him closer.

Delectably, his fingers curl, and you ache for him. San has ruined you for anyone else, he is branded onto your soul and also your body, fading marks from your last time together still slightly visible on your throat - a necklace of love bites, laying claim to you. He catches your chin as he brings you closer to the edge, tasting your moans on his tongue, grinding his palm against your clit.

You keen, coming hard around him, chest heaving, and he smirks, holding your waist as shudders wrack your legs from the aftershocks. The fire in his eyes burns ever brighter, so hot you feel your stomach go molten - your hands tighten on his shoulders, nails raking over his back, your tongue unable to form anything other than his name.

‘You’re always so willing to behave once your pussy’s full, hm?’

‘No, I,’ you start, but cry out when he pinches your clit in warning, the muscles of your thighs jumping as it lances through you, white hot. ‘Y - yes, yes, I am, please - ’

In one fluid movement, San buries himself inside you, sheathing himself until his hips kiss yours. Catching you wrists in his hand, he pins them above your head, and your back arches as he pulls out, agonisingly slowly, every ridge and vein of his cock dragging on your walls before slamming back in, tearing a cry of his name from your chest. Tugging your legs up from where they were wrapped around his waist, he hooks your knees over his shoulders - the new angle makes you sob, writhing beneath him as his cock head drives into perfection, drives you to euphoria.

Sometimes, San makes love to you, but not tonight: tonight he fucks into you mercilessly, traces of possessiveness lacing his actions as he litters your skin with bites, his hands leaving exquisite bruises on your hips. Pleasure tears through you like an arrow through your heart, white hot and maddening, ravenous.

‘You fit around my cock so well,’ he pants. ‘Like you were made for me, sweetheart.’

Something snaps inside you at his words, and as if he senses it, San presses his thumb down hard on your clit, speeding up his thrusts until the air is punched from your lungs. Stars flash before your eyes, and your mouth falls open, toes curling as you come on his cock, your cunt convulsing around him, thighs twitching; he doesn’t stop, just continues ploughing into you, and you tremble, tears slipping down your cheeks at the relentless pound of his hips into yours.

With a gasp, he pulls out and comes over your stomach, his wide shoulders rising and falling with heaving breaths, and you groan as he eases you back into the warm water, a hand cupping the back of your neck as he tucks your head under his chin, sliding his softening cock into you again. Wrapping your arms around him, you press a kiss to his jaw and rest your hand on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath your palm.

‘How do you feel, my love?’

You nuzzle your face into his shoulder. ‘Good. Really fucking good.’

He laughs, and you bask in the sound of his happiness and the comfort of his warm skin against yours. San’s hands run up and down your spine, soothing, and you smile sleepily; you are home, reunited with your other half, the missing part of your soul.

With San, you are complete.

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n0v4t33z · 3 months

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The Piece of Eight - Chapter of Provia

Pairings: Capt. Hongjoong X Female Reader , Crewmate San x Female Reader (Overall not chapter specific)

Genre: Pirate AU, Romance, historical-ish (not really), Action, Angst, Non-Idol AU

Word Count: 15.2k

Tags/Warnings: For Mature Audiences, Violence, Language, mentions of blood and gore, Highly Suggestive at times (This is a warning for the whole story overall)

Chapter specific: Some suggestive conversations?, straight up violence for some of it (HERE'S YOUR WARNING IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT KIND OF STUFF, SERIOUSLY), blood. Lots of it. ,cursing, war crimes , (let me know if there's anything else)

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!

Spotify Playlist ⚓ | Masterlist 🏴‍☠️

Author's Note💌: Again, this is a very dark and gory series so please keep that in mind. It had been a while since I last re read this chapter and tbh I did add alot of stuff but I also cut alot of stuff from it too mostly Hongjoong's background because I decided I'm going to use it in later chapters instead. So anyway this chapter is going to be the last one before I go back to The Syndicate. I'm hoping you enjoy this in the meanwhile. (there's a few minor mistakes but I'll fix them at a later time) - N🌙

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The cold crisp air gently blows making my hat almost fly off my head stepping out of the ship and onto the deck but just in time I’m able to hold it on my head. “God, why is it so cold?” Wooyoung laughs rubbing both my arms trying to warm me up his soft black hair tickling my cheek from him leaning in so close “I thought you said you liked cold climates?”

I turn my face back at him pushing his hands off of me “I do but this is too much” I point over at the railings of the ship “Look, it’s so cold there’s literal icicles here.” I glance over at the horizon and groan looking at the mountainous terrain.

Although beautiful, seeing the snowy tops of the mountains, makes for one very hard and treacherous trip which makes me all the more nervous.

San walks up behind me and pokes my sides causing me to jump “Stop! It’s cold! You’re making it worse, skirt chaser!” San chuckles and when I turn back to face him I see his now bright pink hair slightly blowing in the wind while giving me his signature dimpled smile. “How’d you know it was me?”

I scoff and roll my eyes at how obviously dumb his question was “What kind of dumb question is that? It’s obviously because you’re the only one who does that..” San stuffs his hands in his pockets stifling a laugh and gently nudges my arm with his elbow “I know, I just wanted to annoy you one last time before you go.” I give him a small smile and roll my eyes. He’s so annoying.

“Geez it’s so cold, I always forget how cold Provia is until I actually come back.” Yeosang steps out rubbing his hands together and shoving them in the pockets of his blazer, his now black hair peeking out from under the wide brim hat he happens to be wearing.

“You’ve been here before?” He nods “Yeah, once years ago before I joined Hongjoong and another not too long ago with Hongjoong.” I slightly raise my eyebrow “Wow, that’s nice. It’s my first time here and so far it’s beautiful but the climate is a bit questionable seeing how ruthless it looks”

I reach for my gun to make sure it was loaded and I have enough ammo then let out a long sigh “It’s time for me to go..”

“Well in that case, I’ll see you later yeah? Take care." Yeosang gently pats my back while I put my gun back into my holster “Sure thing. I’ll see you in a few days.”

Wooyoung walks over to me and puts me in a playful headlock knocking my hat off my head “Wow you’re leaving already? So early?” I pick up my hat and poke his side. He lets out a loud yelp and he lets go of me gently patting my shoulder.

“Yeah, Captain wanted to go early so we reach Provia before sunset.” Wooyoung hugs himself trying to keep warm putting is hands under his arms “I wouldn’t be surprised it’s because he wants you to kill someone.” I shrug “I don’t know he didn’t tell me but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case, he just told me to get ready and be well stocked with ammo. I honestly don’t have a very good feeling about this since it’s just me and the Captain.”

San furrows his eyebrows resting his elbow against the railing of the ship “Just you and Hongjoong? Seonghwa isn’t going? Are you worried?” I let out a small laugh “Uh yeah, I’m worried about the Captain since it’s my first time out with him and Seonghwa won’t be coming along to guide me.”

San gives me a small smile “You’ve got this.” Wooyoung smirks and reaches over to squeeze my cheeks together with one hand “ See ya in a few days.” I grab his wrist and pull it away from my face “That hurts, you weasel!” Wooyoung turns away laughing holding on to the railing from laughing so hard.

I nudge Yeosang "So where's everyone else?" He looks over at the icy landscape and says "Ah they're asleep. Seonghwa fell asleep in Hongjoong's room, I know this because he told me he wasn't going to sleep in the crew chambers last night."

Yeosang leans in and lowers his voice to a mere whisper "Hongjoong couldn't sleep last night and so he stayed up with him." I nod with a slight frown on my face. Is Hongjoong okay? Is he scared? Nervous?

“Ready?” I jump seeing Hongjoong standing there his notable all black trench coat ensemble complete with leather gloves and his wide brim hat. He stands there waiting for me at the ramp lightly tapping his boot on the deck floor.

I wonder how long he’s been standing there, how odd he didn’t even say anything.

“Ah, yes Captain.” I turn back to Yeosang, Wooyoung and San waving goodbye “I’m going, see you guys! Tell the others I said goodbye!” I speed walk over to Hongjoong and we both walk down the ramp “Our horses should be over by the city, I'm not risking any of mine.” Hongjoong muttered.

I nod and stay quiet for a few moments until I decide to blurt out “So what exactly are we doing here?” Hongjoong walks in silence resting his hand on the holster of his gun while he walks .

“I need to know what I’m getting myself into. I need to know how to protect you Captain. My apologies for not dropping it but I can't be left in the dark.” He chews on his bottom lip then he slowly exhales resulting in his frosty breath making an appearance “I’ll tell you when we get our horses.”

“Why?” I ask slightly confused as to why he's become so secretive all of a sudden. Honjoong turns in my direction and sternly utters “Don’t question me, just listen. and be quiet.”

I look ahead and roll my eyes. Why is he being like this? I’m literally stuck by his side what’s his deal? I need to know what’s coming to prepare for my surroundings. I can't go in blind.

After walking for a little bit we arrive at the small city by the shore and we pick up our horses. Once we get on them we ride in complete silence through the frosty forest until I break the silence once again “Okay tell me what we’re doing now and why we’re keeping it a secret.”

He looks over at me for a few seconds then looks forward again hiding his eyes with his hat “It’s not a secret I just need you to help me get rid of someone for me. I couldn’t tell you because I wasn’t sure if you’d back out on me considering it’s your first time and I didn’t tell anyone on the ship simply because I didn’t think it was necessary.. ”

“Okay, so who is it?” He looks ahead onto the terrain ahead of us and without hesitation he says “Jaques Norwood, He’s an executive officer of the Provian military. A very problematic one at that.”

Intrigued, I raise my eyebrow “How come?” He stays quiet for a few seconds staring off into the icy trees ahead of us then answers flatly “I'm not going into detail but he’s one of the reasons I lost everything I had at one point in my life. ”

Hm, not going into detail? I wonder if it's because it's painful for him to remember or maybe he just doesn't want to come off as vulnerable to someone he doesn't know very well. Which I understand.

Unable to form any words I hum softly and Hongjoong continues “So I need you to assist me. Seonghwa being a male unfortunately I won’t be able to get as close as I want to, but you being a fresh faced woman and all I’m almost positive he’ll give in pretty easily.”

Ew, he’s going to have me flirt with a possible disgusting old psycho? “As much as flirting with an old guy sounds funny, is the point of this to distract him?”

He briefly glances over at me “Correct.” I nod then I suggest “How about I do the job for you and you can just go back to the ship? Sounds easier. Safer.” Hongjoong stays quiet almost like he was thinking whether to stay or leave “Don’t worry, I will not disclose to anyone who I’m working with.” I give him a reassuring smile and he lets out a sigh.

“I’m not letting you go alone.” I furrow my brows and slightly tilt my head “Why is that?” He shrugs “Because I said so.” I roll my eyes. Isn't he stubborn. “Captain you’re making this more complicated than it has to be. Go back. I promise you I’ll get rid of this person. I just need to know you’ll be safe.”

He abruptly stops his horse. Did I finally get through him? It’s like he only listens when I make it obvious I care for him. How funny. He turns to me and softly chuckles “You’re very kind y/n, but I think it’s best this remains a team effort.”

Definitely not looking forward to hanging out with that old fart, but what Hongjoong says goes. I nod in silence gently biting the inside of my lip, unfortunately worry must have been written all over my face because then Hongjoong follows up with “Don’t worry about that man, I know what you’re thinking and he won’t get the chance. I promise you nothing is going to happen, I just need you as a distraction.”

I glance over at him reassuringly “I trust you then..” He curves his lips into a smile and continues “Good, that means you and I will part ways here and we will see eachother again in the city. Meet me at the Twelve Rabbit tavern.”

My eyes slightly widen “Wait, why?” He checks behind us as if making sure that it was just us “They’ve got eyes everywhere, and if they see you arriving with me they’ll know we’re up to something and it will be nearly impossible to get close to Norwood. ”

“Okay, but how else are you going to get to the main city?” He points east “I’ll have to take the long route since I need to pick up a few things on one of the outer skirts of the main city but I promise I’ll be there. In the meanwhile try to blend in as much as possible.”

I look over at Hongjoong and Salute “Aye Captain!” He chuckles and begins to steer his horse east and I yell out “Take care!” From a distance I see him nodding in acknowledgement with a smile. I sit there for a few minutes watching him until I decide to begin heading towards the main city to make it in time.

After a few hours of a quiet ride to Provia I eventually arrive to the gates. There is some sort of ceremony or a public event coming up judging from the amount of people coming in and out of the gates. Which is quite alot, unfortunately I have another problem which is that I don’t know what this Jaques Norwood looks like.

I tie my horse onto a tree close by the main gate, now the problem is sneaking in. Ironically I happen to see a merchant wheeling in hay and I pretend to walk behind the huge cart full. I turn around to look behind me and notice there were two merchants behind this one. Dammit.

“Hello gentlemen, can I get a quick favor?” I give them a curt smile and pull out a bag of golden coins slightly dangling it in front of me. Both men stare at me then the younger one with the fur hat speaks “Depends, how much is that?” I look down at the bag then shrug “About 600 crescents..Probably more though.” The man on the left with the hat looks at the older man to his right with the long beard and both nod in agreement. The man with the long beard then speaks “What do you need child?”

I look at the line very slowly moving ahead of us and put my hands together “Can you please let the guards know I’m guarding your cargo?” The man with the fur hat furrows his brows then I continue “I just need to sneak in and see my mother is all, please..”

The bearded man sympathetically looks at me and nods “Alright, go ahead as long as you fulfill your part of the deal.”

I quickly retrieve my horse from the tree near the entrance and ride my horse to position it behind the two men’s cargo. Just as we get closer I happen to look down and notice my hourglass pin on full display. Shit.

I awkwardly pull my hair forward and I let out a sigh of relief. I almost fucked that up big time, I really am very nervous and it shows. God, I wish Seonghwa joined us. Maybe then I wouldn’t be so damn clueless.

By the time I snap out of my thoughts it’s our turn and the two guards up by the gate sported the same uniform which was a dark blue thick jacket lined with black fur and a black fur hat with flaps covering their ears. The crest of Provia being on the front part of the hat.

On one of their hips they had a long needle thin sword and one of them also carried some sort of big gun, not one that I recognized though, must be new. The one with the sword holds a notepad and the other one with he gun walks up to the men’s cargo and begins to carefully inspect “What is this?”

The older bearded man then responds “It’s fish sir, we’re fishermen.” The soldier hums and begins to walk towards the back in my direction. He looks at me and narrows his eyes suspiciously then says “Are you with the fishermen?” I nod “I am, I’m guarding their cargo.”

The soldier looks under the tarp of the wagon then looks back at me while the soldier behind him writes stuff down. “What’s with the clothes?” I shrug “It’s all I could find in Shiva that was warm.”

He looks over at the soldier behind him and both exchange odd looks then stares back at me for a good while until he harshly taps the wagon and yells “Clear!” The soldiers keeps their eyes on me until we finally move past them and into the city. I then ride ahead and thank the fishermen for their help and toss the coins over to them.

While I ride around I see all the different shops from butcher shops to weapon shops. Hm, maybe I’ll go in there later. My eye is immediately caught by a beautiful blood red dress.

So pretty, unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be able to wear that for my meeting with Jaques. Or can I? An evil smirk appears onto my features then I shake my head.

No, I can’t because I don’t know if I’ll be able to pull it off considering it’s my first time doing this I shouldn't get cocky. I glance over at the window again and look at the beautiful red dress. I feel like if I appeal to this man I can bring Hongjoong a memento I just have to be close enough to be able to do that. Fuck it, I’ll do it. Maybe it'll work.

I enter the store and the store owner greets me “Hi, what can I help you with today Miss?” I make sure my pin is hidden and smile “I’m looking for a nice dress and a hood. I heard this place makes really good ones.”

The store owner nods and walks out from behind the counter “I see, is it for the pinning ceremony of Jaques Norwood?” I brightly smile “Yes, that one...”

She leads me over to where alot of dresses were and none of them seemed to catch my eye because I kept thinking about the one on the window. “How much is the one on the window? The red one, it’s gorgeous.” She smiles “Oh, that’s a new one! That’s 2,800 Crescents, a cape is included with it which is why the price is a little steep ”

Oof she’s right a little steep but I have enough money on me so I’ll be fine. Got to look my best so I'm sure Hongjoong won't mind me spending it. “I’ll take it!” She clasps her hands together excitedly “I’ll package it for you right away Miss.” before I head over to the counter another red satin dress with puff sleeves catches my eye.

This will be my going out dress. After paying for both dresses and a beautiful black fur jacket I manage to get a room in the nearby tavern Hongjoong talked about. I drop off my new dresses and my other stuff off and head over to the bar area of the tavern.

Hmm I’ve never been to a tavern but I’ve heard about them from what my grandfather has told me I think I once heard him talk about him and his comrades getting a drink called the “corpse reviver” which sounded kind of scary now that I think about it.

As soon as I sit down a well dressed older man says “Hello welcome to The Twelve Rabbit Tavern, is there anything that interests you?” I adjust myself in my seat “A corpse reviver please.”

His eyebrows slightly rise then gives me a soft smile “A hard day huh?” I shrug “Just exhausted.” He nods then hands me my drink, it looked a bit like lemonade. Maybe that’s why grandpa likes it so much “Please enjoy. Say, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you around here.”

I take a sip of my drink which surprised me how strong it was. I try my absolute hardest to keep a straight face “I’m just traveling.” The old man notices the awkward facial expression I make and says “Too strong?” I nod while my body shakes a bit involuntarily from how strong the drink was and the old man laughs “Don’t worry, I’ll get you something a little easier to drink.”

I don’t understand why my grandpa would drink something so disgusting it doesn’t even taste edible, then again I’ve never had alcohol in my entire life. Just never really interested me in all honesty why spend money on a disgusting drink when I can drink a delicious cup of coffee or juice.

The old man turns back to me and gives me a drink that was a beautiful orange gradient, it looked almost like a sunset which was almost too pretty to drink. “Here you go, this one should be much more palatable. I went easy on the liquor.” I take a drink then I nod and give him a smile “Thank you, it's perfect.”

The man begins to clean his work space with a rag “So, are you here for the pinning ceremony? It seems these days alot of people are arriving here for that. Including the Piece of Eight.” My heart stops and I look down and notice the hourglass pin on my chest was showing then I cover it with my hair.

“They’re looking for Kim Hongjoong as we speak. They know he’s here and they’re onto him.” My stomach drops and my hands get a bit clammy while the man continues “The thing is, that man is a man of the people. So if you need help with anything just let me know and I’ll be of assistance.”

This is still dangerous, what if he sells me out or something. What if he's lying? I’ll make sure to keep tabs on him. I take another sip of my drink “Did you meet with my Captain? Is this why you know we’re even here?” He shakes his head “No, but you’re proof they’re here. I can tell you’re very new to this so I’ll tell you now that the military will be very strict at the pinning ceremony. Which is why I suggest you fake being a socialite from a far away country to lift suspicion if you’re going to go. The more obscure the better.”

Ah, now I see why Hongjoong loves to be in good graces with the people. It makes things a hundred times easier, he’s smart. I look over at the other people in the tavern then look back at the old man “Why are you helping me?”

He dries a glass with another smaller rag and he smiles “Because thanks to your dear Captain my wife was able to get treatment and recover from a bad illness. So the least I should do is help you.” My eyebrows raise “Oh wow.”

I notice the old man looks behind me then says in an even lower voice than before “By the way, Jaques frequently visits the Ivory Bell tavern in the military district of Provia. You’ll know who he is when you see him, he sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest.”

He points at the pin on my chest and i turn around to see it was a Provian policeman then I carefully remove the pin and put it in my pocket and get up extending my hand “I’ll get going now, your name is?”

He smiles and shakes my hand “Theo.” I nod and hand him my money “I’ll see you later Theo.” I casually walk past the Provian Policeman and walk outside.

After a little while I find the Ivory Bell Tavern and of course it looks like something owned by the government, pretty pristine and expensive looking. As soon as I enter I notice a lot of military men, a few with some female companions.

By the bar chairs near the bartender I notice a man wearing a high ranking military uniform which was dark blue with his decorated medals and pins. His dirty blonde hair neatly put into a combover and icy blue eyes. He was wearing glasses that were silver rimmed and complimented his features very well which made him look very important and intimidating.

So, I’m guessing this is the guy I’m looking for. I sit down next to him and tell the bartender behind the counter “Hello, can I get a corpse reviver?” I need to look cool, luckily now I know what to expect. The blond man turns to me and smirks “You must have had a tough day.” I nod “Yeah, work has me like that unfortunately ”

His eyebrow rises “Really? What’s your occupation?” I turn to him and smile “I run my father’s tavern in Sheba. I’m here on a business trip.” He takes a drink from his amber colored drink “Maybe If I ever stop by Sheba I’ll stop by at your father’s hotel. What’s the name?”

The bartender brings me the dreaded lemonade colored drink “The Devil’s Cradle” I smirk and take a small sip only this time I manage to mask my disgust and manage to keep a straight face “Sounds very nice, I like the name. “ I trace my finger around the rim of the glass and smile “Yeah, it’s so nice you’ll sleep like a corpse or so that’s what our patrons have told us.”

He chuckles and extends his hand reaching for mine and gently kisses the back of my hand “How rude of me. I’m Jaques Norwood, what’s your name?” Got him. I push a strand of hair behind my ear and smile “Ah, so you’re the star of the pinning ceremony in a few days? I’m Scarlet Frost by the way, nice to meet you.”

He smirks, his blue eyes piercing into my soul. “You have such a beautiful name, something that’s very hard to forget.” I take a sip of my drink “Hard to forget indeed.” He pushes his glasses up “So are you being accompanied by anyone?”

I take another sip of my drink trying to concentrate on not spitting my drink out. I just hope I don't get drunk then I'll be fucked. “Nope, I’m here alone unfortunately. The attendant that usually accompanies me couldn’t make it this time due to his wife being in labor so I just told him I wouldn’t mind making the trip by myself.”

His cold blue eyes attentively look at me while holding onto his drink slightly making my hands a bit clammy. He was attentive to what I was saying but is he examining what I'm saying to see if it's credible?

“Father was hesitant about it at first but he eventually agreed since we kind of had no choice because he's sick.” He gives me a concerned look and says “Wow, you’re one brave woman to be traveling alone. Your father must be proud to have such a thoughtful daughter. Are you not afraid? Especially nowadays when the scum of the sea are constantly terrorizing and killing people”

I sigh and look down at my drink “I am a little bit but I’ve honestly have had my fair share of horrible people, so as scary as those seamen are it’s going to take alot more than sea bandits trying to rob me in order for me to stop helping my father.”

He chuckles “What a woman, you know. Not many are as hardworking and strong like you. Even so, part of me wants to protect you because you must have been through alot considering being a woman who travels alone isn’t usually very easy..”

I let my eyes lose focus and the man’s face turns into nothing but a blurred mess for a few seconds until I re focus my eyesight. God I feel weird, I think I'm getting drunk.. or tipsy?

"Oh Mr. Norwood you’re very kind-" he gives me a soft smile and says "I know, I'm coming off too strong. I'm very sorry about that Miss Frost, beautiful women are indeed one of my weaknesses."

“Alright, you win.” I giggle and gently pat his arm. He notices this and his ears slowly turn into a soft shade of pink. I think I've got him. That's good right?

After about an excruciating two hours pass by of sitting there and chatting with this man like my life depended on it I finish my drink and get up “I’m getting a little tired I think I should go, I’ll see you around Mr. Norwood.” He grabs my hand and gently pulls me back towards him “We should see each other again sometime? I really do enjoy your presence.” He gently strokes the back of my hand with his thumb. I smile, my ears turning red from the attention “Of course, I would love to meet you again.”

He brings my hand up to his lips and gently kisses the back of my hand and pulls out an invitation from his breast pocket and hands me the dark blue invitation with a silver wax seal on it the crest engraved in the seal being the Provian crest.

“Tomorrow at 2pm?” I nod pressing my lips into a slightly nervous smile and take the invitation. The man looks into my eyes with his icy blue eyes, the feeling being almost overwhelming knowing Hongjoong is not going to take this man lightly. “You need me to walk you back to your tavern? A pretty girl like you shouldn’t walk alone so late.”

I shake my head shyly covering my face with the invitation “Oh no, sir it’s okay I really don’t want to be a bother.” He gently rubs circles on the back of my hand ”Nonsense, a beautiful woman like you is no bother. The streets of Provia can be a bit frightening at night and it’s no place for a lady like you to be out.”

I smile and gently rest my free hand on his knee “I promise you no one will mess with me, I’ll head home quickly..” He nods understandingly without breaking eye contact “I understand but it still doesn’t take away that I’m a bit uncertain letting you go alone can I at least walk you halfway?”

Fuck.. Maybe I should agree just in case. I nod while I give him the sweetest smile that’s humanly possible. How was it this easy? What the heck?! Maybe he knows!? “Of course Mr. Norwood.” He gives me a small and knowing smile almost like he was proud of himself. “Alright Miss Frost, let’s get you home so you can rest.” Jaques and I pay the bartender for my drink and step out.

Outside I look around to make sure no one weird was around since it was quite dark now. Jaques turns to me and reassuringly pats my shoulder “Don’t worry, I’m here. I’ll protect you.” He takes my hand and laces his fingers in between mine. It’s been a while since someone’s been interested in me , let alone held my hand so it felt almost foreign to me seeing a man be so gentle.

Suddenly I get this strong feeling that I’m being watched, how odd. I didn’t see anyone following me this whole time so why do I feel like I’m being followed? Is it perhaps Hongjoong?

As soon as I hit the halfway mark to our destination I gently tug on the tall blue eyed man’s jacket and come to a halt “Well, it’s time for me to go Mr. Norwood.” He pushes a few strands of hair and gives me a worried look “Are you positive you don’t want me to walk you back pretty girl?” I nod “I’m positive, you should really get going anyways because you’ll need that rest for tomorrow.”

He silently nods for a few seconds “I’m looking forward to seeing you again Miss Frost. Goodnight.” I smirk “Yes, I as well Mr. Norwood have a good night.” He gently kisses the back of my hand again and watches me walk away. I could feel his eyes piercing into my back giving me slight goosebumps, once I turn around again to wave goodbye I force a smile.

In return a small smile paints the blonde man’s face and for some strange reason I get slightly nauseous so I turn away terrified I might make a weird facial expression that gives me away luckily I'm almost positive he didn't notice.

When I arrive back to the tavern and head up to my room I sit on the bed and think about what exactly this Jaques dude had to do with the Captain. What is his connection and why does he want him dead?

I know he told me he was a reason why he lost everything but what I want to know is what that reason is but I guess it’s all in due time since Jaques never mentioned anything regarding his work in the military no matter how many times I pressed on the matter.

On the day of the ceremony I get ready for it by putting on the beautiful red puff sleeve red dress with a sweetheart neckline and some drop ruby earrings and necklace. For my hair I settle for a pretty updo with red crystal flowers all over my hair. When I look in the mirror I smile “I’ll get you that pretty little medal Captain, after all it's you who deserves it the most.”

The pinning ceremony is in the main city square theater and there was a lot of people there, most of them looked important which makes me even more uncomfortable because I think it’s best I steer clear of them. So I sit at the perfect distance to where I could still see but not be too close.

Unfortunately for me this is when I realize how boring these things are and how lucky I am to at least be sitting in here and not outside in the cold. After about an hour of them blabbing on and on about Mr. Norwood’s accomplishments I hear one thing that sticks out to me and it was “Social Cleansing of inmoral people in possession of an illegal artifact” How are they glorifying that?! This is a crime, why is this being celebrated? This has to be related to Hongjoong.

Now I know why he wants him dead, it’s because instead of him getting punished by the government he’s getting praised for what he’s done. I stare at Jaques and the General up on stage I look around notice how happy everyone is, this has to be a sick joke.

No way in hell are people actually encouraging “social cleansing” regardless of what they're in possession of, unless they’re just blindly following their beloved military “heroes” thinking evreything they do is a good thing or they just straight up have no clue what it means.

Throughout the ceremony I stand there contemplating if I should end them right at this moment, regardless of the amount of military personnel in the area. My mind is stuck in an endless loop of contemplation and anger where I completely ignore what is being said on stage.

After the ceremony I notice Jaques taking pictures with his new medal with the general of the Provian military. This time I reach inside my purse and clutch onto the gun tightly. What’s really stopping me from killing both of them right now?

It would be so much easier but not satisfying enough, besides this is Hongjoong’s kill and he instructed me to be a distraction not kill. “Scarlet! Over here!” I see Jaques walking towards me so I let go of the gun and leave it in my purse.

He grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles “Wow, you look beautiful. Red really suits you very well.” I force a smile and smooth out my dress with my other free hand “Thank you Mr. Norwood.” He begins to pull me in the direction towards other military officers “Come meet my superiors.” I stop and shake my head “I want to be with you though not them, besides they kind of make me uncomfortable because of how i'mport they are. I don't want to accidentally say anything weird..”

He smiles and and gently caresses my cheek “You’re so cute, they can be intimidating at times but I understand. They make me quite uncomfortable too. We can be together for a little but then I have to go just for a bit because I have a meeting with the lieutenant colonel and the brigadier general about the Piece of Eight being here in Provia. Please do me a favor and hide if you see any of those nefarious pirates.”

I almost let out an audible gasp but manage to suppress it by covering my mouth. Hongjoong is here in Provia already? Is that why I felt like someone was watching me? Could it have been him? I slightly stutter “Pirates? Here in Provia?”

His face goes serious “Yeah, one of the Provian policemen saw Kim Hongjoong last night.” My heart stops and almost jumps out of my throat. “What’s wrong Scarlet? You look pale?” I shake my head silently then he gently lifts my chin and looks into my eyes with those soulless blue eyes. I really hope Hongjoong is okay “I promise you’ll be okay. He won’t hurt you.”

Of course not, but he'll hurt you. “Of course, I trust you. I’m just a bit spooked. I’ve heard many stories about him.” He presses his lips onto my forehead "You don't have to worry about him Scarlet dear, the military is looking for him as we speak. Not to mention you're with one of the best here in Provia so you're safe with me."

He pats my head and gently rubs his thumb on my cheeks “I’ve got to get going, I’ll see you at 8pm for the masquerade ball tonight okay?” I force a smile and nod “Of course, I’ll be there. Take care Mr. Norwood.” He gently kisses my forehead and makes his way in the direction of his superiors. I wait until I see Jaques completely out of sight and begin to walk back to the Twelve Rabbit.

When I arrive I look around for Theo and sit at the empty side of the bar where he walks over to me and just like every other time I meet him he politely greets me “Miss, hello. What would you like?” I sit there and think for a few seconds “Coffee?” He chuckles and turns towards the back “Right away.”

While he’s gone I make sure no one else sits near the bar area so when he comes back he gently sets the warm cup of coffee in front of me with a few cookies next to it. Immediately I lean in a little close to Theo “I need your help Theo.” He looks at me waiting for my request and I continue but this time in a lower voice than before “I found him, please cover for me once I leave tonight.”

He gives me a worried look and before he can say anything I shake my head “Don’t worry you won’t be in trouble. Just change the name of the log on my room, and if they ask you for a description throw them off by giving them one that looks nothing like me. That’s all, I’m sure the Captain will pay you for your help.”

The old man gives me a warm smile “There’s no need, don’t worry. I’ve already changed the name on your room’s log.” I smile and mouth the words “Thank you” I slide my payment onto the table and take a sip of my coffee and taking the cookies with me.

I need to see where this will all take place unfortunately I have to walk all the way back to the military district. It’s weird, that feeling of being watched comes back making me look around but to no avail I didn’t see anyone suspicious. Just Provian people minding their business.

This is honestly getting on my nerves now, this feeling is just unsettling because I don’t know if it’s an enemy or not. So when I walk past a sketchy alleyway someone pulls me by the wrist and covers my mouth pulling me towards them. I knew someone was following me.

My back rests against their chest so when my instant reflexes kick in I elbow and punch said person whom lets out a yelp and falls to the ground. I glance at the person and I realize it was Hongjoong. Oh shit. I gasp and help him up.

He was coughing quite hard and I felt bad so I kneel over and pat his back my hand gently resting on his chest “What the fuck are you doing here?! You told me to meet you at the Twelve Rabbit..”

He leans over and puts his hand over my mouth “Why were you at the ceremony?!” I give Hongjoong a surprised look then remove his hand from my face “So it was you following me?!” He shushes me and covers my mouth again “Just announce I’m here why don’t you, you never answered my question. Why were you at the ceremony? Did any of the military people see you?”

I stare at the ground for a bit then raise my gaze “Mr. Norwood invited me, and no, at least I don’t think so.. He tried to get me to meet them but I declined.” He looks at me shaking his head “If that’s the case why didn’t you kill him and the General? They were so close.” Did he-

“I’m sorry captain but there was too many people. Besides you said I was only the distraction, this is your kill and I respect it.” He sighs and rubs the side of his temples “Nobody was going to know where that bullet came from with that amount of people there but I understand you were obeying what I ordered you to do”

The surprise, I can’t ruin it. I bite the inside of my cheek and look down while he continues “I knew I should have come with you-” I put my hand over his lips and quiet him down “Look, go to the tavern and get everything ready for when we come back because after we do we’ll have to haul ass back to the ship. And I mean fast.”

He furrows his eyebrows and slowly removes my hand from his face “Wait you met Theo? He’s still there?” I nod and continue “Please Captain, help me in that sense I’ve already told Theo what to do I’m sure in the meanwhile it’ll give you time to catch up with him.” I give him a faint smile then I pull the invitation out of my purse and show it to Hongjoong.

“Look, I also have something I know will make you happy..” Hongjoong smirks and takes the invitation from my hands “How in the world did you get that?..” I smile and push a lock of my hair behind my ear “Mr. Norwood has a crush on yours truly.”

Hongjoong lets out a quiet laugh gently patting my head “Thank you.” I nod and give him a two finger salute “No problem.” I start walking back to the main street out of the alleyway then glance back at Hongjoong “I’ll see you later Captain, please make it to the Twelve Rabbit safely. The military is looking for you as we speak.”

Hongjoong’s response is simply a small smile which made me happy. Seeing him happy made me happy for some reason, I’m guessing this is how I know we’re close now. You’re happy when your friend is also happy and If I'm being honest I've always strived for my grandfather and father’s approval for as long as I can remember but I'm not going to lie when I admit that I really want Hongjoong’s approval too. I will go above and beyond so as not to disappoint him even if he has his questionable moments.

After inspecting the building where the masquerade will be held and looking at all the exits and hiding spots I head back to the Twelve Rabbit and head over to my room when I open the door I notice Hongjoong is laying on my bed his blazer was on the chair next to the desk in my room and his white dress shirt unbuttoned exposing his chest.

A glass of amber colored liquid on the nightstand next to my bed. Why is he half naked on my bed? Is he drunk? I check the time and it was 4:39 pm I don't want to wake him. He seemed to be enjoying his nap from the looks of it, I’m sure he’s exhausted.

I'll just sit here and nap on the desk until it's time for me to get ready, besides I have plenty of time to spare. I take off my black fur jacket and sit on the chair where Hongjoong's blazer was hanging and lay my head down on my arms on the desk. Surprisingly it wasn't that uncomfortable so falling asleep was a piece of cake.

I sleep for a while until I feel a gentle nudge followed by a whisper "y/n. Wake up, you should be getting ready for tonight." My eyes groggily flutter open and when I turn I notice Hongjoong leaning over with his hand on my shoulder and his shirt still undone giving me a full shot of his toned chest and abs looking at me with a small smile.

I quietly hum and sit there waking myself up while he walks over to the bed and sits "Why didn't you sleep on the bed? You're going to mess your back up if you keep sleeping like that." I squint my eyes in slight annoyance. What kind of question is that? "Maybe because you were sleeping on my bed? That's weird if I sleep on it while you're sleeping on it too."

His eyebrow rises "There's nothing wrong with it, you're just sleeping next to me." I roll my eyes and cross my arms in front of me "Yeah no, that makes me uncomfortable." Hongjoong chuckles "Fair enough, I respect that. Even then you should have woken me up and let me know you were going to rest a little bit."

"I'm sorry Captain but I couldn't do that you looked exhausted, besides I think that’s going to be a regular occurrence of me sleeping on a chair while you sleep.. " He slightly tilts his head “How come?” I dryly laugh “What do you mean why? Because I’ll probably fall asleep while keeping watch sometimes.”

He nods giving me a sullen smile and reaches over for his blazer and puts it on “Well, I’ll let you get ready. I’ll do that as well, I’ll meet you downstairs.” He walks over to the door and closes it behind him leaving me alone in the candle lit room.

I glance over at the pastel pink box with a white ribbon and pick it up gently setting it on the bed. After opening the box I gently pick up the dress and take in the beauty of the dress, this is probably going to be the first and last time I wear this gorgeous dress I'm afraid.

After putting the dress on I stare at myself in the mirror and look at the beautiful dark red lace bodice beautifully accentuating the right places with the lace jeweled off the shoulder sleeves softly glistening in the soft candle light.

I smile to myself and I let my hair down from my previous style and put my hair in a half up half down style with a hair stick in the shape of a dragon with red jewels as eyes. For shoes I settle with some black heeled ankle boots then I put on a black lace mask with red jewels and accents. Lastly I put on the beautiful red cape over my dress, the inside being lined with black fur making it very warm.

After I head downstairs to the bar area to bid goodbye to Theo. I walk towards the bar area and see Hongjoong and Theo were talking, it wasn’t until Theo stays silent that Hongjoong turns and his lips slightly part. His expression is that of being in complete shock for a few seconds then he composes himself and clears his throat and stares at me waiting for me to say something.

I look at both Theo and Hongjoong “I’ll be going now.. “ Theo smiles and says “Good luck Miss y/n. There’s a carriage outside waiting, Sir Hongjoong paid for it.” I slightly raise my eyebrows then Hongjoong says “I’ll catch up to you, arriving with you might be dangerous..” I nod and walk outside realizing there was indeed a black carriage with a beautiful black and white spotted horse.

Once I’m helped into the carriage and I arrive at the location of the ball it was a complete 180 from earlier in the day and it looked gorgeous. Beautiful lights and decorations adorning the place making it look unreal.

Straight out of a fairytale that mom and grandma used to tell me. When I step out of the carriage I show the guards my invitation, Immediately after entering I’m greeted with Jaques pulling me into his arms into a tight hug “Miss Frost, you’re looking gorgeous tonight. Aren’t you cold? You poor thing..”

I pull back and notice he was wearing an all black ensemble with a white half mask covering the right side of his face, despite the smile on his face his eyes still as soulless as before. It was honestly kind of scary in a way. “I am a little bit but Thank you Mr. Norwood you’re looking very handsome yourself.”

He takes my hand and gently plants a kiss on my knuckles, and leads me inside the ball. At the entrance a military employee takes my cape and puts it in the back. I quickly glance over at Jaques and say worriedly “He took my cape..” Jaques chuckles and removes his coat handing it over to the military employee “No worries, they’re going to keep it safe for you they’re not keeping it.”

I slowly nod feeling slightly embarrassed “Ah, I’m sorry I wasn’t aware.” Jaques gently kisses my temple and smiles “You’re so precious..” Way to make it known you’re that poor you don’t even know customs of the nobles and higher ups.

I glance inside the huge ballroom and If I thought the outside looked gorgeous then the inside was immaculate because everything was perfect from the way the chandeliers glimmered in the light to the beautiful reflective marble floor. Never in my life did I think I’d ever experience something like this, a poor nobody from Eledonia feeling like a princess seems unreal but alas it wasn’t.

Unfortunately it was something that’s brief and probably a once in a lifetime opportunity. The guests seemed to be either nobles or high ranking military officers which made things much scarier considering I’m not used to being in such formal situations. We walk past a few women who were whispering amongst themselves while staring directly at me almost like they were wondering who on earth I was. Unmoved by this action Jaques leads me into the dancefloor and smiles “Would you be so kind as to take this dance Miss Frost?”

I curve my lips into a timid smile “I’d Love to” He slithers his hand behind my back and pulls me close and we dance a few songs together, the whole time I take small glances behind him to see if Hongjoong would show up. “You seem to be looking around quite a bit, are you looking for someone in particular?”

Oh shit. He’s getting suspicious. “Oh no, I’m just still in shock from how beautiful this place is.” He looks around himself and nods “Ah, I figure you’ve never been to parties of this caliber?” I nod “Yes, this is my first time. I wish my father was here so he’d be able to enjoy a party like this too.”

Suddenly from behind Jaques I see a man dressed in a white ensemble with beautiful golden embroidery, his hair that familiar shade of unnatural blonde pushed back. The mask he wears covers his eyes but very delicately accentuates his eye shape with the delicate placement and bordering of pearls along the mask, while a white fluffy feather adorns the top corner of the mask.

With him he carries a white cane, the handle being some kind of sharp beaked bird. Suddenly it dawns on me, this is Hongjoong. His hair, the clothes, the confidence he carries himself with, he’s here. Hongjoong looks around for a little until he spots me, his gaze locks onto mine and smirks.

By now Mr. Norwood notices my silence and leans in and whispers “Do you know him?” those words make my stomach drop but I try to play it off “What do you mean?” He chuckles while we dance “You seem to be looking at him almost like you know him,“

I nervously laugh and shake my head “Oh no such thing Mr. Norwood. I’m just admiring his ensemble, it’s very peculiar.” He smirks and gently kisses my forehead “I’m sorry I get a bit jealous, you’re just so gorgeous I don’t want you looking at anyone else but me...” My eyes look around for Hongjoong once again but to no avail he was gone. Where is he? This man touching me is really freaking me out now. Jaques looks deep into my eyes with his icy blue eyes “How about we go somewhere more private?” A knot grows in my throat and I nod pressing my lips into a forced smile.

He gently pulls me away from the dancefloor and down a hallway leading to a beautiful courtyard in the back. We walk down a stone path to a soft ivory colored gazebo with beautiful thorned red flowers blooming alongside the entrance. It’s cold, how are those flowers blooming? I’ve never seen something like this before. We both look out from the gazebo and into the beautiful garden of similar red flowers being illuminated by the moon.

The sight was to die for unfortunately Jaques had other things in mind. “Let me see those beautiful eyes of yours.” I turn to meet his empty blue ones and a small smirk grows onto his features then he leans in and pulls me into a kiss, only it felt like it was eternity before he pulled away. Gross, I feel sick..

“You know a Provian officer saw you talking to Kim Hongjoong by an alleyway earlier today. He said you looked very well acquainted.” Oh no. He knows, he knows! What do I say? Do I feign innocent? Is this why he lured me outside? He’s going to kill me isn’t he? “Kim Hongjoong was recently seen with unnatural blonde hair...”

He gently puts his hand to cup my cheek and continues “Just like that man in the white ensemble you were looking at. It’s him isn’t it? Your Captain?” I thickly swallow and shake my head “Mr. Norwood what-” The man interjects while holding my face in his hand “It is isn’t it? Tell me.” I shake my head, trying to swallow the knot in my throat.

He stands there staring at me waiting for me to say something until I muster up the courage to finally speak “Fine, you’ve caught me.�� I gently run my hands up his chest, this causes his hand to slowly tighten “That doesn’t mean that I can’t like you though right? Or is that forbidden too?”

His eyebrow rises in amusement “You’re telling me you actually like me or is this bluff so that you get away with it.” I try to shake my head feigning innocence “No, I mean it I do like you.” he loosens his grip again and gently strokes my cheek with his thumb “Such a beautiful thing…”

He tilts my head back slightly and leans in only mere centimeters in front of my face and continues “What a shame you have friends who are not so nice.” Okay, why is he looking at me like that? I bite the inside of my lip and close my eyes until a familiar voice echoes in our direction, Hongjoong.

“Who says we’re not nice? Last time I checked all the money we robbed from Chesan was returned to their rightful owners, the people.” I hear the cocking of a pistol and turn to see Hongjoong pointing it at Jaques. Immediately without a second thought Jaques puts his arm around my throat pulling my back onto his chest.

I remove my hair pin and aim to stab him in the neck only for him to tightly grab my hand re directing the pin into my shoulder causing me to let out a pained gasp knocking me to the ground in the process immediately afterwards Hongjoong shoots him in the stomach twice knocking him on his back. “y/n, are you okay?!” I nod reassuring him and he walks over to Jaques and stands above him pointing his gun directly over his face.

In the distance we hear the guards making their way to the courtyard causing Hongjoong to grumble under his breath “You’re under my mercy now, unfortunately I don’t have as much time as I would like because of your big mouth.” I glance over at the guards. Oh no, this is definitely not how I envisioned any of this going.

I get up and pull the pin out from my shoulder and grunt in pain “Captain, I’ll take care of this.” He nods and I run towards a hallway leading to a courtyard. One of the higher ranking guards spots me and I hide behind a bush in the courtyard while says through his teeth “Find her! She went into the bushes”

LIttle does he know he fucked up asking his men to look for me. I see him walk around the courtyard and says “Here kitty, kitty” He makes mocking cat noises then I grab a pebble and throw it at the bush opposite of me. He hears this and walks back with his back facing directly towards me getting on his knee to check if I’m behind the bush. I smirk and take out a small blade from the leg holster next to my gun.

I walk behind him and cover his mouth putting my blade on his neck then I whisper “You make a noise, I’ll turn you into my personal meat shield” I know he’s going to try something funny so with ease I slit his throat and let him fall back against the soft grass. He clutches his neck and chokes on his own blood.

From a distance I hear noises of struggle in the distance and realize it was Jaques and Hongjoong possibly getting into a brawl. I whistle causing the other guards to run in my direction, in the meanwhile I load my gun.

Right when I see a few of them are in one spot I pop up from behind the bush and shoot a few of the guards dead. I look around for a small ledge to climb on to try and do an aerial attack. Once I climb the side ledge of the building via a small ladder on the side I start reloading my gun whilst avoiding the ricocheting bullets headed my way.

When I walk to the very edge I take a deep breath and throw myself off the ledge while the guards shoot at me luckily only managing to graze my right arm and part of my thigh. I shoot 2 dead while up on the ledge and 2 more of the guards while jumping off the ledge knocking them down while I simultaneously shoot them dead.

I hear commotion in the distance, I see a few guards are now cornering Hongjoong. “Are you serious?” I hiss in anger while I run I reload my gun again, only this time I drop two bullets leaving me with three. “Fuck..”

I manage to shoot two of the guards except one. Hongjoong’s attention turns to that guard and shoots him in the face. That's when Jaques takes the opportunity to knock Hongjoong to the floor by kicking the back of his right leg. Jaques grabs onto the gun in Hongjoong’s hand and tries to turn the gun onto him. I try running as fast as my legs could take me then I hear the ricocheting of bullets behind me.

I turn to see it’s the Provian General and more guards, fuck. Jaques being too busy struggling to get a hold of the gun I sneak behind him so that I get Hongjoong out of here. I stab him right in the neck then he lets go of the gun and falls back clutching onto his neck.

I shift my gaze over to Hongjoong and I grab his shoulders “Leave! I’ll handle this! We can’t afford for you to get arrested Captain.” He looks down at Jaques choking on his own blood then back at me. He definitely got roughed up by Jaques, a busted lip, and his right eye was swollen from a presumed blow to the eye.

His once pristine ensemble now covered in dirt and blood, his hair now ruined with a few strands of hair fallen to the front of his face. He sits there thinking for a few seconds and lets out a frustrated sigh and nods in acknowledgement.

He reaches over and pats the back of my head pressing his forehead against mine, his lips being mere centimeters from mine. “You’ve got this, I’ll get everything ready at the twelve rabbit. Be careful.” Hongjoong runs behind the gazebo and climbs a concrete fence bordering the courtyard near the street.

I kneel down and notice Jaques still wasn’t dead, yet his soulless blue eyes finally have an emotion to them, fear. I climb on top of him and smile “You were dumb calling your men and making such a big spectacle.” He chokes on his own blood struggling to speak “Look, I’ll cut to the chase. You took everything from my Captain and now you’re going to pay for it with your life. I hope your repent for all the hurt you’ve caused people.”

While choking on his blood he smirks, painting a scary expression almost like saying he wasn’t remorseful. He was trying to taunt me. He then makes some terrifying gurgling noises with a full smile showing me his blood stained teeth, a sight that will forever be ingrained in my brain.

That’s when a mixture of fear and anger washes over me, anger for Hongjoong knowing that this man feels no remorse for what he did and fear for myself because I didn't know people could be so unremorseful even knocking on death's door. Seeing that ugly smirk on the man's face causes me to snap and I begin to angrily stab into the man's face and neck, blood spattering and landing on my face and it completely soaking my dress.

Once Jaques’ gurgling noises eventually stop. I look around and see the general looking around for me. I let out a slight sigh and look down at Jaques’ decorated chest avoiding even looking at the aftermath and stripping him from his wrongfully acquired medals leaving his chest empty. He deserves the worst, he deserves the disrespect. Just the way he probably disrespected the many people he's hurt, including Hongjoong.

Before I get up and run away I cut off his right index finger with his military ring still on it and wrap them with the bloody handkerchief on his chest pocket and stuff it in an inner pocket in my dress the two other rings I put in my other dress pocket. From a distance I hear “We’ve found her General! Mr. Norwood!”

I turn and look in the direction the yelling came from and notice the guards running towards me like their life depended on it. The Provian General staring straight at me not moving a muscle, seething anger painting his gaze.

Before I run to the door leading to the street in the courtyard I pick up the gun off a deceased soldier and shoot the General in the chest not knowing if it killed or injured the man just knowing that it definitely hit him.

When I run up to the gate the door was locked. As expected, I shoot the lock and swing the door open running into the street. While running down the street i take a detour into an alleyway and take an opposite route to the Twelve Rabbit.

In this moment the harsh cold should be bothering me but the adrenaline pumping through my veins the cold ends up being nothing but an afterthought. Slightly slipping on the ice on the cobblestone roads I raise the front of my dress so that I can run as fast as my legs carry me trying not to fall.

When I enter the Twelve Rabbit completely winded from the running Theo signals me to the back and with the last strength that I have I walk to the back of the bar leading to the back alleyway of the bar that’s when I see Hongjoong waiting outside with 2 loaded horses Theo instructing “Make sure to head the alternate route I told you about.”

Hongjoong nods then he grabs my cape from the horse saddle and drapes it over me. How did he get a hold of this? “Flip the hood on, you’ve got blood everywhere.” I nod and put my hood on then Hongjoong helps me onto my horse “Thank you for everything Theo, I’ll be sure to repay you.”

Theo shakes his head “You have already, no need. Now, go on.” He waves at us goodbye then I manage to say “Thank you Theo.” He smiles and says “Goodbye you two.” Hongjoong clicks his tongue in order for the horse to go triggering my horse to automatically begin moving right behind his and we ride at full speed up until we reach the gate.

Hongjoong slows down his horse and points his gun at the guards, the same ones that I saw yesterday “let us pass or you die.” both guards stare at me for a moment then the one who questioned me last time spoke “It was you…the fishermen’s guard..” Hongjoong cocks his gun and impatiently hisses “I won’t ask you again!”

Startled, they nod in obedience and open the huge wooden door leading us to the poorer parts of Provia. Without a second thought he shoots both of them dead and we ride at full speed back to the port. The whole ride back to the ship was silent mostly because it was me trying not to pass out from the pain in my shoulder and Hongjoong concentrating making sure we arrived as fast as we could with no further distractions safely.

I could feel the blood running down my arm the whole ride back to the ship but it was during the last half when the adrenaline started wearing off and pain was beginning to get unbearable. I've never been stabbed before but holy shit I took it well for this being my first time and not freaking out as much. Maybe it was because In the moment my only mission was to kill Mr. Norwood and save Hongjoong that I threw every bit of reasoning out the window.

When we arrive at the ship I hop off the horse and I wince in pain from my injury trying my hardest to walk it off. Hongjoong hurriedly gets off his horse and walks towards me and helps me walk up the ramp then he yells “Yunho! Get over here!”

Right as I make it to the deck I fall to the floor losing my balance while I clutch onto my shoulder. "Fuck.." Hongjoong tries to help me up but I’m in so much pain right now I can’t even walk right. “Look at me. Yunho’s coming, you’ll be okay.”

I look over at Hongjoong and smile whilst he wipes the side of my face from Jaques’ dried blood “I made sure he was dead Captain, I also shot the General but I don’t know if he’s dead for sure..” I pull out the bloodied handkerchief containing the medals and severed finger with the ring and put it on Hongjoong’s hand.

Hongjoong looks at the small bundle in shock and before he could say anything Yunho runs up onto the deck and sees me on the floor with blood dripping on the ground and picks me up in his arms. His dark tresses being slightly messy over having just been woken up.

Everyone on the ship was now startled awake wondering what happened. Who knew a hair ornament would do such damage, at least I didn’t dip it in poison that would have been dumb. Then again I got desperate and me trying to stab Jaques was just dumb in general. Panic makes you do dumb things.

Hongjoong turns to Yunho and says “take her to my quarters” He nods and begins to walk towards the captain’s quarters. I peek over Yunho’s shoulder and notice the last thing I see being Seonghwa’s worried expression trying to be disguised as serious in order not to startle the rest, I lower my gaze and let out a sigh resting my head against Yunho's shoulder.

The next morning I wake up and see Hongjoong at his desk working on something. As I lay here watching him work I notice how much more comfortable the Captain's bed is, it’s so soft and spacious. The covers are a dark maroon silk embroidered in gold accents. Not to be weird or anything but it also smelled like him, like one of the many expensive oils he owns. He smelled so good, expensive.

The whole room also seemed to have a very calm feel to it but of course it’s the Captain’s room so there were a lot of luxurious items in here as well like a few small golden sculptures, some expensive looking furniture, and from what I can see in his haphazardly opened dresser very expensive looking clothes.

My thoughts are interrupted by my stomach growling so then I try to sit up and slightly wince causing Hongjoong to look up from what he was working on and walks towards me “Just lay back, Yunho says to take it easy.” He grabs a chair and sits next to the his bed. “How are you feeling?” I adjust myself a little bit “I’m in slight pain but I’m fine” He nods giving me a small reassuring smile “I’m glad you’re okay, Yunho said if you would have been struck deeper it would have been bad luckily the stab wound wasn’t deep. so it won't affect any movement so long you stretch.”

I could tell he wanted to address what I gave him but he was having trouble bringing it up until he finally musters up the courage “So, about what you gave me last night.” Completely intrigued in the conversation I sit up carefully and smile “You liked it?” He nods “I did, I appreciated the gesture. That finger with the ring was a very nice touch.”

I did it, I made him happy. “But please don’t do something like that ever again. He could have seriously killed you.” I look down at my hands drawing shapes on the covers “I knew you’d say that, but for the time being don’t worry. I won’t get so hands on anymore not until I kill Miyagawa Masaki. For him- For him I need to feel his heartbeat stop.”

He lets out a sigh “Fair enough but don’t let it end in you dying in the end.” My eyebrow rises with a silly smirk “Why? You don’t want to lose me?” He scoffs and leans back on his chair "I guess you can say that, but it's more of a you can't die yet because I'm not the Pirate King." I giggle "Ah right, and you think with me around it'll help?"

He rests his head on his hand with his elbow resting on the arm of the chair "Correct." He gives me a reassuring smile then as quick as I see the smile it disappears “That reminds me, none of us wanted to change you out of your dress because you know, we’re all men here. So I’ve picked out and left your clothes right here so that you could change into them once you woke up.”

He points at the edge of the bed where my clothes are neatly folded. I look down at my bloodied and dirty clothes "Oh, right." I glance over at them then I look back at Hongjoong slightly scrunching my nose.

“Why are you always picking out my clothes? Why can’t I do that myself?” He raises his eyebrow “What? You don’t like my choices in clothes?” I shake my head “No, I mean I do but I’m just wondering why you do that. You don’t pick out anyone else’s clothes, so why me?”

He lets out a soft sigh and sits down at the edge of his bed resting his foot on the varnished wood’s bed frame whilst the other rests on the floor.. Oh God did I just say something I shouldn’t have? Is he going to get onto me over asking something dumb?

“What do you think my reason is?” Embarrassed, I mumble “I don’t know I guess maybe you want us to match somehow? To make a statement of some sort?” For a few moments he looks at me with a smile threatening to show itself onto his features.

“Well, you’re partially right. The reason is I wanted you to be one of the faces of our crew in a way. Something to capture the strength of our crew, like its respective Captain. I want everyone to know that fear doesn’t always come looking like a big, ugly man and that it can also come looking as a gorgeous and beautiful young woman. A strong femme fatale from a far away land who’s partnered up with one of the most feared men among the seas.”

I absentmindedly stare at him for a bit. Me? A femme fatale? I'm more of a shy, angry short woman who happens to know how to fight. "Wow, the way you put it makes it sound nice." He tilts his head “Is it not?”

I slightly raise my eyebrow my face beginning to burn “So is that how you feel about me? You think I’m beautiful?” Hongjoong smirks “What woman isn’t?” I stare at the clothes and back at him stifling a laugh. I guess he didn't mean it like that. “You’re funny Captain. Now, if you’ll excuse me..”

I try to get up from his bed and wince in pain and fall back to my original sitting position then scoots closer to my side “Hey, I told you to be careful. Do you want to change clothes?” I nod and he puts my arm around his neck and carefully helps me off his bed.

Just as he helps me up Seonghwa comes into the quarters and rushes over to me “y/n, you’re awake!” Hongjoong steps away from me letting Seonghwa help me instead “I’ll be going back to my desk. Seonghwa, help her please.” He nods and grabs my forearm for support “Let’s take you to the bathroom so you can change into your clothes.”

He grabs my clothes and walks me over to the captain’s bathroom, it was small but it was nice none the less. After changing out of my bloodied dress and into the clothes Hongjoong picked out. When I step out with my bloodied dress still in hand Seonghwa smiles and says “Better?”

I nod and he guides me over to the mess hall “Let’s get you something to eat now you must be hungry. I’ll take this and put it somewhere safe if you still want it.” I hold onto his sleeve while going down the stairs “Please, for memories sake.” That face, those souless blue eyes. Why do they keep replaying in my head? I thought these things would stop the more I do it but I guess not.

“y/n! You’re up already?!” Wooyoung shouts causing me to get slightly startled then Seonghwa hisses “Wooyoung please, not so loud she just woke up.” He covers his mouth “Sorry, but you’re okay right?” I chuckle “Uh, yeah I mean I’m standing here aren’t I?” Mingi fixes his hair and walks over to me and gives me a dorky smile “Wah, the Captain did a very nice job picking our your clothes today. You’re so cute-”

San walks up to me and pushes Mingi aside and leads me to the chair next to him “Shouldn’t you be in bed y/n?” Seonghwa smiles looking in my direction goes back up to the deck leaving me with the rest of the crew “Yeah, but I hate just sitting there taking up space.” He furrows his eyebrows “But you’re not, you literally got stabbed last night. You need your rest”

I smile and put my hand on San’s shoulder slowly moving it to the back of his neck and gently squeezing “Look, it’s going to take a lot more to kill me so don’t worry I’m fine, besides the stab wasn’t even that deep.” He blinks then a soft flush creeps onto his cheeks and ears then turns his attention to the other guys to cover it up “I’m glad you’re doing okay, you scared us for a second there” Jongho passes me the bread basket.

“Well, unfortunately my life wasn’t guaranteed the moment I joined this crew.” Wooyoung sets my food in front of me while Yunho says “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you put yourself in danger like that.” I roll my eyes “I still killed the man didn’t I? Besides, Hongjoong did most of the work I just finished him. I don’t understand why you’re so mad, besides you’re the doctor so that’s your job and mine is protecting the Captain.”

Almost like a switch was flipped Yunho looks at me with a very unamused look “Just because I’m a doctor doesn’t mean I enjoy having to see my crewmates in pain. As our captain’s assassin and protector you need to stop being so reckless and think about your actions more thoroughly.”

I giggle covering up my smile “You’re funny, seriously stop telling me what to do. I already got an earful from the Captain, I don’t need to hear it again.” Yeosang looks over at Yunho then back at me and says “Don’t listen to him, I know you did it to the Captain’s best interest.”

I look over at Yeosang and smile “Thank you, at least someone understands.” Wooyoung sits in his chair “So anyways before Yunho decided to get upset over you doing your job, who was the person you had to off?”

Yunho looks over at Wooyoung giving him an annoyed look then San smacks Wooyoung “Hey, maybe you shouldn’t be asking that.” I shrug “ Well, I don’t think It’d be a problem if I said anything considering I've already finished the job but it was Jaques Norwood, some military officer. I also shot the Provian General in the chest but I genuinely don’t know if I killed him or if I’ve injured him. ” A few guys choke on their drinks while the others give me a shocked expression. Jongho leans over the table towards me “There’s no way you killed that man and shot the Provian general..”

I take a bite of my food nonchalantly and nod “I did, I saw it myself but like I said Hongjoong did most of the work. I just finished him off and made sure I saw the light go out of his eyes. What a shame such a handsome man could be so ugly on the inside. He introduced himself to me as well so I knew who exactly to get rid of from the source themselves. As for the General, that was just kind of something last minute before I ran off.”

They all look at each other very confused then Yeosang says “How exactly though? That man is near impossible to get to not to mention extremely dangerous.” I take a small sip of my drink and smirk “I got to him through his heart. It seemed like he was pretty desperate too because I didn’t have to try very hard to catch his attention. Also oddly enough the only time he wasn’t surrounded by military men and soldiers was when he was at the military tavern which was where I met him. He seemed to have his guard down with me alot.”

Mingi chuckles and says “That’s because you’re so tiny, I’m sure he never expected you to be able to take him.” I slightly frown looking down at the table. Problem is he did probably suspect it but he probably just liked me enough that he was willing to give me the benefit of a doubt. I meet Mingi’s eyes and force a smile “Yeah, he was completely blindsided. I mean the man literally stabbed my shoulder thinking he'd be able to get away with it.”

Both Hongjoong and Seonghwa enter the mess hall and Hongjoong says “Alright guys enough with the questions let her eat.” everyone’s attention turns to Hongjoong immediately Wooyoung says “Oh, I didn’t know you’d be joining us today Captain.” He sits down at the head of the table “Yeah, I felt like it was necessary”

Wooyoung gets up to get Hongjoong his food leaving everyone slightly confused. From what I heard Hongjoong didn’t really come down to eat with everyone very often. He usually eats alone in his quarters sometimes with Seonghwa but even then Seonghwa joins us most of the time. Mingi turns to look at Yunho slightly worried while San, Yeosang, and Jongho stay dead silent looking down at their food. This is weird, does this mean something bad is going to happen? Why is everyone so scared?

Wooyoung comes back into the room and sets down Hongjoong’s plate in front of him along with an empty glass. Hongjoong serves himself some sort of booze then looks up at everyone silently eating and dryly laughs “Why is everyone so quiet? A minute ago it sounded so busy.”

Everyone sits there in silence until Jongho says “Well Captain, evreytime you sit down and eat with us it’s always bad news. Like last time it was the execution of the Raisan people who helped us in the Raisan Kingdom, another-” Hongjoong sticks his hand out in front of him and signals Jongho to be quiet “Okay, that’s enough. I see where you’re coming from. I apologize for turning my presence into a bad omen.”

I give him reassuring smile “How about you try to join us for more meals Captain, so that it doesn’t feel strange when you actually decide to step out of your quarters.” He nods and raises his glass “I’ll do that.”

I look over at everyone else “Don’t worry, I’ll drag him here if I have to.” Wooyoung giggles “I’m glad the Captain has someone on board who’s got balls as much as he does.” everyone including myself burst out into laughter while Hongjoong sits there forcing a smile and scoffs irritatedly looking at Wooyoung.

After lunch I go to the crew’s quarters and sit on my bed and notice my blood stained dress was neatly folded at the foot of my bed. I grab the dress and check the pocket only to hear the small clinking of the rings in the pockets.

I examine the two rings, one of them was a thick silver band ring with a cushion cut dark green jewel. The second was another silver ring but this one’s had an emblem carved on it, presumably the emblem of the Provian military I’m not sure but it looked cool. I reach for my backpack on the side of my bed and put them in the front pocket where I kept my grandma’s ring.

When I put my backpack back where it belongs I hear something fall over. When I check what it was I realize it was Hongjoong and Seonghwa’s weapons. I completely forgot to give it to them my first night with them. Maybe I should return it to them now, better late then never. I grab the bag and sling it over my uninjured shoulder.

On my way to look for both Hongjoong and Seonghwa I run into Mingi “Hey, where’s Seonghwa?” He looks up from the map he was looking at and gives me a bright smile “y/n, hey. Seonghwa is with the captain in his work room in his quarters” I nod and continue walking then Mingi continues “Wait. What’s in that bag?”

I blink “Oh, this is just the Captain and Seonghwa’s weapons. My grandpa refurbished them and I forgot to give it back to them.” He walks over to me and extends his hand “here, I’ll give you a hand. You shouldn’t carry anything right now" I step back out of his reach "oh no, don't worry I'm fine I can do it myself." Mingi chuckles and takes the bag from me “Too late, let’s go.”

I frown glaring up at him “You’re lucky I can’t raise my arm right now.” Mingi walks ahead of me and pats my head causing me to roll my eyes and walk behind him. He sure is taking advantage of the fact that I can’t kick his ass. When we arrive at Hongjoong’s quarters I take the bag from him and knock on the door “Ok go now.” He pats my head “Not a thank you but it’ll do.”

A few moments later Seonghwa opens the door and smiles “y/n, come in.” I walk in and look around immediately spotting Hongjoong already looking at me then I say “So, I have something for you both.” I put the bag on Hongjoong’s desk, he blinks and looks over Seonghwa not understanding the situation.

Seonghwa then says “A gift?” I shake my head and gesture Hongjoong to open it “You could say that, it’s more like I’m returning these to you.” Hongjoong opens the bag and pulls out a shotgun causing Seonghwa to audibly gasp. Hongjoong pulls out a sword, the same one I wielded to protect them from Acatl only this time it was cleaned and sharpened. Lastly he pulls out his gun, the shot gun's wooden details was newly varnished and polished to give the guns a new feel.

The metal parts of the guns were also cleaned to look pristine again. Hongjoong stares at the weapons on the desk in silence while Seonghwa looks over at me and says “y/n, you didn’t have to.” I shake my head and smile “It wasn’t me, it was my grandpa. He felt bad for the way you guys were treated when you guys first arrived at our village so it was his way of repaying your kindness towards us. Again, sorry I forgot to give these to you. I kind of forgot. There was too much going on.”

Seonghwa pats my back “It’s okay, it’s better than never. Thank you.” I glance over at Hongjoong who had his gun in his hand and was still staring at the weapons “Captain, I’m sorry if you didn’t want your gun fixed. I honestly didn’t know my grandpa did this until the day I left.”

Hongjoong raises his gaze from the weapons and looks at me with fondness in his eyes “No. Thank you.” I give him a small smile “I really do hope you both like them.” Seonghwa picks up his shot gun and twirls it aiming it out the window then rests it on his shoulder.

I smile at Seonghwa looking so happy holding his gun “Wow, it looks and feels better than when I first bought it actually. It’s beautiful.” Hongjoong clears his throat “So, you’re going to stay here while Seonghwa helps Mingi.” Seonghwa and I turn to look at Hongjoong in confusion then he gives Seonghwa a look.

“I’ll get going, thanks again for this y/n. I really do appreciate you returning these to us, it was very sweet of you and your grandfather.” I shake my head and pat Seonghwa’s arm “No problem, I’ll see you later.” He nods and exits Hongjoong’s quarters leaving me and him alone.

I stand there awkwardly and look around the room “So, why did you want me to stay here?” Hongjoong shrugs “I don’t know, your job is to follow me around like my protective puppy.” I furrow my eyebrow taking that to slight offence “Excuse me? My job is to protect you from getting a bullet in your head not to be your caretaker.”

He smirks to himself and absentmindedly nods “You’re right you’re not, but I’d appreciate if you helped me once in a while” What in the sea god is this man talking about? Help him? Help him with what?. I dryly laugh “Gosh Captain, I never realized how much of a child you are.”

He scrunches his nose and gives me an annoyed look “What? I get tired sometimes..” I scoff and sit on his desk “Tired of what? Sitting here locked in your quarters for days at a time?” I see the leather journal in front of him and I pick it up “Oh, what’s this?” Hongjoong snatches the journal from my grasp before I’m able to even open it “Don’t touch that! Has no one told you not to go looking through anyone’s belongings?” I stifle a laugh “Geez, sorry I didn’t think it was that personal.”

He rolls his eyes and puts the journal in a drawer in his desk “Well it is, next time ask before you look through something.” I nod biting my lip, stifling a laugh. I don’t know what it is about Hongjoong but seeing him get annoyed is so funny, oddly enough this is the first time I have the urge to tease someone. Wait. Oh no, I think I’ve just been hanging out around Wooyoung, San and Mingi too much. Their annoying antics are rubbing off on me.

“Go get a chair, my desk is not a chair.” I hop off his desk “Excuse me? I should be able to sit anywhere I want? I’m injured, or did you forget that?” He points at the chair he used this morning near his bed “You know what? My shoulder is hurting really bad I’m going to sleep. Wake me up if you need something.”I roll my eyes and walk towards his bed.

“No, you said you wanted to be of use so you’ll sit right here and help me.” I stare at him “Oh yeah? And do what? Stare at you write for the next 6 hours?” Keeping a straight face he gets up “Yep.” He walks over and grabs the chair and sets it in front of his desk and gestures for me to sit down “Now, get to work.”

I don’t know how exactly Seonghwa sits here all day with him. Hongjoong is cool but when he gets into his Captain mindset he’s a bit of a pain. I sit on the chair and look around the room eventually staring out the window. What happened to the friendly Hongjoong? I get he’s my boss now but come on, I thought we were friends.

I started noticing this change about him about a few weeks after I got here, I wonder what his problem is. Maybe he’s just stressed? I don’t know, maybe. Why on Earth does he want me to be here? I get it if I was watching him if we were on land but we’re out at sea with no enemy ships nearby. So what’s the deal?

After a few hours of me just sitting here in silence wandering in my own thoughts and being in pain Hongjoong finally decides to get up and stretch “You should stretch or you’ll cramp up.” I glance at him for a few seconds and go back to staring out the window “I’m fine.” He chuckles “Alright. Come. I need to go make sure everything is going well on the ship, it’s been too quiet and I need fresh air.”

I get up and follow behind him to the deck “Remind me why I need to follow you around again?” he gives me a soft smile “It’s your job.” I’m starting to think he’s doing this as punishment for deciding not to rest. After spending all day by his side like his shadow, not speaking unless spoken to. Hongjoong little by little began to ask me more often to be by his side.

It was kind of annoying because I wasn’t protecting him, it was basically me being his caretaker but unable to talk like friends just like in the beginning. Which wasn’t in the job description but then again I owe alot to that man so I just let it slide. Hongjoong has a habit of not taking care of himself and wholeheartedly lets his work consume him, Seonghwa told me that if someone doesn’t intervene he could go days at a time without eating or sleeping which is worrying.

There were a few times when Seonghwa would bring his food and he paid no attention to it, even if he came by to remind Hongjoong to eat he’d brush him off and tell him “I’ll do it later” which happened quite frequently. Ever since I caught wind of that when I’m forced to be by his side I force him to at least eat once a day. I swear, this man will get sick and die before he’s the Pirate King if he keeps it up. I still think he’s brilliant though, even if he’s a stubborn hardass sometimes.

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