Pirates Again

While Rhys was stunned by Katerina's sudden move to kiss him, he was also quick to catch her before she toppled into the shrub. She was bright red when he set her back on her feet and was still holding her hands. They gazed at each other a few moments, then Rhys leaned down and gave her a longer, deeper kiss that she wasn't so hasty about. It was probably an idiot move on his part, getting attached to someone so far out of his world, but it felt nice in the moment.

When she pulled away, she looked dazed and breathless.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. "Are you going to fall again?"

"I'm okay," she said. "Maybe we don't have to go back to the ship so soon."

They started to walk together again, unsure of what to say to each other. Her fingers brushed against his and he held her hand, making her turn red again.

"Is this alright?" he asked.

"Yes, it is," she said, smiling up at him.

"And you're not just trying to butter me up, like the rest of the crew?" he asked.

"Maybe I am," she teased. "I can stop, if you want."

"It's okay, I don't mind it," he chuckled.

"Well then I'll keep going."

"You can do much better than me, you know," he said. "If you have regrets, we can forget anything happened."

"No regrets," she promised him, coming up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "How can I do better than you? No one else was sneaking me food and water when I was tied up."

"The crew didn't set the bar very high."

"Even if the Hawthorne boys were there," she said, "They'd be kissing up to Notley like Harry does."

"Poor Harry," Rhys chuckled. "Rejected from his own family and his captain."

"Notley is no captain," Katerina said. "He's a fraud that kicks babies."

"I wasn't a- Ah, never mind. He's the worst."

They managed to find a secluded cove where they could sit on the beach and snack on some pastries they found in town without the crew bothering them. It felt nice. Almost normal, like there was no knife at their throats. The climate was starting to warm up as well, which was a sign that wherever they were going, it wasn't going to be like the beautiful snow capped mountains of Calcaster.

As the sun set over the sea, Katerina was curled up in Rhys' arms and was starting to doze off. He kissed the top of her head and gently shook her shoulder.

"Hey," he said. "You can't fall asleep here. We have to go back."

"Do we have to?" she whined.

"If we want to find your brother we do," he said.

She reluctantly got up and brushed sand off her clothes with a sigh. She was clinging to Rhys the entire walk back to the docks, until they got near the ship and she had to let go of him so the crew didn't see them and have something to use against them.

Notley was at the helm of the ship, the connected amulets in his hand again and glowing in the dim evening light. Rhys could have sworn his eyes had a glow to them as well. In his other hand was a strange looking map, which also had a path outlined in a line that seemed to glow blue. He released the amulet and separated them, panting heavily again. Every time he did this, his hair was streaked with more grey.

He spun around and looked directly at Katerina, with his eyes wild and unhinged. He pointed to her and she flinched, her hand reflexively reaching for Rhys. He took her hand and gave it a light squeeze as he moved her behind him. Notley marched over and grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her out.

"You're going to join me for dinner tonight," he said. "We're going to chat, you and I."

"But I-"

He cut her off by releasing her wrist and shoving her back into Rhys. Even Harry seemed unsettled by Notley's behavior.

"James," he said quietly. "We don't need her. She doesn't know anything."

"Shut it, Harry," Notley growled. "Put her in something nice."

He trudged off and Harry shifted uncomfortably. He looked at Rhys and Katerina with disgust, then followed Notley away. Katerina clearly didn't want to go, but Rhys spent as much time with her as he could before she had to join Notley for dinner.

Harry had put her in a simple pink dress. It was a simple cotton and nothing as fancy or special as the blue ballgown, but it was pretty. She anxiously pulled a brush through her hair, but her hand was shaking. Rhys took the brush from her and started smoothing out the tangles for her, and she started to relax.

"I don't know what he wants with me," she said quietly, so Harry didn't sneak up on them.

"It's probably about Sykes," Rhys told her. "If Sykes and your brother are really all connected to this, he's probably wondering if you know more than you let on. He's really starting to lose it, so he might be getting paranoid."

"I have nothing nice to say to him," she said.

"You don't have to be nice," he said, handing her the brush back. "Just stick to our plan. Lay low until he's weak enough for us to turn on him. Remember, you know who he really is. And you know you're not helpless."

She cracked a weak smile, then nodded. Rhys could tell she was still a little uneasy about being alone with Notley, so he reached into his pocket and took out a seven inch switchblade.

"I picked up a little something while we were in town," he told her. "Hold this button to unlock it, and the other to flick it open. Only if you need it. Alright?"

She was a little more confident in her smile now as Rhys knelt down and tucked the knife into her boot, tying the laces for her before standing up again and giving her a quick kiss while no one was looking.

"Remember, stick to our plan," he said. "We're just helpless hostages that know nothing and can do nothing."

"Helpless," she repeated. "Right. Dumb and helpless."

"And no mention of baby kicking."

"Ugh. Fine."