Chapter 18: Midnight Dream





I received cold shoulders and glares from the pirates after the Obsidian left the cargo ship. They had stolen boxes of stuff from it that added to the weight of Obsidian and made our pace a little bit slower. They had gotten enough that would suffice for few months. But why would they have the need to kill those people? They were already defeated – they were helpless and they had given up. It was hard for me to see them as a threat.



But then, they were pirates – kings of the sea. When I was young, I was often told of stories about sea monsters – that it would eat all the people aboard a sailing ship and would leave it empty to be sunken to the deep. It added to the magic I believed I was living in. I was too fascinated with adventures and enchanting stories that I had forgotten evil villains also exist and that monsters would be monsters. And now, the bedtime stories felt so real and dangerous.



"Bloodlust," said Erasmus.



He said I had denied them of satisfying their bloodlust. They had already stolen a lot. I couldn't believe that it wasn't still enough.



"But they would get over it soon. Those glares will just remain glares. As long as you're under the Skull's protection, you'll never get hurt," he added.



I smiled faintly at him. I wanted to tell him that there are pains that even the Skull's protection couldn't shield me from. But I couldn't tell him that because the pain was too deep that opening it would be like curving a knife in my chest.



"The pirate world is too cruel, isn't it?" I answered instead. We were sitting in my room, eating lunch together because I suddenly felt unwelcome again in the dining area.



"I was born in the forsaken land and grew up in the sea. Sometimes, it's hard to distinguish what's cruel to what's not."



Somehow, I felt sad for him. The pirate world took out a big part of his innocence and I was horrified to imagine that he would be just like those pirates when he grew older. I couldn't help but reach out to him and pat his head. His hair was dry because of the sun but his smile was as bright as the sunny day.



"I hope you won't change. I like you this way."



He suddenly scooted a few inches away from me and freed his head from my hand. I saw him blushed and turned away. I let out a suppressed smile and said, "You're not used to being touched by a girl, are you? Don't worry too much about me. I'll always be your older sister."



He looked at me and smiled back, "I'll always stay on your side."



And that's how we finished our meal: exchanging kind smiles with each other. And that way, he made me feel better. When he left the room, I was once again visited by the memories of the events during the morning. The Skull's cold eyes were flashing in my mind reminding me that I haven't seen him ever since he left me on the cargo ship. There was a part of me that silently wished that he made such decision because of me. But there was also this one that doubted my worth to him. I had to remember that he was the Skull – he could be Threy for me but he was still the Skull.



The dinner came and I decided to stay in my cabin. This day consisted of me oversleeping, overthinking and eating – and it was so addicting that I had come to the decision of staying inside my room until tomorrow. But Erasmus didn't come to serve my dinner. I knew he would not totally forget me during meal time and I bet he would even choose to dine with me – unless, he was hindered from going to my cabin. The pirates probably hated me so much that they would deny me of having dinner. I sulked silently on my bed and waited for sleep to embrace me once again.



And then the sleep came. I didn't know how long I had drifted to slumber for the time seemed to be inconsequential to me since there was no existing clock in my cabin until I was awakened by the rain and the wind that was continuously knocking on my closed window. It seemed that the threat of the bad weather this morning would turn into a storm. Aside from that, I could feel my stomach rumbling, whining loudly of its emptiness.



Grabbing the edge of my bed, I decided to get up and sneak into the dining area for some food. Probably, most of the pirates had long gotten into sleep and those who were awake at this moment were busy in their posts making sure that the Obsidian would lead the right path.



I started to tiptoe through the quiet hallway and was immediately accompanied by Roger who tailed me silently like a faint whisper in an empty room. I turned to him a little bit frustrated and envious of how he could just carelessly walked quietly while I struggled to keep silent and balanced myself to avoid falling on the floor.



"Sometimes, I wonder if you come to me as my friend or to just annoy me," I whispered.



"Meow." The only response I got from Roger.



I sighed and continued walking. Maybe he was here for both reasons. I saw some pirates snoring on the floor on my way to the dining area. They seemed to find some spots in the ship comfortable to sleep on. I was careful not to get near their body as I walked around them while Roger just heedlessly stepped on them as he followed me. I almost grabbed the cat on its nape but I stopped myself because of the fear of it making noise and waking up the sleeping pirates.



Finally, I was able to breathe well when I entered the dining area but only to stand frozen on my feet when I saw Captain Drakon on a table.



"Ah! I knew you'd easily get defeated by hunger," he commented when he saw me.



"I – I just need some water. I was thirsty."



But the rumbling and whining of my stomach blew out my cover so I walked towards his table and sat on the chair in front of him.



"You're right. I'm starving."



"Sure, you are." He stood up and I stared on the chunk of roasted meat on his plate. It seemed to go well with the tall glass of ale he was drinking all alone in this dining area.



He wasn't gone for a long time before he came back with a plate of roasted meat and another tall glass of drink. He set the pair on the table in front of me and went back to his chair.



"Eat. Those are tasteless when you eat them alone," Captain Drakon said.



He didn't have to say it twice so I grabbed the fork and spoon beside the dish and devoured it like a monster that had not been fed for a decade. When my mouth was almost full, I took the tall glass he gave to me and drank. The bitter taste of the ale engulfed my mouth and I mindlessly swallowed it. I coughed a little when I downed the food and punched my chest slightly. Crap! Is this a trap?



But he just laughed uncontrollably at my expression as if it was a prank he had been planning for a while. He grabbed his ale and drank.



"Oh! Even Poseidon would find it ridiculous! You are such a girl!" He chuckled.



"But I am a girl!" I whined. I had never tasted an alcoholic drink as bitter as this ale.



His face went blank and he covered his mouth with his own hand as if he was shocked about what he discovered, but his face was almost red from suppressing laughter.



"Are you? There's a pirate girl on my ship?" He asked trying to look innocent.



The comical look on his face caused me to chortle at him. I couldn't help be reminded of my father when there were no guards or other people around but my family. The rulers could turn into a comedian privately.



Captain Drakon joined me in laughing and raised his glass for a toast. I giddily held up my glass to his and said,



"Cheers for the Captain's prank!"



And then we drank down together whatever was left of our drink until it was empty. The captain stood up again to fill up the glasses while I continued eating the meat on my plate. When he got back, he was already carrying a big pitcher of ale aside from the full two glasses. My jaw dropped as he put them on our table.



"But Captain Drakon – I don't think it's a good idea – "



"There's no good or bad idea for the captain. Let's drink, my lady. You owe me for not letting us kill the captives."



I raised my eyebrow when he called me My Lady; it's been a long time since I was addressed by that title. I held my glass and drank. I would simply pretend that this was some kind of political meeting and my host was comfortable of having a discussion over a drink. I was used to having this kind of meeting with the sons or daughters of the other main families or some noble ones – but it would be my first time to have a drink with a pirate.



"Captain Drakon, I'm sorry but I have to ask – do you always kill your captives after stealing from them?"



He looked at me with his smart eyes. Despite laughing with the captain, I knew I should still be careful with my words.



"Sometimes, we don't. Most of the times, we do."



"But it's so wrong and inhuman. They are also people. They are striving hard to survive and would brave the sea just to fulfill their job despite knowing that there are pirates that might steal from them." I said, horrified.



"People live. People die. The sea is for the strong men, not the weak ones. The predator will always eat the prey," he answered in a serious tone.



I felt the strong courage to disagree with him – it was probably the alcohol or the echo of the laughter we had just a while ago that made me comfortable around him. I gulped the ale from my glass and carelessly put it back on the table. It came out with a loud sound and shaking of the table but I didn't give much attention to my manners anymore. I just wanted to voice out my opinions in front of Captain Drakon. Oh! I wish I could draw the look of surprise on his face while he was watching me.



"There's no law like that! I've been in an in-depth discourse with the officials and the noble families about the laws concerning the rights of the citizens. I sat there listening for a long time and there's no such thing as predator and prey relationship among humans! Unless you're animals! Are the pirates some form of an animal that lives in the sea?"



"I think you shouldn't –"



But his words were stuck in his mouth as he watched me drank and emptied my glass. Grinning, I pushed the empty glass towards him to fill it. He doubtingly and silently filled my glass – confusion and amusement were evident on his face.



"I've never drunk with someone who could get wasted in just a few glasses!" He expressed almost to himself.



"Me, too!" I could feel my face stretched because of the wide grin I was showing. Somehow, I could feel that this day was not a bad day at all – but a good one. I just couldn't stop smiling.



"Primrose, you should remember that you're talking to the Captain of Obsidian –"



"Of course! You are the respectful Captain Drakon! And I must introduce myself to you – I am Lady Primrose Crimson, the daughter of the Crimson family of the East." And I raised my hand for him to kiss it.



The shock on the captain's face became more intense and I was a little bit confused. He seemed to not recognize me after all this time but then, he still reached for my hand and kissed it. It was too perfect a day to worry about it so I grabbed a fork of meat and stuff it in my mouth.



"If you want to live longer, you must not say that boldly to the other pirates and to anyone you'll meet in the future," he said and cautiously looked around him.



I chuckled and answered, "I have the Skull's protection. And no one can harm me."



I felt confident when I told him that the Skull would protect me. And at that moment, I believed that as long as he was by my side, I would be okay. The pirate world could be scary and dangerous but with Threy, I would be brave.



"The Skull. How long have you known him? You're so sure he would protect you all the time?" He asked.



"Long enough."



"Probably since before he became a pirate. But a lot had changed Primrose. He's looking for another woman –"



"I've known him long enough to believe in him," I said a little bit louder than it should be.



Silence followed, and the captain and I looked at each other as if we had just broken an expensive jar. A few seconds passed before he finally took his glass and drank again. I continued eating the last piece of meat on my plate as if nothing had happened. I didn't know when we decided to stopped drinking but I was sure that we drank a lot of ale that the pitcher the captain brought was almost empty. Our faces were red and I was feeling dizzy and sleepy.



"I shall end this interesting night and go to bed. You should get some rest, too, because when you wake up, the forsaken island would greet you." The captain said and stood up.



"I shall do the same." I answered and tried to lift myself up, but as I stood on my feet, the surrounding started to move so I grabbed the edge of the table to support myself.



"Oh! The waves are drunk!" I gasped and chuckled.



"Aye! Blame the waves." The captain agreed and offered his arm for me to hold on. I gratefully took it and we walked together and balanced each other towards the hallway. I knew the pirates were already awake. I heard we were being greeted but I just grinned at them and continued walking. I wasn't really aware of the surroundings anymore because my eyes were already half-closed. When we stopped in front of a door, I said my farewell to the captain,



"It was indeed the best ale I've ever had!" I said smiling widely.



"Of course! Nothing could beat the pirate ale!" Captain Drakon laughed and started to walk forward.



I was left in front of the door. Somehow, I had a feeling that the door looked a little bit different but all things were different when you were having a good time, right? I turned the knob and pushed it open. I fell on the floor with a thud and pushed the door closed using my foot. I crawled myself to the bed and felt that it was softer than the ones I usually slept in. I pulled myself up and lay half of my body on its edge. I already closed my eyes when I felt a movement on the other side of the bed. But I was too sleepy to open my eyes again and so I only managed to utter, "Hmm."



A pair of strong arms scooped me up and lay me in a comfortable position on the bed. I could even feel the warmth of the soft blanket that covered me and smelled the familiar masculine scent when the movement placed a dent on the part of the bed beside me.



"So you actually made your way to my bed." The voice said.



I couldn't help but smile at the sound of the familiar voice. I knew at that moment that I was already dreaming. And I was sure that it was a good kind of dream. I turned on my side towards the voice and spread my arm across him. It landed on his neck and I pulled him closer to me until I could almost feel the warmth of his breath on my face.



"I always find my way to you," I murmured smiling.



I didn't know when I started falling deeply asleep but I felt something soft brushed against my lips. It was sweet compared to the bitterness of the ale--it was enticing and inviting and I realized that it was a kiss. I couldn't help but return it. The kiss became deep that our tongues began to intertwine, sharing the spiral of emotions that was igniting a violent fire within us. I gasped for air when he left my lips but only to be drowned again when he started kissing my neck. It was overwhelming and dizzying and I couldn't believe that it was happening even in my dream. I faintly heard the snap of the buttons of my clothes and felt it being pulled down from my shoulders. He went back to kissing my lips and I got lost again in the ecstasy of my fantasy.



I couldn't remember when I stopped kissing back, but I just knew that my clothes were pulled up to cover my shoulders again. The warmth of the bed and the blanket invited me for a deep slumber and I was already welcoming the eternal abyss, but before I could even fly to the dark nothingness of dreams, I felt a soft kiss on my forehead and heard a voice said,



"Dream of good dreams."



Oh, I just had a good dream. Or was it really just a dream?