Chapter 28: The Captain of the Pirate City





The woman at my back frowned as she stared at my face through the mirror. She probably couldn't believe that she needed to fix a mess like me. She might be even wondering why someone like me would be invited to breakfast by the Captain of the Pirate City. I returned her stare with my look of boredom to show her that the event did not interest me at all.



"Are you working in the kitchen of the Obsidian? How could you look tired in the morning as early as this?" She asked.



I didn't want to be affected by her insult. I just stared sleepily at the mirror thinking if I should just close my eyes and sleep at that moment. But I knew that I still need to be careful. I was in one of the huge bathrooms in the grand vessel surrounded by pirates who wanted to kill me. I shouldn't let my guard down.



"Why do I have to look nice when I am only going to have breakfast and sleep again when I get back?" I asked her instead.



A smirk curved on her lips as she combed my hair. "I don't think you can just go back to sleep after breakfast. I told you that it's going to be a beautiful morning and I assure you that it's going to be a long day," she promised.



I scrutinized her through the mirror. I doubted that everything she said was true. I remained silent as I let her smoothen the knots on my hair. I gasped when she started pulling at the clothes I was wearing.



"Wait! What are you doing?" I asked, shocked when I saw my bare shoulders through the mirror.



"You're not thinking of joining the Captain for breakfast wearing that rug, are you?" She responded.



"Well, I –"



I wasn't able to continue what I was about to say because she was already pulling my clothes down, together with the trousers Erasmus gave me. I stared, blushing, at my naked body through the mirror and watched her as she tossed my clothes at the corner. My hands immediately covered my private parts when she turned her eyes back to me.



"I don't know where the Obsidian found you but you're surely a gem. Maybe, that's what Captain Rowaen sees in you," she remarked, smiling.



I didn't know if I should thank her because suddenly, she was praising my body like she didn't call me a tired kitchen maid a while ago. Or maybe, I should respond rudely to her because there were only very few people who took care and saw my body at the East land – well, there's one in the Obsidian – and that she should be honored for she was able to see the nakedness of the daughter of the East Family. It took decades for the women in our castle to be trusted with our health and appearances. But then, it didn't matter now. All she could see was a Jonah who caught the attention of her master.



"Uh, thank you?" I said, unsure of what I should say.



She ushered me towards the large bathtub at the corner and I silently sank my body into it. I sighed as I felt the warm water against my skin, smelled the fragrance of the perfume and the flowers floating on the water just above my body. It had been awhile since my skin received such wonderful treatment and as much as possible, I wanted to enjoy it.



"Could you give me a minute alone? I just want to enjoy the bathtub," I asked.



She looked at me thoughtfully and when she realized that I wouldn't do anything against the plan, she nodded.



"I'll give you fifteen minutes. I'll get back to you and bring the dress you're going to wear," she said, always smiling.



She was always smiling and it was making me hard to believe that those smiles were even genuine. I closed my eyes as I heard the door closed. The warm water and the glorious smell were so relaxing and the sleepiness began pulling me again to slumber. It all reminded me of my life in the East Land. I could stay like this as long as I wanted and now, I realized that I had taken all the luxury for granted. If I would have a chance to go back, I would be wiser and smarter. I wished to be kinder and more helpful especially for those people who would need my help. I had thought that as long as you were working hard, you would get everything you need in your life, particularly the food and comfort of your home. But after I had learned the sacrifices of the pirates and the people of the Forsaken Land, I realized that sometimes, what a person was doing was not enough. You could work hard and give it all your best but there would be no guarantee that the situation would change. I wanted the leading families to reach out because apparently, our arms were not long enough to touch the people who most needed our help. And maybe doing it would be worth it if Threy Weston would be on my side.



I opened my eyes when I heard someone cleared his throat. Startled, I looked up and met a pair of ocean blue eyes. I wanted to get up and walk away from him but I realized that I was naked under the water and the petals of flowers were the only things covering me so I had no choice but to stay in the bathtub.



"Don't you think it's rude to sneak in a room where a woman is taking her bath?" I asked, defensively.



But he didn't answer. And instead, he just stared at me like it was the first time he was seeing me. It almost felt uncomfortable and the thought that I was naked in a room with him made the situation worse.



When I realized that he was already staring for a long time, I raised an eyebrow at him. He suddenly shifted from where he stood and a casual smile curved on his lips.



"I apologize for the rudeness. I just got excited and I couldn't wait to see you," he said.



I frowned at him. Why should things be done early in the morning? He was messing up with my sleep. He was messing with the sadness I should be enduring right at the moment. He shouldn't have denied me of waking up late with puffy eyes and sulking in the darkness of my room.



"Well, now that you've seen me, maybe you can let me finish cleaning myself."



"Or maybe, I can help you," he teased.



I glared at him. How could he suggest such a thing? "I don't need your help, Captain Rowaen," I stated coldly.



His smile widened when he heard me call his name. He stepped closer towards me and I cowered into the small corner of the bathtub. How could I end up as helpless as this?



"Don't come near me," I stated cautiously.



To my astonishment, he did stop. I thought that he would go his way because it was his territory. He had some good manners after all. Probably, not all pirates would sink their teeth into the food available.



"You are making me uncomfortable. I hope you understand," I said.



"Of course, I do," he answered. "You are different from the entire women I've met."



I couldn't help but blush. I looked into his eyes and all I could see were fascination and wonderment. All this time, the pirate world made me feel like I should always be strong and careful. But with him, I felt like a woman and I could be fragile and be myself. But I knew that these kinds of things were quizzical. Again, I was in the pirate world, and I didn't think there would be pure decency in the pirates' kind of living.



"Most of them would jump into this kind of opportunity and they'll be all over me," he added.



I rolled my eyes at him. I knew he would say that. "Well, I am not one of them," I countered.



He was about to answer when we heard a slight commotion behind the door and after a few seconds, it slammed open. The Skull marched in with the woman from before behind him. The Skull looked furious when he saw us and he immediately walked towards me and placed himself between Captain Rowaen and myself. He even pushed the Captain back on his shoulders just to put more distance between us. The woman, whose calmness already gone, hurried to the side of Captain Rowaen.



"Forgive me, Captain, I wasn't able to stop him from entering," the woman said nervously.



Captain Rowaen didn't even glance at her and instead, he fixed his gaze on us. The Skull stepped again to block his sight of me which caused the Captain to glare at him.



"Careful, Skull. You might be the invincible of the pirate sea, but I can easily kill you here in Pirate City."



I shivered on Captain Rowaen's threat. I wanted to get up and be on the Skull's side. We were in Captain Rowaen's territory and being against him would be dangerous on our part. After all, I agreed on the invitation to save the Obsidian from the Captain's wrath. That was when I noticed that the Skull was not wearing his normal pirate clothes and I realized that he was wearing an almost formal and fashionable one just like Captain Rowaen's. Was he invited, too?



"Have you been comfortable in your lair that you've forgotten how to engage in a fair fight?" The Skull asked, sarcastically.



Captain Rowaen scowled at him. They silently exchanged deadly glares and I knew that the situation was getting more dangerous and I had to do something to stop it. I cleared my throat to break the tension and I found out that it wasn't really that hard to get their attention since I was in the bathtub with rose petals and fragrance, and naked, just a few steps away from them. They all turned to my direction and I almost faltered on what I was about to say.



"Uhm, I'm feeling cold now and I want to change already. Could you give me a moment please?" I asked.



I watched the men as they loosen up. The situation turned into an awkward one when a group of women carrying different sets of glamorous dresses came in. I heard giggles in their direction when they saw the Captain and the Skull standing beside the bathtub.



"Very well, then. Cecilia, take care of her. We'll just wait outside for breakfast. Take your time," Captain Rowaen said, smiling, and made his way out of the room.



The Skull glanced at me and I wished we could hold each other's gaze for a longer time. But we knew that the time we had right at the moment was limited and we had to be cautious in Captain Rowaen's territory.



"Scream if you need help," he said and gave cold glances to the women around us. I could almost feel them holding their breaths as he marched outside the room. They all sighed when the door closed.



"I've heard that he's the legendary Skull. He's scary now that I've seen him closely," I heard a girl said from the group.



"They said he killed his enemies with his bare hands. He was the beast of the sea."



"But he's so gorgeous! His cold grey eyes were looking into my soul."



"He had bewitched me. Surely, he'll be in my dreams tonight."



"Or that would be a nightmare."



"He's so damn sexy."



If I could, I would roll my eyes in every word they said about the Skull. I wished I could grab their heads and shove them into the bathtub. The woman called Cecilia who seemed to be leading them walked to me with a dry towel. She wrapped it around my body once I was out of the water. With the motion of her hand, the women showed the elegant dresses they were holding and pointing her finger, a woman carrying an emerald dress walked to us.



"Your hair is crimson red and I've never seen a red as shiny as this before. It was so beautiful and emerald would complement it as well as your creamy soft skin," she said as she let me wear it.



I frowned at how seductive it looked on me. It was flaunting the body curves I was hiding behind the boyish trousers and clothes of Erasmus. It was showing my bare arms and legs, and the cleavage on my chest. It made my neck appear longer and slender and somehow, I wasn't able to recognize the stunning woman looking back at me in the mirror. I had worn dresses on the mainland but not as bold and daring as this. I was in the body of an enchantress.



"I can't wear this. I don't want to look like that mermaid," I said.



The woman smiled and there was a glint in her eyes telling me that she knew what I was talking about. She pushed my hair behind me and combed it.



"Believe me, you are more beautiful than the mermaid," she assured me.



I didn't know if she was just jesting or she was just trying to encourage me or maybe, she was telling the truth. I smiled at her, anyway. It was hard to see the truth through the smiling mask she was wearing, but at least, she was not doing anything to harm me.



"You know what, Cecilia? I want to believe you when you said that this day would be a beautiful one. I hope you are telling the truth," I said.



Her smile faltered for a second before turning back to its usual fake one. I hoped she wasn't always like this. I hoped that for a time in her life, she would be holding something true for herself. Because no one deserved to be not her own self.



"You are a sweet and innocent little thing. How long could you last in this cruel pirate world?" She murmured more to herself and I wondered if it ever reached the other girls' ears.



"For as long as the Skull is here," I answered.



"What a brave little thing! You're an exceptional woman, young one. Don't let this world ruin you," she said.



I remembered The Skull telling me the same thing about not being changed by the pirate world because probably that was what it did to them. From Lady Primrose Crimson of the East Family, I became the Jonah of the Obsidian the moment I stepped on the pirate ship. What would be the other things it would change in me?



She put a pin on my hair and a slight color on my face. I had to stop her from overdoing it because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to recognize myself completely. Feminine sandals which were decorated with colorful shells were put on my feet and I couldn't help but look down and be amazed by it. They ushered me out of the room and then upon the stairs and towards the open deck of the huge vessel.



I gasped as I saw a long table full of delicious food in the middle of the deck. Cecilia should be the only one to accompany me to the people who were already seated in their chair and waiting for me. We were supposed to leave her group of women but before we got separated, I told them to come near me because I had something important to tell. Confused, they gathered in front of me and I used my arms to compress them. With our heads close together, I whispered:



"I have something to tell you about the Skull. He's indeed an extremely dangerous man and he has a talent of hearing things about him from a distance. I saw him kill his enemies--pirates, men--even women. I remember when a woman met his in eyes in the Borgian Island and showed her lust for him. I thought that he would take her because she was really a gorgeous one but instead, he drew his knife and slit her throat!"



They almost gasped together in shock and horror. A smirk played on my lips as I continued my woven story. I grabbed them again and silently whispered, "So if you still value your lives, don't think lustfully of him, or even show interest in him. The Obsidian is just a few ships away from here. Who knows what could happen in the middle of the night?"



"Oh, no! Just a while ago, I imagined him naked on my bed," a young girl silently cried.



"Shh! I'll try to persuade him to forgive all of you. I just can't promise your safety if you do it again," I said.



I felt a little bit guilty for lying but it was better than murdering them continuously in my mind. A girl straightened and crossed her arms. "I don't believe you. I saw him last night and he was really a gentleman towards the mermaid," she said.



I was caught off-guard for a second and right at that moment, I decapitated the girl in my mind. But I immediately got back to myself and answered, "Just because you saw him last night, doesn't mean that you already knew the real Skull. Do you want to know why he's called the Skull? Do you want to challenge him? I bet he could hear us by now," I threatened.



I saw her face paled and I knew I won another score. She immediately lowered her head so that no one could distinguish her from the group. Cecilia cleared her throat from behind me and I knew that I had to go. I let go of the paled and scared girls and straightened.



"Remember, stay away from him," I said again, which they nodded, and walked with Cecilia towards the group on the deck.



And that was my cue to become pale and nervous. I could almost feel their eyes on me the moment I walked to their direction and when I stopped in front of them, they remained silent. Cecilia excused herself silently and walked away from me. I immediately felt that I was already alone and I almost ran after her. But I reminded myself of the reasons why I was here and when I saw the Skull and Captain Drakon on the group on the table, I gathered all my strength and greeted them.



"Did I keep you waiting?" I asked, uncomfortably.



And that was how I broke the spell of red hair and emerald dress. I could almost see some of them blushing and become conscious of their selves. Captain Rowaen and Captain Drakon both stood on their feet to help me sit in my chair. I was disappointed that the Skull remained seated in his place and was just silently glaring on the food in front of him. And yes, the mermaid was on his side.



I was finally seated in the middle of Captain Rowaen and Captain Drakon – with the Skull and the mermaid across us. It seemed that some of the guest pirates were also joining us on the table. And I couldn't help but wonder what does a Jonah of the Obsidian doing in there. Why was I even invited?



"Before we start this bountiful breakfast, I would like to thank this exquisitely gorgeous angel beside me for accepting my invitation. And for Poseidon; for giving us a calm sea and fine weather – for sending these wonderful women as gifts to us, brave pirates!" Captain Rowaen announced followed by the cheers from the pirates on the table.



Once again, I wanted to roll my eyes and reprimand him for what he said. How could he view women as a gift from his God? How could he think that the kinds of him dominated the land and the sea, and everything around him was for cherishing or disposal? I didn't join them in cheering as well as the other tough-looking women in the table who seemed to also disagree with him. However, when I turn to the direction of the Skull, I saw the mermaid beside him smiling sweetly, as if she thought of herself as the greatest gift men could ever receive. And that was when I wasn't able to stop rolling my eyes at her. My eyeballs were just about to finish its 360 degree roll when the Skull and the mermaid caught me. I blushed at my own childishness. But childish or not – I would stand for what I believe.



I cleared my throat and the cheering stopped. It seemed that it was easier getting their attention using the red-hair-and-emerald-dress-spell, or even the naked-in-the-bathtub-with-rose-petals-and-fragrance-spell. I was told that women had power over men, and we just had to find it. And maybe, I was using such power at the moment.



"I don't think women only served as a gift to men. Because that would be an insult to your God or to whatever creator you believe in. I think women are created to be more than just a gift. We are here. Don't you wonder how we get this far?"



It was silent for a moment until a woman who seemed to be a tough pirate stood up and addressed the group with her steely, intense gaze. She raised her tattooed, muscled arms and pointed to the men on the table. "Yes! You all listen to her! If there's anyone who would speak against her would be face to face with my blade!" She announced loudly.



I bit my lips at the suggested violence but it felt good to have someone back you up. Captain Rowaen urged the female pirate to calm down. "No one's going to embarrass my lovely Primrose. Not under my watch," he assured her.



"She's right, though. These men are so self-absorbed that they think they are better than any women. I didn't become a Captain of the Sea Jewel for nothing!" Another female pirate said and another heated conversation about the role of men and women started. It seemed that I set fire on a log soaked with flammable liquid.



The arguments faded and turned to another subject when the ladies of the grand vessel started to bring ales on the table. I smirked as I watched them avoid getting near the Skull or even meet his eyes. Captain Rowaen glanced at me and I knew he was not yet letting go with my act of opposition. I returned his stare casually and helped myself with the food. I thought I would go through this breakfast easily but my hope went down when the mermaid started getting the attention of Captain Rowaen.



"Captain Rowaen? I'd like to take this chance to ask for your permission. I want to sail on the Obsidian with the Skull," the mermaid announced which caused silence to the pirates on the table. I had no idea about her real status in the Pirate City but the way they reacted to what she just said told me that she was of great importance and it would be hard for the captain to let her go.



"You know the rules, Janeia. Aside from that, the Pirate City needs your great talent. You'll take the life out of this place if you leave."



Captain Rowaen seemed to dislike the idea of letting the mermaid leave. He dismissed it by looking back at me and offered a glass of ale which I refused respectfully. I was not yet forgetting the effects it had on me when I drank too much. It was better to be safe than embarrass myself again. I thought the proposal of the mermaid was already decided but the tension built up again when the Skull started to speak.



"I still would like to talk to you about the mermaid, Captain Rowaen. I want to discuss it privately," the Skull said.



Eyes turned to the captain's direction – I could feel the war forming as it was followed by silence from the people on the table. They seemed to be anticipating what might happen next.



"And what makes you think that you can change my decision?" Captain Rowaen asked, a sarcastic smirk forming on his lips.



"Because I think I could offer you something you badly wanted," the Skull answered and glanced at me.



At that moment, I could feel my heart stopped beating. It was like a death sentence, and in just a minute, my neck was already on the line. Captain Rowaen turned to me and then looked back at the Skull.



"Interesting. I'd like to hear more about it," he said.