First Encounter

Across Two Seas

 


 

It’s been a few days since Baekhyun’s capture, and they haven’t moved since then. He’s gotten used to the soft lulls of the boat rocking against the ocean waves. An interesting fact he’s learnt from staying with the East Coast pirates is that they clearly don’t do nothing much apart from stealing and threatening people to give over their belongings. They wake up at any hour they deem fit, drink at any time of the day depending on their mood, and usually spend their free time playing cards when they’re not inspecting maps and figuring out where bigger treasure was hidden. 

He feels like scoffing at their behaviour. Any other soldier would’ve found this just as scandalous. It’s a miracle they manage to garner a sense of organization, for their ship is anything but organized. He can barely trudge through the debris scattered across the dock, the smell of fish being prominent enough that it makes him want to throw up. 

‘So, tell us everything you know about this particular assassin.’

Baekhyun tears his attention away from the map showcasing the various seas and the lands scattered across the ocean floor. When he stumbled into their studio earlier and found out how big the world actually was in contrast to what they’ve learnt back in the castle, it takes him a few beats of silence to wonder if these pirates are just making these unknown lands up in their imagination. It doesn’t make sense that the Royal Force wouldn’t register all the tiny islands adorning the bigger ones. And are there even people living in these places? 

He remembers how one of the aptitude tests that soldiers had to go through every year was based on mapping and geography. Baekhyun had stayed up all night learning about the various cities and their monetary values that would be of interest to Saphirica. 

But never has he seen so many of them. And the worst is that it might be true. There is no reason for pirates to lie to him about their existence. It’s their job to explore foreign lands and discover what is yet to be discovered, but it prickles at the back of the soldier’s mind as he is reminded of Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo, his dear brother, who’s probably waiting for a letter that’s never going to come. 

Kyungsoo, who had a bad feeling about this mission ever since the very beginning.

‘The Royal force doesn’t know much.’ Baekhyun finally says upon realizing that they are waiting for him to speak. He crosses his arms over his chest, the ropes tying his hands together pulling at his skin as he leans back in his chair. Guilt washes over him at the thought of betraying his team, his kingdom, most of all, his city.

What will Kyungsoo think of me, when he realizes that I’ve betrayed the Crown? Baekhyun thinks to himself with growing remorse. 

‘Are you going to tell us more?’ Rei doesn’t hesitate to prod him with her hammer and he can feel the coolness of the weapon through the shirt he’s borrowed from the captain. 

He swallows thickly, ‘He uses a dagger to kill, most of the time. From what we’ve gathered, he has only targeted Royal soldiers.’ 

‘Any theories as to why?’ Leroy asks.

Baekhyun hesitates slightly, but is only prompted to answer when he feels Rei apply a little more pressure onto his shoulder blade. Already, he can feel the weight of the weapon like a threat to crush his bones and the thought of getting battered to death caused a series of goosebumps to explode across his forearms. 

‘We’re…not sure.’ He starts and bites his lip while murmuring a soft prayer of guilt inside his head. Guilt gnaws away at his stomach, but there really is no other way to keep himself alive if he doesn’t cooperate.

He swallows down the emotion before speaking up again, ‘we think it’s because of the Royal family. By attacking the Royal soldiers, he might be trying to put himself as a threat.’

‘You think he’s doing it for the money?’ Leroy looks down at the map, fingers one of the small wooden fleets placed on its surface.

‘No.’ Rei says before Baekhyun does, ‘He doesn’t want the money, or he would’ve already asked for some kind of ransom. I think he wants to be known, let the Royal kingdom know about his identity. Who knows? Maybe he wants to overtake the crown.’ 

Baekhyun gapes at her, the words hitting him right in the gut, ‘Are you saying he wants the King gone?’

‘That might be a motivation,’ Rei shrugs, ‘Or he’s after something else. Justice, maybe.’

‘There’s nothing wrong with the way Saphirica is being ruled right now.’

‘Everything is wrong with the way Saphirica is being ruled.’ Rei snaps back with eyes ablaze with fire, the same fire of determination Baekhyun has fleetingly glimpsed during their earlier battle, ‘You don’t know how bad it’s gotten for the Outsiders, and that’s only because you’re inside those bloody walls.’

‘And you don’t know how hard the Royal Kingdom works to keep the peace in the city.’ Baekhyun growls. 

‘How would you know about the Royal Kingdom when you’re just one of their dogs?’

‘And how would you know about the Royal Kingdom when you’re out here playing pirates?’ 

Rei’s nostrils flare at his last set of words. Baekhyun can feel her rage simmer like a volcano about to erupt. He might’ve hit a sensitive spot there, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to back down from what he believes in. Thus, he adamantly stares her down, neither giving in to the other as their gazes clash with knife-cutting tension.

She speaks with such bitterness towards the Royal Kingdom when she doesn’t even know how it works inside there. She’s a pirate, one that rides the seas as though it were only horses and one who’s as free-spirited as the wind billowing through in the ocean breeze. 

She is a stranger to rules, doesn’t know the edge of her limits. And Baekhyun’s blood suddenly rushes with loathing at the way she speaks of her own home country.

‘Don’t talk as if you know me.’ When she finally speaks up again, the words come out as a growl.

Baekhyun leans forward over the table, eyes dark and narrowed, ‘I could say the same to you.’ 

‘Alright, enough you two.’ Leroy hides a snigger behind a cough before clearing his throat and re-focusing his attention back on the map, ‘We need an actual plan, not just a useless discussion with you two flirting with each other.’

‘I’d never flirt with the likes of him,’ Rei mutters loud enough for it to reach the soldier’s ears, who shoots her a scowl.

‘Let’s say we’ll dock our ship on one of the abandoned piers so that people won’t notice us, and then we’ll split up and try to garner more information from the habitants. Surely they should have some tea to spill, right?’ Leroy taps his finger on the surface of the map thoughtfully. 

His eyes then find Rei’s chocolate orbs, before he motions towards Baekhyun, ’You keep an eye on him.’

‘And why the hell would I do that?’

‘Because he’s our prisoner and our only way into the Capital.’ Leroy snaps.

The girl doesn’t respond but by the expression on her face it’s clear that she does not agree nor does she find this job fitting, but Baekhyun can’t care less. There’s something off about her, something that irks him as if it’s an itch under his skin he can’t quite reach, and when their eyes meet again over the tables and forgotten maps and pins scattered across the table, a sudden flash of undecipherable expression reaches her eyes, lasting for mere seconds before she’s back to her expressionless mask. 

He spends dinner time in the room he is confined to, munching absentmindedly on an apple and a slice of bread he tries to backpedal and think of all the escape routes he’s managed to spot during his daily walks up on the deck. It’s impossible to slip away, especially with such a small crew at hand. Leroy’s ship only consists of ten crew members and while it might be easy to defeat most of them in one swipe, the problem lies in their secret weapon going by the name of Rei. 

Rei

Just the name itself brings back a tide of pent up frustration, irritation and anger. Baekhyun’s hands curl into fists in his lap as he replays their latest conversation in his head. She seems adamant on hating the Royal soldiers and he can’t help but wonder if her loathing attitude might have been triggered by a past experience. He knew of people who disliked their role, sure, even his mother hadn’t been very keen on the idea of having him battling it out night and day when the result came in the form of bruises and scars, but never had he heard of people who hated them so much that having their heads chopped off would bring about glee.

He can only imagine the surreal happiness on Rei’s face as she did so. She seems ruthless and cold-hearted, a good match for that type of murder. 

The next day comes quicker than Baekhyun had hoped. He silently follows Rei’s lead when they finish docking the boat a few miles away from land, clambering into one of the smaller canoes as they get released in the ocean and trying to keep to himself as he gets jostled and pushed around in the too-crowded vehicle. It almost feels surreal when he steps on land, feels the hard ground beneath his feet again. It takes him by surprise for a moment and he closes his eyes, feels the concrete hardness of the ground while his chest wells up with emotion.

He missed earth. He also misses the Capital greatly. 

Kyungsoo’s face flashes through his mind. He must be worried sick, Baekhyun thinks sadly, another stab of guilt hitting him right in the gut.

He is suddenly broken out of his trance when someone tugs harshly onto his arm. He stumbles forward as Rei rolls her eyes at him.

‘Focus, soldier boy.’ She snaps harshly, to which he answers with a glare intense enough to kill. But she ignores it, turning back to the small group of pirates and glancing back and forth around them to make sure that they aren’t being spied on. Satisfied, she nods once and as if on cue, they all dispatch in their assigned roles, Baekhyun getting tugged at Rei’s side as they move forward and slowly immerse themselves in the crowd. 

‘Don’t even think about trying to run away,’ Rei whispers while she grabs the rope holding Baekhyun’s hands together and winds the end around her middle, ‘Or I’ll make sure you can’t have kids for the rest of your life.’ 

‘Is that the only way you can talk? Through threats and blackmail?’ Baekhyun wonders aloud. 

Rei flashes him a grin that reminds him of a chesire cat, ‘Most of the time.’ 

She has such a bipolar type of attitude that it’s hard to categorize her in boxes, and Baekhyun isn’t really fond of these types of people. 

‘Close your mouth before a fly goes in,’ someone else pipes up behind him, and he turns only to tilt his head up at another tall, red-headed pirate grinning down at him. The soldier has a faint memory of him introducing himself, but he hadn’t really cared at that point, nor does he care now. The only thing that renders him recognizable is his height. 

Baekhyun quickly snaps his mouth shut. The red-headed giant sniggers softly and extends his hand out to him in greeting, ‘I’m Chanyeol.’ he says cheerily, his deep voice a contrast to the doe-eyed, youthful features of his face. 

Baekhyun stares down at his hand quizzically. Call him crazy but he’s pretty sure that Chanyeol is the only one who has introduced himself in a manner that is deemed appropriate, and after a moment of hesitation, the soldier shakes his hand. 

‘You already know my name.’ Baekhyun says.

‘Sure do,’ Chanyeol answers. He falls into step beside Baekhyun and the latter can’t help but compare their heights, cursing at his genes. Why can’t he be that tall? Maybe then Rei wouldn’t have so much ground as to stomp all over him, literally and figuratively speaking. 

The town is empty and grey, still void of any activity as they trudge through the winding streets that lead to unknown pathways. The fog hangs low, the air thick with tension that Baekhyun can’t seem to shrug off no matter how much he tries to. But it doesn’t seem to be a problem for the pirates. Rei is walking with a leisurely stride while Chanyeol looks around curiously, not seeming as though they’re on the lookout for a murderer at all. Baekhyun wonders somehow if they’re fearless or just a bunch of blithering idiots. He’d like to think it’s the latter.

‘We need to find the assassin as soon as possible, before he starts attacking the Outsiders.’ Baekhyun mutters loud enough for both pirates to hear.

‘He wouldn’t dare,’ comes Rei’s sudden reply, ‘We already discussed this.’
‘What if—‘ 

‘Don’t,’Rei interrupts Baekhyun before he can say anything else, throwing him a pointed stare while her lips curl up threateningly, ‘Don’t talk about this so freely.’

Baekhyun just rolls his eyes as Chanyeol chuckles lowly underneath his breath, before he is silenced by another one of Rei’s glares. As they walk, Baekhyun takes note of the lack of soldiers that are supposedly on duty, and wonders whether it’s a normal occurrence for the Outsiders to be so defenceless. The Royal Kingdom has a weekly duty to send out soldiers to patrol the perimeters of each city, whether big or small. But it might also be due to the recent murderous activities that the Royal Kingdom has decided to retreat their forces for now. But that’s not fair, thought Baekhyun as they brush past a group of small children no older than five, huddled together like a pack of fearful penguins trying to keep their heads low and invisible. 

Even if the assassin had only been killing Royal soldiers up till now, that doesn’t mean that he can’t turn on to the Outsiders. 

They walk by another group of children as they take a turn into a smaller, narrower alley. Girls this time, a little bit older in age and yet still avoiding eye contact and letting their heads hang low. They walk with the same scared gait as the group before them and Baekhyun can’t help but ponder over their weird and awkward mannerisms. 

He’s not one to venture outside the Royal Kingdom walls whenever he likes, but he surely knows that this is not the typical vcihilizan behaviour that he’s used to. Even the stalls are empty, as if they are haunted and have been abandoned for this very purpose. It does not help that the sky is a dark, misty grey that hangs over them like a droopy old blanket blocking out most of the sunlight, barely visible through the thick fog of condensation. 

‘Is this normal?’ he can’t help but blurt out. 

Chanyeol throws him a pointed look, one that reflects mild amusement, ‘If it were, we wouldn’t be here.’ 

‘I know a murderer’s on the loose but is the village always this empty?’ 

‘What kind of villages have you lived in?’ Chanyeol can’t help but ask. That has caught Rei’s attention, who only quirks up a brow at the now befuddled soldier. 

Baekhyun blinks at them and wonders for a few seconds whether they are actually just pulling his leg. But when none of them explode in laughter, his eyes widen upon noticing the seriousness in their stares, darkening and without any trace of humour in their expressions. 

‘Well, I haven’t been to many,’ Baekhyun starts, eyes darting back and forth when he realizes that the road is a little too quiet for his liking, ‘But the Capital is definitely not like this.’
‘And how exactly is the Capital?’ Rei asks.
‘It’s lively. Very lively,’ Baekhyun lets out a smile when the memory surfaces, ‘There are merchants everywhere trying to sell their stuff; food, products, furniture. You name it. There’s always people on the street and the pubs are open most of the time. There are musicians too. They like to play outside when the weather’s nice.’ 

‘Musicians?’ Chanyeol echoes as his eyes glimmer in excitement, ‘Like, actual musicians with real instruments and real music and stuff?’
Baekhyun lets out a small smile, the fond memory of his walks coming back to him, ‘Yeah. You can request songs from them if you give them money.’
‘No way. That’s crazy insane.’ He swears that Chanyeol is restraining himself from jumping up and down, ‘We should go there—‘

‘Don’t talk nonsense.’ Rei suddenly interrupts, ‘Stop pulling his leg.’
‘About what?’
‘All this nonsense about music and people and markets. Stop it.’
‘I’m not lying.’ Baekhyun scowls.
‘Sure, and I’m the Saphirica Queen.’
‘Are you always so rude and up your ?’ Baekhyun snaps. 

‘And are you always this—‘ 

She’s suddenly thrown back when Baekhyun’s body slams into her, a dagger flying right past Rei’s ear before it hits the back with a violent thud. 

Silence follows. Baekhyun can’t breathe, eyes alert and ready to bolt at any given sign of danger. 

His throat is tight. His muscles tense. 

Rei is the same, scanning the area before her brown orbs fall on Chanyeol’s terrified face. She then realizes with a start that the royal soldier’s arms are wound around her and his chest is pressed to her own so scandalously that she can feel his quickened heartbeat through the thin line of his clothing. 

She pushes him away using so much force that Baekhyun staggers back, frowning in irritation at her bad manners while she ignores him and instead pulls out her hammer.

Baekhyun blinks at her before holding out his hands. She throws him an incredulous look, 'What?'

'I really don't fancy dying.' he says.

She grumbles a curse under her breath but cuts the rope holding his wrists together. Baekhyun wriggles them to get the blood flowing before unsheathing his own sword while a still-shocked Chanyeol barely manages to grab onto his own dagger with shaky hands. 

The atmosphere is heavy. Silence is the only thing that surrounds them. In the distant, Rei’s ear perks up at a crack! sound.

She whirls in its direction. 

Nothing but an empty road greets her.

Rei furrows her brows. Beside her, she can hear Chanyeol’s breaths as clear and as loud as day.

Her eyes widen when a dagger suddenly flies straight towards her face. Ducking out of the way with a holler, she falls to the ground and rolls before picking herself up just in time to block her attacker’s foot as it comes striking down on her forearm. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she doesn’t hesitate to jam her fist into the cloaked figure’s stomach. Yells and shouts fill the air as she keeps on dodging and attacking and dancing around her opponent in an attempt to find an opening, a weakness that she can use against him. 

She feels more than hears two more cloaked figures join the fight, and grits her teeth at how gullible they had been at assuming that there were no associates. The main reason was due to the fact that only one assassin had been reported endlessly, but that mistake is one of a rookie’s and she can’t believe she bypassed that without thinking twice about it. 

The cloaked figure doesn’t give her a break, jabbing and twisting and jerking his body away just at the right moment and efficiently dodging all of her attacks. Rei’s breaths are coming out shorter and her moves get sloppy with time. Swivelling quickly to dodge another one of his punches, Rei’s hand grabs onto his arm and she pulls forward, quickly flipping his body over her shoulder and slamming him into the ground with a yell. 

He cries out in pain, knocked out by the shock and Rei takes this place to jump to Chanyeol’s aid. The said man is busy deflecting, more on the defensive than the offensive and Rei doesn’t blame him. The tall young man isn’t a great weapon’s master and that’s one of the main reasons why she’d insisted on bringing him along. She’d known that Baekhyun’s swordsmanship and her ruthlessness would make up for his lack thereof.

The opponents were strong but it was hardly a problem for Rei and the young royal soldier who had grown up wielding swords and knowing their exact shape and swing like the back of their hand. It takes little time to have two of the cloaked figures wrapped in knots of ropes, while Rei grabs a hold of her victim before slamming her hammer right beside her his head, mere inches from blowing it away. 

She tugs a fistful of his shirt in her hands before pulling him roughly towards her, eyes flashing dangerously.
“Who sent you?” she asks with a hiss. 

‘We’re on our own.’ 

‘Don’t lie to me!’ she yells before slamming her hammer once more on the ground and causing a few pieces of cobblestone fly into the air. Baekhyun dodges when one comes straight for his face. 

‘We know who you are and we know you’re not the one we’re looking for.’ Her tone is laced with a coldness that sends skittles of fear through Baekhyun’s body, ‘Who sent you?’ 

Baekhyun hadn’t expected the said figure to say anything at all if he is to be honest, not because he’s loyal to whom he serves, but because an inkling of doubt in the young soldier’s mind makes him think of the possibility of a blood bond binding the cloaked figure to that of his master’s life. Blood bonds are oaths sworn to the ones that create them, and breaking this type of physical promise isn’t something that will let you get away easily. Word is that people who break that blood bond go crazy, haunted by the idea of betrayal and despair, as if a virus had taken over their mental logic and well-being. There are so many stories about people having been driven insane due to unfulfilled promises of blood bonds and Baekhyun is secretly glad he hasn’t yet sworn his blood to the Crown, or he would’ve been as good as dead by now. As much as it pains him to think about, he has betrayed the Royal Kingdom and won’t ever be allowed to set foot inside the castle walls. The heavy feeling of remorse makes his stomach churn uneasily. 

‘I can’t.’ The figure murmurs almost as if he’s mushing his words together on purpose, ‘He’ll kill me.’ 

‘Who will?’ 

‘I can’t. Please.’ The individual, whoever he is, suddenly makes a grab for Rei’s hand but surprisingly places it at his throat. He squeezes her grip until her nails dig into his skin before he a harsh breath, ‘Just kill me.’ 

Rei sighs impatiently, ’Answer my bloody question—‘

‘Just kill me!’ he screeches, ‘Please, I’d rather you do it. It may spare my family,’  his voice cracks at the last two words and he shakes his head slowly, closing his eyes as though it pains him too much to think of how it could cost him. 

‘What do you mean?’ 

‘You don’t understand.’ the hood suddenly falls from the said assassin’s face only to reveal a young man no older than Baekhyun with dirty dishevelled black hair and an angular face that is scrunched up in a frown, ‘He’s forced us to do this. Threatened us with our families. I can’t let him.’ He shakes his head again and to the girl’s utmost surprise, has sudden tears gathered at the corner of his eyes. His expression is too genuine to be fake and for a minute, Rei’s determination falters.

Her grip loosens, ‘You say you can’t say anything. Is it because you took a Blood bond?’ 

He nods silently. She just stares at him for a few beats of silence and wonders how that is supposed to help her, out of everything else that is currently happening.

‘Goddamnit.’ she curses before releasing her grip and giving him one last shove to the ground as she stands up. ‘We’ll take him as hostage. Leave the two here. Chanyeol, make sure to write a message to let whoever our dear Assassin is that we have one of his own.’ 

‘He won’t care.’ the jet black-haired man murmurs, but they all ignore him. Baekhyun makes a grab for his arm before he pulls him up roughly, shoving him forward to walk back to the ship while Chanyeol knocks the other two figures out with a swing of his arm. 

‘Are you sure it’s safe?’ Chanyeol murmurs into Rei’s ear as they make their way to the docks, ‘How can we know that he’s not being trailed or located? It’s dangerous. We could be putting everyone’s life in danger.’ 

‘When are we not, Chanyeol?’ she grins.

‘I mean sure, yeah. We’re always running for our lives but this is actually serious. This isn’t just a royal soldier. This is an assassin’s team member. Leroy is going to pull all your hair out.’ 

‘Leroy is a softie and doesn’t do to anyone. If he could, he’d own a bakery and sell cookies for peanuts.’ Rei chides before snickering at the visual image of her dear captain wrapped in a flowery pink apron, ‘Although I would love to see that happen.’

‘Maybe when he retires.’

‘If he lives long enough for that.’ 

Chanyeol scowls at her dark rumour. She just bursts out laughing at his face, ‘Rei!’ 

 

 


 

 

‘And he’s sworn to a Blood bond?’ 

Rei nods. ‘If we have one onboard, maybe we can lure the real Assassin on our ship.’ 

‘I told you, he’s not going to come looking for me.’ the dark-haired man stubbornly answers before Rei can. He juts his chin out and has his eyes narrowed while darting here and there to analyze any sign of potential threat or danger. It isn’t such a foreign sight to Baekhyun, who sits on the edge by a window and is currently entertaining himself with the sunset casting a golden glow over the sea waves.

‘What’s your name?’ Leroy walks over to the man attached to the chair and crosses his arms in front of his chest. 

When the said figure doesn’t answer, the captain only raises a questioning brow, ‘Last I heard, names aren’t counted as betrayal to break a blood bond.’ 

‘Jongdae.’ he silently mutters before looking away, ‘My name is Jongdae.’ 

Leroy smiles wanly at him, ‘Great Jongdae! We’re off on a good start.’ Before he sends a poignant look towards the royal soldier, who proceeds to scowl back in return.

‘I’m going to have a word with our dear friend here,’ Leroy motions towards Jongdae’s figure and puts up a hand upon noticing the rising protest from Rei’s side, ‘Alone. And that includes you, Rei.’ 

Her face darkens with a serious frown but she surprisingly doesn’t protest back. He follows her and Chanyeol out onto the deck and both pirates part ways to do their own thing, while Baekhyun stands there, confused and slightly disoriented at the fact that their attention is now focused on a fresh prey that they don’t even seem to realize that the Royal soldier is present. He can almost blend in, act as though he’s on their team.

He decides to take a stroll around the boat while watching the sun slowly settle into the sea like a slow melting flame that casts a warm glow over his face. Funnily enough, Baekhyun has never experienced seeing the sun so close and watching it now is a sight that takes his breath away. He is so used to the cold castle walls and to training until nightfall that he has not really had time, growing up, to appreciate the small things that nature can offer him. He has always been in movement, acting with purpose. And now, as he leans over the edge and rests his elbows atop the warm wooden surface, he takes in a deep breath to inhale the salty air, letting the wind fly by and brush against his skin. 

Sure, he misses the Kingdom and the people. And yes, there is the enormous guilt bag building up onto his shoulders and becoming heavier as the days go by. But somehow, enjoying the simple descent of the sun into the ocean waves provide him more peace than he’s ever felt in his life. A small smile can’t help but curve up the corner of his lips.

‘What you smiling at, soldier boy?’ 

His head turns around to see her alighted with the sun’s glow. She almost looks decent in that golden light. 

‘Are you planning to knock me out and tie me up again?’ he raises his hands in a gesture of surrender, ‘Because I’d rather not do it the hard way. I like to keep my head pretty sane and undamaged.’ 

‘How funny of you to talk about sanity when you barely have any,’ she clucks her tongue and stands beside him in quick, swift strides before leaning over the edge and mirroring his posture, ‘And no, I don’t think you need that anymore.’ 

‘You’re right. I don’t.’

‘I still don’t trust you.’

‘Hey,’ he turns his head, watches the light dance across her face. He can’t help but notice the smoothness of her skin, ‘I could’ve stabbed you in the back during battle and run away. I think you should give me more credit.’ 

She her head in thought, before answering, ‘You’re right. You could’ve escaped. Why didn’t you?’ 

‘Because I wouldn’t have anywhere to go.’ Baekhyun murmured with a little more emotion than he’d intended. 

Rei finally meets his gaze. Her own eyes reflect in the warm rays of light and swirl in a mix of brown and golden orange sparks flickering in her pupils. He clears his throat and takes this as a chance to continue. 

‘Once you betray the Royal Kingdom, there’s no going back. Even if I managed to escape, I already sold every bit of information I had to you.’ He averts his eyes and decides to watch the waves lull back and forth as he continues, ‘They wouldn’t take me back no matter how much I begged.’ 

Baekhyun tried not to let his emotions take over his tone, tried to pull himself out of the situation and be as objective, as diplomatic as possible. But he choked on the last few words and swallowed hard when he felt a lump tighten at the back of his throat. The realization was hard and hit deep inside his core. Where was he supposed to go back to after all this was over? And plus, why would Rei still keep him after telling her all this? Now she knows that he is a useless burden that is only cutting up on their rations because there is very little chance of the Royal Kingdom to pay that much to get him back, even though he’s part of the special forces.

‘Maybe it’s for the best.’ 

He looks up at her. Her eyes are burning this time, a newfound determination swirling through her maroon orbs with so much intensity he feels something tighten in his chest. Baekhyun just gapes at her, wallows in her energy that seems to envelope him in this warm comforting bubble, before he realizes what she has said and snaps back to reality.

‘What do you mean? I lost my job and I won’t be able to see my brother. I don’t have any other family. I have nowhere to go.’ 

‘You have us.’ 

He blinks for a full minute. Then says, ‘excuse me?’ 

He expects her to burst out laughing at her own joke. But she only shrugs in response before turning her attention back towards the ocean, ‘I’m not joking. If you have nowhere to go, why not stay?’ 

‘And why would I want to stay with the people that kidnapped me?’ he asks. The idea of it is insulting and offensive and makes Baekhyun want to chuck her over onto the other side. She’s taking the situation so lightly that the immature and selfish part of him wished he’d taken off the moment he had the chance. 

‘We do give you free food, free shelter. What more do you need, really?’

‘You forgot the part about you guys being pirates.’ 

‘What about us being pirates? We’re human too, if you hadn’t noticed. We’re just unlucky to have been born with that kind of blood on our hands.’ 

That stuns Baekhyun into silence. She has a point and a pretty good one at that, but he’d die before admitting that to her and see that grin stretch across her face. But her features now are nothing but softened with understanding and sympathy, so unlike her usual demeanour that it takes him some time to realize that she’s waiting for some kind of response. He can’t help but notice how nice it is to see her without a frown casting shadows over her face.

‘Do you like it?’ Baekhyun’s question is a soft murmur, ‘Being a pirate?’

Rei presses her lips together, ‘Let’s just say I can’t see myself anywhere else. It’s what I’ve been taught.’ Then, she shrugs as if pushing the thought away but not before the young soldier notices an undecipherable expression flash across her features, one that will haunt him for the rest of the night despite his desire for sleep. 

As he lies in his bed that night, he can’t help but mull over his conversation with the bold and fiery female pirate that he’d cursed at just a few days ago. If one had told him that he’d be on a ship one day, having an almost fully intelligent conversation without any dripping sarcasm or insult with a pirate that can be defined as the complete opposite of his values and beliefs, Baekhyun would’ve burst out laughing in their faces. But things have changed, more than he’d imagine they could. How, he isn’t quite sure of yet. One thing that he is actually adamant about for now is that they haven’t captured him with ill intentions, or he would’ve already been dead and sent back home by now. There would be absolutely no reason for them to keep him alive beyond this point, for they’ve gotten all the data they needed from him and knew that he wouldn’t be of any use as a ransom.

So there must be some moral values and good hearts hidden between those layers of toughness and violence. He just has to be patient and try to figure them out as best he can.

After all, he doesn’t really have a plan. 

Best just go with the flow. For now. 

 


 

So things are starting to get interesting and I JUST CAN'T WAIT for the romance to bloom and the action to take place hehehe. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I loved writing it, especially the last part with the conversation between our dear Baekhyun and Rei.

What do you guys think of Baekhyun and Rei? And what do you think is going to happen next? Comment your thoughts down below! 

Once again, thank you so much for reading and supporting this story <3 I love you all. 

- nutmeggu 

 

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vampwrrr
#1
Chapter 7: Oh, my goodness, this story never goes where you think! It's so exciting!
vampwrrr
#2
Chapter 6: Why didn't they allow rei?
vampwrrr
#3
Chapter 5: Tying up baekhyun is wrong!

Hehehehehhehehehhehehehhehehehhehehhehe.
vampwrrr
#4
Chapter 4: This kind of reminds me of game of thrones, like how the idea of knightly chivalry was its head.
vampwrrr
#5
Chapter 3: Okay, I'm more comfortable with this. An oath to a nefarious entity doesn't count! :D
vampwrrr
#6
Chapter 2: Oh, poor baby. I know it hurts to be an oathbreaker.
vampwrrr
#7
Chapter 1: Oh, my poor baby! *nervous*
ackerwoman
#8
Yes! Another pirate storyline, it's my cup of tea and today I will be sipping my hot tea with some Byun Baek in it. Damnation, that sounds weird but trust me, I'm not a weirdo.
gogogirl26 #9
Chapter 7: I wishh they would save him. Its a must, i think rei will fight for baek :)
gogogirl26 #10
Chapter 6: This story its unpredicted and i love how love comes in unexpected ways. Woahh seriously Rei? She really bold and fast thinker. Hahaha.. that end story tho love it. Thanks for this update :)