[SECRET SANTA FIC] UNCHARTED Chapter 10

[sillyjasdero.livejournal.com]

TITLE: UNCHARTED Chapter 10
Author: [Bad username or site: ”sillyJasdero” @ livejournal.com]
Recipient: [Bad username or site: ”wishfull2” @ livejournal.com]
GENRE: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
RATING: T
WARNINGS: language, some violence
SUMMARY: prompt was Marine Alfred and Pirate Arthur, from enemies to lovers

Previous Chapters: http://sillyjasdero.livejournal.com/2656.html



Previous Chapter:
http://community.livejournal.com/usxuk/1198076.html

CHAPTER 10

Matthew watched in terror as the fire-breathing beast enveloped the whole pirate ship with its deadly exhale. He could hear Gilbert giving orders in the background but he stood rooted in his spot, strangely fascinated. The situation they were in was so unique, a once-in-a-lifetime gruesome spectacle, that no man could resist being drawn to it, overtaking the natural instinct to flee from the obvious danger. The two gunboats eventually slowed down their escape to cheer at the incineration before them.

Oddly enough, there were no screams of pain or the revolting smell of burning flesh.

The Konstanze was close enough to the pirate ship that its occupants should have been able to hear and smell the signs of death, but there were none.

“Why do you cower in fear? You should trust Ivan more, da?” a voice spoke, its cold resonance carried by the wind.

Hundreds of glittering diamonds burst from underneath the sphere of flames the golden dragon had created. Some of them pierced the flesh of the beast’s face and sent it spiraling in the air in pain; it beat its leathery wings frantically as blood poured from its wounds, drenching the unfortunate humans below with the foul liquid. Its silver companion, alerted of the new threat, exhaled fire just as a second group of daggers emerged from the pirate ship and aimed at the already injured dragon. The silver dragon’s fiery attack was clearly superior as it successfully obliterated its numerous challengers.

“Baby lizards should stay home with their mommies and out of the skies~” the icy, childlike voice taunted.

The sound seemed to come from the Golden Queen, but where the pirate ship once stood there was only a great iridescent dome floating like an iceberg in the sea. It shimmered under the sun like a gem, making it impossible to see what had become of the infamous group of bandits.

The silver dragon emitted a mighty roar as if annoyed. Seeing its partner still useless, it directed its attack at the unnatural barrier, exhaling a continuous torrent of deadly blaze, steam rushing through its nostrils.

“Get ready boys! I don’t really know what’s happening, but once the shield’s down, we’ll continue our assault! Understood?!”

Matthew was roused from his stupor by his commander’s voice.

“What? Wait! Gil!”

“That’s Sir Weillschmidt to you, Williams!”

“Gil, listen to me! I don’t think we should—”

“Shit, Matt! Don’t tell me you want us to run just because of these damned lizards! We’re this close to catching Kirkland!” the red-eyed man said.

“AND WE’RE THIS CLOSE TO DYING!!!” Matthew screamed and grabbed Gilbert by the collar. “THERE’S NO WAY WE CAN TAKE KIRKLAND AND THOSE DRAGONS DOWN, DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?!”

“If there’s a will, there’s a way—THAT’S IT BOYS!!! FIRE!!!”

Alfred’s twin turned around just in time to see the shimmering barrier disappearing. At Gilbert’s order, their cannons released a volley of bullets, and the air became thick with smoke. The navy men did not cease the attack even though they couldn’t see anything; they kept on firing at the direction of the Golden Queen.

It was to their utter shock when a massive, silver object came sailing through the smoke and crashed violently against the poor hull of the Konstanze. The ship swayed at the impact, and the weight was proving to be unbearable as she began to tilt dangerously.

“Abandon ship!” Matthew yelled.

He could see the telltale shape of a spiked tail and horned wings; his fear was brought to life when the wind around them gathered speed and cleared away the smoke. Some great force had hurled the silver dragon directly at them and the beast was currently beating its wings on their deck as it labored to get back in the air.

“Come on boys, follow me! Take that iron ship!” Gilbert’s voice resounded, seemingly uncaring whether the Konstanze survived or not.

Chancing a glance at the enemy vessel, Matthew saw a giant of a man standing on its deck, very pale and wearing a playful smile. He felt his stomach drop.

“NO! GILBERT!”

His warning went naturally unheeded, and the blond young man watched helplessly as his allies grabbed lines and swung towards the Golden Queen.

---

Fierce combat followed as soon as the men of the Columbian Navy set foot on the pirate ship’s deck. Swords clashed and guns were fired, and Alfred was immediately lost in the conflict. His injury held him back from fighting with all his strength, but he had managed to help his fellow navy men in taking down a pirate or two. Ivan and Arthur were curiously nowhere to be found. He could see Natalya, Francis, and Alejandro prominently amidst the flurry of movements, pressure clearly written on their faces as they tried to fend off their enemies; the number of their comrades had dwindled from Gilbert’s group’s sudden attack.

“KIRKLAND!” a man shouted and Alfred followed the source of the sound.

It was Gilbert, who, carrying only a curved sword, was foolishly staring up at Francis who had a gun aimed at his head.

“GILBERT!” The blue-eyed man jumped just in time to push his superior away from harm.

The bullet from Francis’s gun hit the spot just inches away from their feet when they fell. Fortunately, the other navy men ran forward to keep the blond pirate busy, rendering him incapable of firing at the two again.

“Jones?! ALFRED!” Gilbert shouted near his ear, eyes wide with surprise.

“Yes! Yes, it’s me! Gilbert, look—”

“What are you doing here—”

“I’ll explain once we get back! For now…You’ve got the wrong man! That’s not Arthur Kirkland!” Alfred yelled, pointing at Francis who was backing away from his many adversaries.

“What?! How can he not be—”

“Arthur Kirkland has green eyes! Short hair, absolutely huge eyebrows—”

Gilbert shoved him away. “Are you fucking with me?!”

“No!”

“Then where is he?!”

“I don’t—”

“The Captain wants all the rats off his ship~”

They both turned at the voice. Ivan had reappeared, and with a swing of his arm, ice formed on the ship’s deck and moved in waves. However, before he could chuck all the blue-clad navy men into the sea, earsplitting roars filled the air. All of them, navy man or pirate, looked up to see the gold and silver dragons hovering above them.

Just as the two beasts opened their jaws to engulf the ship in flames once more, a third, huge creature sprang up from the sea. It shook its head once and a man fell onto the icy deck from where he sat on its nape.

“EINION! COME BACK!” Arthur screamed. He was drenched from head to foot, having followed the black dragon in its descent into the deep blue waters. He had succeeded in waking the dragon so it would not drown after it was brutally attacked, but he wasn’t ready for what he was about to witness.

A long, deafening shriek shook them to their core as Einion took the brunt of the fiery assault, using his own body to shield the Golden Queen. The black creature wailed and screeched but it refused to let the flames pass and harm the humans on the ship. This served to irk the two dragons more, and they intensified the blaze.

“EINION!!!” Arthur shouted once more, and unable to watch any longer, searched for the only solution. “IVAN!!! STOP IT!!! HELP HIM!!!”

But Ivan’s face was already twisted in concentration. He willed for thick ice to form and act as a shield for the poor creature, but the two dragons’ combined forces proved to be too powerful. The inferno melted the ice even before it could form.

“CAPTAIN!” Natalya shouted a warning.

A deadly ax was flying at Arthur’s direction. He did not need to move though because his phantom guardian was already on it. The blade embedded itself on the glacial barrier Ivan had created around the green-eyed man.

“That’s him! That’s Arthur Kirkland!”

“Alright, Jones, I’ll get him!” Gilbert promised. “But first, Mr. Frosty over there!”

“No, you can’t touch him! He’s a ghost!” the blue-eyed man explained.

Said ghost was already on his knees, crumpling under the intense demand of using his power. With a last, silent order, the element under his command pushed every man of the Columbian Navy off the ship and into the awaiting sea. Then he vanished in a quick, tiny burst of mist. The ice protecting Arthur disappeared with him.

Nobody had time to exclaim their shock at Ivan’s disappearance though, as the dreadful stand-off in the skies continued. Finally, the two enemy beasts exhausted their flames, and Einion was able to break free of the blaze. The black dragon’s body was marred with burns, its flesh horridly pink under the melted scales. It wasted no time retaliating; in an instant, Einion had viciously torn off a chunk of the silver dragon’s neck with its teeth, bathing Arthur and the others in its blood. The creature fell with a great splash. Then Einion whirled around to bash the golden one with its tail but missed. The gold dragon was too quick for it though and in seconds, Einion was given the same treatment, the gold beast’s teeth sinking deep into the unprotected flesh of its neck.

“NOOOO!!!” Arthur yelled, and this time, it took Francis and Alejandro to hold him down as he flailed wildly, wanting to help his dragon friend but couldn’t.

They all slipped as more dragon blood poured down on them from above. With one last mighty roar, Einion had plunged one of its forelegs into its opponent’s chest. Together, the two beasts dropped into the deep.

The green-eyed captain of the Golden Queen dropped to his knees. The two crew members who held him left him to mourn, but there was still work to do. The Konstanze and one gunboat had already sunk but the other navy ship was still around, picking up survivors. They had to get ready in case she tries attacking again.

---

“Haaah!!! Finally! Took your time, didn’t you?!” Gilbert whined as he was lifted from the cold water. His men helped haul him up and just as he collapsed on the gunboat’s deck, he found himself being pulled back to his feet.

“Oh, hi Rod—”

SLAP!

Roderich Edelstein had hit him in the face with the back of a gloved hand.

“I just want to let you know that there is no piano here and therefore I have no other choice but to let you feel how angry I am at you forcing me and my crew into this moronic escapade of yours.” the bespectacled man stated.

“HEY!!! Did you see how great I was back there?! I almost had Kirkland!”

“Keyword being ‘almost’. That does not change the fact that you are a sheer imbecile who would willingly sacrifice the lives of other people just so—”

“FINE! IF I HAD KNOWN YOU’LL BE THIS SPINELESS, I SHOULD’VE BROUGHT LUDWIG WITH ME!” the red-eyed man shouted.

“Gil—” a small voice interrupted.

“Your brother is a wise man. He knew the right time to leave the Columbian Navy: when you became commodore.” Roderich sniffed. “I wish quitting was that simple.”

“Well, I’m sorry my brother’s not the man looking for an estranged wife who had run off with a pirate somewhere!”

“Excuse me?!”

“CAN’T THE TWO OF YOU JUST SHUT UP FOR ONE SECOND?! THE PIRATE SHIP’S STILL THERE!”

Gilbert and Roderich blinked. Matthew was standing between them, his eyes flaring.

“Lieutenant Williams, do you need reminding that I am your superior and thus you have no r—”

“Yada yada yada yada! Come on, Matthew, let’s go before—Oh shit, ALFRED!!!”

“What?”

“Alfred was on the fucking pirate ship, Matt! I saw him!”

Matthew suppressed a shiver of fear. All he managed was a weak repeat of “W-what?”

“I don’t know…And fuck! The man on the posters…he’s not Arthur Kirkland! We had the wrong man all along!” Gilbert screeched.

“That,” Roderich began coldly, “isn’t entirely surprising given your standards, Weillschmidt.”

“Shut up you sissy!”

“B-but…But I didn’t see my brother…”

“You guys didn’t pull him out of the water?”

“N-no.”

“Then Lieutenant Jones is still aboard the pirate ship, with us not knowing his true intentions. You know what that means.”

Gilbert and Matthew looked at Roderich anxiously, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

The brown-haired man looked back at them grimly.

“Alfred F. Jones is hereby labeled a fugitive.”

---

Arthur wiped angrily at the tears that poured down from his eyes.

He had run to the rarely-used engine room to retrieve a black stone from one of the boilers, a black stone that was the only part of Einion he still had. The stone was called dragon core, and for the Golden Queen it served as an alternative source of power lest there was no wind to catch in the sails. As long as the dragon that had produced the stone was still alive and near, the stone would glow and give off enough heat to make the pirate ship’s engine run.
But the stone the green-eyed man held was cold. His tears slid off its hard surface, and his hands refused to stop shivering as the object touched his skin.

Einion was gone.

Einion, who he helped hatch from an egg given to him by his older brother.

Einion, who was his only true ally despite it being unable to speak to him.

With a mad shriek, Arthur threw the stone across the room with all his might. He was crazy, he knew, for considering such a dangerous beast as his friend, when he was surrounded by loyal human subordinates.

“Fuck.” he said simply.

Einion was gone; there was no power in the world that can revive him. But his subordinates were still alive and they all looked up to him to protect them. It wasn’t supposed to be the other way around. He had been utterly useless in the fight earlier; what a shame to one who was allegedly the most powerful pirate in the world.

He scoffed and walked to where he had thrown the stone.

The Golden Queen was damaged; two of its masts rendered ineffective by the battle meaning the ship can only run at a slow pace if they used the remaining sails to escape. They could stay and fight off the remaining gunboat, but his crew was already beat, and his breakdown earlier could only have hurt their morale even more.

There wasn’t really any other option then.

He cradled the dragon core in his left hand as he concentrated.

Ordinary fire wouldn’t ignite the stone, so he searched within him to find that small well of magic he knew he possessed. He hadn’t told anyone, not even his brothers, about this ability of his; afraid that they would all turn away from him and his abnormality. In their generation, sorcerers were considered cursed even though their world was brimming with magic. Magical creatures like dragons existed, but humans who could harness that kind of power were deemed as abominations. (Ivan was a whole other story since he picked up magic only after he had died.) As isolation-loving as he was, he did not want to be shunned by society forever, so he kept the secret to himself, even if his magic was somewhat irregular and there wasn’t much of it in him.

Arthur willed for fire to burn deep inside the dragon core.

But there came none.

He snapped his fingers, imagining them to produce sparks.

But nothing happened.

Anger and frustration boiled up inside him.

“I AM NOT LETTING THEM DIE BECAUSE OF MY STUPIDITY, DO YOU HEAR ME?!” he shouted at the stone.

“JUST….JUST….ARGH! FUCK IT!!!”

He threw the stone once more, this time right back into the boiler.

A great explosion followed and Arthur coughed as smoke filled the room, threatening to suffocate him. Then to his surprise, the smoke cleared quickly for him to see a great fire burning from where the dragon core sat. He had managed to produce fire.

He ran to the boiler and shut its iron door, all the while unable to believe his achievement. It took a few seconds to feel the effects of the fire burning inside the boiler: the Golden Queen suddenly lurched forward and he was sure the others were sent toppling onto their rears just like him when the ship finally moved.

The green-eyed man let out a little laugh and mopped his tears with his sleeve. Once he was sure he was presentable, he ran back to the uppermost deck.

So it was to the crew’s absolute surprise to learn that their captain Arthur Kirkland had managed to make their ship run without coal, had jogged back to them with a crazy grin plastered on his face, his clothes singed and covered in blood and soot, and knocked out their prisoner Alfred with just one swing of his right fist and a short “Blimey. Figured Ivan would forget about him since he’s not in uniform.”

---

Author’s Notes:
Yes.
Arthur’s crazy.
And awesome.
And I’m kinda getting lost in what I’m writing; it’s a good thing I wrote an outline for this whole thing beforehand @_@ (but still I think I’m confused; might be a given since I really haven’t eaten lunch yet since I wrote this chapter)
Einion, by the way, is Welsh for “anvil”. Or so the mighty internet had told me.
Also, I apologize for the lame name of Arthur’s ship (>_<) He didn’t name it anyways hoho