Her Captain's Treasure [Pirate!England x Reader] 6

"___! ___!" Alfred shouted your name and you turned to look at him, which was a good thing since he nearly collided with you in his excitement.

"Alfred! Alfred!" you laughed, grinning up at him. "What is it?"

"Come see!" he said and took your hand, hauling you right up (you had been sitting on the deck, reading) and dragging you toward the front of the ship. Were you close to something? Arthur had not made any mention of being near land or port, so you could not imagine what Alfred was so excited about. He ran you all the way up to the very front of the boat, so both your bellies were pushed against the railing, and pointed at what lay ahead of you. Alfred laughed when you gasped and he appeared clearly pleased by your reaction.

"The White Isles," you whispered, amazed as he looked over at Alfred, as if you could not believe it until he confirmed it himself. He nodded.

"Yep. Arthur turned our course last night, thought you might like to see them," Alfred exclaimed and you felt your heart skip a quick beat. Arthur had done this for you? You hadn't even known you were close to the Isles, given that you spent your time on countless other things than navigation, so the thought that Arthur would do this for you made you so incredibly...happy. "We're putting down anchor for the day, spending some time here."

"Really?" you asked, eyes widening in shock. You were spending time here? Oh, Arthur was outdoing himself! A wide grin burst across your lips and you flung yourself away from the railing to race to Arthur's captain quarters. Alfred just laughed and called for the anchor to be readied. You ran quickly as you could, careful to not slip on the wet planks or run into anyone, and burst through the doors of the captain's quarters a moment later.

"Ah, hello, ____," he greeted you, rising from his chair and walking around his desk. He smiled at you and, before he could say anything, you rushed at him and tossed your arms about his neck. Arthur stumbled a step back, but his arms instinctively went to your waist, bracing you tightly against his body. He laughed softly and laid his cheek against your head. "Good morning to you too, love."

"The White Isles," you murmured into the [texture] fabric of his jacket, for you had your face pressed against his shoulder.

"Alfred has shown you already. He never could keep a secret," Arthur said, taking your shoulders and pushing you back so he could look down into your face. His brow knitted then and he reached out to brush his thumb beneath your eye, where tears had gathered on your lashes. "Come now, don't cry, love. What are these tears for?"

"I'm just grateful," you answered, sniffing lightly and wiping at your face with your sleeve, but the tears replaced themselves and you sniffled again. Arthur laughed lowly, the sound shaking his shoulders, and pressed his palm to your jaw line, cupping your face in his hand. "Thank you."

"There is no reason to thank me, love," he told you quietly, his gaze never wavering from your [color] eyes. "Though, I did it to see you smile, not cry." he added and you smiled at that, laughing slightly. "There, much better," he murmured, and his face seemed to be slowly coming closer to yours. Heat burned in your cheeks, and your mouth was suddenly dry, as your mind raced with what could be about to happen.

"Arthur?"

"Hm?" he asked, now long inches from you. You could feel his warm breath on your lips and you swallowed hard, gripping his coat in your fists. His lips touched yours, just enough that you caught their salty taste, but he stopped himself and kissed your forehead instead. "You ought to go back up on deck. It's a much better view," he told you and you nodded, turning to go. He caught your arm and you looked back at him, tipping your head slightly. "I would do anything for you. Don't forget that."

"I don't think I could," you answered, smiling at him and leaving him to his work. You went back up to the top deck and found Peter, who was helping Allistor bring several, small trunks up from the lower levels. You smiled at the pair, laughing when they both abandoned their task to link arms with you (though it was a little awkward, given their height difference).

"___!" Peter grinned up at you. "Did you see the Isles, yet?"

"Mhmm!" you answered, smiling back at him. It touched you so much that they were doing this for you, that they were so excited to see you happy. That your...your friends were so eager to make you happy.

"They're beautiful, aye, lass?" Allistor asked, putting an unlit cigarette between his lips and leaning against the side railing.

"Very," you murmured, standing between the two and enjoying the view. It was a peaceful moment, until Alfred was wiggling his way between you and Peter, chattering on about the things to be done once you reached the Isles.

It took only a few more hours to get there and you were all but leaning over the ship's rail as the anchor sank in the dark depths. You held your breath, waiting until Arthur gave the okay for everyone to leave the ship, and then raced down the plank to shore with Alfred at your side. "The Isles!" he shouted, attempting to throw off his boots as he ran. He ended up falling over and just laying in the soft, white sand.

"The Isles!" you shouted and fell beside him, laughing and closing your eyes at the wonderful feel of the warm sun on her face. You used to visit the Isles all the time, when you young and free, and it had been so long since your last visit.

Too long

"Ge' up then, ya lazy beasts!" Allistor said, nudging you with his boot as he walked by. He all but rolled Alfred over, but he was smirking at him. "There be a lot to see an' little time to see it!"

You spent the entire day at the Isles, swimming, eating, and having the most fun that you ever thought you could have with a band if pirates. Arthur joined in, every now and again, but mostly he just sat and watched. Alfred tried several times to get him to join in, but all attempts were unsuccessful until finally you asked him to take a stroll with you. He agreed.

"So, I beg and get told off a dozen times, but she asks once to talk a walk and suddenly you're up and at'em?" Alfred asked, staring after you two with his hands on his hips, but a large grin on his face.

"Yes," Arthur called back, sparing him only a smirk over his shoulder before he continued on with you. You walked a long while in silence, until you were far from the crew, and near the edge of the island. The waters were too deep to cross to the other islands, but since you were on the biggest one, and there was nothing any more special to see from the other, small islands, you stayed where you were. You walked closer to the water, but Arthur stopped, his hand slipping from yours.

"You aren't afraid of the water, are you, Captain Kirkland?" you teased, pausing to look back at him. You noticed how he stared at you, in only your cloth wrapped chest and pants, and while it made your body warm, you refused to let it color your cheeks. Arthur still wore most of his clothes, but he had shed his coat and hat, which you liked. You could see more of his face with his hat gone, as it didn't shadow his features, and the way the wind tousled his hair was wonderfully attractive.

"No! What kind of pirate captain is afraid of the water?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at such an absurd accusation.

"Well, then get in here!" you laughed, already up to your waist in the sea. Arthur hesitated, but finally threw of his boots and shirt, and joined you in the water. He was terribly awkward and you found it hilariously surprising that a pirate captain could act such a way in the water. "Can you not swim?" you asked, and when he didn't answer, your eyes widened and you gasped. "You cannot! Arthur, can you not swim?"

"That is why I have a ship, ____!" he snapped back, looking very uncomfortable as the waves swelled around your bodies. You laughed and waded over to him to take his hands in yours. He was shaking! Oh, poor Arthur.

"Arthur, relax," you told him, giving his hands a gentle squeeze and smiling up at him. "It's alright. The sea won't hurt you."

"I have seen it drown many a men," Arthur argued, looking quite serious as he stared down at you. He even seemed a bit frightened, nervous and jumpy, as you stood there in the shallow water. "And tear a ship to pieces."

"I didn't say that sea couldn't hurt you," you corrected him with a little grin. "I said that it wouldn't."

"And why is that?"

"Because you are with me and therefore must have the sea's blessing," you told him before you released one of his hands and, eventually, got him to relax and float-with your help, of course. "See? It isn't so bad."

"It is rather peaceful," he admitted quietly, opening his eyes to look up at you. He still held your hand tightly and you smiled a bit, feeling his arm encircle your waist. You let him pull himself toward you, so his side was pressed against your stomach, and just continued to watch him float, but you were a bit suspicious of him. He only smiled at you. When his grip grew tighter on your arm, and you noticed his other hand coming toward you, you shouted and jumped back from him. "You noticed!"

"You were going to try and sink me!" you accused him and Arthur laughed, tossing his damp hair back from his eyes and looking at you. Your breath caught in your throat. There was something in his gaze you had never seen before, a look in his eyes that had your instincts screaming at you to go to him, but you silenced them and started backing away. "No, Arthur, you stay away!"

"___," he said, his voice more a low growl and it sent a shiver down your spine, but it was far from an unpleasant sensation. "Come to me."

"No," you said instantly, shaking your head, but you dared not look away from him. His smirk grew and he started toward you.

"___, come to me," he repeated and again you shook your head, but this time you bolted toward the beach. Arthur was right behind you, but you focused on the sand, on reaching it before he reached you, but you could hear him behind you. Your feet hit the damp sand and you kept running, but Arthur easily gained on you now that you were back on land.

"Arthur, no!" you shouted, but he caught you, trapping you against his chest. You wiggled and fought against him, if only to strengthen his desire to have you, and your struggling suddenly sent you two crashing to the ground. Before you could regain your senses, Arthur had rolled you over and straddled your waist, one hand around your wrists to lock your arms above your head, and the other on your hip to better hold you down. He was breathing heavily, as were you, and there was an undeniable tension to the air between you that made your heart race and your body burn like fire. "Arthur..."

"___," he whispered your name, and you noticed for the first time how beautiful it sounded coming from his mouth, in his voice, and it made you silently beg he would say it again, just like that. Suddenly, his lips were pressed hard against yours and grip on you had tightened. Your mind reeled, trying to understand what was happening, but you found it easier to just turn yourself over to whatever feeling was swelling inside you. Arthur broke the kiss for air, but only for a moment, and was back at your mouth a second later. His lips tasted like sea water, salty yet the taste was wonderful to you, and his hands were rough, calloused against your bare skin. You struggled against his grip on your wrists, wanting desperately to touch him, to wrap your arms around him, but he refused to let you go. You whimpered in protest, but your pleas went unheard (or unacknowledged), and Arthur just pressed his body harder against yours and deepening the kiss.

"Arthur," you murmured against his mouth, arching your back so you were even closer to him, but suddenly the weight of him was gone. You opened your eyes, noticed your wrists were free, and that he was sitting up straddling your legs. You frowned at him. "Did I do something wrong?" you asked, unsure of what you could have done to make him pull away so quickly. It was almost as if you had...scared him.

"No," Arthur shook his head, and it bothered at you that he did not look at you now. He stared off toward the sea, but his hands rested on your hip. He looked conflicted, his lips twisted into a tortured frown, and you could not possibly understand what was going on in his head. "It's late. We need to be getting back to the ship, love."

"Aye," you whispered, confused and a little hurt by him. He climbed off of you and stood up, offering you a hand. You took it and he pulled you to your feet. He started to pull away, but you kept your grip on his hand strong. He looked back at you, smiled slightly and held your hand until you were in sight of the crew. They were loading things back onto the ship.

"An' just where 'ave you two been all this time?" Allistor asked, cocking an eyebrow at the pair of you. You blushed and looked down at your feet. Allistor laughed at that. "Tells me all I need to know, lass! Surprised tha' Arthur had the nerve to put his moves on ya!"

"Be quiet, Allistor," Arthur grumbled, shoving past him and making his way back onto the ship. You watched him go, jumping when you felt Allistor's hand on your shoulder.

"Don't be gettin' worried now, lass. He is only shy," he started, putting his arm around you shoulder and leading you back to the ship. Alfred and Peter followed, carrying a basket of fresh fruit between them, which was a rare treat on a pirate ship. "An' I suspect ya make 'im feel things tha' he is less than eager to feel."

"What do you mean?" you asked, climbing back onto the deck. You picked up your shirt, belt and sword, which you had left on the deck, and put them back on. Your skin still tingled from Arthur's touch, but you tried not to think about what other feelings he had stirred up inside your body.

"Ol' Arthur got 'imself hurt a while back, los'em a good lass tha' he loved, an' I don' think he has ever gotten over it," he answered, a sad frown creasing his brow, but he smiled at you after that. "I think he's startin' to heal, though."

He left you then, as the crew had to ready the ship to set sail once more, so you were left to entertain yourself. You went to get the astronomy book Allistor had leant you and brought it back on deck. You sat with your spyglass on the pair of barrels and watched the early night stars. You noted them in your book as you snacked on the sweet, fresh fruit Alfred and Peter had brought back from the island, but eventually grew tired and decided to get some rest. Mornings always seemed early on the ship, you though, pushing open the door to yours and Arthur's quarters. You froze instantly, struck by what you saw. Arthur stood there before the dresser where the jewelry boxes were and you could tell he was holding something in his hands, but you could not see what it was. You could see his face in the mirror, and his expression made your heart clench.

He looked heartbroken.

"Arthur," you whispered, and he raised his head so he was looking at you in the mirror. When he did not say anything, you closed the door behind you and walked over to him, but hesitated reaching out to touch him. "Are you alright?"

"Aye," he murmured, but you barely understood him and it sounded as if his throat were clenched, like he had been holding back tears. You frowned and finally reached out, putting your hand on his arm.

"Please tell me," you begged, glancing down at what he was holding. It was a tiny, porcelain jewelry box with a seashell carved into the lid, and it looked to be filled with the broken pieces of...something, you could not quite tell. "What is that, Arthur?"

"It belonged to her," he answered, his voice soft and low, and you saw his fingers hold tighter to the little box.

"Who?"

"Mischa," he answered, but you did not recognize the name. Why would you? Arthur put the lid on the little box and moved around you to sit in your chair. He brushed his fingers over the carved shell before he looked up at him. He did not have to say anything before you went to him, kneeling before him and putting a hand on his leg to steady yourself. You raised a hand and cupped his face, making him keep his head up so you could look at him.

"She's the girl you loved," you said, not explaining how you knew, but Arthur did not ask either. He only nodded, pushing his cheek into your palm. "What happened to her, Arthur?"

"I killed her, love. In our last moments, I killed her."