Chapter Text
Ilya had spotted the ship earlier in the day. The dark sails peeking above the horizon, contrasted against the white clouds, had told him everything he needed to know about the vessel. It was obviously a pirate ship, most likely full of greedy men and women to draw to their deaths. It wasn’t that Ilya enjoy enticing humans into the frigid waters, he had to do it. There was really no other way to survive as a siren. Even though he moved from settlement to settlement, treating wounds and illnesses in his fellow mer-folk, that couldn’t sustain him completely.
So, in preparation for the ship’s arrival near his sea-cliff sanctuary, Ilya warmed up his voice, the notes of his songs warm and thick like velvet. He had felt velvet before, managing to snag a coat off of one of his victims. It had taken several storms to rinse the salt water from the soft fabric and he treasured the piece, often wearing it when he sunned, as he was doing now. His obsidian scales absorbed heat even as the chilly sea spray kept them damp. He kept his eyes glued to the ship as it grew larger and larger against the sky. This was no band of shabby miscreants, this was a serious pirate ship based on the size alone. He was certain he could find more than a few foolish souls to listen to his song.
It was sunset before the ship had drawn close enough to Ilya’s home to bother making contact. He slid the velvet coat from his bare shoulders and slid gracefully into the waves, chilly water running its icy fingers over him and stealing away the heat of the sun. His focus was elsewhere as he surfaced, ready to lure a few foolish mortals to their death.
You stood on the bow of your ship, the only proper place for a decent pirate captain to be. The sun was setting behind the sea-cliff to your west, one that was notorious in the tales of salty sea-dogs and fishermen’s wives alike. It was said to be home to a siren, dangerous and beautiful, but you weren’t so sure. For now, you were on high alert to make sure your men didn’t ram the ship into the cliff. You climbed over the railing of the ship, sure-footed enough to know you wouldn’t fall, and stared down at the water between the cliff and your vessel. You loved being out on the sea, feeling the salty breeze in your hair and the sun on your skin. Sure, there weren’t as many comforts as you could have on land, but the adventure and the loot made it all worth it.
You took a deep breath, the smell of sea and sun, and damp rock filling your lungs before you belted out a drinking song, as upbeat as could be as pure joy raced through your veins. It wasn’t until you finished the song, passing the tune to your men, that you looked back down and saw it, the legend of the cliffs staring at you awestruck.
They were extraordinary and breathtaking, more so than any person, mer or otherwise, that Ilya had ever encountered. He couldn’t help but stare at them, not even bothering to hide beneath the surf when they looked down towards the waves at the end of their song.
It wasn’t until they gasped in shock, loosing their footing and slipping from their precarious perch, that Ilya came to his senses. He watched in horror as they tumbled from the ship and towards the waves, unsure of what to do until his body acted on its own, racing to the spot the would land. He knew he couldn’t keep them out of the icy waves, but he could certainly keep the saline water from entering their lungs and call for help from the rest of the ship. He grabbed them from the grip of the ocean almost as soon as they plunged into the waters. They were unconscious, probably from hitting the water, and shivering despite it.
The crew was peeking overboard now, hollering and panicking. “The Captain!!! Siren’s got ‘em!!!!”
Ilya could hear the sound of guns being loaded, the crew was willing to fight him off to save their captain. It seemed like the limp captain had the loyalty of their crew at the very least.
Ilya cleared his throat, projecting his voice but imbuing it with no song he spoke, “Lower a life boat so I can return them to you. Hurry! It’s too cold in the water for them to last long!”
The crew peeked over the boat railings again, a few looking around before shrugging and running to the life boats, lowering one as fast as possible. Ilya towed the captain towards the incoming lifeboat, being mindful to keep their face above water. He could feel their skin chilling as the minutes ticked by and watched the boat lower with increased stress.
It seemed like an eternity before the boat was lowered to the water, each second spanning what seemed like hours, but the sun still sat fat on the horizon. Ilya used every bit of his strength to lift the sopping human into the small boat. It took several attempts and he was pretty sure he heard them groan in pain as he levered them over the side.
“They’re in!” Ilya hollered up to the crew and they started to crank the boat back up into place, but not before the captain coughed and sat upright, making eye contact with the siren.
You found your self freezing, in a lifeboat, and staring straight into the stormy grey eyes of the very siren you thought a myth before you tumbled from the side of the boat. You had figured falling into the ocean right in front of a siren was a guaranteed death sentence, although it seemed to not be the case based on the way said siren was blushing.
He honestly looked shocked you were awake, cheeks reddening and gills fluttering before he choked out a quick “Hello!” and disappeared under the water. You would’ve questioned it, and called to him, but the cold had soaked straight through to your bones and your teeth were chattering louder than the sound of chains rattling on deck in a storm.
You started giving orders to your crew as soon as you were back on board. “Jeffery! Fetch me a blanket! Someone stoke the fire in my cabin! I need to be warmed quickly!” You could feel the drowsiness of hypothermia starting to set in and your crew would not lose their captain tonight if you had any say in it. Jeffery brought you a blanket while your first mate, Pomme, ran to your cabin to stoke the fire. You clumsily wrapped the blanket around your sopping shoulders and stumbled towards the door to your quarters, every rock of the boat tripping you up like you had suddenly lost your sea-legs.
Your cabin felt like a furnace even though you knew from experience that the drafty room would never truly get any warmer than “toasty.” Pomme threw another precious log into the fireplace before stepping out and closing the door. Your next step required privacy. Slowly, so slowly, you fumbled with the buttons and belts of your attire, stripping from your soaking wet clothes. By the time you were stripped bare, you’d warmed enough that you were no longer shivering, but still chilled. You flopped into your bed, figuring you were far enough out of the danger zone that sleeping wouldn’t be an issue. Letting the heat from the fireplace take the chill from your flesh, you dozed off, dreaming of a flustered fish man.
It was the dead of night when you woke up, the fire had been reduced to crackling embers, and the draft that came through the wood itself was beginning to chill your naked body again. You got up, quickly pulling on some warm pajamas before venturing out on to the deck. You were certain the crew was either asleep or very, very worried about you.
All was quiet on deck when you stepped out onto the deck, most of the crew having gone to bed except for the few look-outs who took the night shift. Once one of them saw you, they came down a sail line, unafraid of plummeting to the deck despite the distance between the crow’s nest and the solid hardwood.
“Captain! Yer alive!” The scruffy sailor chortled as he landed on the deck. “It seems as though ya managed to charm a siren. Quite a feat if ya ask me.” He whistled low as he finished speaking.
“Whatever do you mean?” You were sure it was a fluke that the siren saved you, they were said to be fickle fae creatures after all.
“Well Captain, poor creature’s been followin’ the ship ever since ye were hauled aboard.” His face split into a shit-eating grin as he watched the confusion bleed over your features. It would not be a good thing if this creature saved you just to prey on your crew continuously.
“That certainly is strange. I think I may need to speak to this siren. Maybe… maybe he’s just seeking payment for sparing my life.” That sounded about right, logically speaking. “Can you prepare to lower a lifeboat for me? I need to grab my sword just in case.” The seaman nodded and set off to his task as you turned on your heel and headed back to the cabin to collect both your sword, and your cap. It wouldn’t be proper to conduct business as the captain without the symbol of your status after all.
It wasn’t long before you were seated in the same skiff you had been pulled from the ocean in, only now you were heading back towards the icy depths and the creature that had saved you from them.
Ilya was tired, not exhausted, not yet. It had been a split-second decision to follow the ship as it continued on its course after its captain had been retrieved. Ilya only hesitated a second, thinking about his precious velvet coat before deciding that something about the human had been too alluring to ignore.
So, it was a pleasant surprise when, in the dead of the night, he saw a lifeboat being lowered again. It was made even better when he saw it was the captain inside, alive and well.
“You there!” They called down and their voice sounded like the finest song to the smitten siren, “I want to talk, but any sign of magical funny business and I will run you through.” The threat was a little disheartening, but he supposed it was a start, nonetheless.
“I promise. No song or magic.” He called back, his voice funny in his own ears without the magic that usually naturally impregnated it. He had to be careful if he wanted to actually get his way.
The skiff gently touched down in the waves and Ilya swam to its side, poking his head above the railing. They were just as stunning as before, maybe even more-so now that they weren’t in danger of drowning or freezing.
They spoke again as Ilya observed them, committing their appearance to memory, something to cherish should he be forced to leave. “I wanted to thank you for sparing my life, and also to ask you the price.”
Price? Had they assumed he’d saved them out of greed? Though, he supposed it wasn’t too off base for his kind to demand a price for a heroic deed. “A-ah, um. There’s no price. I couldn’t have possibly allowed someone so… ethereal to drown because of an accident.” He had no idea where that last part had come from and crumpled internally at his own words. That was, until he saw a flush wash over the captain’s cheeks. They tried to hide it by pretending to adjust their hat, but Ilya still saw and committed that to memory too.
“Is that so?” Their voice sounded good even flustered. “Then why, may I ask, are you following my ship? If you have no price, then surely you have no business unless you intend to pick my crew off one-by-one.” Their voice had gone cold when they suggested that he was just there to entrance their crew.
“N-nothing of the sort, I assure you.” He looked down, flustered and nervous at the accusation. “I, uh, just wanted to make sure you were okay…” His words had turned to a mumbled as he considered diving back below the waves and swimming back to his cliff, where he was safe and wasn’t being confronted by someone gorgeous.
“Well, as you can see, I’m fine.” They were trying to send him away! He couldn’t let that happen! He wasn’t sure why yet, but he felt such a strong pull towards this pirate, one he couldn’t ignore.
“I, uh, I don’t really want to go…” He flushed deeper now, though instead of looking away, he looked at them earnestly, trying to convey his deep desire to be at their side. “I was actually wondering if I could come aboard. I’m a doctor. I’m sure I could be of use.”
This shocked the captain, just the earnest expression on the siren’s face had sent them for a loop, like they were being sucked down into a whirlpool. Something tugged in their chest, but they ignored it. “I’m not convinced I can trust you quite yet. If you really are determined to come aboard, you won’t mind following us for a few days, so I know I can trust you.” The captain was sure the siren would get tired of toying with their crew before long. They were determined not to be tricked, no matter how handsome this siren was.
“O-oh not at all. Completely understandable in fact. I wouldn’t trust me either if I were you.” Ilya stuttered the words out, in danger of rambling if given the chance.
“Very well, we have an agreement then.” The captain called up to their crew member waiting to haul the boat up.
Ilya panicked, not wanting them to leave just yet, but he knew it was too late, so he simply called out a question. “What’s your name? I’m Ilya!”
The captain glanced over the rail of the lifeboat, perplexed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ilya. You can just call me “Captain” for now. After all, a fae creature should know that names hold power.”
Oh, Ilya knew it very well, even more starkly when they actually said his name back to him. Just that action alone had sent tingles over his skin. Sirens rarely revealed their true names to anyone except their family and eventually their spouse. In fact, the mer usually went by “Julian,” but something had compelled him to give the captain his true name, as a sign of trust perhaps.
It had been a perplexing encounter to be certain. Of course, you weren’t used to chatting casually with sirens, so it was to be expected that it was a little out of the ordinary at least. You still weren’t certain what his motivations for following your ship were, but he seemed to be of little threat to you or your crew, and that was all that really mattered.
“How’d it go, Cap?” The same crew member that had lowered the lifeboat down was waiting for you on deck, having raised it as well.
“I don’t think the siren poses any threat. Seems to just be curious about ship life as far as I can tell.” You were sure that wasn’t all there was to the situation, but there was no need to get your crew stirred up in a tizzy.
“As long as I ain’t on the menu that’s fine by me.”
“Can you let the rest of the night crew know? I’m afraid that my dip earlier seems to have drained more energy than I thought.”
“Of course, Cap! Probably woulda spread the word anyway.” He probably wasn’t exaggerating either, word spread quickly on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Most of the time the crew had nothing else to do, especially when the ship hit becalmed waters.
“Very good. Tomorrow night we’ll set the anchor and spend all night in. The crew could use a rest and the ship needs repairs after our last raid. I’m certain we’ve lost any pursuers by now.”
“You should know by now that no ship in the sea can keep up with The Fool and her crew, Cap! I mean, she is your ship!”
“Always best to err on the side of caution. A comfortable pirate often finds themselves comfortable without a head.”
“Aye, lost many a friend that way I suppose…”
You patted the man on the shoulder, comforting him as he remembered those caught for their crimes over the years. “Let’s not join them quite yet.” You withdrew your hand and nodded. “I’ll be heading back to my quarters. Make sure to rouse me if anything suspicious happens, especially if the siren seems to be plotting something.”
“Yes, Captain!” With that the man left back to the crow’s nest and you made the short trip back to your cabin, stoking the fire back to life before laying in your bed.
You watched shadows play across the ceiling as the events of the day unfolded in your mind like the many wavy tendrils of an anemone and just as likely to sting. A siren! A siren saved you from a sure trip to Davy Jones’ realm and then decided to follow the ship! But for what reason? Why would a creature of myth and sea want to come aboard your ship? He seemed quick to pay compliments, just thinking about it brought heat to your cheeks, but certainly it was just a bargaining tactic. He was handsome though, more handsome than anyone you’d encountered in all your seafaring years. His strong jawline and sharp nose looked like they’d been carved by a master sculptor and his stormy grey eyes seemed to see straight through you to your very core.
“Ilya…” You tested the name in your mouth, shivering slightly as it rolled over your tongue like thick honey. You tried it a couple more times, completely convinced it was the siren’s, no, Ilya’s true name.
Little did you know that with each shiver pronouncing the name gave you, the effect was threefold on the siren who possessed it. He swam slowly through the night, exhausted but determined as the ship drifted on.