Chapter Text
It was not a wild storm, nor the sound of naval trumpets blaring, nor the nightmares of falling into a sea of gold that stirred Fabian awake, but the gentle rocking of the ship, as the sunlight that streamed in through the window warmed his face.
It was rare that he woke up like this - uneventfully- and Fabian allowed himself to open his good eye to the calm morning on the sea. He listened to the sound of the waves as they lazily grazed the hull of the ship and the soft snoring of Hangman while he slept against Fabian’s desk. The smell of smoke was comforting instead of dreadful, the hellhound rolled onto his back and locked his glowing gaze with Fabian’s.
“Good morning, Hangman,” Fabian whispered, to which the Hangman responded by leaping to his feet and vaulting up to lick Fabian’s face with his fiery tongue.
“Stop! Stop!” Fabian protested as he pushed Hangman back down to the deck. Fabian sat up and stretched, the satisfying pop sounds that came from his back welcome, as they indicated he had gotten some decent sleep for once.
The moment of peace lasted just that long as the responsibilities of his captainship presented themselves in a pounding knock on his cabin door. Fabian leapt to his feet and took two long strides to the door, the Hangman right at his heels. He pulled the door open to see Gorgug, his hand positioned to knock again, a look of worry on his face.
“Good morning, Gorgug.” Fabian said coolly. He stifled a yawn and leaned against the frame of the door. He could already tell this was going to be a long day.
“Good morning, Captain,” Gorgug spoke all in one breath. “There’s a message from our informant on the mainland, it’s urgent.”
Fabian smiled and sighed. “Of course there is. I can never get one minute of peace around here, can I?”
Surprisingly, Gorgug’s serious façade remained as stoic as before, unusual for someone who normally served as a calming agent when Fabian was acting far too serious. The smile dropped from Fabian’s face as he straightened himself up.
“I’ll be out in two minutes.” He said, Gorgug nodded and turned away.
Fabian threw his clothes and shoes on quickly, tying his hair up with a handkerchief he’d taken off an enemy captain in one of their latest raids. He eyed the rapier resting on his desk - one of the last gifts he had received from his father. He stood still for a moment, eyed the blade with vigor. He scolded himself for his grogginess allowing him to become distracted and strode out to the main deck, where Gorgug, Fig, and Riz stood anxiously around a falcon sitting on the rail. He recognized the bird as Gilear’s instantly, and the scarlet ribbon tied to its foot confirmed his fears of the severity of the message: you’re in danger .
“When did it arrive?” He asked, gently stroking the bird’s head.
“Less than five minutes ago,” Riz replied. “We haven’t read the letter yet.”
“ You haven’t read the letter yet,” Fig chimed in. “based on whatever ass-licking honor code burned into your skull or whatever…”
Fabian brushed off Fig’s comments, but Riz was clearly more annoyed than he was.
“Is it ass-licking to respect the authority of your captain? Or did you never learn that in whatever cave you were pulled out of?”
“Shut up, I don’t have time to keelhaul you if we’ve got royals up our asses.” Fig scoffed and turned away, while Riz reached to his side for his pistol, fire in his eyes.
“Riz,” Fabian said sternly. He stared at his friend pointedly until his hand fell back to his side. Riz took a step back from Fig towards the falcon, who kept his gaze on Fabian.
“You two can sort this out later, let me read this.” He looked to Fig, who handed him a small piece of parchment rolled into a tube. Fabian unfurled it as Riz began to stroke the bird’s head. The writing was rushed and smudged in places, not a helpful factor considering Gilear’s handwriting wasn’t the neatest in the first place, but he eventually deciphered it.
CAPTAIN SEACASTER,
I apologize for the blood and pudding stains on the parchment, Baxter knocked over my bowl while I was writing this and when I attempted to shoo him away he raked his talons up my arm and I had to have the cleric revive me in order to continue writing.
To the message: I regret to inform you that news of your most recent raid on the trade ship heading for the mainland has reached the royals. The king is furious about the goods lost, and the princess Aelwyn has expressed an interest in taking command of the naval fleet in order to catch you herself.
If you are not aware, your raid comes on the tail of the kidnapping of the princess Adaine and the castle’s chief cleric. The king and queen are of the belief that your crew are the ones responsible, and are mobilizing the naval forces as I write. Although I am aware that you would not do such a thing, my attempts to dissuade the royals have fallen on deaf ears.
It would be in your best interest to flee from the kingdom’s waters, as far as you can make it before you reach Spyre. I know of a man who can grant you and your crew protection should you land in the nation of Solace. I can message you once more should you take up this offer.
Stay strong and proud, Fabian. I wish you a safe journey and a plentiful bounty.
Best Wishes, Gilear Faeth
P.s. please feed Baxter, he will attack me again otherwise and I don’t think the clerics would like to utilize another revivify on me.
“Shit,” Fabian cursed as he looked to Baxter, who was now nuzzling Riz’s hand affectionately.
“I had the same feeling.” Fig said, crossing her arms.
A hurricane of thoughts clouded Fabian’s head. He cursed his ambition for thinking they could take the trade ship unnoticed. It had gone so smoothly that at the time, he had thought it was too good to be true. This moment proved he had been right.
“What does it say?” Riz asked, narrowing his brows at Fabian’s distant expression.
He swallowed the fear in his throat. “The king knows about our last raid. The navy is searching for us.” He paused. “They think we’ve taken the princess Adaine and their chief cleric. I don’t believe they’re going to be willing to negotiate should they catch us.”
Fabian saw as Gogug’s face turned pale while the words sunk in. His first mate cast his eyes to the deck and slumped his shoulders.
“Mother of Sol...” Gorgug’s voice was barely a whisper.
“What should we do, Captain?” Fig asked. Her expression had morphed to a sober intensity, rather uncommon for her. She knew the severity of the situation.
Fabian took in a breath to speak but instead sighed as he looked out toward the horizon. The sea was calm today, gentle waves rippling outwards as the ship cut through the water like a blade. There were few clouds in the sky, the sun gently warming Fabian’s skin and causing the water to shimmer like precious stones.
The ocean was a beast Fabian had known all his life. Living on Leviathan with an infamous pirate captain for a father, he had grown up surrounded by the smell of brine and the sound of waves crashing as he drifted off to sleep. It was his home. The song of the sea ran through his veins as if it was his blood, the very life source of his being. He was always confident sailing through the vastness, but now he stood at the rail completely unsure of his next move.
What should I do, Papa?
“We have a meeting with the rest of the crew,” The sound of his voice surprised Fabian. It was as though his father had answered for him, the grit in his voice noticeable in his words. “We’ll agree on a course of action together.” His chest swelled with confidence as Fig nodded.
“I’ll go get the others.”
Fabian leaned against the mainmast as his crew assembled before him. Gorgug and Fig stood side by side, Gorgug still looking as though he had just seen a ghost. Fabian considered excusing him, but he knew that would just make him more upset. Gorgug didn’t like to talk about his life with the royal navy, and nobody was dense enough to pry.
Fabian steeled himself as Riz brought Ragh, Tracker, and Zelda up from their quarters and his crew surrounded him.
“Alright,” Fabian started. He cursed himself for the uncertainty in his voice. “I received a message from Gilear this morning. The king has gotten word of our raid on the trade ship a few weeks back and the navy is on their way to capture us.”
Ragh raised the eyebrow visible from his eyepatch but did not look shocked. “What would they do if they found us?” Fabian’s silence gave him the answer, and his expression dropped.
“So what the hell are we gonna do?” Tracker asked. She gave Fabian a knowing look as Fig interrupted his response.
“What we do best.” Her smile was sinister. “Blow them up and take no prisoners. We’ve handled far worse than whatever these pansy royals can come at us with.”
Fabian caught Gorgug’s eye, this time the expression across his face was clear to him: fear. Fabian had only met the Elven naval officers in passing, but he knew their reputation for brutal punishments of pirates, especially those who directly interfered with their business. Still, the only proof he needed for their savagery was the gallery of pale scars that crossed Gorgug’s back and arms.
“We can’t seek them out. They’re the most powerful navy in the world, and considering the bounty on all of our heads, I don’t think we’re in a position to assume they’ll hold back their forces.” Fabian eyed Fig and stopped her protest with his expression.
“Gilear said that if we desire, and this is only if we all agree,” He started to explain. “We could find safety in Solace. Not permanently, but just long enough to get the royals off our backs.”
He looked to his crew for their reactions. Fig was clearly less than pleased with the idea but seemed to begrudgingly understand it was the best option for them. Riz, Tracker, Ragh, and Zelda nodded at the suggestion, and Gorgug appeared to have no reaction at all, eyes turned to the deck once again.
“Any objections to that plan?” Fabian asked. Fig moved a hand to her hips and narrowed her eyebrows.
“Yeah, what the hell are we gonna do about the next raid with all of this going on? We’re only a day away from the ship. Do we just change course entirely?”
Fabian ignored the bitter twinge in her voice. He held his head high, jaw set.
“We go forward with the raid.” There was a small noise of protest from Gorgug, but Fabian continued without addressing it. “You’re right, we’re already this close. And this ship isn’t one going back to the King. We’ll continue on course and take them down. Then we sail to Solace richer than the Devil himself.”
Fig’s cunning smile returned as she nodded in agreement. Fabian turned to face his crew and raised her voice.
“All those in favor, say aye!”
“Aye!”
Fabian smiled. “Excellent. Let’s keep on with our usual duties for today.”
Fabian started towards the upper deck, past Gorgug’s attempts to get his attention. He needed to take a minute for himself, as well as to write back Gilear before Baxter got bored and flew away.