Chapter Text
The sea had always been a comforting sight for Nick. Having grown up in a port town, the sounds of waves crashing and the faint smell of sea salt always felt like home to him. It was easy, living life on the water. There were no rules, no expectations, nothing. Nick always found a sense of security in that. To be fair, there were plenty of things about sailing that Nick didn’t enjoy like the never ending sun or the enormous pile of non-perishable rations or the significantly large number of days where they wouldn’t see another soul but he had learned to, begrudgingly, like those things. It was part of the life he had chosen and he’d be silly not to try to embrace every aspect of it.
“Captain?”
Nick turned to see his first mate, Imogen Heaney, standing there, looking at him expectantly. For the longest time, people thought he was crazy for having a few women aboard his ship. He chuckled at the thought of what people would say about him if they knew his right hand man was, well, a woman. Nick had always found it odd that women were considered to be a bad omen at sea. If anything, Nick thought the women in his crew kept them on track better than anyone else could have.
Nick let out a snort, looking over Imogen’s features. She was worried, he could tell that much. Nick had known Imogen most of their lives. She was one of the few things from his old life that he kept around. She was his best friend despite the fact that he wasn’t supposed to have friends. Pirates didn’t have friends, only people they trusted as far as they could throw them. But Nick trusted Imogen with his life and God knows she’s saved his ass more than enough times to earn that trust.
“If you keep frowning like that you’ll get wrinkles, Im,” Nick teased, a grin forming on his face. She scoffed and rolled her eyes at him but he knew she wasn’t actually upset at him.
“I’ve gotten word that The Last Hope is sailing ‘round these waters,” Imogen said plainly. Nick raised an eyebrow at her.
“The Last Hope?”
She hummed and nodded. “Afraid so, Captain.”
Nick tensed, jaw clenching. He and his crew had had more than a few scuffles with The Last Hope. Nothing big but just enough that they were becoming a bit of a nuisance to him. Nick was never fond of messy battles, preferring for things to be done quickly and stealthily. The Last Hope had become a thorn in his side that he was more than ready to pluck out.
“And what of Benjamin?” Nick asked evenly.
“Captaining the ship, last I heard,” Imogen replied. Nick let out a huff.
Benjamin Hope had been a part of Nick’s crew right at the beginning when Nick had assembled a ragtag group of wayward individuals, before they had earned their title as one of the most fearsome crews in the Atlantic. Ben had been one hell of a shot and eager to ditch his life on land. It wasn’t until six months later when Nick was abandoning Ben on the shores of an island that he realized just how much damage Ben had done. He was like a plague, doing everything he could to destroy Nick so he could take over. It hadn’t been a full scale mutiny but it was enough to leave Nick down five crew members and a nasty scar across his chest. Nick wasn’t one to easily forget betrayals like that. His crew was his family just as much as he was theirs. And he wasn’t fond of loose ends.
“Ready the crew,” Nick said, turning to face Imogen fully. “We have a ship to sink.”
Nick, despite what most people thought, was not a bloodthirsty killer who destroyed every person who crossed his path. He was not a terrifying pirate captain who mercilessly cut down his enemies. That was the Golden Sword. Nick Nelson was a 19 year old who liked the ocean and wanted nothing more than to have the freedom he so desperately lacked on land. To be fair, he was the Golden Sword but rumors at sea tended to seriously over exaggerate someone’s image. In a way, this worked in his favor. He didn’t have to live up to those rumors because most of the time, people surrendered upon seeing The Revenge. It made Nick’s life a hell of a lot easier.
Nick followed Imogen onto the deck of the ship, quietly observing his crew as Imogen shouted commands. It was ridiculously hot that day but everyone seemed to be moving with renewed energy. This attack on The Last Hope was personal and the crew was more than happy to settle the score.
“Captain!”
Nick looked up to see Tara Jones at the wheel, her usual determined look on her face as she steered the ship. Tara was the ship’s navigator and one of the only people aboard who could actually read. Nick had picked her up outside of a bar with her girlfriend, Darcy Olsson, after they explained to him that they had heard he was assembling a crew. The two girls wanted nothing more than to find a place where they could be together and Nick was more than happy to make that happen.
“Jones,” Nick replied, making his way towards the girl. “What have you got for me?”
“Caught wind that they weren’t far from here. Maybe a half a day’s worth. Fog should settle in by nightfall. They won’t know what hit them.”
Nick sent her a small smile and a nod. “You never cease to amaze me.”
Tara let out a laugh and shook her head. “It’s just good navigation,” she replied. Nick thought she was too modest for her own good. She had managed to get them out of dozens of sticky situations over the past two years with her expert navigation and knowledge of the sea.
“You sell yourself short, Tara,” Nick said genuinely. Tara just smiled and shrugged.
“I reckon Darcy’d like to have a word with you,” Tara said, eyes never leaving the water. Nick hummed and nodded.
“Where might I find her this time?” Nick asked, a teasing smile on his face. Darcy had a habit of disappearing to random spots on the ship. It had become a bit of an inside joke that the crew would find her in various places. Tara snorted, turning to look at Nick, a small smile playing on her lips.
“She’s down in the hold. I promise she’s not playing hide and seek this time. Think she’s taking stock of gun powder.”
Nick sent Tara a nod and made his way down into the hold. Most pirate captains would have demanded for their crew to meet them on deck but Nick wasn’t most pirate captains. As he walked, Nick heard various sounds of movement. The hold was stocked relatively well so there were plenty of places for Darcy to be hiding out.
“Olsson?” Nick called out, looking around for the blonde girl.
Darcy popped her head out from behind a few barrels before standing up and walking into the clearing.
“Captain,” Darcy greeted with a teasing salute and a playful smile. Nick rolled his eyes fondly.
“At ease soldier,” Nick joked, making both of them laugh. “I heard you wanted a word with me,” he continued once their laughs had died down.
Darcy nodded once. “Yes. Based on what I’ve seen of The Last Hope, I think we can hit them with one powerful shot and it’ll go down,” she explained. Darcy was their explosives and weapons expert. She had an affinity for watching things blow up that Nick didn’t quite understand but it made her incredible at her job so he didn’t see the point in spending too much time on it.
Nick hummed, thinking. “Just a single shot? Are you sure?”
Darcy sent him a confident smile. “When have I ever been wrong about this, Captain?”
Nick huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. “Never, to my knowledge. Can you take the ship down without killing them all?”
Darcy looked taken aback a bit but she nodded quickly. “Yeah, I can manage that,” she replied. She paused for a moment, looking over Nick’s features with a slightly concerned look on her face. “Why don’t you want them dead?”
Nick ran a hand through his hair, shrugging. “I don’t want innocent people to die because of our falling out,” he replied as evenly as he could.
“That’s hardly pirate-like of you,” Darcy replied. Nick knew it wasn’t meant as an attack. She was just speaking her mind which Nick always appreciated.
He shrugged. “The extra bloodshed seems unnecessary.”
Darcy watched him carefully for a moment. It was clear to Nick that she was thinking through her next words. “I can take down The Last Hope with a single shot that will give them enough time to escape if need be. It won’t kill the crew but it’ll leave them stranded, most likely.”
Nick nodded. “We’re not too far from shore. Let the sea have its way with them. If the water decides to spare them then we’ll deal with it another day. I want to leave them without a ship. It’ll give us time to figure out a plan.”
“Copy that, Captain,” Darcy replied, sending him another salute.
“Thanks, Darcy.”
True to Tara’s word, night fell and the fog rolled in. Nick could see The Last Hope illuminated in the distance. He had given orders to extinguish any and all light on the ship. The element of surprise was essential here. The Revenge was as still as stone. Yelling could be heard in the distance, the sound traveling across the water.
“Captain? Your orders?” Imogen whispered, standing at Nick’s side as he watched the other ship carefully. Nick nodded and turned around.
“Sai?” he called in a whisper-yell. Sai looked over to him, ready to act out his command. “Tell Olsson if she has the shot, take it,” Nick continued. Sai sent him a nod and disappeared below deck.
Nick held his breath, waiting for the sound of the canon to ring out. It was peaceful in a weird way. There was a silence that Nick wasn’t used to hearing on his ship. It felt like everyone was holding their breath, waiting with anticipation for Darcy to make her move. Nick counted to ten in his mind before the canon went off, disrupting the silence.
“Jones! Get us out of here now!” Nick called and everyone sprung into action. He could hear the panicked yelling from The Last Hope as its crew scrambled to abandon ship. Nick didn’t need to wait around to see if the damage had been done. He trusted Darcy’s skills. Nick didn’t watch as The Last Hope sank into the watery depths. He had seen enough sinking ships to know what it looked like.
“Watch out, Ben Hope,” Nick whispered to no one in particular as The Revenge sailed away from the wreckage. “Revenge is coming for you.”
Charlie Spring had become a pirate captain completely by accident. Well, the pirate part hadn’t been an accident. That was intentional, however misguided the choice had been. The captain part was surely an accident. At 17 years old, Charlie had run away from home. There had been some nasty business about his entire home town finding out he was gay and let’s just say small town people tended to be small minded. One moment he was Charlie Spring, the son of a baker and the next he was the dirty gay boy come to destroy their wholesome town. Charlie found the whole thing a bit dramatic but they were calling for his head on a stick so he figured it’d be best to skip town. It hurt, leaving his family behind but he knew it was better for everyone that way. His sister had given him a false name to write under so they could stay in touch but he hadn’t seen her in over a year. After running away, Charlie found himself in a port town at a dingy bar where he met Benjamin Hope. He had become immediately infatuated with the mysterious boy who seemed to have more questions to him than answers. The pair had spent many nights together before Ben revealed he was looking for a crew and Charlie all but jumped at the opportunity to go with him. He didn’t realize until it was too late that Ben never had the intention of loving Charlie out in the open. For three months, Charlie’s life was filled with illicit meetings and empty promises. He should have known better than to trust someone like Ben. When things finally came to a head, Charlie snapped. He screamed and cried and asked why Ben didn’t want him, why Charlie was some dirty secret to him. In the end, Charlie supposed he was lucky that Ben left him and a few of his loyal friends to rot as opposed to killing him outright which is exactly what had gotten Charlie here. Pirate Captain Charles Spring of the Heartstopper.
“Charlie? I’ve got news.”
Charlie looked up from his desk to see Elle hovering in the doorway of his quarters. He detested the idea of being called captain despite that technically being his position.
“What news?” Charlie asked, standing up to meet Elle. Elle was their navigator and one of the people on Ben’s crew who had been left with Charlie. She was the ship’s eyes and ears. Nothing got past Elle without her knowing.
“News of The Last Hope,” she clarified. Charlie raised an eyebrow, feeling his temper flicker in his chest.
“What is it?”
“The Last Hope sank a few nights ago.”
“And what of the crew?”
Elle shrugged. “As far as I’ve heard, they’re alive, much to my disappointment.”
Charlie hummed and nodded. “Do you know who called for the attack?”
Elle sent him a playful smile. Of course she knew. Elle always did. “The Revenge.”
Charlie let out a small gasp. “The Revenge? Like The Golden Sword?”
Elle nodded. Charlie knew there was some sort of past between Ben and that ship, it was obvious enough the way Ben bristled when that ship was mentioned but he never spoke of it. Charlie wasn’t sure what to think. From the stories he had heard, The Golden Sword was a ruthless pirate who left bodies in his wake. It was odd that the attack was intended to sink the ship and not kill everyone on board. There was no way it had been an accident.
“How nice of them to leave Ben alive,” Charlie replied. Elle snorted.
“Do you think it was on purpose?” she asked.
“I don’t think The Golden Sword is the type of man to leave someone alive without a purpose,” Charlie mused. “Though it was nice of him. I’d like to be the one to cause the downfall of Benjamin Hope.”
Charlie wasn’t much for revenge. He wasn’t the type of person who held grudges or was particularly violent. At his core, Charlie was a sweet, down to earth person but he would take pleasure in watching Ben crumple before him after the pain he had caused him.
Elle seemed to not know what to say which was odd for her. Charlie let out a sigh and shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I just…” he trailed off, trying to find the right words.
“He hurt you,” Elle supplied. “I mean he hurt all of us but he hurt you the most.”
Charlie swallowed harshly and nodded. He went to speak again but he was promptly cut off by Tao, his first mate, stumbling up to them, a worried look planted on his face.
“Charlie, we’ve got a problem,” Tao said, slightly out of breath.
“What is it?”
“Isaac caught wind of The Revenge.”
Charlie raised an eyebrow and looked at Elle who seemed to be a bit unsettled. Charlie pushed down his fear, sending Tao a smirk.
“Set a course for The Revenge. I believe I owe The Golden Sword a thank you.”
It had been a few days since The Last Hope had sank and Nick was honestly a bit bored. They were sort of in between adventures which always left Nick antsy. He wanted something new, something exciting.
“Um, Captain?” Imogen asked, causing Nick to look up from the map on his desk. Yes, he had a desk. He was a pirate not a heathen. Plus he needed a place to put important things.
“Yes?” he replied, looking over Imogen’s face. She looked confused.
“Um, I’m not really sure what we’re seeing,” she said. “It may be best if you come take a look.”
Nick raised an eyebrow at her but stood up, following her as she led him onto the deck. Most of his crew seemed to be huddled to one side of the ship, staring at another vessel in the distance. Nick pushed through the crowd to see Christian standing with a spyglass in his hands, looking at the other ship.
“I’m not sure what to make of it, Captain,” Christian said, handing him the spyglass. Nick looked through it to find the other ship had a white flag waving with the word ‘talk?’ painted on it. The other ship was smaller than The Revenge but not ridiculously so. It would be pretty easy to take down if needed. Nick handed the spyglass back to Christian, blinking a few times. What kind of pirates ask to talk while waving a white flag?
“Do you recognize the vessel?” Nick asked, looking to Imogen for answers. She had a relatively wide knowledge of other pirate ships.
Imogen shrugged a bit. “From what I can tell, I think it’s the Heartstopper. It’s a relatively new crew, about a year old or so. I don’t have much information on them.”
Nick hummed, dissatisfied with the lack of information. “And the captain?”
“Charles Spring. Don’t know who he is or where he came from but he seems relatively harmless. Not much of a violent streak, that one,” Imogen replied.
Nick mulled the idea over in his head. If this Charles Spring wasn’t violent and their ship was relatively small, the chances of it being a trap was pretty slim. Nick would never knowingly put his crew into a situation that he knew would cost lives and he was fairly certain that wasn’t the case here. He had never been one for making allies with other pirates but his interest had been peaked. It wasn’t like he had much else on the agenda for today so maybe this would turn out to be a worthwhile endeavor.
Nick nodded. “Otis, hoist the white flag. Let’s see what Captain Spring has to offer.”
He watched as the crew worked, hoisting the flag and setting course for the Heartstopper. It took a few minutes but soon they were close enough to make out a few figures on the deck of the other vessel.
“Are you sure about this, Captain?” Imogen asked, looking over to the ship opposite to them. Nick nodded.
“Have Darcy at the ready just in case things go south. I don’t plan on there being any bloodshed but it never hurts to be prepared.”
Imogen nodded, sending one of the crew mates down to inform Darcy of the plan. Nick watched as the other ship prepared to board The Revenge. The planks of The Heartsotpper hit the deck and a group of three people made their way across. The people looked quite young, roughly around Nick’s age. The tallest of the three, in the back, was an Asian boy who had a painfully neutral look on his face, eyes darting around cautiously. The next was a girl who was slightly shorter than the tall boy with medium dark skin and curly hair that bounced as she walked. In the front, leading the trio was a curly haired boy with a small smile playing on his face. And fuck he was gorgeous. Nick had honestly never seen someone as beautiful as this boy was. It was a bit odd though that the boy’s only weapon was a bow and quiver with a knife strapped to his hip. It was an interesting choice of weapon for a pirate. He watched as the trio walked onto the ship, the curly haired boy looking him up and down. Nick put on his best “Golden Sword” face, trying to look intimidating.
“Huh,” the curly haired boy said upon stepping in front of Nick. “You’re quite young to be the most feared pirate captain in the Atlantic.”
Nick raised an eyebrow at the other boy. Either he was very brave or very stupid to react like that upon seeing him, especially with the rumors that followed Nick.
“I could say the same for you,” Nick replied evenly. The sides of the brunette’s mouth quirked up slightly like he had found Nick amusing. It was a bit weird to see someone who wasn’t a part of Nick’s crew act so casually around him.
“I suppose you’re right,” the boy replied. “I’m Charlie Spring,” he continued, holding out his hand.
Nick was unsure what to do. Everything about this felt a bit like a trap. This Charlie Spring was too calm, too collected. Nick reached out his hand tentatively, giving Charlie’s hand a firm shake.
“What is it you want?” Nick asked, not necessarily coldly, just a bit impatient.
Charlie hummed. “I believe you sank The Last Hope, am I correct?”
Nick nodded but didn’t say anything. He didn’t know where this was going.
“Then I believe we have a common enemy. Ben Hope, perhaps?” Charlie said, watching Nick’s face carefully.
Nick tensed before looking around at his crew. They seemed to be on edge. The mention of Ben always made them antsy.
“Shall we take this elsewhere? It’s best to discuss matters like these in private,” Nick suggested.
The taller boy grabbed Charlie’s arm in alarm. “Is that really such a good idea, Captain?” he hissed, looking at Nick like he was ready to attack at any moment.
Charlie looked at Nick for a moment before turning his attention back to the other boy. “Relax, Tao.”
The taller boy, Tao, begrudgingly pulled his hand away but his expression remained. It made Nick feel a bit uneasy.
“Shall we?” Nick asked, gesturing towards his quarters. Charlie nodded and followed him.
“Captain,” the girl said, looking back and forth between Nick and Charlie. “Would it be best if we went with you?”
Charlie shook his head. “Stay here. I imagine if we were wanted dead, we would be by now.”
Nick tried to hide his smile. Charlie was very perceptive. Nick watched as the pair hesitated but followed Charlie’s orders as Nick shut the door to his quarters.
“If this is your plan to kill me, I have to say I’d be very unimpressed by the infamous Golden Sword,” Charlie said, almost teasingly as he looked around the room. Nick snorted.
“Nick, actually,” he said. Charlie looked at him oddly.
“What?”
“My name is Nick,” Nick replied, running a hand through his hair.
Charlie hummed thoughtfully. “Suits you.”
Nick let out an amused huff. “So you’ve come onto my ship, waving a white flag, only armed with a bow and a knife to do what exactly?”
“Thank you,” Charlie replied, shrugging slightly. Nick blinked at him, confused.
“You risked death by one of the most feared pirates to thank me?”
“Mhmm. That and to ask if our interests aligned” Charlie said simply.
“And what might be your interests?” Nick asked, partially intrigued, partially wary.
“Ben Hope, six feet under.”