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They were surrounded by three things—water, the clashing of swords, and the smell of gunpowder which, by some miracle, hadn't gotten wet yet.
Two ships circled in the whirlpool, leaning toward each other with their masts, their sails long since shredded to ribbons by the raging storm.
The deck was tilted and swayed so violently that few could keep their feet—you had to be in constant motion, and there weren't really any other options.
Enemies rained from the sky, quite literally, swinging across on ropes from one ship to the other. Some lost their grip and fell into the very center of the deadly whirlpool, descending forever to the seabed to feed the sharks, while others landed on the enemy ship's deck only to get a bullet to the forehead or a sabre in the gut.
Ekko could no longer tell who exactly his weapon was piercing. Silco's pirates, or Admiral Kiramman's soldiers—he didn't care anymore. The blood roared in his ears, drowning out even the splash of the angry waves, and he didn't even have time to take a deep breath. Lunge, dodge, parry, dodge, lunge.
Great. One less opponent.
From somewhere near the helm came the laughter of Miss Fortune, who had abandoned her favorite pistols and, like Ekko, had switched to a blade—and not only that. She stunned one attacker by spinning the wheel just in time, and shoved another into the water when the ship listed particularly hard.
On the other side of the deck, blue braids flashed now and then.
Every time Ekko spotted Powder—now Jinx—fighting alongside him as an equal, holding back the enemy's onslaught, moving skillfully and nimbly across the slippery, tilted deck, he was filled with pride and admiration. It seemed like only yesterday this woman was, albeit with quite the character, still a proper lady, the governor's daughter. Once upon a time, she wore suffocating corsets, heavy crinolines, and hats adorned with flowers and ribbons. She attended receptions and official events, and her fragile little hands held not the hilt of a sword or a pistol, but an elegant fan.
Ekko knew that Powder had been an adventurer at heart. A mischievous spark had always flickered in her beautiful blue eyes, the ones he'd fallen in love with long ago when he was just a boy. Even the way she spoke to him—a simple blacksmith—felt like a tease, a challenge. At every one of their meetings, she asked him to call her just Powder, discarding all formalities, and she didn't hesitate even in her father's presence.
She had to be taken captive by pirates for Ekko to find enough courage within himself to cast aside the norms of decency.
Perhaps, somewhere out there, in some other life, she was the wife of a commodore, and had already had children, raising them in a beautiful house surrounded by servants. And Ekko remained a blacksmith.
But in this life, she had become Jinx, the captain of a pirate ship.
And Ekko was a pirate too.
And it was all because of one restless pink-headed pirate who was always looking for trouble and dragging everyone around her into it.
And now they could die at any moment because of her.
Honestly, it was strange they were both still alive, because, Janna help them, the situation was rather extraordinary.
And the saddest part is that he and Jinx still hadn't gotten married.
They were literally one step away from it, but Vi and her damn compass!
Jinx had been so beautiful in her wedding dress, even soaked from the sudden rain.
Ekko consoled himself with the thought that they had at least managed to kiss once or twice.
Though, it wasn't enough.
Never enough.
But when they had the chance, Ekko had promised her father that everything would be proper before the wedding, and Ekko had kept his word.
And then all the voyages, adventures, battles… Pirate life was fun, but hardly conducive to romance.
If…
If today really was their last day, if they didn't make it out of this whirlpool alive, Ekko would at least like to die as the husband of his first and only love.
Shoving another pirate away with his foot, Ekko spun around and grabbed Jinx by the arm, turning her to face him.
"Jinx, will you marry me?"
She stared at him, her eyes wide open, her mouth agape, unable to utter a word. A pirate covered from head to toe in shells and seaweed lunged at them with a cry, and he and Jinx had to spring apart to simultaneously plunge their weapons into the enemy, running him through.
Jinx pivoted, blocked a lunge, then swept another enemy's legs and finished him with a strike to the throat. "Don't think now is the right time!" she shouted, turning back to Ekko.
"Now might be the only time!" he shouted back, dealing with a soldier who had attacked him from behind.
Three steps, and they were holding hands again, looking into each other's eyes.
Ekko could look into those eyes forever, kiss the crow's feet at their corners, count the dark eyelashes, trace the constellations of freckles on that pretty nose.
And there were still so many words he wanted to say.
About how grateful he was for every single moment they had known each other. How he had feared for her, and how proud he was. How magnificent and commanding Jinx was at the helm, and how tender she looked in the rays of the morning sun in the small, flowering garden near the house where she grew up.
Ekko remembered her as a girl, awkwardly walking the path in a new heavy dress, surrounded by dozens of handmaidens. She scrunched up her cute nose and huffed like a hedgehog, throwing him furtive, envious glances because he, in his trousers and shirt, could breathe so much more freely than she could.
He also remembered how bravely she threw herself into battle against pirates in nothing but her shift, her hair absolut mess. How fiercely her eyes shone, with what relish she hurled herself into every new adventure. How little she cared that Ekko had nothing to his name—no title, no money, no home, and after meeting Vi, not even a good reputation—and yet she was still ready to become his wife.
He wanted to tell her how he dreamed of waking up every day and seeing her face. How he wanted to fall asleep breathing in the scent of her gorgeous blue hair. How he adored every one of her cackling laughs, every funny expression—too brazen for noble society, but so familiar and beloved by him.
Ekko wanted to share with her all his hopes for the future. He wanted to discuss every little thing for hours, because if it concerned Jinx, every detail was important to him. And they would surely argue until they were red in the face—with reason and without. But that was part of their nature, part of their relationship. And Ekko wouldn't have it any other way. He couldn't imagine anyone else by his side. It could only be Jinx, or no one at all.
But they had no more time for words. Every second now was precious, decisive.
Ekko took a deep breath and tried to pour all his feelings—all the unspoken ones left between the lines, hidden in long glances and timid touches—into one simple phrase.
"I love you."
And perhaps they truly were made for each other, because it took Jinx only a second for understanding to dawn on her face, wet with salt water and smudged with gunpowder grime.
They had to part again, only to cling to each other once more, as if pulled by an irresistible force.
Ekko swallowed.
"I've made my choice. What's yours?"
Jinx silently searched his face, looking for something, perhaps some confirmation that Ekko was serious, that he wouldn't take back his words, that he wouldn't regret this in the future.
And she found it.
"Sarah! Marry us!"
The red-headed pirate let out a peal of laughter as she lopped the head off a soldier, then threw a fleeting glance at the couple below. "I'm a little busy here, sweetie!"
Ekko and Jinx had to break apart again to fend off a new wave of enemies that seemed never-ending. This time, their hands remained locked together, as if fused.
Brushing the bangs stuck to her forehead aside, Jinx shouted angrily, "Sarah, now!"
"Oh, for fuck's...!" Miss Fortune rolled her eyes and began fighting her way toward the small dais. Honestly, while she had the right, she didn't have to use it that often. She tried to recall how wedding ceremonies usually started, though she'd hardly attended a single one in her life. Tossing another poor soul overboard and chopping off another's hand, the woman jumped onto the platform and raised her hands. "Ladies and gentlemen! We are gathered here today... TO PUT A BULLET IN YOUR MOUTH, YOU FILTHY RAT!"
Realizing the captain was distracted, the bride and groom also briefly paused to chop up a couple more witnesses enemy.
Their movements resembled a dance. The roar of the waves was their music, and the ship their ballroom. They spun, stepped back, and came together again, never letting go of each other for a second.
Circling the mast and meeting face to face, Ekko asked with a completely foolish—in Jinx's opinion—but happy smile on his face: "Jinx, do you take me to be your husband?"
"I do!" she replied without missing a beat, mirroring his smile.
And Ekko could think of nothing smarter to do than say "Great!" and suddenly drop to the ground, pulling Jinx down with him. A blade whistled through the air where their heads had been. Jinx executed a deft leg sweep, and Ekko knocked the pirate out with a knee to the face.
"Ekko!" jumping to her feet, Jinx yanked the man toward her, their lips mere millimeters apart. "Do you take me to be your wife? In sickness and in health, till death do us part. And even after that, ‘cause don't think you're off the hook that easily, mister!"
Spotting another pirate behind the woman, Ekko pulled her close and parried the blow. At the same time, Jinx disabled another opponent behind him. They really were a damn good team.
"I do," Ekko breathed into Jinx's hair, and he felt rather than heard her satisfied hum against his neck.
"By the power vested in me," Sarah said and suddenly drew a pistol from her belt. A shot rang out, and a lifeless body dropped from the upper deck at Jinx and Ekko's feet. "I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may— Oh, damn it!"
Exasperatedly rolling her eyes, Jinx snorted and continued fighting, barely able to wait for Sarah to finish her admittedly chaotic but still necessary formal speech.
"You may... Phew! Crab damn it all! You may..." Sarah tossed her hair back and finally straightened up, only to be almost immediately tackled from behind. Fighting back with her legs and a good punch to the temple, the woman shouted, without even getting to her feet: "JUST KISS ALREADY!"
They didn't need to be told twice.
Their lips met, and it was as if the entire world, all the chaos around them, ceased to exist at once.
Ekko tried to pour all his deepest feelings, all of himself, into that one kiss.
One of his hands buried itself in Jinx’s thick blue locks, while the other dropped to her waist, pulling her closer, until there was no space left between them. He crushed her wind-chapped lips with his own, equally cracked, and just as warm. He felt Jinx's fingers grip the fabric of his shirt on his chest in a death grip, and how her lips parted slightly in a trembling exhale.
They were finally husband and wife, and Ekko had never felt so happy.
A few moments later, Jinx pulled away slowly, reluctantly, and Ekko blindly chased after her sweet lips, eliciting a short, breathless laugh from the woman. His wife licked her lips and looked at him from under her thick lashes. "If it weren't for that ape staring at us, I'd have my wedding night right now, right here on the deck, dear husband."
Caught off guard, he choked, and Jinx giggled.
Picking his jaw up off the floor, Ekko smirked. "Ah, and here I thought I'd married a noble lady who preferred a featherbed and rose petals."
Jinx snorted and shook her head. "Your wife is the Pirate Queen. And if she wants her king right in the middle of a storm on a dirty, wet deck, then she'll have him."
"I knew I married you for a reason," Ekko chuckled, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. "My queen."
"My king," Jinx breathed, leaning forward, already closing her eyes for another sweet, yet heated kiss, and Ekko bent down, parting his lips, feeling their breaths mingle, when suddenly an icy wave crashed over them from above, and the surrounding reality came crashing down on their heads with a roar.
Right.
The storm.
The battle.
Pirates.
And, speaking of pirates, where the hell was Vi?