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It was a shame really.
Well the fact that this was the only way they could have a truce.
Antonio was at the bow of the warship, pipe in his hand. He had been kicked out of the quarters long ago because the smoke was "not good for anyone".
𝘓𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘴, Antonio took a drag, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘦.
A creak behind him. João. Antonio rushed towards him, dropping the pipe, precious powder spilled.
"How is he, what's happening".
João's face was calm
"7 inches, nothing serious yet", he picked up the fallen pipe and put it in his own mouth. The two men stood silently, the only noise was the crackling of the smoking pipe and occasionally the 𝘜𝘔𝘚 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 smacking the side of the land where it was docked. They were in the middle of nowhere and there were very few people that knew where this place was. But no one needed to know where this was and those who knew were already here. Or for the sake of two, coming. Antonio looked at the horizon, then the sky. The sky was bruising into the evening.
"I don't know why you're so worked up" spoke Joāo, smoke curled out of his throat; Antonio watched it disapate into the air. "I don't think it's your kid".
"I know
"Then why are bothering this much, we are here to witness the birth, you feeling awfully sentimental?", Joāo teased, poking Antonio in the ribs.
"Ai, stop it, you know it's not that".
"What is it then"?
Antonio chewed on his cheek. He didn't know how to explain it. How he could explain how deeply he cared for Arthur. And how deeply it hurt that Arthur was giving birth to someone else's child. And how he, on his honor, protect that child. His honor was perhaps the last thing he had left since becoming a pirate. But that was too embarrassing to tell anyone, even if the person was Joāo. Instead he shrugged.
"Life is important amigo".
Joāo stared at him, then took another blow, changing the subject.
"I think the babe'll come out before they get here".
Antonio grinned, "I reckon that there's enough of us to deliver that on our own".
Joāo stared at him, "Mikkel did not know where babies came from until he was grown. And he was raised from Vikings".
"Mm",
"VIKINGS Toni,"
"I get it".
"And you know how they were".
"Kindly close your mouth".
There was a cry of pain from the Capitans cabin, shutting them up.
Antonio itched to go check on him, it felt like cruel betrayal. Joāo grabbed his wrist.
"You are helping, your keeping a lookout for the ship. Very useful".
Antonio knew those words were reasonable, but his instincts screamed to attend. He laughed softly.
"Once a 𝘔𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴 always a 𝘔𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴, I guess".
Joāo laughed, "You really were".
They both laughed.
"Wait", João gazed out onto the horizon, "I think that's them".
Antonio followed him.
Yes it was them.
The 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯, Yao's fastest boat, was rapidly approaching them. They waited as it docked and pulled the bridge over.
Sadik climbed off with Yao in quick pursuit. They went to the two men on deck.
"Good to see you both, where's the old bugger", Sadik shook each of their hands.
"Good to see you as well, he's in the captains quarters", answered Joāo. Antonio nodded quickly.
Sadik made his way to the cabin, the other men ran behind him.
He opened the cabin door and grinned, crossing his arms
"Well look at that, the mighty Arthur Kirklan-"
"Shut up"
Arthur was wrecked. He was fully naked and dripping with sweat, the scars on his chest glistening from the moisture. The others politely attempted to not look anywhere. Sadik attempted none of those things. He bent down to examine the space between Arthur's legs.
"Well it's certainly a baby, a bigun at that".
"Well I knew it wasn't an octopus"
"A pig more like, you greedy imperialist", this came from Yao who finally decided to show up, he walked in with a suitcase of equipment.
"I thought you were a man now, why would you get pregnant?", Yao questioned, laying out supplies.
"You are not here to judge, your here to" Arthur moaned in pain again, "You are here to deliver the child".
"Well I'm here aren't I". Yao bent down beside Sadik, peering in. Arthur squirmed in embarrassment. Sadik took both of Arthur's pale thighs and parted them wider.
"You don't have to be so crude about this", Arthur croaked out.
"I am not analyzing your sex, I'm analyzing your child".
Silence.
Then Mikkel, "So, uh, do you see anything".
Sadik clicked his tongue, "Too much, this ones huge".
Yao nodded, "Anyhow I think it's time to start pushing".
"Well that's what I've been tryi-", he gasped on pain again.
"Well keep going, I'm helping", Yao kneeled down, a cloth in his hands, "Sadik, bring the basin".
Sadik obediently set it down beside Yao's knee. Then he paused, staring at Arthur's bump.
"Uh Yao?"
"What"?
Sadik bent down and whispered into Yao's ear, to which the other man frowned before sticking a finger inside Arthur and poking around.
"That's not helping", Arthur grumbled with gritted teeth.
"Shut up for a second".
Yao poked around more before his conclusion.
"Arthur, you are having twins".
"WHAT", Arthur sputtered, even Yao looked surprised.
"No matter", Yao shook himself to attention, "Your strong, you can do it. Now push".
As the moon rose, there was a loud cry, then a softer one a few seconds later. Both sounds like a storm, a burst in Life's heart.
"Well the sun's down", Yao turned around two bundles in his arms, Arthur's arms shook to take them, "And you got yourself two boys, that's quite good fortune".
Arthur took both bundles, one of them was roaring for milk, the other quietly whimpering.
Yao backed up, "Are you planning to feed them".
"I would, would be even nicer if I COULD", Arthur practically snarlled, both boys were pressed against his bare chest.
"Alright then, no need to snap I prepared for this", Yao left the cabin entirety. No one new exactly what to do with that. The babies kept screaming. Arthur groaned, he was exhausted. Sadik took the quieter one and patted it's back, slinging the babe on his shoulder.
"Uh, where exactly is he going", asked Mikkel, he had even less experience with babies. They were rarely making noise in the North.
"Probably got a wet nurse from some island somewhere", Joāo answer.
Mikkel nodded slowly, he oddly enough didn't know what that was but no one clarified.
They waited more.
"Where...where the bloody hell did he go". Arthur muttered weakly. François clutched his back, stabilizing him.
"I'm gonna go find him", Antonio marched to the door, the door proceeded to slam in his face.
Yao was back.
"Took you long enough", Sadik called.
"Well I brought something", Yao retorted.
What he brought back was no lady wet nurse.
It was a goat.
"Someone help me", Yao took the smaller twin and belt beside the goat.
Antonio took the loud one,. He wanted to get a good look at them. The baby was larger than his brother and a bit tanner. When his eyes quickly opened, he could see they were blue. Blue as the sapphire. Blue as the cornflower from Arthur's homeland.
Blue as François eyes.
A quick glance confirmed it, the baby had Francis eyes.
Antonio looked back at Yao for guidance on what to do. The baby seemed so tiny in his big hands and he feared harming him, or Arthur's wrath at him. Arthur was watching both men, watching his sons. The other men, having nothing better to do, also watched. All except Francis, who was gathering up the bloodstained sheets, And Sadik, who continued to check on Arthur.
Yao, tapped Antonio's shoulder with the hand not holding the baby and gestured what to do. In a quick, natural motion he took the udder of the goat and placed it in the smaller twins mouth. The boy eagerly began sucking, having his very first tastes of food.
A louder cry came from Antonio's arm, reminding him that there was another twin in need of food. He followed Yao's actions and the bigger boy greedily sucked from the goats teat. The Goat bleated and stomped but didn't move from its spot. While the twins nursed, the men turned to Arthur, who's face was regaining color and was hungrily tearing into meat and bread and olives that João had brought from his land.
"So", Mikkel started, he shuffled awkwardly, "What'll you name the little ones".
"Well I only had one name picked out", said Arthur, propping himself up against François's rib.
"Oh?"
"I was gonna name one Alfred if it was a boy, after my father".
They all nodded.
"Well at least it's a nice enough name, noble I suppose", commented Yao.
The baby in his hands spat out the teat and whimpered again. Yao handed the baby back to his father, who pressed the boy against his chest and kissed the little forehead with such tenderness that one might forget how bloodthirsty of a pirate that man was.
Antonio continued to awkwardly crouch on the ground as the larger baby continued greedily sucking as much milk as he could.
"Greedy little fella", laughed Sadik, "Name that one Alfred".
"Don't be rude", François warned, his hands were attempting to smooth out Arthur's hair.
But Arthur, in his euphoric, after-birth phase understood nothing. He merely stroked the small boy in his arms, lulling him to sleep.
"Yeah, I will name that one Alfred. What about this one"?
The newly named Alfred finally released the goat and wailed again, Antonio hurriedly gave the baby back to Arthur. He watched Alfred nestle beside his brother in sleep.
There's was quiet as all the men watched the boys, their heads rising and falling with Arthur's soft breaths.
"François?", Arthur whispered.
"Yes?",
"Would you name the little one"?
The men waited with bated breath.
After deliberation, François took the smaller twin, cradled him in his own arms and whispered.
"Mathieu, for Mathieu Molé".
"Matthew then", Arthur responded
Yao wrinkled his nose, "Why would you turn a French name English, Mathieu is a perfectly good name".
"I pushed them out didn't I".
"You pig".
The rest of the night was peaceful. Each one of them took turns holding the babies, tending them, feeding them.
All till Sunrise.
Sadik looked through the small glass window, "We'd better go before there was any news we were here".
"Agreed", said João, getting up and grabbing his hat.
All the men made their way to the bow of the ship before slipping off the ladder and through the island to their boats.
François remained on board, waiving goodbye to them all.
Arthur weakly came out as well, both boys in his arms. He stood at the stern of the great ship and let his newborn sons see their very first sunrise.