My entry for @thesimnova​ ‘s writing challenge! Just a short drabble and I’m a mass

My entry for @thesimnova​ ‘swriting challenge! Just a short drabble and I’m a massive loser, because it’s basically an AU for the main couple in my IG story… which in itself is already an AU for the novel I’ll never show anyone… lmao. I was reading about privateers and how they often turned pirate, and I thought I’d approach it the other way round. It’s also a little bit inspired by From The Room In The Tower, a storytelling game by my husband.

The thing is I’m really shy about sharing actual prose (hence why this took me so long to actually get out), and writing with other characters just wasn’t doing it for me. So for now the challenging part of the challenge is just… putting it out there, instead of leaving it to gather dust on my hard drive. 

♛  ☠

Story beneath cut

The Pirate and the Prince

It was extraordinary that they’d caught him, really. People on all sides of the Berren Sea had been trying for years, and not one of them had succeeded. Was it dumb luck that had allowed the pirate to fall into their trap? Prince Erurien wasn’t sure he believed in it.

The heir to the throne of Symara leant back and regarded the individual who’d been brought before him. The pirate sat so calmly that Erurien couldn’t help but entertain the nagging thought that this was not their victory at all; that the pirate was here because he wanted to be. It was ridiculous - he was chained, for gods’ sake - and yet the languorous gaze did not belong to a person who feared for their liberty. It was… calculating. Amused.

“Arrogant, isn’t he.” The soldier standing to the prince’s left bent down and murmured in his ear. “Careful with this one.”

Sarius was right, Erurien thought. He returned his gaze to the prisoner. The pirate wore a faintly ridiculous outfit, but Erurien knew clothes and he knew by the cut that it was expensive. Was it really his taste, or had the pirate dressed up deliberately before capture? A flamboyant show; an artful distraction.

Lilac eyes watched him from beneath the brim of the ostentatious hat, and the prince shifted uneasily. There was an intensity and an antiquity to those eyes which Erurien found perturbing; the contrast between their energy and the slack eyelids, with the languid posture, was striking and more than a little bewitching.

“I am glad you like what you see,” said the pirate softly, “but is there a reason Your Highness brought me here?

Erurien felt his cheeks colour and shot a look at Sarius, who stifled a snigger. “You’re… not what I expected,” he mumbled.

“What did you expect?”

Erurien thought of the unblemished skin, those tranquil hands, the elegant clothes on the graceful frame, and pretended to be very interested in his papers. “I didn’t know you were a vampire.”

This seemed to amuse the person seated in front of him, but the pirate said nothing. He simply smiled, wide enough for a fang to catch the sunlight.

“A ship at sea seems like a bad place for a vampire,” Eruien continued, still shuffling the papers on his desk. “Doesn’t the sun burn you?”

The pirate stretched, manacles clanking as he moved his unbound arm into the beam of light from the window. He turned his hand thoughtfully, slender fingers extended, and said: “Not all rumours are true.” He glanced sideways, his expression sly. “For example, I heard that the crown prince was a witless child blessed with neither looks nor brains. We have both been misled.”

Sarius placed a warning hand on the hilt of his sword but Erurien, his brain struggling desperately to pin down all the thoughts spiraling through it, realised with a shock that he’d just been complimented - in a somewhat backhanded way.

“You’re very experienced,” he said, and nearly foundered again when the plucked eyebrows rose in gentle surprise. “I mean, you’re a talented sea - er, sailor. Pirate. Goddammit,” Erurien snapped, turning to the man beside him. “Do you need a break?”

Sarius shook his head, body shaking with badly-suppressed laughter, and wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. “No, Your Highness.”

Sarius only referred to him formally when he was taking the piss and Erurien responded with a well-practiced glare. He turned back to the pirate, who blinked at him politely.

“We want to hire you,” said Erurien, a little desperately.

“Interesting,” said the pirate.

His accent was hard to place; it was lilting and smooth, and though he enunciated each syllable with care the pronunciation of some words was ever-so-slightly off. Erurien thought he was probably not a native speaker. Where had he come from? There was very little information on the person reclining so casually before him. His council knew he was ruthless; they knew that he’d terrorised their enemies as much as he’d targeted their own ships; they knew of his extraordinary exploits at Perreg Pros, exploits which had made him seem ideal for this task; but they hadn’t known about the vampirism, and Erurien certainly hadn’t known that the pirate captain would be so beautiful.

He cleared his throat, awkwardly.

“The war between Gebreles and Hothea,” he said. “It’s-”

“Profitable,” supplied the pirate.

“…No.” Erurien frowned. “It’s abhorrent. People are dying, needlessly. But as part of the Alliance my kingdom needs to honour our contract and go to Hothea’s aid. And I think we’re at the stage where we can’t simply send in ambassadors and put our hopes in some half-baked peace treaty. We need to take action - decisive, one-time action.”

The bird-of-prey eyes had become very focused. The pirate watched Erurien with an intensity the prince found increasingly uncomfortable, all amusement gone from his features. He was serious now. He was listening.

Erurien glanced at Sarius who gave him a subtle, encouraging smile.

“Sarius believes this entire war can be stopped with one well-timed intervention. And I believe that you’re the person to do it.”