hetalia | Pirate!England because that's always fun

Title: Spirits of the Seas (Chapter 1)
Author:

haruki_emishi
Rating: R
Warnings: Swearing, Adult Content, Nudity, etc
Notes: I pulled up old maps of the Caribbean from the early 1700's. So if the names seem a little odd at first I am sorry!

The sun rose like a great disc up into the clear blue sky warming the seas and air of the islands. The ocean lapped lazily at the pristine white shores of Guanaba, a relatively small island about a days sail from the island of Camnule. Ten miles off shore a large vessel was anchored securely rocking gently with the flow of the ocean. On board it housed twenty or more of the ocean's most fearsome and probably deadliest thieves known to man, Pirates. Though as of right now they had no one to pillage and were awaiting for their captain to decide whether to come ashore or keep sailing to Hiatici. The doorway to the captain's quarters was closed and inside he was sitting eyes trained on a map rolled out on the table. The interior of his quarters was simple and only housed some of his more prized valuables. Next to him holding the map down at one end was a dark bottle of rum half drunken down to the bottom. Absentmindedly he reached over and took a hearty swig of the liquid allowing the taste to burn down his throat. After ten years of drinking the stuff you would sooner or later grow used to it's strong after taste. Plucking the quill off his table he circle three points on the Island of Hispa Niola that he wanted to take port at. A sudden knock resounded on his door and he rolled the map up stuffing it back near one of his chests.
"Come in." He commanded simply. A man with scraggly blond hair and a rather disgusting disposition, his lack of clean skin, sauntered in and stood near the doorway.
"Cap'n Kirkland should we go ashore?" He asked.
"Are we being persued?" Arthur inquired still sitting down at his table, his hand gripping the neck of the rum bottle gently.
"No sir we aren't."
"Then there is no hurry. Besides I need to take a moment to myself if I may." Arthur was possibly the most eloquent and educated Pirate there ever was. His voice was always hinting with a rather high ended tone, and he always carried himself as if he were a Duke or a King. His very actions were peculiar to the other men but they would say nothing more about it. He wasn't unfair and he wasn't looking to take their treasures all for himself so they dealt with it. Arthur however prided himself on possibly having the most manners and education of anyone sailing the seas at that time. Compared ot the rest of his crew he especially appeared to be a graduate of a University. The man nodded and walked out of his quarters shutting the door soundly behind him. Arthur stood up his boots thudding gently against the creaking wooden floor and he picked a ring up off his bed. Gorgeous with small rubies embedded all around the band and for the life of him he forgot where he stole it.

Placing it on he striaghtened his red jacket and fixed the buttons on his vest accordingly. Grabbing his small pistol he placed it at his side and walked out of his room, but not before grabbing his map. As he walked up onto the higher parts of the boat near the wheel he took a moment to stare at the sea. This was precisely the kind of life he never realized he wanted. Freedom. He was without a doubt able to go where he wanted, see whoever he wanted, and to live without being tied down to the Government, ettiquette, and no longer did he need to attend every single ball known to mankind. He was able to sail out into the blue horizon and not worry about all the events he was supposed to attend. Being upper class was fine for a while but after some time it became a chore and not a luxury. Impressing too many people and needing to always put on heirs around everyone grew dull. He was always at a wonder as to how Francis was able to do it so well and not be bored of it. Then again he would only need to chalk it up to France's otherwise quirky personality and strange disposition.
"Men." he turned to face everyone as they fell somewhat silent, "we will go ashore in half past an hour, please prepare accordingly." He said simply and turned to look over at the island now. If he were lucky there were natives there and that meant food. Their supplies were surprisingly low and he had yet to find a merchant vessel in a little over three weeks now. He supposed his reputation in the area had become so notorious the merchants were extra careful. The other upside to natives was that they were not so well equipped to fight them, and therefore gathering items and treasure of any kind was a relatively easy task. This was assuming of course they did not number in the hundreds where they could easily overcome them.
"No duties..." He said to himself with a small smile. Turning he walked over to the wheel and drummed his fingers against it momentarily.
"Raise the anchor we will be going closer to shore. Make haste men, come on!" He ordered and four of the sailors took in the effort to raise the massive anchor. Once Arthur was assured it was out of the water he commanded for the sails to be lowered. As the wind took to the giant white sails the ship began to move slowly on towards the island. The seawind picked up and Arthur lost concentration for a moment as he heard whispers in the wind. Another fact his crew was made unaware of was his ability to see and hear spirits, and other mythological creatures. This actually had saved their lives at various points of their voyages and no one was yet made aware of this.
"....What?" He said softly to himself. He concentrated on the voices but they seemed to all be jumbled about and nonsensical. Not spooked but slightly curious he was hardly paying attention as he tried to focus more.
"Captain you're heading towards a rock!" A voice broke through his foggy mind and he snapped back to reality swiftly. His green eyes grew wide and he spun the wheel quickly to the left to avoid crashing headlong into the obstruction. His reaction was too late and the boat made a groan and there was a sickening snap and crack. The vessel jolted and the force made Arthur almost topple over the wheel onto the deck below. Readjusting his hat he looked up and saw the rock had just about split into the upper deck of the ship as well.
"We're takin' on water!" One man yelled. Not a one person there was panicked so much as they were now getting off the boat as quick as possible. One would thank their lucky stars they were much closer to shore than they had been. A few of the lifeboats were piled up with sailors but the boat began to go down faster and faster as it took on more water. The suction from the sinking vessel began to drag a few swimmers down with it into the dark depths. Arthur grappled onto a loose piece of rope that had been hanging from the mast and took in a deep breath. Propelling himself on the rope he swung across the split and landed just barely on a point of the boat sticking out. A few of the men yelled for their captain but he had no time to pay any heed to them. Standing up he worked to balance himself and looked around for an option of escape, and one came in the form of that blasted rock.
"Bullocks." He muttered and jumped off the tip onto the rock his body hitting the object rather hard. His head spun and he gripped the small holes and edges of it hard. Looking down he noticed his feet were dangling a good five feet or so from the top of the water. Still if he fell in now that boat would drag him all the way down to the bottom of the ocean. The rock was slippery and the wind mixed with the sinking boat caused some small rushes of water to hit him. His hands began to slip and he could feel as each small wave hit him he was losing grip. Gritting his teeth he began to force his body to obey and climb up to the top of the rock even if he broke something in the process.

The men on their lifeboats watched from a considerable distance as their captain struggled. Not a one of them was able to get close enough to help however. The water was still too dangerous and the boat's suction could cause a miniature whirlpool, what good would they be to him then?
"Our captain's a goner." One man said without much remorse in his voice though.
"Captain Kirkland has survived more peril than this." Another said watching curiously. Arthur moved his left foot up trying to find a hold for it but, there was nothing but smooth surface to that particular patch. He kicked his legs rather wildly against the rock and used his arms to pull himself up. Without much warning though the hand holds he thought he had moved and crumbled under his fingertips. A moment flashed by where everything in time seemed to have stopped moving. Then he felt his stomach twist as he fell from the rock and hit the ocean water hard, his eyes seeing stars. As he felt the water rush over his face he started to reach his hands out and grab for something solid to hold onto. The suction was still working against him and he felt his body being pulled forcefully downward. With all his thrashing and all of his movement his body began to wear out unexpectedly fast in the turbulent water. The suction had caught him and now he was being pulled and tossed around like a rag doll. The surface seemed to get farther and farther away the more he fought it.
"....Dammit...." He thought to himself and reached his hand out toward's the surface. His lungs were unable to hold and an almost pleasant fog seeped over his mind. In those few minutes he remembered nothing more and his vision went black.