Jake

—— His POV: —— I’ve never known anything but the wind and the waves. The endless blue. I was born in a small coastal town, a dastard child of an unmarried woman. A baker’s daughter, and a pirate. An outcast, a boy left all alone. Until my father came. Not my biological father, of course. But the man who took me in, taught me everything about the sea, the world, the adventure. He taught me to steer a ship, command a crew and guide with just a compass and map, to fight and conquer and win and celebrate. When he got old, he settled down on a little island, with the woman he’d loved for years and their children. He left his ship, his crew, everything to me. I met them years later. No more the 19 year old, shy, disoriented captain, but a man who ruled with a gentle firmness and a cunning attitude that made my enemies shiver, and my crew laugh. A little noble. Child of an influential nobleman, destined to be married of to another noble. Just a pretty face. They wanted to be more than that. So I offered them a deal. They spent their days scrubbing the decks, cleaning the crates, cooking and doing the dishes, and they’d be protected, taken on our adventures with us. They were a little useless, I’ll admit that. Had never cleaned a thing in their life, but they were shy and cute and determined to learn. So I kept them around. Gave them an extra blanket for the cold, even when the crew muttered about preferential treatment, kept them away from the blood, the dust, the grime. Was it love? Most certainly not… not yet at least.