A piercing scream filled the air, making the hair on the back of Arthur's neck to stand on end.
"ARTHUR! HELP ME!" he heard you scream. Sheer fright was obvious in your panicked voice. The sound of your voice made his head shoot around in every direction, trying so desperately to locate you.
"(Name)!" he called back, hoping you would answer his call. He heard some commotion above him. It sounded like two sets of foot steps. The first set were quick and frantic. The second set were loud and slower. It seemed like the first set of feet were trying to get away from the second set. He heard another scream and a thud. His eyes widened. The noises, the screams for help. He knew he had to hurry. He quickly turned on heel and raced up the stairs. Feet pounding against the wood. Never before had a stair case seemed to take so long to scale.
"(Name)! I'm coming!" he called back and he raced as quickly as he could. The continuous sound of struggle above him made his blood boil and his heart race. He knew you were in trouble. He knew he had to save you. His heart beat quickened as the seconds flew by.
"Hold on! I'm coming!" he called again as he finally made it to the top of the stairs. There were so many doors along the hallway. He didn't know which one you were in. He didn't even know where to start.
"No! NO! STOP!" your voice screamed again. Arthur didn't have time to think. He needed to act. He ran to the first door he saw and kicked it down with one thrust of his boot. There was nothing. Nothing but the sound of screaming in the distance. He quickly ran to the next one, kicking it in as well. He kept going and going like this, breaking down every door that stood in his way of finding you. But he found nothing. Finally. The last door. There was no where else to look. His eyes barreling down it. Gritted his teeth he marched over to it, unsheathing his sword in the process. He swung his foot forward with more force then he had with the others, sending the door flying off its hinges. The sound of splitting wood broke the sound of the commotion. Stepping into the room quickly Arthur stopped. What Arthur saw next made the vein in his neck pop with fury.
There you were, backed up in a corner with that Cuban sod standing over you, gripping your wrist in a tight manner. What made it even worse is that your shirt had been ripped down the middle, exposing your skin underneath You gripped your shirt with your free hand, trying desperately to keep yourself unexposed. Your eyes met with Arthur's, pleading for help. He could see the terror in your eyes. The fear. Arthur wanted to kill Cruz and to permanently wipe that smug grin off his face which he currently wore. Kill him for the murder of his parents and kill him for touching you. Arthur couldn't even control his actions. Pure rage took over him in an instant. He sprinted towards the Cuban with such speed that it caught Cruz off guard. In one quick motion Arthur slashed his sword at Cruz, felling him then and there. Cruz fell to ground with a heavy thud, eyes closed and that smug grin now a frown.  Arthur's breaths were ragged and heavy at this point as he stood over his enemy, arm still in mid air, gripping the sword that had ended the Cuban's life once and for all. His eyes were glaring at the dead body, daring him to make a move. But there was no movement. And there would be none. Though he was now dead, what he had done to you…tried to do to you, still enraged him.
"A-Arthur?" you asked gingerly. Arthur looked up to meet your face. Your eyes were still wide with fear but relief was starting to set in. Though the grip on your shirt had tightened. Arthur's face softened as he let his sword clang to the floor.
"(Name)…" he breathed out. You couldn't take it any more. You took in a shaky breath.
"Arthur!" you cried, running towards him and burying your face in his chest. Gripping the collar of his coat for fear he might leave you alone again. He quickly wrapped his arms around your shaken frame, embracing you with a tight yet gently and protective grip.
"Its alright (Name). Its alright. I'm here." he said, stroking your head as your shoulders shook with sobs.
"Oh Arthur! I was so f-frightened!" you said into his coat, letting the tears roll down your face, soaking Arthur's coat in the process. But he didn't care. You were safe now. That's all that mattered at this point. Arthur rested his cheek on top of your head and closed his eyes, rocking you from side to side. Trying to comfort you.
"I know, love. I know…Its alright…I'm here now…I'll protect you." he said in a soothing voice, patting the back of your head gently. You took in another shaky breath.
"Oh Arthur…thank you." you said, lifting your head slowly to look at the man that had saved you from the evil Cuban's clutches. He smiled at you and gently brushed away a stray tear that slid down your face with his finger. Looking deeply into your (e/c) eyes.
"I promised you that I would protect you." he said, brushing a lock of hair behind your ear. "And I always will."
You smiled at him and blushed profusely, averting his eyes by looking down. But Arthur cupped your chin and made you face him again. You looked into his beautiful emerald eyes once more, slowly inching your face closer to his. He did the same, sliding his hand up, cupping your face gently. His lips were mere centimeters away from yours.
"Arthur?" you asked gently against his lips. "Arthur?" you asked again, only this time your voice had changed. In fact, if Arthur didn't know any better he'd say you sounded just like…
~~~~~~~~~~
"Arthur?" Francis asked a third time, trying to get the Brit's attention. Arthur had spaced out again. It was starting to weird him out a bit. Especially since Arthur's eyes were half lidded and he had a glazed look in his eyes.
"Arthur!" he said again, shaking Arthur from his thoughts. He jerked his head up, looking at the man who had so rudely interrupted his daydream. And it was just getting to the good part!.
"What?" Arthur asked confused, looking at Francis with a puzzled expression on his face. Francis sighed and shook his head, grinning at Arthur.
"You were 'aving dirty thoughts, weren't you? Ohonhonhonhon." Francis said, teasing his friend lightly. Arthur looked at Francis in surprise, mouth slightly open and a little pink dusting his cheeks.
"I-I was not! I was merely planning what to do next!" Arthur said in a hurry. Francis chuckled, shaking his head a bit as the wind played with his golden locks.
"Still in denial are we?" he asked, elbowing Arthur in the side. Arthur narrowed his eyes and looked forward, not making eye contact with Francis.
"Will you be serious please! We have to find (Name) before something bad happens to her! Now come on!" he said sternly, marching forward in a determined fashion. Keeping his head slightly down but staring straight ahead. He looked pretty intimidating this way, especially since you could only see a glimpse of his emerald eyes below his black rim hat. Francis sighed and rolled his eyes, following the Brit in a more casual manner. Francis was concerned about you, yes. But he knew how much spunk and fight you had in you. He knew if any man tried to harm you that you'd be able to defend yourself easily. Still, he was still concerned. Just because you could defend yourself didn't mean you should have to. So he strolled up to the stiff Brit, looking around him to see any suspicious figures about. Arthur marched on stiffly, looking like a true dangerous pirate Captain. Complete with a snarl emitting from his throat. Francis found it a bit amusing. So he waltz a bit closer to Arthur.
"So…Arthur." he said, trying to make small talk. "Why is it that you want to find (Name) so badly? You must be quite concerned about 'er." he said, examining his fingernails a bit before looking at Arthur from the corner of his eye. Arthur slowed down his walking pace quite a bit, his facial expression changing for a split second.
'Wait, was that a look of pain on Arthur's face?' Francis thought, observing his friends split second emotion change before it turned back into the tsundere serious expression.
"I am merely concerned about exacting my revenge. If she gets harmed then we cannot fully operate out plan. She is a part of it. Also, if we find her. We find Cruz. Which means I can finally end him once and for all." Arthur said, matter-of-factly. Though Francis knew Arthur wanted Cruz dead, he couldn't help but feel that what Arthur had just said wasn't fully true. He clamped a hand on Arthur's shoulder, halting him abruptly. Arthur paused but didn't make eye contact with Francis. Francis looked at him seriously, which was one emotion Francis did not show often.
"Arthur." he said sternly, catching the Brits attention.
'This is so unlike him.' Arthur remarked.
"Why do you deny yourself of the truth?" Francis asked. Arthur thought about it for a moment, softening his face a bit.
'Because I can't admit it.' he thought. But he soon turned back into his old self and huffed, turning to Francis with an annoyed expression. Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose with his gloved hand.
"I'm not denying myself of anything Francis. But the longer we stand here chatting away about nonsensical things the longer I am denied the revenge of my parents." he said, letting go of his nose and looking at Francis again. Francis just looked at Arthur in frustration.
"You deny yourself of 'er." he said quietly. Looking at Arthur seriously. Francis wasn't fooled by the façade Arthur was putting on. If there was one thing Francis was an expert at, it was love. And he saw it in Arthur whenever you were around. Though he would put on a strong, indifferent face to hide it. Francis could see right through it.
Arthur looked at Francis in shock, unsure of what to say. He was pinning Arthur with truths that he didn't want to believe. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off quickly.
"You wanker!!!" shouted a familiar voice. Arthur furrowed his eyes and closed his mouth, looking in the direction of the voice. It was Peter, looking very upset and ready to punch someone's teeth out.
"Peter?!" Arthur said in shock. Francis turned around to see what was going on.
"Oh! Peter! Bonjour." he said politely. Peter just glared at them, clenching his fists.
"Peter! What in God's name are you doing here?!" Arthur asked, scolding his little brother. Peter narrowed his eyes ever more, marching up to them, ignoring the crowd of people he was pushing past to get to them.
"What am I doing here? What am I doing here?!? I'm here because you failed to tell me she was kidnapped! Why didn't you wake me!?" Peter retorted, seething. Arthur furrowed his brows at his little brothers behavior.
"Its none of your concern you little twit! Besides you'd just get in the way! Now go back to the ship where you'll be safe!." he said, pointing in the direction on the ship. Prompting Peter to return to the Phantom Knight. Peter stood in front of his brother and looked up at him seriously, shaking his head.
"No." he said sternly. Arthur narrowed his eyes at Peter.
"I said. Got back to the ship. Now!." he said with more force this time.
"NO!" Peter yelled, catching Arthur by surprise. Arthur's eyes widened a bit.
"I will not stand by while Miss (Name) is in danger! I wont!" he shouted again, causing some people to look over at the spectacle he was causing. Arthur shushed Peter and looked around quickly.
"Quiet you fool! Your making a spectacle of us!" he hissed at Peter, clamping his gloved hand over his brothers mouth to silence him. Peter continued to yell at Arthur through his hand, though it was muffled. Arthur sweat dropped a bit, looking over to a group of people who were looking at them in question. Arthur chuckled nervously at them.
"The poor boy forgot to take his medicine today." he said as Francis ushered them to go about their business. Peter was still chewing his brother out in a muffled voice. Arthur sighed heavily and looked back at Peter. But his face gave way to shock. Was Peter crying? Yes, in fact tears were welling up in Peters eyes, causing Arthur to feel bad…slightly.
"I want to help." Peter said, it was still muffled but Arthur understood what he was saying. He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. When he looked up he saw Ian and Hector in the distance. He got an idea.
"Alright fine. You can help." he said, grabbing Peter by the arm and dragging his over to his crew mates. Peter stopped his rant and sniffed a bit, wiping his tears off with the sleeve of his shirt. Francis chuckled a bit and followed behind, patting Peter gently on top of his head.
"Ian! Hector!" Arthur called out, catching the two's attention quickly.
"Cap'n?" Ian asked, standing up straight, Hector doing the same. Arthur stopped in front of them.
"I want you to accompany my brother. Make sure he stays out of trouble." he said, practically tossing Peter to them. Ian caught Peter by the arm and chuckled a bit
'Aye , aye cap'n." he said. Arthur nodded a bit and looked at Peter with a serious expression, but there was still a twinge of brotherly concern in his eyes. Peter wiped his nose on his shirt sleeve as he looked at Arthur, eyes still red from crying.
"Be good, alright." he said quietly before turning on heel and marching away, Francis is tow. Ian chuckled and patted Peter's head, ruffling his hair a bit trough his hat.
"Looks like it'll be the three o' us, aye lads?" Ian said, looking over at Hector.
"Aye" Hector said, smirking a bit and looking down at Peter. Peter sniffed again.
"Wanker." he spat in Arthur's direction. Ian chuckled and patted his shoulder, ushering him to walk.
"But he's still yer brother so ye bes' do as he say's lad. Now come on. Lets go fin' the lass." Ian said, smiling as he spoke. Though on the inside, he was terribly worried about you.
'Please be safe lass.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You were about to put part of your plan into action. You readied your phone for the right moment. Cruz was busy doing paper work at the moment. The fact that he was doing paper work shocked you. But you kept focused regardless. You told Mathieu that whatever strange noises he heard to not be afraid. You told him that if he heard anything to just pretend like he didn't. He agreed to it, though he had a puzzled look on his face as to why you were asking this of him. But he obliged regardless. He was just so cute! You wondered how Francis of all people could have such a sweet brother like Mathieu. You wondered if Francis was ever this sweet and cute when he was younger. The thought made you laugh a bit.
'No (name)! You have to stay focused!' you scolded yourself quickly. You were snapped back into attention by Cruz groaning and throwing his pen on the desk, resting his elbows on his desk and rubbing his face. You smirked a bit.
"Tired?" you asked him sweetly. He responded by groaning again and muttering in Spanish. You giggled a bit. Mathieu kept his head down, not wanting to give Cruz any reason to yell at him. Cruz sighed heavily and removed his hands from his face, looking over at you. His brows furrowed under his hat.
"Que…? He said quietly to himself. Noticing the bruise starting to show slightly on your cheek. It matched the bruise on your forehead, which was almost gone now.
'I don't remember giving that to her.' he thought to himself. You looked at him, puzzled a bit.
"What?" you asked. Wondering why he was looking at you like that.
"How did chu get that?" he said, motioning to his cheek. You felt your cheek, cringing in pain a bit.
"Oh, this?" you asked innocently, rubbing your cheek gently. "Well…to be honest…one of your crew members attacked me!" you said, sounding like a distressed damsel. Cruz's  eyes narrowed a bit in anger.
"Que?" he asked in a serious tone. You nodded and acted all dramatic.
"Yes! He was trying to touch me! So I tried fighting him off but he hit me!" you said, fake tears threatening to spill from your eyes. Cruz stood up abruptly, looking genuinely enraged.
"Who! Chu tell me who!" he demanded. You bit your finger and looked away dramatically.
"I-It was the same one who tried grabbing me in the tavern yesterday!" you said, making your lip quiver on cue and placing a hand over your heart.. The grip Cruz had on the edge of his desk tightened and a growl escaped from his throat. You halted a smirk that wanted to find its way across your lips. He growled even more and stormed over to his cabin door, throwing it open and causing it to smack against the wall.
"SIMON! REPORT TO MY CABIN! NOW!" he bellowed. You bit your bottom lip to keep from laughing. He was playing right into your hands.
Now deception is a nasty thing to do to someone. But if you find yourself in terrible situation where your in danger and you use the truth to your advantage then by all means, proceed. After all, a little feminine charm used to your advantage it always nice.
It didn't take long for Mr. Retard, A.k.a Simon, to show up at his Captain's cabin. With the way he bellowed you would have expected everybody named Simon within a four hundred mile radius to come flocking in.
"Yes Cap-" he began to say but was cut off by Cruz sending a powerful punch to his abdomen, causing all the air to escape from his lungs. It made you jump a bit. You weren't quite expecting that. He started coughing and gasping for air, clutching his stomach while he groveled on the floor at Cruz's feet. Cruz stared him down with a malicious look in his eyes. It kind of scared you a bit. Not that you'd admit to it.
"C-Captain…wh-what did I-" he began to say weakly. But Cruz cut him off by kicking him in the stomach and grabbing the back of Simon's neck, forcing him to stand despite the unbearable pain in his stomach.
"Now chu listen to me chu little fleabag." he said, tightening his grip in the back of Simon's neck, digging his dirty fingernails into his skin, causing Simon to wince.
"Don't chu EVER touch hwhat belongs to me!" he bellowed, sending spit flying out of his mouth and onto Simons already pale face. You would have felt really bad for Simon, had he not tried feeling you up before.
"C-Captain sir! I don't understand!" he said, voice wavering from the blow to his abdomen. Cruz threw him unceremoniously to the ground, causing a loud 'Thud'. You took a quick peek at the spectacle before you. Cruz looked your way so you tuned your head away dramatically, biting your lip.
"I should have never let an English dog like you aboard my ship! Now get out of my sight!" he yelled, giving Simon a kick in the ribs to encourage his leave. He coughed again and scrambled to his feet, sending a glace your way. It was more like a glare. You just batted your eyes in his direction with an innocent look on your face. Once he was gone Cruz grumbled in Spanish again, returning to his desk. He sighed in annoyance and rubbed his temples. Now for phase two of your plan.
You nudged Mathieu to get his attention. He looked up carefully to see you giving him a nod. He nodded back and lowered his head again, closing his eyes. You smirked slightly and looked over at Cruz, why looked thoroughly irritated. You clicked your tongue.
"Aww, you look beat." you said in a caring voice, though you could really care less if he was feeling good or not. He kidnapped you and made unwanted advances toward you for crying out loud! He responded with a grunt, sliding his hands over his face. You smiled at him.
"Why don't you have a drink to ease your mood?" you suggested, quietly grabbing your phone and hovering your finger over the play button, making sure the volume was up at its highest. He slid his hands off of his face and looked at you.
"Chu know hwhat chica? That's a good idea." he said, grinning at the brilliant idea you gave. You just shrugged your shoulders and looked down at your lap, keeping a close eye on him. He reached down and grabbed the bottom drawer of his desk pulling it open to grab his liquid relief. As soon as he started opening the drawer you pushed play on your phone. 'I Can Transform Ya' by Chris Brown started blasting. Cruz jumped and quickly closed the drawer. You immediately pushed pause. He looked at you in a confused and somewhat startled way. You were too busy looking at your fingernails to look suspicious. He slowly looked back down to his desk drawer again, hesitantly reaching for it again. He pulled it open slowly this time. You pushed play again, letting the strange ambiance at the beginning of the song to scare him again. He quickly shut his drawer. You pushed pause again. Shaking his head quickly he looking up at you again.
"Did chu hear that??" he asked in a slightly worried voice. You looked at him innocently.
"Hear what?" you asked, blinking at him. He furrowed his brows and looked at Mathieu.
"Chu! Nino! Did chu hear that??" he asked again. Mathieu just shook his head silently. Though he was equally as curious and scared to know how you were causing such noises to be heard. But he kept to the plan and kept his head down. Cruz furrowed his brows again and looked down at his desk. He reached for his drawer quickly this time and opened it quickly. You pushed play once again. Cruz jumped from his seat and scrambled away from his desk as the song continued to play. Sending his chair falling backwards.
"D-Demonios! Este sitio está maldecido!" he said, looking wide eyed and terrified. You smiled, more out of amusement then anything. He backed away from his desk, drawing his gun, pointing it at his desk, shooting at it. Yet the music didn't stop. He emptied his gun on his beautiful mahogany desk. Seeing the desk being destroyed was the most painful thing about this plan. He looked over at you again, looking terrified.
"Don't chu hear that?!?" he yelled over the music. You stared blankly at him.
"Hear what?" you asked. He growled and moved away from his desk again, hand shaking slightly. Seeing him like this, a scared little boy, was hilarious. When he looked over at you again you made sure to stare at him without blinking, a blank expression on your face as you mouthed some of the words.
"Anything you want I can I can get it for ya" you mouthed, making it seem as if the sound was coming from you. He stared at you in horror, looking quickly to his desk and then back to you. When he looked away you went back to your normal disposition, acting as if nothing happened. He blinked a bit and took a hesitant step toward you. You looked up at him, looking concerned.
"Are you alright? You look a little pale?" you said. He pointed a shaky finger to you.
"Chu! Chu are the cause of this! I knew it hwas a bad idea bringing a hwoman aboard! Chu have brought demons on my ship!" he said in an accusing tone. You placed your cuffed hand to your chest.
"Me? I did nothing." you said in an innocent way. Oh if only Alfred could see this! Cruz marched over to you, grabbing your other arm and pulling you to your feet. You gasped a little bit in shock at his sudden reaction. He quickly pulled out a set of keys and unlocked your restraint, letting the chain slink down as the cuff clanked to the floor.
"Chu are bad luck!" he yelled, yanking you towards the door, you looked back at Mathieu who was now looking at you in worry. You gave him a reassuring smile and a nod, letting him know to keep to the plan. He nodded back and put his head down quickly. As soon as Cruz opened the door and pulled you through you stopped the music again, shoving your phone in your hoodie. The bright light of day burned your eyes, making you squint at the sudden light. You were being pulled too quickly to be able to look at your surroundings. The next thing you knew you were descending down a flight of stairs, allowing you to see again. Cruz was muttering in Spanish again, blessing himself in hopes to ward off the demons you brought with you. You were thankful he was so superstitious, it made your plan work perfectly. You managed to get a glimpse at the men below deck, who had a surprised look on their face as you passed. You weren't sure if it was the fact that their was a woman aboard the ship or if it was the fact that you were being pulled by a nervous looking Captain. You simply allowed yourself to be pulled, letting Cruz fall into your trap. After more flights of stairs you made it to the brig. How did you know it was the brig? It was damp and dark and smelled like rotting wood. And fish. You never would have thought that you would do something to purposely come down here. But here you were. Cruz unlocked the cell, tossing you in ungracefully. Though you managed to keep your balance. You heard him slam the cell door shut and lock it. You could tell by the sound his keys were making that he was still shaken up by what just happened. You slowly turned to him and smiled. He looked at you indignantly.
"Why…WHY ARE CHU SMILING!?!" he yelled, demanding an answer from you. You simply laughed like a lunatic again, causing him to back up slightly. You charged at the door suddenly and slammed against it, gripping onto the bars and giving him a crazy look in your eyes. It startling him enough to back up quicker. You lowered your head and looked at him.
"Why so serious?" you said in an eerie and dark tone. He didn't say anything, he just turned from you and began to leave. Your insane laughter bounced off the damp wooden brig walls, sending a slight chill down his spine as he closed the brig door behind him.
He slowly walked down the hall, thinking about what had just happened.
"Tiene que haber otra manera de atraer ese mocoso." he said to himself, seriously contemplating murdering you before he himself became cursed.