Chapter Text
At some point in life, every man or woman will have to make an important decision. They might even have to make several important decisions, ones that could potentially change their life forever.
These were exactly the kind of decisions that Alfred loved to avoid.
His parents will blame it on him not wanting to grow up – but Alfred would explain it by simply wanting to be free.
He didn’t care much for matters that concerned work, money or marriage. Not when there was a whole world out there, one that could offer him all kinds of adventures.
Unfortunately life had thrown him a different bone.
He had a pretty amazing and careless childhood, one where he could play to his heart’s content and one where he had the opportunity to learn how to read and write. But eventually his father managed to somehow work himself into a huge debt. By the time his wife and children found out, it’d already been too late.
One of the only solutions was to try and marry their sons off into wealthy families. His brothers didn’t really seem to care as much as he did – in fact, Matthew got along swimmingly well with his fiancée, and Albert was of course still a little too young to really understand what was happening.
But Alfred was the oldest son. On top of having to marry a girl he didn’t love, Alfred would also have to take over his father’s company and, consequently, the family debts. It was a far cry from the adventurous, liberate life Alfred used to dream of as a kid.
The stupidest thing was, that it was actually Matthew who did have the desire to take over the family business. It was Matthew that was good with numbers, finances and everything Alfred had never really bothered to understand.
But Matthew wasn’t the oldest, and therefore his father wouldn’t have it. Silly, really, because as the head of the company, Alfred would probably just end up giving Matthew all the power anyway.
“Alfred, your face is going to get stuck if you frown like that.”
Alfred blinked as a feminine voice woke him from his daydreaming, and he focused on the girl opposite of him.
His fiancée Alice was admittedly quite a lovely girl. She was sweet, dainty and witty. With her long blonde hair, her dark eyes and her petite figure, she was also easy on the eye. But most importantly, she came from a rich English family.
When they first met, she’d looked at him with surprise, obviously having thought he’d look different. Alfred knew he was rather easy on the eye as well – all those years wrestling with his younger brothers, fighting the resident bullies and working on the docks for some spare cash, left him in a good shape.
But he’d never really bothered with the attentions from any giggling girls before, and while he could objectively agree that Alice was attractive, he felt absolutely nothing romantic or physical for her either.
Nevertheless, he remembered his manners, and offered her a polite smile. “Why I thought girls liked a serious man, one with a serious look about him.”
She raised her eyebrows at him, unimpressed, before sparing a glance to her parents, who were dining with his own parents a few feet away from them. He didn’t really believe that they chaperoned because they feared they would do anything indecent – no, they probably chaperoned because his parents knew exactly how much he disliked this whole arrangement.
They wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow bailed and frankly said, neither would he. Or Alice, for that matter – the two really had nothing in common, and once Alfred figured out she was actually in love with some stable boy from Portugal, he’d given up trying to play pretend too.
He took another sip from his tea and let his eyes wander elsewhere again. Bailing had been on his mind constantly the past few days. Aside from joining the navy in the war against Spain and France, it seemed like it was his only way out. But it tore at him, because he didn’t want to abandon his family, his little brothers.
Yet he was also getting desperate – the wedding date was approaching and he could no longer convince his parents to delay it. No, they decided that once he would turn twenty-one, enough would be enough. He supposed he was already surprised they hadn’t married him off at eighteen.
Alice’s foot bumped against his underneath the table and he nearly spilled his tea, smiling sheepishly when he realized he’d been lost in thought again.
“You know I hate this as much as you do, Alfred.” She began softly. “But we have to look like we’re enjoying ourselves.”
“I don’t see why. They know we both don’t agree with this arrangement.”
“Well, we can’t all have what we want. What would you do instead? Run?” Her eyes widened slightly when he silently shrugged. “Are you going to run?” She accused then, looking a little scandalized.
“Would it be such a terrible idea?” He mused, as if merely entertaining the notion.
“I suppose not.” Alice agreed, surprisingly enough. “It would offer us both a way out. No offense.”
“None taken.” He smiled easily, straightening a little just for propriety’s sake. “I’ve been toying with the idea of just disappearing, starting over somewhere else, see the world. But it’s just wistful thinking.”
Alice looked contemplative for a moment, daintily sipping her tea and studying him with her dark eyes. She spared another sideways glance to their chaperones before leaning forward a little. “Is it? You could stage a kidnapping, or maybe even your own death. There’s a supply ship you could hide on that’s leaving tonight.”
Alfred stayed silent, a little flabbergasted. Apparently she’d thought about this too, or she was a master at improvising.
“Are you serious? I can’t just abandon my family. What kind of a man would do that?”
Alice shrugged. “Plenty of men do so nowadays. Besides, you could earn money elsewhere and send it back home. That way you won’t abandon them completely.”
Alfred leaned back in his chair again, regarding her incredulously. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes, and suddenly he realized she wasn’t as innocent and dainty as he had imagined her to be. No, there was definitely something adventurous inside her too, and for a moment, he wondered what it would be like if they were to marry. Perhaps they could at least become good friends.
But what she was proposing sounded much, much better. Even though the excitement caused by the mere idea entwined heavily with the nasty feeling of guilt inside of him.
“All right, I’ll bite. How do you propose I make my grand escape?” He asked eventually, chuckling when she perked up considerably and leaned forward some more, as if telling him a secret.
“Tonight, you’ll say that you want to take a stroll along the docks. Make up a lie – maybe you’re coming to terms with this marriage and you want to clear your head a little. I’ll be waiting for you at the docks, of course. You’ll have to bring a chicken and kill it, so we can use its blood to stage a kidnapping or fight. Then you hide on the supply ship and by the time anyone figures out you’re missing, you’ll already be on sea.”
“Holy shit,” Alfred said, astonished once more. Apparently, she really spent some time thinking about this. “That’s brilliant.”
“Don’t cuss.” She reprimanded, raising her teacup for another sip. “There is of course a chance that the supply ship is actually a smuggling ship.”
Alfred pursed his lips – she was right. Smuggling had been at an all-time high in Southern England the past few years, but so far there hadn’t been any violent encounters at all. In fact, the townspeople and supposed smugglers got along quite nicely. Even if the supply ship turned out to be a smuggling ship, they’d probably be sympathetic to his cause. They would just put him to work until he managed to pay them off.
“Still, what you’re saying… this could actually work.”
The realization hit him hard, then. He could start over, or could perhaps even continue sailing. He’d earn money here and there, see more of the world. His family would be heartbroken of course, but he could contact them the moment he settled somewhere. He could explain then, that this would be the best choice for everyone. And Matthew and Albert would have his back… probably.
“Are you sure, Alfred? We can’t stage all this for you to get cold feet.”
Alfred looked at his parents and promptly made up his mind. This really was the best decision or everyone. Matthew could take over the company, something he wanted to do anyway. His parents would no longer have to fret over their oldest son not living up to their expectations. Albert would be sad, of course, but he’d understand eventually. And Alfred could try and live the life he actually wanted to live.
“I’m sure.” He said then, nodding at her. “Thank you for this, Alice. Hopefully this will be in your favor, too.”
Alice gave him a warm and gentle smile, and Alfred knew then that he was doing the right thing.
Saying goodbye on such a short notice was tough, especially since Alfred couldn’t actually say goodbye. He grabbed whatever belongings and spare cash he could easily carry without it seeming suspicious, and spent an hour or so playing with Albert. Matthew was definitely suspicious when Alfred gave him a tight hug, but simply pat his back and ruffled his hair. The look on Matthew’s face nearly made him cave and admit to everything, but he soldiered on.
There was no other way, after all. He tried not to sniffle when he kissed his mother good night, and left to look for Alice near the docks. As promised, she was waiting for him in an alley behind a tavern, smiling sweetly as he approached.
Surprisingly enough, he had no second thoughts. It wouldn’t be a perfect lie, but it could work. The town was dull and hardly anything happened here, but Alfred had made enough rivals here growing up. And the blame could always go to smugglers, of course.
He slung the bag with the dead chicken on the ground, halfheartedly explaining that he stole it from a neighbor. He’d been quick about it, and hoped that the poor animal never felt a thing. Alice refused to help him set up the scene, only offering instructions on how it would look most believable. Once he was done, she carefully ripped a piece of his shirt off and threw it behind her carelessly, explaining that it would now look like there had been a scuffle.
Then she turned back to him and pulled him into a tight hug. “You be careful, Alfred Jones. Don’t you dare get caught or killed.”
Alfred felt fondness surge warmly in his chest for this intelligent girl who had shared his bad luck. If they hadn’t been forced to marry, maybe they would’ve been good friends.
“Thank you, Alice. I hope you and your stable boy work out.”
“He works at the bakery!” Alice huffed, slapping him on the arm and Alfred grinned sheepishly. “Get out of here, you.”
He saluted her with a cheeky smile, before disappearing towards the docks. It was quiet on the streets, what with it being late at night. Most people were inside their homes, dining or getting ready to bed.
Even the ships were relatively quiet. He found the ship he was looking for rather quickly – it was bigger than most other ships docked in the harbor, and looked fancier, too. On its mast was a flag from a well-known trading company, and Alfred ignored the little voice in his head saying this was too easy.
If it was like any normal ship, he had a fair idea of where he could hide for now, like the supply room or weapon room. Hopefully they’d sail far, far from here – he had heard great stories about Virginia Colony and Connecticut Colony, but he’d settle for anything but here, really.
For some reason, it wasn’t terribly hard to sneak onto the ship unnoticed. The men on guard were relieved by another group of men, and Alfred used the distraction to pose as one of the sailors, carrying a crate high enough to hide most of his face. Once on the deck, he easily found a small and vacant weapon supply room.
As he eased himself behind some crates, he felt a little suspicious about how easy this had been. Something felt a little wrong, but he chalked it up to his guilt and anxiety. And what was the worst that could happen, anyway? Eventually he’d get caught of course, but he would just explain his situation, give them the cash he had on hand and offer to work for everything else.
The captain of the ship might be irritated with him, but Alfred was strong and intelligent, and he was sure he could be useful until they’d drop his sorry ass on the next dock available. Just like he intended.
He sighed and tried not to think of his family. He’d miss them terribly, but this was for the best. Perhaps, in a few years, he could return home and reconcile with them. But for now, all he could do was sleep and wait.
Alfred woke slowly. The first thing he realized, was that he wasn’t in his bed or even in his home. He wasn’t on a street after a drunken brawl either, judging by the rocking movement he felt.
Then he realized he was also not where he fell asleep last night. He wasn’t uncomfortably squished between crates of weapons supplies. No, he felt as if he had all the room in the world, and it was also a little colder.
Lastly, he suddenly realized his head hurt like a bitch, and that the drop of temperature was caused by a breeze.
Opening his eyes and squinting against the sudden sunlight, Alfred realized he had to be on the ship’s deck. He sat up quickly, but nearly toppled backwards due to the dizzying headache the movement induced, and had to take a second to sort himself out before he could straighten again. It felt as if he'd received a blow to the head, but he couldn't remember it actually happening.
“Well, if it ain’t the stowaway wakin’ up from his beauty sleep.” Someone sneered, and only then did Alfred realize he wasn’t alone, either.
He carefully opened his eyes again, pleased when it didn’t sting as much as it did before, and spotted several people looming around him. The man nearest to him looked down at him angrily, and Alfred had to swallow down a nasty bout of fear, reminding himself he was on a supply ship.
The best thing to do right now, was to properly introduce himself and to apologize. “I –“
“Shut yer trap! Oi, marooner! Go call the cap’n. Tell ‘im the landlubber woke up.”
Alfred frowned and sat up a little straighter, deciding against standing up just yet. He was well aware that he was already on sea, and he wasn’t about to stand up only to stumble down again. That would only add salt to the wound.
“Yer in some big trouble, laddie.” The man above him then said, and Alfred chanced another look at him. It was only then that he noticed he looked rather odd for a sailor, as if he were a little too rough around the edges.
The other sailors around him had a similar look, and they all looked at him with smug grins, smirks or glares. He was about to voice his confusion when a door slammed shut, and the murmurs and hooting abruptly stopped.
Alfred turned towards the direction of the sound, and raised his eyebrows when he spotted who had caused it.
The man approaching him was dressed rather flamboyantly, if Alfred had to be honest. He wore a spectacular red coat, one that was adorned with golden embroidery. Underneath it he wore a white shirt with ruffles, held together at the top with some kind of gem. On top of a head full of untamed, golden blonde hair perched a hat with feathers and a string of beads attached to it.
Eventually Alfred’s eyes landed on the man’s face, and he was met with what had to be the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. It was almost like they burned right into his soul, and they vaguely reminded him a little of the eyes of a feral cat Alfred had once seen.
The only thing that seemed a little off, were the man's somewhat bushy eyebrows. Alfred was almost tempted to chuckle once he saw them, but the predatory look the man gave him prevented him from making any sound.
He forced a polite smile at what had to be the captain and moved to get on his feet, but a rough shove pushed him back onto the ground and he grimaced at the man responsible, the same man who had sneered at him before.
Something… something felt very, very wrong here. The captain's attire was strange, as was the hostile behavior of the sailors around him. Alfred almost didn’t want to, but forced himself to look up at the mast.
Where a trading company’s flag had hung before, now hung a Jolly Roger. A pirate flag.
“Damn it.” He cursed underneath his breath. What an idiot he was – he'd thought the ship had seemed too big, too fancy and too daring. It had stood out from every other ship, and still Alfred hadn’t connected the dots.
“What was that?” The captain said then, coming to a halt in front of him and glaring down at him. The man rested one hand on his belt, purposefully dragging Alfred's attention to the pistol holstered there.
It took everything Alfred had not to immediately start panicking. What were the fucking odds, after all? Pirates never came to his town! It was just his luck to pick the one bloody pirate ship to ever dock in his town, on the exact day he decided to make a run for it.
He resisted gulping when he looked back up at the captain, who was now smirking somewhat spitefully. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he was a little (a lot) scared – he hadn’t ever dealt with pirates, after all. He only heard stories about them; wonderful ones, that were also absolutely frightening.
“And who might you be?” The captain eventually asked, a British accent heavy in his voice.
“Alfred Jones, sir.” Alfred immediately replied, trying to appear as friendly as he could. One wrong answer or move and he might as well be keelhauled, after all.
“Tell me, Jones. What exactly are you doing on my ship?”
Alfred swallowed, trying not to stutter. “I – I needed to get out of town. “
Some of the sailors around him – no, not sailors, but pirates – burst out in laughter. The captain furrowed his eyebrows (and man, they were disproportionately large, Alfred kept getting distracted by them) at his crew, before glaring back at him with a smirk.
Alfred wasn’t aware one could glare and smirk at the same time, but this man had it down to a fine art.
“Did you realize we were pirates?”
“No. There was a different flag when I boarded.” He admitted, feeling his cheeks heat up with embarrassment when some pirates roared with laughter again.
“Quite a shame.” The captain then said, sounding bored. He turned to the man next to him and nodded sideways to Alfred. “See him to Davy Jones’ Locker.” The captain halted then, tilting his head and eyeing Alfred with some amusement, before turning around and starting to walk away.
Any other time, Alfred would’ve seen the humor of him sharing a name with the metaphor of the bottom of the sea. But right now, he was kind of stuck on the bottom of the sea part, instead.
Two men roughly hoisted him up and Alfred immediately saw that they were in the middle of the ocean. There was no land in sight – he could never swim back to land, and thus he would drown or be eaten by sharks.
“Wait!” He cried out immediately, wrecking his memory for the pretend-piracy plays he used to enact with his younger brother as kids. What was that weird word they used when they needed a break.. It was a French word, wasn't it? Pearl? Parl? No, it was; “Parley! I ask for parley!”
The rowdy men on the deck immediately quieted down, and the captain stopped walking. The two men dragging him across the deck stopped moving as well, but they still held him in their grips. The captain suddenly turned around with an irritated snarl, walking back over to him with large steps that barely made a sound at all.
The captain, who Alfred now realized was actually a little shorter than he was, muttered something about the French and about frogs. Then he pushed against Alfred’s chest with one of his gloved hands, and he stumbled backwards as the men who were holding him immediately released him.
“Parley is a meeting held between two superiors. Tell me, of what are you a superior?”
“That was a long time ago.” Alfred immediately said, somewhat amazed by his own memory (then again, Matthew and him had really gone at it as kids). “It’s part of the code, right?”
Alfred had only read about the so called pirate code in a book or two when growing up, and never in much detail. Thankfully he realized he was correct when the captain frowned, his lips curled upwards in a sneer. The shorter blonde gestured at the two men at Alfred’s side and they promptly grabbed him again, and for a moment Alfred thought this was the end.
But then the captain nodded towards the area below the quarter deck. “See this swab to my quarters.”
Despite knowing he was far from being in the clear, Alfred nearly sagged with relief. He tried not to appear too intimidated as he was shoved towards the captain's quarters, painstakingly aware of the dire situation he was in and unsure if he could talk his way out of it.
After a short walk, he was unceremoniously pushed into what he assumed were the captain’s quarters. They were rather spacious, and laden with extravagant trinkets and expensive looking furniture. On the right was a large side table with a globe embedded in its middle, and near the window was a large desk covered with papers, coins, books and an empty bottle.
“Leave.” The captain ordered, and the two men were gone in an instant, the door closing behind them. Alfred wasn’t sure if their absence was better than their presence, but at least now he only had to focus on one man, instead of three.
He remained still as the shorter blonde eyed him up and down, the intense scrutiny making him want to fidget with something. Then the captain abruptly walked over to his desk, sitting down on the chair and swinging his boots onto the table. He extracted a dagger from his pocket and twirled it between his fingers. If it were an attempt to intimidate Alfred any further, it was certainly working.
“All right Jones, you have your parley. Sit, and convince me not to feed you to the sharks.”
Alfred pursed his lips, quickly gave himself a mental pep-talk, and marched over to the chair opposite of the captain’s desk. He was going to talk his way out of this, and he was going to seize the opportunity of starting over – even if it meant having to work for pirates.
He had no idea how to go about this parley thing, but he did know that he was going to have to convince the man in front of him not to kill him or throw him overboard. He realized that a pirate ship wouldn’t just let him hitch a ride for free – he’d have to work for it.
“I simply want to travel to whatever your next destination is.” He began uncertainly, sitting down on the chair he was appointed. “And I’m willing to work for my stay, of course.” The captain was still scrutinizing him, his expression unreadable. “I, eh… I’m strong, and I’m a hard worker.” He added, hoping it might sway the captain in his favor. “Oh! And I can swim, read and write. If that, eh, helps.”
The blonde man in front of him tilted his head, but other than that, his expression was still unreadable. Alfred had no idea if he was positively inclined towards him or not. He figured he might as well wait for a reply, before he’d accidentally say something that would lead to his untimely demise.
“Why are you here, Jones?” The man then suddenly asked, catching the dagger he’d been twirling between his fingers in his palm. “What did you escape from?”
Alfred bit the inside of his cheek, deciding he might as well be honest. “A life that wasn’t meant for me, sir. If I stayed, I would’ve been forced to marry and take over my family’s business.”
The captain pursed his lips, nodding as if he could at least understand his reasoning. Alfred figured most pirates became pirates so that they could escape a life that wasn’t meant for them.
“If I may be so bold,” he began then, trying not to wince when the captain’s acidic green eyes shot back to him. “who are you exactly? And what ship is this?”
That got a more noticeable reaction – the captain smirked and shook his head, as if hearing a stupid joke. Alfred realized he probably ought to have known, which probably meant that the captain was quite notorious. Alfred might be in bigger trouble than he’d thought.
“I am Arthur Kirkland, captain of the Emerald Dragon.” The man, Arthur, then said, voice laced with amusement.
Well, shit. While Alfred had never seen a picture of the ship or of its captain, he certainly knew their names. The Emerald Dragon was an infamous ship. Its name was earned not only by its dark green wooden hull or speed, but also by its destructive weaponry, with cannons that fired so rapidly that it seemed as if the ship spat fire at its opponents. Usually Alfred read about the ship in the news, when it thwarted the Navy.
The recognition must’ve been clear on his face, because Arthur Kirkland smirked again. Alfred didn’t really know what to say in return, the fear that he was probably going to die increasing, and he looked around helplessly for a second.
“So you ran from your problems.” Arthur said then, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table and to cushion his chin on his hands, the picture of nonchalance. “What of your family?”
Alfred resisted a grimace, knowing that the harsh truth was that he simply abandoned them. But it was much more complicated than that. “I staged my own death. They’ll mourn, but they’ll be fine. My younger brother will take over my role and will probably do a better job of it anyway.”
Arthur nodded again, seemingly taking his story into consideration. He didn’t look very hostile at that moment and so Alfred allowed himself to relax a tiny bit, trying not to eye the dagger still in Arthur’s hand too much. He could picture it ending up in his eye socket and would rather it left his line of sight altogether.
“It’s not the most original story I have heard.” Arthur then said, eyeing Alfred up and down again. “I’ve thrown stowaways with better stories off my ship anyway. Why should I let you live?”
“Like I said, I’ll work. I won’t cause any trouble, or steal, and you can dump me on whatever land we pass next. I even have a bit off…” He patted around on his body before realizing that they took all of his belongings. “Well, you already took what little I have.”
“Smart boy.” Arthur said condescendingly and Alfred did his best not to glare. “However, should you stay, I cannot simply let you go. I’m sure you are familiar with the saying ‘dead men tell no tales’.”
Alfred tensed, knowing exactly what he meant. If he’d acquire valuable information, and he would be allowed to leave, he could report it to authorities. But a dead man wouldn’t be able to snitch. “I am.” He settled on saying, trying to sound confident.
“As it happens, we are low on swabbies. If you think you can work on my ship, I’ll consider letting you live.” Alfred had no idea what a swabbie was, but he was willing to take it regardless. “Where did you plan on going, if you had your way?”
“Anywhere would’ve been fine. I suppose I’ve thought about New England.”
Arthur tilted his head towards him, as if he approved of his choice. Then he threw the dagger he had in his hand towards Alfred, who managed to catch it, though it left a slight nick in his palm. “You’re going to need that if you’re going to join my crew. But remember that we’ll be watching you, and that you’ll not be a free man on my ship.”
Alfred tried not to sink back in his chair with relief. It wasn’t a time to relax, after all, and he was aware that he would still have to be on his guard constantly the next few days. And yet, he couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips – he’d bloody done it. He managed to convince pirate captain Arthur fucking Kirkland to keep him alive, for now.
“I’m glad you find this funny.” Arthur droned then, appearing unimpressed. “But if I were you, I would get to work.”
Then he stood up, and Alfred quickly scrambled out of his own chair too, following Arthur when the shorter blonde gestured at him to do so. With his back turned to him, Alfred allowed himself to study Arthur for a few seconds. He moved elegantly, but dangerously. Despite his flamboyant attire, his movements made nearly no sound, and he moved a lot more confidently on the swaying deck than Alfred did.
Even with his back turned to him, and with a dagger in his hands, Alfred realized that he could probably never take the man on in a fight.
Arthur opened the door and left his quarters, walking up to one of the two men that had manhandled Alfred a while earlier, and nodding his head back towards Alfred. Now that Alfred felt at ease enough to actually study the pirates around him, he noticed many of them were not likely of British descent.
“It seems we have a new swabbie.” Arthur announced, loud enough that his surrounding crew heard as well. Some of the men snickered and leered at Alfred, and he realized it was probably the lowest ranking position one could have on a ship. “James, show him around.”
The dark-skinned man at Arthur’s side nodded, and Alfred hesitantly walked over to him when their eyes met.
“Try not to get him killed on his first day.” Arthur then added, smirking at Alfred and ignoring the laughter of the men around him. Alfred bit his tongue and refused to show his nervousness, watching the captain turn back around and reenter his quarters.
The man next to him, James, shoved his shoulder against his own. For some reason, the gesture felt friendly, but Alfred wasn’t about to get his hopes up.
“All right lubber, time for the grand ol’ tour.”