#aptts

Jiwoo would like to say Yeosang was slowly becoming her friend. Their short conversations turned into lengthy ones as he stayed by her side to keep the conversation going even after her bandages had been changed. She learned what she could from how little he spoke of the crew. Jiwoo knew how to find information in the smallest of words and how to keep that information in her thoughts. Something she had to thank her father for, perhaps the only thing she’d thank her father for. She had learned most of the crew’s names by now, Yeosang only liked to talk about a select few of them. He was smart, she noticed. He wouldn’t refer to them by name very often and she would get confused between the couple of names he had slipped at the beginning. But Jiwoo was also smart. She was also quick.

The first name he had slipped was San. He wasn’t really talking about him, telling Jiwoo a small story about her brother. Yeosang liked to talk about her brother, not that she hated hearing about him. In the middle of the story of how Wooyoung had managed to get himself, drunk, caught in the rigging, hanging from one of the masts (Jiwoo could honestly say she knew nothing about boats. Or perhaps she should say ships?) before he had been cut down.

“And the San just came swishing past out of nowhere, like the lunatic he is, cutting the rope before disappearing again.” Yeosang had laughed. “Wooyoung had dropped like a dead fish, landing right into our youngest’s arms!”

She had also deduced that this situation seemed to be a while ago, or at least before Nagyung was aboard the ship, Jiwoo recalled overhearing Nagyung saying she was the youngest of their little group. Unless, of course, Yeosang had meant that Wooyoung had fallen into Nagyung's arms. Jiwoo doubted it, considering Nagyung was smaller than she was and Wooyoung was, well, all big and muscly.

So now she knew nine names: Nagyung, Yeosang, San, Yunho, Mingi, Jongho and the last two names she had heard from passing voices - Seonghwa and Jisun.

And Wooyoung.

But he didn’t count.

She had yet to find out the captains’ names though, nor did she know of his infamous sister’s name.

“Would you like to take a walk today?” Yeosang asked her, fixing the dressing on her knee and pulling her away from her thoughts.

“What if I fall?”

He smiled and shrugged, fingers falling away from her knee. “I’ll help you, don’t worry about it. Your muscle needs to get used to walking again, even if you need assistance at first.”

It was strange. Jiwoo had never been helped to walk before. Sure, she had linked arms with her mother and handmaiden, Hayoung, and even with Gunho when he allowed it – “Lady Jiwoo, I can’t possibly hold arms with a princess! I’m a stable boy!” – but she had never had to rely on someone to keep her upright.

Yeosang was a gentleman however. Jiwoo hadn’t expected him to be so gentle and kind, bearing in mind that he was one of the pirates from the pirate ship she was on. Jiwoo constantly had to remind herself of that fact. Pirates. They were pirates. Pirates who’s faces were on wanted posters.

He helped Jiwoo stand like he had done previously, guiding her up by the hand before leaning forward slightly to hold her elbows so she could center yourself. He then manoeuvred himself around her body so now they were shoulder to shoulder and, strangely, Jiwoo didn’t mind it when his arm wrapped loosely around her waist. His other hand was free by his own side, using it to open doors and shallowly move things out of the way but she noticed it crossing his torso to hover by her elbow closest to him.

Pirate. He’s a pirate.

But he’d shown her nothing but kindness.

They walked slowly. Jiwoo tried her best not to wince every time she put too much weight on her bandaged leg, wanting to will herself better sooner. Her bare feet felt funny against the wooden floor. The floor wasn’t wet, or damp, but it was water damaged. She hadn’t felt water damaged wooden on her bare skin before. She felt it was quite comforting actually; that the ship could take on such a force as water and stay afloat. Jiwoo didn’t know much about ships or the sea, when her father would take her to visit neighbouring ports and cities, he always made her stay inside the cabin.

He didn’t want a woman to distract his men.

When they got out to the deck Jiwoo let out a gasp. The sea breeze felt good albeit, a little rough but good nonetheless. It smelled like the ocean, a scent Jiwoo had always enjoyed.

“What?” Yeosang asked, lips quirking into an amused grin. “Never seen a deck before?”

“No.” Jiwoo answered honestly. “Not at sea anyway.”

Yeosang’s amusement sharply turned into curiosity. Something Jiwoo had learnt he was full of. “How can you not have seen a deck before?”

“Whenever my father brought me along on his trips, he would force me to stay inside the captain’s cabin at all times.” Jiwoo shrugged. She failed to notice Yeosang’s expression fall for a split second. She wouldn’t have cared anyway, she was used to her father’s treatment by now. “It’s pretty.”

At her last words Yeosang almost made the two of them fall over. His laughter was loud, and he had to let go of Jiwoo as he doubled over. As he did, Jiwoo felt two small hands press against her back, keeping her upright just as she wobbled. Nagyung had come to her rescue, smiling gently at the princess. When Yeosang managed to look up at the two girls there were tears welling up in his eyes. Jiwoo hadn’t thought her words to be funny at all however, Yeosang looked like he was having trouble breathing because of them.

“Never have I heard a ship’s deck referred to as pretty. Especially not this one, have you seen the mugs who work on it?” He finally managed to get out between laughs.

Jiwoo had to admit that she didn’t quite know why Yeosang had found her words hilarious a smile bloomed upon her lips at the sound of it. His laugh was pretty.

“You’re one of the mugs that work on it.” A new voice came from behind her. Jiwoo turned her head to look over her shoulder, to the best of her ability, to see the pirate from the tavern coming towards them. The captain, one of the people Yeosang talked about the most but had yet to give her his name. At his voice, Yeosang seemed to snap out of his laughing spell, springing up to his full height and turning quickly to face his captain – “Captain!” – with a bright grin.

The captain grinned back at him, coming to a stop next to Nagyung, who showed no signs of struggling to keep Jiwoo upright. He nodded at the two women, grin still imposed over his lips. Jiwoo had to make a very hard effort now to gasp at the sight of his face. Now in the fresh air, under a golden sun and surrounded by his crew, his ship and the open sea, he seemed to glow. She had only seen his face up-close once, showed in shadow under a large brimmed hat with a frown and a sneer plastered across his face. Now he looked happy, in charge. And quite attractive.

He wore no hat now, replacing it for an orange patterned bandana to keep his fringe off of his face. It was tied as such in the back that the longer hair there was underneath it, sticking to his neck with sweat, due to the heat of the day. His dark eyes shone under the sun’s rays, sparkles that reminded Jiwoo of a clear starry sky at night. He wore a plan white cloth shirt; like she had worn (Does anyone own any other article of clothing?), like her brother had worn but he wore his differently. The shirt was buttoned up all the way bar the top three buttons, his collar bones only just in sight, tucked into a pair of linen trousers of the same colour, wider at the bottom and rolled up at least three times. He looked casual, hands in his pockets. He reminded her of a sailor boy, only, the ones in the stories she read. The real sailor boys in her father’s armada wore red. His skin glowed, a healthy tan from exposure to the sun. Jiwoo almost wanted to touch his exposed skin just to see if it was actual gold or not. She refrained, holding into Nagyung gently.

“Need your help with something. It’s Mingi.” The captain spoke clearly, keeping eye contact for a second before turning on his heel and walking towards the infirmary. Yeosang nodded once but didn’t move to leave after him. His eyes rose to the two girls, eyebrows starting to furrow slightly.

“Everyone’s being made use of today! Go on Yeo, captain’s orders!” Nagyung chirped, a smile falling over her features. Yeosang looked from her to Jiwoo before letting out a small sigh. A small smile crept onto his lips as he shook his head slightly.

“I’ll leave her in your hand then, okay Nagyungie?”

Nagyung only smiled in response.

Jiwoo could admit she felt safe with Nagyung. It wasn’t a weird feeling to feel safe around another woman, not to Jiwoo anyway. It wasn’t like she felt unsafe around Yeosang, she was just wary of all men. She hadn’t had many good role models to build her opinion on. Her father was abusive, her uncle a creep. Her brother ran away and left her with such father and there had been many a man bid for her favour with mis intention within their stare. There were few that were kind, that she felt safer around. Gunho had never put a foot wrong – whether that was to keep hi head or not Jiwoo was still unsure – and the old man who cooked for the castle with his wife was a wonderful person sadly, one Jiwoo hadn’t the pleasure of knowing on a personal level.

Nagyung was surprisingly strong for her stature. The two girls walked slowly but made their way to the bow. “Normally Jisun and I sit over on the bowsprit, but I don’t think that’d be a good idea with your knee. You wouldn’t be able to use your legs to keep yourself up and not in the water.” The girl giggled, pulling them to sit on what looked like a home-made bench. “This will have to do.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

Nagyung giggled once again, looking as if she were about to point out that Jiwoo had, in fact, just asked a question but she simply nodded instead.

“How is your hair different?”

Nagyung’s eyes lit up at Jiwoo’s question, like she had wanted to be asked the question for a while and Jiwoo had just handed her gold.

“I didn’t get around to telling you, did I? Im a mermaid!” He exclaimed, smiling like that answered the whole question. Jiwoo stared at her for a few moments, eyebrows furrowing a little. She wasn’t shocked about the revelation – at least not as she thought she should be – but she was still confused.

“Okay…” She said slowly. “How does that corelate to your hair?”

 Nagyung looked at her with wide innocent eyes for a few seconds, as if she wasn’t expecting that question to come from Jiwoo’s lips – “Not the follow up question I was expecting.” “What? Expect me to freak out that you’re a mermaid?” “Everyone else does” – but smiled up at her anyways.

“How much do you know about mermaids?”

“Not enough, apparently.” Jiwoo grumbled as Nagyung giggled.

“Well, I was granted my legs by a Sea Sprite–”

“–There’s only three of them, right? Like the Fates?”

“Yes! That’s right! You’re smart!” Nagyung enthused, her head bobbing up and down with furious excitement. “So I can only change between forms during the full day of a full moon.”

Jiwoo nodded, encouraging her to continue.

“My hair changes colour with the phases of the moon!” Nagyung exclaimed with a grin. “It’s it super cool? When the moon is full my hair is almost completely white! And when the moon is new my hair goes dark like the night sky without it.”

“So what’s the pink for? Im guessing the half colours is because the cycle is halfway done, right?”

“Again, you’re correct! My natural hair is pink! So I guess that’s what it is when it isn’t white.” She smiled. “Every mermaid has a different change colour, but it’s always black and white during the full and new moon. At least, from the kingdom I’m from.” Nagyung’s tone turned wistful, like she was stuck between reminiscing and not wanting to think about it.

Jiwoo could relate to that.

“Can I ask you a question now?” Nagyung’s voice was low in volume, like she was unsure of herself. Jiwoo nodded with no hesitation.

“It’s only fair.” She smiled kindly.

“Do you hate Wooyoung?”

Jiwoo had taken a few moments to answer. Not because she really had to think about it, for she knew she could never hate her brother. That word was reserved for her father and his equals. She was just angry and hurt. She knew what hate felt like and it wasn’t what she felt for her brother. Nagyung’s question had startled her a little, not expecting it.

“No.” She whispered after a bout of silent. “No, I don’t hate him.”

“Then why are neither of you talking?”

“How much do you know about my brother?”

“Quite a bit…” Nagyung trailed off, unusually not wanting to brag for once, “I would say he’s my best friend.”

“Then you know he ran away from our… predicament.”

“Yes.”

“I was fifteen.”

Nagyung laid a hand over Jiwoo’s. It was comforting, the most comfort Jiwoo had been given in a long while.

“So was I, when I ran away.” She whispered. Jiwoo looked at her through watery eyes. Maybe Nagyung would understand both of the Jung siblings more than they would ever know.

Jiwoo cleared her throat, the feeling of pushing away her tears before they fell was like routine to her now. “It happened faster than it felt like. It was about two month of looking that my father decided I would become his new toy to play with. He put me through training his soldiers went through, taught me how to use a sword and a gun. When my mother died a year later, he decided it was finally time to put me to use. Just like he had done with Wooyoung.” She chuckled humourlessly. “I always thought that he would come back and save me.”

After another bout of silence, while Nagyung twisted their hands so their fingers were intertwined, the young mermaid spoke up. “He did though, didn’t he?”

“Did he?” Jiwoo scoffed lowly. She knew it would make sense, the words of her captors before she passed out running through her ears, “grab her and let’s go,” he had said, like they were expecting to get her. It didn’t mean she had to acknowledge it.

“Jiwoo…” Nagyung started, biting her bottom lip as her brows furrowed in thought. “Why do you think we came to Gilway Wharf in the first place?”

Jiwoo simply looked back up from her lap to Nagyung’s face.

“We came to get you. I’m sorry that you had to deal with so many years of torture before we did.” Her words were serious, solemn and asking for forgiveness even though she had done nothing wrong, none of them had. Not even Wooyoung.

“’You nought ask forgiveness out of sorrow not yours’.” Jiwoo quoted. Ten they settled back into silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable, the sound of the ocean waves against the boat was calming, the sound of the crew working around them was somehow calming, the rhythmic stroking of Nagyung’s thumb on the back of her hand was soothing.

“Who said that?” Nagyung asked after a while, her innocent eyes making Jiwoo smile fondly at her.

“My mother.”

“She sounds… very wise.”

“She was. So very wise and so very kind.”

“Wooyoung hardly ever talks about his mother.” Nagyung whispered and Jiwoo almost didn’t hear her. She acted like she hadn’t.

Nagyung made the split decision to brighten the atmosphere by tugging gently on their clasped hands as she stood, her expression once again a bright grin. “I may have a way for your leg to get better faster, if you’re up for it?”

Jiwoo raised an intrigued eyebrow.

“Mermaid magic.” Nagyung giggled, wiggling the fingers of her free hand.

Jiwoo shrugged her shoulders, “sure”, as Nagyung helped her stand up. The two girls walked over to a couple of nearby barrels. Jiwoo rested against one as Nagyung popped the lid of the other one, open with her hands, to reveal clear and clean water.

“How strong are you?”

“I can lift four times my own weight! Five when I’m in the water with my tail.”

“Wow. Is that a mermaid thing?”

“Yes! Much to the crew’s disappointment. When they learned about it, they all wanted to learn how I got so strong and how they could themselves. I told them ‘be born with a tail!’ but they didn’t find it funny.”

“I think it’s funny.”

“Thank you! Wooyoung did too.” Nagyung smiled, the comment coming naturally to her as she let her bare arms rest in the water.

Jiwoo let herself smile a little. Nagyung really did like talking about her brother, didn’t she? Jiwoo decided that she didn’t mind.

“Now, I’m gonna lift you up and let you sit on that barrel, then we’ll get to the fun bit!” Nagyung said, and then she carried out her words. Jiwoo felt a little weird, being picked up by a girl both stronger and smaller than her, but she didn’t have the heart to voice her thoughts. Nagyung tugged gently on Jiwoo’s legs letting them sink into the water of the open barrel. Jiwoo watched as water sloshed out and onto the deck as the space was overtaken by her legs. She tucked at the linen ‘shorts’ she wore, not particularly wanting to get them wet.

“Okay, I’ve done this a few times, but it takes a lot out of me so Yeosang doesn’t like me doing it.”

“Then why are we doing it? I’ll heal in time.”

“Yes, in time! I can heal you right now and then you won’t have to rely on anyone to do something as simple as walking!”

“Okay.” Jiwoo yielded, though she didn’t put up much of a fight. She did want to walk by herself again.

Nagyung smiled and then closed her eyes, hands  under the water, fingers circling her injured leg. It didn’t hurt, not anymore than her knee already did anyway, but the feeling of water traveling up one’s legs like another layer of skin was weird. Jiwoo tried not to flinch as the cold water travelled over her knee but her body twitched a little involuntarily. She didn’t like anything touching her thighs – she still had problems with her own hands touching her thighs when she washed herself. She saw Nagyung’s head tilt towards her out of curiosity, but the young girl didn’t open her eyes, nor did she ask any questions. Jiwoo relaxed at the thought of not having to explain herself just yet.

Nagyung mumbled words Jiwoo couldn’t quite catch and then the pain in her knee started to fade away. After a full minute, Jiwoo couldn’t feel any pain in her knee at all, her eyes wide in amazement. Nagyung pulled her hands out of the water and gave her a tired smile.

“Shall we do your shoulder too?”

Jiwoo frowned, looking down to the shoulder in question, not sure how she had forgotten that she was injured in two places. Her gaze flickered back to Nagyung who pulled a reassuring smile across her face but Jiwoo was unconvinced. She knew what it looked like to hide ones tiredness – her mother used to do it often.

Jiwoo shook her head gently, smiling fondly at the younger girl. “You’ve done more than enough. I barely feel pain in my shoulder anyway, keep what’s left of your strength.”

Nagyung simply nodded, helping her out of the barrel and back to the floor of the ship. The girls grinned at one another when Jiwoo stood up by herself without her knee buckling.

“You’re amazing!” Jiwoo grinned, the first time her real smile had been seen in a long time, as she pulled the pink haired girl into her arms for a hug. Nagyung accepted it with the same amount of enthusiasm. Before long Jiwoo pulled away with a sharp jerk. “Did I just put my feet in drinking water?” She frowned, not wanting to have contaminated water for her own gain. Nagyung simply shook her head.

“These barrels are for washing the deck, the water barrels are further up deck, closer to the captain’s cabin.”

Jiwoo nodded out of relief.

“Speaking of captains…” the runaway princess trailed off as they started walking again, linking arms without Nagyung having to support Jiwoo anymore. “What is his name?” She asked hopefully.

Nagyung let out a little giggle, her smile growing as she noticed how much Jiwoo’s mood had improved. Nagyung felt proud of herself for helping the way she did. She couldn’t wait to tell Wooyoung all about it! When she opened her mouth to answer her new friend, the voice of the captain himself cut her off.

She wondered if he was just waiting for her to wake up so he could leave, or if he just so happened to be there as she woke up. Opening her eyes again, slowly this time to get used to the sun, they focused on her surroundings. Directly above her was an open slanted window, the glass panes were coloured to create a picture, but it was currently swung open, letting a breeze of air flow through the room. The room she was in was made of wood: the ceiling, the floors, the furniture.

Gritting through the pain in her shoulder Jiwoo forced herself to sit upright, taking note of what exactly she had gotten yourself into. She was in the back of the room, the cot she laid on pushed right against the wooden wall. There were two chairs close to the cot, several other cots were scattered around. The room was quite big, she noted. She was also surprised to see she was rocking slightly, a small bobbing motion she wouldn’t have caught if she wasn’t good at catching the smallest of detail. Was she on a boat?

Slung over one of the chairs was the jacket she had bought. Jiwoo looked to herself then. No longer was she wearing her leather trousers, but a pair of linen trousers that had been cut, or ripped, at the mid-thigh. They weren’t hers, the pair she had packed were a grey colour while the ones on her legs were a cream colour. Jiwoo felt confused, as she battled internally with two opposing emotions; anger and relief. Anger that she had been changed by a stranger who was most likely a man  – and a pirate no doubt. Yet she felt relieved that she was alive, that you still had clothes, that she was no longer with her father.

She still wore her own shirt, another thing she was relieved about. A woman’s underwear was confining, a contest that would make one lose their breath if they so much as looked at it. Jiwoo usually went without undergarments for her top half when she went riding, seeing as she wasn't particularly gifted in that area she hadn’t thought it mattered much anyway. Jiwoo wondered what the person who changed her must have thought about that revelation but quickly dispelled the thought, not wanting to imagine it. The shirt was surprisingly still white, only stained red around the shoulder. However, Jiwoo found that the shirt was cut, or rather ripped, around her left shoulder where the joint was wrapped in bandage cloth.

She was astounded as to how well her shirt was still intact and covering her body with a chunk of the arm missing.

Interrupting her thoughts was the opening of a door, scraping across the wooden floor. Through said door entered three people, but only two stayed to make their way towards Jiwoo. And then only one. Jiwoo felt her eyes widen at the sight of a female, a female? as she walked towards her.

“Hello,” she said. “I’m Nagyung. I looked after you while you were asleep.” Her voice was like bells to Jiwoo’s ears, her smile was both warm and kind. Jiwoo felt herself becoming more at ease, even though Nagyung was a complete stranger. “How do you feel? You’ve been asleep for a couple of days now.”

Days? How long were days?

“I feel… sore.” Jiwoo finally revealed, speaking slowly and not once looking away from the woman in front of her.

Nagyung laughed, although it was more like a giggle, coming to sit down next to Jiwoo on the cot. “That’s to be expected. You were shot! Twice.”

Under the sunlight that streamed through the window, Jiwoo could make out Nagyung’s features more clearly. Her hair was light, but now she saw it to be a shade of candyfloss pink instead of the light red she had first assumed. It was out of her face, held in a simple knot Jiwoo noted was made from her own hair - no leather in sight. Jiwoo also noted the sparse scattering of pearls in the knot, shining under the sun before Nagyung turned her face to hers. Her face was small, but her eyes were big, a mix between green and blue, swirling mad like whirlpools had been caught in her irises. Her face was round and as she smiled at Jiwoo, who caught sight of dimples under apple-like cheeks. Jiwoo hadn’t seen many people like Nagyung in all her years of life. While Jiwoo stared, she talked. But she heard none of it, only coming back down to earth as Nagyung disconnected their locked gazes and looked towards the other person in the room. Honestly, Jiwoo would have whined if it weren’t for the name that spilt from her lips as she did.

“Wooyoung says we’re about the same age!”

Wooyoung? The name of her brother? It had to be a coincidence. There was more than one Wooyoung in the world. 

Her heart still skipped a beat.

“Thanks, Nagyungie” His voice sighed, Jiwoo’s eyes snapped to him as he moved forward into a stream of light. His face was exactly as Jiwoo remembered it.

“Wooyoung.”

He only nodded.

“Your face hasn’t changed at all.”

“Yours has.”

“Well, I’m not fourteen anymore.”

“No, you’re not.”

Silence. 

Jiwoo hated silence.

Jiwoo had often wondered how it would be when she saw her brother again. She had never doubted that he was alive until recently, only ever starting to doubt if he cared to come back. However, Jiwoo had never imagined it would be this awkward. She guessed she hardly knew him anymore, and he didn’t know her at all now.

Nagyung looked between the two siblings, patted Jiwoo's non-wounded shoulder before leaving the room. Jiwoo caught the reassuring smile she sent Wooyoung as she paused him, pausing like she wanted to do something more but deciding against it and hurried to leave.

“Why were you in Gilway?”

“It was your birthday. I’d rather not be forced to spend it with our father if it’s all the same to you.”

“I can understand that. But you were in men’s clothes, he called for a kingdom-wide search. You ran.”

Jiwoo chuckled hollowly. “Aren’t you smart.”

“Don’t start.” Wooyoung almost sneered.

“I’m not.”

“Why.”

“Why what?”

He rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Why’d you run away?” He expanded.

“Maybe I was following my brothers’ footsteps.” Her voice was ironic, full of sarcasm.

“Be serious.”

Jiwoo rolled her eyes, not particularly wanting to tell her brother the entire truth. She found she no longer trusted him. “I gave up waiting for you to come back and save me and decided to save myself.”

“-and run into pirates and get shot?” He cut her off, raising an eyebrow.

“It wasn’t like I knew there were pirates in Gilway Wharf!” She exclaimed. “And you’re a pirate too! Aren’t you?”

“That doesn’t matter.” He dismissed.

“Of course, it does.” She argued. “You ran away from a man who was forcing you to raid and murder just to become a pirate were you willingly choose to raid and pillage and murder!”

His voice was raised, “I don’t murder,” but his tone left nothing for the imagination.

“Yeah, okay. Sure, I believe you.”

“You can believe what you want.”

“I will, you don’t get to decide my thoughts, Wooyoung.”

The two siblings relapsed into silence. Maybe Wooyoung had in fact changed. His face was older she noticed, as he shifted slightly and his face was cast in light from the window. His hair was lighter than she remembered, now it looked almost grey. His eyebrows were drawn, a frown shaping his features, a raised piece of skin just above his left eye becoming more prominent. He had scars she’d never seen before. He wore casual clothes, the kind she knew he liked to wear just to spite their father. He wore tight leather pants paired with a loose linen shirt, much like the one Jiwoo herself was wearing. His was open lower down his chest that hers though. Over the top was a leather jacket that had been dyed with a deep blue. He let out a long sigh, moving forward towards her. Almost reflexively, Jiwoo moved back. It wasn’t that she was scared of him per say, more like she was cautious of anyone who approached her. She had enough reason to be.

Wooyiung just sat down on a nearby chair, rubbing his face with his hands once before looking over at his sister. “What? Don’t you trust me?”

“No.” She shot back with no hesitation. “You’re a pirate. I don’t even know you anymore.”

“I’m still the same person.”

“Then earn it again.”

“Earn it? I’m your brother!” He practically shouted, standing up from his seat.

“You left me alone! With that man! For five years!” Jiwoo was shouting now too.

“Alone? That bastard would never be able to touch you! Mother would never allow it.”

“Well, maybe not but our mother is dead so...” She paused, looking away from him, “that kind of defeats your point.” Her voice fell flat, emotionless. 

Wooyoung took a large step towards her, grabbing her shoulders firmly – though not hard enough for it to hurt her – and crouching down so that their eyes were level, face to face. “What?” He asked.

“Mother died four years ago. I guess you never heard about it.”

“How?”

“How do you think? Our father killed our mother, blamed it on her  chambermaid and then made me kill her.”

“What.”

Jiwoo scoffed, moving her shoulders out of his grasp, watching his hands fall to his sides. “Yeah. I became his new toy as soon as you went missing. He made me learn how to use a sword and a gun and then he made me use them.”

“I… I’m sorry.” His voice was low. She replied with a singular scoff.

“What am I even doing here?” She broke, voice slightly cracking. Though, she kept her face expressionless.

“So, you’d rather bleed out to death on the muddy floor in a port town where everyone was going crazy looking for you to return you to the king?”

“No. I’m wondering why your captain cornered me, causing me to get shot, twice, and why one of those other pirates told him to grab me and go before I passed out.”

“How do you even remember that?”

“Nice to know that is what happened?” Jiwoo raised an eyebrow, she wasn’t even sure that was what happened, well now she was. Before he could reply, she continued. “You learn to remember things quickly when you live in hell.”

Silence. Again. Would they ever get over it?

“Just, lay down. Get some rest.” He ordered softly, already walking backwards. “Rest up, we’re in the middle of the ocean anyway, there’s not much you can do.”

And then he was gone. And she was alone, again.

                                    ✦❘༻༺❘✦

As soon as she left, Nagyung felt bad. She knew her mouth could talk without her brain thinking and she might have just ruining Wooyoung’s plan of talking to his sister once again.

She stood, leant against the door she just came from, with her eyes closed as shame filled her being.

Nagyung was still young, and she still let emotions get the best of her sometimes. She hadn’t meant to ruin their reunion.

“Nagyung? Why are you crying?” She heard the voice of her friend and master healer, Kang Yeosang, as he gently laid a hand upon her shoulder. She hadn’t even realised her eyes were leaking.

“I just messed it all up for Wooyoung!” She couldn’t help but wail.

Yeosang frowned, gathering her into his arms.

“He’s going to be so mad at me!”

“He won’t be.” Yeosang patted her back in soothing motions.

Soon enough Nagyung started to calm down however, as voices began to raise from inside the infirmary, her cries started up again.

“Come,” Yeosang commanded softly, pulling her away from the door and toward the other side of the ship, where she could look over the sea. “Let them sort things out. We all knew there was a chance Jiwoo would’ve angry.”

“But Wooyoung wanted t-”

“Wooyoung knew things were going to be different. It’s better to get all the anger out at the beginning instead of it exploding later.” Yeosang cut her off.

Nagyung nodded.

She was about to speak again but was cut off by the sound of a door slamming shut. The two of the switches their gazes over to where Wooyoung has just left the infirmary. He looked at them before taking off towards the crow’s nest on the main mast.

“He hates me!” Nagyung whined again. However, her tears had stopped flowing. Yeosang simply smiled before turning around to lean against the side of the ship, watching the vastness of nothing but the clear blue sea the surrounded them.

“How can everyone be in the wrong father?” Jiwoo asked, confusion washing over her thoughts.

“Because, little one, not everyone understands the plight of a bird; their downfall.” Her father paused. He kept his arm raised, finger still pointing at the small bird. She had stopped walking now. Wooyoung had yet to speak.

In the next second, the bird’s chirping ceased to sound out, a small silver knife punctured its breast as it itself ceased to exist. The only sound in the garden now was the sharp intake of breath from the brother and the small cry that left the sisters lips. Your father then, and only then, turned to face his children.

“Birds are weak. They have no purpose but to fly around, be caged and get killed.”

Then he walked away, leaving Jiwoo to sink to her knees as tears streamed down her face. She was six years old when she witnessed her father kill an innocent bird for a metaphor. Wooyoung had picked her up and let her cry into his shoulder, still not saying a word.

Jiwoo was ten years old when she witnessed her father kill a man and she was eleven when she witnessed her father make her brother kill a man for the first time. Wooyoung was only fourteen.

Jiwoo was fifteen when she witnessed her father kill an innocent child in the name of justice. That was when Wooyoung finally spoke up and informed her of how wicked a man their father was. He disappeared a few days after that.

She could hear the excitement of the people down in the city her house overlooked but she couldn’t bring herself to share their sentiments. One says house, but it would be a rather big understatement to say the least, for Jiwoo lived in a castle. She could never be a free bird. Jiwoo was caged by her duties as a princess.

Today was her brother’s birthday. The city always celebrated a royal’s birthday — whether they were missing or not. She could never find it within herself to join the festivities. The day marked Wooyoung’s twenty-third birthday, adding another year to his age and another number to the years he had been missing.

Five years.

She was starting to give up hope that her brother was even still alive. He wouldn’t really leave her alone with their father, would he?

Jiwoo retreated from her balcony, gently closing the glass doors so she couldn’t hear the people anymore. She walked slowly across the room, bare feet almost tracing the marble tiles of the floor. Her fingers traced the silks and fabrics of her bed and the garments laying on it. Her handmaiden, Hayoung, had laid out a grand dress for her earlier in the day - the cream fabric quilted with golden patterns, the corset with golden laces. Gold had been Jiwoo’s favourite colour and now, she felt sick just looking at it. She looked down at herself, standing in the middle of her bedroom in nothing but a man’s button-down shirt, the white cloth covering all of her frame. She wiggled her toes when her eyes caught sight of them, and a small smile was brought to her lips. She looked over her shoulder at one of the open wardrobes, staring at the set of trousers one leather and the other linen.

She let her eyes flicker between the trousers in the wardrobe and the dress on her bed, once, twice, before she made up her mind. She wasn’t going to let her father dictate her life anymore.

Her fingers brushed over the linen and the leather. Her heart was beating out of her chest. It wouldn’t be the first time she had worn them, they were specially tailored for her when she started horseback riding but, fear still struck her heart at the thought of her father hearing she had skipped out in the celebration of her brother’s birthday. Not that the bastard actually cared for a more than a second.

Jiwoo’s next thought was strange. The idea of running away and never coming back. She had played around with it for almost four years, after the death of her mother. Could she really become an orphan? Her father would never welcome her back into the castle.

No. She couldn’t live like this anymore. She was going to become the bird she’d always aspired to be. Jiwoo fisted the leather trousers before slipping them over her legs, linen was easier to fold.

She grabbed a pair of leather boots, not bothering with the linen socks Hayoung often implored her to wear. The leather slipped over her feet and she plopped them down on a nearby chair to lace them up properly. The leather wasn’t the firmest, but it meant it was easier to run in them. She folded the tops of the shoes down, fastening them around her calf with brass buttons. They weren’t the fanciest of shoe, but she was sure they were fancy for the port she was headed for.

She then grabbed the linen trousers and made a beeline across the room to where a bag made of firmer leather was hung over a door. A spare set of clothes was always needed. Jiwoo folded the trousers quietly, picking out two more shirts from the drawers to her left and packed them at the bottom of the bag. As she moved around the room her eyes caught sight of her dressing table, where jewels and pearls lay in strings. She grabbed the pearl necklaces and laid then in between a set of undergarments. They would be helpful in case of a money shortage. She was about to turn away when her hand brushed against another necklace. It was the royal family jewel. Her mother used to wear it every day and had gifted it to her in her will. She knew it was important to the throne. 

Which is why she took it too.

She set the bag down on her bed, searching her thoughts for anything else she may need. In the calm silence, she finally tucked her shirt into the leather around her waist, securing a thin belt through the loops: it would help with carrying things on her waist. She grabbed a few books, laying them on top of the clothing before closing the bag and sliding it over her head to lay on the opposite shoulder.

She didn’t have a jacket, nor did she have a hat. Figuring she’d just buy them on the way, she picked up a medium sized sack of coins as well as an empty smaller sack and attached it them the belt on her hip. Now all she needed was to get to her horse, Jax, without being spotted.

                               ✦❘༻༺❘✦

“Lady Jiwoo?” She heard a voice, freezing her in her stance as she was petting Jax. Turning slowly her eyes met the confused ones of the stable boy called Gunho. She wasn’t allowed to learn of the staff’s last names, courtesy of her father’s rules, but Gunho had once let it slip in conversation after Jiwoo had come home late in the night and decided it was better to head back to the castle in the morning than wake everyone up. Jeong Gunho was a good friend. She turned to him, a frown framing her features.

“I’ll be back before the celebrations, Gunho, I promise.” She pleaded, eyes flickering to the bag against her hip, conveniently hiding the sacks of coins.

“But you’ve got a bag packed?” His voice was light, one could hear the confusing lacing his soft tone. Jiwoo had never been a very good liar, but now she had to try.

“I’m just feeling restless right now, there’s nothing more than a couple of books and a few apples for Jax.” She smiled. It was small and broken and if Gunho noticed he refrained from commenting. So, she continued. “You know how father hates it when I leave the festivities early because I’m restless. I’ll be back soon. I promise-”

“Okay, Lady Jiwoo.” He cut off her ramblings. She nodded and gave him a stronger smile before mounting Jax. The horse had no saddle, she figured you would simply set him free once you reached Gilway Wharf. In her haste to leave, she hadn’t noticed that Gunho had now set his sights on the sacks in your hip.

“Gunho?” Jiwoo asked after a few seconds, looking down at him from her heightened stature.

“Yes, M’lady?” She almost frowned. She hated that he had to be polite and formal right now.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

Then she left and, somehow, Gunho knew she wasn’t going to come back.

While the day was good today, during the past week it had rained. The grounds were wet and as Jax cantered through the lanes she could both hear and feel the up-splash of mud. Jiwoo let a smile grace her lips as she urged him to start a gallop, the wind brushing through her long dark hair, blowing it behind her in a wave-like shadow. She was doing it.

It didn’t take long to reach the port town of Gilway Wharf, but Jiwoo knew Jax would be tired after all the galloping. The two of them slowed down to a slow trot before she stopped next to a market stall.

“What can I get you for, young lass.” The man behind the stall smiled. It was a kind smile, she knew that was the intention anyway, but the squint of his eyes and scared face threw her off a little.

“A couple of apples, please,” Jiwoo answered, reaching down to grab the three coins he asked for in return. She hadn’t been to Gilway Wharf very many times at all, any smaller town for that matter, so when she handed over three coins the reaction it warranted from the man startled her. His eyes had grown wide and he practically fell over his own feet. Jiwoo smiled as kindly as she could before moving on, not completely understanding his reaction.

When they reached a more secluded part of the town she dismounted from Jax, holding an apple in the flat of her palm and letting him eat. Once he had finished both apples she smiled fondly at the white-grey-speckled stallion. She petted him gently, letting her fingers brush through his mane. She wanted to remember how he felt before she set him free.

The town was bustling, busier than she remembered from the last time she had been here. Then again, she was seven and only passing through with her mother to send your father off on a journey and today was the birthday of a prince.

Jiwoo made her way down the main street before she stopped as a leather coat caught her attention. She walked slowly towards the shop, entering through the open doorway, door missing.

“Hello?” She spoke out tentatively, sticking her head around partition walls within the run-down shop. She wandered around more when she wasn’t answered, coming to stop before the coat that caught her eye. The leather was dark, darker than her trousers but not quite black. It was long and showed off two deep pockets, one either side around half way down. The collar was thin, but she found it quite stylish. She lifted a hand to run your fingers over the silver buttons that lined the bust of the jacket. Around the waist was a fastening, a flap covering another pocket on the right side.

“See something you like, my dear?”

Jiwoo jumped, startled, dropping her hand to turn on her heel to confront the person who scared her. It was an older woman, curling grey hair framed her face which was free of scars. Her skin looked worn, but it was smooth despite the wrinkles that lined her eyes and lips.

Jiwoo silently nodded.

Since the two women were in such close proximity Jiwoo’s eyes caught sight of the change in her own: from curious to delighted.

“Oh! Lovely!” The old woman exclaimed. “This coat’s the one I take it?”

Jiwoo nodded once again.

“I made it myself- quite a- many years ago.” The woman’s words struggled to come out of her mouth coherently as she stumbled over them like she couldn’t make up her mind what she wanted to say. Or that she forgot what she was saying. “Made it for someone special- yes you are special- just for you.” She grabbed the jacket with one hand and Jiwoo’s wrist with the other, pulling her further into the shop. Jiwoo could no longer hear her mumbles. “A princess wants a coat- a princess will get a coat.”

Once at the back of the shop she stopped abruptly, almost shoving the garment into Jiwoo’s hands. “Put it on!” She cried with a grin, “put it on! Let us see if it’s just right.” So, Jiwoo put it on. She slipped the coat over her arms and was pleasantly surprised that it fit the length of her arms perfectly. She fastened it at the waist and smoothed out the fabric. It was perfect. She looked up at the woman with a perplexed expression.

“It fits perfect.”

“I know”

Jiwoo didn’t want to ask why her tone sounded like she had made it specifically for her instead of a tone of amazement that it simply fit exactly.

“How much money do you require for it?”

“How much do you think it’s worth?” She asked. There was a second of silence before she began cackling. “That matters not, a handful of coins from that sack on your hip shall do the trick. Enjoy it, My Lady.”

                                                 ✦❘༻༺❘✦

A couple of hours later Jiwoo sat in a tavern. The table she sat at was more secluded than she intended but it was the closest one to the window, where she could see both the sea and the setting sun. Her jacket kept her warm every time the door was opened and the cool breezed wafted through the room. She had a tankard of what she assumed was Gilway’s finest alcohol, not that she had drunk much of it. The reason she came here was not to drink anyway.

Jiwoo had always been good at being quiet, to hear everything around her. She wanted to know which boats had just docked and which were about to leave. She wanted to know who would have a problem with a woman on board or if she would have to tie up your hair and pretend she was a man. She was about to put away her book – which she was only pretending to read – and leave when she overheard a conversation from a young man that just entered and the woman behind the bar. Jiwoo shifted her position, so she was facing them, head down and eyes still on the book she held as she flipped a page as if she had suddenly become uncomfortable and needed a small change.

“Getting ready to leave then?” The barmaid asked, preparing a drink for the man without being asked.

“Today, The Poseidon is all fixed and ready to depart again.” The man sounded like he was already drunk and loose-lipped. Or perhaps he just carefree. How Jiwoo craved she could be carefree.

“That was quick.”

“Indeed. Our carpenter is very quick.”

Jiwoo let her gaze raise to watch them then. The man was wearing a brimmed hat, hiding his face from her gaze but she could still make out the tuft of hair that escaped it. His hair was a light brown, or maybe a dusty blonde - Jiwoo couldn’t tell from this far away. She couldn’t tell if he even knew the barmaid - not that it mattered since he’d be leaving today.

“Couldn’t you stay a little longer?” The maid asked, pushing a glass towards him, resting her chest on her arms as she leant against the counter. That answered Jiwoo’s previous question - they must know each other to some extent.

“Sadly not.” He replied, taking a swig. “We have a journey to finish. My sister would skin me if we were late on our orders.” He spoke slowly like he was trying to convey a different message with the same words. Jiwoo’s attention was thoroughly grasped now, she had unconsciously lifted her head to face in their direction instead of just her eyes. His sister? A woman?

Before anything else could happen a drunken man slumped on the bar next to them lifted his head. His eyes widened and his voice was loud and slurred. “I recognise you!” He pointed, tried to point, a finger in the man’s face. “You’re that pirate! There’s a bounty on your head!” He had stood out of his chair, falling down once on his feet.

The man with the hat stood too, tilting his head to look at the drunk man yelling in his face. Now Jiwoo had a look at his face clearer, well what wasn’t still hidden under the brim of his hat. He was quite handsome with a small face and a defined jaw, hair around his neck that was longer than the rest.

“You might be mistaken, sir.” His tone was not kind, but it wasn’t particularly threatening. The tavern had become a hush of the same word. Pirate was all anyone could say. Jiwoo was shocked that she didn’t particularly care.

“I ain't! I’ve seen them eyes before! With my very own ones at that!” The man was wailing now. He grabbed the pistol from the gun strap around his gut and pointed it right at the man’s head. He didn’t flinch like one would expect most men to. Maybe one gets used to guns when you live on the seas as a pirate. He moved the gun at a surprising speed for a drunk man and moved the right sleeve of the man’s arm up with the barrel of the gun.

“You are a pirate!” He exclaimed. The man must be branded, Jiwoo thought.

As if everything wasn’t tense enough, another man burst through the door, panting and waving his arms around in a panic. “The princess is missing! The king has put out a kingdom-wide search!” He cried between breaths.

“What?!”

There was an uproar. Jiwoo didn’t think many people would care. She froze in your seat.

“First the Prince and now the Princess?” She heard someone shout. Without a word, she packed her book in her bag and stood to leave.

“What shall we look for?”

“Well, she’s got the long black hair they all had, don’t she?”

“Yes! and her horse is missing too! A white and grey stallion!”

“Well if we find the horse surely, she wouldn’t be too far.”

“I bet the King’s giving a reward too!”

Jiwoo left a single gold coin next to the practically full tankard of liquid and made a beeline for the door. She slipped out easily enough, but the streets were a different kind of mayhem. She paused in her steps for only a second before turning away and heading for the docks. She’d just slip on a random boat and plead ignorance if she was found.

Jiwoo hadn’t made it far before a hand wrapped around her upper arm, pulling her to a stop. She didn’t know what to do but all thoughts of fighting back disappeared when her gaze came to see the man named a pirate.

“You disappeared quite quickly there.” 

She didn’t answer him. Her eyes scanned his face, determined to remember his face so she knew to avoid it if she ever came into contact with him again. “You were also quite quiet when everyone became concerned over their princess.”

It took everything in Jiwoo not to flinch at the word hissed from his lips. “Why should I be concerned? It’s not like I’m going to find her.”

His laugh was shallow. He looked over his shoulder for a second, but Jiwoo’s eyes followed them nonetheless. Two more men stood behind him, she recognised then slightly, from the tavern, but she didn’t know they were with the pirate. One had artificial green hair, the colour changing under the sunset and the shadow. The other, the taller, had what she assumed was naturally dark brown hair, a singular braid twisted with metal hoops hung on the side of his face. That one looked somewhat familiar although she was sure she had never met them in her entire life.

“I think I just did.”

Jiwoo couldn’t stop the gasp that left her lips as her eyes snapped back to the man that held her.

“Well, now I know I did.”

Again, like a chain of events that could only get more unfortunate, they were cut off by a loud shout and a gunshot. Or three. Jiwoo couldn’t tell because she was encompassed in a great amount of pain.

“I’ll kill you! You… You pirate!” It was the drunk man from before. He had finally had the thought to use his gun. Sadly, for Jiwoo, he was still pissed drunk and one of the bullets had lodged itself into her knee cap. Another in her shoulder. There was another gunshot, where it came from Jiwoo couldn’t determine. She was in shock. Her head pounding as blood flowed from both her shoulder and knee on her left side. She stumbled, vision blurring. She had never been shot before - she didn’t think she liked it.

“Captain. We have to go. Pick the girl up! Let’s get out of here!”

“I haven’t been back since I left five years ago.” Jung Wooyoung replied, looking to his right, making eye contact with his captain’s profile. He caught sight of the smile on his face and couldn’t help but mirror it. His own smile didn’t last long, however, as he looked back to the port town.

Wooyoung held a secret. A secret only a handful of the crew knew of. He wouldn’t admit it to many people, but he was rather fearful of coming back to this port. The port he used to run away from his home in Frilla.

Before he could voice his concerns to his captain, a set of footsteps and a single voice cut across the quarter deck. “We’re almost at Gilway then?”

Her voice was strong sounding, it had to be when dealing with men - pirate men at that - but it wasn’t rough. The two men turned their heads towards the voice and the faces of two women came into view. Kim Harin and the girl they called Nakyung.

Hongjoong nodded, a smirk gracing his features. “Right on time.”

Harin reflected his smirk and came to stand on his other side. Whilst next to each other it wasn’t hard to take notice of their alikeness. The twins shared the same facial structure: a small face with a high nose and defined jawline. While Hongjoong’s hair was a light brown teetering on the verge of blonde, Harin’s locks remained their natural dark brown, held away from her face by a slither of leather, flyaways shaping her face.

Nakyung was another story. The young girl had a round face and apple-like cheeks made more prominent when she grinned. Her face was small, but her eyes were big - and always full of curiosity. Her dark blue hair was out of her face in an intricate braid, decorated with pearls and shells. Nakyung also had a secret, well it wasn’t much a secret to the crew.

“I’ll go get Jisun then.” The young mermaid grinned at the three of them before turning on her heels and running towards the other side of the ship, where the third and final female of the Poseidon liked to reside.

“Do you think it’s work as smoothly as last time?” Harin asked to no-one in particular, looking at the man walking towards them.

“I would say so. Jisun is the known owner of the Royal Naval Ship named The Poseidon. No-one knew it was a pirate ship when her father was the captain and there’s no reason to suspect it now. That ‘why you kept her on as official owner, Captain?” The voice of quartermaster Park Seonghwa was a welcomed addition. The blonde man coming to rest against the wooden railings that separated the quarter deck from the main deck. His gaze swept the group before landing on Wooyoung. “How are you feeling?”

Wooyoung simply shrugged. “Not much of anything.”

Seonghwa didn’t push him for his real answer. Instead, he switched his gaze to the female twin. “San is whining about Yunho’s whining again. Come help me sort them out?”

And then it was simply the two of them again.

“So, what are you really feeling?” Hongjoong asked after a few seconds of silence.

Wooyoung took his time to reply, his hand coming down to grip the hilt of his cutlass, knuckles turning white.

“I guess all there is to say is that I wish I don’t run into my father.” He squinted as the crew became more animated at the sight of land. “Especially when we go for my sister.”

Kim Harin → (second story)

24

Pilot and a Weaponry Master for the ‘Poseidon’

Twin sister of Kim Hongjoong

Been with the ‘Poseidon’ for fourteen years

Jeong Yunho

23

Master Boatswain for the ‘Poseidon’

Also acts as a lookout and can normally found in the Crow’s Nest

Has been with the ‘Poseidon’ for eleven years

Kang Yeosang

23

Master Doctor for the ‘Poseidon’

Soft spoken but holds the respect of everyone

Helped teach the entire crew how to read properly

Has been on the ‘Poseidon’ for seven years

Choi San

23

Master gunner for the ‘Poseidon’

He is always smiling which can be terrifying

Has been with the ‘Poseidon’ for eight years

Mingi

23

Second Mate and a Rigger of the ‘Poseidon’

‘Banished’ Merman

Was granted legs by a Sea Sprite and can only change during a full moon 

He doesn’t change back very often

Has been with the ‘Poseidon’ for five years

Jung Wooyoung

Just turned 23

A Navigator for the ‘Poseidon’

Missing, Runaway Prince 

Ran away at 18

Older brother to Jung Jiwoo

Has been on the ‘Poseidon’ for four years

Choi Jongho

22

A Rigger and Gunner for the ‘Poseidon’

Looks quiet and scary at first but can be the loudest when he trusts you

Has been on the ‘Poseidon’ for ten years

Park Jaehwa → (third story)

21

Commoner / Thief

Younger sister of Park Seonghwa

Never gave up hope that one day she’d find her brother and bring him back home - even though it had been 14 years

Had to fend for herself after her parents died when she was 10

Wants to get away from her city more than anything

Jung Jiwoo → (first story To Sea)

20

Runaway Princess 

Ran away at 20, the day of her brother’s birthday

Younger sister of Jung Wooyoung

Despised her father, Jung Woosung since the death of her mother, Jung four years ago

Nagyung

19 → youngest 

She doesn’t have a birthdate and goes by the Summer Solstice

Runaway Mermaid Royalty 

Ran away on her 15th Summer Solstice

Informant and Second Doctor for the ‘Poseidon’

She prefers to call herself a ‘Healer’

Was granted legs by a Sea Sprite and can only change during a full moon

She changes every full moon, but only for the night.