Thank you so much for the prompt! Once again, Iâm sorry this is probably not what you were hoping for or expecting, but this is where my brain wanted to go mostly because we already know about Killianâs issues with worthiness during the current story. I wanted to go back to when worthiness meant something else entirely.Â
As always, my â15-minute Masterpieceâ criteria are: writing for at least 15 minutes, light editing, no beta. Just me and words coming out of my brain.Â
âAnd when they come for us, I want them to know exactly what we are: pirates!â
His uniform shed, his ship renamed, his men free, and one short speech later, Lieutenant Jones is no more.
The Captain is dead, long live the Captain.
Killian promises his men theyâll live by their own rules; he promises theyâll take everything from the corrupt kingdom they can. He means it. Killian also knows that same promise marks them as wanted men. Theyâll be hunted, and there will be no rest.
Thatâs fine by him. Let them come. In droves.
Killian does not want to rest. He cannot dwell on what it means to be alone in this worldâwithout Liamâor it will drown him in a way even the deepest waters would envy. Killian Jones wants nothing more than to strip the kingdom bare and set it ablaze until there is nothing recognizable left. He will make the King wish heâd never sent the Jones brothers to Neverland for that bloody plant. He may have once had a loyal servant in Liam, but in Killian heâll get the most loyal of enemies.
He and his men will be pirates. The scourge of the seas.
âWeâll give our enemies no quarter.â
Setting course for the Kingâs waterways, the men prepare the new flag. Crimson. The color of the blood he will spill and the blood he will shed making the King pay for all heâs taken. But he wonât let that flag fly until the right moment. There is nothing to be gained by announcing his allegiance to himself so quickly.
The quartermaster finishes divvying up munitions from the hold below amongst the small canon that line the shipâs deck. His crew readies the JewelâThe Jolly Rogerâfor what is coming. Battle. It is only a matter of time.
âSails!â the boâsun calls out.
Lifting his spyglass he recognizes the frigate, Valiant. Â
Captain Paulson, Killian thinks. He had been a mentor to Liam. Pity. Theyâll see each other again soon.
The time it takes for the ships to approach each other slips by in what feels like a breath. Those men out there have no idea whatâs coming. Killian tells his men to keep steady.
âPretend nothing is amiss,â he says evenly, âbut stay close to your battle stations.â Killian presents a calm front to his men when inside he is a maelstrom feeding off itself.Â
He guides the ship to pass within firing range of its port side, and calls out for his men to raise the flag and fire. He learns that day an enchanted ship never misses its mark. Holes are blown in the hull of the Kingâs ship and Killian can see it taking on water.
The Valiant is crippled and in chaos as The Jolly Roger maneuvers swiftly around the listing and smoking shipâs starboard side. Killianâs men are already prepared or a second round before The Valiant can even open its gunports. They fire, sweeping the deck of anything standing.
The Jolly Roger pulls in close and Killian and his men board the ship as the smoke rolls and billows, obscuring their arrival.
Swords clang and guns report as the melee fans out across the deck. Killian slashes his way toward the Captain, already bloodied and looking irritated as he defends the helm. When Killian stands before him, the captain narrows his eyes as he recognizes his foe. Â
âJones? What is the meaning of this? Where is Liam?â he asks. His mistake is making his question sound like a command.
Killian takes a deep breath and clenches his jaw before seething out, âDo not say his name. Do not ever say his name. My brother is dead. I am Captain now.â
In his confusion, Captain Paulson, a weathered, wiry man old enough to be his father, let his weapon drop to his side.
âWhatâs happened, Killian? What are you doing?â
âSending a message to the King.â
In two quick moves, Killian has the Captain completely disarmed, and his own sword point poised in front of the belly of the man before him. The Kingâs man.
âThis isnât what your brother would haveââ
Killian thrusts his blade into Paulsonâs gut and up, bringing all his weight to bear, and pushing it out through Paulsonâs back. The Captain sags against him with a gurgle, never finishing his sentence.
âMy brother didnât want to die, either,â Killian says in the manâs ear before sliding his blade back out and letting Paulson fall to the deck. âWhatâs one more disappointment?â
Cheers go up behind him, and Killian stands, breath heaving and tremors running up his arms and legs.
He wipes his face and sees only blood on his sleeve. The rest of the crew is dispatched save one young boy no older than Killian was when their father abandoned him and Liam. He puts the boy into a rowboat and hands him the envelope with the picture of the dreamshade and a special message for His Majesty.
Pointing to the shore within sight, he tells the obviously frightened lad, âYou get this to the King, and then you find yourself a new career. Understood?â
The boy nods and stuffs the envelope into his jacket.
âGood lad. Get going. Things are about to get hot here.â
From the deck of The Jolly Roger, Killian watches the Valiant burn as the sun sets and he feels nothing. No remorse, no sadness, no fear. Their course is set and there is no turning back.
âCaptain Jonesâ should have carried a heroâs reputation. Now it will carry fear into the hearts of sailors throughout the realms. A pirate worthy of the name.