Chapter Text
Shock came first. He didn’t feel the blade or his skin tearing open. Just shock. His eye widened as the pain set in, emerald meeting blue. Zhym let out a croak, heartbreak on his face. He should have known this was how the fight would end. Alias had always been stronger than him. He thought he could make up for it with his agility or magic. It hadn’t meant to be this way. He could hear the stunned shouts of his crew, his first mate calling his name, But all he could focus on was the man in front of him. The man he had grown up with. The man he had loved. “Please.” It was all that came out. There was a thousand words he wanted to say. How he was sorry. How he shouldn’t have left. How this was his fault. But all he could say, was please.
There was conflict in Alias’s face. He seemed so angry. Zhym supposed it was only fair. He had abandoned his best friend that day four years ago. He had known Alias hated pirates. He had known that he loved him. But Zhym had been blinded by revenge. It hadn’t mattered that he was meant to take his holy vows. His village had still been standing. The cult had still been killing children. And so Zhym had left the church that saved him to join the crew of the Forsaken. He chose the path of blood and vengeance. It had never occurred to him that Alias would go after him.
“Please. That’s ironic.” The regret had left Alias’s face. There was rage. Even worse, there was the draconic possession he was cursed with. “Please, huh? I said that to you. When you left. When you abandoned me.” His words were harsh. The cool blues of his uniform, an oath to rid the continent of piracy, were stained with Zhym’s blood. He pushed his blade further, drawing out a pained gasp. “No. You don’t get to beg. You don’t get mercy. You chose your path. And I chose mine.”
He pulled the blade out hard, pulling Zhym into his arms. He caught him still. “But I suppose I’m not ready to kill you yet. So I’ll give you a chance. Surrender. For them.”
Alias twisted Zhym, A hand in ginger hair holding the man to face his crew. They had lost the battle. Most of the men were injured, and those that were alive and conscious watched their captain, held down. His first mate, Annikah, was held still by two men, watching in worry. “Don’t captain.” In another situation, Zhym would bless the loyalty of his crew. But now it left him no choice. “Annikah. In my absence, I expect you to manage the crew.”
He could feel the smirk behind him. “Good choice.” Zhym could barely hear it. The adrenaline faded and pain sank in rapidly, dizziness following quickly. He struggled to hide it. It was almost a mercy that Alias pulled him over to the planks holding their ships next to each other. He was dragged across, a misstep nearly sending him over the edge.
The hands holding him were so painfully familiar, and even now, part of his mind longed to lean into them. The memories nearly brought him to tears. As he stepped foot on the other ship, strength failed and darkness followed. As his consciousness slipped away, he heard shouts for the ship doctor. Then, a voice he could barely tell pointed at him. “You’re not escaping again. You were mine then, and you will be mine until I let you die.”