Oh Captain, My Captain 3

I woke up to the sound of men barking orders and groaned. I wasn't in the cargo hold anymore. I was in what reminded me of an infirmary. I sat up suddenly, staggering out of bed as I tried to figure out where I was. Where the captain was.

"London!" someone yelled, but I ignored it as I searched desperately for the captain.

"Where is he?" I whimpered as my bare feet padded on the cobblestones. "Where is Captain Drevan?" I demanded of the nearest guard who looked almost afraid that I was touching him.

"Captain Drevan is currently in a cell suffering the consequences of raping a governor's son," a voice said behind me and I whipped around before whimpering at the pain.

"Father!" I cried and he quickly grabbed me, wrapping me in a blanket.

"Come now, London," he said gently. "Let's get you back to bed."

"But the captain... The captain didn't do this..." I whispered, refusing to let him take me anywhere. "The captain... he told them they couldn't... and they... they mutinied... The rest of them did this, Father! Not the captain! He was chained in the hold when they did this!"

"London, come now," he said again patronizingly. "I understand you developed feelings for your captor, but he is being punished now as we speak."

"No!" I shouted, tearing away from him. "He helped me! Protected me! You can't hurt him! You have to help him! He's not the one who hurt me!" He stared at me for a moment before motioning to one of the guards watching us.

"Tell them to hold off until we can get to the bottom of this," my father said and I collapsed at the burst of energy I didn't actually have. My father picked me up easily for a politician and despite not wanting to be carried, I didn't have my choice.

"Take me to him..." I whispered, causing his grip to tighten on me. "Hear it for yourself... Please, Father. Don't let the guilty ones actually go free when you punish an innocent man..." He finally relented and carried me down into the prison below to where they were keeping the captain.

"Captain!" I cried, throwing myself free of my father and collapsing at the base of the bars than were the walls of his cell. "Drevan... Please... talk to me..." He groaned.

"Wha... where are we?" he asked, just barely turning his head towards me.

"Port Royale," my father replied for me.

"Captain... they're... they're saying you're the one who hurt me..." I whimpered, gripping the bars tightly. "Tell them you didn't... Tell them the truth!"

"I... I didn't hurt anyone," he managed to say.

"See... Father..." I whispered, though I was afraid that hadn't been enough.

"So this is where you are!" a new voice said and I turned to see the port doctor coming down towards us. "London should not be in such a place while he is still recovering."

"Ah, Doc, he was trying to convince me that the prisoner wasn't the one who attacked him," my father said.

"Well, I'd believe it," the doctor said. "There's no way one man did that kind of damage to his body, or at the very least, not this man. I can't believe you'd take the word of a crew that mutinied over that of your own son." Drevan smiled a little.

"Found yer way home, mi'lady?" he asked softly. "Good..."

"Captain!" I shouted, trying to get him to stay with me. "Father! Do something before he dies!" I demanded, very much unhappy that the captain was in jail and not his crew. My father groaned some, probably at the knowledge that the true culprits had gotten away from him.

"Take him upstairs to the infirmary," Father said, gesturing to the cell. "Doc, make sure he gets sail worthy. He's going to help us find the bastards who touched my son." The cell door was opened and the doctor went in, putting his hands on the captain and making him shiver.

"He's got a severe fever already..." the doctor said. "Who has the keys for the manacles?" One of the guards moved forward, quickly unlocking the chains.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Father asked. "He is still a pirate."

"Yes, well, if I don't get him upstairs immediately he may only be a corpse tomorrow," the doctor replied and I pulled myself up, keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around my body.

"Please... Doc... You have to save him..." I whimpered even as my father picked me up. Drevan cried out in pain as he was picked up by a few guards.

"I'll do my best," the doctor said. "But he's bad off." I whimpered some as my father led the way upstairs with guards following. He put me back into my bed as the captain was put into the bed next to me.

"I've got to go run the port," Father said as he brushed my hair back gently. "Get better, London." I nodded a little, turning on my side so I could watch as the doctor set to work on trying to get Drevan healthy.

"We need to set these breaks," the doctor said as he called some other people over. "This is going to hurt I'm afraid," he said, but the doctor set to pulling and twisting his bones back into place. Drevan screamed until his throat was raw and I whimpered, slipping out of my bed to get closer to him. I managed to get close enough to nuzzle against his shoulder, crying for him with the pain he was clearly in.

It seemed to take hours for all of his bones to be set and then tied to keep them in place so they wouldn't move. Then the doctor moved to stitching up his cuts. I slipped into his bed, keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around me. I made sure not to touch him anywhere but at the neck and shoulder where I'd been nuzzling him before. The captain passed in and out of consciousness as the doctor continued to tend his wounds. Eventually, Drevan actually woke up again, but by then, I was the only one left in the room.

"Mm... how long?" he murmured, though his voice sounded rough.

"A few hours this time..." I said softly as I changed out the cloth on his forehead before nuzzling into his neck again. He grunted some.

"Feels shorter..." he murmured. "How're you, princess?" he asked, sighing some.

"Sore and weak..." I murmured against his skin. "Doc says it'll be a few weeks before you're sea worthy and can take a ship to go after your crew..."

"We're going after my crew?" he echoed, very confused.

"Yes... they gave us to the navy... and told them you were the one who raped me..." I said softly. "I woke up just before they were going to castrate you for it... Doc was the one who told my father the story he was told was wrong. So my father's pissed about lied to and letting the wrong people get away." He shivered some.

"I do vaguely remember the castration bit. I'm glad that didn't happen… although since I'm sure I'll be hanged here soon I can't say it'll make too much difference."

"They... won't hang you..." I whispered. "As long as we bring yer crew in to be punished... He'll give you a pardon because you protected me..."

"And if I can't find them to bring them for punishment?" he asked warily. "I somehow doubt he'll be so forgiving if I can't hand them over."

"Then we simply won't return..." I murmured. "But I know you can find them... They were after your treasure after all. And the boat needed real repair not just patchwork."

"I'm glad you have such confidence... But they will have quite the head start on us," he pointed out.

"We'll catch them, Captain..." I whispered. "I've no choice but to believe that. You can't die on me..."

"Why do you still call me 'captain'?" he asked curiously. "I have no ship or crew to be captain of."

"But you do..." I murmured. "You'll always be my captain... and as soon as you are sea worthy, you'll have a ship and crew again." He seemed somewhere surprised by that.

"You consider me your captain?" he asked. "You haven't forgotten I bear a pirate brand have you?" he asked.

"I have not forgotten..." I whispered. "But you protected me when you didn't have to... and protected me at such a high cost... I wish I could have repaid the debt better. But at least as of now I can dedicate my life to serving under you, Captain."

"I highly doubt your father will like that idea, princess," he murmured. "He is somewhat bound by laws where pirates are concerned."

"I am not concerned about that, Captain..." I whispered. "I only care about sailing the sea again with you." He chuckled some.

"You speak as if you've fallen in love with me, London. What spectacular thing would I have done to achieve something so wonderful?" I paused for a moment, unsure of how to answer that. I wanted to say that men didn't love men, but I didn't want to possibly offend him. I knew I was different.

"I... don't know how to answer that... Drevan..." I whispered. "I can't admit to loving another man... but I don't want... to deny it either..."

"Mmm, I see," he mused aloud before turning his head slightly to nuzzle the top of mine. "Luckily for you, I don't care about breaking any laws," he told me softly.

"Is... that why... you wouldn't let me go to the men?" I asked quietly. "Because you wanted me?"

"Mm, the thought had crossed my mind once or twice," he admitted. "But I'd rather you not need to get drunk before such things. It makes it feel like a mistake. One that you're not likely to remember." I frowned a little.

"Because... I'm scared..." I whispered. "It's... hard enough knowing... but to admit it... to someone else... is terrifying... Being drunk... I don't have to remember if I'm rejected..."

"It's understandable to be scared but you don't have to be. I'm not quite normal myself. I did tell you I hate women," he told me. I nuzzled into his neck a little more, one of the few uninjured places on his body.

"My father says that too..." I murmured. "Mostly when talking about my mother... When they were actually together.. they argued all the time..."

"Mmm, I can't even stand them long enough to think about marrying one. Plus, they've never got my blood pumping," he told me.

"Don't move..." I murmured. "You have to get better soon, so don't move if you don't have to. I'll help you if you need it."

"Yes, well it's hard to lay still like this. It's not the most comfortable of situations," he told me. I frowned a little more.

"Is... there something I can do to help?" I asked softly. "Do you need me to move?" He shook his head some.

"No... but if you could find a pillow I'd like to have a little more cushion under my shoulders..." I nodded and rolled out bed to crawl over to my bed, grabbing my pillow. I crawled back to him before gently lifting his head and shoulders to put the pillow beneath him.
"Better?" I asked before I got back into the bed. It still hurt to move and now that I knew the captain was safe, I had no reason to fight to move too much more than necessary. He nodded some and sank into the pillow.

"Yes... much. Thank you, princess," he murmured. I crawled back into the bed, curling around him as I had before with my head tucked into the crook of his neck.

"Why do you call me that?" I asked. "I thought you didn't like women..."

"I don't but you're not a woman now are you?" he pointed out. "Just because I call you 'princess' or 'milady' doesn't change your gender."

"Makes me feel like you think I'm fragile..." I muttered. "I'm not... I would have protected you longer if I could have..."

"I don't think you particularly fragile," he told me. "And I do appreciate you trying to protect me." I sighed a little, nuzzling against him again.

"I wish... I could have done more..." I murmured.  "I would gladly... trade places with you..."

"You were hurt far too much as it was," he told me. "I'm just glad you're not there being used like that anymore."

"Still hurts..." I whispered. "But... they are down one more... I don't think that one will... see again..."

"Mmm, very doubtful," he agreed, nuzzling against me. "Hopefully we will be able to give them all such payments." I hummed in agreement with that. I wanted to make them all pay for hurting the captain as they had. The captain had not deserved to be so broken.