The Fires of Summer (first draft)

It's a nice, warm day. Axel sheds his jacket soon enough and Haley her overcoat and vest. The guards have stripped themselves of their armour, now only in bloodstained shirts and trousers. There's singing coming from Blackbeard's ship.

My name was William Kidd,

When I sailed, when I sailed,

My name was William Kidd,

When I sailed,

My name was William Kidd,

King's laws I did forbid,

And so wickedly I did,

When I sailed.

Haley knows many sea shanties but this one is new. William Kidd - last she heard of him, he'd narrowly escaped the King's 'justice' by claiming his crew had forced him into piracy. The song goes on about various deeds of the captain, until it finally comes to an end.

Let you come to hell with me,

For I must die.

She frowns as the last two lines permeate the air. Of course the shanty has a grim end after these seven years.

Rabia makes breakfast, something she calls menemen. It's a juicy dish: scrambled eggs mixed with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. She serves it with some bread, which Haley happily dips in the rich sauce as she eats. There's a slight spice to the dish that gives it a nice edge. Haley wonders what Blackbeard's crew are eating for breakfast. He must have a good chef too, being such a famous pirate with such a huge amount of people under his charge.

They sail for a while past some small islands, too small to have any ports or many resources. Some of them are rocky, no doubt hosting waters too dangerous to sail through. The breeze is slight but behind their sails, pushing them fast onwards. Blackbeard's dark ship looks almost out of place with the bright sky and the cheery weather, huge and intimidating. It makes Axel's ship look tiny and harmless in comparison.

As Haley thinks about Axel's ship, she realises that she's never gotten her name. She finds Axel, who is sweeping leftover wood chippings from the repairs off the sides of the ship. He looks up with a smile before returning to his job. Haley watches him work, wishing he'd brush his hair - it's somehow become extra messy. "You never told me the name of your ship."

"Oh, uh... that's a great point. I don't remember," Axel shrugs, brushing his hair out of his eyes only for it to fall back again.

"You don't remember?" Haley raises her brow. Usually she'd be disappointed, but considering its former owner was most likely a deserter, she can't find it in her to care that much.

"It never seemed important to me," Axel says, wiping his brow.

"We should rename her," Haley suggests with a smile. "Maybe something to do with snakes?"

"I don't know - how do you pirates name your ships?" he asks, stopping to think for a moment.

"Well we have Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Lazuli's Revenge. One of my dads has Ranger. There's Fancy, Royal Fortune, Delivery..." she runs through as many pirate ships as she can remember, wondering how many of them are still sailing after these seven years. "You can name a ship whatever you like, really."

"Why don't we call her the Serpent? It's simple enough," Axel offers.

Haley looks around at the ship. She packs a bite with her cannons like a snake, though her speed isn't quite on par with one. Haley figures it suits enough, and if Axel likes it? Who is she to disagree. "We should crack some wine against her to celebrate her naming."

"Maybe when we dock at Pirate Island," he agrees with a smile. "Thanks, Hales. Kinda feels good to give her a proper name."

"No problem Ax," she pats his back. "I'll help you out a bit."

Haley finds another broom and goes about sweeping the chipped wood off the deck too. It brings out a perfectionist inside of her that can't stand when just one piece gets left behind, so the job ends up taking her much longer than it reasonably should, getting all the little bits together to push them off. Working together with Axel, however, they get the wood clean in good time. The heat permeates their skin, bringing a light sweat to Axel but nothing to the Archangel. She enjoys the heat now that it doesn't bother her so much, feeling perfectly clean where others would be grimy. She wonders how Blackbeard is feeling under all of his fur, but when she thinks about it he's never shied away from the summer.

When she turns to look at him, he's speaking to a member of his crew. Haley recognises him as Henri Ceasar, one of the captain's most trusted members next to Israel Hands. He's a black man with a bald head and a large scar on his cheek. His eyes are a striking blue. When Haley was younger, he'd been understanding of her quietness. He once even brought her home a fruit from Treokyrin after one of Blackbeard's adventures. She still remembers the taste - cool but juicy, like fresh snow mixed with the faint hint of berries.

Suddenly Henri points to the other side of the ship, past where Haley can see, and Blackbeard turns the wheel. Ophelia follows him, and as the bow faces its new direction, she spots what caught Henri's attention.

There's a sloop being flanked on both sides by bigger ships flying the Sanguis colours. The poor soul in the middle has a crudely-made pirate flag on their tallest mast. There's no gunfire until Blackbeard fires a chain shot at the nearest Sanguis ship, initiating battle. The Sanguis ships spring to life, opening their sails and turning to meet the attacking pirates. Haley runs to where Ophelia stands and takes over the wheel from her, much more used to battle than she is.

"Fire chain shot at the other ship!" she commands. The crew rush to prepare it, then with a bang it fires out at the unharmed ship, ripping through the wood. They're quickly met at the side with cannon fire and with ferocity they return it, piercing through them. Blackbeard's huge galleon is faring even better, tearing through his opposition easily with even more cannons and even more crew. Round by round they shred the Sanguises, many of their men lying broken on the deck, until with enough distance Blackbeard manages to tear the sails of the ship he's pursuing. Immediately they're stuck. Seeing their allies so shamefully destroyed, the other ship flees. Haley lets them go.

She sails to the side of the incapacitated ship. Blackbeard's men are already boarding, and the captain's mane is lit on fire, hair twisted like burning fuses. Haley boards too, jumping right into the action. A man comes to meet her with a sword drawn, but stands little chance as she battles him to the ground, leaning over him and opening her shirt. You lost to a woman, it says, a habit among the women pirates to really dig it in. The Sanguis guards are surrendering within moments, not even trying to continue a fight against the infamous pirate, who paces along the deck towering over the guards, who begin to kneel one-by-one.

"Never have I seen a group of Sanguis bastards so damn cowardly," the lion growls, the noise rumbling from his huge chest like an earthquake. "I bet you felt so good about yourselves, pinning down those evil pirates."

None of the men lift their heads. Blackbeard just tuts.

"You boys are lucky that I'm feeling merciful, so I'm not going to kill the lot of you," he turns to where there's a man being held by his arms. He's a human wearing a plumed helmet and finer armour, his skin tanned and his hair long and brown. Haley doesn't see his eyes. "Your captain, on the other hand..."

Haley watches as Israel Hands, a hard-faced half-high elf, brings the blade to the captain's throat. She looks away before it slices.

"If you sorry souls get lucky, a Sanguis ship will come this way and save you. If not, you'll die a hungry death at sea," Blackbeard flicks his tail, his blazing mane having grown more and more with fire.

There will most definitely be ships sailing this way, if the Sanguises are launching an attack sometime soon. Haley looks to the guards on the deck, and thinks to those below on the Serpent. She rejoins the rest of her crew and makes for the door.

She heads below deck to the crew's quarters, and looking over those in their hammocks, she calls out. "There's a Sanguis ship here that we're leaving alone, if you all want to leave now."

Immediately some of the men perk up. People begin to get out of their hammocks, leaving only a few, and they help each other up top, where Haley lowers the board for them to join their brethren. Others stand by and watch with hard looks, but don't go to stop them. Haley can't find it in her to hold it against them - she would do the same if she had a family to return to.

Blackbeard boards his ship again and sails for the sloop. Ophelia takes the wheel again and does the same, drawing up to the sloop's side. The captain of it doesn't seem to understand that they're friends and not foes, because immediately he starts panicking and waving his arms about melodramatically. Haley can't help but be reminded of some feral cat in a cage.

Blackbeard leans over the side of Queen Lazuli's Revenge with a grin on his face. "Hey prettyboy, we're on your side."

The captain, who is now staring in awe at the lion man, has the ears of a high elf poking out through his long, blonde hair. It's wavy at the top and curly at the bottom, spilling out from a braid. His skin is pale but Haley can't see his face. When he speaks he has a thick high elf accent, nasally and pretentious, flowing silkily from word to word. "Why did you save me from those ships?"

Blackbeard laughs. "That's what pirates do. What's a high elf like you doing out on these rough seas, flying a pirate's flag no less?"

"I've had a calling to the sea since I was a child, and I finally set sail a few weeks ago," the man says. "Who are you?"

Blackbeard can't contain his amusement. His great mane is still flaming - his identity couldn't be more obvious if he tried. "You want to be a pirate, yet you don't know me? Come on Princess, I'm Blackbeard."

"Blackbeard," the man stammers, "of course. Who's your friend here?"

"Ophelia. And what's your name, ex-landlubber?" Blackbeard answers. Ophelia waves down at the other, and finally he bares his face to them.

Haley understands why Blackbeard had called him pretty, even if it'd been mocking - the man has a beautiful face with all the elegance of a high elf. He meets every one of their beauty standards. His eyes are light blue and slender, and he must stand at about six feet, a little taller than the average high elf. There's a soft look about him, completely unbefitting of a pirate. His crew, on the other hand, are your normal pirate crew, covered in scars and built wide and strong. "My name is Stede Bonnet. I've been trying to find my way to Pirate Island, but I understand it's a little... secret, and my men have never sailed that way before."

"Lucky for you," Blackbeard begins to put out his fires, putting them out with just his hands, "we're both headed that way."

"Ah, well that is quite lucky indeed!" Stede smiles, looking a little unsure where to put his eyes. "I would appreciate the help."

Bleackbeard shoots Haley a look of 'are you seeing this?' before waving a hand and returning to his wheel. "Let's be on our way then."

They keep sailing into the night, until Stede calls to them complaining that he's tired and they decide to settle the anchors. Nobody would even try to attack three pirate ships at night, especially not when they're nearing Pirate Island so quickly. They sit with Stede's ship in the middle, and before Stede can head to sleep Blackbeard boards his sloop with something in his arms.

"Haley, come on down here and try these!" the lion calls to her, and gladly she joins them on Stede's deck. He's got a small box of skewers. Haley recognises the meat almost immediately. It's been a very long time since she's had any. "The chef made me some extra turtle skewers 'cos I've got a big stomach, but I thought you might enjoy them. Ever tried turtle, Stede?"

The high elf's diamond eyes are wide. "No. Why, high elves would never even think to eat something like that. What's it like?"

"A little like crab, a little like cow," Blackbeard hands them out. Haley doesn't hesitate to dig in.

Stede takes one bite and his eyes somehow go wider. "This is the best thing I've eaten in weeks!"

"Knew you'd like it," Blackbeard chuckles. "It's a delicacy. We managed to catch one on the coast of Riloris."

"Do you always catch your own food?" Stede asks, looking to Blackbeard with absolute admiration.

"Where I can, but not always," the lion smiles. "Pirate Island usually has the real good stuff, like whale and shark and all, which I always have to treat my crew to."

"You eat whales and sharks?" Stede's eyes are near enough popping out of his skull.

"We sure do, whenever they catch them," Blackbeard says, already having cleaned off his skewer. He licks his lips. "Say, if they have any back at Pirate Island, I'll get you some. If not, I'll find their rarest fish and you can dig in."

"Gosh, thank you. You know, all of the books made you out to be quite the monster, but I'm not seeing any of that right now," Stede brushes a braid behind his ear. He's got two at the front that fall past his jaw.

"Doesn't hurt to welcome a new pirate into the mix," Blackbeard shrugs. "You'll find most of us aren't half as bad as they make us out to be. Except that Henry Every - he's as bad as they say."

Haley shudders at the name. The man's got quite the reputation for being reprehensible, and he's got little personality to make up for any of it. She finishes off her skewer. "Damn right. He's cold."

Stede nods. "Avoid Henry Every. Got it."

"Avoid that Pistrix Sanguis too," Blackbeard grumbles. "He'll eat a newcomer like you for breakfast."

Haley wants to stand up for him, but knows better considering Blackbeard's history with the Sanguis prince. Pistrix always knows how to get under his fur and bubble up his anger.

"Pistrix Sanguis... but don't you all hate the Sanguises? Why, that's part of why I came here," Stede frowns.

Blackbeard knows far more of the history than Haley. "Some of the Sanguis family left their home when they were very young. Those that came to Riloris were Coral, Pistrix, Anguilla, and Piscis. All but Piscis became pirates and even he helps pirates, so we're good with them and only them. Well, I'm not good with Pistrix, but as pirates we're on the same side. They could easily go running home now that Corvus is coming for the pirates, but they don't, and I respect them for it."

"Anguilla especially is good to go to if you need help," Haley adds, "he's very friendly."

"This is a lot to take in... do you have any pirate books that I could read about them? You know, ones actually written by pirates and not people who want you- us dead," the high elf asks.

"On Pirate Island we've got a book store you could have a look at. I take it you're a reader," Blackbeard hums, though the rumble of it in his throat sounds more like a growl.

"I have a whole library here, actually," Stede gestures towards the captain's quarters.

"Hold on. A whole library on this ship?" Haley furrows her brows.

"Yes, I thought it was a nice addition," he smiles. "Would you like to see?"

"Hell yes," Blackbeard near enough jumps at the offer. He leaves his box off to one side, seemingly unbothered by where it ends up, and they both follow Stede to his quarters.

Sure enough, there is a library. The cabin itself is decorated many cuts above an average pirate, with paintings and even a fur rug. The sheets on his bed, which is an extended window sea, look luxurious. Shelves full to the brim with books surround them on every side and in the middle of the room is an expensive desk with a number of books on it, each with a bookmark sticking out of the top. Haley hasn't seen anything this fancy since Gore.

"I wouldn't mind a sleepover one of the nights," Blackbeard chuckles, touching the bedsheets with wide eyes.

Stede seems to take the joke quite seriously. "Why don't you have one tonight? Oh, I don't know where you'd sleep, though... I do have spare blankets in the hold."

"Seriously?" Blackbeard's eyes sparkle.

"I don't think he's had a sleepover in years," Haley laughs.

"Well let this be the first - really, come stay," Stede insists.

"If you two are going to have a sleepover, I think I'm going to go to bed," she smiles. The last time she saw Blackbeard this excited was a long time ago. After a while of seeing so much violence, a spark of innocence is necessary.

"Goodnight Haley," Blackbeard comes over immediately to scoop her up in a huge hug, squeezing her in his strong arms - never too hard.

"Goodnight Uncle Thatch," she can smell the singed fur of his mane.

"Oh yes, goodnight uhm... Haley?" Stede offers uncertainly, extending his hand to shake once she parts from the hug.

She shakes warmly. "Haley Smit. Goodnight, Stede."

With that she takes her leave, tonight making her way to the crew's quarters to sleep. Of the guards there are about five left, three of which being the friendly bunch that had been on the island. She climbs into her hammock, looking over to Axel and feeling that craving deep inside to be close to him. It's unshakeable, clawing at her stomach and chest like a disease. It keeps her awake, tossing and turning in her hammock.

There's no reason the bond should do this to me, Haley thinks with frustration. Archangels and angels are capable of sleep when they want to or when they're commanded to, but there's no requirement for them to be close to their bonded when they do it. The only reason an angel would have to be close would be if they were soulmates, but Archangels can't have soulmates, so what's my deal?

She spends the whole night like that, unable to rest at all. She even tries watching Axel for a while, but she just ends up wishing he were holding her, or that he was under her wing. The time goes by slowly, but she can at least thank her body that she won't get tired without rest anymore. When the sun eventually rises, she waits for the others to get up before she does too, not wanting them to worry for her. She helps to open up the sails and pull up the anchor, and then they're back on the water again.

It's not as warm as the day before which is a great relief, allowing everyone to work without sweating themselves to death. Haley puts herself close to Axel, trying to feed the pull inside of her, but nothing seems to work - she needs to touch him. Still, she keeps a distance, not wanting to be weird, trying to distract herself with checking the ship over for what they need at Pirate Island. Of course, the whole ship probably needs proper repairs and matching aesthetics rather than this patchwork-y look they have going on.

That night there's another gathering between Blackbeard, Haley, and Stede. They meet on Stede's ship and pass around some rum, which Stede makes a very sour face at. Still, he powers through it, which deserves some respect.

"Where are you from, then? What happened to bring you out to sea apart from your calling?" Blackbeard asks as he takes a long drink, tipping his head back and having a hefty glug.

Stede shuffles where he stands, then looks around as if to make sure nobody else is watching. "Well, I did have... a lot back home. I was pushed into an arranged marriage by my father, and when he died he left me quite a bit of money and a position as a politician in Gore. I didn't really want to have four children or a wife, but duty calls, I suppose. Of course, you'd understand," he looks to Haley, "you're a high elf too."

"Oh, I'm not a high elf," she shakes her head.

"You have the ears... what else could you be?" Stede frowns in confusion.

"An Archangel," Haley says simply. When she's met with shock by both parties, she looks to Blackbeard with furrowed brows. He definitely should've known.

"Your dads didn't tell me that," he says, looking away.

"Oh yeah, uh, of course I know!" Blackbeard grins, putting on his 'I'm totally confident' voice.

"Uncle Thatch, were you drunk?" Haley raises a brow, watching the guilt spread across his face.

"Probably," the man admits, looking down.

"Hold on, an Archangel?" Stede interrupts, looking between the two, his eyes wide. He's quite the expressive man. "You mean you're one of those from the stories and the churches?"

"Yes, I'm the Archangel of death," Haley affirms, "from the stories and the churches."

"Are all pirates something amazing? Blackbeard told me last night he's one of those ancient lions and now you tell me you're an Archangel... are there godly pirates? Ghost pirates? Dragon pirates?" Stede asks.

"Ghost pirates yes," Haley laughs, "but I haven't met any of the rest if there are."

"I can bet there's some god out there sailing our seas who just hasn't told anyone they're a god," Blackbeard says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Good lord," Stede looks like someone's given him a scare, completely baffled. "I feel absolutely ordinary next to you both."

"Well you've got one difference, and it's that you're quite a gentleman," Blackbeard purrs. "A gentleman pirate."

"Why, thank you," Stede smiles. He drinks the last of the rum, proud of himself. "Well, I think I'd best be off to bed. I have to read for a little bit to send myself to sleep and it's terribly late."

"Goodnight Stede," Haley says, and Blackbeard does the same. They watch him disappear into his quarters, off to read himself to sleep.

"I had a good sleepover, you know," Blackbeard says, trying to gulp down the dregs of the rum.

"I'm glad, Thatch," Haley laughs, patting him on the back. "You should have them more often."

"I should," he agrees, tossing the bottle to the side. "So, Archangel huh? I guess that explains a lot about how weird you were."

"Thanks," Haley rolls her eyes, "but I guess it does, yeah."

"Doesn't change a thing for me. You're still just Haley," Blackbeard scoops her up in a big hug, swinging her around like she's a little kid. Haley can't help but smile.

"I'm glad, uncle Thatch," they press their foreheads to each other before they part. "I'd better not keep you much longer, though. Stede was right, it is late."

"Dying to get rid of me that badly?" the lion jests, patting her shoulder gently. "I'll see you in the morning - we shouldn't be far now."

"I can't wait to be home again," Haley looks him in his dark eyes and knows right away that the sentiment is shared.

Back on the Serpent, Haley doesn't bother going to the crew's quarters. She stands overlooking the side of the ship, watching the quiet expanse ahead. She never tires of it. That discomfort she'd felt for so long out by the water has faded now into just a memory, letting her relax into the place she knows like the back of her hand. Each idle wave feels familiar.

When there's footsteps coming from the crew's quarters, Haley knows who it is before she sees him. Only Axel would be up at this time.

"Not tired?" the changeling asks, coming to join him. He stands with his back against the rail.

"Archangels don't get tired," Haley hums. "I guess you can't get to sleep."

"I can't seem to without you," Axel says, his fingers snaking to grasp Haley's. "There's a lot on my mind tonight, anyway."

"Rare for you," Haley smirks.

The man pushes her gently then entwines their fingers. He tilts his head towards the sky. "Rare for them to be so focused. I'm used to them overlapping, or this weird other voice... but that's not the point."

"That doesn't sound normal," Haley raises a brow.

Axel doesn't seem to listen. A light breeze flows through his hair. "Can I talk to you about something serious? You know, feelings and stuff."

"Yeah, of course. What's wrong?" she watches his face. There's a tension in his jaw and his lips are curved downwards, his eye closed.

"This thing between us," Axel says, voice hushed, "I can't keep going on like this, never knowing where you stand. I know you said you weren't ready back that night at home, but ever since you haven't shied away from affection, and I can't take this inbetween state anymore. Do you want to be with me or not? I won't be upset with you if you don't, I just... need to be clear about this, for both of our sakes."

Haley is silent. She stares at the ocean, wishing it could speak to her, give her advice. What would it say, if it could? Would it be telling her to say no? Or would it be telling her to give in to that feeling she can't keep denying? There's something in her chest that tugs at her around Axel, and it's a feeling she's known before. She craves his touch and relishes in the satisfaction it brings every time. She turns to him like a hungry raven to a palm full of seeds, never seeming to be relieved of that hunger, always wanting more than she can have.

Does it have to be more than she can have?

Her dark eyes meet his white. Axel's face is so soft, so vulnerable. His heart is bared for her to hold, red and beating with a furious love, and she can't deny it any longer. She turns to face him. "I want to be with you, Axel. I think I love you."

"You think you do?" he asks quietly, closing the distance between them, their chests pressed together. He takes both of her hands, holding them tight.

"I love you," Haley breathes.

When their lips join it's soft, though there's an edge of desperation on them, pulling them impossibly close, begging to be closer. Haley has never known him to be so tender, that dangerous edge he always carries dissipating until nothing is left, leaving him open, raw.

"I love you," Axel sighs back as they part. "Where have you been all of my life, angel? I love you."

"I love you too," Haley squeezes his hands.

"You make me feel alive," he kisses her lips again and again. Haley envelops him in her wings like a lost soul.

When he stops, he looks at her with a shine in his eye, smiling - not smirking - with an unrivalled warmth.

"Do you think a hammock can hold two?" Axel asks, pulling her towards the crew's quarters.

"Only one way to find out," Haley says.

They discover that the hammock absolutely can hold two, and like that they slide into each other's arms. Haley lies atop the changeling, her head resting on his chest and his tail wrapped around her legs. With their shared warmth and the even temperature, they find themselves perfectly comfortable, entwined with one another so perfectly. Haley doesn't fight the tiredness when it washes over her, falling into a comfortable sleep in Axel's protective grasp.

When Haley wakes up, Axel is peaceful beneath her. She feels guilty shaking him awake, but he just seems content that he woke up holding her, nuzzling into her shoulder with a quiet and incomprehensible murmur. He wakes up quickly after that, his liveliness returning to him almost abruptly, like he's used to having to spring up after awakening. Haley climbs off him and finds her sweater and coat.

As she dresses Axel grabs her jaw gently and turns it to face him, placing a light kiss on her lips. "Good morning angel."

"Good morning Ax," Haley smiles, brushing a strand of hair behind Axel's ear before she makes for the stairs.

They sail for a while on calm seas, the wind behind their sails and their spirits high. An island begins to appear on the horizon, dotted with tall wooden buildings and ships docked all around. The place looks as equally run-down as it is alive, summer decorations strung between houses, speckling the land with colour. As they draw nearer Haley can see a collection of people all congregated on the docks, some on the back ends of ships, all gazing out at them as they arrive.

It's unmistakeably home: Pirate Island.