Erin looked out at the other smaller boat that was the merchant captains.

“Did you get it all?” She said to her first mate.

“We didn’t find anything else.”

Turning back to them, she then nodded at the second wooden plank that led towards it and they went to take it away.

By now the merchant men had been all captured, so the pirates sneakily looted the merchant ship by this second plank and brought everything onto this boat. It was Erin’s demand, to which her crew could only smile about. Their captain still was the same after all!

Looking now at the group that seemed to be huddled around David, Erin didn’t know what to feel.

What more could she do to make it up to David? She’d already stripped that man’s boat bare of anything useful…She had sliced his neck, even though he might have already been dead…

Ulrich, that nasty man had hurt David…She knew it. It would make a lot of sense. And, since he will walk again, does that mean he might leave?

“Get the score quietly.” Erin said to the first mate, only to see Elton coming towards her.

Looking at him squarely, Elton frowned to how much courage some had. Today seemed to be the day where no one wanted to take his status as ‘King’ seriously!

“I’ve come to talk to you.” He said, leaning onto the edge of the boat. Make peace, not war!

Erin rolled her eyes, “That’s nice.”

“I’m sorry I told you. It wasn’t my place. I hope you don’t get mad at David.” Oh, well, I hope that’s it! Elton panicked. No other words came to mind at all in the way of an apology. This is exactly why he wanted to always be level-headed, so that he never made mistakes. It would mean he’d never have to apologize…

Erin stretched her neck and hummed a short reply.

Elton had no idea what to do now. He valued David, he was probably his most loyal and closest friend that he had. So, what does he do!?

“What do you want me to say?” Erin asked, wondering why he was still there. “You want me to get all teary eyed so that you can hug me?”

Elton got off the side of the boat and looked at Erin, “No.”

“Then what?” Erin asked.

Elton got a tad confused and even started to get angry. No one here was treating him like a King! “I’m here to state that you shouldn’t get mad at David.”

“Why?”

Elton frowned, he really didn’t want to talk about stuff like this. “I…Care…About him.”

“He’s mine.” Erin stated.

Putting a hand through his hair, Elton sighed, “I mean, he’s a good friend.”

Laughter was then heard above them, making them both look, and it stopped abruptly,

“Alison…” Came her name through clenched teeth…Really!? This woman still laughs at him!?

Jumping down, Alison grabbed Elton’s hand and said, “I’m just ganna take him away.”

Erin smiled at her, “Good, he seems to want hugs or something.”

Alison laughed as she kept walking, with Elton following after them in complete confusion.

What the hell was going on? Why does he feel like he was the butt of a joke? Did he just fall under the category of being…Emotional? While the woman he talked to wasn’t emotion?

Elton walked aimlessly behind Alison as he felt completely overpowered by something he knows nothing about!

Finally, everything started to get back to normal as the King and Queen and their entourage left.

Erin boldly asked for the other boat, just wondering what they would say. And unbelievably, Elton had said yes. It was not just out of guilt for David, but also that he wanted to be on the good side of Erin, hoping that she will indeed help Commorda when the occasion calls for it.

They had to leave the other boat then, but they seemed to leave in a bit of a rush.

Erin smirked and was laughing when she walked into her quarters.

“You’re back.” David said, hoping she was alright.

“Mmm.” Erin said, jumping on top of him.

David didn’t know what to say or do…Was she ok then?

“How long until you can walk again?” Erin asked, hiding her face in his chest.

It was a small worry that he might leave her but, she felt like if he did leave, she’d just go get him again…So what was the point of worrying.

“I’m not sure. I lost complete feeling in my legs in about a day or so, so it could be hours still if it’s similar.” David put a hand on her waist, “But, you never know, it might be longer…”

His lips were then covered by hers and not another word needed to be spoken.

She demanded time from her crew, as they got the score anyway. So, she was excited to what was in stall!

Beyond her expectations though, David did something different this time and rolled her to her back on the bed, taking more control over the situation.

And didn’t Erin like it!

Even though David still had troubles with his legs, he wasn’t able to wait a minute longer to show her how much she was his for a change!

***

It wasn’t just a few hours for David’s legs to come back to normal, it was actually another two weeks before he no longer felt strange and didn’t feel weak.

He left the pirate ship, that wasn’t a pirate ship at that moment because the flag stated otherwise…It had been so long since being on land that he waited when he was on solid ground. He felt like he needed to catch up to something…Just didn’t know what that something was!

Erin said she’d come, but she then became busy with more punishments suddenly and just told him to go, with all intention to catch up with him later. David then told her how to get to his parent’s place before kissing her goodbye.

He had plans to finally see his parents and to hopefully say a proper farewell to them.

But not long after walking towards the opening into Rangcew, the capital of Commorda, from the dock, David stopped and stared at who was in front of him.

It was Cid and Bethany.

A small smile was on Cid’s face, but Bethany was really excited and wanted to go to David, only to see that Cid wasn’t moving.

David sighed and realized that Cid still hadn’t changed. Walking up to them, he caught Bethany into a hug.

“Why are you only coming now!” Princess Bethany said, a bit upset, even hitting him once she stepped back.

David looked at her and smirked, “Finally wearing dresses!”

“Shut up!” She said, covering herself with her hands. She still preferred males clothing to women’s…

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“It’s good to see you.” Cid said. “Have you been well?”

David nodded, “I wasn’t able to walk for a while but I’m ok now.”

“I heard about that! Brother told me!” Princess Bethany said.

Cid looked away for a bit and quietly said, “I’m glad you’re all better.”

“Cid!” David said, trying to get his attention.

Cid looked up at David.

“What’s wrong with you?” David asked.

Cid tried to show a different face and shrugged, “Nothing.”

“Good!” David said, giving his shoulder a pat and walking past him.

“I should have tried harder to find you.” Cid said from behind David.

David didn’t turn around but stopped walking. “I don’t blame you Cid. But don’t you blame me either.”

“Blame you for what? You’ve done nothing wrong.” Cid said back.

“Because I’m not staying…” David said, then continued to walk.

Cid gave David’s back a small smile and sighed.

Perhaps he shouldn’t hold any guilt then. It just felt like David had really changed. He didn’t argue, or did he get mad…He…

Cid let out a small laugh and then looked at his Princess, “It seems he’s changed.”

Princess Bethany smiled at Cid, seeing him happier now, “…I didn’t really see much difference.”

Bethany was telling the truth about her long-time friend. Whether it was because she was just unobservant or too excited…She had not seen any difference…

“Come on.” Cid pulled her along, wanting to spend as much time with David as possible…Before he was to leave again.

“Captain, are you sure this is a good idea?”

Cid watched as a female fast walked past them with another trailing her.

“I’ll just be a minute!” Erin said, as she then went into a run.

The first mate sighed and put his hands up in defeat, “She’s ganna be the end of me, I just know it!”

In a huff, the first mate leaves but Cid watched as the woman yelled out to David and pretty much jumped into his arms.

Both Bethany and Cid stopped walking and stared at the two that showed a deep interest in kissing each other in broad daylight…

Bethany started to blush, but Cid finally found himself smiling for his friend.

He really was going to miss him!

Walking up to David again, Cid and Bethany watch as Erin turns and directly runs into them.

“Oh, Erin, these are my friends.”

Erin looked at both of them and turned back to David. “Cid?”

David nodded.

Knowing that the girl was nothing to worry about, Erin then smiled at them. “I’m his!” She said pointing at David.

Just as both Cid and Bethany wanted to respond, after not knowing how to start responding, Erin suddenly walked off, back towards the dock.

That was strange, Bethany thought. “What’s wrong with her?”

David looked at Bethany, “Nothing.”

“She just walked off without even saying hello to us.”

David smiled and shrugged, “So?”

Bethany frowned as she watched David turn and continue walking.

“So? So, it’s called…Wait, Cid, what’s it called?”

Cid laughed and pulled her along, really wanting to see what will happen with David and his parents…Especially with this type of attitude!

Cid and Bethany had come out because they were close to the docks and saw the ship come in. But David’s parents were only informed that David was going to see them soon, they just didn’t know when.

David had walked towards the horses, ready to take a carriage, not even surprised to see Cid and Bethany following him still.

They all hoped into the carriage and David started to get a bit nervous.

“You’ve changed.” Cid stated.

Nodding absently, David looked out the window.

“I like it.” Cid said. Yet, Princess Bethany still wasn’t quite sure where this ‘change’ was…

“That woman gets scared easily if I get angry, so I try not to.” David said after a moment.

Cid gave David a knowing smile and looked at his bride. The things we do for our women…

“What?” Bethany said, looking back at him.

“Delightful as always!” David said, looking at Bethany.

Bethany poked her tongue out at David and then giggled, “So, David, when are you going to marry her.”

“If she wants to get married again, it’ll be up to her.”

“…Again?”

It was so strange to David, that before he met Erin, he probably would have said the same thing! Who would be with a woman if she had already been married once before?

But now, having gained some type of freedom to think differently and not be amongst so many people and their opinions, David didn’t care about such things anymore…What mattered is that he loved her. That was it.

“It doesn’t matter, Bethany.” Cid said.

David looked at Cid and nodded. It seemed that they were pretty good friends still. It was nice but still not enough to give up what he had gained at sea to stay here.

Bethany then whispered, “Does that mean she isn’t, you know…That they are just friends?”

Cid put his hands over her ears and looked at her. It wasn’t the first time that they did this type of action, but it took a moment for Bethany to understand that this action meant it wasn’t meant for her ears!

Bethany frowned and slapped his hands away, but then stopped. “What!? Aunty won’t like that!”

Cid sighed. This really was going to be interesting.

It wasn’t a much longer trip, but David started to get excessively nervous. Not just because he was seeing his parents for the first time in months but because a certain person was staring at him for the rest of the trip.

“Sweetheart, stop it!” Cid said quietly in her ear.

“How can they be together without getting married!?” Bethany said, not being quiet back.

“What’s it got to do with you?” David said, having picked up a trait of telling people to mind their own business from his pirate.

Bethany stopped, stunned to her core…David really hadn’t ever talked like that to her before…Finally, she started to see a change…Her friend for many years seemed to be different…

So…She was quiet…

“David, It’s David!”

“Mother.” David said, being taken into a big hug from his mother.

“I missed you so much! I miss you!” Then she pecked him on his face, but David started to break free from her embrace.

He was just too old to be coddled like that!

“Are you still mad at us? Please don’t be mad!” Pauletta said, only now seeing both Cid and Bethany, “Oh my, Princess, your highness! I’m sorry I didn’t see you!”

“Aunty.” Bethany said, a bit quieter than normal but Pauletta didn’t notice as she looked back at David.

“Where’s father?” David asked.

Cid, Bethany and Pauletta went quiet as they looked at David. To each of them, it just felt like David was in a rush to get it over and done with.

“Your father…Your father is home!”

“Very good.” David said, walking away from the three of them.

Pauletta, being too involved in David’s sudden appearance, didn’t realize how her face looked after David left her there. She looked sad or upset…She even took a moment to sniff, almost like she was trying to stop herself from crying.

“Aunty?” Bethany looked at her in a confused manner.

“He’s just grown up, Aunty. Don’t think he doesn’t love you.” Cid was a bit upset with David making his mother feel this way…They literally were still at the front door, so it felt overly rude of what David had just done…

“Come on, lets…”

“No…Leave them be. Let them find their own way to see eye to eye.”

Pauletta didn’t want to listen to her own words and just wanted to rush off and watch her husband and her child, in hope that they don’t quarrel.

But it just felt like it wasn’t something that any of them could be a part of…

David walked into his father’s study, seeing his father writing in a book.

“Father.”

In an instant, his father looked up and dropped his quill, not even caring that he had just made a mark on it where he shouldn’t have. “David!”

Benjamin went to take a step forward, then stopped.

He would think about this precise moment many times, wondering how he should act and what he should do, what he should or shouldn’t say…

“I’ve left the black market for good.” David stated.

Benjamin frowned, it seemed that this was just a business type of manner right now.

“I will also no longer live with you.” David said, then breathed out, having said one of the hardest things to his father in his whole life.

This will not be a business conversation! With that thought, Benjamin walked up to his son and took him into his arms. “I’m proud of you son!”

Lifting his hands, David lightly cuddled his father back. Was it ok then? Is it all okay? He wasn’t going to take over the family business, nor was he going to be here anymore, and it was ok?

There really had been one more thing that he needed to grow up to, he’d only just noticed…

He really had been his parents’ little boy for so long!

Pulling back from his son, Benjamin put a hand to his shoulder and squeezed it a bit, “Just come and visit every once and a while hey?”

“…What about your travelling?” David said, asking the obvious. What was the point of visiting if his parents weren’t even home!

“I will probably be travelling in the future, but your mother will stay here.” Benjamin said.

David looked at his father and asked, “Why isn’t she coming with you?”

Benjamin smiled and started to move both of them out of the room, going towards the bigger room where Cid, Bethany and Paulette were quietly waiting for them.

“That was quick.” Pauletta said, bemused.

David let out a small smile and couldn’t believe how nervous he was.

“I was just telling him that I was still going to travel but you are staying here, my dear.” Benjamin said.

Pauletta smiled, “In the last few days I’ve been invited to the palace often, so I’ve decided to stay by the former queen’s and Princess Bethany’s side!”

David saw how happy his mother seemed and was glad that she still had things here to do.

He knew how much he had been doted on…Actually, he really did have a good mother and father here…

“I hear you are…On a pirate’s ship…” Benjamin really didn’t want to start a fight, so he hoped that this sentence didn’t come out wrong.

David nodded, “His Majesty, King Elton was talking about recruiting the pirates so that he had boats to help own the seas…We are to see him before leaving.”

Collecting again! Always collecting!

“Oh.” Benjamin thought that was a good idea, if the pirates could actually…Stop being pirates…

David looked at his father and suddenly didn’t care if he wanted to fight over being on a pirate ship. He knew what wasn’t being said now…And that was that they only fought with him and wanted him to be safe, because they cared…That was all it was all this time.

“It’s alright father, I know the law.” David said openly.

“He’s got a woman, they aren’t married…” Bethany said, piping up from the corner.

David glared at Bethany and instantly thought, like brother, like sister! Cut from the same cloth!

Taking in a deep breath, David stopped himself from getting angry and surprised everyone by sitting down, instead of just about anything else!

“I do have a woman yes.” He answered honestly, after sitting down.

“Really?” Pauletta couldn’t help but want to meet her! Who had charmed her son?

“She’s a pirate, isn’t she?” Benjamin asked, showing signs of disagreement already.

“Yes, she is.” David once again was honest…What was the point on lying…

“A pirate? David?” Pauletta frowned…

David leaned forward and then looked at his mother, then his father, “Do you object to my happiness?”

Widened eyes looked back at him and David smiled, “She makes me happy.”

Now that he figured out why they fought with him, he was simply going to use that. He wanted to strip the fight away and say what needed to be said!

Pauletta looked at her husband and David in surprise and couldn’t help but see this different person in front of them. Their son really had changed! He wasn’t…A child anymore…

“I’d like to meet her.” Pauletta said. Since this woman makes her son happy, then it seems that it’s important that she try to get to know her.

David smiled at his mother and then looked at his father.

Benjamin sighed, “It seems I have no choice.”

David laughed at his father, “Not really!”

Finally, the air was now free from worry and nerves and finally they felt more like family again.

They were able to ask David more about his adventures out at sea, finding out about how much he learnt and how he lost the feeling in his legs…