It was a bit of an odd time, as breakfast had long since passed but it was not yet time for men to start trickling in to see what soup was on to boil for lunch. However, there didn’t seem to be any hard and fast rules about people coming and going from the galley, so the sound of the door opening didn’t seem like any cause for alarm.

So, Prin was surprised when he looked up from his potatoes, and before he even had a chance to turn around and see who had entered, Squeaks had disappeared into the pantry. Maybe he just thought of something he had forgotten in there?

The prince turned around, potato in hand, so as to look busy. The man in the doorway looked nice enough. An older man, but not old, despite white-silver hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. If anything he was a little cleaner and more put together then most of the men on the ship (the thought gave Prin an unpleasant reminder of his own current state). His eyes were lively, and he smiled at Prin as though he were just the person he had come to see.

Prin smiled back. He wondered if this was the first mate, and hoped he wouldn’t go back to the captain and tell him that they had been slacking off instead of peeling potatoes. Well, they were peeling them but perhaps not with the level of dedication that they should have done.

“Hello.” Prin said.

The man sat down on the long bench beside Prin. “You must be Prin.” He said.

“Must I? I mean, that’s right!” The prince said, startled.

“Your friend told me about you.” The man said. “And there aren’t that many new faces on board. I’m Mac.”

“Oh, okay.” Prin said. “Nice to meet you.”

Mac took Prin’s hand in his and shook it gently. “Your poor hands.” He held onto Prin’s hand and examined it carefully like it was an object of art. Like a glass paperweight or a dog carved from a gemstone. “They aren’t used to this kind of work, are they. You have such long fingers.” Mac rolled one of Prin’s fingers in his, feeling the bones beneath. “Do you play piano?”

“I –” the prince felt uncomfortable, although he wasn’t sure why. His innate politeness fought with his desire to jerk his hand away and reclaim it. “No. I always did want to learn a musical instrument, but I’ve never so much as touched a piano.” It would have been difficult to get it into a room at the top of a stone tower, he supposed.

“That’s a pity, you would be great at it. These are the hands of a musician.” Mac finally looked away from his hand, although he continued casually holding it. His eyes bore into Prin’s, they were some kind of stormy color. “How long will you be with us? On the ship?”

“Just until the next port.” Prin said. He hoped more and more that the next port would appear sooner then expected.

“Ah.” Mac looked disappointed. “Maybe before that time comes you will change your mind and stay longer.” He stood up abruptly, kissing Prin’s knuckles before he released his hand. And before Prin had a chance to protest. “I had better get back to work. Unless you want to come back with me to my bunk first?”

Prin could feel his brow wrinkle in concentration, trying to parse what this guy was about. It wasn’t working, and he felt stupid.

“To get some salve for your poor cut hands.” Mac offered. “What did you think I meant?”

“I already have some. Thank you.” The prince said. He felt like he was being made fun of, or something and it was annoying not to be in on the joke.

“I’ll see you later then.” Mac waved as he left again through the galley door. “Definitely be seeing you later.”

It occurred to Prin that the man had come into the room with nothing and left again with nothing. Had he forgotten what he came in for?

As soon as the door had swung shut behind him, Squeaks reappeared almost as if by magic.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t goin’ to really leave you alone wiff him!” Squeaks, finally lived up to his namesake and squeaked out this reassurance. His face was red between the dark strands of hair like a curtain. “I just hadta hide, I just can’t take none o him. But if it came down to it, I woulda jumped out and save you.” He sat back down across from Prin, in his usually perch, but leaned in close. “I’m sorry.”

“Whoa.” The prince held up his hands. “Why are you sorry? What’s going on?”

“I’m glad you didn’t go wiff him, I thought for a minute maybe you didn’t know no better, And I was beating myself up for not helpin’ ya know what to do if he came around.”

“I did think he was strange.” Prin admitted. Even so, Squeaks reaction seemed over the top.

Squeaks tilted his head to the side and regarded the prince. He took deep breaths for a moment, until some of his usual measure of morbid calm had returned.

“You knowed what he was after, right?” Squeaks asked.

Prin thought about this, not wanting to appear as stupid as he felt. There was no helping it. “Not a clue.”

“Ah.” Squeaks nodded. “I thought you’n that good lookin’ fella that you come on the ship with was a couple and so’s you woulda known all about this stuff. But it ‘pears I misjudged the situation, and you’re an innocent. How old are ya?”

Even though Squeaks had seemed to be putting that as gently as he knew how, Prin felt his cheeks grow hot. So, an innocent, was he? And how was an innocent any different then an idiot? But he still didn’t really understand what was going on, so he could hardly protest. “Seventeen.”

Squeaks gave him an assessing look. “Nuffing to be ashamed about, you’re just luckier than most is all. So, I’ll tell ye. That man is the low downest sailor on this ship. There are others you gotta look out for, but that one is the worst. If he gets ye alone, he’s gonna hurt ye bad. He won’t kill ya, but ye’ll wisht he did. How come I knows it, is he went after me when I first started workin’ on this ship. He only got me oncet though. ‘cause I aint stupid as I look.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Prin chewed on his lower lip, “I’m sorry that happened.” He looked over his shoulder, suddenly paranoid that the man was still there somehow, lurking.

“I’m tough, s’okay.” Squeaks said. “Point is, you never be alone wiff him, yaknow?” He gave Prin a pointed look, waiting for him to acknowledge this.

“I understand.” Prin said solemnly.

“He’s gonna bat his eyelashes at you and be all charmin’ and offer you fings.” Squeaks warned. “That’s how ‘e gets ya. But no matter what he offers, it aint worth it. I don’t wanna ‘splain all the details what he done, cause I don’t think I need to. I think you get the pitcher.”

“I-I get it.” Prin said, unnerved. Part of him wanted to ask for all the gory details, but on the other hand he didn’t want to know. What if it was even worse then the things he was imagining? “Are you really okay?” He asked.

“’course I am.” Squeaks said. “I’m sorry I had to scare ya like that. I just, kinder likes ya. And I don’t wanna see ya get hurt. If I didn’t like ya . . .” He shrugged, as though to say, those he didn’t like were on their own. They could fend for themselves, or walk into the ocean for all he cared.

The prince was grateful to be liked in this instance. “Thank you. Friends have to watch out for each other.”

Squeaks gave him a shy little smile. “Yar.”

“Can I ask you something?” Prin asked, seriously, leaning forward in his seat, potatoes all but forgotten.

“Sure ya can.” Squeaks said. Somehow Prin knew in that moment he could have asked him anything at all in the world.

“That fella in the letter, who did he kill?” Prin asked.

*

When they met back up in their cabin, on the evening of day two (only two!?), Elwin felt like his mind was not all there. Was he more exhausted then yesterday, or about the same? He couldn’t even think any more. The blisters had burst on his hands, leaving them raw. He barely wanted to touch the doorknob.

Elwin didn’t even have to, because no sooner then he reached the door, Prin opened it. As though he sensed him there.

“Hi.” Prin said, with a shy smile.

“Hi.” Elwin smiled back with some effort. He went into the cabin and sat with a thump on the hard cot. “Bleh.” He put his head in his hands, despite the pain of doing so, barely able to hold it up anymore.

“Yeah, that about sums it up.” The prince agreed.

Elwin could feel him sit down beside him. The slight weight of him impacting the thin mattress, the presence of him quiet as a whisper, comfortable as a ghost. Warm.

Elwin reached out and put his arm around Prin. It was nice to feel that he was solid and really there, so not like a ghost after all.

The cabin shifted back and forth gently, the smell of dust, candle wax, and old wood a subtle accompaniment to the stronger smells of salty sea air and sweat that seemed to blend together.

“I’m okay, I just need a minute.” Elwin said, his words muffled by the hand he rested his face on.

“I was thinking today.” Prin said. “That today and yesterday were probably the longest stretches we have ever gone without seeing each other. It felt strange.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it.” Elwin teased. “It’s temporary.”

“No, it’s okay. You know why? Because in the past I would have been so scared and worried but now, I knew you would come back to me.” Prin said. “I was lonely for you but I knew I would see you again soon. I had confidence.”

“That’s-That’s good.” Elwin said, feeling a lump in his throat. He sat up straight and looked at his prince.

Prin was still too thin and pale, with those ever deepening circles under his eyes, but there was a radiance coming from him. Like someone in their last moments, about to do something dangerous and self-sacrificing. But cool.

Elwin pulled him closer. “You alright?”

“I think so.” Prin said. “How about you?”

“I guess.” Elwin said. “I mean, yes. I’m tough, I can handle it.” He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way, though he wasn’t sure how much he was pulling it off. He wondered if there was a washroom facility on the ship, because by the end of the week they would smell as bad as the rest of their shipmates, and he wasn’t sure if he could handle that. Or maybe they would be noseblind to it by that point.

“Oh. I want to talk to you about something.” The prince said. “Oh my gods, your poor hands!” He took Elwin’s hands and looked them over. “We have to do something about this. Hang on.” He picked up one of their bags from beside the bed and rummaged around in it.

“It’s not as bad as it looks.” Elwin lied. “Whatever you put on it won’t stay on anyway.”

“I have to try though.” Prin pulled out the pot of salve and rubbed the medicine on Elwin’s sore hands. “Does it feel better?”

“It does.” Elwin said. “How do you know how to do this?”

Prin laughed. “I’ve been on the other side of it enough, haven’t I? Don’t you think I picked up a thing or two?”

Elwin smiled at him. “Fair enough.”

Prin wound long cloth bandages around both of Elwin’s hands. “I know it won’t stay on, but maybe just for tonight?”

“What did you want to talk about?” Elwin asked.

“Just . . . You know . . .” Prin looked like he was having a hard time talking about something.

Elwin didn’t have the energy to pry it out of him so he was just silent, waiting it out, hoping he would manage whatever it was he was trying to say.

“I just don’t want you to think, that I think you need me to tell you this or anything.” The prince said. “Just I wanted to make sure you are being careful around these men, as some of them are criminals. And I know you can take care of yourself, and you are strong, but I want you to stay safe.” Prin let out the breath he had been holding in a long gust, relieved to have released his warning. “Especially when we aren’t together to watch out for each other.” He gave Elwin a sheepish smile.

“What happened?” Elwin felt his heart sink down past his stomach and all the way out through the bottoms of his sore feet. Is this why Prin had looked strange and seemed to be dancing around what he was trying to say? Had something bad happened that he didn’t want to come right out and tell him about? “You have to tell me.” He must have looked intense, as Prin backed away from him slightly.

“Nothing happened, nothing at all.” The prince said. “I just got worried, is all. Probably paranoid from being tired.”

“I worry about you too.” Elwin said, “I have to trust that you would tell me if something bad happened. Or else I could never leave you alone for a second.” Which, nothing would please me more, but it’s not exactly a real option at the moment. He added, not speaking it aloud.

“It’s just . . . A man was acting a little bit . . . odd today. And Squeaks told me . . .” Here Prin paused, seeming to weigh his words carefully. “That the man was bad and violent. And I got worried . . . Not so much for myself, because now I know? But worried for you that you would be lured into a private area of the ship and someone would try to hurt you. Not that I think you would be so . . . it’s just . . . It felt like an important warning and I wanted you to be careful.”

“You met a creep, and your first instinct was to worry about ME?” Elwin asked, incredulous. He was too charmed by the thought that someone would care about him and fret over him, and that someone was his prince, to be insulted by the implications.

“Of course!” Prin said. “I wished I could talk to you about it instantly.” He fidgeted in his seat. “I almost went looking for you, but I didn’t want us to get in trouble. I know the captain said something about us needing to be careful about the men. But frankly, I thought he was just teasing.”

“Oh, I didn’t.” Elwin said. “I mean, you have to wonder what kind of people take on a job like this, do you know what I mean?”

“You do?” Prin asked.

“People without a lot of other options.” Elwin said. “People who may have been driven out of wherever it was that they came from. Who else would do it?”

The prince held up his finger, his eyes alight with epiphany. “People who love the sea!”