Double Crossbones: Part 1

The green Gelert walked into his office and locked the door behind him; his face was wrought with anger as he looked at the pirate Eyrie that stood in the room.

“I thought I told you never to come here Bloodhook!” he said harshly.

“It’s important. That son of a gun, wanna-be pirate captain, Garin, that stole my ship is here,” said the Eyrie.

“He’s of no concern!” said the Gelert.

“You don’t know Garin like I do,” said the Eyrie, named Bloodhook. “You have no idea what he’s capable of…” He walked over to a table and flipped open a folder that was filled with papers and a map. “We have enough gold to carry out our plan. These must be kept safe.”

“And the mine?” said the Gelert. “If it’s found we’ll both hang!”

“We’ll destroy the evidence. Set explosives and bury the mine forever,” said Bloodhook.

“And the workers?”

“We destroy all the evidence, Mr. Carlyl… Which means no survivors.” The Gelert nodded in a somewhat grim understanding, and they began to talk of their plan, and up in the rafters, a dagger gleamed. It was lowered and stuck into an old map that lay on the folder, and then the map was pulled up into the darkness.

“Right… You have your orders. See that those papers are locked up. And please, don’t worry about this pirate. He’s just a mere, one boy…”

“It’s not just one boy, damn it! It’s Garin! There is nothing mere about him!” said Bloodhook, angrily.

“Fine, now lock up those papers.” Carlyl ordered. Bloodhook nodded, shut the folder and walked out of the room; the Gelert followed and went the opposite direction down the hall. Bloodhook went through the folder slowly, page by page, and the map, he noticed, was gone. He stopped.

“Guards!” he shouted. He turned around, only to find a sword to his chest, and the crystal blue eyes of Captain Garin, staring into his own. “Captain Garin,” he growled angrily.

“Bloodhook.” said Garin, as if greeting him. Just then, two guards came running around the corner behind Bloodhook, but Garin tensed his arm as if to stab. “Drop your weapons!” Garin shouted. “Tell them Bloodhook…”
“Do as you’re told…” Bloodhook said nervously. The guards obeyed and laid whatever weapons they carried on the floor.

“Walk this way,” said Garin. The guards did, but suddenly Garin held up his hand. “Stop! Face the window. Now bend over.” The guards looked at him.

“Do what he says!” Bloodhook said urgently. The guards looked at each other, but bent over.

“Excuse me a moment.” Garin pushed Bloodhook back. “Thank you.” Garin kicked the first guard, who barreled into the other guard and they both crashed through the window. Garin jumped through the open space they left and onto the ground below. He landed on the two guards.

“Sorry mates.” He bolted across the courtyard. Five guards ran after him. Garin made a sharp turn into an alley, then ducked behind a barrel, and they ran right by him. He got up and ran the other direction.

“There he is!!” shouted a guard. Garin darted into the dining hall, the guards ran after him, then a few more entered the room. Garin was trapped! He leapt onto the table as two guards charged him and drew his Maractite dagger and met their advances. He jumped up and grabbed onto the chandelier, and he swung across the room and ran out the door, slamming it shut behind him. He snatched a candle stand and shoved it into the handle of the door, locking the guards in the room.

“Ha, ha!” Garin laughed in triumphant pride. “All that scuffling, and not one blasted scratch or bruise on Captain Garin!”
                                                                    ~~~~~
Garin ran outside to the stables, the blackness of night hiding his figure, and he shut the stable door behind him. He leaned his forehead on the wooden door, panting from all the running he just did…

“Hello Garin…”

Garin froze, but then he turned around. A young, female Usul about his age with brown hair and deep blue eyes stood a few feet away from him, and long past memories of who she was flew by in the back of his mind.

“Hannah… Hi.” Garin slowly hid the map behind his back. “What’re you doing here?” he asked, confused.

“I want it back,” said Hannah. Garin blinked, slightly bewildered.

“Want what back?”

“Whatever it is you’ve stolen from Mr. Carlyl. I want it back, now give it to me!” Hannah demanded.

“Uh… no.” Gain said plainly.

The next thing he knew, he was staring down a sword blade.

“Ah.” he said, obviously seeing her ‘point’. Hannah raised her eyebrow, but Garin just grinned and grabbed the sword tip lightly and pushed it away. He started to walk past Hannah to the back door, but then Hannah pressed the sword point to his back, making him stop. Garin groaned impatiently and turned around, once again pushing the sword point away and looking at Hannah.

“I don’t have time for this,” he said.

“I do.” Hannah said, and readied herself. Garin rolled his eyes, but he drew his Maractite dagger and struck at Hannah. She met his advance, then pressed her own. Garin swung, she ducked and kicked at his legs, causing Garin to stumble and drop his dagger, but in his fumble he quickly kicked Hannah’s sword from her hands. Hannah stooped and grabbed his Maractite dagger from the ground, and when Garin got up he found his back was against the wall, and Hannah had the dagger under his chin. He flattened his ears and looked off to one side.

“This is embarrassing,” he thought.

“Give up?” Hannah asked smugly.

“Me? To a girl?” Garin slowly wrapped his fingers around a bridle that hung low on the wall. “Never!” He swung it at her, and it wrapped around the blade, and he yanked it out of Hannah’s hand. He grinned as Hannah bolted for her sword, but when she bent down to pick it up, Garin had his foot on the flat of the sword blade.

“Ah-ah-ah…” he teased, rather cruelly. He put the dagger point to her chin and made her stand up, though her movements were stiff. Her thick brown hair draped over part of her face, and he used the dagger point to push it back and see her. The last time he met her he kept his feelings locked up, but now, as he looked at her, they had broken free. And Hannah desperately tried to hide hers, but she couldn’t… her face was turning red. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Garin, but if the guards came she would have no choice but to watch him suffer. She wanted him to leave, but he just stood there, and so did she.

“Do you surrender?” Garin asked quietly, his dagger point still under her chin.

“Never…” Hannah choked quietly, then warned, “But… But I could scream…”

“I have that effect on people,” he said with a smirk and a slight chuckle.

“I doubt you’ve ever had the kind of effect you have on me on anyone else…” Hannah whispered, looking down to the ground, hoping he didn’t hear her…

But he did. Garin smiled softly as he lowered his dagger and gently lifted her chin with his hand.

“Is that so?” he asked, then whispered, "Because that goes for me too." And he leaned his face over closer to her and kissed her lips tenderly. She stiffened and closed her eyes, sighing in a shaky, yet content manner as he deepened the kiss. After making the kiss last just a few moments longer, Garin then pulled away, sheathed his dagger and walked to the back door. But before he left, he turned around and gave Hannah a polite bow, then left, vanishing into the blackness of the night. Hannah stood where she was, speechless.

That pirate… who had stolen many a thing… had now also stolen her heart.