Chapter 13
Perceived Freedom
ROHEN
“Genuinely,” I crooned, dipping my head to the side as my vibrant red curls tumbled over my bare shoulders. “Seeing a woman really ruffles your feathers that much? By the gods, I never expected you to be such a prude.”
His moonlight-kissed skin seemed to glow beneath the faint beam of sunlight seeping in from the port hole just above the brig.
The dark material he wore only further accentuated his lighter tone, a shade I’d never expected on someone sailing the seas.
With his chin turned away from me, I could barely spot the dark facial hair lining his jaw and upper lip, the intricate braids in his hair becoming my focal point for engagement.
I was talking to the back of a man’s head as a prisoner on the ship of another man who was nowhere to be found.
New low, Rohen. Really new low.
The depth of his voice devoured the emptiness surrounding us, cradling me in a way I’d never expected from someone of his demeanor. “Have you ever stopped to consider that, unlike some men, I’m well-mannered?”
“You wish I believe such a thing when you follow a man like Caspian?”
“Caspian is far more complex than you are giving him credit for.”
“Oh?” I hummed, reaching down to grab the washcloth from the pile of fresh linens he’d brought me.
“I don’t consider a man willing to purchase a woman anywhere near complex.
If anything, he’s an imbecile who’s perfected the act of wearing a mask molded by feigned sophistication.
And here you are, following him around as if he were ever worth the worship, when in all reality, he’s a pathetic—”
The hiss came after I felt the air, a singular blade burrowing itself to the hilt into a minuscule gap in the brick wall behind my head. “I’d recommend you watch your tongue if you do not wish to be dissected of it, because, believe me, neither Caspian nor I would have any qualms in doing so.”
Noted. Just as sassy as his superior.
“Well then, my lovely captor—“
“Syoran,” he stated matter-of-factly, as if I should have been familiar with him by now. “My name is Syoran.”
“Oh, my apologies, I never realized your manners extended beyond the intricacies of forced commonalities—co-captain.” Wiping my skin clean, I tossed the soiled rag into the bucket in the corner.
“Considering no man sailing the sea is even remotely respectable, I presumed you were the same: just like every other vile piece of shit on this godsforsaken ship.”
He chuckled, deep and warm. “Is that a proven fact? Or are you running your mouth based solely on falsely perceived stereotypes?”
Mania fled from me as a snicker, and I shook my head, dipping my hands into the washing pail placed before me.
Grabbing the bar of soap, I brought it to my bare skin, savoring its feel over the scars—both old and new—that marred my frame.
“How atypical of you to re-direct an accusation. Fuck, you and Caspian really are alike, aren’t you? ”
“If that’s what you’ve gathered, then I’ll take your attempt at tossing a harmful statement my way with the utmost gratitude.
” Kicking his booted foot up against the wall, he kept his attention turned away from me.
“You can sit here and claim that we are the filthiest scum roaming the earth, but where I stand here respecting the minimal privacy you have, Malrik never would. That’s something you and I both know.
Where he’d string you up for his men to have their way with you as a public spectacle—something to indulge himself in—Caspian was kind enough to offer you a cell beneath the deck so you weren’t taken in broad daylight. Consider yourself lucky, Levitte.”
Seething, I picked up the bucket of water and tossed it through the bars that separated us. It coated his lithe, towering frame in dampness. The liquid failed to wash away the lies he carried, his perfectly woven braids flattening against his satin shirt.
“Go fuck yourself,” I barked, my hands shaking as I worked to calm the storm of emotions his words awakened.
“You men haven’t got a fucking clue what it’s like being a woman in this world.
You don’t understand what it’s like having your soul tainted by the hands of those with a prick, those who believe they are large enough and capable of entertaining a woman with the nuances of pleasure.
You’re thieves of coin, sure, but most of all, you're thieves of innocence—of fucking freedom!”
His jaw feathered beneath the golden light, his shoulders rising with unfiltered amusement.
“You see, Levitte, that’s where you’re mistaken.
Men who sail the seas are thieves of treasure, but we are seekers of liberation.
We’ve escaped the shackles of corruption, running from those seated on the throne and the councils who robbed us of our own voices—our bodies.
We are the start of a revolution, and you happen to be tied to one of its most influential figures.
“Perhaps, instead of viewing us as the villains in your story, you should consider who you’re pointing fingers at.
It’s time you opened your fucking eyes and focused your energy on where the true evil rests within our society.
Because I can promise you, those they’ve brainwashed you into thinking are criminals, are just. like.
you.” His tongue danced along his lips before he continued.
“We were their pawns for years, and now, you’re ours. ”
My palms slammed against the metal responsible for caging me as if I were some kind of animal. “Yeah? Just like me? Is that why you’re continuing to fill the shoes of your oppressors? Because you’re convinced that, by tainting me, you’ll somehow feel better about all they’ve laid claim to?”
“We have no control over how those on our ship wish to act.”
“BULLSHIT!” I screamed, shaking the cell door harshly. “That is the biggest load of fucking bullshit you could ever spill, and if it is the truth, then you and the man you blindly admire are the most pitiable excuse for leadership.”
“You believe that a dictatorship, a tyranny, is how we should lead our crew?” Scoffing, he pulled another knife from his belt, dipping its sharpened point beneath one of his fingernails.
“If that’s the case, then let me be the bearer of bad news.
You’ve never sought freedom, Rohen; you’ve merely hunted for another realm of polluted democracy.
It's time you understood that beneath the hands of any other, the concept of sovereignty will never bloom, and therefore, we refuse to sail the seas with structured expectations of our men.”
“I believe that if you genuinely gave a fuck about liberation or whatever the hell you claim, then you wouldn’t be holding others against their will.
” I spat, my saliva landing inches away from where he stood.
“You cannot claim a desire for independence if you continue to partake in acts directly opposing its very definition.”
“Sometimes, to break the chains of absolutism, you have to dip your toes in convoluted waters, and we’ve reached that point,” he paused, spinning the hilt of the blade between his fingers before returning it to its home.
“You may think Caspian is all brawn and no brain, but he is far more strategic than most give him credit for, which is an attribute that gives him an advantage more often than not.
“He didn’t purchase you as some mere whore or entertainment for our men.
No. He bought you while watching your owner stew in the realization that, with us, your feet wouldn’t remain planted on the continent of Wraelira.
Your body merely became an added benefit for the mouth-watering men who aid our travels, but it was never the sole reason he acted in the manner he did.
The truth is, he did it because he knew of your importance to Ravelle, and therefore, the advantageous leverage you’d be able to provide by affiliation. ”
“Affiliation?”
“Of course,” he hummed as something far more sinister replaced the blanketed warmth his tone held earlier.
“The lovely Overseer of Assassins rides the lap of King Marellan, which means, if Malrik ever wants to get his hands on you again, the throne and its council will have to negotiate with us. And, as surprising as it may seem, Caspian doesn’t run bargains for things—treasures—he views as valuable. ”
“What could a pirate possibly want with the king?”
Finally turning to face me, Syoran kept his darkened eyes locked with mine, directly refusing to explore my body as if he were trying to prove a point. His brows lifted as he dipped his head to the side, a smile full of promise and sacrifice coating his features. “His freedom, of course.”