So I was rereading POTSS because Blinded Horizons came out and my brothers were refusing to go to sleep so I pretty much couldn't sleep. (you try sleeping with a six year old and a nine year old yelling at the top of their lungs. you can't do it)
I just realized. In Chapter 22, Louis is probably a) the stupidest person on the planet and b) one of the best (if not the best) swordfighter(s) in the world.
Been through the stress and physical pain of escaping from a pirate captain and his mentor's lair,
Watched someone be tortured in front of him (it's implied)
Knocked out (through blunt force, not sedatives)
Emotionally/physically tortured and sensory deprived (light, touch)
Been brutally sexually assaulted/raped (definite dubcon, pretty much noncon)
Dehydrated, starved, and socially isolated for four days (It's worth mentioning here four days of dehydration is enough to seriously fuck up your body, and in modern times this is the sort of thing that leads to hospitalization and potential death in many cases)
Didn't replenish fluids/nutrients in his body after the four days
Had an emotional breakdown after public humiliation and continued starvation by his captor during which he threatened suicide
Put in physical and emotional discomfort while being forced to apologize to captor for his negative reaction to his punishment
Been threatened and punched by another pirate (physical and verbal abuse) in a time where he was already physically in pain and on the verge of a mental breakdown
Has loss of motor control and function (stumbling walk, loss of balence, unable to set down cup), is at one point noted to be physically unable to walk without the assistance of another person
Fractured/broke his arm (part a: falling, part b: someone broke it)
Emotionally manipulated by captor and captor's friends
Got infected and fell into a fever in a time when fevers were enough to kill someone, especially delirious fevers
Develops a respiratory problem
Drinks unidentified liquids of unknown origins and safety
Is drugged with less-than-safe plants and materials
and then less than eight hours after his fever broke (a point at which any modern human would still be hospitalized, especially after all that had happened), less than two days after being physically unable to walk without the support of another human being, less than three days after being tortured, less than a week after going through severe emotional and physical stress, he challenges and manages to hold his own against Captain Harry Styles, Prince of the Seven Seas, one of the deadliest men on the planet. Even with Harry holding back, I'm fairly certain Harry wasn't holding back so much he could be defeated by a man who was quite literally on the verge of death and insanity.
Any one of those things would be enough to seriously disable any other human being. Louis manages to beat up a pirate captain, and have the confidence to know he'd be able to do it beforehand. Not even that, his friend, who is a nurse who was treating him that very afternoon and therefore knew exactly what was going on with Louis psychologically and physically, had the exact same confidence level in him, which says a lot about his abilities. Not to mention a swordfight that lasts as long as the second match apparently did (long enough for the crew to get bored and either leave/fall asleep...I'm going to call that about 15 minutes, and that's on the short end of things) is exceedingly strenuous. One of my good friends is a fencer and she told me a 2 minute fight with a light fencing sword is ridiculously tiring. A fight that long with a heavy steel cutlass? Serious physical strength needed there.
I really want a Harry/Louis rematch in Blinded Horizons. I'm fairly certain Louis would whip Harry's ass.
So.... yesterday I was bored and kind of in the writing mood, and I sort of wrote a one shot about Prince of the Seven Seas..... If you haven't read it, go read it now! POTSS but yeahhh..... basically: Louis gets lost and Harry goes mental.... enjoy?
The sounds of shouting echoed across the deck. A mix of high and low pitched tones, they mingled in the air with the reverberating sounds of crates being moved, sails being raised, and boots on wood. Louis watched in amazement as the crew prepared the ship for docking. Harry stood beside him; his hands firmly gripping the wheel, as he carefully and slowly pulled the large ship that was the One Direction into the port at just the right angle. Once the ship was parallel with the dock, Liam instantly sprang into action, putting down the anchor and securing the ship. After the ship came to a full stop, merely bobbing peacefully in the gentle waves, the crew assembled on the deck.
“Alright!” Harry addressed loudly, “We’re only in Setubal long enough to replenish supplies, so you have three hours to do whatever the hell it is you do when we dock. Got it?”
The crew rang out their agreement and understanding, as Zayn lowered the wooden board to the pier. The crew then began to meander their way off of the ship; most of them laughing and making plans amongst themselves. Zayn, Liam, and Niall made their way off the ship arm and arm, most likely heading off to the local pub, while Eleanor dragged Danielle by her hand. From the look on Danielle’s face, it was obvious that Eleanor planned on spending the three hours shopping. Once most of the crew were gone, save the few who were staying behind to guard the ship, Harry turned to Louis; a smile on the usually stone cold face.
“Come on, Princess,” Harry said, taking Louis’ hand and leading him into the port.
Louis couldn’t bring himself to protest at either the name or the obvious sign of affection mostly because he was so in awe of his surroundings. This was the first time he had ever been to Portugal, and it was amazing. The bright, yellow sun shone high above their heads; the golden rays licking tantalizingly at Louis’s skin. The gentle breeze carried the smell of salt with it, but it was almost sweet. Louis’ eyes danced across the market before them. Vibrant, colourful fabrics decorated some of the stalls, while sizzling Mediterranean dishes wafted from others. The calls from various sellers of exotic fruit swirled into the air until they became one loud, booming sound. As the two made their way further into the market, the crowd only seemed to become denser. Louis found his hand tightening around Harry’s out of instinct, but he quickly pulled away when he noticed the smirk gracing the pirate captain’s lips.
Louis had begun to drift towards a stall selling hand crafted silver jewellery, thinking of his sisters and mother, when a shout rang out in the market square. Louis’ head shot up to see a seller having what appeared to be a heated argument with quite a large man. Not thinking much of it, Louis rolled his eyes and shook his head, returning his focus to the heart shaped necklace in front of him. The shouts seemed to grow in volume and quantity, and soon a high pitched cry echoed through the previously calm air. The change in tone caused Louis to once again look up with furrowed brows. He was shocked by what he saw. The argument had turned into an actual fight with men pulling out guns and swords. Fear began to build up in his stomach as Louis searched desperately for Harry. His eyes scanned the square, but he couldn’t find that familiar mop of curls. Louis could feel his throat beginning to close up and his hands beginning to tremble, as the fight seemed to be quickly becoming a riot. Bodies shoved into him and the blood-lust eyes of the men with weapons seemed to be getting nearer, so Louis did the only thing he could think of: he ran.
~~~~~
“Louis!? Louis!” Harry cried desperately.
Harry couldn’t seem to find his prince, though. All he was greeted with was a sea of bodies. Harry was strong, but he wasn’t that strong, and as a wave of people fled from the market square, he was pushed with them. The panic inside the pirate captain was becoming too much. His hands were practically dripping with sweat and his head was throbbing with the onset of a tension headache. He was sure that his head was going to explode, but he didn’t care. He had to find Louis. He couldn’t lose him. Once he gained the ability to move freely again, Harry made his way back to the market square as quickly as his feet would carry him. When he arrived, though, the square was empty; the royal guard seeming to have rounded up the rowdy men. Harry’s eyes went wild, as he spun around, looking for any sign of Louis. Instead, his eyes fell on the pile of dead bodies being pulled away on a cart.
No… no. no. no.
Harry chest began to constrict, as two long, icy hands squeezed and twisted his lungs and heart. He gasped for air, and his knees buckled slightly beneath him. His nerves seemed caught between screaming out in pain and being completely numb. It seemed the only real sensation the captain could feel was the tears prickling at the edges of his eyes. His breathes came out short and ragged, as he willed his body to wander the square, giving one last attempt to find Louis. At the cold, hard realization that the square truly was empty, Harry hunched forward; bile climbing unwillingly up his throat.
Harry’s mind seemed to go completely blank; an unwanted darkness taking over his thoughts, as his feet carried him back to the One Direction on autopilot. Once on the ship, the crew seemed to notice the change in their captain’s demeanour, exchanging confused looks and hushed questions. As Harry made his towards the upper deck in his dazed state, he was greeted by a seemingly cheerful Liam.
“Shall I raise the anchor then?” Liam asked.
“We’re staying in port,” Harry replied.
“But I thought—”
Before Liam could even finish his thought, the cold blade of a cutlass was pressed firmly to his sternum. Liam looked down at the threat before looking confusedly up at the hard glare upon Harry’s features.
“I said,” Harry growled, “We’re staying in port.”
Liam gulped; it had been awhile since he had seen this side of Harry. He nodded fervently at the captain’s orders, and slowly Harry lowered his cutlass; though, his scowl remained. The conflict seemingly over, Harry turned on his heels and stormed off to his study, leaving a baffled Liam in his wake.
“What the fuck?” Niall wondered aloud, coming up and slipping his hand in his boyfriend’s.
“Something’s definitely wrong,” Zayn commented, joining the two.
After the confrontation between Harry and Liam, the night only seemed to get worse. By the next morning, one of the crew members was tied to the mast for laughing too loudly at dinner; one was locked in a cell for accidently getting in Harry’s way while walking across the deck; and one was currently receiving treatment from Eleanor after being shot in the leg by Harry for asking where Louis was.
By mid-day, the ship was in an utter state of chaos. Most of the crew were cowering below decks, too afraid to even look Harry in the eye. Harry had locked himself in his study, still forbidding the One Direction leave port. Liam, Niall, and Zayn, seemingly the only ones brave enough to show their faces above deck, were huddled in front of the captain’s study’s door.
“I don’t understand why he’s making such a big deal,” Zayn commented coolly.
“Are you fucking kidding me,” Niall replied.
“Really, Zayn,” Liam sighed annoyed, “Louis is missing. How’d you think he’d react?”
Zayn opened his mouth to reply, but paused as the sound of papers being roughly shoved of a desk filtered through the door. The three listened intently, as a dry sob seemed to reverberate from inside the small room.
“I don’t know,” Zayn continued, this time in a hushed whisper, “This is Harry we’re talking about. He’s the ultimate hider of emotions; cold as stone.”
“This is also Louis we’re talking about,” Niall whispered back.
“What about me?” A voice asked behind them.
All three pirates whipped around only to be greeted by the confused face of the prince himself.
“Louis!” Niall exclaimed, throwing his arms around Louis’ neck, “You’re alive!”
“Ummm… yeah?” Louis replied, pulling the blonde’s strangling arms away from him. He raised an eyebrow at the three lovers, not quite understanding why they were looking at him like he was the second coming of Jesus.
“We thought you were killed,” Liam explained exasperatedly, “Harry’s gone ballistic.”
“We have to tell him you’re okay,” Niall added excitedly, already reaching a hand out for the study door.
“Wait,” Louis interjected.
Niall looked up at the prince in confusion, but Zayn and Liam seemed to understand. They each gave Louis a smile and a reassuring nod before gently pulling Niall away. Louis watched them go for a moment before taking a deep breath and turning the handle of the study door. The sight he was met with made his heart clench. The study was an absolute mess: papers were scattered all across the floor and an ink spill was dripping onto the floor. Sprawled out on the desk was Harry. His face was firmly pressed into the wood while Dusty played aimlessly at his messy curls. At the sound of the door, Harry looked up. His face seemed paler than usual, making the blotches on his cheeks that more prominent. Dried tears stained tracts all over his face, and his red rimmed eyes stared sadly at Louis. The life seemed return to his green eyes as Harry realized just who was entering his study. In less than a second, Harry was bounding out of his chair and towards Louis. Before the prince could even react, two strong arms were wrapped tightly around him, pulling him close. Louis couldn’t help but nuzzle slightly into the warmth of Harry’s embrace. The two stood there for a few moments, taking comfort and breathing in the other’s being. It was so simple, yet there was so much emotion behind it.
“I thought you had been killed,” Harry whispered into the prince’s hair, finally breaking the serene silence.
“I’m sorry,” Louis muttered lowly.
Louis pulled away slightly, looking up into the captain’s sad eyes. There was so much raw emotion swimming in those irises, and it was breaking Louis’ heart. He carefully reached a hand up, wiping away the newly formed tears on Harry’s cheeks with his thumb. He loved getting to see this vulnerable side of Harry, yet at the same time, it was one of the most painful sights to witness. All he wanted to do was make Harry feel better, to make all the pain go away. Never tearing his eyes away from Harry’s, Louis stood up on his tip-toes, planting a gentle kiss on the pirate’s lips.
