Distant Harbor
This story idea came out of a dream I had. Yes, I dreamed of Pirate Henry, and it was fantastic! Please be aware that this is my first AU story, my first olden time period story, as well as my first OFC story instead of a reader insert. That being said, feedback would be amazing!! Tell me if you liked it, hated it, want more of it...I’ll take it all.
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If you want me to start a tag list for this story and want to be on it, let me know.
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Summery: As the daughter of a merchant sailor, you convince him to let you accompany him on his current voyage. But when a Pirate Ship is spotted on the horizon, you realize the sea is a dangerous place.
Characters: AU Pirate!Henry x OFC Lucy
Word Count: 2,366
Warnings: Violence, cannon fire, talk of blood, character death, captivity, unwanted touching and kissing, abuse, if you find anything else I need to add here please let me know.
**I do not know or own Henry Cavill(even though I would love to!) The original female character, Lucy, was made up by me.**
***Feedback welcome and encouraged :)***
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The gentle rocking back and forth of the sailing vessel helped lull you into a restful sleep at night, and also woke you from the same slumber. The glow of the rising sun reflected off the ocean, and onto your face. It was the third day into your journey, and the motion and close quarters were already becoming bothersome. Your father was a merchant trader and had reluctantly agreed to let you accompany him on this voyage as you requested. You always dreamed of adventure and new horizons. All you had gotten so far was stir-crazy and discouraging looks from among the crew.
They reasoned that it was unlucky to have a woman aboard a ship as she would anger the sea. But they also apparently felt that certain hygiene practices were unlucky, so you couldn’t put stock in much of what they said. Your father, however, kept a very close eye on you, and usually relegated you to your cabin, to not rile the crew. You were never one for following rules, however, so you decided to dress quickly, and head onto the deck to take in the fresh sea air. You leaned against the deck rail, hands gripping it tightly, eyes scanning the horizon. You squinted your eyes against the sun. Was that a spot of white you just saw? You turned to see if anyone else had seen something when you were joined at the rail by your father.
“Lucy, you know you should not be out here unaccompanied.” His voice sounded tired, but you were unsure if it was due to the nature of his work here, or the number of times he has had to remind you of this fact.
“Father, I know you worry for me, but I am no longer a babe clinging to the nursemaid. I cannot be locked in that cabin the whole journey. I want to experience what you do. I want to experience anything at all.” You looked at him with a steely expression. He softened as he cupped your cheek.
“I know, my dear daughter. But after we lost your dear mother, you are all I have left. You cannot fault me for being an attentive father.” You knew he was right. When sickness took your mother seven years past, it nearly broke him. He gave up sailing for almost a year, to keep you close. To keep you safe. But the banks were only sympathetic for so long before he knew he had to return to the sea. So having you on this voyage with him was, you felt, his way of allowing you freedom, while still keeping you close. You gave your father a kind smile and embraced him close.
“I understand father, and I promise, I will heed your instructions from here out.” Giving you a nod of acceptance, he turned his gaze to the sea. You both stood in calm silence for a few moments, until you saw your father tense and grip the railing. He shouted to the passing crewman.
“Hawkins, get me the spyglass. I think I see sails!” Once the metal tube was placed in his hands, he focused out on the horizon. “Sail, ho! There’s a ship starboard side, 2 leagues out. She’s flying a black flag. Pierce, get to the helm. Keep it at a distance. Don’t let it catch up!” Your father’s authoritative commands both impressed and terrified you.
“Black sails? Father, pirates?” Without answering, he grabbed your arm and led you quickly to your cabin. Once you were safely inside, he commanded you as well.
“Lucy, you must listen to me, this is very important. You must stay in your cabin. We are going to try to outrun the vessel, but we are heavily laden. I cannot guarantee the safety of this ship. I need to know you are safe. Do you understand?” Too terrified to speak, you let out a whimper and frantic nod. Your father gave you a quick smile before running back on deck. Terrified for him and the crew, you knelt where you stood and began to pray.
You were soon startled out of your prayer by the sounds of frantic shouting on deck. You ran to the porthole and saw that the pirate ship was much closer than you thought possible, and getting closer. The order from the deck was to man the cannons and prepare for crossfire. You were in disbelief. This was supposed to be a routine supply voyage. How quickly it had come to this. You hurriedly crossed the cabin to get away from the windows. You sat on your bed, pulled your knees to your chest, and wrapped your arms around them. And that is how you were when the first cannonball hit the ship.
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The barrage lasted what felt like forever. The loud blasts of the cannons soon became shouts and the clashing of steel when your ship was boarded. You sobbed as you drew even further into yourself. You couldn’t tell who was winning, but you were too scared to see for yourself. And you promised your father you would stay in the cabin. Your heart was pounding when the sounds of fighting outside seemed to stop. Was your father's crew victorious? Is your father safe? What will happen next?
You got your answer when someone began banging on the door from the outside. Your father had locked it, thank god, but if whoever it was could not unlock it, then it was not your father. Panicked and thinking quickly, you hid in your wardrobe. A few more loud bangs sounded against the door before it burst open. You held your breath, terrified whoever just entered would hear you. From your hiding spot, you couldn’t see anything, but you heard them ransacking the room. They must not know you were there but just looking to pillage. You couldn’t help shaking knowing that they would eventually look in the wardrobe and discover you there. Almost as if you willed it by thinking it, the door was wrenched open, and you let out a small scream of surprise.
“Oi, what do we ‘ave ‘ere, then?” The pirate grabbed you by the arm and pulled you to stand in the cabin. “Yer a pretty lass, ain’t ye? Methinks me treasure been found ‘ere, ay?” You desperately tried to get out of his rough grip, as he began to grope and grab at you.
“Let me go! You cannot do this!” You made your voice sound as commanding as possible, but the pirate just laughed. Your heart clenched as fear grew in you.
“Ye think so, princess? There is plenty I can do, don’t ye fret.” His hands kept grabbing through layers of fabric, and you kept swatting them away. Once he got frustrated, he grabbed your chin in his dirty hand and kissed you roughly. Throwing your head back to escape the kiss, you slapped him roughly across the face. “Oh I like em feisty, I do.” He spat and tried to kiss you again. You struggled against his rough hold on your face and kept tossing your head back and to the side to avoid his foul mouth. Angered by your defiance, he roughly grabbed both arms and slammed your back hard into the cabin wall. Pain shot down your spine as it collided with the hard surface. You were unable to stop his mouth’s assault this time. When you felt his tongue attempt to break through you bit down as hard as you could. He let out a scream mixed with pain and anger. His hand was lightning quick as it struck you hard in the cheek. Tears blocked your vision as blood pooled on your split lip. “Don’t make me get a muzzle on ye, bitch!” Just then, another pirate stormed in, took in the scene in front of him, and his eyes clouded with anger.
“Smythe, ye know the Captain’s rules. All prisoners need be brought to him. What do ye think yer doin’?”
“Just having a bit o’ fun. No ‘arm in that, is there?”
“Ye can have yer fun when ye finish yer job. Now get the girl to the Captain, and shove off!” You had been too scared to speak during their exchange. You only managed a whimper when the man called Smythe grabbed your arm painfully and began to drag you onto the deck. More strangled sounds came out as you saw the carnage on deck. Your father's crew, the men you had been sailing with, all dead. The bottom of your dress dragged in the blood on the deck as he pulled you towards the gangplank. However, your body stopped still when you saw one particular face you recognized amongst the havoc. The lifeless face of your father.
“FATHER! NO!” You wailed. You pulled with all your strength and managed to wrench free of your captive’s grasp. You ran to him and knelt at his side. Your hands fluttered over him, helpless, as you wept for him. You laid your head on his bloodied chest and sobbed. Too soon, you felt the pirate yank you to your feet. “Please, no! I cannot leave him. Let me go! Please…” you begged to deaf ears. He continued to drag you to the waiting pirate ship, all the while you were fighting to return to your father’s body. He didn’t utter a word to you. You didn’t expect sympathy, but you expected something. The rest of the way, every lifeless face had the visage of your father.
Now on board the pirate ship, you were led to the cabin directly under the helm, the captain’s cabin. The room was empty, but you were tossed in any way. The pirate roughly sat you on a wooden chair in the corner of the room, and without care, tightly tied your hands behind your back. You thought of trying to fight your bonds, but you couldn’t find the strength. You had nothing left. You were alone. And now, you belonged to the captain.
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You were unsure how long you waited in that cabin, tied to the chair alone. Your thoughts were only of your father, his crew, and your horrible fate. Would the captain kill you? Enslave you? Molest you? As terrified as you were, your fight was gone. You decided to accept your fate, whatever that may be. A short time later, you startled as the silence was broken. The doorknob turned, and the loud boot steps of the captain rang in the cabin.
You were terrified to look up and face him, so your gaze stayed trained on the ground. A few steps later, the boots came into view, and then stopped in front of you. The silence filled the room again, almost as if he was waiting on you. Shaking, you slowly raised your head and took in the man standing in front of you. He was a giant of a man. Tall and broad. His dark curls rested wild on his forehead, almost hiding his striking blue eyes. His mouth was set in a hard line as if he was unsure what to do with you. You weren’t sure why he wasn’t saying anything. Doing anything. He was just staring at you.
“Please, sir. Please don’t hurt me. My father was on that ship. He’s dead now. I don’t want him lying there alone. Please.” You begged between sobs. He sighed deeply before speaking.
“I am Captain Henry Cavill. You are a prisoner aboard my ship, The Wretched Blue. While you are a prisoner here, you will be in my care. But do not think it will be a comfort. You will fetch a large amount of coin for me, so I will see to your captivity. Do you understand?” His tone was very direct and full of business. When he looked you in the eye, he did not show emotion. Trembling with sobs at your fate, you lowered your eyes from his gaze and let out a defeated sigh. Taking that as the only acceptance he needed, he turned towards the pirate that appeared there and started giving him orders that you were unable to hear.
Before long, he had returned with a cot and bedding, seeing as there was only sleeping furniture for one in the cabin. It was apparent that he had also ordered the pirate to return to your ship, and your cabin, because the next item he brought in was your trunk. The lock and hinges were broken on it, so it was clear it had been riffled through. The last item was secreted to the captain before you could discern what it was. But you paid it no mind. You were thoroughly defeated and wanted nothing more than to surrender to the blackness at the edge of your vision. The captain gave his crewman a satisfied nod and granted him leave. You were once again left alone with the intimidating man.
“I am your captor, but I am also a fair man. I will not be cruel, but there will be rules to follow. And punishments if those rules are not obeyed. Do you understand?” Your head nodded in shallow agreement. “Well then, as I stated, I am not a cruel man, so I will leave you to grieve. Do I have your word you will not try to escape? Or do I need to bind you?” Again without words, you shook your head to assure him you would not try anything. “Fine. The accommodations are small, but I offer you the bed as your own. Cross me, and your stay will not be nearly as comfortable.” He turned to walk away but stopped just short of the door. He came back to you, reached into his vest pocket, and pulled out the item that was handed to him along with your trunk. Silently, he handed it to you and breezed out of the room. You stared at the item in your hands and fresh sobs grew in your chest. It was the small portrait you had of your mother and father. This brought everything into perspective. You were now very alone.
