Emmet's captor looked at Emmet’s limp body laying in the cell, such a small helpless thing he had captured. He mentally scolded himself for capturing such a weakling and now he was stuck with the boring duty of watching a sleeping child who could do absolutely no harm to anyone. He got up from his stool, opened his cell and rattled his cuffs to make sure they hadn't gone loose. If he managed to catch this helpless boy the least he could do is make sure he didn't get away, that would ensure punishment from the captain. He let go of the boy and a book fell out of his shirt. He picked it up and walked back to his stool, flipping it in his hands. There were no markings just a black cover. He opened it and flipped through the pages. It was a sketch book, in it was lots of art of random things like water drops, people, trial and error limbs, boats, lots of beautiful ships which he found himself wanting with a hungry greed only able to exist in the hearts of born and raised pirates. He decided he would have them when he was older. He continued flipping through the notebook, the last picture was a very detailed drawing of water drops on a feather.

Not bad, Emmet. I might just have you draw maps and treasures. The sound of rattling chains made him look up. Emmet was staring wide eyed at him.

"That-that’s mine." He squeaked out. The boy burst out laughing.

"Yours? Of course it's yours." He continued laughing, then came to an abrupt stop. "But I caught you, so anything of yours is now mine.” He slammed his hands on the bars of Emmet’s cell, his eyes looked like a wild animal’s looking at prey. “You are mine. Got it?"

"Oh." Emmet said in a small voice. "W- Then what's your name?"

He raised his pierced eyebrow, "Malec." Why am I telling him my name? I'm supposed to make him fear me not become familiar with me. "I'm leaving. Stay here if you want to stay alive. The crew doesn't take kindly to loose prisoners." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" He looked behind him at his captive.

"What." He said, more of a command than a question.

"Where are you going?"

Malec grinned, "To tell the Captain you aren't dead so we can decide if we want you to stay that way or not." And with that he walked out, shut the door, locked it and walked to the captain's cabin. 

Malec knocked and was let in. "Captain, the boy is alive and isn’t hurt."

"Good." He stood and looked down at the boy from his impressively tall stature. "Show me to him." Malec nodded and walked out the door with his captain following him. "Ulio says that you captured the only child on deck. He also said he was ‘quite a weak little bastard’." 

Damn Ulio, always opening his big mouth to the captain. "Yes sir, he's a bit on the smaller side, nothing some training won't fix. If you want to keep him and if his will can't be broken, he's an exceptional artist. I grabbed an art book of his out of curiosity and I believe you may be impressed by it."

"Let's hope so, otherwise I’m not sure what we’ll do with him.”

“Wouldn’t we just make him a crew member? Why wouldn’t he want to join?”

“He may have had a good life, we could perhaps just give him back. We’ll find out who he is, put a ransom in order and see what happens.”

“We barely even meet the standard for regular pirates.” Malec grumbled.

The captain stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, “Malec, I understand you grew up in the conditions of ‘real pirates’, but that’s changed now and you know it. There are no more scars or forced death. We only put on a facade to live on these seas. We’ll get the information we need and then we’ll go from there.”

"Yes sir." Malec said while unlocking and opening the door to the prison hold. They walked in and both their eyes fell on Emmet.

"Get him out and bring him to me." The captain said a growl in his voice. Malec obeyed and opened Emmet's cell, pulling him to his feet and bringing him in front of the captain, holding him by the arms. Malec stationed himself behind Emmet and held him still. The captain slowly drew his sword and held it to Emmet's neck. "Now, tell me your name." The captain's eyes held no emotion, like a stone wall. Dark and empty, observing every emotion and thought that came on Emmet's face.

"Emmet." He said in a voice strangled with fear. "Emmet Rischter."

"And why, Emmet, should I let you live? What can you offer me and the crew?"

"I-I don't know." He said, his voice drowning in fear as tears welled in his eyes.

"Oh? You don't? Think harder boy, your life is on the line after all. Malec says you can draw quite well. Can you draw maps? You were on a trading ship yes? Do you know the trading routes? If you do prove to be completely useless I can always just kill you. What say you, Emmet? If you refuse to do anything just remember that I give the word and anyone will kill you."

"Sir?" Malec spoke by Emmet's ear, "Does the name 'Rischter' strike you as familiar?" Tears were spilling down Emmet's face.

"Yes now that you mention it, it does." The captain replied without moving his eyes from Emmet's, nor the sword from its position on Emmet's neck. "Emmet, tell me, who is your father and what importance does he hold to make the name 'Rischter' familiar to a pirate?"

"He-" Emmet choked out between sobs "He's the he-head of the English trading routes and t-transactions company." The captain removed his sword from Emmet's neck and grinned.

"Ah of course," He straightened up. "That's who it is. Well then I suppose we're holding you for ransom. Fine work Malec, see to Emmet's needs but do not let him out of your sight for a moment. Welcome aboard The Black Siren, Emmet. I am Captain Sin Nombre." He patted Emmet’s shoulder. “I hope we didn’t scare you too badly, just needed information.” He turned and walked out to leave Emmet in the hands of Malec.

Emmet was dumbstruck. He isn’t going to kill me? Whip me? Beat me? He welcomed me?

"There now," He said, pulling out the keys to Emmet's shackles and unlocking the ones around his ankles, "Captain isn’t that bad is he?" He stood and unlocked the cuffs around Emmet's wrists. "But you heard the captain, no running off or you'll get caught and we both get lashings you heard? You're mine to look after now so don't be a bad little prisoner got it?" Emmet nodded and Malec let the cuffs fall to the floor. Malec kept chatting as if nothing had happened, "Hey I might even get the position of a raid leader since I caught you, wouldn't that be a dream? You'll be in my quarters since I can't leave sight of you and we're going to keep a pair of shackles on our wrists so you don't get any ideas of running off when you think I ain't looking." Malec grabbed the shackles off the floor and fastened one of the ends to Emmet's slender left wrist and the other end to his own strong right wrist. "You right handed?" Emmet nodded. "Good cause I'm not. Can't be sword fighting with my bad arm."

“What’s going to happen to me?” Said Emmet in a voice that could make a God weep.

Malec’s heart broke at his prisoner’s tone. He hadn’t ever kidnapped someone so weak and susceptible before, even though he was a pirate and hated to admit it, he had a soft heart for the weak.

He continued talking with a low calm tone. "We'll be living in the same cabin and sleeping in the same bed, since I only have one. If a ship comes and attacks us I'm locking you in a room somewhere and fighting. We're going to my quarters for the night until it's time for dinner. Grab your book and let's go."

Emmet walked over to the stool- his movements were stiff, he hadn’t bothered wiping his face- grabbed his notebook and walked out of the prison hold with Malec and two feet of chains dangling between them. Malec opened the door to his personal quarters and tugged Emmet in. It was somewhat spacious with a small writing desk, several different swords and clothes in baskets, on the floor and on the walls, a wardrobe, a curtain that separated the bed area from the rest of the room, a queen sized bed and a small table on either side. At least it won't be bad to stay here. It's better than a pig pen. Emmet thought to himself while looking around.

"If you're done looking at my room like you would a woman, I'm going to lie down until it's time for dinner. That means you have to as well." Malec said, walking towards the bed, pulling Emmet behind him. Emmet sat down on the bed as Malec uncuffed himself and cuffed Emmet to the bedpost then made his way to the other side and began taking off his boots.

"And what am I to do while you sleep?"

"I don't know, there’s a quill, ink and some lead bits on your table. Draw something. It’s up to you to do what you want. Wake me up when they ring the bell." And with that Malec, now without a jacket, sword, boots and with his long dark hair down, laid down and shut his eyes.

Do what I want… What I want. Emmet looked at his table and saw what was promised, he took off his shoes, crossed his legs on the bed, propped up a pillow and wondered what to draw. He always thought that he should draw what has been the most interesting thing recently if he didn't know what to draw. That thing had been Malec. He was the one who captured him and locked him up. He was there when he woke up and now he was sleeping next to him like they were childhood friends and nothing had happened. After a moment Emmet grabbed the lead and squishy eraser putty and began sketching the best image he could of his captor. Might as well so the police and such back home know who to arrest. Emmet now focused on Malec's face with the eye of an artist. Emmet let his hand glide over the page as his eyes flicked back and forth from the details of Malec's face to his art. He studied the way the light from a candle shone on the edge of his jawline, the curve of his nose, his long, dark eyelashes, the way his lips were slightly parted as he breathed softly though his mouth. The way his bangs fell on his forehead and his hair splayed out on the pillow. His smooth chin with the a small beard and the line in his skin on his neck. The shading of his ears with their small hoop piercings and his ruffled white shirt that hung open slightly as the strings holding it closed had come loose showing his chest, which was just as tanned as the rest of himself. He must have been foreign, Emmet had never seen an Englishman or even a French man who looked like Malec. Emmet finished his drawing and looked at it. The eyelashes weren't thick enough. Emmet decided to draw his eyes open. Emmet tried to remember the intensity that Malec's wild eyes held and capture the image on the paper. Once he was done he drew the top eyelashes, this time succeeding in the the thickness that they held. He looked at his finished artwork then at the boy sleeping by his side. Almost a perfect match. All that was missing was colour. Emmet closed the book and set it and the lead on the table, continuing to fondle the eraser putty.