The pain was horrible. Not a single position offered relief. The red doctor had roughly rubbed ointment on his wounds before bandaging them, and there had been a sadistic grin that felt misplaced on his usually merry face. All those new guys, Markus hated them. All of them. If he ever found out with what they were poisoned, he wouldn't hesitate to use it again. Everything had been a hundred times better before they'd set foot aboard.

Footsteps descended the stairs, the pace telling him it was Rogier. Sullen, he turned his face away. He felt betrayed. Rogier had let the little brat whip him without any proof for such a heavy punishment. Imagining what that little devil must have done to play Rogier like this, made him feel sick.

Rogier refused to look at his back and walked around the hammock. There, he leaned against a wooden pole. The look in his eyes was cold. That his best friend was bleeding in a hammock, didn't seem to bother him. He had crossed his arms in front of his chest, his skin still dark with blood. "You got anything to say?"

Markus clenched his jaw. Yeah, he had a lot of things to say. "You humiliated me. By letting me get whipped by a child."

"You were the one who wanted a child to take your place."

Markus breathed heavily. "I can't believe you value his words more than those of your best friend. He will say anything to save his ass."

"And you won't?" Rogier mocked.

"I'm loyal! I have always been loyal to you! But I guess it was always on one side."

Rogier stepped closer, his blue eyes drilling into his. "You lied right into my face, Markus. You made up orders, pretending they were mine. You knew I couldn't leave it unpunished. These are no signs of loyalty, and it's neither something a friend would do. I don't care why you hold a grudge toward Rory, I want you to let it go. I like the kid. Deal with it. Next time you pull a trick like this, I will have you passed under the keel."

Markus' jaw tensed even more. Even though he had just been tortured, he still had a hard time believing Rogier was shoving him to the side like he meant nothing to him. "I don't understand why you can't believe that he was hiding in the hold. He has a big mouth, that's all."

"He fought more battles than you."

"Like he would claim the opposite," Markus huffed.

"His captain told me. Why would he lie about it?"

"Maybe he thinks he's a good fuck too."

Rogier stepped forward and grabbed his throat. With a jolt, he lifted him so his upper body lost contact with the hammock. At first, Markus was too shocked to respond, but then, he started to jerk at the hand squeezing his windpipe.

"Don't talk about him like he's a whore. He's more respectful than you; he has more self-respect and more respect for others. Your jealousy makes me sick, Markus. If you want to prove that you can do more than lean on my shoulder, you have to show it and not by pulling someone else down. Remember that." He pushed Markus back into his hammock. Pain flamed along his spine. "From now on, Rory is trained as a steersman. If I hear one more complaint from you, you'll be the one washing our clothes. You got that?"

The cold look in Rogier's eyes made his insides freeze. It hurt — and at the same time it called up a wild hatred. He wasn't going to step back. It felt like that kid had taken everything from him and he would make him pay. But not in such an obvious way as he had done today. He learned his lesson. He would wait patiently for the right moment and then, he would get rid of the stupid boy.

"Yeah," he grunted.

"Yeah?"

Markus took a deep breath while glancing into his icy eyes. "Yes, captain."

Markus closed his eyes as Rogier rushed away. That was all Rogier still was to him. His captain. And he hated it.

. . .

The adoring look in Rory's eyes didn't escape his attention as Rogier explained to the boy how he could navigate with the help of a Jacob's staff. For some reason, it moved him. He was used to men looking up to him, but it was different with Rory. He wasn't holding back, he expressed nothing but pureness. He looked so honest — which was a real relief after Markus' backstabbing.

"Try it."

Rory nodded. He lifted the one-meter-long Jacob's staff end and held the end against his cheek. In his other hand, he held the cross arm. Slowly he shoved back the stick until it fitted between the horizon and the sun. Once he succeeded, he lowered the staff and read the latitude. "5.6," he muttered.

Rogier handed him the journal so he could write down the measure. After that, he brought him to his quarters where the map was spread across the table so they could decide to what extent they needed to adjust course. Rogier sat down on his chair while he told him about the route they would take and the types of water they would cross during their journey to the Deadly Cliffs, where the biggest pirate city was situated. There, he hoped to find more information about the abducted boy.

"How does your reading go? You think you can keep practicing on your own or do you need someone else who can help you?"

In any case, he didn't plan to burden Markus with the task again.

"I'll be fine."

Rory answered so quickly, Rogier quirked an eyebrow. "Let me hear it."

A blush crept upon his cheeks. "You uh — you want me to read to you?"

Rogier shrugged. "This morning, you offered me a hell of a lot more than reading."

The boy turned flaming red and turned his face away in embarrassment. "Sorry for that," he muttered. "I — I don't know why I said that."

Rogier lifted the corner of his mouth. "Because you think I'm ruggedly handsome."

Rory looked around as if he hoped the planks under his feet would swallow him. Rogier chuckled. The whole situation amused him. Shoving back his chair, he pulled a book towards him and motioned Rory to come closer.

"Even after listening to your voice all night long, I guess I can't get enough of it."

Rory stepped closer. His tense breathing reminded him of how he had responded when Rogier caressed his face. He wasn't sure what feelings Rory called up inside him, but it was something new and he wanted to discover what it was. Nervously, the boy intertwined his fingers while standing next to him, as if he wasn't sure where to sit.

Rogier laid a hand on his hip and pulled him on his leg. He could swear he could hear Rory's raging heart and something was fluttering in his stomach too.

A smirk crossed his lips as Rory inhaled sharply. Leaning closer to him, he whispered: "If you want to become my lover, you better start showing some confidence."

Rory looked over his shoulder, emotions churning in his grey eyes as he held Rogier's glance. Somewhat provocative, he lifted his chin. "You want me to just kiss you?"

Rogier's eyes wandered across his face. His hand moved from his side to his hip. Sure, they could kiss. But he did realize that Rory was his apprentice and that he didn't want to make things unnecessarily awkward. Before doing things like that, he wanted to figure out what he wanted.

"No, but you don't have to sit on my lap like some scared birdie."

Once again, his cheeks flushed. Rogier didn't know what he liked more; his fierce and somewhat bold side, or his shyness. Perhaps both. Rory pulled the book closer, opened it, and began to read.

Rogier wasn't paying attention to what he was reading; from the side, he watched Rory's concentrated face, his wavy blonde hair, his somewhat threatening frown, and his full lips. His hand rested upon his hip, and Rory's shirt fell just over his thumb. If he moved his hand a little, he would be able to feel his skin. Even though his thumb twitched as the temptation grew, he didn't do it.

He didn't want Rory to become a toy. He respected the boy too much. If he wanted something romantic, it would be a normal equal relationship and they didn't know each other well enough yet.

He returned his attention to Rory's voice. It sounded more confident than before. Not surprisingly; he was used to Markus' correction of every word he spoke. Rogier moved his hand to his back and briefly stroked it to attract his attention.

The boy looked to the side.

"You're doing fine."

The boy was beaming. For a moment their eyes met, then, his face grew serious. "How's Markus?"

It was a question he hadn't expected. Surprised, he raised his eyebrows. "You feel pity for him?"

"I heard he was your best friend. It must be painful to hurt him like that, right?"

Rogier snorted. "Best friends don't lie to each other."

"No." Rory searched for his eyes. "That must have been painful too."

Rogier didn't know what to answer. He appreciated how frank Rory was; it was something no one else would have brought up. Therefore, he however wasn't used to talking about his feelings.

"Things weren't good for a while between us," he said hesitantly. "Actually since the moment my girl died. I think he never knew how to deal with me. I pushed him away like I pushed everyone away and he left things that way."

There was compassion in his grey eyes. Rory turned a little more towards him. "How did it happen?"

Rogier chewed his cheek, not sure if he wanted to talk about Aida. Even though it had been three years, sometimes it still felt like a day ago.

Outside, the bell rang. Dinner was ready.

"I'll tell you another time," he said with a small smile. He couldn't resist raking his fingers through his blond strands. They were soft, completely different than Aida's wiry hair.

Suddenly, Rory's fingertips stroked his cheek. The caress made him gasp. Something wrestled itself to the surface, igniting like a fire. His grey eyes held him captive.

"You never answered my question," the boy said, his voice a little hoarse.

"No," he admitted. "Because I don't know the answer."

Rory pulled back his hand and bent his head. There was a blush on his cheeks, but his shoulders were slumped. Rogier laid a finger under his chin and lifted his face. He stared into his turbulent eyes.

"You deserve to be more than being someone's plaything," he said. "But I'm not sure I'm ready for more."

Rory showed him an understanding smile. "Forget what I said. It was — stupid."

"No, Rory, it was not. It was honest and daring and that's the reason you're here instead of someone else. I need to get used to someone who's so frank, but it's certainly refreshing."

As the red tinge spread across Rory's face again, he felt his fingers tingle.

"Come on, let's eat." He gave him a little nudge so he stood up.

Before he would be buried under more confusing feelings.