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**Chapter One: Stormy Weather**
"Heave men! I don't want my ship at the bottom of this bloody ocean!" Arthur's voice carried sharply over the wind, rain, and waves. He and his crew were currently sailing blindly through a monstrous storm. Just a second ago the sky had been clear and blue, and Arthur had been below deck charting out the course, and he mentally kicked himself for being so stupid as to not smell the rain on the air sooner. But it was too late for regrets now. He didn't have time for them. Now, waves crashed against the ship and sloshed over the rails and onto the deck, making a big slippery mess that the cabin boy, Wang Jia, would have to clean up later. "Damn it all," Arthur muttered under his breath. He was having a bit of trouble keeping the big ship steady, but he was managing for the most part. "I told you lot already, to get those sails down! I don't want to have to say it again!" He yelled to his crew below.
"We're trying sir!" Arthur heard someone reply. Probably that whiney German kid. Arthur thought. No matter.
"Well stop trying and start doing!" He retorted.
"Aye, aye, captain Kirkland! "
"Ivan!" Arthur called down to the tall, burley man as he spotted him coming out from below deck. "Is everything secure?"
"Da, everything's tied down, all that's left is the crew," Ivan reported.
"Good man! Go tie yourself to your lifeline and then check the others," Arthur said as he nodded towards the main mast on the foredeck, where most of the crew was scrambling around frantically. Ivan nodded in return and walked briskly towards where the ropes were tied in. After he was out of earshot, Arthur watched his crew a little longer then shook his head and mumbled, "Bumblin' idiots, the lot of 'em."
After what seemed to be forever, the sails were down and below deck. This way, they would be less likely to be damaged by lightning and the ship wasn't being forced around as much by the heavy winds. Ivan had finished checking and gave Arthur the all clear. Arthur had already been tied to a separate pole beside the ship's wheel.  He started cursing again as a particularly large wave crashed against the side of the ship. "Come on Elizabeth, keep steady now, we can get through this," he whispered, but, despite his calm exterior, he was gripping the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles were white. Lighting flashed in the sky and the rain seemed to come down even harder.
Arthur's long, dark blue, ankle-length coat whipped wildly around him in the wind, and, much to his dismay, his hat had long since blown off his head. His usually uncontrollably messy blond hair was plastered to his head and he was sopping wet.
It took much yelling and cursing, but Arthur's ship was eventually pushed out of the rolling darkness. Luckily, neither of the masts had taken any damage. Arthur sighed in relief at this and patted the steering wheel affectionately. Cheering arose from the foredeck and, at that; Arthur actually cracked a small smile.
He untied himself, coiled up the rope, and threw down to the deck below, his smile long gone. He called to his navigator as he did this, the only man he would ever trust to steer his beloved ship, his first mate. Even though he was almost always sleeping, he was very calm and new how to make sure the exuberant pirate kept his head and didn't get mad as often for silly reasons. They had been friends since they were younger and have been together through everything. "Heracles! Get up here and do your job!"  Heracles trudged slowly up the steps to the upper-deck slowly, yawned, and shuffled over to the impatient Englishman.
"Sir?" Heracles inquired sleepily.  He was acting as if he had just awoken from a long nap.
He might have. Arthur thought. That man can surely sleep through a storm…
"Get us back on track. We were headed to Rithian," Arthur informed Heracles.
Aye, aye, Captain," Heracles yawned again and untied a chair near him. Proceeding to pull it up to the steering wheel and promptly falling asleep in it as he waited for the crew to get the sails back up.
Arthur rolled his eyes and walked over to the railing on the upper deck, barking out orders to the rest of his crew. "Oi! Stop frolickin' around and get those sails back up! I didn't recruit you lot so you could sit around all day and do nothin'! Bloody gits… " He muttered that last part to himself. A chorus of "yes sir"s and "Aye aye, Captain"s followed his words. Arthur walked down to the foredeck and watched his crew run around for a bit before something else caught his attention. "Antonio!" he yelled at a median-build, well-tanned man (with a very nice back-view love you Sara!) who had taken his shirt off and was wringing it out. Antonio, a charming Spaniard, along with a Frenchman by the name of Francis, both had no problem with public nudity and them removing random articles of clothing while on board  was a frequent occurrence. Even so, it still pissed Arthur off every time it happened.
"Sí, amigo?" Antonio turned to him and flashed him a dazzling smile. Antonio had finished wringing his shirt out and threw it over his shoulder, making a loud smacking sound as wet cloth hit skin. Arthur flinched at the discomforting sound.
"Put your shirt back on, man!" Arthur grabbed Antonio's shirt from off of the other's man's shoulder and pushed it to his chest. Antonio merely smiled at Arthur and threw it on.
"Really, señor, you're so pushy. Now, what did you want?" Antonio questioned. Arthur shook his head slightly and rubbed his temple.
"I want you to do your job. And that would be dinner. Early." Arthur replied. Antonio's smile only widened. He was used to Arthur's attitude and, by now, it amused him more than intimidate him like it used to.
"Of course! I'm sure the crew is very hungry!" Antonio said good-naturedly. He nodded to Arthur, threw him another one of his frequent smiles, and walked off.
Almost as an after-thought Arthur yelled after him, "oh! And I'll take dinner in my quarters tonight! Wang Jia can bring it to me!"
"It shall be done, señor!" Was Antonio's reply. Arthur then sot-out his engineer, a quiet but pleasant young man named Matthew, and put him to work checking for any damages that might have befallen the ship during the storm. Taking one last look around to make sure everyone was busy, Arthur went back to his room to dry-off and change. After that, he would fix anything that had shifted onto the floor, eat dinner, and go to bed.

;) (Wink) — Description
**Chapter One: Stormy Weather**
"Heave men! I don't want my ship at the bottom of this bloody ocean!" Arthur's voice carried sharply over the wind, rain, and waves. He and his crew were currently sailing blindly through a monstrous storm. Just a second ago the sky had been clear and blue, and Arthur had been below deck charting out the course, and he mentally kicked himself for being so stupid as to not smell the rain on the air sooner. But it was too late for regrets now. He didn't have time for them. Now, waves crashed against the ship and sloshed over the rails and onto the deck, making a big slippery mess that the cabin boy, Wang Jia, would have to clean up later. "Damn it all," Arthur muttered under his breath. He was having a bit of trouble keeping the big ship steady, but he was managing for the most part. "I told you lot already, to get those sails down! I don't want to have to say it again!" He yelled to his crew below.
"We're trying sir!" Arthur heard someone reply. Probably that whiney German kid. Arthur thought. No matter.
"Well stop trying and start doing!" He retorted.
"Aye, aye, captain Kirkland! "
"Ivan!" Arthur called down to the tall, burley man as he spotted him coming out from below deck. "Is everything secure?"
"Da, everything's tied down, all that's left is the crew," Ivan reported.
"Good man! Go tie yourself to your lifeline and then check the others," Arthur said as he nodded towards the main mast on the foredeck, where most of the crew was scrambling around frantically. Ivan nodded in return and walked briskly towards where the ropes were tied in. After he was out of earshot, Arthur watched his crew a little longer then shook his head and mumbled, "Bumblin' idiots, the lot of 'em."
After what seemed to be forever, the sails were down and below deck. This way, they would be less likely to be damaged by lightning and the ship wasn't being forced around as much by the heavy winds. Ivan had finished checking and gave Arthur the all clear. Arthur had already been tied to a separate pole beside the ship's wheel.  He started cursing again as a particularly large wave crashed against the side of the ship. "Come on Elizabeth, keep steady now, we can get through this," he whispered, but, despite his calm exterior, he was gripping the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles were white. Lighting flashed in the sky and the rain seemed to come down even harder.
Arthur's long, dark blue, ankle-length coat whipped wildly around him in the wind, and, much to his dismay, his hat had long since blown off his head. His usually uncontrollably messy blond hair was plastered to his head and he was sopping wet.
It took much yelling and cursing, but Arthur's ship was eventually pushed out of the rolling darkness. Luckily, neither of the masts had taken any damage. Arthur sighed in relief at this and patted the steering wheel affectionately. Cheering arose from the foredeck and, at that; Arthur actually cracked a small smile.
He untied himself, coiled up the rope, and threw down to the deck below, his smile long gone. He called to his navigator as he did this, the only man he would ever trust to steer his beloved ship, his first mate. Even though he was almost always sleeping, he was very calm and new how to make sure the exuberant pirate kept his head and didn't get mad as often for silly reasons. They had been friends since they were younger and have been together through everything. "Heracles! Get up here and do your job!"  Heracles trudged slowly up the steps to the upper-deck slowly, yawned, and shuffled over to the impatient Englishman.
"Sir?" Heracles inquired sleepily.  He was acting as if he had just awoken from a long nap.
He might have. Arthur thought. That man can surely sleep through a storm…
"Get us back on track. We were headed to Rithian," Arthur informed Heracles.
Aye, aye, Captain," Heracles yawned again and untied a chair near him. Proceeding to pull it up to the steering wheel and promptly falling asleep in it as he waited for the crew to get the sails back up.
Arthur rolled his eyes and walked over to the railing on the upper deck, barking out orders to the rest of his crew. "Oi! Stop frolickin' around and get those sails back up! I didn't recruit you lot so you could sit around all day and do nothin'! Bloody gits… " He muttered that last part to himself. A chorus of "yes sir"s and "Aye aye, Captain"s followed his words. Arthur walked down to the foredeck and watched his crew run around for a bit before something else caught his attention. "Antonio!" he yelled at a median-build, well-tanned man (with a very nice back-view love you Sara!) who had taken his shirt off and was wringing it out. Antonio, a charming Spaniard, along with a Frenchman by the name of Francis, both had no problem with public nudity and them removing random articles of clothing while on board  was a frequent occurrence. Even so, it still pissed Arthur off every time it happened.
"Sí, amigo?" Antonio turned to him and flashed him a dazzling smile. Antonio had finished wringing his shirt out and threw it over his shoulder, making a loud smacking sound as wet cloth hit skin. Arthur flinched at the discomforting sound.
"Put your shirt back on, man!" Arthur grabbed Antonio's shirt from off of the other's man's shoulder and pushed it to his chest. Antonio merely smiled at Arthur and threw it on.
"Really, señor, you're so pushy. Now, what did you want?" Antonio questioned. Arthur shook his head slightly and rubbed his temple.
"I want you to do your job. And that would be dinner. Early." Arthur replied. Antonio's smile only widened. He was used to Arthur's attitude and, by now, it amused him more than intimidate him like it used to.
"Of course! I'm sure the crew is very hungry!" Antonio said good-naturedly. He nodded to Arthur, threw him another one of his frequent smiles, and walked off.
Almost as an after-thought Arthur yelled after him, "oh! And I'll take dinner in my quarters tonight! Wang Jia can bring it to me!"
"It shall be done, señor!" Was Antonio's reply. Arthur then sot-out his engineer, a quiet but pleasant young man named Matthew, and put him to work checking for any damages that might have befallen the ship during the storm. Taking one last look around to make sure everyone was busy, Arthur went back to his room to dry-off and change. After that, he would fix anything that had shifted onto the floor, eat dinner, and go to bed.