Archive of Our Own ^beta

The ocean was vast and wide, seeming like it stretched to every corner of the world. No matter which direction she looked in, the only thing Elide saw was black, churning water. 

She stood at the prow of the ship, her hands gripping the railing. Down below, the bow smashed through the waves, causing great plumes of seawater to explode through the air. Elide pulled her thick shawl tighter with one hand as it sprayed up towards her, not caring so much that her clothes would be damp and soaked. The lantern hanging beside her was swinging back and forth.

It was hardly a surprise when the clouds above them opened up. Large drops of rain landed on her, soaking her to the bone. Still, Elide didn’t move and hardly anyone bothered her. The crew was too busy preparing for the storm on the brewing above in the evening sky to worry about her and besides, the captain worried enough for everyone.

Elide turned, lifting her eyes to the back of the ship. At the helm, behind the wheel, stood an imposing man. He was speaking to his quartermaster, an equally imposing man with silver-blond hair and striking green eyes. Like he could feel her watching him, Lorcan returned her stare. His brows lowered and she just smirked, knowing that he thought she’d gone to bed an hour ago. He gestured her towards him, moving away from Rowan. 

She simply shook her head, indicating that she was safe and fine where she was. Lorcan cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed something, but his voice was lost over the distance and the roar of the sea. However, some of his crew members heard him. On the main deck, they turned to look at her. Elide could see them relaying the message amongst each other. It traveled across the ship, from one pirate’s mouth to the other. 

One of them ran up to her, “Miss! Miss Lochan!”

“Luca,” she began, regarding him with a gentle smile, “I’ve told you that you may call me Elide. Please do so.” 

The young man nodded, a sheepish grin taking over his boyish face. “My apologies, Miss Elide.”

Elide sighed inwardly, deciding not to correct him a second. At least he wasn’t still using her last name. “What does the captain want?”

“You’re to return to his cabin,” Luca said, holding his hand out. “He’s not pleased, miss.”

“When is he ever?” Elide asked, chuckling with Luca. She held her shawl close to her throat as she put her other hand in Luca’s, allowing him to lead her down the slick steps. 

Elide looked up again, giving her love a little grin. His face softened somewhat and he turned back to Rowan so that they could continue their planning. He kept an eye on her as she picked her way across the main deck. 

Once she was close to the cabin, Lorcan walked down the stairs to meet her. Luca disappeared without a word, running back to his post. 

Elide felt, more than she heard, him approach as she reached for the doorknob. She opened the door before she bothered to toss him a backwards glance. “Captain.”

His scoff of distaste for the title was only audible to her ears. Lorcan never liked it when she referred to him with his rank. She wasn’t a member of his crew; he held zero any hierarchical power over her. “I thought you’d gone to bed.”

“Mmm, no,” she said, shaking her head. She took her thick scarf off and hung it up on the door of the wardrobe. “I had some tea and wrote a few letters. I’ll drop them off when we dock next.” Elide started taking the pins out of her hair, dropping them into the small box on the desk. “You know how I love storms, I wanted to watch for a minute.”

“You were standing there for over an hour,” Lorcan pointed out, locking the door. He crossed the cabin and leaned against the desk so he could see her face. “It’s dangerous, Elide.”

“Our life is dangerous. Besides,” she stepped up to him and lifted herself on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek, whispering, “nothing happened and I was safe the whole time. You’ve always made sure of that.” Elide turned away to undress, her hair swinging across her back in a thick braid. “I’ll be going to bed now, though. So,” she tugged her shirt out of her skirt, her nimble fingers unbuttoning it, “have you come to join me in our bed, or have you come to lecture me?”

For the first time in a few hours, Lorcan smiled. His darling’s sass and silver-tongued wit always delighted him. He started to undress as well, toeing his boots off. “I’ve come to join you. Whitethorn will keep watch for the night.”

Elide turned to him with a smile, obviously happy with his response. She continued with her dressing, sitting down on the edge of their bed. The ship rocked to the side and they both merely braced themselves, used to the motions. As it finished, Elide undid her braid and massaged her scalp for a minute, her eyes slipping shut. 

She reached for her comb, a fine one made of whale-bone that had been Lorcan’s first ever gift to her, when he stopped her. “Let me. You’re tired, aren’t you?”

Not feeling particularly fatigued, Elide looked at him over her shoulder. “So tired, my love.” She smiled sweetly at him while passing the comb over. Then, Elide returned to facing forwards, and she felt Lorcan move around behind her. His thighs caged hers as he sat up, and he gently gathered her hair. 

Lorcan began at the ends of her rich locks, delicate but not too delicate that his work was ineffectual. He picked out a few knots, and he often ran his hand over her hair, leaving small kisses against her head and shoulders. Elide let her eyes close, simply enjoying his affection. “When will we dock next?” she asked. 

“Mmm, with this storm…” Lorcan trailed off for a minute to think. “Maybe two weeks? We’re getting closer and closer to Varese, though.”

“Oh, Varese will be lovely,” she said. “Lots of bars, hmm? The crew will enjoy that.”

He chuckled, “They deserve it. They’ve worked hard these months. If they want to celebrate and dance and be drunken fools, then they should.” Lorcan split her hair into two sections before brushing through her hair again. 

Elide hummed, a small smile on her face. 

Lorcan put the comb aside, and then he weaved a loose plait to keep her hair from tangling too much. “All done.” He put the braid over her shoulder. 

She ran her fingers over it and looked at him over her shoulder, giving him a smile. “Thank you, love.” They leaned to each other simultaneously, kissing gently. 

“It’s my pleasure, darling,” he whispered against her lips. “Can we go to bed now?”

Pulling away with a laugh, Elide said, “Yes, we can.” 

They stowed their belongings in locked cabinets so nothing could fall through rough water. Lorcan settled in bed first, promptly holding his arms out for her. Elide extinguished the lamp, plunging the room into darkness, and crawled into bed. She laid against his side with her head on his heart, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. 

“Elide?”

“Yes?” 

“I love you forever.”

Elide lifted her head and looked at him with soft eyes, her hand moving up to cup his cheek. “And I love you always.”

Once more, they shared a tender kiss, melting into each other. Elide sighed as she drew back and stroked her thumb over his cheekbone. His eyes became half-lidded from the touch and his own fatigue. “Sleep?”

Lorcan nodded, his eyes falling completely shut. She settled back down and let the sweet call of pull her in.