5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Dominick

“ A re you, Nick?” a dark-cloaked man asked after walking up to me on the dock.

“Who’s asking?” I questioned, looking at my gloves as if his dark, menacing presence was of no concern to me.

“The Grimm. I was told to ask for Nick.” He walked closer, his face covered by a hood and face covering.

“Did you bring the payment?” I asked him.

“Yes, it’s here–the rest,” he said, tossing a bag at my feet. I sloppily picked it up and inspected it, weighing it in my hand. As a pirate, I had become good at knowing the weight of coins, and their value. After inspecting the bag, I placed it in my pocket and stood back up.

Everyone had heard of The Grimm. He was known far and wide as an incredible swordsman. Like always, I needed to make sure that once he boarded our ship, he could survive. I was sure The Grimm would pass the test. It was not normal to give people passage as pirates, but we had on a few occasions, and, in those situations, I had to keep up my ruse as a prince. All the hands aboard the ship were required to keep my secret about being a prince and a pirate. It was a strange life I led.

I pulled out my sword at my waist. I wobbled a bit as I walked, moving my sword so it was in front of me, pointing unevenly at The Grimm. He then took up his sword and had it at my throat rather quickly as I expected he would, and as I had trained myself, I pretended like I had not noticed.

“Are you drunk?” he asked with a scoff.

“Show me your sword, Grimm,” I said with a crooked and cocky smile.

“I will kill you,” he said as he began to lower his sword.

I waited just a bit longer, making sure to truly sell my feigned, off balance state of drunkenness to him.

“Not before I kill you, and you –” I began, moving my sword to the right of him, pointing, as if there was a second man beside him–my pretense: seeing double from excessive drink.

“Put that down, and let me board. I paid handsomely. Prince Dominick expressed that I could have safe passage on this ship.”

“Aye, you may do that–after you best me.”

“I do not fight or kill drunks.”

“That is good, for I do not wish to die tonight, not that I would lose, even if it is two against one,” I said with a wink, stepping sloppily closer to him.

“Must we do this?” he groaned.

“Yes. Afraid, Grimm? I know I look fearsome, but my sword is even moreso.”

Then, with one quick movement, he raised his sword, but I met him halfway, moving back as he came forward, advancing on me. I moved my feet quickly, yet played into the off balance type of a drunken man. It had taken many years of practice to perfect that ruse–mostly, I had watched drunken crew members, and also men at taverns. No one took drunks seriously and always underestimated them. I liked being underestimated.

“How are you doing this?” The Grimm asked as I continued to meet him hit for hit, at the same time, still keeping up my drunken act.

“What?” I asked with feigned confusion, still meeting him jab for jab.

“This–” he groaned, coming faster at me.

I laughed, “I am a pirate,” walking backward a few paces, calculating the edge of the dock. In a show of more drunken dramatics, I fell off the dock, pinwheeling my arms as if to keep my balance. His eyes widened, but I knew that below us was docked a small boat that would take us to the ship, which Veeto had left for me.

I fell into the boat. I, then, stood up, not needing to feign imbalance in a rocking boat. I put my sword back into my belt.

“You pass,” I said with a smirk.

“I pass? What does that mean?”

“Only one of you, though. Now, hurry up; my head hurts,” I said with irritation. My head did not hurt in the slightest.

He shook his head and climbed into the boat.

“Row,” I said, crossing my arms and leaning back, looking at the night sky and the stars. “You should also know the code.”

“What code?”

“The pirate code. What happens aboard the ship is not spoken of on land. What happens at sea, stays at sea–or it sinks below the depths.”

“So, you are pirates?”

“Will you keep to the code?”

“I am surprised that there is a code amongst pirates.”

“Aye, even we need order, at times.”

“I agree. So, is Prince Dominick a pirate, or does he just travel with them?” he asked as he began to row.

“Yes,” I said.

“Is he already on board?”

I shifted closer to make sure he could see my face in the moonlight.

“Seeing as you agreed to the code, I can inform you,” I said with a pause for dramatic effect as I sat up taller. “I am Dominick, but call me ‘Nick’ while aboard the ship.”

“ You are the Prince?”

“Aye, but I am also a pirate. It would do you good to remember that much. No one cares about royalty on board the ship, only how fast you are with a blade. Keep to the code, and don’t tell a soul.”

“I can defeat anyone.”

“Aye, possible, which is why you are allowed to board. Now, do shut up and row.”