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The first time they meet, Lance is swinging from a rope from his ship to the sleek, black vessel that has battered the Blue Lion and Keith is running to intercept him.
The second time they intercept each other, Keith kills Lance.
The Marmora, Lance has heard, is one of the most efficient ships on the Atlantic sea, wiping out pirate ships so well that the pirate ship is always left floating in bits.
Now, sometimes Lance can agree. Pirates are crazed, kinda violent, but also fun and sporadic. The Galran ships are the worst kinds of pirate ships out there, so Lance thinks it’s a benefit to the seas that the Mamora wipes them out ruthlessly, led by their Captain, the infamous Keith Kogane.
However, Lance is halfway to mad. Because he and his crew, albeit pirates, decided to tread the Atlantic Ocean and of course, the Marmora caught wind of them. And the second Pidge spotted them from the crow’s nest of the Blue Lion, Lance ordered for the crew to rail the sails and book it the fuck out of there, because as much as he loves a good old sword fight, Lance knows that the Blue Lion cannot take on the Marmora.
The Blue Lion is a lovely ship, Lance’s pride and joy, with twenty cannons and three-masted, boasting a bright blue lion on its flag. Most know to avoid the ship.
Marmora isn’t most.
The Marmora, on the other hand, Lance finds out, is much more faster on the water and catches up with them quickly, and Lance stretches his power over the ocean, but his signal runs a little too late to save them.
So, Lance revs the crew up for a fight. Pidge is quick to point out the Marmora’s weak spots and Hunk, a burly, sweet pirate of a man, works to load their special splinter cannon balls when they open fire.
Lance also finds out that the Marmora has thirty fucking cannons. It blasts the Blue Lion so much more than their splinter shots, but the cannon balls Hunk created does give them an advantage, because the second it was shot, the cannon ball literally exploding with sharp metal splinters that took out a load of the Blades on the ship.
However, that is as far as the Blue Lion is lucky.
Lance didn’t even want to fight Keith Kogane. But he is angry, and he needs to protect his crew, and his back-up, it turns out, is hundreds of miles away.
So, it is up to him. Lance lithely climbs up and mast, slices a rope and swings to the Marmora.
It is a bloody fight on the decks. Lance doesn’t want to look. Doesn’t want to know who on his crew are dead. He only hopes the younger ones are at least hiding.
Maybe it might seem that Lance taking on kids in his crew is child labour, but it is of their choice only. Orphans, those who need protection, those in debt willing to earn wages for some time, Lance provides, because his ship is usually the safest on the seas.
Until now.
So, Lance wants to take out the head before things get worse. The second he lands on the Marmora, his gun is out and shooting at any Blades that get close to him.
Keith is on him in a second, long sword out and slashing to kill.
Lance ducks and shoots but Keith is quick.
The Blades are, unfortunately, also known as one of the best lethal fighters out there.
Lance loses his guns quickly with a slice of Keith’s sword.
Lance admires Keith, he really does. The Captain of the Marmora is only twenty years old, a year older than Lance and he has such a high rank. He is handsome and loyal, obeys orders.
But now Lance wishes Keith would just listen.
“Please, Captain!” Lance shouts, evading another slice. It nearly nicks off his ear. “If you would just listen!”
“Filthy pirate!” Keith only shouts, his dark coat swishing with every strike.
And eventually, a cut at his leg sends Lance crashing down, but he still fights.
When his crew is dragged to the Marmora, Lance feels sick. Pidge and Hunk are alive, but barely. His other crewmates, only eight out of twenty-three are alive but battered.
And the six kids, Lance notices, aren’t there. It fills him with relief. They must be in the hidden room of the Blue Lion and the Blades didn’t find them.
His crew are lined in front of Lance, and for one moment, this strikes Lance as so horrifically similar that he turns his pleading gaze to Keith, who is standing tall and firm.
“Captain, please,” Lance begs. He sends a worried stare to Hunk and his best friend gulps but looks… resigned. Lance wants to retch. “Please, take me, spare my crew, please, just let them live. You can do what you want of me!”
Keith stares at him for a second. His gaze softens very slightly at the sight of the infamous Captain of the Blue Lion. The King of the Seas here, crying for his crew.
“The crew walks the plank,” Keith orders still.
Lance screams and thrashes because god, it’s happening all over again..
When Hunk is tied up and pushed over the plank, the burly man trembles as he says, “I love you, Lance, alright?”
It only breaks him further because he knows Hunk is scared. Hunk had so much to live for.
And then he’s pushed off. Lance only hears a short scream before a splash resonates through Lance, something that sounds so innocent feels heavy on his heart.
And when Pidge is pushed, Lance crawls forward with his half-slashed leg, but Keith only holds him back, making him watch.
“Please, she’s only sixteen,” Lance sobs.
Pidge looks less scared than Lance. She doesn’t even shed a tear, just stares at Lance for a moment, unnervingly still. “Lance, do me a favour.”
Lance nods through blurry eyes.
Her eyes flicker to Keith, glinting dangerously. “Make him pay.”
She falls off the plank. Slowly more splashes sound off as the rest of his remaining crew are sent to drown.
Throughout every plea and scream and struggle, Keith is unmoving. He just holds Lance back with his sword.
Keith hums softly. “It had to be done.”
As if that justifies killing his friends.
Lance glares at him icy cold. He spits in Keith’s face and takes pleasure in seeing the Captain recoil. “Pathetic manservant,” Lance growls. “You’re dead, you hear?”
Keith tilts his head, indigo eyes sparkling. “Your crew is dead. You’re defenseless, and now your ship is going to be burned.”
Lance’s eyes grow wide. “Wait, no, not the ship, leave the ship, Keith.”
As if he found another weakness to beat Lance with, Keith orders the Blue Lion to be burnt to ashes.
When the ship begins sinking, Lance shivers. No, they’re not going to die drowning, too.
There is an island in a swimmable distance.
So, Lance manages to butt Keith out of the way by surprise and he leaps overboard. His cuts sting in the salty water and one of his legs lag behind but Lance dives deeper where his ship is.
He needs to save them. At least them.
… The kids don’t make it.
The only consolation Lance gets is knowing they are in Davy Jones’ Locker.
Lance swims to the island desperately. Every movement hurts. He knows Keith is following, but he also knows Keith shouldn’t kill him.
“Halt!” Keith shouts just as Lance crawls onto the shoreline. Keith is already looming over him, sword pointed to Lance’s heart. “Running is useless.”
Lance feels drowsy with blood loss, and adrenaline fading. He lost everyone for the second time in his life, but he can’t seem to focus on the hurt anymore.
Instead, he falls on his back just out of reach of the ocean. “You’re making a mistake,” Lance croaks out.
Keith’s sword is shaking. “It’s no mistake.”
Lance realizes now.
Keith doesn’t know.
Shakily, Lance’s lips quirk upwards. He is breathing harder. “Bury me here, will you?” He asks as a final request. “Don’t throw my body in the ocean.”
Keith has the honor to nod. His sword stills. He doesn’t look like he likes killing.
“One more thing,” Lance says softly. Keith has to lean to hear him. Rage briefly flashes across Lance’s features. “I’ll haunt you for every second of every day, you killer.”
Lance doesn’t have time to say more because Keith has already run him through with his sword.
Keith does keep his promise to bury him there. He wonders why he does it.
*
Keith doesn’t sleep well that night. Ever since taking out the blue Lion, he’s felt an itch he couldn’t scratch, or like he’s waiting for the other boot to drop. Usually, taking out pirates gave him satisfaction because he’s getting rid of the scum of the earth, but now…it feels…wrong.
He shakes his head. It’s stupid to think that way. Pirates don’t deserve any chances. He had to strongly ignore tossing the sixteen-year-old pirate to her death. He is confused though.
Why did Lance jump off the Marmora when they burned the Blue Lion? It didn’t make sense. Lance seemed attached to his crew. Maybe he wanted to go down with his ship?
No, that wasn’t it.
Keith hummed to himself, rolling in his bed. They had anchored the ship near the island where he buried Lance. Strange request, too. It seems Lance McClain, King of the Seas, would remain a mystery.
The reward Keith would receive back at Blade HQ when they find out he killed the King of the Seas made him…less giddy than he expected.
There is a tug in his gut. He made the right choice, didn’t he?
He falls into a fitful sleep. He wakes up to a voice, loud and chattering and Keith springs up because no one is allowed in his cabin without his permission. The Blade who thinks they can barge in is due for a lesson in—
Keith, sitting up on his bed, stares in shock as he sees him.
Lance is walking around in his quarters, talking with loud expressions, and when he turns to see Keith, his lips stretch into a wide, terrifying grin. He tips his brown pirate hat, bowing. “Oh, good morning, Captain! Ready for your first day at—”
Keith’s dagger is already flying to the pirate, except Lance doesn’t move out of the way. His face is flat as the blade passes—passes—through his body and buries itself into the wooden wall behind him.
Lance shakes his head, tutting. “You can’t kill me twice, Captain.”
“Wha—” Keith looks for the next weapon, his sword propped on the table in his room and he dashes for it, unsheathes it, and points it at Lance, who looks more put out than scared. “I killed you!”
“Aye, you did. But I did warn you that I’d haunt you, didn’t I?” Lance uncrosses his arm, striding forward amicably. “What’s the matter? Scared that your foolish decision has come to bite you in the tush?”
Keith is glaring now. He experimentally thrusts the sword, but it just slides through Lance’s body smoothly. Lance doesn’t flinch. He’s in the same clothes Keith killed him in, and there’s even the stain of blood along his chest. “How is this possible?” Keith whispers.
Lance laughs. “You look so confused right now, oh, you’re precious. For a murderer.”
“I’m not a murderer.”
“Right, sure,” Lance waves his hands. “You’re talking to the ghost of the person you murdered. But you’re definitely not a murderer. Makes sense.”
Keith is reeling. His sword goes back on the desk and he clutches his head. “No, I’m dreaming. That’s just it. There’s no way—”
“Alright, I’m going to stop you there, Cap’n.” Lance looks serious now. “I’m also going to be honest when I say, you’ve fucked up. Really badly. Because not only did you screw the entire seas, you’ve screwed yourself over, too. It’s just a matter of time.”
“A matter of time for what? What are you talking about?”
Lance shakes his head, chuckling. “No one ever told you, huh? I’m talking about reinforcements that I called while you were slaughtering my crew. And I haven’t called it off.”
“What?”
“Do you know why I’m King of the Seas?” Lance murmurs, circling Keith, taking a second to admire that plush butt before his eyes flicker to the red thread braided into a lock of Keith’s hair. His eyes narrow. Keith scowls, shaking his head. “It’s because I have power, Keith. You know what I have power over?”
When the ship rocks violently and screams echo even down to his cabin, Keith pales. There is a writhing, huge, gigantic, and did he mention, enormous appendage that slides past his porthole, all purple and with suctions.
“The Kraken,” Keith whisper, horrified.
Lance only beams. “That, my dear Captain, is what I command. Every monster of the high seas, they follow my every order. Welcome to the beginning of the worst time of your life.”