Hoist the Colors Ch. 22 (Mobuseka) (Patreon)

(Every character depicted in the story below is a consenting legal adult over the age of 18)

A/N: Arriving back on Tortuga!

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Even as they arrive at their destination, Deirdre still isn’t fully sure she can bring herself to trust it. Part of her even feels like she’s hallucinated this entire experience and she’s still back in that dungeon being tortured by Stephanie. Of course, that’s been the subject of many a nightmare for her as they made their way here. Her nights have been… restless if not outright sleepless.

And yet, they arrive and Deirdre finds herself bundled into a carriage along with Leon Bartfort and Carla. Together, the three of them are taken through the port’s streets, until they eventually reach a large manse. And there, in the manse’s courtyard as Deirdre gingerly steps down from the carriage… is Dorothea.

“Sister.”

Dorothea Fou Roseblade has always been a closed off sort. Unlike many who would call her frigid or emotionless, Deirdre knew better. Her sister wasn’t very good at showing her emotions, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have them. Sometimes, in fact, Dorothea felt too strongly. She’d confided that to Deirdre because she loved her, as Deirdre loved her older sister in turn.

As such, while Dorothea doesn’t run over to Deirdre to scoop her up in a bear hug or anything like that, she does move forward at a clipped, hurried pace until she arrives and is able to grab hold of Deirdre’s hands. The sheer force by which she grips Deirdre’s fingers is enough to show how much she cares and how worried she was for her until now.

Deirdre lets out a shuddering gasp as she squeezes right back, tears welling up in her eyes.

“S-Sister… I’m glad to see you well.”

“As am I. We have much to discuss.”

“Y-Yes.”

Of course, there’s still a small voice in the back of Deirdre’s mind that says they can’t possibly be free to do as they please. Surely this is where it’s revealed that they’re both prisoners of Captain Leon Bartfort, the Devil’s Smile only lulling her into a false sense of security all this time.

After all, while she did still have that pistol loaded with one shot, Deirdre couldn’t imagine using it on Leon now in the heart of his power. Not and risk her sister’s life in the bloody aftermath.

… But no, as far as she can tell, there’s no grand reveal. Instead, Dorothea is allowed to take her out of the courtyard and into a private room, where they sit and have tea and snacks brought to them. It’s somewhat surreal, but they’re able to catch up a bit at least, talking about the small things and working their way up to the big stuff.

When Deirdre details her captivity and torture at Stephanie’s hands, Dorothea’s eyes turn icy with hatred and she reaches out, placing a hand atop Deirdre’s in silent yet much appreciated support. Of course, when Deirdre tells her how she killed the other woman, a vicious smile spreads across Dorothea’s features, cracking through her usual freezing demeanor.

“Good. Very good. Hm… quite intriguing, how willing these Bartfort men are to arm us.”

At Deirdre’s curious look, Dorothea explains her own tale and how she nearly shared the same fate as her younger sister… worse still even, if Captain Blackbeard had gotten his way. Instead, from the sound of things, he only hadn’t because Nicks Bartfort had slipped her a dagger, allowing Dorothea to defend herself in her greatest moment of need.

Just as Deirdre is fully processing this, Dorothea drops another bombshell in her lap.

“I intend to marry him, sister.”

Deirdre’s mouth drops open. Not in disbelief, not really… but she’s still shocked. It only makes sense though if she thinks about it. As previously mentioned, her sister is a woman who has always felt too strongly at times. And Nicks Bartfort had saved her from a fate worse than death and then gone out of his way to gallantly deliver her to relative safety.

“I… I do not mean to question your choices, but are you sure? House Bartfort has collapsed. And he and his brother have run away from their responsibilities to pursue lives of piracy. He is not nobility any longer.”

Dorothea just shrugs though, uncaring.

“It matters little to me. I will make him nobility if needs be. Or I will step down if I must and you can become heiress. One way or another, he is the only man I will ever accept as my husband.”

Deirdre just stares at her sister for a long moment… before Dorothea’s words remind her of the other thing.

“Ah… it is entirely possible we won’t have a claim to nobility either, when all is said and done…”

Dorothea’s eyes narrow, her gaze growing sharp as she frowns at that.

“What do you mean by that, Deirdre?”

Somewhat morosely, Deirdre explains what else Stephanie told her. She tells her sister how, once they got past Stephanie’s attempts at lying, the Offrey bitch admitted that the Winged Sharks were besieging the Roseblade Ancestral Seat right that moment.

“I do not know if father still holds out for now. But you and I both know that with the state of the Kingdom being what it is, the likelihood of him being relieved is next to none. It is entirely possible that we are already orphans and House Roseblade is no more.”

Her older sister spends a moment processing this, her lips pressed into the thinnest of lines. Then, she abruptly stands up, her hands curling into her skirts to keep from stepping on them.

“Then we must petition the ruler of this place for aid.”

Deirdre blinks owlishly, even as she rises to her own feet. Brow furrowing, she shakes her head in confusion.

“I don’t understand, what are you talking about?”

Dorothea smirks ever so slightly as she gives her sister a side glance.

“I have learned much while you were being rescued by the Devil’s Smile, sister. I have been paying attention, watching and waiting. And of course, I have pilfered my husband-to-be for as much information as he possibly can, wringing him dry like a well-used cloth.”

Deirdre blushes at the innuendo, knowing full well that her sister would just love to ‘wring Nicks dry’ in some other ways.

“The sky pirates would have you think them a disorganized rabble, but I have learned better. Those who assault our home, they are outcasts among the pirates. Renegades who must be put down. We shall see to it that they are put down… by their own kind.”

Suffice to say, Deirdre isn’t fully convinced by Dorothea’s words. However, she is somewhat convinced by her older sister’s sheer confidence. Dorothea clearly believes they have a chance of getting revenge for their family, if not salvation. And at this point, Deirdre is more than happy to seek any form or redress they possibly can.

It also helps to keep her mind off of… other things. Like the fact that Dorothea has fallen for her savior so easily. If her big sister is willing to succumb to such things, then maybe she shouldn’t be so quick to set aside her own burgeoning feelings for Leon Bartfort? She’d been trying to suppress them, to hold herself to the noble standard she’s expected to… but maybe she didn’t have to. Maybe Captain Bartfort would make a good husband for her as well…

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“I’m telling you Leon, she won’t leave me alone! Day or night, it doesn’t seem to matter, she’s practically glued to my side. And just when I think I’ve gotten away from her for a moment, I realize she’s still nearby, watching me like a hawk!”

“Uh huh. Sounds rough.”

Leon, admittedly, is not paying too much attention to Nicks. His big brother is complaining about being stalked by a beautiful, big breasted blonde after all. Dorothea Roseblade might be an intense sort of woman, but she was still gorgeous. So long as her intentions towards Nicks were amorous instead of hostile, Leon didn’t see what the problem was.

“I’m serious, Leon. I don’t know what to do!”

Especially since he had his own shit to deal with at the moment. After realizing it was Cleare who put Carla up to sleeping with him, Leon had interrogated the feminine AI and discovered that fucking Luxion had put Cleare up to it.

Essentially, Luxion had told Cleare that if she got Leon into bed with anyone while on his ‘rescue mission’, there would be a reward for her when they got back. Obviously, Luxion’s intention was for Cleare to try and get Leon and Deirdre together, but even Cleare had been able to recognize that Deirdre was too injured for such things and needed more time to recover and heal from her experiences.

‘Luckily’, Carla had been available instead so Cleare had promptly pushed the blue-haired ex-noble into Leon’s arms and called it a day. And in return, the ‘reward’ she’d earned from Luxion would almost certainly be of the… yaoi persuasion. Leon didn’t know what form it would take, and frankly, he didn’t really want to know.

All he knew was that he was now saddled with Carla, because there was no way he could just discard the poor woman now that she thought she was ‘in’. Heck, he’s pretty sure Angelica and Olivia would both take issue with him trying to set her aside more than they would with him having bedded her in the first place.

With all of this said, looking to his struggling older brother, Leon doesn’t have an ounce of sympathy for Nicks. Instead, giving him a completely unimpressed gaze, he just shrugs.

“What else can you do? Either bed the woman or tell her you’re not interested.”

Nicks’ jaw drops open at that.

“What? I can’t just…”

Leon cuts him off with a raised hand.

“Do you find Dorothea Fou Roseblade attractive, Nicks?”

Both of them know the answer to that question. One might even call it a foolish question. But Leon still waits patiently for an incredulous Nicks to answer him.

“I mean… yes, obviously!”

Only then does Leon shake his head.

“I do not just mean physically. Do you find her attractive in every possible way?”

Nicks’ mouth opens and closes and he takes a bit longer to respond to that. In fact, when his response does come, it’s non-verbal. Flushing, he ducks his head. Leon has to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Between the two of them, just who is the older brother here?! Well, technically if you count both of Leon’s lives, he actually is the older brother… but whatever.

“So you have a woman who you are attracted to stalking you. That doesn’t sound like stalking, Nicks. That sounds like an opportunity.”

Nicks’ flush turns into a full-blown blush at that. Leon just arches a brow at him expectantly.

But alas, before the other Bartfort man can just admit that Leon is right… they’re interrupted.

“Leon?”

To be fair, Olivia is the one to interrupt them, so he doesn’t mind too much. Until, of course, she explains why she interrupted them.

“Lady Angelica requires your presence in her office… to discuss next steps with the Roseblade sisters.”

… Of course.

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“Your Majesty-!”

“Please don’t call me that.”

Leon watches as Dorothea quickly pivots.

“Very well. Lady Angelica.”

Angelica, reluctant Pirate Queen, smiles and nods, much more happy with that form of address. Steepling her hands together in front of her, she glances to Leon before looking back to Dorothea and Deirdre.

"What can we do for you?"

Straightening up to her full height, eyes blazing slightly, Dorothea makes her case.

"We have received word that our House Seat is being besieged by the Winged Sharks. I have learned much in my time here... including the fact that the Winged Sharks are breaking your ‘code’ and have refused to acknowledge your rule. With that said, I would petition you to deal with them in a decisive, permanent fashion… for both our sakes.”

It’s no less than Leon had expected. And of course, Angelica looks torn. She obviously wants to do what Dorothea is asking, but she’s not sure if it’s safe to leave Tortuga vulnerable.

… Fortunately for Angelica, Leon has had time to think about this on the way back from rescuing Deirdre. And ultimately, he knows he can’t just keep telling Angelica she has to stay put and turtle up. The Winged Sharks will just continue to abuse their inaction one way or another and even if they are eventually destroyed by Leon’s armada when they finally get too big for their britches and come for Tortuga, that won’t bring back all the lives taken or ruined before then. Lives that Angelica, bless her heart, will undoubtedly feel guilty and responsible for.

With that said, before she can say or do anything, Leon steps forward and clears his throat.

“It’s time to take the fight to the Winged Sharks.”

All eyes in the room move to him at that, surprise across many faces. Angelica and Olivia look the most surprised at all, but also the most excited.

“You truly believe so?”

Leon would need to talk to Angelica about working on her poker face at some point, because the sheer hope in her voice gives away her true desires way too much. Still, for the time being he merely inclines his head.

“Yes. The Winged Sharks have made a fatal mistake… they’ve gathered the majority of their forces in one place. So long as House Roseblade continues to resist, we have the perfect opportunity to strike the Winged Sharks’ fleet from behind and break their backs.”

“But… what about here on Tortuga? Isn’t there a risk in leaving this place undefended?”

There was, of course. Always. But Leon had found a way of balancing out the risk.

“We will bring the other Lords with us. All of them will be tasked with helping to destroy the Winged Sharks for betraying the code. My armada will keep them in line. And they’ll be too busy killing the Winged Sharks to even think about having designs on Tortuga.”

His explanation is received rather well, all things considered. Angelica and Olivia are certainly both quite happy. Dorothea looks surprised but pleased, in her own icy way. Nicks is either grinning or grimacing, Leon can’t quite tell, but the other man does give him a thumbs up when they make eye contact.

Hm… so why is there a shiver running down Leon’s spine? He finds himself looking to Deirdre Fou Roseblade at long last… only to see the most intensely focused gaze he’s ever seen on a woman directed right at him.

… Why does it suddenly feel like he’s in grave danger for some reason?

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A/N: Remember to Vote, leave a Like, and let me know what you think!

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Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14LJcbq8u34XAQvNL-Rx9wQrH9WhaajmoNoL6AUgVFWw/edit?tab=t.0