Pirate Prince

Part 1

Posted: February 2003
Type: RPS
Author: Estella Greenleaf
Characters: Viggo/Orli; David/Karl
Rating: R
Warning: Alternate Universe. Implied rape of a minor, nothing graphic, just back story for one of the characters.
Disclaimer: Don't own them; don't know them. All this is a figment of my sick imagination. So don't sue.
Beta: None, apologies for grammatical flaws.
Summary: Inspired by POTC pictures and the book, Pirate Prince by Galen Foley. Orli and Karl = pirates; Viggo and David = navy officers.

*****

Orli knew he shouldn't be feeling this way. In fact, he shouldn't even be here. Karl asked him to infiltrate the fort and survey the defenses of the city. But Orli finished his task long before the appointed rendezvous time. When he heard the sailors at the wharf spoke of a masque tonight at the governor's house, he could not deny himself the opportunity to have a good time. It was a challenge, to waltz into the enemies' territory unnoticed and mingle with the officers of the navy that hunted them; and there was nothing the adventurous young man loved more than a good challenge. So here he was, standing in the ballroom, watching the graceful couples on the dance floor, feeling as he had never before. As his sharp eyes tracked the movement of the handsome dark-haired man donning a naval officer uniform and a black-panther mask, Orli knew he was in trouble - he was in love.

Things would be easy if it was just lust. Orli had quite a few propositions from both genders since his arrival at the party. All he needed to do was pick a large, well-muscled dark-haired man, closed his eyes and pretended it was the elegant dancer who captured his attention. But lust was something Orli was not exactly capable of. That he knew. So, whatever that was making his pulse quicken, his throat dry and his stomach tense as he drunk in every movement of the mysterious naval officer must be something else, something deeper than carnal desires; and that meant trouble.

Thank god Karl was not here with him. The older man would not miss how his eyes were practically glued to the stranger. He would probably order Orli to not participate in tonight's operations. No, he would probably try to make the young man leave his crew, thinking to free Orli. It was not the first time the older man tried to push the younger one away, to force him to live a normal, respectable life. But Karl was like his brother; Orli would remain by his captain and savior's side until the older man achieved his lifelong ambition of avenging his family.

*****

They met long ago, when Orli was only thirteen. Orli's parents were killed in a pirates' attack. Being uncommonly beautiful with his silken dark curls, smooth olive skin and exquisite chocolate eyes, he was kept as a toy for the cruel men's pleasure. When they tired of him, the pirates put the boy on sale like cattle. When the child found out his new owner was the 'Dread Pirate Roberts', legendary captain of the Revenge, he knew he was doomed. He would rather die than be used again by another pirates' ship's crew. However, all his attempts at escaping were thwarted and eventually, he found himself alone in the captain's chamber.

What happened there was nothing like what Orli expected. Not only did Karl not force himself upon him, the captain treated him with kindness, like a person. The older man put Orli to work in the kitchens; and in his spare time, the pirate took on the role of the young one's mentor. Everything Orli knew, he learnt from Karl. It had been ten years since that faithful day. The abused child had grown into one of the most feared man in the country, the first-mate on the Revenge. He had bested Karl in steel almost five years ago; and in hand-to-hand combat, none among the crew, except for the captain, was his match. Behind his slender form was surprising strength; and what he lacked in power, he compensated with agility, technique and his ability to anticipate the opponents' moves. In terms of wits, there were few who rivaled Orli. While Karl was the expert sailor whose brilliant maneuverings guaranteed victory to the Revenge whenever they crossed paths with the naval ships, Orli was the one who ensured the authorities found them as infrequently as possible. In the past three years, since Orli assumed his duties as first- mate at the age of twenty, their ship had only engaged three times with the navy.

Working as a team, Karl and Orli were invincible, the lords of the High Seas. But it was not adventure or riches that Karl wanted. The older man never wanted a pirates' life. He was born a prince, the only son of King Lazar and Queen Eugenia of Acensia, a small island kingdom. The viceroy of the kingdom wanted an alliance with the mainland, Erasia; but the King disagreed. The island had been independent for centuries; Lazar did not wish his homeland to become a mere colony. The people sided with the Royal family, knowing their rights would be forfeited if the 'alliance' were formed. But the viceroy had other ideas. Hiring a team of assassins, he murdered the King and his entire household in the dead of the night.

Karl was only a babe at the time; his mother had somehow escaped from the palace with him in tow. On the winding roads that led to the docks, she was cornered by the assassins and shot. The impact of the bullet sent her flying off a cliff with the young Prince. Everyone presumed that both of them were dead; and the viceroy took over the island and signed its control over to the mainland in exchange for a new identity and an important government position in Erasia.

But it was not Karl's fate to die that night. The body of Queen Eugenia, still clutching her child in a protective embrace even in death, was picked up by the Revenge. The 'Dread Pirate Roberts' was touched by the woman's love for her babe and decided to take Karl in to raise as his own son. It was a well-kept secret that 'Dread Pirates Roberts' was just a title passed on to every captain of the Revenge. When the old 'Roberts' retired after having plundered enough to guarantee a comfortable life for as long as he lived, Karl became the captain of the ship and the next 'Dread Pirate Roberts' at the tender age of eighteen. Before the old man retired, he told Karl his true identity and presented him his signet ring, bearing the Royal Crest of Ascensia. The old pirate had kept it for the young man until he was ready to assume his responsibilities of hunting down the one who murdered his family.

During all his time as captain the Revenge, the Prince made it a point to keep strict discipline among his crew; that there should be no unnecessary killing or cruelty. The life of an outlaw held no appeal to him, but he needed a disguise so he could find the man who betrayed his family. The viceroy had long since changed his name and moved away from Ascensia. It was not until now, almost fifteen years later, after much spying, scheming on Orli's part that the enemy was found.

*****

Here, in front of Orli, was the hated enemy of his brother-in-arms, governor of a fort, speaking with his only son David, one of the tactical advisors of the navy. It was not difficult to spot them despite their masks, as they were the most richly dressed of the lot. The young pirate had many battle of wits with David; but he had never seen the man until tonight. With his golden hair, muscular build and merry blue eyes, the tactician was rather dashing; nothing compared to the mysterious stranger on the dance floor, of course, but still enough to stand out in a crowd. But what made David stood out the most was the aura of sophistication and intellect he carried with him. One look at the man and you knew he was smart and thoughtful.

To distract himself from his growing obsession over the dark-haired dancer, Orli considered approaching the blond man for an introduction. Lying in David's face and getting away with it did hold certain appeal. But that was before the stranger turned his gaze upon Orli and smiled. As the dark-haired man approached, the young pirate knew he must leave before he had the chance to fall deeper in love, but he had lost all control of his limbs. Now the object of his obsession stood but a few feet away from him, a sensual smile on full display as merriment danced in those gorgeous gray-blue eyes. "Hi" greeted a soft, sexy voice.

It took several minutes before Orli could respond and instead of a greeting, the sound he made resembled a loud clearing of the throat. The shameless stranger had the audacity to take amusement in his embarrassment, letting out a peal of deep, masculine laughter. Orli was many things, but one thing he was not was a laughing stock of others. Scowling, the young man found the stranger's spell on him broken as he spun round and left.

*****

Viggo noticed the young man the moment he walked into the room. He would have accosted the beauty earlier, if his father, the high commander of the navy, had not ordered him to be polite and dance with a slew of eligible ladies. Viggo liked men; it was something his father seemed to refuse to acknowledge. He had told the old man many times; but the high commander always responded by trying to set up another date for him.

At 42 and still unmarried, Viggo was one of the most eligible bachelors in the land. It was not just because his father was the high commander of the navy. The officer was the youngest man to command the North Sea fleet, the best ships of the country. To add to his allure, the man was blessed with dark-haired good looks, a beautiful well-muscled body and a sexy, gravelly voice. Despite his father's objections to his sexual preferences, the man was not for want of bed partners.

But the slender, dark-haired stranger was definitely in a class of his own. The dragon mask covered most of the beauty's face, but it only served to emphasize his delectable mouth and exquisite brown eyes. Wearing a loose black shirt that partially reveled the lean muscles of his bronze chest, and tight breeches that showed off his long shapely legs and firm round buttocks, the young man was simply delicious. Viggo wanted nothing more than to take the beauty somewhere private and explore every inch of that gorgeous body with his lips and tongue.

Things were going really well, since the beauty's attention seemed solely on him. That was until he approached the stranger after fulfilling his obligation as a respectful son. His laughter must have offended the young man, who promptly turned and left. The beauty moved with the speed and fluid grace of a panther on the hunt. Viggo was only stunned for a moment by the sudden turn of events, but that was enough to give the younger man time to leave the room through the side-doors to the gardens. Without a care of anything else in the ballroom, the officer ran after the mysterious stranger, hoping to stop him and continue their conversation.

*****

"Hold on, wait a minute."

No response. Orli was almost to the wall of the gardens now. He had every intention of climbing it to leave the property.

"Please, wait."

No response. Orli studied the wall to see which would be the easiest way up.

"Hold on a minute."

No response. Orli found his route and began his quick climb up. Within seconds, he was sitting on top of the wall.

"Okay, I am sorry, okay? Please come back down."

Orli glared at the man below him. He was still extremely upset that the stranger laughed at him. Even if he was behaving like a fifteen year-old virgin, the man had no right to laugh.

Apologizing was not one of Viggo's strong suits. It chaffed his pride. But to apologize but still be unforgiven, that was downright annoying. Wanting to point out that the beauty had expressed interest in him first, he explained, "It was funny to see you so shy when I approached you, after the way YOU stared at me the whole night."

Five minutes ago, Orli would have blushed bright red and stuttered as the older man had discovered his secret. But now, the young pirate was insulted and angry. Angry Orli meant cunning, sharp-tongued, vicious Orli. Almost immediately, he shot back, "Which you would only have noticed if your attentions were on me as well. You don't see me laughing at you."

"I am sorry, okay. And of course, you have my attention. None of those chattering females in there could compare to your beauty," called out Viggo with his most charming smile. That always worked wonders; even David fell for that one.

It was difficult to stay angry for long when faced with such a brilliant, sensuous smile. This was definitely not good. The only one who Orli felt so soft towards was Karl; and Karl he loved like a brother. There it was again, that accursed word...love. His ship would attack tonight, kill the governor and his son and sail again. He could not possibly fall in love with one of the guests at this party; he knew they would never see each other under amicable circumstances again.

When the beauty made no motion to come down, but stopped trying to leave, Viggo decided it was time to take the offensive. Using the handholds Orli used earlier, the officer scaled the wall and sat next to the younger man. Viggo did not know how the stranger could climbed the wall so effortlessly; though not very challenging, it took the older man a full three minutes to scale it. The young beauty seemed lost in thoughts as he ignored Viggo beside him. But the officer was not someone to be ignored. Boldly, Viggo reached out and took Orli's hand for a soft kiss.

"I am General Viggo Mortensen, commander of Erasia's North Sea fleet."

Startled out of his reverie by the soft brush of Viggo's lips against his hand, Orli tried to jerk away from the older man. Still dazed from his thoughts, the sudden movement caused the usually graceful pirate to lose his balance and pitch forward. The officer wasted no time in coming to his rescue as Viggo caught him and held him on the wall securely in a tight embrace. "You smell so nice, like the open seas," breathed the older man as he tilted his face to rest it on top of Orli's head.

*****

Being held like this by the object of his obsession was wreaking havoc on his senses. Orli could not remember the last time he actually became aroused without willing himself to. It was how he got his first set of tormentors to 'tire of him'; he simply learned to school his body into giving them absolutely no response, no erection, no struggles or cries. Now, in Viggo's arms, his manhood was stiffening at an alarming rate, despite the fact that he had not commanded it into action.

Orli was good at using his beautiful body as a weapon; that was how he found the governor for Karl. He only needed to trade himself for information after he figured out who to ask. It was not that difficult, since if the young pirate put his mind to it, there are very few people in this world he could not charm. Besides, he had been used so many times before unwillingly, when pain was his only reward; compared to that, using his body as bartering tool for Karl's dreams was at least worth the price.

Besides, Orli was in control now; the men he bedded could not really hurt him more than he allowed. Of course, Karl was enraged when he discovered the methods Orli used to help him get his revenge. For a couple of months, the older man threw him into the prison compartment when they docked to prevent the younger man from 'harming himself' for the captain's cause. Not that it helped; picking locks was something Orli was rather good at.

At this moment, his mind was overruled by his heart and his body. His heart told him he was in love with a man he barely knew; and his body demanded to be free to enjoy the pleasure of joining with someone he cared for. Because of his rebellious parts, there was simply no fighting the sensory onslaught that was Viggo. As the older man lifted his chin for a kiss, all he could do was moan Viggo's name and wound his arms around the officer's neck.

Viggo kissed like an expert, slow, sensuous, but firm. There was no debate as to who was in charge as the older man's tongue swept gently into Orli's mouth. The younger man fought the invasion, his tongue dueling with Viggo's for control. But when the older man's hand found its way into Orli's shirt, callous fingers caressing his peaked nipple, all thoughts were abandoned, leaving the pirate a trembling mass in Viggo's arms.

Sensing the young beauty's surrender, the officer deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue deep into Orli's welcoming mouth as his other hand went lower to cup the other man's firm buttocks. Viggo was aroused to the verge of pain now. He needed to be inside the young man soon, or he would explode. But even in his befuddled mind, he realized they were perched atop a wall, which was probably not the best place to carry their activities further. Reluctantly, Viggo broke the kiss to gaze at the exquisite sight of the beauty's love-glazed eyes. The older man was definitely glad he agreed to come with David on this visit. "Maybe we should take this somewhere more comfortable," whispered Viggo huskily into Orli's ear.

His heart and body were screaming 'yes'. But as his unfocused eyes caught a glimpse of the moon at its zenith, his mind resumed full control. He was supposed to be at the docks, meeting with his shipmates, right NOW! Reluctantly, Orli disengaged himself from Viggo and replied, "I can't."

Before the older man could protest, Orli jumped down the other side of the wall and began sprinting away. Viggo could not ignore the sense of loss as he watched the beauty's disappearing form. He had a special feeling about this one; and it was not just lust. It was something deeper, his heart told him this was someone he might grow to care for given time. Now, the stranger was gone and he did not even know his name. Though he knew it was hopeless, he had to try. Calling out into the darkness, Viggo shouted, "Please, wait. At least tell me your name!"

It was a long moment before an answer came hesitantly from the pitch black of the night. "Orlando. You can call me Orlando." A few moments later, the lilting voice added, "Please be careful tonight."

*****

Orli did not know why he told Viggo his name. He must be crazy, telling the navy officer his real name. Orli Bloom was the infamous first-mate of the Revenge! And telling the other man to be careful, he might as well just tell him the 'Dread Pirate Roberts' and his crew were planning an attack tonight! He could not believe he was so stupid. So distracted in his self- admonishment that he did not notice the moving shadow behind him until a sword was at the back of his neck.

"What's this? Our very own Orli caught off guard? Did hell just freeze over?" teased Karl as he removed the blade from Orli's neck.

"Sorry I am late," replied Orli, clearly not wanting to discuss the reason for his distraction.

Karl frowned. Orli never apologized. And Orli was never late unless he had a good reason. Not to mention his young friend seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to potential threats. Something was very wrong. He planned to get to the bottom of this, but not until they were in position for their attack. For fifteen years, the revenge he dreamed of would soon be his. They could not allow any mistakes; they must move quickly, disable their enemies' defenses and fulfill their 'objective' before the navy realized what happened. Karl was not sure if this could be done; but Orli assured him that if he was given enough time to survey their opponent's resources and schedules, he could find a way. The older man trusted his first-mate's strategizing implicitly. If Orli said it could be done, they would do this. "Come. You can tell me what you think on our way back to the ship."

*****

Think...what do I think...let's see. Viggo is very handsome. Viggo has a great body. Viggo is a great kisser. Viggo has very skilled hands. Viggo is the one I fall in love with at first sight...... I wonder if Viggo likes me as much as I like him. Those were the first thoughts that raced through the young man's mind when Karl spoke. This would not do at all. His captain was counting on him to plan their attack on the city. This stupid infatuation could not have happened at a more inopportune time.

"Orli, what's wrong?"

"Huh?"

"I asked you how many naval ships were at the harbor. Are you sure you are all right?" asked Karl, concerned. Orli was spaced out, that had never happened before.

"Yeah, I am fine. There are ten ships, elite of the North Sea fleet," replied the younger man sheepishly.

"This is bad news. The North Sea fleet was Erasia's best. We cannot fight ten of their elite ships. Maybe we should delay our attack until they leave."

"No, the soldiers have the night off. The governor is holding a party. All the naval officers are there. With a small band of people, we can sneak in and out in the dead of the night before they even notice what happened."

Now, Karl realized what was wrong with Orli. His young friend was at the party and had met someone he fancied, a naval officer, no doubt. "Well, you should stay here with minimal crew to guard the ship. I will lead the attack."

The captain would do everything he could to give Orli a chance at happiness. The young man deserved so much better than a pirates' life. Consort to a naval officer was definitely not a bad alternative to being an outlaw, especially when it was a naval officer Orli fancied. Karl wondered who it was that captured the young one's attention. It must have been someone very impressive for Orli did not easily take to people.

"No, I go with you," vowed Orli, shaking his head adamantly. "I am the better swordsman, remember."

"I don't want you going too close to the people at the party, Orli," whispered Karl, holding his young friend's eyes.

Karl knew! How he did, Orli did not know. But his captain guessed what happened earlier in the night. If their attack was successful, Karl planned on retiring. The ship would pass to Orli, but now that he had met Viggo, he did not know if he wished to be a pirate anymore. Perhaps he would change his last name and join the navy to be with Viggo. But, regardless, after tonight, Karl would no longer be a pirate, so Orli did not have to be one either if he did not want it. And his older friend was making sure that all his options would remain open, offering him a chance to choose his own path. How he loved his captain! "Thanks, Karl. I will take care of the perimeter look-out then."

"Good, we move in two hours," smiled Karl, looking at his younger friend. Tomorrow, all this would be over. Both he and Orli would be free to start a new life.

*****

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