Better than We've Had

The insults continued but I paused in my walking.

There at the beginning of the plank standing right next to the captain was my love. He looked roughened up quite a bit and, like me, his hands were bound behind his back. I found myself hoping they didn’t tie his hands up as tight as mine. It was bad enough they were tied up at all.

Why were they tied though? Surely the captain wasn’t going to make his own brother walk the plank. I couldn’t stand it if Sebastian were to suffer the same fate as me.

Then all at once rage hit me. I charged forward trying to attack the captain. “How could you do this?” I shouted at the man. “How could you do this to your own brother?”

But my shouts went unanswered by the cold hearted man.

I was pushed up onto the piece of wood with Sebastian right next to me. We were facing each other pressed close together so we both could stand on the thin board. If my hands were unbound I would have embraced him. As it were, I gazed into his eyes knowing this would be the last opportunity I would ever get to do so.

Sebastian broke my gaze and looked to his left. I looked to my right to see what had taken his attention away from me. There, far in the distance, was land. We were both avid swimmers and I knew we’d have no problem making it to the distant shore. But with our hands tied, it was another unobtainable dream.

Just like carrying out a life with the man I loved.

Mark sneered at the two of us perched on the plank. “Any last words?” he asked taking on the role of executioner in stride. Bastard.

Sebastian refused to say anything. Instead he spat at the crew. I think it got his point across.

Instead of even glancing towards the crew I fixed my eyes on Sebastian’s stormy orbs. “I love you.” I spoke with strength I definitely didn’t think I possessed.

He just looked at me and nodded. He knew.

I just needed him to hear it one last time. “I’m yours, you know,” I all but whispered to him.

“I know,” his lips moved but no sound came out.

“And if Hell’s really where we’re going, then I’ll love you still in Hell,” I promised.

No sooner had the words left my mouth than we were pushed off the plank.

And down we fell.