Captain Zachary Flint sat at the round oak table in his quarters. He was staring at the lit candle, watching the wax melt and the flame flicker on the wick, as though it were the most fascinating thing he had ever seen in his life. He was deep in thought that his mind had turned blank, and he could no longer remember what it was he had been thinking about in the first place.

That was until he felt a familiar presence. He looked up and softly smiled towards his younger brother, who he noticed was grinning like the devil.

"What did you do?" Zach asked suspiciously.

Kirk laughed at the accusation. "I found a way to hide your ship from the navy."

Zach was intrigued and sat up straight in his chair, listening intently. "How?"

"Show him, Cain." Kirk folded his arms in front of his chest.

Zach jumped out of his seat in surprise and grabbed for his cutlass when a man appeared in front of him. The captain's heart raced in alarm, but he soon calmed down when he realised who it was — his brother's first mate, Cain Reed.

Zach sheathed his sword and watched with curiosity as the blonde pirate touched the oak table and it slowly started to disappear. Zach placed his hand where the table would have been and could still feel the varnished wood beneath his fingertips.

"Invisibility?" he questioned.

Maybe Zach wasn't all that mad with the sea witch, Morgana. She had been right, after all. She gave them a way to hide the ship from the navy. A slow, cheeky grin started to form on his lips, an up-to-no-good smirk that resembled his daughter's.

"Kirk, I ask of one more favour from..."

"Yes."

Zach looked surprised. "You don't even know what I'm going to ask."

"You want Cain to join your crew. I'm taking your first mate, so it's more than fair that you take mine. Besides, Cain is more than happy to tag along with you."

Cain nodded his head in agreement. "Jessica's my friend, and I want to help any way I can."

Zach smiled from Cain's words, happy to know his daughter had friends in a world so terrible.

"Then we shall proceed with the plan, effective immediately. Ruben, you shall sail to Harvest Island with Bart and Sam and collect Azalea. From there you shall head towards Halfway Point and sit in my place at the Brethren Court on the summer solstice. Apologise to my former captain for me."

Kirk nodded, and Zach continued as he paced his quarters. "Meanwhile, myself and Cain shall make our way to Hive Island, and with the use of Cain's newly formed invisibility power, we'll be able to bypass the navy ships."

Zach placed his hands firmly down onto the oak table as he looked over the map of Hive Island and its treacherous seas. One had to be an extremely skilled navigator to make their way through the strong currents, the outcrop of rocks, and the hidden reefs that surrounded the island. He smirked to himself; it was a good thing he wasn't just a captain, he was also the world's best navigator who once navigated Blackbeard's ship.

"As soon as the Brethren Court is over, send word via the Albatross Mail that you're heading towards Hive Island, and we shall help you get past the navy and through the rough sea."

Zach paced over to the mantle above the fireplace in his quarters, and his hand skimmed the many Mr Compasses he had collected over the years. He had given the First Edition Mr Compass to his daughter when he last saw her and hoped she still carried it on her. The compasses he had collected didn't all point north; each one was unique. One day he hoped to find the most famous Mr Compass of them all, the King's Compass. It was thought to be as much of a legend as the Golden Eye.

Zach finally found the brass compass he was looking for. He took it from his shelf and opened the face like a locket to reveal a glass vial encased within it.

He took his knife from his belt and placed it against the tip of his finger.

"What are you doing?" Kirk questioned his odd behaviour with a concerned look on his face.

Zach ignored him and hissed when he sliced the tip of his finger. He let the scarlet liquid ooze out from his cut and watched as it slowly dripped into the glass vial until it was full to the brim. He sucked his finger and clicked the compass shut. The brass needle on the face slowly started to turn red as it soaked up the blood from the vial hidden beneath it.

The now-red needle started to point back and forth between Kirk and Zach, not quite deciding who to point at, until finally, it landed on Zachary Flint, working out that the blood, although similar to his brother's, belonged to him.

"It's the Blood Compass. No matter how far away you are, with my blood in it, it will always point at me." Zach handed Kirk the compass. "It's the quickest way to get back to me once you've finished at Halfway Point."

Kirk nodded in understanding and strapped the compass to his wrist like a watch, making sure to never let it out of his sight.

The two captains walked back on deck where their crews waited for their orders and told them of their newly formed plan. Everyone was on board with the plan, everyone except Samantha Bellamy.

She sucked in a sharp breath as her teeth gritted against one another, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she leaned against the mainmast of Zach's pirate ship.

"I don't see why I have to go with the rookie," she grumbled to her best friend Dick Hawkins, who sat at the base of the mast, cleaning his flintlock pistols.

Sam's ice blue eyes sharpened with disgust. She didn't understand why Zach was making her go with his useless brother, who was too hot-headed for her liking and was only going to get himself killed. At least Bart was going along with her, so it wasn't all bad.

"Cap'n's orders." Hawkins shrugged and continued to clean his guns, his tongue sticking out in concentration as he did so. "I'll miss you, though."

Sam ignored her friend and continued to stare daggers towards the younger Flint brother when her eyes softened. Kirk looked just like Zach, except he had amber eyes that were made to look dark with the eyeliner he wore. He had a well-defined face with a growth of red stubble along his jawline and a crooked nose - he most likely gained from a fist fight, but oddly enough it made him look good, like a diamond in the rough.

His strong arms were folded across his chest as he spoke to his older brother, and he wore a long, dark leather steampunk-style jacket. Under his coat, he wore a red and black pinstripe waistcoat over a black shirt, black trousers, and heavy duty boots.

Bellamy sucked in her bottom lip as she continued to look him over. The style suited him. He actually looked handsome, and his steampunk goggles on his head topped it off. It was his look, and he worked it well.

Her emotions started to show when flecks of ice began to crystallise around the mast and a sprinkle of snow dusted on top of Hawkins' shoulders.

"Hey, watch it with the ice!" Hawkins complained.

He heaved a sigh and tucked his weaponry into the thick leather belt tied around his waist and gazed up towards his fellow shipmate, his hand protecting his eyes from the blinding sunlight. His lips turned into a teasing smirk as he saw the red hue creep onto Sam's brown cheeks, giving away her true feelings towards the Hothead.

"Ha, ha!" He laughed and stood up, stretching his arms up into the air and over his best friend's shoulder. "You fancy... argh!"

Before poor Hawkins had a chance to finish his sentence, ice spread up his body, and in an instant, he was frozen stiff like a statue stuck in time, a shocked expression on his face.

Sat on the yard above the mainmast, Bart had seen and heard everything.

"It looks like the Ice Queen's heart has started to melt," he chuckled to no one in particular and grabbed a bottle of rum from the inside of his jacket pocket and chugged down a couple of gulps. "This trip ought to be fun."

Interrupted from their conversation, the Flint brothers both looked over in the direction of the commotion. Kirk scowled as he looked over the pair. The two had been menacing and rowdy since he had been with his brother the past month. He was not liking the idea of having someone like Sam on his ship, but he needed her to help him with his weakness against sea crystals.

"I'm guessing that's the ice girl?" Kirk's amber eyes looked over the tall black woman in her early twenties,with long, snow-white dreadlocks, captivating ice-blue eyes, and a toned body. She wore denim shorts with a blue tie-dyed blouse, an assortment of shell necklaces and leather boots on her feet.

It was the first time she had used her powers in front of Kirk, and he raised a red brow in interest. It wasn't such a bad power to have, being able to freeze people. A slow smirk started to form on his lips and his brooding scowl lightened, a reaction not missed by his older brother, who merely grinned but said nothing of the encounter.

"What are you so smug about?" Kirk's scowl returned as a light redness graced his cheeks.

"Nothin'." Zach teasingly shrugged and turned back to his crew. "Samantha, unfreeze Hawkins before his heart stops."

"But..."

"Now," he ordered.

Sam huffed and released Hawkins from his frozen state. The poor soul still looked blue as he shivered and attempted to warm himself by rubbing his hands up and down his arms.

"Meanie!" Hawkins' teeth chattered as he glared and pointed at his best friend.

Sam chuckled, and the shivering pirate ran inside the cabins to find himself some blankets, muttering to himself, glad she was leaving with Kirk.

☠️

Sometime later, the Kirk Pirates, as well as their two newest recruits, Bart and Sam, were ready to set off on their new adventure to find Jessica Red.

They were gathering up the last of their belongings and a few supplies Zach had given them for their long journey ahead. It would take the best part of a month to return to Harvest Island.

After the two crews said their goodbyes, it was time to set sail. All that was left now was for the captain of the Kirk Pirates to return to his ship. However, he was somewhat preoccupied with saying farewell to his older brother.

"So I guess this is goodbye." Kirk shrugged and reached his hand out to shake his brother's.

Flint grinned and pulled his little brother into a headlock and started to knuckle his head teasingly. The rest of the two crews began to laugh, and Kirk turned as red as his hair and shoved his brother away from him.

"Don't do that!" Kirk growled. "It makes me look pathetic!"

What was it with his family trying to embarrass him all the time? First Jessica and now Zach. Two peas from the same pod, they were.

Zach chuckled. "You're not the weak brother I once knew. You're strong, Kirk, but sometimes showing emotions can make you stronger, not weaker. Stop acting tough all the time and be who you really are." He tapped his brother's heart. "A kind-hearted soul and the biggest softie I know."

A soft smile like nothing anybody had seen before landed on Kirk's lips. He knew only one person who had been able to break away his walls and show his soft side to the world: Jessica, and now Zach had as well. His damn family was turning him into a washed-up pansy.

"Are you crying?" Zach teased.

Kirk punched him in the gut, and Flint keeled over, having had the breath taken out of him by the sudden attack. Still, he could not help himself when he rolled onto the deck laughing, infuriating his younger brother even more.

"I never cry!" Kirk turned on his heel and wiped away the stray tear from his eye as he walked off his brother's ship and across the gangplank to his own.

Cain chuckled. As always, Kirk was a true softy at heart, no matter how much he wanted to hide it. He would miss his hot-headed friend.

"Look after my stupid brother, Cain!" Kirk ordered.

"Aye, Cap'n!" The blonde saluted his captain, smiling. "Bring Little Red back safely."

Kirk nodded with a sharp look in his amber eyes. He would not stop until he found Little Red. He knew that day when he left Harvest Island, he should have taken her with him. He just hoped that she was safe.

"Ruben!" Zach shouted when his younger brother's ship started to sail away. "This isn't goodbye; it's more like see you later!"

Kirk smirked and nodded in agreement; he would see his brother soon enough, no need for goodbyes.

Little did the brothers know, it would be the last time they would ever see each other.

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