✔ Masquerade | England [EDITING]

t w e l v e

Gilbert and Elizabeta

Arthur's P.O.V

It was another morning on the ocean and I was in a secluded part of the ship lying down and staring aimlessly at the clouds as the wind blew. My thoughts, like usual, darted in all sorts of directions. 

It felt like my brain had its own brain or something. 

"It's surprisingly peaceful today," I mumbled, "It's the perfect time to talk to myself and look like a retard."

(A/N England's brain = Tumblr) 

"Now reader, listen to me rant about you, but you're not supposed to know, since I forced you to scrub the deck and cook," 

(A/N Sorry for breaking the fourth wall. Honestly, I didn't plan it)

"But please, pretend you don't know." 

I turned back to the sky, looked at it for a minute and closed my eyes. Thoughts of what she told me of love came to mind, but the reminder of what I read in the records immediately interjected. 

I grumbled. Don't think about it. 

I forced myself to turn my thoughts back to what she explained about love. I needed to do a self analysis. I suspected that I was feeling this feeling that I found so repulsive, and that I was starting to like it. 

This is hardly unlike me, a grand pirate. 

I tried to think, but the only thing that stuck to my mind from what she said was,

"Love is a decision."

When I thought about it, it seemed to make sense. I can choose what I love and what I hate. So then what is this feeling of being drawn to her? What on earth is that? Is that the same thing as men like me wanting to strip a woman down naked and having sex with her?

My lips scrunched. No, it couldn't be that. 

I thought again. "Sacrifice, support, spending time with them..."

I hummed and then sighed, "I do like to be around her, even though it's evident that she doesn't. As for sacrifice and support, I don't think I've done any of that for her. I daresay she's an independent and sensible woman. I don't think she needs my support,"

"Sacrifice" came to mind. If anything, I sacrificed her father for my selfish gain. I took off my hat and looked at the two strangely coloured roses that were wrapped around it, stems and thorns and all. 

I felt an ache in my chest and I rubbed at it with the ball of my thumb.

"If I feel guilt for something I never felt guilty about, then..." I murmured, feeling the breeze caress my face.

I kept my sentence incomplete, and my thoughts were turned from her words to her. 

"Even though I'm the leader, I still trouble her a lot. She has borne me and my demands better than any woman in all of England," I sighed, "She's an obedient one, unlike the rest of my crew."

I thought of all the times I insulted and belittled her, and I felt a little bad. She turned out to be very helpful on my ship. I say, she has blossomed from a flimsy rag to a fine sailing woman. 

"She's a good one. I like her," I exhaled proudly, "But wait a minute. Do not the Greeks have several words for love?"

I racked my brains. I had learnt Greek as a child in the Royal courts, and I hated it. I can remember with such clarity learning about their different words of love. Not having known love, I wondered why it was necessary to have so many of them.