[FweepFwopFwoop]

"'M alright. Fanks." Arnwen leaned back in his hammock, only to suddenly go bolt upright with a gasp.

[Eskal]

"Something wrong?" Valen asked.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

"B...Baby moved." Arnwen lifted up his shirt, and beneath his skin, one could see the baby inside moving, likely due to Arnwen's skinniness. Tears flowed from Arnwen's eyes as he smiled and hugged his belly. "Baby's movin'! Finally movin'!"

[Eskal]

Valen beamed, "It is." was all he could manage to croak out.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

"Baby's gon' be alright now.... right? Ya fink so, right?"

[Eskal]

Valen nodded. "Yeah. It will be."

[FweepFwopFwoop]

Arnwen smiled. Before he could say anything, the door to the barracks swung open, and in walked the captain. Arnwen quickly pulled his shirt down over his belly and scrambled to get out of his hammock. "You! Knife-ear!" He bellowed. Arnwen stood to attention, his belly jutting out. "Tell me, why haven't you gotten th' mites outta the mast yet?!"

"Ah-ah can't." Arnwen said with a quivering voice. "Ah dunno how."

Unsatisfied with the answer, the captain ripped Arnwen's bandana off of his head and dragged him out by his hair.

[Eskal]

Valen watched in horror, but stayed close.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

The captain dragged Arnwen into the hold, and grabbed a cat-o-nine-tails off the wall. Arnwen turned his body away, so it would only hit his back. The captain lashed and lashed at the elf, a cry of pain coming from him with each hit.

"Ya fat fuckin' knife-ear!  Can't do a fuckin' thing! Stealin' fuckin' food! Ya ain't good fer nothin'!" The captain yelled.

Arnwen sobbed between hits. His shirt was torn a little more with each hit, and blood was clearly dripping down his back.

[Eskal]

"Stop!" Valen charged forward and grabbed the captain's arm as he went to lash Arnwen's back again. He glared at the captain as he pushed him back, taking the whip form him as he did.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

The captain staggered back. He blinked in surprise, then unsheathed the sword on his hip. "So the knife-ears revolt, is that it?" He pointed the sword at Arnwen, who lay on the floor, sobbing and bloody. "This is your fault! This time yer dead! But first..." He pointed the sword at Valen. "...I need to deal with you."

[Eskal]

Valen pulled his sword with his eyes narrowed. "I'd like to see you try, Old Man."

[FweepFwopFwoop]

The captain thrust his sword forward at Valen, and the two men exchanged blows, strike after strike. After what felt like an eternity of swords clanking together, Arnwen managed to pull himself to his feet. He pulled a dagger from his belt, hidden beneath his shirt, and as the captain backed closer to him, distracted by Valen, he plunged the dagger into the captain's back. With a scream, he fell to the floor. Arnwen came with another dagger, but the captain swept his feet out from under him. The elven man fell onto his back, and as he tried to get back up, the captain saw it: the movement beneath his shirt. His eyes went wide, but then rage flashed across his face. Before Arnwen or Valen could move further, he held his sword just above the pregnant man's belly. Arnwen gasped, as the captain worked his way back onto his feet, his sword still aimed at the unborn child. He sliced off Arnwen's shirt, and saw his moving belly in all it's glory, huge and squirming with new life.

"So that's what this is, eh? You two fuckin' knife-ears, makin' fuckin' babies? Well, I own you, Arnwen. So I own yer baby too." The captain sneered. To make his point, he made a small cut on Arnwen's belly, prompting a shout from him.

[Eskal]

Valen grabbed his dagger. He hopped onto the captain's back and slashed it across his throat as if he were a pig sent to slaughter. He quickly dismounted and pushed the bloody body away from Arnwen. He took off his shirt and pressed it to Arnwen's wound. "Oh gods...Oh gods..."

[FweepFwopFwoop]

With Valen distracted by Arnwen, the captain crawled forward on his last few breaths from behind Valen. He pulled Valen's legs out from under him, and made one final, vengeful, bitter, spiteful strike at Arnwen, but Arnwen saw him and moved just in time so the captain could only manage to strike his chest, leaving a large gash. And then Captain Reinhardt fell, finally dead as Arnwen screamed.

[Eskal]

"HELP!" Valen shouted. "SOMEBODY HELP!"
Doc Manon came storming over. "What the fuck happened down here?!"
"JUST STOP THE BLEEDING!"
"Alright, alright, no need to shout." He knelt down beside Arnwen and began using his magic to mend the gash in the elf's chest while Valen held his shirt to the cut on Arnwen's stomach. "Gods, what the fuck happened down here?"

[FweepFwopFwoop]

Ashahn ran down, followed by the other men. They all gasped at the sight of their dead captain, and the havily pregnant and heavily wounded Arnwen.

"What happened?!"
"The cap'n's dead!"
"Is Arnwen pregnant?!"

Ashahn turned and roared at the other men. "OUT. NOW." They all turned and ran out. Ashahn turned back around and looked at the corpse of Captain Reinhardt. He shook his head sadly. "You fool." He whispered to himself.

[Eskal]

"Ashahn get yer ass down here and help!" the doc shouted. "Help me heal this bastard!"
"It's going to be Ok," Valen kept repeating, mostly for his own sanity than for Arnwen's. He blinked back tears as he held the elf's hand.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

Arnwen gasped and struggled for breath. One of his lungs had been punctured. He squeezed Valen's hand as hard as he could. "Shit, hold on." Ashahn dashed out, and came back with some supplies from the infirmary. Bandages, disinfectant, the like.

[Eskal]

Manon focused on healing Arnwen's punctured lung. Valen's body trembled as he held Arnwen's hand, tears now streaming freely from his eyes.