After that fated encounter, days had passed and Polaris adapted on how things are done using the ways of the pirates. Obediently, he followed quickly the intructions and tutelage of the elders.
.......
Tobias is different from all of the pirates on that ship, despite living on the sea, he believed that he needs to become literate to interact with others peacefully, but the pirates tend to finish their negotiations through barbaric ways. When he was a child, he dreamed of living on the land when he became an adult and to find a beautiful wife to spend the rest of his life with.
Whenever the pirates raid a village, he often come down to stole books so that he could study the languages and to widen his vocabulary and understanding of the world. But the bitter truth of life awaken him from his sweet expectations.
One day, the young Tobias at the age of fifteen participated in a raid to collect books. On his way he saw the brutality of their barbaric ways and ignored it for he completely accepted that it is how the pirates handle things, he moved swiftly to find the town's library and saw a woman trapped in a burning building. He rushed in to rescue the woman in danger and carried her gently on his back,
"Miss you're safe n... Arghh!!" he screamed.
The woman stabbed him in the back and glared at him in disgust, "Fuck! You filthy pests! You only know how to leech off..."
Tobias knew all the time that people hates pirates to the extent of casting them away, but that time instead of being grateful, the one he saved keeps on cursing and stabbing him with blunt knife.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!! You worm disgusting feces shit just al of you di-"
On that moment he thought that his back became numb as he received multiple stabs from the woman. He only felt warm and dizziness from bleeding, then the woman's head suddenly rolled right in front of his eyes. He struggled and used the little strength he has to turn his body and saw the disappointed face of his father, the captain.
It served as a great lesson to him. He realized that there's a solid intangible wall between them and the normal people who lived decently on the land, and from that realization his dreams come to ruins and he told himself that he could only live as a pirate and the sea was his home and their men was his only family.
.......
Tobias carried Polaris in his back and went to the pillar of the ship, he bring out his dagger and carved characters on the pillar's surface.
"Done! Now you've been truly recognized as part of this ship's legacy." he said as he pats Polaris head, "We cannot have a proper conversation aren't we? Then starting tommorrow I'll teach you how to write and read. Don't worry just do some gestures like this if you can't grasp my teachings," he smiled, "My son just do things slowly cause I'm here to guide you and don't force yourself too much."
And so after that day Tobias started to teach Polaris on reading and writing and in just a few weeks the boy became literate enough to respond to questions. By the use of parchments and shard of coal he managed to convey his feelings and say the words that he wanted to say through writing.
Everyone on the ship witnessed the learning speed of Polaris and thought that the child may be even become a skilled pirate combatant when trained to use flintlocks and bladed weapons, that is why they talked to Tobias regarding the matter.
"What? No! He's just a child!" Tobias insists.
"Wad duya mean no? That boy wuz gona be a pirate! Like us!" said the captain.
"But it's just too early..-- No let me talk to my son first. We need his consent."
"fu-- consent ya ass.."
Their conversation leaves a bitter taste on Tobias, but he can't deny that combat skills are necessary especially with their lifestyle, only relying on raiding, stealing and illegal trading in order to survive. It took him almost a day to muster his courage and finally he decided talk with Polaris regarding that matter.
"Son.. I know that you are very young but living as a pirate really is difficult. We steal, we kill.. we rely on other as our prey so that we can survive the harsh conditions of living in the sea," he looked at Polaris who is attentively listening to him, "Captain suggested that you should learn combat arts... only if you're willing--"
Polaris immediatley took out the piece of parchment on his pocket and the coal shard, he replied immediately to Tobias without any hesitation.
"Understood," he wrote.
Tobias was speechless, the child's unconditional trust towards him made him smile and thought that he should prepare something grand for Polaris. That time he didn't see the boy as his foster child.. but a son of his own, as if they share the same blood and flesh.
.....--......
Three months have passed since the pirates adopted Polaris and they saw a drastic growth of boy's mastery on various weapons, aside from combat ability, the child's intellectual capability was superb that he could be a scholar if ever he wanted to. The pirates are really proud of their youngest family members to the point that it reached the maximum favorability of them towards Polaris and they even spoil him even though he is contented on ample amount of anything.
"Hah! Our Tobias here hits the jackpot!!" the pirates chuckles, "Come to think of it that we could have a genius child in our lifetime, hahahahahhahaha! Look at Polaris' skills... who would believe that he's just a five year old child if not to his face hahahahaha!"
"Enough you guys are drunk." said Tobias while stacking the barrels at the corner of the ship.
He went on the lower deck to check his son if he's alreadr asleep and as expected the child was still awake at the middle of the night.
"Go to sleep now so that you will grow taller," he said.
But for the first time in a while the child didn't listen to him, instead, Polaris took his blank parchments and initiated a conversation out of curiousity,
"Why do I have to learn etiquettes and formalities if we are pirates?" asked Polaris.
Tobias patted his child's head and smiled gently, "Because I want you to fulfill my dreams, someday I will take you back to the land."
Polaris has a series of questions but didn't dare to write it out. He kept thinking and tried to remember it for he wanted to savor the moments that only they share as a father and a child. That night before they sleep Tobias whispered behind him,
"Son.. you don't have to respond---I have a request," he uttered silently, "I want you to promise me that you will obey me when I say the word 'WISH' in the future regardless of what situation we are in.."
He knew the dangers of living as a pirate, the cruelness of the world they lived in, and specially the rotten behaviour of various people everywhere... and so he has preparing not for himself, but for Polaris.