#seasickness aboard pirate vessel

[teddypdf]

chronic migraine sufferer (me) adding “reintegration sickness” to the list of fictional conditions I pretend to be taken by when I want to romanticize being bedridden disoriented and in pain

[arrthurpendragon]

Prologue Sneak Peek!

Since a few of you asked . . . 

A grey impenetrable wall of fog masked the H.M.S. Dauntless as she made her voyage across the Atlantic bound for Port Royal.  Governor Weatherby Swann had been appointed by the King of Great Britain as governor of the bustling harbour town and was making the trek with his two young daughters. While Elizabeth had been excited about their new adventure, Georgianna had to be dragged kicking and screaming aboard the vessel. Seeing his youngest daughter screaming for her dear late mama broke Governor Swann’s heart, but leaving their sorrows behind and starting anew was what he deemed necessary for their small family.

Young Georgianna spent most of her time below deck during the voyage.  The young lass hadn’t developed her sea legs and therefore confined herself to her bed as her remedy for the seasickness. Even though the remedies of mint and ginger tea seemed to lessen her ailment. 

Whereas Elizabeth appeared quite put together despite the voyage, Georgianna’s appearance was much more dishevelled.  Her hair was matted, her face paler than at the start of the journey, and her clothes hung a bit looser than before.  Young Georgianna looked as miserable on the outside as she felt on the inside. But Elizabeth took it upon herself to rectify that.

“Georgie, up,” Elizabeth said shaking her sister by the shoulders.

Georgianna simply groaned and rolled over, still dressed in her nightclothes and buried beneath the quilts.

“Georgie!”  

Elizabeth yanked the quilts off her sister which tossed young Georgianna from her bed.  She squealed as she fell to the floor before hitting it with a thud.

“Lieutenant Norrington said some fresh air might do you some good,” Elizabeth said matter-of-factly as she rested her hands on her hips.

Georgianna glared up at her sister with her arms folded across her chest. “I do not wish to go above deck,” Georgianna retorted.

“And I wish you would willingly do what I say.” Elizabeth looked at her sister pointedly. “Come now, Georgie. We might see pirates!  Would you truly want to be below deck should we see them?” 

Elizabeth reached down and pulled her sister reluctantly to her feet. Of course Georgianna wanted to see pirates. Although she wa not quite as fascinated with them as her sister.  When the sisters had discovered they would be making the voyage, they played pirates in the garden.  Much to Georgianna’s dismay, Elizabeth even made her walk the plank!

“We’d better see some pirates,” Georgianna muttered as Elizabeth forced her to sit on a stool so that her older sister could brush the rat’s nest from her hair.

After several passes of the brush through Georgianna’s hair, Elizabeth tugged at a knot. “Ouch!” Georgianna hissed, reaching for the back of her head.  She attempted to pull away from her sister, but Elizabeth pulled her back. “Pirates will not care what my hair looks like!”

“No, but Father will.”

Georgianna rolled her eyes.  She knew that as the new governor’s daughters they had appearances to keep.  While her father had been a little more lax on the journey thus far, Georgianna knew that once they were in Port Royal they would have people who cared about such things. Why couldn’t girls wear their hair shorter like boys? It would make things much simpler. Why hadn’t she been born a boy?

[cabo-yacht-rental]

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[axispheydra]

Day 8 - Tepid

Arlanne had never been on a boat before. Every lurch of the ship left her feeling ill, but she remained in her seat, bag clutched tightly to her chest as her eyes stared blankly at the wooden floor. Everything she'd owned in Gridania was with her now, her clothes, her stash of gil, and even the bow she'd rarely used. She'd barely thought it through, but she knew she wasn't wrong; she had to leave the Black Shroud. Her feet has taken her west without any input from the rest of her body, down through the southern parts of the forest and into Thanalan. Then further still she went, until she found herself on a ship bound for Vylbrand; somewhere far away from the places she had once called home.

It was a modestly-sized vessel, one built for cargo, but with some space aboard for a few undiscerning passengers. An oil lamp hung overhead, its weak flame casting a dim, orange glow onto Arlanne's seat among the crates. The smell of the sea and the rocking of the waves made her stomach flip, and she fought the urge to vomit as best she could.

Maybe she wasn't seasick. Maybe her guts twisting into knots came from something else. The fact that she had lost someone else, and was powerless to do anything about it. Stupid, stupid. It was foolish to flee Ishgard in the first place, and now doubly so to flee the Black Shroud. Always running, and without a plan in place.

Arlanne buried her face into her luggage, feeling too hollow to even cry. It wasn't that she wanted to go somewhere else, it was just that she couldn't bear to remain where she'd been. Try as she might, she felt nothing; she couldn't even mourn for her lost son or the lover she'd abandoned. Perhaps some opportune pirate in Limsa Lominsa would stick a knife in her gut and leave her bleeding out somewhere. At least it would be the kind of end she deserved.

A large wave knocked into the ship, causing Arlanne to fall and sending her bag to the floor. She scrambled to pick it up, gathering its spilled contents as quickly as she could. There was a flash of something silver, and Arlanne's heart skipped a beat when she realized what it was. A single ring, adorned with the floral crest of House Shoudebant. It was her brother's, once, something that was brought back to them along with what was left of his remains. Try as they might, Arlanne's parents weren't able to force her to part with it, and so they'd let it remain with her. She had little else to remember Arvent by. In the years that had passed, even his face became fuzzier in her memory. Would the same thing happen with Aldeux? Even know, she found she could scarcely remember his eyes, his nose, his mouth. He had been such a little thing, and now he was gone, and now she felt nothing. No sadness at the loss of his life, no guilt at running away, no fear at what was to come.

Sighing, Arlanne clutched the bag again. She hoped dearly these feelings would pass, if only to ensure that her time in La Noscea didn't give her reason to end it all. Perhaps all she needed was a night's rest and a hearty meal, or perhaps she'd carry the burden of vacuity for the rest of her life.

Arlanne bit at the inside of her cheek, hard enough to draw blood, and nearly cried out with the pain. At least it was something, she thought. Even if she had little reason to live, she could live for her own sake. She didn't want to die, she was just... lost.

Lost. That was a pleasant way to put it, she thought. It was a hopeful word; one who was lost might eventually find their way again. Arlanne dearly hoped she could.

Taking a deep breath, Arlanne held it in her breast until it spilled out of its own accord. Something her brother had brought him with him from his training in the Temple Knights, a technique to remind yourself that your heart still beat in your chest. Reaching back into her bag, Arlanne withdrew the ring, and slipped it onto her finger. It was too large for her, and fell down to her knuckle, where it sat, impassive.

The boat swayed to the side once more, and Arlanne winced as a crate slid over her foot. In spite of herself, she almost laughed; all the hardship she'd endured made her feel nothing, but this wooden box made her swear in the Fury's name. Maybe it meant something, or maybe it was just a box.

Too exhausted to ponder her inner workings any longer, Arlanne rested her head against the ship's wall, and closed her eyes. Sleep took her slowly, and Twelve be praised, she did not dream at all.

[daebakinc]

D-10: Pirates

Pairing: Pirate Kibum x Noble Reader Genre: Fluff Word Count: 1.6K

As mean as it is, you’re glad your escort is seasick. Rather than badgering you to be a proper noble, they’re resigned to their beds, probably for the entirety of your voyage. 

You take in a deep breath of sea air. For just a few days, you can be the most free you’ve been since you were a child. It’s the least you deserve given what awaits you in the next port.

“You look like you have the weight of the ocean on your shoulders.” An old man with grizzled hair and a salt-stiff beard leans his elbows on the railing beside you. He doesn’t look at you, keeping his eyes out on the endless field of waves.

Although his clothes are ragged and his voice rough, you smile. It’s nice to be talked to like a human instead of an object. “Is it that obvious?”

“Aye. When you’ve seen as many years as I have, you learn to read people.” He casts a sideways look at you. “Sometimes dropping a few words in the ears of a listener lightens the load.”

“Are you sure you want to listen? It’s a long story.”

Your new friend gestures beyond the ship. “It’s a long trip.”

“Alright. Once upon a time-”

“You’re one of those fanciful ones, are ya?”

“You offered.”

The old man waves his hand in acknowledgment.

“Once upon a time,” you say again, a smile playing on your lips. “There were two children. One noble, one common-born. They didn’t know of or care about the difference then. All they knew was their love for each other. However, as they grew older, they became more aware of just how distant their worlds were. So, the commoner boy decided to go off to find himself a treasure rich enough to make him worthy.”

“The hope of many a young man,” he comments. “Did he find it?”

Your smile falls and you look away. Like an old wound remembering its painful creation, your heart throbs. “No. His ship was boarded by pirates before he even made it abroad. They killed him and threw his body overboard.”

“How do you know for sure?”

“Because,” you wipe at your burning eyes before looking over but your voice still trembles, “he never came home to me.”

His hand lifts like he means to wipe your tears from your cheeks, but he stops himself. Instead, he reaches into his coat and pulls out a handkerchief, which he hands to you.

“So your sorrow comes from being here,” he says, looking away to give you the privacy to clean your cheeks, “because it reminds you of him.”

You shake your head. “No. I hate the sea. I hate that it took him from me and that now, it takes me from him.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m on my way to my marriage bed,” you reply, laughing mirthlessly. “My parents decided they had indulged me and my vow to remain forever unwed long enough.”

“You would stay faithful to a dead man?” he asks disbelievingly.

“I could never love another,” you say fiercely.

Before either of you can say anything else, a cry comes from the crows nest. “Pirates! Pirates off the starboard bow!”

Sure enough, there she is. Her sides are painted pitch black while her sails are blood red and above them all flaps the skull banner. Your own ship is large and ungainly while the sleek pirate vessel is gaining as if Hell’s winds itself pushed her forward.

“We have to get below deck!” You grab the old man’s arm. “Come to my cabin.”

He shakes you off, ushering you to a stack of barrels. “They’ll look there first. Hide here.”

“Wait!” You try to grab his jacket to pull him into the hiding spot with you, but he’s deceptively fast.

You hear the crew running all over as the captain screams orders.

“Can’t this thing go faster?” the captain demands.

“We’re dead in the water, sir!” a crew member responds. “Someone’s sabotaged our rudder!”

Sabotage? 

“ Above it all, a voice from the pirate ship hails yours. You peek through a crack between the barrels and see it’s coming even closer.

“Surrender now! Offer no resistance and you all live. We will only take goods,” the pirate shouts. “Resist and we kill all aboard and take it all anyway. You have one minute before we board.”

It doesn’t even take a quarter of a minute before you see the old man himself waving a white flag.

For the first time since stepping on the ship, you feel like you’re about to throw up. Your heart thumps so hard you wonder how no one hears it as the pirates come abreast and anchor their ship to yours with hooks.

A plank is plopped on the deck. The pirate who strides across it is tall, darkly tanned, heavily muscled and devilishly handsome. He stares arrogantly at the crew, eyes searching for something. When he approaches your new friend, you nearly burst from behind the barrels. The cowards would dare target an old man?

It feels like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over your head when the pirate bends at the waist in front of the old man, presenting a hat with a scarlet feather in it. “Captain.”

“Captain?” the captain of your ship splutters, voicing your own question.

The old man straightens his back and grins. He reaches up to his face and rips his beard off. It falls to the deck, quickly followed by his hair.

In his place is now a young man, black hair sleek like a raven’s wing and skin still bright with youth’s glow. He takes the hat from the pirate and places it on his head. Winking and mockingly saluting your captain, he says, “Yes. Captain Key of the Atlantis, Prince of the High Seas. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?”

“How dare you-”

“Minho, shut him up, please,” Key says with a sigh and wave of his hand. 

The pirate who first boarded immediately sets his sword against the captain’s throat. 

“Lucky for you,” Key continues, “I’m not really here for your cargo, captain. I’m here for one of your passengers.”

You freeze when Key looks directly at you. In a second, he’s right in front of you. You squeeze your eyes shut and brace yourself to be hauled out, trussed up, and tossed into the hold. Why would he want you? Ransom?

“Hey.” Fingers slip beneath your chin to tilt your face up. “You don’t recognize me, pretty one?”

Pretty one... only one person in the world has ever called you by that pet name.

Your eyes fly open to find Key smiling down at you.

This close, without the beard and wild hair... It’s been many years since you last saw your beloved. Key’s face is angular, cat-like, and self-assurance saturates his being like a king enthroned. This is not the boy named Kibum that you fell in love with.

But as you gaze at him, you see shadows of that boy. The smile tucked in the corners of his mouth, the set of his eyes, and... the scar on his eyebrow, earned when you both fell out of a tree while playing.

Hesitantly, you reach up to touch that scar. Kibum cups your hand, pressing it to his face. His eyes shine, but they’re too busy drinking you in as you are him.

“How did you...” your voice cracks, unable to continue.

“It was the talk of the town when I put into port a month ago,” Kibum explains. “It didn’t take too much to get the right person drunk to spill the details. I couldn’t let you get married when we were already engaged.”

“But you didn’t come back! Why?” You strike him in the chest, but Kibum gathers you in his arms before you can hit him again. Your tears come hard and fast, the relief, doubt, and ache too much to hold back anymore. “I thought you were dead.”

“I promised you the world,” Kibum replies, stroking your back. He kisses your temple. “Took me longer than I planned to do that.”

“But a pirate, Kibum?”

You feel him shrug. “You were right about my ship getting attacked by pirates. But they gave us an offer: join and earn part of the bounty or stay and risk dying before being found. I promised you I’d stay alive. Plus, it pays well.”

“I hate you. You could have sent me a letter, a note, something!”

Kibum laughs. “I’m sorry, my dear.”

You glare at him. “I highly doubt that.”

He ignores you. “Now that I have you, I can fulfill the last promise I made to you.”

"What promise?”

Kibum releases you, but keeps his hands on your shoulders. "I promised you three things, once upon a time. That I would come back and that I would become rich enough for the both of us... Do you remember the third?”

You shake your head. After you thought Kibum had died, those supposedly broken promises had faded.

“I promised you adventure.” He stands, bows, and holds out his hand. “Ready to join me?”

Grinning, you take Kibum’s hand. “That you did.”

In place of a ‘yes,’ you grab Kibum’s face and kiss him with all those years of longing.

[mhdiaries]

Haunted – Student Spirits Vandala Doubloons Diary 

14 May, Morning Watch

It’s a spooktacular morn, so I think I’ll take me pet cuttlefish for a leisurely sail on the Salty Spectre before school. He woke up on the scareboard side of the ship, and he is totes cranky. It’s like he’s got his tentacles tied in a twist. Every time I call his name, “Aye!” he responds with “Nay!” just to vex me. He’s usually less fearsome than this, but there is a reason he’s a cuttlefish and not a cuddlefish.

14 May, Forenoon Watch

Aye is more his ‘ol self after cruisin’ around the haunted seas. We had to dock quickly when I got seasick - I know, right? What good is a seasick pirate?!? I’m working on it! But anyway, we met up with River - she’s a phantastic ghoul who ferries monsters between the ghost world and the world of the solids. River’s always a splash to fang with... quite the party ghoul! Kiyomi boarded to chill with us, too, and it was such a boo-tiful day, her face was a die-lightfully happy shade of pink. But I was late for Ectonomics and it was a close call that the Hall Moan-itors didn’t catch me! The Principal is constantly on the lookout for any excuse to put troublemonsters in detention. I’m not a troublemonster, but I do like my adventures.

15 May, Afternoon Watch

Shiver me tomb-ers, Haunted High is as cold and mollusky as the deepest part of the ocean. It’s not because of that ol’ myth about ghosts making the air around them cold. It’s the icy atmosphere created by Principal Revenant and all her ghostly rules. She’s got so many students anchored by detention chains that the loud clanging makes it hard to think! Especially Porter Geiss, who is so weighed down by chains, it’s like he’s going for a record. I’m in the li-bury, trying to study for my Ghost Pirate class. The lie-bury is the one place where I can explore like a pirate without risking seasickness. There’s got to be some hidden treasure in here somewhere!

15 May, Dog Watch

Well, boo me down! When I was plundering the li-bury, I found a map of some sort. I don’t know what it is exactly, it’s not really a treasure map, but it looks kind of mysterious and cryptic! I found it stuck in a cook book, in between the pages of the chapter for “Social Creeperings.” At first glance the map looks like some kind of recipe, and even has the heading ‘How to Make Friends.” What does that mean? It took a true adventurer like me to read between the lines and figure out it’s instructions for something crabulous. There are a lot of X’s, of course. That’s how you know it’s important. And there are stick figures in the top left and bottom right, divided by 2 squiggly lines. Also, there are boats between the squiggly lines. Avast! It’s a kindermonster’s artwork! I think I’ll hang it on the fridge in me galley. 

16 May, Morning Watch

I found the treasure! It’s not an actual treasure, but it’s sea-sational all the same. I was enjoying the chain-free atmosphere of me ship and trying to die-sect the map I found, when I caught something out of the corner of me patchless eye. It was misty, like looking through a spyglass on a foggy morn, but it appeared to be a school full of solids! I hushed Aye and tried to concentrate, turning me skull to get a better view, but the apparitions evaporated into sea air!!! It’s mortalfying to think I might have dreamt it, but I was sure I spied a werewolf ghoul with clawsome hair, and she was talking to a zombie with glasses!

16 May, Dog Watch

Well, fair winds! I just got another gander at that solid school again! Still just in the corner of me eye, but a tadpole clearer this time. I saw some ghouls having a scream at fearleading practice. There was a mummy ghoul bossing everyone around, but the squad didn’t seem to mind because they really were scary-good. I’ve never done much fearleading, but I think I’d be a natural at it, because you need good balance to keep your sea-legs in choppy waters. Here’s a fearleading chantey they inspired me to write:

Yo-ho-ho

And a bucket of chum

Haunted High GO!

And don’t play dumb

OK, it’s deadful, but the Jolly Rotter flag routine I made-up to go with it really makes it work. Plus, Aye and I had a fintastic maritime, and that’s what counts. 

17 May, Morning Watch

Went for a swim in the Haunted High pool - it’s one disembody of water where I don’t get seasick! There wasn’t a spirit around when I dove in, but I kept feeling waves crest around me, and every now and then I caught flashes of blue skin and fintastic blonde hair! Talk about shiver me tomb-ers! I was so creeped-out, I die-cided to go aboard River’s yacht and fang-out with her for a while. It’s always swell to kick back, take my pegleg off and chill with my beasty! We can grab some grub and set sail for distant shores. I just hope Aye doesn’t rock the boat.

17 May, Forenoon Watch

Went to the creepateria to toss back some gore-ange juice and replenish my vitamin sea levels. My dad is forever lecturing me on the dangers of getting skullvy. I listen to him because I don’t ever want to be one of those toothless, spotted pirates. That’s a look that would so NOT go with my to-die-for outfits. It’s not that I’m vain, but my wardrobe IS my prize loot. Anyway, Porter Geiss was there getting into trouble for spraying graffiti on the walls, which is why he’s known as “Paintergeist”. He’s a totes ectoplasmic artist! He only uses ghost paint that evaporates quickly, so I don’t know why Principal Revenant and the Hall Moan-itors get so fangry with him. Sometimes I think they just enjoy punishing students and sinking the school spirits. 

17 May, Dog Watch

I wish I could tell one of my BFFs about seeing the solid school, because it’s kind of like watching a fear-ality TV show! I thought about telling River, since she spends a lot of time between our world and the non-ghost world. But then I remembered her dad is the Grim Reaper, and suddenly that seemed like a less than spooktacular idea. I wouldn’t want him to find out. He can deliver a scythe-ing lecture that really takes a ghoul down a pegleg. I also pondered telling Kiyomi, but I’d hate to upset her and see her complexion turn scaly-gray or something - she can’t help changing color depending on her mood. Hauntings aren’t allowed in the solid world, but, arrrr... what if they are haunting me?!?

18 May, Morning Watch

Goin’ to go for a lil’ adventure and check off some of the requirements for my Ghost Pirate class. I think I’ll steer my vessel over to see what River’s up to while I’m at it. Maybe she’d like to make some waves with me. I’m in high spirits today, so dare I hope I won’t even get seasick? Got me stopwatch, me ghostly skeleton crew, and me trusty pet, Aye. Looks like we’re in for smooth sailin’. Just me, my mateys and the deep boo sea. 

[lake-lady]

Lake Superior mood board from my experience aboard the Lake Guardian (research vessel) in summer 2019.

I truly embraced my pirate persona, including:

-chunky, cable knit sweaters and beanies

-swearing and making "argh" a habitual term of displeasure

-pots of stale black coffee and tea

-sea shanties

-seasickness but hiding it to be a tough pirate queen

[alexandralyman]

Beyond the Horizon - Ch. 44

Fic Update: Beyond the Horizon Summary: AU: When Princess Emma's ship is captured by the Jolly Roger and Captain Killian Jones, she offers herself as a hostage for ransom if he will let the ship and the other passengers go. With Emma, Killian remembers the honour he once held dear, and Emma catches glimpses of the gentleman Killian had been. Against all odds, the pirate and the princess begin to fall for each other.

Read this chapter on ff.net here

                                             Chapter Forty Four                                               Tell Me A Story

A foul stench hit him as soon as he entered his quarters and Killian stopped dead with one hand on the doorframe, his nose wrinkling in disgust while his belly twisted and lurched under his waistcoat. The smell was unmistakable, and revulsion was quickly replaced with concern as he rushed forward. Emma was bent over at the waist, retching into the porcelain basin that sat on the washstand with one hand braced alongside it and the other wrapped around her middle. He glanced down at the puddle of sick and bile quickly rose in his own throat, but as unpleasant as the smell and sight of it was, he was far more alarmed than repulsed.

"Easy, love, easy."

He laid a hand on her back, trying to offer what bit of comfort he could with his presence. It was hardly the first time Killian had witnessed someone vomiting from seasickness or spoiled rations, or, more frequently among sailors, from too much drink, and he knew there was nothing much that could be done for such afflictions except waiting for them to run their course. But Emma flinched under his touch, her shoulders hunching even more over the porcelain, and he swallowed back the sour taste in his mouth. His hand fell back to his side, opening and closing helplessly while she continued to empty the contents of her stomach. He had an inkling of what had made her so violently ill so suddenly, and it wasn't seasickness or an excess of grog.

The first time he'd been flogged he had borne the cut of the lash as stoically as he could in front of the jeering crew, knowing that his punishment would be made tenfold worse if he gave in to the fruitless urge to beg and plead for mercy in the midst of such unmerciful men. He had to take it like a man even though he was hardly more than a boy, lest he be branded with more than the marks carved into his back and he had, swallowing back his cries as each stroke fell and willing the tears not to fall along with them until the captain was finally satisfied that he'd had enough. Killian had felt empty afterwards, hollowed out as if a piece of his soul itself had gone missing and might not return. As painful as it was, he'd been strangely numb as well for hours on end, until he tried to eat the broth that Liam brought him and was immediately sick all over his poor brother as soon as he took a single spoonful.

Emma had sworn that she was fine, that his threats and taunts in front of the Evil Queen's men couldn't douse the flame of their love, but being paraded about on deck while he openly boasted about taking both her ship and her maidenhead by force had clearly sickened her right to her stomach.

"A pirate's always got to keep the best part of the treasure for himself, eh lads?"

That night was seared into his memory more indelibly than ink on parchment...the way her breath had hitched but her gaze hadn't faltered when he drew her nightdress slowly up her thighs with clear intent to have what he'd wanted for so long...stripping her fully bare at last and greedily drinking in every inch of fine white skin...her fear that it would hurt and his promise to be gentle, a promise kept because to do otherwise was unthinkable...the soft trail of her fingers down his back when he rolled his hips and she accepted the full length of him for the first time...drowning in the sensations and in a sea of words unsaid and almost confessing his deepest secret then and there, that he was hopelessly in love with her and would give her anything and everything she wanted if only she'd stay...

Killian had hated every word that had come out of his mouth on the deck and more than that, how easily it was to twist and turn what had happened between them on the Jolly Roger into a far more sordid and ugly tale, of a helpless lady caught in the rapacious clutches of a heartless brigand. Who would believe that she'd welcomed him into her bed, that what he wanted even more than the pleasures of her body was her heart? No, the tale he told was far more likely and it would spread as quickly as wildfire now that they'd made landfall. He'd wager that it would be halfway across the kingdom by sunset, carried from town to tavern in scandalized whispers and salacious grins.

"Did you hear about the princess and the pirate?"

She spat into the basin and staggered away, away from him, one hand still pressed just below the bodice of her gown while she wiped her mouth. That little voice in the back of his mind was back, chuckling darkly that her love was the one prize he could never try to take by force. It was hers and only hers to give as she saw fit and she could snatch it back from his unworthy hands at any moment.

"Nerves, I guess," she muttered, not quite meeting his eyes. "The waiting just got to be too much, I just...I just want this all to be over."

"Soon," he promised, ringed fingers flexing over the hilt of his sword and trying to quell that little bit of nagging doubt that her words could have another meaning.

His marriage proposal back on the fairy isle had been refused, after all.

The table was a cluttered mess, several books in a jumbled pile that was topped with a ball of wool that had a pair of knitting needles sticking out, the small chest where Emma kept hair ribbons and other feminine treasures sat open and had clearly been rifled through and wedged in between was the tray Fergus had brought earlier with the remains of the morning tea, along with an unfamiliar brown glass bottle that she pushed aside to lift the teapot and pour out what remained into the cup she preferred, the one painted with little pink rosebuds. She swished out her mouth while he retrieved her cloak from the peg on the wall.

"It's time," Killian said, draping it over her shoulders and fastening it at her throat. He carefully covered her hair with the hood, letting the deep folds mask her face. Another memory struck him then, of the day they'd first met. She'd been concealed by a cloak then too, hidden away until she'd thrown it off and her voice had rung out across the deck and drew the attention of all. Even then he'd known she was the real treasure, not the ship, not whatever cargo filled the hold, not even the priceless jewels that ringed her neck and could have retired his whole crew several times over. If they'd offered him anything else on board it would have been in vain, as soon as he caught sight of the beautiful woman staring back at him with such defiance, unbowed and unbent by what seemed like certain defeat, then all he wanted in that moment was her, with an ache a deep as the pull of the tides in his sailor's blood

"I will trade myself for their lives, Captain Jones."

"And who might you be?"

"I am Princess Emma, daughter of Queen Snow White and King David. Let the ship and my people go, and I offer myself as your hostage."

"Killian?"

Her pale face looked up at him as it had then, when he'd extended his hand to bring her aboard his ship. That day her hestiance and uncertainty about the man she'd made a deal with was plain, but she'd accepted his offering and the bargain between them had been sealed. This time, she was the one who reached out first, slim, delicate fingers wrapping around his thicker, calloused ones in the stillness of the cabin they now shared. Emma had traded herself to him and yet somehow she'd ended up with his heart, body and soul as her unintended prize as well. It was far from an even exchange, but Killian was still a pirate, he always got the better half of any deal. The Fairy Queen had warned with those strange, violet eyes that there was darkness in him and he swore at times he could literally feel it, heavy and leaden in his chest. What was a scarred and blackened heart like his to a princess like her?

Still, he hoped she would be gentle with it, just the same.

                                                          ….

Regina's ships had guided them to a port not far from the castle that was Emma's childhood home, although none of her vessels had docked alongside the Jolly and stayed anchored out instead just beyond the mouth of the harbour. Blocking them in, Smee had noted in a low tone under his knitted cap, and Killian had agreed with a silent nod. The Evil Queen was taking no chances, it seemed, cutting off any last minute attempts to escape back out on the open sea. It was said that she was cunning, and Snow White's warning not to let his guard down around her was at the forefront of his mind when he'd steered them those last few leagues into the waiting net. The port itself was strangely deserted, when they went above deck there wasn't a soul to be seen even though the docks should be thick with people, fishermen bringing in the early morning catch, peddlers pushing barrows of oysters, longshoremen hauling cargo, alongside the pickpockets and whores who always flocked to the ships in search of likely marks and customers. But there wasn't so much as a single drunkard sleeping off a night of overindulgence and all the buildings lining the wharves were all shut up tight, even the taverns, shockingly enough, with drawn curtains and closed shutters as far as the eye could see. It appeared that everyone had either fled or gone to ground, battening the hatches and hunkering down as if preparing to ride out an incoming storm. But the waters were calm and the sky was clear straight out to the horizon so whatever it was the locals feared, it wasn't coming from the sea.

A lacquered black carriage that looked decidedly out of place next to the weathered timbers and sun-bleached planks was waiting for them when they disembarked, Killian's hand firm on Emma's elbow and his men flanking them on all sides. Several knights on horseback were positioned strategically around the carriage, heads turned to watch their approach. But these weren't the noble champions of Emma's tales, the ones Fergus begged to hear every chance he got. Their faces were completely hidden behind pitch-black masks that, coupled with their dark armour, made them look more like spectres conjured from a realm of nightmares than men. The Evil Queen's famed Black Knights, subject of far more lurid stories than the ones Emma told. Killian had heard a few of them over the years in smoky taverns, alongside tales of witches who ate children for their tea and rumours about the mysterious and powerful Dark One. It was said that Regina kept their hearts by her side in a jewelled casket like other queens collected gems, binding them to her with magic and ensuring their loyalty could never waver.

Slavery, of a different sort than the indentured servitude he and his brother had been sold into once upon a time.

One dismounted and pulled something from his saddlebag. It came loose with a metallic rattle and Killian saw it was a set of heavy iron manacles, two cuffs joined together by a thick chain. Beside him, he sensed more than saw Emma tense up under her cloak. The knight halted a few feet away and addressed them with the faintest dip of his chin, voice slightly muffled by the mask and completely devoid of emotion.

"Her most gracious and beloved majesty, Regina, undisputed Queen and Sovereign, welcomes you most warmly to her lands, Captain Killian Jones, and has sent us to escort you and the prisoner safely to her castle."

"Her castle?" Emma scoffed, and he tightened his fingers on her arm in silent warning. She said no more, but Killian could feel her fury, a rage that he shared when the knight stepped closer and lifted the manacles that were obviously meant for her wrists.

"And just what, pray tell, do you think you're doing?"

In one motion Killian was in front of Emma, his men fanning out protectively on either side of them and his hand on his sword. He didn't match the knight's indifferent tone, it came out with an edge that was as sharp as any blade and twice as dangerous. From behind him, Killian felt the faint touch of Emma's hand to his back while she peered at the knight over his shoulder, a tiny weight but enough to give him an anchor, something to ground him and keep his rising temper in check.

"Her Majesty has instructed that Princess Emma be brought to her in chains," the knight said, in that same flat unaffected monotone.

Emma gave a sharp inhale and pressed a little closer while Killian glared at the masked face, weighing his shrinking number of options. They had to maintain the ruse that she was nothing but a bargaining chip to him for as long as possible and why would he care if she was clapped in irons for the journey? The knights might be masked, but the clearly weren't blind. Any hint of softness from him would be seen as weakness and he couldn't afford to be weak, not now. He had to be the man they expected him to be, the hard, greedy pirate unwilling to relinquish any control over his valuable prize.

"Let me make one thing abundantly clear. The princess is my prisoner, not the Queen's, not until she has fulfilled our deal. For all I know those are enchanted to take her directly to the dungeon and my reward will be oh so conveniently forgotten by her most gracious and beloved Majesty. I'm a pirate, don't even attempt to double cross me. Try to shackle her and I will run you through where you stand."

The knight looked down at the manacles in his hands and while he might be heartless, Killian's own was beating madly under his waistcoat. In truth, he did fear there was some sort of hidden trick to the iron cuffs like the poisoned apple the Evil Queen had given to Snow White all those years ago, but that wasn't the main reason for his refusal.

He'd sworn to himself that no one would put Emma in chains, not as long as he still had breath in his body and he was damned��if he was going to break that oath now.

"Your prisoner must be restrained for the journey to the Queen's castle, Captain," the knight insisted. "Her Majesty is not willing to risk any chance of escape."

Killian made a grand show of looking the knight up and down and then loudly counted off the ones waiting by the carriage. "You think a mere slip of a girl is capable of escaping so many of Her Majesty's finest? No wonder you're all too coward to show your faces. Put those damn things away, if it's so bloody important I'll restrain her myself and believe me, there will be no heroic attempts at an escape, not when I'm this close to getting my reward."

"You tell the bastard, Captain!"

"Damn right! You'll have to go through all of us first!"

Killian's men all started to chime in and faced with a seething pirate in front of him and an equally incensed crew who were all armed to the teeth and spoiling for a fight, the knight obviously decided that perhaps the Queen's orders could be amended just a tad. The manacles were put back in the saddlebag while Fergus was sent to fetch a length of rope from the ship. Killian took it from him and wrapped it around Emma's wrists, fingers making quick work of it even though he rarely did this himself anymore.

"There's no one who can tie a knot like a sailor can, it's the first thing you're taught when you join your first crew and board your first ship. Isn't that right, Fergus?"

Fergus's eyes widened a bit as he picked up on the meaning behind his captain's words and he nodded his agreement and said, "Aye, Captain!"

"My young crewman here learned his knots from the very best. Me."

Killian said it with a wink, looking straight into Emma's eyes as he finished tying the rope and let the tail end fall between her bound hands. The knot was a sturdy one, thick against her slim wrists, and it looked impossible to untie quickly.

But looks were deceiving.

It was a quick release knot, designed to come apart with nothing more than a single tug. The same knot that had once saved her from a terrible fate at the hands of a man who was now dead by Killian's hand, with nothing left of him but bones picked clean at the bottom of the ocean.

The first blood he'd drawn to keep her safe.

First, but not the last, and more was sure to be spilled before all was said and done.

With Emma suitably restrained by the rope, or so it seemed, he took her by the arm again and began leading her towards the carriage. The crew started to follow, but two of the knights immediately moved to cut them off with a flick of the reins, their large stallions whinnying a challenge and forming an imposing barrier between the wharves and the dock that led back to the safety of the Jolly.

"There was, in fact, a third order from the Queen that I'd neglected to mention, Captain. You and the princess are to be escorted to Her Majesty's castle alone. None of your men may accompany us, and that is not a condition that can be waived under any circumstances."

It came from the knight who'd been serving as spokesman, his hands folded placidly in front of him and that masked face blank and inscrutable. Killian paused, trading a quick glance with Emma. He'd planned to take several of the crew with them to the Evil Queen's castle to serve as backup, just in case, and this was a complication he hadn't anticipated.

"Captain?" Smee piped up from behind them, the concern clear in his voice. "Your orders, Sir?"

If he gave the command then they would fight, he had no doubt about that, but the knights held the high ground on them, looking down from their mounts with swords already half-drawn from their scabbards in anticipation. The dark armour covered them from head to toe, leaving almost nothing exposed, it would be difficult for a blade to make contact and draw blood. Still, his hand started to drift towards the hilt of his sword as he stared at the Queen's man.

The Queen.

She was the real enemy, not the faceless men who rode under her flag, and he smiled, showing his teeth in lieu of his sword. He'd have to forfeit this battle to win the war.

"A private parlay with Her Majesty then. Much more...intimate, that way, I suppose. Stand down men, and go back to the ship. We'll all get our reward soon enough."

Killian muttered the last more to himself than to them as the knights parted to let them through and the coachman swung down to open the door to the carriage. He bent stiffly at the waist and extended a hand to assist Emma inside, a hand she couldn't take with her own bound. Killian roughly shouldered the man aside and lifted her in himself, hands circling her waist. Before he followed he glanced back and saw they were all still watching and waiting on the dock, Smee's squat figure, Doyle's taller, broader one with one arm holding Fergus back, the boy warring with the man he would become. Keswick and Murray stood to the side, the leg Emma had healed for him showing no sign of the injury that had almost killed the sailor he'd taken to join his crew. Above them the Jolly Roger rose proudly against the clear blue sky, her sweeping lines and bold curves as beautiful as a woman's. His ship was much more than just a vessel, it was his home. A familiar tightness settled across his shoulders at the prospect of leaving her behind for an unknown length of time, while the sea was volatile and mercurial at times he knew it as intimately as a lover. The forest was something else entirely and all he had to guide him now wasn't a sextant and the stars above, there was only a handful of half-forgotten memories from his childhood.

And Emma.

"The Jolly is yours, Mr. Smee. Keep her safe for me until I return."

He swung himself up into the carriage and the door closed behind him, followed almost immediately by the soft click of a lock being turned. There was a crack of a whip a moment later and he flinched at the sound for the first time in years, while the carriage started to roll forward with a jolt that forced them both back into the bench seat in a tangled heap.

"Bad form," Killian swore, trying to find a comfortable position for his legs. The carriage was elegantly appointed with silk-padded walls and thick velvet upholstery, but it was still a tight fit and their knees jostleted when he turned to Emma and pushed the hood back so he could see her face properly. He couldn't be sure if the coachman could hear them or not so he only dared to whisper, "You alright?"

She still looked too pale to his eye, no roses blooming in her cheeks when he brushed his thumbs over them and her lips thin and bloodless. Her eyes fluttered shut and he held his breath, thinking she was going to be sick again all over the Queen's finery, but after a moment they opened again and she nodded. Since the curtains were drawn and no one could see in he twisted in the seat and pulled her onto his lap, leaning back so she could rest her head comfortably against his shoulder. The carriage rumbled underneath them and from the outside came the rhythmic clip-clop of hooves against the cobblestones, dampened somewhat by the silk hangings. After some time the timbre of it changed and Emma straightened up, listening intently for a moment.

"We've turned onto the forest road," she said.

Killian pulled back the drape and peered out of the little window. It was rounded like a porthole, but the docks and the sea were both long gone. All he could see at first was a moving wall of green and he blinked a few times, his eyes finally focusing enough to make out that the "wall" was actually trees, growing so thick that there was hardly any space between them and so tall that even with craning his neck back he couldn't make out the tops. Cobblestone streets had given way to hard-packed dirt underneath, a long brown ribbon that would through the dense thicket like a narrow strait. Emma was also looking out of the window on the other side and he slid across the bench, letting his cheek brush hers as he glanced out as well. The view was practically the same, nothing but trees and brush to be seen as they bumped along. There were ancient oaks twice the width of the Jolly's main mast and new saplings as slender as reeds, while scattered throughout was the occasional fat stump. They passed by one that looked old and weathered, grey moss clinging feebly to the side and the top deeply cracked with age. It was clearly long dead, but a bit of life remained in the form of tiny yellow flowers that grew from the split in the wood.

"My parents met on this road."

She lifted her hands and touched a fingertip to the glass, a hint of wistfulness in her voice.

"Did they?" he asked. "Tell me the tale then, Princess."

Killian kept his own tone deliberately bored and indifferent just in case the coachmen could hear. Let him think the pirate was simply casting about for a way to pass the time on the way to the Evil Queen's castle and nothing more. But he already knew this tale and he knew it was Emma's favourite, the telling of it would be her anchor, to steady her against what lay ahead.

"Once upon a time there was a handsome prince, and one day he went for a carriage ride through the forest while carrying his most prized possession, his beloved mother's wedding ring. She had told him that True Love followed the ring wherever it went, and he planned to gift it to his betrothed, the princess he was expected to marry. But a bandit lurked in the woods, watching the road in hopes of valuables to steal, and unknown to the prince the bandit was hidden in the trees above as his carriage went by, waiting for just the right moment to strike..."

Her voice washed over him like the roll of the tides as she recounted the story, a siren's song rendered in prose instead of verse that drew him in and he could picture it all so clearly. A cloaked figure high in the trees, watching, and waiting. The young prince, promised to a woman he did not love but was honour-bound to wed. Their paths crossing on this very road in a chance meeting that changed them both forever.

"...the dust from a Dark Fairy, powerful magic…"

"...a trick, of the Evil Queen's magic mirror…"

"...and it was with the magic of True Love's Kiss that Prince Charming awakened Snow White from her death-like slumber…"

Magic

It infused the tale right from the beginning but it hadn't ended there, with the defeat and banishment of the Evil Queen and the Happy Ending for the kingdom at last. Magic had sent Emma across his path, altering his course in more ways that just the change to the Jolly's heading when he first spotted her ship in the distance. Magic had sparked between them, in that first look, that first touch. Magic had flowed from her, healing injuries and defeating enemies in astonishing displays of power that many unscrupulous souls would kill to possess and control for their own. Magic filled the carriage now like the wind filling the sails, propelling them ever forward on their own tale, when a pirate who thought his heart had been lost forever fell in love with a princess and vowed to take her home. Maybe it wasn't the equal of such grand heroics that had enthralled entire kingdoms and the realms beyond, but it was theirs.

Killian held onto that thought, as the shadows lengthened and the light began to wane while the forest only grew thicker, turning deeper and darker around them as the ocean did far from the safety of shore.

They came to a halt shortly before sunset, the castle was too far from the coast to make the journey in an afternoon. The carriage door opened to reveal they'd stopped at a rather tumbledown cottage instead of a village or a roadside inn, and the knights had dismounted and were already at work gathering wood for a fire and hauling up water from the well. Half-forgotten memories of another humble cottage, another life, started to surface and he quickly tamped them back down while he kept a firm hand on his prisoner and lifted Emma down from the carriage. She shook the wrinkles from her gown and cloak as best she could with her hands still bound, while he kicked the dust from his boots and rolled his shoulders, shaking off the long hours of confinement and taking surreptitious stock of their surroundings. The cottage was clearly abandoned and had been for some time, the garden was overgrown with weeds and one side of the fence had collapsed. The thatched roof was in desperate need of patching and tools had been left to dull and rust out in the elements. It looked like whoever had lived here had left in a hurry, had they fled when Regina seized power over the kingdom, taking only what they could carry and disappearing into the woods?

The Fairy Queen's warning of a dark curse threatening the land whispered in the back of his mind and his hand drifted closer to the hilt of his sword.

Provisions were produced by the knights from another saddlebag, dark bread, cured meat, hard cheese, and a handful of shiny red apples.

Apples.

"And the Queen offered Snow White an apple red as blood, and a choice. She could save herself, or save the man she loved."

Emma visibly blanched at the sight of them, turning away while Killian asked in an arch tone, "Her Majesty's gracious hospitality, I take it? How are any of you even going to eat with those things over your mouths, anyway?"

There was no reply to either question from the knight, still hidden away behind his mask, but it was clearly meant as a pointed message from the Queen as they drew closer and closer to her stronghold. He left the apples untouched and took the rest, guiding Emma to sit on a fallen log and laying the food out on his knee. She refused it all with a haughty lift of her chin, turning her head away to stare up at a fat bluebird perched in a nearby tree instead. He washed down the meal with rum from his flask, old experience had taught him to eat whenever he could, since food might be scarce later. The bird whistled, trilling a jaunty song that filled the air until it finally flew away in a rustle of tiny wings when the sky turned indigo and the sun was almost set. Before there was any mention of sleeping arrangements for the night Killian took matters into his own hands, hefting Emma bodily into his arms without warning while she let out a squeak of surprise and struggled instinctively against him. The door to the cottage gave way under one swift kick from his boot and he carried her over the threshold, leaving the knights and the coachman outside with a tart comment that he didn't desire an audience. Thankfully the door had a thick iron bolt on the inside and after being locked up in the carriage by the Queen's men he too grim pleasure in locking them out instead.

"I'm sorry, my love, that this was necessary."

He whispered it in her ear and tugged off her bonds, letting the rope fall to the floor. He'd left it as loose around her wrists as he dared but a few marks had appeared anyway, where it had chafed and scraped against the delicate skin and he cursed himself for not having Fergus fetch the salve. There was clearly nothing similar left in the cottage, it was comprised of a single room, dusty and sparse, with a few sticks of furniture, a table, a low stool, and a bed in the corner that had been stripped down to nothing but the straw tick. Shelves stood empty and there was no logs left in the hearth to start a fire, just some cold ashes, but a stub of a candle sat on the table. Before darkness enveloped them completely Killian pulled out a flint and striker to light it. His fingers kept slipping and it refused to catch, frustration boiling in his gut more and more with each failed attempt.

If he couldn't even light a bloody candle, then how in the hell was he going to stop the Evil Queen if Emma faltered? What good was a lone pirate so far from the sea, with nothing but a sword and a sharp tongue in the midst of this clash of magical queens?

He was on the verge of throwing flint, striker and the table against the wall in a fit of rage when a small hand settled lightly on his wrist, stilling his movements. Emma closed her eyes and her face creased in concentration while she made a cupping motion with her other hand, over the nearly flattened wick. Killian scarcely dared to breathe, feeling the air around them change. The flare of the candle springing to life was echoed under his skin, prickling like gooseflesh and making the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Magic. All it took was a single spark from her fingers and a tiny bit of light and warmth bloomed, but it was enough to chase away the darkness.

Long before he was a pirate, or even a sailor, he'd been a small boy who was terribly afraid of the dark.

The silence was broken by a faint growling sound that he was also more than familiar with from the darker days of his childhood, of which there were many, only it wasn't coming from him this time. Unlike the way everything else was going, he could do something about this and he went searching through the deep pockets of his coat for the hardtack he'd tucked away before leaving the Jolly. It was still wrapped securely in a handkerchief, none the worse for wear after the journey, and he broke off a piece and handed it to Emma with a stern look.

"You need to eat something."

He also had some boiled sweets left from their last sojourn in port, a particular weakness of hers, but he thought the more bland biscuit had less chance of upsetting her stomach again.

"Is that an order, Captain?" she asked.

There was a glimmer of amusement on her face in the yellow candlelight as they shared what had started out as haughty defiance and mellowed over time into a private jest between them.

"Aye, Princess," he answered, firm and unyielding at first. Then he lifted her hand and pressed a feather-light kiss to the inside of her wrist. "For me?" he added, knowing she wouldn't refuse him if he phrased it like that. A pirate wasn't above playing dirty to get what he wanted, and right now he wanted Emma to keep her strength up. Once she gave in and started nibbling at it he laid his coat aside and unbuckled his sword, making sure to leave it within reach, just in case.

They didn't talk much after that, each lost in their own thoughts as the candle burned down and shadows flickered on the dusty walls. Killian imagined all sorts of things in the twisting shapes, noble princes and devious kings, royal castles and proud ships, fairy queens and evil queens each with their own conflicting agendas centred around the woman he loved more than anything, his queen. One wanted a sacrifice to her vengeance, the other a saviour for the realm, two destinies that had been laid out long before she'd even been born and the same path had led to both ends, but whose desire would ultimately prevail?

The shadows all gradually merged into one and his silent question was left unanswered.

At some point during the night they turned to each other with the same wordless need, bedded down on the lumpy straw tick with Emma's cloak serving as a makeshift blanket. Lips met frantically in the dark, the candle had long gone out but the fire within was burning hotter than any flame and a groan rumbled deep in his chest as he rolled half on top of her and captured her wrists again, thumbs pressed to her fluttering pulse and his hips nudging hers with clear intent.

"Mine!" he practically growled in her ear, nipping the lobe between his teeth and relishing the way her head tipped back to give him more access to the long column of her throat, letting him nuzzle along the length of it. The delicate line of her collarbone was the perfect match to the sharp line of his jaw, her soft, rose-petal skin meeting the prickly thorns of his whiskers as his exhale was echoed by her inhale, rising as he fell, falling as he rose, the swell of her breasts pressed against his chest and her skirts tangled around his legs like a net.

He'd captured her, but he was caught fast in return.

With the enemy so close at hand they hadn't risked undressing, he was still in his trousers and shirt and she had only loosened the laces of her gown before they'd laid down for the night. Killian went up on his knees, letting go of Emma's hands to wrench open his leathers and shove them down to mid-thigh, freeing himself from the confinement and letting out a hiss as the cooler air touched his heated flesh. He was already hard and aching and more than ready to claim his royal prize. Her skirts were quickly bunched to her waist and he felt her legs fall open on either side of him in what seemed like a lady's hopeless surrender to a pirate's unbridled lust. There was some fumbling in the dark and then his hips were positioned square between her thighs, a mere heartbeat away from satisfaction.

It wasn't the gentle and tender lovemaking of courtly romance, nor was it the violent ravishment the Queen's men undoubtedly imagined was taking place. Emma was slippery with want and the hands that clutched his shoulders pulled him closer instead of pushing him away when he found home in a single, deep thrust. A low curse tumbled from his lips as she accepted the full length of him, a sensation that never failed to arouse him even more and the burn in his belly was at a near fever pitch. Far from surrendering, she had clasped him tight in her silken bondange and he went willingly, plunging deep with every stroke. There was a pounding in his ears like the roar of the absent tides, drowning out everything except the join of his body to hers. This was their story, their tale, writ between them in the fierce embrace and wordless cries while the rest of the world was held at bay outside the locked door. Let them all see him as nothing but a pirate, they could believe the falsehoods, the deception, embellish the details or tell it completely wrong, nothing else mattered than what had been sworn by solemn oath and pledged on the very blade that guarded them now.

"Emma," he gasped, burying his face into the crook of her neck. Her gown had slipped further down her shoulder and her legs tightened around his hips, holding him in place while he pinned her to the bed and took his pleasure. Killian knew he wasn't going to last much longer, but he managed to hold off until he felt her shudder under him and the dig of her nails even through his shirt, marks he'd gladly bear. Only then did he give in, spilling hot with one final thrust and even though the ground beneath them was flat and unmoving, he could still feel the rock of the distant ocean waves in her arms. Sea legs, he'd told her once.

The captain's bunk on the Jolly was narrow, built only for one. The bedframe was much wider, with room to spare, but they stayed in a tangle of limbs as if they were still on the ship with her head finding his shoulder in the dark and her hand laid on his chest, burrowing under his half-unbuttoned shirt to rest on the bare skin underneath instead. Emma's breathing changed as she fell asleep and her hold on him went slack, letting his thoughts drift from drowsy satisfaction into more troubled waters again. While he was glad that she was managing to find some rest, along with a not insignificant amount of male pride, slumber eluded him as unwanted pieces of the past kept clutching at his sleeve with icy fingers that refused to be pried away and sent back where they belonged, into the deep alongside the men who had died by his blade.

Emma knew pieces of his story, from the day he'd first haltingly told her about his brother and spoke Liam's name aloud for the first time in longer than Killian could remember.

"Once upon a time there had been two brothers, as close as any could be, seeking glory and adventure together on a secret mission from their king…"

He'd told her the tale of Liam's death and how he'd turned from naval lieutenant to lawless pirate and became captain of a ship he renamed the Jolly Roger, a tale of loss and betrayal and revenge. But that was the middle, not the beginning, and his story had really begun years prior just as Emma's started with a chance meeting on a forest road. For the first time in a long time Killian let himself go further back, before Neverland, before the brothers Jones had set off together on the Jewel of the Realm and only one came back, not shying away from the memories surfacing back up from the depths of his mind.

"Once upon a time there had been a father with two small sons, boarding a ship for what he promised was a new start in a new land for all of them…"

"Once upon a time there had been a family of four, poor but proud, and happy, so happy…"

And then it would come to that part, as it always did in his tales.

...until

...until

...until

                                                       ….

                                                       ...

He always sensed when water was near, like most sailors who had more saltwater in their veins than blood and told time by the movement of the tides. Killian looked out of the carriage window and caught a glimpse of what looked like the sea on first glance, making him start in surprise. He quickly realized that it was actually a lake, a large one and clearly deep, with water the same rich shade of blue as the sea diamond. Above it, a castle rose like a ship that had set permanent anchor, grey stone walls serving as the weathered hull, tall spires in place of masts piercing the sky and flags snapping taut in the wind. They were further inland than Killian had been in years and yet he'd found sea and shore both at the place his princess called home.

The carriage came to an abrupt halt that jolted them both forward again and the coachman opened the door to his black scowl as he unfolded himself and climbed out, turning to lift Emma down and keeping one hand on her back and the other on the hilt of his sword once she'd found her footing. She was the demure prisoner one more, quiet and biddable with her hands bound in front of her as per the Queen's command. Or as much of the Queen's command as he was willing to follow. The expected audience for their little show was absent, however, as there was no one in the empty courtyard to meet them and the knights swiftly departed without a word, accompanying the now empty carriage back through the gate at a swift clip and leaving the two of them alone.

"Not much for long, drawn out farewells then," Killian said with a shake of his head. In truth, he'd found the Black Knights more unsettling then he'd let on, with their flat, emotionless voices and identical masks that concealed any hint of the men underneath. For all the times in his life that he'd been accused of being heartless, to be forced to exist without one's heart as little more than a puppet to an absent master pulling the strings was a fate he wouldn't wish on any enemy.

He turned, trying to shrug off his disquiet as he swept his gaze over the narrow windows and scanned the empty parapets above, seeing no guards on watchful duty or curious servants attempting to sneak a peek from behind a curtain. Did the Evil Queen expect them to just cool their heels outside like beggars at her gate until she deigned to receive them? But just as he was about to bang on the doors and demand entrance they opened, seemingly of their own volition in a sudden gust of wind that raked through his hair like a lover's touch and lingered a moment too long inside his collar.

Not wind.

Magic.

As magic infused the famous tale of Snow White and her Prince Charming, it also permeated their castle and when they crossed the threshold into the entryway the doors closed behind them with no one on the other side and a heavy looking beam immediately slid across to bar both entry and escape. Emma's magic was light and warmth, as delicate and effervescent as champagne bubbles. The feeling in the air now was heavy, oppressive, cold and clammy against his skin like sailing through a bank of fog and Killian almost expected to see his breath when he exhaled. It was shadowed and dim inside the castle, the windows were heavily draped against the daylight outside and still nobody appeared to guide them to wherever the Evil Queen was obviously enconsed somewhere within.

"Now what?" he bit out, and as if in response another door swung open in a squeal of hinges to reveal a deep corridor. They both turned towards the sound, expecting someone, anyone, but there was only darkness and silence.

"Where does it lead?" he asked Emma.

"The Great Hall," she answered, a deep furrow between her brows. If even he could sense the Dark Magic in the air, then what was she feeling? He couldn't ask, not when they were clearly being observed, somehow. The pretense had to be maintained for a while longer.

He kept one hand firm on his sword as they proceeded down the long gallery, lit by torches that flared to life as they approached and died as soon as they passed, illuminating only the few steps in front and a sliver of the stone walls on either side. They were hung thick with rich tapestries and fine paintings but almost all of them were in a ruin. The finely woven scenes had been defaced with jagged slashes that had torn them almost in half in parts and there was what looked like burn marks on the portraits, the subjects scorched beyond recognition. Or almost, Killian recognized the distinctive hilt of the sword King David had wielded during their spar on the Jolly hanging from the waist of a now headless man in a red jacket, and Queen Snow White's coal-dark hair on a woman whose face was nothing but a melted blob of pigment that ran down an elaborate feathered gown. The amount of sheer, unbridled ragethat had gone into the destruction was palpable and it was obvious the Queen had staged this all because she wanted Emma to see it. She'd sent chains to bind Snow White's daughter, apples to taunt her, and now she'd forced her to walk a gauntlet of everything she knew and loved torn literally to shreds at her feet.

Emma stared straight ahead throughout their long walk, her head held high with that regal, unbowed posture he'd observed in her right from the beginning. As delicate and fragile as she looked, she was made of sterner stuff than the Queen knew and her pace never faltered at his side.

The gallery eventually opened up into a cavernous space that was undoubtedly the Great Hall, site of many a royal ball and banquet from Emma's tales. But there were no lords and ladies come to make merry and pay court, the vast chamber was nearly empty save for a tall mirror set in the middle of the room, a large rectangle of costly glass in an ornate frame. The mirror was flanked by two torches, the only source of light, and Killian could see their reflections in it, two small figures, one dark, one fair, growing larger and larger with each step. They seemed to ripple and undulate with their approach, as if he was looking into water instead of glass.

A feminine voice that was laced with amusement suddenly chimed in from behind them.

"Sorry I'm late."

The mirror reflected a swirl of purple smoke and they both whirled around, Killian drawing his sword on instinct and pointing it at the woman who stepped out of the cloud as easily as if she'd just stepped through an open door. She had raven hair that was piled up high above her forehead, revealing a face that was heavy with cosmetics. Lashes thick as feathers under dark arched brows, cheeks slashed with rouge and crimson lips curled in a smirk. Gems almost the size of plums hung from her ears and she wore a narrow gown that clung to her like a glove, lavishly trimmed in black lace. The effect was both severe and seductive, she was far younger than the aged crone Killian had expected and in truth, she couldn't actually be all that much older than her former stepdaughter, Snow White.

"Regina," Emma breathed beside him, sounding as startled by the sight of the famed Evil Queen herself in the flesh as he felt.

One arched brow quirked even more and displeasure was clear in her tone when she replied, "That's a bit informal, don't you think? I prefer Your Majesty."

She glided towards them and Killian tensed, his sabre held in a defensive position that seemed to turn her annoyance back into amusement when her gaze flicked down to it.

"Come now, Captain Jones, there's no need for weapons here. We are allies, after all."

He found himself grasping empty air, with a flick of her wrist the sword disappeared and his arm dropped at the sudden loss of weight. Emma's eyes went wide with shock and the Queen chuckled, moving past them with that unhurried, languid stride. Another wave of her hand made a sideboard appear next to the mirror, with a crystal decanter and two goblets set on top. He maneuvered himself in front of Emma while the Queen's back was turned, confused that she seemed to be scarcely paying them any mind as she poured out ruby red wine. She picked up both goblets and held one out to him in her slim hand, her long, pointed nails varnished nearly black.

"A toast," she trilled. "To commemorate this long awaited victory. For the both of us, I hope."

Killian wasn't quite sure what she meant by that, but he accepted the drink and tapped his cup against hers, nothing the way her dark eyes roamed over him from head to toe with a calculating look before she took a sip. The goblets were solid gold, studded all over with jewels and had to be worth as much as a small ship apiece. Under any other circumstances he would have tried to nick one when she wasn't looking, but now was not the time for a spot of petty thievery. Something was definitely amiss, the Queen had barely spared Emma more than that single glance when she'd addressed her by her given name, an odd reaction given the lengths she'd gone to find her. He silently cursed that she'd taken his sword, he could have run her right through himself before she finished her wine and been done with it once and for all.

Better the blood be on his hands than Emma's, anyway.

But with no blade he could do nothing except play the role the Queen expected, so he put on his own smirk and rolled the stem of the goblet between his fingers. "Thank you, Your Majesty. Normally I prefer spirits to wine, but that was an excellent vintage."

"Spirits?" she repeated, her voice taking on a new, playful inflection. "What is it that pirates are said to drink? Rum, if I'm not mistaken."

"Aye."

The decanter was joined on the sideboard by a smoky glass bottle and his goblet turned into a tumbler more suited for drinking liquor instead of wine. It was done in barely a blink, she seemed to wield magic as effortlessly as breathing and it only made him more wary.

"Help yourself," she offered. "Ordinarily my valet would be here to serve, but, well, that position has been vacant for some time now."

She glanced away for a moment, her gaze cast towards the floor and fingers smoothing a non-existent wrinkle from her gown while out of the corner of his eye Killian thought he saw a faint glow coming from between Emma's hands, still wrapped in the rope. The plan had been for him to get them close enough so she could quickly stun the Queen with magic, enough to render her unconscious. Then she would be taken immediately to the dungeon, where a cage that had once held the Dark One himself would bind her power and keep her from escaping. Everything hinged on the element of surprise, to catch her unaware before she could retaliate and the perfect opportunity had just presented itself. He flicked his gaze between them, trying to signal without words for Emma to strike and to strike now.

But the glow faded away instead, her magic turning mercurial again at the worst possible moment and she shot him a helpless look while he cursed silently inside his head. This was what he'd feared the most, that she wasn't yet ready to take on the Queen and he'd brought her straight into the viper's nest with no chance of escape. All he could do now was try to buy her some more time, so he made a show of swaggering over to fill his new cup and keep the Queen's attention on him, away from Emma.

"Will you join me for a tipple?" he asked, lifting the bottle with one finger through the handle and letting it swing back and forth. "Savour the victory some more?

"While I intend to savour this victory to the fullest, Captain, I don't do rum. No offense."

"None taken," he replied with a shrug. "More for me then."

Instead of pouring the rum into the glass, Killian tossed it over his shoulder and lifted the bottle to his lips instead. He took a healthy swig, feeling the all too familiar burn of the liquor in the back of his throat but far from savouring it, he barely tasted anything at all. He did note the close way the Queen was observing him with her head tilted slightly to the side and a familiar smile playing at the edge of her vermillion lips. He could play this game and play it very well, so he rolled his tongue over his teeth and returned her grin.

"Delicious," he said, slowly drawing out the word.

"Flavoured with just a hint of apple. Did you know that it can take up to ten years for an apple tree to finally bear fruit after planting?"

It would be an innocuous statement from anyone except Snow White's stepmother. She continued on, her gaze locked on his and her voice dripping with insinuation. "Ten years...can you imagine sinking in your teeth for that first bite, after waiting so long for satisfaction? To finally have what you've been denied for so many years at long last. Wouldn't you agree?"

He pretended to mull it over for a moment before giving a careless shrug. "I suppose so."

"I thought you would."

Despite his easy posture his nerves were drawn tight as a bowstring, wondering if what he feared was correct and she intended to repeat history with another poisoned apple. Would his own kiss be enough to wake Emma if she fell into the same death-like sleep her mother had? He loved her more than anything, but only the power of True Love's Kiss would break that curse, the rarest magic of all, and tendrils of doubt started to curl around his heart.

His momentary lapse in focus was enough to lose the Queen's interest as she focused back on Emma while her silky voice took on a more dangerous edge.

"Tell me, little princess, do you know the truth of what your mother did to me? Or did she finally learn to keep a damn secret in the end and weaned you instead on those silly tales for children, that I was nothing but vain and jealous of her beauty?"

Each word made the air between them crackle like the lash of a whip, but while she might be unable to summon her magic, Emma was still the woman who had faced him down at his worst without it and she did the same to the Evil Queen herself, meeting her fury head on.

"She told me that the man you loved died, and in your grief you turned to dark magic in search of revenge."

"Died?" the Queen shrieked, her regal composure clearly starting to crack. "Died?" He was murdered! His heart was ripped out and crushed before my eyes, and it was all because of her! She swore she wouldn't tell and as soon as my back was turned she broke her promise like it was nothing. Like he was nothing, when he was everything to me!"

Snow White had also told him in confidence about the Queen's lover, a man of low birth with whom she'd tried to run away before her marriage to the king. Omitted from all the tales, few even knew about his existence and the real reason for her descent into villainy and vengeance.

"We were happy...but that spoiled brat just had to have her own way, didn't she? The great hero, Snow White, champion of the people...she stole that happiness away from me. She was a sneaky little thief long before she was a bandit, and somehow I was the one who was called evil for thinking she should be punished for it."

She drew herself up to her full height with her magic at the ready and gowned in dark splendor, painted and jewelled, he saw nothing but the Evil Queen of tale in all her terrible glory.

"Any last words before I punish you in her stead, Princess Emma?"

"I'm sorry, Regina. I know you probably don't believe that, but I truly am."

The simple apology made her stiffen, freezing her in place. "You're sorry," she repeated, her lips twisted in a sneer. "Snow White's daughter is sorry. She said that too, that she was sorry. How nice. Only sorry doesn't bring back the dead."

"No," Emma agreed, perfectly calm in the eye of the gathering storm. "It doesn't. And whatever it is you're planning to do to me won't bring him back either."

"Oh, but it will make me very happy."

Emma's voice echoed slightly in the large, empty chamber. "Are you happy now, Your Majesty?"

When the Queen didn't reply she pressed on. "You won. This is your great victory at last. You hold the keys to the kingdom and everyone bows to you, the castle is yours and my parents are...my parents are gone. You got everything you wanted in the end and did any of it make you really, truly happy? Was any of it enough?"

Killian could tell from the furious look on her face that Emma had struck a nerve, just as she'd done when she'd thrown his own words back in his face and, like then, she did it without any regard for her own safety. A ball of flame suddenly appeared in the Queen's palm.

"Let's find out," she snarled, and before all hell could break loose he stepped between them.

"Now, now," he chided with a click of his tongue, putting two fingers carefully on her wrist and pushing her hand to the side. "They'll be no damaging the goods, at least not until I get what was promised to me. We had a deal, you and I, remember?"

For a moment he thought her fury would turn on him instead, but after a long moment she gave a clipped nod and pursed her lips to blow the flame out instead. Relief flooded through him, more welcome than the rum.

"How could I forget. Of course, you want your reward."

The coquette was back again, her sneer turning to a simper while she reached out a hand to toy with the lapel of his coat, running a finger along it until her arm was draped over his shoulder and those painted lips pressed to his ear.

"But first, tell me something. Did you enjoy her, Captain?"

Far from a discreet whisper, it was said loudly enough for Emma to hear and she stared back at them, mouth turning to a thin line and a crimson flush rising at once on her pale cheeks. The Queen's breath was warm against his skin but all Killian could feel was ice in the pit of his stomach.

"Aye," he answered, trying his best to sound indifferent. "She was my prize and it was my right as captain. Besides, I'd never had a princess before and you can hardly blame a man for wanting to crown himself king for a night...or several."

"That's what I thought," she murmured, clearly pleased with the callousness of his answer. She tipped her head back and laughed with one hand resting lightly on his chest.

"A far cry from that insipid, so-called "True Love" your mother and father share, or shared, I should say, wasn't it, little princess? You know what? You're right, none of my victories made me happy, but I'm going to change all that and making you suffer day after endless day, now that's just what I need to make up for having the satisfaction of getting to watch Snow White die taken from me."

Emma's eyes were bright with unshed tears in the torchlight, shimmering like gemstones. Magic be damned, if the Queen hadn't taken his sword he would have it at her throat by now to show her just how dangerous it was to goad a pirate and insult his lady.

"I have a proposition for you."

She pulled back and went to pour herself more wine while he fought madly to control his temper. When this was finally over he'd go down on his knees and beg Emma's forgiveness, be the man she loved again, the man he'd wanted to be ever since that spark had ignited between them, and not this cruel imitation who gave the Queen a knowing look and a lascivious smirk at her suggestive offer.

"Oh? And just what exactly are you proposing?"

"Something for our mutual benefit, I assure you. Let me tell you a story, almost twenty years ago I'd planned to enact a curse, one that would take everyone in the kingdom to a new land, a faraway realm where the name Snow White would be forgotten at last and I could finally find the happiness that eluded me here."

A curse.

The curse that Emma's parents had feared for all these years and the Fairy Queen had warned against, the one that was supposed to take away all the happy endings. The curse that the Dark One had prophecy had said Emma would break...on her twenty-eighth birthday, still almost a decade away.

"Think of it," she said, soft and enticing. "A new land full of undiscovered treasures just waiting for a man like you to find them."

"Plenty of undiscovered treasures still left here," he countered, wondering why it sounded like she was trying to convince him of the merits of this new land.

"Ah," the Queen conceded with a dip of her chin. "True, however even with my signature on a royal charter naming you my subject and giving assent for your activities, you will always been seen as nothing more than a lowly pirate. I know a little bit about that, you see, they call me Queen but I will always be the interloper, the usurper, the one who stole Snow White's rightful crown. Much as we may wish to, we can't escape our pasts."

Deserter. Turncoat. Pirate.

Every eiptath that had ever been thrown at him whispered again in Killian's ear, inescapable even aboard his own ship thanks to the open contempt of Lieutenant Courtice. More were also sure to come, now that he'd freely boasted of bedding and deflowering the beloved princess of the realm.

Debaucher.

Defiler.

It took him a moment to focus back on the Queen, still talking between sips of her wine. "I found it curious that you didn't ask for the reward I offered for Princess Emma, very curious for a pirate of your renown. Yes, I know who you are, Captain Killian Jones. But then I figured out what it was you really wanted. Legitimacy. With my curse I can provide much more than that. It shouldn't even be called a curse, it's really a clean slate. A chance to start over. Everyone will be given a new life, new memories, and the Enchanted Forest will be nothing more than a dream you forget as soon as you wake up. Of course, some of these new lives will be more pleasant than the others, and I can ensure your life there is extremely pleasant, you'll have wealth, power, be admired and envied by all you encounter. I'll put you in a position that commands respect, where no one will remember all those dirty little secrets you've tried to keep hidden. Now, does that sound like such a terrible curse?"

She addressed it to him with an expectant look that soured when it was Emma who answered instead.

"It sounds like one of the Dark One's deals, and my parents taught me that those always come with a price."

The Queen's tone turned from velvet to venom. "I wasn't talking to you. Was she this insolent aboard your ship?"

Emma's insolence aboard the Jolly had driven him absolutely mad and highly amused him both in equal measure. Frequently at the same time. He shot her a stern look though, to keep up the ruse. "She learned to obey my orders in the end. Didn't you, darling? But if you're not going to kill her, then what do you plant to do with her, Your Majesty?"

He steered the conversation back to what really mattered, trying to get as much information as he could without arousing her suspicion. Keep Emma as her prisoner? Torture her for the sins of her mother? He'd have to figure out how to spirit her away from the castle without getting them both killed and figure it out quickly, take her back to the ship and attempt to outrun the reach of the Queen's curse. If such a thing was possible, it would only be possible aboard the Jolly.

The Queen smiled at Emma through lips the red of apples and fresh-spilled blood.

"Like I said, some lives in my new land will be more pleasant than others. There'll be no more royal trappings, no title, no servants there to wait on her hand and foot. No more pretty gowns or princes begging for her hand, no one coming to save her. Ever. She'll be alone, completely and utterly alone, and then she'll finally understand what it's like to live without love, without hope, without happiness. You could even keep on enjoying her, if you like, as much as you want, since you certainly earned your reward. Snow White's precious little princess turned into nothing more than a concubine to a pirate. Yes, that will make me very happy indeed."

He felt a shock run right through him at that, meeting Emma's wide-eyed gaze across the room. They had all thought the Queen was going to try to kill her before casting this mysterious curse, but if she was willing to both spare Emma and give her to him in this land where he would have power and prestige, then he could shelter and shield her with the Queen being none the wiser for it. She said they wouldn't remember, but there was no realm in which he wouldn't love Emma, his princess, his swan, memory be damned, and she fell in love with him once despite all the many reasons why she shouldn't. He could win her heart again in the new land, he was sure of it.

"Would it really be so terrible, Princess?" he asked. She looked back at him and there was nothing but the two of them in that moment, no Evil Queen, no kingdom in peril, nothing but the beat of his heart in his chest and his silent vow to follow wherever she led.

"You are my queen, and to you I pledge my sword and my fealty."

"My Queen."

Another voice chimed in, deep and rich with the accent of a distant shore. But the chamber was still empty save for the three of them, and Killian realized it was coming from inside the mirror. The reflection had disappeared completely and a face emerged from what looked like stormclouds, trapped somehow within the glass. It was clearly a man's face, though he lacked any form beyond his strange, grey visage. From faceless knights under her absolute control to a man who was nothing but a face in a mirror, was there no end to the Queen's dark magic?

The face spoke again, "Your other guest has just arrived, Your Majesty."

Other guest? Killian's confusion was reflected on Emma's face while the Queen was clearly pleased by the news, setting her goblet down on the sideboard in a swish of her fine gown and moving with purpose.

"I have a gift for you, Captain," she said, pausing to draw her nail under his chin and turning his head so that he was facing the doors. "You brought me one, and I thought it only fitting that I return the favour."

She flicked her wrist and they opened with a flourish. Torches blazed to life and two of the Black Knights entered, dragging a third man between them. Killian caught the barest glimpse of his face before he was shoved unceremoniously inside and fell to the floor in a heap with his head bent, his thick dark hair shot through heavily with silver. The man was tall, as tall as his brother had been, broad in the shoulders under a coarse linen shirt. Killian felt his heart beat faster at the sight of him and a sickening lurch in his belly. No. No, it couldn't be…

The Queen's voice cut through the haze that suddenly surrounded him, ordering the knights out and looping her arm through his to urge him forward.

"Snow White betrayed me in the worst possible way, by making me believe she could be trusted. It's a terrible thing to be betrayed by family, isn't it? The wound never truly heals no matter how much time passes. Five years, or ten, or sixteen…"

Sixteen years ago. Sixteen years ago he'd been a lad of eleven.

"Once upon a time there had been a father with two small sons, boarding a ship for what he promised was a new start in a new land for all of them…"

"Your Majesty, I swear I've done nothing, please. Please," the man begged in a voice that was familiar and unfamiliar both, thinner and watery with age. Killian's fingers curled against his thigh and he swallowed hard against the sudden lump in his throat.

The Queen ignored the desperate pleas and continued on as if he hadn't spoken. "Allow me to make the introductions. Princess Emma, daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, meet Brennan Jones."

The shaggy head lifted at that and his gaze settled on Emma, thick brows that were twin to Killian's own knitting in confusion. The face was older, more grizzled and lined than the last memory Killian had of the man who knelt in front of him now.

Brennan Jones.

His father.

[simosophie-deactivated]

A Short History on the Kingdom of United Britechester

In wake of her Majesty Queen Sonjia’s death, we here at KUB insider felt our followers might need a refresher on our little kingdom’s history and customs. 

The Kingdom of Britechester, what would eventually become KUB, was founded by Her Majesty Princess Cordelia I and her Husband King Rodrigo De Pablo the Pirate. After the Great Sloth Invasion Princess Cordelia traveled the world in her submarine, the Epsilon. While she explored the world Princess Cordelia fell in love with three pirate captains, the first being the pretty grotty Captain Long John Buttercups. For him, Cordelia designed a sink. The second pirate captain was Captain Chaz MacFreeling. He was dedicated to himself so our glorious founder dumped him. The third pirate boyfriend was Captain Rodrigo De Pablo who was a bit clumsy. Captain Rodrigo at not one but two points aboard the Epsilon burned his feet, the first time he got wooden peg legs, and the Cordelia made him metal legs. 

After the second leg burning Cordelia and Rodrigo realized that life was fleeting and they wanted to be married and start a family. So they did. Princess Cordelia and Captain Rodrigo got married aboard the Epsilon surrounded by their staff, Bob and Matilda. Jazz was played at the ceremony. Soon after Princess Cordelia realized she was pregnant and became increasingly seasick. So seasick in fact that she demanded the submarine find somewhere to let her off. The submarine driver found a little river that looked peaceful and floated the vessel up the stream until the Princess could take it no longer. Their landing spot would go on to become Britechester.

Now, Princess Cordelia did not know how to be a normal person. She knew only how to be a Princess. So she and Rodrigo got to work founding a country. They found a bunch of peasants to rule over, the found a man to build a university, and they got to work on a moderately sized palace. When the new princess was born Cordelia and Rodrigo knew the normal primogeniture laws would be no good. This little girl, Cordelia II, was capable of so much that she simply had to be queen one day. So Britecehster’s unique inheritance laws came to be.

Upon marriage, no woman or man in Britechester shall lose their birthright. All titles shall be shared equally. The crown of Britechester and all rights and honors thusly bestowed shall fall upon the shoulders of both heads of state of the Kingdom of Britechester. 

So for example, when Crown Princess Cordelia II married Crown Prince Leon of Windenburg they shared all titles equally and Windenburg became part of Britechester. Thus forming the Kingdom of United Britechester, or, KUB. The same thing happened when Crown Prince Elias married Princess Maria of San Myshuno, allowing her family to stay on their own throne instead of her cousin taking the mantle. 

For nearly 400 years the descendants of Princess Cordelia I and King Rodrigo have ruled the Kingdom of United Britechester. This tradition continues as Crown Prince Andrew and his wife Crown Princess Audrey ascend to the throne in the coming weeks.

[minifig-stims]

Pirate Captain

x x x / x x x / x x x

“Yarr! Don’t ye know who I be? And if not, do ye have any suggestions?”

A real pirate is a merciless, rotten son of a sea dog, and that’s exactly what the Pirate Captain aspires to be. He certainly looks the part with his rugged eye-patch, hook-hand and peg-leg, but he has to admit that he’s had a few hiccups along the way.

First of all, his ships keep sinking. No matter whether it’s a man o’ war or a dinghy, any vessel capsizes within five minutes of him coming aboard. Also, he gets seasick really easily – sometimes just a picture of the ocean is enough to set him off. Worst of all, he’s having real trouble coming up with a piratey name. All the good ones – from Ironhook to Brickbeard – seem to already be taken. If he can just come up with a name to strike fear into the hearts of landlubbers everywhere, the Pirate Captain figures the rest of his problems will solve themselves!

[pvrestwolff]

It was the first time she’d been aboard any ship bar the Trident conscious. Something she’d been aching for since the first time she’d stepped on to the deck of that dark horse, all that time ago. Even before that, she’d found beauty in the ships lining the docks of the many European countries that had a coast.

But she didn’t like Neptune’s Rage.

There was no heart to this ship that she could feel or find. It was just a large vessel, taking them to another unknown location for another unknown reason. Just another means to an end.

At least she’d learned she wasn’t the type to get seasick.

Even a boatful of people, Ekaterina knew they hardly had enough of a crew to keep the boat steady and sailing wherever they needed to go. Ten pirates. Some she didn’t know, and those she did; Eli (the saviour of her sanity, perhaps), Aoife (of course), the strapping man she’d met at the waterfall, the brat, Genevieve D’Alessio in the flesh (and God did she look good), and Kaileb Tulach. She’d counted, before she’d been bundled up and sat down in the depths of the hull. And for a long while, she’d stayed there, keeping to the darker parts of the expanse underneath the creaking wood above. She’d scanned the faces of those aboard, only stopping to sigh in relief when she saw two out of three of her cousins. Other than that... Arielle, Teddy, Wilhelmina, a few princesses she couldn’t place, Paula, and Carlos. She’d never been all that good at calming people during an emergency, and she knew that was all she’d be permitted to do during this mess. So, for the sake of their sanity, she decided it best to keep to herself.

 The box she’d kept her things in had made it onto the ship in time, thankfully, stored on the deck. With that in mind, she used this to climb back up to the top-- it was an opportunity to study how they were operating the ship with such a small crew, and to protect her belongings. Sitting down on top of the wooden box, her sharp gaze darted back and forth, watching everything and committing it to memory but staying silent as ever. Her eyes travelled upward, toward the crow’s nest; the urge to climb upward even further tugged at her mind. Pushing it aside, she exhaled slowly through her nose, dropping down to eye level.

And that was about the point she realised there was someone looking at her. “What?” Her curt question was paired with a beautifully neutral expression, the icy stare that had begun to form looking over the other person with grim curiosity.

[glcrification]

╰ evie & the jolly roger.

        THE JOLLY ROGER STOPPED BEING HIS HOME A LONG TIME AGO. of course, that didn’t mean that the appeal of such a large, manned vessel had melted away entirely. in fact, when he closed his eyes, still, harry hook could still see himself as a child at the bow of the jolly roger, cold seawater sprinkling against his cheeks, wind turning his clenched fists white, all the while pretending that he’d be captain of such a magnificent thing like his father’s ship. harry opened his eyes. when he did, the lead feeling in his chest was still there--the same feeling he’d had occupying a fair portion of his sternum since the day his father told him that, to be a man worthy of a ship, he must find his own crew willing to follow him. he let the feeling sink in him like an anchor dragging him back down to earth. he had never learned how to fly, but he had heard so many stories of such things that sometimes he felt that, despite never truly learning, he already knew how. being in such close proximity to his father never failed to nail his hands back to the mast.

        he had abandoned the lost revenge for the next few days at the request of his father. there was a “ball” being held on the cleaned up lower deck of the ship--“ball” implying something as close to a respectable get together as self-involved pirates could get. harry knew his father had only included such a word in the invitation because he knew that his son was now infamous on the isle for fancying evie grimhilde. harry had promised, already, his life to her. and in secret, he had promised her something far more important to him nowadays: his heart. but you’d have to be a fool on the isle to miss the way harry looked at her when she was across a room, the way he touched her in passing whenever she was supposed to be working a room without him, the way he held her in his lap and rested his hands on her thighs during casual evenings at ursula’s chip shop. you’d have to be a fool to miss how strangled by something so childish and foolishly blind like love harry hook had let himself grow to be. and captain james hook was anything but a fool. that’s why, despite how extravagantly golden the cabin his father had set aside for his son and princess evie (harry’s playful nickname for his girlfriend felt almost too sickly sweet when it came from his father’s mouth) was, and despite how much he still idolized his father, harry couldn’t help but feel as though he was meant to feel stressed during the extent of this trip. after all, the best he had seemed to do with the hook legacy so far was--in his father’s eyes, at least--settle as first mate to someone else’s ship. 

        harry noticed he had been sitting on the obnoxiously soft bed (nothing like his hammock back on the lost revenge), slick black boot-covered feet flat on the ground, wringing his hands until his skin was newly reddened and staring in the mirror attached to the vanity in front of him. he took a long, emptying breath when he heard a soft rustling of fabric, and immediately turned his head to the right, where evie was standing looking at herself in a full-length mirror. the smirk that melted onto his lips bordered on obsessed. the night that harry had stumbled upon evie in her castle had been the night harry had woken up from some kind of dream. the first time he had touched her, harry could suddenly feel every beat of his heart, every communicative shock between synapses. the first time they had kissed, he had realized that being in love wasn’t for responsible adults, like his father had always told him--being in love was for reckless children, and with evie, there was solace in being rebellious. the way he felt about her was one of the only things that never altered when she stepped foot on the jolly roger again. so when he saw her in the dress his father had set out for her, he was more than just enamored: he was ready to drown in her. “i’m havin’ a hard time believin’ that mirror could ever do what i’m seein’ right in front of me any ounce o’ justice,” he said, his voice low as he approached her from behind. when he was close enough, it was too easy to snake an arm around her waist and pull her flush against him. he moved some of her soft, aromatic hair aside and found comfort, now, in closing his eyes to press his lips to a spot in the crook of her neck. she meant more to him today that she had meant to him yesterday, the day before, or any other day. and what was scary was that that fact alone didn’t scare harry in the slightest--in fact, he waded in that feeling; he was disreputable for living in it.

        “ye’re bound t’ eat th’ lot of them alive,” he smiled then, his arm around her tightening as his eyes opened and his head rose once more to look down at where the reflection of her face resided in the mirror. “cap’n james hook ought t’ have thought twice about invitin’ a lass like yerself on board such an important ship,” he said, reminding himself of a similar conversation they had had after her first night aboard the lost revenge, when she had played the lower deck like a game of chess and instantly won over everyone in the room. he was in love with the way evie commanded a room--and he could feel the similar near future emanating off of her even now. “then again,” he said, raising his brows and taking in another careful, almost tentative or thoughtful breath--one that made the tight material of his bright red hook-esque get-up feel even more constricting, “we could always save th’ crew th’ trouble an’ pledge t’ smee that we’ve caught a case of somethin’ fierce.” harry used the arm around her, then, to turn her so that she was pressed against him, looking up at him with eyes so dark he could lose every ounce of his own self-induced ego in them. with a soft grin he kissed her so distractedly that when he resurfaced he could feel his head spinning, “we could tell him we’re seasick,” he said, his jaw clenching in an effort to not ruin the dress out of his own selfish need to taste every part of her, marry every part of her, and so on, and so forth. “lovesick,” he corrected, a hand moving to splay gently against her neck as he pressed a kiss to the soft line of her jaw.

[storystartersandmore]

Seafarer AUs

-And here I thought I was the only woman in disguise aboard this ship

-You’re a pirate and I will sail after you and bring you to justice if it’s the last thing I do. Falling in love, admittedly, was not part of the plan.

-We’re both pirates, from different ships, and it’s really hard to trust you because you’re probably waiting to stab me in the back but if we’re going to make it out of here alive...

-The sea is my first love, but you give me reason to come back to the land

-I’m just a lowly cabin boy and you’re the siren the captain captured. Problem here being that I don’t think you’re actually evil and I think more and more about setting you free...

-I’ve been a ship captain for seven years and I’ve never seen a mermaid. They don’t exist. Except, well, they do, and here you are.

-I’m the idiot bard who TOTALLY gets seasick whom you have somehow convinced to come aboard your ship.

-You can’t sail worth a damn but the crew and I think you’re kind of a good luck token so you better not get your ass kidnapped again

-We’re captains of rival ships and we HATE each other but damn do I admire the way you braved that strait...

-I’m captain, you’re first mate. That’s all we are. Ever. Except, well, I’m falling for you and the crew is TOTALLY onto me. 

-You’re a seasoned sailor, I’m the greenhorn who just started on. Please teach me your ways I don’t want to die.

-WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN’T SWIM FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WE’RE PIRATES YOU DUMBASS UGH one sec let me throw my weapons off I GUESS I’LL SAVE YOUR IDIOT ASS

-You were supposed to be easy to keep contained because you’ve never set a foot on any sort of sea vessel before but damn it you’re a damn ship rat from day one and this is NOT what I was expecting 

[hezroudhiaga]

Impurity in Kugane

Warning: This is an RP Between myself and a fellow guildie of the Red Dragon Syndicate <<KAIJU>> FFXIV Mateus NA Server. A mature theme is applied here so those who are triggered/tilted about sex trafficking, rape, torture, blood, gore or anything of a mature theme then please stop reading here. Thank you. Enjoy.

True to her word, it did not take long for Yukihana to return home and gather which of her few belongings would be needed on such a trip as the one the duo were about to embark upon. Her attire was the first thing she changed, opting for a rather simple Eorzean traveling cloak  with a draping hood that would conceal her delicate features deep within its shadows. Her boots were soft and supple, capable of remaining comfortable after many miles walked. Like  everything she owned, they were a bit worse for the wear and most likely second hand. The bag she packed with the rest of her supplies - a few changes of gear, medical supplies, and the like - was simple and lightweight, easily slung over a shoulder.

As the Raen slipped out the front door, a hand lifted to activate her link pearl and softly she spoke. "I am ready whenever you are."

Hezrou had read the contents later that night, and true to his nature, he wasn't sleeping that night. In fact, he was twitching with anger on how much he wanted to butcher this man. He thought it was disgusting what was happening in Kugane and knew they'd do the realm a favor by riding it of this man. His ears perked and his anger was forgotten briefly when he heard her voice softly in his ear from the pearl in his earring. Lifting his hand up he touched it to respond. "I'll be there as soon as possible. I'll meet you at the docks."

When Yukihana would arrive, Hezrou was there waiting and talking to the captain of the ship they were going to board. At first the pirate didn't want to help them but was immediately sold when Hezrou passed over a nice sum of gil to quiet is refusal. The Miqo'te looked over his shoulder as Yukihana arrived and smiled. "Ah, just in time. I had just secured us a fair passage to Kugane." He said. He was wearing a robe over himself with a hood of his own, but his armor was slightly seeable under the folds. His sword's hilt was poking out of an opening of the cloak in it's sheath.

The trip took three days. Hezrou choose to stay below deck as the sea bothered him. It wasn't that he hated water, but he actually got rather seasick if he were to look at the water from the deck. He thought it might of been the air. Either way, he wouldn't leave until they were docked in the eastern part of the Realm. Once docked, he left with her to look around and get a feel of the area. He knew their getup wouldn't survive a day out here. "Yuki...we'll need better clothing if we want to remain hidden. I suggest we invest in a kimono or something." He already felt the odd stares from the natives. It was obvious they were outsiders to this city already. He hated having attention to himself.

As she made her way down to the docks, Yuki's hood was already pulled high over her multi-hued hair, adding a good few inches to her diminutive height. Though her head was kept down, it would seem that she had no difficulty in finding her target there upon the docks. Spying him with a belligerent Captain, she kept her distance even more so than usual, watching the exchange from the shadows of her hood. It wasn't until she saw coin change hands that she allowed herself to inch forward and offer a nod of greeting to Hezrou.

"Thank you," she murmured quietly as her hands slipped from the cloak's pockets to clutch at the strap of her satchel. The Raen's gaze traveled up and down his form, taking note of both the armor and the exposed hilt of his blade. Without so much as an ounce of hesitation, Yukihana turned and made her way up the gangplank.

No time was wasted in acquainting herself with the ship, at least from a distance. In the first few hours of their time aboard, careful attention was paid to those manning the vessel. From beneath the safety of her cowl, she learned the features and apparent duties of those moving about both above and below deck. It would seem as if the woman utterly refused to permit herself to rest or relax until she was satisfied with her learnings.

Throughout the three days they traveled, Yuki was back and forth between Hezrou's quarters, her own, and the deck of the ship. While he may have been bothered by the sea, it was the exact opposite for her. In fact, it seemed to bring a bright spark of life to her - at least until the final day of their voyage, when the quiet overtook her once more.

"You mean.. Give up our cloaks?" The question was nervous, almost shaky. She loathed the idea of being so exposed in the city. For her it was as if they were asking for... No, those thoughts would lead them no where worthwhile. Best not to dwell upon it. "Perhaps that would be for the best.. There is a shopping district where we should be able to find all that we need. We should have enough left in our allowance as well."

"We have plenty for our allowance." Hezrou replied. "Sufficient to resupply, find an inn to stay in for the time being and prepare." The Miqo'te looked around a moment before finding his bearings on where they were and heading for the shopping district. It was crowded and he hated it quite a bit. He hadn't really been in a crowd of people for a while now so it was almost overwhelming at first.

But once he was collected he found themselves a quiet little shop and spent some time browsing the wears. He got himself a silken white Kimono with red and gold designs along the sleeves and bottom. The tie around his waist was a deep red and he eased his katana with the strap so that it hung snug at his side again. He bought a hat to go with it, but he didn't like how it was mostly made for those without Miqo'te ears. He had to settle for buying it and figure out how to cut holes for his ears later if he felt like keeping it.

He waited around the front for her after changing, having already paid for both of their outfits once he was sure his fit. He still wore his blindfold, but he knew eventually he'd have to remove it. Or else it'd be easier to recognize him if the group they planned to attack would seek him out.

Moving through the city with Yuki for a companion was... Well, perhaps a unique experience. She picked her way through the crowds in a slow but steady manner, taking care with each move to prevent bumping into another. Arriving in the shop seemed to be the most treasured thing they had managed throughout the day's trek. Several deep breaths were taken upon their entry and what looked like the faintest hint of a tremble raced down the woman's spine.

Like Hezrou, she took her time in perusing the goods on display, dismissing several garments seemingly without any complaint other than the very feel of the fabric. Each article of clothing was inspected with care - the color, the texture, even the weight of the garment all seemed to matter a great deal. In the end she selected an elegant pink kimono with white and gold stitching. To match she selected a pin adorned with pink cherry blossom spray.

After changing she emerged, head down. For once her hair was fully drawn back from her features revealing pale, clear blue eyes surrounded by an oddly pink limbral ring. Unlike many of her kind, the scaling over her nose did not dare to traverse down the bridge, remaining squarely between her eyes. "So on to an inn now or is there more you would prefer from the shops?"

"I think we're set." Hezrou chuckled softly. He guided them to the inns and he found one close to a window and not too high from the ground so that he could go in and out on his own at night for what he planned for. He wanted to investigate this group and see what he had to look out for. If she couldn't fight, then it was just him. And he felt that those bastards would risk the lives of the women just to get what they wanted so he had to be quick and clean about it.

Looking about the room they chose he nodded in approval. "Alright...You read what we had to do right? This is going to be difficult..." He sighed deeply, crossing his arms across his chest. "I think playing it safe is the best option here. Going in slashing people's throats would just draw the attention of the Sekiseigumi. And THAT we cannot have. And I fear for the women should they get desperate..." He looked back at her. "You need anything for your side of things?"

Yuki was like a silent shadow following along behind him throughout the city's districts. Once in a room to suit him, she inspected everything twice over, even going so far as to run her hands along the bottoms of drawers in the room. "I read, yes," she said from a crouched position on the floor near one of the beds.

From deep within the sleeve of her kimono came a knife, which was promptly use to slash a small gash in the flooring. A small pouch that jingled as if filled with just enough Gil to provide for another two nights in the inn was then slid flat beneath hole she'd created. Reaching into her satchel, Yuki pulled free a palm sized sewing kit which was then used to neatly repair the damage she'd caused. Her work was as precise and neat as if she'd been stitching a wound and when she was done, the blankets that covered the bed hung just so as to cover any imperfection that might possibly be noticed. "Just in case," she murmured before straightening.

"I agree. I would rather cause as little loss of life here as possible. Fearing for the women is all well and good, as many are innocent but there are some who will potentially be loyal to the men in charge - foolishly, but still. There was no Intel on any markings that the brothel might use, but keep an eye out.

Generally they will bear a tattoo that stands as an obvious mark to which house they belong. The more elaborate the tattoo... The more they are valued by the owners." She paused, looking over to him with somewhat wide eyes.

"...Typically speaking that is. There is nothing that I can think of now that I need, but once we grow closer to time, it might be wise to have a few extra garments on hand to change the ladies into."

Hezrou didn't even think of that. He put his hand to his chin in thought, his ears drawing back a bit as he paced a bit. "The ones that would be able to be saved...I'm sure we can find someone willing to alter the tattoos to mask them." He replied. The Miqo'te paused in his pace and looked towards her. "I think it is best you stay here for a bit. I'll do all the lurking and hunting." He smiled a small bit. "That was a good idea you had, by the way. About the tattoos." He looked over his shoulder towards the window. He'd have to wait until nightfall to do his hunting. "I was thinking of once I know their routes I'll section one off and steal their gear. Posing as one of them just to get inside. Hopefully there's enough of them that they won't know who's who." He then paused and reached up to feel his ears. "Hmm...I should hide these. And my tail...You think they'd stand out? I didn't see too many Miqo'te in Kugane while we were here. I'd stand out as an outsider, you think?"

"We can find that in Ul'dah or Limsa Lominsa, so that we are not here as long. The longer we remain in the city walls, the harder it will be to make our escape. Just the garments to cover them will be enough until we make our way out of Kugane."  As she spoke she moved throughout the room, setting up the medicines and supplies she'd brought in a sort of makeshift infirmary. Her arrangements practically created a rainbow of colored potions. "I will not complain about remaining here if that is what you think is best. This place is... That they could even call it 'pure'..." She trailed off with a most unladylike snort. "That or you could simply claim to be the cousin of a cousin, fresh to the city... It would not hurt to have a ready made excuse, just in case. And yes, we should hide your ears and tails. They do make you easily identifiable here. Are you certain there is naught I can do to be of help outside of hiding here?"

Hezrou thought a moment. "Perhaps get to know the area? We can probably find a back way somewhere. Or see if there are any allies out here for us to use as a distraction against them." He suggested. He felt along his ears, trying to think how he could hide them. They were so big...He looked at the hat and had an idea after a moment. As much as he hated to do it, he removed the cloth he had wrapped around his eye and moved it to wrap around the top of his head to press down his ears. The eye itself was fine, but there were two nasty scars across it. It was like either a claw or blade of some kind had slashed into his face some time in the past. It didn't look too bad on him, actually, but he hated it himself. He felt it was ugly as well as a sore thumb if it came to his dirty work. He put on the hat he had bought earlier which hid the covered ears nicely, as well as the black cloth itself.

"There..." He murmured more so to himself. He then looked back at his tail and had to think a moment. He couldn't just put it under the clothes. "Maybe...I can tie it around my waist, tuck it under itself and hold it there with the wrap around my waist?" He offered curiously, taking his tail and then looked down at the wrap around his waist holding the kimono together. He never thought he'd ever have to hide his tail or ears in his whole life. How embarrassing...

"I shall learn the area - we can ill  afford to risk making allies out of the wrong sort," she said, shooting a glance in his direction. For a moment she watched him run his hands along his ears, curious as to just what he could possibly do to hide them... Did they even fold down for longer than a few moments? Oh, there were questions aplenty but whatever they might have been, they died on her lips as the cloth over his eye was removed to reveal those scars. While not at all unexpected, she still furrowed her brows before looking away once more. By the time he had himself settled, she had finished her work and stood, watching him from across the inn room. "I could sew a sort of pocket into your kimono if you would like. It might be a bit less painful than tying it around your waist or tucking it."

"Nah." Hezrou shook his head. "It'd move around when I would and might flip the cloth around. Can't be having that..." He turned his back to her to untie the wrap and tried to situate his tail how he thought. It was difficult, since his tail wanted to just move back but he eventually had a good snag on it and wrapped it up. It felt...really weird. Extremely weird. All of this was weird. It felt like his balance was just completely gone and he was going to learn to walk all over again. He moved over to the bathroom - if a bit of an odd step at first - and looked it all over. He never hated himself more than he did then. He looked like a damn highlander with face paint! Then it hit him. The face paint!

"Yukihana! Do you have any make up?" He called from the bathroom. "I totally forgot about these tattoos..." He didn't think they would be a bother, but the design was rather obvious. It was kind of a tribe thing. "I think after that I should be good to go out once it gets dark. After....After I can walk a straight line." He chuckled a bit. "I feel like I had one too many drinks but without the haze in my mind."

Yukihana could not help but stop and stare as the man worked to arrange his tail. Not so sneakily she even reached a hand back to touch her own tail but... alas, there was no way she was going to even attempt to manage all of that. Nope. To keep from daring to laugh at the way he took that odd first step, the Raen drew her lower lip between her teeth and simply took a step back to keep from blocking his way to the restroom in any sense of the way.

"Make up? I ah.. Well..." From within the room she could be heard to rummage around in her bag. "I do not typically wear it any longer but I do have a bit of powder from my last trip that might work...It is rather old though. You can wear this tonight and I can go out tomorrow morning and pick up something a bit more.... fresh." The powder was brought to her nose for a sniff and she nodded while stepping towards the bathroom. "It still smells pretty."  Yes, because every man wanted to 'smell pretty'. "You can always pretend to be drunk too, if you go out late enough that is."

Hezrou chuckled. "I think if I acted drunk that's just blow our cover more." He teased back and took it. "Smelling pretty...Well, I suppose I can just tell 'em i'm gay if I want to smell feminine. Or that I had some time with a lovely lady." He rolled his eyes and smelt it. It did smell like a lot of pretty flowers in a meadow. Kind of reminded him of his old home when he was still a child. He applied the make up and took some time to blend it in to match his skin. He tilted and turned his head to inspect himself before he felt he was good and hidden away. He hated it, but it would work. He felt so....Highlander. "I miss my ears already." He commented.

Yuki actually allowed a laugh to escape, a sound that was quickly muffled by the raising of her hand. "Either works," she said through the giggles. The Raen waited patiently for the make up to be applied and blended before she stepped forward and peeked at his face closely. "I shall get something a bit more suited to you in the morning. Perhaps grab a quick bite of breakfast to bring back - or well, if you are to be out all night, it would more be your dinner." A thought pause came before she smiled up at him. "They will be back soon. Or you could set them free until time to leave?"

Hezrou chuckled. "I'll probably let them loose again when the mission is over. That's if we can manage a one night sting." He looked over at her from the reflection in the mirror. "Shouldn't be too hard to break into a brothel and kill a fat bastard." He chuckled and headed out of the bathroom, taking slow steps to practice so he could walk by the time the sun fell. "I'll try to sneak in while he's not paying attention...cut his head clean from his shoulders or something quick. There won't be no sound..." He stretched his arms out from his sides to help balance for a bit. "Shall I bring that bundle of sticks they mentioned as a show of the kill? Or his head? ...I think Akuma would enjoy seeing that bastard's dead eyes."

"Just... be careful alright? We cannot save anyone if we get ourselves caught." Worry crept into her gaze then, but she was swift to find another place to direct her eyes. What if it wasn't easy to break into the brothel and kill the monster? It certainly wasn't... No, no... She had promised herself that she wouldn't permit herself to get lost while they were here. That could come once they were home, once others weren't depending on her...

"I ah... I did not think to ask him what we should bring back. I thought the girls might be enough, but then we could always just free them and not handle the rest... Perhaps we can call him quickly, though then it might look as if we are not capable of handling this ourselves..."

"I'm going to bring back his sword." Hezrou said suddenly after she spoke. "That will be Akuma's reward." It would be easier to smuggle that then a head. He turned on his heel so he could face her, his hands still outstretched and his body still a bit wobbly as he kept his balance. This was harder than it looked. His tail was pulling at the sash but it didn't budge and his back muscles felt so tight picking up the slack in trying to balance himself out. His expression, however, was a bit dark. He was ready for this. He wanted to murder this man in cold blood for the corruption he's helping pool into Kogane. "We'll succeed...I know we can." He added after a moment, taking a few slow steps, almost a straight line. "We'll make it through and back to the Syndicate and we'll get those women out of Kogane and Doma and to Eorzea...give them a new life. A free life."

Watching him with an intent gaze, Yuki nodded slowly. "I am sure he would appreciate having the man's blade and knowing that he can do no more evil with it at his side." Were she capable of such, she would've offered out her hands to help steady him as he learned this new way of balancing himself, but alas... "We will, you are right. They will get all new lives and while it may not be the easiest life, it will be their own and free. That... that is a miracle in and of itself."

Hezrou nodded in agreement to her words. It took several hours of nonstop practice for Hezrou to finally walk straight and mostly normal. Maybe with a bit of a odd movement here and there. He even tried crouching and moving quickly to see if he could handle it. The first few times in the beginning would land him face first to the floor or even bumping into a wall or two. But by the time the sun was set, he was mostly ready.

"Alright...I'm going to go and find a way in. Feel free to talk to me through the pearl if something comes up or you need to check on me." Hezrou said as he moved to the window to use it as a easy escape outside rather than using the door to avoid people seeing him leave the public way.

Each topple or bump had earned the man a wince from the healer, though she'd not once criticized the way he learned. In fact, she seemed rather impressed. Mastering a new way to walk in less than twenty four hours was a feat she didn't think she could manage. By the time he was ready, she'd already placed the 'do not disturb' placard on the door to discourage any visits from the inn staff and stood waiting for him to depart.

"Just.. keep in contact as you can, alright? If you get into any trouble, just call." Moving into the Rakuza district of Kugane as the long shadows of night wrapped themselves around the bustling city, it became obvious that the streets belonged to Miyazaki and his swine. Stores that were considered their own had one or two members lurking outside as both protection and enforcer. This only grew worse the closer Hezrou grew to their target. Not only were Miyazaki's men lingering outside of the brothel, but more could be seen mingling with the women inside.

Hezrou stuck to the shadows and rooftops as he traveled. His eyes wide as he looked out into the darkness into the lit streets below. He kept going deeper and deeper until security was so tight that he knew he had to be close to their headquarters. His crimson eyes could see everything with the lamps reflecting the light for him. He would move about the area, counting guards, seeing their interactions with customers and finding out which women were brothel women. This task definitely wasn't an easy one and he knew then that not all of the women could be saved. He remained perched behind the top of a building until he saw Miyazaki finally making his rounds in the area. Smoking that cigar as described.

The man was indeed heavy, his face round and puffy but no doubt intimidating. His size could easily crush either of them if he wanted. Hezrou felt like that katana of his was a simple sword at his side. It disgusted him. The man would get a drink here, a meal there...yell at some other businesses and even cause a scene where he shot a man for not paying a debt to the brothel. He tailed the man until he found new girls coming in being carried by his goons. Drugged and completely out of it. It was busy enough and so many goons that it should be easy to blend.

Dropping into an alley he landed on his hands and feet but tumbled sideways into a wall since his tail wasn't there to counteract the landing. Pushing himself up he crept behind a guard standing watch to keep visitors from going in and wrapped an arm around his neck, his hand over their nose and mouth to keep him silent and quickly dragged him into the darkness. he slammed their head into the floor with a small thud and didn't even care if it was a little too hard to do more than knock him out. Looking towards the crowd outside nobody seemed to notice the guard missing. Good.

He stood and begun to undo his kimono and set his sword against the wall quietly before stripping the man down to nothing and donning the goon's uniform. He would wrap his ears down again and his tail in the sash around his waist once more when he was done. Hezrou then took his clothes and wrapped them up neatly and setting them hidden behind some wooden crates for when he'd make his escape later. "Took down a single guard. Got the uniform. I'm going undercover." He whispered over the pearl to update her on his situation. "Miyazaki spotted investigating the new shipment of women. I'm going to use this time to head to the HQ and find a hiding place for when he returns." He headed out of the alley and replaced the guard 'on watch' for a moment before walking towards the HQ as casually as he could to blend in.

As painful and sad as it might be to bear witness, some of those women trapped within that house remained willingly and had perhaps even came of their own accord rather than being abducted off the streets. For the most part there were subtle ways to tell the difference in the women. Those who were there willingly had a light in their eyes as they worked the floor. Their laughs came easily and freely, not forced or restrained like those whose gaze were haunted or dim. Those there against their wills had a certain caged look, like their backs were against the wall and there was nowhere left to run, no hope left in the whole of the world. Even if Hezrou and Yukihana could somehow pull off the impossible and free them all, a part of them would remain trapped in this house until they found some way to mend that which had been broken. And the path of the broken was never an easy one to walk....

Back in the inn room, Yukihana paced the floor anxiously, already imagining all the potential ways this could go wrong. Though she swore to do no harm, one dagger had been returned to its place within her kimono sleeve while another was strapped to her thigh. Another yet lay upon the bedding, a simple arm's reach away should any threat come through either the open window or dared to take down the door she'd locked and bolted earlier.

"Still whole?" Came the immediate question when Hezrou spoke of taking down the guard. To the window she went, taking up a perch in the open and allowing the breeze to wash over her features. "If you think we can get this in one night, I shall head out now... Find our path out rather than wait for morning. I have knives, can make myself... unappealing for the take."

Perhaps the lovely lady luck was on their side, for by the time Hezrou made his return the numbers had thinned out by a few. Some had wandered off to the back of the house, a lady (or two) in tow. Others had heard word of the arrival of the new 'goods' and had slunk off to try for first dibs. Those still milling about didn't speak of the man's arrival, but rather nodded in greeting. If they thought anything was off about his presence or even the way he walked, they held their gossip until he'd passed them by.

"Still whole." He whispered as he walked. "Go ahead and go to the extraction point. I'll see what I can get while I'm making my way there." He went quiet once he got near the guards as to not arouse their attention. Hezrou was surprised how easy it was to slip in. He would return the nod and keep moving. He even posed to bring a girl or two back himself once he saw the dimmed and broken look in their eyes. That dissatisfaction of yet another man greeding and drooling over them. The Miqo'te hated to act like a pig, but it worked. He got at least two with him and once he was out of sight of the guards he dropped the mask completely. He told them he wasn't going to touch them and he was here to help. He could see it right then and there the hope in their eyes. But they didn't speak as to blow his cover and merely nodded their heads.

He'd quietly lead them to a safe room before getting a few more girls from different areas of the building. He had close to twelve and would guide them one by one through the back way once it was clear to where Yukihana would likely be waiting. The whole process took at least an hour so it left her plenty of time to arrive. The girls were all together, holding each other and dead silent as they traveled for fear of getting caught. Hezrou himself was nervous as hell, but didn't let it show. His face was straight, eyes determined and steeled.

They'd at least save some...which was good enough for him. Maybe weakening this operation could give the Sekiseigumi to finally investigate and shut it down after tonight.

"On my way now." Her bag was snatched from the floor and slung over a shoulder, though the rest of what she'd set out and hidden away was left precisely as she'd set it. Out the window she went, dropping down to the grass and giving a look both ways before she turned to head to their meeting place.

Getting near the extraction point meant going deeper into the heart of the Rakuza district, meant moving back towards a corner of the world she'd sworn never to set foot in again... Emotions threatened to consume, fear and bile rising high in her throat. Why did her feet continue to carry her onward when her mind screamed out in agony for her to run, to flee. It was her heart that kept one foot moving silently before the other. The need to do right by these girls who were trapped in a life they did not want eased all of the rest and made it possible for her to carry on to meet Hezrou.

True to her word, Yuki was already there waiting when Hezrou arrived with the rescued girls. Fear mingled with hope in each of the girls the Miqo'te had collected. Could this really be it? Were they getting out? Could they go home? See their families again? Well, those who hadn't been sold into this life by their families that is... Seeing them all there, standing side by side, holding one another was damn near enough to bring the healer to tears, but she held them back. For the first time in years, Yuki crossed the distance to willingly offer physical contact to another, wrapping an arm around one of the younger victims of Miyazaki's cruelty.

"There is a back alley we can take them down, but I saw a guard wander close as I made my way here... With this many of us, we are bound to draw his attention. It is the safest way but... Still not without risk."

Hezrou watched in quiet awe as she willingly touched one of the girls and begun to comfort them as they started to go to her side. He couldn't help the small smile cross his lips to see it. Without a word he went back, gripping his sword's sheath and begun to run back before anyone grew suspicious of him. "I'm going to hide for the ambush. I'm going silent for a while. I'll leave the girls up to you." He said over the com after a minute or two.

Getting back inside the numbers were still very thin. Good. He quietly went down the halls and had no idea where his room could be. All the hallways looked the same. Looking in each would just look suspicious. After a while he managed to find a solo guard and approached him. He bowed his head in greeting. "Excuse me, brother...I'm new and I haven't quite learned the lay of the castle." He remained low as if he was deeply apologetic for interrupting this man's time. "Lord Miyazaki sent me back here to retrieve something of his from his room but I don't remember where it is...I was too afraid to ask him." His hand was still tight around the sheath of his sword, ready to attack him should this risky move fail. He would kill him anyway after.

Yuki did not hesitate to nod in understanding as she took over the shepherding of the girls. It took her some bit to get them to accept and recognize that the man who had been their golden ticket out of the brothel, was now leaving them in the care of this little waif of a woman. What was she supposed to be able to do to keep them safe? And just what would happen if they were caught out like this? For a moment it was easy to see the collective thought of taking the easy route and returning to the brothel. After all, better to deal with the devil you know than the devil you don't...

Something soft and low was whispered, a quiet internal exchange between the women of Kugane and sentiments shifted. Once more the gaggle of women grouped around one another, becoming the strength and shelter of the woman next to them. Slowly Yuki set off with them, keeping a sharp eye out for the guard she already knew would give them grief...

Meanwhile, back in the winding maze of the Brothel....

The guard arched a brow as he stared at this supposed 'new' member. A hard stare sized Hezrou up before he grunted and took a single step forward in an effort to intimidate the Miqo'te. "Yer new and they've already got you here..."

The corner of his upper lip lifted and he leaned down as if he could scent the lie on the trespasser or perhaps it was another scent entire that caught his attention... He was wearing Yukihana's make up still...

Suddenly, the guard gave a great belly-laugh. "Already been dipping your hand in the Lord's honey pot have you?" A heavy hand came down in the attempt to pat Hezrou on the shoulder. "Word of advice, keep your mind on the job and your head out from between the trick's legs and you might actually start to remember what you're told." Another leering grin was given. What a creep.

"The Lord's chambers are on the upper floor, boy. Best scamper off now..." As they went, Yukihana was right to run into some sort of snag in their plan. A pair of guards were on their way to the back way to make sure nothing weird was going on, having caught some strange events in the past between a brothel girl and a stray guard. Or the occasional napping one, only to see a dozen young women and a Raen between them. They were a bit shocked before they drew their weapons.

"Hey! What in Kami's name is going on here?!" One hissed. "Plannin' an escape, eh?" The other chuckled, smirking disgustingly. "Ye' ought to know what the boss'll do to you when you flee!" The girls were already showing fear that they were spotted. They didn't even know if Yukihana could even take them. They didn't even want to see her get hurt. The two guards begun to creep ever closer to them, hoping to get close enough to grab them or herd them back like the cattle they treated them.

Hezrou tensed a bit when he heard him get closer. His grip was tight on the sheath, just in case but before he could finish that thought to strike him, his nearly jerked muscle was halted when the man suddenly burst into laughter. He was surprised by this and sat up to look up at the larger man, just in time for the large hand to pat his shoulder. Then it hit him. The make up on his face! Oh, how he could hug Yukihana right now for the unintentional save of his ass right now. He played along, starting to laugh with him a moment before adding to that lie and playing along. "I couldn't help myself! Don't tell the boss?" He chuckled. He hated this man. Such a creep. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you!" He bowed his head again. He started to run off and then went quiet when he rounded the corner as if he had indeed taken off for the stairs. However, he merely took the slippers off so his footsteps were silent as he moved back to him, slipping a door open quietly behind him before wrapping his katana's hilt tightly around  the man's neck and jerking him back into the opened room.

It was quick. Once he was in the room he pressed his knee into the man's back and pulled hard to cut the man's breathing with the weapon pressed hard into his neck. He  was a large man, and he was small. Hiding into the blind spots of his back was all it took to keep him from being taken down. It only took seconds for the oxygen loss to knock the man out. Standing over the man Hezrou narrowed his eyes. Dragging his body to a closet he shoved the man in before stepping back a moment to draw his sword slowly from it's sheath. "May your Kami have mercy on you." He hissed under his breath and plunged the sword through he man's throat to end his life. He used the man's kimono to wipe the blade clean and he sheathed it just as slowly to not be loud and shut the sliders. He even piled a few of the boxes in the room against the blood he knew would pool under the door for at least a little while before leaving.

He headed upstairs and found the Lord's chambers. It disgusted him how lavishly this man lived while enslaving so many women. Looking around, he would find a place to hide to ambush the man when he'd return.

She should have known it was all going too easy for this all to work. Why did she even think they could manage this? That she could manage this...? Her eyes were wide as she began to back away from the approaching guards. Both arms reached out to protectively shield all the women behind her. "You should... just let us go. Let us go and the others will not come for you," Yukihana bluffed. Even as she spoke, her mind ran down the list of spells she could use to keep true to her vows while still keeping herself and the others safe.

The Lord's chambers were a lavish display of his power and wealth. Decorated in deep crimson, brilliant golds and the darkest of blacks, every bit of furniture was plush and screamed of vast expense. Silk covered the tables, the bedding, and even the walls. Mixed in with the typical weapon or sculpture were smaller trophies, ones far more intimate and personal. A good deal of these lesser keepsakes had quite likely come from the women currently in Yukihana's care.

There were several pillars used throughout the room to break up living space from work space from.... pleasure space. Each pillar was easily wide enough to provide some cover for Hezrou to hide behind. A few screen partitions also sat about, though they were thin and could potentially reveal shadows if the lights in the room were brightened at all.

They both laughed. She looked so terrified. "What are ye' talkin' about, missy..." The guard grinned. "I bet you ladies worked together to try and run off." The other added. "You can't fool us!" They even tauntingly poked their spears out at the girls, making some of them jerk back in fear before attempting the same at Yukihana.

It was clear these two were just harassing thugs. They all were. They liked seeing women beneath them and trembling in fear. "When we're done getting you girls back where you belong we'll figure out who the ringleader is in your little lot of whores and make her pay! Maybe the boss'll enjoy reminding you not to act out next time." They taunted sickeningly. "He loves his girls when they need to be punished!"

Hezrou looked about the room quietly before going to the back of the room and pressing his back to one of the pillars away from the door. He'd wait as long as it took to kill him. He reached up to respond to Yukihana. "I'm in his office...I hope things are going well for you." He really hoped everything was clear for her. he was sure things were going to be busy in the next hour or so when the boss would return. He had no idea of her situation.

A hand shot out, sending a burst of boiling hot aetheric energies at their feet. It wasn't close enough to hurt either of them, but certainly enough to make them second guess coming any closer. Or so she hoped. "Back. Off!" Another burst of energy. "Touch any of them again and I swear to you, I will rip out your rib cage and wear it for a vest." Big words from such a small woman. Was she shaking? Certainly looked like it.

Silence was the only answer that came to Hezrou from his partner's end, which was perhaps odd in and of itself. She'd always been certain to respond when he'd spoken.. Now? Nothing, not even static or the frantic sounds of what was going on. It was as if she'd simply vanished.

The walls of the brothel weren't thin, at least not on this level. There was no sound warning of any of the Lord's men moving towards their boss' chambers... No sign that the man himself might well be on his way up with a few new pieces of his more stubborn merchandise. The mouthiest of the new girls always had to be taught their place, reminded who called the shots now.

The guards were caught by surprise at the aether blast before them. They'd never seen anything like it. They were just common folk that never left the city. Those threats of hers didn't even seem all that false now, either. They hesitated, looking at each other a moment. Neither wanted a taste of that. But one finally got ballsy and tried to rush her anyway with a cry.

Hezrou was quiet a moment as he waited on in worry. "Yukihana?" He asked over the com. But when nothing would come again he was worried. Shit. He shouldn't have left her behind. He should of escorted them! He felt like the walls in the room weren't as big as before now. That the air was thicker. That the weight of failure was looming over him now. Did she get caught? Was the boss about to be aware of his presence and capture him? So many thoughts came to mind and before he knew it he had a flashback of his beloved. About how he failed her. That she'd forgotten him after her disappearance and how he should of gone with her on that duty but didn't.

He didn't even feel his own hands trembling. His eyes wide at the realization that he had made a mistake. He didn't even hear the man enter the room with his guards and when there was talking suddenly he tensed and pressed his back hard against he pillars. Fuck. He couldn't abort now! Miyazaki  had observed the girls and had even had his guard bring up at least four of them as they were tied up in ropes to ensure they couldn't escape. "Leave them." He said sharply. "Go outside and keep watch. I got work I need to attend to." He shrugged them off and walked toward his desk. His hand was in the open sleeve of his kimono across his large stomach, holding tightly to the bundle of sticks he was so attached to. In the other hand, he held his nearly used up cigar. Standing in front of his table he set the sticks down, exactly as Akuma's letter described - stacked right on the flat table.

The guards left and he was alone with the girls, who were trying to pull their hands free and whimpering or crying. The overly fat man stared at the sticks a moment before taking the last long drag from the cigar and setting it out in the ash tray on the table and taking up the sticks again. He put them back in his kimono and walked to the girls. He found the most defiant one of the four and grabbed her roughly by her hair, causing her to cry out and try to pull from the man but it was of no use. He grinned wickedly and begun to drag her by her hair towards his little section to have his way with her.

Hezrou glanced over his shoulder around the corner to the scene, horrified when he grabbed the young Domen girl by her hair and begun to forcefully drag her towards the bed that he knew bedded many drugged young women.

Rage boiled in Hezrou's chest. So much that he couldn't bare it. He had to find Yukihana. But he had to kill this bastard! Taking this chance, he rushed forward and with a flick of his thumb he pushed the blade up a bit from the sheath, gripping the hilt so tight with the other hand that his claws dug into his palms and his knuckles were white.

Tsutomu heard heavy footfalls suddenly and with a audible hum he turned while reaching into his sash with the other hand just in time to come eye-to-eye with a angry Miqo'te, feeling a blade sink into his large gullet. The man cried out, blood coming up from his throat and flecks of it spraying across Hezrou's face. But the Miqo'te didn't even flinch. There was a loud metallic click between them and a bang, but Hezrou didn't even hear it. All he heard was a loud ringing in his ears from all the adrenaline and hatred he felt for this man. The sword was clean through the man's stomach, poking out of his back and blood pouring from the wound.

Shocked that the Miqo'te didn't even flinch, knowing full well that the pistol in his hand was pressed against the attacker's stomach made Tsutomu speechless. He just made small pained sounds before his trembling hand dropped the gun and the pain begun to take over. "W-Why you...!" Miyazaki struggled to say as more blood dribbled from his mouth. "Rot in hell." Hezrou hissed and twisted the blade, pressing it so the hilt dug against the man before pushing it out the side and spraying blood across the bed and floor as the blade tore through flesh and sliced right through the man's abdomen. With a garbled cry of pain the fat man collapsed backwards, the girls screaming in horror at what just happened. Hezrou could barely breathe. The man's odor was indeed unbearable. But the smell of blood made it a bit more bearable. He put the blade to his inner arm and cleaned the blade on the uniform before sheathing it. With labored breaths from his anger and the foul odor he looked to the girls. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to save you..." He said, trying to quiet them down.

They were too petrified. The girl that had been grabbed by the now butchered man before them was covered in his blood and panicking the worst. Hezrou was quiet as he stared at them a moment before he took the gun and walked to the door. He knew there were guards waiting, but unsure of how many. He grabbed the handle and flung open the door and quickly exited to shoot the two guards standing nearby. Thankfully no one else was there. The walls were still thick here so no one would of heard the shots, either. He went back into the room and it took him a good few minutes to calm them, kneeling down to them and working to get them ready to leave.

However, it wasn't until he stood that he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. The adrenaline rush of the kill had worn off and he didn't even know he had been shot until now. He looked down and saw just how heavily he was bleeding, mixed in with the blood from stabbing the fat bastard earlier. "Oh, bloody hells..." He mumbled. There was no way he could save these girls now...Not like this. He walked over to Miyazaki and leaned over slowly to pull his kitana from his side and slipped the strap over his shoulder so it hung across his back.

"look...I'll come back for you guys with help." He told them. "The Sekiseigumi will know of this operation...They'll come before morning. I promise..." He breathed. He moved to a window and opened it, climbing out and working his way along the edges of the ledge to escape undetected. The pain made it difficult, and he eventually gave up to open his sash and allow his tail out for better balance.

How could he have forgotten that damned gun. He let his ears out as well and touched the pearl to link again. "Yuki...Please respond. Miyazaki is dead. I'm coming back but...I'm not in a good position right now." He wasn't even sure if she'd even respond.

Triumph flared victorious in her eyes as Yukihana watched the pair second guess their decision to mess with her and the girls she was determined to save. Up came her chin as she tried her best to not let the remnants of her fear show. She'd done it, shown the bastards she wasn't one to be toyed with.... Or so she had thought. The instant the foolish one dared to rush her, she realized just how foolish she'd been to even try. Her response was one of pure survival instinct, but one that would come back to haunt her nightmares later.

A flash of aether snapped from her fingertips and suddenly the attacker went down as blood gushed from both his nose and the corner of his mouth. "Bitch!" He shouted as he struggled to rise and lunge again while his partner looked on in horror. Both of his hands rose  as if to wipe debris from his eyes but nothing came away. "I can't see! My eyes!" Back down on his knees he went while clawing furiously at his head. The more timid of the two guards looked up to Yukihana with fear in his eyes as he slowly began to back away before turning on a heel and all but fleeing the scene, leaving his partner at Yukihana's mercy.

"Go," Yuki managed to whisper to the girls in her shocked state. "We have to go..." Her hands turned to gesture them down the alley, though her hands remained locked on the whimpering man who had now curled into a sobbing ball on the ground. The same girl that Yuki had comforted earlier now reached to wrap her own shaking arm about the woman who was meant to save her.

"Lead us out of here, my Lady," she offered a gentle reminder to which Yukihana could merely nod. Slowly she turned to steer the group down the escape route she'd planned for them. They moved more slowly now as the entire group was frightened beyond belief. What if there were more guards? What if they were caught... What if? What if? It was all they could think.

Before Yuki could get too far gone in her own head Hezrou's voice broke through the silence to save her from her own fears. "Lord Hezrou? I.. I... Where are you? Are you hurt? Surrounded? What should I do?"

There was a moment's pause from the com before Hezrou's voice responded. "I'm coming down from the rooftops...eventually." He sounded short on breath. In pain. "The mission is complete...but not without mistakes." He slowly worked his way down the side of the building, and nearly lost his footing at least twice along the way. He grabbed onto a ledge of a nearby building and begun to climb himself up, even crying out when doing so out of sheer pain of tensing his body to pull himself up. He groaned in pain and held a hand to the wound in his stomach once he was up. "I-I...I will need your assistance once I arrive." He whispered. "Are the girls safe?"

He slowly got to his feet and made his way back to the alleyway where he left his clothing. He switched out from the guard's attire and used the sash from it to wrap his wound as tightly as he could. Just to keep the blood out of sight so he could leave. The white kimono was a bad idea...At least the second wrap helped the first under it with the blood. He made his way out of the district but by the time he made it to the more safer parts of Kugane his vision was already starting to cross over and unfocused. "We need...to gather our things and leave tonight. With the girls..."

"Just... be careful. I left one in the alley, but he should not be able to see you.. Not yet, anyways. I will see to you as soon as you arrive.. I... Just make sure you get here, alright?" The worry was evident in the strain of her voice, mingling with the fear that still burned bright within. "The girls are all still with me. We are... whole." It was the easiest way she could answer the question without causing him more concern.

"We will, as soon as I have seen to you and your injuries, I will venture out and see to the arrangements for a ship out of here. Just get yourself here." As she spoke, she continued to shepherd the girls towards the inn, keeping a sharp eye out for further trouble along the way. Once they arrived, the Raen rushed to slide the window open so the girls could climb in one by one, with her climbing through last. The little inn room was full to bursting with women as Yuki raised a finger to her lips to keep them all quiet.

"Right..." Hezrou acknowledged and made his way to the inn. By the time he got there, though, he was surprised he was conscious at all. He climbed in and collapsed into the room. His strength had given out on him knowing now that he was mostly safe. There was a tinge of crimson pushing up from the sash tied tightly around his waist. His ears were pressed back and his face didn't hide his pain. There was sweat on his brow and his breaths were labored. The sword from their target rested against his back.

Yuki stood by the window anxiously awaiting the Miqo'te's arrival. Her hands were swift to reach out to help him through the window, offering aid without fear for contact... At least for now. "I have you, just breathe, Lord Hezrou." The girls of the room seemed to step back as one, the show and horror obvious upon their varied features.

Yuki's hands looped under his and she began to drag him back towards the little infirmary she'd set up earlier. For one so small her adrenaline gave her a surprising amount of strength to be capable of such. "Help me get him onto the bed," she said to no one girl in particular. Two stepped forward at her call, lifting the man's legs and helping to slide him onto the bedding. No time was wasted in offering the male privacy from the watchful eyes of the women they had saved, for her hands made swift work of the garments that hid the wound from her eyes. Unable to help herself, a soft gasp sounded at the sight of the wound but that was all. From that second on, the woman was nothing but a confident, skilled mender.

A small metal bowl was filled with clean water poured from a marked canteen followed by no more than three drops of a clear, soft blue liquid. With a delicate hand she slipped a cleansing cloth into the water and worked to clean away the blood and gore so that she might get a better look at the wound itself.

Wherever the cloth touched his skin came a cold, tingling sensation that worked to ease the pain. Once this was done, the Raen leaned forward and carefully inspect the gunshot wound to ensure none of the man's vital organs had been hit.

Hezrou groaned in pain when he was lifted onto a bed but he remained still as Yuki worked. Luckily for him, he might as well had been blessed. At such a close range it barely missed his organs, the bullet just merely lodged in a muscle past the organs. He focused on her word, having tried to settle his breathing. He's had worse wounds before, but it still hurt like hell. "I was careless..." He strained out as she worked. "I was...reckless." It was the best way he could describe what he did to that man. He knew of the gun, but he was so twisted with anger that it didn't matter to him.

"It is fine, you are going to be fine. Do not worry, I have you now," she murmured softly to reassure the man. "Just keep breathing for me and I shall do the rest." A potion was grabbed from the table and lifted to his lips. "Drink this and it will ease the pain." Patiently she waited until he had drank the vial dry before moving to set it aside so that she could turn her attention back to the task at hand. The potion should work quickly, dulling Hezrou's senses and providing a rather nice floating sensation.

Her movements were gentle but firm and she moved with the full confidence who had handled far worse wounds than this. Sterile gauze was pressed into the hands of one of the girls who was then directed to keep the field of surgery clean and clear. Rather than lifting so much as an instrument, Yukihana moved her hand to hover over the entry sight. Eyes fluttered to a close as, with a few softly mumbled incantations, aether began to dance around her fingertips.

Delicate and of lavender coloring, the tendrils of energy seemed eager to be guided by the gentle movements of the healers fingers. Slowly, she shifted her fingers about as if she were a puppeteer, leading the energies down into the damaged muscle where the bullet now resided.

With a curl her wrist, the energies worked to envelope the bullet so that she could oh so gently guide it free of the muscle and damaged flesh. Each motion she made was slow and steady, painfully deliberate. It felt like a lifetime that she stood at Hezrou's bedside and worked but Yuki was well aware of just what it took to ensure the Miqo'te came out of this whole. A faint sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead as she watched the bullet appear and then exit in the reverse. It wasn't until the bullet was free and dropped into a tin that the Raen dared to breathe easily.

Blood bubbled immediately from the wound as the bullet came free and the girl aiding her, damn near set herself into a panic. "Lady, lady!" At least she had the sense to apply pressure with the gauze she'd been given.

"Shh. All is perfectly fine. Just breathe." Her voice was so soft, so soothing...

One might have thought it was a sort of magic all its own. The girls could only nod and watch as she worked to save Hezrou. More aether swirled about her fingertips, answering her summons without fail. This time the full brunt of the spell was directed towards the male. Those delicate tendrils danced forth, seeping into the wound and slowly knitting the injury closed from the inside out. First the damaged muscle and vein, then the layers of skin. Full attention was paid to every last detail of her work, not a thing was missed.

If Hezrou had managed to hold consciousness throughout the ordeal, there was one more aspect of her healing that was meant to provide the man some additional manner of comfort - she hummed. Her voice was just as soft and sweet as it so often was when she spoke, but the way she hummed her lullaby was almost tender. The melody would continue on as she moved to place bandages over the freshly mended skin, stopping only once she stepped to view her work.

Lifting a cloth from the table, Yuki gently wiped away any lingering sweat from Hezrou's brow as she spoke softly. "Hezrou? Still with me?"

Throughout it all, Hezrou did slip in and out of consciousness. He had lost a fair amount of blood on the way back and it was hard to focus. But he kept his breathing as steady as he could, if taking sharp inhales on rare occasion when the pain grew too much. He even gripped the sheets he laid upon at some point with a grasp that made his knuckles white and tremble slightly before releasing just as quickly.

The potion helped greatly, leaving him like he was barely floating on the surface of a lake, but the pain made him almost sink into it's depths. As the wound was being healed, he felt that pain stop tugging at his senses and he begun to relax as it begun to slowly be over. He would of nearly drifted into unconsciousness had her voice not broken the silence. "Yes..." He whispered back. "If barely..." He smiled tiredly. His vision was all but color now. Odd shapes and colors. He couldn't focus for a bit. "Just tired now. Thank you." He held his hand up, as if to try and reach for her but he couldn't see where she was. So it just lingered there. His ears were in a lax position, his tail just limp off the side of the table. "Was it bad?" He asked. "I smell a fair amount of blood..."

Her lips curved in a small smile of relief as he spoke back to her. By the twelve, that had been nearly as terrifying as facing down the two guards outside. "You came through with flying colors," she murmured as she sat the cloth down.

"There was...  It was bad and you did lose a lot of blood, yes. He did not hit an artery, so I believe it was all of the adrenaline mixed with your moving around to get here. I do not... I do not think moving you immediately would be wise."

When he lifted his hand up for her, she raised her hand and gently took his in hers to offer comfort. "I think, with it being so close to dawn now, they would not dare to come after us this far from their own turf. It would be too great of a risk for the Sekiseigumi to be called."

"I...couldn't save the four girls that bastard had brought in..." Hezrou said softly. "Not with this injury. The Sekiseigumi...I'll plant the bread crumbs for them." He smiled a bit. "I'll get the other girls free. Somehow..." He closed his eyes, his smile laxing after that. "We'll rest I suppose. It's your turn to cleanse the of their poisons. Then...all we need then is to escape. Before they hunt us down."  He was concerned if he had left a trail of blood on the way. He had hoped the double sash around him kept the blood from going on the floor to mask his trail. "I'll inform...Akuma that we killed him. After I rest a bit."

"I will handle all of it while you rest. The Sekiseigumi will not permit such to stand if they can find proof. Sleep now and let me handle the girls and all the rest." Her thumb brushed gently over the back of his palm before she gently laid his hand down at his side and she slipped back to permit him rest and herself space.

Without further ado she quietly moved about the room with a small bit of paper, taking down the girls names and making a list of any ailments that she could possibly treat with the supplies she'd brought. In no time at all she had the inn room working as a near silent makeshift clinic so as to not disturb his rest. From time to time she hovered back close to monitor his vitals and check the bandages, but for the most part she permitted him to do precisely as he needed - rest.

Hezrou had been asleep for most of the day. Not moving an inch safe for a rare instance of shift. His tail begun to show more life as the day went on, often twitching along with his ears while he dreamed, much like an animal's ears would. Even long after she had finished, he was resting. He woke a bit before the evening and slowly sat up. He almost forgot where he was until he remembered what had happened and quickly shot his hand back to feel the blade still pressed against his back. He sighed in relief and looked about the room. The girls were calmer now and sitting throughout the room. Chatting quietly between each other or resting. At least two were reading.

He smiled a little and looked towards Yukihana. "Morning." He said, well aware that it was not the case at all. "How are things? What else do we need to do?" He wasn't sure what happened after he got back to the Inn. Much of it was a blur now. He looked down at his stomach and was glad there wasn't anything left of the wound.

True to her word, Yukihana had been a busy little thing in the later hours that he had rested. A few trips had been made out the window to gather food, fresh clothing for the girls, and make the arrangements as she had promised.

Scattered throughout the room on nearly every surface was small containers of food - a variety of rices, meats, cheeses, and breads. There were pasta and ramen boxes, even a few containers that might well have contained soups. The Raen had to have made at least three trips out to have carried back that much food.

Each girl sat now in attire that they could be comfortable moving throughout the city in and all of their old 'clothing' had been disposed of somewhere or another. Writing utensils still lay upon the desk from where she'd written the anonymous tip to the Sekiseigumi. Alongside them lay another envelope, this one marked with the stamp of the port authority.

Hezrou's smile was met with one of her own as she looked over from where she'd been sitting on the opposite side of the bed. "Good evening," she replied with a wry smile. "All we have left to do is to get your bandages changed, get you into your new clothing, clean up our mess and head to the docks. Oh, and inform Akuma, of course. You performed the actual... task. So, I thought you deserved to be the one to inform him. Everything else is done, just as I promised."

Hezrou chuckled softly. "We both performed the task." He corrected. "As he said...He needed a delicate hand as well as a rough one. You handled the delicate tasks exceptionally well. I would of never been able to do it. And I performed the dirty work. We both pulled each other through." He stood up and stretched a little, if a bit gentle for the remainder of his injury. "I'm going to shower real fast so wipe off this make up and whatever else stinking me up." He knew he still had blood on his face from butchering that man. "Oh, speaking of make up...it saved my ass back there. Let me tell you!" He laughed a bit, heading for the bathroom.

He took a quick shower, washing the most vital areas and cleaning the blood away. He washed his face a bit to make sure all the make up was removed and missed his tattoos. Drying off, he had a towel around his waist as he went out just briefly to grab the new gear she had gotten and went back inside the bathroom. Some of the girls did giggle at what they saw and made cute little comments before quieting down again when he'd come back out fully dressed for the exception of his top. He took the bandages and offered them out towards her. "Do the honors of redressing the wound?" He smiled. "You'll do a better job than me." He sat down on the bed. He had lost his blindfold during his escape when he ditched the hat to keep his balance...so he knew he'd have to expose his scar to the rest of the syndicate. No matter...He'd live.

Ever the worrywart, Yuki's eyes flew to the bandage as the man stretched, watching to ensure that her work didn't come undone. Even magic wasn't without it's limits, after all. "Careful," she said gently before raising her gaze to meet his. "If you say we both did, then we did but you did the worst of it. Even if you had to do it with make up on your face. When you are out you will have to explain that one."

While he showered, Yuki and the girls gathered up the remaining items floating around the room, even going so far as to strip the soiled linens and replace them with fresh ones the Raen had picked up while she was out. By the time he reappeared Yuki was on her hands and knees pulling free the coins she'd hidden the night before so that they could be returned to the rest of the funds they'd been given. The giggling of the other girls drew her attention, leaving her peeking over the top of the bed at Hezrou for a moment before she flushed a faint shade of pink and vanished once more.

Once he was actually dressed and out in the room once more, Yuki stood and took the bandages by the tips of her fingers. "Hopefully, but you let me worry about that, hmm?" A salve was pulled from her bag and spread over the area before she positioned the embroidered bandages and tied them off. "How is that? Not too tight, I hope?"

"It's fine." Hezrou chuckled. "You worry so much." He added in as he watched her bandage the wound. When she would finish he'd finally put on the kimono top and tied the sash around his waste a bit more loosely so it wouldn't irritate the wound or bandages any. "When we get to the ship i'll inform Akuma of the status."

"Worrying is part of the job description," she said lightly as she stepped back and moved to toss her bag over her shoulder. Once he was fully ready to go, Yuki turned to the girls and offered a warm smile. "It is all almost over. One final step and you are all free of this nightmare. Keep your eyes peeled as we make our way to the docks, but try not to look suspicious."

Most of the girls nodded at her words, while a few seemed a bit too scared at the prospect of leaving this safe haven to do much more than stare at the pair who had rescued them. One by one they climbed through the window and stood watch for the others to follow. Yuki was the last one out the window, ensuring Hezrou was able to make it through without upsetting his injury.

Stepping to the front of the group, Yuki guided the group through the back alleys down to the docks. From there she went to second to last slip before passing the envelope with the port authority's stamp over to a rather burly man waiting at the end of the gangplank. The man eyed the group suspiciously before grunting. "Rather large family ye got there, lass."

Yuki merely shrugged a shoulder and waved for the others to begin moving up the gangplank. Like a mother hen, she ensured all were settled into one of the three cabins she'd secured below decks before she found a place to collapse into for rest. All they had left was three days on the sea. They could make it now and so they would.

[mhdiaries]

Diary of Vandala Doubloons

Read my diary and you’ll find yourself stuffed in Die-vy Bones’ gym locker.

14 May, Morning Watch

It’s a spooktacular morn, so I think I’ll take me pet cuttlefish for a leisurely sail on the Salty Spectre before school. He woke up on the scareboard side of the ship, and he is totes cranky. It’s like he’s got his tentacles tied in a twist. Every time I call his name, “Aye!” he responds with “Nay!” just to vex me. He’s usually less fearsome than this, but there is a reason he’s a cuttlefish and not a cuddlefish.

14 May, Forenoon Watch

Aye is more his ‘ol self after cruisin’ around the haunted seas. We had to dock quickly when I got seasick - I know, right? What good is a seasick pirate?!? I’m working on it! But anyway, we met up with River - she’s a phantastic ghoul who ferries monsters between the ghost world and the world of the solids. River’s always a splash to fang with... quite the party ghoul! Kiyomi boarded to chill with us, too, and it was such a boo-tiful day, her face was a die-lightfully happy shade of pink. But I was late for Ectonomics and it was a close call that the Hall Moan-itors didn’t catch me! The Principal is constantly on the lookout for any excuse to put troublemonsters in detention. I’m not a troublemonster, but I do like my adventures.

15 May, Afternoon Watch

Shiver me tomb-ers, Haunted High is as cold and mollusky as the deepest part of the ocean. It’s not because of that ol’ myth about ghosts making the air around them cold. It’s the icy atmosphere created by Principal Revenant and all her ghostly rules. She’s got so many students anchored by detention chains that the loud clanging makes it hard to think! Especially Porter Geiss, who is so weighed down by chains, it’s like he’s going for a record. I’m in the li-bury, trying to study for my Ghost Pirate class. The lie-bury is the one place where I can explore like a pirate without risking seasickness. There’s got to be some hidden treasure in here somewhere!

15 May, Dog Watch

Well, boo me down! When I was plundering the li-bury, I found a map of some sort. I don’t know what it is exactly, it’s not really a treasure map, but it looks kind of mysterious and cryptic! I found it stuck in a cook book, in between the pages of the chapter for “Social Creeperings.” At first glance the map looks like some kind of recipe, and even has the heading ‘How to Make Friends.” What does that mean? It took a true adventurer like me to read between the lines and figure out it’s instructions for something crabulous. There are a lot of X’s, of course. That’s how you know it’s important. And there are stick figures in the top left and bottom right, divided by 2 squiggly lines. Also, there are boats between the squiggly lines. Avast! It’s a kindermonster’s artwork! I think I’ll hang it on the fridge in me galley.

16 May, Morning Watch

I found the treasure! It’s not an actual treasure, but it’s sea-sational all the same. I was enjoying the chain-free atmosphere of me ship and trying to die-sect the map I found, when I caught something out of the corner of me patchless eye. It was misty, like looking through a spyglass on a foggy morn, but it appeared to be a school full of solids! I hushed Aye and tried to concentrate, turning me skull to get a better view, but the apparitions evaporated into sea air!!! It’s mortalfying to think I might have dreamt it, but I was sure I spied a werewolf ghoul with clawsome hair, and she was talking to a zombie with glasses!

16 May, Dog Watch

Well, fair winds! I just got another gander at that solid school again! Still just in the corner of me eye, but a tadpole clearer this time. I saw some ghouls having a scream at fearleading practice. There was a mummy ghoul bossing everyone around, but the squad didn’t seem to mind because they really were scary-good. I’ve never done much fearleading, but I think I’d be a natural at it, because you need good balance to keep your sea-legs in choppy waters. Here’s a fearleading chantey they inspired me to write:

Yo-ho-ho

And a bucket of chum

Haunted High GO!

And don’t play dumb

OK, it’s deadful, but the Jolly Rotter flag routine I made-up to go with it really makes it work. Plus, Aye and I had a fintastic maritime, and that’s what counts.

17 May, Morning Watch

Went for a swim in the Haunted High pool - it’s one disembody of water where I don’t get seasick! There wasn’t a spirit around when I dove in, but I kept feeling waves crest around me, and every now and then I caught flashes of blue skin and fintastic blonde hair! Talk about shiver me tomb-ers! I was so creeped-out, I die-cided to go aboard River’s yacht and fang-out with her for a while. It’s always swell to kick back, take my pegleg off and chill with my beasty! We can grab some grub and set sail for distant shores. I just hope Aye doesn’t rock the boat.

17 May, Forenoon Watch

Went to the creepateria to toss back some gore-ange juice and replenish my vitamin sea levels. My dad is forever lecturing me on the dangers of getting skullvy. I listen to him because I don’t ever want to be one of those toothless, spotted pirates. That’s a look that would so NOT go with my to-die-for outfits. It’s not that I’m vain, but my wardrobe IS my prize loot. Anyway, Porter Geiss was there getting into trouble for spraying graffiti on the walls, which is why he’s known as “Paintergeist”. He’s a totes ectoplasmic artist! He only uses ghost paint that evaporates quickly, so I don’t know why Principal Revenant and the Hall Moan-itors get so fangry with him. Sometimes I think they just enjoy punishing students and sinking the school spirits.

17 May, Dog Watch

I wish I could tell one of my BFFs about seeing the solid school, because it’s kind of like watching a fear-ality TV show! I thought about telling River, since she spends a lot of time between our world and the non-ghost world. But then I remembered her dad is the Grim Reaper, and suddenly that seemed like a less than spooktacular idea. I wouldn’t want him to find out. He can deliver a scythe-ing lecture that really takes a ghoul down a pegleg. I also pondered telling Kiyomi, but I’d hate to upset her and see her complexion turn scaly-gray or something - she can’t help changing color depending on her mood. Hauntings aren’t allowed in the solid world, but, arrrr... what if they are haunting me?!?

18 May, Morning Watch

Goin’ to go for a lil’ adventure and check off some of the requirements for my Ghost Pirate class. I think I’ll steer my vessel over to see what River’s up to while I’m at it. Maybe she’d like to make some waves with me. I’m in high spirits today, so dare I hope I won’t even get seasick? Got me stopwatch, me ghostly skeleton crew, and me trusty pet, Aye. Looks like we’re in for smooth sailin’. Just me, my mateys and the deep boo sea.

[piratethornton]

Pirates of the Clawribbean

Chapter 9: The Navy

Fandom: Zootopia

[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

Judy’s heart sank even lower. Bogo. Bogo. Ben’s superior. The one who had given him the map to protect. He had found them.

“They’re signalling us!” called out Bobby. "They're ordering us to surrender!"

Nick faltered for only a moment. “We can’t do that. We have to try and make a break for it. Honey!” He looked wildly around for the badger.

“I’m here, Cap’n!” she answered as she burst through the door with Yax, both of them holding bundles. Judy blinked as she recognised them as the mammal dummies she had found in the cargo a few weeks ago. She looked up at Nick with questioning eyes.

“We place them around the ship to make it look like there are more of us,” he explained. “We use it as a deterrent.”

“That’s not going to be enough to stop Bogo,” said Ben, as he watched Honey drag a fake wolf up the rigging and secure it.

“Well, what would be enough to stop him?!” snapped Nick.

Ben smiled sheepishly. “Surrendering?”

Nick slapped a paw to his head and was about to make a retort when the ship rocked furiously.

“They’re firing, Captain!”

“Are they?!” Nick shouted back to Bobby. “I hadn’t noticed!”

Another hit nearly knocked Judy over, and Nick grabbed her arm to steady her and Ben’s shirt to steady himself.

“There must be something you know about him that can help us!” he asked desperately when he let them go. “Do you want to get caught by him?!”

Ben’s terrified face stared down at Nick as his mouth tried to function. “I don’t want to get caught by him, but he’s never lost! He’ll keep going until...until...”

Nick growled angrily. “Get below deck and tell everyone to start firing back. Flash, you need to get us out of here!”

Another round of cannon blasts fired from Bogo’s ship, only this time instead of the hull they tore holes through the Black Paw’s sails.

“They’re trying to intercept,” shouted Bobby.

Judy ran to the side of the ship with Nick close behind. The naval vessel was heading to block the Black Paw’s path, and Judy couldn’t help but gaze in awe at its efficient and precise movements, its sheer power and majesty as it hurtled towards them.

“Wow,” she breathed.

“Well, I’m glad someone’s happy,” said Nick.

“Sorry,” replied Judy, apologetically. “Ever since I was a kitten I dreamt of working on a ship like that.”

“And now you’re going to be blown up by one. Isn’t life fantastic?”

“I thought this ship was undead.”

“The sails are new,” said Nick, gesturing to the heavily damaged black trappings, “and they’re kind of important when you want to escape from the Navy.”

“NICK!” yelled Finnick from across the deck. “IDEAS?!”

Nick gaped at him and at everyone else on deck. He rushed up to the helm.

“Flash, please tell me you can get us out of here,” he asked when he reached the sloth.

“I’m...doing...the best...I can...”

“That’s great - ”

“...given...the...circumstances.”

At that moment a cannonball whistled over their heads and landed in the sea beyond. In the time it took Flash to react to this and move his head to follow the cannonball’s trajectory, Bogo’s ship got dangerously close.

“No no no no no!” Nick wrestled with the wheel to make up for the distraction, but it was of no use. Flash’s claws were locked on tight. He looked up to the see the other ship coming up alongside them and the crew aboard it readying themselves for a takeover.

Nick jumped back down to the deck where his own crew were grabbing their swords. His eyes landed on Judy. “Carrots! Get below deck!”

“What?!” she shouted back incredulously.

“Get below deck, find Spots, and hide until this is all over!”

Her eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger. “I am not going to hide!”

“That is an order!”

She glared at him for a moment, then turned and marched through the door.

Mercifully the cannons had stopped firing, though this was likely due to the proximity of the naval ship alongside them. Pistols were now the weapon of choice, and Nick's crew dropped to the deck to avoid the bullets, while above them the dummies were torn to shreds. Nathan managed to draw his own pistol and raised himself just enough to start firing back.

"Nick," said the badger lying next to Nick with her hands over her ears. "I don't think we're going to win this one."

"We can try," responded Nathan gruffly as he fired another shot.

A couple of thumps caused Nick to raise his head. A lion and tiger wearing the blue uniforms of the Royal Navy had leaped across and landed on the deck of the Black Paw. They drew their swords.

Before Nick and the others could react, several other mammals had swung on to the ship and quickly surrounded Nick's crew. Everyone leapt to their feet as the boarders edged closer.

"Honey," Nick muttered out of the side of his mouth, "any gadgets on you?"

"Nothing useful," she replied.

A loud growl sounded from Nathan as he swung his sword threateningly at an encroaching grizzly bear who responded in kind. While Nick knew that Nathan could easily dispatch a few naval officers, even on a bad day, he also knew that they were grossly outnumbered. Honey was right. They couldn't win this one. He had been too careless, thinking the Bearmuda Triangle would protect them from patrolling naval ships. He should have remembered the warning Judy gave him about the Navy searching for her and the map. He had gotten too cocky, and now his crew were going to pay for it. With a heavy heart, he dropped his sword and raised his hands.

One by one his crew noticed his action and followed suit. Nathan was the last to comply, throwing his sword down with a snarl and keeping his teeth bared. Once the naval crew were satisfied with their surrender, one of the wolves signalled to his ship and a gangplank was lowered to create a bridge.

As they were escorted across the gangplank, Nick watched a rhino walk up to the helm to get Flash and a handful of wolves go through the door, presumably to search the lower decks for any remaining crew. Other than Judy and Ben, the only mammals below deck were Bucky and Pronk, who had been tending to the cannons, and Yax. Nick managed a wry smile as he imagined the surprise the wolves would receive when they reached the galley.

The smile soon vanished when he was stood in front of Captain Bogo. The enormous buffalo towered over the pirates, a solid unmoveable pillar wearing a pristine captain's uniform, his arms folded over his chest and his small eyes set in a calm fury. Nick had to fight the urge to gulp.

"Which one of you is the captain?" Bogo's voice was deep and measured.

The pirates shifted uncomfortably. They didn't say anything but inevitably each one of them glanced towards Nick. Bogo's gaze zoned in on the fox and his eyes narrowed. Nick sheepishly smiled back.

"How many more are below deck?" asked Bogo.

Nick swallowed. "Uhh..."

"You shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

Everyone looked back to the Black Paw to see the two antelopes being brought up and led to the navy ship, predictably arguing over whose fault this was. Behind them was Yax escorted by two wolves, who seemed to have found a sheet to cover the Yak's modesty. Next to emerge was Ben, his body completely hunched over and his face full of shame. Finally the last wolf came up with a furious Judy struggling in his arms.

"Is this everyone?" asked Bogo when everyone had boarded.

"All except our pet Kraken," answered Nick, instantly regretting his quip when he heard a deep rumble from the buffalo.

The pirates were herded to a corner of the deck, with Judy being unceremoniously deposited in front of them.

"I can walk, you know!" she shouted at the wolf who had carried her. She stepped back when Bogo placed himself in front of the group.

"Welcome aboard the HMS Stampede," he said, his voice far from welcoming. "I'm happy to say you made the right choice in surrendering - "

"Judy?"

Bogo's head snapped to the voice that interrupted him. It belonged to a slightly portly rabbit wearing a scarlet jacket, and his wide brown eyes were fixed on Judy.

"Father?" Judy's mouth dropped open in shock and her ears rose slowly.

"Judy!" Governor Hopps raced forward and engulfed his daughter in a tight embrace, his eyes welling up with tears. "I'm so glad you're alive!"

Separated from her family for so long, Judy eagerly returned the hug with the same vigour.

"You're on a ship?!" she exclaimed when she pulled back.

"Don't remind me," Governor Hopps told her, suddenly looking ill. "I've been seasick ever since I stepped aboard this wretched thing!"

"What are you doing out here?"

"We came to find you of course."

Judy looked past her father to see James Buckington walking towards them, his face full of relief.

"When we heard the Cloverleaf had been attacked, we feared the worst!" Stuart gripped Judy's shoulders firmly but tenderly. "James and I set sail for Zootopia to get help and we bumped into Captain Bogo on the way. Seemed he was already trying to find you. Apparently Mister Clawhauser had some special document or something."

"A very special document," said Bogo, now glaring furiously at Ben.

The cheetah's ears lowered submissively. "I-I did my best, Captain - "

"Your best clearly wasn't enough!" snarled Bogo. "You, a representative of His Majesty's Navy, were entrusted with an item of great significance, and you let it fall into the hands of pirates!"

"I'm-I'm sorry - "

"Not to mention letting my daughter get kidnapped," added Stuart.

"Father!"

"He was supposed to be protecting you, Judy!"

"I'm fine!" Judy gestured at herself. "Look at me. I'm not hurt. Captain Bogo, he only gave up the map because he thought I was in danger. He never wanted to disobey your orders, I promise!"

Bogo stared at Judy for a moment then turned back to Ben. "We'll have a proper de-briefing later."

Ben nodded and lowered his head dolefully.

"How did you manage to find us out here?" asked Judy.

"The lemmings from the Cloverleaf gave us a description of the pirate ship," answered James. "We then sailed to Tortiger where Captain Bogo had a couple of informants. They said they saw a rabbit fitting your description with the captain of the Black Paw." James' eyes wavered disdainfully towards Nick before returning to Judy. "It also helped that two of his crew members had bragged about their destination whilst drunk off their horns."

Every pirate turned to glare at the two antelopes who had grown incredibly pale.

"This is all your fault!" Bucky snapped at Pronk.

"My fault?!" Pronk shouted back. "You were the one who blabbed!"

"You were the one who blabbed."

"You're the one who doesn't know when to shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP!" roared Bogo.

The antelopes' mouths clicked shut and they shrunk back in fear.

Bogo gave a huge snort then addressed the pirates. "You are now prisoners of His Majesty's Navy and your ship and cargo are in our possession. You will be transported to the city of Zootopia where you will be put on trial for piracy and any other crimes the Court seems fit to charge you with. During the voyage you will remain in the brig. If you are asked a question by myself or my senior officers, you will answer without hesitation or complaint. Failure to comply will result in immediate flogging. Do I make myself clear?"

Resigning themselves to their fate, the pirates turned the gaze towards the floor.

Judy was distraught. If she hadn't visited Tortiger, they may have had a better chance of not being found. And poor Ben. He had been terrified something like this would happen, he had kept warning her, and all she did was reassure him she wouldn't let anything bad happen. Now he was in serious trouble. He may lose his place in the Navy, or worse. The treasure would be confiscated by the Crown so she could no longer use it to pay off her family's debt. And the pirates. They didn't deserve this! Well, they were pirates, but after weeks of living and working with them, Judy knew they weren't evil. They had looked after her, fed her, treated her as one of their own, and given her the experience of a lifetime. They'd never hurt anyone if they could help it. They only wanted to make their way in the world, whether it was seeking fortune or adventure. They were good mammals, and now they were going to be put on trial and punished to the full extent of the law.

She looked at Nick, who stared blankly at the floor, devoid of hope. He only became a pirate because foxes were supposed to be villains.

Her eyes flicked towards James, and an idea struck her.

"James. I need to ask you something."

The young buck smiled brightly at her. "Anything, Judy."

She led them a short distance away from Bogo and the pirates. Her father, curious, followed them.

"I need your help," Judy stated.

James' brow furrowed in concern and he nodded.

"Those pirates, it's true they took me aboard their ship against my will, but they never hurt me. They gave me food and a bed, and we became good friends." She smiled softly at James. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. I can't let them be punished after all they've done for me. It wouldn't be right."

James made a confused but sympathetic face. "Judy, they're pirates..."

"And good mammals!" Judy said in earnest, clasping at his hands. "Please. I can't let them be locked up or...or..."

Growing more uncomfortable by the second, the buck's gaze flickered between Judy and the pirates, who were now being put in shackles.

"It would be the most wonderful wedding gift you could give me."

With an almost audible spring, James' ears flew up to full height. His eyes were wide, his nose twitched and his whole body was rigid.

"Judy?" said Stuart, just as astonished. "You're accepting James Buckington's proposal?"

She swallowed and continued staring at James with pleading eyes. "Yes."

James was frozen for several seconds as his ears burned redder than Judy had ever seen them. Eventually he brought himself back to the present and after giving Judy a firm nod, he marched towards Bogo.

"Ahem!" he said loudly in order to gain the buffalo's attention. He jumped back when said buffalo suddenly whipped his head towards him. "Uh - uh - I want these pirates released immediately!"

Everyone, even Bogo, blinked in confusion.

"Keep your nose out of my business, bunny," growled Bogo, turning away.

James, embarrassed and at a loss, looked around for help. His eyes landed on Judy.

"You can do it!" she mouthed at him.

James found his resolve once more and raised his voice. "I, Sir James Buckington, son of Lord Henry Buckington, esteemed member of the Royal Court, hereby order that these mammals are released and allowed back on their ship. I have it on good authority that they are of strong moral character and are undeserving of this arrest."

Bogo looked at James with a bored expression on his face. "I don't care."

"You'll care when my father hears about this!"

"Did he really just say that?" a disbelieving Honey muttered to her fellow crewmates.

"My father is on very good terms with the king," continued James. "Once I tell him of this travesty, he can make life very difficult for you. You'll be demoted so fast...your horns will fall off!"

This last remark caused everyone watching to make a face, all in various states of confusion. Nick locked eyes with Judy and jerked his head towards James as if he was trying to say 'That's your fiancé?' Judy could only shrug helplessly in reply.

Bogo shook his head to compose himself before speaking. "They are criminals - "

"And Lady Judy is alive and well because of them," James interrupted. "I owe them a debt of gratitude. I will talk to my father and the king so you suffer no repercussions, and any treasure they have found - yes, I know the document was a treasure map - you can present to His Majesty yourself."

"Hey! We stole that map fair and square!" shouted Bucky before grunting in pain as Bobby elbowed him in the stomach.

The buffalo and rabbit stared at each other, the latter hiding his hands behind his back so Bogo couldn't see them shaking. Though to James' credit, his eyes remained firm and his ears erect.

Everyone gathered waited with bated breath. Judy found her father's hands and gripped them tightly. He squeezed back reassuringly.

After an eternity, Bogo finally sighed. "The pirate ship and cargo are the Navy's property and will be taken to Zootopia. We will release the pirates off the shore of Tortiger along the way. Until then, they will remain in the brig. The threat of flogging in retaliation for lack of cooperation still stands. That is my final offer." He looked about the ship, daring anyone to challenge him.

"Works for me, Cap," piped up Nick, his usual smirk back on his face. "I trust someone will be along shortly to take our dinner orders?"

"Get them out of my sight," snapped Bogo.

The pirates were immediately escorted below deck. Judy managed to share a sad smile with Nick before he disappeared from view.

Once the pirates had gone, James made his way to Judy and her father, looking very pleased with himself.

"Thank you so much, James," said Judy when he reached them.

"You're very welcome," he replied, graciously. "Why don't you go to my cabin and freshen up a bit? It's been a trying day."

"She can use my cabin," said Stuart. "I'll have an extra bed made up for her. This way, Judy." He began leading Judy away. She didn't complain.

"Of course, Sir," James called after them.

Just as they were about to go below, Judy waved at Ben who was standing to the side not sure what to do with himself. He waved back, trying to smile encouragingly.

When they reached the cabin, Stuart left Judy to her own devices and went back up to the main deck. Judy collapsed face first on the bed and curled herself up into a ball, her eyes closed and her heart aching.

A few hours later there was a knock at the door which caused Judy to open her eyes.

"Judy, it's me," came her father's voice.

"Come in," she replied, sitting up.

Stuart entered holding a tray of food and wearing a warm smile. Behind him was a rhino in Navy garb carrying two suitcases Judy recognised as her own.

"I've brought dinner," Stuart said, placing the tray on a nearby table. "They found your belongings on the other ship. They would have brought them on sooner if they weren't so distracted by the treasure." He shot the rhino a annoyed glance. The rhino simply snorted in response and left the room, closing the door behind him.

The mention of treasure caused Judy's stomach to twist uncomfortably and she looked at her meal. Both the cutlery and platter were silver, and sitting in the bowl was some hot soup. It smelt absolutely divine, especially considering her diet for the last few weeks.

"You go ahead and eat up," Stuart told her, sitting next to her on the bed. He had a kind, parental look on his face which gave Judy an immense sense of security as well as guilt.

She brought the tray closer to her and slowly began eating. Though she was hungry and the soup was, as she had guessed, delicious, she could not bring herself to guzzle it down.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" her father asked gently. "You don't have to if you don't want to. Knowing you're alive and safe is enough."

Judy swallowed her mouthful and laid the spoon down. "The pirates attacked the Cloverleaf. They were after the map. Ben said that it led to treasure and I offered to translate it for a share. I thought I could pay off the debt."

Stuart took a deep breath. "That was...very risky, Judy - "

"I know."

There was a moment of silence. "You must have had quite the adventure," said Stuart.

"Yes, I did," replied Judy, a ghost of a smile gracing her face.

"And the pirates treated you well?"

"Yes."

Stuart nodded a couple of times before silence settled again. Suddenly, Judy gave out a shuddering sob.

"Judy!" Stuart placed a paw on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried, wiping her eyes. "It's all my fault. If-if I hadn't - "

"Now, now," he consoled, pulling her into a hug. "You did what you had to do. Clawhauser told me about the deal. If you hadn't done anything, they may have killed both of you."

"But they wouldn't have! They're-they're not killers. If I had just - "

"You didn't know at the time, and you wanted to help your family - "

"I wanted to get out of the wedding! I never thought about the consequences; what would happen to Ben, or you, or the others. I was enjoying myself too much! And now Nick's lost his ship, and Ben's in trouble, and you and mother must have been so worried - !"

"Oh, Judy..."

"If I wasn't such a selfish rabbit!"

Stuart pulled back just enough to look at his daughter. "There's nothing wrong with wanting freedom. And I know it's been hard for you not being able to pursue your dreams as you should. You've done so much in the last few weeks and I couldn't be prouder. Since the moment you were born I knew you were something extra special, and to this day I have trouble believing how two boring rabbits can have such an amazing daughter."

Judy sniffed and stared at him with wide eyes. "Really?"

"Worthy of the Owsla of El-ahrairah himself."

Judy sobbed again and fell back into her father's embrace. She chuckled a little when she felt her father join in her weeping.

Night fell upon the two ships sitting on the still waters. Bogo ordered the anchor dropped shortly after the battle ended since the wind was not in their favour, and the rest of the day had consisted of exploring the Black Paw and cataloguing its contents. Those not on night duty began to settle in for bed, and those that were quietly paced the Stampede's decks, though expectations of anything untoward happening were considered low, even if there were a gang of pirates aboard.

The pirates in question were currently held in the brig, a handful of cells along a dark passageway which were in much better condition than the one on the Black Paw, though was still a fairly dreary place. The crew had two cells between them, one for larger mammals and the other for medium-sized mammals, and all sat despondently on the benches or on the floor.

Honey, wanting to finally end the silence, cleared her throat. "Well, things could be worse. At least we won't be executed."

Finnick snorted. "We got no ship, we got no treasure, and we're gonna be dropped off at Tortiger by a freakin' Navy vessel. What 're the other pirates gonna think? What're they gonna do? What if that boar's waitin' for us?"

"Nick'll think of something," replied Honey, turning to the fox with his head in his paw. "He always does."

"Yeah, like how he thought having that bunny aboard our ship was a good idea," sneered Bucky.

"We wouldn't have found the treasure without her!" countered Pronk.

"And now we won't be able to keep any of it!"

"We know where the rest is. We can just go get some more!"

"The map's still on the Black Paw! The Navy will find it and claim the island before we can get another ship!"

"The map's in code. They won't be able to read it!"

"All they need is a rabbit who speaks lapine, you idiot!"

"Don't call be an idiot, idiot!"

"Shut up, you moron!"

"No, you shut up!"

Nick quickly tuned out their riveting conversation. He felt he should be grateful they had come out of their ordeal as well as they did, and in truth he was grateful, but he couldn't help feeling dejected. His ship, his pride and joy, had been wrenched away from him as well as the treasure they had found. And if the Navy did manage to find the island there would be no hope for him claiming any more of the gold.

He and his crew had been so excited about the treasure, and he had let them all down.  He used to be so careful, only performing small acts of piracy to avoid unwanted attention, but Captain Maul's treasure had been too great to resist, and getting his hands on it was all that mattered. Of course the Navy would be hunting them. Of course they would want to get their map back at any cost. Of course Judy had mammals who would brave the Bearmuda triangle just to find her.

Nick let out a silent sigh. He had really grown fond of that rabbit. A few weeks ago he never would have believed he would actually like having her on his ship. A small smile formed as he thought of her. Feisty, determined, a natural talent for seafaring, and he couldn't deny that a friendship had been growing between them. He wondered if he would ever see her again after this. Probably married to that James Bucksworth, or whatever his name was, maybe with a litter or two in tow. The visual image he conjured up didn't suit her, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

All he could do right now was see where the tide took them.

The jaguar standing guard on deck searched the horizon, silently cursing the sudden mist for hindering his night vision. Abrupt weather changes were to be expected in this part of the ocean, but it didn't mean he had to like it. He had just about resigned himself to staring at nothing until dawn, when he felt something flutter past his head. He turned sharply to seek out the source of the disturbance, however could see nothing out of the ordinary. The ship was quiet, and he was all alone save for a handful of guards stationed around the deck.

After a few moments of searching, he shook his head and resumed his post. Probably a confused seagull, he thought.

Once the jaguar turned his face back to the sea, a small dark shape flew from its hiding place and continued its inspection of the ship. It completed several circles, counting the guards and sneaking glances through the portholes. When it was satisfied, it flew away from the ship, beating its wings as fast it could, wanting to limit its time over the open water. At long last its destination was within reach, and it headed straight for the helm where its captain was waiting.

"Well?"

"It's been taken over by the Navy," answered the bat. "Most of the crew are sleeping, only a few guards stationed on both ships. They're not expecting anything. Nick and his mammals are in the brig."

"And the map?"

"The captain was reading it in his quarters. It's in some sort of code."

The boar nodded. "Inform the crew, and prepare yourself for the next step. Tonight we take what is rightfully ours."

The bat took off whilst the boar looked back towards where he knew the two ships were sitting. It was only a matter of moments before blood, revenge and good old-fashioned plundering. He smiled as he thumbed his sword. Yes, this night would be a fruitful one.