《Aloette, the Pirate Princess》 Chapter 1: Sea Breeze ¡°Citizens of Nestell, you bear witness to a heinous criminal! One who, by the wise leadership of King Syrille, will be put to death within the coming week for the following crimes...¡± ¡°...illegal acquisition and usage of an oceanic vehicle. Possession of tools for oceanic exploration without the express permission of King Syrille or the Royal Precession. Conspiring with enemies of the Kingdom of Nestell with intent to undermine King Syrille and the Royal Precession, as well as numerous other misdeeds. The Kingdom of Nestell sees fit to punish the deeds of Sadashi Sicer fittingly...¡± ¡°...anyone found aiding this criminal will meet a similar fate, as declared by King Syrille. If any citizens have information regarding his informants and co-conspirators, it is your right to deliver that information to the Royal Precession, or you will be considered an accessory to criminal behaviour. That will be all.¡± With the public address declared finished, the citizens present cleared out, heading back to their fairly mundane lives, just as the head of the guard stared down at Sadashi. He walked in front of the stockade holding him, before squatting down, as Sadashi stared at the ground beneath him with a vacant gaze. The head of the guard grabbed his face and pulled it up to face him. ¡°Consider this a mercy for his highness, pirate scum. Your life wasn''t one worth living.¡± Sadashi hardly fought back, as the head of the guard smirked, stretching his face in his hands. ¡°Scum is scum. The ocean is his majesty¡¯s, and you have no place in it.¡± The guard spat on Sadashi¡¯s face, before letting go and standing back up, as he ordered the other guards to drag him away. ¡°You¡¯ve one week, Sadashi.¡± The head of the guard called, as Sadashi was pulled into the palace interior proper. ¡°Perhaps you should atone? How else could you make up for such vile acts of villainy?¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ Aloette stretched her arms, lifting herself up off her pristine sheets, just as the crack of dawn seeped in through the window. Taking her time getting out of bed, she hurried over to the window and stared out at the rest of Intide, watching as everyone else in the city began their day, letting the streets come to life with people, all framed by the gorgeous grace of the ocean just at the bottom of the slope holding Intide in its arms. Aloette took in a deep breath, before getting herself dressed and heading out into the hallway, hurrying down the manor stairs into the main foyer. She grabbed her bag from the side of the door and began to head out. ¡°Miss Everday!¡± Aloette turned her head back inside. ¡°Oh, morning, Evans.¡± ¡°Where are you headed this time of day?¡± Evans asked, stepping into the foyer with his apron and duster. ¡°The marketplace! They have this selection of watermelons on display.¡± Aloette explained, holding her hands out in a square shape. ¡°They grow them in boxy confinements so they¡¯re shaped like cubes when fully grown.¡± Aloette dug around for her wallet in her bag as she spoke. ¡°They¡¯re exceptionally cheap, so they always sell out before I can get them.¡± ¡°But the marketplace is all the way down by the docks. That¡¯s almost as far as the palace.¡± Evans insisted. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have you walk that far unattended.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can take care of myself.¡± Aloette bragged, flexing to prove her point, before giggling to herself. ¡°I¡¯m very self-reliant.¡± Evans went to raise another objection, before sighing out and going back to cleaning. ¡°If you trust yourself to be safe. Please at least return before dinner is served. You wouldn¡¯t want your mother worrying.¡± ¡°Of course I will.¡± Aloette said, leaving out the door, before popping her head back in. ¡°And don¡¯t forget to make something to pair with watermelons!¡± Aloette closed the door soon after, as Evans found himself amused by Aloette¡¯s passing comment. ¡°So eccentric...¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ Aloette made her way down Intide¡¯s hillside, humming gently to herself as the breeze from the ocean slowly washed over her, pairing beautifully with the clear sky and vibrant sun above. The streets were abuzz with chatter, as passers-by shared gossip and hearsay about the latest news floating about the kingdom, all far more interesting than their otherwise standard lives. ¡°...rt sending transport between here and Pelaga soon eno...¡± ¡°...arently, the Royal Precession¡¯s ramping up for some kind of expeditio...¡± ¡°...ou heard about Sadashi, right?¡± Aloette lifted her head while idly passing, as she noticed two people talking amongst themselves. ¡°I was at the announcement yesterday. They said he was trying to navigate the ocean without King Syrille¡¯s go-ahead. He even stole some of Syrille¡¯s private maps.¡± One mentioned, as the other covered their mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the pirate problem was getting this bad...¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he part of that pirate crew that tried going into The Further?¡± A third person mentioned while walking past, as the other two nodded back to them. ¡°I swear, if he brought some sort of creature back from there, I¡¯ll do worse to him than the Precession will.¡± Aloette watched them talking to themselves, before checking out of their conversation and continuing down the street, tapping her chin in thought. ¡°Should I ride the carriage back?¡± She wondered aloud, swinging her legs as she walked. ¡°Watermelons are quite heavy to be carried uphill...no, I should be fine to walk. All the more preparation under my belt!¡± She continued humming while walking, just as the marketplace started coming into view, drawing her eye with its colourful tents and activity throughout. She quickened her pace and folded into the crowd, inspecting around her for the vendor in question. Eventually, she found her way to the centre of the docks, getting a better view of the area around her, only to be interrupted by two guards charging past, nearly knocking her over in their rush. Aloette managed to get back up, as she stared at the guards running in the opposite direction of the palace and further into Intide. ¡°They sure were in a rush...¡± Aloette remarked, almost forgetting why she was there, before the stall holding the watermelons came into view. ¡°Aha!¡± She hurried over and squeezed her way through the crowd, before immediately grabbing up a watermelon. ¡°Yes! They¡¯re actually here!¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± She turned to the vendor, tapping his finger on his counter frustratedly. ¡°You have to pay for that.¡± ¡°Oh, of course!¡± Aloette said, scrambling for her wallet, before handing over the appropriate amount of gold. The vendor took it, before eyeing her up. ¡°You¡¯re that energetic girl, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ve seen you bother the other vendors while I¡¯ve been staying in town.¡± ¡°I hardly think I¡¯m a bother.¡± Aloette corrected, before fitting the watermelon into her bag. ¡°And thank you for the food.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your money.¡± He remarked, just as Aloette left the vendor to tend to other customers. Aloette made a point to turn back around and start making her way back to the manor, just as the ocean breeze caught the back of her neck, reminding her of the other reason she wanted to head down to the docks that day. She faced the palace, just above the marketplace and dwarfing it with its sheer presence. The building covered the opposing cliff face, running around its length, just off to the side of Intide proper. Aloette carefully found her way over to the end of the docks, leading to a blocked-off walkway running parallel to the palace just against the edge of the ocean. The entrance, however, was fortunately unguarded, letting Aloette open the gate leading out to the walkway without hassle. ¡°That¡¯s odd. The guards aren¡¯t normally this careless.¡± Aloette said, before squeezing her way through and quietly making her way down. As the walkway and palace exterior continued, the cliff overhead started to make itself known, stretching a shadow over the walkway and giving refuge from the sun¡¯s heat. Right as she reached halfway around, Aloette stopped and rested her hands on the railing, taking in the fresh air and temperate atmosphere, even as the looming presence of the palace guard finding her was still in the back of her mind. This was her refuge. Her moment of freedom from the doldrums of everyday life she¡¯d grown so accustomed to. A moment she could truly have to herse- ¡°PISS OFF!!!¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Aloette jumped suddenly, covering her head with her hands and ducking while frantically searching for the guards that found her, only to find no one around, giving her pause for thought. ¡°I SAID OFF!!!¡± After calming herself, Aloette tried looking for the source of the voice, ducking over the railing and perching her head to inspect the rest of the palace, only to hear grunting coming from below her, drawing her eye to a grate built into the palace. She ducked down and peered inside, before making out what looked to be a storeroom, housing various palace goods, with the only out of place object being the set of stockades in the centre, and the man inside them, trying his best to swat at the insects in his face. ¡°You absolute...¡± He groaned, attempting to blow them away, only for one to land in his mouth. ¡°Arh-!¡± He spat it out in frustration, giving him some relief from them bothering him, only for Aloette to knock on the bars rhythmically. ¡°Good day.¡± The man, confused by the sudden voice coming from nowhere, jerked his head around, only to find a very innocent and curious face watching him from the grate above. He stared back at her, before sighing out and trying to get comfortable. ¡°Are the guards offering private viewings now?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. I don¡¯t talk to them.¡± Aloette answered, as she lay down and started kicking her legs. ¡°My name¡¯s Aloette.¡± The man only acknowledged her in the most basic sense, before speaking. ¡°...that¡¯s a rich name.¡± ¡°Well, yes. My family is quite well off.¡± Aloette replied. ¡°You¡¯re a prisoner, aren¡¯t you?¡± The man took a second, before staring up at the ceiling. ¡°...rich and perceptive.¡± ¡°You must be that Sadashi I¡¯ve heard about.¡± Aloette deduced, pressing her face to the bars. ¡°The pirate, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve heard correct.¡± ¡°Why are you locked up down here?¡± ¡°For being a pirate.¡± Aloette chuckled to herself. ¡°No, why are you down in here instead of the prison?¡± Sadashi tried readjusting his legs, before breathing out again. ¡°If I was in a more obvious cell, they''re worried someone might be able to free me.¡± Sadashi replied, readjusting his legs again. ¡°So they stowed me away with the provisions as a precaution. And to torture me with the constant smell of food I can¡¯t eat.¡± Aloette stared at him again, before turning around and sitting with her back to the wall. ¡°Being a pirate sounds tough.¡± ¡°And this part doesn¡¯t even involve sailing.¡± Sadashi remarked, before jumping at the sound of Aloette grabbing the bars. ¡°You know how to sail?!¡± ¡°Calm yourself, kid. It¡¯s a pretty basic skill.¡± Sadashi insisted, as Aloette lay against the bars again. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s it like out there? Surely, you must have some grand adventures with your crew.¡± Aloette asked, before her eyes lit up. ¡°Have you travelled to The Further?!¡± Sadashi kept his face stoic and unimpressed. ¡°It¡¯s a known death trap. I wouldn¡¯t still be here if I had.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s real?!¡± Aloette exclaimed, balling her fists and kicking her legs excitedly. ¡°I just knew it! King Syrille denies it¡¯s even out there, but I knew it had to exist!¡± Sadashi scoffed at the mention of Syrille. ¡°He would say that. He¡¯s got a private map to help navigate towards it, and yet it¡¯s ¡®not even real¡¯ in the eyes of the palace...¡± Sadashi strained his vision to look back up at Aloette, as she rested her back to the bars again, taking in the ocean breeze. ¡°...why are you sitting here?¡± Aloette turned her head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean why¡¯s the daughter of a noble wandering onto the palace grounds and talking to a death row inmate?¡± Sadashi remarked, as Aloette sat more comfortably in the direction of the sea. ¡°This is the only place I can get a great view of the ocean.¡± Aloette admitted. ¡°Everywhere else is either too busy or heavily guarded.¡± Aloette pointed to the walkway and smiled. ¡°But this one¡¯s just lightly guarded.¡± ¡°So you knew you were breaking in...?¡± Sadashi remarked to himself, before shaking his head. ¡°If you value your life, you¡¯ll forget talking to me and avoid stirring up trouble, okay?¡± Aloette turned around, as she could tell Sadashi was serious in his convictions. ¡°...I¡¯m not much longer for this world.¡± Sadashi admitted, returning to his depressive slump. ¡°Time spent talking with me would just be wasted. And I couldn¡¯t live with myself if the daughter of a noble was caught up in the crimes of an enemy of Nestell.¡± Aloette gave him a moment to breath, before standing back up. ¡°If you say so.¡± She left soon after, finally leaving Sadashi to sit alone with his thoughts once again, only for her to duck her head down to the grate again. ¡°But I¡¯m coming back tomorrow.¡± Aloette insisted. ¡°After all, you¡¯re not long for this world, so I only have so much longer to get to know you.¡± Sadashi tried not to acknowledge her, as she left properly this time, as Sadashi felt another insect crawling up his face again. ¡°I may just prefer you, bug...¡± Sadashi let out, before closing his mouth to avoid swallowing any more. ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ Unbeknownst to Aloette, extending her trip had taken up more time than she¡¯d intended, as the light of the afternoon was slowly being replaced with twilight. Fortunately, the trip back home wasn¡¯t much longer, as she made her way up the hill with her fairly heavy watermelon, already having cleared most of the way. ¡°Perhaps...the carriage...is still an option...¡± She reasoned, before taking a needed break, as she rested outside one of the alleyways splintering off from the main street, staring inside of it out of curiosity. A couple lanterns lit up its interior, indicating various bars, but hardly anything grabbed Aloette¡¯s attention, as she turned around and reached for her bag again, only to find a few figures looming over her, facing the alleyway. The first one leaned down, before grinning at Aloette. ¡°Hey, girlie. You mind stepping aside?¡± Aloette froze, as she got a better look at the gang, accurately deducing they were pirates. The woman in front of her stood back up proper, before dusting off her sharp red jacket. ¡°Okay, kid. It¡¯s been a long day, and we need a drink.¡± The woman insisted, stepping closer, as Aloette found herself backing up. ¡°We just wanna get by hassle-free.¡± Aloette was still struggling with what to do, as she realised she¡¯d accidentally left her bag on the ground, before the pirates realised as well and started digging through it. ¡°Hey, Nyra?¡± The woman grit her teeth, before turning back. ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s in there?¡± ¡°Just a weird looking fruit and a wallet with a good amount in it.¡± Another pirate mentioned, holding up the wallet, as Nyra clicked her tongue in amusement. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be. Guess she¡¯s paying for our drinks tonight.¡± Nyra remarked, before getting a better look at the frightened Aloette and smiling. ¡°Hey, yeah. Now that I look at her, her blood does look kinda rich.¡± Aloette noticed one of the pirates reaching for their revolver, as she started to panic even more, holding up her hands and backing up into the alley further. ¡°Kid, you gonna play hardball?¡± Nyra asked, slowly hemming Aloette in. ¡°We got your wallet, we just wanna see if you¡¯ve got anything else on ya.¡± ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t...I-I¡¯m not...holding a-anything...¡± Aloette managed, as Nyra held out her hands. ¡°She finally speaks.¡± Nyra joked, getting a laugh from the other pirates, before lowering herself to Aloette¡¯s height. ¡°Forgive me if I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Nyra reached for her side and pulled out a rusted cutlass, as Aloette¡¯s eyes shrank in fear, before she backed up even more. Just as the pirates were closing in, Aloette took a deep breath, readying herself for what was to come, before holding out her hand toward them. ¡°S-Stop! You¡¯ll stop yourselves a-at once!¡± Unsurprisingly, this hardly deterred her pursuers, as Aloette struck a dynamic pose. ¡°I command you to stop!¡± They only came in closer, surrounding her on each end, as Aloette closed her eyes and scrunched up her hands. ¡°And why should we, girlie?¡± Nyra let out, reaching far enough to caress Aloette¡¯s face with her cutlass, right before Aloette blurted out her truest declaration. ¡°Because...¡± ¡°B-Because...¡± ¡°B-Because I¡¯m going to become the Pirate Princess!!!¡± It took a moment for the pirates to register what she¡¯s said, mostly due to the sheer whiplash of the statement against their attempt to intimidate. The first one to crack, however, was Nyra, who went from wickedly smiling to howling with laughter and clutching at her stomach. ¡°Holy shit, the pirate princess?!¡± Nyra laughed, almost falling over. ¡°What are you, five?!¡± The other pirates backed off a bit, as Nyra struggled to catch her breath during her laughing fit. Aloette was similarly in two minds, wondering if she should use the opportunity to duck out of the alley, or wait for a safer chance to guarantee her escape. ¡°Oh my god, the balls on this girl!¡± Nyra hollered, wiping tears from her eye. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean anything! It¡¯s just words!¡± Nyra gave herself a moment to collect herself, before standing back up and chuckling lowly. ¡°Of all the people we coulda come across...¡± Nyra smirked, as she put her cutlass away. ¡°That¡¯s the best thing I¡¯ve heard in months.¡± Aloette noticed Nyra approaching again, as she froze up, hoping not to provoke her further, only for Nyra to start walking past, followed by the rest of the pirates. ¡°Kid, you gave me a good laugh.¡± Nyra said, patting Aloette¡¯s shoulder assertively. ¡°We¡¯re keeping the wallet, but you¡¯re free to scram.¡± Aloette turned around as they started heading into one of the bars, before Nyra stopped by the door and smiled again. ¡°And let¡¯s hope we don¡¯t run into each other again.¡± Nyra threatened, tapping her cutlass handle. ¡°Okay?¡± Aloette quickly nodded back, as Nyra headed into the bar proper, right before Aloette fell to the ground, sinking to her knees now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Her face was still slightly cold from the sword blade pressed against it, as well as the slowly approaching cold of night that was starting to become more apparent. She slowly managed to get herself back on her feet, before looking around for her bag. She found it discarded by the side of the alley, now lacking a wallet, but with the watermelon fortunately intact. Taking a heavy breath, she collected her things and started heading back up the hill, trying to speed up her ascent, before arriving at her manor soon after. Right as she opened the front door, she noticed Evans grabbing his coat, before turning to address her. ¡°Miss Everday.¡± Evans greeted. ¡°I was just about to go out looking for you.¡± Aloette took another breath, before dragging her bag inside and smiling. ¡°Well, you needn¡¯t have worried! And one watermelon, just as promised!¡± ¡°My my, that must have been heavy to carry. Did you at least take the carriage back?¡± Evans asked, as Aloette waved her hand dismissively. ¡°It was one watermelon. Hardly an issue.¡± Aloette played off, dropping the bag by Evans'' feet. ¡°Now, I believe I suggested a dinner using this.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get right on that.¡± Evans offered, taking the bag off her hands, before noticing Aloette heading up the main stairway. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to come to the dining room?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll take a break in my room. I¡¯ll join you in a moment.¡± Aloette excused, as Evans bowed and left, letting Aloette take her time going back to her room. Opening the door, she pulled herself in, before closing it behind her and heading back for the window, resting against it as the day finally turned over to night. Intide was asleep, with the only presence of life being the lights still shimmering from the occasional window, and the reflection of the moon cast off the coastline, standing out against the city as it always had. Aloette lay her head back, staring out at the city again, before letting out a sigh of relief. ¡°One day...¡± She caressed the window, feeling the slight tinge of cold coming off of it, before pulling back. ¡°One day I¡¯ll see you again...¡± She eventually got up, feeling ready to head out and leave the confines of her room, but not before staying a moment longer and staring at the window, just as the moonlight bled in once again. ¡°...soon...¡± Chapter 2: The Princesses New Clothes ¡°...no...¡± ¡°...I com...command...¡± ¡°...pira...¡± Aloette tossed in her bed, unconsciously tangling herself in her sheets, before her eyes shot open and she stared at the window, realising it was already morning. She slowly pulled herself up, rubbing her eyes, before going and collapsing back onto the bed with a tired thud. ¡°...meeting Nyra really got to me...¡± She let out. ¡°...I dreamed about our encounter again...¡± Aloette lifted herself from the bed, before stretching her arms out. ¡°Thankfully, Evans didn¡¯t notice my missing wallet...mother would have had a field day with that...¡± Aloette managed to pull herself out of bed, before getting herself ready for the day, including staring out at the wonderful view of Intide her window gave her. She made her way down the main hall and down the stairway, before noticing Evans standing by the door, slightly more dressed up than usual. ¡°Ah, Miss Everday. Do you happen to know where Penelope might be?¡± Evans asked, as Aloette rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t, and stop calling mother that.¡± Aloette insisted. ¡°It¡¯s weird hearing you use her first name instead of ¡®Miss Everday.¡¯¡± ¡°But that¡¯s how I refer to you.¡± Evans pointed out, as Aloette decided to give up arguing the point, just as the clicking of heels started emanating from the hallway upstairs. After another minute, Aloette turned to see her mother coming out from the hall, arms out and welcoming. ¡°Aloette, dear!¡± Penelope let out, before taking her time down the stairs, making a great effort to carry her luxury coat. ¡°Just who I wanted to see.¡± Aloette noticed the bags she was dragging behind her and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you travelling somewhere?¡± ¡°Yes, my presence is needed in Pelaga. Apparently, there¡¯s some transport deal being discussed...¡± Penelope mentioned, waving her hand around. ¡°Anywho, I¡¯m letting you know since I¡¯ll be out of town for the next couple weeks, meaning you¡¯re the head of the house.¡± Penelope pointed down at Aloette. ¡°Can I trust you to take care of this place in my stead?¡± Aloette looked back at her mother, before saluting back to her proudly. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± Penelope rolled her eyes, before putting down her bags and stretching out her arms to hug Aloette. Aloette accepted the hug, as Penelope squeezed her. ¡°I will so miss you! Make sure to treat Evans well, alright?¡± Penelope broke the hug, before caressing Aloette¡¯s arm with a slightly forlorn expression. ¡°I know...it¡¯s been hard without your father around. It¡¯s been...but, as long as you keep your head on straight, then the world will bow down to your brilliance.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know that they¡¯ll bow, but I¡¯ll try!¡± Aloette insisted, as Penelope quickly pat her head. ¡°Of course you will.¡± Penelope let out, before looking to Evans. ¡°Can I get a hand here, Evans?¡± ¡°At once, Pe...Miss Everday.¡± Evans corrected, glancing back at Aloette, who gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Have fun in Pelaga!¡± Aloette called out, just as the front door shut, letting her stay alone with her thoughts. ¡°Now, what to do today. All of a sudden, I have no keepers.¡± Aloette tapped her chin and wandered on the spot, before raising a finger, only to come up with nothing. ¡°Drat. I¡¯m all out of ideas...¡± Aloette sighed out, before heading out of the door regardless. ¡°...perhaps I should find something to help me deal with anymore ¡®Nyra¡¯s¡¯ in the future. Does Intide have any bodyguards?¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°I can¡¯t believe it...King Syrille¡¯s barely lifting a finger.¡± ¡°Well, what¡¯s he meant to do? The restrictions on sea faring are already ironclad.¡± ¡°Yeah, but we can see the ship. We all know that Nyra¡¯s parked in the docks.¡± Aloette comfortably strolled down the street, passing by the many storefronts lining the streets of Intide, idly window shopping as passers-by muttered to themselves about this and that. ¡°But he can¡¯t confirm it until she¡¯s actually on the ship.¡± ¡°She¡¯s in town! Her crew¡¯s just wandering around in broad daylight! That should be cause enough! And they¡¯re not the only ones either. I swear, there¡¯s more pirates around town these days.¡± ¡°Hey, take it up with the guard, not me. I don¡¯t like them being around either.¡± Aloette kicked her legs back and forth, trying to at least make her walk more entertaining for herself. Just as she made her way further down the street, she stopped herself right outside of a clothing store, as an outfit in the window managed to catch her eye. She stopped and turned toward it, as the bright pink coat on display stood out proudly and drew her in. Noticing her reflection, she tried matching it to the clothes, before looking around her cautiously and heading inside of the store. She immediately ran up to it excitedly, running her hand over the fabric, before the store clerk cleared his throat. ¡°Hey, no touching the displays.¡± He let out, his feet propped up on the counter with a book in his other hand. ¡°And no messing with the fabric. If it tears, you pay for it.¡± ¡°Oh, so sorry!¡± Aloette let out, letting go and checking the price tag idly, before her elation got the better of her. ¡°...can I try it on? Just to see how it looks?¡± The store clerk lifted his head, before sighing and pointing to the changing room. Aloette¡¯s giddiness took over, as she grabbed the clothes off the mannequin and ran to the changing room. She held the coat up to herself, loving everything about how they looked, before she stopped herself briefly. ¡°Remember, we¡¯re not purchasing this.¡± Aloette said to herself, still holding it up. ¡°We¡¯re just looking.¡± Right after, she started changing into the outfit, before stepping out of the changing room a few minutes later and immediately getting a look at herself in the full body mirror. My word... She let out, as she balled up her hands and nearly squealed. I look incredible! She spun around a few times, loving the fit on her figure, just as the clerk lifted his eyes up and rolled them, going back to his book. After a couple more minutes of fawning over it, Aloette eventually pulled herself away from the mirror and went back into the changing room. ¡°...I wish I hadn¡¯t lost my wallet...¡± Aloette admitted, putting on her regular clothes again. ¡°...and I¡¯m sure mother wouldn¡¯t approve of such a purchase...¡± Right before she took it off, Aloette gave herself one last look at the pink coat, running her hand against it again, before taking it off. ¡°...maybe another day...¡± She sighed, stepping out of the room, right as the door to the store opened. Aloette turned her head, only to instantly recognise Nyra and a few members of her crew coming inside, as Aloette hit the deck and hid behind the clothes rack, panicking instantly. She slowly ducked her head around the rack, getting an eyeful of Nyra, as Nyra wandered up to the counter, pushing the clerk¡¯s legs off. ¡°Hey! Watc...¡± The clerk said, only to realise who he was talking to and hold his tongue. ¡°Yeah, I figured.¡± Nyra said, before leaning down. ¡°So, here¡¯s the thing. We¡¯ve got some clothes that need to be replaced, and we were hoping to get a discount.¡± ¡°A d-discount?¡± The clerk managed, as Nyra propped an elbow on the counter. ¡°You know, no questions asked.¡± Nyra clarified, winking to him, as her other crewmates started looking around. ¡°We¡¯ll tell you when we find something we like.¡± Aloette quickly hopped over to the other clothing rack, just before Nyra¡¯s crew started heading toward her. She hid herself inside of it, before slipping out and crawling underneath one of the lines of tables, going almost as far as the front door. She headed as quickly as she could for the exit, only to find Nyra¡¯s red coat right next to her head and nearly scream out, before covering her mouth. ¡°Hey! You guys like button ups?¡± Nyra yelled out, as her crew shook their heads. ¡°Really? Archie, I thought you liked them.¡± ¡°They¡¯re too formal.¡± Archie replied, as Nyra shook her head. ¡°Too formal. I¡¯m never gonna understand your tastes...¡± Nyra remarked, just as Aloette slipped out of the store the moment Nyra¡¯s back was turned. She just managed to get outside of the store, before hiding around a nearby corner to catch her breath. ¡°That...was close...¡± She let out, wiping some sweat away, before nearly wiping her sweat with the coat by mistake. ¡­ ¡­ ...the coat? Aloette shot a glance at her hand, as she realised she¡¯d left with the coat she was trying on. I didn¡¯t pay for this. Aloette held the coat in her hands, before blushing profusely, as she sank to the ground. I just stole this from the store. She turned her head back around. I could go back in and pay for this. She thought about it for a second, before returning to panicking. I just stole this from the store. She reiterated, as she held it to her face, getting used to the feel of the fabric. Before she could deliberate any further, her excitement started to get the better of her, as she stamped her feet in joy. This is just like what a real pirate would do! Aloette admitted, swinging it around happily, before realising Nyra could probably spot her in the window and deciding to duck away. Right as she knew the coast was clear, she hid the coat away in her bag, before excitedly dancing to herself. ¡°Okay...okay...calm down...¡± She said, taking a steady breath. ¡°...this goes in the back of the closet. No one else sees this...¡± Right after calming herself, she felt the desire to open up her bag again, before getting another glance of the coat and excitedly squealing again. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°This is the best day ever!¡± She let out, before heading into town once again. ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ The heat was getting to Sadashi. He was starting to see shapes that weren¡¯t there... ...his eyes could barely focus on what was in front of him... ...he was... ...he... ¡­ ¡­ ...right before nodding off, Sadashi used as much strength as he could muster to stamp his foot down. ¡°NO!¡± He let out, ignoring the constant smell of food around him, trying to keep himself from fainting. ¡°I refuse to let them win...scum survives, Syrille...¡± ¡°Hello, Sadashi!¡± Sadashi lifted his head up, before spotting an incredibly happy Aloette waving to him through the grate. ¡°You¡¯re back again.¡± He let out, trying his best to conserve energy. ¡°This is the fourth day now.¡± ¡°I know! I¡¯ve been counting too!¡± Aloette let out, reaching into her bag to pull out some food. ¡°And what a lovely day it is. I bought these lovely sourdough loaves from the market tha...¡± Aloette gave it a moment, before pulling her hand back out. ¡°...actually, it would be cruel to eat in front of you. I only wish I could share it with you somehow.¡± ¡°Unless you can fit it through the bars.¡± Sadashi said. ¡°And learn how to long-distance lockpick. And incapacitate all the guards.¡± Aloette chuckled to herself. ¡°For someone as starved as you, you¡¯re quite funny.¡± ¡°It helps me forget how my body¡¯s slowly dying.¡± Sadashi admitted, before Aloette lay against the wall again. ¡°...I need to know.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You could be spending your time doing anything...¡± Sadashi said. ¡°And yet, you drag yourself back here, over and over...just to talk?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the idea.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not convinced.¡± Sadashi said, as Aloette blushed slightly. ¡°You¡¯ve got an ulterior motive.¡± Sadashi weakly pointed up to her. ¡°You might as well admit to it now and get it over with.¡± Aloette hid her face, as Sadashi groaned and readjusted his body again. ¡°You¡¯re really a spy for King Syrille, aren¡¯t you? Trying to get information from me before killing me?¡± Aloette was visibly offended. ¡°N-No, of course not! Even if I was for some reason, I would never do something so shameless.¡± ¡°So you do have a reason?¡± Sadashi asked, as Aloette realised she had nowhere to go and bolstered up her confidence. Pumping her fists, she faced Sadashi again. ¡°...I wish to become a pirate.¡± Sadashi stared back up at her, no expression in his eyes, before sighing out in an expected sort of way. ¡°...of course you do.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the idea always seemed so romantic!¡± Aloette elaborated, leaning on the bars and holding her bag to her chest. ¡°Sailing out into the ocean, no care in the world, exploring to your hearts content with the sun as your guide and the wind at your back!¡± ¡°Uh huh...¡± ¡°And gathering a crew! A hearty crew of comrades! All living and caring for the ship, swashbuckling with other crews, enjoying drinks together after a successful plunder!¡± ¡°By swashbuckling, you mean barely surviving...¡± ¡°And the loot! The treasure! The vistas a plenty! What could be out there? What is it King Syrille doesn¡¯t want us to see? What¡¯s yet to be discovered?¡± ¡°Common sense.¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t let the idea go!¡± Aloette admitted, feigning exhaustion and sinking to the bars again. ¡°It¡¯s ever present. I stare at the ocean and want nothing more.¡± Remembering her earlier plunder, Aloette rustled around in her bag, before pulling out her coat. ¡°I even bought this earlier today!¡± Sadashi took a side glance at the coat. ¡°You bought that?¡± ¡°...well, technically I...stole it.¡± Aloette admitted, before feeling fairly proud of herself. ¡°Much like a pirate would, in fact! What do you think?¡± Aloette held it up for him to see, as Sadashi had to squint to see through the bars. ¡°...it looks like a costume.¡± Sadashi admitted, as Aloette giggled. ¡°I know, right? It¡¯s just perfect.¡± Aloette beamed, as Sadashi shook his head. ¡°No, it looks like dress up. No pirate¡¯s gonna treat you seriously wearing that.¡± ¡°Mother always said confidence is in attitude first, appearance second.¡± Aloette noted, carefully putting the coat back in the bag. ¡°And I¡¯ve got plenty of the first.¡± While he couldn¡¯t tell whether it was from hunger, tiredness or annoyance, Sadashi felt a strong headache coming on. ¡°...are you joking? I need to know, are you serious in your convictions?¡± ¡°Of course I am.¡± Aloette insisted. ¡°I¡¯ve no reason to lie.¡± ¡°...right.¡± Sadashi let out. ¡°So the daughter of a noble is fantasising about starving to death out at sea, getting slaughtered by much deadlier pirates, all while capsizing and drowning for good measure?¡± ¡°Well, when you frame it like that, it sounds terrible.¡± Aloette remarked, as Sadashi tried to pull himself up to face her. ¡°Aloette, I¡¯m serious.¡± Sadashi declared. ¡°No one is ever ready for this, but you¡¯re the furthest from a pirate I¡¯ve ever met. If I have any chance to steer you away from this, I won¡¯t hesitate.¡± Aloette could hear the seriousness in his tone, as she lowered her eyes and lay on the ground. ¡°Coming from a real pirate, that sounds disingenuous.¡± ¡°Look at me.¡± Sadashi said. ¡°I spend my life pursuing this, and I¡¯m stuck where everyone else ends up. I might as well have been caught purse snatching for all it¡¯s worth.¡± Sadashi looked away from her. ¡°This is where it gets you. Your life doesn¡¯t begin with this, it goes on hold. It¡¯s escapism, and a cheap one at that.¡± ¡°You sure are crabby.¡± Aloette remarked, as Sadashi sneered. ¡°You¡¯ve only so much longer to live. If I was in your position, I¡¯d want people to carry on my legacy. Continue my grand adventures.¡± Sadashi chose not to reply, as Aloette started kicking her legs. ¡°Well, if I can¡¯t become one, at least tell me what it was like to be a pirate.¡± ¡°No.¡± Sadashi replied, as Aloette pouted. ¡°Come on! Please, tell me of one of your adventures!¡± Aloette insisted, grasping her hands together. Sadashi slowly shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t do that to you. If I were to tell you anything, you¡¯d become an accessory to my crimes. The guards might press you for information if they found out, and I despise the thought of putting an innocent in harm¡¯s way.¡± ¡°Do you really think I¡¯d talk?¡± Aloette insisted, leaning in and pressing a finger to her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m an innocent young woman. I¡¯ll just flip my hair and feign ignorance. They always fall for that.¡± Sadashi stayed silent, as Aloette started knocking on the bars. ¡°If being a pirate¡¯s so terrible, shouldn¡¯t these stories scare me off becoming one?¡± Aloette reasoned, as Sadashi shook his head. ¡°...dammit...¡± He realised, before trying to face her again. ¡°Alright...you get one story, but that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Aloette exclaimed, crossing her legs and listening. ¡°...so, a few years bac-¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Aloette said, frustratingly holding him up. ¡°Does the story have a title?¡± ¡°A titl...?¡± Sadashi went to question, before giving up and thinking. ¡°...I suppose. It¡¯s called...¡± The...uhh, the Great Trial of...the Fire and The Flood? Is that good enough? ...alright, I like that. Go on, Mr Pirate, captivate me with your words! ...please stop talking. So, a few years back, I was part of a crew. We hardly knew each other, but we had a simple goal. Retrieve a chest of gold from the bottom of a cave and pull it all the way back up. The problem was that whenever it was high tide, water would flood the cave entirely, meaning the chest couldn¡¯t be retrieved, and pulling it back up was near impossible since the only path up was a spiraling one traveling around the centre of the cave. Where does the fire come into this? You can ask questions at the end. So, we had managed to get to the bottom... ---------- ¡°Sadashi, you got it?¡± ¡°Yeah...just a...¡± Sadashi managed, before nearly dropping it on his foot. ¡°Are either of you gonna help?¡± ¡°On it.¡± Said Pirate A, running over t- ---------- Wait, don¡¯t they have a name? They do, I¡¯m just not telling you. And don¡¯t interrupt. So Pirate A was helping me with the chest, while Pirate B was scouting the path back up. ---------- ¡°How¡¯s the tide looking?¡± Sadashi asked, as Pirate B tested the winding slope leading to the top of the cave. ¡°It¡¯s already getting wet. We¡¯ll have to be quick.¡± Pirate B said, leading Sadashi and Pirate A up the slope, before helping to push the chest up. ¡°This...better be worth it...¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Pirate A said, before turning to Sadashi. ¡°...this is kinda fun, right?¡± Sadashi smiled back at them, before glancing back at just how much further they had to travel. ¡°...let¡¯s...save the fun for later...¡± BOOOOOOMMM!!!!! ¡°What was that?!¡± Sadashi let out, as Pirate B hurried over to the ledge. ¡°Explosive barrels!¡± Pirate B exclaimed, staring at the top of the cave, before noticing another one being thrown down. ¡°Keep it steady!¡± ---------- It turns out one of the crew hands we barely knew, the one minding the ship, was actually hired by another crew. He was making sure we couldn¡¯t retrieve it successfully, so that his crew could come and collect it at another time. ...so he was trying to scare you off? ...well, no. He was trying to kill us. The explosives weren¡¯t for show. The cave started collapsing, and the rushing water from before was getting worse. ---------- ¡°The cave...it can¡¯t take it!¡± Sadashi let out, right as Pirate A dropped the chest. ¡°We¡¯re getting out! We¡¯ve gotta leave the treasure!¡± Pirate A said, right as Pirate B turned back around. ¡°And get nothing out of this?!¡± BOOOOOOMMM!!!!! Bits of the cave¡¯s roof started coming down, as Pirate B started pushing Pirate A around. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to become a real pirate, be my guest! But I¡¯m taking what I can!¡± Right as Sadashi let the chest down as well, Pirate B pushed him to the side and opened it up, grabbing as much as they could and stuffing it into their pockets, only fo- BOOOOOOMMM!!!!! With another barrel thrown down, the cave interior struggled to hold together, as the ground beneath Pirate A¡¯s feet fell out from under them. Sadashi immediately noticed and reached out a hand, managing to grab them right before they fell. ¡°S-Sadashi?!¡± They let out, as his strength struggled against the soaked cave floor. ¡°I¡¯ve got you!¡± He managed, trying to pull them up. ¡°Hey, I need help here!¡± Just as he looked to Pirate B for help, they were already running back up to the entrance, their back to the duo, as Sadashi¡¯s grip got weaker and weaker. Constantly struggling against the torrent of water, Sadashi¡¯s hands eventually gave out, as his partner fell to the cave floor, sinking into the rising flood, forever trapped along with the treasure. ---------- And...in the end, only two of us made it out...but I was the only one I could trust. So they didn¡¯t come back for you? No. I wish I could say it got better, but almost every mission was some variation of that. The successes were scarce, to say the least. Wow... ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°That was wild...¡± ¡°That¡¯s treasure hunting.¡± ¡°I hope things go different when I¡¯m out there...¡± Sadashi felt his eye twitch, before drooping his head down. ¡°I knew it. I didn¡¯t convince you at all.¡± ¡°Yeah. Sorry, but that was such a thrilling tale!¡± Aloette let out, grabbing at her chest. ¡°The action, the heartbreak, the betrayal! Who wouldn¡¯t want all of that?¡± ¡°A sane person!¡± Sadashi yelled. ¡°You¡¯re throwing your life away, and you don¡¯t even need to! What, you think you¡¯ll find the one crew that can stay together? Where all of you are drowning in riches you already possess, noble daughter? Where your captain¡¯s the nicest, bravest person you¡¯ve ever met, incapable of flaws and drowning in heroism?¡± ¡°Oh no. I¡¯ll be the captain, of course.¡± Aloette insisted. ¡°...sweet lord...¡± Sadashi let out, as his head hung lower. ¡°To think people would look at me with envy...¡± ¡°You¡¯re very self-pitying.¡± Aloette noted, standing back up. ¡°You must have a crew now, right? What are they like?¡± Sadashi went to speak, before silencing himself and keeping his voice down. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to speak about them.¡± Sadashi confessed. ¡°We are still in King Syrille¡¯s palace, after all.¡± ¡°...well, if you¡¯re willing to protect them, then they sound worth it. Maybe not everyone¡¯s a lying thief.¡± Aloette insisted, before holding up the coat. ¡°Some of us are just thieves!¡± Aloette waved, before heading to leave. ¡°See you tomorrow, Sadashi!¡± Sadashi tried speaking again, only for his words to catch in his throat, before the empty confines of the storeroom that was his prison started bleeding in all over again. ¡°I suppose I will...¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ Just as night started to roll in, a ship pulled up to the shoreline, taking up a good amount of space on Intide¡¯s coast, before unloading its passengers into the surrounding wilderness of the town. ¡°Well...I guess we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Do you see him, captain?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s in the palace prison. Don¡¯t know where else he¡¯d be.¡± ¡°Maybe he¡¯s on display? Just to torture him?¡± ¡°That bastard Syrille would do something like that. Let¡¯s give the town a once over. Make ourselves known.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± ¡°...I say in a few days, we start tearing this place down.¡± Flint grinned wildly. ¡°It¡¯s time for payback.¡± Chapter 3: Maiden Voyage During some of his down time, Evans had made a point to clean the main foyer of the manor, focused purely on his task, until his attention was drawn by the sound of steps coming through the front door behind him. ¡°Miss Everday. How was your trip today?¡± Evans asked, as Aloette yawned loudly. ¡°Fairly uneventful. I did find some odd foods down at the market, however.¡± Aloette admitted, rubbing her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly ready for bed, though.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been spending a lot of time in town recently.¡± Evans noted, as Aloette headed up the main stairs. ¡°...I have to ask...¡± Aloette turned to Evans. ¡°...does this have to do with your new pink coat?¡± Aloette¡¯s eyes widened, as she looked side to side for no real reason. ¡°Y-You know about it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not exactly subtle.¡± Evans remarked, folding his arms. ¡°I noticed you taking it out into town during the day, and I assumed it was some sort of...creative roleplay you were engaging in.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Aloette said, tapping her chin. ¡°That does sound like me...¡± ¡°As long as it¡¯s nothing to do with those pirates. I swear, King Syrille sure is taking his time when it comes to dealing with them.¡± Evans pointed out, huffing in disapproval, as Aloette giggled and headed for her room. Just as she was about to leave, she stopped herself, before turning back to him. ¡°Evans?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°...if I were to leave home at some point in the future, how would you react?¡± ¡°Well...¡± Evans let out, scratching his chin. ¡°...I would wish you safe travels and make sure you had protection.¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± Aloette replied, smiling and leaving for her room proper, just as Evans shook his head. ¡°...I hope she¡¯s ready for the world. At least some day...¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ Aloette was having trouble sleeping. Obviously, the increased pirate presence in Intide placed everyone on edge, but more importantly to her, Sadashi¡¯s execution was fast approaching. She sat by her window, watching over the entirety of Intide at night while wrapped up in her blanket, hoping for some kind of answer to come along and help her out. ¡°...I wish you were here, dad...¡± Aloette let out, running her finger across the window sill. ¡°Sadashi doesn¡¯t deserve what¡¯s coming...but I can¡¯t stand against King Syrille.¡± She hung her head solemnly, before sighing out and looking back at her closet, finding her pink coat hanging up with the rest of her outfits. ¡°...what to do...¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°STOP! STOP RIGHT THERE!¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°YES, YOU!¡± After her fairly rough night, Aloette decided to take her trip through town the following day fairly slow. Meeting Sadashi was still on the cards, but she wasn¡¯t expecting to do much else. However, while trying to enjoy her walk, Aloette was immediately distracted by the display happening around the docks at the base of Intide, as a mass of people surrounded a few palace guards and what looked to be pirates. ¡°Flint Blastcap! By order of King Syrille, you¡¯re trespassing in the kingdom of Nestell. Turn your vehicle in to the Royal Precession and give yourselves over.¡± The guard stated, holding his spear strongly, just as Flint scratched his chin. ¡°We¡¯re not parked in the docks. It¡¯s further down the island.¡± Flint pointed out. ¡°R-Regardless, that is still under the jurisdiction of Nestell.¡± The guard attempted, just as Flint raised his finger. ¡°That¡¯s Nyra¡¯s ship, isn¡¯t it?¡± Flint noted, pointing at Nyra¡¯s ship parked in the docks. The guard stayed silent, even as he wavered holding his spear straight. ¡°Well, she gets to stay here.¡± Flint said, before leaning down to face the guard fully. ¡°...so why can¡¯t I?¡± After getting no response, Flint made a point to smirk and walk straight past the guard, as the guard struggled with whether he should follow after Flint or hold himself back. ¡°I think I¡¯ll move my ship closer to the palace after your lovely suggestion.¡± Flint called back, drawing the attention of the crowd around him. ¡°And if Syrille wants me gone so bad, he can find me himself! Come on, crew, let¡¯s get ready.¡± The guard held to himself and tried not to come off as weak to those around him, as Aloette passed by, casually giving a wandering eye to the situation as she headed for the markets. ¡°Syrille needs better guards.¡± Aloette remarked, before thinking on it. ¡°Wait, Syrille has better guards. Why aren¡¯t they taking care of what¡¯s going on in town?¡± She kept idly thinking to herself as she passed through the massive afternoon crowd taking up the market, before finding the walkway running beside the palace blocked off by two guards. Aloette gave herself a second, before straightening her back and marching up toward them. ¡°Excuse me! You two!¡± She called out, as the guards lifted their heads. ¡°Can you please help? I just saw some pirates bothering one of the stalls for free food.¡± ¡°Pirates?¡± One of them asked, looking to the other. ¡°Were they with Nyra?¡± The other asked, as Aloette shook her head. ¡°They said something about a man named Flint and regrettable actions...?¡± Aloette suggested, before turning around. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about these sorts of affairs as a noble, but if you don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be a problem, I ca-¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± One guard said, before indicating to the other. ¡°We¡¯ll go check it out. Thanks for the tip.¡± ¡°Oh, no, thank you for being so kind!¡± Aloette called back, waiting until they were out of eyeshot before she opened the gate to the walkway and headed down the path, snickering to herself. It took her a bit of walking before she came across the grate in the wall, as she stuck her head in. ¡°Good morning, Sadashi!¡± Sadashi took a few seconds to even lift his head up, before he managed to look back at Aloette. ¡°...you¡¯re here again...¡± ¡°Of course. I only have so much longer to talk to you.¡± Aloette insisted. ¡°And I ate before I got here, so you won¡¯t be taunted by the sight of more food.¡± ¡°...you¡¯re too kind...¡± Sadashi managed, before coughing dryly. ¡°...hey...how much longer?¡± Aloette looked to him. ¡°I...don¡¯t have a great sense of time in here.¡± Sadashi said. ¡°When¡¯s the execution?¡± ¡°...tomorrow. In the morning.¡± Aloette admitted. ¡°Sixteen hours away, give or take.¡± ¡°...it still hasn¡¯t hit me...¡± Sadashi admitted, chuckling a little. ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll kick in once I¡¯m on the chopping block...¡± Sadashi did his best to face Aloette properly, at least to acknowledge some kind of conversation. ¡°I don¡¯t have much longer, Aloette...¡± Sadashi admitted. ¡°If you¡¯ve got anything you want to confess, I won¡¯t tell anyone...¡± ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m not really the confession type.¡± Aloette noted, waving her hand awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯m quite out in the open.¡± ¡°...you could ask me about pirate stuff.¡± Sadashi suggested. ¡°If it¡¯ll help you get your mind off of it.¡± Aloette¡¯s eyes panicked a little, slightly balling herself up as she sat. ¡°...I know I said you shouldn¡¯t become one, but hearing about my trips mig-¡± ¡°I...I¡¯m sorry.¡± Aloette let out, touching her fingers together. ¡°...I do have something to confess. I did lie to you.¡± Sadashi stared up at her sunken form. ¡°About what?¡± ¡°...about why I want to become a pirate.¡± Aloette confessed, sitting against the wall so she didn¡¯t have to face Sadashi as she spoke. She let out a sigh, before staring back at the ocean. ¡°...my dad went missing...out at sea.¡± Sadashi silenced himself, as Aloette continued. ¡°It was right before King Syrille outlawed oceanic travel. He was going on a trip for business, and next we heard...his ship had sunk with n-no survivors.¡± Aloette admitted, her voice catching slightly in her throat. ¡°There weren¡¯t any bodies in the wreckage, but...it was also next to The Further.¡± Sadashi¡¯s eyes widened, as Aloette¡¯s voice became more impassioned. ¡°I-I know how unlikely it is, and that it¡¯s a fool''s errand, but I need to know what¡¯s out there, and what The Further holds.¡± Aloette let out. ¡°I need to know if he¡¯s still alive somehow.¡± Aloette started playing with her hands idly. ¡°Syrille made it illegal to travel the ocean without his permission, so we could never go out and investigate. But that wouldn¡¯t stop a pirate crew.¡± ¡°...I suppose it wouldn¡¯t.¡± Sadashi added, as Aloette finally turned to face him. ¡°...you were willing to incur King Syrille¡¯s wrath just to find your father...¡± ¡°...he would¡¯ve done the same for me.¡± Aloette noted, crossing her legs. ¡°Mother¡¯s all but given up at this point, but I refuse to stop looking.¡± ¡°...I regret trying to scare you off of becoming a pirate.¡± Sadashi confessed. ¡°I don¡¯t regret what I said, mind you. If you¡¯re serious about this, it¡¯s best that you¡¯re informed about what real piracy¡¯s like.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to captain my own crew.¡± Aloette pointed out. ¡°Then I¡¯d guarantee that I could trust my crewmates.¡± Sadashi scoffed, before leaning his head back. ¡°...well, there¡¯s no guarantee...but you seem like a good judge of character.¡± Aloette chuckled to herself, before lying on her back again. ¡°...I¡¯m sorry you got caught up in my wish. I was being selfish trying to drag information out of you when you had no say in the matter...¡± ¡°...he must be worth it.¡± Sadashi said. ¡°If you¡¯re going to these lengths.¡± ¡°He¡¯d probably tell me off for doing it, though.¡± Aloette said, before sitting up and putting on a comical voice. ¡°No daughter of mine¡¯s going out to sea! If there¡¯s anything Atticus Everday stands for, it¡¯s keeping his family safe, an-¡± ¡°What?!¡± Aloette jumped suddenly, before she realised Sadashi was staring right at her. ¡°Y-Yes?¡± ¡°What did you just say?!¡± ¡°...I-I was just making a jok-¡± ¡°What name?!¡± Sadashi demanded. ¡°What was your father¡¯s name?!¡± ¡°...Atticus Everday.¡± Aloette let out, visibly confused. ¡°What¡¯s the problem with his name?¡± ¡°...no...no no no...it can¡¯t be...¡± Sadashi mumbled, staring back at Aloette and blinking profusely. ¡°How¡¯s this possible...?¡± Aloette pouted. ¡°Sadashi, answer me! Why¡¯s his name important?¡± Sadashi locked eyes with her. ¡°...Captain Everday.¡± Aloette blinked in stunned silence, as Sadashi swallowed hard. ¡°...he''s my captain.¡± Aloette¡¯s mouth hung open, as she fell back on her legs in utter shock. ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re his daughter...¡± Sadashi muttered, still trying to make sense of it. ¡°He mentioned you, but I never imagined it was...well, he never mentioned marrying a noble...¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°He¡¯s a pirate captain?!¡± Aloette exclaimed, grabbing the bars of the grate. ¡°And he¡¯s still out there?!¡± Sadashi realised the implications and nodded to her. ¡°Yes. I know where he is. Aloette, I¡¯m so sorry. If I''d known sooner tha-¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Aloette let out, breathing heavily. ¡°Where is he now?¡± ¡°...he¡¯s in The Further, with the rest of my crew.¡± Sadashi confessed. ¡°We were investigating it before I got separated. They should still be there.¡± ¡°He really did end up there...¡± Aloette managed to say, before standing up in a triumphant rush. ¡°I have to go fin-¡± BOOOOOOMMM!!!!! Aloette and Sadashi turned suddenly in the direction of the docks, before Aloette could make out the faint sounds of shouting and crashing. ¡°What was that?¡± Sadashi let out, as Aloette grabbed her bag. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. Should I...?¡± Aloette asked, before realising the redundancy of the statement and heading down the walkway to investigate. As Aloette snuck down the walkway, she was immediately greeted to the image of the marketplace in ruin, with tents burning a bright orange clashing against the emerging evening sky, and pirates clashing swords with the royal guard. Aloette ducked away as a guard¡¯s body was thrown against the gate leading to the walkway, before she noticed a figure standing out amongst the crowd, shouting with his sword drawn toward the palace. ¡°SADASHI!!! YOU¡¯LL REGRET MAKING AN ENEMY OF FLINT BLASTCAP!!!¡± ¡°What the...?¡± Aloette let out, before being cut off by a cannonball flying dangerously close and hitting the palace wall. ¡°IF YOU THINK SYRILLE¡¯S GETTIN¡¯ A PIECE OF YA BEFORE I CAN, THEN YOU¡¯RE SORELY MISTAKEN!!!¡± Flint yelled out. ¡°FIND THE PRISON!!! I WANT SADASHI!!!¡± ¡°O-Oh no...¡± Aloette let out, before running away from the conflict and back down the walkway, finding the grate to Sadashi¡¯s room again. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sadashi asked, as Aloette crouched down. ¡°Th-There¡¯s someone out there called Flint Blastcap...¡± Aloette explained, shocking Sadashi. ¡°H-He wants payback on you before Syrille can execute you.¡± ¡°Flint¡¯s here?¡± Sadashi let out, before banging his head against his stockade. ¡°Of all the...this just got a lot worse...¡± Aloette was still grappling with her worry, staring back at Sadashi as the thought of Flint finding him flashed before her, just as she stood up in an instant after making a realisation. ¡°But he still thinks you¡¯re in the prison.¡± Aloette said, feeling a bit of energy return. ¡°We have a chance...I¡¯m gonna get you out of there.¡± Sadashi processed what she said and strongly shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re not getting involved in this. You¡¯re going home and waiti-¡± Sadashi¡¯s protest was cut short by Aloette running out of his field of view. ¡°Aloette!!! They¡¯re only after me!!! It¡¯s not worth it!!!¡± Heading a bit further down the walkway, Aloette managed to find a staircase leading into the palace itself, as she steeled her resolve and headed up, only to find a locked door in her way. Before she could attempt to open it, the door swung open as she jumped behind it and watched two guards run in the direction of the fighting. ¡°Flint¡¯s this way! He¡¯s bombarding the west wing of the pa...¡± One of them yelled, as the other followed suite, letting Aloette slip inside undetected. Finding an empty hallway, she hugged to the wall, hoping to find another set of stairs down to Sadashi¡¯s room with minimal guard presence. As luck would have it, it seemed most of the guards were busy holding off Flint¡¯s assault, letting Aloette find the way down to the lower level with ease. She did her best to navigate the unfamiliar, fairly samey environment, even as the sounds of explosions and bloodshed did everything they could to scare her. She hugged the wall again as a few guards hurried down the hallway in the distance, before she happened to stumble upon the door to the palace¡¯s store room. She quietly slipped inside to avoid drawing attention, before finding Sadashi and running up to him. ¡°Aloette!¡± Sadashi yelled out, trying his best to face her. ¡°Get out of here! If they find you trying to free me, they¡¯ll execute you alongside me!¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t free you, you¡¯ll die anyway.¡± Aloette insisted, frantically checking around the stockade. ¡°Where¡¯s the keys for the lock?¡± ¡°They wouldn¡¯t leave it with me.¡± Sadashi pointed out, as Aloette studied the lock. ¡°Don¡¯t be a hero. Go back to your life. It¡¯s what¡¯s best.¡± Aloette huffed out, before standing in front of Sadashi, determination in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re my best chance at finding my dad.¡± Aloette insisted, grasping Sadashi¡¯s hands. ¡°And you have every right to keep living.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m a dangerous pirate.¡± Sadashi confessed. ¡°Even just being alive is putting you in danger. Flint wouldn¡¯t be tearing up the docks if I wasn¡¯t here.¡± Aloette held his hands tighter, before locking eyes with him. ¡°I welcome the danger.¡± As Sadashi struggled to form words, Aloette looked around them again, before finding a well-used crowbar lying near some of the barrels of provisions. She did her best to jimmy it between the stockade and the lock, only for Sadashi to sigh out in acceptance. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Trying...to...get you out!¡± Aloette tried, pushing herself to pull it off, even as it barely budged. Aloette kept grunting, putting everything she had into it, as Sadashi just shook his head, with the sounds of the fight outside only getting closer and closer. ¡°You can¡¯t do it. Don¡¯t waste you-¡± Before Sadashi could continue, the sound of the lock clattering to the ground interrupted him, as he turned to Aloette in surprise. She held the crowbar proudly. ¡°I¡¯ve...been training.¡± Aloette boasted, flexing her arm. ¡°Had to...get in shape for sea travel...at least a little bit...¡± Aloette used what strength she could to lift the stockade off of Sadashi¡¯s body, as Sadashi was finally able to pull himself up, stretching out his severely stiff back and aching joints. ¡°That¡¯s so much better...¡± Sadashi let out, feeling relief washing out the pain, as he noticed Aloette had placed herself near the door. ¡°There weren¡¯t many guards in the palace, so we could probably steal a boat t-¡± Aloette said, before Sadashi pulled her aside and clamped her mouth shut. Before she could protest, a set of guards busted through the door, quickly surveying the room, only to find the stockades empty. ¡°Flint¡¯s crew must¡¯ve caught him already. Search the halls!¡± One of them yelled, before closing the door again, letting Sadashi free Aloette. ¡°Apologies. I heard them coming and had to act fast.¡± Sadashi insisted, as Aloette just nodded back, clearly still caught off guard. ¡°R-Right. Sweet lord, this is a lot...¡± Aloette let out, just as Sadashi grabbed her attention again. ¡°Aloette. Before we go any further...¡± Sadashi leaned down and grabbed Aloette¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I want to help.¡± Aloette¡¯s stared wide-eyed toward him, as Sadashi ignored the pain running throughout his body to speak. ¡°I owe everything good in my life to Captain Everday. He was a true hero, every time I needed him.¡± Sadashi took a breath. ¡°...if I just let his daughter wander out into those waters unprepared, I¡¯d never be able to live with myself.¡± Sadashi said, before doing his best to get on one knee and bow his head to Aloette. ¡°You have my word. I will reunite you.¡± Aloette started to feel her eyes well up, as she jumped into Sadashi with an impromptu hug, before separating and wiping her face. ¡°Th-Thank you...¡± Aloette wept, still cleaning her face, as Sadashi grabbed a nearby bag on the wall and started filling it with provisions from the store room. ¡°Do you know of a way out?¡± Sadashi asked, as Aloette nodded back. ¡°The walkway outside...but the entrance to the docks is still a war zone.¡± Aloette explained, as Sadashi thought for a second. ¡°The palace is sure to have a dingy we can borrow...¡± Sadashi muttered, slightly turning his head to Aloette while he was packing. ¡°You said there¡¯s pirates on the docks, right?¡± Aloette nodded back. ¡°Yeah...?¡± ¡°And their ships are with them?¡± ¡°Yes, Nyra¡¯s and Flint¡¯s.¡± ¡°Well...what better place to get a pirate ship for our journey?¡± The idea suddenly connected for Aloette, as she jumped in excitement. ¡°Brilliant! They¡¯ll already have everything we need!¡± ¡°And with their attention still on the palace, we can take it without much trouble.¡± Sadashi said, as he handed the bag of provisions to Aloette and picked up her crowbar from earlier. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Aloette ran in place happily, before heading out into the hall with the bag in tow, leading Sadashi down the halls and back up to the floor above, before finding their way out onto the walkway again. The fighting was now far more audible, escalating to other parts of the palace, as they did their best to drown it out while searching for a boat. ¡°So, what are we looking for?¡± Aloette asked, scanning the coastline, just as the crisp evening air starting bleeding in. ¡°A small boat that¡¯ll take us to the docks. If Flint sees me, we...¡± Sadashi said, before spotting one further up the walkway. ¡°There.¡± The duo headed toward it, running down the steps and dropping off their equipment inside. ¡°Sit tight. I¡¯ll row.¡± Sadashi insisted, grabbing the oars and removing the rope holding it to shore, as Aloette sat herself down, placing her bag next to the provisions. ¡°Sure is snug on this little boat.¡± Aloette noted, as Sadashi started rowing. ¡°We should get one on our ship.¡± Sadashi didn¡¯t respond due to focusing on rowing, as Aloette looked back at the provisions bag again. ¡°Why¡¯d you have me bring that with us? The other ships are bound to have plenty of food on them.¡± ¡°Food isn¡¯t a guarantee out at sea.¡± Sadashi explained, taking a second to breath. ¡°And once we¡¯re in the clear, I want to gorge myself.¡± Aloette giggled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind doing that as well. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve e...¡± Aloette¡¯s attention was drawn as their dingy closed in on the docks, revealing more of Intide as they passed, including the small manor at the top of Intide¡¯s hillside, the lights still noticeable by this distance. Sadashi noticed something was up. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just...I got so caught up in this. I¡¯m worried that Evans migh...¡± Aloette let out, only to notice a slight tinge of colour coming out of her bag she hadn¡¯t noticed before. She opened it up and dug around a bit, before noticing her pink coat folded inside, sitting at the bottom with a small note pinned to the top. Dear Miss Everday, I noticed you¡¯d left this in your closet this morning by mistake. I figured you wouldn¡¯t want to be without it. The Pirate Princess needs her coat, after all. -Evans ¡°Evans...¡± Aloette let out, welling up a little, before making the effort to pull the coat out and put it on, as Sadashi managed to get the boat next to Nyra¡¯s ship. ¡°Heading onto Flint¡¯s would be too risky, so this¡¯ll have to do. We don¡¯t know if she''s got someone guarding the ship for he...¡± Sadashi noted, only to turn around and find Aloette in her coat, smiling proudly back at him. ¡°Actually, I have an idea for getting on board...¡± ¡°Those Gunpowder Pirates sure are wrecking shop out there...¡± Nyra¡¯s crewmate muttered, getting up from his seat and grabbing a spyglass. ¡°They better not touch this ship.¡± Just as he was about to head above deck, he stopped as he noticed someone in a slightly red coat coming down the stairs to greet him. ¡°Captain! Are we heading off now?¡± He asked, waving his hand. ¡°No one touched this while you were away. King Syrille¡¯s hardly gonn...¡± He slowly stopped himself, before registering that the coat wasn¡¯t quite red, just as Aloette became clearer in the light. ¡°Wait a...!¡± He quickly pulled out his pistol, frantically loading up a shot, only for Sadashi to run out from behind her and strike him over the head with the crowbar. ¡°...good plan, Aloette.¡± Sadashi complimented, before looking around them. ¡°He looked to be the only one on board. I¡¯ll leave his body on the docks, you grab the rope holding us to shore.¡± ¡°On it!¡± Aloette exclaimed, running back up the ship, as Sadashi took a few minutes to drop him off, before heading back up and running to the wheel. Aloette found her way to the rope, before looking to Sadashi for confirmation, as he nodded back to her, letting her free the ship from its confines and start to set sail. ¡°Hoist the sail! We want to use as much of Intide¡¯s backdraft as possible!¡± Sadashi yelled out, only to notice Aloette¡¯s confused face. ¡°...see that rope over there? Pull on it.¡± Aloette quickly did so, just as the ships sail unfurled, causing her to clap excitedly. ¡°This is really happening! I¡¯m finally heading out into the world!¡± Aloette exclaimed, before jumping over to Sadashi and hugging his side. ¡°It¡¯s a dream come true!¡± Sadashi tried his best to focus on steering, even as he caught himself smiling, as Aloette stared out at the vast ocean in front of them, ever inviting and beautiful to her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dad, I¡¯ll see you again. Your Princess promises it...¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°SADASHI!!! DON¡¯T HIDE FROM ME!!!¡± ¡°Captain!¡± One of Flint¡¯s crew exclaimed, climbing out of a sizeable hole in the palace. ¡°The prisons are empty! Not a trace of Sadashi¡¯s in there!¡± ¡°Damned Syrille...bastard must have moved him.¡± Flint groaned. ¡°He could be anywhere by no-¡± ¡°Captain!¡± Flint turned around, as another member of his crew was pointing frantically at Nyra¡¯s ship leaving dock. ¡°That¡¯s the Red Scar pirates¡¯ ship.¡± Flint remarked, joining the side of his crewmate, before he got a good look at who was at the wheel. ¡°Is that...?¡± ¡°We found some stockades in one of the storerooms! Someone must¡¯ve broken Sadashi out!¡± Another crewmate yelled out, emerging from the palace, as Flint slammed his fist onto a nearby wall, pointing back at his own ship. ¡°READY THE SHIP!!! WE¡¯RE FOLLOWING THAT LOWLIFE!!!¡± ¡°...ou guys catch that commotion happening near the docks?¡± Nyra asked, as her and her crew headed further down Intide toward the fighting. ¡°Something¡¯s going down at the palace.¡± ¡°Perhaps Sadashi¡¯s crew¡¯s trying to free him?¡± Nyra¡¯s crewmate suggested, as Nyra shrugged. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t put it past them, but they wouldn¡¯t cause a ruckus like this.¡± Nyra noted, before smirking. ¡°Maybe Flint finally snappe...¡± She stopped talking once she noticed the docks, and the lack of her ship anywhere to be seen. ¡°...where the fuck is our ship?¡± One of her crewmates pulled out a spyglass, scanning the ocean for a second, before tapping Nyra¡¯s shoulder. Nyra¡¯s yanked it off of them, before getting a look herself and spotting Sadashi at the helm of her ship, steering off into the distance. ¡°Son of a...¡± She let out, only to spot someone in a pink coat jumping around happily next to him, before getting a brief glimpse of her face. ¡°...what the...?¡± She handed it back, before scrunching up her fist. ¡°That¡¯s the alley girl from the other day. She¡¯s on the ship wit...¡± Nyra stopped herself. ¡°Was she working with Sadashi?¡± ¡°HURRY IT UP, CREW!!! THEY¡¯RE GETTING DISTANT!!!¡± Nyra lifted her head, as she spotted the frantic movements of Flint¡¯s crew, loading up their ship with the appropriate materials, with Flint yelling commands from the top of it. Nyra indicated for her crew to follow, just as she approached the docks. ¡°Hey! Flint!¡± Flint ducked his head over, before recognising the red coat and smiling. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be.¡± ¡°Sadashi¡¯s got our ship!¡± Nyra called out, before holding her arms out. ¡°You got room for a few more?¡± ¡°Well, what do you say, crew? You reckon we got enough room for Nyra?¡± Flint asked rhetorically, before happily waving them on board. ¡°Appreciate it!¡± Nyra called back, before cracking her knuckles. ¡°Come on, guys. We¡¯re not letting Sadashi or that stupid little princess girl get away with this, are we?¡± Her crew shook their heads, before heading up onto Flint¡¯s ship, just as she stared out at her ship caressing the horizon, just out of reach. ¡°I didn¡¯t think so.¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°We¡¯ve assessed the damages. Flint left most of the west wing intact, but the prisons need severe repairs.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°We¡¯ve also confirmed that Sadashi was broken free during the altercation, most likely by one of his allies. With that said, it seems Nyra was seen leaving with Sadashi on her ship last night.¡± ¡°...Nyra?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it looks, your highness.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Do you wish to continue the expedition to The Further?¡± ¡°...hold that for now. I want you to find Sadashi.¡± ¡°Your highness?¡± ¡°...he¡¯s made a mockery of Nestell.¡± ¡°Right away. We¡¯ll assemble the best of the Royal Precession to pursue.¡± ¡°...and...don¡¯t show mercy...we¡¯d hate to underestimate a subordinate to the Lord Pirate himself.¡± Chapter 4: Sails Set ¡°¡­hmm hmm¡­hmm hm hm hmm hmmmmm¡­¡± Aloette leaned against the railing of Nyra¡¯s ship, taking in as much of the sea breeze as she could. She was already used to the sensation from the edges of Intide, but feeling it push against her as she sailed was something else. Ironically, breathtaking. Sadashi, meanwhile, was struggling to stay on both feet. ¡°¡­there we go¡­there¡¯s that drowning sensation again¡­¡± ¡°Did you say something, Sadashi?¡± Aloette said, turning to him at the steering wheel, as he dismissively waved his hand. ¡°Just powering through.¡± He admitted, throwing his head back. ¡°Now that the adrenaline of the break out¡¯s worn off, I¡¯m starting to feel my body again¡­¡± Aloette smiled and hopped over to his side. ¡°Well at least we get this gorgeous view!¡± Aloette noted, pointing to the cloudless sky. ¡°I felt so cooped up in Intide, and now my sailing soul can truly be free!...even if only for a limited time. I¡¯ll be back in Intide before I know it, all the wiser and more cunning!¡± Aloette giggled to herself. ¡°And who knows? Maybe I¡¯ll ¡®borrow¡¯ one of King Syrille¡¯s ships and go on another adventure.¡± Sadashi rolled his eyes, still focusing on steering. ¡°I have a feeling you¡¯ll be over it by the time we¡¯re done¡­¡± ¡°Hardly!¡± Aloette declared, hands on her hips, as she faced the ocean ahead of her. ¡°This is my maiden voyage as a pirate! Treasure and journeys abound! Eyes set on adventure! And I get to captain a ship! Oh, the romance!¡± Sadashi grabbed the brim of his nose. ¡°¡­you¡¯ve never been to sea before, so you¡¯re not the captain.¡± Aloette turned and shook her head. ¡°Of course I am. I¡¯m the captain, and you¡¯re the¡­¡± ¡°¡­acting helmsman.¡± ¡°Acting helmsman!¡± Aloette agreed. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to give you all the responsibility. That wouldn¡¯t be very nice.¡± Sadashi sighed. ¡°You can¡¯t just call yourself the captain. As far as I¡¯m concerned, I¡¯m reuniting you with Captain Everd¡­your father, so you¡¯re a passenger on this trip.¡± ¡°Passenger?!¡± Aloette complained, stomping over to Sadashi. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I plan to get very into the action on this trip. Swashbuckling, treasure hunting, bouts against fellow pirat-¡° ¡°If everything goes according to plan, we won¡¯t be doing any of those things.¡± Sadashi reasoned, right as he stumbled on one of his feet and winced hard. ¡°Sadashi?¡± Aloette asked, as he raised his hand. ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine. Just lingering effects of a week without food.¡± He pointed out, pulling himself back up. ¡°We¡¯ll find a place to dock for the night and head out in the morning.¡± Aloette grew an excited grin. ¡°¡­you know, if you need to rest, I could take the whe-¡° ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch this.¡± Sadashi snapped back, before realising how harsh that sounded. ¡°¡­sorry, just¡­let me handle this. I have a lot more experience and I know where my limits are.¡± Sadashi nodded his head to the ocean. ¡°Just enjoy the view for now.¡± With a disappointed sigh, Aloette turned to the edge of the boat. ¡°¡­aaalright.¡± Aloette wanted to be madder, but the evening sky was just turning to orange with the approaching sunset and looked, without exaggeration, like the most beautiful thing she¡¯d ever seen. Dammit. He was completely right, this is incredible. Aloette had to admit, resting on the railing. ¡­I finally get to appreciate the ocean and all its beauty. She rested her head and watched the waves push against the side of the boat. Just like you, huh dad? ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ A few more hours passed before Sadashi found a small outcrop he felt comfortable enough parking the ship near. It was well and truly night at this point, almost a full day of sailing after leaving Intide. Hopefully it was enough to outrun Syrille¡¯s forces, or Flint and Nyra, no doubt in pursuit to get Sadashi¡¯s head and steal Nyra¡¯s ship back. Sadashi let out a heavy breath, still feeling his stomach fighting against him, as he pulled himself away from his duty and headed below deck. The warm glow of lamplight accompanied Aloette, pawing her way through Nyra¡¯s belongings, with what looked to be a¡­makeshift kitchenette by her side? ¡°¡­the boat¡¯s been docked. What¡¯re you doing down here?¡± Sadashi asked, as Aloette jumped to attention. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve not had a proper dish in quite some time.¡± Aloette said, displaying her hands. ¡°I was finding something I could fix into a nice meal!¡± Aloette laughed a little. ¡°I say meal, but my culinary skills are a bit underdeveloped. Evans handled most of that.¡± She held up a small loaf of slightly mouldy bread. ¡°So I¡¯m trying to find half-decent ingredients to make us sandwiches.¡± Sadashi felt a bit touched, before heading down the stairs to meet her. ¡°¡­just make one for yourself. My stomach¡¯s still uneasy after the last week. I¡¯ll have to ease into proper meals again.¡± Aloette went to digging again. ¡°Alright¡­but if you get jealous, just remember I offered you one.¡± ¡°Duly noted.¡± Sadashi replied, watching her scrounge through boxes, before recalling their conversation earlier. ¡­there¡¯s not point being distant¡­ Feeling he was about to give into his exhaustion, he leaned over and squeezed Aloette¡¯s shoulder to grab her attention. ¡°¡­hey.¡± He started, as she turned to him. ¡°¡­I know you want to be¡­the captain, whatever that might entail¡­and I¡¯m not saying you are, cause you still shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡± He sighed out again. ¡°¡­I¡¯m just going to layout the plan from here to keep you in the loop, okay?¡± ¡°Oh, goodie! Yes, I¡¯m ever so curious!¡± Aloette insisted, skooching over. ¡°So, are we headed to Pelaga first?¡± ¡°No. The complete opposite way actually.¡± Sadashi explained, before scanning around them, finding a map strung up on the wall nearby and going to grab it. He brought it back over, before laying it out beside Aloette¡¯s cooking materials. ¡°A map!¡± Aloette let out, grabbing it up. ¡°And what a map it is! Syrille would be furious seeing us wit-¡° Sadashi lay his hand on the map, interrupting her, before lowering it back down. ¡°Just¡­pay attention. That¡¯s Intide at the top.¡± Sadashi said, before circling his finger. ¡°And the ring of islands here is all of Nestell.¡± He moved it to the dark spot in the middle of the map. ¡°And that unmarked spot in the middle is The Further, where your father is.¡± ¡°Ooo¡­¡± Aloette let out, before lifting her head. ¡°¡­okay, so what¡¯s preventing us from just¡­sailing downward?¡± ¡°Lots of things.¡± Sadashi noted, grabbing a pencil from the supplies. ¡°First problem, The Further¡¯s surrounded by near constant whirlpools and storms.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Whirlpools?¡± Aloette asked. ¡°Vortexes in the water.¡± Sadashi clarified, as Aloette huddled in. ¡°If we sail into them, we¡¯ll shipwreck immediately.¡± Sadashi then drew a small arrow into the dark spot close to Pelaga. ¡°However, there¡¯s a small opening right here. It¡¯s still dangerous, but you can sail through there and make your way into The Further.¡± ¡°¡­and we¡¯re not going to Pelaga?¡± Aloette noted, pointing onto the map, as Sadashi raised two fingers. ¡°Second problem, Pelaga¡¯s off limits.¡± He said, pointing at the line in between it and Intide. ¡°There¡¯s a large mountain range between the islands blocking off any sailing. While it¡¯s possible to make our way through, we¡¯d have to abandon our ship, and there¡¯s no guarantee we¡¯d find another one on the other end without being caught by King Syrille.¡± He pressed a bit harder into the map. ¡°And we need a ship to sail into The Further.¡± He started drawing a line coming from Intide around the islands. ¡°So we¡¯re taking the long way. And that way, we can restock at¡­¡± He pointed at the second island. ¡°Descrelate. We¡¯ll get a new ship, more supplies, maybe some crewma-¡° ¡°A new ship? Why can¡¯t we keep this one?¡± Aloette moped, as Sadashi waved his arm about. ¡°Cause this ship¡¯s hot.¡± Sadashi pointed out. ¡°We stole it from Nyra, a very wanted woman. Which brings up the third problem.¡± Sadashi pointed to the third island from Intide. ¡°The Royal Precession, King Syrille¡¯s forces. They¡¯re gonna be onto us, and we have to pass several checkpoints to get where we need. The first being the Royal Precession Headquarters.¡± He marked a giant cross over it. ¡°We pass by there unprepared in a stolen ship, we¡¯re as good as dead.¡± ¡°¡­but wait.¡± Aloette noted, looking up at Sadashi. ¡°Nyra has special privileges with King Syrille.¡± Sadashi raised an eyebrow. ¡°¡­what are you talking about?¡± ¡°He lets her dock in Intide and turns a blind eye whenever she does. The Royal Precession haven¡¯t even touched her.¡± Aloette pointed out, dragging her finger over the map. ¡°So, we sail past the headquarters in her ship, and they won¡¯t try anything!¡± ¡°Special prive¡­?¡± Sadashi curiously muttered to himself, before addressing Aloette again. ¡°¡­w-well, even with that being true, I¡®m not risking it. They¡¯ll know we stole it soon enough.¡± Aloette shook her head. ¡°Sadashi, how could they get news of that before we pass? By the time a correspondence has reached the headquarters, we¡¯ll have already sailed by to the next island.¡± Sadashi clicked his tongue. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t fully understand it, and I only got a glimpse at it, but Syrille¡¯s forces have this¡­item.¡± Sadashi explained, grabbing up the map. ¡°It¡¯s called a¡­telephonic device. It allows them to communicate long distances in a matter of minutes¡­maybe even seconds.¡± ¡°Seconds?!¡± Aloette cried out, shooting up. ¡°How¡¯s that even possible?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it means they¡¯re able to stay in constant communication.¡± Sadashi explained, before rolling the map up. ¡°And with your limited sailing experience, we need a smaller ship that¡¯s easier for me to steer anyway.¡± ¡°¡­right, so we¡¯re already abandoning ship¡­¡± Aloette remarked, before scrunching her fists. ¡°Excellent! Another new experience to tick off!¡± Sadashi was trying his best to be amused, before handing off the map to Aloette. ¡°¡­for me?¡± ¡°Can I trust you to keep this safe?¡± Sadashi asked. ¡°¡­you¡¯re¡­part of this journey. So I need to be sure that you¡¯re reliable. Your first task is minding this.¡± Aloette stared down at it, before giving a quick salute and grabbing it. ¡°You can count on me!¡± ¡°¡­great.¡± Sadashi let out, almost stumbling to his feet. ¡°¡­don¡¯t stay up too late. We¡¯re heading out early tomorrow, and you¡¯ll need as much energy as you can get for Descrelate.¡± Once Sadashi was out of eyeshot, Aloette immediately unfurled the map and started studying it, familiarising herself with all the islands and their upcoming journey, excitedly kicking her feet as she did so. Just out of her eyeshot, Sadashi caught her doing this, before sighing and smiling to himself. ¡­she¡¯ll be okay. Sadashi realised, feeling another headache come on. I need to stop worrying so much¡­what¡¯s the wors¡­ He stopped himself, before facepalming. Idiot, you know better than to jinx things like that at this point¡­ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°¡­oh, take it in. What a morning.¡± Phil took a deep inhale as his ship passed over the cerulean sea. ¡°You think I would get tired of looking at it, but not really.¡± Phil admitted, arms behind his back, before calling out. ¡°Good sirs! Anything to report?¡± An officer shot out from below deck, before looking up to Phil and saluting. ¡°Nothing overnight, Admiral. We should be at headquarters within a few more days travel.¡± He replied. Phil pointed his hook hand to the officer and smiled. ¡°That¡­is some great news. I miss land. Alfie dear!¡± Right as he said that, another admiral popped his head out from the private cabin. ¡°Don¡¯t you miss land too?¡± Phil asked, as Alfie nodded profusely, with Phil turning to the officer. ¡°Poor thing. Terrified by the notion of swimming.¡± ¡°I¡­know sir.¡± The officer quietly let out, as Phil sighed out. ¡°Good! It¡¯s good you know that!¡± He cooed, right as something appeared on the horizon. ¡°What a picturesq¡­hold on.¡± After another minute or so, the shape became clearer, as another ship was spotted in the distance. ¡°And look at that! Companions for this voyage of ours!¡± Phil cheered, truly content in his position. ¡°The sea truly is a welcoming place.¡± He sighed out happily. ¡°¡­Take aim.¡± The officers immediately started loading up the cannons on the side of the ship, aiming them at the new ship as they started to pull closer. At Phil¡¯s beckon, the first cannon fired off, just missing the side of the ship, but still managing to rock it with the resulting splash in the water. ¡°STUPID¡­MASSIVE SHIP! SHIT! TOO CLOSE!¡± Sadashi cried out, desperately trying to steer them off to another direction. ¡°Aloette, think you could load a cannon?!¡± ¡°D-Definitely not!¡± She cried, holding desperately onto the banister of the ship as it rocked, right as Nyra¡¯s map fell out of her pocket. While Sadashi did his best to quickly course correct, Aloette made her way over, before drawing his attention to a note made on the map. Right as another cannon was about to fire off, one of the officers spoke up. ¡°Sir! Hold fire! That¡¯s Nyra¡¯s ship!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Phil let out, jumping to the edge of the boat, before finally getting a glimpse of the skull decoration on the sail and waving his arms. ¡°Cease fire! Cease it!¡± The officers stopped what they were doing, right as Alfie stepped out of the cabin, spyglass in hand, and made his way up to the helm to get a better look. ¡°Phew¡­Syrille would¡¯ve had my head.¡± Phil let out, before going up to join Alfie. ¡°She knows the procedure. What¡¯s she doing pulling this close?¡± Alfie tapped Phil¡¯s shoulder and handed him the spyglass. ¡°Nyra¡¯s not on deck.¡± Alfie said, as Phil took a closer look. ¡°Suspicious¡­¡± Phil sighed out, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the spyglass. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s just below deck. We would have gotten news if it¡¯d been hijacked.¡± Right as he said that, Sadashi raised up a flag with a small cross pattern on it, as Phil happily handed the spyglass back to Alfie. ¡°See? There¡¯s the signal!¡± Phil insisted, before leaning over the railing to address the other officers. ¡°We¡¯re all good, fellows! Let her through!¡± The officers lowered the ships cannons, before Nyra¡¯s ship took off a minute later. ¡°¡­phew¡­nicely done, Aloette.¡± Sadashi thanked, letting go of his held breath. ¡°Apologises. I¡¯m already not the most skilled helmsman, but my weakened state must have thrown off my aim and cruised us right into them¡­¡± Aloette cautiously watched the Royal Precession ship disappear behind them, before letting out a breath of her own. ¡°¡­we made it out unharmed, that¡¯s all that matters. I don¡¯t think that trick will work a second time though.¡± ¡°Agreed. We¡¯re ditching this ship as soon as we can.¡± Sadashi said, as they continued their course to Descrelate. ¡°Could you imagine what Syrille would¡¯ve done if we¡¯d fired so thoughtlessly like that?¡± Phil bemoaned to Alfie, right as the ship turned its trajectory back to the Precession Headquarters. ¡°I¡¯d hate to even think of it! He can be so vicious even at the best of times.¡± ¡°Admirals!¡± Phil and Alfie turned to an officer, with what looked to be a seashell pressed against his ear. ¡°Oh, goodie! We can try out that new telephonic thing!¡± Phil exclaimed, before happily leaning over the railing. ¡°Anything to report, my good man?¡± The officer scribbled down notes as he received the message through the shell. ¡°¡­it seems Nyra was seen leaving Intide with the prisoner Sadashi Sicer!¡± The officer reported. ¡°Her intentions are unclear, but it¡¯s believed she was breaking him out.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­u-uhh¡­¡± Phil stood in abject silence, taking in the admittedly terrible news, right as Nyra¡¯s ship, the ship he let through, the one potentially holding a wanted, death row criminal on it that Syrille had personally planned to execute outside of his castle, disappeared into the distance. ¡°¡­Ch-Change course!!! Follow that ship!!!¡± Phil demanded, right as the officers jumped to attention. ¡°Don¡¯t let it out of our sights!!! Alfie!!!¡± Alfie gave a quick salute, before kissing Phil¡¯s cheek and jumping up to the crow¡¯s nest, spyglass at the ready. ¡°Perfect as always, thank you Alfie!¡± Phil declared, slamming his foot down. ¡°Sadashi will be ours!¡± ¡°¡­hurgh¡­¡± Sadashi let out. ¡°Just felt a chill down my spine¡­¡± Aloette quickly shuddered. ¡°A-Are there ghosts on this ship?¡± Sadashi¡¯s eyes drooped. ¡°Ghosts aren¡­oh, look.¡± Aloette jumped up, before quickly putting things together and turning around frantically, leaping to the bow of the ship to get a good view of¡­ ¡°¡­Descrelate.¡± She let out, feeling excitement well up in her. ¡°Our first destination on this journey.¡± Chapter 5: Den of Thieves Descrelate. A veritable hive of villainy, if not for the fact it was underpopulated and clearly past its prime. What was once a bustling hub for pirates of all stripes to hide themselves away and connive was now a rundown island of bars, three card monty, and acted more like a pitstop for any pirate in the area. Convenient, not thriving. Its close proximity to King Syrille¡¯s castle and the Royal Precession headquarters certainly didn¡¯t help. The fact it was still around at all was a testament to just how little a threat it posed to the royal occupation. But that didn¡¯t mean pirates would avoid the place. If anything, it proved the pirates skilled enough to actually get there or dumb enough to stick around. Truly, this looked incredible to Aloette. ¡°A pirate hub!¡± Aloette exclaimed, kicking her feet. ¡°And so close to Intide! Ooo, I can feel my heart fluttering already!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the pirate hub.¡± Sadashi admitted, as they pulled Nyra¡¯s ship closer to the docks, only for Aloette to rush over to him. ¡°There¡¯s another?!¡± ¡°Yes, a¡­you know, I don¡¯t feel like telling you about it, cause you¡¯ll want to go there.¡± Sadashi accurately pointed out, as Aloette grinned. ¡°Too late! I already want to! What¡¯s it called?¡± ¡°Havencove, now keep sharp.¡± Sadashi insisted, right as they parked the boat, as Sadashi headed below deck, quickly lowering the anchor and gathering some supplies. After properly taking in the view, and waving to a couple people on the docks, Aloette went down to join him as he scrounged through some loose weaponry. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan from here?¡± Aloette curiously asked. Sadashi focused on searching, before remembering his promise to keep Aloette in the loop. ¡°¡­we¡¯ll grab what we can here and head out. I¡¯ve got a few connections in town, so I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s any ships we can either use or hitch a ride on.¡± Sadashi said, grabbing out a rusty cutlass, before tossing it away. ¡°Once we do, we¡¯ll come back here, grab as many supplies as we can, and head out.¡± He finally found a cutlass in decent nick, before taking it and facing Aloette. ¡°I don¡¯t trust the people here to leave Nyra¡¯s unoccupied ship alone, so you¡¯re coming with me.¡± ¡°A-¡° ¡°Stay close. Don¡¯t wander.¡± Sadashi insisted, taking Aloette¡¯s hand. ¡°You¡¯ve already met pirates that want you dead, so as much as you want to have fun, this isn¡¯t the place to do that.¡± ¡°¡­right.¡± Aloette let out, before looking back at the weapons. ¡°¡­should I¡­?¡± ¡°¡­uhh¡­¡± Sadashi let out, truly mulling over whether Aloette wielding a weapon was a good idea. ¡°¡­hold on.¡± Sadashi went back into the weapons and dug around a bit more, before finding a small, sheathed dagger in the pile. ¡°How¡¯s th-¡° ¡°Ooo, this one¡¯s pink!¡± Aloette exclaimed, holding up an identical dagger, save for a pink handle and rose-gold blade. ¡°¡­okay.¡± Sadashi accepted, shaking his head. ¡°You don¡¯t have much experience with weapons, so it¡¯d be more dangerous for you to handle anything too big. This should do for protection.¡± ¡°And only for emergencies, right?¡± Aloette assured, slipping it into her coat pocket. Sadashi felt a touch reassured by this. ¡°¡­yes, only for emergencies. Do you have the map on hand?¡± ¡°I sure do!¡± Aloette insisted, holding it out, before an idea popped in her head. ¡°Oh, and I wanted to ask!¡± She quickly unfurled it and showed off Descrelate on the map. ¡°Nyra marked a small X here.¡± ¡°¡­yes?¡± Aloette raised her eyebrows excitedly. ¡°¡­X marks the spot?¡± Sadashi¡¯s eyes sunk. ¡°It¡¯s not worth it.¡± ¡°Wha-why not?¡± Aloette pouted. ¡°She could have treasure hidden somewhere on this island tha-¡° ¡°One, if it¡¯s treasure, someone¡¯s probably stolen it. Two, it¡¯s more likely to be a personal cache of stuff, and we have plenty to take from here. Three, we shouldn¡¯t waste time treasure hunting, we should be leaving here as soon as we can.¡± Sadashi finished, handing the map back. Aloette let out a small sigh, before pocketing the map again. ¡°I guess we can pick it up later.¡± Sadashi ignored the comment and stood up, stretching proper and checking his clothes, before noticing that Aloette¡¯s face could hardly hold back her excitement, even as she tried to put on an air of dignity for Sadashi¡¯s sake. Sadashi noticed and sighed out. ¡°I suppose we should go before you explode with excitement.¡± Aloette was already up the stairs, nearly tripping as she sped up to the deck. ¡­she really is your kid, Atticus. Sadashi admitted. Never thought I¡¯d be babysitting though. By the time he made his way up, Aloette was already on the dock and waving up to him. He made his way down, trying to keep up with Aloette as she rushed ahead, taking in the completely different vibe to Intide. ¡°WOW!!!¡± She let out, having reached the end of the docks, staring out at the town centre, several other pirates casually passing through the main street. ¡°It¡¯s so rustic!¡± Sadashi simply joined her side, giving the occasional stink eye to other passing pirates, especially any that glanced at Aloette. ¡°Let¡¯s not stick around too long. Nyra¡¯s ship¡¯s going to¡­¡± Sadashi started, only to realise Aloette wasn¡¯t next to him. ¡°¡­Aloette?¡± A brief streak of panic washed over him, as he did his best to reassure himself. He made his way into the main crossing streets in the middle of town, glancing around, before finding her chatting with a hulky, tattooed pirate, wielding a massive sword and deadly scowl. ¡°And how much does is weigh?!¡± Aloette curiously asked. ¡°Maybe a ton. I haven¡¯t checked.¡± He replied, as Aloette¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°And you¡¯re part of a crew, right? Are you going after any treasure?!¡± She wondered, nearly going to touch the sword. The man went to answer, only for Sadashi to immediately step in between them. ¡°We were leaving. We don¡¯t want trouble.¡± He said, grabbing Aloette¡¯s arm and trying to make a quick exit. He was immediately stopped by the pirates booming voice. ¡°HEY.¡± The pirate went and grabbed Sadashi¡¯s arm, holding him in place from crushing strength alone. Sadashi instinctively went for his cutlass, only for the pirate to turn him around. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude. I was about to answer the lady¡¯s question.¡± He replied. He crouched down to better meet Aloette¡¯s height. ¡°There¡¯s a place called the Fjulf Islands that we¡¯re going to explore. But really, my real treasure is the time I spend with those close to me.¡± ¡°Oooooooooh!¡± Aloette let out, bunching her fists up, as Sadashi proceeded to keep pulling her away. ¡°I know we¡¯re pirates, but if you¡¯re not connecting with your crew, then is the treasure really worth anything?¡± He added, waving to Aloette as she left. ¡°Safe travels!¡± ¡°You too!¡± Sadashi sighed heavily, before pulling Aloette to the side. ¡°Okay, you know how I said don¡¯t wander?¡± ¡°But I got a good feeling about him! I¡¯m very good at reading people.¡± Aloette pointed out. ¡°Reading¡¯s always been my specialty!¡± ¡°¡­okay, I-¡° ¡°Hold on.¡± Aloette said, before pressing her fingers to her temple. ¡°¡­I¡¯m guessing¡­you really like¡­pumpkin pie!¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°A¡­¡± Sadashi started, before doing a double take. ¡°¡­yeah, actually.¡± ¡°See?!¡± ¡°¡­good guess.¡± Sadashi excused, cautiously scanning around them, before spotting a sign sticking out of one of the nearby buildings. ¡°Come on. And STAY close this time.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Aloette let out, grabbing his arm, as he made his way over to what Aloette realised was a tavern. After a quick walk down some winding stairs, and Sadashi sharing a glance with the bartender, they made their way inside a surprisingly lively, but still dingy feeling bar. Plenty of people were drinking at the bar, a couple were playing cards with knives to each other¡¯s throats, one booth looked like its occupants were in the middle of a shake down¡­ Sadashi made a point to cover Aloette¡¯s eyes quickly, before crouching down and grabbing her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m going to go chat with some folks who might give us passage. Stay here.¡± ¡°Can I grab a drink?¡± Aloette asked, having already locked eyes on the bar. ¡°¡­one drink.¡± Sadashi said, handing her a gold piece he snagged from Nyra¡¯s ship. ¡°But do-¡° ¡°I know, I know. Go, go have your piratey chats!¡± Aloette insisted, shooing him away, as Sadashi could feel his position as leader of this journey slowly slipping away from him. Still keeping an eye on Aloette, he made his way over to another one of the booths, giving a small rhythmic knock on the table, as the pirates there stared up at him, before recognition slowly crossed their faces. ¡°Sadashi, you stack of shit! You¡¯re alive!¡± One of them remarked, slapping another pirate¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Man, King Syrille must suck at executions!¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way of putting it.¡± Sadashi admitted, joining them. ¡°¡­any news in regard to Atticus?¡± ¡°Not that we¡¯ve heard. King Syrille probably thinks he¡¯s still dead.¡± They insisted, as Sadashi let out a cautious breath. ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°A¡­trip, to reunite. I¡¯m gonna need passage.¡± Sadashi said, as his gaze briefly went back to Aloette at the bar. ¡°My good man, your finest rum!¡± Aloette insisted, placing the gold piece on the bar, as the bartender gave her a side-glance, before shrugging and grabbing her drink. Aloette sat down by the bar, scanning around the tavern and making a point to listen out for anything important. As she did so, a woman drinking at the bar alone shared a glance with her, right as the bartender served her drink. Aloette confidently took the glass and chugged it, as the woman waited for some kind of violent reaction, only for Aloette to handle it like it was nothing. ¡°WOW! For my first taste of rum, that was quite good! My compliments, fine barkeep!¡± She exclaimed, getting very little reaction from the shrewd bartender. Having now fully stolen her attention, Aloette faced the woman, before smiling happily. The woman spoke up. ¡°¡­you lost, kid?¡± ¡°Hardly.¡± Aloette insisted, before leaning onto the bar. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a hearty crew of adventurers for a journey.¡± ¡°¡­hearty, you say?¡± The woman asked, curiously spinning around to Aloette. ¡°And why¡¯s that?¡± Aloette grinned. ¡°Are you interested?¡± ¡°In a job I know nothing about?¡± She replied, lifting her drink up. ¡°I¡¯ve already got plans, and they¡¯re not waiting for me.¡± ¡°¡­oh.¡± Aloette let out, before sinking into her stool. ¡°Alright. It was worth putting a feeler out¡­¡± The woman gave Aloette a once over, more to convince herself someone had walked into the bar dressed like that. ¡°¡­be honest, are you actually a pirate?¡± The woman asked, indicating to Aloette¡¯s coat. ¡°The plunder and sailing type, not the¡­kids birthday type.¡± ¡°¡­well, not yet, but I¡¯m planning on it.¡± Aloette answered, nodding her head. ¡°Once this journey¡¯s over, I¡¯ll be fully fledged!¡± Geez¡­poor kid. The woman thought, taking another swig. Someone¡¯s taking her for a ride¡­ She gave the coat another look and deduced it was impressively well made. Gaudy for a pirate, but clearly expensive¡­ ¡­but that should make her an easy mark. She thought, before turning to Aloette and sticking out her hand. ¡°Bridget.¡± She said, as Aloette gazed at the hand, before shaking it happily. ¡°Aloette!¡± She replied, as Bridget leaned over closer to her. ¡°So, what¡¯s this journey you¡¯re going on?¡± Aloette leaned in so she could whisper. ¡°I won¡¯t go too into detail¡­but I¡¯m heading to the Further.¡± Bridget¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The Further?¡± Aloette nodded proudly. ¡°The uncharted ocean?¡± Aloette kept nodding. ¡°Surrounded by whirlpools and unnatural storms?¡± ¡°The very same!¡± Bridget found herself snickering. Of course¡­ ¡°Quite the dangerous trek.¡± Bridget assured, tapping one of the daggers by her waist. ¡°Need more than just this to make your way there.¡± ¡°Exactly! That¡¯s why I¡¯m perusing for a crew!¡± Aloette declared, scanning around the bar again, as Bridget leaned over. ¡°You know¡­if you want the best chance of getting there, I¡¯m part of a crew.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Aloette asked curiously, as Bridget nodded. ¡°Oh yeah. Massive ship, stockpiled with all you¡¯d need for a journey like this. We¡¯re one of the few that¡¯re able to outrun the Royal Precession.¡± Bridget insisted, as Aloette stared at her in amazement. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true! Why do you think I¡¯m parked so close to Intide? Can¡¯t even touch us.¡± Bridget stated, as Aloette found herself getting giddy. ¡°Do you have any stories of your adventures?!¡± ¡°Oh, tons. We¡¯ve been together forever.¡± Bridget assured, finishing off the last of her drink. ¡°Tell you what. We can head to the ship now. We¡¯re strung up a bit offshore, so we¡¯ll be taking my smaller ship over.¡± Bridget waved her hand about. ¡°We were already in talks about heading to The Further, so there¡¯s lucky. Glad we caught ya when we did.¡± Bridget bumped her shoulder and stood up, as Aloette giggled to herself. ¡°So? You wanna meet ¡®em?¡± ¡°Oh, no thank you.¡± Aloette said. Bridget sneered. ¡°It¡¯s not an imposition.¡± Aloette grinned happily. ¡°Well, considering you¡¯re lying, I guess that¡¯s technically correct.¡± Bridget paused briefly, as Aloette, despite her innocent, beaming face staring back at her, suddenly looked a lot different. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry?¡± Aloette giggled again, before kicking her legs. ¡°My first swindling! I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d happen so soon!¡± Bridget blinked in profound confusion. ¡°Wait, no, back up, you were playing me?¡± Bridget asked, genuinely curious as she sat back down. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± ¡°You were lying?¡± Bridget nodded. ¡°Frankly, it all seemed a bit too convenient.¡± Aloette insisted. ¡°First, I saw pirate ships in the docks, comfortably out in the open. Your ¡®crew¡¯ would have no reason to be stationed offshore, especially if their resources were vast enough to well protect themselves.¡± Aloette raised two fingers. ¡°You glanced at my coat when I came over and most likely thought I had money, so there¡¯s good motive to lie to me.¡± Bridget watched her raise another. ¡°Third, I¡¯m not about to follow someone I just met to a second location. I may be new to this, but I¡¯m not stupid.¡± Aloette raised one last one. ¡°And just like me, I have a feeling you¡¯re on your own. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be drinking alone at this bar without any of your crew around, would you?¡± Bridget could feel her mouth hanging agape, as it took her a few seconds to collect everything and regain composure. ¡°¡­holy shit.¡± Bridget let out, genuinely awe struck. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what to say. Usually your types are the most gullible.¡± Bridget found herself, despite her best efforts, cracking a smile, before laughing and leaning back on her stool, almost falling over. ¡°Colour me impressed! I underestimated you¡­Aloette?¡± Bridget said, before sitting up straight and sticking her hand out again, which Aloette shook. ¡°Bridget. That part I didn¡¯t lie about.¡± Bridget placed a hand on her chest. ¡°Professional swindler, thief, conwoman, not too bad with a dagger, and pirate.¡± Aloette smiled, before doing the same. ¡°Aloette. Daughter of a noble, aspiring pirate, and pretty good at reading people.¡± Bridget chuckled again and jabbed Aloette¡¯s arm. ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth. If you weren¡¯t so on the ball, we¡¯d be on my ship, and you¡¯d be missing a lot of gold¡­and that coat.¡± ¡°Oh no, I wouldn¡¯t have followed you anyway. I¡¯m not about to leave my crewmate.¡± Bridget raised an eyebrow. ¡°So you have a crewmate?¡± ¡°Yes, Sadashi! You should meet him, he¡¯s lovely!¡± Aloette insisted, scanning around the bar, before spotting him over at the booth and waving to him. ¡°¡­right. Thanks anyway.¡± Sadashi said, excusing himself, before catching Aloette¡¯s waving from the bar. ¡°Stealing it is the¡­¡± He stopped himself, right as he saw who was sitting next to Aloette, and who she was excitedly pointing to. ¡°¡­of course¡­¡± ¡°Sadashi! I¡¯m sure you two will catch on like a house on fire.¡± Aloette insisted, as Bridget comfortably leaned against the bar. ¡°Hate to burst your bubble¡­¡± Aloette watched as Sadashi charged up to them at the bar, getting his cutlass ready. Bridget turned to her. ¡°¡­we¡¯ve already met.¡± Right as he was about to reach her, she got up, before pulling out her dagger and holding it to his neck, right as he held his sword to hers. Bridget smirked. ¡°Sadashi, hey! How¡¯d the execution go? Did you die?¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sadashi demanded, refusing to break eye contact. ¡°Drinking at a bar. You should try it, cools your nerves.¡± ¡°S-S-Sadashi?¡± Aloette let out, as he held his free hand up, right as the other patrons caught on to the fight about to break out. ¡°Stay back. Don¡¯t trust a word she says.¡± Sadashi insisted. ¡°You should listen to Sadashi.¡± Bridget assured to, flashing her a grin. ¡°We¡¯re good friends, after all.¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°Hold on¡­we¡¯re nearly there¡­.please please please please ple-YES, THAT¡¯S IT! Do you see it? Do you see the ship there?¡± Alfie gave a thumbs up, as Phil sunk down from the banister, right as Descrelate, and Nyra¡¯s ship, came into view. ¡°Thank goodness! Ever reliable Descrelate.¡± Phil insisted, before standing back up and bringing Alfie in close. ¡°Ah, old familiar. What¡¯s say we pay that den of pirate scum a visit?¡± Phil stood out from the banister. ¡°Routine search boys! We find these thieves and we bring them to justice! Truly, there is no greater crime than that of theft!¡± Chapter 6: Keep Away ¡°Well, guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised you¡¯re back.¡± Bridget confessed, her dagger still to Sadashi¡¯s neck, as a crowd started to gather around them. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good at not dying.¡± ¡°Back off. Right now.¡± Sadashi demanded, as Bridget side-glanced Aloette. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I was having a lovely conversation with your companion Aloette.¡± Bridget insisted, as Aloette¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Are you about to duel?!¡± ¡°Aloette, don¡¯t be excited about this!¡± Sadashi insisted, holding his ground and refusing to break eye contact. ¡°She¡¯s a conwoman. A s-¡° ¡°Swindler, thief, pirate. I already gave her the spiel.¡± Bridget replied, before turning to Aloette and whispering. ¡°I hate to say, but if we do duel, it won¡¯t be as fun as you think it¡¯ll be.¡± ¡°Try me!¡± Aloette insisted, only for Sadashi¡¯s sword to get closer to Bridget¡¯s neck, pressing directly against the skin. ¡°W-Whoa, Sadashi?!¡± ¡°Oh, he means it.¡± Bridget assured, grinning playfully. ¡°Duel to the death, Aloette. You know, like pirates do.¡± Bridget confidently lifted her dagger from Sadashi¡¯s neck and pointed it to Aloette. ¡°You did say you wanted to be a pirate, right?¡± Phil, quite happily, found himself landing on Descrelate¡¯s dock with a thud, as the rest of the Royal Precession officers followed in lines behind him. The pirates on the docks nearby noticed and immediately started clearing out, including a few idly inspecting Nyra¡¯s now docked ship. ¡°One to five, search Nyra¡¯s ship! Everyone else follow! We¡¯ll grab those filth and drag them back for a proper execution!¡± Phil ordered, before spinning on his heel back to the ship. ¡°Alfiiiiie!¡± Alfie popped his head out. ¡°Do you want us to grab you anything while we¡¯re out?¡± Alfie efficiently shook his head, staying comfortably on the ship. ¡°Alright! Routine search, fellas!¡± Phil declared, as they marched into Descrelate proper, inspecting every nook and cranny of every street. ¡°No stone unturned!¡± ¡°S-Sadashi, what¡¯s your p-problem with her?¡± Aloette asked, showing her hands to avoid getting in anyway involved in the fight. ¡°Did she do something?¡± Sadashi found himself hesitating, looking over Aloette¡¯s worried expression, as he found himself pulling his sword back for the moment. ¡°HIGH ALERT!¡± The bar turned its attention to the entrance, as a fellow pirate burst through the door waving his arms about in a panic. ¡°THE PRECESSION¡¯S HERE! THEY¡¯RE SEARCHING TOWN!!!¡± ¡°What?!¡± The bartender cried, as the crowd started to dissipate, a few ducking into side rooms to hide. ¡°What is it this time?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t kno-¡° He started, only to spot Sadashi confidently holding his sword up to Bridget¡¯s neck. ¡°¡­actually, him, I¡¯d guess.¡± Sadashi could barely pay attention, as his blind hatred kept his gaze focused on Bridget, not even taking in the panic surrounding him. The only thing that stole his attention was Aloette lowering her hand on his outstretched arm. He turned his gaze to her and saw concern on her face, but also the understanding that they needed to act fast and leave. ¡°¡­shit¡­¡± Sadashi let out, finally lowering the sword proper, as Bridget let out a coy sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d follow so quickly. We haven¡¯t gotten a new ship or the supplies yet¡­¡± ¡°Should we head back to Nyra¡¯s ship?¡± Aloette asked, as Sadashi shook his head. ¡°They¡¯ll have officers all over that thing. Dammit¡­¡± Sadashi muttered, grabbing his head in his hands. ¡°I let my guard down¡­¡± Right as Aloette went to comfort him, shouting echoed from the street above, as Precession officers made their way through. A few bangs on nearby doors caused Aloette to jump back, her map falling out of her pocket as a result. Bridget spotted it and picked it up, before noting a couple things on it. ¡°¡­you know¡­¡± Aloette and Sadashi both turned to Bridget. ¡°¡­I have a ship you could use.¡± She offered, hands behind her back. ¡°It¡¯s nothing flashy, but it¡¯ll get you off the island without the Precession catching you.¡± ¡°Can it get us to The Further?!¡± Aloette excitedly asked, completely ignoring the hostility from before. Bridget smirked. ¡°No, but it could take you as far as Havencove.¡± Aloette turned to Sadashi with an overjoyed, knowing look, as Sadashi death-glared Bridget, before trudging over to her. ¡°Of all the tricks to pull, th-¡° ¡°This would be the worst timed.¡± Bridget noted, right as shouting from the Precession officers got louder. ¡°¡­I refuse to accept help from her kind.¡± Sadashi said to Aloette, as Bridget scoffed. ¡°Harsh, Sadashi, and pot calling the kettle black. You¡¯re a pirate too.¡± ¡°Not your kind of pirate.¡± Sadashi argued. ¡°You mean like your crew? Last I checked, they¡¯re not here.¡± Bridget noted, smiling. ¡°Face it, I¡¯m your best option.¡± Bridget looked a little too proud of herself for putting Sadashi in such a bind, as Sadashi did everything he could to stop himself pulling out his sword again. The echoing from the street got louder. ¡°¡­fine.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Bridget playfully asked, as Sadashi grabbed her cloak¡¯s collar. ¡°WHERE?¡± ¡°Third door on the right, geez.¡± Bridget remarked, freeing herself. ¡°It¡¯ll take us out into the side street. My ship¡¯s docked further up the beach, so we¡¯ll sneak our way there.¡± Sadashi immediately turned to the door, as Bridget crouched down to Aloette. ¡°As sunny as ever.¡± She joked, getting a chuckle from Aloette, before pulling out the map again. ¡°Hey, have you checked here yet?¡± Bridget pointed to the small X on Nyra¡¯s map of Descrelate, as Aloette shook her head. ¡°Sadashi beelined us right here.¡± Aloette sighed, before Bridget flashed a grin.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Okay, good t-¡° ¡°You slow us down, we¡¯re taking your ship!¡± Sadashi insisted, hurrying the duo along, as Aloette quickly remembered the danger and hurried along. They made their way through a winding path between buildings, slowly connecting into an alleyway filled with empty supply boxes from the bar, before coming out into a small side street, as Precession officers could be seen charging through the main streets on each side. Nighttime had properly set in, and fortunately, they were hidden well in the pitch-black darkness. ¡°Which way to your shi-¡° Sadashi started, only to notice Bridget splitting off from them. ¡°Bridget!¡± ¡°Head down to the shore! It¡¯s behind an outcrop of rocks near the docks!¡± Bridget called out, as she headed into the now emptied main street. ¡°I¡¯ll catch up with you later!¡± Aloette noticed her leaving with the map and chose to stay very tight-lipped about it next to a noticeably pissed Sadashi. ¡°¡­great, of course!¡± Sadashi yelled out, before remembering the officers around them. The duo huddled behind some of the supply boxes, waiting for another clean opening. ¡°So right to her ship, right?¡± Aloette asked, as Sadashi sighed out. ¡°¡­if she¡¯s telling the truth, we¡¯ll head to her ship.¡± Sadashi insisted, scoping out the streets. ¡°But we¡¯re not waiting for her. If she wants to waste time on whatever the hell she¡¯s doing, that¡¯s on her.¡± Sadashi looked to Aloette for a reply and only saw excitement. ¡°¡­I thought you¡¯d be against stealing her ship.¡± ¡°Well, she is helping us¡­¡± Aloette noted, before pumping her fists. ¡°But we¡¯re pirates! Pirates take what they want! We¡¯ve already stolen one ship, and we¡¯re in a hurry!¡± Sadashi found himself a little amused and shook his head. ¡°¡­you surprise me with your pragmatism.¡± Sadashi noticed a few of the officers on their left thinning out and moving onto another street, as he beckoned Aloette to follow him. They poked their head out and saw an empty path down to the docks, with the shoreline extending nearby, and what looked to be the outcrop of rocks Bridget was talking about. They huddled down the street, careful not the draw the attention of the officers now exploring the centre of town. Fortunately, most of the other pirates had cleared out after hearing the Precession was in town, leaving the docks fairly abandoned of any life, save for the few lights coming from the Precession vessel and Nyra¡¯s ship. Aloette and Sadashi clung to the side of building, waiting until they reached the stairs to the shore, before making a sprint for the outcrop. It was a clear shot to the outcrop, with Aloette actually outrunning Sadashi slightly. Right as they got closer, the sails of a smaller ship started coming into view over the rocks. ¡°I see it!¡± Aloette cried, cheering a little as she ran. However, right around that time, Alfie¡¯s scanning from atop the crow¡¯s nest spotted what looked to be two figures running quite desperately on the beach. Upon further inspection, Sadashi¡¯s figure and Aloette¡¯s bright coat identified them pretty easily, even in the settling darkness, as Alfie was immediately put on high alert and quickly made his way back down to the deck. Right as the duo arrived and got a good look at Bridget¡¯s ship, a loud ringing bell echoed out from the Precession ship, drawing both of their attention. ¡°Search every building! We¡¯ll fan back out to the shoreline once we¡­¡± Phil declared, only to stop once he heard the ringing bell coming from the docks. ¡°¡­that¡¯s Alfie.¡± He made the connection, before pointing back at the docks. ¡°The fugitives are back near the docks! Quickly now, we mustn¡¯t lose them!¡± ¡°Of course they¡¯d¡­notice us!¡± Sadashi let out, putting everything he could into pushing the ship offshore with Aloette. She quickly hopped on, before scanning around them. ¡°Is Bridget back yet?¡± Sadashi sighed and looked back over the beach, only to spot searchlights heading down the docks. ¡°¡­I¡¯m calling it.¡± Sadashi said, dislodging the rope holding the ship to shore, before jumping on and quickly taking the wheel. The boat was just about to leave shore, right as a thud came from behind the duo. It took their eyes a second to adjust, before realising it was Bridget on her back, now holding a small lockbox and grinning happily. ¡°You made it!¡± Aloette cried, only for Bridget to press her finger to her lips, as they quietly distanced themselves from the shore. They were a good bit away from the island once the Precession started searching the outcrop, finally letting Bridget let go of her breath. ¡°Phew¡­that was a close one.¡± She smirked and happily stood up. ¡°And we got out with a little something too.¡± Sadashi just now noticed the box. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Bridget grinned, before handing the map back to Aloette. ¡°Nyra¡¯s personal stash. Your, or I¡¯m guess her map, had its location.¡± Bridget let out, before opening the box and revealing a small fortune inside, filled to the brim with gleaming gold. ¡°This¡­is beautiful.¡± ¡°TREASURE!¡± Aloette exclaimed, excitedly jumping over to it. ¡°Oh, if only I were there to dig it up! What a missed opportunity.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a generous one.¡± Bridget insisted, slugging her arm around Aloette¡¯s neck. ¡°I used your map, so it¡¯s only fair you get¡­¡± Bridget thought on it, before staring back at Aloette¡¯s beaming face. ¡°¡­you know what? It¡¯s your first bounty, I¡¯ll give you half.¡± Bridget offered, as Aloette¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oh, Bridget, you¡¯re a delight! And with such a quaint little ship too!¡± Aloette exclaimed, as Sadashi felt he¡¯d heard enough and took himself off the wheel. He went over and grabbed Bridget¡¯s arm. ¡°Can we chat privately?¡± Bridget rolled her eyes and nodded, before looking back at the wheel. ¡°Hey, Aloette?¡± She said, indicating to the wheel. ¡°Think you can keep that steady?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask twice!¡± She exclaimed, jumping right onto it, as she immediately felt the pressure on her arms. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve got this¡­¡± Bridget smirked to Sadashi, right as he yanked her into her small cabin, just out of earshot of Aloette before letting her go. ¡°Owie, my arm.¡± She moped. Sadashi glared at her, right as she sat down. ¡°¡­okay, can you finally put the metaphorical sword down?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be clever with me. What are you doing?¡± Sadashi demanded. Bridget sighed out and rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m helping you on your journey to The Further.¡± ¡°No you aren¡¯t. You don¡¯t do that.¡± Sadashi insisted, stepping back. ¡°You want money from her, don¡¯t you? She doesn¡¯t have any on her.¡± ¡°I know that. And in case you forgot, I just gave her plenty.¡± Bridget pointed out, almost sounding offended, before getting up and turning her back to him. ¡°¡­fine¡­if you must know why I would dare join you¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°¡­I like the girl. She¡¯s impressed me.¡± Sadashi felt his eye twitch. ¡°What?¡± Sadashi let out. ¡°Is that so hard to believe?¡± Bridget argued, facing him again. ¡°She¡¯s fun. She¡¯s got the soul of a thief in her.¡± ¡°Coming from you, that¡¯s a dangerous statement.¡± Sadashi stated, as Bridget¡¯s eyes drooped. ¡°Oh what, is this abo-¡° ¡°Yes.¡± Sadashi got right in her face. ¡°Yes, it is. It always will be. I¡¯ve not forgotten that day, and I won¡¯t let you forget it either.¡± Bridget stared him down, before looking out at the deck at Aloette. ¡°Are you going to tell her?¡± Sadashi looked back at Aloette and sighed. ¡°¡­I already did, but she doesn¡¯t know it was about you.¡± Sadashi clenched his fist tighter. ¡°¡­for whatever it¡¯s worth, she trusts you, and you¡¯re providing us passage¡­so I¡¯m willing to see this out for the moment.¡± Sadashi noted, before glancing back at her. ¡°But¡­¡± He got right back in her face. ¡°ONE foot out of line, ANYTHING to endanger her, and I won¡¯t hesitate to make things right again. Her life matters more than yours.¡± The air was silent, as Bridget took in the meaning behind that line. She clicked her tongue, before pushing his head back with her finger. ¡°Okay, drama queen.¡± Bridget remarked, before splitting off and heading back out on deck. ¡°Unlike you, some of us can move on from things. Future matters more than the past, especially when you¡¯re a pirate.¡± She ducked out of the room, waving her hand behind her. ¡°We¡¯ll head out in the morning. Get past Precession Headquarters and sail right to Averole. You¡¯ve got a friend there, right?¡± Sadashi didn¡¯t reply, as Bridget disappeared from view. Right as he let his guard back down, she briefly popped her head back in. ¡°You know, if she¡¯s so important to protect¡­¡± Bridget lifted a finger. ¡°¡­why¡¯s she becoming a pirate?¡± Sadashi found himself without an answer, as Bridget disappeared proper to take over the steering from Aloette. Aloette used the opportunity to head to the edge of the boat stare at the night sky while they travelled, leaving Sadashi with his thoughts, and using his seat as a makeshift bed. ¡­don¡¯t worry Aloette. Sadashi thought, finding himself drifting back off to sleep. I promise¡­ you¡¯re safe as long as I¡¯m around¡­ Chapter 7: Ahoy Mateys ¡°So, just around the outcrop?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s how you got past before?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°So they don¡¯t patrol that area?¡± Aloette curiously asked, looking up at Bridget on the wheel. ¡°They don¡¯t need to. Just knowing the headquarters are nearby is enough to scare most pirates off.¡± Bridget reasoned, navigating through the few small land masses populating their path to their destination. ¡°And you know for a fact they won¡¯t check here?¡± Sadashi questioned, sitting on the other side of the boat, as Bridget stuck her tongue out. ¡°Hey, fuddy duddy, I sailed by here last week. And the week before that. And a few times the month prior.¡± Bridget bragged, before lowering her eyes to Sadashi. ¡°And for someone who exclusively hung out around the south of Nestell, I find you calling out my planning pretty rich.¡± Sadashi started gritting his teeth, as Aloette stood up. ¡°It¡¯s the best option we have, and we¡¯ve only got so many supplies before we have to stop again.¡± Aloette reasoned, managing to convince Sadashi somewhat. ¡°¡­fair point.¡± Sadashi admitted, deciding to lie back on his seat, still feeling some lingering weakness from his earlier food deprivation. Aloette grinned and proudly pointed forward from the bow of the ship. ¡°Okay then! Onward we go! Captain decrees it!¡± Bridget smirked to herself. ¡°I¡¯m flattered, Aloette.¡± Aloette blinked, before pointing to herself. ¡°Oh no, I meant me.¡± Bridget and Sadashi shared a glance, as Sadashi slowly sat up again. ¡°You want to be the captain?¡± Bridget wondered. ¡°Yes, of course!¡± Aloette insisted. ¡°We¡¯ve each got our role, after all.¡± ¡°Aloette.¡± Sadashi started, rubbing his face. ¡°¡­I really think I should be leading this journey. You¡¯re still new to all this, and I¡¯ve got¡­frankly, too much experience.¡± ¡°Yeah, give it to him.¡± Bridget reasoned. ¡°You¡¯re still young. Just hang back and enjoy yourself.¡± ¡°I will be doing no such thing!¡± Aloette insisted, stepping forward. ¡°This may be the only time in my life when I get a chance like this! And I happen to make very good decisions in¡­captainey matters!¡± Bridget smirked, before covering her mouth. ¡°You sound like¡­¡± She cleared her throat a bit. ¡°¡­you sound like a kid.¡± Bridget took a second, before leaning over to Sadashi. ¡°Actually, how old is¡­?¡± ¡°Twenty.¡± He replied, as Bridget tilted her head. ¡°¡­huh.¡± She let out, just as the outcrop in question started coming into view in the distance. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re nearby. Just a few stretches of land blocking us from prying eyes, and we¡¯re onto Averole.¡± Bridget happily sailed the excited Aloette and cautious Sadashi closer to the massive outcrop, visibly stretching across the ocean for a while. She did her best to hug tightly to it, close enough to avoid detection, but far enough to not crash into the side of the rock. Despite nothing being around them, Aloette and Sadashi collectively held their breaths, worrying saying anything would jinx it. The silence was almost eery. The only sound echoing out was the waved crashing against the outcrop, and against the side of the boat. The rest of the ocean was featureless too. Featureless blue expanse. And one ship. One¡­other ship, apart from theirs. In the distance. ¡­a Precession ship. Bridget immediately noticed it in the distance, as her cheery disposition faded away instantly. She kept her attention on the distance left to travel, hoping not to draw their attention. Aloette and Sadashi both noticed it as well, as their held breaths remained tightly held. Fortunately, it looked to be going in the othe¡­ ¡­the ship stopped. ¡°¡­shit.¡± Bridget let out, debating whether to take the sails down to minimise their presence, or whether to get closer to the outcrop to hide. The ship turned toward them. ¡°God fucking¡­¡± Bridget muttered, keeping her hands steady on the wheel, as Sadashi came up behind her. ¡°You said they didn¡¯t patrol here.¡± ¡°Yeah, well I was wrong! I guess they changed it!¡± Bridget insisted, shoving him out of the way, as she did her best not to crash into the outcrop. ¡°Uhh, they¡¯re coming this way.¡± Aloette pointed out. ¡°Do we have cannons on here?¡± ¡°Do you see any?!¡± Bridget yelled out, before the ship was in firing distance. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try steering us out of thi-¡° Bridget was halted when a sound rang out from the ship, sounding like a horn, as it floated its way even closer to them. Bridget was forced to stop the boat, right as the ship turned its side to them¡­ ¡­and slowly lowered a walkway connecting the ships. The trio stood back, expecting some kind of adversaries to jump out and plunder them, only to spot a figure at the top of the walkway, waving. ¡°Ahoy, mateys!¡± The man gave a small wave with one hand, smugly grinning, as the trio assessed what his motives could possibly be. He looked like a Precession admiral, but other than that¡­ Before they could question it further, he casually stepped to the side and held his hand out. ¡°Care to have a chat?¡± He asked, beckoning them up. All three held back, wondering how lucky they could get with trying to escape, as the man¡¯s patience was clearly wearing thin. ¡°¡­we¡¯re too close to sink ya.¡± He noted, indicating to the cannons and the outcrop. ¡°We¡¯d be doing just as much damage to our ship too.¡± He threw his hands up. ¡°I¡¯m willing to hear ya out, but if ya try to leave, I¡¯ll have to fulfill my duties as an admiral and take out the pirates. Catch my drift?¡± Aloette bit her lip, before looking back at Sadashi and Bridget, then slowly, without much choice, walking up the plank to the admiral¡¯s ship. As to be expected, it was impressively spacious and well-maintained, with several trained officers standing by, clearly prepared in case one of them tried anything. Compared to their much smaller ship, the sails alone were enough to intimidate Aloette with their sheer size. Of course, this feeling was being overwhelmed by her excitement for the new experience of boarding an enemy ship, but Sadashi and Bridget comfortably made up for that lack of worry with their own. The admiral guided them into the main room adjacent to the deck, only for Aloette to stop in front of a small perch beside the entrance, holding¡­ ¡°Careful now.¡± The admiral intercepted, stepping between Aloette and the perch. ¡°He¡¯s a pecker. Real dangerous bird without the right amount of control.¡± The admiral took a small whistle from around his neck and blew on it, as it flew up from its perch and landed on his other arm, which was covered in a leather glove. ¡°Multi-coloured maltese falcon.¡± The admiral bragged, grabbing a small pellet from his pocket to feed the falcon. ¡°Never seen a more trusting bird, have ya?¡± Aloette started getting swept up in the falcon¡¯s impressive rainbow plumage, only for Sadashi to push her into the main room, holding a large dining table and several bookcases across the walls. ¡°I get it. Ya wanna get negotiations over with, I hear ya.¡± He stated, closing the doors behind them, as the trio filled out the space, with Aloette sitting at the end of the table, Sadashi watching her, and Bridget curiously looking around. ¡°And where are my manners?¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. The admiral placed his hand on his chest and gave a little bow. ¡°Piper. Royal Precession admiral, but ya probably figured that out.¡± Piper hovered his finger over the trio. ¡°And which of yall¡¯s the leader of your group?¡± After a slight moment of hesitation from everyone, Aloette stood up proudly, placing her hands on her hips. Piper awkwardly grinned and lowered his gaze. ¡°You?¡± He remarked, before snickering to himself. ¡°Okay, okay. Miss¡­?¡± ¡°Aloette! Aloette th-¡° Aloette announced, before remembering her company and stopping herself. ¡°¡­Aloette the leader! Of our merry band of pirates!¡± Piper glazed his eyes over Sadashi¡¯s pissed expression and Bridget¡¯s checked out movements. ¡°¡­seems you¡¯re the only merry one.¡± Piper pointed out. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll skip to the chase, cause I¡¯m sure ya¡¯ll don¡¯t wanna be here.¡± Piper placed his hands on one of the chairs at the table. ¡°See, shooting down pirates is fun and all, but it¡¯s a good waste of resources.¡± Piper noted, spinning his hand. ¡°We¡¯re far enough from most of the centres of production in Nestell, so I try to be efficient. No cannons if they can be avoided, just good ol¡¯ talking.¡± Aloette nodded along, following what he was saying, as Sadashi split his attention between him and keeping an eye on Aloette. ¡°So¡­I¡¯ve got a proposition.¡± Piper offered. ¡°Ya ever heard of a privateer?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Aloette let out, only for Sadashi to rest his hand on her shoulder. ¡°They¡¯re pirates hired by the government, aren¡¯t they?¡± Piper shifted his attention to Sadashi and smiled. ¡°Why yes they are. Appreciate that.¡± Piper said, now mostly addressing him. ¡°I¡¯m under no preconceptions that our businesses aren¡¯t as closely linked as they are. We all sail, navigate, plunder in a way. Heck, we¡¯re basically pirates with uniforms.¡± Bridget started tuning in and watching over her shoulder. ¡°So you come work for Syrille, ya¡¯ll get to keep doing what you like, and you get paid by the kingdom.¡± Piper declared, throwing his hands up. ¡°In return, you take out some pesky pirates when we ask, and we¡¯ll stay out of ya hair.¡± Piper waited for a response, as it was clear Aloette was deliberating. ¡°¡­it¡¯s a good deal.¡± Piper pointed out, shrugging. Before Aloette could answer, Sadashi piped up with a question. ¡°Why us?¡± Sadashi asked, arms folded. ¡°Of all the pirates out on the sea. Our boats tiny, and we¡¯re a crew of three.¡± Piper grinned happily. ¡°¡­ya¡¯ll really think I don¡¯t recognise Sadashi Sicer?¡± Sadashi¡¯s pupils shrank, as he stepped back in fear. ¡°Easy, I¡¯m not out for blood.¡± Piper assured. ¡°Though I am curious why your head¡¯s still on ya neck. Seems to me ya¡¯ll somehow managed to escape execution.¡± Aloette stood up fiercely, a little pouty. ¡°That¡¯s because I broke him out!¡± Aloette declared, trying not to look back at Sadashi as she said it. Piper smirked. ¡°Alright, Miss Aloette, I shoulda given you more credit.¡± Piper pointed out. ¡°But I¡¯m sure if a member of the Pirate Lord¡¯s crew were to switch sides, Syrille¡¯d be able to overlook your past transgressions.¡± Aloette¡¯s eyes widened, as she looked over at Sadashi and mouthed the words ¡®Pirate Lord¡¯ in shock. Sadashi rolled his eyes and slammed his hand on the table. ¡°I¡¯m not betraying my captain.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Aloette agreed, getting up herself. ¡°And being paid by the government¡¯s not pirating! Where¡¯s the freedom in that?¡± Piper noticed the conviction in Aloette and Sadashi¡¯s faces, as he turned to Bridget as a last-ditch effort the make the deal. ¡°¡­what they said.¡± Bridget agreed, before pointing up at some of the older books on the shelf. ¡°How much did you pay for these?¡± Piper looked over the trio, before sighing out and shaking his head. ¡°¡­whelp, there¡¯s not much that can be done about that.¡± Piper said, before holding his hand out to the door. ¡°Ya¡¯ll free to go now.¡± The trio curiously stared at each other, with Bridget heading out almost immediately, as Sadashi rested his hand on Aloette. ¡°You¡¯re just gonna let us go?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°And we¡¯re meant to buy that?¡± Piper smirked. ¡°I¡¯m a man of my word. Ya¡¯ll can head back to ya ship whenever ya want. We won¡¯t stop ya.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s no catch?¡± Sadashi said, wondering if he should just take the opportunity and leave with Aloette. ¡°Do ya want there to be a catch?¡± Piper joked, indicating to the door again, as Aloette took the chance to get up and head out, beckoning Sadashi to follow. Sadashi quietly followed behind, as they joined up with Bridget at the plank, ready to head back down. ¡°Oh.¡± Right as they were about to head back down, they turned to Piper, now coming out of the main room. ¡°I should clarify.¡± Piper said, raising a finger. ¡°The reason ya¡¯ll aren¡¯t getting captured is that you¡¯re technically guests on this ship.¡± Piper indicated back down to their boat. ¡°The moment ya¡¯ll get back on there, you¡¯ll be pirates again.¡± Piper grinned, now with far more malice behind it. ¡°And as an admiral with a perfect track record, I can¡¯t let pirates in my district get away.¡± The trio suddenly felt dread at the brief moment of kindness they¡¯d been offered, both paralysed with fear at the idea of getting back on their ship, and realising they¡¯d be in no better position if they stayed. Bridget hurriedly insisted Aloette and Sadashi follow her back down to the ship, as they quickly did so, while Piper subtly grinned to himself, before giving a small nod and walking over to the officers manning the cannon. ¡°Once they¡¯ve cleared some distance, wait for my command to fire.¡± Piper insisted, resting his hands on their shoulders. ¡°And don¡¯t aim too close to the outcrop, or else ya¡¯ll are cleaning up whatever damage the debris does.¡± Bridget nervously unfurled the sails again, as Piper¡¯s ship pulled back a bit, looking to give them some room to attempt an escape, while also lining up the cannons properly. ¡°¡­okay.¡± Bridget muttered, turning back to the duo. ¡°I think there¡¯s a small divide in the outcrop coming up. I¡¯ll try to get through it, you two just¡­¡± Bridget held her tongue. ¡°¡­just hold tight.¡± The boat continued to sail along the outcrop, as Piper watched incessantly, waiting for them to clear just enough distance, and doing his best to keep his excitement to himself. ¡°Sir.¡± ¡°¡­yes?¡± Piper asked, turning to his officer, as he held out a seashell. ¡°¡­oh, this thing. The telephonic¡­whatever¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a call on the Royal line. From Admiral Phil.¡± Piper blinked in confusion and raised an eyebrow, before picking it up to take the call. He raised his free hand, indicating for the cannons to fire once it was lowered. ¡°¡­yes, Phil, what is it?¡± ¡°Have you seen a ship passing by?!¡± Piper¡¯s eyes darted to the other ship, still just a bit too close. ¡°¡­be more specific.¡± ¡°A ship with Sadashi Sicer on it! Nyra¡¯s gone and freed him from his execution!¡± Piper¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait, what?! Nyra¡¯s on that ship?! Why didn¡¯t she say anything?!¡± ¡°Admiral, what¡¯s your order?!¡± The cannon operators asked, as Piper noticed the other ship in range. ¡°Hold on! Phil!¡± Piper yelled, keeping the ship directly in eyeshot. ¡°Is Nyra on that ship?! Yes, or no?!...you little, quicker with your answer! They¡¯re¡­!¡± Piper lowered his hand, insisting the cannons fire. Right as he did so however, he noticed the ship turning to the small gap in the outcrop, just out of range of their cannons, and without anyway for their much larger ship to follow. All that could be heard was the waves crashing against the outcrop, and the muffled sound of Phil on the other end of the call. ¡°¡­Piper? Did you hear what I said? Hellooooo?¡± Piper, holding in as much frustration as he could, slowly lifted the shell. ¡°Piper! There you are! I can hear your angry breathing!¡± ¡°¡­Phil, go fuck yourself.¡± Piper replied, before chucking it back to the officer who¡¯d handed it to him. He started flexing and unflexing his hand into a fist, visibly working out some stress. ¡°¡­saddle up, boys!¡± Piper insisted, as all the officers stood to attention. ¡°We¡¯re making up for our mistake! Head directly to Averole, scope the area, and any calls made by Admiral Phil should be ignored until we find them! Understood?!¡± ¡°Yes, admiral!¡± His officers called out, as Piper stopped flexing his hand, before grabbing his whistle and calling his falcon back to his arm. ¡°¡­good.¡± ¡°We actually made it!¡± Aloette cried, hugging Sadashi happily, before jumping over to Bridget. ¡°Hesitation, thy name is godsend!¡± ¡°¡­that was¡­¡± Sadashi let out, before resting his head in his hands. ¡°¡­that was terrifying, holy shit¡­¡± ¡°And I nearly clipped the wall with our shortcut¡­but hey, we made it!¡± Bridget bragged. ¡°It¡¯s a clean shot to Averole from here!¡± ¡°Cheer up, Sadashi.¡± Aloette insisted, going over to his side and pumping her fist. ¡°We¡¯re in the clear. We can take a bit of time at Averole to recover, and you can get your strength back.¡± ¡°¡­as long as they¡¯re not in pursuit.¡± Sadashi noted, as Bridget shrugged. ¡°Well, they¡¯ll still have to navigate around that outcrop. That should buy us a good amount of time.¡± Bridget assured. ¡°At this point, what¡¯s the wor-¡° ¡°Stop!¡± Aloette and Sadashi both shouted, holding their hands out. Bridget looked to them in surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it!¡± Sadashi cried out, letting his hands down. ¡°You¡¯re just asking for it.¡± ¡°If you set it up like that, life¡¯s bound to come around on us in a very ironic way. Don¡¯t give it the opportunity!¡± Aloette insisted, as Bridget shook her head. ¡°Alright, alright¡­¡± Bridget let out. ¡°You two are some real characters¡­¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°ANYONE FOUND HARBOURING SADASHI SICER IN AN ATTEMPT TO LEAVE THIS ISLAND WILL BE SWIFTLY PUNISHED ALONGSIDE HIM, UNDERSTOOD?!?!¡± Phil called out to every pirate present near Descrelate¡¯s docks, all giving him and the other Precession officers the stink-eye as they occupied the docks, refusing anyone to leave. ¡°Fellas!¡± Phil called out, facing his officers on the lower deck. ¡°We comb that beach one more time! If he¡¯s still here, he can¡¯t be far!¡± The officers ran out, charging down the beach, as Phil sighed out, before stepping back to Alfie, anxiously resting on the railing and staring at the spot he saw Sadashi and Aloette the night prior. ¡°You¡¯re sure you saw him down there?¡± Phil asked. Alfie nodded. ¡°And he didn¡¯t return to the docks?¡± Alfie shook his head. Phil rested his hands on his hips. ¡°¡­well, no one we interrogated mentioned a ship parked on the beach, and Piper didn¡¯t say anything about spotting Sadashi in his area.¡± Phil turned to Alfie, nodded insistently. ¡°And he¡¯s quite thorough.¡± Phil scratched his cheek. ¡°This is turning into a real pickle. A r-¡± ¡°AHOY MATEYS!!!¡± Phil and Alfie swung around, facing the direction of the voice, as they saw a massive ship pulling into the docks, helmed by an irritated Nyra and a boisterous Flint. ¡°So¡­¡± Flint called out, planting his foot directly on the edge of his ship. ¡°What brings the Precession around these parts?!¡± Chapter 8: Have a Drink ¡°I¡¯m so mad¡­¡± Nyra kept running her hands together, anxiously staring out the front of Flint¡¯s ship, desperate to catch a glimpse of Descrelate. It was early enough in the morning that her crew and Flint¡¯s crew were almost entirely asleep, save for the helmsman, and what Nyra realised was Flint coming up the stairs behind her to join her. ¡°Come off it, Nyra. The moment we find those thieves that stole your ship¡­¡± Flint insisted, before wrapping his arm around her neck and forming a fist with the other. ¡°They¡¯re as good as dead.¡± Nyra sneered and nodded her head. ¡°It¡¯s a point of pride. The humiliation¡­¡± Flint grinned. ¡°Ah yes, the ¡®princess¡¯ girl.¡± ¡°Like, who the fuck does she think she is?!¡± Nyra¡¯s cried, running her hand through her hair. ¡°That wimpy, pathetic fucking noble just¡­takes me ship?! With Sadashi?! What, were they working together?! Was her cowering in fear an act?! Did she trick me?!¡± Nyra spun around. ¡°Or is it worse and she just saw an opportunity?! A civilian steals my goddamn ship! My blood¡¯s boiling, Flint!¡± ¡°I can tell!¡± Flint exclaimed, slapping her back and laughing heartily. ¡°You and me, Nyra! The only real pirates on these seas!¡± Just as he said that, he crouched down, before pointing to an emerging landmass on the horizon. ¡°And true to our profession, x marks the spot.¡± Descrelate was finally coming into view, giving Nyra the slightest bit of relief, desperately scanning for her ship as they closed in. The moment they got in close enough, Flint noticed the Royal Precession ship taking up most of the docks, and the island visibly swarming with officers. ¡°Now there¡¯s curious.¡± Flint grinned, leaning in closer. ¡°Looks like our thief friends might¡¯ve been in the area.¡± Nyra lifted up her head, just as the ship pulled into the dock, and the duo caught a glimpse of Phil and Alfie on the royal vessel. ¡°Ahoy mateys!¡± Flint called out, as the admirals now noticed the ship pulling in beside them. ¡°So¡­what brings the Precession around these parts?!¡± ¡°F-FLINT!!!¡± Phil cried out, almost falling backward, right as Alfie caught him. ¡°W-Weren¡¯t you just at the capital?¡± ¡°Had to leave early!¡± Flint called out, right as his crew unfurled the ladder, properly docking the ship. ¡°That bastard Sadashi ducked off before I could kill him! You haven¡¯t seen him, have you?¡± Phil went to give a worried response, only to notice Flint¡¯s crew now taking up the docks, and¡­ Nyra coming down with them. In a panic, he ran off the ship, sprinting out onto the docks, before pointing frantically at Nyra. ¡°Nyra?! Wait, where¡¯s Sadashi?!¡± Phil exclaimed, only for Nyra to come over, grab his collar and lift him up. ¡°That¡¯s what I wanna know, numbnuts! Where the fuck¡¯s my boat?!¡± Nyra yelled, as Phil shakily pointed past his own ship. Nyra poked her head to the side and caught the edge of it, dropping Phil, before running over to it, followed quickly by her crew. Alfie hurried over to help Phil back up, glaring at Nyra as she ran past. Right as Nyra was about to board, she came face to face with the officers guarding her ship, all pointing halberds in her direction. Nyra sighed. ¡°¡­it¡¯s been a long few days.¡± She insisted, cracking her neck. ¡°You really wanna be my biggest problem right now?¡± ¡°W-WAIT!¡± Phil cried out to them, waving his hands wildly. ¡°L-Let her through! Please, let her through!¡± Phil insisted, waving his guys down, as they reluctantly lowered their halberds and stepped aside. Nyra mockingly sneered at them as she passed, as Phil let out a sigh of relief. ¡°¡­I¡¯m starting to think Nyra didn¡¯t help break Sadashi out.¡± Phil deduced, leaning into Alfie and whispering. ¡°Were we mistaken? Was it just someone that looked like her?¡± Alfie peered over, analysing Nyra¡¯s bright red coat, cross-shaped eyepatch, and almost entirely half-scarred body. ¡°¡­probably not.¡± Alfie noted, as Phil jumped. ¡°Wait!¡± Phil grabbed Alfie¡¯s collar. ¡°Does that mean we gave Piper bad information?!¡± Phil threw his head back dramatically. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s going to be so mad at us!¡± Alfie struggled to a recall a time when Piper wasn¡¯t mad at them, only to turn around and find Flint directly in his and Phil¡¯s faces. ¡°SO¡­¡± Flint lifted himself back up, towering over both of them. ¡°Sadashi¡¯s not here?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Phil let out, thinking about whether to lie to Flint¡¯s face, before quickly averting his gaze. ¡°¡­well, Alfie saw him on the beach last night.¡± Alfie and Flint shared a brief glance, before Phil clicked his tongue. ¡°¡­but there¡¯s a good chance he¡¯s not on the island anyone.¡± Phil pointed out. ¡°We were also under the impression Nyra was the one who broke him out.¡± Flint blinked in surprise, before laughing heartily. ¡°That¡¯s rich!¡± Flint cackled. ¡°It¡¯s the opposite! She wants that girl dead!¡± ¡°Girl?¡± Phil asked, only for yelling and swearing to echo out from the other side of the docks. The trio turned their heads, only for Nyra to charge back down the dock, stomping loudly and shoving people out of the way. ¡°THEY DITCHED IT!¡± Nyra cried, grabbing a length of rope off the ground and kicking it for no good reason. ¡°They just left my ship here UNATTENDED! AND they took my map! The absolute disrespect!¡± ¡°Nyra!¡± ¡°WHAT?!?!?!¡± She yelled, visibly seething, as one of her crewmates sheepishly interrupted. ¡°¡­we couldn¡¯t find¡­you know¡­¡± Nyra took a second to figure it out, before her pupils shrank. ¡°¡­wha¡­¡± Nyra managed, before crying out and kicking barrels off the dock, now drawing the attention of the pirates deliberately avoiding the docks. ¡°AND NOW THEY STOLE MY FUCKING TREASURE!!!¡± ¡°You had treasure here?¡± Flint asked, as Nyra ran up to him and grabbed the front of his coat. ¡°Of course I did! No one checks this place!¡± Nyra insisted, grinding her teeth. ¡°It was a personal storage in case I needed it! And they had the gall to run off with it!¡± Nyra¡¯s anger started slowing itself down, only to build back up as manic giddiness. ¡°¡­they¡¯re trying to mock me.¡± Nyra insisted, laughing a little. ¡°That fucking princess and her knight in shining armour wanna watch me squirm. Well, it¡¯s personal now.¡± She pulled out her rusty cutlass and cried out to the sky. ¡°You take from me, I take your life! That¡¯s how it works!¡± Nyra started laughing to herself, disturbing pretty much everyone around her, her own crew included, as Phil leaned back into Alfie. ¡°That¡¯s the second mention of the other thief¡­¡®girl¡¯ and ¡®princess.¡¯¡± Phil noted, as Alfie nodded along. ¡°Is she a part of Atticus¡¯ crew?¡± ¡°FLINT!¡± Nyra cried, pointing her sword at him. ¡°You still going after Sadashi?!¡± Flint grinned, joining in her manic display. ¡°Till his head¡¯s on my mantle!¡± ¡°Then we keep our pursuit too!¡± Nyra demanded. ¡°We¡¯ve got our ship, now we need revenge!¡± Flint found himself overjoyed, as he clapped his hands and grabbed everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°LISTEN UP CREW!¡± Flint yelled out. ¡°We grab supplies, get a quick drink, and we head out! Our journey¡¯s not over yet!¡± The crew gave a rowdy cheer in response, finishing their tasks a bit faster, as Phil shared a brief glance with Alfie, before stepping forward to Flint. ¡°E-Excuse me.¡± Phil said, as Flint looked down at him. ¡°If¡­you¡¯re also pursuing Sadashi, might we tag along?¡± ¡°You?¡± Flint asked, leaning down, as Phil worriedly stepped back. ¡°Y-Y-Yes, well, he¡¯s an enemy of our majesty. And he was set for execution.¡± Phil noted. ¡°If you¡¯re¡­dead set on killing him, we just want to confirm his death¡­for our majesty¡¯s sake.¡± Flint lifted himself up and scratched his beard, thinking over the proposal, before swinging his hand down and slapping Phil¡¯s back. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t get in the way!¡± ¡°¡­not planning on it.¡± Flint smirked. ¡°Great! Happy to have the Precession working for us!¡± ¡°Uh, actua-¡° Phil started, only for Flint to step out of earshot before Phil could correct him. ¡°¡­of course.¡± ¡°Phil.¡± Alfie started, pointing back at the pirates. ¡°Flint?¡± Phil glanced around them and pulled Alfie in. ¡°¡­we¡¯ll be better off not competing with them.¡± Phil whispered. ¡°Syrille¡¯s still going to want an execution, so we just have to capture Sadashi before they can get to him, and with their aid, that should be a little easier. We¡¯ll get in close enough, then give them the slip.¡± Phil locked his hand with Alfie¡¯s, and used his hook hand to casually stroke his hair. ¡°And even if we can¡¯t capture him, Syrille would certainly prefer Sadashi die by our hand.¡± Phil pointed out. ¡°Plus, I¡¯m very curious as to this ¡®princess¡¯ character that¡¯s gotten involved.¡± Alfie sighed out in worry, as Phil leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do the talking with them. I know you hate their types.¡± Phil insisted, before taking his hand. ¡°Now come on, we better get ready to head out.¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ Averole. At first glance, it wasn¡¯t an island. If anything, it looked to be a massive glass-encased building floating atop the water. But as Aloette got closer, she started to realise that it was that the building encompassed the whole island, only broken up by what looked to be a large orchard out the back. Royal Precession and trading ships came in and out, enlivening the place with business, and providing patrons for the restaurant inside. Light bled through the building¡¯s exterior, giving life to the splashes of greenery through the structure. ¡°¡­oh¡­¡± Aloette let out, before balling up her fists and squealing. ¡°¡­I¡¯m in heaven!¡± She leaped over to the railing, right as the island started coming into their ship¡¯s view. ¡°What a magnificent achievement of ingenuity! A shining beacon upon these seas!¡± Aloette cried, looking back at the other two, before noticing their serious faces. ¡°Come on, guys! Let¡¯s be excited!¡± Bridget raised an eyebrow, before glancing back at a forlorn Sadashi. ¡°I¡¯m with mopey here.¡± Bridget remarked, as Sadashi quietly sighed in annoyance. ¡°Look.¡± Bridget turned Aloette around. ¡°We nearly got done in by an admiral with one ship. Granted, we made it out alive¡­but I don¡¯t even know how.¡± Bridget indicated back to Averole. ¡°And that place is filled with Royal Precession officers.¡± ¡°¡­well, pirates like to drink as well. Isn¡¯t there some sort of truce here?¡± Aloette posited. ¡°A promise for peaceful business to not disrupt the atmosphere?¡± ¡°Atmosphere?¡± Sadashi questioned, before shaking his head. ¡°¡­well, sort of, but not in the way you think. You¡¯ll see when it hits nightfall.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t help now though. They may not clock the boat as pirate, but the moment we step onto the island, it¡¯ll be clear as day.¡± Bridget clarified, as Aloette curiously stared at the docking area, noticing the ships coming in and out. Once she clocked the trading ships however, she got an idea. ¡°Bridget!¡± Aloette exclaimed, spinning around. ¡°Do you have any spare clothes here?¡± Bridget cocked her head. ¡°Uhh¡­yeah? I¡¯ve got a box of them by the bed.¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± Aloette exclaimed, going to look for it. ¡°We¡¯ll just dress up like traders!¡± For maybe the first time in either of their lives, Sadashi and Bridget shared a look of understanding, as Bridget leaned her head inside the room. ¡°Aloette, we¡¯re not exactly¡­¡± Bridget remarked, before pointing mostly as Sadashi. ¡°Fashion experts.¡± ¡°You can stop whenever you want.¡± Sadashi advised, as Bridget stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°Well¡­¡± Aloette excitedly pulled out some clothing and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll dress you up!¡± ¡°¡­alright, now lift your arm.¡± Aloette asked, as Sadashi obliged. ¡°Perfect!¡± Sadashi was now wearing a mostly intact dress shirt and jacket instead of his vest, and a gold bracelet from Nyra¡¯s stash of treasure.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Uhh¡­th-thank you¡­Aloette.¡± Sadashi let out, feeling a bit sheepish, before holding up the bracelet curiously. ¡°Won¡¯t someone try to steal this?¡± ¡°The bracelet¡¯s a universal sign of a trader. It¡¯s like saying ¡®open for business.¡¯¡± Aloette explained, kicking her legs on the bed. ¡°But because it¡¯s so common, a majority aren¡¯t actually made of gold, they just look like it.¡± ¡°¡­and if someone tries to steal it, they know not to do business with them.¡± Sadashi deduced, as Aloette nodded along. ¡°You sure know a lot about this.¡± ¡°I like studying people. And I tended to frequent the market a lot back in Intide.¡± Aloette explained, looking over at Bridget. She was still straightening out her bracelet and fidgeting with her outfit, as Aloette noticed she hadn¡¯t taken off her cloak. ¡°Bridget, you¡¯ll have to lose the cloak and daggers.¡± Aloette mentioned. Bridget¡¯s eye twitched, as she grabbed onto its side. ¡°¡­really?¡± Aloette nodded. ¡°Traders don¡¯t wear cloaks. Since it¡¯s seen as a way to hide away objects, traders who wear cloaks are considered untrustworthy.¡± Aloette raised a finger. ¡°While we might look convincing, we might run into trouble with other traders as a result.¡± ¡°¡­fine, fine.¡± Bridget complained, taking it off, before delicately leaving it by her bed. ¡°How¡¯s the rest of it?¡± ¡°Great!¡± Aloette exclaimed, before taking her pink coat off and folding it. ¡°Apologies, dear coat. As beautiful as you are, you¡¯ll give us away.¡± Bridget started chuckling, as Sadashi elbowed her in the side, while Aloette left the coat beside the cloak. It was a few more minutes before they reached the docks proper, as there looked to be someone greeting some of the traders near an off door, just to the side of the main restaurant. ¡°And a pleasure to you too.¡± He started, bringing a warm smile, before greeting the trio now approaching him. ¡°Welcome! Do you need directions to the market stalls?¡± ¡°Richards.¡± Sadashi said, as the man leaned forward, now recognising the face. ¡°¡­Sadashi?¡± Richards¡¯ eyes widened, before bringing him in for a hug. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to see you¡¯re¡­¡± He started, before realising he might draw attention and separating. ¡°I heard about the execution. And you managing to get out of it.¡± ¡°You can thank her for that.¡± Sadashi admitted, indicating to Aloette, who gave a quick salute. ¡°¡­Nyra?¡± Richards asked, leaning down curiously. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have an eyepatch? And your skin¡¯s healed remarkably.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Aloette, actually!¡± Aloette replied, proudly placing her hands on her hips. ¡°Nyra¡¯s¡­¡± Aloette thought on it for a second, before grinning. ¡°Nyra¡¯s my rival!¡± ¡°Oh. I see.¡± Richards let out, as Sadashi gave her the side-eye. ¡°Is she joining your crew, Sadashi?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll explain.¡± Sadashi said, as Richards waved his arm to the entrance. ¡°Well¡­greetings you two. I¡¯m the owner of this distillery, and a friend of Sadashi¡¯s.¡± Richards clarified, before giving a small bow. ¡°Feel free to act ¡®piratey¡¯ within reason.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± Bridget remarked, as Richards started walking them to the quarters. Meanwhile, Sadashi crouched down and started whispering to Aloette. ¡°Aloette, I know you¡¯re¡­¡± He stopped himself, before taking her aside. ¡°I know you¡­want¡­the pirate lifestyle. But don¡¯t give Nyra more of a reason to come find you.¡± ¡°But we already stole her ship. And her treasure.¡± Aloette pointed out, as Sadashi sighed out. ¡°As someone who¡¯s been out here for a while, it¡¯s best not to broadcast your activity, or set up vendettas against yourself.¡± Sadashi admitted, before resting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I screwed over Flint, and he¡¯s still out for my head. I don¡¯t want the same for you.¡± ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Aloette let out, assuring Sadashi somewhat, as they went back to following Richards. A second later, Aloette spoke up. ¡°¡­but what if she starts calling me her rival?¡± Aloette asked, as Sadashi sighed in annoyance. ¡°At that point, it would be rude not to acknowle-¡° Sadashi started walking ahead to catch up with Richards, as Aloette called out. ¡°Sadashi! Hey!¡± ¡°¡­if I just ignore it, she won¡¯t mention it again¡­¡± Sadashi assured himself, right as he reached Richards. He leaned back over his shoulder. ¡°So¡­just visiting?¡± Richards knowingly asked. ¡°¡­we need some supplies.¡± Sadashi explained, glancing around them. ¡°We¡¯re rejoining with my crew in The Further, and¡­¡± ¡°Sadashi, wait, before you go on¡­I can¡¯t offer you a ship.¡± Richards clarified, cutting him off. ¡°King Syrille¡¯s still keeping me under watch after the last one you borrowed. I¡¯m lucky to still be the owner.¡± ¡°Can you lend us anything else though? Spare food and drink, just enough for the trip there?¡± Sadashi insisted, as Richards tilted his head. ¡°¡­and, ideally¡­board for tonight.¡± Richards sighed out, scratching his moustache, before nodding. ¡°¡­just for tonight. And you¡¯ll need to be out by 5am like the others.¡± Richards kept walking. ¡°A couple employees are off gathering supplies in Majipenta right now, so you can borrow their rooms.¡± Sadashi and the others followed him on his way to the quarters, as he spun his hand. ¡°I can also afford to¡­lose¡­say, about a weeks¡¯ worth of food for three without drawing much suspicion.¡± Sadashi stopped him, before grabbing both his hands and facing him. ¡°¡­thank you.¡± ¡°¡­just give Atticus my thanks when you see him.¡± Richards assured, smiling back at him. ¡°And tell him to clear his tab when he¡¯s back.¡± ¡°¡­will do.¡± Sadashi sheepishly agreed, before Richards scratched his chin. ¡°So¡­¡± He started, before leaning into Sadashi. ¡°¡­what¡¯s with Aloette?¡± Sadashi darted his eyes around, as Aloette and Bridget curiously scanned around the place, with Aloette being taken in by the majesty of the oceanside view. ¡°¡­she¡¯s¡­his daughter.¡± Sadashi admitted, as Richards¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°Oh.¡± Richards said. ¡°¡­huh¡­¡± ¡°And she¡¯s a noble.¡± Sadashi added, only confounding Richards more. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°¡­wow.¡± Richards let out, before continuing to walk. ¡°Good for Atticus.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re into that sort of thing.¡± Sadashi followed up, looking back at Aloette curiously. Unbeknownst to either of them though, stumbling his way from the bar and rambling a nonsense song, all while catching a glimpse of the owner escorting some well-dressed traders through the building, a drunkard stumbled forward, finding something to lean on. Once he managed it, he caught a glimpse of Sadashi and Bridget¡¯s faces through the glass. ¡°¡­huh¡­¡± He said, wiping his mouth on his coat sleeve. ¡°¡­so he¡¯s here¡­¡± He thought on it for a second, before grinning. ¡°¡­I¡¯m willing to bet¡­¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°HEY! HOW¡¯RE YOU DOING BACK THERE?¡± Nyra¡¯s crewmates gave a thumbs up from her ship, sailing right beside Flint¡¯s, as she stepped back and watched the sun setting beside them. ¡°Didn¡¯t feel like travelling on your own ship?¡± Nyra turned to see Flint approaching and joining her by the side of the boat. ¡°Nah, they¡¯ve got it covered.¡± Nyra excused, before elbowing Flint¡¯s side. ¡°I was enjoying your company too much, big guy.¡± Flint let out a laugh, as the sound of raucous partying bled in from further down the main deck. Flint¡¯s crew were tearing up a storm, laughing, drinking, and generally enjoying themselves. Flint looked over and appreciated the excitement they were all sharing, before catching a glimpse of Phil and Alfie¡¯s ship off the port side. ¡°¡­think we can trust them?¡± Nyra asked, as Flint shook his head. ¡°Not a bit. But their help¡¯s gonna be welcome. Won¡¯t have to slink our way past the headquarters like we usually do.¡± Flint noted, indicating to the slightly greyer skies in the distance, indicative of the constant storms surrounding The Further. ¡°We have to sail right beside that so no one¡¯s dumb enough to follow us.¡± ¡°¡­huh.¡± Nyra let out, electing not to mention how her crew¡¯s able to pass by. ¡°¡­well, I assume you¡¯re gonna go party it up with your crew, so¡­¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± Flint noted, before pulling out a bottle of scotch from his jacket. ¡°I was gonna invite you to share a drink in private and have a chat.¡± Nyra smirked. ¡°Are you coming onto me, Flint?¡± Flint cracked a smile and laughed. ¡°Nothing like that. To use your own words, I think I just enjoy your company.¡± He nodded his head slightly. ¡°But I guess¡­we¡¯ll see where the night takes us.¡± Nyra raised an eyebrow, before smiling and shrugging, as she followed him below deck to his private chamber, looking much nicer than anything above deck. While his ship was genuinely impressive in size and presence, it wasn¡¯t exactly decorated. But despite being a smaller room, his chamber was covered in only the best-looking treasure he¡¯d accrued over the years, some incredibly well-kept books, and what looked to be a private liquor collection. ¡°So¡­¡± Nyra said, resting a hand on her hip. ¡°You wanted to chat about anything in particular?¡± Flint walked to the liquor collection and grabbed a couple glasses. ¡°Trust¡­is a rare thing on these seas.¡± He started, before handing her a glass. He poured himself some of the rum from the bottle. ¡°But we trust so much when we go out. We trust the weather to cooperate and give us strong winds, we trust the ocean to welcome us and our vessel without obstruction, and we trust our crew to have our backs.¡± Nyra held her glass closer, as Flint poured her drink. ¡°And yet¡­we don¡¯t trust our fellow pirate.¡± Flint lifted the bottle back up. ¡°And why would we? We¡¯re in the same profession, but we¡¯re all competing. We¡¯re all trying to get by.¡± Flint argued, taking a sip of his drink. ¡°We¡¯ve got no reason to trust each other.¡± He grinned. ¡°So¡­¡± Flint started, holding his glass up. ¡°Let¡¯s try and buck that trend in our revenge quest. Here¡¯s to happy hunting.¡± Nyra smiled as well, before clinking her glass with his. ¡°¡­nice little speech. Did you practice it beforehand?¡± Nyra remarked, as Flint waved his hand. ¡°Nothing wrong with being earnest, Nyra.¡± Flint pointed out, as he sat down in his comfiest looking chair. ¡°At the end of the day, piracy¡¯s an honest business.¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°Safe travels now!¡± Richards waved as the Royal Precession and civilian ships started pulling out of the docks, heading back up to Intide and Pelaga, right as it hit 10pm. After doing his usual routine of closing up shop and ushering the employees back to their quarters, he stopped in on Aloette and Sadashi, having mostly made themselves comfortable in their quarters, with Bridget ducking back onto her ship. ¡°The royal ships have all left for tonight. Did you settle into your room fine, Aloette?¡± Richards asked, as Aloette gave an affirmative nod. ¡°Sorry there wasn¡¯t a three bed room available, but I figured you¡¯d be fine sleeping on your own for a night.¡± ¡°Perfectly understandable, and thank you again for the board.¡± Aloette insisted, as Richards blushed slightly. ¡°I¡¯m half tempted to get an early night myself.¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± Sadashi said, lying back on his bed, before sitting up. ¡°You may want to stay up for a little longer. You¡¯ll miss the other pirates otherwise.¡± ¡°Other pirates?¡± Aloette remarked, turning to Richards curiously, as he chuckled slightly. ¡°It¡¯s the other half of the business. Trade secret.¡± Richards hinted, before taking his leave. ¡°Give it another hour.¡± And so Aloette did just that, now practically buzzing with anticipation, and refusing to leave the room as she stared out the window, only looking away to glance back at the clock feverishly. Eventually, it hit 11pm, and right on cue, other ships started to pull in from the opposite direction of Intide, all very visibly pirate ships. Aloette gasped in excitement, as she grabbed Sadashi¡¯s arm to pull him up and show him, despite him very much knowing what it was. As they got closer, she could now see Richards outside with a small lantern, and several boxes of alcohol stacked up behind him in anticipation. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Aloette let out, enamoured with it all, as Sadashi found himself slightly amused. ¡°¡­you see.¡± He started, crouching behind and pointing to the ships. ¡°Averole technically isn¡¯t allowed to engage in commerce with pirates. However, if the Royal Precession isn¡¯t here to witness it, that can¡¯t be enforced.¡± His finger followed the ships as they pulled in. ¡°So an hour after closing, Richards welcomes pirates in to buy as much as they need. But they¡¯ve got to be out of here an hour before opening, or else the Royal Precession might catch them.¡± ¡°And King Syrille hasn¡¯t picked up on it?¡± Aloette asked, as Sadashi shrugged. ¡°Hard to say. Could be that he doesn¡¯t care to clamp down on it, sort of like Descrelate.¡± Sadashi noted. ¡°Or that interfering with the business would hurt both parties. There¡¯s a good chunk of Royal Precession members that might as well be pirates for how much they drink.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Aloette let out, right as Bridget came into the room, knocking gently on the door. ¡°Supplies are loaded. Ship¡¯s all ready for the morning.¡± Bridget said, as Sadashi stood up. ¡°You¡¯d best get to bed now, Aloette. We¡¯ll need good rest for the next stretch.¡± Sadashi advised. Aloette sighed out and stood up to leave, as Bridget rested her hands on her hips. ¡°Strictly speaking, I think both the women should be sharing a room.¡± Bridget insisted, as Sadashi glared at her. ¡°I don¡¯t trust you alone in a room with her.¡± Sadashi noted, pointing right at Bridget. ¡°And I don¡¯t trust you in a room alone either. I¡¯m keeping an eye on you.¡± Right as Aloette passed, Bridget stuck her tongue out. ¡°It¡¯s rude to point, you meanie.¡± Sadashi let it slide, before waving to Aloette, as she headed down the hall to her room. After turning a couple corners, she reached her smaller room, still with a gorgeous view of the ocean, thanks to the building¡¯s almost entirely glass exterior. ¡°It feels like home.¡± Aloette noted, sighing out. ¡°And yet I feel so different¡­even then, Sadashi whisked me off to bed just like mother used to¡­¡± Aloette found herself getting annoyed. ¡°¡­there must be someway to cement my position as captain.¡± Aloette wondered, before pouting and landing on the bed. ¡°But Sadashi and Bridget won¡¯t hear it. Why must they sap the fun out of this?¡± Aloette clicked her tongue, before falling back onto the bed. ¡°¡­though I suppose they¡¯re doing it for a good reason. I¡¯ve only been out to sea about a week now.¡± Aloette noted, rolling to her side. ¡°And both of them are far more cut out for the position¡­¡± In a second, Aloette shot up. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t be miffed about it!¡± She stood up and started idly wandering. ¡°Sadashi¡¯s already an accomplished pirate, and Bridget¡¯s a skilful thief. They have their roles.¡± Aloette insisted, before slamming her fist down into her hand. ¡°And I refuse to be a passenger! This journey¡¯s a chance to prove myself. I can lead if I really want it.¡± She pumped her fist proudly. ¡°I¡¯ll follow after you, dad. Nothing but captain for your Pirate Princess.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so quiet and intimate.¡± Bridget remarked, rolling her shoulders playfully, as Sadashi lay on his bed, eyes closed, looking like he was pretending to sleep. ¡°Just two people, alone in a room¡­¡± ¡°Shut up, please.¡± Sadashi insisted, grabbing the bridge of his nose. ¡°I haven¡¯t had decent sleep in weeks.¡± Bridget pouted. ¡°You¡¯re no fun. How about you take some notes from Aloette? She¡¯s loving every moment of this trip.¡± ¡°Yeah, because we¡¯ve gotten out of every scrape unharmed.¡± Sadashi pointed out. ¡°She¡¯s only had the fun parts so far, not the hard stuff.¡± ¡°¡­yeah, true.¡± Bridget agreed, making up her bed. ¡°Though judging by her demeanour, I don¡¯t think she¡¯d really differentiate the two. Sort of an adrenaline junkie, that one.¡± ¡°Until it gets bloody.¡± Sadashi noted, now turning away from Bridget, as Bridget took the hint and got herself ready to rest. Richards waited patiently by the shoreline, checking his watch to see whether it was time to turn over shifts. It was about to reach midnight, as he let out a large breath, right as other ships started appearing on the horizon. ¡°Guess there¡¯s a few more deliveries t¡­¡± He had to stop himself, as right in front of his eyes, a massive Royal Precession ship passed right by him, completely blocking the other ships from view. He stepped back in worry, running to peer around the hull and check on the other ships, as they were now circling around and sailing back at the sight of the Royal Precession. Snapping Richards from his shock, a small knocking came from the deck, as Piper leaned over his banister. ¡°So¡­how¡¯s business?¡± The ocean. A truly beautiful thing, especially to Aloette. While her room back in Intide did have a beautiful view, it was still one of the furthest points on the island from the ocean. Her view was mostly taken up by the city. But here, on her journey, she gets to stare out at it whenever she wants. A truly beautiful thing. She found herself slowly drifting off to sleep, having made herself comfortable in her nightie, as sh- RINGRINGRINGRINGRINGRING!!! Aloette jumped from her bed, stirred by the loud bell ringing coming from her window. The moment she looked out, it was consumed by the massive shadow of a Royal Precession ship, heading straight for the docks. Once her ears finally stopped ringing and heartbeat slowed down, she quickly got up, still donning her nightie, and ran to Sadashi and Bridget¡¯s room. ¡°Sadashi! Bridget! Are you awake?!¡± She whisper-yelled, right as she reached their room. ¡°It¡¯s Piper, he fol-¡° Aloette stopped, before finally taking in the room and seeing there was a struggle. No blood looked to be spilled, but Sadashi and Bridget clearly weren¡¯t there. ¡°¡­what happe¡­no!¡± Aloette let out, clutching her nightie, as the realisation hit her. ¡°They ain¡¯t bleeding, are they?¡± Piper asked, standing atop his deck, as the officers tightened the restraints around the unconscious Sadashi and Bridget. ¡°No admiral. It was just enough to knock them out.¡± ¡°Good, good.¡± Piper let out, right as the officers went to move them to the prison cells below deck. ¡°Hold on, wait.¡± They stopped, as Piper waved his hand. ¡°Ya¡¯ll can move them down later. I wanna see the look in their faces when they come to.¡± One of the higher ranked officers approached Piper¡¯s side and saluted. ¡°Piper, sir, what about that Aloette girl?¡± Piper turned to him and smiled, before patting his cheek. ¡°We needn¡¯t waste time.¡± Piper started making his way down, as he called out to the rest of his crew. ¡°The owner of this lovely island is being very generous for us right now! We¡¯re heading straight for Intide for the execution! Grab as many supplies as we need, we¡¯re heading out the moment we get light again!¡± Piper announced, as the officers saluted, before heading off to do just that. And right as she reached the docks, Aloette hid herself, before catching the bodies of Sadashi and Bridget sitting in the middle of the ship, surrounded on all ends by guards. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Aloette gulped. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Chapter 9: Crowning Ceremony ¡°¡­this is a good day.¡± Piper turned to his officers, tirelessly bringing supplies onto the ship. ¡°Ya¡¯ll feeling this positivity? I was in a real bad mood after what was pulled on us, and now that heinous action can be rectified.¡± Piper insisted, watching over Sadashi and Bridget¡¯s unconscious bodies lying in the middle of the deck. ¡°A proper execution, all in Syrille¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Sir.¡± One of the higher-ranking officers started, before indicating to Bridget¡¯s ship still in the dock near them. ¡°What should we do about their ship?¡± Piper clicked his tongue. ¡°There¡¯s no honour in shootin¡¯ down a vessel with no one aboard. Just a waste of parts.¡± Piper explained. ¡°¡­however, if you spot that Aloette girl on there, well, it¡¯d be dumb to let that slide. She may not be a priority, but havin¡¯ seen her spunk in person, I could easily see her wantin¡¯ to get involved.¡± Piper turned back to the ocean. ¡°¡­any minute now.¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°¡­okay.¡± Aloette ducked herself down, hiding behind some of the storage containers near the distillery entrance, as she ran her hands through her hair. None of the guards had spotted her yet, but she still wasn¡¯t in a good position. ¡°¡­alright, this won¡¯t be a problem. This is just like when I broke Sadashi out of the castle¡­¡± Aloette let out, before glancing back at the Precession ship. ¡°¡­except this time, the guards are actively looking for me. And the guards are surrounding them on all ends. And they¡¯re on a ship with only one exit¡­¡± Aloette sunk back down. ¡°¡­th-this is exceptionally bad news¡­¡± Aloette shook her head, before slapping both her cheeks. ¡°Don¡¯t be deterred! Work the problem, Aloette!¡± She insisted to herself, before analysing the situation. ¡°What¡¯s the best way to handle this?¡± She started stroking her chin. ¡°Should I get Richards, or some of the other staff here?...no. If they¡¯re loading up on this many supplies this late, it must mean they¡¯ve been strongarmed. I doubt they¡¯d be much help at this point.¡± She sighed out, before poking her head back up. ¡°I guess it¡¯s just up to me then.¡± She watched as the Precession officers made off with more supplies, while Piper simply stood in front of Sadashi and Bridget, watching and waiting for them to wake up. She also noted the other officers surrounding them, and Piper¡¯s falcon sleeping atop its perch nearby. ¡°Why do they nee¡­¡± Aloette wondered, before snapping her fingers. ¡°They¡¯re making a beeline for Intide! Syrille¡¯s probably furious Sadashi hasn¡¯t been executed by now. And Bridget too, since she¡¯s an accomplice.¡± Aloette¡¯s eyes drifted off to Bridget¡¯s boat, pretty much being ignored by the officers. ¡°¡­right.¡± She said, pumping herself up, as she looked to the side of the Precession ship. ¡°I¡¯ll sprint over, grab what I can, scale up the side of their ship¡­and figure it out from there.¡± Right as she was about to make a dash for the boat, she spotted some netting alongside the storage containers, before taking a second and grabbing it, as she quickly hurried down the docks. Fortunately, it seemed the officers attention was on keeping the prisoners on the ship, and not so much guarding the perimeter, especially as the prisoners were just starting to come to. Sadashi¡¯s eyes fluttered open, as his surroundings started fading into view, with the first recognisable shape being Piper¡¯s smug grin. ¡°¡­well hey there, sunshine. Did ya enjoy ya nap?¡± Piper started, standing directly over him. ¡°I gotta say, this feels pretty good. Ya¡¯ll were meant to die by that outcrop, but I guess this works out.¡± Sadashi simply glared at him, making an effort to take in his current situation, with Bridget still unconscious next to him. ¡°I think we hit her a little harder, so she might be a bit. Guess you¡¯re just more precious cargo.¡± Piper noted, as Sadashi kept glaring. ¡°¡­really? Ya got no comment on the predicament ya currently in?¡± In response, Sadashi lowered his head, looking like he was about to speak, as Piper leaned in to catch it. Only for Sadashi to take the opportunity to spit right into Piper¡¯s eye. Piper stumbled back a bit, glaring back at Sadashi in return, as Sadashi mockingly stuck his tongue out. ¡°¡­ya get that one for free. Get comfy.¡± Piper said, cleaning his eye up, as he started to head back to the helm of the ship. ¡­I should¡¯ve known the Precession would only get more competent. Sadashi admitted, as he scanned around the boat. ¡­fifteen guards around us. They¡¯re not kidding around. He desperately tried to free his arms, but could only manage to move his hands slightly with the restraints. Of course¡­this is just great¡­ Sadashi admitted, before realising Aloette wasn¡¯t with them. ¡­did they forget her? Or just ignore her? He tilted his head. Or maybe she managed to esca¡­ Sadashi shook his head. She wouldn¡¯t leave us here¡­and there¡¯s no way she¡¯d pass up the chance to raid a Precession ship. He sighed out, before staring up at the stars. ¡­come on, Aloette. I know you¡¯ve got this. Having very quickly snuck her way over to Bridget¡¯s ship, Aloette did her best to hide herself again, right as the guards were passing by again. She managed to grab up Sadashi¡¯s sword, Bridget¡¯s daggers, and of course¡­ ¡°¡­no, it¡¯ll give me away too much.¡± Aloette said, putting her pink coat back down and heading to leave the ship, only to stop herself. She went back and forth, biting her lip while realising she was running out of time, before finally making the smart decision and bringing the coat with her. This is too good an opportunity to pass. Aloette insisted, throwing it over her nightie, as she leaped off the boat and snuck her way over to the ship. Hiding just in time by some nearby boxes, she caught a few of the officers hurrying back into the building after having dropped off some supplies. Seeing her gap, she ran out, before spotting a ladder on the side of the ship and jumping over to it. She could feel the weapons strapped to her back pulling her down, as she nearly lost her grip, before tightening it and continuing to climb. No backing down. She finally managed to get onto the deck, hidden away from most of the other guards due to how dark it was. Now that Sadashi was conscious, the guards had turned to watch him, meaning she could make her way to the mast unnoticed, before spotting rungs up to the crow¡¯s nest. Bracing herself for another climb, she took a breath, before heading up again. ¡­what¡¯re my odds here¡­ Sadashi wondered, as he looked over the stone-faced guards. Fifteen to one, I¡¯m dead. He glanced the swords by the officers¡¯ sides. If I had sword and broke these restraints, I could probably take out half. But that still leaves the others. He sighed. Never thought I¡¯d want Bridget¡¯s help, but she could at least take a few off my hands. Sadashi found himself staring back up at the sky, wondering if holding out for some miracle was the best idea. However, that¡¯s when he finally caught Aloette in the crow¡¯s nest, waving her arms wildly until he spotted her. He did his best to hide his relief, as she started pointing at Piper at the deck above, then pointing back at herself. Sadashi cocked his head, trying to figure out what she wanted, before managing to put it together. Does she¡­want Piper to spot her? Sadashi deduced, as Aloette kept up the hand movements. ¡­whatever you¡¯re planning, Aloette¡­ Sadashi nodded back to her while she ducked out of view, as he waited until Piper made his way over to the railing. Once he was in earshot, Sadashi made a point to gasp loudly and turn up to the crow¡¯s nest. ¡°ALOE-!¡° He cried, before ¡®cutting himself off,¡¯ as Piper and the other officers took notice and followed his gaze. They spotted Aloette¡¯s head popping up from the nest, before she quickly ducked down, as Piper let out a belaboured breath. He grabbed the flute around his neck and blew into it, causing his falcon to jerk awake from its perch. He indicated up to the crow¡¯s nest, as the falcon prepared itself, before darting right up there.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Aloette noticed and pumped her fist. ¡°Alright, he took the bait.¡± Aloette let out, reassuring herself, as the falcon flew closer. ¡°Now I just have to do this correctly¡­¡± She grabbed the netting she brought up, right as the falcon crested over the crow¡¯s nest, before flying right at her, claws at the ready. ¡°AH!¡± Aloette let out, trying to avoid its claws, only for it to get a good few cuts across her arm and right through her coat. She did her best to block it with the netting, before managing to get some height over it and throw the netting. It started to tangle up the falcon, as Aloette grabbed some nearby rope and tied up the ends of the net. The falcon struggled against it, getting it claws trapped in the gaps, before finding it couldn¡¯t move at all. Realising it wouldn¡¯t get free, Aloette finally let herself breathe. ¡°Phew¡­sorry, birdie.¡± She let out, only for the pain from the claw marks to start making itself known. She winced through the pain, doing her best to stick to the plan, as Piper and the officers looked up at the crow¡¯s nest, expecting a scuffle. Piper grit his teeth, as he headed down the stairs to join everyone else. ¡°¡­head up there.¡± He said, directing a few officers to climb up, only for Aloette to stand atop the crow¡¯s nest, grabbing hold of some of the suspended rope, and brandishing Sadashi¡¯s cutlass. In a moment of confidence, she hit her mark. ¡°¡­R-Royal Precession!¡± She cried. ¡°Th-This is your first and final warning! Release my crew¡­or face the consequences! I p-promise not to show mercy!¡± ¡°Aloette, what¡¯re you¡­¡± Sadashi muttered to himself, watching as the Precession hesitated for a second. Fortunately, Aloette¡¯s yelling managed to stir Bridget back up. She took a moment to assess their situation, while also recovering from the splitting pain in the back of her head. With Aloette having finally shown her hand, Piper assessed the situation and managed to crack a smile, before calling up to her. ¡°Alright, that was a nice little performance ya put on!¡± Piper remarked, encouraging the officers to lower their weapons for a second. ¡°Why don¡¯t ya come down here and we can chat this out? I¡¯m sure we can be reasonable adults about this!¡± ¡°Aloe¡­tte?¡± Bridget managed, as Sadashi now noticed she was up. ¡°¡­what¡¯s she doing up there? And what¡¯re we-¡± ¡°Just wait.¡± Sadashi assured, looking back up at Aloette. Aloette held her ground, before tightening her grip on the rope. ¡°Y-You asked for it!¡± Aloette declared, her cutlass at the ready. ¡°My name¡­¡± She let out a breath. ¡°¡­is Aloette the Pirate Princess!!! The greatest goddamn pirate to ever live!!!¡± With that, she dropped off the crow¡¯s nest, holding tightly to the rope, as she swung all the way down to the deck. As Piper found himself amused by her sudden show of bravado, it was only now that he registered the trajectory of her swing, and that she was coming straight for him. The moment it connected for him was when her feet connected with his chest, as she let go and launched them both into the room they¡¯d met in before, smashing a massive hole in the side. A huge plume of debris and dust kicked up, clouding what had happened, as most of the officers, now in a panic after what she might¡¯ve done to their admiral, made their way over, swords at the ready, very cautious not to get Piper in the mix by accident. It was only now that Sadashi realised Aloette had, during her swing, managed to drop Bridget¡¯s daggers and his cutlass onto the deck for them to escape¡­ ¡­about several metres away by accident. ¡­fortunately, Aloette¡¯s own small knife she kept in her coat had accidentally fallen out right in front of Sadashi, as he quickly turned around to grab it and cut through his restraints. Without the guards attention on them, he noticed Bridget still stumbling to her knees, as he took a second to consider leaving her for the Precession to take. ¡­she¡¯ll only be a problem in the future¡­and it¡¯s what she deserves¡­ He tightened his grip. ¡­but is that what I¡¯d do in this situation? Biting his tongue, he eventually leaned over to break her restraints as well, before tackling the furthest officer from the hole in the wall and making his way through the other officers, their attention still mostly on Piper¡¯s safety. ¡°Piper, are yo-¡° One of them called out, making his way into the room, which was still fairly dusty from the crash. Piper couldn¡¯t be heard, but a small voice rang out. ¡°Ow ow ow¡­okay¡­not broken¡­fortunately his body took most of the impact.¡± Aloette assessed, rambling somewhat, before trying to get up and wincing. ¡°OW! Sprained, definitely spr-¡° In her panic, she only now noticed an officer having made his way over, now swinging his sword at her. Before it could connect fortunately, Sadashi burst his way inside, launching into the guy and knocking him out, as Bridget followed and took out the officers behind him with her daggers. ¡°Aloette!¡± Sadashi cried, holding his hand out. ¡°Can you walk?¡± ¡°Not especially.¡± Aloette said, before pushing it away. ¡°Take care of the other officers, I¡¯ll be fine. Piper won¡¯t be up for a while.¡± Sadashi took a second, before nodding and doing just that, grabbing an officers sword as well. ¡°Understood.¡± With Bridget¡¯s help, the rest of the officers were disposed of, knocked out if it could be helped. Sadashi wasn¡¯t about to have Aloette¡¯s personal victory tainted with the sight of death, after all. During the fighting, Sadashi caught an eye of the ship¡¯s telephonic device. Unfortunately, it looked like one of the officers had very recently made a call on it. ¡°Dammit¡­¡± He let out, as he knocked the last guard out. Once he and Bridget were finished, Aloette had managed to pull herself out of the room and onto the main deck, still limping her leg and covering her bleeding arm. ¡°We need out of here now. They¡¯ve contacted backup.¡± Sadashi insisted, hurrying them off the ship, as he helped Aloette walk with her sprained leg. They managed to get back onto the docks, before catching a glimpse of Richards on the shoreline. Sadashi gave him a quick wave, ensuring they were somewhat okay, before heading back to the ship, only for Bridget to hesitate near the Precession ship. ¡°Bridget! Hurry it up!¡± Sadashi yelled, right as she took a pipe from the dock and started swinging it into the side of the ship. Before Sadashi could protest any further, her swinging managed to produce a few holes in the side of the ship, letting in some water. She kept doing this across the ship¡¯s side, creating more and more holes, then chucking the pipe at the end, before joining back up with Aloette and Sadashi. ¡°Can¡¯t follow us if they¡¯re water boarded.¡± Bridget remarked, smirking to Sadashi, before jumping onto her ship. Sadashi lay Aloette down, as Bridget took up the wheel and unfurled the sails, leaving right as the dead of night was disappearing for the light of morning. ¡°Oh Sadashi¡­¡± Richards muttered, waving to them as the ship pulled away. ¡°The pirate life truly never leaves you, does it?¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ It was a few hours later until Piper came too. His vision was still groggy, and admittedly, he was struggling to recall how he¡¯d been knocked out in the first place. It took him a second before he could finally make out the rest of his crew, desperately trying to salvage the ship, as it slowly sunk in front of him. Turns out he¡¯d been moved to the dock while knocked out, and that almost half the ship was underwater now. ¡°Sir!¡± A nearby officer cried, lifting him up to talk. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He noticed his falcon nearby, mindlessly eating some pellets on his perch, not really caring about the ship¡¯s inevitable fate. ¡°¡­how¡¯s the¡­telephonic¡­thing?¡± Piper asked, still mostly coming to. ¡°We managed to recover it from the wreck. We only came to a short while ago.¡± ¡°¡­good.¡± Piper said, before standing up and dusting himself off. ¡°We¡¯re sending a message to King Syrille.¡± He flexed his hand into a fist. ¡°Aloette, the Pirate Princess. Enemy of the kingdom, kill on sight.¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°Just hold it there.¡± Bridget advised, as Aloette pressed a cold piece of metal against her sprained ankle, holding it with her coat sleeve. ¡°Richards left us some chilled goods, so they should last until you¡¯re healed.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Aloette replied, looking down at the bandage on her arm, as well as the stitches on her coat where the claws had torn. ¡°It¡¯s not the best stitchwork, but I tend to get by.¡± Bridget remarked, showing off her cloak with a massive slash through the middle, haphazardly sewn back together. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for such a fancy coat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a weird way of saying thank you.¡± Sadashi pointed out, turning back to her from the wheel, as Bridget rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine, fine, thank you Aloette.¡± Bridget insisted, as Aloette rubbed her neck awkwardly. ¡°¡­it was nothing.¡± ¡°You better not downplay your accomplishments like that.¡± Sadashi assured, smiling back at her. ¡°How¡¯d you know taking out Piper would¡¯ve scrambled the other officers?¡± Aloette awkwardly gazed to the side. ¡°Well¡­you two didn¡¯t know what to do without me.¡± Sadashi stood in silence, as Bridget scoffed, before shaking her head. ¡°The attitude on this girl!¡± Bridget let out, punching Aloette¡¯s uninjured arm. ¡°I was unconscious!¡± Sadashi found himself slightly amused by her bravado, as he kept his focus on steering, before a question he¡¯d yet to ask came to mind. ¡°Aloette?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°¡­pirate princess?¡± Aloette¡¯s face immediately went flush, as she did her best to keep her composure. ¡°J-Just¡­something I made up in the moment¡­¡± Aloette excused, clearly hiding some shame. ¡°¡­to intimidate Piper! O-Of course!¡± ¡°With a nickname?¡± Bridget questioned, as Aloette avoided all eye contact. Sadashi could clearly tell she was nervous, maybe for the first time he¡¯d ever seen. The bright, ever-confident girl was cowering at the mere question¡­ ¡°¡­I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter, all things considered.¡± Sadashi remarked, relieving Aloette somewhat, as he moved his attention back to the wheel. ¡°We¡¯re heading straight to Lassound. We¡¯re not gonna give the Royal Prec-¡° ¡°¡­it¡¯s¡­¡± Sadashi and Bridget turned to Aloette, still bundled up into herself and avoiding eye contact, as she pressed her knees to her chest. ¡°¡­it¡¯s something dad used to call me.¡± Aloette remarked, running her hands together nervously. ¡°Back when I was a kid and wouldn¡¯t stop talking about being a pirate¡­¡± She huddled up even more. ¡°¡­it helps me miss him a little less.¡± As Sadashi found himself at a loss for words, Bridget immediately went in for a hug to comfort her, with Aloette leaning into it. Sadashi then cleared his throat. ¡°¡­well, captain.¡± Aloette turned up to Sadashi, giving a thumbs up back to her. ¡°I think it¡¯s a worthy title.¡± ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°Lum de dah dee, da da dooh da day¡­¡± ¡°Jabber, did ya hear me?¡± ¡°I heard you. You just talk so much, it¡¯s hard to hear myself.¡± Jabber remarked, as his sailboat trailed its way to Lassound, following as close as he could behind Bridget¡¯s ship. ¡°Keep an eye out for that Aloette girl. No underestimating her, I¡¯ve done that far too much already. Let me know when you¡¯re getting to Averole.¡± ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± Jabber said, hanging up the telephonic device, before snickering to himself. ¡°He didn¡¯t even notice me there when he showed up himself? That man has the most severe tunnel vision¡­¡± Jabber finished off the bottle nearest to him, before chucking it aside. ¡°Sorry, ol¡¯ Piper. I¡¯m not looking for her on Syrille¡¯s business¡­¡± He grabbed out a spyglass and smiled. ¡°This is strictly for me.¡±