ImagineInPink
Senior Member
A story between ImagineInPink and xiumi.
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Azure Adventure
- Thread starter ImagineInPink
- Start date
xiumi
Master of Procrastination
"Come back here, you little thief!" Ion only heard the faded yell of the royal bookkeeper, drowned by his own pants as he ran as fast as he could, clutching the heavy tome with his small hands, through the maze that was the palace. "Stop!" The bookkeeper, whose bulging belly indicated that he was clearly out of shape for years, ran after him desperately and with difficulty; large drops of sweat fall from his face to the floor.
"As if I'd stop!" he replied, keeping his amused eyes at the man. "Only an idiot--would stop--if he were told to do so--while he's being chased--" he yelled back between heavy breaths, right before turning into a blind corner corridor where the bookkeeper would not be able to see him. He paused only ever so briefly to scan the empty corridor for the inconspicuous door that opened to a secret passageway. Spotting it within a split second, he pounded on it heavily and the door quietly swung open. Swiftly, he ran in and soundlessly closed the door behind him.
He allowed himself to rest and catch his breath; his back against the wall, keeping the tome close to his chest. "Where did that obnoxious boy disappear to?" the bookkeeper said with a muffled (and annoyed) voice. Soon, the sound of stirring dissipated. When he was sure that the bookkeeper had moved on to other locations, Ion finally moved from his position.
He followed the dark passageway, confident of the direction he's headed. The palace had many secret passageways, which--strangely-- not a lot of the palace staff seem to know about; he first stumbled upon them back when he was 5. Since then, he had actively sought them out, finding new entrances whenever he could. Following where each passage lead to was always an adventure to him; now that he was 10, the dark corridors had become familiar, he had explored most of the tunnels; he could probably even produce a map of the underground passages if he wanted to, but that would mean risking other people knowing about his tunnels. He didn't want that... this dark labyrinth was one of the few things that was his.
After turning numerous corners and climbing a short flight of stairs, he heard the sound of running water, hinting him that he was close to his destination. At the end of the path was another flight of stairs that led to a door--a door that opened to a back garden, just outside the palace grounds.
The light from the midday sun reflected off a small creek that ran parallel to the palace fort walls, feeding an abundance of flowers near the creek bed the water that it needs. Ancient trees and thick bushes grew around this garden, the foliage making it less visible to the scanning human eyes. He sits on the roots of a young oak tree that grew a few feet from the creek. Upon settling, he slowly and carefully pulls the tome to his lap: Mapping of the Stars and Navigating the Oceans.
As he loses himself in stellar maps and pictures of far away lands and oceans, he becomes unaware of his environment and his surroundings fade.
"As if I'd stop!" he replied, keeping his amused eyes at the man. "Only an idiot--would stop--if he were told to do so--while he's being chased--" he yelled back between heavy breaths, right before turning into a blind corner corridor where the bookkeeper would not be able to see him. He paused only ever so briefly to scan the empty corridor for the inconspicuous door that opened to a secret passageway. Spotting it within a split second, he pounded on it heavily and the door quietly swung open. Swiftly, he ran in and soundlessly closed the door behind him.
He allowed himself to rest and catch his breath; his back against the wall, keeping the tome close to his chest. "Where did that obnoxious boy disappear to?" the bookkeeper said with a muffled (and annoyed) voice. Soon, the sound of stirring dissipated. When he was sure that the bookkeeper had moved on to other locations, Ion finally moved from his position.
He followed the dark passageway, confident of the direction he's headed. The palace had many secret passageways, which--strangely-- not a lot of the palace staff seem to know about; he first stumbled upon them back when he was 5. Since then, he had actively sought them out, finding new entrances whenever he could. Following where each passage lead to was always an adventure to him; now that he was 10, the dark corridors had become familiar, he had explored most of the tunnels; he could probably even produce a map of the underground passages if he wanted to, but that would mean risking other people knowing about his tunnels. He didn't want that... this dark labyrinth was one of the few things that was his.
After turning numerous corners and climbing a short flight of stairs, he heard the sound of running water, hinting him that he was close to his destination. At the end of the path was another flight of stairs that led to a door--a door that opened to a back garden, just outside the palace grounds.
The light from the midday sun reflected off a small creek that ran parallel to the palace fort walls, feeding an abundance of flowers near the creek bed the water that it needs. Ancient trees and thick bushes grew around this garden, the foliage making it less visible to the scanning human eyes. He sits on the roots of a young oak tree that grew a few feet from the creek. Upon settling, he slowly and carefully pulls the tome to his lap: Mapping of the Stars and Navigating the Oceans.
As he loses himself in stellar maps and pictures of far away lands and oceans, he becomes unaware of his environment and his surroundings fade.
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ImagineInPink
Senior Member
It was hard for the cute little eight year old to keep her giggles quiet as she heard the frantic footsteps of the maids coming from the other side of the door. Princess Eleonore was getting good at avoiding them, actually. And so, she tried to stay quiet and avoid walking around inside the room she had hidden in. Every time she ‘escaped’, Eleonore liked to find a random room she knew wasn’t occupied and stay there for a while. Even after making sure the maids were gone, she liked to look around the rooms she went in. Open closets, explore around the cabinets and such. At least, the places she could reach.
And so, the young girl was jumping on the bed, when she suddenly looked out the window. It seemed like the room she was exploring had a direct view of the back of the castle. Since the room was in the second story of the castle, she was able to see a familiar figure just underneath an oak tree. Instantly, the little girl smiled and stopped jumping on the bed. Carefully enough, Eleonore climbed back down and pressed her ear against the door. Since she couldn’t hear anything, the Princess was convinced it was safe to go out.
With a smile and careful feet, Eleonore started to walk towards the stairs, making sure to stay out of sight until the area was clear. For the little Princess, doing this felt like an adventure. And so, with the excitement of that thought, Eleonore was quickly able to go down the stairs and run towards the door that led to the back garden. The young Princess sighed happily as the afternoon warmth hit her. Quickly enough, she looked around until she found who she was looking for. A small smirk came upon her face as she walked up to him with light footsteps.
“Ion! What are you reading?”
The Princess asked, her voice sweet and innocent, as she sat down next to her friend with a smile. It was always a pleasure to bump into Ion and be with him. To tell the truth, Princess Eleonore had no other friends. She was busy most of the day, after all. The maids took care of her, making sure she received the proper education. Which was why the Princess liked to get away from the maids whenever she could. Although she was too young to understand the trouble she caused, the girl really didn't mean any harm.
And so, the young girl was jumping on the bed, when she suddenly looked out the window. It seemed like the room she was exploring had a direct view of the back of the castle. Since the room was in the second story of the castle, she was able to see a familiar figure just underneath an oak tree. Instantly, the little girl smiled and stopped jumping on the bed. Carefully enough, Eleonore climbed back down and pressed her ear against the door. Since she couldn’t hear anything, the Princess was convinced it was safe to go out.
With a smile and careful feet, Eleonore started to walk towards the stairs, making sure to stay out of sight until the area was clear. For the little Princess, doing this felt like an adventure. And so, with the excitement of that thought, Eleonore was quickly able to go down the stairs and run towards the door that led to the back garden. The young Princess sighed happily as the afternoon warmth hit her. Quickly enough, she looked around until she found who she was looking for. A small smirk came upon her face as she walked up to him with light footsteps.
“Ion! What are you reading?”
The Princess asked, her voice sweet and innocent, as she sat down next to her friend with a smile. It was always a pleasure to bump into Ion and be with him. To tell the truth, Princess Eleonore had no other friends. She was busy most of the day, after all. The maids took care of her, making sure she received the proper education. Which was why the Princess liked to get away from the maids whenever she could. Although she was too young to understand the trouble she caused, the girl really didn't mean any harm.
xiumi
Master of Procrastination
"Gah!" Ion jumped at the sound of the voice, loosing grip of the book he was reading. He looked to his side where the voice came from, and he sighs a sigh of relief as he collects the book back on his lap. "What the-- Ellie, it's just you... Don't scare me like that. I thought the bookkeeper found me or something..."
"What are you reading?" the younger girl asked.
"Maps," he replied cheerfully, "of stars and far away places. You wouldn't believe how big the world is outside Faylea, Ellie!" he exclaims enthusiastically while flipping though the book to show her pictures. "Ports, centers of commerce, exotic places; it's amazing! Apparently, ships use the stellar maps to guide them in their voyage to different continents. Voyage around the world, wouldn't that be an adventure?" his voice drips with excitement and his eyes sparkles as he dreams of the world beyond the borders of Faylea. But almost to quickly, the shine in the precocious boy's eyes disappears, replaced with hopelessness, as he remembers his place: illegitimate son of a maid and a lowly errand boy in the Imperial Palace, a nobody. No, there was no way he'll remain a nobody; hopelessness turned into determination. He'll never submit to that.
"I'll get out of this place someday, Ellie," he says as he stares up at the azure sky, "I'll get out of here, explore the world, and make a name for myself. I'll be rich and Mama will never have to work again."
"What are you reading?" the younger girl asked.
"Maps," he replied cheerfully, "of stars and far away places. You wouldn't believe how big the world is outside Faylea, Ellie!" he exclaims enthusiastically while flipping though the book to show her pictures. "Ports, centers of commerce, exotic places; it's amazing! Apparently, ships use the stellar maps to guide them in their voyage to different continents. Voyage around the world, wouldn't that be an adventure?" his voice drips with excitement and his eyes sparkles as he dreams of the world beyond the borders of Faylea. But almost to quickly, the shine in the precocious boy's eyes disappears, replaced with hopelessness, as he remembers his place: illegitimate son of a maid and a lowly errand boy in the Imperial Palace, a nobody. No, there was no way he'll remain a nobody; hopelessness turned into determination. He'll never submit to that.
"I'll get out of this place someday, Ellie," he says as he stares up at the azure sky, "I'll get out of here, explore the world, and make a name for myself. I'll be rich and Mama will never have to work again."
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ImagineInPink
Senior Member
The sudden reaction was exactly what young Eleonore wanted to see. It made her giggle as she watched her friend drop the book and pick it up again. As much as the maids tried to keep her entertained sometimes, nothing could compare to a friend that was about her age. "I'm sorry but that was funny..." Ellie said, knowing that the bookkeeper didn't exactly allowed Ion to take books. She had seen the man chase her friend around a couple of times, after all.
With a smile, the young girl got closer to her friend, looking at the pages he was showing her. And although she didn't specifically understand everything he was saying, Eleonore looked happy to see the pictures and to hear the excitement in her friend's voice. The topic of exploration and a world outside of her home also made her excited. As young as Eleonore was, the girl had a fierce curiosity and wanted to know what was out there as well. "I want to go! I want to see!" Eleonore said with a happy and excited tone. "Let's go on an adventure, Ion!" The Princess said, obviously not aware that she could never leave this castle unless her parents wanted it that way. However, she did understand that she felt lonely most of the time and that she wanted to do something exciting.
However, Eleonore couldn't help but look a little sad at how much Ion wanted to get out of this kingdom. "Does that mean...we won't be friends anymore when you leave?" the Princess asked, sad at the thought that she wouldn't see her friend if he were to leave. If he did, then Eleonore would feel sad and lonely. She didn't get to leave the castle, so she couldn't make friends in the village. Plus, the maids and butlers weren't as fun to be around. And so, the thought made her look down towards the ground with sadness in her eyes.
With a smile, the young girl got closer to her friend, looking at the pages he was showing her. And although she didn't specifically understand everything he was saying, Eleonore looked happy to see the pictures and to hear the excitement in her friend's voice. The topic of exploration and a world outside of her home also made her excited. As young as Eleonore was, the girl had a fierce curiosity and wanted to know what was out there as well. "I want to go! I want to see!" Eleonore said with a happy and excited tone. "Let's go on an adventure, Ion!" The Princess said, obviously not aware that she could never leave this castle unless her parents wanted it that way. However, she did understand that she felt lonely most of the time and that she wanted to do something exciting.
However, Eleonore couldn't help but look a little sad at how much Ion wanted to get out of this kingdom. "Does that mean...we won't be friends anymore when you leave?" the Princess asked, sad at the thought that she wouldn't see her friend if he were to leave. If he did, then Eleonore would feel sad and lonely. She didn't get to leave the castle, so she couldn't make friends in the village. Plus, the maids and butlers weren't as fun to be around. And so, the thought made her look down towards the ground with sadness in her eyes.
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xiumi
Master of Procrastination
Ellie was someone sort of like a little sister to him, even though their social status were completely different. She followed him everywhere he went whenever she could for as long as he can remember. He used to be annoyed having to wait on her and having her in his company constantly, but soon enough she grew on him and it wasn't long before they were thick as thieves.
Sensing the genuine sadness in her voice, Ion turns to Ellie and smiles. He ruffles her hair in affection, "Of course we'd still be friends, silly! No amount of distance could ever change that. Besides, it's not like I'll be away forever. Faylea's my home; I'll come visit you regularly. If you ever feel lonely, I'll come running. And when you're old enough, I'll take you with me and we can explore the world together." He knew, of course, that the words were lies, for the princess of Faylea would never be able to leave the kingdom by his or her own right.
Sensing the genuine sadness in her voice, Ion turns to Ellie and smiles. He ruffles her hair in affection, "Of course we'd still be friends, silly! No amount of distance could ever change that. Besides, it's not like I'll be away forever. Faylea's my home; I'll come visit you regularly. If you ever feel lonely, I'll come running. And when you're old enough, I'll take you with me and we can explore the world together." He knew, of course, that the words were lies, for the princess of Faylea would never be able to leave the kingdom by his or her own right.
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ImagineInPink
Senior Member
The thought of not seeing Ion made the young Princess sad. He had been her friend for as long as she could remember. It was hard to stay in the castle all day but following Ion around whenever she could seemed like an adventure most of the time. Plus, Ion would teach her things, like climbing trees and such. Their relationship had really grown into being able to talk to each other like brother and sister.
Upon feeling his hand on her head, Eleonore couldn't help but smile. It felt nice when he did stuff like that. Made her feel happy and like they really were friends. Although her parents loved their daughter to death, they didn't really have the time to spend time with the young Princess. And so, such a friendship made her feel nice. The Princess felt even better when he promised her that they would never stop being friends. Even if Ion left the kingdom. However, being the kid she was, Eleonore needed a little something else so she could truly feel like he was telling her the truth. With a smile, the Princess lifted her pinkie up and moved it in front of him. "Pinkie promise?" The young girl asked, her eyes showing how serious this promise seemed to the eight year old.
Upon feeling his hand on her head, Eleonore couldn't help but smile. It felt nice when he did stuff like that. Made her feel happy and like they really were friends. Although her parents loved their daughter to death, they didn't really have the time to spend time with the young Princess. And so, such a friendship made her feel nice. The Princess felt even better when he promised her that they would never stop being friends. Even if Ion left the kingdom. However, being the kid she was, Eleonore needed a little something else so she could truly feel like he was telling her the truth. With a smile, the Princess lifted her pinkie up and moved it in front of him. "Pinkie promise?" The young girl asked, her eyes showing how serious this promise seemed to the eight year old.
xiumi
Master of Procrastination
Ion hesitated making the pinkie promise, especially after seeing how sincere she was. He didn't want to make promises he couldn't keep, but he couldn't very well back out now. It'd hurt her, and her innocence was too precious for him to shatter. Well, it probably wouldn't matter years from now, right? Both of them will probably forget in five years time, if not sooner. He swallows, smiles at her sweetly, and takes her pinkie, "Promise."
~~~
It didn't seem too long ago that he made the promise to himself that he would someday leave Faylea. Since he vowed it to himself five years ago, the thought of exploration and voyage never left his thoughts. He spent almost every free time he had educating himself, not only in theories and philosophies but also in practical knowledge such as navigation, survival, and physical combat. By no means was his education perfect; in fact, he is probably still a novice, skill-wise. But knowing a little was better than knowing nothing. And he wanted to be sure that he had the knowledge whenever the time comes. As he stands on the shipping docks in the seaside town of Aschen, merely yards away from majestic vessel of Southwind, one of the wealthiest merchant ship that exist to date, he realizes that the time has come. This was his chance.
He was visiting Aschen for a couple of days in order to retrieve newly arrived packages that needed to be brought to the palace under the order of the crown. Southwind only came once a year to Faylea, and on random times. So how amazing is it that, days only after his fifteenth birthday--after he became of-age--the ship captain decided to make a cargo stop in the very town he was currently presiding? The timing of the events are too impeccable as if some higher power was telling him that it was time to leave Faylea.
He wasted no time; there was no way in hell he was letting go of this chance. He steps on the ship and asks one of the crew members if he could have audience with the captain. A tired looking man quietly leads him to the captain's quarters after inquiring about his business.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of having your company, young lad?" the captain was a wholesome man with amiable eyes. "I don't recall having met you before. Would you care to tell me about your business?"
Suddenly feeling nervous, Ion hesitated before speaking, but he swallowed his nervousness and addressed the captain with an intent voice, "Captain, I would like to work on your ship and join your crew."
~~~
It didn't seem too long ago that he made the promise to himself that he would someday leave Faylea. Since he vowed it to himself five years ago, the thought of exploration and voyage never left his thoughts. He spent almost every free time he had educating himself, not only in theories and philosophies but also in practical knowledge such as navigation, survival, and physical combat. By no means was his education perfect; in fact, he is probably still a novice, skill-wise. But knowing a little was better than knowing nothing. And he wanted to be sure that he had the knowledge whenever the time comes. As he stands on the shipping docks in the seaside town of Aschen, merely yards away from majestic vessel of Southwind, one of the wealthiest merchant ship that exist to date, he realizes that the time has come. This was his chance.
He was visiting Aschen for a couple of days in order to retrieve newly arrived packages that needed to be brought to the palace under the order of the crown. Southwind only came once a year to Faylea, and on random times. So how amazing is it that, days only after his fifteenth birthday--after he became of-age--the ship captain decided to make a cargo stop in the very town he was currently presiding? The timing of the events are too impeccable as if some higher power was telling him that it was time to leave Faylea.
He wasted no time; there was no way in hell he was letting go of this chance. He steps on the ship and asks one of the crew members if he could have audience with the captain. A tired looking man quietly leads him to the captain's quarters after inquiring about his business.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of having your company, young lad?" the captain was a wholesome man with amiable eyes. "I don't recall having met you before. Would you care to tell me about your business?"
Suddenly feeling nervous, Ion hesitated before speaking, but he swallowed his nervousness and addressed the captain with an intent voice, "Captain, I would like to work on your ship and join your crew."
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ImagineInPink
Senior Member
Princess Eleonore couldn’t help but sigh for the fourth time that day. It seemed like she had listened to her instructor all day long when, in fact, it was barely afternoon. The instructor, apparently, seemed to catch the princess’ lack of interest, despite the young woman’s best efforts to be polite. And so, the man sighed and allowed her a break. Thankful for the opportunity, the princess stood up from the lecture room and walked over to her own. These days, things just kept getting harder. The older the princess got, the more things she had to do. More lessons, more expectations. She missed being a kid and couldn’t help but think about such times when she looked out the window to find the oak tree she knew so well. Where Ion and the princess had promised to be friends, even if he did leave the kingdom one day. Princess Eleonore was older now. Knew that she wouldn’t be getting out of here anytime soon. However, she was still naive enough to think she might have a chance later on. The chance to go on an adventure. It would be even better if her only friend in the world was going with her.
However, for the time being, Eleonore had to give up on those thoughts. Instead, she couldn't help but think how she wanted to see Ion. Seeing her friend usually made her feel better when it came to days like these. Days when the princess wanted to be anything but royal. The profession really wasn't as amazing as people made it seem. There were a lot of materialistic perks to being royalty. Beautiful dresses that the princess loved along with expensive, handmade jewelry. However, most of that stuff didn’t make her happy on days like these. It wasn't like Eleonore was miserable. She was beginning to understand her place and responsibility but there were still things the young woman wanted to do.
Travel around, meet people, learn things. Truth be told, she didn't get to learn things she wanted as a princess. It wasn't acceptable for a woman to hold a sword, ride a horse or practice archery. Her free spirit could be quite confined in the castle most of the time but the princess held on to the hope that she would get her wish one day and leave for an adventure.
And so, for the time being, the girl accepted her place and went back to the lecture room where her instructor waited. She sat back down on her desk, trying her best to listen to the man. It was hard though. Instead of paying attention, the princess couldn't help but wonder where her friends was.
However, for the time being, Eleonore had to give up on those thoughts. Instead, she couldn't help but think how she wanted to see Ion. Seeing her friend usually made her feel better when it came to days like these. Days when the princess wanted to be anything but royal. The profession really wasn't as amazing as people made it seem. There were a lot of materialistic perks to being royalty. Beautiful dresses that the princess loved along with expensive, handmade jewelry. However, most of that stuff didn’t make her happy on days like these. It wasn't like Eleonore was miserable. She was beginning to understand her place and responsibility but there were still things the young woman wanted to do.
Travel around, meet people, learn things. Truth be told, she didn't get to learn things she wanted as a princess. It wasn't acceptable for a woman to hold a sword, ride a horse or practice archery. Her free spirit could be quite confined in the castle most of the time but the princess held on to the hope that she would get her wish one day and leave for an adventure.
And so, for the time being, the girl accepted her place and went back to the lecture room where her instructor waited. She sat back down on her desk, trying her best to listen to the man. It was hard though. Instead of paying attention, the princess couldn't help but wonder where her friends was.
xiumi
Master of Procrastination
"You want to join my crew?" the man looked at him skeptically, "How old are you, lad?"
"I'm fifteen..." he hesitated. He didn't want the man refusing him because of his age, "I know I'm young and inexperienced, but I promise I won't be a liability. I'm a hard worker! I know a little about navigation and the skills needed to work in a ship. I can learn if you would just--"
"Slow down a little," the man laughed. "I don't really have a problem hiring you as another hand. What about your family? Do they know about what you're doing right now? Life on a ship is not as romantic as you read on books; a lot of it hard work, you know."
"My family..." Ion looks sideways, remembering for the first time the people he would be leaving behind if he works for the ship. His mother was the only living blood relative he knew. She'd certainly feel... bewildered, if he left all of a sudden; after all, he'd never told her about any of his plans to explore. But she would understand, right...? And then there's Ellie... He knew she probably feels lonely right now, craving the companionship of someone who understood her desire to explore. She knew of his plans to leave someday, but neither of them had a clue that that someday might actually be now. As far as she knew, he would be gone for a couple of days, that's all. It would be unspeakably selfish, insensitive, not to mention irresponsible for him to leave without letting them know.
The imperial palace was two days away on horseback; carrying the the packages would slow him down. "I can go home and let them know. If you would just give me a week, no, a couple days--"
The captain held up his hand, "I'm afraid I can't guarantee that. We are scheduled to leave in three-days time."
"But that--" he knew it was not his place to ask the captain to delay their departing time just so that he could go home and back to join their crew.
"How about this? You can choose to go home, or not, either way the ship will depart. But if you make it back in time, then I'll let you join my crew."
"Thank you so much," he smiled brightly, vigorously shook the captain's hands, before running out of the captain's quarters, off the boat, back to the inn and on to his horse. This was his gamble: if he made it before the ship departs, then this was his chance; if he didn't...well he won't give up his dream, he would just have to find another way. But if he wanted to make the best for both worlds, then he better leave right away, because he has a long ride ahead of him.
"I'm fifteen..." he hesitated. He didn't want the man refusing him because of his age, "I know I'm young and inexperienced, but I promise I won't be a liability. I'm a hard worker! I know a little about navigation and the skills needed to work in a ship. I can learn if you would just--"
"Slow down a little," the man laughed. "I don't really have a problem hiring you as another hand. What about your family? Do they know about what you're doing right now? Life on a ship is not as romantic as you read on books; a lot of it hard work, you know."
"My family..." Ion looks sideways, remembering for the first time the people he would be leaving behind if he works for the ship. His mother was the only living blood relative he knew. She'd certainly feel... bewildered, if he left all of a sudden; after all, he'd never told her about any of his plans to explore. But she would understand, right...? And then there's Ellie... He knew she probably feels lonely right now, craving the companionship of someone who understood her desire to explore. She knew of his plans to leave someday, but neither of them had a clue that that someday might actually be now. As far as she knew, he would be gone for a couple of days, that's all. It would be unspeakably selfish, insensitive, not to mention irresponsible for him to leave without letting them know.
The imperial palace was two days away on horseback; carrying the the packages would slow him down. "I can go home and let them know. If you would just give me a week, no, a couple days--"
The captain held up his hand, "I'm afraid I can't guarantee that. We are scheduled to leave in three-days time."
"But that--" he knew it was not his place to ask the captain to delay their departing time just so that he could go home and back to join their crew.
"How about this? You can choose to go home, or not, either way the ship will depart. But if you make it back in time, then I'll let you join my crew."
"Thank you so much," he smiled brightly, vigorously shook the captain's hands, before running out of the captain's quarters, off the boat, back to the inn and on to his horse. This was his gamble: if he made it before the ship departs, then this was his chance; if he didn't...well he won't give up his dream, he would just have to find another way. But if he wanted to make the best for both worlds, then he better leave right away, because he has a long ride ahead of him.
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ImagineInPink
Senior Member
The past couple of days since Ion had left the castle passed without much excitement. For the young princess, things were always the same. Lessons, things to do and papers to read. It was even worse when the young woman was forced to meet other royals. It wasn't that Eleonore lacked the skill to be friendly. In fact, she liked meeting other people. However, there was a key difference between other royals and her best friend. Ion had a sense of adventure. He was a free spirit while most of the royalty she met were perfectly happy with what they had. And although some didn't act like spoiled brats, others got on Eleonore's nerves. Most of the time, the though of being able to see Ion made her feel better whenever other royalty came to visit. After all, friends were there for comfort, right?
And so, the unsuspecting Eleonore was walking around the gardens when she heard the sound of a horse coming to the front of the gate. Weird, no one should be coming today, the young girl couldn't help but think this. Normally, when another king or queen came to the castle, Eleonore was notified so that she would be able to entertain the princes and princesses that came along. Which they normally did. Plus, she knew that Ion wouldn't be coming back anytime soon. At least for another day. His errands were normally like this, taking days to complete. Which, for the young princess, sucked.
Seeing as she had nothing to do for a few minutes, the young princess couldn't help but get back into the castle and closer to the main gate so that she would be able to see who would be arriving. This was done with caution in case she wasn't supposed to greet the person walking through that door. After all, a princess couldn't stay alone with a prince. Whenever princes came, Eleonore was required to have one of the maids or butlers accompany them.
Eleonore couldn't help but feel extremely surprised as she witnessed Ion approaching the castle. With confusion showing in her face, Eleonore went outside to greet her friend.
"Ion. What are you doing here so early? I thought you were coming back tomorrow."
The young princess said with surprise in her voice. Not that she wasn't happy. In fact, Eleonore was a little worried. Ion didn't look very calm.
"Are you okay?"
Eleonore asked, hoping Ion would tell her if something was wrong.
And so, the unsuspecting Eleonore was walking around the gardens when she heard the sound of a horse coming to the front of the gate. Weird, no one should be coming today, the young girl couldn't help but think this. Normally, when another king or queen came to the castle, Eleonore was notified so that she would be able to entertain the princes and princesses that came along. Which they normally did. Plus, she knew that Ion wouldn't be coming back anytime soon. At least for another day. His errands were normally like this, taking days to complete. Which, for the young princess, sucked.
Seeing as she had nothing to do for a few minutes, the young princess couldn't help but get back into the castle and closer to the main gate so that she would be able to see who would be arriving. This was done with caution in case she wasn't supposed to greet the person walking through that door. After all, a princess couldn't stay alone with a prince. Whenever princes came, Eleonore was required to have one of the maids or butlers accompany them.
Eleonore couldn't help but feel extremely surprised as she witnessed Ion approaching the castle. With confusion showing in her face, Eleonore went outside to greet her friend.
"Ion. What are you doing here so early? I thought you were coming back tomorrow."
The young princess said with surprise in her voice. Not that she wasn't happy. In fact, Eleonore was a little worried. Ion didn't look very calm.
"Are you okay?"
Eleonore asked, hoping Ion would tell her if something was wrong.
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xiumi
Master of Procrastination
Ion slipped--almost jumped--of his horse in one smooth motion before the horse even came to a full stop. He ran to Ellie and stopped right in front of her as she approached to meet him. Extremely exhausted from a day's ride, he kept himself up by using his knees as a support while he recovers his breath, and even his knees were in the danger of giving out.
Sensing something was off, Ellie asked, "Are you okay?" her voice filled with concern.
His pants were deep, heavy, and fast, drowning out the words that Ellie had just asked him. Instead of replying right away, he remained quiet, catching his breath and allowing his body time to recuperate instead. But when his news could no longer wait, he suddenly looks up at her caramel colored eyes, tainted with worry.
The excitement was hard for him to contain. He resisted the urge to embrace his childhood friend, because it would be inappropriate. Instead, he grabs her hands with both of his. He found that he couldn't suppress the carefree grin that was slowly showing on his face.
"I wanted to let you and mother know but it's finally happened, Ellie!" his voice drenched with exhilaration. "I'm going to explore the world. I can't really tell you all the details because I'm really pressed for time and I really should head out again but the point is I was finally given a chance. I can leave Faylea."
Sensing something was off, Ellie asked, "Are you okay?" her voice filled with concern.
His pants were deep, heavy, and fast, drowning out the words that Ellie had just asked him. Instead of replying right away, he remained quiet, catching his breath and allowing his body time to recuperate instead. But when his news could no longer wait, he suddenly looks up at her caramel colored eyes, tainted with worry.
The excitement was hard for him to contain. He resisted the urge to embrace his childhood friend, because it would be inappropriate. Instead, he grabs her hands with both of his. He found that he couldn't suppress the carefree grin that was slowly showing on his face.
"I wanted to let you and mother know but it's finally happened, Ellie!" his voice drenched with exhilaration. "I'm going to explore the world. I can't really tell you all the details because I'm really pressed for time and I really should head out again but the point is I was finally given a chance. I can leave Faylea."
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ImagineInPink
Senior Member
Elenore grew more and more worried as her friend caught his breath and almost lost his balance. For the man to come back so quickly and in such a state made her uneasy. And just when she was about to ask again, Eleonore noticed the goofy grin on his face and the sudden motion to grab her hands in his. Confused, she listened to Ion tell her something she honestly did not expect to hear for years. And so, the girl looked shocked for a few seconds before she was able to process what Ion was telling her.
When she was finally able to react, Eloenore smiled brightly, wanting nothing more than to hug her friend as well. However, if the palace guards were to see such a display of affection with anyone, even more with a servant boy, then she would get into trouble. And so, she squeezed his hands happily and smiled at her friend. She knew how much such a thing meant to Ion and how much he had wanted it all these years. "That's...amazing Ion! I'm so happy for you!"
And although the princess meant every word she was saying, she also had to admit how sad it made her. If he left, then she wouldn't see him anymore. The princess couldn't ask him to stay, after all. "I'll miss you but I hope you'll be happy." Elenore said, trying her best to hide just how sad she was that her best friend was leaving. She didn't want Ion to leave seeing her sad face, after all.
"If you're leaving....then please promise me you'll write. Or that you'll come back once in a while, if you can." The princess couldn't help but ask this from him. At least, she wanted to know that her friend would be alright on the road.
When she was finally able to react, Eloenore smiled brightly, wanting nothing more than to hug her friend as well. However, if the palace guards were to see such a display of affection with anyone, even more with a servant boy, then she would get into trouble. And so, she squeezed his hands happily and smiled at her friend. She knew how much such a thing meant to Ion and how much he had wanted it all these years. "That's...amazing Ion! I'm so happy for you!"
And although the princess meant every word she was saying, she also had to admit how sad it made her. If he left, then she wouldn't see him anymore. The princess couldn't ask him to stay, after all. "I'll miss you but I hope you'll be happy." Elenore said, trying her best to hide just how sad she was that her best friend was leaving. She didn't want Ion to leave seeing her sad face, after all.
"If you're leaving....then please promise me you'll write. Or that you'll come back once in a while, if you can." The princess couldn't help but ask this from him. At least, she wanted to know that her friend would be alright on the road.
xiumi
Master of Procrastination
He heard her genuine wish for his happiness in her voice and he laughs, "You make it sound as if I'm about to get married." He regards her with smiling yet wistful eyes. Leaving Faylea would mean leaving everything and everyone he ever cared about, including Ellie. Despite her attempts to hide her sadness at the news of his departure, he still managed to recognize her conflicted feelings; her plea only served to reinforce his intuition. She would feel lonely, he thought without a doubt. He smiles at her, his smile filled with hopeless affection. Ignoring the curious eyes of the palace servants, he pats her head, a habit he always did to make her feel better. "There's no way I'll forget to write to my beloved sister," he whispers. They may not be related by blood but the two of them had a much tighter bond. "I'll right you so many letters you would have volumes of them by the end of the year! And I'll come back when I can, I promise."
He lets his words linger for a moment. Knowing what she would do afterwards, he holds out his pinky finger for her to take.
He lets his words linger for a moment. Knowing what she would do afterwards, he holds out his pinky finger for her to take.
ImagineInPink
Senior Member
Despite her sadness, Elenore couldn't help but laugh when he did. Whenever she felt down, Ion always had a way to make her feel better. To make her laugh even when she thought she didn't want to. Truly, they were like brother and sister, although it seemed like they were even closer than that sometimes. "You better not forget. Otherwise, I'll get mad when you come back." Elenore said with a smile and a small chuckle. That smile simply increased as Ion patted her head affectionately. It really was keeping her from crying. After all, her best friend was leaving and she had no idea when she was going to see him again. At the end, Eleonore nodded. Before she was able to make him promise to write to her, Elenore watched as he held his pinkie out for her to take. Ion really did know the princess better than anyone in the world. And so, with a smile, the princess wrapped her pinkie around his and smiled. "It's a promise then." The princess said as she kept her pinkie around his for a little. After a couple of seconds, Elenore disentangled her pinkie from his and sighed. "I guess we should tell your mother. Otherwise, she's going to get worried." With that, the young friends went inside the castle to let Ion's mother know of his future adventures.
It had been six long years since that day. Elenore, in her nervous state, couldn't help but seek the thing that always comforted her. With a smile, Elenore took out Ion's letter from a small chest hidden way behind her closet. Today was the day that Elenore would take action. The day that she would ignore her parent's rules and finally live her own life, even if it was for a little. With determination, the princess looked for the most recent letter. The one that told her of Ion's arrival to her kingdom in a few days. Because the ride there would take a few days, Elenore knew she had to leave today. Elenore had gone over the plan in her head for the past week. The princess would disguise herself so sneaking out of the castle and into the village would be easy. Then, she would get transportation to the nearest port. Afterwards, the young woman would sneak into Ion's ship. As much as Ion was her friend, she knew perfectly well that he wouldn't let her come with him. Elenore was 19 now. She knew that her place was at the castle, training to be the best princess she could possibly be. That meant that she had to learn to be the best wife she could be, the best mother she could be and the best ruler she could be. Even if she got trained on how to rule a kingdom though, Elenore knew that most of the power, if not all, would fall on her husband's shoulders. Before that happened, the princess was going to have an adventure and no one was going to stop her.
And so, taking a deep breath, Eleonore put on a cloak under her most normal dress. She then grabbed a small bag with a couple of changes of clothes. Finally, she left her room and started the difficult task of sneaking out of the castle. Thankfully, she had practiced as soon as she knew Ion's ship was coming back. After a few minutes of sneaking around, the young princess left the castle and headed for the town. When she finally arrived, Eleonore was glad to see that no one had recognized her. After a couple of minutes, the young princess found a carriage and hopped on, telling the driver her destination.
Another deep breath was taken as the driver took off. She couldn't believe she was doing this. Eleonore was going against everything her parents wanted for her. And once she came back, Elenore was going to have the scolding of a life time. However, deep inside that fear, there was hope that for at least a little while, the young princess was going to live her life for herself and no one else.
It had been six long years since that day. Elenore, in her nervous state, couldn't help but seek the thing that always comforted her. With a smile, Elenore took out Ion's letter from a small chest hidden way behind her closet. Today was the day that Elenore would take action. The day that she would ignore her parent's rules and finally live her own life, even if it was for a little. With determination, the princess looked for the most recent letter. The one that told her of Ion's arrival to her kingdom in a few days. Because the ride there would take a few days, Elenore knew she had to leave today. Elenore had gone over the plan in her head for the past week. The princess would disguise herself so sneaking out of the castle and into the village would be easy. Then, she would get transportation to the nearest port. Afterwards, the young woman would sneak into Ion's ship. As much as Ion was her friend, she knew perfectly well that he wouldn't let her come with him. Elenore was 19 now. She knew that her place was at the castle, training to be the best princess she could possibly be. That meant that she had to learn to be the best wife she could be, the best mother she could be and the best ruler she could be. Even if she got trained on how to rule a kingdom though, Elenore knew that most of the power, if not all, would fall on her husband's shoulders. Before that happened, the princess was going to have an adventure and no one was going to stop her.
And so, taking a deep breath, Eleonore put on a cloak under her most normal dress. She then grabbed a small bag with a couple of changes of clothes. Finally, she left her room and started the difficult task of sneaking out of the castle. Thankfully, she had practiced as soon as she knew Ion's ship was coming back. After a few minutes of sneaking around, the young princess left the castle and headed for the town. When she finally arrived, Eleonore was glad to see that no one had recognized her. After a couple of minutes, the young princess found a carriage and hopped on, telling the driver her destination.
Another deep breath was taken as the driver took off. She couldn't believe she was doing this. Eleonore was going against everything her parents wanted for her. And once she came back, Elenore was going to have the scolding of a life time. However, deep inside that fear, there was hope that for at least a little while, the young princess was going to live her life for herself and no one else.
xiumi
Master of Procrastination
Ion sits on the desk in his quarters and places a letter that bore Faylea's royal insignia on the table. Throughout his years of travel, he had received letters from Ellie, but none of her letters ever had the royal seal. He glances over it's contents one more time, trying to gauge it's authenticity without success.
He skimmed over the pertinent content of the letter:
"Dear Captain Ion Caelric,
We do not know when and if you will receive this letter...The royal family of Faylea would like to request your assistance in a certain matter... We would like to meet with you at... to discuss further details...Please let us know when you have the chance to visit Faylea..."
He first received the letter in the port of Avon, when he checked whether there were letters from Ellie. He thought it was strange and upon reading it, he thought that it was nothing more but a joke despite the fact that the seal seemed genuine. He had ignored it. But the following ports that he had visited all had the same letter delivered to him specifically. He could have continued to ignore it but doing that would have done nothing. So instead, he changed the course of Valhalla's sail, setting Faylea as their destination.
When he made his decision, he had wasted no time writing a letter to Ellie, letting her know of his intentions to visit his homeland, though he didn't know whether she would receive it before he actually arrived.
He hears a knock on his door, and it opens without his permission. He immediately recognizes his trusted quartermaster, with his dark skin and stark black hair.
"Akeam," he acknowledged. "Do you need anything?"
"Captain, we're getting ready to port in the town of Aschen. I thought you'd want to know."
"Ah, thanks," he smiled. He briefly peers out his window, the town buildings slowly approaching. Grabbing his coat, he swiftly walks toward Akeam. "Tell the coxswain I'll be steering the ship to port," he tells him as they walk together.
"Aye, Captain," Akeam nods and promptly walks to the main deck to inform the crew member of Ion's orders.
As he left the dim-lighted walls of his quarters, he was greeted with fair blue skies, the cry of seagulls, and the bustling activity of the townspeople. His own ship was busy with scurrying crewmen who were shouting orders to each other as they prepare to dock the ship on Aschen's ports.
"Hoist the sails!"
"Drop anchor!"
"Cap'n! You're presence is needed at the main deck!"
Upon hearing the call, he dashes toward the helm, takes hold of the wheel and brings the ship to port with swiftness and ease. Even after the ship was ported the crew member remain busy as they made preparations to go on the dock. A wooden plank was placed on the side of the ship which acted as a ladder; making it easier for the people to get off or on the ship.
Ion walks towards the make-shift ladder intending to get off. Somewhere in this port, there should be a messenger ready to meet with him. Before climbing down, he calls to his quartermaster, "Akeam, you're in charge!"
Hearing his call, Akeam rushes before he could climb down "How long will we be staying here?" he asked.
"Hm... Not long," he said after thinking for a minute. "Probably a couple of days at best. I'll go to the inn and meet with their messenger, if he's there that is. In the meantime, load up on anything we might need. Especially food and medicine."
"Alright."
"And Akeam..."
"Yes?"
"Make sure the men don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."
With that, he climbs down the make-shift ladder, lands on the wooden dock and disappears into the crowd of hustling townspeople.
He skimmed over the pertinent content of the letter:
"Dear Captain Ion Caelric,
We do not know when and if you will receive this letter...The royal family of Faylea would like to request your assistance in a certain matter... We would like to meet with you at... to discuss further details...Please let us know when you have the chance to visit Faylea..."
He first received the letter in the port of Avon, when he checked whether there were letters from Ellie. He thought it was strange and upon reading it, he thought that it was nothing more but a joke despite the fact that the seal seemed genuine. He had ignored it. But the following ports that he had visited all had the same letter delivered to him specifically. He could have continued to ignore it but doing that would have done nothing. So instead, he changed the course of Valhalla's sail, setting Faylea as their destination.
When he made his decision, he had wasted no time writing a letter to Ellie, letting her know of his intentions to visit his homeland, though he didn't know whether she would receive it before he actually arrived.
He hears a knock on his door, and it opens without his permission. He immediately recognizes his trusted quartermaster, with his dark skin and stark black hair.
"Akeam," he acknowledged. "Do you need anything?"
"Captain, we're getting ready to port in the town of Aschen. I thought you'd want to know."
"Ah, thanks," he smiled. He briefly peers out his window, the town buildings slowly approaching. Grabbing his coat, he swiftly walks toward Akeam. "Tell the coxswain I'll be steering the ship to port," he tells him as they walk together.
"Aye, Captain," Akeam nods and promptly walks to the main deck to inform the crew member of Ion's orders.
As he left the dim-lighted walls of his quarters, he was greeted with fair blue skies, the cry of seagulls, and the bustling activity of the townspeople. His own ship was busy with scurrying crewmen who were shouting orders to each other as they prepare to dock the ship on Aschen's ports.
"Hoist the sails!"
"Drop anchor!"
"Cap'n! You're presence is needed at the main deck!"
Upon hearing the call, he dashes toward the helm, takes hold of the wheel and brings the ship to port with swiftness and ease. Even after the ship was ported the crew member remain busy as they made preparations to go on the dock. A wooden plank was placed on the side of the ship which acted as a ladder; making it easier for the people to get off or on the ship.
Ion walks towards the make-shift ladder intending to get off. Somewhere in this port, there should be a messenger ready to meet with him. Before climbing down, he calls to his quartermaster, "Akeam, you're in charge!"
Hearing his call, Akeam rushes before he could climb down "How long will we be staying here?" he asked.
"Hm... Not long," he said after thinking for a minute. "Probably a couple of days at best. I'll go to the inn and meet with their messenger, if he's there that is. In the meantime, load up on anything we might need. Especially food and medicine."
"Alright."
"And Akeam..."
"Yes?"
"Make sure the men don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."
With that, he climbs down the make-shift ladder, lands on the wooden dock and disappears into the crowd of hustling townspeople.
ImagineInPink
Senior Member
In a way, the trip to the closest port had been torture. Throughout the ride, the princess almost made up her mind to return to the castle more than a couple of times. Eloenore was a mixture of emotions, after all. Part of her was so nervous when she thought of how badly she was disobeying her parents and how angry they would be when they found out their only daughter and princess of a whole kingdom had 'escaped' the castle. However, the other part, knew that she had to do this now or never. If she didn't go through with this adventure then the princess was going to end up married and without a single day of her life where she had lived for herself. And so, at the end, Elenore suddenly found herself thanking the driver and standing among the mass of people.
For a second, like the past couple of days, Eleonore thought about turning back. Going back home and forgetting about a dream that wasn't meant for a woman. Much less a princess. However, as her gaze landed upon the many ships, large and small, her heart filled up with hope again. She could have this. It didn't matter if she wasn't supposed to. Eleonore was going to get into that ship, one way or another. And so, she started her search for a ship that possessed the letters Valhallas somewhere on the outer core of the ship. Although Ion had not told her specifics, her best guess was that Ion now worked in a merchant ship. She wasn't sure how she was going to convince the crew to let her tag along, but if there was a good thing about being a princess, it was her possible influence. She didn't like to use her title to obtain things but it was now or never.
As quickly as she could, Eleonore walked round, looking at all the different ships. And although she had been educated on the theory of trade, she had never actually seen a merchant ship. After a few minutes, the girl was finally able to spot a ship that appeared to have the name she had been looking for.
For a moment, the princess did nothing. She was trying her best to gather up whatever courage she had in her. If she went inside that ship, then it really meant her decision to be final. Eleonore would get into a whole lot of trouble, even in the best case scenario. However, standing in front of the ship and realizing this was her last and only chance, the princess took a deep breath and started to walk closer to the magnificent ship.
In her mind, it seemed like the best idea was to use her title as princess to convince the men inside so that they would let her come along. However, as she walked towards the ship, her eyes spotted a set of crates that seemed to be in the process of being carried to the ship. And so, an idea popped into her mind.
With care so she she might be seen, Eleonore climbed into one of the crates that seemed like it could be opened easily. She also made sure to pick a crate that had holes in it. After all, who knew how long she was going to have to spend there. With another deep breath, the young princess climbed into the crate to the best of her abilities. It seemed like she had closed the top just in time, because moments later, she the crate being carried away. Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked through one of the holes. She was doing it. Eleonore was entering the ship.
She couldn't help but wait there, calming her heart and listening in to make sure no one was there. When she thought no crew members were near, the princess decided to leave the crate. After all, she couldn't stay there the whole time and what better time to sneak out of the crate than when everyone seemed busy?
For a second, like the past couple of days, Eleonore thought about turning back. Going back home and forgetting about a dream that wasn't meant for a woman. Much less a princess. However, as her gaze landed upon the many ships, large and small, her heart filled up with hope again. She could have this. It didn't matter if she wasn't supposed to. Eleonore was going to get into that ship, one way or another. And so, she started her search for a ship that possessed the letters Valhallas somewhere on the outer core of the ship. Although Ion had not told her specifics, her best guess was that Ion now worked in a merchant ship. She wasn't sure how she was going to convince the crew to let her tag along, but if there was a good thing about being a princess, it was her possible influence. She didn't like to use her title to obtain things but it was now or never.
As quickly as she could, Eleonore walked round, looking at all the different ships. And although she had been educated on the theory of trade, she had never actually seen a merchant ship. After a few minutes, the girl was finally able to spot a ship that appeared to have the name she had been looking for.
For a moment, the princess did nothing. She was trying her best to gather up whatever courage she had in her. If she went inside that ship, then it really meant her decision to be final. Eleonore would get into a whole lot of trouble, even in the best case scenario. However, standing in front of the ship and realizing this was her last and only chance, the princess took a deep breath and started to walk closer to the magnificent ship.
In her mind, it seemed like the best idea was to use her title as princess to convince the men inside so that they would let her come along. However, as she walked towards the ship, her eyes spotted a set of crates that seemed to be in the process of being carried to the ship. And so, an idea popped into her mind.
With care so she she might be seen, Eleonore climbed into one of the crates that seemed like it could be opened easily. She also made sure to pick a crate that had holes in it. After all, who knew how long she was going to have to spend there. With another deep breath, the young princess climbed into the crate to the best of her abilities. It seemed like she had closed the top just in time, because moments later, she the crate being carried away. Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked through one of the holes. She was doing it. Eleonore was entering the ship.
She couldn't help but wait there, calming her heart and listening in to make sure no one was there. When she thought no crew members were near, the princess decided to leave the crate. After all, she couldn't stay there the whole time and what better time to sneak out of the crate than when everyone seemed busy?
xiumi
Master of Procrastination
Akeam looks around the empty, quiet ship with deadpan eyes.
"'We're going down to buy food...' 'And get some materials needed to repair the ships...' 'Oh and medicine as well...' they said.... I only looked away for a minute... They were definitely too quick to disappear as soon as the captain left. Those bastards just wanted to fool around! What the hell are they thinking leaving the ship completely unattended? Stupid, lazy idiots..." Akeam muttered as he found himself alone on the ship.
Most of the crew members had gone into town to gather provisions, under the guise of following the captain's orders... but really most of them went out to drink and to fool around with the women, despite it still being the middle of the day. Life in the sea was tough; sometimes for months on end, all of the men would see is the open sea and nothing else. Before today, they hadn't set foot on land for almost a month, which meant 30 days of nothing but saltwater in all four directions. So Akeam at all wasn't taken by surprise when the ship suddenly became deserted. Though, this is specifically what Ion meant when he said to make sure they didn't do anything stupid. He sighed. Someone had to stay and keep watch of the ship... Since he's stuck here, he decided to move some of the cargo instead of sitting around idly.
"Well, the captain probably won't mind, as long as they don't cause trouble and keep a low profile," he said to himself while he walked up the makeshift ladder, carrying several crates of fruits unto Valhalla. Reaching the final step, he almost dropped the crates of fruits on the ship deck when he saw a woman... no, a girl... emerge from one of the crates.
She looked young--probably still in her teens--with a pretty, innocent face. Her clothing stood out as it was still much more extravagant than most of the townspeople's clothing. A noble? What was a noble doing in a pirate vessel?
She doesn't seem to have noticed him yet, as she discreetly sneaked around the ship. He quietly put down the crates of fruits and walked towards her in quiet strides. She looked so harmless, he probably didn't need to use a weapon to intimidate her.
"What do you think you're doing sneaking inside a pirate's vessel, miss?"
"'We're going down to buy food...' 'And get some materials needed to repair the ships...' 'Oh and medicine as well...' they said.... I only looked away for a minute... They were definitely too quick to disappear as soon as the captain left. Those bastards just wanted to fool around! What the hell are they thinking leaving the ship completely unattended? Stupid, lazy idiots..." Akeam muttered as he found himself alone on the ship.
Most of the crew members had gone into town to gather provisions, under the guise of following the captain's orders... but really most of them went out to drink and to fool around with the women, despite it still being the middle of the day. Life in the sea was tough; sometimes for months on end, all of the men would see is the open sea and nothing else. Before today, they hadn't set foot on land for almost a month, which meant 30 days of nothing but saltwater in all four directions. So Akeam at all wasn't taken by surprise when the ship suddenly became deserted. Though, this is specifically what Ion meant when he said to make sure they didn't do anything stupid. He sighed. Someone had to stay and keep watch of the ship... Since he's stuck here, he decided to move some of the cargo instead of sitting around idly.
"Well, the captain probably won't mind, as long as they don't cause trouble and keep a low profile," he said to himself while he walked up the makeshift ladder, carrying several crates of fruits unto Valhalla. Reaching the final step, he almost dropped the crates of fruits on the ship deck when he saw a woman... no, a girl... emerge from one of the crates.
She looked young--probably still in her teens--with a pretty, innocent face. Her clothing stood out as it was still much more extravagant than most of the townspeople's clothing. A noble? What was a noble doing in a pirate vessel?
She doesn't seem to have noticed him yet, as she discreetly sneaked around the ship. He quietly put down the crates of fruits and walked towards her in quiet strides. She looked so harmless, he probably didn't need to use a weapon to intimidate her.
"What do you think you're doing sneaking inside a pirate's vessel, miss?"
ImagineInPink
Senior Member
Eleonore couldn't believe she was sneaking into a ship. It was rude, dangerous and not a good idea. Nonetheless, she couldn't go back now. No, she had to find Ion and somehow last in the ship going unnoticed until it sailed. At least. Plus, once it sailed, the men couldn't do anything, right? After all, the ship was, under her impression, a merchant ship. And so, with a sigh, she got out of the crate carefully. She was glad to see that no one was in sight. For a moment, the girl wasn't sure where to go. She had read about ships, and so she knew there had to be a place where the men rested. Plus, most ships had a special room for the captain, right? Either way, there would be places to hide.
And so, that's exactly what she tried to do. However, when she suddenly heard someone behind her, the Princess couldn't help but feel a great sense of fear. However, when she turned around, there wasn't much of that fear left in her face. The girl was a Princess. She was trained to keep her composure at all times. Internally though, Eleonore had no idea what to say to this man. And so, she tried to tell the truth. Or the most she could. After all, she wanted to keep her place as royalty a secret.
Eleonore was about to reply, when she heard something that caught her attention. Had she just heard the word 'pirate'? No, that couldn't be. Did she have the wrong ship then? Although that didn't make sense either, because she had made sure to check the name of the ship. It had been the same name that Ion's letter had mentioned.
"Forgive me....but did you just say 'pirate' vessel?"
The young girl questioned, slight surprise in her pleasant voice. Not only was she curious, but she hoped that the question would distract the man in front of her from the fact the Princess had been sneaking around a few seconds before. Although, now that she had answered, Eleonore noticed the man's dark skin and hair. And so, she couldn't help but think the man looked attractive.
And so, that's exactly what she tried to do. However, when she suddenly heard someone behind her, the Princess couldn't help but feel a great sense of fear. However, when she turned around, there wasn't much of that fear left in her face. The girl was a Princess. She was trained to keep her composure at all times. Internally though, Eleonore had no idea what to say to this man. And so, she tried to tell the truth. Or the most she could. After all, she wanted to keep her place as royalty a secret.
Eleonore was about to reply, when she heard something that caught her attention. Had she just heard the word 'pirate'? No, that couldn't be. Did she have the wrong ship then? Although that didn't make sense either, because she had made sure to check the name of the ship. It had been the same name that Ion's letter had mentioned.
"Forgive me....but did you just say 'pirate' vessel?"
The young girl questioned, slight surprise in her pleasant voice. Not only was she curious, but she hoped that the question would distract the man in front of her from the fact the Princess had been sneaking around a few seconds before. Although, now that she had answered, Eleonore noticed the man's dark skin and hair. And so, she couldn't help but think the man looked attractive.
xiumi
Master of Procrastination
Ion took a deep breath as he walked around town, taking in the unique scent of Faylean lands. It really has been a long time since he was here. And to top it off, this was the exact same town he left from when he made his life-changing decision of leaving the palace and working on the ship. Everything about it... from the fair skies and worn out buildings to the distant memories that the place evoked... everything made him feel nostalgic. It made him wonder why he decided not to go back for six years, because despite his desperation to get away from Faylea back then, being here made him realize that he missed it after all. He enjoyed the voyages and travelling all over the world, but he still missed his home.
As Ion walked into town, he saw a messenger wearing the royal servant's clothes; when the messenger recognized him, he came to greet Ion. He recognized him as one of the older servant boys he grew up with at the castle; he was glad to know that the messenger was someone he knew. Though Ellie was perhaps his closest friend, he still knew almost everyone who worked at the castle at the time. It amazed him that he still recognized him despite not having seen anybody from Faylea for six years. Then again, the lanky man who now stands before him looked hardly any different.
"Master Caelric, we heard that you were coming to Faylea--"
"Hey, you're... Weiss, right? You worked at the palace six years ago... Well, I guess you still work there since you're dressed in servant's clothing. You were about 20 when I left. So that would make you 26 now? Are you married now? Any children? How is life at the palace?"
"Um..." Weiss was baffled at all the questions thrown at him, unable to decide which question to answer first. "...You know my name?"
"Well, why wouldn't I? We worked together back then. You know who I am right?" he asked expectantly.
He smiled, "You're Ion." Remembering his proper etiquette, he immediately corrected himself, "I meant Master Ion Caelric--"
Ion patted his back to reassure him and smiled a wide grin, "It's Captain Ion Caelric actually, but drop the formalities; just call me Ion like old times. I'm not a noble; you don't have to mind your etiquette around me," he said as he walked to one direction, as if he knew where he was headed. "So where are we headed?"
He felt the other man relax. "The stables to rent a horse for you. His majesty would like to meet with you to discuss an important matter. He and the queen came down personally to meet you. They're staying at a nearby noble's residence as none of the inns were fit for a royal."
"Of course," he said almost sarcastically. "But the king huh... This must be really important if he himself came." As they continued to walk, they continued to talk about news around Faylea and things that happened in the past six years that he was gone.
When they arrived at the stables, they proceeded to rent a horse and wasted no time riding to the noble's residence.
---
"Yeah, that's right. Valhalla is a pirate vessel," Akeam said, removing the his dagger from it's scabbard, playing with it as if it was a harmless toy. "But you completely avoided my question. If you're looking for a passenger ship, then you're in the wrong place, miss," he said coolly, it was possible that she was there by mistake.
"You're lucky I'm the one who found you. If it was any of the other crew members, they would have jumped on you already; they haven't seen a woman in nearly 30 days, you see. I can't protect you from men's carnal desires and I can't protect you from whatever punishment the captain would deem necessary if he learned you were sneaking around our ship. In fact, I don't need to protect you at all. You'd better leave before everybody comes back."
As Ion walked into town, he saw a messenger wearing the royal servant's clothes; when the messenger recognized him, he came to greet Ion. He recognized him as one of the older servant boys he grew up with at the castle; he was glad to know that the messenger was someone he knew. Though Ellie was perhaps his closest friend, he still knew almost everyone who worked at the castle at the time. It amazed him that he still recognized him despite not having seen anybody from Faylea for six years. Then again, the lanky man who now stands before him looked hardly any different.
"Master Caelric, we heard that you were coming to Faylea--"
"Hey, you're... Weiss, right? You worked at the palace six years ago... Well, I guess you still work there since you're dressed in servant's clothing. You were about 20 when I left. So that would make you 26 now? Are you married now? Any children? How is life at the palace?"
"Um..." Weiss was baffled at all the questions thrown at him, unable to decide which question to answer first. "...You know my name?"
"Well, why wouldn't I? We worked together back then. You know who I am right?" he asked expectantly.
He smiled, "You're Ion." Remembering his proper etiquette, he immediately corrected himself, "I meant Master Ion Caelric--"
Ion patted his back to reassure him and smiled a wide grin, "It's Captain Ion Caelric actually, but drop the formalities; just call me Ion like old times. I'm not a noble; you don't have to mind your etiquette around me," he said as he walked to one direction, as if he knew where he was headed. "So where are we headed?"
He felt the other man relax. "The stables to rent a horse for you. His majesty would like to meet with you to discuss an important matter. He and the queen came down personally to meet you. They're staying at a nearby noble's residence as none of the inns were fit for a royal."
"Of course," he said almost sarcastically. "But the king huh... This must be really important if he himself came." As they continued to walk, they continued to talk about news around Faylea and things that happened in the past six years that he was gone.
When they arrived at the stables, they proceeded to rent a horse and wasted no time riding to the noble's residence.
---
"Yeah, that's right. Valhalla is a pirate vessel," Akeam said, removing the his dagger from it's scabbard, playing with it as if it was a harmless toy. "But you completely avoided my question. If you're looking for a passenger ship, then you're in the wrong place, miss," he said coolly, it was possible that she was there by mistake.
"You're lucky I'm the one who found you. If it was any of the other crew members, they would have jumped on you already; they haven't seen a woman in nearly 30 days, you see. I can't protect you from men's carnal desires and I can't protect you from whatever punishment the captain would deem necessary if he learned you were sneaking around our ship. In fact, I don't need to protect you at all. You'd better leave before everybody comes back."
ImagineInPink
Senior Member
If the dagger playing was being done purposely so that Eleonore would become nervous, it was certainly working. However, she wasn't going to let him see that. And so, she couldn't help but stay quiet as the man spoke. The young girl had a feeling he might actually hurt her. Plus, she really didn't want to see what would happen if the crew came back. And so, she decided that the best thing right now was to leave. She had to figure out what to do afterwards but she couldn't turn back now.
And so, a few seconds later, Eleonore smiled. It was nothing more than a polite smile. The one she would give other royalty whenever they came to visit. Polite and proper. "You're right. Please forgive my rudeness." The young woman said as she started to walk towards the port. Within a couple of seconds, Eleonore was out of the boat and nowhere in sight of the man that had just caught her sneaking around.
The farther she walked from the ship, the more nervous she became. If she was to leave with the ship, then she was going to have to find an inn so she could stay in town. However, this was nerve wracking for the young Princess. She had never really done anything on her own before. She always had people taking care of her. The fact that she was alone scared her, but there was no use thinking about it. Instead, she focused on finding an inn close to the port and how she was going to get into that ship. And so, she began to reason and explore her options. If the ship hadn't left today, then she was sure it would be either tomorrow or in a couple of days. And so, she had to stay in town so she could sneak back in. Upon some time walking around, that was really the only plan she could come up with. Elenore knew she couldn't go back to the castle now. It was too late, as she had made her choice already.
Within a few minutes, she quickly found transportation to the nearest inn. Eleonore was just glad she had brought plenty of money. Enough to pick up some food before taking the carriage towards the inn. There, the young woman talked to the worker and was able to get herself a room. It was weird, to tell the truth, walking into an inn. She couldn't help but notice the stares that were directed towards her. Which probably meant that even her simplest attire was still a little too elegant compare to the villagers. Since the looks were getting her quite nervous, the Princess made her way to her room quickly.
Compared to the room at the castle, the room in which she was now staying was extremely tiny. It was to be expected, of course. To tell the truth, Eleonore wasn't that focused on materialistic things. At least, not like her parents. It was true that she much rather preferred her own and luxurious room but this was a simple price to pay so she could be free for a while.
And so, a few seconds later, Eleonore smiled. It was nothing more than a polite smile. The one she would give other royalty whenever they came to visit. Polite and proper. "You're right. Please forgive my rudeness." The young woman said as she started to walk towards the port. Within a couple of seconds, Eleonore was out of the boat and nowhere in sight of the man that had just caught her sneaking around.
The farther she walked from the ship, the more nervous she became. If she was to leave with the ship, then she was going to have to find an inn so she could stay in town. However, this was nerve wracking for the young Princess. She had never really done anything on her own before. She always had people taking care of her. The fact that she was alone scared her, but there was no use thinking about it. Instead, she focused on finding an inn close to the port and how she was going to get into that ship. And so, she began to reason and explore her options. If the ship hadn't left today, then she was sure it would be either tomorrow or in a couple of days. And so, she had to stay in town so she could sneak back in. Upon some time walking around, that was really the only plan she could come up with. Elenore knew she couldn't go back to the castle now. It was too late, as she had made her choice already.
Within a few minutes, she quickly found transportation to the nearest inn. Eleonore was just glad she had brought plenty of money. Enough to pick up some food before taking the carriage towards the inn. There, the young woman talked to the worker and was able to get herself a room. It was weird, to tell the truth, walking into an inn. She couldn't help but notice the stares that were directed towards her. Which probably meant that even her simplest attire was still a little too elegant compare to the villagers. Since the looks were getting her quite nervous, the Princess made her way to her room quickly.
Compared to the room at the castle, the room in which she was now staying was extremely tiny. It was to be expected, of course. To tell the truth, Eleonore wasn't that focused on materialistic things. At least, not like her parents. It was true that she much rather preferred her own and luxurious room but this was a simple price to pay so she could be free for a while.
xiumi
Master of Procrastination
"Captain Ion Caelric," a man who is unmistakably the king greeted him with warmth when he arrived at the noble's mansion, "I'm delighted you decided to accept my selfish request. I remember you when you were only a young lad. You've grown so much...And you've become quite successful too."
He smiled in confusion, finding the king's remark peculiar. "I'm surprised you actually remember me. Or did you just hear from your advisors that I used to work at your palace?" He realized he was being imprudent, but he didn't leave Faylea just so that he could kiss up to nobles and royals, even if it was king. It was never in his nature really to blindly follow authority. He appreciated that in his crew members who challenged his decisions from time to time. His experiences the past six years also strengthened that part of him.
One of the king's advisors started to say: "You must address the king in the proper way, you rude--" The king raised his hand to silence him.
"That's a fair question. I remembered a servant boy who often played with my daughter and when he left, she became lonely. That boy was you, was it not?"
Yet another surprising fact, that the king not only remembered him but his relationship with his daughter as well. "Well... " he said as he moved towards the closest chair, "since you seem to know who I am, shall we get down to business? What do you want from me?"
"You speak as if I forced you to come here. You came here on your own volition."
"Well, the identical letters I received from every port I've visited for the past few months were a little hard to ignore," he shrugged. "I have to admit I thought it was suspicious." Part of the reason why he was hesitant about coming here was because he thought it might be an ambush, but he wasn't about to make that fact known. "There's something ominous about receiving same letter no matter where you go," he said, half-joking. "After all, I am a pirate. Wanted by authorities. An outlaw. So tell me, what am I doing here still not arrested?"
"I suppose there is no point in stalling," the king conceded, "I'm sure you already know that there is a rumor going around that a war will occur between Faylea and Dwilawyr."
"Yes, it made passing through those waters more dangerous. That is also why I was wondering what you were doing sitting here leisurely when the county could be at war at any minute."
The king ignored the insult,"The new king of Dwilawyr wants to expand it's territories and they have set their eyes on Faylea. Faylea has always been a peaceful nation. Because of that, our military is not powerful; our soldiers are not properly trained; the generals have become lax. As it stands now, Faylea will be completely eradicated if war occurs. I want to negotiate peace before an actual war breaks out. I plan on sending an ambassador to handle the negotiations, as well as monetary gifts." He paused.
"And what does that have to do with me?"
"I want to hire you to escort the ambassador."
He faltered, before breaking into a laugh, "You want to hire a pirate crew to escort the ambassador? Either you have a sense of humor or your screws have completely become loose. How do you know we're not going to take the ambassador hostage and swindle your money instead? With all due respect, Your Highness, we don't answer to authorities, that means we don't have to follow what you say; my crew doesn't even have to follow what I say and I'm their captain. Certainly, we're not charity either. So if you want to us to do something, start speaking our language," he grinned, making his demands known without words.
"Very well... Name your price."
"Wha--Seriously?" he was genuinely surprised thatKing was willing to make negotiations with an outlaw. "This is an important task, not to mention, a dangerous one. The fees won't come cheap."
"Name your price."
"...You're really serious."
"That was my intention from the very beginning."
For the first time, Ion stopped and thought seriously about the ideas that may be going on in the king's head. He didn't think the king was telling him the entire truth. Why would he hire pirates to escort someone as important as an ambassador? There were several scenarios in his head but which one would yield most gains and least losses? This is a dangerous task, if he chose to accept it; entering foreign waters whose military is ready to go to war at any minute is pretty much like sailing to your death. The king probably doesn't care much about the well-being of his crew; he wouldn't care either way if they lived or died-- That's it. They were disposable. He didn't want to lose people in the army in case a war did break out. But the ambassador can be replaced and so can he and his crew depending on the outcomes. Still, it made no sense to him why they chose him specifically but he decided to put his doubts aside.
"Fifteen million ryel. I will require a down payment--let's say... a million ryel, as insurance before we set sail. Our job is to provide him or her transport from Faylea to Dwilawyr; anything beyond that is extra and I will charge you for it--"
"You impudent--" the king's advisor stirred but Ion did not stop to listen to him.
"--and you'll have to have the money ready when we get back. Pirates ofValhalla will also be granted immunity from the law--"
"I'm not quite sure I can--"
"--as long as they don't do anything outright offensive to the people of Faylea, to make it fair. That is the price. Non-negotiable."
The king thoughtfully stroked his beard, "Hm.... 15 million ryel seems a bit high for this, don't you think?"
"Old man, if I thought it was too much, I wouldn't have named it as the price. If you ask me, I would say I'm being quite generous. I have about 15 people in my ship, including myself and the quartermaster. If we divide that amount amongst ourselves, that's hardly 60,000 ryel each. That's not nearly enough for us to retire in today's economy. By the end of it, that's about 1 million ryel for each of my crew member. That's a small price to pay for a country's peace and a man's life,don't you think?"
"Hm... You've got a point."
"Of course, I do." When the king continued to stroke his beard quietly, he added, "It's a gamble. On one hand, if we succeed, Faylea stays at peace, we get our money; on the other, if we fail, Faylea goes to war, but you get to keep your money. Your choice will depend on which you choose to be more important."
The king looked up at him at his last statement and he looked back fearlessly, silently challenging the king to make the decision. When the king continued to say nothing, Ion looked out the window. The blue sky had already faded into a scarlet twilight.
“Would you look at the time,” Ion said calmly as he stood up. “I should probably get back to my ship before they start to wonder where I went.” Swiftly, he made sure he had all his belongings on him. When he was sure that nothing was missing, he turned to the king. “If you decide that peace is more important after all, send your ambassador to Valhalla, along with the million ryel and a written contract signed by you that includes all the provision I mentioned. We’ll be on the port for three days but I won’t be coming back here. When three days pass, I’ll set course for a different destination.” The tone in his voice left no room for discussion and he didn’t wait long enough for the king to make a reply.
Mounting his horse, he rode as swiftly as he could back to the docks in Aschen. When he arrived, the ship was devoid of the usual rowdy yelling of his crew members. Only the sound of the wind and the waves could be heard, and the soft sound of a stringed instrument.
He made his way up the makeshift ladder and found Akeam sitting in the middle of the main deck, a playing an instrument that was clearly foreign to this place. A small lamp was next to him illuminating the immediate area around him. He noticed Ion approaching but said nothing and only continued to play his melody.
“You’re back,” he acknowledged.
“Where’s everyone?”
“Drinking and womanizing, where else?”
“And you’re here?” a playful note in his voice. “Why don’t you go join in on the womanizing Akeam?”
“Someone responsible had to keep an eye on the ship. I do enjoy quiet moments such as these. And besides I’ve had my fair share of women.”
“Spoken like a true womanizer,” he chuckled.
“How ‘bout you? You’re 21, you should be out there having fun as well.”
“You sound like such an old man, Akeam. You’re not even thirty yet. No, even some old men are livelier than you.” Akeam only shrugs at the remark. “Where’d you get that instrument?”
“It’s Jin’s. It came from his and Chen’s mothercountry, Qixin. I believe it is called an erhu,” he replied not missing even a single note.
“You’re quite good at it.”
“I’m good at many things.”
He smiled, “I’m aware.” Ion walked to the starboard of the ship, giving him a clear view of the town of Aschen as well as the faint light of some neighboring towns. With the soft notes of the erhu in the background, the sight seemed serene and he couldn’t help but look at it wistfully.
“You miss it,” Akeam’s baritone voice ringing in the dim surroundings.
“Hm? Miss what? Sailing? Yeah, I do. I hope the men would come back soon, so we can leave.”
“You know very well that was not what I meant. It shows in your eyes Ion.”
“How can you see my eyes in the dark, Akeam?” A playful yet curious question.
“You’re avoiding it,” he shook his head. “You know, I never did understand why you always avoided this place like a plague. Heck, I thought perhaps there was a plague.” Ion laughed.
“So why did you?”
“Avoid this place you mean? Hmm… I wonder. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to put myself in a situation where I would have to fulfill a promise.”
“Running away from a promise? That’s not a very manly thing to do. It doesn’t sound like something Captain Ion Caelric would do,” he said playfully, challenging him.
“Yeah, I know, I know,” he waved his hand. “I have a childhood friend…to whom I write often—”
“Yes, the entire crew has noticed,” he said, in a matter of fact.
“Wha—Really?”
Akeam nods, “They believe you have a woman. It explains why you never go with them to the brothels.”
Flustered, his face flushed red, though it was not so noticeable in the dark, “I don’t go to the brothels because I’m too young.”
“Excuses,” he replied in a mocking tone.
“In any case, I write to her often—” “Ah, so it is a woman.” Ion glared at Akeam before continuing, “I never told her I became a captain, of a pirate ship, no less. I was afraid that if I came, she’d hear about me and my reputation.”
“What reputation?” Akeam asked, lifting an eyebrow, Ion stared back with eyes that said, Seriously? “Well, alright, fine. I suppose your name is going around in the realm of piracy.”
“That’s not exactly something to be proud of. It means I’m a thief, a liar and a murderer.”
“Man, you make it sound so dreadful! In your defense, you’ve never killed anyone who wasn’t trying to kill you; it was self-defense! And it’s not like you really meant to kill them, it was more… a grave injury… that they never recovered from, unfortunately.” At this point, Akeam put down the instrument to stand next to him by the starboard. “Do you regret the life you chose?”
He smiled, “Not at all.”
“You don’t regret being ‘a thief, a liar, and a murderer?’”
“No; at least it grants me freedom to do what I wish. The living conditions are better than when I worked in the merchant ship. The pay is better too. And after this job, all of us might have enough to retire for the rest of our lives.”
Akeam creased his brows, “We’re not talking about you anymore. What job are you talking about?”
“The monarchy wanted to hire us to escort a diplomat to Dwilawyr—”
“Ion, are you out of your mind? Is the king out of his mind? That place is practically a battle ground! Naval ships are everywhere. We’re pirates, Ion we don’t answer to authority.”
“I know but a million ryel for each of the crew. If the diplomat gives us trouble, we can charge more. We can retire! Our lives as pilfering thieves could end.”
Akeam gave him a criticizing look.
“Oh, come on, Akeam! Don’t give me that look as if I’m a lowlife.”
“You’re not a lowlife. You’re a greedy lowlife. How could you risk your men’s lives like that?”
“All they’ll hear is ‘one million ryel’ and they’ll be on board on it too.”
“Which is exactly why it’s your job, not theirs, to decide which battles to fight and which battles to run away from. This is a battle that we should run away from. Are you expecting fifteen men to fight off an entire army?”
“That’s the thing! There is no battle. I don’t think Dwilawyr officials are stupid enough to shot at a diplomatic ship.”
“But we’re a pirate ship, Ion!”
“Not for this job, we’re not.”
“Oh forget it. When is this diplomat coming?”
“Sometime in the next three days I hope. That was the time limit I gave the king. I told him if the ambassador is not here by then, then we’ll set sail for someplace else.”
“Alright, fine. But you still need to talk about it with the men. I won’t blame them if they overthrow you and remove your title.”
He smiled mischievously, “Yeah, I know, I know.”
Akeam only sighed as Ion replied. Ion was right; the men would only hear “one million ryel” and forget everything else. They wouldn’t strip Ion of his title either because each and every single man in Valhalla was loyal to his captain.
He smiled in confusion, finding the king's remark peculiar. "I'm surprised you actually remember me. Or did you just hear from your advisors that I used to work at your palace?" He realized he was being imprudent, but he didn't leave Faylea just so that he could kiss up to nobles and royals, even if it was king. It was never in his nature really to blindly follow authority. He appreciated that in his crew members who challenged his decisions from time to time. His experiences the past six years also strengthened that part of him.
One of the king's advisors started to say: "You must address the king in the proper way, you rude--" The king raised his hand to silence him.
"That's a fair question. I remembered a servant boy who often played with my daughter and when he left, she became lonely. That boy was you, was it not?"
Yet another surprising fact, that the king not only remembered him but his relationship with his daughter as well. "Well... " he said as he moved towards the closest chair, "since you seem to know who I am, shall we get down to business? What do you want from me?"
"You speak as if I forced you to come here. You came here on your own volition."
"Well, the identical letters I received from every port I've visited for the past few months were a little hard to ignore," he shrugged. "I have to admit I thought it was suspicious." Part of the reason why he was hesitant about coming here was because he thought it might be an ambush, but he wasn't about to make that fact known. "There's something ominous about receiving same letter no matter where you go," he said, half-joking. "After all, I am a pirate. Wanted by authorities. An outlaw. So tell me, what am I doing here still not arrested?"
"I suppose there is no point in stalling," the king conceded, "I'm sure you already know that there is a rumor going around that a war will occur between Faylea and Dwilawyr."
"Yes, it made passing through those waters more dangerous. That is also why I was wondering what you were doing sitting here leisurely when the county could be at war at any minute."
The king ignored the insult,"The new king of Dwilawyr wants to expand it's territories and they have set their eyes on Faylea. Faylea has always been a peaceful nation. Because of that, our military is not powerful; our soldiers are not properly trained; the generals have become lax. As it stands now, Faylea will be completely eradicated if war occurs. I want to negotiate peace before an actual war breaks out. I plan on sending an ambassador to handle the negotiations, as well as monetary gifts." He paused.
"And what does that have to do with me?"
"I want to hire you to escort the ambassador."
He faltered, before breaking into a laugh, "You want to hire a pirate crew to escort the ambassador? Either you have a sense of humor or your screws have completely become loose. How do you know we're not going to take the ambassador hostage and swindle your money instead? With all due respect, Your Highness, we don't answer to authorities, that means we don't have to follow what you say; my crew doesn't even have to follow what I say and I'm their captain. Certainly, we're not charity either. So if you want to us to do something, start speaking our language," he grinned, making his demands known without words.
"Very well... Name your price."
"Wha--Seriously?" he was genuinely surprised thatKing was willing to make negotiations with an outlaw. "This is an important task, not to mention, a dangerous one. The fees won't come cheap."
"Name your price."
"...You're really serious."
"That was my intention from the very beginning."
For the first time, Ion stopped and thought seriously about the ideas that may be going on in the king's head. He didn't think the king was telling him the entire truth. Why would he hire pirates to escort someone as important as an ambassador? There were several scenarios in his head but which one would yield most gains and least losses? This is a dangerous task, if he chose to accept it; entering foreign waters whose military is ready to go to war at any minute is pretty much like sailing to your death. The king probably doesn't care much about the well-being of his crew; he wouldn't care either way if they lived or died-- That's it. They were disposable. He didn't want to lose people in the army in case a war did break out. But the ambassador can be replaced and so can he and his crew depending on the outcomes. Still, it made no sense to him why they chose him specifically but he decided to put his doubts aside.
"Fifteen million ryel. I will require a down payment--let's say... a million ryel, as insurance before we set sail. Our job is to provide him or her transport from Faylea to Dwilawyr; anything beyond that is extra and I will charge you for it--"
"You impudent--" the king's advisor stirred but Ion did not stop to listen to him.
"--and you'll have to have the money ready when we get back. Pirates ofValhalla will also be granted immunity from the law--"
"I'm not quite sure I can--"
"--as long as they don't do anything outright offensive to the people of Faylea, to make it fair. That is the price. Non-negotiable."
The king thoughtfully stroked his beard, "Hm.... 15 million ryel seems a bit high for this, don't you think?"
"Old man, if I thought it was too much, I wouldn't have named it as the price. If you ask me, I would say I'm being quite generous. I have about 15 people in my ship, including myself and the quartermaster. If we divide that amount amongst ourselves, that's hardly 60,000 ryel each. That's not nearly enough for us to retire in today's economy. By the end of it, that's about 1 million ryel for each of my crew member. That's a small price to pay for a country's peace and a man's life,don't you think?"
"Hm... You've got a point."
"Of course, I do." When the king continued to stroke his beard quietly, he added, "It's a gamble. On one hand, if we succeed, Faylea stays at peace, we get our money; on the other, if we fail, Faylea goes to war, but you get to keep your money. Your choice will depend on which you choose to be more important."
The king looked up at him at his last statement and he looked back fearlessly, silently challenging the king to make the decision. When the king continued to say nothing, Ion looked out the window. The blue sky had already faded into a scarlet twilight.
“Would you look at the time,” Ion said calmly as he stood up. “I should probably get back to my ship before they start to wonder where I went.” Swiftly, he made sure he had all his belongings on him. When he was sure that nothing was missing, he turned to the king. “If you decide that peace is more important after all, send your ambassador to Valhalla, along with the million ryel and a written contract signed by you that includes all the provision I mentioned. We’ll be on the port for three days but I won’t be coming back here. When three days pass, I’ll set course for a different destination.” The tone in his voice left no room for discussion and he didn’t wait long enough for the king to make a reply.
Mounting his horse, he rode as swiftly as he could back to the docks in Aschen. When he arrived, the ship was devoid of the usual rowdy yelling of his crew members. Only the sound of the wind and the waves could be heard, and the soft sound of a stringed instrument.
He made his way up the makeshift ladder and found Akeam sitting in the middle of the main deck, a playing an instrument that was clearly foreign to this place. A small lamp was next to him illuminating the immediate area around him. He noticed Ion approaching but said nothing and only continued to play his melody.
“You’re back,” he acknowledged.
“Where’s everyone?”
“Drinking and womanizing, where else?”
“And you’re here?” a playful note in his voice. “Why don’t you go join in on the womanizing Akeam?”
“Someone responsible had to keep an eye on the ship. I do enjoy quiet moments such as these. And besides I’ve had my fair share of women.”
“Spoken like a true womanizer,” he chuckled.
“How ‘bout you? You’re 21, you should be out there having fun as well.”
“You sound like such an old man, Akeam. You’re not even thirty yet. No, even some old men are livelier than you.” Akeam only shrugs at the remark. “Where’d you get that instrument?”
“It’s Jin’s. It came from his and Chen’s mothercountry, Qixin. I believe it is called an erhu,” he replied not missing even a single note.
“You’re quite good at it.”
“I’m good at many things.”
He smiled, “I’m aware.” Ion walked to the starboard of the ship, giving him a clear view of the town of Aschen as well as the faint light of some neighboring towns. With the soft notes of the erhu in the background, the sight seemed serene and he couldn’t help but look at it wistfully.
“You miss it,” Akeam’s baritone voice ringing in the dim surroundings.
“Hm? Miss what? Sailing? Yeah, I do. I hope the men would come back soon, so we can leave.”
“You know very well that was not what I meant. It shows in your eyes Ion.”
“How can you see my eyes in the dark, Akeam?” A playful yet curious question.
“You’re avoiding it,” he shook his head. “You know, I never did understand why you always avoided this place like a plague. Heck, I thought perhaps there was a plague.” Ion laughed.
“So why did you?”
“Avoid this place you mean? Hmm… I wonder. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to put myself in a situation where I would have to fulfill a promise.”
“Running away from a promise? That’s not a very manly thing to do. It doesn’t sound like something Captain Ion Caelric would do,” he said playfully, challenging him.
“Yeah, I know, I know,” he waved his hand. “I have a childhood friend…to whom I write often—”
“Yes, the entire crew has noticed,” he said, in a matter of fact.
“Wha—Really?”
Akeam nods, “They believe you have a woman. It explains why you never go with them to the brothels.”
Flustered, his face flushed red, though it was not so noticeable in the dark, “I don’t go to the brothels because I’m too young.”
“Excuses,” he replied in a mocking tone.
“In any case, I write to her often—” “Ah, so it is a woman.” Ion glared at Akeam before continuing, “I never told her I became a captain, of a pirate ship, no less. I was afraid that if I came, she’d hear about me and my reputation.”
“What reputation?” Akeam asked, lifting an eyebrow, Ion stared back with eyes that said, Seriously? “Well, alright, fine. I suppose your name is going around in the realm of piracy.”
“That’s not exactly something to be proud of. It means I’m a thief, a liar and a murderer.”
“Man, you make it sound so dreadful! In your defense, you’ve never killed anyone who wasn’t trying to kill you; it was self-defense! And it’s not like you really meant to kill them, it was more… a grave injury… that they never recovered from, unfortunately.” At this point, Akeam put down the instrument to stand next to him by the starboard. “Do you regret the life you chose?”
He smiled, “Not at all.”
“You don’t regret being ‘a thief, a liar, and a murderer?’”
“No; at least it grants me freedom to do what I wish. The living conditions are better than when I worked in the merchant ship. The pay is better too. And after this job, all of us might have enough to retire for the rest of our lives.”
Akeam creased his brows, “We’re not talking about you anymore. What job are you talking about?”
“The monarchy wanted to hire us to escort a diplomat to Dwilawyr—”
“Ion, are you out of your mind? Is the king out of his mind? That place is practically a battle ground! Naval ships are everywhere. We’re pirates, Ion we don’t answer to authority.”
“I know but a million ryel for each of the crew. If the diplomat gives us trouble, we can charge more. We can retire! Our lives as pilfering thieves could end.”
Akeam gave him a criticizing look.
“Oh, come on, Akeam! Don’t give me that look as if I’m a lowlife.”
“You’re not a lowlife. You’re a greedy lowlife. How could you risk your men’s lives like that?”
“All they’ll hear is ‘one million ryel’ and they’ll be on board on it too.”
“Which is exactly why it’s your job, not theirs, to decide which battles to fight and which battles to run away from. This is a battle that we should run away from. Are you expecting fifteen men to fight off an entire army?”
“That’s the thing! There is no battle. I don’t think Dwilawyr officials are stupid enough to shot at a diplomatic ship.”
“But we’re a pirate ship, Ion!”
“Not for this job, we’re not.”
“Oh forget it. When is this diplomat coming?”
“Sometime in the next three days I hope. That was the time limit I gave the king. I told him if the ambassador is not here by then, then we’ll set sail for someplace else.”
“Alright, fine. But you still need to talk about it with the men. I won’t blame them if they overthrow you and remove your title.”
He smiled mischievously, “Yeah, I know, I know.”
Akeam only sighed as Ion replied. Ion was right; the men would only hear “one million ryel” and forget everything else. They wouldn’t strip Ion of his title either because each and every single man in Valhalla was loyal to his captain.
ImagineInPink
Senior Member
That night, Eleonore laid down on the unfamiliar bed. It wasn't nearly as soft as her own but with so much on her mind, the Princess didn't really care. She had finished her food and was finally able to think about what she had done. The Princess had escaped the palace, gone into town and sneaked into a pirate ship. Pirate ship. The phrase alone raised questions. Had she gone to the right ship? If so, did that mean that Ion was a pirate? To tell the truth, the Princess didn't know how to feel about that. She had heard that pirates were brutal. That they stole and murdered. That didn't sound like the Ion that she knew. With a hopeful heart, Eleonore took out the last letter from her bag. She prayed that she had gotten the name wrong.
However, in clear writing, the name Valhalla could not be confused. She had gone to the right ship. Which meant that Ion was a pirate. Instantly, the young Princess became worried. What if her friend wasn't the same person she had known long ago? What if he really had turned into a murderer? Fearing the answers to these questions, Eleonore couldn't help but think about going back. There was no way she was going into any other ship. That would be way too risky. Then again, how safe could a pirate ship be? At the end though, the best option really was to go home.
And yet, it seemed like that was the last thing she wanted to do. To go back to a place where she couldn't do anything she wasn't told to. Where her parents didn't really pay attention to her. She knew they loved her but she also knew they were a King and Queen. Their attention was better placed towards the Kingdom. She understood though. The Princess just wanted a little more liberty, that was all. The fact was that she didn't really make friends after Ion left. The servants were too busy to talk to her as well. Not to mention that she was getting older. She knew that her parents would want her to marry a Prince. That was her role and there was nothing she could do about it. Which was why she couldn't go back now. Eleonore had to do something for herself before that happened.
With her resolve now strengthened, she decided on her course of action. She would leave the Kingdom for a while and get on that pirate ship. Eleonore just had to trust that Ion would be the same guy she had been friends with all of her life. With this troubling thought in mind, Eleonore closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. Despite the harshness of the bed, she was way too tired from her recent adventures.
Three short days after, Eleonore found herself back at the port. She had been coming back everyday, staying until it got dark. The young Princess simply walked around, keeping an eye on the Valhalla. Her plan was simply to wait until the ship was about to leave so she could sneak back in. Perhaps the same way she had done before. If she was in the ship by the time they sailed, then the captain and crew couldn't do anything, right?
Just when it seemed like a lost cause, Eleonore spotted a group of men getting on board of the pirate ship. It seemed like they were putting everything in order, settling for sail. This was it. It was her chance to get away from the castle. And so, with fear and an anxious mind, the Princess was able to hide in one of the last barrels that were being carried int to the ship. Her heart, a lot more than the first time, raced as she got carried away along with the rest of the cargo. She could hear the men shouting, excited to go back to sea.
However, in clear writing, the name Valhalla could not be confused. She had gone to the right ship. Which meant that Ion was a pirate. Instantly, the young Princess became worried. What if her friend wasn't the same person she had known long ago? What if he really had turned into a murderer? Fearing the answers to these questions, Eleonore couldn't help but think about going back. There was no way she was going into any other ship. That would be way too risky. Then again, how safe could a pirate ship be? At the end though, the best option really was to go home.
And yet, it seemed like that was the last thing she wanted to do. To go back to a place where she couldn't do anything she wasn't told to. Where her parents didn't really pay attention to her. She knew they loved her but she also knew they were a King and Queen. Their attention was better placed towards the Kingdom. She understood though. The Princess just wanted a little more liberty, that was all. The fact was that she didn't really make friends after Ion left. The servants were too busy to talk to her as well. Not to mention that she was getting older. She knew that her parents would want her to marry a Prince. That was her role and there was nothing she could do about it. Which was why she couldn't go back now. Eleonore had to do something for herself before that happened.
With her resolve now strengthened, she decided on her course of action. She would leave the Kingdom for a while and get on that pirate ship. Eleonore just had to trust that Ion would be the same guy she had been friends with all of her life. With this troubling thought in mind, Eleonore closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. Despite the harshness of the bed, she was way too tired from her recent adventures.
Three short days after, Eleonore found herself back at the port. She had been coming back everyday, staying until it got dark. The young Princess simply walked around, keeping an eye on the Valhalla. Her plan was simply to wait until the ship was about to leave so she could sneak back in. Perhaps the same way she had done before. If she was in the ship by the time they sailed, then the captain and crew couldn't do anything, right?
Just when it seemed like a lost cause, Eleonore spotted a group of men getting on board of the pirate ship. It seemed like they were putting everything in order, settling for sail. This was it. It was her chance to get away from the castle. And so, with fear and an anxious mind, the Princess was able to hide in one of the last barrels that were being carried int to the ship. Her heart, a lot more than the first time, raced as she got carried away along with the rest of the cargo. She could hear the men shouting, excited to go back to sea.
xiumi
Master of Procrastination
Ion had taken off his frock coat and vest and the long sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, looking more like a regular sailor than a captain; he always did so whenever they were about to depart since it was much easier to move without them. He leaned on the starboard, keeping an eye out for the possible ambassador who has failed to show up the previous two days.
It was already well into the third day and the crew members were once again preparing to embark on another voyage. Though they were excited to get back on the sea, they were also quite restless.
"Captain, you said some important person was going to come in three days time. Nobody's coming!" one of the older pirates exclaimed while approaching him.
"Yeah, Captain! What Cofer said. What's going to happen to our one million ryel?!" another momentarily stopped his work to face Ion's direction.
"Don't worry, Nas," Ion replied addressing the second man, "If he doesn't come, we'll just think of a different plan. We have almost enough anyway; we probably don't need this."
"But a million ryel..." Nas grumbled.
Ion looked at Akeam's direction with a wry smile. "At least I'm not the only greedy lowlife in this ship!" he called, referencing to their conversation two nights prior. Akeam only hopelessly shook his head, a gesture that Ion laughed at. While he laughed, Ion heard a faint call from below the ship. When he turned and looked, he recognized it as Weiss accompanied by an older man, possibly in his early thirties, dressed in gaudy noble's ensemble. Next to him was a cart full of trunks and packages of different sizes.
"Oh Weiss! Good to see you again. Is that him?" Weiss nodded his head in response. Ion turned to address his men, "Men, our money tree is here!" and the crew exclaimed in joy and excitement. He places his attention back to Weiss and the noble and points to the entry port, "Well, send him up." He couldn't help but notice the man jolt when he spoke. And when he looked closely, he noticed the slight tremble in the man's knees. He smiled at him in pity. The ambassador was quite young and scared out his mind to have to voyage with "savage" pirates for the next months. Though, he shouldn't talk considering he's the second to the youngest man in the ship and he too was afraid when he was first captured by the pirates. The diplomat reluctantly trudged towards the ship's entrance, with Weiss following behind him pushing the cart full of belongings, he called to him, "You needn't be afraid, Master! No harm should come to you while you're on the ship. You are, after all, our money--I mean client. Isn't that right, boys?" His question was returned with an inharmonious yes.
When the ambassador and his belongings were finally on board, Ion shifted his attention to the number of trunks and clicked his tongue, "Hm... I think we're going to have to charge a bit extra for that... There is quite a number of them and the ship's space is not unlimited. For every box of you bring, that's one less box of supplies we can carry. But we can negotiate that when we return. So which boxes have our one million?"
"Here," the man said softly while pointing at the couple of chests.
"Alright. Cataar--" he called one of the nearby crew members, "--take these to the Captain's quarters. Have Kaishin help you."
"Ehh?! We're not dividing it now?" Cataar complained; Ion glared at him for a split second which was enough to jolt him to work. "R-Right away, Captain..." he smiled nervously.
"Thanks," Ion replied with a sweet smile. He then turned back to the ambassador, "The king should have also sent a document that outlines our contract. I don't want him to go back on his word," he told him seriously. The ambassador immediately handed over a scrolled paper. Ion opened it and briefly, yet carefully examined it's contents.
"'Hm...letter hastily sent to Dwilawyr...one million payment, immediate... 15 million upon return...Right to charge more, if necessary...ensure safety of the ambassador...immunity from the law of Valhalla's pirates so long as no intentional misdeeds are done.' Yeah, that sounds about right," he said as he rolled the paper once again. Let's waste no time then. Nas, take the nice gentleman to his quarters." Nas only looked him with a clueless expression that made him groan. It was Akeam who stepped in, "Follow me. I believe our captain forgot to ask you your name. Forgive him, sometimes he forgets his manners, Master...?"
"Chaelfer," the ambassador replied.
Ion came up the quarter deck and stood at the edge overlooking the main deck, "Listen up!" At his voice, almost everyone in the ship stopped their current tasks to lend him an ear, "This is an important job but also a dangerous one. We need to be more careful than usual. We can't afford to make mistakes and we can't afford to engage people into combat. I was actually serious about no harm coming to the ambassador after all. With that in mind, raise anchor, lower the sails and let's have another exciting voyage, alright, men?" The reply this time was more harmonized and energized as each men moved to their familiar positions.
It didn't take long for the ship to be on it's way and it was Ion himself who had gotten the ship out of the docks. When he was sure that they back into the open sea, he left the steering to another experienced sailor as he retired to his room to put away the document he was holding.
It was already well into the third day and the crew members were once again preparing to embark on another voyage. Though they were excited to get back on the sea, they were also quite restless.
"Captain, you said some important person was going to come in three days time. Nobody's coming!" one of the older pirates exclaimed while approaching him.
"Yeah, Captain! What Cofer said. What's going to happen to our one million ryel?!" another momentarily stopped his work to face Ion's direction.
"Don't worry, Nas," Ion replied addressing the second man, "If he doesn't come, we'll just think of a different plan. We have almost enough anyway; we probably don't need this."
"But a million ryel..." Nas grumbled.
Ion looked at Akeam's direction with a wry smile. "At least I'm not the only greedy lowlife in this ship!" he called, referencing to their conversation two nights prior. Akeam only hopelessly shook his head, a gesture that Ion laughed at. While he laughed, Ion heard a faint call from below the ship. When he turned and looked, he recognized it as Weiss accompanied by an older man, possibly in his early thirties, dressed in gaudy noble's ensemble. Next to him was a cart full of trunks and packages of different sizes.
"Oh Weiss! Good to see you again. Is that him?" Weiss nodded his head in response. Ion turned to address his men, "Men, our money tree is here!" and the crew exclaimed in joy and excitement. He places his attention back to Weiss and the noble and points to the entry port, "Well, send him up." He couldn't help but notice the man jolt when he spoke. And when he looked closely, he noticed the slight tremble in the man's knees. He smiled at him in pity. The ambassador was quite young and scared out his mind to have to voyage with "savage" pirates for the next months. Though, he shouldn't talk considering he's the second to the youngest man in the ship and he too was afraid when he was first captured by the pirates. The diplomat reluctantly trudged towards the ship's entrance, with Weiss following behind him pushing the cart full of belongings, he called to him, "You needn't be afraid, Master! No harm should come to you while you're on the ship. You are, after all, our money--I mean client. Isn't that right, boys?" His question was returned with an inharmonious yes.
When the ambassador and his belongings were finally on board, Ion shifted his attention to the number of trunks and clicked his tongue, "Hm... I think we're going to have to charge a bit extra for that... There is quite a number of them and the ship's space is not unlimited. For every box of you bring, that's one less box of supplies we can carry. But we can negotiate that when we return. So which boxes have our one million?"
"Here," the man said softly while pointing at the couple of chests.
"Alright. Cataar--" he called one of the nearby crew members, "--take these to the Captain's quarters. Have Kaishin help you."
"Ehh?! We're not dividing it now?" Cataar complained; Ion glared at him for a split second which was enough to jolt him to work. "R-Right away, Captain..." he smiled nervously.
"Thanks," Ion replied with a sweet smile. He then turned back to the ambassador, "The king should have also sent a document that outlines our contract. I don't want him to go back on his word," he told him seriously. The ambassador immediately handed over a scrolled paper. Ion opened it and briefly, yet carefully examined it's contents.
"'Hm...letter hastily sent to Dwilawyr...one million payment, immediate... 15 million upon return...Right to charge more, if necessary...ensure safety of the ambassador...immunity from the law of Valhalla's pirates so long as no intentional misdeeds are done.' Yeah, that sounds about right," he said as he rolled the paper once again. Let's waste no time then. Nas, take the nice gentleman to his quarters." Nas only looked him with a clueless expression that made him groan. It was Akeam who stepped in, "Follow me. I believe our captain forgot to ask you your name. Forgive him, sometimes he forgets his manners, Master...?"
"Chaelfer," the ambassador replied.
Ion came up the quarter deck and stood at the edge overlooking the main deck, "Listen up!" At his voice, almost everyone in the ship stopped their current tasks to lend him an ear, "This is an important job but also a dangerous one. We need to be more careful than usual. We can't afford to make mistakes and we can't afford to engage people into combat. I was actually serious about no harm coming to the ambassador after all. With that in mind, raise anchor, lower the sails and let's have another exciting voyage, alright, men?" The reply this time was more harmonized and energized as each men moved to their familiar positions.
It didn't take long for the ship to be on it's way and it was Ion himself who had gotten the ship out of the docks. When he was sure that they back into the open sea, he left the steering to another experienced sailor as he retired to his room to put away the document he was holding.
ImagineInPink
Senior Member
Eleonore was more than glad she had picked a barrel with holes on it. It not only allowed her to breath but also to hear what was going on around her. Not to mention she would get the occasional glimpse of the men. Not enough to really make out detail but it served her to see when she could come out. And although she thought they wouldn't be able to do anything after sailing, she would rather not come out until the coast was clear. However, while she waited, the Princess couldn't help but hear some interesting things. At the beginning though, it was mostly the men laughing at what seemed something their Captain had said. Not to mention something about a special person coming. Which made her feel a little better. Eleonore knew they were going to find out about her sooner or later. She was just glad she wouldn't be the only non-pirate on board the ship.
Surprise filled her though, as she heard just how much money seemed to be in boxes that had been mentioned. Plus, there was mention of a 'job' as well. Eleonore had no idea pirates took jobs. It sounded like honest work and that was something the girl didn't expect. She didn't expect the respect the men seemed to have for their captain as well. It sounded like they would do whatever the man asked. It was strange, since the girl had always pictured pirate ships to be loud, obnoxious and extremely disorganized. After all, she had only heard rumors.
Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when she heard the word 'King' and 'contract'. Did that mean her father had asked for a pirate ship? What could possibly be so bad that they needed a pirate ship? And then it seemed like the Princess in her stepped up, deciding to do whatever she could to obtain that contract. Despite her lack of freedom, the Princess did her for her Kingdom. Which meant she needed to see that piece of paper. Plus, she was pretty curious as to who the man that had boarded the ship was.
Then she heard the word 'ambassador'. There was definitely something here that she needed to know about. It was true that she was just a Princess. That she didn't have ruling experience. However, the kingdom of Faylea was still her home and she deserved to know its political standing. And now that she wasn't in the castle, she didn't have to abide by her parent's rules. Her decisions, from now on, were all hers.
At the moment though, she had decided to wait. Wait until there weren't people close to her barrel. The only thing she needed to do was leave her hiding place and find the Captain's quarters. Which she guessed was the door right bellow the stirring wheel. It seemed like the biggest and only door in sight. Thankfully, she had been able to look around a little two days ago, when she had been kicked off the ship.
Finally, she heard the crowd of men calm down. When she thought she had seen the Captain go into a door and come back out, Eleonore thought it was the perfect moment to get out of the barrel. She poked her head out, lifting the lid slightly to make sure everyone was busy. After a few seconds, the Princess finally got out of the barrel, going back slowly and carefully towards the door behind her. Glad that it was unlocked, Eleonore slowly and silently turned the knob, opened the door and carefully closed it back in.
The room seemed to be nice and neat. A desk, a bed, and a simple closet decorated the room. There were several items around the room as well, but the Princess had no time to admire it. The young woman wasted no time in looking for that letter. Opening drawers and shuffling papers. Finally, Eleonore found piece of paper with the royal seal and signed by her father and mother. It certainly looked like a contract. Hoping no one would come in, the Princess made her way towards the entrance of the closet, just in case. And so, she began to read the letter, ready to jump and hide inside the closet if need be.
Surprise filled her though, as she heard just how much money seemed to be in boxes that had been mentioned. Plus, there was mention of a 'job' as well. Eleonore had no idea pirates took jobs. It sounded like honest work and that was something the girl didn't expect. She didn't expect the respect the men seemed to have for their captain as well. It sounded like they would do whatever the man asked. It was strange, since the girl had always pictured pirate ships to be loud, obnoxious and extremely disorganized. After all, she had only heard rumors.
Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when she heard the word 'King' and 'contract'. Did that mean her father had asked for a pirate ship? What could possibly be so bad that they needed a pirate ship? And then it seemed like the Princess in her stepped up, deciding to do whatever she could to obtain that contract. Despite her lack of freedom, the Princess did her for her Kingdom. Which meant she needed to see that piece of paper. Plus, she was pretty curious as to who the man that had boarded the ship was.
Then she heard the word 'ambassador'. There was definitely something here that she needed to know about. It was true that she was just a Princess. That she didn't have ruling experience. However, the kingdom of Faylea was still her home and she deserved to know its political standing. And now that she wasn't in the castle, she didn't have to abide by her parent's rules. Her decisions, from now on, were all hers.
At the moment though, she had decided to wait. Wait until there weren't people close to her barrel. The only thing she needed to do was leave her hiding place and find the Captain's quarters. Which she guessed was the door right bellow the stirring wheel. It seemed like the biggest and only door in sight. Thankfully, she had been able to look around a little two days ago, when she had been kicked off the ship.
Finally, she heard the crowd of men calm down. When she thought she had seen the Captain go into a door and come back out, Eleonore thought it was the perfect moment to get out of the barrel. She poked her head out, lifting the lid slightly to make sure everyone was busy. After a few seconds, the Princess finally got out of the barrel, going back slowly and carefully towards the door behind her. Glad that it was unlocked, Eleonore slowly and silently turned the knob, opened the door and carefully closed it back in.
The room seemed to be nice and neat. A desk, a bed, and a simple closet decorated the room. There were several items around the room as well, but the Princess had no time to admire it. The young woman wasted no time in looking for that letter. Opening drawers and shuffling papers. Finally, Eleonore found piece of paper with the royal seal and signed by her father and mother. It certainly looked like a contract. Hoping no one would come in, the Princess made her way towards the entrance of the closet, just in case. And so, she began to read the letter, ready to jump and hide inside the closet if need be.
