Captive, Kidnapped by a Pirate [Inactive]

Adelaide gripped the book in her hands, instantly she was crying.


This isn't possible.





She put a hand over her mouth and dropped to her knees so she could be at eye level with the child who had brought her the book. It was impossible. He had died years ago, hanged.


"Please, you have to tell me who sent you here. Who gave you this book?" She begged the child.


He can't be. He died, he died.
 
"I don't know, milady, I honestly don't!" He frowned, fearing he had upset her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I don't know, I don't know..."


The boy began to cry as well, softly, fearing for his life.
 
Adelaide set the book down, it's value far beyond even the royal crown in her eyes. She pulled the boy forward and embraced him tightly, smiling wide.


"That's alright, shh." She was stuck, crying, sobbing, and grinning like a fool. The poor boy was caught in the middle of it all, even though he hadn't meant to be here. "I'm not upset, shh. I'm happy, thank you."


He's alive. He's got to be.
 
"Your Grace?" Shiva knocked slightly on the open door to alert them of her presence, looking to the boy with a bit of confusion. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't dare to ask.


"Your Grace, Commodore Kenway would like to speak to you in the throne room. He asked for your presence specifically." The woman rubbed the large swell of her belly and gave a gentle smile and a wave to the small boy, who returned the gesture.
 
"Oh, well, alright." Adelaide responded, letting go of the boy so she could again pick up the book.


As she walked, she paged through the novel. When she was younger, it was her favorite book, but she hadn't read it in so long the details were fuzzy. It explained where her copy had went. Her friend took it.


Adelaide, still paging through memories, entered the throne room. Only after a minute of silence, she closed the book and clutched it close to her chest. Christopher once denied her the right to read the book. What a coincidence, she thought, that they even had the same novel at all.


"You wanted to see me, Commodore?" She asked plainly.
 
Christopher didn't look up as she entered, biting into an apple as he stood at the balcony, watching over all the ships that were now theirs. It took him a moment to collect his thoughts. He appeared clean and better dressed than before, his hair half-up, the full length exposed as blonde hair reached to his shoulders. The newly appointed commodore glanced to Adelaide out of the corner of his eye as he took another bite of the fruit.


"Come here," he asked of her. "I need to pick names for my ships. Not much of a creative person myself."





It was only half a lie. He needed names, but he also wanted to her about the gift she had received, if the boy had delivered it yet.
 
Adelaide came forth, not sure why he'd called on her of all people. Just last night he'd threatened to behead her after taking his rum.


"How many ships are there?" She asked quietly, the book still clutched against her dress. There were many other things available to her now that she was inside the castle, but she preferred the mobility of pirate-wear as she liked to call it. Maybe she'd ask Mama to help her find more.


As she waited, she tried to think of decent names, but she too wasn't the best at that.
 
"Seven. And believe it or not, we have the crew to man them all. Hunter brought all of his tribesman, every single one, to unite in the cause to stop Lunaris. Six hundred men and women. They even found an island to call home, just off the coast of Acomb. Nice, big and secluded. He told me all about it a moment ago. And Catherine's pregnant." Christopher realized he was off track, and quickly corrected himself as he pointed to the ships.


"There's the Siren and the Despair, there. I think I'll give the Siren to Quenari, one of Hunter's friends. Had breakfast with him. Doesn't speak much of the Common Tongue, but he'll do nicely enough. I trust Hunter's judgment more than I trust my own, to be honest." He chuckled a bit before pointing down at the three larger ships across the bay. "Two of those will be Native ships. It's important to know where we send them, they have different customs and rituals than us and I can't risk offending them to the point of losing their support. I think I'll name the one on the left Great Spirit, the middle one Avenger--I mean, look at that ramming power, could tear a ship in two--and the one on the right...hmm." He looked down to her book and read the title to himself. The Adventures of Xavier, Pirate King. "Xavier. I'll name it Xavier."





"The ship in the middle of all this mess is the smallest in the fleet, therefore I'll give her a crew we can spare--the recruits from New Castle. I still don't know if they're loyal enough. I guess this'll put them to the test. Probably name it Dead Weight or something," he teased with a chuckle. "Okay, no. I'll name it...ah, sh*t. Phantom. Sure. That works."


"But this," he said, guiding her by the arm to view the Flagship of the Holy Triumph, navy blue with accents of gold. It was a ship bigger than any Christopher had ever seen, one of the biggest in the Lunaris fleet and he pointed her out specifically to Adelaide.


"Name her."
 
Adelaide glanced up at the ship, just to take a look at what was in store for her. Her eyes lingered a few seconds longer, and then another, and another. She was reminded of days when she and her friend would gaze out of the windows, looking down to the harbor of Caister. They spent so many afternoons together trying to figure out what the ship was named, as they did have names. She never did find out, though.


"You want me to name it?" She asked, still unsure of why her. What she'd done to have the right to name the most grand of his fleet. For a fleeting moment she wanted to tease him back, tell him to name it something ridiculous, because she was annoyed. She'd gone to him last night and he'd shot her down, quite angrily, but she ignored the thoughts as best she could.


It wasn't the time for games, so she thought for a few moments. It was such a large ship, it needed an appropriately gaudy name.


Here was Christopher, a former slave, rising up from the bottom until he'd taken the name of Commodore by taking the city of New Castle. The name had to be grand. She had an idea.


"How about the Slave's Vengeance." Adelaide suggested, her eyes still on the ship. "All of us, slaves of Lunaris really, but you. You were once a slave of Caister, and now you are Commodore Kenway." The name was powerful to her, it had some meaning. She quietly waited for a response, tired, and not much in the mood for talking to him.


Is he still angry? I don't know what's wrong.
 
"..." Christopher couldn't think of an immediate response. Was she so in love with his memory, so moved by his actions as a child that she would pick a name such as that? "Bullsh*t," he called her out. "You're not naming it for me. You're name it for the slave who wrote in that book you're holding."


Being bitter towards her wouldn't solve anything, and oh how painful it was to make her miserable in his presence, but it was better for her to hate him than for something to go awry and once again be torn from the love of his life.


"But I like it. Slave's Vengeance. It has a nice ring to it." Christopher kept his eyes locked on the ship for a moment, before flicking the core of his eaten apple over the balcony's edge and watched it fall to the city below. "I'll name the next one Queen Adelaide. Gotta have your name somewhere. Raises morale."


He moved himself away from the balcony's rail, rubbing the stubble on his chin in thought. He was silent for many moments before he offered up his apology.


"I'm sorry for last night, Addy. I was drunk and upset. There's a lot of things I haven't dealt with that I should have long ago, but none of that is your fault. If I'm to be Xavier the Pirate King and you Esmeralda the Royal Queen, then I can't treat you like that. I should treat you like a queen, not a common tavern wench."
 
"I am naming it for you." Adelaide responded quietly. "Is it so hard to believe that I find it impressive how far you've come? From a slave to this."


He wouldn't believe her anyways. Would he? That's what she thought. Christopher worked for his title, whereas Adelaide was merely born.


Adelaide stayed back, not wanting him to see her upset again. She rubbed at her eyes and kept her sniffling quiet. Christopher wouldn't care anyways. When she cried before, he'd basically told her to toughen up.


"You don't have to treat me special." She mumbled, shuffling her feet awkwardly. "I was born into it. It's not like I worked for it."


Addy, stop crying!





"Is there anything else you need?" She asked, a small hiccup came at the end of her question so she wiped her eyes again. "I didn't sleep well, and I'm a b-bit, tired."
 
He dared not pass that thin line, to comfort her or tell her it'll be alright and promise her a country at peace and the destruction of Lunaris. Those were lies he would spare her from. But as it stood in that moment, there was not much he could do for her besides releasing her from the prison of presence. At least, he was sure that's how she thought of it.


"No," he replied. "Nothing. Go get some sleep. We'll be here for a few days while we get things sorted out, and then we'll be headed off again."
 
Before she left, Adelaide asked one more question. "Do you remember the first time you ever..." Killed someone. She gulped hard, not proud of herself for being so weak. "I can't ask, never mind, I'm sorry. Excuse me, Commodore."


She escaped as quickly as she could, cursing herself for bothering to ask at all. It was a stupid question in the first place, he'd killed so many men, and she was standing there blubbering like an idiot. Why would he tell her anyways.


Idiot.


Addy found rest after reading through parts of the book, tracing her hand along the pages with drawings on them. Some where clearly hers, while others were from her friend. It was easy to distinguish the two from each other.


Finally, after so long she was able to fall asleep on her own. She'd borrowed a new night gown, absorbing the warmth of the sheets and feather bed beneath her. Still, she missed the rocking hammock. The Nightshade rested on her night stand with the book. Her newest treasure.
 
The next few days came and went. Christopher hardly spoke to anyone save Uati and Shiva, the latter only so he could ask her if she was alright. The girl was due any day for her baby, and the Commodore hoped they could deliver the child in a place like New Castle, not on a ship hundreds of leagues away from land. Babies needed certain things that a crew could not give. He was confident that Shiva would be safe aboard the Slave's Vengeance, he didn't doubt that a single moment, but he still thought it might be better to keep her on land while she delivered the child.


But they were running out of time. He couldn't stay in New Castle forever. The Holy Triumph would be days off, coming back to New Castle to reclaim what was lost. They had to be far away before that time came, sailing in the opposite direction.





He sat in the war room with his captains and the Queen and looked at the giant map of Valhalla, stroking his stubble deep in thought. "Carson," he spoke suddenly. "Take the Phantom and go north. Yorn will go with you on the Avenger. You will come to the ports of Beach Cove and Cromer, maybe Raiska too, but only fly the peace flag under your colors. Do not raid them. Greet them peacefully and talk to their leaders about Lunaris, exploit them all you can, and gain their alliances. Harbor any ships you think would be valuable to us, and any crew that you'd consider loyal and worthy of our cause. Once you're done there, take passage by the Silver Sea and do the same thing at Folkenshore, Oldhale, Silver Shore and Bellmore, and once you reach Ashbourne send a hawk to contact me. House Thorne will welcome you when you mention my name and see my colors. I'm good friends with them. When you send the hawk, be sure to tell us how many ships they offer and crew to fill them, and stay in Ashbourne until you recieve my reply. If one doesn't come within three months, begin battle plans with House Thorne without me."


"Andrew will take Xavier along with Quenari's Great Spirit southward, from Balmoral to Luton, the slave capitals of Valhalla. There you will liberate everyone and kill the masters, only those who are servants of Lunaris. Stay there and keep peace until I send further word."


"Hunter," he stated with a sigh. "My right-hand captain. You will go on the longest trip, all the way to Whitebridge. I want you to greet them peacefully and explain the situation in Lunaris. This is the most important mission of all. You have to protect Lady Mia and her family, the Capital will be after them for their heads in attempt to sabotage the Everette line. We can't risk anything happening to them, especially since the Queen will be with me. I can't guarantee her safety. You'll like it in Whitebridge, Hunter. And so will your people. House Rosales has always been very generous to the tribal people, and it'll be a great place for Catherine to give birth."


When Christopher realized that all his ships were accounted for, he gave a small nod. "I'm taking the Slave's Vengeance back to Caister. The queen needs to sit on her throne and be officially coronated for all Val Halla to see. That's when the war begins, gents. When our queen sits on her throne."
 
Adelaide, proudly gowned in something a vendor hand crafted for her specifically, stood tall and listened intently to her Commodore. She was amazed by the plans presented to her. Christopher had covered the major posts with nothing more than seven ships in his fleet. Although she wasn't as elated as she should have been to return to Caister, she would go. Christopher was right, she needed to take her place on the throne and let the world know she was alive, well, and taking her revenge.


"Now Carson, do be careful not to venture towards the Taern Caves in the North, I've heard sirens live there, and while it may be a myth, I don't want you taking chances." She added her own knowledge of the map. Adelaide stepped forward and trailed her hands along the path Xavier and the Great Spirit would take. There was one extra task she added on for them. She handed Andrew, Captain of Xavier, a folded piece of paper with her seal on it. For now, her ring did well to prove her lineage, as everything else remained in Caister. "Send this to Barnsley. While they may only be children, I don't want them to be persuaded by Lunaris. They may be weak but they hold much of the South."


"Yes, majesty." Andrew accepted the paper, and she made sure he held it close before turning her eyes back to the map.


Then there was Hunter. She held a great appreciation for his position in their fight, and she saved him to speak to last. Not so long ago she'd promised to protect his people, all of them. Now, they had ships of their own and could travel to whichever corner of the world they wanted. Adelaide scoured the map for a place they could settle, but in the end, she looked to Hunter and spoke sternly to him, forgetting the others in the room.


"Hunter. I promised I'd keep your people safe when I became Queen. Now I'm just that, when this all blows over..." Wait, I know. "She traced her hand around Lunaris and smirked. Irony at it's finest. "You're people can take Lunaris. The whole city, if you'd have it. Just, keep my cousins as safe as you can."


Adelaide thought over everything that had been said, appreciating the purpose of it all. If everything went right, they would have great positions in the North and South, armies to use, and fleets to command.


"When do we leave, Christopher?" She asked politely, her eyes back on the map of the world, her world.
 
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Though Hunter nodded at her offer, he would never want his people to live in such a place. "No offense, my queen. But my people will find our own land to call home. We do not want to live in the homes of those who took our blood. We do not want to be reminded."


"A fair answer," Christopher concurred. "Take what's yours. She'll see it through in the end." He pushed himself up from the table and looked down at the map, sighing. "We leave now, Your Grace. The sooner everyone departs New Castle the safer we'll be. Lunaris will be here before the week's end to take back this place. It's not safe for anyone rebellious. Get your new dresses and whatnot, pack your things. We all leave within the hour."
 
"No, I understand." Adelaide responded kindly. "But I will still see to it you find somewhere where they'll never be able to harm your people again."


She curtsied and made no small talk before leaving the room to pack. Adelaide had little, they'd only been in New Castle for a few days, and while many were overjoyed she was alive and well, it still left her with nothing more than she could scavenge for. There was one more bottle of Divino she'd managed to keep for herself, still at a fair age. The pirates managed to take most of the good rum from the cellars at their party. The only thing she cared about keeping safe was her book, which she carried personally to the docks along with a small drunk of clothes. Nothing else was important, really.


The new ship stared her down, it's gold trim shining bright in the afternoon. It was indeed larger than the Siren, which she would miss dearly, but also would enjoy the new comforts of the larger ship. More crew, more supplies, more space.
 
"Miss Addy!"


Little Ana Holland raced through the crowds of people and up to the docks where her royal friend was standing, gawking. "Miss Addy, miss Addy! Isn't the new ship beautiful?! I heard there's an entire ballroom, that the captain's quarters look's more like a queen's, and we all get feather beds! We'll have a crew of over two-hundred! Isn't that amazing?!" She giggled and took the queen's hand without giving her a chance to respond, and pulled her towards the loading dock. "Come on come on come on!!!"
 
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"All right!" Adelaide was giggling along with the girl. Her trunk was forgotten on the shore as she was pulled along by the child, book still safely tucked in her other arm.


On board, there were some new faces, some old ones. A rather giddy pirate twirled the Queen around and gave her a wink. She blushed and followed after the child, nearly stumbling after the short encounter, unsure of who the man even was.


"There's a ballroom you said? On a ship?" Even the Queen was surprised. The ballroom at Caister was the largest in the world, surely that wouldn't fit on their new ship, but a small one might. "Where is it Ana?"
 
"Yeah!" the girl exclaimed, pulling her aboard. "A ballroom, a really big one! And the quarters are so great, we all get feather beds!" Ana giggled and clapped her hands to show her excitement. "There's like, one thousand amazing great places here Miss Addy. So much, so many, I bet even mean old Tyndall couldn't use them all."


She hopped and skipped along the deck, completely in her element and laughing with glee.
 
Adelaide watched her go, smiling after the child. It was like having a little sister, something the girl never knew. Ana and Adelaide were close since their first days together, princess and child. The Queen always wanted to do her best to keep Ana happy, she was so innocent, the girl deserved to have the world, and Addy could very well give it to her.


"Addy!" A new voice caught her attention, and she searched for the source, her eyes finally landing on Catherine.


"Catherine." Adelaide grinned wide and went to hug the woman. Soon, they'd be separated by the Hellsea, and Adelaide wouldn't get to see her baby for months, she knew as much. It was disappointing.


"Oh, look at you." Catherine grinned and held Adelaide's face in her hands. It was funny, only some time ago the girl had only the affections of the older Hunter, she came from a horrible history, and now she looked so happy. Her face was ripe with deep red blush, her stomach barely showed that she was pregnant at all.


"Look at you." Adelaide voiced the question right back at her. "You're going to have a baby I heard!"


So Catherine hugged her, and they voiced their goodbyes. For all they knew, it was the last time they would see each other again.
 
Christopher hated goodbyes. He always had. So when many of the pirates parted ways to go on their separate mission, the Commodore offered them plenty of "see you soon's" and "be safe's", not a single goodbye, even though he knew some of these men and women would die under his orders. But he would not say farewell. Not now. Not ever.


"All hands on deck, you bloody dogs! Every scoundrel to his mast! Climb aboard your ships and sail in the name of Luanris destruction!"


To the sounds of his battle cries, all nine-hundred men at his call cheered, and Christopher was certain that Lunaris would hear it on the wind.
 
There were hundreds of new places Adelaide could've poked her head on in on the new ship, with near near thousand man crew, but she found herself in familiar quarters. She scoured a map of Valhalla, adding up enemies and tallying down allies. Between now and Caister, she had to think of what to say to rally thousands of people. She dragged her hands across her face, tired and stressed out from the coming journey.


She pulled books from Christopher's shelf on anything she could use. Family crests, history, navigation, anything. Adelaide needed to understand as much of the outside world as she could. Uati or Gregory would help if she asked, but that was the problem. Her shame from being so ignorant prevented her from asking anyone on board. Still, she had to do something.


Taking the map, folded into a book related to the world of Valhalla, she stepped onto the deck and marched up to the helm. Much in need of help if she could get it.


"Uati." She called. Her feet picked up the pace until she bounced to his side. "Could I ask something of you?"
 
The quartermaster was just preparing to set sail while Kenway took care of issues within the helm, and he turned to the call of his name. The man was getting a bit tired of doing whatever the woman asked, but he supposed since she was queen he had to do as she told him.


"What is it this time?" Uati chuckled, resting on the rail as he looked down at her. "More help on your slave boy?"
 
"What?" She responded, startled. "No, it's not that."


Even if she wanted to think about her old friend, she was bothered by the current issue at hand. Someone had given her the book back, that much was true. It didn't mean he was alive or dead, just that someone found the book and gave it back to the girl only because her name was written on it. She'd gotten her hopes up too soon.


She was flustered, shuffling awkwardly behind the ship's wheel. Her hand trailed along the polished surface of the wheel, not daring to push it one way or the other even in open sea.


"Never mind, you all seem rather busy, I'll just go ask someone else." She smiled and excused herself, unable to ask for the help she wanted. Adelaide returned to Kenway's quarters and put the books back on the shelf. The absence of one bothered her a great deal, the same book she'd recently received.
 
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