The Pirate War

Nikia

Nikia

New member
This is my story for the NaNoWriMo contest. It features several characters who have appeared in Death Dealer and Honor and Glory. Hope you enjoy.
* * * *

“Madness!” The king’s advisor growled. As usual Gamle was the first to challenge the king’s decision. “Absolute madness, it is unthinkable.” The topic that had fallen under debate concerned the upcoming tournament in Cesarnan.

Like every year before the country of Otanna planned to send five of their finest knights. The tournament was a time of peace and prosperity, even between warring nations. Wars were suspended while various kingdoms from even the farthest reaches of the globe sent their best knights to compete. Gamle did not object to the tradition of sending the knights this year, his objections stood with the fact that King Pedar of Otanna wanted his two youngest children to attend, more specifically he wanted the Princess Peony to go.

Normally there would have been no problem, but in recent months a sea war had begun between feuding pirate factions. The Pirate War, as many on land referred to it, would not follow the traditions of the tournament by suspending warfare for a few weeks. These were landless wanders who did not bow to king or country. Sending Peony forth was a danger, one Gamle was not willing to take.

“Highness, please reconsider, Pearce and Peony are not as trained as Pekar. Neither are knights yet. If you must send one of your children in the stead of your brother, please send Pekar. His recent entrance into knighthood makes him the perfect one to send.”

Pedar sat on his throne and watched Gamle with great interest. His eyes laughed and Gamle felt mocked, though he knew his king was just pleased to see the level of concern for Peony and Pearce. He also knew once Pedar had made up his mind little could change it.

“Think of the princess’s safety.” If doubt was placed on Pedar’s beloved daughter, he might reconsider sending her, at the very least.

Pedar stroked his red beard. Gamle had hit a chord within the king. “Let us place the decision on my children. If they believe they are fit to handle the seas and this ‘pirate war’ then, I shall send them with my blessings.”

Pedar rose and Gamle grimaced. Of course they would say they were fit to go. The twins had been longing for the chance to witness the tournament for years. The war between the pirates would not sway them or their determination. Gamle wished King Pedar would put the choice before Queen Hadara. She disapproved of sending her youngest into pirate infested waters.

Pedar and Gamle walked together to the library. Peony and Pearce were told to occupy themselves there until Gamle had finished putting his case before the king. The twins were playing chess and it appeared their older brother, Pekar, had come to here the verdict as well. The three children of Pedar immediately rose to their feet and bowed to their father and his advisor.

The two boys looked like their mother, with their strawberry blond hair and hazel eyes. Pearce’s hair was a bit redder than his brother’s. They also had the slightly crooked nose of their father. Peony had the same fiery hair as her father and bright green eyes and a button nose from somewhere far down on her father’s line. There was very little to her that suggested she came from Hadara’s line.

“Children,” Pedar said softly. “Gamle believes the seas are too dangerous to send Pearce and Peony to Cesarnan for the tournament.” Pearce jumped forward to complain, but Pedar raised his hand to stop him. “I believe, though you are but squires, that you can protect yourselves out there on the seas. What do you think, Pekar? Are your siblings ready to sail into the waters where pirates have been fighting for months? Or should they stay here and you go to the tournament instead?”

Pekar? Gamle looked at Pedar, surprised. There was no telling which way Pekar would go. It could be a blessing or a curse. The older Anir child was just as concerned for his siblings’ safety as any, but he also wanted them to prove themselves of worth. The advisor held his breath, hoping Pekar would think the seas too dangerous.

“In two years time Pearce will become a full knight of Otanna and Peony will become one of the exulted shield maidens. Both now serve as squires to two of the knights you will send to tournament. The other three knights’ squires will join them in Cesarnan, why not these two? Saying it is too dangerous from them, suggests it is too dangerous for any.”

Gamle groaned inwardly. Pekar had sided with his father and siblings. Gamle should have known better.

“A valid point, my son. Pearce and Peony’s knights are competing and it would not be right to rob Sir Tierney of his squire.”

“But Highness,” Gamle cut in, “Lady Elke will not be attending the tournament, remember? Cesarnan forbids women from competing and the lady refused to attend if she could not compete. So why send Peony if her knight is not going?” The advisor hoped this tactic worked.

“Lady Elke has already given me permission to attend the tournament. She believes it will be good experience for me.” Peony said.

Gamle groaned, audibly this time. Pedar’s children also seemed to be one step ahead of him in these matters. “I suppose fighting this tide any longer is futile?”

Peony approached Gamle and gave him a hug. “We know you care about us, but as the royal children of Otanna, we need to witness traditions in other countries. How else will we be able to aid Pekar when he is on the throne?”

“We’ll be careful, Gamle. You have our word.” Pearce said, smiling at his triumph over the advisor. Gamle wished Pekar had not spoken up for them. There was too much danger on the open waters. But he was overruled and the only ally he could hope to find was Queen Hadara, but even her concern would not change the king’s mind.

* * * *
 
Lady Elke was one of the few shield maidens left in Otanna. The tradition of women knights was an old and sacred one, but few now sent their daughters to train as lady knights. Still the handful of girls that did train worked and trained as the boys who trained to become traditional knights. Elke was pleased to see Princess Peony taking part in the shield maiden tradition. Queen Hadara of Sera objected greatly to female knights and she disapproved of her only daughter training with the likes of Elke.

Now Elke was sending her sixteen year-old squire into a country that frowned upon the shield maiden tradition even more than Hadara did. Cesarnan was not known for its approval of fighting women and female leaders, but hopefully Princess Peony’s involvement would help sway beliefs. If a princess to such a respected king endorsed the shield maidens, perhaps other schools for female knights would open in other countries outside Otanna. That was Lady Elke’s hope at least, that was why she had given permission for her squire to attend the tournament without her.

“You attend Cesarnan’s tournament as a princess first and a representative of the shield maidens second.” Elke instructed. She led Peony into the wrestling ring. “You bring no weapons with you, except a dagger hidden for protection, and you dress like any lady of the court.”

Behind her, Elke heard Peony sigh heavily. Like herself, the princess preferred boys’ clothing and she felt out of her skin in the fine dresses she had to wear in court. “It is important to make a good impression on King Frederick and his closed minded companions. Show them that a woman knight does not become less of a lady simply because she knows how to wield a sword.”

“Will they even listen to me? They already know I have chosen the path of a knight that causes for them to shun me from the start.” Peony began her stretching for the wrestling match Elke had set up against another squire.

“They will think little of you from the start, but act like a true lady of the court and you stand a better chance of gaining their respect. Your actions will speak loudly, I promise. But now is the time to clear your thoughts and focus on the task at hand, there will be time later for more instruction about Cesarnan.”

Elke had decided more wrestling lessons were needed before sending Peony out to sea. She worked well with sword, bow, and spear, but should anything happen with the pirates it could be a matter of life and death that Peony be able to successfully take down a foe without a weapon. Peony was fair at wrestling, but Elke wanted to see her win more than every other match. The princess would need to best some of the strongest squires before Elke felt comfortably sending her away.

Sir Ugar entered the arena with his squire Vince in tow. Vince was the biggest squire and one of the best in the wrestling arena. Elke had asked Ugar to aid her in training the princess. He had agreed under the condition Elke help him train Vince on handling a bow from the saddle of a moving horse. That deal made, Vince and Peony prepared themselves for a few brief wrestling matches.

Elke and Ugar watched from outside the ring, shouting pointers to Peony as she struggled against the much larger Vince. After five matches Peony had bested Vince once. Elke sighed. She had two days to get the princess up to par with Vince.

Peony wiped the sweat from her face and walked sullenly back to Elke. She had failed the woman and she hung her head in shame because of it. Elke had excelled at her training and Peony felt like a failure in her presence when she failed at the simplest of tasks, such as wrestling.

“A fair run, Peony,” Ugar patted her on the back and led his squire away.

“I am sorry, Elke. I tried my best, but Vince has so much weight and height on me.”

“His size should have no influence here. A skilled wrestler can take down a man three times her size. But you did well; you almost had him in all five matches. We will continue to practice until you leave.” Elke could tell Peony was unhappy about repeating the process again. “I need to know you can handle yourself on the seas without a weapon. This pirate war could mean an extremely treacherous voyage for you and you must be prepared in all fields, not just sword craft. Now go, get yourself cleaned up. We will try again after dinner.”

* * * *
 
The next day Peony wrestled with Vince, while Ugar and Elke guided them. Out of their first five matches Peony was able to best the bigger boy twice, but Elke remained unconvinced of her abilities. After the fifth match, in which Vince had knocked the wind from Peony by throwing her on her back, the knights agreed their squires needed a bit of a break before continuing. The sweaty squires took some water and sat in the dirt of the practice arena while their knights spoke in whispered voices. Peony and Vince were friendly with one another, but the two had little to say, instead they sat in silence, hoping to hear what Ugar and Elke were talking about.

A skinny herald came rushing into the practice arena, bowing quickly to the knights and then the squires. “His Royal Highness, King Pedar!” He announced as Pedar strode into the arena, Gamle at his heels.

Peony and Vince hurried to their feet and bowed low to the king. Behind Pedar, Pearce and Sir Tierney entered.

“Highness, what an unexpected surprise,” Ugar said, bowing. “Come to witness the princess’s training?”

Pedar smiled warmly, but shook his head, “Gamle has insisted I deliver some news to the twins immediately. And I believe this is far too urgent to wait for their daily lessons to end.”

Gamle was nervously rubbing his hands together. Knowing the advisor as she did, Peony worried that this was bad news. Gamle had found something that would cause Pedar to reconsider sending her and Pearce to the tournament.

“It seems this pirate warfare has reached a new level and it may cause for some rethinking about the tournament,” Pedar said. “Gamle, give them the full details.”

“These pirate vermin have always left ships flying royal colors alone. They know it is too risky to even think of boarding a ship with royals on board. Nobles they may dare it, but never anyone flying their king’s colors. However, early this morning a messenger from port came with the news that one of Archon’s ships, a ship flying the king’s color, was boarded, looted, and burned. The nobles aboard are being ransomed by the pirates, they had flown the king’s colors to protect themselves from such a boarding. It seems the pirates are wise to nobles and even regular merchant ship flying royal colors to ensure themselves safe passage. Now this scum is boarding any ship they can.”

“Gamle has taken this as a sign that you two should stay here. I am inclined to agree this time.”

“What?” Pearce and Peony protested together in one voice. “We must be allowed to go.” Pearce’s face was slowly turning red from frustration.

Peony was crestfallen. Now even her father was trying to stop them. Ugar and Tierney were nodding their heads in agreement, but Elke’s face was unreadable. Surely Lady Elke would not agree with this course of action.

“If I may, your Highness,” Elke finally said.

“Please speak, Lady Elke.”

“Perhaps you would be wise to send a decoy ship?” Pedar raised his eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. “Send three ships or more, and only have one fly the colors of the Anir house, and instead of the knights and the twins abroad have some footsoldiers or perhaps some brave merchants. Then send another two ships out flying merchant flags of Otanna.”

“What will that accomplish?” Gamle asked. Elke was a quick-witted woman, but this plan sounded of folly to him. “Flying merchant flags instead of the royal ones, what purpose can that serve?”

“You said yourself any ship, regardless of royalty or not, is being boarded if the pirates catch sight of them, if they twins are on a merchant vessel any pirate that boards won’t know they are dealing with royals. And like most merchant vessels the people will be made to give up anything of worth and then left alone.” Elke needed Peony to go and show the world what shield maidens were really like. She had worked hard the past few weeks to ready Peony for her task in Cesarnan. A few feuding pirates would not put an end to her goal.

“Not all merchant ships are looted and left alone. Worse things have happened.” Gamle said.

“No, but many are these days. The pirates can’t kill and burn every ship they handle and the twins and the knights stand a better chance flying under merchant flags than under Otanna’s royal flags. As long as they do not act like Otannian nobility, the chances are good that they will be left alive and unharmed.”

“You have certainly presented us with an interesting idea, Lady Elke.” Pedar said. “Gamle and my other advisors will need to discuss this, but I certainly will take this decoy ship idea into consideration. This is a safer route for my knights as well as my children.” Pedar turned on his heel and left the arena. Gamle bowed to the knights and followed after the king. It was assumed by all that they would now hold a council to discuss Elke’s idea.

* * * *
 
Gamle sat in the library reading through old scrolls like he did every evening. As Pedar’s chief advisor he liked to read old records and such so that he could better advise the king. Tonight he was completely immersed in records from the King Jonathon IV’s reign, the fourteenth king of Otanna’s history. Gamle was slowing working his way through all the records in the library. The door opened, but he ignored it. It was probably just a page or squire attending to his or her studies.

A hand suddenly came down on the scroll Gamle had in front of him. He followed it to his origin and found Lady Elke glaring down at him. Her face was stern and her eyes slits. “What are you telling the king? My idea was a sound one.” She snapped.

Gamle lifted Elke’s hand off the scroll and let it land with a thud on his desk. “Milady, you are damaging Otannian history.”

“Is that all you have to say to me?” Her voice was icy.

“I am simply informing Pedar about the dangers of sending his youngest to sea. This pirate war is treacherous and I am looking out for Pearce and Peony’s well being.”

“Peony needs to go!” Elke snapped.

“You should be more concerned with the well being of your squire than what people in Frederick’s court think of you.”

Elke looked as though she would strike Gamle for his remark. But he had hit a chord and she was rattled by it. “The princess I going to Cesarnan’s tournament.” She left Gamle in a huff.

“Gamle?” Peony stepped out from a darkened corner. The old advisor wondered if she had been hidden away the whole time.

“What is the princess doing here so late in the evening?” He asked kindly, bidding her to come forward.

“I was studying for my lessons. I wanted to get ahead before sailing for Cesarnan.” The teenager shuffled her feet and sighed. “I appreciate your concern for Pearce and myself, but you should not fight with Elke about it. We can take care of ourselves if anything should happen.”

How naïve the princess seemed. If she had seen Elke’s face when Gamle mentioned her motives for sending Peony to Cesarnan, the princess would be thinking differently about the argument she had just witnessed. Peony thought so highly of the Lady Elke and she didn’t need to know her mentor was often times self serving. Gamle had never wanted Elke to take Peony as a squire, but it was not his choice. Now Elke was sending Peony into harm’s way just to show the world what shield maidens were like.

“I know you two are capable, but even you two can’t stand up to an entire ship of pirates. I just wish I could make your father see this from my point of view.”

“Then we’re going?”

“The council outvoted me. Your father is intent on having his youngest represent Otanna at the tournament.” Gamle sighed. He had debated for hours, but Pedar decided Elke’s idea would be the best. Pekar would take one merchant ship with three of the knights and Peony would take another merchant ship with the remaining two knights. A third ship flying the king’s colors would set sail with a handful of footsoldiers to distract the pirates.

“Promise me you will be careful on this voyage. If anything happens to your ship be sure to play the role of a merchant’s daughter. A princess will fetch a fair price for pirates and headhunters.” He did not like this idea one bit. “Return to your studies and leave an old man to his.”

Peony bowed to Gamle and returned to her own studies.

* * * *
 
Surrounded by incense, Peony had gone to the temple to pray. It was only natural to offer prayers to York, the guardian of water, for a safe voyage to Cesarnan, but she also prayed to the other three high immortals. She had played dumb with Gamle about Lady Elke. Now her mind was ill at ease. The princess knew Gamle did not trust the lady knight and she also knew Elke had selfish reasons to ensure Peony’s arrival in Cesarnan. She wasn’t stupid, she had eyes and ears, and the truth was as plain as the nose on her face. Still she failed to believe Elke had chosen Peony as a squire simply to use her as a pawn against a prejudiced world. It did not matter what Gamle thought. Her prayers now reflected her uneasiness about upsetting Gamle by taking Elke’s side in their argument. She prayed Gamle would understand. He was like a second father to her and her siblings, why wouldn’t he understand?

Peony bent her head to the floor and touched it to the feet of York’s statue. She would do likewise to the statues of Lothen, Pim, and Sonya: fire, earth, and air. The high immortals would watch over her on her journey and hopefully they would make certain of a peace between Gamle and Elke. The princess sat back on her heels and looked up to the great statue. How small she seemed in the presence of the king of water, the high immortal to ever walk the earth. A sigh escaped her and she stood up. She followed up her plan and offered a silent prayer to the other three before leaving the temple.

The sun had long since set and within the hour it would be lights out for the squires and pages. Peony would be expected back in her room that joined to Elke’s. She wondered if it would be pertinent to tell Elke that she had witnessed the argument between the knight and Gamle. It probably was, but she decided against it. No need to speak of the matter unless it was brought up by Lady Elke.

With the time remaining before lights out, Peony headed for the stables. All day she had longed for a ride, but other commitments held her up. No doubt Surefoot, the gentle gelding, was itching for even a quick trot around the corral. The princess felt a bit guilty for neglecting Surefoot, so she had taken a few sugar cubes and an apple from the kitchen. Upon entering the stables Surefoot threw back his head and whinnied excitedly. The dappled grey horse, with her black mane and tail, fidgeted as the princess drew near.

Peony patted his nose and fed him one of the sugar cubes. “I hope this can atone for my neglect.”

“That horse would wait ‘til the ends of time for you and still love you even if you never came.” Peony turned to see a tall, skinny young man with dirty blond hair carrying a saddle. Her face lit up when she saw him.

“Gavin, what a pleasant surprise. The rumor was you had gone back to your family’s farm.”

Gavin Werna’s father was one of the famed Otannian riders. They were one of the greatest fighting forces to come from Otanna, second only to the king’s knights and to be a rider or from the family of a rider was a great honor. Gavin often hung around the palace stables working as a stableboy. The seventeen year old was old enough to take the trials to follow in his father’s footsteps. He would train for two years, if he passed, and at nineteen he would be allowed to be a full rider. But he had no desire to do so. He loved horses and had a way with them, almost as though he could talk to them, but to spend his life as his father had, was not his calling. Many thought he would return to the family farm and live the life of a farmer.

Peony knew Gavin better than that. Since the ages of ten and eleven the two had been best friends. All the pages and squires and knights knew about Gavin, but Peony knew him the best. Gavin’s road in life seemed to be pointed toward the life of a ranger. A somewhat disregarded branch of the king’s army, but living in the wilderness as the rangers did was the way Gavin wanted his life to go. Though everyone else felt it was folly to want that, Peony encouraged her friend to take the trials of becoming a ranger when he turned eighteen.

Gavin smiled and gently laid the saddle on the ground. “Lies!” He laughed, “Filthy lies. The farming life is not one for me. You should know that by now.” Gavin ruffled Peony’s hair, completely destroying her ponytail. “And what of you, the buzz around here is you are to sail for Cesarnan soon.”

Peony nodded, “It took a lot to work around Gamle’s disapproval, but Father was convinced.” Peony fed Surefoot the apple and walked to an overturned barrel. She took a sit and Gavin leaned against Surefoot’s stall door.

“And you’ll be gone for a few months then?” When Peony nodded, Gavin lost his smile. “Life around here won’t be the same without you or your brother’s mischief.”

“Mischief? What mischief? Pearce and I are perfect, we do not cause mischief.” Peony punched Gavin on the shoulder and laughed. If there was any mischief to be done, Gavin usually aided her.

“I wish I could go with you two. The tournament in Cesarnan is legendary.”
“One day you can come with me, you’ll see. Because after I have gained my shield, I will compete in Cesarnan’s tournament.”

Peony would believe she could compete. Peony had every right to compete and Gavin wanted to see her do so. However, Frederick of Cesarnan was unwavering in his decision to never allow women to wield weapons. “Pekar will have been on the throne for ages and Frederick under ground for at least three years before you can compete in Cesarnan. There’s no telling how old you’ll be when that time comes.”

“We will just have to wait and see then. Lady Elke thinks if I make a good impression I could start to change Frederick’s thinking.”

Gavin made a face at the mention of Elke. He was like Gamle in that respect, only instead of a slight distrust toward Elke, Gavin hated her. Peony knew Elke wanted to use her to show the world about shield maidens when she went to Cesarnan, but she didn’t know Elke just wanted Peony as a squire so the world would know who she was. Taking the princess as a squire automatically gave her fame. That was what mattered to Lady Elke, her own standing. She did not even care how good of a knight Peony became. Luckily Prince Pekar was such an accomplished knight. He took a great deal of interest in his sister’s progress.

Lady Fiona should have been the one to take Peony as a squire. She was already infamous as a great satyr slayer and orge hunter. Fiona was a wanderer, but she had been willing to suspend her adventures to take Peony under her wing. Unfortunately Elke had beaten Fiona to taking the princess as a squire. Fiona hadn’t been to the capital of, Estur, since the incident. She hated Elke and saw right to the core of her motives. Gavin, like Gamle and other knights around Otanna, wished it had all worked to Fiona’s favor.
A bell rang out and Peony became aware of the time. “Lights out is in five minutes,” She said. Quickly she gave Gavin a hug. “We’ll talk tomorrow morning.”

“Of course. And should I be absent, remember to watch after yourself on the way to Cesarnan.” Peony released Gavin and hurried toward her chambers, so she would avoid punishment for missing lights out.

* * * *
 
Good, it's going fine. The only little nit-pick I have for you is the point of view in the very last of the last installment.
Gavin made a face at the mention of Elke. He was like Gamle in that respect, only instead of a slight distrust toward Elke, Gavin hated her. Peony knew Elke wanted to use her to show the world about shield maidens when she went to Cesarnan, but she didn’t know Elke just wanted Peony as a squire so the world would know who she was. Taking the princess as a squire automatically gave her fame. That was what mattered to Lady Elke, her own standing. She did not even care how good of a knight Peony became.
Click to expand...
Is this what Gavin thinks, or is this the fact? If you present it outright as a fact, then we have to wonder: why is the narrator suddenly making value judgments like this when he has never done so before? If this is just what Gavin thinks then you need to mak that more clear:
Gavin made a face at the mention of Elke. He was like Gamle in that respect, only instead of a slight distrust toward Elke, Gavin hated her. He knew Peony thought Elke wanted to use her to show the world about shield maidens when she went to Cesarnan, but he privately felt Elke only wanted Peony as a squire so the world would know who she was. Taking the princess as a squire automatically gave her fame. Gavin believed that was all that mattered to Lady Elke, her own standing. He could see she did not even care how good of a knight Peony became.
Click to expand...

Also, oops, one more nit to pick, between the paragraph where Peony tells Gavin she thought he ahd gone home and the paragraph where he denies it with "Lies!" there is too much verbiage for you to remember what she said which prompts him to start saying, "Lies!" you could streamline that somehow.

Just little stuff.
 
Inkspot, I'll take your nit-picking into account when I edit. For the time being this is just the first draft for the NaNoWriMo contest. When the day comes to rewrite, I'll clear up confusion, grammar, misspellings, and so on.
 
Captain Gareth Thorne of the Sea Stallion watched the open sea stretching out before him. Night had fallen and Thorne was keeping an extremely close watch. If any other pirate ships were near, it was vital for the Noble’s Bane to see them before they were spotted.

Thorne was silent. He would not be caught unprepared. Not like other pirates who had fallen in this war. Thorne had seen some of the most well known pirates on the seas killed by surprise attacks during the night. He had usually been the one doing the surprising. But there were a handful of ships that kept eluding him. When the pirate king had died from a heart attack no one was there to seize his throne and take up the title. In stead any pirate captain who thought he was capable came forward to claim the kingship. Half the men weren’t even worthy of such an honor. By all rights the role of pirate king should have fallen to Thorne.

But that was not the way of it. Captains from across the globe swarmed to the Nareroc Islands, to the port of Grewa. Barely any of pirates who arrived were fit to lick Thorne’s boots. However, he had been disturbed by the appearance of Max Yuli. The young man was a serious threat to Thorne, but for a few months prior to the pirate king’s death everyone had assumed Yuli was dead. Naught had been heard from him. Now he had reappeared and he was a particular problem. Yuli’s ship, the King’s Bane, was manned by some of the fiercest pirates Thorne had ever met. William Opert of the Fearless Dawn would be a threat as well. Sailors from all over feared the Dawn and Opert was a ruthless captain. When plans to take the throne began, Thorne believed Yuli and Opert would be his biggest foes, but things were not so.

Bastion Dagor was also proving to be a problem. The man was barely over twenty and he had already made his way to position of captain on the ship, Bloody Rose. The young man was cunning and charming. Yet he lacked the experience of Thorne, Yuli, and Opert, his defeat should have been swift. No one had expected Dagor to last past the first week. Unfortunately he had and it seemed his lack of experience was not putting him at a disadvantage. Taking the throne of the pirate king was becoming a feat Thorne was not prepared for.

The first mate, Joseph, walked up to Thorne and sighed. “A quiet night, I don’t think there’ll be much trouble for us tonight.”

“Possibly.” Thorne kept his eyes on the water. “Still, I dare not drop the guard, lest someone try to take us by surprise.”

“Of course not.” Joseph sighed again. “Do you still plan on heading for the nearest port, Captain?”

Now Thorne turned his attention to Joseph. “I don’t see why I would not.”

“Some of the men are concerned about who we’ll find in port. It’s been days since we caught sight of the Rose and nearly two weeks since last we seen the Dawn. And no one knows what sort of cat and mouse game they be playing on the King’s Bane. There’s no telling who’s waitin’ in port for us.”

“No, that’s true. Any two-bit pirate could be waiting for us, but I doubt anyone would be fool enough to fight on land. Tell the men not to worry about it again until we’re actually in port.”

“Yessir. The nearest port is the western port of Otanna.”

Thorne nodded, “How far are we?”

“Five days if the weather stays fair.”

Thorne nodded again. Merchants’ ships from all around would be setting sail soon for the tournament in Cesarnan. Landing in port would give Thorne a chance to scout out the best merchant ships to attack on the sea. The more merchant ships taken the more money to fund his continued attacks on the other pirates. He just hoped the others didn’t have the same idea.

* * * *

Peony and Pearce were to board their prospective ships late at night. It was much easier to sneak the twins abroad when the prying eyes of merchants weren’t watching. As planned two ships flying merchant flags would leave port under cover of darkness and early in the morning the ship flying royal flags would leave as a decoy.

Peony stood on the dock and watched men load up supplies and trunks of clothing. She would go with Sir Hector and Sir George on one ship, while Pearce went with Sir Ugar, Sir Tierney, and Sir Christopher on another. Though Peony wanted to go, she was unsure about being separated from her twin for so long. She was sullen as the last trunk was loaded. It was time to say good-bye to Pearce and wish him a safe voyage.

“We’ll be together again before you know it.” Pearce wrapped an arm around his sister’s shoulder. He was nervous about parting from Peony as well, but it was a safety measure.

Peony hugged her brother fiercely. “Don’t give Sir Tierney too much trouble.” She laughed, trying not to cry at the parting.

“Chin up, Peony.”

“Time to go, the night draws on.” Sir Hector motioned to Peony to hurry and board. The princess gave her twin one last hug before running up the gang plank.

* * * *

Only once had Peony ever been out to sea. She had once sailed to the Sun Kingdom for the birth of the Princess Gwendolyn. She had been barely five at the time. Her memory did not remember she didn’t like the open sea, but her body did. The first day out, the princess spent most of her time with her head over the side, any contents of her stomach finding their way into the water. Hector stood watch over her, given her plenty of fresh water to drink. For three days Peony wretched into the sea.

By the fourth day she had begun to feel better. The vomiting had stopped at least, though her stomach still felt queasy. To take her mind off of her sea sickness Hector invited her to play a game of chess in his quarters. The knight was about twenty-two and Peony had always enjoyed his company. He was the youngest of the knights going to tournament this year. His blond hair was tied back into a loose ponytail, but a lock fell into his eyes as he thought over his move.

“Otanna is lucky you’re not her king. What sort of ruler takes so long to make a move in war? Especially when his queen is in such danger.” Peony mocked. Hector had been contemplating the same move for three minutes. His queen was in danger of being taken by Peony, but he didn’t know how to stop it. Peony saw an obvious move, but said nothing.

“Some kings like to bid their time, you know.” Hector moved his queen out of harm’s way; he did not realize his king had been left open for attack.

“Some kings find themselves at the mercy of capable queens.” Peony moved her queen. “Checkmate.”

“A rematch?” Hector began moving his pieces back to the start. Peony did the same.

“Are you excited to be competing in the tournament?” She asked.
Hector moved his first pawn forward and shrugged. “A little. It should be interesting to witness the tournament and not be a squire for once. I’m honored your father chose me to go.”

“Father thinks you will do great justice for Otanna at Frederick’s tournament.”

“I am glad he thinks so highly of me.” Peony moved one of her pawns. “I only wish knights such as Lady Fiona and Lady Elke could compete alongside me. They are a credit to the shieldmaidens.”

“It is unfair they’re not able too.” Peony watched the board intently.

“Well, there is little to remedy the situation. If all goes well in Cesarnan you may help in swaying Frederick’s judgment.”

“So I keep being told.” Hector’s bishop came forth and took one of Peony’s knights.

“You sound worried. If you think you will bring disgrace, do not worry about that. You have a temper sometimes, but I see no reason why you would not impress the court in Cesarnan.”

“Do you mean that?”

“Have I ever lied to you?” Hector reached over a ruffled Peony’s hair.

Above them, people suddenly began to scramble around the deck. Looking out the small window of Hector’s cabin, Peony did not see a storm rising from the clouds. Hurried feet pounded down the stairs and Sir George opened the door in a panic.

“Pirates! We cannot outrun them. Hector, you are needed on the deck. The princess must stay down here.” George didn’t even wait for a response. He hurried back up the stairs.

Hector jumped to his feet and grabbed Peony by the shoulders. “Stay in this cabin and lock the door once I’m gone.”

“I can fight as well as any man up there!” She snapped, pulling free of Hector’s grasp.

“It won’t do to let harm come to the princess of Otanna. Stay down here, you will be safer. No arguing. George and I vowed to protect the royal family and last time I checked you were a member of the royal family. Stay here or I will tie you up to ensure you stay put.” Hector rushed out the door and followed in George’s footsteps.

Peony bounded to her feet and locked the door. She sat on Hector’s bed and waited anxiously for the hammer to fall.

* * * *
 
Captain Thorne caught sight of the merchant ship two days out of port. There had been two, but the larger of the merchant ships had outrun the other one. Thorne would have gone after the larger ship, but both appeared to be the same fine quality. No doubt they both belonged to the same merchant. When the Sea Stallion was close enough he sent his first five men abroad. Whatever merchant owned this ship was taking no chances with his cargo. The men abroad the ship put up quite the fight against Thorne’s crew.

Thorne was not about to lose to a merchant. He sent more men abroad and decided to get on himself. If no one on the Sea Stallion was brave enough to fight these lowly merchants, he would have to do it. The men had put three boards from the Sea Stallion to the merchant ship, two had been knocked over, but Thorne took to the third and final one.

Almost all the men on his ship had come onboard and were fighting against the merchant’s men. Luckily most of them were subdued. Two men were putting up a fight that none of Thorne’s men seemed to be able to take. Thorne and Joseph drew their swords and advanced on the men. For merchants they were tough.

Joseph took the older one and Thorne went for the younger, seemingly stronger one. “Give up your fight, fool. Once your friends are subdued, you will not stand a chance against my men.”

“We have a duty to defend this ship, you’ll have to kill us if you want to take this ship.” The older one pushed Joseph with all his strength. The first mate hit the deck with the wind knocked from his lungs. The man pulled his sword and charged for Thorne.

He would have been waiting for Thorne to use his own sword, but pirate had dealt with this kind before. He grabbed a dagger that had been tucked into his belt by the small of his back. The man who had knocked Joseph over never saw it. The young man did. He tried to knock the dagger from Thorne’s hand, but Joseph grabbed him by the leg and tripped him onto the deck. Thorne drove the dagger into the older man’s chest. He fell face first onto the deck.

With the man’s stabbing, the last of the resistors calmed down. Obviously he had been the leader among them. Thorne retrieved his dagger and wiped the blood on the dead man’s shirt. “Bring me the captain of this vessel! And search the ship thoroughly for anyone else. Get to it now!”
 
At least Hector didn't die....*wide eyes*:eek: you better not have anything unpleasent in store for Hector. He's already one of my favorite minor characters!
 
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