Birth of Dragon Dung

Part 1: Rude Awakening

Waking up ever so slowly in a place that was totally unfamiliar to him, Prince Uthar Pendragon had to blink several times to make sure that this wasn't the remnants of some horrible dream. He should have been in his bedroom in Thais castle, waking up on a soft feather bed with a castle maid bringing in his breakfast in a tray, After all, he was the Crown Prince of Thais.

Instead, he woke up with bile in his throat and no idea of where, what or who he was. Hoping that his head would stop spinning for five seconds and his back didn't feel so stiff, he groaned feelingly, covering his eyes in the hope that the sunlight would stop blinding him. He failed to realise that he was on a ship, with its captain at the doorway of the cabin, staring at him as he lay in all his drunken glory on the floor of the cabin, through narrowed eyes. He would do better to have seen the gleam starting to shine in the captain's eyes.

Turning with a whispered command and a stifled chuckle, she dispatched one of her crew on her bidding. Orc returned with the requested item, and grinned ferociously, revealing the gaps in his teeth, "Too bad we can't assemble the crew for this showing. Thorp would take exception to missing the drenching of a wetlander. Haha! 'Drenching of a wetlander'!"

"Very funny, Orc. As it is, this brat needs to be taught a lesson." So saying, the captain stepped forward and dumped the entire contents of the bucket on the prince's head.

Nothing so effective as a bucket of cold water into one's face, Uthar thought as he sputtered and coughed, his headache almost gone in the face of this new danger. When he managed to finally open his eyes blearily, he only had the energy to say plaintively, "Please, goddess, spare me from this torment."

A crisp voice was his only reply, "Unfortunately, the goddess is neither here nor there, and she certainly won't be on board a pirate's ship. Wake up, fool! You're taking up space on my cabin floor, and unless you want to keep your life, get up, and be quick about it!"

Another hearty snigger had Rip sending Orc on more errands, irritated at the men on her ship. Orc went willingly, eager to share the story to his ship mates, before returning in accordance to the captain's orders. In the meantime, Uthar was finally able focus his vision on the captain of the… pirate ship? Uh oh. Not only was he on a pirate ship, but he recognised this woman.

"Hey! I saw you yesterday!"

Rip snorted. "I'm surprised that you even remember. You were so foxed and singing so loudly with your noble friends that my crew were this close to gutting you where you stand. I had to herd them back to the ship and oversee their chores myself to make sure they don't give in to the temptation."

Now that his wits were slowly coming back to him, he remembered more and more of the previous night, though the visions were still a weird jumble of events. Suspiciously, he asked, "Did you kidnap me? Do you know who I am? Kidnapping royalty is punishable by death."

Another snort. "Like I would want to kidnap a good-for-nothing lout who would be more trouble than good. I was actually impressed that you managed to walk across the gangplank without falling over OR attracting our notice until we've sailed away from the port. Quite a feat for the Crown Prince of Thais." She spoke the title like something she'd find at the bottom of her boots. Then she smirked. "Even we know of you and your guards. We won't be anywhere if we keep running into them, now would we?"

Anger suffused Uthar at those mocking words. He tried and finally managed to stand on his feet, but to his surprise, he didn't tower over her as he did most other people. "Get me off this ship this instance! I am not to be toyed with!"

At once, Rip's expression became so forbidding that Uthar had an urge to cringe back into a corner. "Certainly, if you wish to drown in the sea, for we are already many miles away from Thais, and I am certain the sealife could use the food a good-for-nothing lout like you would provide. However, on this ship, I am captain and my laws are absolute, and if you displease me by interfering with the running of my ship, I will not hesitate to drop you off the ship like so much garbage to be disposed of. There are many, after all, who were gotten rid of and were never found. So I suggest, rich boy, that you not toy with me. The world doesn't revolve around you, and it's high time you learn that lesson, Prince!"

With that final cutting remark, she dragged him by the scruff of his neck and dumped him unceremoniously in the corridor, slamming the door into his face. He suddenly felt more afraid than when he was facing her in all her anger, or when he understood that, for the first time in his life, he was far away from everything he had ever known. Someone cleared his throat, and Uthar's face heated in embarrassment, knowing that the pirate – Orc – had seen his ungraceful ejection from the captain's cabin.

"Follow me, you," was all Orc grunted before turning on his heels and walking away. Not sure why he should follow, he did anyway, fuming. And unwisely vented his temper.

"I am Prince Uthar Pendragon of Thais, and you will address me as Your Highness, you disrespectful pirate."

Quick as lightning (and Uthar wasn't quite sure what happened), Orc had him face down, flat on the cold floor, with his hands imprisoned painfully in the pirate's rougher ones. "You watch your tone, Your High-and-Mightiness, because we pirates have no use for titles and such. We only have respect for any man – or woman – worth their salt. So don't use that smart mouth of yours until you can back it up, boy, or my next lesson will involve my whips instead of my fists." With a last shove at the prince, Orc released him and started down the corridor once again.

Stunned at the vehemence yet still unrepentant, he nevertheless went quietly with Orc to the crew's sleeping quarter, where there were many bunks cramped together, with only small side tables separating them. Orc directed him to one bunk at the very end, upon which were heaped with a set of men's clothes and some basic supplies. Unable to help himself, Uthar burst out incredulously, "That's it? That's all the stuff I'm getting?"

The menacing look in Orc's eyes caused him to reassess, but old habits die hard, and he was hard pressed to scramble for an alternate statement so quickly. "I mean…"

"You watch your tongue, wetlander. I'm surprised that the captain even gave you this much consideration, when she doesn't tolerate fools easily." Uthar bristled, but Orc continued with a loving hand on the rapier belted by his side, as if debating whether or not to use it, "This is no more and no less than any crew gets to keep and use while he's at sea. You won't have time to admire your furnishings anyway," he smiled smugly (and Uthar grew more alarmed), "not when you're going to have to put in your weight for your sustenance."

"I'm supposed to work on this ship for my food?" Things couldn't get much worse than this, surely?

"Why yes, wetlander." Uthar could see that Orc was enjoying this way too much. "Again, no more and no less than the rest of us. The captain's fair that way, and none of us has cause to complain, not unless you give us a reason to." He grinned smugly, then departed, but not before calling over his shoulder, "Report on deck in three hours!"

Uthar groaned, moved everything onto the side table and fell on his bunk. If he only had three hours, he might as well try to sleep off his hangover, and the exhaustion at this strange and cruel lifestyle he seemed to have fallen into. At least the bunk was better than the floor, was his last thought before blackness welcomed him once again.

– To Be Continued –