Sorry for taking so long. Who knew writing a story worthy of readers' attention could be so difficult to plan out?

Chapter 2: Of Rogues and Cavaliers

"My dear," said a soft voice, bidding King Clause to open his eyes. It was his wife, Chiel, standing above him. "You look terrible. Did your guests give you a rough time last night?"

King Claus rubbed his eyelids and forced a smile as he sat up in his throne. Though his meeting ended late the night before, seeing his wife gave him peace and released his tense muscles. "Not at all, I am just a little tired."

"I thought you would say that," said Chiel knowingly, taking the seat beside him. "So, I decided to tell the Fantomaya Sisters you wouldn't be able to meet with them today."

She saw her husband's eyes snap wide open in distress and she rose a hand. "But, in your stead, I would be willing to see them."

King Claus sat back in his seat in relief and smiled again at his wife. "What would I do without you?"

Chiel smiled and kissed him. "My King, you may go take leave and rest."

"Thank you, my love," he said and stood to leave. At the doors of the throne room, he turned back to wave to Chiel. "Besides, today was meant to be a very uneventful and somewhat peaceful day."

Just then, a booming cacophonous banging on hollow wood echoed from the hallway. And a young male voice yelled out, loud enough for King Claus to hear.

"Will the young princess please exit the bathroom so that way other people in the Palace may use it as well!"

"Quiffin, go away!" yelled a female voice, muffled by the heavy wooden door. Then, both King Claus and Chiel then heard the rapid footsteps of a person running down the hallway. The dash of blue robes and dark hair caused King Claus jump back inside the room. He turned back to Chiel who laughed.

"If only your children would let you have it!" King Claus sighed and when he peeked out into the hallway, a heavy wood door slammed open and out stalked a very livid girl in similar blue robes.

"There are a dozen other rooms -," the girl yelled down the hall, until she caught sight of her the king. Immediately the girl bowed her head and lowered her voice. "Papa."

"Boa dear, you encourage him."

"I'm sorry, Papa. It won't happen again."

"I am sure it won't," said King Claus, kissing his daughter's forehead. "Just remember, it is you that will take the crown, not your brother. There are many expectations that the Council place upon you, and you alone."

Boa nodded and King Claus patted her on the shoulder before heading toward his chamber. Boa resumed her walk down the hallway and out into the colonnade at the edge of the palace courtyard, solemnly reflecting over her father's words until Quiffin called out her name in a sing-song voice.

"You heard Papa," Boa snapped, as she spun around and found him hiding behind one of the alabaster columns. She poked him hard in the chest. "I am supposed to be working hard, seeking the Council's approval, instead of playing around with you like a child."

"Ow!" Quiffin said, stepping away before she could jab him again. "Then I guess you must stop acting like a child and start acting like a grown-up."

His mindless suggestion only served to incite Boa's anger, and in a rage, she quickly stepped up to punch her brother in the arm. "If only people would let me!"

She quickly turned to walk away from her brother, but then turned to look back at him. "Look, I accepted the crown from the Council and I have been placed in charge of overseeing the cities of Scoriae for well over three years now. However, father cannot defer me enough respect to allow me in his private meetings with the Fantomaya. What is it that I am lacking in?."

"It is not what you are lacking in; it is what you are not realizing in yourself."

"Oh, this is brilliant," Boa scoffed. "You, of all people, are teaching me my role?"

"Don't mock me!" Quiffin countered without skipping her snarky comment. "Who else would be a better teacher than the one who went through the trial period as King?"

"And look where you ended up. You decided to reject the crown because-," Boa looked for an answer in a fluster of emotions, "Because you wanted to sail about, free as a bird and without a care in the world!"

Quiffin gave a shout of laughter to dismiss the statement, but Boa carried on. "You rejected the crown because you didn't want any responsibility in your life. You don't know a thing about responsibility."

"Then I suppose the future Queen of Day must know all about responsibility enough to realize that she is late to her meeting with the governor of Mycassius." He said, turning his head slightly to catch her freeze suddenly at his words.

The princess uttered a very uncharacteristic curse under her breath, picked up her robes and dashed out into the courtyard to the palace's meeting rooms. Quiffin followed close behind her.


High above the courtyard, Finnegan sat on a stool by the greasy windowsills of the palace's kitchens, peeling potatoes as Warreck shouted orders to the crew. The men ran around cooking and cleaning, working to prepare meals for the thousands of servants that worked under King Claus. The hum of energy in the room lulled Finnegan's mind to a state in which allowed himself to stare aimlessly at the grounds of the palace.

"Hans, get that blasted ginger root out of this kitchen!" shouted Warreck over Finnegan's head, snapping the young man from his daydreaming. "I told you to get ginseng- GINSENG!"

While the berated cook quickly made his way toward the freezers to remedy the situation, Warreck spotted Finnegan's sudden startle and laughed. "Why is that I always find you with your head in the clouds?"

"What is with this 'always' business? I am doing the most menial job in the kitchen! Can I help it if my mind decides to wander?" Finnegan said holding up his peeler in one hand a potato in another. Warreck patted his shoulder with a smile.

"Remember Finnegan, we are all working toward a common goal here and no part of this team is insignificant! Not even the potato peeler!" Warreck gave another of his obnoxious laughs, which he often did when he found something he had just said to be profound, in a cheesy sort of way. And Finnegan rolled his eyes in response.

"In fact, you just saved everyone's ass last night. The least we can do is let you take it easy," he said nudging the kid in the shoulder. "But don't get too comfortable though; it's only for today."

"Of course," Finnegan said with a grin. Just then, Hans walked in and Warreck left to consult the cookbook. Finnegan picked up another of the hundreds of potatoes from the sack and dug the peeler's blade under to the skin.

Outside the window, two figures dressed in blue were crossing the grass between the public meeting hall and the main palace building. The one ahead walked with determined angry steps as the second took steps that ebbed to and away from his companion as if they were arguing. Even from the palace windows, Finnegan could recognize the face and curly hair of his friend Quiffin. He had to remember to thank Quiffin properly for his aid. Without him, Finnegan wouldn't be safe and warm inside the Palace's kitchens, cooking for the King in return for room and board. The other's face was difficult to identify, though he thought it looked familiar.

The time would come, he thought with a sigh. As for now, he had to get through the entire sack of potatoes.

Again, inside Palace walls, the bickering between the two siblings ceased and turned toward drilling facts into Boa's mind.

"Remember, the Governor is vegan so don't forget to address his farmlands near Mt. Galigali. They are his pride and joy." Quiffin said as Boa swatted a hand at him.

"Yes, yes, I know. Vegan lifestyle, farmlands, and what else?"

"Oh, he will be complaining about Scoriae's use of animals for transportation; their feces do pollute the air, you know."

"He worries about the animals and their excrement?" Boa asked, stopping to look at her brother with an incredulous look on her face. "What else will he be requesting, that we all start waiting on him, hand and foot?"

"Tut-tut Boa, you know better than to give him an outright no." Quiffin berated his sister teasingly as the two finally reached their destination and stopped before it.

"Of course," Boa admitted with a sigh as she let go of her robes and brushed off the wrinkles. "Anything else?"

"Nope, nothing else." Quiffin reached out in front of Boa to open the door of the meeting room. He bid her good-bye in the same sing-song voice of his and a goofy grin. "Break a leeeg!"

She grinned mockingly back at him before entering inside. With that, Quiffin closed the door and leaned against a nearby pillar, smiling to himself. His little sister still had so much to learn, and he was only too glad that he could be a part of her education. Boa would become a worthy leader, in time. He had no doubt of that. As for himself, well, that was another story.

Quiffin dug his hands into his pockets a pulled out a note he made early and started waking toward the seaport, where he would begin to work on another voyage into sea.


Throughout the seaport, men and women, old and young alike, bowed before Quiffin. And he, as the most casual of his family, nodded in acknowledgement back at his Isle's subjects. This small act, he noted when he was younger, always brought smiles to the people, and he never forgot it. Young women passing by him giggled and stole glances at him when he would turn away. Old fishermen freely waved at him in greeting. Even the children approached him to present gifts of flowers from time to time. Indeed, the Prince was loved by his people, and as far as the Prince was concerned, the feeling was mutual. He had to admit that Boa had a right to question his decision to pass his right to rule to her.

Quiffin walked along the dock and stepped aboard his ship, the Pacha. At the helm stood his lifelong friend and navigator.

"Nalveen!"

The dark haired man looked up from a discussion with a sailor and upon recognizing the prince, he waved to him.

"Prince Quiffin!" He called out before dismissing the sailor beside him. Like all the others, Nalveen bowed low before they clasped their hands together and gave it a good shake. "No doubt you're here to discuss business."

"Ah, only business that borders on the adventurous side."

"Indeed," Nalveen said with jovial understanding, and gestured him into the ship's cabin.

As Quiffin stepped inside the dark room, he took in a deep breath of the familiar old wood as Nalveen made quick work of lighting the lamps. On top of tables and hung upon the walls were nautical charts, weathered from overuse. Marks littered the parchment circling locations of importance and scribbling notes of instructions.

Quiffin immediately made his way to the old oak chair at the center of the table and leisurely placed his hands behind his head as he let out a sigh. "Ah, home at last!"

"I know that voice," said a familiar voice behind him. Quiffin turned his head to see another fellow sailor and friend emerge from behind a curtain.

"Well, well, well," Quiffin said with a mocking sneer. "Isn't it our lovely Miss Violett back from the dead, here to haunt the living."

In response, Violett threw a nearby oil rag at Quiffin's face, successfully knocking him off of his high horse as he fumbled to catch it.

"Is this any way to treat royalty?" Quiffin exclaimed. Nalveen simply shook his head in exasperation. Some things never changed between the three of them, no matter how the years passed.

"It serves you right. And yes, I am very much still alive, no thanks to you Quiffin," Violett said as she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder. "It took me ages to escape from those Amazons at Jibarish."

"Oooh, I remember them," Nalveen commented. "Nasty pieces of work."

"What was the matter?" Quiffin asked. "They seemed to like you enough. 'Took you in and raised you as one of their own didn't they?"

"Well, after trespassing on their land and rudely pronouncing your sovereignty as Prince, to the matriarchs of an all woman tribe mind you, you left me on the island as a sort of peace offering!" Violett exclaimed. "It was the least you could do for offending them!"

"They gave you food, water, a hut to live under - it must not have been so bad," Quiffin said.

"It was," Violett said, her voice low. "Not only did they let me live, they sought to marry me off to some Pirate King in place of the matriarch's daughter."

"So, how did you find a way home?" Nalveen asked.

"Well, it turns out merchant ships stop by Jibarish to escape the storms, so I caught a ride home."

Quiffin laughed out loud.

"To think you were so close to becoming Violett, the Pirate Queen." His hands plastering the words in the air before him.

Violett punched Quiffin on the arm. "It was not funny, Quiffin. This last adventure of yours could have cost me my life."

Nalveen rolled his eyes at Quiffin's witless comment, and Violett's renewed outburst of emotion. This conversation could never end, what with the Prince's lack of empathy and Violett's strong head. He began to silently pray for something or someone to interrupt this conversation's impasse.

Little did he know a reedy urchin of a boy headed their way with a piece of parchment that would not only answer Nalveen, but change the dynamics of his friends' comfortable, carefree lives forever.