When Jim reached the deck, he found a bucket of soapy water and a mop waiting for him. He immediately got to work on mopping the deck. He pushed the mop furiously across the floor as if the mop was also cleaning out his memory of what just happened with Kida.

"Bad day?"

Startled, Jim looked up to see the woman who had run into him earlier sitting on the edge of the boat. She held out a cigarette to him, but he shook his head. She shrugged, then struck a match on the edge of her boot and lit the cigarette. She tossed the match into the water

"So, what's your deal, kid?" she asked, taking a drag.

"I don't want to talk about it," Jim said, lowering his eyes to concentrate on mopping.

"That's good, 'cause I don't actually care," she said.

Suddenly light spilled out over them as the deck door flew open and a couple stumbled up the stairs. He was tall and muscular with black hair pulled back in a low ponytail. She was tan, darker than Kida, with thick black hair held back with a ribbon. There were small bells tied to her skirt and every time she moved, they jingled. At first they didn't notice they weren't alone and they embraced in a passionate kiss. The woman who had just been talking to Jim cleared her throat and the couple pulled apart.

"Who's there?" the man I asked.

"It's me," she replied flatly.

"Meg?" he smiled mischievously and walked over to Jim and Meg. He leaned on the edge of the boat. "I'm taking Esmeralda here up to my quarters to show her a good time. Why don't you join us, Nutmeg?"

Meg blew a puff of smoke into his face. "No thanks."

The man frowned and straightened up; he was at least a foot taller than Jim. "I'd be careful if I were you, Meg." He went back over to Esmeralda, put his arm around her, and the two of them left.

Jim and Meg were left in silence and he couldn't help but look up at her. Meg was still staring at the spot where the couple had disappeared. She had a look of fear on her face that was mixed with a hint of jealousy.

"Friend of yours?" Jim asked.

"Not exactly," Meg replied. "That's Gaston; Captain Kida's fiancée."

Jim's eyes widened in shock. "Captain Kida's engaged?"

Meg nodded. "Yup. It's an arranged engagement, though. Well, more like a business deal, I guess."

"What do you mean?" Jim asked.

"Princess Kida's family is broke and Gaston's is wealthy," Meg said. "They get married, she gets money and he gets power."

"But aren't Gaston and Esmeralda..." Jim let his sentence trail off.

"Sleeping together?" Meg finished. Jim nodded. "Yeah, they are. Gaston doesn't take his engagement to Princess Kida very seriously. He takes advantage of any woman who will let him. And, trust me; there is no shortage of women who want him. He's laid with every woman on this ship."

"Even you?" Jim almost immediately regretted asking the question, realizing that was personal.

Meg didn't seem offended, though. "Yes. Although, I'm the only woman who doesn't actually want him. That's why I'm his favorite; he likes the challenge. I always give into him, though. I mean when the prince to be- and future king- wants you to do something, you do it."

Meg's eyes were now distant and sad. Jim reached out and gently touched her hand. She flinched and pulled her hand away. She regained her composure and gave Jim a small smile.

"Esmeralda, on the other hand, wants Gaston more than anything. She'll sleep with anyone, actually. She's, like, the ship whore," Meg said.

"Does Kida sleep with many men as well?" Jim asked.

Meg thought for a moment. "I don't think so. Some of the crew thinks she's too obsessed with this ship and sailing to be bothered with men. Some of them think she has a thing going on with her first mate, John. But, I know that's not true since John is gay. Not that any of that matters, though. Gaston is the jealous type and no man is stupid enough to go against him or mess around with his girl."

"Yeah... He's a beast of a man."

Meg blew a puff of smoke up in the air. "That he is." She tossed the rest of her cigarette overboard.

"How do you know all of this?" Jim asked.

Meg chuckled. "This ship is big, but it's not that big; people talk."

"And some people talk too much."

Jim and Meg both looked up to see Kida approaching them. Meg quickly hopped off the edge and gave Kida a half bow. Jim just stared at Kida.

"Leave us, Megara."

"Yes, Princess." Meg squeezed between Kida and Jim and hurried below deck.

"You're engaged," Jim stated when Meg was out of earshot. "But not to just some prince. No, to a jealous man who could snap me in half if he wanted to."

"Don't worry about Gaston; he'll never find out," Kida said.

"No disrespect, ma'am, but I don't want to play this game," Jim said. He started to walk away, but Kida stepped in front of him.

"You want to talk about disrespect, cabin boy? All right, how 'bout this: my fiancée is whoring it up with every woman he can get into our bed and that includes every woman on my ship. And the men on this ship applaud him and cheer him on like he's some kind of hero because of this. Meanwhile, I'm the only female pirate captain on these waters and I have to fight tooth and nail to prove myself to men who will always look down on me because I'm not only a woman, but also a princess." Kida paused and took a breath. "You're different, kid, I know that. You respect me, as you should. But, you also fear me because, unlike most men, you know what kind of power I have. So, I know you will continue to obey my orders."

Jim narrowed his eyes at Kida, but didn't say anything.

Kida smiled at him. "Now, I happen to know Gaston is preoccupied with a certain gypsy, so why don't you join me in my office again?"

"Forget it, Princess. Find yourself a different play thing. I'm not going against Gaston."

Kida grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close. "It's not Gaston you should be afraid of, cabin boy; it's me."