Pirate Princess

Chapter 10: Trials

Ezra walked the length of the Valiant to help her get a grip on her anger. When she went as far as she could, she stopped,sighed and kicked the wood of the bulkhead at the prow. The weather headed their way matched her mood. She couldn't believe that she was going back to Tourmaline. For the past year and a half, whenever Fyn had docked on the island, Ezra had opted to stay aboard the Fearless. This time, as Captain, she was going to have to go on land to get the information and pay respects to the "barons" of Tourmaline Island, who ran all the trade there.

Ezra stayed at the bow for most of the morning. She looked out to watch the water part as the ship was steered by wind and sail on course to Tourmaline Island. She trusted Bear to take care of the little things that might come up. On the horizon, clouds were gathering and threatened to make the first day of the voyage a dismal one. By her judgment, it wasn't going to be much more than a downpour. Ezra closed her eyes, letting the wind cool her face, and breathed in the salt in the air. As soon as she started to relax, she heard the distinct stomping of the Royal Four coming up from below decks. Determined to ignore them, she kept her eyes shut and her face turned out to sea.

The sounds of their voices blended together before the four men drifted apart. Ezra breathed out slowly and rotated her shoulders to relieve the tension that had built up. She stopped paying attention to the men behind her, so she didn't hear the footsteps until they were almost right behind her. The sound of someone clearing their throat politely spun Ezra around to see the Prince standing a few steps away. He was already looking green.

"May I speak with you a moment?"

Ezra leaned back against the bulkhead and rested her elbows on the railing. She tried to set her face into a calm smile. She really hoped it worked, because she didn't seem to have a very good control on her emotions at the moment in order to tell for herself. "Fine, go to it. But you may want to move closer to the rail here. You don't look so good." She ended with a vindictive little smirk.

Alaraec ground his molars together but obliged her. She was right, burn her. He wasn't feeling well. He hadn't eaten since the caravan of pirates and guards had stopped for lunch the day before, so there was nothing to come up. Unfortunately, that didn't stop his stomach from occasionally trying to find something.

He cleared his throat again before continuing. "First, may I inquire as to where you got your…obviously new clothing?"

"Well, Highness, your own sister helped me order them from the tailors in the palace," she said. "She even assured me that you wouldn't mind in the least if I put the new duds on your account. You don't, do you Highness?"

"Not at all," he said flatly, secretly vowing to find something to pay Elestra back with. "My next issue involves our current destination, and what is to be expected from it. Tourmaline Island is notorious for its brothels and trading of items stolen by pirates, if my information is correct."

It wasn't a question, so Ezra didn't say anything.

Alec glanced over at her and tried to phrase his question as politely as possible. "When Bear mentioned the island, you were averse to going, and then you mentioned a woman named Mallinde. I was wondering, if it does not offend you, of course, what your past is with this woman, and if it will affect our ability to acquire the necessary information about the pirates."

She considered yelling at him and heaving him overboard. She settled for a good, hard glare. How dare he ask something personal like that?

She lost her anger at him almost as it came, the hot burn of the two-year-old grudge easily incinerating the brief transgression. Taking a deep breath into her lungs, she decided to tell him. It was good to clarify that just because she had a personal vendetta, it didn't mean that she would go back on her word about doing what she had set out to do. Honestly, she'd thought he would have realized that from personal experience by now.

"Two years ago, Willem and I had just…I don't know how to put it. We decided we were more than friends and shipmates." She had to settle for that as the best description she could think of. "Grandpa set in at Tourmaline, and I went on shore with Willem. We stopped into the tavern where Mallinde worked. She set her sight on Will, and when I told her that he was taken, she refused to leave us alone. She and I started a nice little brawl right there in the tavern, and I haven't been back on the island since, although Grandpa did dock there a few times afterward.

"But don't worry," she concluded. "I won't let it get in the way of what we're doing. Bear was right. Tourmaline is the best place to find out about these people we're chasing. I'm sure that a few of Costran's lady-friends will be able to give us a face to go with the reputation."

Alec's eyebrows shot up at the open way she had acknowledged the fact that the sailors on board went to see prostitutes. That, and that she openly admitted to starting a fistfight in a tavern with one of the prostitutes. He could just imagine how Ezranya had handled the whole situation. It wasn't what he expected from ladies; but, he reminded himself, she was no lady.

The storm had moved closer as they talked, and the wind was giving them trouble, blowing away from their destination, instead of toward it. The waves were rougher and rocked the ship. Alaraec's stomach protested with a violent contraction. It made him lean over the railing, close his eyes, and breathe deeply in through his nose. He tried with all he was worth not to embarrass himself and prove Mistress Fyn right.

Ezra gloated a bit, but she had more pressing matters to deal with. She had to make sure that the ship stayed on course. That meant trimming the sails, and the sheets certainly weren't going to re-position themselves. Casting a look to the Prince, she decided to do an act of mercy.

Not saying a word in departure, Ezra walked away from the bow and started shouting orders to the crew to get the sails ready for a storm. On her way, she sent one of the pirates, Fordwyn, to go get Dita. She was to fix his Highness up with something to help his seasickness.

Alec was still having trouble keeping his stomach from jumping and diving every time a new swell hit against the sides of the ship. If he hadn't been green before, he certainly was now. It was not a fun feeling, and it only helped to assure him that he'd made a mistake coming on this voyage. He should have stayed at home and asked for a military post somewhere near Norsunder. It would have been safer, considering Mistress Fyn's combative spirit was focused on him alone most of the time, and there would have been no threat of him throwing up.

A warm, gentle hand set down on his shoulder. He turned his head carefully to the side to see the cook—Dita, he thought he remembered her name being—stood beside him, a wry, sympathetic expression on her face.

"Stand up, my boy," she instructed, "and hold out your hand."

He couldn't think of anything else to do, and it seemed like she actually cared what was going to happen to him, so he did as she told him. In her hand was a simple string, but on it was a small pearl. When he held out his hand, Dita tied the string around his wrist, knotting it a few times so that it would not easily come off. Alec could just feel the magic that surrounded the ornament. He didn't have his mother or youngest sister's level of power, but he could feel that this was no ordinary bauble. His suspicions were confirmed, pleasantly so, when his stomach quieted almost immediately, and he was able to breathe normally.

His surprise must have shown on his face, because the woman's smile widened. She patted his hand and said, "Old pirate remedy. While you're on board, don't take it off. If you're going to go on land, though, you have to, or else you'll end up feeling land-sick."

Alec raised an eyebrow, giving her a look that made her chuckle.

"I never said it was perfect!"

He nodded. "Thank you. I am forever indebted. Truly."

She shrugged. "Ezra took a bit of pity on you. Take what you can get. She's like to be just as snippy as she was this morning after this storm blows itself out." With that, she turned around and headed back to the galley to batten down in there so that the waves wouldn't knock all the lovely, high priced goods all over the ship.

Alec watched her leave, rubbing the bracelet on his wrist. He didn't feel the least sick, and that was nice. But what did it mean that Ezranya had had mercy on him? Would she return to being his enemy as soon as she had the Valiant clear of the storm, as Dita had said? He sighed, and decided to go find Ash and hope that the dog would cope with the weather as well as it seemed that he was going to be able to.

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As Ezra had predicted, the storm was mostly rain and wind. It was over in less than two candles, and the Valiant was tacked steadily in the direction of Tourmaline Island once again. Ezra wiped the rain water and sweat off of her brow with the corner of her sleeve—her long, cumbersome coat and matching hat had been thrown into her quarters, onto the bed, to prevent them from getting wet in the storm while she had directed the crew from the deck.

The crew changed shifts just after the rain tripped to a halt. Ezra watched the first shift go into the forecastle to sleep in their hanging hammocks for a few candles before they were needed again. She untied the soaked bandana and let the braids fall forward into her face, the beads clacking together as they moved, and went to the door leading down to the galley. The first shift was sure to be hungry when they got some rest after the work they'd done to keep the ship on course during the storm that morning.

She got within a step of the door, when it opened from inside. Dita, it appeared, had had the same thought that Ezra had. The older woman came on deck, wiping her hands on the long apron she'd thrown over her new clothing. She grinned when she saw the state Ezranya was in.

"From the looks of this deck, princess, you did well for your first test," Dita complimented her.

Ezra chuckled dryly. "I'm damp to my bones and starving for something hot. Is dinner done yet?"

"Aye, in a bit." Dita nodded, looking around. "Seen the Prince, have you? I gave him something to help with the seasickness."

"No. I haven't seen him since before the rain started." She reached up to brush a few of the dripping braids out of her face, tucking them behind her ear. "Thank you, by the way. I didn't want to have to deal with him heaving at the rail while I was working. Besides, the King would probably have us hung if he'd fallen overboard."

Dita laughed, before turning to go back to the galley. "The salimigundis will be done before the next candle."

"I'll send someone to spread the word."

Ezra yawned widely, covering her mouth with her wrist, the soaked bandana still gripped in her hand. She started toward the door of the captain's quarters to at least change into something dry now that the rain was behind them. Halfway across the deck, the Prince came up from the second level, the hunting dog at his side. He looked decidedly less green than when she had last seen him, and much more sure of himself walking on the deck.

"So, the pirates' pearl was apparently of some help."

Alaraec turned to face her full on. He tried to keep his reaction to the near-transparent quality of the shirt she had on, off of his face. Fine linen did have a tendency to become translucent when wet. He could almost see her arms and shoulders through the material. It was only because of the heavier material of the bodice that Ezranya maintained her modesty. He resolved to keep his gaze fixed on her face.

"Mistress Fyn," he greeted her. "Yes, it's been a great help. I'm very thankful for your generosity in sharing this gift. I haven't had this much ease on a ship…well, ever, actually."

"Really, Highness," she grinned at him, "you should call me Captain, since it is my station. I passed the first test thrown at me by the sea; that gives me a right to the title."

Prince Alaraec gave a slight bow, putting his hand up in the fencer's gesture of a good hit. "Very well, Captain, then." She started to walk past him, but she only got a few steps before he called her attention back. "And perhaps you should start addressing me as your first mate, and not as the prince, since, here, it is my station."

Ezranya turned back around to face him, surprise on her face, a few of the braids slipping from behind her ear to settle over her face. "I thought you wanted to be pulling royal rank, Highness," she said. "If I remember yester-evening, you're 'going to be in my face' for the rest of the voyage, no?"

Alec bit the inside of his cheek to hide his satisfied smile at having unsettled her. "Don't mistake me, Captain; I plan on holding the reins of this operation tightly. However, it won't do us very well to go on shore on an island that you know better than I do, when we are supposed to be a crew of pirates if you are calling me 'Highness,' instead of speaking to me as your first mate."

Ezra couldn't believe her ears. The gall of the man! And after she had helped him, too. "Well, if that's the case, First Mate," she snapped, "then you and the rest of the Royal Four need to change your appearance a bit. You're too…well groomed to be pirates."

"What do you suggest, Captain?"

She took back the steps she had taken away from him a moment before, scanning his frame as she came forward. He wore a light blue jacket, only slightly rumpled, in the same fashion as the three naval lieutenants who were apparently still below decks.

At least they had earned their uniform, she thought.

Under the jacket was a silk blouse, simple compared to some, she supposed. There was a leather belt above the gray cotton trousers, and spotless black boots. His hair was too long, she noted, even if he had left it a bit tangled that morning. It was already coming out of the horsetail that he'd pulled it back in. It would have been a nuisance if he had been on deck during the storm.

As she approached the Prince, the large dog began a low growl, his instincts telling him that this woman did not like his master, and that she might be a threat. Ezra stopped and looked down at the dog.

"You may want to be careful," Alaraec cautioned. "He doesn't like strangers."

Ezra eyed the dog cautiously for a moment. She slowly dropped to one knee and looked Ash straight in the eye. With a low, barely-intelligible murmur of soothing words, she gradually stretched out her hand for the canine to sniff. In moments, she was scratching a contented Ash behind the ears and under his chin. The dog elicited a satisfied rumble from deep in his throat.

Looking up at the surprised Prince, Ezra said with a saccharine smile, "He seems perfectly sweet to me."

Remembering Flauvic and Nadav's suggestion to flirt with her, Alaraec decided that there was no better time to test their theory. "He has a way with beautiful women," commented Alec easily, watching the supercilious expression melt away from that impish face to be replaced with one of disbelief as Ezra rose to her feet.

"Oh, you really had to try with that one, didn't you?" She snorted with skepticism

"Now then," Ezra continued, ignoring the Prince's comment. "My first suggestion is for you and your cronies to braid your hair back tight, maybe even cut it off. If you'll notice, most of the common sailors—even the royal ones you brought—have either short hair, or they keep it back out of their faces. Also, you need to dress down, High—First Mate. You and the honorable lieutenants are too well dressed."

"And you're not?" he countered, rather perturbed that his flirting was so easily cast off. "And on my bill, too."

"Yes," she said, a smirk adorning her lips. "But I'm the captain. Captain always gets first dibs on the purchase. It makes sense that I'd be the best dressed."

Against his wishes, Alec's eyes skimmed down her figure. He pulled his gaze back to her face in an instant, but the waver in his attention had been enough to catch her notice. Ezranya switched her weight to one foot and crossed her arms, glaring at him.

"Is it customary where you come from to stare at a woman's chest? Granted, I don't have the most ample bosom, but I'd rather thought you preferred your lovers to be flat-chested."

"My apologies," he said sincerely, although with a hint of puzzlement. "I beg your pardon, but flat-chested?"

She snorted. He obviously had no clue as to what or whom she was referring to. "I'm going to go change. Dinner's before the next bell-change. I hope you don't have a problem sharing food with the rest of the crew. We all eat the same thing on the first day out."

"No problem at all, Captain."

With that, Ezra turned and marched back to her room. There she changed into something much less flamboyant than she'd worn that morning. It was a cotton shirt, a new bodice—this one made of peach-colored wool—and dark grey trousers. She changed stockings, but put the same boots back on. After the rain had passed, the air had cooled, so she added the coat once again.

The meal was well attended. After the three lieutenants' got over their surprise at not being served separately in their chambers, they were pleased with the fare they found on deck. Even the Captain ate on deck with the crew, scooping her meal out of the communal pot with the bowl Dita handed her.

The salmigundis was made with cabbage, salted fish, hard-boiled eggs, onions, olives, garlic, seasoned with salt and several different kinds of peppers, mustard seed, and thickened with oil, vinegar, and even a dash of wine. The meal was served with biscuits, and mulled wine. Those not used to the spices in the food were quite shocked upon their first bite, and only ate about half as much as everyone else.

After the noon meal, Alaraec called a meeting with his lieutenant commanders and Ezranya to make plans for when they arrived on Tourmaline. After a quick bout with each other, Alec and Ezra agreed that he would go ashore with her when they arrived to make sure that neither she nor the pirates betrayed them to their peers, and that he would do his best not to talk so that their cover wasn't blown out of the water by his high-class accent and genteel speech.

Somewhere along the time that Stamford suggested that the bulk of the crew that was going to go ashore would be made up of Ezranya's pirates so that the inhabitants of the island would not get suspicious at so large a crew change in so short a time, it came to light that Prince Alaraec knew almost nothing about the actual running of a ship.

"Are you saying that I'm supposed to trust you to be my first mate for the next few months, at least, and you don't know how to sail?" Ezra shouted.

"I had assumed that my position was mainly a courtesy title," Alaraec said, presenting his hands, palm up, "and that I would be more the brains governing this mission than—"

"Than have to do the work?" She shook her head, her eyebrows raised and her jaw dropped in shock at the arrogant audacity of the man. "Forget it! This isn't the royal navy, Highness. There are no courtesy titles. If you have one, then you have the responsibilities that go along with it. What if Bear's hurt or sick or something worse, and I need help on deck? You're the one that'll be taking his place…and you have no idea what you're doing! That you see yourself as just the brains does not put me at ease."

Alec fought the urge to blush, and looked down at the table to compose his face. He could see her point, and she was right. He hated that.

"I see," he admitted. "Then perhaps it would be best if I were to learn what would be required of me in the event that I be needed."

Ezra's face showed surprise. She hadn't expected him to agree so readily. She relaxed her aggressive posture, thinking how his education would best be done. "Well…I suppose you could follow Bear around and watch what he does on a regular basis. You might even take a shift with the crew to get a feel for the routine, if it's not an offense to your high sensibilities?" She couldn't resist that last jab at him.

Alaraec's eyes narrowed, but otherwise his face remained blank. "Do let Bear know that I'll be his shadow for a few days, so that he doesn't take it upon himself to throw me overboard in annoyance at my following him around."

"I'll do that," she agreed. "You can start today, as soon as possible, in fact. I'll even have you put on the lists for fourth shift."

Nerone and Keriam sighed. Stamford started reading his charts with undue vigor. Alec took that to mean fourth shift was one of the more unwanted periods to be working. He took it. He was determined to show her that he was serious about continuing his education.

When the meeting concluded not long after, Ezra led the Prince to where Bear stood, looking over the work of the sailors. She introduced his new pupil and left the two to go about their business while she made her rounds on deck. The two men regarded each other for a few moments before Bear grunted an order to follow him. The tour was short and filled with so many phrases and sailor's jargon that Alaraec barely understood what was being said.

"D'ja get all that, Prince?"

"Enough," Alec said.

Bear stared down at him, cold steel in his gaze and an unwelcoming frown below the brown grizzle on his upper lip. A sudden commotion brought both of their attention to Ezranya berating one of the royal sailors for something or other he had done. The two men were too far away to hear the specifics, but the tone she was using was one Alec was coming to associate with a specific glare that invariably accompanied it.

"He's been fighting us since he went on duty," Bear grumbled, glad that the sailor was finally getting put in his place.

Alec gave him a puzzled face. "Fighting?"

The burly man grunted an affirmation. "Aye. He doesn't like sailing under a woman captain. Seems to think she's soft. Don't look like he'll be thinkin' so from now on."

Indeed, the offending sailor was wide-eyed and cowed by whatever it was that his Captain was spitting in his face.

"She is very aggressive," Alaraec noted.

"All captains are, Prince," Bear said. He shifted his considerable weight, consisting entirely of rock-hard muscle. "If the captain can't keep control of the ship and the sailors on it, then he—or she, considering—can't be trusted. A captain has to keep the ship on course in fair weather and foul. She has responsibility for everyone on board, to keep us safe, to keep us fed, and to get us paid. To do that, she has to know that everyone will take her orders when she gives them. If a sailor won't obey when the sea's being good to us, then how can he be trusted to obey orders when the stakes are higher?"

Alec watched Ezranya walk away from the newly castigated crewman and continue her tour of deck while he listened to Bear. He understood what was being said. It was the same with the running of a kingdom, he thought. If his subjects refused to follow the laws and dictates when the country was in a time of peace and relative prosperity, how could any of them be expected to obey when it was a year of strife or famine? It would make sense that the same would be true on a ship, if only on a smaller scale. So far he had only seen the camaraderie of the pirates, and even of the sailors amongst themselves, during the meal. He hadn't been paying enough attention to the other side of that coin, and he most certainly hadn't been giving the social structure on board the ship its due respect.

Father would be disappointed, and I know that I've been trained better than this, he thought to himself.

"I see your meaning," he said aloud, turning back to the large man. "Please, let's continue, shall we?"

Bear stopped frowning at him and gave him an appraising once-over. Alec sensed that, behind the muscle and brawn of a fighter and buccaneer, there was a solid mind to go along with it. Whatever he saw, Bear seemed satisfied. The sharp prejudice that had underlain the whole tutorial so far had dulled. The rest of the instruction went more smoothly.

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A/N: Nothing much to say this time around except that EG will be away from her computer till the 29th so I'll be flying solo for a bit. Also, don't you just love that little bit of romantic tension in the middle? It was so nice of EG to let me add that in. She has just sent me chapter 13 and since my exams are finally over, I'll start working on chapter 14. Hope you guys like this chapter some how it seems much longer than our usual posts doesn't it? We certainly hope to be able to maintain the standard of our writings throughout this entire story. Thanks to all reviewers!

Trina-k: We're quite sure that it's in Ezra's character to stay on land albeit not permanently. We've thought up a reason for her to be on land for the second installment of this story that most probably would be written separate from this fic. Rest assured that they'll get together in the end with compromises made by both parties. That's what marriage is all about isn't it? Glad you find interesting.

Nebulia: Yeah, I believe I've heard that. Don't worry; he'll win an argument of sorts in chapter 13. Let's just watch him be the nice guy for a while.

Moonsong: That suggestion is great, but a little hard to weave into our story. The main storyline is the hunt for the Norsundrian pirates, then there's the subplot of romance. We're not sure if we're talented enough to weave in yet another subplot, will try if possible though! Thanks!

Aussiegirl: Thank you, thank you, thank you very much. Like dogs too, better than cats anyway. My own dog is a mix breed, half maltese half shih tzu. Cute little bundle of fur and spoiled silly too!

Gcho831: I believe that's how both of us write this fic, by writing down what we see and letting our readers see what we see as well! It's just like watching a movie ain't it?

VioletIvy: We're trying to incorporate your suggestion into the fic, but you probably won't really see it's effect till chapter 13 or so – where EG has made a conscious effort to add that in. You've just reminded us that it's a story from the 3rd person POV and therefore we are able to enter everyone's minds. Thanks!

Alcapacien: Whew! I nearly let the cat out of the bag. You're coming close, but it really depends on your definition of 'cheating'. Got to compliment you on being a fast thinker though and I thought I was being all illusive and mysterious.