Pirate Princess
Chapter 26: Homeward
The journey back to the capital was uneventful at best, and certainly far more pleasant than their first trip to Athanarel. While Ezra would have preferred to return aboard the Valiant by sea, King Vidanric made it infinitely clear to her that that was not an option; his reason being that it would take much longer than was necessary.
"Besides," he added, a shade of laughter in his voice, "I've got an errand to run on the side." He added what seemed to be a secretive smile to emphasise his point.
Somehow, the image of King Vidanric running errands like a common page was impossible for her to fathom, but it did make her laugh inwardly. The thought of returning to Athanarel by land, however, just made her feel like passing a stone.
That left the choice of walking or riding to their destination. Most of the ex-crew of the Fearless chose to trek through the slightly rocky terrain than risk a sore behind, and Ezra had decided on doing the same till the morning of their departure.
"What's this for?" Ezra asked the young female equerry who proffered her the thick blanket, blinking in the rays of the early morning sun.
The young woman's heart-shaped face split into a grin that she attempted to repress with limited success. "Orders, Ma'am. It's for your saddle," she said, as if that explained it all.
Ezra stared at the rather bulky article that was still extended towards her. "But I'm not riding," she explained. "You must've made a mistake."
"No, Ma'am." The equerry shook her head solemnly. "Commander Keriam explicitly told me to deliver this to a Mistress Fyn. That would be you, wouldn't it, Ma'am?" Ezra nodded cautiously, waiting for the catch. She did not have to wait long. "You're invited to ride with King Vidanric and Prince Alaraec."
"Well then, thank you," replied Ezra, tucking the blanket under her arm. Inwardly, she groaned at the thought of riding with the royals. No doubt it would consist of numerous interrogations and stilted conversation. She did not for one second believe that Rider had forgiven her for his black eye. In fact, she'd hazard a guess that this invitation – or more of a summons, really – to ride, was just another opportunity he'd created to return her the favour.
"Your mount will be delivered to you shortly," answered the equerry with a brisk salute before leaving to attend to her other duties.
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Having assigned the commanders their various duties for the trip back to Athanarel, Alaraec proceeded to help his father with the logistical nightmare brewing on his travel desk. "What's the situation?" he asked, plopping down in the cushion across the king.
"We've suffered a few casualties, about a dozen dead and fifteen or more injured, total." Vidanric shook his head sadly. "I hate writing condolence letters. Your mother tells me that I always sound pompous. She helps me vet them, you know."
"Did you know any of the deceased?" Alec asked, picking up a half-written condolence letter from his father's desk and proceeding to peruse it.
"A couple of them served under my command during the revolt. Why?" Vidanric scrutinised the mirror image of his younger self curiously.
"Write about your personal interactions with them, no matter how small. A shared meal or joke. They were your soldiers but they were your friends as well. You want to write to their parents, siblings and loved ones as a friend, not as a king." The father marvelled at the son's humanity and compassion.
"An impossible task if the dead numbered to the thousands, but a point well made. Your mother would be proud." He gave his son an affectionate smile. "How about taking over her duties of editing my condolence letters?"
"Don't you have scribes to undertake such a task?" asked Alec with an inward shudder as he rose to his feet. "Besides," he added, lifting the tent flap and striding out into the early morning, "I hope you'll never have to write another condolence letter."
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Camp had broken shortly after breakfast, tents dismantled and folded away, cook fires put out, and horses saddled in short order. Keriam had come to help Ezra into her saddle by dropping onto one knee for her to step on, and then further boosting her into the seat with his cupped hands. Ezra shifted in place, in an attempt to get comfortable, and was grateful for the thick blanket that cushioned her behind, sparing her the biting pain of the hard saddle. Just as he had the day before, Bear easily kept up with her mount on foot, and the two traversed the leaf-littered forest road in companionable silence, both staring straight ahead at the two royals who led the cavalcade. A few hours into their journey, Keriam cantered up to Ezra's other side, and handed her a canteen with a friendly smile.
"Thanks," said Ezra, and took a deep swig before handing it down to Bear. "And thanks for the blanket as well, I'm sure my butt will be very grateful for it before the journey is through."
"You're welcome. I fully understand how the rigours of a day's hard ride can take a toll on the human rear end. Having climbed up the ranks from a sailor, it took sometime for me to drop my sea legs and get accustomed to horse legs."
She hadn't seen him since their morning exchange where he had miraculously come to her rescue and offered assistance, but that boded well. After all, it meant that there was no one to coerce her into riding with the Blond Senior and Blond Junior. Rider had cleaned himself up of course. Before this mission, Ezra would have never thought it possible for Alaraec to withstand living under a layer of sweat and grime. But she'd seen it with her own two eyes, a scruffy, grimy, dirty prince with a gold braid that resembled a length of rope. Now he was back to being his well-dressed royal self. With an inward smirk, she admitted to herself that she had liked the scruffy look, but the Prince was made to wear silk.
For a while, it seemed as if they were headed nowhere. Then, the spires of a building could be seen peeking over the treetops. Alaraec grinned in anticipation, then nudged his black stallion, Knight, nearer to his father's grey steed and said just loudly enough for Vidanric to hear, "Race you to the academy where you fair wife awaits?"
"Our 'falling in' with them is supposed to be a surprise," returned Vidanric, glancing over at his eager son with all the patience of a patriarch. "If you were to go thundering towards them on that monstrosity of a horse, the element of surprise would be gone, wouldn't it?"
Vidanric laughed as Alec's face fell, like a child who was denied his favourite treat. Instead of immediately making a reply, however, the prince sat straighter in his seat and clucked his steed into a canter. "As you say, Father," he answered as he overtook his sire.
Without warning, Alec saw out of the corner of his eye a striking blond-haired figure upon a grey flying past him at top speeds. He gave a yell of indignation and began to spur his own horse into a gallop.
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The rest of the cavalcade watched in amusement as father and son raced around the bend, a unit of mounted cavalry hot on their heels.
"I didn't know bluebloods were able to be that immature and childish," said Ezra, causing a rumbling chuckle somewhere by her knee to come from Bear. "But then again, Rider isn't your typical blueblood is he?" She looked down at her adoptive uncle with an arched brow.
"I wouldn't call 'at immature; it's more…hotheadedness," replied Bear. "Besides, I'd wager 'at if ya could ride half as well as they can, you'd be tearin' off after 'em as well!" Another chuckle, this one much louder than the last.
"Well, it seems like you're leading this grand procession now," Keriam informed her.
Ezra belatedly realised that he was right. At least this means the interrogation is off, she thought. Out loud, she said, "Can I fall back? You lead. You're in charge now right? Now, that they've hared off and left us behind? How irresponsible!"
"Mind your words, Ezra. Such talk could amount to treason," he warned jokingly. "We'll lead together, I doubt the rest will mind. From what I've heard, many already fancy you the greatest heroine of our generation. The queen herself was hailed a heroine of her time – and still is today."
"My princess? A heroine whose legend lives on in the tales and ballads of bards?" Bear asked no one in particular, "I could live with 'at!" Ezra kicked him in the arm but that only made him laugh.
After nearly half a candle of travelling, they came across the King and Prince again. The cavalry soldiers that had followed them were there as well, grazing their horses while making small talk. Ezra noticed that like all seasoned fighters, their hands never strayed far from their hilts, and despite the relaxed atmosphere, their eyes were roving and alert. She also noticed that while the soldiers left their horses to graze, the royals remained by their mounts' side.
He obviously has an unnatural attachment to that creature, she thought snidely, watching as Rider's slender hands repeatedly stroked his stallion's ebony neck.
"Is somethin' wrong, princess? Ye keep starin' at the Prince," said Bear, a hint of amusement and worry in his voice. Ezra shook her head in reply, as well as to clear her mind from thoughts involving those hands caressing her own ebony hair. Such thoughts inevitably led her to think of Willem – a memory she'd rather forget.
The king gave the order to "mount up" as the cavalcade neared. Then, they continued on their way.
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It did not take long for the entire Mage Academy to come into view. In the distance, Ezra spotted a carriage surrounded by a riding of outriders travelling towards them. The king raised a hand to signal that they should stop. And they waited for the new arrivals to approach.
When the foremost outrider protecting the carriage was within a horse-length of the King and Prince, formal salutes were made and acknowledged. Just then, a head of flaxen hair stuck out of the carriage's window, probably a curious passenger wondering at their sudden lack of movement. As quickly as the head had appeared, it disappeared, and the door of the still-moving carriage was flung open a second later.
A young woman barely out of her teens came tearing towards them as fast as her legs could carry her, her hip-length hair streaming out behind her like a banner. "Papa!" she cried, "Alec!"
From the carriage emerged another woman at a more sedate pace. This one with a familiar head of auburn hair, and Ezra immediately recognised the queen. Both the King and Rider had dismounted to brace for an attack of hugs and kisses.
Ezra led the cavalry closer than was probably polite from the warning looks Keriam kept flashing her out of the corner of her eye. But she wanted to hear what was going on, and really, they were far enough away that it wasn't obvious they were eavesdropping. This way, they all got to hear the greetings and exclamations of surprise that passed between the four family members, and saw when the women noticed Rider's multicolored bruise.
"What happened to your eye?" the Queen asked her son, gently reaching up to touch it, a grimace on her face.
"Pirate," Alaraec summarized, unwilling to expound any further.
The King covered his chuckle with a polite cough, but the joke was given away by Ezra's loud torrent of laughter. Perhaps she had gotten them too close. Both royal women turned to look at the popularly dubbed Pirate Princess, the Queen with a slight frown. Oria wore a blossoming smile and murmered, "That pirate?"
Heat crept up Alec's neck, but he refused to say anything more. Vidanric was not so inclined. "That pirate," he confirmed. "And she hit him hard, too. Knocked our son right off his feet."
"Really?" Meliara mused. "Hm. She's better than I was." She turned to smile at her husband. "Remember when I threw a candlestick at you, and you caught it—one handed? Didn't even leave a bruise."
"Yes, but you weren't also kissing me at the time," Danric pointed out.
"She kissed you while she was punching you?" Oria demanded of her brother, near to bursting with laughter.
"A change of topic, please," Alec pleaded.
Oria laughed right out loud in her brother's face and then made for Ezra. By that time the ex-pirate had calmed down and watched soberly as the young princess came toward her, still shaking her head and giggling.
"Are you the one that gave my brother the black eye?" the princess asked, looking up at the mounted pirate.
"That would be me, yes, Your Highness," Ezra admitted.
Oria's grin somehow widened. "You have now become one of my favourite people in all the known worlds. And that is saying something, believe me."
Ezra had to smile back. This princess was more like what she expected from royalty, beauty-wise. She was pale, blonde, had perfect teeth, and her voice was musical. But, like the Marquise of Merindar, Rider's other sister, this princess's personality was open and friendly, and not at all what Ezra had been expecting.
"Well, as your new favorite person, maybe I should introduce myself," Ezra offered.
Oria waved her hands up at Ezra. "No need. My mother has kept me well informed of your mission. She mentioned that you've been making my big brother's life absolutely miserable. I respect that."
Now it was Ezra's turn to giggle. She liked this girl. Ezra leaned down over her horse's neck and offered the Princess her hand. "Ezranya Fyn. Former pirate."
Oria took her hand and squeezed gently in acknowledgement. "Oria Rensaleaus, Princess of Remalna and aspiring mage. A joy to meet you.
"Likewise. Wait," Ezra said, straightening in her saddle. "Did you say your name was Oria?"
"Yes. Why, did Alec mention me?"
Ezra tried to hold her laughter in, but the thickness of it tempered her voice. "He did, indeed. You're his sister? That's just…well, that's lovely."
The Princess frowned up at the slightly older woman. What had her brother said to Ezra that had gotten this sort of reaction? Before she had a chance to ask, however, her mother shouted for her attention.
"Oria!" the Queen called. "We're off! Back to the carriage, please."
"Can't I ride?"
"No extra horses," the King called back.
Oria sighed prettily and turned back to Ezra. "I don't suppose you'll consider riding in the carriage with us? I was looking forward to speaking with you more."
Ezra weighed her options and finally shook her head down at the Princess. "Truth be told, yer Highness, as much as I'd like off this horse, your mother scares me, and the thought of being in close quarters with her jangles my nerves."
"My mother? Really?" Oria looked back to regard the subject of the observation. "Why?"
"Don't know." Ezra shrugged. "She just does."
Again, Oria sighed. "I'll just have to wait until we stop for the night before I can interrogate you about how my brother took this mission. He never was one for ships."
"I noticed that," Ezra replied, an evil smirk on her mouth. "I've seen kelp that was a healthier hue than Rider was at times."
"Rider?"
"Oria!" the Queen called again. This time, when the two looked over at the rest of the royal family, the two men were mounted up and ready to set off.
"I'll tell you about it later," Ezra promised.
"I shall hold you to your word," the Princess said before she scampered back to the carriage.
"Yer a mean, mean girl, Ezranya Fyn," Bear told her with a shake of his head, although the grin he wore belied his amusement.
"Go warn someone who doesn't already know."
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That night after supper, Oria found Ezra camped with her crew members and pulled the captain aside, reminding her of her promise. Ezra then went on to tell the Princess about her brother's embarrassing plight with seasickness, his awkward tutorial of how a ship is run, his humiliating encounter getting drugged and drunk by Caelron, and the mortifying teasing he endured as a result of his new nickname. Oh, that was a fun story all by itself.
"And then he gets punched on top of all of that," Oria mused with a shake of her head.
"And yelled at, too," Ezra added. "I was a little upset."
"I can tell!" Oria chuckled. "I'll remember never to get on your bad side."
There was a moment of companionable silence that Ezra found strange. How could she feel at ease with the Princess when they had only met that day, and she was, of course, a princess? Ezra shook her head and took another drink of her tea.
"How long are you and your crew staying at the palace?" Oria asked.
Ezra's mood took a depressing dip. "I don't know. As long as it takes to get everything settled, and to make sure that everyone who stayed behind is well enough to travel."
"Hm…not terribly long, then. Well, Ezra, I hope that this is not the last I'll see of you. And I hope that next time it will be under more favourable circumstances."
"I hope so, too," Ezra said, and found that she meant it. "You know? You and your sister are much nicer than Rider is."
"What do you have against him?" Oria asked, suddenly serious.
Ezra thought about telling her about Willem, but just couldn't. They had only just met after all. But what did Ezra have against Rider? "I think it's his face."
"What?"
"He doesn't show any emotion on his face—well," she amended, "he does if you press him, but usually there's nothing. He just stands there with this blank expression while you talk to him. It's creepy, and it's maddening. A person looks at you like that, and you feel like they're not talking to you, just at you. It's just…arrogant!" And it was making her skin itch with the need to find Rider and hit him again, just for good measure.
"Arrogant" did not fit with Oria's picture of her brother, and she found it both confusing and funny that that was the impression he had managed to impress upon this woman. "Alec can seem a bit…distant, I suppose. But believe me when I say that he is not arrogant. Hardly. He's really quite nice to most people."
Ezra slid her a sceptical sneer, which Oria turned into a good-humored smile. "You just had the unfortunate luck to start out as one of the exceptions. Hardly his fault."
"I'll keep my opinion just the same, thank you," Ezra said.
By now the fires had burned down, and most of the camp was asleep. Oria smiled at Ezra and bid her new friend goodnight. The pirate stayed up a bit longer, enjoying the quiet and missing the feel of the waves lulling her to sleep. The smells here were different than at home, too. Instead of salt and wet wood, the scent of drying leaves that had fallen off the trees while they were away surrounded her. It had yet to snow, but the air was cold and crisp, and Ezra's breath made clouds. It all took a bit of getting used to, and she didn't have the hours of fast walking and jogging to keep up with horses to tire her out like her crewmates did.
Soon I'll be back with Grandpa, and we can all forget about this part of our lives, Ezra thought. When she breathed in again, she sniffled. Ezra blamed it on the cold.
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A/N: I would like all of you to give EG a round of applause for thinking up the brilliant kiss-punch in chapter 25! I loved it too...sighs. First things first, this chapter is transitional and meant to develop a few relationships - hope you noticed. Introduction of Oria and re-introduction of Mel. I think everyone's happy right?
P.P.S.: VERY IMPORTANT! Ok, thing is, EG and I are thinking of submitting PP as an original story to a "First Writers' Publishing Initiative" organised by the Media DEvelopment Authority in Singapore. Currently, We're rewriting the whole thing, working in original names etc. But we need your help!
PLEASE pick 3 of you favourite chapters so far (Because we only need to submit 3 chapters for the first round of selection)! It'd be best if each chapter you pick showcases a certain aspect of the story: romance, action, mystery etc (mention it next to each chapter you pick). If you think that 2 chapters should be combined into one, go ahead and tell us as well!
We'll ask you to pick again when this story ends but we'd like to see which chaps are hot favourites so far and focus on those. The closing date is DEC 15 2005 so all your help would be really appreciated. Cyber cookies to all of you!
END of IMPORTANT PLEA
Thanks to all Reviewers:
crounchingbunny: Ooh! So my shameless plugging on YahooGrp worked! Glad you liked it..
Thunder Storm: It's fine if you review beforer reading everything, but you could have reviewed at chapter 4! It's cool though. No, I have been neglecting all the rest of my fics in view of PP, so has EG. Here's the update!
DarkWyvrn: "Furry Felly"? Puh-lease...you make me sound like a freak of nature. I would agree that it's a little rushed...but we didn't want a battle scene that was too long and drawn ut. It's just a battle not a war. And besides, the rush-ness kept the momentum going strong. Yes, we do need help in writing battle scenes. The crow wasn't an afterthought! We planned from the time we mentioned it on Tourmaline. We'll work on our descriptions. Thanks for the critique.
Whispers-of-Hope: The buttt kicking will probably happen in the sequel...if it happens at all. I can't give anything away!
Cali McMurtrey: This chapter was more of a transitional one but you'll learn about all their fates soon enough. Dita does kinda disappar doesn't she? But she's more a supporting chracter than anything else and we were too focused on our protagonists, we'll try to work her in in the re-writes.
Nebulia: Glad you loved it. The sequel will be better than PP we promise! Or at least we hope it will be. It shoudl be, now that we've worked together for more than a year (how time flies!), we're gelling together quite fine...creatively-speaking that is.
OneSassyPickle: Not sure how we're gonna explain it. It was just a symbolism of evil that's all. There isn't any deeper meaning to it I think.
Sheyana: That was Caelron's last scene in PP I'm afraid. He might make another appearance int eh sequel, who knows?
Gwendeleryn: Keriam isn't sure how Ez feels about him so he doesn't think its within his rights to object to her kissing anyone. She kissed Alec as a diversion anyway, so it doesn't count. Ezra might just follow in her mom's footsteps but she's still a pirate a heart so there'll be sea action as well. GQ: Gentlemen's Quarterly right? I know. But I still like the title.
Wake-Robin: Well, Mel made her entrance in this one. With some of her own spunk showing through and a nice tribute to CCD. I'd actually wanted Mel fighting too but it would've been too much trouble. We might decide to work her in in the re-write though.
cookie, Erkit, StardustPixie: Thanks for your reviews! More chapters on the way!
REVIEW!
FS&EG