Westerguard

The sun was just setting when Seeker ran up to the huts humans were hiding in. She stopped by the entrance and stated:

"There's a uniformed patrol checking out the huts one by one. Donch'ya think it's about time to leave?"

"So it would seem.", captain Xatec answered, standing up.

"What did you say?", Anna asked and Seeker reminded herself once again that humans had this stupid thing called languages. She quickly repeated and Anna nodded, looking at Ferdinand.

"You think you can walk?"

"It's not like I can stay.", the prince noted sourly. He was leaning on the wall of the hut and the doctor, man called Coyotl, was tending to his arm yet again, with what little he had at hand. The stump seemed to have gotten better - at least that was what Seeker deduced by the fact that people no longer winced in disgust when in Ferdinand's company.

The other three Southerners were in various states of sleepy - really, it seemed to Seeker that every time she saw them, they were either eating or asleep, like man-shaped cats. One of them, their ship's first officer, Yaotl, stretched and asked:

"And where do we plan to go? I'd just like to remind you that there's very little space to play hide and seek on this island."

Northerners shot him blank looks, so Seeker sighed and translated for them.

"We certainly can't stay here.", Anna noted, helping Ferdinand stand up. "If Hans catches us again, we're frozen fish."

Expectant stares of Southerners turned to Seeker, who sighed again and translated yet another time. They nodded and Xatec said:

"Then let's leave and go uphill. Maybe we'll find some cave or something."

After yet another translation and a few decisions regarding exact course they'd take, Seeker left to scout the way as humans left the hut. She quickly trotted to where she had been spying on Weste and flattened herself against the ground, yet again cursing the snow cloud over her head. Thankfully, low and thick bush was covering her fairly well.

There were four Weste, and they were going uphill with swords and pistols. Seeker looked around and noticed other groups nearby, making their ways to another huts, visible in distance. She guessed it was a part of a bigger search. Yaotl was right, she thought, there's not much space here. We have to leave soon.

"At least we can count on them going home after night falls.", Anna noticed as they looked around their newest accommodation. The Southerners said something in his own language and Anna sighed. I wonder if I could find a teacher when I get back to Arendelle, she wondered and she smiled a bit, hoping to be able to check it soon.

"Especially seeing how there's this rain coming.", Ferdinand said, glancing at other Southerners. Two men, introduced as Itotia and Izel, were carrying some small bushes to cover the entrance to the place. The new hiding spot wasn't exactly a cave, more like a small cavern, but it provided protection from the rain they were expecting. Indeed, even before they have finished camouflaging the place, the it had already started, and by the time they were all inside, it was a downpour, with steady hum and gray wall of water falling from the sky.

Southerners and Northerners sat opposite each other and captain Xatec said something. Anna smiled mildly.

"Yeah, I appreciate that we found the cave before the rain too.", she said, not sure what the man had told her. It was a bit of an unsettling experience, being with people and yet unable to talk. Even in Hans' keep, the guard at the door spoke Islander she could understand, and further North every foreigner she talked with knew Confederate. Now all she and Southerners could do was to stare at each other and smile uncomfortably.

"I'd still say they know more of the language than they let on.", Ferdinand murmured, rubbing his arm again. Coyotl said something angrily, pointing at the action and shaking his head. The prince sighed, putting his hand down and rapping on the stone floor instead.

"Then don't you think they'd speak instead of this half-gestures, half-Seeker's-translations thing we've got going on now?", Anna asked him. Ferdinand shrugged and she folded her arms.

"Oh, come on. Now it starts to look as if you don't trust them just because they're Southerners."

"It's not about this! I told you before. They're too good at some things sailor's shouldn't be good at."

"Really? Like fighting people?"

"Look, trust me on that, I'm a sailor. Not everyone on ships is a convict running away from his past. Most guys are actually people who joined because they wanted to see the world, or some poor saps who were pressed into service, and I'll bet my ship that…" He stopped suddenly and swallowed. Anna patted him on the arm.

"You'll bet that…?", she asked calmly, trying to get his mind off the matter.

"I bet that most wouldn't know how to dispose of a guard from behind.", he finished. Anna winced.

"I still believe you're overthinking this.", she told him. "You don't know what it looks like in the South. Perhaps they're just this one-in-a-thousand crew with turbulent past. Besides, even if they're, I don't know, chief smugglers on the Stormbringing Ocean, does this really matter now? It's not like they're working for Hans and so far, we've been stuck in this together. If things go sour, we can just ditch them."

"Yeah, into the open sea.", Ferdinand said dubiously.

"Seeker can make an ice float for us."

"Maybe… where is she, for that matter?"

As if on a cue, the snow greyhound crawled under the bush and shook herself, spraying everyone around with half-melted snow.

"Hello to you too.", Ferdinand said dryly. "How's the outside?"

"I could barely see a thing", she told him, "so I guess our pursuers can't either."

She then said something to the Southerners. The captain answered her and she turned to Anna and Ferdinand.

"Manco asks what we do now, meaning tomorrow, I guess."

"Well, we can't hide forever.", Ferdinand noted. "They claim they have a ship, so maybe it's time to use it."

Seeker repeated in Southron and Yaotl spoke.

"He says it's heavily guarded, and that we'd have to sneak around the city to get to it. But, let me add, you're right, it's time we started to act." She said something to the Southerners. Anna added:

"If it'll keep on raining like this, we won't have to worry about being noticed. And the guards on their ship will probably not be as wary as they'd be if it was sunny."

Seeker translated and Anna remembered what Hans said about his brothers coming soon. Should she tell the others about it? Perhaps they should wait until Navy of the Isles arrives and then try to get to them? She considered it. When the siege started - and she couldn't really imagine any other way of taking an island such as Weselton, with its cliffs and no beaches - the curfew would probably be established, not to mention that the ships and coast would be heavily watched. It was unlikely the escapees would manage to get to friendly lines. So no, they had to leave when there was no help in sight, and they had to do this soon… provided Hans wasn't lying, of course. And even if he did, staying here would do them no good.

The Southerners were discussing something with each other until Xatec turned to Seeker and said something. She translated.

"They suggest to move out now, while the weather still favors us and not the Weste.", she said. "I hate this rain, but I guess it's the best idea."

"I like that.", Ferdinand said. Anna was slightly surprised that he would agree with 'suspicious' Southerners, but apparently he had enough common sense to look beyond his prejudice, or whatever it was that made him so distrustful of them.

"I think that's a good idea too.", she said out loud. "With this rain around…"

Ferdinand shook his head.

"We could probably stage a theater play on the pier and no one on the shore would notice."

"Then if ya'll agree, let's go.", Seeker said and presumably repeated the same to the Southerners. They stood up and Itotia sighed as they started to demolish the bush cover they had built so meticulously. Izel patted him on the arm with sour smile and the two of them left, Anna and Ferdinand following them.

Outside, it was rainy, wet, cold and windy. Anna was reminded for a moment of her hellish experience after she fell out of Northern Wind, which actually made her feel a bit better as she reminded herself that even if the weather was doing its best to drown her, it wouldn't manage it if the stormy sea hadn't. Still, it was uncomfortable to be whipped with water over the face, and after so long out of Arendelle, Anna had forgotten how cold the air could feel. She wrapped her arms around herself and carefully followed two Southerners on slippery grass.

After a few moments, she felt someone putting something on her back. She realized it was an unbuttoned shirt, rather thick, if completely wet, and she turned to see captain Xatec, bare-chested now that he gave his cloth away. She smiled thankfully, nodding, and he answered with similar gesture. Nods and smiles, language of all cultures.

"Isn't it too cold for you?", she asked over the loud hum of the rain, noticing with a bit of shock the amount of scars and tattoos on his chest. He shrugged with uncomfortable smile.

"Sooner or later every sailor will end up working in the storm without a shirt.", Ferdinand told her. "In the wind like this flapping cloth is rather problematic, and he sails on Stormbringer, so he must be used to the weather."

"If you say so.", Anna answered and turned back to watch her path, although the scars she noticed on Xatec's chest worried her. Could there actually be something to Ferdinand's theory?

She couldn't really tell how long did it take before they reached the familiar lonely tree by the entrance of the city, but if anything, the rain seemed to have gotten stronger. Taking cover under wide branches, the group left it to the Seeker to check out the city.

The snow creature returned to them some time later, when attempts at starting conversation had already been made and failed due to language barrier. She sat and said:

"The ship's still standing there, although I hadn't seen any guards. There's some light coming from under the deck, though, so if there are any watchmen, they're probably sitting there." She repeated and waited for the comments. Ferdinand spoke first:

"Could you ask the Southerners where the rest of their officers is? Pendulums must have huge crews."

After a moment, he got an answer.

"Xatec doesn't know, though he says the junior officers must be still aboard, because he didn't see them being led off the ship. He says only the senior officers had been taken."

Ferdinand nodded. Xatec added something.

"He says that maybe I could pass them a message from us."

"And then what?", Anna asked. "I doubt they have any weapons with them."

Seeker translated, Xatec replied, Seeker translated.

"But they could help once we started getting the ship back. He doubts they're all shackled."

"You think you could do this?", Anna asked.

"Yeah, sure. I can walk on water, remember? I'll just freeze myself a wave and peak through a window."

Ferdinand shook his head.

"If they knew what's about to happen, they might start acting suspiciously. I'd rather not alert the guards we're coming, they have enough of an advantage over us as it is."

Seeker repeated and Xatec winced unhappily. He said something.

"He says it'd be better if his men helped us."

"They'd be of little help if the guards knew we're here."

A moment for back and forth translation and:

"He says you should trust his men to keep secrets."

"No offense to them, but I doubt the guards are stupid enough to miss people talking with someone outside and then sharing what they've learned with each other."

Another translation and Yaotl started to say something when Anna came up with an idea:

"Hey, why don't we go for both? You'd simply warn Xatec's men moment before we get on board. This way we'll have an advantage of surprise, sailors will know what's happening, and the guards might even be occupied with oddly-acting prisoners enough that they won't notice us until it's too late."

Ferdinand nodded after a moment.

"Alright, this would do."

"'kay, I'll ask them.", Seeker said and spoke to Southerners. After a moment of discussion with the others, Xatec nodded to Anna and spoke.

"He says Yaotl had something similar in mind and it's good idea."

"Great, then let's not waste time."

They left the cover of the tree and started to walk towards the pier.

"Let's pretend we've got every right to be here.", Anna said.

"What, you're walking a dog in seven-people group?", Seeker asked sarcastically from under her snow cloud.

"We're getting back home after work or something."

"At midnight?", Ferdinand asked. "In this rain, we should rather trot…"

He fell silent as a pair of someones walked past them in the rain. They nodded curtly to each other and both groups continued their own way.

"Well, I guess we're not suspicious at all.", Seeker noted with a bit of a surprise.

"They couldn't see your cloud from behind us, I guess.", Ferdinand told her.

"Sure, because that's the weirdest thing here."

"Well, it would be odd to be in a port and find people weird."

As they were talking, Southerners were conversing between themselves as well in hushed tones - or, at least, as hushed as they could be in this rain. To stop the torrents of water from soaking her, Anna covered her head with Xatec's shirt, although it didn't help much, as the material was leaking.

"We are so going to catch cold from this."

Ferdinand just shook his head. Southerners in front of them turned and walked on the pier. They were stopped by some armed man.

"You've missed one.", Anna whispered.

"He must've arrived after I left."

A moment later, the man tumbled on the ground, having gotten a bunch of solid punches in the head. In the rain, he was barely heard. Anna looked around, but she couldn't see much beyond Ferdinand, and the lights were out. Apparently, no one noticed what had just happened.

"Well, that was quick.", Seeker said with a bit of an awe in her voice as Itotia put the man behind a crate that apparently served as his chair. This way, nobody walking on the pier would notice him, at least in the dark. He waved to the others and Xatec spoke to Seeker.

"Alright, he wants me to warn his men."

"Good luck."

"Yeah, yeah.", she jumped off the pier and on the water that instantly froze under her. The float was jumping up and down and Anna noticed, before Seeker disappeared behind the rain, that instead of walking, the snow creature was jumping from place to place.

"And what do we…", she started to ask the others, but the Southerners were already walking down the pier, Ferdinand following them closely. She ran up to them and slipped, then was almost pushed off the pier by some freak wave. She regained her balance and caught up with the others at slower speed.

"Are you alright?", Ferdinand asked quietly.

"Yep, fine. Which's Xatec's ship?"

"Uh… I hope he knows."

As they walked closer to the end of the pier, the wood dancing slightly under their feet with the waves, Anna saw a ship with light coming from the door that led under the deck. Xatec pointed at the vessel.

"Cualli Totchtli", he said with a smile.

"You think it's its name or means 'it's mine'?", Ferdinand said, nodding to the man with a smile.

"It sounded like a name.", Anna said. "We'll ask Seeker later. Look, she missed another guard. Sitting by the gangplank."

"Really? Something tells me she didn't even walk on the pier.", Ferdinand said, looking at Xatec and indicating the guard with his finger. The man nodded and spoke to Yaotl and Izel. They quickly closed in on the guard. He was apparently focused more on being miserable than doing what he was supposed to, because he didn't even notice the Southerners until they were already looming over him. He was quickly knocked out and Yaotl waved for the rest to follow him.

They ran on the deck and Anna looked around, whistling with awe. Even through the dark and torrents of rain she could see that Cualli Totchtli was huge, even compared to the Northern Wind. She was pretty sure she could fit Arendelle castle's ballroom on deck and there'd still be space.

"I've never been aboard a pendulum.", Ferdinand murmured. "I wonder if the guys in the middle forget sometimes that they're on a ship."

"I guess the masts remind them.", Anna said. "Oh, look. Xatec and his men are already going under the deck."

"You think we should help them?"

"Freezing, soaked girl with no weapons whatsoever and freezing, soaked prince who's still sick from infection? Nah, I guess we'd just get in their way."

"Ah… valid point." Ferdinand turned back. "Uh, Anna? We might have a problem."

The princess looked back as well and inhaled through her teeth. Someone, a silhouette in the rain, was walking down the pier, going towards Cualli Totchtli with determination in his movements. Anna was sure she saw a sword.

"You think he noticed those guard they knocked out?"

"I think not, he'd be more careful then."

They both quickly crouched and crept to the high, covered railing of the ship.

"Maybe he thinks they've hidden here.", Ferdinand whispered as the man came into view. He was short, but bulky and armed with a sword.

"Let's hope he won't notice the guard under the gangplank."

"Yeah… I think the knocked-out guy's feet stick out…"

And indeed, the man did notice. He stopped in apparent surprise and looked down under the gangplank.

"Bad…", Anna whispered and jumped to her feet, then ran down the gangplank and jumped on man's back as he was standing up. He fell back in surprise and they both hit the ground. Anna shook her head and saw the man standing up quickly, then freezing in surprise as he saw her. He said something in Weste and Anna got to her feet, determined not to let him raise alarm. He started to run down the gangplank and she jumped after him, then jumped on his back. They fell to the ground again and he tried to throw her off. He almost succeeded, too, when something hit his head, then again, and he fell limp with his face half in some water puddle.

"What were you doing?!", Seeker asked as Anna stood up. "Elsa would kill me if something happened to you!"

"Well, I didn't see you trying to stop him.", Anna said and they both returned to the ship. Ferdinand was waiting for them on the pier.

"Sorry I didn't help. You kind of surprised me."

"No problem.

"On deck, they met with Xatec, who was accompanied by some strangers. He said something to Anna and Ferdinand, then started giving orders in hushed voice.

"He suggests you get under the deck.", Seeker said, "you'll just get in the way."

"He's right.", Ferdinand said and pulled Anna after him.

"Whoa, why so quick?"

"It's dry down there, and I'm completely soaked."

They got down and the sounds of rain grew muffled. There were no stairs, only ladder, and the "down" covered three floors. They got off the ladder on the middle one. The corridor was lit only by one torch, and it was surprisingly narrow, considering the size of the ship. Northerners had to flatten themselves against the wall as few crewmembers walked past them, carrying the bodies of the guards.

"I hope they're alive.", Anna murmured. Ferdinand shrugged.

"In all honesty, I don't really care."

Anna looked at him.

"Really?"

"Look, those are insurgents and people whose job is to kill us if we try to escape. Anyway, let's go deeper down."

"Why?", Anna called, following him as he made his way down the ladder. After they were out of hearing range of other crewmembers, Ferdinand spoke:

"I want to examine the ship."

"Why?"

"Just in case."

Seeker stayed aboard, curious. The masts and sails weren't even touched and instead, people were moving under the deck, shooting her surprised and curious looks. They were manning the oars, she heard them speaking. The captain was giving orders and soon the lines were thrown off and the ship started to move. Slowly. Absurdly slowly. Seeker was sure she could run a few circles around the ship, or even around the island, before they moved away from the other ships and onto the waters of the bay. Well, that's a big ship, she reminded herself, I guess it's kind of faster under sails. The splashes of oars hitting the water were virtually inaudible among the splashes of raindrops meeting the sea. Seeker walked to the railing and stood on it with her front paws, watching the island slowly moving away from her and disappearing in the rain. She couldn't even see the keep, the rain was so dense. She hoped the keep can't see them either.

She turned back and noticed that what little of light was there was put out and the entire deck was plunged in darkness. There were surprisingly few people aboard - practically only Manco Xatec, three sailors by the steering wheel and Izel, who was standing on the ladder, apparently passing information between the captain and whoever was down there. After a moment he came out and Yaotl came aboard. Izel walked down and first officer started to talk with the captain. Curious, Seeker walked to them and stopped where they couldn't see her, listening.

"…we do about them?", Yaotl was asking.

"What do you mean, what do we do about them?", the captain answered. "We get rid of them somewhere in the Isles and get back to the Stormbringer."

"'Get rid of them' as in…?"

There was a moment of silence and what Seeker imagined was the captain's glare before Xatec spoke:

"Yao, are you crazy? They're the crown princess of some Northern nation whose queen made and sent this Seeker creature, and the brother to the king of the Isles. What do you think I meant by 'get rid of'? We put them on the shore and politely say goodbye."

I don't like what Yaotl was suggesting here, Seeker thought. There's something up with this crew…

"The prince already suspects us, and what if he finds something?"

"Yao, what didn't you understand? We can't sell them and we certainly can't kill them!"

"Why not the latter? The only person who can guess we're travelling together is this Hans, and who would believe anything he says? They'd rather assume he killed them himself!"

I really, really don't like the implications here, Seeker thought, tense. What would Ferdinand find that Yaotl would consider killing both him and Anna?

"Look, we don't have to kill them.", the captain said.

"What stops you? The princess? It's not like you haven't killed women before."

"Sure, just not the noble ones."

"What the difference?"

"The difference is, now we don't have to do this. They might not find anything."

Yaotl sighed with exasperation. Just what could Ferdinand find?, Seeker asked in her head again.

"Yao, you're not going to do something I wouldn't like, now would you?" The captain's voice was ice cold. After a moment of silence, the first officer said:

"No, I won't. But I will keep an eye on them."

"I wouldn't expect less. Just remember that they have this snow creature with them, and it has claws."

"Sure. I'll try not to look suspicious."

"Good man. Would you show them to their cabin?"

"Which one would it be?"

"I don't know. You're my left hand, find something."

"Thanks…"

"Hey, don't worry. In day or two we'll reach Schleich. We can drop them there."

Yaotl must've nodded, and then he walked to the ladder. Alright, Seeker thought, backing off, there's something wrong with those people. The question is, should I poke my nose in and risk Anna and Ferdinand becoming kind of dead, or should I stay away from the case and risk missing something important?

Ferdinand walked across the hull in tiptoes, counting.

"Alright, there's something wrong here.", he declared.

"You've said it like a thousand times already.", Anna reminded him, clearly tired. Ferdinand sighed. She probably thought he was being paranoid. Well, sometimes paranoiacs were right.

"And I stand by my point. Look, there's at least a meter's space between this wall and the wall of the next hold."

That caught her attention.

"There's some hidden room?"

"That's be my guess."

She nodded.

"I don't think captain Xatec would take kindly to you ripping the planks off to break into his secret room."

"I won't be destroying the hull, don't worry. There's got to be some way to enter this place."

He closed his eyes and started to knock on the wall with his hand, listening with his ear pressed to uneven wood.

"Watch for any crew members.", he told Anna.

"Don't worry, I am. Anything?"

"Not yet…" He was sure he heard an empty space behind the wall. Now he simply had to find a way… He started to press the planks and try to fit his fingers between them, hoping to find some way to open the hidden space. But he couldn't. Perhaps the entrance was in another room, or in the corridor…

click

Ha! He smiled and pulled out the plank.

"I found something!", he whispered and leaned inside. His jaw fell open. "Oh, crap."

"What is…? Wait, close it. Someone's coming.", Anna whispered.

"Ah… right, right. On it."

He quickly fitted the plank back, then turned and leaned on the wall, fighting the urge to pretend to do something innocently. A moment later, Yaotl came and started to show them out. Ferdinand smiled and followed him, hoping the first officer didn't see the tickle of cold sweat running down his spine.

Inside the room, he saw a collection of flags. And the first among them was large, featureless, blood-red one.

The pirate flag meaning 'we give no quarter'.