Weste-Schleich Passage
Aboard his flagship Eagle of Emblems, Prince Michael von Schwalbe of the Southern Isles rose the spyglass to his eye and looked through it at the expanse of water that separated the mountainous, sprawling island of Schleich from small Westerguard. Way south, great dark clouds were amassing over the horizon as the Stormbringing Ocean was doing what it was named for. The graphite wall under the clouds suggested that the rain had already started there, and in the skies, bright blue flashes of lighting could be seen.
"Looks like this one's going to be big, your grace.", the expeditionary squadron's commander, one Alschwanzen, said, standing next to the prince. Over them, the slowly darkening sky was virtually cloudless, and all around the wind was blowing north as the storm front was pushing the air out of its way, forcing all the ships to go west rather than southwest they intended. Michael's well-honed naval instincts which every Islander noble claimed to have been born with suggested that they should change tack soon, but he decided to leave the decision to commodore Alschwanzen. Everybody liked to think they had the last word in any matter, after all.
"What do you suggest, then, commodore?", Michael asked, lowering the spyglass and looking at the commodore with curious, know-nothing smile of a landlubber. He had chosen Alschwanzen to command the squad by the virtue of the man being a glory hound and attention-hungry, and the prince wasn't disappointed by sailor's reaction. The captain, his ego obviously bolstered, straightened and told Michael with know-it-all tone of voice:
"Well, sir, I assume you'd like to begin the negotiations or assault at Westerguard immediately after arrival, which would be rather problematic right now - you see, we can't really hold our position with wind like this. We might even risk losing some of the ships."
I know, you moron, Michael thought with annoyance, but nodded, keeping curious smile on his face. People were fragile puppets to manipulate, and he had put a lot of effort into melding this one to shape that fit him. Full of himself, yet perfectly obedient when the right strings were pulled.
"Then what should we do?", Michael asked.
"Well, your grace, I would suggest returning to Schleichesberg to weather the storm in favorable conditions, and come to Westerguard after it calms down."
Michael nodded thoughtfully, as if he hadn't reached the same conclusion upon noticing the building-up storm.
"Well, commodore, that sounds like a good proposition.", he said cheerfully. "Can we do this, then?"
"Oh, of course, your grace. Right away." Alschwanzen nodded vigorously and returned to his ship, bellowing orders with screechy, hard to bear voice. Sure, he was fairly capable commander, but it was Michael's personal opinion that the man shouldn't've gotten promoted beyond a captain. He was ordering the smallest things, as if his crew wouldn't realize that to fly a signal flag, one had to find the flag in the first place, or which lines were necessary to change a tack. It would be offending to any specialist, but sailors, the "pride of the Isles", were especially touchy about this.
Behind Alschwanzen's back, Michael waited until more than a few people were looking his way and then frowned at the commodore, letting mild disgust show on his face. One of the sailors who noticed it glanced at Alschwanzen and rolled his eyes, another smiled sourly. Michael turned back to the sea and raised the spyglass to his face, hiding a smile of satisfaction behind it. He had spread the rumor aboard all ships that he was saddled with Alschwanzen by his dear king Friedrich, and the fact that he was often showing his suffering caused by interacting with the commodore had helped him win over many sailors and officers alike.
All in all, he decided, they might be more loyal to me that Friedrich by the time we return to Koenigsberg.
Michael smiled again, scanning the horizon and noticing… he leaned forward, curious, and then cursed and grabbed the rail as the ship started to turn, changing the tack. He jumped between the sailors busy with the lines and onto the other side, then grabbed the spyglass dangling from his wrist again and leaned closer, looking. Was it just his imagination, or was there some ship sailing along the storm front? It was hard to say at this distance, not to mention that it looked more like blurred dot than any actual thing…
A higher wave rose and he couldn't see it anymore. Well, maybe it was just something on the spyglass…
Stormbringer's edge
"We're swimming in the wrong direction.", Ferdinand whispered, looking north from Cualli Totchli and leaning on ship's railing. Standing on two paws next to him, Seeker eyed him curiously.
"How do you know?", she asked. Ferdinand still wasn't sure how she could speak, or where did her mind come from, but over the last few days, he stopped caring. He rubbed his arm's stump and answered:
"It's the Stormbringer, and a storm is coming, so the wind is blowing due north. We should be broad-reaching, if not running, and instead we're in some weird place between beam-reaching and sailing close-hauled, and we're going straight east."
"I've got no idea what you've said after 'should be', but 'kay, if you say so." Seeker turned to glance towards the storm front on ship's sideboard side. Ferdinand did so as well. The rain could already be heard here. The storm looked nasty, to say the least, and back when he still commanded a ship, Ferdinand would never sail with Northern Wind into it…
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, banishing the images he had been seeing in his nightmares. Gone, he told them. You're gone. Over. And… what was I thinking about?
He sighed and shook his head, opening his eyes. The storm was certainly a powerful one, perhaps one of the first big winter monsters, as they were usually called. Early time for one, but freak weather happened from time to time. The crew of Cualli Totchli, though, seemed unperturbed, continuing to do their job with perhaps a single glance towards the thick, gray mass of clouds.
Ferdinand turned back.
"I wonder why we won't go north.", he told Seeker. "The captain said he wants to get rid of the three of us as quickly as possible, didn't he?"
"Yeah. Any ideas?"
Ferdinand shook his head.
"Nothing. But it's strange. Totchli has no supplies, but it has three passengers that can get nosy. If I were Xatec, I'd like to resupply as fast as possible and be on my merry way home."
"Perhaps he has different plans. We might've not heard it all.", Seeker noted. "Maybe Yaotl convinced him to take you two hostage and demand ransom or something."
"With you aboard? I wouldn't place bets on their survival…"
He stopped, hearing footsteps behind him, and turned in alarm, expecting a sailor who overheard a bit too much. Instead, it was Anna, wrapped in borrowed, too big storm cloak. She stopped by the rail, grabbing it with one hand, and said:
"Yaotl is already showing us under the deck.", she told them. "What do you think?"
"I think we could still outrun the storm, if we turned more north.", Ferdinand told her, gloomy. Despite its ludicrousness, Seeker's idea was growing more probable.
The snow creature told Anna what they were talking about and the princess nodded.
"Maybe Xatec wants to avoid something.", she said, lowering her voice.
"What could he be thinking about?", Ferdinand asked. "He was on Westerguard with no news far longer than us. If there was some pirate-catching operation going on in the south, I'd be more likely to know this than him."
Anna shrugged.
"I don't know. But if you're right and they are pirates ready to kill us, I'm afraid it would be actually safer to hide under the deck. Not to mention…" She turned to the storm and swallowed visibly. "This doesn't look inviting."
Ferdinand nodded slowly, remembering that Anna's parents had died in a storm while on the way back from the Isles, in what Navy's investigators deemed to be a winter monster gone way north. The prince decided not to mention to her that what she was looking at was likely the same kind of storm that had killed half of her closest family.
"Alright.", he said. "Let's go under the deck."
They had two small cabins for themselves, but they decided to stay in one in this weather. Ferdinand looked around for any loose objects, while Anna was sitting on the small bed, looking cautiously at the wall.
"It's not the hull.", the prince noted, checking if the drawer is closed properly.
"Sure… But if the water would enter the ship, it would get in our cabin this way, right?"
Ferdinand remembered something his father had told him once - the more you know something, the less you fear it. He decided to explain.
"Not really. Most likely, it would break in through one of the rooms adjacent to the hull. Then it would flow into the corridor through the door and enter all the rooms on the way before it'd reach us." He rose his eyes. "Don't worry, we wouldn't miss it happening. Upon breaching the hull, we'd hear the mother of all cracks and the sound of water entering the ship is unmistakable."
"If you say so…", Anna said slowly.
"Besides", Seeker, sitting on the floor, noted, "you've got me to pull you to safety, huh? And I'm ice, I'll float."
"Right. True.", Anna nodded and closed her eyes for a moment. "I just remember what happened during the last storm we've been in."
"There's no Hans or Hauser to open fire at us now.", Ferdinand noted. "Not to mention that we won't be coming aboard, so no freak wave will push you off the deck. And then there's Seeker."
"True.", Anna admitted, looking at the wall once again, and then glancing at the candle standing on a drawer. "We'll have to put it out, won't we?"
"Mhm. Wouldn't like to have fire on a ship."
"Right." She leaned closer and puffed, and the room was plunged into darkness.
After a few more minutes, the faint swinging of the ship stopped, and the sounds outside seemed to have calmed down.
"The storm receded or what?", Anna asked.
"Nah. You know this saying, calm before the storm?"
"Mhm. Let me guess, based on reality?"
"Pretty much."
Soon, the ship started to swing stronger from side to side, although for Ferdinand, it was still much smaller movement that he expected. The giant ship was absurdly stable. Then torrents of wind hit it with loud howling, and after a moment they were joined by crescendo choir of giant raindrops hitting the hull. The ship leaned heavier on the wind and Ferdinand winced, starting to feel the floor move under him. The ship leaned back and rain hit stronger, louder, more numerous. The ship leaned again and wood creaked under it. Ferdinand could feel Totchli speed up, as more wind was blowing in the sails.
Sometime later, it was a full-blown storm. Outside there was steady rumble, staccato of rain, bangs of lightning and roars of sea and wind trying to force the ship into surrender. Totchli was swinging from side to side, leaning stronger to the left. In the darkness under the deck, Ferdinand cursed quietly. It's been ages since he's last been under the deck for the storm, and he wished nothing but being able to get aboard. Not that the crew would let him… Crack!
"Was this hull breach?!", Anna asked quickly, her voice loud over the rumble and cracks and creaking.
"Sounded like lightning to me!", Seeker called.
"She's right! And the ship must've swam into storms like this before!", Ferdinand added. "Something like this won't even scratch the paint!"
In the dark, he glimpsed Anna nodding, but grabbing the smoothed edge of the drawer.
It was some time later and the ship was swinging widely, but not to the sides. They must've changed the course at one point, and were now going definitely close-hauled, perhaps on the edge of no-go zone, as close to the wind as the ship could, so that they would cut the waves instead of being pushed left and right by them. Now they were diving and then rising, the wood creaking heavily, but nowhere near alarming, practically drowned by booms and cracks of the storm.
Anna had fitted herself between bed and drawer, so that the constant swings wouldn't throw her back and forth, Ferdinand was sitting on the other side of the drawer, balancing with his legs and hand, and Seeker seemed to have frozen herself to the floor. Suddenly, she rose her head and called:
"You know, I've been thinkin'! About what we were talking about on the deck!"
"And?!", Ferdinand asked.
"They have this high platform on the mast to watch the sea, right?!"
"Crow's nest, yes! And?!"
"Perhaps they were going east because they saw something to the north?!"
"Like what?!"
"Dunno! Pirate patrol?!"
A lightning stroke with a crack. After the thunder passed, Anna spoke up:
"Navy of the Isles! Hans was suggesting they'd be there soon!"
Really?
"Now you're telling me about this?!", Ferdinand asked.
"I figured if we waited for them, we'd never get off the island!"
Ferdinand clenched his teeth and then nodded.
"Tru-" He didn't finish when a strong dive threw him on the wall. He hit it with a crack and winced, feeling pain erupt in his stump.
"You 'kay?!", Seeker asked.
"Fine! I've got an idea! How about we ditch Totchli now, jump and let Seeker take us north, to ours?!"
"In this weather?!", Anna asked incredulously.
"I've been running in the storms before!", Seeker answered. "I think it could work!"
"Are you sure it's not better to wait until it ends?!"
"We don't know how south we'll end up!", Seeker noted.
"And we don't know if the Navy will still be there by that time!", Ferdinand added.
"We've got no idea if it's there at all!", Anna called.
"We could at least get to Schleich!", the prince told her.
For a moment, the only sound in the cabin was roar and thunder and creaking of the wood. The ship's prow rose again and Ferdinand slid back to the drawer, then was thrown forward again. He cursed and positioned himself so that his legs wouldn't let him slide back of forth again. Anna spoke up.
"I think…"
She didn't finish. The door opened suddenly. Somebody was standing in it.
"Who's there?!", Ferdinand called.
"Yaotl!", the man said. "How are you?!"
"Fine!", Ferdinand told him. Something was wrong…
"You know Islander?!", Anna asked in surprise. Right.
Ferdinand heard a curse.
"Ah, well. Doesn't matter right now!"
"What?! Why?!", Ferdinand called, getting to his feet. The shape in the door had something in his hands and…
"Crossbow!", the prince called and ducked as the bolt shot at him. The Seeker jumped to her feet and put the man down. He called something in Southron and produced a blade. Before he could pierce Seeker, Ferdinand jumped to his hand and grabbed it, then dive sent him on the wall.
"Knock him out!", Anna called, standing up as well. A moment later Ferdinand heard a thump and Seeker stood up.
"I suggest leaving!", she called.
"Now it's a good idea!", Anna said and helped Ferdinand up. Clutching the knife, the prince followed them outside. Going after the white shape of Seeker, he ran forward, swinging from side to side as the ship was leaning. He fell forward when it dove again, but got to his feet in time.
"Anna?!", he called.
"Fine!", she answered behind him.
"Hush!", Seeker said.
They reached the ladder and Ferdinand pulled the knife into his pocket. Streams of rain were falling down it by the edges of the hatch above.
"It's closed!", the prince told the others.
"No, Yaotl got down somehow!", Anna noted and started to climb up. "The hatch's on swings!", she called from above.
"Right, now would you get down and carry me?!" Seeker asked. Anna walked down and the snow greyhound jump on her back, then the princess slowly climbed up. Ferdinand followed her, even slower as he had only one hand. Anna kept the hatch open for him and icy cold rain, mixed with salty wave water, kept on falling on him, hindering him even more. I'm so slow!, he thought with irritation. We don't have time for this!
Finally Seeker and Anna grabbed him and pulled him up. Ferdinand looked around, breathing in water and air of the storm. The deck was a familiar chaos, only bigger, as people were holding the lines, shouting, giving and passing orders, working the sails…
The captain, looking forward until now, turned to them.
"What are you-", he started and stopped suddenly, realizing he was speaking Islander.
"Right, right!", Anna said, helping Ferdinand get to his feet. "We're leaving!"
"What?!"
"We've found the flags!", Ferdinand called. He made sure the way is clear and then run like hell to the port side. In front of him, Seeker jumped down the bridge, followed closely by Anna. Ferdinand took the stairs and saw the Seeker jump beyond the ship like there was no sea. Anna stopped for a moment, as if frozen, and then jumped as well. Ferdinand prepared himself…
The ship's swing shot him forward and he flew over the railing and into the water.
He barely caught a breath before he hit the mad sea and plunged underwater. It was icily cold and the currents were pushing him in every direction, disorienting him in dark chaos. Hoping he's facing up, he kicked, swimming forward.
His head broke the surface and he looked around, noticing the white shape on the water. He barely managed to call before wave covered him and pushed him deeper. He swam to the surface again, but before he could reach it, something grabbed him and pulled him up. He landed on something.
"Hold to the ice!", he heard over the crash of wind, and water, feeling cold under his cheek. He closed his eyes, pushing his body as close to the float as he could and noting that the ice seemed to be freezing around him, grabbing him and holding. The float was anything but calm - the sea tossed it around, up and down, to the sides, in every possible direction.
"How are you?!", he heard Anna next to him.
"Cool, you?!"
"Will do!"
"Great!", he heard Seeker behind him. "And now we're going north!"
Schleichesberg, island of Schleich
The wind was surprisingly calm in Schleich bay. The night had fallen a few hours back, and the dinner on Eagle of Emblems had ended an hour ago. Michael was secretly glad - as usual during their trip together, Alschwanzen had been 'entertaining' his noble guest with tales of sea travel that might've fooled one of Confederate landsmen, but definitely not someone born and raised in culture that favored sail above all else. Nevertheless, the prince had played interested, occasionally exchanging pained glances with Eagle's captain, Verberk. Michael had managed to shape this particular man to his wishes and was sure Verberk would aid him when the time came. Apparently, the father of three was, like many, furious with Friedrich for what the king had done to his daughter.
Yes, Michael thought, as he walked down the pier on the evening stroll. That was well thought out.
He stopped when he saw a figure standing on the pier and looking towards the Navy's ships. There was something familiar about it. Michael quickly walked closer, narrowing his eyes. The figure turned to him and waved.
"Michael! It's so good to see you! I've heard you were in charge here?"
Oh, great. Out of all people, him.
"Ferdinand!" Michael smiled widely, stretching his arms and running closer. "You're alive!"
He grabbed his brother into tight hug, feeling that he could strangle him about now. Navy loved Ferdinand, 'their man', and his presence was bound to make people side with him. Well, I'll have to be careful, Michael told himself.
"Ugh! Michael, you'll break my ribs!", Ferdinand uttered, happiness radiating from his voice. The older brother let him go and moved back a step.
"What happened to you?", he asked, looking him over. Navy boy looked like someone had pulled him through a wringer, his face was hunger-struck, and he was shaking slightly as he moved. And… his hand. His hand was missing.
"What happened?", Michael asked again, this time honestly curious. "Who did this to you? Hans?"
"Cannonball.", Ferdinand answered, smiling tightly. "Long story. Mind getting to your ship? It's Eagle of Emblems, right?"
"Yeah. How do you know?"
"I've met some sailors in a bar. I bet they're looking for you right now."
Oh, great, it's getting better, Michael thought with annoyance. I can't even remove him before people meet him, because they already know he's here. Great! Just great!
"Alright. Then let's get to it and you'll tell me on the way."
Ferdinand nodded and they started to walk down the pier.
"They opened fire at us. The keep. The ship that took my hand shot me off board. I was…" He shook his head. "I don't think anybody else made it…"
He stopped for a moment. Michael patted him on the arm.
"And then?", he asked.
"Well, long story short… Hans was holding me in his keep, I've decided to escape. I managed to open my cell and teamed up with bunch of sailors from sequestered pendulum ship. We sneaked out, took the ship back and escaped when the rains were falling. They wanted to get back home, so they dropped me here and left." He shrugged. "I've talked with people in the bars, they said you were here in the morning. Apparently I've arrived after you left. I've noticed the storm, so I figured you'd probably return here to weather it. Seems I was right."
"You were. And it's good to have you back.", Michael lied, leading Ferdinand aboard the Eagle.
Just as he feared, the crew was abnormally happy to see Ferdinand and soon Navy boy became the focus of attention as everybody wanted to know what had happened and how he had escaped Hans' clutches. Someone brought out a bottle of beer, people cheered, those from other ships too, and everyone seemed to want to have a chance to speak to Navy boy. Michael, pretending to be just as happy as everyone else, worked hard not to gnash his teeth. If Ferdinand found out about the rightful king's plans, he'd undo all prince's hard work without much effort.
Finally, Michael managed to take Ferdinand off the deck, helped by Navy boy saying he's absolutely exhausted. Michael got into his cabin. It had two beds, so the prince shoved his things off one.
"If you don't mind sharing a cabin with me.", he said.
"Sure not."
"I'll get you a doctor to see that stump.", he added. "But that's tomorrow. Have some sleep, Ferdinand, I still have some things to do."
"Sure. Goodnight, and…" Ferdinand smiled. "It's nice to see you again."
Michael forced a smile.
"Nice to see you too.", he said and left the cabin, looking for a place where he could vent his frustration.
"Is he gone?", Seeker asked under Anna's feet. "Because this is annoying as hell."
"Ah, be calm.", the princess whispered, looking down. For any outside observer, they were sure to be a pretty picture. Seeker made an ice float on the water, then stood on it on two feet, leaning on the ship's hull with her front paws. On her maw, Anna was balancing, grabbing the metal edge of a porthole a bit over her own head.
And so they were standing for the last few minutes.
"Are you sure this is the right window?", Seeker whispered in annoyance.
"Don't worry! I remember which one Ferdinand had shown us!"
"Nah, you don't.", she heard next to her. She turned and saw Ferdinand's head sticking out of another porthole. "It's the next one."
"Sorry!"
"I'm not moving from here!", Seeker declared.
"Fine, I can hear you.", Ferdinand said. "How are you?"
"Great.", Anna told him, balancing on Seeker's sleek nose. "Now, may I ask, why are we hiding from your brother?"
"I don't trust Michael."
Anna looked at him with shock.
"Seriously?", Seeker hissed.
"Do you trust anybody?", Anna asked.
"Some people, yeah. But he's acting strange."
Anna glared at him.
"Meaning…?"
"He hugged me."
Seeker snorted.
"Truly, a mark of suspicious activity."
"Look, he never did that before."
"Maybe that's because you've never been lost for so long before?", Anna said. "Besides, come on! It's your family. If not them, who can you trust?"
"Anyone but them!"
Anna was taken aback by this statement. She tried to imagine what would it be like if she couldn't trust Elsa. After all, even after years of separation, they were still family, right? And yet…
"Look, just please keep low, alright?", Ferdinand asked. "I have… I've heard that our family wasn't really happy about how your sister dealt with Hans. And we still don't know who kidnapped you."
Well, he was right at this point.
"You think it could be Michael?"
"I don't know. The only one I don't suspect is Friedrich. He's too straightforward for that."
"Alright." Anna nodded. "So I guess I'll lend a room in the city. Got any money?"
"I'll find some of Michael's."
He disappeared in the cabin. Anna waited, feeling her raised hands grow numb, and her legs starting to hurt. Finally, a hand holding a bag emerged from the porthole and thrown the bag. Anna caught it, but fell down. Seeker cursed and caught her before she could hit the water, and the two of them stood on the float. Ferdinand looked outside.
"You there?", he asked.
"Look down.", she told him. "I've got the money."
"Good. I'll let you know when we'll be leaving, maybe manage to sneak you aboard."
"Alright. Goodnight, then."
"Goodnight. Take care."
"You too."
They nodded to each other and Ferdinand's head disappeared. Anna looked down at Seeker, who answered with a glare.
"So how am I supposed to get into any inn?", the creature asked.
"I'll carry you on my back and throw the coat over you to pretend you're a backpack."
Seeker sighed.
"Fine… let's go."
"If that's all, your grace, goodnight."
"Yes, that's it. Thank you and goodnight to you too.", Michael answered the port clerk and left, curious.
He would never expect the Navy boy to lie. And yet Ferdinand's story didn't fit in. The port clerk, the man who kept track of all the ships coming and going in Schleichesberg, didn't have any pendulum ship in his records from the last few weeks. So then, how did Ferdinand arrive on the island?
I'm not the only one who's playing his own game here, Michael thought, and he didn't like it at all.