Chapter 56: The Reef

"Magic?" Seacat clenched her teeth as she looked at Castaspella. She gestured at the barrels in the Horde frigate's hold. "You mean the water here has been poisoned by magic?"

The other woman nodded. "By a spell, as far as I can tell. A recent casting - I could make out some lingering magical residue."

"A spell." Seacat nodded.

"Which means we're dealing with a sorcerer, not a princess," Castaspella added.

"I'm aware of that," Seacat told her. She had spent a lot of time with princesses, after all.

"Many aren't aware of the differences between the two," Castaspella replied. "They just think all magic is the same."

Seacat tilted her head at the sorceress. "I'm quite familiar with the differences. We have been discussing runestones a lot, remember?" That came out a little sharper than she had wanted, but the sorceress's attitude grated on her. "I'm more concerned with what this means. Do we have a sorceress hidden amongst the crew? And can they poison our water supplies? From how far away? And how noticeable is such a spell?"

"Those are very good questions." Castaspella smiled as if she were in a lesson. "Unfortunately, I haven't identified the spell, so I cannot answer them. Neither can I tell if the poison was created by magic, or merely transported by magic. It's been too long since it was cast."

Great.

Mermista groaned and rolled her eyes but, fortunately, didn't comment on that.

"So, our water supply could be poisoned already." Seacat shook her head. "You need to test for magic regularly. And we'll need one of those water-makers for the Victory's Daughter."

Castaspella nodded - to Seacat's surprise without adding anything.

She huffed. "And now we need to find a way to deal with a ship full of Horde prisoners. We'll discuss this on our ship."

"Indeed!" Sea Hawk agreed.

She climbed up the ladder to the main deck. The bug princess was talking to the assembled prisoners - well, most of them. Two were dripping wet, so they were probably amongst those who had been thrown overboard during the fighting and had managed to stay afloat long enough to get rescued.

"...and the Fright Zone has changed! It's full of fields and plants now - and cooler than before. Not by much, it's still warm, but it's not the same as you have known!" the princess said, gesticulating with her massive pincers. "And we're at peace! You don't have to worry about war any more!"

"How is that possible?" one Horde sailor asked. A few more muttered various curses about the princess lying, though Seacat didn't think anyone except for her could hear those.

"That's my work," Perfuma said, smiling at them. "I'm Princess Perfuma of Plumeria."

The front rank of the prisoners backed away a little at Perfuma's declaration. Obviously, her reputation had preceded her - if they had known her, they wouldn't be afraid, in Seacat's opinion. Even though they probably should be afraid; Seacat could imagine what an angry Perfuma could do.

But here and now, Perfuma wasn't angry. She beamed at the scum and held up her hand. "I can make plants grow," she said. "Look!"

From the seed in her hand, a sapling grew in seconds, turning into a small plant - a small tree - and bearing fruits. Everyone stared, and the curses turned into exclamations of surprise.

"Tiny fruits!" A purple strand of hair shot towards the small apple tree and grabbed a fruit. A moment later, Entrapta was munching on the apple. "Oh, delicious!"

The Horde scum had retreated some more. Apparently, magical hair tentacles were scarier than magically growing plants. At least to those who didn't know better.

"Entrapta? Did you finish the water-maker?"

"Yes! I told you it would be easy, didn't I?" Entrapta laughed. "It's already working in the hold." She frowned. "But I might need more barrels. I only had a bucket, and the water might start to overflow. Actually, it might be overflowing already - it was a small bucket."

Seacat resisted the urge to slap her forehead. "Alright. Castaspella, can you clean the water barrels so they can hold freshwater?"

"I should be able to, yes."

"Do so. Entrapta, please help her set up the barrels."

"Water!"

"They're making water!"

"Water!"

"Water!"

Anyone with ears could hear those mutterings. Seacat grimaced. "Scorpia, please ensure that the barrels are brought up as soon as they are full. And keep the prisoners from accidentally wrecking the machine."

"Uh… right." The bug princess nodded, smashed her pincers together and smiled - with teeth - at the Horde sailors. "You heard her! Water's coming! Behave until then, you hear?" her stinger twitched above her head.

Once more, the sailors tried to back off - but they were already pressing into the railing, so they only pushed into each other. At least they seemed cowed enough not to make trouble. As long as the water came quickly, at least.

Entrapta's head appeared in the open hatch. "Uh… can someone run the pumps? I kind of underestimated my machine's efficiency…" She smiled widely and forcedly.

Seacat closed her eyes. Right. She should've expected that.

"They're pirates. They should hang." Mermista didn't quite sneer, but she came close, Seacat saw - even in the dimmer light of the hold of the Victoria's Daughter. If only the captain's cabin were big enough to fit everyone but Alcy, Lucy, Horas and Entrapta, who were over on the frigate!

"But they haven't done any pirating yet!" Adora protested.

"The important word is 'yet'," Mermista retorted. "They deserted to become pirates."

"But they didn't do any pirating," the bug princess cut in with a deep frown.

"They tried to take over Beast Island," Glimmer pointed out.

"They didn't succeed," Adora said.

"So? If they had tried to board us and failed, wouldn't it count as piracy either?" Mermista sniffed. "In fact, they did try to fight us."

"After we fired a warning shot. And they were mad with thirst," Perfuma said. "We can't blame them for overreacting in those circumstances."

Of course they could, in Seacat's opinion. They were Horde scum and pirates. Still...

"Beast Island is ours - mine - so I should be able to decide whether or not that counts, shouldn't I?" the bug princess asked. "And, ah, I say it doesn't count. So there!" She crossed her arms and huffed.

"Beast Island isn't yours! You lost it years ago when you abandoned it to whatever had taken over," Glimmer said.

"What? That was a temporary setback. And it wasn't my decision!" the bug princess protested. "You didn't think the territory we conquered was ours, either, did you?"

"We beat you," Glimmer told her. "That's not the same."

"Uh… It's not about the island," Bow said. "It's about what we're going to do with the prisoners."

"According to the law of the sea, we took their ship in battle, and so she's ours. We can send her back to Salineas with a prize crew," the Captain said.

"We can't actually spare a prize crew," Seacat pointed out. "We need everyone for the mission. And even if we could spare a crew, we couldn't spare enough to keep the prisoners in line and crew the ship."

Sea Hawk coughed into his fist. "Well, yes, but that's just the reality of our circumstances, not the law."

"And the law also says that pirates hang," Mermista added.

"They haven't actually done any piracy," Adora tried again.

"Only because they didn't have the opportunity," Mermista said.

"They might have abandoned their plans anyway once they heard about the changes to the Fright Zone," the bug princess retorted.

Unsurprisingly, Perfuma agreed. "Yes! We can't just assume the worst and kill people for something they might or might not have done!"

"And what are our alternatives?" Glimmer asked. "We can't just set them free and hope they won't turn to piracy anyway; that would make us responsible for everyone they kill."

"And for every ship they sink," Mermista added.

"We can't just kill them without a trial," Bow retorted, frowning at Glimmer. "They surrendered, and we accepted their surrender."

"We're not at war any more, anyway," Adora said.

"But we're at sea, and we fought them." Seacat shook her head. "That's different from fighting bandits. I think."

"It's actually not very different," Glimmer said. "We just have fewer rules for looting their stuff."

"We're not talking about loot," Bow spoke up again. "We are discussing what to do with two hundred Horde sailors!"

"Former Horde sailors." Mermista scoffed.

"I can take them all back into service - I think I said something about that," the Horde princess said.

Perfuma nodded twice. "You did at least imply that there was a place for them in the new Fright Zone. It would be unjust to turn around and kill them for something they didn't do."

"At least without a trial," Bow repeated himself.

"We can hold a trial," Mermista said. "Try them for piracy. Attempted piracy."

"We would need a defender for them," Bow countered. "And the defender would need time to prepare the case."

"Yes. The trial has to be fair," Sea Hawk said, then cringed at Mermista's glare. "It's the law of the sea."

"So, we can't hold a trial here. And we can't keep them prisoners." Adora nodded. "Which means we have to let them go."

"We can't keep their ship? It's much nicer than ours," Castaspella said.

"What?" Seacat glared at her. "It's a tub! A swimming hulk! The Victory's Daughter beats her on all counts!"

"I get much less sick over there," the sorceress replied. She did look a little green in the face, Seacat noted.

"Anyway - no, we don't have room for the Horde crew. We can't keep the ship. And we can't count on being able to drop them off at Beast Island," Seacat said.

"And we can't kill them without trial," Bow repeated himself again.

"We can't expect them to show up for a trial, though. If we set them free, they'll get away," Mermista said.

"So?" Adora replied. "They didn't actually do anything yet. And we can dump their guns in the ocean so they can't attack another ship."

That seemed to be a decent compromise. They couldn't waste too much time on this, anyway - not with Etheria still in danger.

Seacat nodded. "Who's in favour of disarming the ship and sending them to the Fright Zone?"

Adora raised her hand, as did the bug princess, Perfuma and Bow. After a moment, Seacat raised her hand as well. And that sealed it.

Adora was quite enthusiastic about throwing the guns overboard. Seacat, standing on the bridge of the Victory's Daughter, shook her head with a smile as she watched her lover on the Horde frigate heave and launch a carronade over the railing. The splash the gun made as it hit the water almost reached the deck. Thanks to her strength, the Horde ship would be disarmed in no time - before all of the Horde sailors had gotten their first drink of fresh water, Seacat guessed. Not that it mattered - the Horde sailors hadn't any fight left in them. Certainly not after that demonstration. And if they had, they wouldn't have any weapons - the bug princess and Perfuma were throwing the crossbows and swords overboard.

"That was a good decision."

She turned. Sea Hawk had joined her on the bridge and he was smiling brightly at her. She couldn't see Mermista.

"My dear Mermista is resting," Sea Hawk said.

That probably meant sulking in the cabin - Seacat's cabin. Mermista hadn't taken the decision to let the Horde sailors go gracefully. Seacat glanced down to the door leading belowdecks.

The Captain leaned against the railing next to her. "She's not mad. Well, not really."

Seacat snorted.

"She just needs a little time to come around," Sea Hawk insisted. "You know her - she likes to have her way, but she won't hold it against you."

"You think it was a good decision?" Seacat asked. He hadn't voted for it, after all. Then again, Mermista might have taken that badly. If Seacat had voted against Adora… No, Adora would've understood. Eventually.

"Yes." Sea Hawk blinked. "Well, it was good to see you make the decision, I mean. You've come a long way from the little girl I found so long ago. Well, not so long ago, actually."

She snorted at his comment so she wouldn't sniffle. "It's been a few years."

"And you've become a great sailor - and now a captain." He nodded at her. "It's a big step, becoming captain of your own ship. I remember my first ship and my first crew. I was older than you were but much less prepared. I think. And I think my crew would agree."

"You taught me well," Seacat said.

"As well as I could, at least, though one always wonders what one could've done better." He sighed. "But you handled the decisions well. You know your ship and the sea. You have your crew in hand. And your heart's in the right place. A sailor can't ask for more from a captain."

Seacat nodded, pressing her lips together for a moment so she wouldn't blurt out something embarrassing or stupid. "You'll still be my captain." She clenched her teeth right afterwards. So much for not saying something stupid.

He laughed, though. "That's normal. I still remember my first captain - well, the first I liked. My actual first captain wasn't… Anyway, I'm proud of you. Very proud. And I wanted to let you know. I know you'll be a great captain. The greatest."

"After you," Seacat replied.

"Greater." He twirled his moustache. "A child is supposed to eclipse their parents, after all."

She stiffened. That was… well, they hadn't really talked about that. And she wasn't sure if she wanted to touch that. It was a little much to handle. Not that she had ever doubted that he loved her. Not after she had gotten to know him. But to hear it like that… "Does that make Mermista my mother?" she asked, forcing herself to grin.

"In a sense, yes," he replied at once. "She certainly feels protective of you. Always has, actually, even if she tried to hide it."

"Don't let her hear that," Seacat told him. "She'll think you called her old."

He laughed at that. "Probably. But she'll know what I mean." He looked at the sea. "She's a formidable woman. But so are you. I'm proud of you both."

"I'm proud of you," Seacat replied. She sniffled. Once. "You taught me all I know."

"Oh, hardly. I tried my best, but some things you have to find out for yourself." He laughed again, though it sounded a little forced. Was he feeling embarrassed as well? He rarely was and never showed it, in her experience.

She nodded. Ahead of them, another gun hit the ocean.

"Anyway." He reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "You'll do fine. I just wanted to let you know."

Before they continued to Beast Island. To save the world. "Thank you." She hesitated a moment, then turned to hug him. She didn't let go of him for a while. And ignored his sniffles like he ignored hers.

"Reef ahead!" Licy, who was serving as lookout, called from above.

"Just where it's supposed to be," Seacat commented after a glance at the charts, which they had updated with the charts taken from the Horde ship, before sending the scum on their way. At least their water hadn't been poisoned, so the odds of the sorcerer hiding amongst the Horde crew were low.

"Island ahead!"

"That, too," Seacat said. "Stay the course but slow down," she told Horas, who was at the helm. "Alcy, go to the bow, check for underwater reefs."

"Aye aye, Captain!" The woman saluted, which earned her a snort from Seacat.

Horas merely grunted, which was good enough - they weren't in the Navy.

Seacat moved to the railing overlooking the main deck, then vaulted over it, landing on the deck. Another jump and she was in the rigging, scaling up to the crow's nest.

She wanted to see the island with her own eyes.

"It's straight ahead," Licy said.

"I see it," Seacat replied, wrapped her arm around the rigging's lines and pulled out her telescope.

Beast Island looked like any other jungle island to her. At least at first glance. Some beaches, then the jungle, covering the entire island including the central hill. Big enough to have its own water source - they knew that from the Horde records. But…

"I see no buildings. Or ruins," she said. "There should be a small harbour with a pier." She quickly ran a calculation through her head. Yes, they were on a course that should show the harbour. "No ships or their remains, either. Wait!"

She focused on the beaches. There - that stone formation was too even. Too straight. And in the water… "There was a port there," she said. "But it's gone except for the foundations."

Someone must have razed it.

"The harbour is gone?" Mermista looked taken aback. "Who would've done such a thing?"

"Someone who wants to discourage visitors?" Adora suggested. "No harbour, no ships?"

"You don't need a harbour to make landfall," Seacat pointed out. "Razing the port facilities makes the island less attractive, but since it's the only island in the area, it's still the only option for a base. Or to get freshwater."

"Yes." Sea Hawk nodded. "Though it also makes it less obvious that the island is or was inhabited."

"Which makes it easier to surprise an unsuspecting crew." Seacat nodded.

"You mean it's a trap?" Glimmer asked.

Seacat shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first island or peninsula that serves as a trap for ships. Though usually, they lure them into reefs with fake lighthouses, then plunder the cargo." And kill any survivors. She'd heard tales of such bottom feeders. Entire villages working together… Worse than pirates.

"Do you think that whoever is behind this was behind the poisoning of the Horde frigate's water?" Bow asked. "But they let them go, didn't they?"

"They would need a ship to collect a drifting frigate," Mermista said, "though she wouldn't have to be a large one. A boat would suffice to carry enough crew to take the ship to the island."

"But where would they take the ship?" Adora asked. "If there's no port."

"Good question." Seacat smiled at her. "We don't know anything concrete - this is just speculation."

"Yes." Bow nodded. "The island could've been razed by someone who left already."

"I doubt that," Castaspella spoke up. She shook her head, then grimaced and closed her eyes. "Sorry."

Seacat made an agreeing noise. The woman really had no sea legs at all.

"This is the location of the First One's base," Castaspella went on. "If they razed the Horde facilities, then that was likely done to make the island look uninhabited - to hide the actual base."

"We didn't know about the First One's base, so it was already hidden," the bug princess pointed out.

"Someone wanted to hide it better?" Adora shrugged. "No people on the island means no chance the base can be found."

"Other than the people who did the razing," Seacat said. "We have to assume that they are still there."

"Scavengers. Looters. Tomb raiders." Mermista scowled. "And well-organised ones, if they could raze a port."

"We might be dealing with a kingdom," Glimmer said. "They would have the resources for such an expedition. But which kingdom? Few have the ships for this."

"They can find ships with experienced crews for hire," Sea Hawk told them. "But where would the ship be?"

"So… we might have to deal with a princess?" Adora asked.

"It's a possibility," Glimmer said. "Unless this is the work of the Horde."

Seacat nodded. Shadow Weaver would've loved plundering a First One's base. And she might have sent a secret expedition behind Hordak's back. "Right. We have to be prepared for anything. And we need to find a way through the reefs." Before they could find out who was on the island, they needed to reach the island first.

"How do we do that?" Adora asked. "Go diving?"

"No," Seacat told her. "We'll use the longboat. Mermista can keep the currents from smashing it against a reef, and we can find the safe channel like that."

"It'll be tiring, but I can't think of a better way," Mermista agreed.

While underwater reefs would slice open the hull of any ship, even a small courier like the Victory's Daughter, a longboat would be able to pass safely over all but the most shallow ones. But the visible reefs...

"Fret not! We shall find the safe passage in no time!" Sea Hawk announced. "My dear Mermista rules the oceans as their queen! No depths hold any secrets from her, nor does any current resist her command! Other than the Maelstrom, of course."

"And the rest of us wait on the ship?" Glimmer asked, apparently ignoring the Captain's declaration.

"Yes," Seacat told her. "Most of you wouldn't be able to help." Well, Entrapta might be able to whip up a device, but she would probably have to use the engine for parts.

Both Glimmer and Adora frowned. "And you're going too?" Adora asked.

"Yes."

"No. As the captain of the Victory's Daughter, your place is here!" Sea Hawk contradicted her.

Seacat opened her mouth to set him straight - if she was the captain, then her word was law, and the longboat belonged to her ship - but closed it again. He was right, damn it!

"Good!" Adora nodded. Rather sharply, Seacat noted. "And we'll be ready to come to your aid, should anything happen. Glimmer can fetch you in the blink of an eye."

"Excellent! Let's go!" Sea Hawk raised his fist to the sky. "We shall brave the reefs and pave the way for the island! Adventure!"

Mermista shook her head and dragged him towards the longboat before he could say anything more.

"They'll be alright," Seacat said as the longboat pulled away from the Victory's Daughter. Sea Hawk was standing in the bow, ready with the sounding line to measure the depth of the water, and Mermista was using her magic to guide the boat through the waves.

"Of course they'll be," Glimmer said. "I'm keeping an eye on them."

"It's an awfully strong current, though," Adora pointed out. "We have to run the engine just to stay in place."

"You should see the Maelstrom one of those days," Seacat told her with a grin. "It makes this current look like a gentle wave on the beach."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's suicide to enter it, but we can safely sail close to it," she explained. "Any sailor should've seen the Maelstrom at least once to understand how mighty the ocean is." That's what the Captain had taught her, and he was correct.

"I should be able to build an engine stronger than that!" Entrapta piped up.

"And a hull that can withstand it as well, without getting crushed?" Seacat asked.

"It's just applied physics," Entrapta replied. "Measure the force that you need to be able to withstand, then build a ship that can do so!"

"It's not so simple," Horas, standing at the helm, retorted. "The Maelstrom is more than just a current."

Seacat nodded in agreement with him. Adora and Glimmer seemed surprised that Horas had spoken up - the big minotaur rarely said many words.

Entrapta, of course, looked intrigued. "Really? We need to go there, then! And explore it!"

"Maybe after we save Etheria?" Seacat suggested. "We're not exactly ready for an expedition to the Maelstrom, either." And she didn't want to head there without a lot more preparation. Showing Adora the Maelstrom was easy. Keeping Entrapta from getting herself and everyone else killed in her enthusiasm? That would be harder.

"Right. Beast Island first, then the Maelstrom!" Entrapta nodded.

Seacat returned the nod, then looked at the longboat. Sea Hawk and Mermista were already changing course, leaving a small buoy to mark a reef. "This might take a while," she said. At least they knew the direction from which to approach, or this would take even longer.

Adora didn't reply right away, so Seacat glanced at her. Her lover was staring at the island, dimly visible in what seemed to be mist. "Adora?"

"What?" Adora blinked, then shook her head. "Sorry. Got lost in thoughts."

"What about?" Seacat asked.

"Nothing. Just… stuff. The First Ones, and their plans, you know?

Seacat narrowed her eyes at her but slowly nodded. Adora was still hung up on the revelation that she was a First One, and that the First Ones had been planning to destroy Etheria to defeat their enemies.

She had to do something about that. This wasn't Adora's fault. Not at all.

It was that stupid bot's fault.

Waiting was the worst duty as a captain. Seacat paced the bridge, resisting the urge to keep her eyes peeled on the longboat in the middle of the reefs. She wanted to do something - anything! Not wait for others to finish their task - and stop putting themselves in danger while Seacat stayed safely behind.

"They're OK," Adora told her.

"For now," Seacat replied before she could help herself.

"What?" Adora frowned.

Sighing, Seacat explained. "The only thing that keeps the current from wrecking the longboat on the overwater reefs is Mermista's power. If she stopped, they'd be shipwrecked at once. And without Glimmer, we couldn't save them - the current's too strong for swimmers. Even fishpeople would have trouble, I think."

"Oh. But we do have Glimmer."

"Yes." But that didn't really help much. "And the island is called 'Beast Island'. What if there are sea monsters lurking in the reef?" Adora perked up, and Seacat glared at her. "Don't you dare! I just said the currents were too strong even for fishpeople!"

"But…"

"No!" Seacat shook her head so wildly, her ponytail whipped her into the face. She ignored it. "You'd be battered against underwater reefs and dragged around and underwater until you're dead. You won't jump into the sea here!"

"What if I stay on the sea monster?"

Oh for… Seacat growled and grabbed Adora's shoulders. "No!" she hissed, her nose almost touching Adora's. "Stay out of the water! Got it?""

Adora nodded with a grimace.

Seacat released her with a scoff and resumed pacing. She trusted the Captain and Mermista, but they were in the middle of a reef that had broken ships since ancient times if the Fright Zone's records were correct. And they were trying to find a path to an island overrun with monsters where an ancient base was hidden that threatened the world.

And she had to stay back and wait until they were done.

She hated that part of being a Captain.

Waiting.

Scoffing again, she went down the hold. "How are we doing on crystals?" she asked.

"Oh, enough to keep this up for a week!" Entrapta replied. "We don't need much power. Though we could save the crystals entirely if we pulled back a little more, I think."

"No," Seacat told her. "The seabed's too deep for an anchor, and if we lower the anchor closer to the reef, in the shallow water, the currents will drive us against the reef anyway."

"Oh. Perhaps we could build a better anchor?" Entrapta cocked her head.

"It's the length and weight of the anchor chain that's the issue," Seacat explained. "And the anchor needs to hold and yet be able to be weighed."

"Oh! Perhaps a retractable claw? Controlled by a line that's run parallel to the chain?" Entrapta beamed at her.

"As long as a fish pulling on it can't release the anchor?" Sent drifting by such an event wouldn't be a good thing - especially at night.

"Oh. That might be tricky. Though if I construct a lock that only opens after a specific sequence of tugs, with some delay and resetting mechanism… although that would struggle with the pressure from the depths…"

Well, it seemed Entrapta would be busy for a while. And the rest of the hold was in perfect order. Nothing amiss, nothing in need of being tended to.

Sighing, she climbed back on deck. Castaspella was resting on a chair near the railing, under a sunscreen. She still looked sickly, of course, but it didn't look as if Adora would have to heal her a few times so she could eat. Progress, of sorts.

"Anything happen?" she asked, walking up to Glimmer.

"No. They're doing the same thing they've done since they left." The princess sounded bored.

"But they haven't left the area as quickly as the others," Adora added. "They've gone deeper into the reef, too."

That meant they were following a possible passage. Or a trap. Well, they'd find out soon - the longboat was closer to the shore than ever before if Seacat wasn't mistaken. And headed straight to the harbour. Perhaps…

The boat stopped. Seacat grabbed her telescope. Sea Hawk had turned in the bow to talk to Mermista. He still held the sounding line, though. And he… looked excited.

Then he turned away and the boat… continued. Into the harbour. Yes!

Seacat balled a hand into a fist. Sea Hawk and Mermista had found the passage to the island! Now they just had to return, and they could sail Victory's Daughter straight to the shore!

She studied the passage the two had marked with buoys. It wasn't straight - of course not - and twisted and narrow enough so any ship larger than a courier wouldn't make it without running aground - and tear her hull open on the reefs on both sides.

That would make using the island as a base for a squadron more difficult. No safe harbour for frigates, and any supplies would have to be shuttled back and forth with smaller ships. Well, that wasn't Seacat's problem. All she had to do was help save the world.

She snorted at her own joke, drawing frowns from Glimmer and Adora, which she ignored. Sea Hawk and Mermista were on the way back. That was all that counted.

Though Seacat wouldn't be able to relax until both were safe aboard the Victory's Daughter again.

She really didn't like this part of being a captain.

"So, in hindsight, the passage should've been easier to find," Mermista explained. "If I had studied the currents instead of the reefs. The safe passage wouldn't be safe if the currents could drive you on a reef when you try to pass through."

"It was an easy mistake to make," Sea Hawk added. "I made the same mistake, after all!" He beamed at her. "And one has to note that the tides make the difference - we wouldn't have noticed the passage by checking the current if the tides weren't right."

Seacat nodded. That made sense. Without an engine, the ships would've had to use sails, and that would've required the winds to blow just right - you couldn't tack in the narrow passage Mermista and Sea Hawk had marked. And if you had a longboat pull your ship out to the open sea with rowers, well… they wouldn't beat even a weak current. Indeed, it should've been obvious. The half of the chart they had hadn't covered the tides. Sloppy to overlook that. And having grown used to an engine that allowed you to ignore tides when leaving a port wasn't an excuse, either. Seacat should've known better.

"So, we can now land?" Adora asked, beaming at them. She couldn't have known better, of course, being a landlubber.

"We'll have to wait for high tide," Mermista told her. "Another hour."

"Ah."

"Yes. But I think a little rest will do you good," Seacat told the Captain and Mermista. "Actual rest," she added - both of them looked weary indeed.

"Ah, but I can hardly rest with our goal so close!" Sea Hawk said, raising his fist. "I can hear it calling out to me! It says…"

"It says: Come to bed for a while," Mermista interrupted him by grabbing his arm and dragging him off to the captain's cabin.

Seacat hoped they would actually sleep for an hour.

"So," she turned to address the rest. "Get ready for landfall. I want the guns loaded with standard shells and ready to fire on anything that threatens us. And everything tied down, in case we need to leave quickly."

"Aye aye, Captain!" Licy saluted.

"Well, I'm ready!" Adora announced.

"As are we," Glimmer added.

"I'll check the engine!"

Castaspella didn't say anything. She was still breathing very carefully.

"I'm ready to punch and sting anything that threatens us," the bug princess said, once more smashing her pincers together. Seacat briefly wondered if she would accidentally crack them one day.

"I'll make sure there's no growth on the ship's hull," Perfuma said. "No plants, at least."

It wouldn't matter too much, not with a new ship, but every little bit of drag might count in a chase.

Seacat looked around. Everything was either being prepared or ready. Which meant more waiting. Great.

She sighed and leaned against the railing, looking at the island.

Adora joined her. "So… what do you think we'll discover on the island?" she asked after a moment.

"Monsters, of course."

"We already know that they are there," Adora retorted.

"That's why I expect them," Seacat said.

Adora huffed. "Apart from monsters?"

"Someone who used magic to poison the Horde frigate's water," Seacat replied. "Someone's on that island."

"But who?"

"I don't know. An expedition from another kingdom? Perhaps from the west?" Seacat shrugged. "We'll find out." And if whoever was on the island got in the way of saving the world, they would smash them.

"I guess so."

Adora seemed a little… concerned. "What's bothering you?" Seacat cocked her head as she looked at her lover, her ears twitching.

"I don't know. Beating up monsters is one thing. Dealing with magic poison?"

"They used magic to poison the water. It doesn't have to be magic poison," Seacat pointed out. Castaspella had said so, and she was the expert.

"Right, right. Semantics." Adora clenched her teeth for a moment - Seacat could tell from the way her jaw muscles tensed. "I just… I can't do much against magic."

"Other than healing?" Seacat grinned.

"Right. But that doesn't stop them from trying again."

"Beating them up does, though."

"Yes. But… I haven't exactly fought against a princess or a sorceress," Adora admitted.

"You were trained to do so, though," Seacat replied - and bit her lower lip. Reminding Adora of her time as a Horde cadet was… Seacat didn't like to be reminded of Catra's training, either.

"Yes, but not as She-Ra." Adora turned around, showing her back to the island and resting her elbows on the railing. "It's just…"

"You're nervous," Seacat told her.

"I'm not… I guess I am?" Adora admitted with a sheepish expression.

"Everyone is," Seacat said. "They just hide it better than you do." She nodded at Glimmer and Bow, who were on the main deck, standing very close together but not hugging. "See?"

"Right." Adora nodded. She should know - she knew the couple better than Seacat.

And the bug princess and Perfuma were talking as well, in the bow. Seacat saw how the stinger of the Horde princess twitched - which showed how nervous she was. Probably. She might also be ready to stab someone, but that was unlikely.

"The engine's running perfectly!" Entrapta suddenly announced, popping up from the ship's hold. Her hair tendrils propelled her on deck a moment later.

"Well, she's not nervous," Seacat commented.

"Why not?"

"She's looking forward to exploring the island," Seacat explained. The princess didn't really see the dangers the island posed like everyone else did. "We'll have to keep her safe."

"Of course we will!" Adora said. "I'll keep everyone safe."

"And I'll keep you safe. Whether you like it or not." Seacat narrowed her eyes at Adora for a moment, then smiled. At least, she'd try her best.

Adora nodded.

Neither of them mentioned what they would do if Adora couldn't keep herself safe and everyone else. Seacat knew that Adora would pick everyone else over herself. And she wouldn't let Adora do that alone.

Which, Seacat was sure, Adora knew as well. And she didn't like it.

But they didn't talk about that. Instead, they wrapped their arms around each other and watched the island together. And enjoyed each other's closeness for a little while longer.

And Seacat found that waiting wasn't so bad any more. Not with Adora at her side.