Disclaimer: I don't own anything it is all mostly from the movie!

Chapter Seven

Alex and Yvaine flew through the sky surrounded by bright orange and white lights. They blistered up towards the sky, avoiding all the pelting rain from the storm. Soon the light disappeared and they found themselves atop a grey storm cloud as the rain poured on them from higher clouds. Thunder shook the sky and lightning flashed in front of their faces as the storm raged on with them at its heart.

Both girls whirled around to face one another, both extremely stressed and aggravated with the turn of events. "What did you do?" Alex accused, pointing a finger at Yvaine.

Yvaine was taken aback that she would dare to even think it was her fault they were stuck up here. "What did I do? What did you do? 'Think of home!" That was a great plan! You thought of your home and I thought of mine and now we're halfway between the two!"

Alex reared back in astonishment before throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. At this point, both girls were soaked to the bone from the rain as the lightning and thunder still boomed around them. "Oh, you stupid cow! What did you think of your home for?"

Yvaine glared at Alex menacingly, "You just said 'home'! If you wanted me to think of your home, you should have said so!"

Alex rolled her eyes in annoyance as they both continued screaming at each other to be heard over the storm. "Some crazy lady was going to cut out your heart and you wanted more specific instructions? Perhaps you'd like it in writing! Or a diagram, maybe!"

Suddenly a large net was thrown upon them, scooping them up from the cloud and trapping them in mid air. Both were screaming, trying to break free, as the net was raised up towards a large ship that was floating between the clouds. After what seemed like hours, Yvaine and Alex found themselves on the deck of a large ship surrounded by a group of rugged, burly looking men of all shapes and sizes. Each man was wearing a dark cloak, some with their hoods up, and large black goggles that covered their eyes so much you couldn't see through them. One man in particular, he had a shaven head and was slightly shorter than the rest, leaned down to examine the two.

Standing up with a smirk, the man yelled out, "Look, Captain Shakespeare! Caught ourselves a little bonus!" At this the crowd around them parted to show a rough looking man with a moustache and dark eyes that glared down at them from above. He was older than the rest it seemed, but it was obvious to tell that it did nothing to impede him physically as you could see the muscles bulging in his arms even through the cloak. "A couple of Lightning Marshals!"

The man leaned closer to the two with a snarl on his face before turning to the first man with a snort. "They don't look like Lightning Marshals to me."

The skinnier man looked at the Captain once more before responding, "Why else would anyone up here in the middle of a storm?"

With a scowl the captain looked at the other man as if he was an idiot. "Well, let's think. Maybe for the same godforsaken reason we are! Now," he said turning towards Yvaine and Alex, "Who are you?" Alex and Yvaine were speechless as they gaped at all the men standing around them. The captain's eyes narrowed before he bellowed, "Let's see if a night in our lovely brig will loosen their lips! Get them in the brig!"

Immediately the men began to scramble until the other, smaller man yelled out in the chaos, "Oi, you idiots heard the man. Let's go! Get them into the brig and the rest of you dirty dogs, back to work! We've got lightning to catch."

With that, the crew gather up Yvaine and Alex and ushered them beneath the deck and into the brig where they were bound up back to back while sitting on a crate. Minutes later they were left alone as the last crew member left the room, locking the door behind him. Both girls began to look around at their surroundings, noticing the ropes and other things stored around the edges of the room. Alex began yanking at the knots that bound her wrist to Yvaine's only to give up seconds later after realizing it was futile.

With a sigh, Yvaine hung her head, "They're going to kill us, aren't they."

Alex lowered her head, knowing that she couldn't lie to her, "I don't know."

Yvaine turned her head as much as she could, trying to see Alex. "You know, it's funny. I used to watch…I used to watch people having adventures. I envied them."

Shrugging her shoulders with a slight smirk on her face Alex replied, "You ever heard the expression, 'Be careful what you wish for'?"

Yvaine scoffed, "What? So ending up with my heart cut out, that'll serve me right, will it?"

Alex blanched and quickly backtracked before beginning to explain her meaning in a soft, sincere voice, "No. No, I didn't…I didn't mean it like that. Look I admire you dreaming. Shop girl like me, I could never have imagined an adventure this big in order to have wished for it. I just thought I'd find some lump of celestial rock and take it home, and that would be it."

Yvaine chuckled softly, "And you got me." Both of them broke out into slight chuckles at the thought.

Yvaine shook her head in thought after their laughter had died down. "If there's one thing I've learned in all my years watching Earth, it's that people aren't what they may seem. There are shop girls and there are girls who just happen to work in shops for the time being. And trust me, Alexandra, you're no shop girl. You saved my life, thank you." Yvaine twisted her hand around and softly gripped Alex's hand as she spoke, squeezing softly in a meaningful gesture. Heat rushed to Alex's face as she fought to control the emotions such a touch was bringing forth in her. With a shake of her head, she simply smiled, hoping that they would make it out of this alive somehow.

Back where Yvaine and Alex had escaped from hours prior stood Septimus, standing over the tub that held Primus' body. The inn that the witch had created was long gone, leaving behind only the brass tub filled with the blue blood of Primus and his dead body. The tub lay in the grass of the field as Septimus looked down upon it impassively.

"Well, well, well, the last brother dead. Which means I'm king. I'm king!" Septimus yelled, causing all of his henchman to fall to the ground on one knee, bowing their heads in respect.

Unbeknownst to Septimus, Primus' ghostly figured walked alongside him as he whispered in his ear. "Not yet, brother."

Septimus suddenly came to a stop in realization. "Damn I still need the stone."

Hearing his master's statement, one of the men asked, "Your brother does not have it?"

With a smug smile Septimus eyed the man as if daring him to say no. "Well, why don't you find out?" With a disgruntled look, the guard walked over to the tub and began to stick his hand in the blood and water mixture searching for the stone.

Suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed Septimus' boot causing him to draw his knife in surprise and put it to the neck of the boy who had grabbed him from under the black chariot. Bernard looked up at Septimus, even after being asked where the stone was.

"Oh, the man," Bernard said pointing towards the tub, "see, your brother…Heard him speak of a stone. Yeah. The girl had it. The girl had it."

Septimus pulled the boy closer, digging the knife into his neck a little deeper, "What girl?"

"I don't know. A girl. She got away. Because this was a trap set up for her, but your brother, he come just straight into it," Bernard said quickly, hoping to be allowed to live.

Septimus narrowed his eyes at the boy. "A trap? Set by who?"

Bernard started shaking at the thought of Lamia, never wanting to see the lady again in his life. "A woman you should pray you'll never meet. She's…she's gone. She took your brother's carriage."

Pulling Bernard even closer, Septimus snarled, 'This woman wanted my stone?"

Bernard shook his head as much as he could with the knife pressed into his neck. "No. She wanted the girl's heart. She said the girl was a star and she wanted to cut out her heart…"

Septimus filled in the last blank of Bernard's sentence. "Eat it? Oh my god! Do you have any idea what this means? Everlasting life. King forever."

Septimus stared wistfully in the distance, only to be disturbed by the man he had told to dig through the bathtub to try and find the necklace. "It's not here, sire."

With a growl, Septimus picked Bernard up and drug him over to the horses. "This idiot's coming with us."

On the other side of Stormhold, Lamia sat in Primus carriage looking at her reflection in the window. Her once beautiful face had fallen and wrinkles started to appear as her eyes sunk further into her head and age spots grew. With a sigh of frustration, she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear only for a large chunk of it to come out into her hands. Screaming in annoyance she threw the hair away and rubbed her ring to contact her sisters.

Empusa and Mormo stood rolling there eyes at their sister as she continually told them to ask again. Finally Empusa had enough. "We have asked again, multiple times! And the answer is still the same. She is airborne!"

"Well, she can't remain so forever. Inform me as soon as she touches ground! Immediately! Do you understand?" Lamia snapped at her two sisters through the image.

Mormo's and Empusa's eyes narrowed at their sister in annoyance. "Watch your tongue, sister! It is you and not we who've lost her," Mormo spat.

Empusa nodded in agreement. "Lost her and broken the knife! Even if you apprehend her, how will you complete the deed?"

Mormo gained a smug smile ass she grinned toothlessly at Lamia, "Perhaps you should return now and one of us set out in your place."

Lamia hissed at them both. "Don't be absurd! I'll bring her home and deal with her there. Be sure everything is ready for our arrival."

At that Mormo and Empusa stalked away from the mirror as Lamia smirked in satisfaction before disappearing from the home altogether.

"Tell me about Victoria," Yvaine spoke, giving up on trying to escape a while previously.

The small smile on Alex' face vanished as she looked around at the ground, as if trying to think of something to say. "Um…well, she…there's nothing more to tell you," Alex said with a small frown, Yvaine was unable to see the confusion and surprise on Alex's face and continued on.

"Because the little I know about love is that it's unconditional. It's not something you can buy," Yvaine said, trying to get Alex to see that this 'Victoria' girl was not good enough and was using her.

Alex's eyes widened, "Hang on. This wasn't about me buying her love. This was a way for me to prove how I felt!"

Rolling her eyes in annoyance Yvaine then tried to drive her point home. "Ah. And what's she doing to prove how she feels about you?"

"Well…" Alex trailed off not knowing what to say. A smile appeared on Yvaine's face as Alex continued to stutter in trying to figure out what to say. Finally with a huff, Alex replied, "Look, Yvaine, you'll understand when you meet her. All right?

Biting her lip in satisfaction at being proved right, Yvaine rolled her eyes, "Murdered by pirates. Heart torn out and eaten. Meet Victoria. I can't quite decide which sounds more fun."

On the ground, Lamia was startled from her reverie in her carriage by the image of her two sisters appearing before her. Mormo immediately began shouting, "We've located the sky vessel! It's heading north for the port town on Mount Drummond and you are no longer the only one seeking the star. There's someone following your tracks!"

Lamia gasped in shock, "A witch? A warlock?"

Empusa snapped back at her, "No, a prince and he's catching you up! Get a move on!"

As soon as the image of her sisters disappeared, Lamia lifted her hand and motioned as if she was cracking a whip. Green flames shot from her finger and flew at the horses causing them to neigh and run even faster.

Yvaine and Alex watched as Captain Shakespeare entered the brig, locking the door behind him. Instead of immediately talking to the both of them, he walks over and pulls a latch on the wall. The wall seems to fall out revealing a window big enough to fit a normal person through. After sticking his head out the window, looking out at the clouds, Shakespeare turns back around towards the two girls.

"So, this is the part where you tell me who you are and why you're up here. Or I'll snap this one's pretty little fingers one by one like dry twigs!" He said running his finger along Yvaine's cheek.

Raucous laughter and mutterings could be heard just outside the door. Obviously the crew had seemed it comical to listen in on their captain interrogating the two girls. Rolling her eyes at the men outside, Alex turns her head as best she can towards Shakespeare in hopes of getting his attention on her instead of Yvaine.

"My name is Alexandra Thorn and this is my… wife, Yvaine." Yvaine immediately tensed behind Alex at the proclamation, obviously not expecting her to say that they were married. How did Alex even know she swung that way?

"Your wife?" Shakespeare said with a raised eyebrow as a smirk appeared on his face. "Far too young and radiant to belong to just one person! It's share and share alike aboard my vessel, pretty girl!" At this a loud cheer erupted from right outside the door.

Alex' face grew grim as she fought the binds that held her down. "If you dare even touch her…"

Shakespeare simply laughed, before leaning down in Alex's face. "You may think you're showing a little spirit in front of your lady friend, but talk back to me again and I'll feed your tongue to the dogs, you impertinent little pup!"

Rolling her eyes at the crew's comments from outside, Alex spoke once again. "Sir?"

With a smirk, the captain nodded his head. "Better! But still interrupting. Let's see. A hanging's always good for morale. Maybe we'll watch you dance a gallows jig! Or perhaps I'll just tip you over the side and have done with it! It's a very long way down. Plenty of time to reminisce about your pitifully short lives."

Alex tried to plead with the captain. "Please, look, we're just trying to make our way home. Back to a place called Wall, where I come from."

As soon as Alex had mentioned Wall, the captain stopped and leaned in towards Alex closely. "What did you say?"

Not knowing if the reaction she was getting was good or bad, Alex's voice was quieter as she spoke once again. "I said we were trying to get home to Wall."

The captain reared back and put a knife to Alex's throat. "That's one lie to many, girl." Outside the crew was pressing themselves as close as they could to the door, trying to hear what was going on inside. "Thought you could just wander onto my patch, did you?"

The crew all began looking at each other, nodding in agreement before starting to scramble up the steps. The crew burst out onto the deck, making a beeline towards the side of the ship right above the window in the brig. "Huge mistake, Mrs. Thorn! And the last one you'll ever make!" The crew watched as the Captain shoved Alex out of the window, leaning out the side to watch her fall. The captain turned his head up causing the crew to scatter back from the railing.

Seconds later Shakespeare appeared on the deck, dragging a hysterical Yvaine behind him. "No! No! You murderer! You pig!"

The crew jeered at Yvaine's struggles as Shakespeare continued to drag Yvaine towards his cabin door on the other side of the deck. "I'm taking this girl to my cabin, and mark my words, anyone who disturbs me for the next few hours will get the same treatment!"

At that all of the crewmen's eyes grew wide as one questioned, "What? You'll…"

Rolling his eyes, the captain sneered, "No, you idiot! I'll sling you over the side as well!"

With that, the captain opened his cabin door and entered dragging Yvaine behind him. Skinny, the smaller man who is the first mate, closed the cabin door before looking around at the crew. "Captain's busy. So should you be!" Immediately the crew scattered off to different parts of the ship leaving Yvaine to her fate.