Her fingers moved first, twitching as Rhaena began to sense herself coming back from unconsciousness. Slowly she opened her eyes, however the moment she attempted to breath her chest screamed in protest, causing her to cough and gasp as she struggled to take in air without experiencing inordinate amounts of pain. Beneath her she felt a soft mattress with satin sheets, plush and deep with a thick brocade of curtains hanging around her, drawn closed as to keep out the sunlight. She was damp, which meant that she had partially dried from when she had been in the water and had not been unconscious long enough to dry completely. Lifting her legs, Rhaena found that she was unbound, so carefully moved herself to the edge of the bed, choking back a yelp of pain as her chest continued to protest. Lifting her shirt, she soon understood why. Her entire chest and torso were mottled with deep purple bruises like snakes encircling her body, with two large, rounded patches on her left arm and another at the right side of her waist. The chain shot. Remembering it caused another wince of throbbing aches, so Rhaena dropped her shirt and moved gingerly to put her feet upon the floor.
When she moved aside the curtain, she found herself in a luxuriously adorned captain's cabin. The bed was in his private quarters, but through a gold gilded door was his personal solar where he worked. The large panes of windows showed the ocean and horizon through it, and as Rhaena retrieved more of her senses, she felt the ship gently swaying underneath her feet. At first, she wavered, but after a few moments she had gained her balance and was able to move around the cabin, searching for anything that might be useful to fight back. Whitefyre and her hunting horn were gone, meaning that whoever had saved her had also robbed her. she would have them back soon enough. After all, they were on a ship made from wood. And wood burned. Upon an elaborately carved desk Rhaena found maps of shipping lanes as well as markings detailing secret smuggling routes, as well as reports listing several merchant ships and their cargo as well as their intended journey and the times of their departure from port. Humming curiously, Rhaena replaced the papers as she found them, then continued searching. Whomever the cabin belonged to; they had seemed to ensure that nothing would be left behind that could be used as a weapon. Even the candleholders were fixed to the walls.
Expensive carpets were laid upon the floor, muffling Rhaena's footsteps as she moved stealthily forwards, looking at the door that would lead out onto the deck. Was it worth the risk? Even if Rhaena was able to bolt and manage to evade being caught, casting herself overboard when in the middle of the ocean would get her nothing but drowned. Until she knew where she was, it was better to simply wait and hope that no one came to bother her until the ship had docked. Once at port, Rhaena stood a better chance at escaping. Or perhaps she might threaten to burn the ship down unless they returned her from where they had stolen her. Calming herself, Rhaena reminded herself that she was not completely defenceless even without Rhaegal or Whitefyre. She had fire, and her fire was burning hotter and brighter than ever. Without warning the lock upon the door began to click, signalling that someone was unlocking the door in preparation to enter. Bolting upon instinct, Rhaena rushed back to the bedchamber in order to conceal herself, grateful that the carpets silenced her footsteps as she ran back to the bed but then hid herself on the other side of the canopy, shielded from sight as she crouched down low. The carpets muffled the intruders steps also, but not as much as they had Rhaena's, for he was larger and heavier. Most certainly a man. Most likely a sea-worn and rugged old prune too. Straining her ears to hear every movement, Rhaena waited until the intruder had reached the bed and drawn back the curtain on the other side before moving.
Gathering all her energy, she leaped with the full force of her strength through the curtains and tackled the intruder who cursed in a tongue she did not know. Not expecting an attack, the intruder fell to the ground with a crash as the curtains tore, ripping down from their hangings and smothering him as Rhaena sought to neutralise him in some manner, part of the curtain falling over her also. Although surprised, the intruder was quick to recover. They grappled and fought, faces covered with curtains as they tumbled and twisted, becoming thoroughly entangled in the hangings as Rhaena managed to pin the man down, pressing her hands into his shoulders whilst straddling his waist, searching at his belt for a dagger or weapon to take from him. "By the gods woman, if you wanted me to tumble you, you only needed ask!" His incredulous outcry caused Rhaena to freeze in shock, her hand pressed against his belt as she stared at the shifting pile of curtain beneath her.
"That is not-!" Before she could protest, the intruder suddenly bucked his hips and threw her weight forwards, freeing his legs from the tangled curtains to snap them around Rhaena's body to tear her back from holding him down. The press of his legs caused her to release a pained shriek as her chest, ribs and waist screamed in protest at the assault. They fought once more but this time Rhaena was landed on her side, hissing and scrambling to try and escape but the intruder managed to rise over her and press his arm across her collarbone, holding her down whilst the other hand held down her wrist as the curtain finally fell away and revealed his face.
"Continue your wriggling, woman, and I might misunderstand your intentions. Or do you seek to arouse me with your fiery spirit?" Going utterly still beneath him, Rhaena felt her mind go utterly blank. The man who held her down was utterly beautiful. Thick, dark lashes. This was what Rhaena noticed first. His thick, dark, curling lashes. They brushed against his cheekbones whenever he blinked, framing a pair of bright, enchanting eyes. Smooth olive skin tanned from years under the sun suited such lashes and eyes, furthering his exotic appeal. A masculine jaw was feathered with rich black hair, curls of the same hue framing his face as one even brushed against Rhaena's nose from how close he hovered over her, breathing deeply to recover himself from her assault. Even as she stared at him, Rhaena was unable to place his features and his accent. There was a little Dothraki in him from the almond shape of his eyes and intense black hair, but his other features were a little too delicate for Dothraki, such as his nose and his lips. "Will you settle now, or do I have to tie you up with these hangings?" Blinking silently, the stranger took her silence as acquiescence and slowly let himself up. He offered a hand to Rhaena, but upon recalling her distrust and indignation had having been knocked from her dragon and stolen, she slapped his hand away and freed herself of the curtains in order to stand.
"Where are you taking me?"
"To be ransomed, of course. I imagine King Bran the Broken would pay handsomely to ensure the return of the most beautiful woman to ever walk the land or indeed, sail the seas." Grinning rather wolfishly, the man stepped back and bowed to her rather flamboyantly, presenting his hand in what Rhaena recognised as a Braavossi style, but his accent was not one of Braavos. "I am Ilyan Xenos, Captain of the Stargazer and her pirate crew. A pleasure to make the acquaintance of the illustrious Rhaena of House Targaryen, Princess of Dragonstone and the Crown Lands, Lady Protector of the Blackwater and Narrow Sea, Mistress of Laws and Advisor to His Grace King Bran the Broken." Lifting his eyes, a path of sunlight highlighted the flecks of gold within his irises, making it seem like his eyes were the colour of honey. "Did I forget any titles, princess?"
"No, but that did not answer my question. I asked where are you taking me, not why did you take me." Laughing warmly, Ilyan found himself admiring his captive more and more. She was all fire and passion. He liked that in a woman.
"Somewhere safe, princess. Do not worry, you shall come to no harm from me or my men, so long as you behave yourself. I should hate to have to bind your delicate wrists and ankles, and I am a hot-blooded man…I cannot say how well I could control myself if I were to see you bound and spread before me…" However well his charms might have worked on another woman, they were completely useless upon Rhaena. She stared at him coldly, not even a hint of a smile gracing her lips. Seeing that charming and seducing her was going to succeed, Ilyan waved away his previous statement with a click of his tongue. "Ah I jest, I have given you my word and I shall hold true. No one shall harm you, but try not to do anything foolish. It is a long swim back to Naath, and an even longer one to King's Landing."
"What makes you think I have any intention of allowing you to ransom me?" Tilting his head, Ilyan continued to regard the beauty before him. Truly, she was a treasure beyond gold and silver. Her hair was the silver and her eyes the jewels, her lips the silk and her body the chest that promised further riches within. Part of Ilyan was tempted to simply keep her for himself, but should word spread as it no doubt would, not only would Westeros send every ship in its possession after him, but his own fellow pirates would hunt him down to possess her for themselves. He did not even trust his own crew, truth be told, hence why he had kept her under lock and key. Better to ransom her and be done with it. Gold can be spent. A woman could not.
"Your intentions are not my concern. You may either remain as my honoured guest here, or I can throw you into the brig with the rats and other lowlifes, if you prefer." Pausing for a moment, Rhaena genuinely considered the brig just to prove a point. She decided against it, reasoning that if she was to be trapped aboard a ship she might as well be comfortable during her stay, and the captain's quarters were no doubt the best the ship had to offer, and indeed they were quite fine and spacious. The Stargazer must boast to be quite the size. "Very good. Now, please make yourself at home. What is mine is yours. Supper shall be brought to you shortly. Ah…welcome aboard the Stargazer, princess." Bowing once again, the captain saw himself out. Listening as the key turned in the lock, Rhaena only allowed herself to wince and stagger once she was certain he was gone. Gingerly touching at her injuries, Rhaena began to seek out any medicinal supplies that might sooth the pain, even if it was just a little sweetsleep, though milk of the poppy would have been preferable. Instead, all she found was wine.
Serving herself a cup, Rhaena drank it to take away the edge, breathing as deeply as she was able before kicking closed the door of the bedchamber and removed her shirt. Weaving fire through her fingers, Rhaena rubbed the flames into her skin to warm her flesh and help soothe the aching, allowing her to finally draw a deep breath without it hurting so much. Once she felt a little more comfortable, Rhaena donner her shirt once more before seeking out fresh water and perhaps a change of clothes. Her own were still damp and ridden with salt, so she removed them and tossed them into a corner as she poured water from a jug into a wash basin to scrub herself clean. Once she was pink and fresh, she went to the captain's wardrobe in order to pull open the doors and look at what he had to offer. Since he had stolen her, the least he could do was give her a change of clothes. The contents of his wardrobe boasted a wide assortment of clothing, including silk shirts of many different styles, no doubt collected from the many trading ships he had raided, with one such cloak adorned with a multitude of green and blue feathers. Pretty, but not entirely practical. Sliding the silks aside, Rheana found a simply cotton shirt and a pair of britches for her to wear, pulling them on and then using one of the silk scarves to wrap around her waist and tie off like a belt, holding the britches up. Next, she chose a slightly smaller looking doublet of azure blue, finding that it was only a little too big for her and would serve for later in the evening when it was colder, and so set it upon the back of a chair before closing the wardrobe doors.
With her practical tasks done, Rhaena now had to think of how else to occupy her mind. She returned to the desk where all the maps lay. Ser Davos would no doubt be able to glace at the map, look at the sun then be able to tell her exactly where they were without any hint of hesitation. Rhaena was not so confident, and so instead had to calculate roughly how many hours it had been since she had been stolen from Naath, deduce the direction the ship would be sailing and study the smuggling routes in order to decide which one would be the most likely choice Captain Ilyan would make to take her back to King's Landing to be ransomed without allowing himself to be discovered. After that, Rhaena was able to roughly estimate their position, making a small mark upon the map so that she would not lose it later. Now there really was nothing else to do. Rhaena soon grew bored, lounging in one position and then another, waiting until, as promised, supper was brought to her by none other than the captain himself. "I see you have made yourself comfortable. Good, good. Come and eat, you must be famished. You must tell me what you like, and I shall see if I have it in my stores. Don't be shy, eat all you like." Seeing no reason to refuse, Rhaena thanked the captain for the meal before choosing to sample a rice dish which had various seafood tousled within it. Delicious. "I see you are not shy."
"Why should I be? I doubt you would be foolish enough to poison me considering how much I am worth," she reasoned as she licked juice from her thumb, watching Ilyan warily. "How much do you plan to ask for me?"
"I should think ten million gold dragons to be more than enough." The spoon she held clattered to the table as her eyes went large and round, something Ilyan found he liked a great deal. When her eyes widened like that, her mouth seemingly popped open instinctively also, showing a hint of her pink tongue. By now it would be tingling with spices, Ilyan did not doubt. There was nothing better than kissing a woman with spices upon her tongue.
"Ten…ten million gold dragons?!" Ilyan was truly beginning to enjoy seeing such an expression on the princess's face. "Are you mad or simply senile?! Ten million…ten million is not a princess's ransom, it is an entire realm's ransom! Only by beggaring every House, every town, every village and even the local stableboys would you ever raise such a sum all at once. The crown does not possess such funds! I demand that you reduce your ransom request at once!" Now Ilyan was laughing, which only furthered Rhaena's irritation at him as he slapped his hand down upon the table. As he attempted to speak, he stammered from his own laughter.
"Mayhap, princess. Perhaps I request so much so that they cannot pay, then I will get to keep you all for myself. You are right, ten million is still too reasonable. They might even succeed in raising the coin. I shall ask twenty million, and not a dragon less." Glowering at him in vexation, Rhaena retrieved her spoon and resumed her eating, deciding to take Ilyan Xenos simply as an extremely flippant man who did not mean what he said. Even as Rhaena sat in obtuse silence he continued to talk and prattle away, telling her of his early days as a cabin boy and how the captain tried to have his way with him, but Ilyan only had eyes for women, and so had cut off the captain's member whilst he had been sleeping then slit his throat. In order to escape justice, he had become a pirate. A simple story, as he described it, but many pirates had such tales. Running away from slavers and masters, from duty and the law, some for the spoils and wealth, and others merely because they loved the open sea and did not wish to be beholden to any law other than their own. Rhaena listened because she had nothing else to do, though noted that Ilyan would diligently refill her cup if her wine ran low, and would debone her fish and place the choicest helpings onto her plate. He was treating her well, so at least she could not complain. She would know for certain come morning if he was indeed true to his word. That night, Rhaena intended to sleep with one eye open.