She had known that the majority of her crewmates would refuse her treatment as soon as they discovered what she really was. She had never guessed that they would have been in the middle of a medical crisis when that time came.

The captain growled at the men in her defense, something about if they didn't want to bleed out or die of infection they should get kriffing over it and let the medic to her work. But there were others, those not in immediate need of attention who decided to wait until they could be seen by the visiting beast rider healer.

Mhaegen shut herself away in the med bay while the triage and sewing up of minor wounds continued up on deck where the light was better. She had to think about what she was going to do now, where she was going to go. She couldn't stay on board the Bloody Galia if they wouldn't let her do her job.

She was still mulling it over when there was a knock at the door. "Aye, who is it?"

Able seaman Nathon Boggs slowly opened the door twisting his hat in his hands.

"Can I help you with something?" Mhaegen asked. The sailor had been on the Bloody Galia longer than she had herself. Maybe someone had finally come to their senses.

Or maybe not. "Is it really you, Meggy?"

"Aye," she answered cautiously.

He glanced behind him before he fished a few credits out of his pocket and held them out to her. "Got some of my prize money saved up. Thought maybe… for old times sake."

Salt gods! How could she have forgotten that he had been one of her customers back at Madam Korina's?

"Get out!" her voice was deadly calm.

"Ah come on." He tried again. "We had some good times didn't we?"

"I said, Get Out!" She was firmer this time but before she had to use physical force a dark hand fell on the sailor's shoulder.

"I believe the lady asked you to leave." Hiram Gerrera was head and shoulders taller than the sailor.

Boggs wisely took the suggestion and scarpered back to his own berth.

Mhaegen slumped down into the chair at her desk with her head in her hands.

"Are you alright?" the other medic asked. "We were so busy seeing to the other injuries, I didn't get a chance to see if you had been wounded."

"Only my pride."

He nodded. "I believe everything has been taken care of topside."

"Thank you. I doubt they'll ever trust me again after this. I didn't mean to lie to them only to…" She shook her head. "You don't want to hear it."

"I do actually." He pulled up a stool to sit on and then held out his hand. "But I don't believe we've been formally introduced. I'm Hiram Gerrera and you are?"

"Mhaegen." She shook his hand with the beginnings of a smile on her face and then she let the whole story flow out of her. She spoke of her mother and the island where she grew up. She talked about the burning and her own escape only to find herself rescued by a couple of fishermen who landed her at the whorehouse.

She didn't hold anything back as she described the Madam's kindness in allowing her to study as long as she did her share of the 'work'. Then she told him about meeting Sanya, treating her blaster wound, and then disguising herself so she could sail away from all that. She wanted to be completely honest with him and if he turned away in disgust then she would know that the salt gods hadn't brought them together.

But he didn't get up and leave as she told her tale. He sat there, enthralled, and even handed her a handkerchief when she spoke of her mother and the tears began to slide down her cheeks.

She wiped at her eyes as she finished. "All I've ever wanted to do was make people better and now I'll never get another chance. Probably sounds crazy to you."

"No, it doesn't." Hiram assured her. "My mother was a healer, too. She and my father were both from beast rider clans but it had only been a couple of generations since a Kira stepped down from the throne and no one knew when or if the current Kira would retake the throne from the warden.

"My father was a craftsman. He did woodwork, ironwork. He made his life in the city building things and he was only trying to keep his family safe in the current political climate and not make any waves. He wanted his wife, my mother, to stay home with the children and not do anything unexpected. He should have known she'd never give up her passion for healing people.

"They argued and she ran away to the beast rider settlement and took me with her."

"I never knew my father," Mhaegen mused. "But your mother sounds a lot like mine."

"Except for the part about not wanting to be seen as a witch. My mom reveled in it." He smiled at the memory. "She knew all the proper techniques but she'd chant a bunch of gibberish while she worked, add some powder to the fire to make the smoke turn bright colors, or add smelly herbs to her potions. I guess she thought if her patients believed she could curse them to Dxun she could protect herself and me."

"But they accepted her, the beast rider clans I mean?"

"Oh yeah, Drokko's dad saw to that. He knew she was a serious healer for all her show and he respected her and gave her his protection. I think he may have actually fallen in love with her but he never acted on it because technically she was still married to my dad."

"So you and Drokko grew up like brothers?"

"We did." he nodded but there was something behind the words.

She reached out a hand and touched his arm. "What happened?"

"Something like your mother I suppose, she… lost a patient. There was no angry mob chasing her or anything like that. They knew she had done everything she could but she was covered in blood for the effort."

"It's alright if it's too difficult," Mhaegen offered.

"No. You told me your story. I want you to hear mine." He took a deep breath. "There was a wild dalgo who had been giving the handlers trouble. He must have smelled the blood on her. It wasn't really his fault. It's natural for them. They're carnivores."

Mhaegen's eyes grew wide but she didn't voice her horror.

"Lord Kira raced toward her screams and killed the beast but it was already too late for her when he arrived."

"Hiram… I'm so sorry."

He sniffed and swallowed in a heroic effort not to give in to his own tears. "He carried her body, or what was left of her, I wasn't allowed to see, back to the city to be buried in the beast riders' tombs. He walked the whole way in silence. The last lonely walk, they called it. They said it was just like his grandfather who had carried the Blackwell girl from the carnage of her ship."

She was silent, giving him a moment before she asked. "And then… Lord Kira took you in?"

"No." Hiram shook his head. "Not that he wouldn't have. The walk to the tombs attracted a crowd, among them was my father. When he realized who it was who had died he demanded that I come home to live with him and learn his trade. Well, what could I do? He was my father."

"You moved back to the city?"

"I did," he agreed. "And as much as I wanted to hate it and my father for pushing my mother away, I found that I loved building things. I loved the way the tools felt in my hands and seeing the plans come to fruition." There was a light in his eyes when he spoke of it. "Of course I missed being in the jungle with the beast riders. I'd come to think of that as my home and them as my family."

"Then what brought you here?"

"It was when we started hearing around the city about the current warden dying and the heir of the throne in question. I knew they'd be coming after Drokko. I wanted to go and warn him. But my father told me if I left his house and went back to the beast riders, I was no longer his son."

"You chose Drokko over your own father."

"As much as I liked building and working with my hands, my brother needed me to use the skills that my mother had taught me."

Mhaegen looked down at their clasped hands. When had they begun holding hands? She enjoyed the sensation and didn't let go. "What will you do now that Captain Harkon has captured him and is taking him off to the northern sea?"

"I honestly don't know," Hiram smiled. He also didn't seem to mind the simple contact and he didn't press for anything more than that.

They talked all night long with the door to her cabin slightly a jar so if anyone cared to observe they could see that nothing but talking happened between them but they were left alone and when dawn broke Mhaegen excused herself from her new friend saying she had to speak to the Captain.

…

"You just met!" Sanya railed. "You don't know anything about him!"

Mhaegen sighed. "I know more about him than you or your sister would have known about your betrothed before you were forced to marry. I'm entering into this willingly. I'm sure it won't be easy but I told him all about my past and he has accepted me as I am."

"He wants the sole privilege to kriff you. Is that it?"

"No." Mhaegen shut her eyes in an effort to keep from rolling them. She hadn't guessed that the Captain would be so vehemently against the proposition. Or maybe it was just the idea of losing a trusted medic and friend. "He's said that if I'm not ready for that I can take as much time as I need for us to become comfortable with each other."

"How sweet." Sanya crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

"Captain," Mhaegen began again gently. "I have tried my best to do my job for you and the rest of the crew."

"I'll talk to them. You don't have to leave. They'll come to their kriffing senses and get used to the idea."

"They won't. We both know that. And I hate leaving you this way. That hypo I gave you. I don't know how long it will still be effective and when it does wear off…"

"You're the one who's gonna go off and have babies. I'm not your patient to worry about anymore." Sanya's tone had changed. As much as she hated the idea, she knew Mhaegen was right and that she should be allowed to go and live her own life.

Mhaegen smiled a bit sadly. "But will you do it? You're a ship's captain. You have the authority to perform marriage ceremonies."

Sanya shook her head. "I'm not even sure I believe in the salt gods. Are you positive you want me?"

"Well yes, but I also don't want to live with a man who I'm not married to. So if I'm leaving the ship with him… I want to do this before we go." She didn't realize until the words were out of her mouth that they might be a dig at the captain's present sleeping arrangements.

Sanya didn't seem to notice. "I wish you didn't have to go."

"I can't stay if they won't let me do my job."

…

For a marriage of convenience, the couple on the deck of the Bloody Galia sure did gaze at each other as if there were some greater passion between them. They promised to be committed to each other no matter what. It was officially a legal contract but when they kissed for the first time at the end of the ceremony it was like a chemical reaction.

Mhaegen didn't know before that moment if she would ever be comfortable having a man touch her that way again. It surprised her how very much she wanted her husband to make love to her. And Hiram was fully prepared to spend his life showing her how worthy she was of his love.