"You did what?!" my Dad yelled, after just hearing me tell him, that I sparred with the Prince.

"I sparred with him. I wanted him to know the real me."

"While I understand your reasons, Rin, that was very improper." my new mom added.

"Do you have any idea what could have happened, if he had been offended by your little experiment?!" My Dad raged again.

"Yes, but he wasn't, so will you relax. It's fine."

"I'm restricting you to the house for a month."

"What?! Dad, that's not …"

"I don't care! I've made my decision!"

Without another word, I stormed out, went to my room and flopped on my bed face down. A whole month without training was going to suck. There was a knock at my door.

"Come in!"

It was Lady Akira.

"Can I talk to you a minute?"

"Sure."

"You know your father means well, don't you?"

"Of course, I do. I just wish he'd lighten up and be the person he was before…"

"You mean before your mother and sister died?"

"Yeah…"

"I don't think he'll ever be the same man. The experience has changed him as much as it has you. You wouldn't have learned to use a sword or had your pirate adventure if it hadn't happened. The experience is a part of the two of you now, and it always will be."

"Yeah, I know." I sat up. "Being stuck inside for a whole month is going to suck."

"I'm sure you'll survive." Akira teased.

I smiled at her.

"There's that smile. Now you should get ready. It's almost time for dinner."

At dinner, I told Takeo another story.

"So, there was Pirate Ron (I'm Ron in the stories) face to face with the rival Captain. They locked eyes as both of them drew their swords. It was an intense battle that only lasted a short time…"

"Then what happened?!" Takeo enthused.

"Well, Ron quickly realized that he was no match for the enemy captain, so he was going to have to outsmart him."

"How'd he do that?!"

"The next time Ron was swiped with the sword, he pretended it was a critical hit and fell to the deck. When the enemy came close to see if Ron was dead, Ron quickly ran the captain through with his sword!"

"Yes! Another win for Pirate Ron!"

I just giggled at my little brother's enthusiasm. He always got so wrapped up in my stories.

"Did Pirate Ron ever get revenge for the murder of his family?"

Suddenly, Dad and Akira were intently listening. I didn't want to lie, but with both parents knowing the truth about my being a pirate, if I told the truth I didn't know how my Dad would react. I figured that because Takeo had straight up asked me, I should tell the truth.

"Yes, he did. He killed everyone who had been involved."

"Awesome! Tell me that story!"

"Perhaps another time, Takeo. For now, I think it's best you finish your studies." His mother stepped in.

"Aw, mom! I really want to hear it!"

"I'll tell you another time, but right now you should listen to your mother." I encouraged.

"Okay…" he got up from the table and disappeared.

"Please tell me that was a lie." my dad pleaded.

"Sorry, I wish I could."

"Just how many people have you killed?" Akira asked.

"I was on the ship for two years, I lost count after 20… or 25 if you count the men I killed for revenge." I didn't mean for it to come out casual, but it did. I guess I had ranted to the pirate crew enough about my revenge that it almost didn't phase me anymore to talk about it.

"I don't know if I can take any more of those stories." my father said as he rubbed his face with his hands.

"I don't know how you deal with it." Akira shook her head.

"Easy, they're all bastards that deserved it."

"Watch Your Language!" My father roared.

"Sorry, but it was the only term that came to mind. Can you sit there and honestly tell me that you're not happy those bas- jerks are dead?"

There had been two bad habits that I had picked up from my time with the pirates. The first one was cursing and the second one was joking at the worst possible time. I was getting better at not cursing, but it still slipped out every now and again.

"No… I suppose not." Dad finally answered my question.

"I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight," I said as I stood up from the table. I walked over and gave Dad and Akira a kiss on the cheek. "Good night."

"Good night, Rin." They said in unison

The next month dragged on as I counted down the days to when I could go outside again. Finally, that day had arrived, and I was at my training again in an old barn that was on our property. Hiroto set it up so that I could train with several opponents. I turned around to hit the next one when I saw that it was Dad. I instantly stopped my sword before it struck.

"Enjoying your newfound freedom again I see."

"Well, that's what happens when you lock me inside for a month," I replied snidely as I stuck the tip of my practice sword to the ground and placed my hands on its hilt.

"I didn't come to pick a fight with you."

"Then why did you come?"

"This arrived for you today." He handed me an envelope with the royal seal on it. I opened it and read it.

"Prince Izana wants us to visit him in Wistal."

"He wants the whole family to come?" Dad asked.

"Yes. He wants us to visit for a couple of weeks."

"Did he say why?"

"No, but he said he wants us there as soon as we are able."

"Then I guess we leave tomorrow."

The next day, we headed out and arrived at the castle that evening. Prince Izana was there to greet us then led us straight to an overly elaborate dining table. I made the introductions as we sat down then conversation flowed as we ate.

Prince Izana still hadn't explained why he had asked us to come, so, even though it was considered rude, I asked.

"Prince Izana, why did you ask for all of us to come here?"

I earned a glare from Dad.

"Our first encounter was not what I expected."

"That's not an answer."

"I simply wanted to get to know your family. I understand your father, Lord Takashi, has recently remarried."

"Yes. My mother and younger sister were killed in a bandit attack when we were on our way home from visiting relatives."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"Tell me, was their deaths the reason you picked up a sword?"

"Yes, it was."

"Who was your teacher?"

I saw my father put his face in his hands. Obviously, he didn't think the conversation was going well. He even stopped eating.

"For the most part, it was a stablehand of ours. He used to be in your father's employ, but because of health, he was later dismissed."

"And the other part?"

There was no getting out of that question. I had to answer honestly.

"I was on a -"

"Rin! That's enough!" Dad's voice boomed as he stood up. He turned to the Prince. "I am sorry for my daughter's behavior, Your Highness. She tends to have a mind of her own."

"It's quite alright, Lord Takashi. I'm simply curious as to how she acquired such skill with a sword."

It was a good thing my father stopped me. I had almost forgotten that Takeo was in the room and he also didn't know about my pirate days so I decided to change how I answered the question.

"Prince Izana, do you like stories?"

"Generally, yes, but it depends on the story."

"You'll like Rin's stories, Your Highness!" Takeo piped up. "Which story are you going to tell him, Rin?"

"I'm thinking... the one where Ron gets his revenge."

"AWESOME!" Takeo over enthused as he leaned in.

"Pirate Ron was on his ship when they pulled into the port of a country close to his own. He asked the Captain for permission then went ashore. Once he was there, he got himself some food and wandered about the marketplace. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of one of the men that had murdered his family!"

"How did he know it was the right guy?" Takeo asked.

"The faces of each man had been burned into his memory, so there was no mistaking that this was one of those men. So, Ron secretly followed the man and was lead to a small campsite with four other men. They were all the men that had been involved with killing his family."

"Oh, they are so going to get it!"

"Ron waited until nightfall and began to kill them in their sleep. He killed all of them except the leader. Ron kicked him and woke him up. The leader sprung to his feet and demanded to know who he was and why he had killed his men. Ron said he wanted a rematch."

"Was the leader scared?"

"No. Just the opposite in fact. You have to remember that Ron was only thirteen at the time. So, the bandit just laughed."

"Ooooh, he's going to regret that."

"Ron drew his sword and nicked the leader's arm to prove his point. Finally, the leader drew his sword and the two of them began their duel. To Ron, it felt like it lasted hours, but in truth, it was only about half an hour. Finally… after a hard battle, Ron caught the leader with his guard too low and ran him through."

"That's the best story yet! What did you think of it Prince Izana?"

I looked at the Prince and saw that he had a serious look on his face. From what I knew of him thus far, I could tell he wasn't a stupid man. I was pretty sure he had figured it out. Takeo was only 14 years old, so he didn't catch on that it was more than a story. Since I was going to have to bluntly answer the Prince's question at some point, I figured I might as well tell Takeo the truth.

"I believe there is more to this story, isn't there Lady Rin?"

Prince Izana's question told me that he had already figured it out.

"Yes."

"There's more?!"

"Yes, Takeo. Now listen closely…" I waited to make sure I had his full attention. "All the stories I've told you have actually happened."

"Really?! So, Pirate Ron is real?! That's so -"

"Takeo, I asked you to listen."

"Sorry."

"Yes, they are true stories, but the pirate's name wasn't Ron. It was Rin and he was actually a girl." I told it to him that way to see if he could figure it out. I saw the gears turn in his head and his face changed when I saw he had figured it out.

"You mean that you were a pirate?! And you really did all those things?!" He asked with excitement building.

I was wearing a dress with short sleeves, so I pulled it, and the sleeve of the men's shirt underneath, up so that he could see the scar on my shoulder. It was the same scar from the Ron story about tricking the rival pirate captain.

"Wow! That's so cool! I have the best sister ever!"

I was surprised he was taking it this well.

"Takeo! Settle down and behave like a proper gentleman!" Akira scolded.

"Sorry…"

I turned my attention to Prince Izana.

"How long were you on the pirate ship?" Prince Izana asked then took a sip of his wine.

"Two years."

Prince Izana nearly spat out his drink. I had to try my best not to laugh; it had been the most expression I had seen on his face, thus far. The Prince quickly composed himself.

"Why were you on a pirate ship for that long?"

"Two years after my mother and sister were killed, my father found out about my training. He didn't like it, so we ended up in a huge fight. The end result, I ran away. I just happened to end up on a pirate ship. It was a valuable experience; it taught me a lot."

"It was a disgrace!" my father shouted as he stood up again. "Not only did you have me worried sick! But I had to come up with some sort of excuse as to where you were!"

"Lord Takashi, please control your temper and sit back down." Prince Izana ordered.

Dad did as he was told.

Prince Izana turned to me again.

"Did you pick up any habits from the pirates?" His face and voice were filled with disgust at the word 'pirate'.

"I do tend to curse a little when I get overly emotional, but I'm working on that. I also can make jokes at the most inopportune times. Aside from that, only the skills with the sword." I tried to sound casual and downplay it so it didn't seem like such a big deal, but the look on the Prince's face didn't change. If it did, it was only more serious.

There was a moment of silence.

"I would like everyone, except Lady Rin, to leave."

My family did as they were told and soon it was only Prince Izana and I.

"What is it, Your Highness?"

"I would like to have a physician look at you."

I knew exactly what he meant. He wanted to know if I had been with a man. I could confidently tell him I hadn't been, but he seemed like the type of man who needed proof.

"I understand."

"Good. I'll send him to your room tomorrow morning."