"What did you say!?"

"I-I'm terribly sorry Milord, we never expected someone to use such underhanded tactics, least of all in the middle of the ocean."

"That is no excuse! You allowed Prince Richard de Britannia to be kidnapped, right out from under your nose!"

The officer being yelled at stood stock still at attention while his superior chewed him out.

"Now, how are you going to correct your mistake, where is the Prince now?"

"I-I do not know sir."

"He was kidnapped in the middle of the ocean, therefore he eventually had to be transferred by boat, the location where the incident occurred was too far from any islands for someone to swim the whole distance."

"W-well, we did pick up one ship tapping into the navigation satellites near the area of incident, we ran a trace on it, only to discover that the ship doesn't exist in any of our records, but was using a fake transponder key to tap into the satellites."

"And? Why did you not give chase? Something that suspicious would surely clue you in that they were the criminals."

"Well, sir…we lost them, the satellites tracked them to a certain point, but then they just vanished, we tried aiming spy satellites at the area, but saw nothing but what we think is fog."

The officer glared at his subordinate, "Then send people to investigate personally!"

"We tried that sir, we sent in an aerial scout, but we've lost contact with them, transponder and all…and sir, there's more, one of our men did some research on those coordinates and discovered that the entire area is red-tagged as unnavigable, by sky and sea, although no one seems to know why."

"Surely it's just a ploy, have some of our people look into it in our systems, see when this hack to hide these terrorists took place."

"Sir…that's the problem, it isn't a hack, this area shows up on the old paper charts as well."

The chief officer glared for a moment, the whirled around, "Deploy an assault fleet, we will travel to the edges of this 'unnavigable area' and investigate it ourselves. You had better be prepared for the consequences of your failure."

"Yes sir."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Richard rolled over on his cot, looking around for a moment in confusion, "Oh yeah…" he muttered, remembering where he was. He quietly rolled out of the cot and ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

He opened the door to his room into the small kitchen/living room that was the other part of the tiny building, once a small boat, it had been modified into a makeshift house. He looked around, seeing no sign of his guard, "Sera?" he called, looking around. He walked up to the door to her room and put his hand on the bulkhead handles, then froze, remembering what she'd told him the day before, instead settling to knock, "Sera? Are you in there? Are you still asleep?"

He jerked slightly as a thought occurred to him, if she was asleep, then he could catch her off guard and force her to show him the way out of this mess. He grabbed the handles to the bulkhead door and slowly started to turn them, unlocking the heavy door.

"Hey Perv!" He froze…the voice coming from behind him, then something impacted with the back of his head rather solidly, staggering him. "I told you not to go into my room!"

He started trying to explain his way out before he even tried to turn around, "N-no, it's just that…I was…I woke up, and you…you weren't here, so I thought that you'd be in your room, maybe still asleep."

"Still asleep? I've been up for six hours, it's eleven o'clock already."

He looked down at the ground, seeing what had hit him…a dive mask. Slowly he turned around to see Sera standing in the entrance, dripping wet, and dressed in a black and gray wetsuit, an air tank slung on her back. She glared at him, not believing his story for an instant, but rolled her eyes, "Geez, I told you not to go into my room, I'm a light sleeper, even if you need something while I'm asleep, just knock, if I don't answer, I'm not in there."

She paused a moment, then just shook her head, "I swear, you're some kind of idiot." Deftly she unslung the air tank, dropping it on the ground next to her with a clunk, then turned around, reaching up and starting to unzip the back of the wetsuit.

Richard jerked back, "W-wait, what're you doing!?" he yelped, his face turning pink.

Sera looked over her shoulder at him, "If I wear this into my room I'm gonna track water all over the place."

Richard whirled around, covering his eyes with his hands, then slowly cracked his fingers apart, peeking back over his shoulder to see that she already had the wetsuit around her ankles and was stepping out of it. But he completely dropped his hands when he saw that she had been wearing a simple, black, one-piece swimsuit underneath the wetsuit, "Oh, you weren't just wearing the wetsuit."

She paused, looking down at herself, then back at him, "Well no crap, what kind of idiot only wears a wetsuit…especially one like this, the armor in it would chafe something awful. Could ya go over to that cabinet there and get me two towels?"

"S-sure…and armor?"

She tilted her head to the side, starting to wring out her hair, "Yup, when we're doing underwater work we wear wetsuits with chain mail in it, protects us from the coral, and anything else sharp that we happen to be working with. Because of the water, you tend to be a little more clumsy, so we wear the armor to protect us against that."

He reached into the cabinet, pulling out a pair of towels, "But isn't that heavy?"

She took the towels from him, winding one around her hair, "Eh, things don't weigh as much underwater, you hardly notice at all."

"Oh, so…if I had one of these, I could swim away from here without a problem."

She started scrubbing at her body and swimsuit with the other towel, drying it to the point that it wasn't dripping anymore, "Yup."

He folded his arms, looking at her, "So what if I took yours? While you were sleeping, you said you weren't taking it into your room."

Sera wrapped the second towel around her chest, letting it hang down past her waist and walked right up to Richard, looking up at him, emphasizing the half-foot difference in their heights, "I'm not too worried about that, I'm five foot six, and you're what, almost six feet tall? Not to mention that you're built bigger than me…if you could get my wetsuit past your thighs I'd be impressed."

Richard's shoulders slumped, "So that's why you had no issue bringing it here."

She stepped around him, heading for the small refrigerator and coming out with a jug of water, "Yep."

He watched as she poured some of the water into two glasses, "So, what were you doing out there anyway? You said work?"

"Yep, working on my ship…or, well…it will be mine."

"Your ship?"

"Yep, Dad says I can't have my own ship until I turn eighteen, I still have a few months left, but that doesn't mean I can't start getting my ship ready, I've already got a crew and everything."

"So, what were you doing?"

"Well, I'm one of the smallest people around here, so I usually end up in ducts and maintenance passages fixing anything from electrical, to plumbing, to doing welding work."

He paused a moment, but decided he had nothing better to do, so he asked, "Okay…so what kind of ship is it?"

Sera winked at him, "That's a secret."

"What? Why?"

"Because a pirate never gives away her secrets, least of all her ship."

"Is there anything you will tell me?"

"Um…I'm a year older than you?"

He crossed his arms, looking a little irritated, "I'm just trying to make conversation here."

She finished off her glass of water, "And you're lucky that I'm the one looking after you, if my friends had their way, you'd be tied to a chair and gagged, and trying to make conversation wouldn't be happening at all."

He started slightly, just talking to her, he could almost forget that he was a hostage…she certainly didn't treat him like any hostage he'd ever heard of. "Can you at least tell me what's going to happen to me?"

"Well, I ran into the ringleader of this little escapade, for his sake, we'll call him Bob, today. He said he had made contact with some Britannian officials and was working on the negotiations. If I had to guess, I'd say it'll be some kind of dead drop exchange of you for a whole bunch of money in non-sequential, unmarked bills."

"Is that all I am to you people? Just a bunch of money?"

Sera shrugged, "Can't speak for Bob and company, and I don't really care, but people don't usually talk to money."

That caught Richard's attention, as he turned to look at the girl, setting his cup on the counter.

"Gonna go take a shower now, feel free to go wander around more if ya'd like, just give it about another half hour for the tide to come back in."

He whirled to watch her as she lightly trotted off to her room, "Wait, you came back here during low tide? When you can't see a thing?"

"Yup, see ya whenever." And she deftly kicked the door shut behind her.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Sera stepped back out from her room, dressed in a light blue T-shirt, a pair of gray, Capri jeans, and a complete lack of shoes. She glanced over, slightly surprised to see that Richard hadn't left.

"Still here, huh?"

Richard nodded, "I've been thinking, yesterday I circled the island twice and didn't see anything resembling a way off, and you said you came back during low tide…the way off this island, its something that can only be accessed during low tide, isn't it?"

"Heheh, clever for a perv, aren'tcha. Don't think I'll tell you what it is though."

"I didn't expect you to. So uh…I'm guessing you won't tell me anything about your 'friends' either, will ya?"

"Nope, the less you know about us, the better for us once this is all over. We can get back to doing what we do best, and you can get back to being a spoiled rich kid."

Richard just sighed, "You're impossible, you know that?"

Sera's face split into a broad grin, "Yeah, I know." She lightly stepped over and sat down across from him, "So, what's it like? Living as royalty."

He stared at her, "Wh-why would you want to know that?"

She slid forward on her seat, leaning towards him, "I'm curious, I've never gotten to talk to royalty before, and I can't tell you too much about me. I don't even know how 'normal' people really live, much less royalty."

"Normal people?"

"Yeah, I've never lived around normal people, I was born and grew up here in the veil."

"So…you've always been a pirate? You were born into this?"

"Nope, parents died when I was young."

"Then how…"

Sera cut him off, "Back to the topic…what's life like as royalty?"

"Bu…okay. It's really…busy, always something going on, always having to keep up with everything going on around the Empire. There are always servants around, waiting to tend on anything I need. Lots of parties any time there is something to celebrate. Matter of fact, my birthday party is coming up in a few weeks, so people are already preparing for it. That's actually where I was going when…well…your friends kidnapped me…back to the mainland."

She leaned forward, planting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands, "That sounds kinda interesting, what kind of party…like balloons, friends, and cake?"

Richard shook his head, "No, nothing like that, everything done within the royal family is extremely formal, so the party would be more of a formal ball."

"I think that could be fun, but only once in a while…I don't think I'd like all my birthdays to be like that. I mean, my last birthday, it was just me and my Dad…"

"Didn't you say your parents were dead?"

"Yep…I mean my adoptive Dad…he's the pirate. Anyway, we just went down to the Ann-Marie and just kinda hung around. A bunch of people showed up to wish me happy birthday and all, but it was nice and quiet…well, I guess Ann-Marie isn't ever really that quiet, but it was still nice…all the brawls stayed away from our table."

The prince stared at her, looking confused, "The Ann-Marie is…"

"A bar, pretty fun one too."

"Fun?"

"Yep, always busy, people always telling stories…and watching the brawls is just an added bonus…then watching the bouncer break em up is even more fun. So, what else, there has to be more to your life than just that."

He shrugged, "Well yeah, but it seems real routine to me…I guess it just isn't really anything special, just another way of life."

The two were silent for a moment, Sera appearing to be thinking.

Finally, Richard spoke up again, "So…how about you? You didn't seem to have a problem with telling me things that are just about you."

"That's right, I don't really care if you know who I am…it's not like you could find me if I wanted to disappear."

"So…"

"Alright, I was born here in the veil, my parents wrecked here off a ship and lived here for about three years before I was born. It isn't easy to live here, but if you're careful, you can handle it. They died when I was about six, I don't remember how it happened though. But I'd already been helping out enough with the survival part of things that I was able to keep myself alive. That's also why I know this place so well, I never actually left the veil until I was thirteen. That's when my adoptive Dad found me and took me in."

"So, your name, Sera Dering, is that the name from your birth parents?"

"Yep, well…that's what they finally settled on. My mom never took my Dad's last name, so which name I'd use was kinda up for debate. My Dad, Alexander Dering, liked the name Arturia, my Mom liked the name Sera. So, they settled on me using my Dad's last name, and the first name that my Mom liked."

"What was your Mother's name?"

"Oh, Elinda Pendragon."

Richard stared for a moment, "Pendragon?"

"Yeah, strange name, huh?"

"It sounds familiar for some reason."

"Well of course it does, in old Britannian legend, Pendragon was King Arthur's last name…that's even where my Dad's idea for 'Arturia' came from."

"Oh, of course…" he trailed off, not sounding quite sure.

She pushed herself to her feet, "Hungry?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, I guess I am."

"Kay, come on, you're gonna help me."

The young prince looked at her uncertainly, but got up and followed the pirate girl over to the small kitchen, watching as she pulled open a cupboard and started looking through it.

"Catch." She called, lobbing a pair of cans over her shoulder.

Richard managed to catch both the cans, looking down to see that one was a can of green beans; the other was a can of mandarin oranges. He had to set those down quickly as a small metal device was tossed at him as well. Catching the small device, he looked down at it, looking confused.

"Go ahead and crack open those two cans." And she moved on to the refrigerator, pulling it open.

He stood there, staring at the cans and the small device, then picked up a can, examining both and trying to figure it out.

Sera turned away from the fridge, holding something fairly large and wrapped in foil, then paused watching Richard turn the small device over in his hand.

"Don't tell me you've never used a can opener before."

He gave her a sheepish look, "No…we always have servants that prepare our meals."

She rolled her copper eyes and took the can opener from him, locking it against the side of the can lip, "Locks on like this, turn the handle, then take off the lid when it's cut through. Oh, and when you're done, tear the paper off the can of beans."

"Huh? Why?"

"You'll see, just do it." She dropped the foil-wrapped bundle on the counter, and opened an under-counter cabinet, coming out with a large skillet, then going into a drawer for a few packages of spices.

As she worked, Richard managed to quickly figure out the can opener and opened the two cans, then ripping the wrapper off the beans.

He glanced back to see that she was already working over the gas stove, unwrapping the foil to reveal whitish meat.

He walked up, looking over her shoulder, "What's that?"

"Mahi-mahi."

He gave her a blank look.

"Fish," she explained, flipping it into the skillet.

"Okay…"

"Could ya bring me the can of beans?"

He nodded and picked up the open can, carrying it over.

"Just set it on the burner there, the one that's lit."

He did, "Oh, so that's why you had me take the paper off."

"Yeah, setting the wrapper on fire isn't really a good idea."

Richard was quiet again, watching her cook.

"Wanna go set the table? Dishes are all in that cabinet up there."

He pointed at a cabinet, "Up here?"

"Open it and look, dummy."

So he did, seeing a few stacked plates and glasses above them, "Um, what all do we need?"

"Plate, cup, fork, and knife; silverware's in the drawer right below the cabinet you're in."

With a nod, the young prince pulled out the dishes, carrying them over to the table and setting them out.

"Actually, bring the plates back here."

He looked back to see her pull the skillet off the stove, holding it out towards him.

He came back, carrying the two plates, and she flipped the cooked fish onto them, then grabbed a pair of tongs, pulling the beans off the stove as well.

The two carried the food over to the table, Sera grabbing the can of oranges on her way.

Once everything was on the table, and Sera had made one last trip over to the fridge and come back with two glasses of milk, Richard looked over the gathered food, "Kind of a…strange combination."

Sera looked up at him, "So? It's got all the stuff ya need: beans for the greens and vitamins, oranges for the vitamin C, fish for the protein, and whole milk for the calcium and Vitamin D."

Silence for a moment, "But oranges and beans seem like a strange combination."

She was already eating, and spoke after swallowing a bite of the fish, "If it bugs ya, have a bite of Mahi-mahi between em. But still eat it all, it'd be a pain if you got sick."

Richard couldn't help it, he let out a little laugh, "You know, you keep acting so tough, but you're really a nice person, aren't you?"

Sera stopped mid-bite, her fork still in her mouth, staring at him, then finished the bite, "Nope, I'm a pirate," she smiled and added with a wink, "A real scoundrel."

"I don't believe that, you aren't at all like what I was told criminals were like."

Her mouth full, she spoke anyway, "Well, m'be ya shoun b'lev ever'thin ya hear." She swallowed the bite, "Besides, I'm not a good person at all, I'm a liar, a thief, and a murderer."

He stared for a moment, the fact that she said this without looking like she cared at all caused him to pause, "B-but, you didn't have a choice, this was a life you were pulled into."

Silence for a moment as Sera kept eating, then paused, "Ya know, you aren't the first person to tell me that…and it doesn't change what I am; I've broken too many laws to count, and enjoyed it."

"Not the first?"

"You thought you were the first hostage I've kept an eye on? No, no, I've looked after entire shiploads of people…sure I took them a bit deeper into the veil, where I could keep control easier, but it was the same idea." She took a quick drink of milk, "Usually, they'd say that because they were trying to convince me to come over to their side and lead em out, others so I'd drop my guard and they could try to force me to lead them out…but I think you're the first one to say that without an ulterior motive I can see."

Richard finished his bite of beans, "But, why you? I'm sure there are other people that would be better suited for guard duty than you."

"Guard duty? Heh, hardly…I'm not the one guarding you…Lady V is doing that for me, I'm just here to make sure she doesn't kill you, and to lead you out when the time comes."

"Lady…V?"

"The veil, it's our name for her…there's things deeper in the veil that could kill you if you don't know what you're doing. I'm here to make sure you stay away from those areas, and to take care of you until its time to bring you out."

"But…why you?"

"Cuz I'm the only one that can…I know the entire veil like the back of my hand, everyone else only knows how to get to places that I've showed them how to find. Matter of fact, there's only one other person that knows how to get out to where we are, anyone else who tries would end up lost in the fog…and even he doesn't know the land route to here."

"They're just using you, Sera…can't you see that?"

"They can't, if I wanted to leave, they couldn't hold me if they tried…I only do things that I want to do."

Again, silence for a moment, "So, what were you saying about the veil being able to kill people?"

"Well, can't give ya all the details, and if you're careful, and know what you're doing, it isn't too bad, but there're places where the fog doesn't lift at all, and swirls like crazy; never go into those places, unless I tell you it's okay to."

"H-huh?"

She slid back from her food and reached up to her right ear, unfastening one particularly large band of an earring that covered about half her ear lobe. Slipping the pins on it loose, she slid it off to reveal torn and scarred skin underneath it, looking like something had tried to rip part of her ear off, "This happened because I went into one of those places without being careful, At the same time, it broke my right ring finger, almost tearing it off, and mashed up the rest of the fingers on that hand; I ended up with a nasty cut on my right shin, and tore my favorite pair of pants."

He stared at her, "Wh-what happened?"

"That's not important, just remember what I said if you ever go wandering around here again, we're a distance from the nearest one of those spots, but still, just to be sure…" she trailed off, seeming to be listening to something.

"Sera?"

"Shh," she hissed, slipping quietly over to the window and looking out.

She was silent, looking for a moment, then whispered, "What the heck is he doing…dear God…" Again, another moment of silence as Richard walked over to the window.

"What is it?" He trailed off to see a small boat filled with soldiers in Britannian uniform unloading from a small boat on the shore just a few yards from the wrecked boat they were in, with one face among them that Sera recognized.

"Isaac…you idiot."