It was another lovely day in Horteka; the sounds of varkris and an invisible piper were as abundant as ever, and Centime's youngest children were playing ball in the grassy clearing. Karen was out drawing water from the lake, and the crew of the Ironclad were already hard at work on the repairs. By all accounts it seemed that today would be just like every other, but then. . . .
Great flocks of varkris took wing over the forest, cawing madly; these birds were normally very hard to frighten, and Centime straightened up to watch them flee with a frown. The piping had stopped abruptly, replaced with scattered shouts from the village, and every Blue Rogue in the clearing was gazing around curiously when an acrid stench found their noses: smoke.
"What's going on?" shouted one of the lookouts, straining his eyes, and moments later he shrieked, "Smoke from the east! There's a fire in the village!"
The young Ixa'takan twins came running onto the deck, fear in their eyes, and Centime gathered them close. "Stay here with your brother, understand? I've got to go and find your mother."
Hans took the twins' hands and led them into the cargo bay as Centime sprinted off toward the village, and the smell of burning wood now filled his nostrils. Cries of frightened civilians pressed in closer, though it was very difficult to see much in all the confusion; quickly he descended the ladder leading to the lake, and only then did he notice the men in heavy armor, all carrying weapons and rounding up the men of Horteka.
Valua here? Centime thought wildly, glancing all around for his wife. But why? What could they possibly want with Horteka?
But there was no time to ponder the situation; the soldiers had spotted him, and a few were already making their way toward him. Beyond them, huts were burning, women were crying; quick as lightning Centime whipped a pistol from his belt and fired a warning shot, but that only quickened the pursuit of the soldiers. The pirate captain wisely turned and fled.
Behind him, voices barked for him to halt, but Centime was already away up the ladder and dashing along the rickety bridges toward the king's hut. There was still no sign of his wife Karen. Then a shot was fired - the bullet whizzed past Centime and urged him to sprint faster. Skidding to a near-halt outside the tent flap of King Ixa'taka he burst in, startling a handful of priests and the ruler of Horteka.
"Flee!" Centime cried, and out in the village the screams were growing louder. "Flee the village! Escape before you are seen!"
Then he was away, flying up rope ladders and across hanging bridges, and he evaded pursuit until the screams had long since died away and the Valuans had him forced into a corner. Who seemed to be their leader came striding into their midst, even as Centime was forced into heavy iron manacles.
"Captain Centime of Ironclad?" said the commander gruffly.
Too dazed and frightened to speak, Centime merely nodded.
"By order of Admiral De Loco, you are under arrest."
Author's Note: You read it here first, fans - poor Captain Centime is in for the long-haul.
Meowzy-chan: Trust there will be more Galcian/Ramirez bits later on, and trust Alfonso to give Galcian his fair share of hell.
SilverKidia: ROTFLMAO. I needed a good laugh just then; well done. I'll give you some of Toado's cookies, lol.
Lady Lanet: Haha, don't be embarrassed. Those pairings are actually already planned out, though I've never written for either. I've got loads of Galcian/Ramirez hiding in dark corners, and I've done Lawrence/Ilchymis in liberal quantities, too. Poke me and send your e-mail address if you'd like some.
The Right Hand of Fate: Haha, what would my super powers be? Defying natural typing speed? LMAO. And just to warn you in advance, I'm not such a great cook. And you're right about Alfonso - while extremely arrogant and two-faced, his loyalty is always worth a mention and I always got the feeling that there was more to him than just a pretty face. But you'll just have to watch that develop, won't you? I'll go start on your cookies now...
Thanks for reading, everyone! More to come soon...