Hello again my pretties! This chapter is one of my longer ones, and includes what what might be considered the extremely-long-awaited climax.

Enjoy!

Lovina bit back a stream of curses. They'd been out maneuvered, painfully so. The Arabian pirate and at least a dozen of his men had risen out of smaller fishing boats tied off to the side dock, having been lying patiently in wait. Swallowing tightly, Lovina glanced back. Gilbert was slowly moving forward, sword up, positioning himself so that he and Antonio stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking the girls from sight.

"Sadiq Adnan. You're a long way from home. Why?"

Lovina shivered as the pirate came into view. He stood six feet tall, easy, clad in a bizarre mix of robes and scarves she'd never seen before. The man even had them around his head, leaving only his face and hands bare. Even then, the upper half of his face was hidden by a white mask. His sword only seemed to have one edge, curving and growing wider near the tip. Even that was odd, ending in a bent triangle to match the curve. His men were all dressed and armed similarly, if not quite as elaborately.

"You're annoying," said Adnan, actually sounding somewhat amused. "I'm a businessmen trying to expand my business. You get in my way. You sink my ships. It's not polite."

Antonio snorted derisively. "If you want polite, go find an Englishman. I do not shoot first, Adnan. Your ships attack me."

"Details," shrugged Adnan, grinning wickedly. "I was looking for a change of scenery anyway. Either way, I came a long way to make a point. I'm hardly going to let you slip through my fingers now."

Lovina glanced back as the pirates talked, her heart sinking as more gathered behind them. They were surrounded. Glancing down at the water under the planks, she grimaced. A harbor wasn't exactly a clean swimming hole, but it beat dying. That said, she also wasn't going to leave Antonio. The last time she'd let him separate her from a fight it hadn't ended well.

"Now, allow me to explain what's going to happen," drawled Adnan, wandering closer. "You're going to call off your men. You're going to come with me. You're going to bring your friend and your women as well."

Lovina glanced around, searching desperately for a nonexistent weapon besides her own knife. It suddenly seemed very insignificant, she'd need something better. As she did, she noticed something over the dim shadows of the other boats. At first she couldn't believe it, but as she stared Lovina realized her eyes weren't lying. The moon, having ducked behind the clouds while they were in the tower, was slowly returning.

"No. If I go with you, the women stay," said Antonio coldly.

Adnan sighed. "That's not how it works, Carriedo," he said, pointing his sword at them. "I'm making a point, remember? I kill your men. I sink your ships. I dirty your women. Then I kill you very slowly. There's this technique I picked up in China, they call it 'death by a hundred cuts'. I've been looking forward to trying it."

"Incoming," breathed Lovina.

"What?" whimpered Madeline.

"Your sister's as stubborn as any pirate bastard," Lovina murmured. "Gracias a Dios."

By now Sadiq's men were starting to turn, shouting to their leader. Lovina couldn't help but grin as Adnan spun around, body tensing for the first time as he saw what was bearing down on them. Wood groaned, boats creaking and ropes straining as the smallest of Gilbert's ships bore down on them. The torches were all dark, and the Gelb Klaue was crawling quietly along. She was using the drifting wind of the harbor and oars to push up against the docked boats, using them for cover as she came in close.

"If you want your captain alive, surrender!" Adnan yelled. It was the bellow of a captain that could penetrate the worst storms to a scrambling crew. Unfortunately, this time it didn't have the desired effect.

"That's not my captain! Fire!"

Lovina threw herself to the dock as what sounded like a dozen cannons went off at once. Wood and water rained down around them. Someone screamed. The roar had barely died when a hand grabbed her by the back of her dress, hauling her up only to chunk her into the nearest boat. She sat up as Madeline was shoved after her, Antonio cutting the robe that anchored it as Gilbert gave it a shove. The small rowboat wobbled, and Lovina swore as she struggled to stand.

"Get in you bastards!"

"Unless you want another round you'd better be the one surrendering!" Amelia bellowed.

Adnan was shouting at his crew, the ones still on the dock, shoving them into action. Lovina was impressed- the American had managed to take out several of them. It took a second, but she realized the girl had actually put all the cannons on the port side, maximizing their firepower.

"Surrender, to a woman? Ha!"

"Fire!"

Again cannon fodder rained down on them, but Lovina realized it was all aimed to either side of Gilbert and Antonio, who looked ready to fight those that remained. At least that was where all the holes and blood were clustered. How Adnan was still standing she had no idea, but he didn't look quite so clean and fancy anymore.

Lovina cursed, getting unsteadily to her feet. Madeline fumbled to balance the boat, eyes wide. "What are you doing?"

The Italian barely spared her a glance. Amazingly, Gilbird was still in place, voicing hoarse squawks of protest. "I'll be damned if he dies after I finally get him back."

That said, she jumped into the larger fishing boat they were drifting passed, the one that had been tied next to the rowboat. Lovina fumbled, searching for a weapon, but only able to find jumbles of nets. She was about to give up when she found it, hidden under one of the seats. Smirking in triumph, she unsheathed the two foot long fisher's blade. Long, thin, and very sharp. Not a sword, but good enough.

No sooner had she done this, though, than a thump threw her to the bottom of the deck. She turned to see a very displeased Madeline get to her hands and knees, glaring at her. "You're annoying, you know that right?"

"Of course."

"Lovina, get back in the boat!" snapped Antonio, blade clashing with one of the surviving crewman's.

Those that still lived were attacking, meaning Amelia couldn't fire another volley without the risk of hitting them. The good news was that the dock was only wide enough for them to attack one or two at a time, though. Adnan still hung back, but not so far he would make himself a target. He was smirking. Lovina scowled.

About to climb onto the dock, she hesitated. Adnan clearly didn't think they were a threat, eyes focused entirely on Antonio and Gilbert as they fought for their lives. Even the crew ignored them. Slowly, trying not to draw attention to herself, Lovina turned, meeting Madeline's eyes and holding a finger to her lips. The other girl frowned, but didn't protest, only moving to steady the boat as Lovina slowly clambered over the side. She lowered herself into the water, gripping the blade tightly in one hand.

He doesn't think we're a threat, huh? thought Lovina venomously. She sank down until she was mostly submerged, paddling herself quietly underneath the dock. She kept an eye on Adnan as she made her way beneath the dock, not looking directly at the debris she had to push out of her way. Maybe a knife in his back will change his mind.

It was surprising how angry it made her. Admittedly it always would have, but it cut even deeper after finally being taken seriously. Suddenly it didn't matter if Adnan was powerful or not, or how many people he had under his command. He was still just a man, and there wasn't a single lackey between him and Lovina's newly acquired knife.

There were two feet between the water's surface and the dock's bottom. Lovina peeked carefully over the dock's edge once she was around, relaxing slightly when she saw Adnan was still focused on the fight. She didn't look towards Antonio, which took more effort than she wanted to admit. She couldn't get distracted. It was like chess, she reasoned. Take out the queen, and the rest would fall.

Lovina put some distance, an entire boat, between herself and Adnan before she started the painful process of hauling herself up. Her upper body strength was limited, and she was soaking wet. By the time she got herself onto the planks, she had a steady stream of curses running on a loop in her head, gritting her teeth rather than utter them aloud.

"Why don't you just give up?" Adnan was taunting. "You're outnumbered, outmatched."

Lovina glared at him from behind, finally getting to her feet. Antonio didn't even look at the Turk, instead running through one of the man's crew, shoving him over the dock's edge before pivoting in time to slice the throat of the one who'd tried to get close. Lovina's glower turned into a faint, proud smile.

Shaking it off, she took a deep, quiet, breath, and tried to ease forward as quietly as possible. Six steps away. Five. Four. Three. Two.

Lovina was drawing back her blade, only hesitating as she tried to approximate where his heart would be, when Adnan spun around. She tried to make a frantic stab, but he caught her wrist, grinning. As he started to laugh, she dropped the knife into her free hand, jamming it blindly. The laugh cut off in a scream as she drove it hilt-deep into his upper thigh.

Cursing in Arabic, he dragged her around in front of him hard enough to wrench at her shoulder. Lovina gasped, dragged up onto her toes with Adnan's still uninjured arm. She kicked out, but was only able to graze his knee before he pinned her tightly back against his chest.

Then, to her shock, he laughed again. "Ah, I love 'em fiery! Where did you find this one, Carriedo? Stand down, or she dies. It would be a shame, even wet she's very pretty."

Lovina opened her mouth and let fly every curse that had been circling inside her head. She thrashed and jerked, making a grab for his sword. She only stilled when he aimed it's point at her throat. He might not have much balance, but he had enough. She knew he had to be in pain, but it wasn't having the effect she'd hoped for.

Still cursing, she reluctantly lifted her eyes to look down the dock. The crew had moved away, allowing for a clear line of sight. Gilbert and Antonio had stopped fighting. After a minute, they slowly let their swords fall to the planks. Gilbert looked grim. Antonio looked torn. Lovina kicked herself for getting into this position again. She was not going to let this happen, not again.

Letting her curses peter out, she took a deep breath, and then purred, "Are you rich? You look rich."

Adnan spared her a glance. "Of course. What does it matter?"

"Why else would I bother joining a pirate? The brothel wasn't profitable enough." She laid her free hand over her throat, arching herself as she looked up at Adnan. He wasn't looking at Antonio anymore. Remembering the trick that had always gotten Feliciano extra portions at the sweet shop, she smiled timidly, biting her lip. "Let me live, and I'll make it worth your while."

He actually seemed to be considering her offer, especially as Lovina ran her hand slowly down her throat to her blouse. She tugged at the fabric, then turned to look back down the dock. "I was getting bored anyway. I've been working a alehouse. An alehouse. Such a waist of talent. A whore who can cook, captain."

Adnan threw his head back and laughed. "You're amusing, but no. But if I make an exception now my reputation-

It was the last word he spoke. Lovina yanked her knife out and drove it up as he turned to look back down at her. Adnan screamed, shoving her away so hard Lovina nearly fell back into the water, crashing to her hands and knees inches from the dock's edge. The Turk staggered back, still screaming, his sword falling to the dock. The hilt of her small blade protruded from his eye socket as he fumbled for it, blood gushing from the wound as he tried to pull it out.

Lovina reluctantly turned back, eyes wide. For some morbid reason she felt she owed the man that much, looking at her work. Adnan stumbled back a step too far, his soft boot slipping over the edge of the dock. His last scream was cut off as he fell into the water. He didn't surface.

It took a moment, but the spell broke. Suddenly every crew member decided they needed to avenge their fallen leader. Lovina looked up, dazed, as they charged her. Those not on the wrong side of the pirates, anyway. She barely had it in her to scramble backwards, squeezing her eyes shut as she braced for a flurry of swords and blows.

"Lovi!"

A pistol shot rang out over her head, followed closely by another, right before two heavy objects hit the deck in front of her. Lovina opened her eyes when the onslaught didn't come. Two spent pistols lay in front of her. She looked up as someone stepped over her, sword in one hand, dagger in the other.

"You?"

"What sort of thank you is that? There's a spare knife in my boot. Make yourself useful or we're both dead."

The D-word snapped Lovina out of her funk. She fumbled for his boot, grabbing the blade and lurching to her feet. Her defender had his face set in grim lines, but there was no hesitation. Considering the state he was in, he was remarkably calm and capable with his blades.

A piercing scream made her flinch as they braced for the onslaught of angry Arabian pirates. "IGGY!"

Lovina winced, ducking a sword's stab and jabbing her knife into his elbow. The pirate dropped his blade, screaming. He was already on the dock's edge, and a shove sent him over it. Switching to his other side, blocking a sidestroke aimed at his side, she asked, "What the hell happened to you?"

"Your bloody Spaniard happened," snapped Kirkland angrily. He yanked his sword from one man's gut and turned to slice the throat of the man Lovina had blocked. "Lucky for him, this damned Arabian sod has been making trouble for me as well. Duck."

Lovina doubled over as a forearm stroke got passed Arthur. The effort earned him a hilt to the skull and a kick into the water. The Italian lurched back a few paces, grabbing one of the spent pistols by the barrel. She swung it like a club, making a man scream and drop his sword as it hit his collar bone. Then she dropped to a crouch, swinging it down over the hand of a man trying to climb back onto the dock. Something cracked as the man screamed.

"I thought you were on the bloody boat!" snapped Arthur. "Get back you idiot!"

"I'm not Amelia!" shouted Madeline.

Lovina glanced up in surprise. The other girl had a rather sick set to her face, but she'd picked up a sword from a dead pirate. As she watched, Madeline blocked an overhand strike, promptly bringing one foot straight up. As the man keeled over she shoved him bodily into the water.

As she stabbed another sword arm, Lovina could hear Amelia yelling at the crew, trying to get them to either back the ship up or turn it around. A wry smile spread over her face, and Lovina knew the night was getting to her when she cackled. "Make sure she doesn't have any blades when she sees you, eh?"

Kirkland grunted. "Shut up and keep fighting!"

Lovina had no idea how they were managing as they were. She was shocked they weren't dead, but she also wasn't complaining. Blaming the bottleneck affect of the dock, she stomped another pair of rising hands on the dock, and slammed her pistol handle down on the skull of another pirate.

Gilbert, meanwhile, was cackling wildly as he darted forward, leaving Antonio's side to join Madeline. There were only three left on their side, apparently the only three with any decent sword skills. One was fighting Antonio, but the other two were closing in on Madeline.

"When we make it through these unawesome Arabians, I'll buy you a drink Birdie," said Gilbert, still laughing.

"If we make it out. And I'd prefer fresh clothes, thank you," quipped Madeline.

If anything, Gilbert laughed all the harder.

Had she not been fighting for her life, Lovina would have groaned.

"I don't care what Belishmet said, do it! We need to get out of here!"

Lovina glanced up, then did a double take as she saw a second set of oars extend from the holes on the Gelb Klaue's port side. She didn't have time to stare, though, and quickly stomped on the four hands that had started to climb up. That done, she turned in time to see Kirkland bracing a foot on a lifeless chest, scowling as he hauled the blade free.

The Italian glanced back towards the city, and her heart sank. She'd forgotten about the alarm. Reinforcements were finally coming, and they didn't sound happy. No doubt it would do little for their mood if their found their captain dead.

"Come on," she said, grabbing his weapon-less arm and dragging him down the nearest dock. A ladder made of robe and wood was thrown over the Gelb Klaue's side, and Lovina took a running leap. She grunted as she slammed into the ship's side, dropping the pistol but managing to cling to the boot knife. Not bothering to look down, she started to climb, reassured Kirkland was behind her as another thump and curse came from just below her.

"Push!" Amelia was bellowing. "Unless you want to face a hundred Arabians push!"

As Lovina dragged herself over the ship's rail, falling heavily to the deck, she could feel their forward momentum slow, the ship's bow slowly turning. She got to her feet as Arthur clambered over the rail, turning and leaning over it again. Lovina peeked over in time to see him grab Madeline's arm, hauling her bodily up and over the rail. Gilbert and Antonio were right behind her, climbing quickly. A glance back at the dock showed no more enemies. At least, none that would give them any more problems.

Satisfied, Lovina scanned the deck for Amelia. She needn't have bothered. The girl all but tackled Kirkland to the ground, throwing her arms around him at full speed. Kirkland didn't fall, just staggered back a few paces. He was returning her embrace as Lovina swallowed hard, looking back towards the town.

"We need to leave," she said loudly. "Yesterday would be good."

Gilbert dragged himself over the rail, already bellowing orders in German. The crew was suddenly much more enthusiastic, and Lovina felt the ship start to move a little faster. Amelia had been getting them to pivot the ship so they wouldn't have to get too close to the Veiled Queen, using the ores to push them around rather than wait for the rudder to work at such slow speeds.

Lovina was turning back to the village worriedly when she was grabbed for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. She was too tired to do more than let her knife drop to the deck, letting Antonio embrace her again. A shaky hand stroked her damp hair as the Spaniard held her tight, and Lovina turned to wrap her arms around his waist.

"Dios mío, never do that again Lovi. Comprender? Never. I don't think I can handle someone else holding a knife to your throat."

"Are you sure? I'm finally getting used to it."

Another, much better and much less shaky quip was on her tongue, but it never got the chance to come out. Antonio tipped her chin up, and kissed her. It wasn't like before, when he'd done it soon after bringing her aboard. It was slow, tender, like they had all the time in the word.

It was a very rude awakening when they were reminded this was not the case.

Lovina broke the kiss when she heard Amelia winding up, a stream of choice names flowing from her mouth with increasing volume. The Italian stepped between her approaching friend and Antonio, bracing herself and glaring defensively up at the outraged blond. She'd never seen Amelia look so genuinely angry, though Lovina had to admit she wouldn't be any better were their positions switched.

"Move, Lovina," she growled. "I don't want to hurt you, but your pirate is a dead man."

"No," said Lovina bluntly, clinching her fists.

Amelia's grip tightened on the rapier in her hand. "You saw what he did! At least let me return the favor."

Lovina was prepared to fight the blond, sword or no sword, but she didn't have to. She was quite surprised when Arthur stepped forward, putting a hand on Amelia's shoulder. "As nice as that is, it's going to have to wait, love. We're not out of danger yet. You can mutilate him later."

Amelia swung around. "Me? Why don't you want to?"

Captain Kirkland was worse for wear, to put it lightly. Lovina made a note to ask just what had happened while they were in New Madrid. Amelia was with Gilbert and Antonio, and it looked like Kirkland had gotten on the bad side of some demon. He was down to breeches and a plain white linen shirt, both of which were half tears and shreds, many of which were stained with blood. His belt was weaponless save for his now sheathed sword, but none of this caught Lovina's attention quite as quickly as the crude bandage wrapped around his head. His right temple was bruised, but if the location of the slightly bloodied bandages was any indication, something was very wrong with his left eye. His hair and clothes all had a dusting of salt, like he'd spent the better part of several days in close proximity with the ocean. For all he was battered and bruised, though, he'd still managed to hold his own as a fighter.

Arthur was smiling tiredly at Amelia. "I'll explain later. Now if you're going to kill someone why don't you kill them?" he suggested, pointing at the retreating docks.

"Oh, right. Belishmet! How soon can we get out of here?"

Gilbert, who had reclaimed the helm, was directing his crew into coaxing more speed out of the sluggish vessel. What little wind there was to be had was now against them, and the oars were being redistributed below. His face was set, his brow furrowed as he barked out orders in German.

"The Awesome me needs time to work!" he yelled back, spinning the wheel.

Lovina glanced around anxiously, noting the flood of crewmen that were making their way back to the Veiled Queen. Turning to a sober Antonio, she asked, "How long before she can get underway?"

The Spaniard frowned at the large ship. "I don't know. If they were ready to leave port at a moment's notice, a few minutes. But she's too big, they'd have to go out the other harbor exit."

"And if they weren't ready?"

"Three hours. Maybe four, since they're short on crew and have no captain."

"Would it slow them down even more if they had a hole near the rudder?"

"You, move the pulley around! Down below, bring a cannon into position!" Amelia bellowed, running to aim the second sentence through the open panels in the middle of the deck.

Lovina grimaced. It seemed they'd had the same idea. "What sort of range does a cannon have?"

Antonio grinned. "Enough."

"Will they chase us once they're out of port?" asked Madeline worriedly.

"Probably. It would be best if we could sink them first," noted Arthur. "Though if they liked their captain as little as we did they might just go home."

Lovina stared at him. "You're not serious."

The Brit shrugged. "It's true. Ask him."

When she turned, Antonio was also nodding. "Not all leaders are liked, Lovi. Sometimes the first thing those under his command can think about is fighting over who will take his place. It would be good for us if they do."

"They seem to be in an awful hurry to get home, if that's it," said Madeline.

Lovina wasn't going to argue. As Amelia directed the crew into hauling up the cannon, landing the thing on the main deck with a heavy thunk, she frowned up at Antonio. "I thought you two hated each other."

Two sets of green eyes, one light and one dark, flicked in her direction then away. It was Antonio who said, "We came to an agreement."

Lovina opened her mouth, but then closed it. Some things, she decided, was better not to question. Instead she started ringing out her hair, which was still quite soaked, along with her dress. Amelia was surprisingly good at goading the crew into action, and those not following Gilbert's orders were rushing to get the cannon ready to fire. No sooner had Lovina gotten most of the harbor water out of her hair then Amelia yelled, "Fire!"

At some point in time Lovina would have plugged her ears. Now she only watched grimly as the cannon went off, rolling back a foot in its trolley. A heartbeat later, a hole appeared near the bottom of the Veiled Queen's aft wall, not far from her rudder line and even closer to the water line.

Amelia whooped in delight. "Reload! Try again! Where's my second cannon?"

Bending to wring out her lower skirts, Lovina noted, "Is it just me, or is she having fun?"

"It's not just you," said Madeline with a sigh.

She turned towards the rail as the Italian started on the back section of dripping skirts, but Lovina's head snapped up when Madeline yelped. She dove for her dropped knife as a battered and bloody pirate struggled up over the rail, by some morbid miracle having dragged himself up the ladder still hanging over the side.

As she grabbed it, the two pirate captains surging forward, Lovina was surprised to hear Madeline shout in anger. "Why can't you stupid pirates leave me alone!"

Lovina stopped, blinking in surprise as the blond gripped her sword with both hands, swinging it around as one might a stick of wood, nearly amputating a flailing arm. Two more equally forceful swings had the pirate letting go, toppling back into the water. He wouldn't last long, not with one arm half off and three missing fingers.

Amelia finally abandoned her post at the cannon, striding worriedly over to her sister. "Um, Maddie? Are you alright?"

Madeline swung around, glaring at her sister through wild eyes. She still gripped her sword tightly, the blade bloodied. "No, I'm not alright! I have been kidnapped and held prisoner. I've seen men slaughtered and ships burned. I have killed people. You might like this but I don't. I'm not you, Amelia. I want to go home! You finally found someone willing to let you be yourself, I'm happy for you, really. But if I don't get away from this soon I'm going to go mad."

"Easy, Maddie. Give me the sword. Relax, no one else is coming after you right now," Amelia coaxed, tone gentle as she tugged the bloodied sword from her sister's hands. Madeline let her take it without protest, but her shoulders were shaking. Lovina could see unshed tears glinting in the torchlight.

After carefully setting the blade aside, kicking it across the deck, Amelia reached out as if to hug her. Madeline pushed her away, face torn, and stalked briskly towards the steps leading below decks. If it wasn't for the cannon's next volley the deck would have been silent.

Amelia made to follow her, but Lovina spoke up. "Don't."

Spinning to face her, the American protested, "But she's my sister."

"Exactly. Do you think anything you do will do her good now?" demanded Lovina. "At least wait until we're out of the harbor. Then go talk to her."

"What do you know? She's my sister," snapped Amelia defensively.

"I know my sister," Lovina fired back. "I've said a lot of things I'm not proud of, I've upset her more than I want to admit. If you want her to listen to you, you need to wait."

Amelia's blue eyes were blazing, fists clinched tightly, but rather than run after Madeline she stormed back towards the cannons. "What's taking you idiots so long? Reload! Faster! That ship isn't getting any closer!"

"Toni! Get your butt up here! Jetzt!"

Antonio hesitated, eyes on Lovina, but then made his way up to the helm. He took Gilbert's place at the wheel. Lovina frowned as he strode grimly below decks, taking off his hat as he ducked below the low frame. For a moment she thought about going after the albino, but shook it off. Madeline might not like it, but she could handle herself. Besides, the ship was under full oars by now, making steady headway towards open waters and fresh winds. The Amelia-guided cannon fodder had ensured the Veiled Queen wouldn't be perusing them any time soon, the lower waves already starting to gush into the gaping holes in her hull.

BREAK/BREAK\BREAK

"Go away."

Madeline winced as her voice cracked. She stared down at her hands in the lantern light, rubbing at them with a dirty rag. No matter how much she rubbed, the blood refused to leave completely.

"That would be unawesome."

"That is not even a word."

Madeline kept her head down, pressing her back even tighter against the wall. Rather than move on or tower over her, Gilbert sat across the small hallway from her, setting his hat next to him. She would have ignored him, but Gilbird moved for the first time in what felt like weeks.

The small, fluffy bird cheeped, wiggling out of his 'perch' and fluttering up to her head. Madeline didn't bother trying to shoo him away. "If you make a mess up there I'm turning you into a stew," she mumbled.

"Gilbird doesn't like many people," Gilbert mused. As if she wasn't trying to cry in peace in the middle of a pirate ship while trying to get the blood off her hands. "He only sits on me, though. That's why I called you Birdie. You're special."

"I want you to leave me alone."

"I told you, that would be-

"Unawesome," repeated Madeline. "I heard."

"Then why don't you believe me?"

"Because you're an egotistical pirate with a very odd pet bird."

Gilbert laughed. "Thank you. People call me a lot of things, Birdie, but nothing that sounds that nice."

Madeline frowned. "I just insulted you."

"I know. But the words you used sounded nice."

"That doesn't make any sense," she protested, sniffing.

"I wasn't trying to make sense."

"Then what purpose was there?"

Madeline started as two extended index fingers appeared in her sight range, poking against her cheeks, forcing the corners of her mouth upward. She swatted his hands away. "Stop that!"

Gilbird cheeped his protest, fluttering down to her shoulder. A wobbly smile tugged at Madeline's face as the canary daintily nibbled at her ear. She rubbed her nose with her few clean fingers, then patted Gilbird's head. He cheeped, then started to scuttle down her arm. Blinking, and wanting to keep him on a horizontal perch, Madeline extended her arm. First to her elbow, then her wrist, then her hand as he kept right on going. In the end it was a short hop from her finger to Gilbert's shoulder.

"That. I was trying to get that. You're prettier when you smile, ja?"

Madeline made a face. "You heard what I said. I won't be a pirate's wife."

"Do not take me for a fool, fräulein," he chided, tilting his head back against the wall. "I have had my fun, but I have played Peter Pan too long, I think."

Sniffing, rubbing at her cheeks, Madeline peeked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"My bruder is getting married. Luddy was always more mature than me, but I am still older. I left because I was tired of my Vater. Even if that was not true, I am getting tired of people trying to kill the Awesome me."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Madeline tiredly.

"Because I want to know if the Awesome me is still allowed to buy you a pretty new dress."

It took a minute, but then Madeline blushed as she remembered what he was talking about. She'd been in the heat of the moment, but...she still preferred the idea of fresh clothes over a pint of cheep ale. Even so, what then?

"If I say yes? Then what happens?"

"That would depend, Birdie."

"On what?"

"If the Awesome me can convince you of my true awesomeness before we get back to Port Diego."

Gracias a Dios -Thank God

Dios mío - My God

Comprender- understand

Jetzt - now

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