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Lovina stood at the bow of Cuervo de Advertencia, watching as they passed out of Tortuga's harbor. Antonio stood next to her, one arm around her waist. The Muerte Alada was already out of the harbor, half a mile ahead and to their starboard side. Gilbert was aboard his lead ship, leading the way back to Port Diego. Madeline had decided to go with him, despite Amelia's protests.

While she hadn't taken part in the makeshift double marriage, Madeline seemed content to remain with Gilbert. Why, Lovina had no idea, but if her friend was happy she wasn't going to protest. She herself was very happy, thank you very much, and was eager to return home.

For what was quite possibly the first time in their history, Arthur and Antonio had agreed to work together, however briefly. Finding a priest in a pirate port on a mostly uninhabited island wasn't easy, and the idea of making another stop wasn't an appealing one. That said, Antonio had insisted that even in a place like Tortuga, there had to be at least one who had felt the need to brave the area. It had taken the better part of a day, but they found him.

Technically, it wasn't really even an marriage, though it was official. Yes they were now in possession of the legal documents that indicated they were married, but there was no big ceremony, no elaborate dresses or fancy food. Lovina had a feeling that, if things went well when they reached Port Diego, Feliciana would waste no time in planning a second, equally elaborate wedding to her own. For as far back as she could remember, the idea had repulsed her. She hated white clothes, they were so easy to get dirty. And a fluffy white wedding dress she would only wear once? Feliciana had looked beautiful in hers, but Lovina hadn't wanted that. Until now, anyway. Suddenly the idea didn't seem so bad.

Recently she'd realized there had been another part to her disliking the idea of a wedding. The big party and the dress had been things she'd latched onto out of habit. She'd been startled by just how much it mattered who Nonno would be giving her up to. It was something she'd done with every suitor before going out of her way to repulse them. Lovina would imagine what would no doubt be a pretty wedding with all the trappings, herself in a dress with too long a train and too tight a corset. Nonno would be walking her down the aisle, and at the end of it would stand whomever she was to marry.

Usually this resulted in nausea, repulsion, even fear, or some mix of the three. But when she'd put Antonio there, at the end of the aisle? She'd never seen him in anything fancier than his long red coat, but even if he was only clad in routine trappings, it didn't matter. She felt...nervous, giddy, happy. It was a previously unknown combination. It was also what sealed her decision. If nothing else, she could honestly say Antonio was the first man that made her want to run up the aisle, not bolt back down it.

"Do you really think Gilbert is going to settle down, just like that?" she asked, looking up at him.

Besides getting officially married, they'd taken the time to clean up, get fresh clothes. She was wearing a new, warm green dress that matched her previous one in simplicity. Antonio had gotten his hands on replacements for his tattered garments, and now looked much as he had the night she'd been brought aboard in Port Diego. He wasn't wearing a hat now, though, the wind ruffling his chocolate brown hair. He looked more relaxed than she'd seen him in some time, a faint smile on his face, green eyes twinkling.

"I don't know. He said it wasn't going to be fun anymore, without me and Francis. Why?"

"Just wondering. Madeline is my friend, I don't want her to get hurt," she said, folding her arms. Glancing up at him, she asked, "What about you? It's a good idea, but are you going to be fine, going from pirate to merchant?"

"It's not that much different," said Antonio, shrugging. "Why are you worrying now?"

"I'm not," she protested.

He chuckled, tugging her a little closer. "It's going to be fine, Lovi."

"I know."

She couldn't bring herself to protest when he kissed the top of her head, new scarf and all. "Come with me, Lovi. Since being a merchant is less dangerous than being a pirate, I'd like to have you sail with me," he said. Then added quickly, "If you want to."

"You think I'm letting you leave me on land?" she asked.

Antonio smiled. He reached out with his free hand, lifting hers from the rail. Lovina blushed as he brushed her fingers, then laced his own through hers. Initially she hadn't understood why they had insisted the girls find fresh clothes before going to see the priest. Amelia hadn't understood either, but it became obvious about halfway through the brief ceremony. She hadn't seen what had made Amelia gasp, but Antonio had produced a slim golden band inlaid with three small rubies.

"I didn't think so," he admitted, then chuckled.

"What?" asked Lovina, twisting to look up at him again.

Antonio seemed to consider this, then said, "I never thought I would ever have what my parents shared, Lovi. Why would I? I'm a thief and a murderer. What sort of woman in her right mind would want me as a husband? I'd willingly given up on amor years ago."

Lovina gave him a dirty look. "Are you trying to insult me?"

"No. The opposite, Lovi. It is one thing to love someone, it's another to have that love returned. I am very lucky."

The Italian snorted, blushing. "Don't turn sappy on me, bastardo de tomate."

He kissed her cheek, chuckling. "Very well. So tell me about this merchant business. If it is where I am to work, I would like to know about it.

BREAK/BREAK\BREAK

Amelia yawned, stretching her arms over her head and rolling onto her stomach. She grabbed a pillow, propping her chin on it as she blinked sleepily at her new husband. "You're up early."

"I'm hungry. Things are always better when they're fresh. There's a baker a few blocks away I always make a point to visit."

"Bring me back something. Could you slow down?"

Arthur gave her a look as deliberately yanked up his trousers. "Why is it whenever I make a comment like that, I get called a lecher? But if it comes from you, it's alright."

"Dunno. How long until the Jeweled Blood gets into port?"

One of the ships commandeered and renamed from the Spanish Armada, Arthur had sent word for it to return to Tortuga. The Green Revenge was worse for wear, but was already well on its way to being repaired. It might be his ship of choice, but it was also the ship he'd taken with him when he'd left Her Majesty's Royal Navy. If they were trying to play nice, it wasn't the ship to take back to London. After making a stop by an unnamed island, they'd set a course for the British capital. They'd come to agreement on a plan intended to get rid of the biggest threat to Arthur's return to legitimate work. That said, there was one minor detail Amelia hadn't reveled to him. She knew Arthur would never go for it in a million years, and while it scared her, she also knew it was the only way she would be able to get a word in before being marched to the gallows. Fortunately, the issue hadn't occurred to Arthur yet. At least she hoped it hadn't.

"Within a few days. She was already returning to Tortuga from a haul, anyway. Now do you think you can manage to stay out of trouble long enough for me to bring back breakfast?"

Amelia grinned. "Probably. If I can't, it won't be me who started it."

Arthur sighed wearily, but came over to kiss her cheek before leaving the room. The American stretched once he was gone, and slipped from the bed. She set about relocating her clothes, a smile on her face. Contrary to the steadfast beliefs she'd held for the better part of her life, marriage wasn't so bad thus far.

BREAK/BREAK\BREAK

Madeline sat with her back to the main mast, legs crossed, nose in a book. Like her sister, she had been delighted to indulge in a pirate's offer of breeches. Gilbert had been good to his word, buying her whatever cloths she wished in the market. She'd been thrilled enough he had actually suggested the men's wear himself, even if it was offhandedly. She might not be as wild as Amelia, but they shared the same tastes. It was treat enough, really, but Madeline found herself insisting that one set was enough.

It was strange, but not in a bad way. Madeline was no fool. She knew Gilbert liked her, for whatever reason. She still held to her word, refusing to consider him even a suitor, but it was difficult. She genuinely liked the man, despite his oddities. Sure Gilbert had a bit of an ego, he was loud and somewhat obnoxious, but then Madeline had grown up with a sister who shared similar traits, if muted ones. The same pirate who tugged playfully at her freshly woven braids when she wasn't looking and called himself the 'Awesome me' had also walked her through Tortuga's markets the day before they'd set sail, refusing to take her back to the inn until she saw something she liked. Madeline had been somewhat exasperated with him, especially since this was because she had refused anymore clothes. Why did he feel the need to buy her anything? Much less whatever useless trinkets or baubles she might fancy.

They'd spent hours going through various markets and shops. Madeline had been considering an attempt at ditching the persistent albino when they'd reached one of the shops near the town's edge, in what could be considered the more respectable part of Tortuga.

Learning to read had been an obligatory part of their studies, but while it put Amelia to sleep Madeline had loved it. What the book was about mattered naught. Texts on anything from foreign countries to tales of princesses and knights filled the shelves in her room back home. She'd been astonished that a place like Tortuga even had a bookshop, but it had. She'd delved into shelves and crates, forgetting about her escort for some time. When she'd finally come up for air, Gilbert had been grinning smugly.

"See? I told you if we looked long enough we'd find something you liked, Birdie."

Madeline had blushed, looking down. She'd meant to look at her feet, but her view was obscured by the five books she'd collected in her search. Frankly she wasn't even sure why she'd held on to that many. There were plenty more that she'd liked, and some part of her still insisted she couldn't let Gilbert buy her anything else, but she'd still hung on to these.

"I can pay you back," she started, but Gilbert cut her off.

"Nein, you don't repay gifts Birdie," he informed her, taking the books from her hands.

"Hey! I really don't need those. And you know my real name now, why do you keep calling me Birdie?"

"Because I like it," he said simply, grinning wickedly. He'd then plunked the books down on the counter, ignoring her protests as he bought them. It was both maddening and sweet. The latter was a category Madeline had yet to classify someone that was both in her age range and male. It was certainly never an attribute she considered suitable for a pirate. A Pirate Lord, no less, according to his reputation.

She was still waiting for his famed ruthlessness and bloodthirstiness to kick in, actually. Her reasons for choosing the Gelb Klaue for her current location was simply a matter of her trying to separate herself from both Amelia and Lovina. The fact that it would give her access to a boat home was, in her mind, a bonus. Both girls, she felt, wound need their space. She also wasn't keen to hang around a sister who swung between bouts of concern and attempts to get her to spurn Gilbert. She found it amusing that Amelia was so opposed to his affections, especially considering the status of her own recently acquired husband.

While Madeline was happy for her sister, she did feel it was time they moved on. All their lives they'd been together, twins and partners put together for everything. Now that they were adults, doubly so now that Amelia was married, she decided they should go separate ways. Being twins didn't mean they were identical in every way. The quieter life had appealed to Madeline in ways that Amelia had never understood. No doubt their parents would begin to get worried if no news came, even more so if word reached them that their vessel had been attacked. Amelia was writing to them, for what it was worth, though she did insist that she planned to go home for a visit "once we get things straightened out with England." As if getting an entire country to call off it's vendetta would be so easy!

"I thought that one was about the French territories to the north."

Madeline jumped, startled, as Gilbert plopped down next to her. "It is. Why?"

"You've been staring at the same page for a while now, and you're starting to scowl at it," he informed her, grinning. "The Awesome me was starting to worry."

"Oh," she said, looking back down at it. "It's nothing. I was just thinking."

"I hope it was not the Awesome me. That was not a happy look, Birdie."

Madeline let her head fall back against the mast with a plunk. "Would you please stop calling me that?"

"Why? It's an awesome nickname made by the Awesome me. You should be honored."

"You named me after your pet bird," she protested.

"Who is also very awesome."

Madeline opened her eyes, giving him an exasperated look. "Did you really come over here just to poke fun at me?"

Gilbert frowned. "No, that would be unawesome."

"Then what is it you wanted?"

"Because the Awesome me really was worried," he said simply. "If you frown too much, your face gets stuck like that. I always told Luddy that, and I think I was right."

Her lips twitched. "Amelia used to tell our governess that. Usually after she told our parents we weren't doing as we should."

"I don't want to hear about her, I want to hear about you. She is not Birdie, you are."

Madeline blinked, startled. No one had ever said something like that to her before. Amelia was always the louder, more outgoing of the two. She got all the attention, good and bad. Madeline was quieter, and while she was usually content to remain in the shadow of her sister, it did get tiring at times. It was rare she got someone else's direct attention, and it was unheard of for someone to bypass Amelia completely. She loved her sister, really, but she was also an attention hog.

"I was just wondering what parts I should tell our parents, and what parts I should leave out. You'll understand if I don't want to tell them everything."

Gilbert cocked his head slightly. "You're still going home?"

She nodded. "Where else is there for me to go?"

The Prussian was quiet for a minute, but when he did speak he only asked, "Where is home?"

"Virginia. A few hours ride from New York. Our family owns a large plantation."

"What kind of plantation?"

"Tobacco, mostly. We had this apple orchard too, but it's not very big. When we were younger father would get so angry whenever we climbed the apple trees. He said we would ruin them if we kept running around the branches like squirrels. The orchard was so peaceful, though. Amelia stopped, eventually. I'd go there when she snuck off to the stables. If I brought a book it'd be hours before I came down again."

Madeline had never anticipated just what difference a willing audience could make. She talked more than she ever had, even with Amelia or Lovina. The words and stories just kept pouring out, and Gilbert seemed content to listen. Whenever she slowed, he'd ask a question or encourage her to keep going. It was...nice.

Eventually, she'd begun to run out of stories about home. Only then did Gilbert say, "Vater owns land a day's sail from Port Diego. Sugar plantations, mostly. It was what he wanted the Awesome me to do eventually, take over for him. We don't have orchards, but we have plenty of trees. The main house has a big library too, Vater had half the books shipped from Germany. The rest he got here. The Awesome me used to hate it because he wouldn't let me leave the room until I'd finished whatever studies he wanted me to complete that day. You'd like it though, Birdie. All of it."

Madeline frowned. "What difference would it make if I would or wouldn't, Gilbert?"

"Maybe you'd like to go there before you go home? The Awesome me won't make you stay if you don't want to, that would be unawesome. But once Vater has his hooks into the Awesome me I don't think he will let the Awesome me go. I would like to show it to you, before you leave."

Madeline chewed her lip, running her fingers over the book's cover thoughtfully. "Why? Be honest with me, Gil, what's the real reason you're doing all this? You bought me clothes, books, let me sail back with you, now you want me to go home with you. Why? And don't lie, it's not awesome."

The albino grinned broadly. "Ha! So you recognize my awesomeness."

"Neither is dodging the question," added Madeline.

The smile faded a little, but not completely. He reached up, pulling the wide brim of his hat lower over his face. "Eh...I don' t know, Birdie. Ludwig is working on Vater, so he won't toss the Awesome me in a jail cell for the rest of my awesome life when I return. I was thinking about following Francis's lead anyway, retiring before my unawesome enemies got too brave. An awesome wife would be nice, but the Awesome me is not so stupid as to think everyone ends that way. Gilbird doesn't like many people, you know. If he likes you, you are included in my circle of awesomeness. I had to leave him on the ship whenever we went into Tortuga because he attacked all the pretty ladies. But you he likes. He is an awesomely smart bird."

On cue, the canary fluttered down, his hoarse cheeping following the ball of winged fluff as he landed on Madeline's shoulder. From there, it was an easy hop down into his favorite perch. By now Madeline was accustomed to this, only affording a sigh and a gentle pat to his head.

"Why is it when he touches your chest, he gets a pat? But if the Awesome me does it-

Madeline slapped the reaching hand away, giving the grinning Prussian a dirty look. "He's different. He's a bird."

"An awesome bird."

"But still a bird. I'm neither a prostitute nor your wife so you have no grounds to go grabbing my chest."

"What if you were?"

"A prostitute?" demanded Madeline angrily, feeling her cheeks heat.

"Nein, my awesome wife."

Madeline huffed, yanking her book back open. "I won't marry someone I hardly know. It might suit my sister, but I'm not her."

"What if was someone you knew?" prodded Gilbert, giving one of her braids a playful tug.

She swatted at his hand without looking up from her book. Normally she kept the long, wheat-blond locks down, but on a ship the pigtail braids were far more practical. The only problem was Gilbert's annoying habit of treating them like bell pulls.

"If they courted me properly and if I decided I loved them then I would agree to marry them. Now go away."

Gilbert peered at the book, frowning. "What language is that in? French or English?"

Madeline looked at him, baffled. "You can't read?"

"The Awesome me can read very well," he argued, though a pout was starting to show. "But only German. I can speak English, French, and Spanish too, but the Awesome me can only read German."

"I thought you knew what it was about? How'd you know that if-

"The man at the bookshop read off the titles as he packed them, remember?"

Madeline chewed her lip, studying the book in her hands. Then she flipped back to the beginning, holding it so they could both see the pages. "Well, it should be easier since you're already familiar with the language. And the English alphabet has most of the same characters. Start here, sound it out."

amor- love

bastardo de tomate- tomato bastard

[]

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