Ray's POV

James was the last of them to come up on the deck. He was having a hearty laugh with a crew member. The crew were of all sort of shapes and sizes, short, tall, thin, fat, and all manners of skin tone, all sorts of backgrounds, different colored hairs. I could understand why Emerald thought she could fit in in a place like this. The rest of them looked about as eccentric as she was. They looked like they were all about adventure, too. Why else would they be flying around on a giant ship? It was excessive and probably took a whole lot of maintenance to keep this thing up in the sky. Also, there were way more other, more efficient ways to get a large group of people through the sky. The only reason they had to make it a pirate ship was that they wanted the aesthetics that came with it. And apparently, they had enough excess material to give Emerald her own bright green coat. Come to think of it, her coat was a whole lot brighter than any of the other crew member's clothing. It was the brightest color here, besides other people's hair, perhaps.

"Aye, and a good job of it too, boy!" James said. His voice was rather… booming, and so I could hear him over any of the other people there. He was a pretty loud guy in more ways than one. But, at least, he seemed friendly… when he wasn't covering your head with a bag and punching you in the head and putting some not magic… magic-like stuff into your body so you were all loopy and unable to talk and think properly. Wait… why was I giving him the benefit of the doubt or something… why was I saying anything good about the guy? Was it some sort of justification? But, no, that didn't make any sense. Why would I do that? I had no reason to defend him. Good guy or not, he had kidnapped us. He was not our friend, no matter how much he might act like it. He lost the chance to be friends a while ago.

"Thanks, mate. I know this is going to make a difference. Turn the tides, so to speak." The guy James was talking to was rather frail in comparison, in a suit of some sort, but it looked a lot more stiff and angled than the kind of suits I was used to seeing. It was almost like… this wasn't made by a person, whether by hand or by magic… I didn't know what could have done it, then. Maybe it was more of this magic not magic thing. I didn't quite get it. I just knew I had never heard of anything like this before, heard of nothing like a liquid they put in you to make you sleep. This was… a strange world indeed.

"Oh, hello there, hope you are making yourselves comfortable here on the ship. Drage, we'll continue this discussion later. You are dismissed. Go on." He laughed heartily and slapped the human, I guessed his name was Drage… on the back. Drage rubbed his own back, seemed that the slap was a little too much for him, just a bit too much for the frail little man. Well, all humans were frail compared to me… I didn't really mean that, it was just some funny mock superiority thing that flitted through my head. When it came to pure strength, honestly, I was pretty sure James could take me, wrap his arms around me, and snap my spine. That was a scary thought, hm? But, anyways, Drage walked off, he didn't seem too off put or even surprised by James's actions. Seemed this was something he did often. I wondered if any of the crew had bruises on their backs from the first mate's friendliness.

"We are, very much so!" Emerald said brightly. She seemed to sense very little danger in this man, but maybe she was just so eager to hang on to an authority figure, she just accepted this guy. I couldn't really tell her not to do it, if I did something like that, it would be like assuming I was in charge of her. If I did that, I would very much be a hypocrite. I didn't want her getting any ideas that she was in charge of me, and I wasn't going to be in charge of her, either.

"Speak for yourself," I said. Emerald looked at me, paused for a moment, and then said, with the exact same amount of enthusiasm as before.

"I am, very much so!" She smiled, just to make a point of it, I guessed.

"And you, boy?" James asked. I decided to let it go, even though I was slightly insulted by being called boy. I was no boy, a boy was young, inexperienced, innocent. Although a man wasn't really the right word for me either, was it? I was… I didn't know what the right word was per se, but it definitely was not boy. But, like I said, I let it go… out loud, at least.

"I'd like to get off this ship and go home, but Emerald seems to think you can teach her an alternative to magic that would let her send me home. Is that true?" I asked. I attempted to give him a look that conveyed to him that I had no intention of letting him blow this off or laughing it off with his good natured boisterous act. I knew it was that, an act. I knew he couldn't just be a friendly guy. He kidnapped us. Well, why was I acting like it was just him, he was just the muscle. It was probably that captain that commanded him to do it. This whole crew, acting like nothing was happening. I could feel their eyes on me. I could feel them-

"Aye, of course it is, and I'd be glad to show ya to the medical bay to learn more. You will also find your friends there." James said. The crew sort of looked at us, some of them did… some of them acted like we weren't even there. I could understand that. They were just trying to keep this ship afloat, just going about and doing their job. I felt this same feeling from people in the palace back home before, they were just trying to do their job, look out for each other, serve without getting served themselves.

I… wondered what Meliae would do in a situation like this, probably orchestrate some grand celebration for a crew like this, or perhaps learn about them and make a small personalized gift for everyone, and hand them out in private. It honestly depended on the day for her. Sometimes she had it in her to make big plans and lofty goals, and sometimes she just needed to make things simple for herself and others. She was so good at having this… simple and easy energy to her that you could not help but love, and then there was that spark of enthusiasm. She would have made a great queen… she was still going to make a great queen. I couldn't delude myself, just because I left didn't mean she was going to pause her life. The kingdom had gone on after other chosen ones had left to do their duty, and it would go on without me. She still had her duty to either take the throne herself or choose a mate and be queen…Well, she would be queen no matter what, and she would be a magnificent queen, the best queen… with or without me… I was on a timer here. If someone else took the throne, if someone else took Mel… then I would be out of luck, and there wouldn't be a place for me anywhere.

"Why did you take us?" I asked. The captain didn't answer, but maybe the first mate didn't know any better, he did sort of look like the type who… did not have all his marbles in order. I was pretty sure he wasn't the smartest person around. Maybe he would answer, maybe he wouldn't know it was supposed to be a secret or something? Unfortunately, James only offered a shrug before he turned slowly and, with heavy footsteps, headed back towards the stairs leading below deck. Was something wrong with him? Such heavy feet… his weight wasn't enough for him to have to step that heavily, and besides, he hadn't been doing this before. Was it a signal or something? Were we going to be taken down? I really could not say what was going on, and it was bothering me. I liked to know what was going on in the world around me. That was something everyone wanted, right? It was not an unreasonable request, right? To know what was going on here.

"You'll find out in due time." James said with a genuine… somewhat pitying smile. Again with that stupid smile, that stupid look, looking at me like I was some poor thing that couldn't take care of myself, that couldn't… I was getting far too riled up. We would get off the ship, I would get back to my world, one way or another. I would get out, I would escape, I was determined to escape. I wanted to punch the living daylights out of him. I could see him glare at me, suspicion in his eyes, in his sneer, in the slight growl that escaped from his lip. Oh, I was doing it again, wasn't I? I was… I was letting that shadow of myself guide my thinking It was a stupid thing to do, a stupid, stupid thing to do… but, it was had to stop because I didn't really know when it was starting. All I could do was try to catch when my thinking seemed like it wasn't my own or when people around me started glaring at me. That would be a cue to get a hold of myself. That would be good, a good way for me to remember, when someone looked like they were about to hit me, that was probably when I had to keep a cap on these dark and bad and rambling thoughts of mine. I did it now. See, I could control myself.

"Why the secret?" I asked.

"It isn't a secret. This just isn't the time or place to talk about it." At least we were getting a better chance at an answer here than we had been getting with the captain. That lady was definitely a woman of few words, which wasn't terribly convenient for me when it came to getting information, although it was rater refreshing not to have someone going on and on, like I was now in my thoughts. This was stupid, this whole thing was stupid. Why in the world did I ever agree to come here? The beacon did not make you go anywhere, it only showed the way to the other dimension. I came here of my own volition… although, I went driven by duty… and driven by Mel. She had insisted I go. Why did she want me to leave? Or, did she? Was she just so marred by duty that she had to forsake love in order to uphold it? That made sense… I supposed, she as a princess after all. They were groomed from birth to do their duty for their kingdom… of course she expected me to do the same. Of course she did, she didn't really know anything else, did she. Love could not prevail over duty. I… could not accept that. Did she love someone else? Was that why she was willing enough to let me go?

"Look who's zoning out now, hehe." Emerald said, teasing me. Why did she feel like we were close enough that she could tease me constantly, or that I could tease her? I was pretty sure, despite myself… we were growing closer. It wasn't something I wanted to happen, and certainly something I wasn't putting any actual effort into. It was just… you couldn't help but get close to people you spent so much time with, the person who shared your very soul with you. We technically only had one soul between the two of us, it was one soul, although almost entirely separated.

"Shut up, would you." I said, I wasn't entirely serious, though. I probably wasn't helping with the whole teasing her like a little sister thing. I had never had siblings before… that was something I always dreamed of when I found out I was a chosen one, to be like a big brother to the princess. I supposed I still could be, now that I was here, although if I had the choice, I would go home in a second, but while I was here… I could cross a dream off the list. No, no, why was I trying to make the best out of this situation, why was I trying to do this? I would gain nothing from that. I would only become complacent. I had to sacrifice good in order to achieve something great and earn my way back home, where someone incredible was waiting, and a kingdom to greet me.

But what if they all just moved on, found another monarch. There was no doubt they would. Why did that idea bother me so much? The world had to go on, the kingdom had to go on, whether I was there or not. If that was the case… did anyone truly matter in the long run? Or did the world just always move on, someone else could do your job, and so, although people are sad you are gone, things still end up going on, business as usual. Everything as usual. It didn't matter if I went back or not. But… but I wanted to get back. It didn't matter to me if they did not need me, I needed them. I was dying here… on the inside. I hated it here, I really did.

"Why so morose?" Emerald asked. I gave her a look, she knew why. It was the same thing I had been 'morose' about this entire time. No, I would not stop, and no, this was not something I could just get over. I really didn't feel like saying that again, so I tried to convey all this in a look. Honestly, that might have taken just as much, if not more effort. James cleared his throat awkwardly, looking between the two of us.

"Hows about we go down below now. I will give ya the grand tour, with the medical bay and all. An' then you can meet back up with your buddies there." James was back to that bravado, he was proud of his post here. At least it was better than that stupid pitying look. Anything was better than pity. I wanted none of it.

"Yes!" Emerald clapped her hands in excitement.

"Our buddies?" I asked. "You mean Strider and Flygon and the Old Coot? Are they on the ship with us?"

"Picked em up about the same time as you. They were feistier than you guys." James said with a good natured chuckle.

"They were here the whole time? Why didn't you say so earlier?" That would have been good to know, I thought. I was sure they had some grand reason, some real purpose to it-

"Sorry, forgot to mention it." James said, running his hand through his rather… I had to admit… magnificent beard. It was bigger and bushier than any I had ever seen. Now, the bar wasn't very high for me, I had not seen many humans, but still… Anyways, anyways, he didn't have some grand plan, he just forgot. Nice to know the caliber of the crew keeping this thing up in the air. Or maybe that was too harsh. He had a lot going on, it sounded like, still, that was rather relevant information that he just left out…

"Ok, let's go!" Emerald was way too excited in this situation. Did she not understand her life was in danger? Did she not understand my life was in danger? Did she not understand that we had been kidnapped? Because that was what happened, we were beaten and kidnapped and trapped here on this ship with pirates. It didn't matter how friendly they seemed, they were dangerous. The captain pulled a sword on me. This was not something we could just ignore. But of course, Emerald was not going to say anything about this, wasn't going to listen to me, even if I explained things to her very simply and logically. So, what was the point? Might as well just… go along. Our tether was tight again, now. I wondered if Emerald knew how to lengthen it now and she just wasn't out of spite. That would serve me right, huh? Keep me nearby, imprisoned next to a stupid girl… and then, and then… and then nothing. I just had to stay there forever, forever with her, until, perhaps, she died, or I died, or we both were dead rotting corpses on the ground.

"Hey, stop it." I felt a gentle pat on the head. It was from Emerald, she was trying to knock me out of it. Well, I was glad for it. I… I was hopeless. I was absolutely hopeless. I needed to stick to my guns. I could not get comfortable here. I would not forgive myself in I got used to this, if I submitted. I would not submit to this treatment, to this life. I would not, I refused.

"Sorry…" I mumbled. Still, I knew deep down she was really only trying to help, it wasn't her fault she was an idiot, it wasn't her fault she couldn't do magic to save her own life… literally, if she could only use magic to defend herself, she would be dead within the day. If she didn't have me around, she probably would have been dead already, and at least she was aware of that, and she was trying to send me home, if she was able to get what she wanted. It was less than selfless of her. She only agreed to do something because I wouldn't stop complaining, and because there was a way for her to still get what she wanted. This was not an act of kindness, this was a contract.

"Alrighty then, all who's coming down, come on." James herded us all downstairs. There was a lot more stuff downstairs than there was upstairs, and more pirates down here too, just sort of hanging out. There were a bunch of rooms. I tried one or two of them, and they were locked. I could only imagine it was, like, the rooms of the pirates? I supposed they had to sleep somewhere, huh? Well, I guessed I couldn't steal from them or something. Not that I actually wanted to do that, it was just, you know, that option was closed off forever. I would have liked to see what exactly a pirate's living quarters looked like, and what was it like to live in such a small room in such close proximity to people. How could you stand it? All my life, I had had ample room in my living spaces. I needed it, I was a flying dragon, I needed to be able to stretch and fly at times. I did not do particularly well in the cramped spaces.

We walked past that. There were some pirates passed out on benches. They were very clearly drunk. They would wake up with a pretty bad hangover, huh? Yep, they were in for a bad time when they woke up. Not only did they have to deal with a normal hangover, but they also had to deal with the motion of this ship, constant motion. I wondered if they were used to this, the movement in the sky. Was it something you could ever really get used to? It must be something you get used to, people could get used to a lot of things, horrible things become trivial and normal, and it was disgusting.

There was what looked like a mess hall, an entertainment room, and the medical bay. Then, even lower, there was a power room that kept the whole thing together and in the air, a navigation room, and the captain's room… much lower than anyone else's. That must have been because the captain… wanted to be near the room that kept this thing afloat in the sky, despite how illogical a flying pirate ship sounded…

When we were done looking at all the rooms, taking the grand tour, we went back to the medical bay. We had not gone inside before, but now we did, and there they were, Strider and the Old Coot, sleeping on some beds among about a dozen or so other cots. They looked pretty fast asleep. I wondered if they were actually under the influence of that sleeping liquid, that, what was it called again anesthetic? What kind of a word was that? Why did they name it that, I wondered? Why do anything? Why… oh, but I was being nihilistic again. Was this the shadow's work? Hah, it would have to do a lot better than that to make me give up my body, my control. Mine.

I was just talking to myself, wasn't I? Even if the affliction was in there, there wasn't anyone in my head to talk to. We might have been able to communicate in that other world, but that was a world of the mind, a world of the soul, or uh, somewhere in between the two? I wasn't quite sure, but he was, it was inside me, but not in a place where it could communicate with me as is. If I wanted to talk and get an answer, I would have to go to him. I didn't really want to go to him, though, understandably enough. Maybe that was the attitude that made sure he stuck around. My subconscious mind did not want to confront him, and so it did not, and so it was still there… influencing my behavior. I… I would have to face off with him eventually, wouldn't I? Some awesome final battle, me against a dark version of myself. That had never been done before and would never be done again. Mine was an absolutely unique experience, truly.

I sighed. I guessed we would have to wait for them to wake up…

Have an awesome day!