-Cultural Clash-

[Terror of the Tide (2)]

[5E, 42, 15th of Sun's Dawn.]

Cattleya has no idea what to do, and neither does her sister Eleonore or Miss Longueville who somehow ended up here with them, wherever 'here' is. A vast freezing ocean that stretched as far as the eyes could see, with glaciers and fractured beds of ice sheets dominating the ocean floor filled their vision, in other words, an environment they were not at all prepared for with their current attire. Then again, how were they supposed to know that opening that Strange book would send them here? When the two sisters saw their parents vanish into thin air upon reaching the final pages of the tome that claimed to be able to send anyone who read it to a world beyond their own, which it did just that by unleashing a bright light that engulfed them, the two sisters wasted no time doing the same in the hope of finding out what just happened before their very eyes, only for them to be consumed by the same blinding radiance, robbing of their eyes that returned when it died down, revealing the brand new environment, in the Company of Miss Longueville, the secretary of the Headmaster to the Academy of Magic in Tristainian, who told them that she ended up here through similar mean after witnessing Professor Jean Colbert and several students read the same book that somehow made it way into the institution, causing them to goes missing.

In hindsight, they should not have jumped head-first into it, seeing that reading the content of the enigmatic book has made their parent and professor disappear, nothing is ever said that it was not some kind of trap meant to erase whoever it is that laid eyes upon it once they gave into their curiosity, but it is far too late to regret it now, especially when the first thing that happened upon ending up in this freezing region was them being jumped by a bear of stark white fur, which they thankfully survived the encounter of after the secretary of old Osmond struck it with a blast of earth magic, burying the animal deep into the ground, both figuratively and literally.

By the time the situation finally dawned on them, the two Vailliere and the Secretary were left stranded, uncertain of what to do next. They obviously could not stay in one place, less more wild lives ambushed them like the White Bear earlier, but they did not recognize their surroundings either, so the chance of them finding any sign of civilization was next to none. Even still, Longueville urged them to get moving, despite Cattleya's condition, something she tried to assure her two companions to worry about, for even if she is not in any shape to travel, she is willing to push through her illness and the cold if it meant finding her family, especially Louise, who everyone suspected to have disappeared through similar means after they discovered the book in her room when she returned after being expelled from the Academy for failing the Summoning Ritual a while back, being the reason why her Mother, Karin was so willing to read it, for even if all struggled to express it, everyone still cares for the supposed disgrace of the Vailliere family.

Such is the reason why she is so determined to travel despite Eleonore's insistence that she doesn't push herself too hard, since she is having difficulty with even walking, let alone through the frigid climate of the environment they have found themselves in, which is definitely a different world if the Author of that book, Theodor Gorlash were to be believed, making her concerned for both Louise and her parents. Ending up in an entirely foreign land must be a terrifying experience, especially for her younger sister, who may be in danger considering that it has been a week since she went missing. For all they know, she might be fighting tooth and nail to survive in this hostile place, filled to the brim with wild animals if the fact that they are constantly attacked by all manner of beasts were anything to go by, but knowing how headstrong, or as Eleonore would put it, stubborn their sister is, she must still be alive, driving them to continue forward in spite of the precarious nature of their situation.

Following a few minutes of walking, the band of three made little progress in their effort to find anything remotely resembled a settlement, but what they did find captured the undivided attention of Longueville, or more accurately, Founqet the Crumbling Dirt, the infamous thief of Halkeginia, for in the distance, she could see something that aroused her hunger for Wealth, for it was a mount of literal treasure, comprised of gleaming piles of gold, from ingot form to curious coins alongside statues made from the materials, piled upon even more valuable, precious gemstones, jewelries and weapons of utmost quality, all stashed next to a massive chest containing even more riches inside when she dug through it when she gave into her impulse, heedless to the protest of the two noble, who she shut down any further words of by countering with the argument that if they are in a foreign land, what they should prioritize obtaining the local currency to acquire essentials such as food, clothes, and shelter when they do find civilization, as none of them have anything that could be considered worthwhile on their person, thus they will needed as much resources as they could.

Unable to refute such reasoning, the two sisters decided to assist the Secretary in gathering as much as they could from this treasure trove, which ended up being a mistake, as not even a minute later, just as they were about to wrap up their business, an arrow flew forth, embedded itself into the makeshift pouch of gold, tearing a hole into it and letting the golds inside to spill onto the ground, causing all three to stop dead in their track upon seeing the projectile pierced through and come close to striking them, with the attacker stand in the distance, a Man with dark skin tone, similar to a Germanian, wielding a bow in his hand with his flanks being a band of what appeared to be Pirate from the way they dressed, all have their weapons drawn and ready to cut the three women down, making Eleonore and Longueville withdrew out their wand, ready to protect themselves if they come to blow. However, just as they were about to clash, the Brigands suddenly stopped their advancement by the gesture of their leader, "Hold! Sheath your weapons!" The ebony-skinned man ordered, drawing the attention of his group, who did as they were told, though with no small amount of reluctance, "...You. You have Pink hair." Was his declaration, jabbing his finger in Cattleya's direction, much to her and the other two's further confusion.

"Pink hair? Does that mean she-"

"No, she looks nothing like the portrait in the captain's cabin-"

"But how else can we explain that?"

"Maybe a relative?"

"Must be!"

Countless whispers emerged from the group of Corsairs, going back and forth with each other, but those did not matter to their leader, who approached forward and then, in defiance of what the three were expecting, got down on one knee, kneeling to offer his respect to Cattleya and her only, "Please, answer me, are you by any chance goes by the name of Valliere?" Valliere? Did he just say, Valliere? How does he know that name? Who is this man? What kind of connection does he have with the family? He doesn't look like anyone that the two could recognize, so he could not be from their world unless this is not a different world like they are suspected of and the book just simply sent to a remote region somewhere in Halkeginia, with him having heard of the prestigious name of the Noble House. It could certainly make sense why he pointed out her Pink hair, as it is quite a rare color, with only the Valliere having them.

"U-Um...My name is Cattleya De La Fontaine, but I am technically a Valliere. It was the family I was born into." After a moment of hesitation, Cattleya was finally able to bring herself to answer, and this seemed to have a profound effect on this band of pirates, because as soon as she said that, every single one of them got down on their knee, mirroring the action of the dark-skinned Man, to the surprise of the middle sister of the Valliere siblings and disbelief of both her elder sister alongside the Secretary of old Osmond, "H-Huh?" Now she is truly confused, why are they doing this? Usually, pirates don't have any respect for the Nobility, and she is fairly sure that her family has no connections to any Seafaring Brigrands.

In her world, that is.

"Forgive us for our disrespect. We were not aware that a Valliere would grace us with their presence." Came a sincere apology from the Man, a statement shared by the other Corsairs, taking the trio aback by how earnest he was, "Please, follow us back to our ship. Our captain would wish to meet you." He requests, still not looking up, as if he doesn't dare to meet eyes with her.

"H-Huh? O-Okay?"

"Sister! Don't!" All of a sudden, Eleonore jumped between her and the stranger, hissing into the ear of her younger sibling, "These are pirates we are talking about! What if this is just a ruse to take advantage of us?!" Her words are not without merits behind them, for all they know, this could indeed be a trick this band of Brigands is using to manipulate them so that they would willingly come along with the group to their ship, where they may very well be captured, forced to serves under them as slave...Or worse, given Pirate's less than flattering reputation if the tales are true...It is a risk they should not be taking, as far as the Eldest are concerned.

"Take advantage of a Valliere?! Why, we would never! Our captain would have our head if we do!" Now he was truly offended. The three Rules were sacred among the Men of the Clasping-Scales, for violating even one of them was the fastest way to earn the ire of the Terror of the Tide, who nobody wanted to be the enemy of for obvious reasons. More than one fool in the crew has dismissed the threat in the past, thinking that by being important, they could get away with it. Needless to say, they never lived to tell about it thereafter. The heads mounted on the ship were a constant reminder of what would happen if you failed to uphold those policies. Besides, their captain has done so much for them in the time they have known of him, there is no way they would betray the trust of the man that saved them.

"W-Who are your captain?" From the sound of it, their leader seems to hold the Valliere in high regard, enough that the punishment for harming them would be death, making Cattleya truly curious about the identity of this Person, who she suspected to definitely have a connection with her family one way or another. She was correct, just not in the way she expected it to be.

"Ah, he is none other than-" "Good, I made it in time." Before he could inform them, however, his word was cut off by a new voice, one belonged to...A Lizard?! They would have said it was a person who spoke just now, but a Person doesn't have scales, a tail and looks like a Giant Lizard walking on two legs! What is that?! "Firstmate Stride!" Now the man is talking to the monster, talking with it as if it is the most normal thing in the world. In this world, at least.

"Rashen." Stride-the-depth acknowledged, before turning his attention to the trio, who met eyes with his split pupils, much to their discomfort, though the Lizard Man didn't seem to notice, or simply just didn't care, "So, these are our robbers, huh? Are they...You know?"

"Yes, the lady named Cattleya confirmed it."

"Cattleya?" There was a clear hint of recognition in his voice, clearly knew the name. If only the Woman in question could say the same, because she is pretty sure she has never seen a giant lizard in her entire life! Even if she loved animals, not once had she ever befriended a human reptile! "Bring them to the ship. The captain wished to see them."

"Understood." With a salute, the Lizard Man was done with his task. Now all that is left is to report back to the ship, which he does by using the same method as he has come here, which is to dive into the water and swim back at the Titanic Vessel in the distance, leaving the group behind to follow him back with their boat, "Please, come with us. Our captain will explain everything." The newly-christened Rashen beckoned at them, though Eleonore and Longueville still have reservations about his request, obviously still not trusting either him or his men, which he cannot exactly fault them for, considering how notorious his crew was, but this certainly made his job way more difficult than it needed to be.

"Alright then. Take us with you." Fortunately, Luck seemed to smile on his day, for even when the Blonde and the Green-haired Woman hesitated, the one with Pink shade did not, accepting his offer without any hesitation in her tone or her action.

"Sister, what are you doing?!" Of course, Eleonore has to protest. As desperate as they are right now, they still shouldn't trust and take the words of strangers at face value, that is literally the first lesson that parents would teach their children growing up.

"Eleonore, I understand what you mean, but we don't have any other options. These people may be our only lead to Mother and Father, or maybe even Louise. If they do plan anything, you and Miss Longueville could take care of it." Both women are two highly skilled, Triangle Class mages, who would no doubt be able to deal with this group of Corsairs if they tried anything with relative ease, provided that they don't have any mages among them, so if push comes to shove, Cattleya has the complete confidence in the two's capabilities in defending themselves from any danger they might face on the Ship. On top of that, should what they claim were no deception, then as long as Cattleya used her status as a Valliere, these people would not try anything, given their unusual respect for the family name, "If you don't go, then I will."

"...Goodness, I always forgot you were this stubborn." Seeing that her younger sister would not back down, the eldest of the Valliere could only sigh in exasperation, "Fine, we'll go, but if something does happen, I'm holding you responsible, got it?"

"Of course." With them reaching an agreement, the trio soon followed the band of corsairs to their Boat that they docked nearby, with them reserving a large space in the otherwise small jetty for the three women in an effort to give them some space that they are comfortable with as they began to set sail, following the Argonian, as the three learned the race of Stride-the-Depth as when they questioned about it. Strange Name, for sure. But never mind that now, because before long, they have reached the mighty vessel, referred to as by its crew as the Sanguine Galley, the Vessel of the Pirate Band Clasping-Scales, widely recognized as among the most fearsome Sea Rover in all of Tamriel, with a bounty of over Fifty Thousand Septim on the head of its Captain, while the rest of his members have a price of either as low as five hundred to as high as twenty thousands to their name, with them even competing one another about it and take great pride in their wanted status. A rather...Unique way of thinking. Was the Sheepish thoughts of Cattleya, trying her best to ignore the fact that her elder sister was having a panic attack, hearing about the Bounty, while Longueville as a strange gleam in her eyes upon hearing it. Wonder what that's all about.

All that aside, the boat they are on eventually was lifted up to the top through a chain mechanism, pulling them up and allowing them to step onto the main deck, where awaiting for them was Stride-the-Depth, standing right next to another Argonian, but far larger than he was. If Stride was a lizard, then this one was a Dragon, with his scales looking like they were made out of metal, reflecting the warm orange hue of the sinking sunlight, curled horns that look sharper than any Rapier, with plumes of bright crimson red flowing from it, matching the color of his skin, or rather scalers, being a bronze crimson shade, complementing his blue eyes greatly, giving him a sense of majesty, if that description could fit a reptilian man and a Pirate. His presence alone let the three know that this must be the captain, if his more extravagant attire were not enough of an indicator to that already.

Soon, they were brought before the Dragon of the Ship, who gazed down on them from his towering height, a suffocating silence spread between them, before it was ultimately broken by his voice, smooth yet rough, "...You. Tell me your names." He jabbed his finger at the pink-haired woman among them, his tone demanding nothing less than a straight answer. No beating around the bush. No deception. No technicality. He wanted her name and he wanted it now.

"C-Cattleya Yvette la Baume le Blanc de la Fontaine. Middle Child of Karin De La Valliere and Centurion De La Valliere. This here is my sister, Eleonore De La Valliere."

"...I thought as much." With a softened expression, at least from what they could tell from the Arognian's unreadable features, he exhaled quietly, before announcing the next word that shook them to the core, "Greeting. I am Red Bramman the Second, descendant of Red Bramman the Bandit King. Once I was known as Bramman De La Valliere, the adopted Child of Louise De La Valliere. It's a pleasure to meet you, my aunts."

...

...

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""WHAT?!""

To be Continued...

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