Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Across the Sea [closed]

Calico studied quickly her new move, taking her leg gesture and her intention to trip him as a cue to drop himself entirely to the ground, his back briefly laying completely flat on the floorboard

"My my what a view... your future husband is certainly a lucky man to have such a goddess" teased Calico before he rolled sideways to be out of her reach

Rufus made sure the crew stayed well out of it and kept busy with their usual chores, going up the crow's nest to take a good look at the scenery

"I do not strike women... that is a notch too low for any lord of the realm... never mind army leadership... pirate or otherwise. But dont count on your winnings just yet" muttered Calico staying low for a few seconds watching her sideways strike before jumping to regain his footing and upright posture

"I was tempted to tug you down for a cosy tight hug but... uhmm... too much audience at present" grinned Calico playing entirely defensive and evasive moves

Ryiah gave a skeptical glance to Calico as it seemed the blasted man was merely toying with her. She let a light breath escape and she shook her head, raising an eyebrow. "Who's to say I will take a husband?" She answered lightly, stepping back a pace as the pirate rose suddenly. Her gaze never left her opponent, though she was aware of Kendra watching. She took Calico's words to heart. Knowing the instruction, though the man was all too cocky, was good to consider. Adapting her fighting forms would make her a much more formidable foe.

"And if you had tugged me down..." she murmered, eyeing her surroundings while keeping watch on the pirate, "you may have found the embrace rather uncomfortable anyway, with my sword tip at your ribs... or elsewhere." Frustrated a bit that the pirate wouldn't combat her, she went in once more this time feinting toward his mid section again before whirling to cut a rope nearby, sending a bit of rigging and more rope down onto the man, hoping it would slow him so she could get close and flick her blade to his throat.

Calico Jack grinned at her clear frustration "Who is to say? The laws of the kingdom and the emperor when he returns" sumrised Calico, enjoying playing around with her and showing her ways to get herself out of trouble and even gain advantage upon opponents without a direct close confrontation for the most part

"Now now... don't go handing weapons to your enemy... honey... you might just get all tangled up!" chuckled Calico briefly

Calico was a scurry experienced pirate, he stabbed the sword against the floorboard to keep it standing still, he snatched the falling rope and took a couple of steps back to tie it up one end of the rope quickly into a lasso, swirling it and tossing it high at one of the masts to secure it firmly.

He pulled back a few more steps and ran towards her with force, hanging onto the rope to swing himself from where he was standing, raising up higher than her or her sword's reach , to land right behind her, snatching his sword back mid swing to let his and her blade clash, purposely stepping forward as soon as he had a firm footing bending his knee forward to knock into the back of her knees, blowing her a teasing kiss "I was missing you honey" teased Calico

Ryiah blinked, caught offguard despite herself at the move which the pirate used to escape the situation. Before she realized it, Calico'a knee knocked into hers and he waa standing much to close behind her. Stumbling slightly, her own plan going fairly horribly wrong, she muttered morosely, "father would never order me to marry..."

Reaching behind, her mind and competative nature telling her to try a new tactic, one more suited to a pirate. Grabbing one of Calico'a forearms se whirled her body, sword momentarily held low, bringing herself and Calico into close quarters, her body very near his and her chin tilted up with a flash of challenge toward his.

"Missed me?" She whispered, a breath away from seemingly kissing him, her lashes blinking distractingly, but then suddenly her blade was flicked up, the tip pressed in to prick at the side of his neck. And the beginnings of a satisfied grin stole across her face.

[Woops. Dice roll]

Calico smiled broadly at her quick move that saw the pair of them be dragged indoors at the captain's quarters, kicking the door shut with his own foot for added privacy.

He fought long enough to know the move well but let her get away with it anyways. Crazy as it seemed, she was no ordinary lass at the end of the day, she was special, different, one would call it romance if it were not so terribly wrong in a pirate world, where it is all about pleasures without emotions attached. Thus he wrote it down to devotion to the royal family, if anything else, not one to yield to his heart and crazy thoughts about her.

He swallowed hard and paused stiff, tense for a few brief moments, letting her savour her advantage with concealed eagerness when he felt her body and breath ever so close to his own.

He certainly made no gesture neither to immediately defend himself nor to reject the forthcoming kiss or close contact she had decided to opt for. "Missed you? Much too much... but... offering yourself to an outlaw? a pirate? a brigand like me? I fear there are .. higher... expectations for the both of us... a dismissed traitor won't do for the likes of you, your highness" muttered Calico, his voice a soft whisper, for once making an honest if quiet confession

"Ahhh... you're now almost as deadly as you are certainly beautiful" smiled Calico feeling the cold steel of her blade pressed against his neck lightly. He glanced away at the room layout briefly before gazing into her eyes, a cheeky smile drawn upon his lips as pushed her hard backwards, his foot behind hers to make her trip, tossing her onto the soft bed, having calculated well the move, the force and distance so as to ensure she would indeed fall safely onto the satin bedsheets, his firm grip upon her wrists, pressing her arms down.

"You'll have to excuse the .. inappropriateness... I'll apologize for this later. For now... do you surrender?" smiled Calico clearly not minding entrapping his prey

---

Taff frowned and knocked the window sharply to alert the captain back to his senses.

"She's off limits to you, scallywag... you're no royalty... " reminded Taff, watching Calico drop his shoulders in defeat, along with a deep sigh. He took a step back to release her wirsts and redress himself, immediately leaving the room, a soft courteous bow with the head as he exited.

"Next time keep a small dagger at your waist height, it might save your honour, under other circumstances" advised Calico offering yet another tip.

"I'll be outside waiting for you... should you wish to continue..." muttered Calico, feeling the moment had been too short lived but muttering a thanks at Taff intervention, his pirate mindset, or lover's one in fact, telling him all sorts of opposite ideas clearly against honor and better judgment.

"A blush? really?" quizzed Rufus raising an inquisitive eyebrow a teasing smirk drawing upon his lips

"I... we... didn't do... anything.... nothing at all" half stammered Calico rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably, his eyes wide that his comrade could assume the captain would tarnish the princess, which made his face more red, the embarrassment greater and the blush all the worse worse.

"Perhaps it's me... but... this uncomfortable shyness does suit you well... from time to time... better than your cocky arrogant self" summarized Rufus watching Calico retaliate at such words in all but two moves forcing the now quickly disarmed man to his knees

"I might pace myself for her sake but you're not part of the allowances" assured Calico placing his boot against the fallen man's back and pressing down to squash him a little until the apology came through

"Sorry... only teasing..." assured Rufus standing up and dusting himself down "just make sure she doesn't become your Achilles talon uh?" advised Rufus shaking his head and going about his business, clearly the princess was becoming a too personal matter

"The sooner we find the stones, the sooner she can be returned home and you... off to the deep seas... since you encountered her, you're not quite yourself" urged Prodius shaking his head

"Uhmmm at least she has guts to challenge you and enough skill to last a while" chuckled Prodius, watching Calico calmly stand on deck, sword firmly held as its blade rested against the floor boards, waiting whether she would calmly come out or resume the fighting, not minding either way

Ryiah hadn't intended her move to be a statement of any sort, her mind focused on competition, yet things quickly spiraled out of control as she saw the heat which flared in Calico's eyes and heard his whispered words. Then they were in the bedroom and she had been toppled, pinned. Eyes wide her heart had begun to beat faster, out of her control and her cheeks turned pink. Confusion swirled as she suddenly felt unsure of herself, and way out of her depth. Finding any attempt at a response to his words unable to come forth, she felt a flicker of an emotion fairly new to her, then felt relief as the man moved outside, leaving her alone. She sat up finally, her hand still clenched around the hilt, but forgotten for the moment, still in a bit of a daze.

Finally she rose, trying to push the imperious look back in her face, lifting her chin and straightening her clothes and posture before taking a deep breath. Finally, she left the captains room and spotted Calico Jack standing, back to her, hand around his own sword. She stayed still a moment, then flicked her gaze to Kendra, who might have seen confusion and uncertainty there, as if she had no clue how to act now. Then it was gone, hidden behind a smirk as she moved forward to tap her blade against the pirate's shoulder. "I cede the fight to you, rogue. It seems you are my better in swordplay... for now. But I will learn your tricks. For now, I believe you have fully completed your end of the wager. I found it to be good fun."

She glanced to Rufus, then to the others who seemed to be pointedly not looking at her, wondering what had happened before she came out, then remembered the duel promised between Rufus and Kendra. Turning to move to the other woman, a smile on her face she raised an eyebrow. "You have a duel to complete do you not? I find myself very curious to observe, not the least of which to see Rufus in clothing of your choosing."

Rufus chuckled at her statement.

"Naaahhhh I am not going to fight with Snake, accepting defeat is a lot less tiring work, ladies, I trust her skill to be on equal or better footing. If I recall well, the last man that did cross swords with her, ended up walking the plank and I quite like my clothes dry as they can be" muttered Rufus calmly accepting forfeit

"Unless the lady is happy to dance... of course... then I shall oblige" nodded Rufus patting the cutlass that hung by his belt

"As for loverboy here... he wasn't being his true self... Jack never takes this long to take down opponents..." assured with a grin twinkling an eye at Riyah that was immediately followed by a backhand from Calico, who returned to his standing still position as if he had not even flinched

"No disrespecting royalty aboard my ship" remarked Calico watching Morgan glare furiously back

"You could at least have disposed of her, kill the king's murderer and do all of us a favour... your weakness will be disposed of and my mission accomplished in one swift stroke. Do it before she's the death of you..." muttered Morgan shaking his head at Calico

Calico snatched the whip from Prodius back belt, striking Morgan swiftly who was no less trained and grabbed his own chains to foil the strike, blocking the couple of attempts from Calico, the lattest round striking him, though the seasoned wounded sailor contained the pain rather well.

"Dying for queen and kingdom... can't think of a more honorable cause among the royal army... isn't this our purpose and oath after all?" smirked Calico watching Morgan wince at the reminder.

"Whilst I am here rowing your forsaken ship, the kingdom remains defenceless for the most part, I want my freedom back and my men released and I want her dead, no ill will held I am simply following orders..." remarked Morgan clearly unhappy

"Come on Morgan... she didn't kill neither father nor mother ... you've no certain proof of her handling poisons and she is working to redeem herself and clear her name and reputation by gathering the storm seeds, such stones are no easy feat, give her a fairer chance, she is your crown princess after all mayhap your queen, by the time we return" remarked Calico in a frown

Calico Jack paused at length listening to Sir Henry Morgan and conversing with the man.

Ryiah fell silent as she listened to first Rufus, then Morgan speak, surprise glinting in her eyes at Calico's quick retaliation. He was acting differently... confusion once again moved across her features before she tucked it away and shook her head a bit eyes sparking at Rufus. "I know he was merely toying with me, his skill shadows my own. Yet I enjoyed crossing blades with him nonetheless."

She quiet again at Morgan's words, her gaze going hard as anger moved through her. His accusations hit hard, and how easily he believed the lies. Just like so many others within the empire who now believed her a murderer. A frown tugged at her lips and she turned away, her excitement spent and moved to the prow of the ship, wrapping and arm around the beautiful dragon figurehead, her gaze on the whispering wake below which turned and frothed as the ship moved through it. She sometimes wished she could leap from the Nomesuch and slip into the depths of the sea, wondering what secrets the expanse concealed.

Her troubled thoughts kept her mind busy, while her gaze focused ahead, her mind turning to what new problems they may have to face in finding the next seed. She had taken time to glance at the next Island, which seemed as large as the last had been small. What danger lay upon it? She knew that finding the see would be no problem, as a raging storm would mark its presence, yet unease grew within her, and she hated not knowing what to expect.

A soft breeze picked and toyed with the loose and tangled ringlets of her fiery red hair, brushing her cheek as if trying to comfort the confusion within her and return the fiery spirit which so resembled the color of her hair. Never before had Ryiah fancied herself in love, and never before had she desired it. Rather she had pushed the idea away at all costs, knowing her father would have loved to marry her to someone who could bring the empire the most advantage. She hated the idea of marrying solely for advantage. The thought now on her mind, she felt caged, trapped. Would her entire life have to one sacrifice after another? Was the empire worth it?

Once again the lure of the pirates life, freedom of the seas and her own life felt just at her fingertips. If she would only reach out and take hold of it. Life on the run had already been chosen for her for now by traitors to the kingdom, why not embrace it?

Morgan and Calico where neck to neck, one poking the prisoner with a harpoon and the prisoner's impressive skills quite rivalled Calico's own thus he was able to block most of the menacing moves, simply using the oar he was attached to, the odd injury here and there, proving his lesser skilled but by little margin.

Sir Henry Morgan paused at length glancing at Riyah.

"Fine, were we to pressume her innocence and disregard the direct orders of executing her, you better pray to the stars that you get all the ten gems quickly, scallywag, else upon return, you'll dangle together from the same post" accepted Morgan in a frown

"Look... I trust her to be fully innocent, victim of conspiration, or confusion or mistake and definitely our rightful queen, I vouch it upon my own honor, life and limb... so much so... I give her this ship, my ship... nay... her ship, back, alongside all of you... her most skilled army too." explained Calico circling the finger at the enslaved rowers

"Furthermore, here is the royal dagger, it was the emperor's own... I'm sure you still recall it well enough... if I dare behave dishonorably against her will, you have my permission, nay, my command to protect her and her honor and put an end to my foul deeds without the least hesitation. I've collected so many death warrants by now... at your navy's expense mostly... it's hard to know which one you would be fulfilling by then. Use it against anyone else, it will cost you two men at a time..." mused Calico stabbing the oar that Morgan was rowing leaving the dagger embedded on it for Morgan to take up if he felt up to it.

"Prodius, unshackle them, the royal navy must be free to serve the princess properly..." waved Calico climbing up to the crow's nest

Morgan raised an eye brow in disbelief at the magnanimous gesture

"You truly believe in her don't you?" quizzed Morgan "Now... is this loyalty to the crown or your lustful passions and love that drives you to such insanity?" asked Morgan

"I truly believe the future queen is innocent, when we finish gathering the nine stones the emperor will vouch for her..." explained Calico

"Ten" corrected Morgan

"Gathering nine stones... eight in fact, since I have one already..." insisted Calico "I will prove to you my loyalty beyond any personal attachments on the tenth" assured Calico calmly, keeping the information about the tenth stone to himself

"The tenth is found at the palace... in the throne room... embedded on the scepter and throne itself, two halves that make a whole. You're going back to die... aren't you, lord Jacksworth Pont-de-Ter?" asked Taff knowing such things with certainty

"Let's not worry about the sacrifice for the tenth at this stage, we've eight to get... we may not live to the last one" shrugged Calico as if Taff spoke fables

"Very well, the next stone is not at the island at all... the storm itself is upon waters, the stone it´s beneath, it's on the sea bed and brace yourselves, the currents and whirlpools are as strong as they come, the ship will wreck and we will all drown if you get too close... I suggest, a small row boat and volunteering divers" warned Taff his mind thinking of the serpent right away as a possible guide for this fast paced quest

"Well that'll be you for starters" assured Calico not about to spare Taff the chance of a soaking and possible drowning.

"The less people the better..." pointed out Rufus

"Weight will slow down the rowing... bad for this trip" muttered Rufus as a matter of fact

"Dragonrider you're going and your dragon too, as well as the manservant and our fearless dashing captain uh?" smiled Rufus getting a nod from Calico

Still standing at the prow of the ship, her back to the others and her gaze on the sea, Ryiah listened to the conversation below on the deck. Inwardly she promised herself the pirate would not die in collection of the last seed, though she knew not why he felt so - she would do her utmost to keep those who helped her from harm. Or was there more to her desire to keep him safe? She tried not to dwell on the possibility, but the thought lingered on.

When the pirate proclaimed the ship hers she gave a short shake of her head. She did not want it. In the beginning, when the ship had first beem seized by the rogue, she could think if nothing else but taking back command. But now... she had learned that hers was a desire to be on the sea, for adventure, and freedom, but not for command. And the look on Calico Jack's face when he shouted his orders, or gripped the helm of the ship to steer ita course, told her how much he enjoyed the command. No, she would not take that from him.

Nor did she wish to command Morgan's men... the thought of having to trust those traitors turned her lips into a frown, and she shifted to glance over at them as they were released, turmoil in her belly. Would they try to kill her? She would keep a sharp eye out, and hand close to the dagger she kept hidden.

Finally she turned to decend back down to the main deck and rejoin the others. "I will go into the sea for the seed." She said, glancing at Taff, then Calico Jack. "I would not ask the task of any other. A rope can be attached to my waist and kept by those aboard the rowboat, to pull me back if the current should sweep me away..." her eyes glittered and she lifted her chin, hoping no one would object.

Calico chuckled at her innocent statement.

"Pull you out if you are swept? Of course not, the idea is to ride the waves and currents to reach the very bottom of the sea itself, it would be wasted effort and attempt if we were to avoid getting dragged into this. But we must be fast at reaching it, we can only struggle and strain against the current for so long before we grow tired at the effort. As soon as the stone is in our hands, it will stop altogether and we can float back onto the surface peacefully if exhausted" explained Calico

"Water dragons can breathe under water and transfer air to its rider by touch, I will conjure a spell to give Calico a chance and I hope my underwater friend the sea serpent can help, else I will summon proper mermaids" shrugged Taff

"Might have to turn you into merpeople for a little while..." mused Taff scratching the back of his head "problem is that down under the ocean there's always a predator and a bigger fish and your skills are not to the par with the native merfolk" muttered Taff not about to lessen the danger

"Let me give you a quick recount as I know it to be... about the storm seeds..." muttered Taff

1. white gem comes from the thunderstorms and typhoons
2. blue gem comes from the whirlpools
3. green gem comes from floods, waterfalls and tsunamis
4. silver gem comes from the hailstorms and avalanches
5. yellow gem comes from the droughts and heatwaves
6. black gem comes from sinkholes or landslides
7. brown gem comes from the sandstorms
8. golden gem comes from the quicksands
9. red gem comes from the volcanic eruptions
10. crimson only comes from the blood of sacrifice

As you can see, we have the first one already and we know where the last one can be conjured from, all we need is the rest of them" smiled Taff giving Ryiah a detour of what lay in store for them

"You seem to know a lot about sinking to the depths, maybe you should go Captain, I'm sure you're great at sinking to lower levels." She said with a chuckle as she glanced over the ship, there was no need to endanger Ryiah anymore anyway. If anything she would go, if the captain would not, Ryiah had done too much as it is. "No need to overwork yourself." She said glancing at Ryiah, as she made special note of the other seeds. "This really shall be a long journey." She muttered to herself as she looked away.

Calico raised an eye brow at Snake and her easy taunting

"I shall take your statement as a compliment, Snake... I almost mastered the art of sinking to lower levels. Pity that personal honor prevents me attaining glory in the field" smiled broadly Calico

"I know about the difficulty of gaining these gems because a while I collected nine of them... a while back... if you fail to gather them all before the next full they will vanish and scatter again and you have to start all over, once put together they will stay with their keeper for good" explained Calico

"And indeed, I am most certainly going with slave boy here... I couldn't let my manservant out and about without being watched" grinned Calico causing Taff to wince

"Of course... your lordship... as you please, master" muttered Taff sheepishly

Ryiah looked at Calico first as he spoke, feeling a bit awkward near him now, yet an excited glimmer sparked into her gaze and she nodded. Then as Taff spoke, enlightening her as to the gems and their dangers her smile fell away and her gaze moved back to Calico. "There will be no need for heroics pirate rogue.." she murmered, her eyes focused on him. "We will offer a different kind of blood sacrifice. I will forever hate you should you deem yourself the suicidal sort."

Then, looking back to Taff she grinned. "A dragon last time, a mermaid this time, what will be next, and is there no end to your skills?" After a moment's thought she added, "I do hope it doesn't involve me ending up naked again." She ended this statement with a sigh.

Taff looked up at Ryiah as she addressed him with such a question

"Well... changing appearance is what I do best, your highness... sometimes.. it helps me lessen the heartache of loneliness to dive into the peaceful depths of the sea or fly up the sky freely but I only do so very occasionally whilst not on duty. Most of my time is dedicated to my chores and honoured to remain a manservant" added Taff ducking the head sheepishly at her remark

Calico shrugged his shoulders casually not at all troubled.

"Princess, there's no need for a lenghty discussion on the matter, my destiny is already marked even before you were born which is why I can afford to indulge in your company and make some... questionable advances... I know this priviledge won't last long. In the meantime, I plan to make the most of life whilst it lasts" smiled Calico broadly

"His is simply an inevitable end. Lord Jacksworth Pont-de-Ter was already chosen for this by the emperor himself, out of spite if anything else. The lord commander protected and defended Taff from the emperor's wrath when he refused to execute the warlock back then. The emperor could not live down a mere servant had so much power whilst his own was locked up even from himself.

Calico is a tough one to defeat though, it cost the king many maimed army leaders to yeild. In the end the emperor had Taff reduced to servitude and slavery at the palace. I think that is the only time I have ever seen Calico reject direct orders in his entire career, a defiance that cost him dismissal and vanquishment" mused Morgan chipping into the conversation

"By the time your father found out that he needed the storm seeds to release his powers and the final one required a sacrifice, he bound that... priviledge... on the lord commander then sent the man from the dungeons to the sea to gather the gems, if he wanted a royal pardon and return to his army duties.

But... Calico has had the gems stolen quite a few times, unsurprisingly so, since he mingles with such riff raff as pirates can be... there's no honor among thieves after all. In the end the emperor, infuriated, had Calico locked up back into the dungeons but never hanged or executed. His blood is needed to make the final step into the journey to freedom.

Come think of it, Lord Pentre knows finishing Calico will surely put an end to the return of the emperor and has been issuing death warrants against the man since your father's passing even before he conjured all sorts of guilty crimes. His collection of death warrants is increasing monthly if not weekly." explained Morgan with a smirk

"With his dismissal from the army, becoming the next lord commander was a very easy task and natural path for me. No one to question or shadow my skill and authority. I have done a fine job of persecuting pirates like him and protecting the kingdom from murderers and thieves since then. I do not question those in power, madamme, I merely follow given orders by those who wield authority" smiled Morgan broadly

"I've caught this scallywag enough times as it is, though the scurry rat knows its ways out of cages and cells all too well for my liking." muttered Morgan gazing at Calico to watch him cringe

"How the mighty has fallen uh? I am spoiled for choice at the countless of the charges that have been drawn to justify ending his life before the other gems are gathered, his death sentence rivals and surpasses yours in urgency and importance actually, your highness" smirked Morgan his hand toying upon the dagger Calico had left embedded on the oar.

"Thank you Sir Henry Morgan, that'll be quite enough for today" quipped Calico jumping up the rigs to go to the crow's nest for some private space, still a little sore at the whole events of the long gone past and inevitable path that lay ahead

Ryiah listened to all that was revealed, and when Morgan finished she glared at the man, watching Calico leave, climbing into the crow's nest. Pursing her lips she moved to the infernal Morgan, standing directly in front of him, her eyss spitting fire. "If you ever held any loyalty to the empire you would know the claims laid against me are false. You would also respect my decisions, and take my word for Calico Jack, which I give freely. In my time with the man he has more than honored me, keeping me alive and reputation untarnished despite his pirate's nature. There is nothing I would have said against him, nor any who would be allowed to raise hand to harm him. Whether my father returns or not. I WILL reclaim the throne. Calico Jack will be pardoned, and I will find a new blood sacrifice." Her voice was in a hiss now, anger and weight in her voice. "I have never needed to follow what others thought was a must. There are too many variables, too many other paths, to give in so easily. I will never give up and I will do whatever it takes to see those I lo-.. to see my friends taken care of." She fumbled with her words before finishing, not bothering to await an answer from Morgan or any other.

With a glance up at Jack, then at Taff, she muttetered "I'll be in my quarters until we arrive should anyone need me." Then she moved off. Her back stiff and eyes still spitting her emotion, closing the door to her room behind her, though Kendra was always welcome, the two sharing the room. She sat on the bed, closing her eyes to ponder all that had passed, fingers troying with the blade strapped to her waist.

Morgan frowned at Taff most displeased, glaring at the warlock accusingly. "Why didn't you tell her all about it right from the start, rather than let her fall for this poor excuse of a wretched human?" demanded the man "Surely she must be made aware Calico must and will die in the emperor's struggle for power?" quizzed Morgan frowning at Taff

"I only say what must be told, when it is needed to be told, to those who need to be told about it, lord commander" rejected Taff defensively. "No need to break her heart, her dreams and hopes, her illusions and happiness so early on, after all, we may fail in our quest altogether yet again" mused Taff "Though, perhaps this time, with her in the equation, there is hope in the end... I need tears of true sorrow from royal blood to actually bind the two halves of the storm seed together. Perhaps, just perhaps, there is hope for the world after all... The needs of many override the needs of the few as I've always been saying" muttered Taff shrugging his shoulders uncomfortably

"Don't worry Henry Morgan, hold your itch a little longer and that sword of yours tightly. You'll get your wish, I have spared and chosen you to yield that dagger at the fatal final moment. I know Pentre himself would love the opportunity to run me through but I don't trust his skill and his wavering hand. Just make it as quick and painless as you can uh? I didn't train you for nothing after all" commented Calico Jack who clearly held no grudges against his former best friend until power came between them

"My hand? waver? at running a pirate through? Why never! Of course not! There shan't be any hesitation or mercy from me for those who walk on the wrong side of the law, former best friend or not" guaranteed Morgan watching Calico with a smirk "Try me if you don't believe me, plenty scallywags here with blood in their hands..." taunted Morgan

"Oh dear, still bitter I joined the dark side and cost you a few ships and bruised pride uh? I guess you have no positions open in the royal army for me uh?" teased Calico

"Absolutely none, not even as my lacky" refused Morgan outright, the pair of righteous childhood friends bickering and taunting each other as usual.

"All coins have two sides... gentlemen. Despite your darkness, Calico, you still hold a patch of bright light and in your overall light, Henry, you still hold a patch of darkness. Together, though, you might make it happen, just make sure no harm comes to her before the time is right, a dragon fight needs all her might and strength to get that sceptre out of his enraged father's hands or claws there I say..." warned Taff glancing at the pair of them "Do not distress her needlessly this early on, she needs to build up support, strength and confidence, to master her dragon powers before then" advised Taff

"So do not speak of such matters against least you wish to loose your voice... by art of magic..." frowned Taff quite capable and ready to cast such a spell

"I shall bring tea right away to her royal highness and then to your lordships afterwards" bowed Taff respectfully at the two men, leaving and hurrying to the kitchens to prepare the lavish snacks, well aware she might not even be in the mood to eat

Once the tray was well laid down, he knocked the door sharply and crisply thrice, pausing two seconds, between each knock and awaited outside the door for permission to enter

"Are you awake my lady? I have your tea ready" informed Taff shifting a little nervously as he recalled her statement at the lack of clothing.

"I also wanted to apologize, princess. I assure your highness will preserve all dignity intact henceforth if I can help it. I am so sorry for my mishaps earlier that left you somewhat disrobed, I can only deeply apologize for the discomfort caused. I got distracted with Rufus wounds and failed in my most important duty of tending to your attire quicker. By the time I focused pirate Jack had already taken over your care" apologized Taff in a blush, clearly guilty about the failing

Ryiah didn't immediately answer the knocking, but finally pulled herself from her thoughts long enough tell Taff to enter, her gaze moving to the door as he came in. She glanced at the tray in his hand, then back down to her lap, her eyes having finally lost the energetic anger from earlier. She had meant the words, yet her mind couldn't come up with an alternative to sacrifice for the last seed. But she would find a way. She had to, no matter what.

"You needn't apologize Taff..." Ryiah murmered, her voice tired and resigned. "It is the way it must be. I am not my own now, nor will I ever be. The clothing issue should be the least of my worries...I live to serve the empire." Did she believe that anymore? The tales she'd been hearing about her father lately... did she want to resurrect him if he had been a tyrant? He had doted on Ryiah, and perhaps that had clouded her judgement of him.

Feeling confused in too many ways to count she did not touch the tea Taff left. Finally rising she turned to Taff moving closely and gazing at him ernestly. "What if I decided not to gather the seeds? What if the cost is greater than the benefit? What if my father should stay... as he is. Dead. She couldn't say it though and sighed, turning her back to gaze up at the picture of her mother. There seemed to be no right choice.