The Hunter's Pursuit

13. Experiences

    "Kitty was here a year before I was brought on board," Prim explained. "Pops and Caspian found her during a raid. Their only options were to care for her themselves, or take her to an orphanage. Doing the latter meant she might eventually wind up penniless on the streets or sold to a brothel, so Cas allowed her to stay."

    Viviane worked silently while she listened. Emilia followed suit. "Kitty grew attached to both of us and began to view us as her parents." Prim smiled softly. "And we felt the same about her. Emilia and Coralyn helped me find a place where I could legally adopt Kitty on both of our behalves, and that was the end of it."

    The sideways glance Emilia threw at Prim said otherwise, but Viviane didn't press for further answers. Instead, she asked, "Aren't you worried about keeping her onboard? Being the daughter of the Pirate King puts a target on her head, and with how often you're attacked..." She trailed off, letting her implications sink in. "Besides, suppose Kristopher or someone else with his mindset finds out what she really is?"

    "We're capable of handling Kristopher," Prim replied. "And despite the risks of having her on board, she's going to stay. She would never forgive us if we left her behind, and after everything she's been through, I don't think she could bear it if we didn't come back."

    "How old is she?"

    "About eleven, Caspian and I guess. She doesn't remember her age or birthday."

    "She chose a new one though," Emilia pointed out with a smile.

    Prim mirrored it. "She did. She chose the day we adopted her to be her new birthday. It's coming up in a number of weeks, actually."

    "Well, let's hope we're not engaged in a battle with a sea monster so we have time to celebrate," Viviane answered.

    "How did you become a monster hunter?" Emilia asked. "You can't be much older than Prim and I, and if you've been hunting as long as people say, that means you've been doing this since you were very young. Probably as young as Jacob was."

    "Or perhaps the stories are exaggerated," Viviane remarked. "But to answer your question, I began hunting to protect my sisters. We lived close to an area with frequent sea monster activity. In order to live there safely, the monsters had to be killed or driven off. I took it upon myself to do so."

    "How many sisters do you have?"

    Viviane bit her lip. "Many."

    "I have a younger brother," Prim said. "Thomas. He would be six now. I wonder if he still screams and throws a fit every few minutes."

    Viviane tilted her head, eyeing Prim curiously. "I heard about your father's death. What happened to your mother and brother afterwards?"

    "To my knowledge, they're being looked after by Lord Melbourne."

    "He's the King Regent now," Emilia added. "After King Alexander died, the Lords decided that Thomas is the only remaining Heir to the Throne. Lord Melbourne was elected to rule until Thomas turns twenty."

    "Why couldn't your mother be the Queen Regent instead?" Viviane asked, turning to Prim.

    Prim huffed in amusement. "Valence is ruled by men. It always has been and always will be. The only time there are Queens are when a King marries or there are no male Heirs. Even then, a Queen never has any power. The Lords make all of the decisions for her and she's required to approve them."

    Emilia nodded. "Not even the Kingsmen are required to report directly to a Queen, although when a Queen sits on the throne they are called Queensmen as a courtesy."