I Will Always Love You - Empires SMP S2 AU: Nature Wives

Chapter 12: You've Got To Be Codding Me (Shelby)

Shelby sat on Glimmer Grove dock with her legs trailing in the water, her worn boots laying discarded on the pier next to her with the socks stuffed in.

"Ma'am?"

Shelby turned around and looked up at the fisherman who had spoken to her.

"Could you please come and help us? We have an issue,"

He shot a glare at on of his fellow fisherman, who was hovering a few steps behind him, clutching a soggy fish to his chest.

"Um... sure?" Shelby got up, not bothering to put her shoes on, "What's the problem?"

"Well the problem is that he," the fisherman jabbed a finger vigorously in his direction, "stole my cod,"

"Cod?" Shelby asked slightly puzzled.

The fisherman clutching the wet cod nodded and said in a rough voice, "Cod is really rare in these rivers 'cause they live down south in the warmer waters (Author: I dont know anything about fish. Plz bare with me.)"

"Who caught the cod?" Shelby nodded, beginning to understand what this was about.

"I caught it," the fisherman who had came to fetch her huffed proudly.

"But you used my boat to catch it so it makes it mine 'cause without my boat you would still be here STRANDED," the other fisherman fired back.

"I used my wots and skills to catch it! All you did was sit on your behind and watch me struggle, three times, until I had finally caught it!" Bickered his fellow.

"Why don't you split in half-?" Shelby suggested, rubbing the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

"NO!" Both of the fishermen turned on her, eyes blazing with defiance.

"D'you know how one of these costs on the market?" The fisherman scolded Shelby, eyeing her with disgust.

"Fine," Shelby huffed, thinking hard.

"Cod is really rare in these rivers 'cause they live down south in the warmer waters,"

"Gentlemen," Shelby declared, an idea forming in her mind, "Please excuse me for five minutes. I will return with cod."

She put her fingers to her mouth and whistled, long and high, and out of response her broom came zooming out of the depths of the village and skidded to a halt beside her.

The fishermen on the pier watched her leave, eyebrows raised archly

*

This was probably a bad idea.

The only empire that Shelby knew of that had cod in it was the Eversea.

And obviously it was the last place on the planet that Shelby would visit for help, but, these were Katherine's people that she was thinking about. She needed to make a good first impression.

Shelby flew closer to the Eversea, her gut doing cartwheels as she approached the colourful pirate-y buildings of Eversea, remembering that on her last visit here she hadn't quite been feeling herself.

She brought her broom into land, touching softly on the wooden dock, determined not to make a sound in case the pirate might be home.

Instricting the broom to wait in a nearby ship, Shelby creeped forward, wand drawn and expecting the unexpected.

One cod. That was it. And then she'll go home to Glimmer Grove.

She tip-toed up the colourful staircase, glancing up at the turquoise building where all the fish were kept.