Voyage of War

Chapter 4

Didier stood with his forehead against the door to the room Camilla was in, debating whether he should go in. After the incident with the Shadow she would never again be the Camilla he knew and loved, but he made a promise. For better or for worse. Through sickness and in health. 'Till death do us apart. He would not abandon her.

Didier straightened, opened the door and entered. What he saw, or either a lack of what he saw, made him freeze in his tracks. He blinked a few times and started searching the room. Camilla was not there!

Was she better and began to wonder the castle? Didier doubted it, because then the guard at the door would have accompanied her and no one aside from  Didier and Jethro, were permitted to visit her.

                      *    *    *

Captain Ced hurriedly left straight after his brief conversation with his first mate. Leaving Princess Sybil to be escorted to her newly assigned cabin by the first mate Keiden.

"What is happening?" Princess Sybil asked.
"Nothin' ter worry yer pretty 'lil head about." Keiden assured her.
"I demand to know or I am not leaving this cabin."
"We're about to be attacked!" Keiden sighed angrily.
Just as the words left his mouth a blow teared through the ship.
"Come Princess ,you'll be safer in yer cabin." Keiden grabs her roughly by the arm and drags her out the door, into the narrow hallway.
"I can help!" Princess Sybil protests.
"I doubt that ye can charm tis particular bunch o' pirates."
Keiden chuckles and pulls her further along the hallway.
In the blink of an eye Princess Sybil breaks loose from Keiden's grip, grabs a dagger that was strapped around his waist and pushes him to the wall ,with the dagger to his throat. Keiden stares at her with wide eyes, to dumbstruck to make a move
"I said I'm going to help." Princess Sybil grited out through her teeth. Another blow rockes the ship and hard thuds ecco's from above. Both Princess Sybil and Keiden look up.
"They've boarded..." Keiden whispers fearfully under his breath. "Okay ye can come. Jus' grab a sword in de dinin' cabin when we pass it... and if ye get hurt, killed or worse it's not me fault!"

Princess Sybil let Keiden go and he rushed back the way they came, she picked up the hem of her dress and ran after him. She was thankful that she got to change into a different ,lighter dress before the dinner started. This one was only one layer of soft royal blue fabric. Princess Sybil stood in the doorway of the dining cabin ,scanning the interior for a weapon. Above a make-shift fireplace hung two narrow silver, double-bladed swords. They are longer than the average sword, probably because Captain Ced is longer than the avarage man. On her way out Resa's throwing knives caught her eye and she grabbed them as well and strapped them to her waist.

Princess Sybil emerged from below deck ,with both swords in hand. Before her a bloody battle was taking place, she started to question the wiseness of her wanting to help ,she didn't know who was part of wich crew and who to fight. She stood at the top of the steps debating whether to go back down and find a place to hide or staying and fighting whom ever attacked her. Her eyes landed on a cornered Captain Ced. He was fighting three pirates and when one fell, two replaced it.

                     *    *    *

Captain Ced fought with all his might. Thrusting his sword into the gut of the pirate in front of him and pulling it out with enough force to slamm his elbow painfully into the nose of the pirate attacking him from behind. Unfortunately the blow wasn't at the right angle to kill and the pirate wailed in pain. Captain Ced took advantage of the weak position and swung his sword towards the pirates neck ,but the blow was blocked just in time. Another pirate with a short dagger raised, came charging at Captain Ced from behind. Captain Ced whirled around to block the blow, forgetting about the previous pirate. The pirate with the now broken nose stood up and lunged to attack Captain Ced, before the pirate could impale Captain Ced, he was blocked by two narrow silver swords. Out of the corner of his eye Captain Ced recognizes them as his family heirloom. Enraged that someone dared to touch his swords he swiftly kills the pirate and whirls around, for a moment Captain Ced freezes on the spot ,all anger seeping out of his system and stares at Princess Sybil wielding the two swords with ease and striking precision.

Captain Ced snaps back ,when he spots Captain Amalek boarding the Equesrtia.

                      *    *    *

Resa can hear shuffling footsteps on the deck above, steal clashing against steel and the battlecries when someone has slain or been slain. She hated being a sitting duck and iched to do something even if it was just to pace the cell, but she had to keep Zack calm and prevent him from changing.

The next moment everything went quiet. Resa glanced up at the sudden unnerving silence that reigned over the ship.

The scuffeling sound on the deck resumed but none of the battle sounds did. An hour after the silence broke, a huge pirate came stomping down the steps.

The pirate that emerged from the steps was approximately twice the size of the Captain of the Equesrtia, not in height ,but in muscle. He was not big enough to classify as a giant but also too big to be completely human. He had no shirt on and his entire upper body was covered in black ink drawings and swirls. His voice was a deep, raspery, spine grating sound.
"Poor prisoners getting unrooted so many times." The pirate mocked them with a chuckle.

They were led to the main deck, that was strewn with bodies of dead and injured pirates left for dead. Resa averted her eyes unable to stand the sight, but is left unable to do anything about the smell due to her hands that had been tied behind her back.

                     *    *    *

"Long time no see old friend." Captain Amalek chuckles. The pirate had shoulder length, curly black hair and dull brown eyes. He was older and less muscular than Captain Ced.

Captain Ced pushes his shoulders back and his chest out in a last attempt to feel a bit more in control of the situation. Captain Ced hated feeling helpless and not being able to control what happens to him. He and Princess Sybil had been striped of all their weapons before entering the room ,but Captain Ced was thankful that they weren't tied up.

The silence dragged on with Princess Sybil risking nervous glances at Captain Ced.
"I didn't think that you ,of all people would allow a female into your crew, Captain Ced," Captain Amalek said shooting Princess Sybil a disapproving glance and his voice dripping with sarcasm on the last phrase,"Wait I can just call you Ced now that you don't have a ship to Captain anymore." Captain Amalek revelled in Captain Ced's humiliation.

Captain Ced stood taunt and unblinking not even acknowledging Captain Amalek's mockery. Captain Amalek's smile fell at the lack of response from Captain Ced, frustration evident on his face. He gave some hushed orders to a huge pirate with his entire upper body covered in black ink and Captain Ced and Princess Sybil was hauled out of the room and down several sets of stairs.

The rest of the prisoners from the Equestria and Keiden was already sitting in the cell. Looking at the cells of the Astria, the Equestria's cells seemed to be luxuriously clean and well kept. Captain Ced could feel his boots slightly sticking to the wooden flooring as he walked and it smelled of human waist and other human odours, such as blood and urine. He felt revolted with Captain Amalek for sending women into this hole.

The big pirate locked the cell behind them.
"Have a nice stay." He chuckled dangling the keys on this forefinger and then turning to walk away.
"What do we do now?" Princess Sybil sighed.
Captain Ced turned to look what he had to work with and was surprised to see ,that one of the prisoners he recognizes as one he took from the Clouthea, was actually playing with a flame on the tips of his fingers. Other than that he had the beast-boy, a dark-skinned girl ,Keiden and Princess Sybil ,who knew how to fight magnificently. He realised that he could work well with what he was given and that he was glad to be trapped with this particularly peculiar group of individuals.

"Now we plan a mutany."