Scoundrel - Prinxiety [COMPLETED]

Chapter VIII

To say that Logan was worried would be an understatement. He had absolutely no idea what he was to do in this situation. This was something he hadn't prepared for, which irritated and upset him to admit. Why hadn't he thought about what he should do if the prince was to be kidnapped? As the royal advisor, he was supposed to be prepared for anything, including if the prince gets himself kidnapped.

Prince Roman is an idiot, he thought angrily as he rubbed his temples. What on earth was going through his mind when he decided it was a good idea to tell a pirate he was a royal?

It didn't matter; the prince had been kidnapped on the route to his wedding. What was the royal advisor supposed to tell his bride-to-be? Could they even show up in the Kingdom of Cailin without Prince Roman? How was he to explained he'd been kidnapped by pirates? There was also the thing he'd told him before they were kidnapped; that he was gay. 

Logan didn't know how to respond to that, other than that he was accepting of it. It wasn't as if he had the authority to call off the wedding; said wedding was still supposed to happen in five days. Five days to find the prince and somehow get to the kingdom with time to explain what had happened. 

"Sir, we're running low on resources!" a fearful deckhand reported, pulling him out of hi thought. "The pirates took most of our supplies, and what are we going to do about his Highness?"

Logan, a headache still throbbing prominently in his skull, took a deep breath. "Relax young man, we'll be fine," he reassured, looking down at his map. "There's a port just west of here. It's a small fishing city. We'll be able to land there to restock our supplies and it'll give me more time to decide our choice of action regarding the prince. Please do deliver this news to the captain."

The deckhand exhaled a little with a nod. The advisor felt a slight twinge of pride in the fact that he seemed to be less worried then when he'd entered the cabin. Logan had never been very good with comforting others, but in situations such as these, it seemed comforting to have someone such as himself still calm and composed.

He let out a sigh as he was left alone. Prince Roman, you better not say anything to get yourself killed, he thought worriedly. What am I going to tell your father?

Logan realized then that he'd need to write to his Majesty and let him know what had happen. The advisor dug into a drawer, withdrawing a piece of parchment to begin drafting a letter. Immediately after beginning, he hit a wall, figuratively. How was he to word the letter that would tell the king his son was kidnapped by pirates? As soon as he began a draft, he'd stumble on his words. He crumpled up another piece, tossing it in the waste basket by his desk with another sigh. There was a knock at the door, and the deckhand entered.

"Sir, we've arrived!"

The advisor stood, nodding to him with a 'thank you'. He followed him out onto the deck, seeing the crew roping the ship to the dock. Logan noticed the man in charge of logging what ships came in and out of the port. He stepped off the boat, onto the dock.

"Afternoon sir, where are you coming from and what is your purpose in here?" the man greeted, his log book open.

Logan straightened his glasses. "We're from the Kingdom of Paisean, on a route to a royal marriage in Cailin but we had a run in with pirates," he explained. "We're extremely low on supplies, and they kidnapped the groom-to-be, Prince Roman. We'd just like to dock here to resupply as well as alert the king of what's happened."

The man looked shocked and alarmed. "Yes, of course, how can we assist you?"

"Please issue out a message to send with all vessels that come through this port to be on the look out for him," Logan requested. "Should they return the prince, I'll be certain they receive a reward for their troubles."

The man nodded, immediately writing down what he'd been told on a separate piece of paper. "Consider it done, I hope you enjoy your time here."

With that, the advisor was walking toward the town, first needing to find a lodge for he and the crew to stay in. He unfortunately didn't make it to the lodge because he was bumped into by someone in a hurry, both of them falling to the ground. Logan winced as he hit the ground, but looked up to see if who'd bumped into him was alright. A man his age as shaking out his head and fixing his glasses. When he looked up, their eyes met.

If Logan didn't know any better, he'd have thought time stopped. His heart rate picked up unnaturally, and his face had begun to warm. "M-My apologies," he managed as he moved to help the man to his feet. He, however, insisted on helping him up.

"No, no, that was totally my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going at all! I'm so sorry!" the man gushed, brushing him off and realizing he was wearing his noble attire. "Oh god, you're a noble! I'm so, so sorry! Did I damage your clothing or anything? I'll pay you back I promise-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Logan said, putting his hands on his shoulders to still him. "No, nothing is damaged, yes, I'm fine, and you don't need to be so intimidated. I'm just the royal advisor at a nearby kingdom."

The man's laughed nervously. "Just the royal advisor," he repeated. "That's hardly a title you can just say you are. Is there anything I can be of assistance with?"

"Well, at the moment, I'm looking for a lodge to stay with the crew of my vessel, if you could point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it."

His eyes widened, a slight smile on his face. "Oh! I have just the place! My best friend runs the best lodge in town, I could get you guys in for no charge. It's the least I can do, I'm still very sorry about bumping into you."

"It's quite alright, but you seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere," he reminded him.

The man's eyes widened again. "Oh my gosh, that's right! I've got to go!" he gasped. He turned to Logan before taking off. "Uh, just down the street and take a right! First building on the left! Just tell him Patton sent you!"

With that, Patton was running off, leaving the advisor to watch him go with a strange and unfamiliar feeling in his chest. As he disappeared around a corner, a small amused smile crossed his lips. He seemed nice, Logan thought as he turned to follow the instructions he'd been given. I find it amusing that he said he could get us a lodge we wouldn't have to pay for when he knows we're a royal vessel though. Surely, he knows we can afford to stay for as long as we please, but it was still sweet of him to offer.

He soon found himself entering the lodge, stepping into the main hall which was complete with long tables, a fire pit, and a bar. "How may I help you, sir?" the man behind the bar asked as he entered.

"I'm in need of some rooms for myself and my crew," Logan explained. "I was sent here by... Patton, I believe his name was. If you have rooms available, I'll gladly retrieve my crew from our ship and bring them inside. He said he could get us rooms for free, but we'll pay, of course."

The man looked like he realized something upon hearing Patton's name. "That one's going to get me bankrupt if he keeps trying to get guests in for free," he said with a chuckle. "But then again, he works late to pay me back whenever that happens, so I guess I shouldn't be complaining. Yes, we've a few rooms available, how many people are travelling with you?"

"Ten, not including myself," the advisor said, wincing a little. "If you've not enough rooms to house us all, I'm sure some of them could sleep on the ship."

The man shook his head. "No, no, we'll figure something out for you," he said with a polite smile. "My name's Remy by the way, I own this place. It's a pleasure to be at your service Mister...?"

"Logan, Logan is fine," he replied, shaking his hand while returning his smile. "Thank you for allowing us to stay, I'll go retrieve my men."

With that, he was on his way back to the docks, thinking to himself about how much bad fortune they'd gotten with the run in with the pirates, and yet the amount of good fortune of finding a place to stay. I've got that Patton fellow to thank for that, he thought with a small smile at the thought of him. I wonder where he was off to anyway.