Jewel of the Sea- Kotlc Pirate AU

Four

Biana was grateful for the clear skies and calm seas that aided their journey to the village.

As they neared the destination, the scenery changed from sandy isles to green hills to rocky shores lining the bases of a mountain.  The fish inhabiting the crystal waters changed too, becoming more and more orange as they neared the village.

After a few long days of travel, Linh informed Biana that they had reached their destination.  Mermaids popped out of the water all around them, their bright orange tails aglow beneath the waves.  They led the Jewel to their leader, Marella.  

"Why have you come here?" Marella asked Biana and her crew once they were inside the craggy cave where humans and mermaids could both meet.  

"I need a place to lay low for a while.  Linh said we could come here," Biana told her.  

Marella narrowed her eyes, surveying Biana and her crew.  "And why do you need to lay low?"

"We may or may not have a prince and his bride-to-be in the ship's hold."

The orange in Marella's tail flared brighter.   "You kidnapped a prince and brought him here?!  Were you followed? If they find our village, Biana, I swear..."

"Yes, we kidnapped a prince and brought him here.  No, we were not followed and they will not find your village," Biana told the mermaid, who let out a sigh of relief.  

"Fine. You may stay here, but only for a little while."

Biana nodded, then turned to head back to her ship.   Hopefully their hostages hadn't gotten into any trouble. 

She needed to talk with Tam, figure out what to do with the royals in the hold.  She found him belowdeck with Keefe.  

"Tam, I need to talk with you."  She glanced at Keefe.  "Here is okay though."  There was no reason Keefe couldn't be a part of this conversation; he was a smart guy and may have ideas of his own to contribute.

"Sure," Tam said.  "What do you need?"

"What are we going to do with our esteemed guests?" she asked.  "Ransom them?  Kill them?  What do you propose?"

He considered.  "Killing them wouldn't benefit us at all, and there's no reason to just let them go, so I'd say ransom is the best option."

"Ransom it is."  Biana turned to Keefe. "Would you write a letter telling the King and Queen to pay us, say, 50 000 pounds?" 

50 000 pounds would cover any ship repairs or restocks the Jewel needed, as well as leaving left over to pay the crew and just have a good time.  Plus, the royal family could stand to use a few pounds.

"Yes, ma'am," Keefe said.  "Where should I tell them to leave the money?"

"They come alone.  We'll meet them in the cove nearby.  They give us the money, we give them the prince and his little friends.  Of course, they might try to get them without paying us, so I am going to pay a visit to a certain fiery, fishy friend of ours."

With that, Biana turned to go talk to Marella once more, and Keefe went to write the letter.  Tam followed him--maybe he wanted to help the navigator or something.  It didn't matter to Biana.

"Marella!" The captain called into the cave.  "Can I talk to you?"

The mermaid sighed, and nodded.  "What do you need now?"  

Biana noticed Linh in the water with Marella.  Had she interrupted something?  Oh well, they could resume in a bit.  "We're meeting with the Vackers in a few days to get a ransom from them.  Can I count on you and the others to be there in case they try something?"

"Yes, we will be there, but if things are going very poorly, my people come first and we will retreat."

"Fair enough."  Biana placed her crew at top priority too; she couldn't blame Marella for wanting to protect the lava mermaids.  "Linh, would you be able to deliver a letter to the royal family?"

"Sure thing, Biana!" Linh said.

~~~

A few days after Linh came back with the Vackers' response, Biana and the mermaids were in the cove.  They watched the horizon for the royal ships, waiting with bated breath.

Finally, a ship appeared as a tiny dot.  As it moved closer, Biana saw it bore the royal flag.  But as she looks closer, there were more ships behind it.  Not more than two or three, but enough to take out the Jewel of the Sea if they wanted.

"Listen up, lads! They're on the horizon, and they brought friends!  Ready the cannons and let's show them what we're made of!"

Shouts echoed around the deck as the crew started getting ready for a heavy fight.  It wouldn't be an easy one, and they likely wouldn't make it out unscathed, but they could damn well try.

---

Hi there!  I am so, so sorry for taking so long to update!  I went through some writers block, and I was also quite busy since I had wrestling nearly every day.  But I'm in quarantine now so I have plenty of time to write! Thank you for ready and I'll get started on chapter five right now!!