VIOLENT TIDES (gxg - editing)

29

The Finch had docked an hour ago, and Gael knew she couldn't keep Ainsley cooped up aboard the ship until they were ready to leave again. It wasn't fair to the princess. It also wasn't safe for her to leave, of course, but Ainsley would know the risks.

"I'll be by your side the whole time," Gael said. "And you'll be armed, of course. If we do happen to run into any trouble, we can take care of it."

"I know. I'm not worried," Ainsley replied.

The two stood in Gael's quarters, lit up by a shaft of warm sunlight that shone in through the open porthole. Outside, the smell of saltwater and fish and the cries of birds filled the air. Gael had selected a heavy cloak from the chest on the floor, and their hands met when she passed it to Ainsley. She unfolded it and wrapped it around her shoulders, then let Gael come closer and take the metal clasp in her hands. The pirate slid the copper pieces in place, aware of how close they were to one another. A strand of Ainsley's hair moved under Gael's breath, and it seemed as though a physical warmth radiated from her, drawing Gael so close that mere inches separated them. Ainsley's chest rose and fell.

Since the night they'd kissed, conflict had stormed inside Gael, and they had never done it again. The thought of kissing Ainsley just once more set Gael's heart racing, but it would only be setting herself up for heartbreak.

Ainsley had a kingdom to return to. A fleeting relationship with a pirate captain wouldn't mean much to her.

Gael stepped away and arranged the cloak on Ainsley's shoulders, wrapping it tightly around her and pulling it closed so it completely obscured her lithe form. Ainsley's hands found the hood and she pulled it over her head, letting it drape low over her face and casting most of it in shadow.

"Will that be alright?" Gael asked.

Ainsley tugged at the hem of one of the wide sleeves that dropped past her knuckles.

"Yes. I don't think anyone will recognize me." She smiled, and Gael smiled back, heart fluttering.

"Shall we?" She asked, offering her arm.

Ainsley grinned, eyes glittering beneath the shadows of the hood. "I see you haven't forgotten your nobility days. I have a better idea, though." She wrapped her hand around Gael's, fingers curling over it with a protective confidence. Gael smiled, hoping the shakiness she felt suddenly in her stomach wasn't visible.

No one had ever made her feel so unsteady, yet so thrilled and elated all at once.

"This is a better idea," she agreed.

This city was busier than the last they had visited, with merchants calling from every direction and rushing pedestrians bumping into the two of them unceremoniously. The rest of Gael's crew had gone their separate ways, eager to spend their time on land away from from the people they spent most of their days cooped up with. Everyone would meet back on the Finch by nightfall.

"Remember, keep the dragons away," Gael warned. "That'll be the quickest way to have someone recognize you."

"I know," Ainsley replied, watching the sky. "I'll make sure they don't come near."

The two were standing at the edge of a seller's blanket, examining the wares, when a wayward gust of wind tore Ainsley's hood from her head and sent her hair ruffling in the stiff breeze. Evening was falling, and the air was getting chilly. She sucked in a sharp breath and grabbed it again, pulling it back up to disguise her face, but the damage had been done.

"Princess Ainsley? What are you doing so far from Ellay?"

Ainsley flinched, and a anxious lump rose in Gael's throat. She hurried to turn to the person who had recognized Ainsley, a younger woman with wide brown eyes.