During some of his down time, Evans had made a point to clean the main foyer of the manor, focused purely on his task, until his attention was drawn by the sound of steps coming through the front door behind him.
“Miss Everday. How was your trip today?” Evans asked, as Aloette yawned loudly.
“Fairly uneventful. I did find some odd foods down at the market, however.” Aloette admitted, rubbing her eyes. “I’m perfectly ready for bed, though.”
“You’ve been spending a lot of time in town recently.” Evans noted, as Aloette headed up the main stairs. “...I have to ask...”
Aloette turned to Evans.
“...does this have to do with your new pink coat?”
Aloette’s eyes widened, as she looked side to side for no real reason. “Y-You know about it?”
“It’s not exactly subtle.” Evans remarked, folding his arms. “I noticed you taking it out into town during the day, and I assumed it was some sort of...creative roleplay you were engaging in.”
“Oh.” Aloette said, tapping her chin. “That does sound like me...”
“As long as it’s nothing to do with those pirates. I swear, King Syrille sure is taking his time when it comes to dealing with them.” Evans pointed out, huffing in disapproval, as Aloette giggled and headed for her room.
Just as she was about to leave, she stopped herself, before turning back to him. “Evans?”
“Yes?”
“...if I were to leave home at some point in the future, how would you react?”
“Well...” Evans let out, scratching his chin. “...I would wish you safe travels and make sure you had protection.”
“I thought so.” Aloette replied, smiling and leaving for her room proper, just as Evans shook his head.
“...I hope she’s ready for the world. At least some day...”
~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
Aloette was having trouble sleeping.
Obviously, the increased pirate presence in Intide placed everyone on edge, but more importantly to her, Sadashi’s execution was fast approaching.
She sat by her window, watching over the entirety of Intide at night while wrapped up in her blanket, hoping for some kind of answer to come along and help her out.
“...I wish you were here, dad...” Aloette let out, running her finger across the window sill. “Sadashi doesn’t deserve what’s coming...but I can’t stand against King Syrille.”
She hung her head solemnly, before sighing out and looking back at her closet, finding her pink coat hanging up with the rest of her outfits.
“...what to do...”
~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
“STOP! STOP RIGHT THERE!”
“Me?”
“YES, YOU!”
After her fairly rough night, Aloette decided to take her trip through town the following day fairly slow. Meeting Sadashi was still on the cards, but she wasn’t expecting to do much else.
However, while trying to enjoy her walk, Aloette was immediately distracted by the display happening around the docks at the base of Intide, as a mass of people surrounded a few palace guards and what looked to be pirates.
“Flint Blastcap! By order of King Syrille, you’re trespassing in the kingdom of Nestell. Turn your vehicle in to the Royal Precession and give yourselves over.” The guard stated, holding his spear strongly, just as Flint scratched his chin.
“We’re not parked in the docks. It’s further down the island.” Flint pointed out.
“R-Regardless, that is still under the jurisdiction of Nestell.” The guard attempted, just as Flint raised his finger.
“That’s Nyra’s ship, isn’t it?” Flint noted, pointing at Nyra’s ship parked in the docks.
The guard stayed silent, even as he wavered holding his spear straight.
“Well, she gets to stay here.” Flint said, before leaning down to face the guard fully.
“...so why can’t I?”
After getting no response, Flint made a point to smirk and walk straight past the guard, as the guard struggled with whether he should follow after Flint or hold himself back.
“I think I’ll move my ship closer to the palace after your lovely suggestion.” Flint called back, drawing the attention of the crowd around him. “And if Syrille wants me gone so bad, he can find me himself! Come on, crew, let’s get ready.”
The guard held to himself and tried not to come off as weak to those around him, as Aloette passed by, casually giving a wandering eye to the situation as she headed for the markets.
“Syrille needs better guards.” Aloette remarked, before thinking on it. “Wait, Syrille has better guards. Why aren’t they taking care of what’s going on in town?”
She kept idly thinking to herself as she passed through the massive afternoon crowd taking up the market, before finding the walkway running beside the palace blocked off by two guards.
Aloette gave herself a second, before straightening her back and marching up toward them.
“Excuse me! You two!” She called out, as the guards lifted their heads. “Can you please help? I just saw some pirates bothering one of the stalls for free food.”
“Pirates?” One of them asked, looking to the other.
“Were they with Nyra?” The other asked, as Aloette shook her head.
“They said something about a man named Flint and regrettable actions...?” Aloette suggested, before turning around. “I don’t know much about these sorts of affairs as a noble, but if you don’t think they’ll be a problem, I ca-”
“Hold on.” One guard said, before indicating to the other. “We’ll go check it out. Thanks for the tip.”
“Oh, no, thank you for being so kind!” Aloette called back, waiting until they were out of eyeshot before she opened the gate to the walkway and headed down the path, snickering to herself.
It took her a bit of walking before she came across the grate in the wall, as she stuck her head in.
“Good morning, Sadashi!”
Sadashi took a few seconds to even lift his head up, before he managed to look back at Aloette.
“...you’re here again...”
“Of course. I only have so much longer to talk to you.” Aloette insisted. “And I ate before I got here, so you won’t be taunted by the sight of more food.”
“...you’re too kind...” Sadashi managed, before coughing dryly. “...hey...how much longer?”
Aloette looked to him.
“I...don’t have a great sense of time in here.” Sadashi said. “When’s the execution?”
“...tomorrow. In the morning.” Aloette admitted. “Sixteen hours away, give or take.”
“...it still hasn’t hit me...” Sadashi admitted, chuckling a little. “Maybe it’ll kick in once I’m on the chopping block...”
Sadashi did his best to face Aloette properly, at least to acknowledge some kind of conversation. “I don’t have much longer, Aloette...” Sadashi admitted. “If you’ve got anything you want to confess, I won’t tell anyone...”
“Oh, no, I’m not really the confession type.” Aloette noted, waving her hand awkwardly. “I’m quite out in the open.”
“...you could ask me about pirate stuff.” Sadashi suggested. “If it’ll help you get your mind off of it.”
Aloette’s eyes panicked a little, slightly balling herself up as she sat.
“...I know I said you shouldn’t become one, but hearing about my trips mig-”
“I...I’m sorry.” Aloette let out, touching her fingers together. “...I do have something to confess. I did lie to you.”
Sadashi stared up at her sunken form. “About what?”
“...about why I want to become a pirate.” Aloette confessed, sitting against the wall so she didn’t have to face Sadashi as she spoke.
She let out a sigh, before staring back at the ocean.
“...my dad went missing...out at sea.”
Sadashi silenced himself, as Aloette continued.
“It was right before King Syrille outlawed oceanic travel. He was going on a trip for business, and next we heard...his ship had sunk with n-no survivors.” Aloette admitted, her voice catching slightly in her throat. “There weren’t any bodies in the wreckage, but...it was also next to The Further.”
Sadashi’s eyes widened, as Aloette’s voice became more impassioned.
“I-I know how unlikely it is, and that it’s a fool's errand, but I need to know what’s out there, and what The Further holds.” Aloette let out. “I need to know if he’s still alive somehow.”
Aloette started playing with her hands idly. “Syrille made it illegal to travel the ocean without his permission, so we could never go out and investigate. But that wouldn’t stop a pirate crew.”
“...I suppose it wouldn’t.” Sadashi added, as Aloette finally turned to face him. “...you were willing to incur King Syrille’s wrath just to find your father...”
“...he would’ve done the same for me.” Aloette noted, crossing her legs. “Mother’s all but given up at this point, but I refuse to stop looking.”
“...I regret trying to scare you off of becoming a pirate.” Sadashi confessed. “I don’t regret what I said, mind you. If you’re serious about this, it’s best that you’re informed about what real piracy’s like.”
“That’s why I wanted to captain my own crew.” Aloette pointed out. “Then I’d guarantee that I could trust my crewmates.”
Sadashi scoffed, before leaning his head back. “...well, there’s no guarantee...but you seem like a good judge of character.”
Aloette chuckled to herself, before lying on her back again. “...I’m sorry you got caught up in my wish. I was being selfish trying to drag information out of you when you had no say in the matter...”
“...he must be worth it.” Sadashi said. “If you’re going to these lengths.”
“He’d probably tell me off for doing it, though.” Aloette said, before sitting up and putting on a comical voice. “No daughter of mine’s going out to sea! If there’s anything Atticus Everday stands for, it’s keeping his family safe, an-”
“What?!”
Aloette jumped suddenly, before she realised Sadashi was staring right at her.
“Y-Yes?”
“What did you just say?!”
“...I-I was just making a jok-”
“What name?!” Sadashi demanded. “What was your father’s name?!”
“...Atticus Everday.” Aloette let out, visibly confused. “What’s the problem with his name?”
“...no...no no no...it can’t be...” Sadashi mumbled, staring back at Aloette and blinking profusely. “How’s this possible...?”
Aloette pouted. “Sadashi, answer me! Why’s his name important?”
Sadashi locked eyes with her.
“...Captain Everday.”
Aloette blinked in stunned silence, as Sadashi swallowed hard.
“...he's my captain.”
Aloette’s mouth hung open, as she fell back on her legs in utter shock.
“W-What?!”
“You’re his daughter...” Sadashi muttered, still trying to make sense of it. “He mentioned you, but I never imagined it was...well, he never mentioned marrying a noble...”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“He’s a pirate captain?!” Aloette exclaimed, grabbing the bars of the grate. “And he’s still out there?!”
Sadashi realised the implications and nodded to her. “Yes. I know where he is. Aloette, I’m so sorry. If I'd known sooner tha-”
“It doesn’t matter.” Aloette let out, breathing heavily. “Where is he now?”
“...he’s in The Further, with the rest of my crew.” Sadashi confessed. “We were investigating it before I got separated. They should still be there.”
“He really did end up there...” Aloette managed to say, before standing up in a triumphant rush. “I have to go fin-”
BOOOOOOMMM!!!!!
Aloette and Sadashi turned suddenly in the direction of the docks, before Aloette could make out the faint sounds of shouting and crashing.
“What was that?” Sadashi let out, as Aloette grabbed her bag.
“I-I don’t know. Should I...?” Aloette asked, before realising the redundancy of the statement and heading down the walkway to investigate.
As Aloette snuck down the walkway, she was immediately greeted to the image of the marketplace in ruin, with tents burning a bright orange clashing against the emerging evening sky, and pirates clashing swords with the royal guard.
Aloette ducked away as a guard’s body was thrown against the gate leading to the walkway, before she noticed a figure standing out amongst the crowd, shouting with his sword drawn toward the palace.
“SADASHI!!! YOU’LL REGRET MAKING AN ENEMY OF FLINT BLASTCAP!!!”
“What the...?” Aloette let out, before being cut off by a cannonball flying dangerously close and hitting the palace wall.
“IF YOU THINK SYRILLE’S GETTIN’ A PIECE OF YA BEFORE I CAN, THEN YOU’RE SORELY MISTAKEN!!!” Flint yelled out. “FIND THE PRISON!!! I WANT SADASHI!!!”
“O-Oh no...” Aloette let out, before running away from the conflict and back down the walkway, finding the grate to Sadashi’s room again.
“What’s going on?” Sadashi asked, as Aloette crouched down.
“Th-There’s someone out there called Flint Blastcap...” Aloette explained, shocking Sadashi. “H-He wants payback on you before Syrille can execute you.”
“Flint’s here?” Sadashi let out, before banging his head against his stockade. “Of all the...this just got a lot worse...”
Aloette was still grappling with her worry, staring back at Sadashi as the thought of Flint finding him flashed before her, just as she stood up in an instant after making a realisation.
“But he still thinks you’re in the prison.” Aloette said, feeling a bit of energy return. “We have a chance...I’m gonna get you out of there.”
Sadashi processed what she said and strongly shook his head. “You’re not getting involved in this. You’re going home and waiti-”
Sadashi’s protest was cut short by Aloette running out of his field of view. “Aloette!!! They’re only after me!!! It’s not worth it!!!”
Heading a bit further down the walkway, Aloette managed to find a staircase leading into the palace itself, as she steeled her resolve and headed up, only to find a locked door in her way.
Before she could attempt to open it, the door swung open as she jumped behind it and watched two guards run in the direction of the fighting.
“Flint’s this way! He’s bombarding the west wing of the pa...” One of them yelled, as the other followed suite, letting Aloette slip inside undetected.
Finding an empty hallway, she hugged to the wall, hoping to find another set of stairs down to Sadashi’s room with minimal guard presence. As luck would have it, it seemed most of the guards were busy holding off Flint’s assault, letting Aloette find the way down to the lower level with ease.
She did her best to navigate the unfamiliar, fairly samey environment, even as the sounds of explosions and bloodshed did everything they could to scare her. She hugged the wall again as a few guards hurried down the hallway in the distance, before she happened to stumble upon the door to the palace’s store room.
She quietly slipped inside to avoid drawing attention, before finding Sadashi and running up to him.
“Aloette!” Sadashi yelled out, trying his best to face her. “Get out of here! If they find you trying to free me, they’ll execute you alongside me!”
“If I don’t free you, you’ll die anyway.” Aloette insisted, frantically checking around the stockade. “Where’s the keys for the lock?”
“They wouldn’t leave it with me.” Sadashi pointed out, as Aloette studied the lock. “Don’t be a hero. Go back to your life. It’s what’s best.”
Aloette huffed out, before standing in front of Sadashi, determination in her eyes.
“You’re my best chance at finding my dad.” Aloette insisted, grasping Sadashi’s hands. “And you have every right to keep living.”
“...I’m a dangerous pirate.” Sadashi confessed. “Even just being alive is putting you in danger. Flint wouldn’t be tearing up the docks if I wasn’t here.”
Aloette held his hands tighter, before locking eyes with him.
“I welcome the danger.”
As Sadashi struggled to form words, Aloette looked around them again, before finding a well-used crowbar lying near some of the barrels of provisions.
She did her best to jimmy it between the stockade and the lock, only for Sadashi to sigh out in acceptance.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying...to...get you out!” Aloette tried, pushing herself to pull it off, even as it barely budged.
Aloette kept grunting, putting everything she had into it, as Sadashi just shook his head, with the sounds of the fight outside only getting closer and closer.
“You can’t do it. Don’t waste you-”
Before Sadashi could continue, the sound of the lock clattering to the ground interrupted him, as he turned to Aloette in surprise.
She held the crowbar proudly. “I’ve...been training.” Aloette boasted, flexing her arm. “Had to...get in shape for sea travel...at least a little bit...”
Aloette used what strength she could to lift the stockade off of Sadashi’s body, as Sadashi was finally able to pull himself up, stretching out his severely stiff back and aching joints.
“That’s so much better...” Sadashi let out, feeling relief washing out the pain, as he noticed Aloette had placed herself near the door.
“There weren’t many guards in the palace, so we could probably steal a boat t-” Aloette said, before Sadashi pulled her aside and clamped her mouth shut.
Before she could protest, a set of guards busted through the door, quickly surveying the room, only to find the stockades empty.
“Flint’s crew must’ve caught him already. Search the halls!” One of them yelled, before closing the door again, letting Sadashi free Aloette.
“Apologies. I heard them coming and had to act fast.” Sadashi insisted, as Aloette just nodded back, clearly still caught off guard.
“R-Right. Sweet lord, this is a lot...” Aloette let out, just as Sadashi grabbed her attention again.
“Aloette. Before we go any further...”
Sadashi leaned down and grabbed Aloette’s shoulders.
“I want to help.”
Aloette’s stared wide-eyed toward him, as Sadashi ignored the pain running throughout his body to speak.
“I owe everything good in my life to Captain Everday. He was a true hero, every time I needed him.”
Sadashi took a breath. “...if I just let his daughter wander out into those waters unprepared, I’d never be able to live with myself.” Sadashi said, before doing his best to get on one knee and bow his head to Aloette.
“You have my word. I will reunite you.”
Aloette started to feel her eyes well up, as she jumped into Sadashi with an impromptu hug, before separating and wiping her face.
“Th-Thank you...” Aloette wept, still cleaning her face, as Sadashi grabbed a nearby bag on the wall and started filling it with provisions from the store room.
“Do you know of a way out?” Sadashi asked, as Aloette nodded back.
“The walkway outside...but the entrance to the docks is still a war zone.” Aloette explained, as Sadashi thought for a second.
“The palace is sure to have a dingy we can borrow...” Sadashi muttered, slightly turning his head to Aloette while he was packing. “You said there’s pirates on the docks, right?”
Aloette nodded back. “Yeah...?”
“And their ships are with them?”
“Yes, Nyra’s and Flint’s.”
“Well...what better place to get a pirate ship for our journey?”
The idea suddenly connected for Aloette, as she jumped in excitement. “Brilliant! They’ll already have everything we need!”
“And with their attention still on the palace, we can take it without much trouble.” Sadashi said, as he handed the bag of provisions to Aloette and picked up her crowbar from earlier. “Lead the way.”
Aloette ran in place happily, before heading out into the hall with the bag in tow, leading Sadashi down the halls and back up to the floor above, before finding their way out onto the walkway again.
The fighting was now far more audible, escalating to other parts of the palace, as they did their best to drown it out while searching for a boat.
“So, what are we looking for?” Aloette asked, scanning the coastline, just as the crisp evening air starting bleeding in.
“A small boat that’ll take us to the docks. If Flint sees me, we...” Sadashi said, before spotting one further up the walkway. “There.”
The duo headed toward it, running down the steps and dropping off their equipment inside.
“Sit tight. I’ll row.” Sadashi insisted, grabbing the oars and removing the rope holding it to shore, as Aloette sat herself down, placing her bag next to the provisions.
“Sure is snug on this little boat.” Aloette noted, as Sadashi started rowing. “We should get one on our ship.”
Sadashi didn’t respond due to focusing on rowing, as Aloette looked back at the provisions bag again.
“Why’d you have me bring that with us? The other ships are bound to have plenty of food on them.”
“Food isn’t a guarantee out at sea.” Sadashi explained, taking a second to breath. “And once we’re in the clear, I want to gorge myself.”
Aloette giggled. “I wouldn’t mind doing that as well. I don’t think I’ve e...”
Aloette’s attention was drawn as their dingy closed in on the docks, revealing more of Intide as they passed, including the small manor at the top of Intide’s hillside, the lights still noticeable by this distance.
Sadashi noticed something was up. “Is there a problem?”
“It’s just...I got so caught up in this. I’m worried that Evans migh...” Aloette let out, only to notice a slight tinge of colour coming out of her bag she hadn’t noticed before.
She opened it up and dug around a bit, before noticing her pink coat folded inside, sitting at the bottom with a small note pinned to the top.
Dear Miss Everday,
I noticed you’d left this in your closet this morning by mistake. I figured you wouldn’t want to be without it.
The Pirate Princess needs her coat, after all.
-Evans
“Evans...” Aloette let out, welling up a little, before making the effort to pull the coat out and put it on, as Sadashi managed to get the boat next to Nyra’s ship.
“Heading onto Flint’s would be too risky, so this’ll have to do. We don’t know if she's got someone guarding the ship for he...” Sadashi noted, only to turn around and find Aloette in her coat, smiling proudly back at him.
“Actually, I have an idea for getting on board...”
“Those Gunpowder Pirates sure are wrecking shop out there...” Nyra’s crewmate muttered, getting up from his seat and grabbing a spyglass. “They better not touch this ship.”
Just as he was about to head above deck, he stopped as he noticed someone in a slightly red coat coming down the stairs to greet him.
“Captain! Are we heading off now?” He asked, waving his hand. “No one touched this while you were away. King Syrille’s hardly gonn...”
He slowly stopped himself, before registering that the coat wasn’t quite red, just as Aloette became clearer in the light.
“Wait a...!”
He quickly pulled out his pistol, frantically loading up a shot, only for Sadashi to run out from behind her and strike him over the head with the crowbar.
“...good plan, Aloette.” Sadashi complimented, before looking around them. “He looked to be the only one on board. I’ll leave his body on the docks, you grab the rope holding us to shore.”
“On it!” Aloette exclaimed, running back up the ship, as Sadashi took a few minutes to drop him off, before heading back up and running to the wheel.
Aloette found her way to the rope, before looking to Sadashi for confirmation, as he nodded back to her, letting her free the ship from its confines and start to set sail.
“Hoist the sail! We want to use as much of Intide’s backdraft as possible!” Sadashi yelled out, only to notice Aloette’s confused face. “...see that rope over there? Pull on it.”
Aloette quickly did so, just as the ships sail unfurled, causing her to clap excitedly.
“This is really happening! I’m finally heading out into the world!” Aloette exclaimed, before jumping over to Sadashi and hugging his side. “It’s a dream come true!”
Sadashi tried his best to focus on steering, even as he caught himself smiling, as Aloette stared out at the vast ocean in front of them, ever inviting and beautiful to her.
“Don’t worry, dad, I’ll see you again. Your Princess promises it...”
~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
“SADASHI!!! DON’T HIDE FROM ME!!!”
“Captain!” One of Flint’s crew exclaimed, climbing out of a sizeable hole in the palace. “The prisons are empty! Not a trace of Sadashi’s in there!”
“Damned Syrille...bastard must have moved him.” Flint groaned. “He could be anywhere by no-”
“Captain!”
Flint turned around, as another member of his crew was pointing frantically at Nyra’s ship leaving dock.
“That’s the Red Scar pirates’ ship.” Flint remarked, joining the side of his crewmate, before he got a good look at who was at the wheel. “Is that...?”
“We found some stockades in one of the storerooms! Someone must’ve broken Sadashi out!” Another crewmate yelled out, emerging from the palace, as Flint slammed his fist onto a nearby wall, pointing back at his own ship.
“READY THE SHIP!!! WE’RE FOLLOWING THAT LOWLIFE!!!”
“...ou guys catch that commotion happening near the docks?” Nyra asked, as her and her crew headed further down Intide toward the fighting. “Something’s going down at the palace.”
“Perhaps Sadashi’s crew’s trying to free him?” Nyra’s crewmate suggested, as Nyra shrugged.
“Wouldn’t put it past them, but they wouldn’t cause a ruckus like this.” Nyra noted, before smirking. “Maybe Flint finally snappe...”
She stopped talking once she noticed the docks, and the lack of her ship anywhere to be seen.
“...where the fuck is our ship?”
One of her crewmates pulled out a spyglass, scanning the ocean for a second, before tapping Nyra’s shoulder.
Nyra’s yanked it off of them, before getting a look herself and spotting Sadashi at the helm of her ship, steering off into the distance.
“Son of a...” She let out, only to spot someone in a pink coat jumping around happily next to him, before getting a brief glimpse of her face. “...what the...?”
She handed it back, before scrunching up her fist. “That’s the alley girl from the other day. She’s on the ship wit...”
Nyra stopped herself. “Was she working with Sadashi?”
“HURRY IT UP, CREW!!! THEY’RE GETTING DISTANT!!!”
Nyra lifted her head, as she spotted the frantic movements of Flint’s crew, loading up their ship with the appropriate materials, with Flint yelling commands from the top of it.
Nyra indicated for her crew to follow, just as she approached the docks.
“Hey! Flint!”
Flint ducked his head over, before recognising the red coat and smiling. “Well, I’ll be.”
“Sadashi’s got our ship!” Nyra called out, before holding her arms out. “You got room for a few more?”
“Well, what do you say, crew? You reckon we got enough room for Nyra?” Flint asked rhetorically, before happily waving them on board.
“Appreciate it!” Nyra called back, before cracking her knuckles. “Come on, guys. We’re not letting Sadashi or that stupid little princess girl get away with this, are we?”
Her crew shook their heads, before heading up onto Flint’s ship, just as she stared out at her ship caressing the horizon, just out of reach.
“I didn’t think so.”
~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
“Sir?”
“...”
“We’ve assessed the damages. Flint left most of the west wing intact, but the prisons need severe repairs.”
“...”
“We’ve also confirmed that Sadashi was broken free during the altercation, most likely by one of his allies. With that said, it seems Nyra was seen leaving with Sadashi on her ship last night.”
“...Nyra?”
“That’s how it looks, your highness.”
“...”
“Do you wish to continue the expedition to The Further?”
“...hold that for now. I want you to find Sadashi.”
“Your highness?”
“...he’s made a mockery of Nestell.”
“Right away. We’ll assemble the best of the Royal Precession to pursue.”
“...and...don’t show mercy...we’d hate to underestimate a subordinate to the Lord Pirate himself.”