Chloe reclined in her bedroom. Worry lined her brow. Ramone accompanied her, and even though his friendly and polite manner was always endearing, it did little to soothe what she saw.

"Ma'am," Ramone asked kindly. "I thought you'd be happy on this momentous occasion. You have finally reached the town of your dreams. And not only that, already beaten the king hooligan in a game of arm wrestling. I do say I wish I could've seen it."

"It was awesome, Rammy," Chloe said looking dejected. "And it was nice meeting the pirate king's colorful crew...but..."

"But what, my queen?"

"I can't shake it that something horrible is going to happen tonight."

"Like what?" the kind satyr asked. "We are far away from Fienmond. He may rule the four seas now, but we are in the final bastion of freedom. I thought that would delight you?"

"His crew..." Chloe asked nervously. "They seemed a bit off. I don't know why."

"Ah yes, miss," Ramone said. "I can guarentee they are a bunch of scurvy scoundrels who have run up plenty of boat parking violations!"

Chloe shook her head. "That's not what I mean," she said softly. "That Buckeye Guy sure had a mean look to him. And not like like a wild pirate. He even pointed his gun at me!"

"Well then," Ramone scoffed. "I say, let him do his worst. You and I know that you would beat him to smithreens."

Chloe grinned so widely. "Well, Rammy. That got me smiling from ear to buccaneer! Of course, I'd pound that fool! With Rosemary's power I'd..."

Chloe was silent. "You know, I haven't heard from Rose in a while. Not since I patched her up with my eyepatch."

Ramone walked over to his bed and pulled out a plaid blind fold. "Perhaps she's getting some shut eye...literally. You know my eyes get sleepy when I put on a blindfold."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Ramone traced his body with his hooves. "Thats how I look as beauteous as I do! Especially my silver goat-tee!"

Chloe sighed and slid herself into the opposite bed. "You do, Rammy. Even as a girl I loved to brush your goat goatee.." She glared harshly at her long time friend, "just don't tell anyone!

"Do not worry, madam," the goatman said as he yawned. "Your secret is safe with me. Much like your wandering eye."

Chloe smiled as he muffled thee candle. At least she was safe in her dreams until the morning.

***

A thunder crash shook the windows of the Scoundrel Saloon. The rain pitter pattered before pounding on the roof. A moment's silence occured before young Chloe was awoken by a sinister laugh. It was a laugh as bone chilling as a frozen marrow.

This laugh would normally unsettled someone, but Chloe had become used to it. It was the laugh of her nemesis.

"Fienmond!" she exclaimed.

Her body trembled. Somehow he had found the place she was. The last bastion of freedom was safe no longer. But...she knew she had to face him. It was either her...or her friends. And to a pirate quee, her crew came first before anyone.

Chloe crept down the hallway. She looked down the banister into the bar. Shades of grey and black flickered with each crash of lighting. There she saw the cursed silhouette, long, towering and heavily robed.

Rosemary's voice rustled her brain. "That issss him. He haaaas come for us, child. Let's make him pay."

"But how?!" Chloe whispered back. "There was a clatter at her feet. She looked down. A steel scabbard lay erect in the shadowy moonlight. "Perfect!" Rosemary hissed. "Let us do what must be done."

Chloe's arm jerked forward all on its own. She seized the scabbard. "For...mother and father..." she said.

She grabbed it and walked softly but briskly down the creaky stairs. The shadow of Fienmond terrorized the bar beneath them. It was time to put an end to this night of dread. She reached the bottom of the stairs and faced a robed man. In tatters and rags he hovered over her and then she saw it. His blood red eye pierced the night like a severed vein. She then knew she had to kill him.

Rosemary directed her arm perfectly and she stabbed the red eye. The man staggered backwards with a howl like a bleeding demon. He fell backwards and crumbled to the floor. His screams rang in her ear.

***

There was another crash and Chloe awoke in broad daylight. Her back arked and she screamed as she was drenched in sweat. "My queen?!"

Ramone said, running into the room. "Are you okay?!"

Chloe looked at her body. She held up her sheets of the comforter. The blue sky greeted her outside her window.

"It was a dream?!" Chloe exclaimed.

"More like a most hellish nightmare!" Ramone gasped, holding up his hooves. "Good heavens!"

"Good heavens...what?" Chloe asked back.

"My queen," Ramone said, "While we were all in slumberland, someone murdered Big Joe Rogers in cold blood!"