Once they realized the "show" was over, the crowd dispersed, deciding it was finally time to return to their own lives.

Ria turned towards Blaze. “Thank you,” she said. “Again."

Blaze stared at her. He gave her a slight shrug. The sight of the Capital guards had soured his good mood. Without another word, he turned back to his two men. It was a clear dismissal.

Ria raised an eyebrow at the action. Deciding that nothing could be done (for now), she walked away.

Seeing the serious expression on their Boss’ face, the two lackeys forgot all they had just witnessed and focused. It was like he was totally different person. His face was stern and his eyes were focused and sharp. He looked like a boss.

Blaze frowned, “Timmy.”

The lackey with glasses, or Timmy, adjusted his eyewear. He reported, “The Capital’s been expanding their reach. Every major crossroad and port is stocked with their guards. They stop every horse, carriage, boat, and ship. As long as it's carrying something, they check it. Tom saw it for himself.”

The burly man, Tom, huffed, “Good thing I was only carrying jewels and they was in my secret pocket.” Tom crossed his arms. “But it’s near impossible to get away with the bigger wares.”

Timmy continued, “They’ve already caught some smugglers from other gangs. The Base Bosses are getting nervous. They say the wares aren’t safe.” He rolled his eyes. “According to them, they won’t send more men out until the Underground Lord himself gives the word. They’re too scared to piss him off, but they’ll harp on us.” He sighed, “Until then, they’ll leave us to rot.”

“Cowards,” growled Tom.

Timmy snorted with derision. “They join when times are good and their pockets get stuffed, but drop out at the first signs of trouble.” He sneered, “I know the Lord made the decision to ally with them, but those Base Bosses are slimy. They’re no different than the Courts.”

Tom turned to Blaze. “Boss, you’re closest with the Lord. He say anything?”

Blaze was silent, the frown on his lips was answer enough.

“So, we’re on our own,” Tom sighed, suddenly looking very small despite his large size. “If this continues, the Sand Dollar will start to lose value, won’t it? And we’ll be back to square one.”

“Stupid trading laws!” Taking off his glasses, Timmy rubbed his forehead. “Why do you have to be a kingdom to legally trade, huh? How is it fair that the Capital controls all the laws?”

Shaking his head, Tom chuckled humorlessly. “‘You don’t see the Citadel or Estate complaining.”

“Yeah, cause Lady Rex pays off the Court of Farmers and turns a blind eye to the savages in the Citadel getting free labor from our people!”

“They don’t even try to hide it anymore,” shuddered the big man. “They kidnap them in broad daylight.”

A voice piped in, “I guess inter-kingdom trade would make condoning slavery pretty hard, right?”

Timmy and Tom whipped around to stare at the speaker. Blaze coolly glanced over at Ria. The girl was squatting and drawing symbols in the dirt. It was a weird combination of numbers and letters. Ria looked up. “Sorry to eavesdrop.”

Blaze shrugged. “Just a conversation between smugglers, not really a rare sight in Oceanport.” Blaze tilted his head. “But what are you still doing here?”

“Killing time.” Ria shrugged, “Don’t really have anywhere to go.”

The three men stared at her.

Tom stepped forward. “What did you mean by the inter-kingdom trade and slavery thing?”

Ria tapped her chin. She rationalized it out loud. “Money is money. If you can contribute cash into the system, you’re valuable. If you’re valuable, what you want matters.” She picked the mud out of her fingernails. “But it’s a lot more profitable to take rather than trade. Plus, if you make your opponents desperate enough, they’ll be scraping by to survive rather than causing trouble.” Ria paused dramatically. “And how do you do that?”

“Take away their value,” answered Blake. “That’s why Oceanport doesn’t even have a legal form of currency. People give their children to the mines in order not to starve.”

Standard subjugation strategy. Thank you, history class, thought Ria. She sighed, looking around. No wonder the entire “kingdom” looked so rough and rundown. Although… thinking it through, Ria felt something was off. In the long run, more trade and resources would be valuable to all the kingdoms. Why would the Capital waste all this effort in subjugating Oceanport if the Citadel was the only one benefitting off of it? What was the point?

The girl’s eyes narrowed. The three men in front of her and the illegal “sand dollar” were proof that people would eventually find ways around the oppression. And to think this had been going on for years? According to history, it wouldn’t be long before a true revolution broke out.

Something was off…Ria’s mind was grasping at the pieces but unable to put them together. She sighed again. Hungry and bored, what an awful combination.

Blaze gestured towards the two men as two Capital guards walked by. Unlike usual, it wasn’t safe to talk so openly on the streets. Foreign guards were still milling about. They headed off.

“Penny for my thoughts?” Ria called out to them. Her stomach grumbled again. “Or however much it costs to get a meal around here?”

Blaze stopped walking. Timmy and Tom halted just in time, just barely avoiding running into their boss’ back.

“What’s a penny?” whispered Timmy to Tom.

The other man shrugged.

Blaze turned, his dark eyes settling on the girl.

Ria asked, “Do you have your own ships and carriages?”

The young man raised an incredulous eyebrow at the question. Ria nodded, “Right, illegal stuff needs to be confidential and all that.” She continued, “Still, assuming you haven’t yet, you should get some. Modify some secret compartments, fill it with people to hide your tracks, and…” Waving her hand in a “so-on, so-on” motion, Ria looked at them expectantly. “Trust me, transportation businesses are always a huge hit.”

Tom laughed, “Lady, do you know how expensive ships are?”

Crossing her arms, Ria retorted, “Sounds like you’re losing money anyways. Might want to make the investment.”

Following Tom’s lead, Timmy shook his head and explained, “We’ve thought of it. But it’s a lot easier to jump ship and transport goods beneath the Courts’ noses…”

“If ya don’t have to worry about leaving your precious investment behind!” Tom finished.

Suddenly, a pouch was tossed into the air. It landed right in front of Ria. The two men turned to stare at Blaze who was already walking away, hand stuffed into his pockets.

Ria pulled at the strings and opened the pouch. She smiled excitedly at the sight of copper coins inside.

“You’re welcome!” she called. “Free consultation anytime.”

Blaze waved a lazy hand in the air and disappeared behind a corner.

“But why…?” Timmy and Tom turned to stare at Ria. “How…”

Ria brushed herself off and got up. She gave the two a quick thumbs-up, then headed off in the direction of “THE TAVERN”. Future knowledge was so helpful, she thought giddily.

Timmy and Tom stared at each other, baffled.

Later, they would stare in shock at their Boss’ letter.

“The Lord wishes to commission 40 carriages, 30 boats, and 25 ships.”

…

After standing outside “THE TAVERN” for about twenty minutes, (staring at the handwritten sign and wondering how people thought her handwriting was bad…), Ria finally convinced herself to enter.

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Shoving open the door, Ria peeked in and immediately ducked. A flying jug of ale flew over her head. It hit the wall and fell to the floor with a THUNK!

Ria blinked at the lost drink. She whipped around to stare at the interior of the… bar?

The place was filled to the brim with people. A burly young man stood behind a counter in the back of the room, wiping glasses and filling jugs. The rest of the space was scattered with odd tables and mismatched chairs. A large fireplace sat against the wall in the center. Wooden staircases in the corner led to the upstairs. For those who knew, it was fairly calm for a midday drink session. Half the people were chugging jugs, while the other half were dead asleep.

Ria stepped over a passed-out body. She searched for a window seat and found one next to the bar. The table under the window had a cloaked figure snoring loudly but Ria made a beeline for the empty seat next to it. Sitting down, she caught sight of the ocean-view outside.

The girl gasped. It was beautiful. Despite running around all day in this world, funnily enough, Ria never connected the idea that a place called Oceanport would literally be a port city next to the Ocean.

If nothing else, at least sunsets were still golden orange and waters were still blue in this world. It was the small things.

“Hey, lass!” called the barkeeper.

Ria turned. Seeing no one else raise their head, she pointed at herself, mouthing, ‘me’?

Nester rolled his eyes. “Yes, you!” Placing his hands on his hips, he said, “We don’t allow lolly-gaggers around here. What do you want?”

Ria froze. Was she being kicked out? Before eating?

“He’s asking you what you want to eat.” A voice from under the previously snoring cloak said groggily. The person didn’t even bother lifting their head. “Also, go sit somewhere else. This seat is taken.” He gestured at her chair.

Ria opened her mouth, then closed it. Not worth it, she decided.

Approaching the bar, Ria set down her pouch. Nester raised an eyebrow at the action. Ria asked, “I’m not really from around here, so-”

“Yeah, we can tell,” Nester interrupted. “What are you, a farmer?”

Pausing, Ria said slowly. “Uh, no?”

“Hmm, a savage Hilly? No? Ugh, I should have guessed.” Nester turned to address the bar. “Fellas, we have an esteemed Capital Princess here!”

Halfhearted jeers and taunting laughs responded, echoing in the large space.

Ria shrunk back. “Uh, I’m not from the Capital either.”

Nester rose an eyebrow. “Then, where you from?”

Ria scratched her head. “Far from here. Like really far.”

Eyebrows bunching together, Nester pointed at the window, a hopeful lilt coloring his voice. “From across the Ocean?”

Ria shrugged, “I guess. I kinda woke up and was just… here.”

The man stared at her silently. Ria wanted to slap herself. Who was going to believe that?

Suddenly, Nester let out a booming laugh. A jovial and welcoming smile split his face. He clapped Ria’s shoulder. The girl winced but tried to smile back. All of the unfriendliness immediately faded from the young barkeeper. “You’re a foreigner! Like me! Should have said so earlier, lass!”

“The name’s Nester!” He slammed a jug on the counter and slid it towards Ria. “This one’s on the house, my fellow stranger…”

“Ria,” the girl offered. She stared at the amber liquid, then laughed, awkwardly saying, “I, uh, don’t drink.”

“Pity,” Nester shook his head, staring at Ria like she was the most wretched creature he had ever seen. Sighing, he asked, less excited. “Well, what do you want to eat, Princess?”

Twitching at the nickname, Ria pushed down the irritation and shrugged. “Whatever this much… sand dollars, can buy.” She pushed the pouch of coins forward.

Pulling the strings open, Nester peered inside the pouch. He let out a low whistle. “Girly, you’ve got enough for more than one meal in here.”

“Oh,” she said. “So…”

“How about a red claw?” Nester pointed at the etching of a lobster on the wall. “Eat with the fellow poor citizens of Oceanport?”

Ria stared at him incredulously. That was definitely too expensive. Her mom would kill her is she found out she was wasting money on lobster of all things! “Uhm, how about something else. I don’t think I can afford-”

Nester huffed. “Fine, too good for that, huh?”

Before Ria could interject, he shoved a Shepard’s pie in her face. Seeing Ria’s frozen expression, Nester laughed, “Go eat, Princess. You look like you need it.”

Ria glanced at the empty seat, then at the cloaked figure. Nester rolled his eyes. “Ignore the boy. Give him the V if he gives you a hard time.”

“The… v?” asked Ria but Nester had already turned his attention elsewhere.

Seeing no other choice, Ria took her pie and approached the table once more.

A blue eye peered up at her from under a mop of unruly hair. “I thought I told you the seat’s taken.”

Ria squinted at him. She set her pie down on the table. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled and made a v shape with both her hands.

The boy, which was clear to see with his hood not covering his face, stared at her weirdly. He looked close to her age. “Is that supposed to mean something?”

Ria gulped, “The… v?”

The boy smirked. “Oh, you mean this.” He split his index and middle finger and wiggled them at her. Someone passed out at the next table, oohed, then went straight back into unconsciousness. The boy stared at Ria, waiting for her offended reaction… but none came.

Ria tried the gesture and smiled. “Huh, that’s cute.” She sat in the seat, and began shoveling the pie into her mouth, looking a bit animalistic in her haste.

The boy stared with wide eyes. He leaned back unconsciously before sitting properly down in his own seat. “You starving or something?”

“Yeah, basically,” Ria said in between bites of food. “I’m not sharing this.”

“…I wasn’t going to ask for it?” The boy shook his head. He crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back into his chair.

Ria glanced at him and chuckled. It would have worked a lot better if the boy wasn’t tapping his foot nervously. He should take lessons from Blaze on how to look intimidating, she thought.

Licking her fingers, she sighed and pat her belly. Delicious.

“What’s with the wacky outfit?” The boy stared, openly judging Ria’s fashion choices.

“Could ask you the same thing,” she snapped defensively The girl crossed her arms. “What’s with the whole pirate getup?”

Suddenly, the room went quiet. Heads turned to stare at the two of them. Ria blinked. The boy burst from his seat glowering down at her. His whole body trembled. He looked like he wanted to strangle Ria but was holding himself back. “Who the Niamh do you think you are?”

“What?” Ria blinked. She cautiously got up as well. “All I said was that you looked like a pirate-”

“Shut up!” The boy scowled. But it was too late. The other occupants of the room began murmuring to themselves.

“Now that she mentioned it-” said a patron thoughtfully.

“Remember the last raid, the Sea Raiders were also wearing the cloaks!” The drunk man banged his fist against the table, uncaring of the fact that half the people in the establishment were wearing cloaks. “He’s a Sea Raider, no doubt about it!”

“So, he is a pirate!”

Another jug went flying, but this time it was aimed at the boy’s head. He ducked just in time and growled at the person who threw it. The other person merely sneered and spit, “Sea Raider!”

Turning towards Ria, the boy shook his head and growled, “Now you’ve done it!” He pulled the cloak over his head. “Later, Nester!” he called to the barkeeper and shoved his way through the waking crowd, heading for the door.

Ria sighed. Sitting back down, she stared at the empty plate. Would it be a bad idea to get seconds? Her hand reached for the pouch… only to grab empty air. The pouch was gone! Her head snapped towards the door, catching the last glimpse of the boy exiting, with her pouch in his hands!

Ria stumbled to her feet. “Stop!” Bursting out the door, she ran after the boy. “Thief!”

Seeing her give chase, the boy began to sprint as well. Ria cursed, but continued to run.

Why did things like this always happen to her?

As she ran down the street, she didn’t notice the figures in black that had exited “THE TAVERN” after her. They nodded to one another in silent agreement. Looks like that was the one.

The spies set off to work.

…

In a small room, Blaze leaned against a wall. He stared down at the copied letter in his fists. Smoothing it out, he took a look at its content once more.

“So it’s true,” he murmured. “Four is here.”

Sliding down to the floor, he turned to stare at the fat bird sitting on his windowsill. Wide beady eyes looked at him cluelessly. The bird proceeded to peck at the seeds scattered by its feet. Suddenly, it paused. PLOP! Finishing its business, the bird shuffled over and continued to peck at its food like it didn’t just shit on Blaze’s windowsill.

Running a hand against his face, Blaze groaned. “I hate birds.” Still, he forced himself to get up and scattered more food for the greedy creature.

Eyes catching sight of “THE TAVERN” in the distance, he chuckled. “At least this will be interesting.”

He got to work.

…

When the sun fully disappeared behind the horizon, the wind began to pick up. Shivering, Ria looked around the now dark streets. The main roads had some streetlights and windows with oil lamps emitting a warm glow from inside, but the alleys and corners were shrouded in total darkness. Panting, Ria cursed. Where had the boy gone? An unsettling feeling settled in her gut.

The sound of voices came from behind a corner. Ria headed in that direction. She hoped there would be light.

Suddenly, a grip pulled her back into the shadows. Ria’s eyes widened as a hand covered her mouth. She let out a silent scream.

…

A woman wearing an intricately patterned, flowing, violet gown stared out the large bay window. A long wooden table filled with scrolls and missives took up the space behind her. A large, covered object sat in the center of the table.

The giant windows overlooked a large city. As the sun set, streetlamps were slowly lit, illuminating the kingdom with an entirely different glow.

The woman sighed heavily. She rubbed her temples.

A figure emerged from the shadows. “You know what this means.”

“Four is in Oceanport.” The woman headed towards the head of the table and sat down. Leaning a hand against her chin, she murmured, “And so the Tournament we’ve worked so hard to prevent begins.”

She picked up a scroll and opened it, gazing at the drawing within for a long moment. Setting it down, she let out an amused chuckle, unsure of what to make of the situation.

“I must say, I’m quite surprised by this result.” She set the scroll down delicately. “At least it’ll be over quickly this time.”

“Of course, everything will be dealt with swiftly, my lady,” promised the figure.

The woman nodded but she did not seem appeased by the other’s words.

Gaze sharpening, she stood. “Tell Marcel to meet me in my chambers,” she ordered. Picking up the covered item, she hugged it close to her chest, almost like cradling a child, and left the room.

The figure bowed obediently “Yes, Lady Rex.” They glanced back at the scroll, then followed their liege. The heavy doors slammed shut.

The vibration cause the scroll that sat at the edge of the table to fall off. It rolled on the floor, unraveling as it went. Finally, it stopped as the edges hit the wall. The scroll and its content lay open for all to see.

In the center of it was a drawing of Ria talking with Blaze and further down, Ria chasing after the cloaked boy.