"Shhhh," Chloe shushed at the GOAT, "You just had to blow my cover in front of this innocent bystander."

"You're the queen?" Elise said, her wide eyes magnified by her glasses. "You don't sound much older than me!"

"Not that I'm proud of it," Chloe said, keeping her hooded face turned. "This is why I'm incognito!"

"Oooh how mysterious," Elise said, leaning on the counter in order to catch a glimpse of the queen, but she pivoted away.

"Are you gonna buy it or not," Chloe demanded.

"I'm sorry, your highness," the GOAT said. "I'm slightly bah-ha-hashful now! I sometimes forget you want to go by the name of Chloe when you're out and about."

"It's fine, Ramone," Chloe said and Elise smiled.

"Ramone?"

"Ramone," the GOAT said, "Is my real name. "The GOAT is my fashionista name."

Elise pursed her lips and smiled. "So you guys know each other?"

Chloe threw up her arms. "Ramone, just buy her the dress so I can get outta here."

She handed Ramone her credit parchment and he wrote it down in his little black book. Chloe shoved the dress in Elise's face. "Take it now!"

Ramone sighed. "Ah sweet Queen Annabell. So merciful to the fashionably challenged."

"I'm gonna go change now," Elise said, and she waddled with the dress over to the changing room. Slipping into the pink dress with grey skulls, she smiled at herself in the mirror. She was so happy to finally rid herself of that awful prison jumpsuit. When she emerged, she twirled happily.

Chloe was standing there in her hood still draped over her eyes. "Looking good!" she said, "I would have looked even better, but it's a small price to pay for you keeping my identity secret."

"Thank you, but why are you still here?" Elise asked precociously.

Chloe shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you. I simply wanted to see if my pirate print dress would go to waste or not. It clearly isn't. Treasure it always."

Elise bowed her head and smiled. "I will. It's truly a pirate's treasure!"

As Chloe and Elise walked to the door, Chloe began to lecture her. "Now please do not tell anyone you met me here. Loose lips sink ships. Or Pirate ships in this case. Hey, are you even listening to me?!"

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

Elise was too busy gaping at what was happening outside. Florian Cornbury had set up a giant stand in the square. Two guards flanked him and everyone had a severe expression on their face over his latest decree.

The fop broadcasted his announcement from a megaphone. "Attention innocent civilians of Mainland! A hardened criminal pirate walks among you. They have escaped from Prison Island and headed straight here!"

The nobles all gasped and clutched at their pearls. "Gadzooks!" an old man with a monocle said. "You let someone escape?! Who is it?"

Florian closed his eyes. "Now I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but none of you are safe with this madwoman on the loose."

The fop removed a wanted poster from his pants. Elise gasped. The wanted poster depicted her, but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the wanted posters were drawn in what looked like kids doodles. Her nose was bright red. Her eyes were simplified blue dots and her head was a mess orange curls.

A middle aged noble woman shrieked. "It's horrible!"

Florian crossed his arms and smiled. "I know, right?"

"No," the snooty woman said. "That art is legitimately horrible."

"Take that up with our criminal profiler," Florian answered. "He's seven."

"Why do you have a seven year old profiler?" the woman started but Cornbury shushed her.

"Anyway, this girl shouldn't be underestimated," Florian shouted, "She may be ten years old but trust me, she's a hardened criminal pirate mastermind!"

"Hold on a second," the old man with the monocle said. "Did you say she was ten?! Warden, have you gone daft?"

The crowd rumbled angrily at the Warden before he grinned nervously and eyed the guards. "Uh...whoever finds this lost child will be rewarded handsomely!" he shouted.

"Now that's more like it," the snooty woman said, "I can never have enough gold and jems!"

The crowd began to comb the square searching for the lost child as Florian Cornbury breathed a sigh of relief. "My agile wit saved my poshy tush! Now let's find that little girl before I have to dock your pay for their reward."

"Thanks...boss…" the guards said, glaring daggers at the Warden.

Elise began to whimper softly and cry, hiding behind Chloe. "What's wrong with you?" the queen asked abrasively, but suddenly, a smile spread on her hooded face.

"Are you the hardened criminal pirate?" she asked. "A little sea weenie like you?"

Elise sniffed and nodded, and a bright grin illuminated Chloe's face. "I can't believe it! I'd never believe that in a hundred trillion years, but you do indeed look like that wanted poster!"

Elise frowned and Chloe added, "Well, not that bad, but still...come with me!"

She seized Elise's hand and led her back into Satyr Styles. Chloe's normally low voice rose a bit higher and sweeter. "Oh Ramone?" she lilted in a fake, high sweet voice. "Can we use your backdoor?"

"Oh ho ho!" the GOAT said. "Normally I reserve that for my suitors, but sure, anything for you, m'lady."

"Where are we going?!" Elise demanded.

A shiny white grin flashed on Chloe's face. "We're going back to my house. The great castle of Mainland!"

She yanked Elise out the backdoor into the alleyway. Elise's head was rushing from all the crazy thoughts and events flowing through her brain. She was a bit starstruck, having never been to a real life castle before, but she was worried as well.. Perhaps once she was safe and sound in Chloe's castle, she could tell her about the prisoner wheels that Florian Cornbury was harboring and show her that ruthless schematic. All she had to do was get there, but as they made twists and turns around the shady alleyway, Chloe didn't watch where she was going and she bumped into a man dressed in the pink and white outfit of the naval guard. "Oof!" the two girls said as they crumbled to the ground.

The man turned around and grinned callously. "Well, look who I found!" he said, feeling very proud of himself. "I've found the missing ten year old and now…"--the man began laughing evilly--"Lord Cornbury won't have to dock my pay!"