"My Lady! Pirates!" someone yelled from outside the tent.
Twirll instantly cancelled the sound-obscuring spell, and all three of them quickly got out of the tent to look at the sky. The suspicious lack of any kind of airship left them confused, but as they looked at the soldier who called them, he pointed at three men. Their appearance stood apart from Arcadians' clean and distinctive armours and uniforms. Their outfits sported no visible armours and provided little to no protection but surely guaranteed ease of movement. Surprisingly, they had no visible weapons, but Elisabeth then remembered they would have been disarmed the moment they came close to the Praetorians. Two pirates were Rabbitkins, and the last one was a human. They stared at the soldiers with wariness but without fear.
"Pirates? You are pirates?" Elisabeth asked, surprised.
"Arrr." One of Rabbitkins replied, most likely voicing his agreement. The second sighed, but the human took off his hat and politely bowed to Elisabeth.
"Lady Elisabeth Berna, may the heavens bless you, and the winds be favourable. My name is Johnny Fuse, and I have come to parley with you on behalf of my captain," he politely introduced himself. "We heard the stories about your deeds, and we have observed you. You freed the slaves and abolished evil laws. You stand against everything we swore to destroy."
"May the sky and the sea be calm before your ship, Johnny Fuse." Elisabeth briefly nodded, accepting the pirate's politeness. He looked at her in shock, hearing one of the most traditional and rather kind responses to his welcome. "You said you came to parley. Who's your captain?"
"Edward Teach, my Lady."
•••
"My Lord! My Lord!" a small girl's happy and delighted voice caused me to search for its source.
"Yes, Marie?" I smiled, seeing her head pop out vertically from a shadow cast on the wall.
"I will be a big sister!"
I blinked a few times, genuinely surprised like someone who added two and two and received a pancake. But when my surprise passed, I smiled at her. "That's great news. Congratulations!"
"Thank you, my Lord." She grinned and looked around. After spotting Amber and Irene sitting near the fountain, she started screaming again. "Queen Amber! Queen Irene! I will be a big sister!"
She disappeared as quickly as she appeared, only to jump at the two women who barely suspected anything. I started laughing, seeing her excitement, even as I forgot what I was pondering.
"My Lord! My Lord!" I turned to look at Eva, who was running towards me on the road from the Palace.
"I already know that Lady Annika is expecting. Looking at how Marie is effective, I suspect that most of Avalon knows already," I joked as she opened her mouth in confusion.
"No... It's an important message from Lady Elisabeth!" She handed me a letter, and I took a quick glance.
"No... Fucking... Way..." I read it a second time, paying much more attention to it. "Blackbeard? Here?!"
"You know of this man?" Eva's voice was full of shock.
"I don't think so. Or should I say, I hope not. Whoever he is, that man uses the name and the nickname of one of the most dangerous pirates from my world. *sigh*" I rubbed my eyelids. "Inform Admiral Sparrow I want to see her in my office at the Palace in one hour. I will go find my wives..."
About one hour later, we were sitting in my office drinking tea. Well, mostly only I drank tea. Admiral Sparrow brought two officers with her, and they studied the letter sent by Elisabeth. In the meantime, my wives extensively debated about the pirates and the nature of their crimes. The official Bernan records painted them as a cruel and lawless bunch that picks a fight with Berna's Navy as often as they loot and plunder unsuspecting sea-faring ships or even small settlements. However, some of the records we managed to steal were inconsistent, with many details that excluded each other. Some included testimonies of witnesses who survived the attacks where supposedly the pirates had killed everyone. There were also battle reports that suggested that a single pirate ship destroyed ten Bernan ships. We only had a few report sources, except for the Bernans themselves, which was odd, to say the least. The Pirates never crossed the Cridian border and never plagued the skies of Metaka; it was as if they wanted to send a message specifically to the Holy Kingdom.
"It's no use..." Amber rubbed her temples. "We won't know anything for sure until we question them."
"They have ten ships. One of them is the legendary frigate Queen Anne's Revenge," Admiral Sparrow pointed out with a neutral voice.
"This is bullshit." I sighed, and all of them looked at me with curiosity. "According to the pirates, Blackbeard was summoned as the Hero to Nilmerthis somewhere between three and a half to four thousand years ago. It's highly unlikely that a ship engaged in various crimes, battles, and whatnot on a daily or, more likely, weekly basis could survive this long. If not for their ships, I wouldn't even consider talking with them."
"According to this, they claim to be fighting for the rights of slaves," Irene pointed out the scroll we received from the pirates, making me sigh again.
"According to Jester, that part is bullshit. Jester, for crying out loud!" Amber poked her finger at the report written with an orange crayon.
"That is a weighty argument, I admit..." Irene covered her eyes.
"I won't lie. Their ten ships would help us, but I don't like the idea of upgrading them with our cannons." The Admiral straightened on her chair and looked at us.
"No chance in the world." I cut the topic. "Pirates will be pirates, no matter what they claim or promise. Our goal is to one day effectively conquer Berna. I can't see the pirates suddenly becoming law-abiding citizens and leaving their past behind."
"That is very unlikely, indeed, my Lord." Admiral Sparrow nodded.
I took the reports and re-read them one more time. "I don't like the idea of sending Victory to such an obvious trap. However, I can give you two thousand Praetorians, Admiral."
"Hmmmm..." She pondered the thought and smiled viciously, making her look like a bird of prey. "That can work. If they try anything, we will return with new ships. Yes... I'm in, my King!"
"So, to sum it up..." Aoi slowly turned her gaze to me and the Admiral. "You don't trust them, you don't like them, you don't even plan to give them a chance to prove they are telling the truth, but you are going to meet with them anyway?"
"Yes," I nodded.
"Yes," Janet grinned.
"I have no further questions..." Aoi pouted. "At least take some Dragon Raiders with you, Admiral."
"Wait... WHAT?!" Janet Sparrow stood up in shock, but her officers showed more restraint.
•••
"Don't anyone dare to attack Arcadians!" Blackbeard yelled at the gathered pirates. "I swear on this sword and Queen Anne's Revenge’s core to gut anyone who tries anything funny!"
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
"But captain... What's good about being chained? You really want to be some lapdog?"
"Watch yeer mug, idiot!" The big-framed Orc slapped the back of the head of the sailor who asked the previous question. "Captain's orders have kept us alive for the last twelve years!"
"Yes! But that was just not dying!" someone else interjected.
"Calm down," Blackbeard said quietly, silencing his ships' crews. "What do you think we can do? Where do you plan to sail?" He looked at the unhappy sailors who turned away. "The ports of Berna are closed for us. Where do you want to go? To Metaka?"
"They won't trust us," one of the unhappy sailors admitted. "But don't expect Arcadians to trust us either!"
"Gods... They have to be stupid to trust us." Blackbeard started laughing. "They won't, but there is a small chance they will strike a bargain."
"Captain, we just crossed the line... Or a border? We are over the positions controlled by Lady Elisabeth!" someone yelled from the hatch. "The helmsman said that no one is following us."
"Course to the mountains!" Blackbeard ordered, and everyone in the cargo hold stared at him oddly. "Don't look at me like that! This wasn't my idea."
"They are insane..." the Quartermaster sighed.
"They are careful," Blackbeard corrected him. "Only Anne's can sail over mountains."
"I don't like the idea of letting you go alone..."
"You want to chicken out now? We asked for a meeting! If we say now, naaaaah, mate, we don't sail over mountains because only our biggest ship can sail there?" The first mate facepalmed. "That's totally not suspicious. Captain's right! We need a safe port. We need fixing. We need supplies. Let's just hope they need ships and crews."
"Hold on..." The first mate of Bloody Mary peeked out from its brig, surprised. "You want to do exactly what, captain?!"
"In the best case scenario, sailors, I would pledge us to the service of their king. I would gladly drop these reeking rags and sail under the flag of a country that is finally fair. I would offer our services to their king. In the worst case, I would try to bargain for the letters of the marque." Blackbeard dropped the news, and some of the pirates were in shock. "I know that becoming a privateer is the best outcome for most of you, but start thinking, people! Look what is going on on the ground! The Bernans are getting their asses kicked on all fronts."
"So what? It's good news!" Most of the pirates started laughing.
"Morons!" The Quartermaster slammed his fist on the table, silencing everyone. "That means that the King of Arcadia will rule these lands! Do you think he will be such a failure as the Patriarch? That senile geezer couldn't find us even if we docked in his bedroom."
"That's true. We don't have much room to debate and time to waste. For now, we have a common enemy, and the Arcadians need ships. We haven't seen many in Arcadia." Blackbeard crossed his muscular arms in front of him.
•••
"Gods of skies, wind, and earth..." the Quartermaster gasped in shock.
"What's going on... Oh, fuck..." Blackbeard's jaw dropped as he saw the same sight that terrified one of his most seasoned officers.
"We run? We still can run away..." the first officer asked nervously. “I think.”
"No... Proceed. We will hail them when we are within voice range." The Captain took another look at the Arcadian ship. "That for sure is not a galleas, nor a frigate..."
"Nau?" Someone suggested.
"Have you ever seen a carrack so big?" the first mate asked.
"Then maybe it's a barque?"
"The sails are different! And a barque shouldn't be this big."
They watched the colossal ship that sailed lazily on the intercepting course, trying to guess its class. The Captain finally returned to his quarters and returned holding an ancient book. Some of the crew who didn’t have anything better to do observed the Arcadian ship and the spectacle put on by their officers. After a long while, filled with a careful, almost pious turning of the book’s pages, they found the answer they sought.
"I'll be damned..." Blackbeard whistled in awe. "The ship of the line, first rate… Listen up, people!" The captain turned towards the crew. "You’re looking at the queen of sky and sea! That is death incarnate and the doom of all whom her crew calls enemies! She has probably more than two times the guns we have, and if we are lucky, she carries just two times more people than Queen Anne's'!"
The pirates started murmuring unhappily but held the course while nervously observing the slowly growing battleship. When the next hour elapsed, they were within shouting distance and came to a halt, similar to the enormous airship.
"What's now?" the Quartermaster whispered to the Captain.
"I don't fucking know... I expected a frigate, maybe a galleon..." Blackbeard admitted.
"Queen Anne's Revenge! This is HMS Victory!" a loud voice boomed over the mountains.
"I have an idea... A stupid one." Blackbeard looked at his first mate and quartermaster.
"So it might work..." The first mate laughed, followed by the closest sailors.
"HMS Victory! I'm Captain of Queen Anne's Revenge, Edward Teach! I offer to come on your board, unarmed!" He yelled. The crew looked at their captain as if he had lost his mind. In the meantime, Blackbeard took off his cutlass, daggers, and throwing knives and gave them to the Quartermaster. "I trust you, Jim."
"Captain Edward Teach! Drop anchor. HMS Victory will approach you, and you can come aboard!"
"How the fuck we could drop an anchor... Ohhhh..." The first mate leaned over the railing. "Son of a bitch... The mountains are tall enough to drop fucking anchor if we descend just a little bit."
"Crafty bastards..." Edward laughed and put his hands to his mouth to yell louder. "Affirmative!"
A few moments later, the anchor was dropped, which prevented the frigate from doing much until it was pulled up or cut off. The latter was only an option under the direst of circumstances. After all, anchors do not grow on trees. HMS Victory approached them gracefully but with terrifying speed, clearing boarding distance in no time. The Blackbeard's crew exchanged surprised looks with each other as they observed the Arcadians. When the boarding ramps slammed onto Queen Anne's deck, Blackbeard took a deep breath and crossed that bridge both figuratively and directly. As his feet touched the Victory's deck, he noticed that the giant ship hovered motionlessly, almost unnaturally even for his senses accustomed to an airship's constant rocking motion. It was as if the changing currents and stormy winds over the mountains were nothing for this ship.
"Captain Edward Teach asks for permission to board!" he announced, feeling a little stupid. Should he salute? How do you even do that?
"Permission granted!" A tall and beautiful Elf woman welcomed him and extended her hand. She was wearing an attire unlike any he had seen before. It was a white and deep blue blouse with a knee-short skirt. She had a long, needle-like sword on her belt and numerous pieces of costly jewellery with genuine gemstones set in them. But the most striking thing was the fact that she wasn't wearing any visible armour. "I'm Admiral of Arcadian Navy, Janet A'nnet Sparrow. Welcome on board of HMS Victory, Captain Blackbeard."
"The pleasure is mine, Lady Admiral." He gladly shook her hand and then bowed to her for good measure. The fact that she used his moniker wasn't the best of signs, but at least she wasn't hostile. "You have a fine ship. It's impressive, beautiful, and I imagine deadly."
"Thank you, Captain." She smirked and turned toward the moderately sized round table at which two people could sit comfortably and still have room. "Fancy a cup of tea?"
"Thank you, Admiral Sparrow." He followed her, glad the table was placed in a manner where it was clearly visible from his vessel.
He sat down and took a look around. The soldiers were wearing strange armours and weapons, but the longer he looked at them, the more he was sure they were effective. The Arcadians stared at him with moderate interest but without hostility, which was a very good sign. He focused his gaze on Admiral Sparrow. The woman was exceptionally attractive, but just one of her glances made him realise that she deeply despised him. After she took a sip from her cup, giving him a few moments to look around, she put away her tea. She crossed her legs, and after resting her elbows on the armrest of her chair, she pressed the tips of her fingers together in front of her and let out a long sigh.
"I will be honest with you, Captain Teach." She measured him from toe to ears, her gaze akin to that of a predator observing an impudent prey. "I don't trust you. My King doesn't trust you. My Queens don't trust you. Yet, we are willing to hear you out."
She pointed to the Wolfkin woman standing nearby, who wore a uniform different from the sailors or soldiers he had seen before. The woman smiled at him, but chills ran down his spine. She was also beautiful and dangerous, but if Admiral Sparrow had at least this deadly ship under her orders, the Wolfkin was even more dangerous in a more direct way. Her weapon was very similar to the Admiral's sword, but unlike the Elf, she wore black and red armour of an unknown pattern. Her chest plate provided excellent protection, but the scale mail and complimenting ring mail perfectly created a barrier impossible to breach.
"Meet the Grand Inquisitor, Lady Dahlia Snowfang. Among all her skills, you should be most concerned with the Truth Seeker. Don't even bother lying; she will know immediately."
Upon hearing that, the pirate captain brightened, which surprised the women. Blackbeard smiled as new hope filled his heart. "Lady Snowfang, I would never expect that meeting someone who could detect a lie would be such a relief."