Kas froze.

Elodie turned around to see a woman in a blue dress, with shining golden curls and sharp aristocratic features hurry over toward them. She turned Kas by his shoulders, and his eyes turned stormy.

The woman paid no mind to this, and grabbed Kas's hands. "Kaspar—oh, thank the gods, I didn't think you were still alive!"

"No thanks to that ransom left unpaid." Kas did not attempt to pull free, but he did glare at her. "Isn't that right, Mother?"

"Your mother?" Elodie looked from Kas to the woman, then back again.

It was in this moment, when the lady looked to Elodie, that Kas took the opportunity to break free, and slipped his arm back into Elodie's.

"Elodie, this is my mother, the Duchess Adela Beaumont of Silvershire." He continued coldly. "I wouldn't have expected you to be here, in the colonies of all places."

"Well, circumstances were rather special in that regard, your brother came here to look at some of the eligible young ladies here in Yorkhaven, Mrs. Hawkins wrote recommendations of their character." The Duchess of Silvershire turned to Elodie. "I believe I did not catch your name?"

"Elodie Fleetwood, my lady." She curtsied as best as she could with Kas keeping a tight linkage between their arms.

"Fleetwood—I believe I've heard that name before. . ." The Duchess of Silvershire's eyes flicked up to the ceiling in consideration for a moment. "But never mind that—Kaspar, I'm so relieved to see you. I really did think you were dead, that the pirates had killed you when you weren't returned with other boys at your school."

"Which is why you made such a concerted effort to find me," he deadpanned.

The Duchess of Silvershire's features shifted in visible discomfort, and she tugged at her pale blue taffeta overskirt. "It's not that simple, Kaspar. I wanted the ransom to paid, for an effort to be sent out for you, trust me, it's just that—"

"What, it wasn't the oldest son and I was just the spare?" Kas's eyes narrowed. "No need to care about what happens to that one, yes?"

"Kaspar, this isn't the right place to talk about such things." The Duchess of Silvershire's voice dropped to a whisper. She glanced around furtatively—not that anyone was paying them any mind. How could they, in all the delightful chaos of the party?

"Forgive me, Mother, but if not now, then when?" Kas's voice cracked in anger. "After three more years of committing unspeakable, heinous acts just to get away from the madman who took me from my bed? After three more years of having to get by on wit and luck and nothing else? You couldn't even imagine it, could you?"

The Duchess of Silvershire's features shifted to a mix of devastation and rage.

"You know nothing of what I have suffered these past three years!" She hissed. She then glanced around her, her voice dropping so quiet that even Elodie strained to hear her. "Listen—it would be best if you stayed wherever you are now. You would not be welcome back at the estate."

"You don't say."

The Duchess of Silvershire glared at him. "Listen! The Duke could not justify the price of a ransom for any further efforts to find you because he knows."

"Knows what?" Kas tilted his head, his features unsure.

Elodie's stomach lurched.

The Duchess of Silvershire screwed her eyes closed in obvious agony. "He knows that you aren't his, Kaspar! Is that what you wanted to know?"

He faltered, and Elodie wondered if he might have stumbled, had she not held onto him. "I suspected—but I thought—well, then who is my father?"

"One of the magi." The Duchess of Silvershire bit her lip, and glanced over her shoulder. "His name was Galen Mirandola. He'd be better to look for. Don't waste your time coming back to Silvershire. Do you understand?"

"I do." Kas let go of Elodie, and stepped toward the Duchess of Silvershire. "I suppose this is goodbye, then. Forever."

"It is. I'm sorry, they're coming." The Duchess of Silvershire smiled sadly. "I'm glad to have seen you, though, Kaspar. I'm glad that you're alive. And I love you. I'm sorry it wasn't enough."

With that, she embraced her son for a few, brief seconds, and then hurried off into the crowd.

Elodie and Kas stood in silence for a few seconds. Elodie wasn't sure what to say, her mind was whirling like the dancers were with all of this new information.

Kas was like her, like Ventus, like Carina.

A bastard.

And he had not ended up a pirate willingly.

Like her, he'd been stolen into it.

"Kas—" She reached a hand to his shoulder and he turned suddenly, flinching at her touch.

Only to smile, a clearly forced thing. "Sorry, was lost in my thoughts, my lady."

He offered her his arm again. "Perhaps we should find those drinks—"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Before they could start in that direction, however, they were interrupted by Carina.

"You have to come quickly," she whispered. "Jade and Ventus found something."

----------------------------------------

Carina led them through the winding hallways of Mrs. Hawkins's mansion. There were fewer and fewer of the party-goers as they continued on, until finally they ended up in a completely empty corridor.

Well, empty except for Jade and Ventus, waiting for them.

"Carina said you've found something," Elodie said as a way of greeting.

"Yes, this one found Captain Hawkins's office." Jade elbowed Ventus lightly. "But that's where Kas comes in—you know how to pick locks better than I do, mate."

"Of course he can," Carina muttered as she rolled her eyes.

"Aye." Kas slipped his arm free of Elodie's and removed a silver pin from his jacket with a flourish. "Let's see if we can get this open."

He approached the door, and within a few moments, there was a click. Kas lightly kicked the door open, and gestured widely. "After you, ladies."

"Why, thank you Kas." Jade tipped a non-existent hat sarcastically, and then pulled Ventus along with her. Carina was quick to follow, leaving Elodie as the last one in.

Captain Hawkins's office was a large room with built-in bookshelves to the left and the right. One was filled with pristine-looking tomes and some weathered texts alike. On the other were what looked to be various records and notebooks. Elodie figured this was probably from the shipping business.

After all, everyone knew how the Hawkins family was filled with wealthy merchants. It was said that Captain Hawkins himself got his start on either his uncle or his cousin's ships until he'd gotten enough sea-knowledge and know-how to have his own. From there, he'd allegedly done enough of the work to grow the family business so far beyond what his predecessors had built. Enough so to afford the mansion in Yorkhaven and Mrs. Hawkins's wild parties.

Of course, Elodie knew that he was also the fearsome Pirate King. And that when he had been building his business and his reputation, he'd sometimes sailed along her father. She looked to Ventus, who knelt behind the mammoth of an oak desk that dominated the center of the room.

"There's usually a trick drawer, and you can find it—-" Ventus cut off as he hit whatever the hidden switch was, and a secret drawer dropped out in front of him.

"Ever been in here before?" Elodie asked.

"Oh, no, I've never even been to this house." Ventus blinked up at her. "I'm sure Mrs. Hawkins would rather not see her husband's bastard every day."

"I guess not." Elodie glanced at Kas.

Either he was oblivious to the conversation or pretending to do so, as he looked through the documents on the desk. He then plucked up a piece of parchment. "Ah-ha!"

"What is it?" Elodie joined his side.

"My luck hasn't worn off yet," he declared, turning the paper in his hands as he examined it. "Apparently one of the keys wasn't accounted for—but one of his spies discovered that the unaccounted for key is with the magi."

He gave Elodie a significant look. "A man named Mirandola."

"Why's that important?" Carina crossed her arms over her chest.

"Because I've been told just tonight, in fact, that a magi by the name of Mirandola was my father." Kas grinned. "Oh, how I do love being Lady Fortune's favorite!"

"It really shouldn't surprise me after all this time." Jade sighed. "That is unreasonably lucky."

"And incredibly humble, too," Elodie muttered.

"How kind of you to recognize that, darling." He bowed.

"I really don't know how you find hats big enough to fit your ego," Elodie mused.

"And yet I suffer such a challenge with good humor and wit." He winked.

"If you two are done, I've got what we came for." Ventus arose, looking irritated. He closed the desk drawer and buttoned his jacket. "We should get going before anyone realizes that we're here."

Alas, for all that Kas was fortunate, it seemed that their party at large was not. Just as they turned the corner of the corridor, however, they were not alone.

Half-cloaked in shadow, standing taller than any man Elodie had ever seen, with blue-gray eyes like a storm brewing on the horizon was none other than the master of the house.

"Father." Ventus narrowed his eyes.

"So the rumors were true then, you did leave the Foxtrot with the girl." Captain Hawkins had a softer voice than Elodie would have expected, a more cultured accent akin to Kas's, the practiced polished sounds. "I suppose I am glad that you've managed to survive and keep your head on a navy ship."

Ventus looked taken aback by the sentiment. "Father, I—"

"Give me the map, Ventus." Captain Hawkins's low baritone took on a threatening, grumbling edge like the beginning of a thunder's rumble. "I won't ask again."

Ventus blinked. Then he silently withdrew the rolled map from his jacket and handed it to his father.

"That's a good boy." Captain Hawkins's stormy blue-gray eyes swept over the five of them. "Now, normally I'd ask for intruders to be taken away, and I would make sure that Keira Fleetwood's daughter did not escape my presence."

He then twisted one of the many rings on his fingers, an unconscious habit.

"But the Missus wouldn't be happy to have one of her functions interrupted." He smiled wryly. "I'd rather not see her unhappy. So do me a favor, and get out of my sight before I change my mind."

"Yes, sir." Ventus looked to his friends. "Come on, let's go."

Carina opened her mouth to protest, and Ventus gave her a piercing look. She reluctantly closed it, and followed the party.

When they got outside to the cobblestones, Elodie could not help but smile at the memory of dancing in the ballroom. Some of the music filtered out on the street, and she did a few little steps into the time.

"At least the party was fun," she offered.

Carina glared at her. "It was all for nothing."

"It wasn't all for nothing." Ventus looked up, and pulled out a rolled map.

Elodie blinked. "Is that—"

Carina snatched it out of his hands and unrolled it. She turned it over and over, narrowing her eyes in careful observation. She then looked at Ventus with an amazement and euphoria that left her completely unguarded and open.

"I could kiss you right now." She laughed, and looked back to the map. She nodded in satisfaction. "You made a decoy!"

"Oh, he still has the original copy, since that had the Manoan seal on it." Ventus bit his lip and looked to his boots. "But I've copied maps before, so I was able to get the most important parts down."

Carina rolled the map back up and handed it to Ventus. "You should keep it until we get back onboard."

Ventus accepted it, placing it back within his jacket. "I will."

"Someone should tell the Captain what went down," Elodie realized. "That we succeeded—but Hawkins also found us."

"I'll let her know." Kas raised a gloved hand. "For once, I'm the least flashy one here tonight."

With that, he slipped out of the hedges, leaving four of the younger crew.

"Let's head back to the ship, then." Jade gestured for them all to follow her.

Elodie was happy to let her lead. She'd be happy to see the Albatross again.

Still, she couldn't help but look back at the glimmering mansion one last time.