Stolen Treasure

[Lillian Gray]

Odette Beaumont: Lady of Sepselle, #7ea6de

Little dove? Is that what I am then?

So that was it then, she nodded her head in comprehension of his words. She truly was a captive aboard a pirate's vessel and there was nothing she could do to chance the fact that she would be utterly alone in that matter.

"He'll never pay." She admitted. Although, Odette had no idea why she said it now that it was in the open. Her father wouldn't pay the price, no matter what it was, Sepselle was on the losing side of a war and had little to spare in terms of funds. They'd be more likely to give away something without monetary value. For example, the Lord Beaumont would give titles if he could, land, immunity, all the things which might put him at a disadvantage later when it came to piracy, but it wasn't as if he wouldn't try to earn his own daughter back.

"Settle in for a long journey then, Captain." Odette frowned. "My father is more likely to try and knight you."

She reached for a piece of pork again, having already forgotten she had some on her plate. Odette paused, set the pork back and tried to start again from her own plate that had been made, by herself no less. The food was in front of her, and she longed to have a taste of it, but now that the realization of abandonment set in. No one was coming.

No one is coming.

"The Kahns would pay triple the price for my head alone." Odette whimpered. Even the Vogel's would pay a hefty price if only to take the land away from Acomb. Sepesell was a decent spot, in the middle of five nations who all wanted each other's guts spilled on their doorstep. Nothing would make the Kahns happier than to have control of Sepsell in order to gain access to the sea, Great Westwell and Icewell wanted the land in joint recognition of their friendship, and while losing Sepeselle as an ally would be costly, it would benefit them more to have a large mass separating them from Dekyima. It would give them Acomb as an ally, and that was something they craved, the attention of the larger nation.

All of this she knew from simple council meetings. Her father would repeat the information no less, that giving up a country for the sake of his daughter was not worth it, despite the pain he'd go through. He could always have another child, or at least try.

No one is coming.

"But you'd gain most by dumping me in the sea." Odette pushed her plate away from her by a mere inch. Suddenly, she wasn't so hungry. "Before every nation is after my head, and trying to sink your ship."

Odette pursed her lips in disdain.

"No one is coming for me, not from Sepselle."

 

[domino]

Cadogen Grey: Captain of the Ocean's Dagger, grey

"I've no need for knighthood or anything your father may offer that isn't gold," the pirate captain replied. He didn't know if Lady Beaumont was trying to spin words that would make him let her go, or if there was some truth in what she said. Either way, he wasn't going to just let her go or drop her into the sea, as she suggested. He'd have a mutiny on his hands for such an act - and he would follow her into the waters below.

"You need not fear any other ships that may follow. As you can see, no one has bested the Ocean's Dagger to date." The ship bore the scars of many sea battles, but unlike its foes, the ship still sat atop the waters, not at the bottom. The Ocean's Dagger was fast and true to its name, it cut through water like a dagger through flesh. With a new captain at the helm, who was more ruthless in battle than others, most captains thought twice before approaching.

"Now, I'll not have you feeling sorry for yourself while you're my guest aboard this ship. There is no certainty about what will happen with your father. Rather than worrying about it, you should consider this... a getaway, from the stuffy life of nobility. There are no standards for you to live up to here, and I daresay you'll find more freedom upon this ship than you ever did in Sepselle."

Cadogen doubted greatly that his captive would see it that way. She was not the first he had held for ransom, nor the first to tell him to simply let her go because no one would pay for her release. Odette was, however, the first noble he'd taken for ransom, so it was surprising that she was so quick to accuse her father of being unwilling to secure her safe release. He was not so quick to pass judgment, though. Lord Beaumont would be given a few days to send his reply, and if he chose to decline the captain would figure out the situation from there.

"Eat your dinner, little dove. I'd hate to have to force you to eat, because you'll not be starving while under my watch."
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[Lillian Gray]

Odette Beaumont: Lady of Sepselle, #7ea6de

"I could be having dinner with my father in Sepselle instead of with a group of pirates." Odette spat sourly. While she meant the pirate no malicious intent, it was all she could do but keep herself from throwing butter knives his way. He hadn't harmed her, not a hair on her head was out of place save those from her nap, if it could be called that. She refrained from doing anything that might have been considered ill mannered. After all, she was a lady.

Odette toyed with the fork on her table, and recalled a tale she'd been told as a child about a mermaid who used it as a comb. The girl was a princess of the sea, somewhat akin to her status as a Lady on the surface world. She'd lost her voice after making a deal with a witch, and had to pay the heavy price. Silly memories for an inappropriate time. For Odette was no mermaid, and she certainly hadn't lost her voice in any trade. She just wanted something to believe in while she was waiting in torment aboard the Ocean's Dagger. If she lost herself to the world of make believe, there might be some reprieve in the chapters of childish innocence.

The parallel she wanted to make simply wasn't there. The mermaid wasn't a damsel in distress, nor was she unhappy about the trade, at least not at first. The tale went two ways after her time on land. In one story, she turned to sea foam and was never heard from again, death had taken her. In others, she ended up marrying the man of her dreams and living a long and happy life. Odette was simply being sour that she hadn't a say in the trade at her fingertips. This little dove just wants to sing a little tune about going home.

"I didn't ask for you to give me freedom." Odette sunk into her chair. "I feel more like you've clipped my wings, Captain." Her desire to eat was waning along with the motivation to cling to hope, she didn't believe anyone was coming for her. Why would they? They were in the midst of a war, and the likes of nobility didn't have time to squander the petty details of capture. Even if she was the Lady Beaumont, her price was too heavy in a war with so many casualties.

"I didn't ask for that at all. None of this."

She lowered her head into her hands and let out a long sigh. The song bird of the sea, according to the Captain's nickname, was a poor one indeed. She couldn't sing nor could she fly. All she could do was weep, and yearn to go home on borrowed wings and faith that simply weren't there.

 

[domino]

Cadogen Grey: Captain of the Ocean's Dagger, grey

"You're not dining with a group of pirates... just their captain," Cadogen pointed out with an amused chuckle. He took another hearty drink from his bottle of rum before standing from the table. The cook had finished serving food and was waiting patiently outside the cabin to take away the leftovers. The captain opened up the double doors and motioned the man inside. The cook quickly stepped inside and grabbed the large platter, leaving Lady Beaumont's place in case she decided to eat, and the few pieces of fruit that had been brought.

After the cook took the uneaten food away, Cadogen closed the doors and secured them with the chains and lock. He gave the heavy doors a good tug to make sure they wouldn't come open and gave a nod of satisfaction when they stayed in place. After that, he returned to the table and sat again, grabbing a green apple. His first bite nearly cleaved the crisp fruit in half as his attention dropped to the charts and maps before him.

"I've clipped no wings, little dove. If anything, I've given you a much bigger sky to fly in - and I do mean the sky, not to be confused with the sea again." He grabbed a quill and pulled an inkwell closer to himself. He dipped the quill into the ink and pulled a manifest toward himself, recording what was used for the day's meals and subtracting it from their stores. He also made adjustments to their water and rum supplies, knowing the importance of keeping a good record of what was on the ship. As they hadn't been any battles of late, their munitions were still fully stocked and ready should anyone come after the ship when word spread of Lady Beaumont's captivity.

"You may not have asked for it, but your circumstances remain as they are with no present way for you to change them. You may regret what has happened all you wish to, but wishing will only bring a great burden to your mind. Don't you think you've already burdened yourself enough for one day?"

Before setting his sights to the maps before him, the captain lit a few candles to keep the space lit as the sun sank down to the horizon and below. It was just enough to allow him to see his books, ledgers, and maps - and to cast long, dancing shadows across the space. Had he planned to work longer into the night, he may have lit a couple of the hanging lanterns, but there was no need for it.
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[Lillian Gray]

Odette Beaumont: Lady of Sepselle, #7ea6de

"I've burdened myself enough today?" Odette asked incredulously. "You think this wishful thinking is a burden I brought on myself, well it's thanks to you, Captain! You're the one who brought me here."

Odette stood abruptly from the table, throwing the chair to the floor behind her in a large clatter of wood against the cabin deck. The trousers around her waist nearly slipped down, no thanks to her petite size. She gripped the hem shamefully and sauntered off towards the back of the cabin to get the Captain's eyes off of her. There was little she could do to keep them up anyways, and she let out an angry sigh. All she could be thankful for was that she didn't loose her pants standing up, and that she hadn't been further embarrassed by the awkward situation that could have been.

She avoided the bed at the back of the room. Sheets were thrown hastily around the edges of the bed, as if forgotten to be made. It was odd, her bed was always made no matter what time of day and it struck her as almost strange to think that anyone would want less than perfection before lazing off into a dream. The wood curved off from the hull of the very ship, or so it seemed, and it was all she could do to resist trailing her hand along the bed of the Captain.

"Leave me." She wanted to order. Her voice sounded frail. "Or can I not have some peace and quite?"

Odette stared out across the endless blue sea. Waves tossed and turned below them all, one push of the window would be all it took to connect her with the outside world. She doubted it even opened, Cadogen had gone so far as to lock the doors of the very cabin. Her eyes trailed over the tumultuous blue waves. They beckoned to her like a siren, eager to have one Lady to join them in a watery dance of death and suffocation. The girl couldn't even swim. The waves would have been more than happy to teach her how to mingle in their depths. Ripples reached up from below and called to her, tiny hands of white froth at the tips of the surge.

"You seem to think you've liberated me from some prison. Let the bird out of her little cage, well I wasn't in a cage. I was free at home, and now I'm not. Like it or not, you've definitely clipped this bird's wings." Odette scowled, but there was pain behind the brave face she put on. "You left her in the open sea. A regular fish out of water."