PIRATES | "The Swan" and "Moonscar"

Near the shores of the Kingdom of Aurelis, a clash between pirate crews had broken out. The Black Swan emerged victorious, overtaking the enemy vessel and stripping it of every last coin worth stealing.

Peg Leg dragged a bound young woman across the deck and dropped her at the feet of the captain and his first mate. They had been waiting for their crew to finish emptying the captured ship.

"This was the best thing they had," he scoffed, throwing her onto the wooden planks. She landed hard on her side, a muffled whimper escaping through the gag tied around her mouth. No one aboard seemed particularly moved by the sound. "Tell us what to do with her, Captain. Though if you ask me...", a grin spread across his face. "She's a pretty fine reward on top of all the gold we took today."

The words alone were enough to make the young woman go rigid. The gag prevented her from protesting, though it hardly mattered. None of her pleas had been heard during the last four days anyway.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed across the deck. A pirate came running toward them, breathing heavily as he skidded to a stop in front of Captain Cassian and his right-hand man, Rowan. "It's the heir of Aurelis!" he blurted. "That's what the pirates were saying!"

Rowan was the first to move. He crouched beside her and reached for the knot securing the gag. As he loosened it, his eyes wandered over her condition. Her clothes were soaked and clung uncomfortably to her skin. Bruises marred exposed flesh. Several wounds had already begun to dry, too old to have come from today's battle. Someone had hurt her long before she had ended up aboard that ship. The realization annoyed him more than he cared to admit.

Rowan wasn't known for sentimentality. He had seen enough suffering in his life to become numb to most of it. Yet something about the sight of her left a bitter taste in his mouth. Perhaps it was the fact that whoever had sold her had treated a living person as though she were no more valuable than a sack of grain. Or perhaps it was because, despite everything, she was still alive.

Cassian, meanwhile, listened to the growing chatter among the crew. A royal heir. The thought alone sounded profitable.

If Aurelis wanted its heir returned, the reward could be enormous. Rich enough to fill his coffers for years. Rich enough to make this battle worth far more than a ship full of stolen gold.

For a fleeting moment, he could almost hear the coins rattling into his hands. Then another pirate shattered the fantasy. "They bought her for only four coins," the man explained. "The men selling her were desperate to get rid of her. Doesn't sound like anyone's planning to claim her."

Cassian's hopes vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

"Four coins?" he repeated.

A royal heir sold for four coins. That was rarely a sign of a family eager to pay for her return. With a grunt of irritation, he rose from his seat and crossed the deck toward the captive. His boots stopped beside her, and he nudged her bound feet twice.

"No value?" he growled. "Then why in the devil's name did you bring her onto my ship?"

The crew exchanged uncertain glances. Cassian had little patience for useless cargo. If no kingdom wanted her and no family intended to pay for her return, she was little more than an inconvenience occupying valuable space aboard the Black Swan.

A problem. And Cassian preferred solving problems quickly.

"Give her some credit, Cass." Rowan stood and folded his arms across his chest. "She's survived this long. That alone means she might be useful."

His words immediately drew the attention of both the captain and the young woman.

For a moment, Rowan questioned why he had spoken at all. Not because he doubted his instincts, but because everyone now looked at him as though he had personally volunteered to take responsibility for the royal.

Still, he trusted his judgment. There was something about her. Something that made him hesitate before writing her off.

Cassian let out a disbelieving laugh. Of course Rowan would be the one saying that. His first mate had an infuriating tendency to see value where everyone else saw nothing. More often than not, that habit ended up benefiting them both.

It was the only reason Cassian was still listening.

Trusting Rowan had kept the Black Swan afloat through storms, mutinies, and battles that should have sunk them years ago. With a crooked grin, Cassian crouched until he was eye level with the heir.

"Is that so?" he asked.

His smile was all sharp edges.

"Tell me, Your Highness"* His gaze swept over her bruised figure. "What exactly can you offer in exchange for our hospitality?"

Near the shores of the Kingdom of Aurelis, a clash between pirate crews had broken out. The Black Swan emerged victorious, overtaking the enemy vessel and stripping it of every last coin worth stealing.

Peg Leg dragged a bound young man across the deck and dropped him at the feet of the captain and his first mate. They had been waiting for their crew to finish emptying the captured ship.

"This was the best thing they had," he scoffed, throwing him onto the wooden planks. He landed hard on his side, a muffled whimper escaping through the gag tied around his mouth. No one aboard seemed particularly moved by the sound. "Tell us what to do with her, Captain. Though if you ask me...", a grin spread across his face. "He's a pretty fine reward on top of all the gold we took today."

The words alone were enough to make the young man go rigid. The gag prevented him from protesting, though it hardly mattered. None of his pleas had been heard during the last four days anyway.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed across the deck. A pirate came running toward them, breathing heavily as he skidded to a stop in front of Captain Cassian and his right-hand man, Rowan. "It's the heir of Aurelis!" he blurted. "That's what the pirates were saying!"

Rowan was the first to move. He crouched beside him and reached for the knot securing the gag. As he loosened it, his eyes wandered over his condition. His clothes were soaked and clung uncomfortably to his skin. Bruises marred exposed flesh. Several wounds had already begun to dry, too old to have come from today's battle. Someone had hurt him long before he had ended up aboard that ship. The realization annoyed him more than he cared to admit.

Rowan wasn't known for sentimentality. He had seen enough suffering in his life to become numb to most of it. Yet something about the sight of him left a bitter taste in his mouth. Perhaps it was the fact that whoever had sold him had treated a living person as though he were no more valuable than a sack of grain. Or perhaps it was because, despite everything, he was still alive.

Cassian, meanwhile, listened to the growing chatter among the crew. A royal heir. The thought alone sounded profitable.

If Aurelis wanted its heir returned, the reward could be enormous. Rich enough to fill his coffers for years. Rich enough to make this battle worth far more than a ship full of stolen gold.

For a fleeting moment, he could almost hear the coins rattling into his hands. Then another pirate shattered the fantasy. "They bought him for only four coins," the man explained. "The men selling him were desperate to get rid of her. Doesn't sound like anyone's planning to claim her."

Cassian's hopes vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

"Four coins?" he repeated.

A royal heir sold for four coins. That was rarely a sign of a family eager to pay for her return. With a grunt of irritation, he rose from his seat and crossed the deck toward the captive. His boots stopped beside him, and he nudged him bound feet twice.

"No value?" he growled. "Then why in the devil's name did you bring him onto my ship?"

The crew exchanged uncertain glances. Cassian had little patience for useless cargo. If no kingdom wanted him and no family intended to pay for his return, he was little more than an inconvenience occupying valuable space aboard the Black Swan.

A problem. And Cassian preferred solving problems quickly.

"Give him some credit, Cass." Rowan stood and folded his arms across his chest. "He's survived this long. That alone means he might be useful."

His words immediately drew the attention of both the captain and the young man.

For a moment, Rowan questioned why he had spoken at all. Not because he doubted his instincts, but because everyone now looked at him as though he had personally volunteered to take responsibility for the royal.

Still, he trusted his judgment. There was something about him. Something that made him hesitate before writing him off.

Cassian let out a disbelieving laugh. Of course Rowan would be the one saying that. His first mate had an infuriating tendency to see value where everyone else saw nothing. More often than not, that habit ended up benefiting them both.

It was the only reason Cassian was still listening.

Trusting Rowan had kept the Black Swan afloat through storms, mutinies, and battles that should have sunk them years ago. With a crooked grin, Cassian crouched until he was eye level with the heir.

"Is that so?" he asked.

His smile was all sharp edges.

"Tell me, Your Highness"* His gaze swept over his bruised figure. "What exactly can you offer in exchange for our hospitality?"

Near the shores of the Kingdom of Aurelis, a clash between pirate crews had broken out. The Black Swan emerged victorious, overtaking the enemy vessel and stripping it of every last coin worth stealing.

Peg Leg dragged a bound person across the deck and dropped them at the feet of the captain and his first mate. They had been waiting for their crew to finish emptying the captured ship.

"This was the best thing they had," he scoffed, throwing them onto the wooden planks. They landed hard on their side, a muffled whimper escaping through the gag tied around their mouth. No one aboard seemed particularly moved by the sound. "Tell us what to do with them, Captain. Though if you ask me...", a grin spread across his face. "They're a pretty fine reward on top of all the gold we took today."

The words alone were enough to make the new arrival go rigid. The gag prevented them from protesting, though it hardly mattered. None of their pleas had been heard during the last four days anyway.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed across the deck. A pirate came running toward them, breathing heavily as he skidded to a stop in front of Captain Cassian and his right-hand man, Rowan. "It's the heir of Aurelis!" he blurted. "That's what the pirates were saying!"

Rowan was the first to move. He crouched beside them and reached for the knot securing the gag. As he loosened it, his eyes wandered over their condition. Their clothes were soaked and clung uncomfortably to their skin. Bruises marred exposed flesh. Several wounds had already begun to dry, too old to have come from today's battle. Someone had hurt them long before they had ended up aboard that ship. The realization annoyed him more than he cared to admit.

Rowan wasn't known for sentimentality. He had seen enough suffering in his life to become numb to most of it. Yet something about the sight of them left a bitter taste in his mouth. Perhaps it was the fact that whoever had sold them had treated a living person as though she were no more valuable than a sack of grain. Or perhaps it was because, despite everything, they were still alive.

Cassian, meanwhile, listened to the growing chatter among the crew. A royal heir. The thought alone sounded profitable.

If Aurelis wanted its heir returned, the reward could be enormous. Rich enough to fill his coffers for years. Rich enough to make this battle worth far more than a ship full of stolen gold.

For a fleeting moment, he could almost hear the coins rattling into his hands. Then another pirate shattered the fantasy. "They bought them for only four coins," the man explained. "The men selling them were desperate to get rid of them. Doesn't sound like anyone's planning to claim them."

Cassian's hopes vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

"Four coins?" he repeated.

A royal heir sold for four coins. That was rarely a sign of a family eager to pay for their return. With a grunt of irritation, he rose from his seat and crossed the deck toward the captive. His boots stopped beside them, and he nudged them bound feet twice.

"No value?" he growled. "Then why in the devil's name did you bring them onto my ship?"

The crew exchanged uncertain glances. Cassian had little patience for useless cargo. If no kingdom wanted them and no family intended to pay for their return, they were little more than an inconvenience occupying valuable space aboard the Black Swan.

A problem. And Cassian preferred solving problems quickly.

"Give them some credit, Cass." Rowan stood and folded his arms across his chest. "They survived this long. That alone means they might be useful."

His words immediately drew the attention of both the captain and the heir.

For a moment, Rowan questioned why he had spoken at all. Not because he doubted his instincts, but because everyone now looked at him as though he had personally volunteered to take responsibility for the royal.

Still, he trusted his judgment. There was something about them. Something that made him hesitate before writing them off.

Cassian let out a disbelieving laugh. Of course Rowan would be the one saying that. His first mate had an infuriating tendency to see value where everyone else saw nothing. More often than not, that habit ended up benefiting them both.

It was the only reason Cassian was still listening.

Trusting Rowan had kept the Black Swan afloat through storms, mutinies, and battles that should have sunk them years ago. With a crooked grin, Cassian crouched until he was eye level with the heir.

"Is that so?" he asked.

His smile was all sharp edges.

"Tell me, Your Highness"* His gaze swept over their bruised figure. "What exactly can you offer in exchange for our hospitality?"