by James Dale
"Lady Arthol," Jack smiled, and tried to sit up again. Fire shot through his chest and his greeting became a grimace of pain.
Thessa took a half step forward. Her concern for him was obvious, but she was also clearly unsure how react. After a second’s hesitation, she compromised by taking a seat on Dorad's bunk and inquiring about his health. "Are you well sir knight?"
"Please, call me Jack."
"It would not be...proper to address you with such familiarity under the circumstances. Though your arrival was most..." Thessa blushed and quickly bowed her head. "...timely. Am I not now a prisoner of the infamous Free Brothers of the Sea?"
"Countess..."
"Are you not a pirate?" she asked hesitantly. "I have overheard things these last two days, locked in the captain's quarters. Price Dorad cannot meet my gaze nor answer my questions directly. The large Amarian, though kind to me, will tell me nothing. Have I been rescued, or have I only traded one captor for another?"
"How did you come to be a prisoner of Norgarth?" Jack asked, changing the subject.
"So,” she said with a sigh, “You are also going to evade my questions?"
“No, I won’t,” Jack sighed. “You deserve the truth. You are on a ship of the Free Brothers of the Sea. We raided Norgarth to punish King Urgiss. To burn and steal. I’ve not been in the Brother-hood long. Less than three months. Technically…I suppose, you are considered a prize of the Seawolf, my prize. But…but…your position here is delicate. Will you indulge me Thessa Arthol? Will you tell me how you came to be sitting here on the Seawolf, when Dorad tells me you should be half a world away engaged to a prince? It will help me better decide your…umm, disposition?”
“Very well,” she nodded. “It is a sad and violent tale. Full of deceit and bloodshed. A pirate should find cruelly entertaining.”
Her tone was harsh, but Jack took no offense. How could he have given her present position?
“I indeed should be half a world away in Brydium. I was on my way to Thondil, to visit my Aunt Neysia. She was to help me with the final plans for my wedding to Thonicil, which was only a month distant. It is but a few days ride, and was not thought to be perilous. Though Kadin borders my kingdom, we have lived in an uneasy peace with them for years. We were a small group. My betrothed Thonicil selected Lieutenant Bran Vanar from his personal guard to lead our party. With him were two Dragon guardsmen. With me was my own bodyguard Sergeant Aaril Bra'lain and three of my maidens, Gweneveare, Dulcia and Carra.”
"When we were but ten leagues from Thondil. Gweneveare and the two guardsmen road ahead to ensure our escort would meet us when...when we were set upon by a company of Kadinar raiders. Though Lieutenant Bran and Sergeant Bra'lain fought like true Legionnaires, it was a slaughter, two against a score of those hard desert marauders. I was spared, along with Carra and Dulcia. For a time, I clung to the hope that Gweneveare...that Gwen and the two guardsmen escaped the ambush and would bring troops from Thondil to rescue us. But after a day...when no rescue came from Thondil, I knew they were dead as well. My only joy is that Gweneveare was spared the fate of...was spared...
"After they were confident no pursuit was following, the Kadinar took Dulcia and Carra, they took them and...Late at night I can still hear them screaming. Afterwards, the Kadinar slit their throats like beasts and left them for the wolves. But the Kadinar did not touch me. Though they taunted I would beg for the fate of my friends when I learned what was awaiting me in the south. They said I was being...spared as a special...treat.
"We rode for many, many, days. How far I do not know. My life had become a continuous nightmare. Sometime later the Kadinar were met by more horsemen. This time a company from Denelad. With them was a foul sorcerer. I have never met a man of such...evil. He...he examined me," she said, blushing bright, bright red, "and said I was acceptable. I do not know which haunts my dreams more, the screams of my companions as they were defiled or what his words and...his examination implied.
"Many days later I was transferred to a small boat on the Winding River. Later still, I was placed upon another ship at Denelad where I learned from another foul sorcerer the fate awaiting me in the south. He delighted in taunting me on the trip to Norgarth of the horrors I would soon endure. I was to be...sacrificed to the Sa'tan in a ceremony rededicating the rebuilt Temple of Blood. My heart was to be cut from by bosom and burned, then my dead body was to be…deflowered by the High Priest of Gol’gar.
"It was only hours until my death at the hands of those fiends when the battle in the harbor began. To go from such hopelessness and sorrow to such joy, only to realize I was to be raped by different beasts, then to be rescued again." Tears began to flow from Thessa's piercing blue eyes. "What day is it?" she asked suddenly.
"I'm...not sure," Braedan replied, trying to count the days since the armada had left Brimcohn. "When we began the raid, it was midsummer's night."
At that revelation Thessa began to cry in earnest. "I should be happily married two months now," she sobbed, "Have I been rescued, sir knight? Or does my nightmare continue?"
The horror of the young woman's plight touched Braedan deeply. Just the thought of holding her for ransom after what she had endured sickened him. He made his decision easily. "You have been rescued my Lady," he replied, reassuringly. “As long as you will have me, I will be your champion.”
Sobbing, she rushed into his arms and he held her as tightly as his broken ribs would allow. When her crying had subsided, he took her face between his hands and gently wiped away her tears. "On my honor," he promised, "I will do everything in my power to return you safely home to your prince."
At those words she began to cry anew. Braedan pulled her close and stroked her hair, doing his best to comfort her. "Judas Bloody Hell," he signed and kissed her on the top of the head. "What's Kaiddra going to say when she hears this?"
He did not have to wait long to find out what she had to say. A few hours later, word reached Kaiddra he was awake and she immediately came to see him. Before reaching his cabin however, she somehow learned what he had promised the young countess.
"How could you?" she shouted, not even bothering to close the door behind her.
"Not even a 'Glad to see you're alive,' Kitten?" Jack asked with a forced smile.
"Don't Kitten me!" she hissed, finally turning to slam the door. "How could you promise her those things? Without even consulting me! Or at least Tarsus!"
"Dorad seems to think I did the right thing," he countered lamely.
"I'm fond of that boy," Kaiddra replied, "but his royal upbringing distorts his values. And now it appears they have affected you as well. Did you give any thought to what the council will say about this?"
"It's not any of the council's business!" Jack shot back. God’s but that made his head ring. "She's mine and I can do anything with her I damn well please."
"Oh, so she’s yours, is she?" Kaiddra asked dangerously, tossing her raven black hair. “To do with as you please?”
"Kaiddra, that's not what I meant it, and you know it," Jack sighed. "She's just a girl."
"That sorcerer's fire must have seared your brain," she snapped, "if you think she's only a girl."
"Kaiddra..." Jack tried again. He was feeling better but was in no mood for a fight. The pain in his chest had been dulled the poultice Rhonn had concocted for him but his head still ached terribly.
"Do you realize how much she's flaming worth?" she asked interrupting. "We could ask for half of Theros' treasury! We could retire and live like royalty anywhere our hearts desired!"
"I've decided to help her home," Jack replied, bracing for another outburst. "She's been through enough."
"Fine!" Kaiddra shouted. "Return the delicate chit to Brydium! But at least get something in return! What does it matter if she waits another two or three months in the Felnors for her ransom to be paid?"
"I've given her my word," said Jack, closing his eyes and laying back on his bunk. He decided he wasn’t feeling better after al
l.
"I thought you had also given me more than...your word," she countered.
"The promise I made to Thessa doesn't change how I feel about you."
"It changes everything!"
"How?" Jack asked, opening his eyes.
"How?" Kaiddra cried. "How? You are throwing away a fortune! Throwing away our future! I will not share my bed with a man who cares so little for me! You have seven days before we reach the Felnors. Seven days to come to your senses and decide if you want me or that...that blued eyed waif! Think hard Jack Braedan." Without another word, the Queen of the Sea turned and left, slamming the door behind her.
"Judas Bloody Hell," Jack sighed. There was an immediate knock at the cabin door. "What dammit!"
Dorad entered sheepishly.
"What?"
Without speaking his young friend walked to the table and poured himself a mug of wine. "From the look on Kaiddra's face," he said, taking a seat on his bunk, "I assume things didn't go particullary well?"
"I will never understand women," Jack muttered.
"Indeed," Dorad nodded.
"Indeed? Is that all you have to say? How about a little advice? You got me into this mess."
"I?" Dorad asked. "I'm hardly to blame for your love life."
"No?" Jack snorted.
"Well...perhaps I am in some small way," his friend admitted. "Jack...I have no idea what to do about Kaiddra. Unless you..."
"Unless I what?"
"If she wants a king's ransom for Thessa, give it to her," he replied. "If you personally deliver her back to King Theros, I've no doubt he will welcome you into his court. The return of his future daughter-in-law should be worth a pardon for a multitude of crimes. He is a generous man. He may not give over half his kingdom to the man who rescued her, but an earldom or barony is certainly a possibility. I know Theros. I know Thonicil. You would never want for anything again. I've more than enough gold saved to see us safely to Brythond."
"Us?"
"Hmmm..."
"You just said us," Braedan replied. "Are you coming with me?"
"I am not a pirate," Dorad sighed. "Seeing Thessa has reminded me who I am. Perhaps I am no longer a prince, but I am still an Ellgereth. If you will have me, yes...I will accompany you to Brydium. Ever since the battle at the temple I have felt something...momentous coming. I do not mean to be a pirate in the Felnors when it happens. Ask Kaiddra to come with us. If...if she loves you, she will come."
"And if she says no?" Jack asked.
"If she says no...Either way, I think it is time for us to leave the Brotherhood," Dorad replied.
“If we are leaving the Brotherhood, better have Rhonn make me another batch of the pain killer,” Jack sighed.
Over the next seven days, Braedan spent most of it confined to his bunk, resting while his broken ribs began the slow process of mending. He left his quarters infrequently, venturing out only under the watchful gaze of Thessa to take short, leisurely strolls around the deck of the Seawolf. Since the young countess had accepted him as her champion, the girl had taken over all phases of his recovery. She oversaw the brewing of the pain deadening medicines concocted by Rhonn and personally changed his bindings every day, constantly, though tenderly, prodding the large yellow purple bruise that covered the entire left side of his chest, gauging the progress of his healing. Thessa did not let him make a single move unless she first approved. She planned every minute of his day and when she was not with him talking of Brythond, her family, Prince Thonicil and King Theros' court, she allowed no one to disturb his rest.
Braedan quickly grew very fond of the young woman and was glad he had promised to see her home. Though he was only slowly beginning to unravel the reason he had been transported to this place, he was convinced it was part of that reason had brought them together. Somehow, he knew helping her home would bring him more answers to the mystery. He wondered if it was now time to tell Dorad and Tarsus his secret.
Dorad had said something momentous was coming. Would it help the Doridanian if he told his friend the truth? He had never revealed to them he’d come from inside the temple and not just from the forest around it. Would they even believe him? Even when the details of his arrival matched so closely to stories Alnordel had told them? If he told Dorad about the world he had come from, would he think him mad? What else could he think? Would Dorad be so eager to help him return Thessa to Brydium if he thought him insane?
It was a difficult question. By the time the pirate fleet sailed into Brimcohn a week later Jack still had not made a decision. From the looks of things, the Brotherhood wasn't going to make it any easier. There was a hero's welcome waiting for them as they pulled into port. The docks were lined with a shouting, cheering throng as the ships made their way into the harbor. Although three of the Brotherhood's vessels had not returned from the raid into the Gulf of Nor, it did not seem to dampen the reception they received. Tarsus, Dorad and Jack stood on the quarterdeck of the Seawolf watching the celebration as their ship found its berth and eager, waiting hands caught the ropes thrown down and quickly tied them off to the dock.
"I have never seen it’s like in Brimcohn," Tarsus said with wonder. "Not in all my time here."
"Nor have I," Dorad agreed.
"Will they be in so festive a mood when they learn I have the Countess of Brythond and plan to release her without getting a cent in ransom?" Jack asked.
"Who can say?" shrugged Tarsus. "They may think it is a romantic, chivalrous idea. Or they may try to take the countess for themselves. You should not be too quick to make your plans known, or discuss them anywhere but a closed council meeting. If possible, I think we should try to keep the countess' presence a secret until we learn what the council has to say."
"What do you think they'll say?" Jack asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.
The Amarian shrugged his broad shoulders yet again. "We've won a great victory for the Brotherhood. Hell, we destroyed at least half of the Norgarthan navy! They may grant you this boon without a second thought, or..."
"Let's not think about the or part," Dorad sighed. "Where's Thessa?"
"In her cabin," Braedan replied. "I have Heath keeping her away from the windows so she could not see the maze and be held here by the council because of it."
"Good," Tarsus nodded. "I see you have given this matter some thought at least."
"It's all I have been thinking about," Jack sighed.
"Have you thought about how you will approach the council?" asked the Seawolf's captain. "Are you still planning to ask them to release you from your oaths?"
After long debate, Braedan and Dorad had decided the easiest way was to simply ask to be allowed to leave the Brotherhood. The oath of the Free Brothers of the Sea did after all say, 'until death or released by the council.' They had also asked Tarsus to join them in this venture. As of yet he had not made his decision about the matter known. What Kaiddra might say Braedan didn't know. He had not talked to her since she went storming out of his cabin. He'd sent word to her, but the only reply from the captain of the Huntress had so far been silence.
"That is our intent," Dorad nodded. "From what I know it's never been done before, but as you said, we've won the Brotherhood a great victory. Using a plan of Braedan's making. Surely that must count for something? If not," he shrugged, "it will be flight I suppose. After all, it's easier to leave Brimcohn than to get in."
"I don't think it will be so easy to leave Brimcohn," Tarsus said surveying the crowd. "Not so easy at all."
When the Seawolf was secured to its berth, Tarsus and Dorad left immediately to find Admiral Kailmax and ask for a private audience before a meeting of the Council of Captains was called. It was their plan to reveal the presence of Thessa of Brythond and inform the admirals such a delicate matter needed to be discussed with the officers of the Seawolf before an open meeting was held.
As they fought their way through the cheering crowds, Jack went to tell Thessa what was happening. He released H
eath from his post so the young man could go to his mother at Kaiddra's villa and joined the countess in her cabin.
"It sounds as if a large crowd has gathered to greet the fleet," Thessa observed when they were alone. "May I look my champion?"
"I'd rather you didn't," Braedan replied. "You might see something you shouldn’t and muck up our plans. Tarsus and Dorad have left to seek an audience with the Council of Admirals. I hope they get there before word reaches them you are on the Seawolf."
"Will rumor of my capture travel so swiftly?" she asked.
"I'm sure it won't take long Thessa," he admitted reluctantly. "The crew of the Huntress at least knows you are on the Seawolf." Hell, Kaiddra had probably been ranting about the countess for the last week. "I'd be surprised if they wasted any time spreading the news of my great prize."
"I am afraid," she said, coming to Jack.
"Don't be," he said reassured her, hugging Thessa tightly. "When I go to speak with the council, Belizet will be on guard outside your door. Several of the crew have volunteered to remain behind to make sure no one comes nosing around uninvited." His hadn't been the only heart Thessa had stolen in her short time aboard the Seawolf. Half the crew treated her like a little sister. Rhonn might as well have been her long-lost uncle the way he pampered her!
"And if the council does not release you and Prince Dorad from your oaths?" she asked. "What will happen then? Will they come for me?"
"I don't know," Braedan admitted. "It's possible I suppose, but I doubt it will come to that. Kailmax and the other admirals aren't monsters, despite their reputations in Aralon. Whatever happens, I will not let anyone harm you Thessa. I promise."
"Will you stay here with me until it is time to speak with the council?" she asked.
"Of course," he smiled, kissing the top of her head, "I'll stay as long as you like."
Braedan remained with the countess for the entire morning. When the day began to slip toward noon, he sent a crewman to the galley for food and they ate their meal in silence. He also sent a messenger to the Huntress, asking for Kaiddra to come and speak with him. He did not want her to hear of his plan second hand and ruin any chance he might have of convincing her to accompany them to Brythond.
