Chapter 1: Running
Chapter Text
Elliot
It was dark, and the group moved quietly through the streets. They'd been lucky so far. The magic of their disguises held as they approached the tavern where his contact had told them to meet him. The town stank of rotting fish and salt spray, and the ground was muddy and squished beneath their feet as they made their way down back alleys and forgotten paths. The sound of waves echoed off of the buildings around them as the tavern came into view. It was just like the town around them, filthy and falling apart. In short, it was perfect; no one would be looking for half of the royal heirs here.
Elliot looked up to try and get a sense of the time from the stars, but heavy cloud cover blocked his view. He and his contact were meant to meet an hour before midnight, and Elliot was likely running late. That wasn't good. If they didn't make it to the next point by midnight, the captain would leave without them, no matter how much they were paying them. He looked back at his siblings as Baldrich, already in the back of the group, began to slow down.
"Baldrich, hurry up. We can't afford to be late," Elliot quietly scolded him, urging him to move faster.
"I understand your frustration, Elliot, but are you quite sure this is where we are supposed to be? It's quite..." he trailed off.
"Gross? Repulsive? Lower class? Likely festering with diseases, pests, and criminals alike?" Nancy piped up when Baldrich didn't continue.
Chase responded before Elliot had the chance. "In case neither of you remembers, we are currently criminals on the run from the royal guard, and anyone willing to get us out of here will be as well. So stop complaining, and hurry up."
Chase always seemed to have a better grasp of the situation than Elliot gave him credit for, and this time was no different. He shot him a small smile and continued leading the group into the tavern.
It almost smelled worse inside the tavern than it did in the town. It was the scent of unwashed bodies and old stale beer mixed with wood smoke and piss. Elliot knew Nancy's eyes would be watering from the fumes, and he prayed to Aurelia that her magic wouldn't falter from her distraction. Being discovered here might be worse than if the guards had caught them.
The tavern was a seedy establishment with even seedier folk. The patrons all had a rough-edged, hewn from hard lives and grim work look. Nancy pulled her hood lower over her face, and Baldrich's eyes flicked around nervously. The group received suspicious glances and threatening glares from the other customers, but thankfully, Elliot saw his contact and began moving toward him. They weren't too late after all.
"Sir, it's good to see you." He greeted Elliot with a handshake. He knew better than to use his given name right now.
"You too, Olivver. You said you had a ship for us?"
He responded hesitantly, an uncertain look moving across his face. "Yessir. But the price was pretty steep. Did you bring your coin purse?"
Elliot sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. "They jack the price up on us when they realized?" If they had, this endeavor would be much more expensive than he had prepared for.
"No, sir. It's only, they're the only captain willing to take you lot out that far, especially with the threat following you. They set the same price for all of their, shall we say, guests, and it isn't exactly cheap."
"What's the price, Olivver?" He said with a sigh, his mind already doing mental calculations of just how much he had and how much Nancy would need, after.
His eyes widened as he told him, and Elliot shot a somewhat panicked look towards Chase. He was the one who usually had the most on him, and with his gifts, he'd have known if they had enough for everything they needed to accomplish.
He turned back to Olivver after Chase nodded to confirm that they had the coin to cover everything. "We have enough. Can you make introductions?"
"Of course, sir," Olivver said. He looked around the tavern and waved someone over.
The person who approached had a hood pulled low over his face and a mask secured across the lower half. He looked like any of the other criminals in this place, but for one thing: he was at least half a foot shorter than all the others —almost as short as Nancy. He had some form of metallic bracers on his arms and seemed to be fiddling with some sort of mechanical piece as he approached the table.
"Hey, Ollie!" His voice was deeper than Elliot had expected from his height, more mature. Now that he was closer, Elliot could see the slight definition of hidden muscles covered by fabric meant to make it easy to hide. Elliot cast a glance towards Chase and moved a hand down to rest on his thigh, close to his dagger, should it be necessary.
"Asher, hey! These are the folks I was telling you about. The ones headed out." Elliot looked at Olivver in surprise. His voice had gained a warmth he'd never heard from him, as if he and this Asher were close.
"Are they now?" He gave a longer look over the group, and his eyes caught on Elliot's hand under the table. "There's no need for that, sir. I've got no quarrels with you and yours so long as you've got none with me and mine." His voice held the ring of truth, so Elliot let himself relax slightly. Not much though; they were still in dangerous territory.
"Apologies. We've been on the road quite a while now, and I guess some instincts don't abandon you even after you're back in... civilization, I suppose." Elliot brought his hand back above the table, showing that it was empty.
"I understand," the man, Asher, replied, looking back down to continue working with the wires and runes along his bracers. "It's been dark times, these. Lots of dangerous people about, and an increase in the city guard as well. Can't ever be too careful. If you try to pull that knife on me, though, you're in for a nasty surprise." He didn't look back up at them once as he spoke, just continued fiddling with the bracers.
Nancy stiffened as he mentioned an increase in the guard and sank down in her seat a bit further, pulling her hood lower. She glanced up at Elliot, as if urging him to hurry this along. The last thing they needed right then was to be caught. "Well then, captain, perhaps we should be off?" He phrased it as a question, but he hoped he understood that they needed to leave, lest they be pursued.
Asher and Olivver glanced at each other before bursting into gales of laughter, drawing the eyes of every person in the tavern. Each time one of them would begin to calm down, they'd meet each other's eyes and start back up again. Elliot didn't understand what had been so funny about what he'd said.
"Did I say something wrong, gentlemen? Not that it matters, but we need to leave. Before anyone spots us and recognizes us," he whispered harshly. It didn't matter, though. They took their sweet time composing themselves.
Olivver wipes tears from his eyes and slaps Asher on the back. "Asher! Captain! That's a good one, sir."
Asher straightens up with a wide smile visible even beneath his mask. "I'm not the captain, sir. I never was one for being in charge. Not enough time to tinker when you're looking after so many things, I've found. But yes, we can be on our way."
The six of them made their way down to the harbor, remaining as inconspicuous as they could in such a large group. Elliot took the rear to watch their backs as Olivver and Asher led them to the docks. The ship they were led to wasn't the largest there, not by far, but it was solid and had plenty of space to hang sail. 'That's good,' he thought. 'We'll be able to outrun almost anything like that.' The ship was dark, lit only by the lanterns set at the far end of the dock from the ship, and he had to squint to make out any real details, not that they mattered to him. He knew very little about boats – he'd never needed to know about them. He'd always been at the front, fighting one of his father's wars for him.
Asher began to make his way up the gangplank, and Olivver stood to the side of it, waiting to be the last to board. Elliot watched his siblings as they climbed up to the ship. Baldrich stumbled from the slight rocking motion of the ship beneath him, and Elliot reached out a hand to steady him before he climbed aboard after him. He stepped onto the boat and struggled to keep his feet under him as he adjusted to the swaying. Nancy and Chase, of course, were fine – they always seemed to have an easier time with these things than any of the rest of the heirs.
They followed Asher to a door at the back of the ship with light coming from under it. He knocked, and a voice answered, low and clear. "Enter."
Asher opened the door as he answered the voice. "Captain, I've brought our guests."
The door opened on a sparsely decorated room with two beds against opposite walls and a desk set across from the door. Behind the desk was the captain, tall, skinny, and with dark hair likely made darker by the dim light. They regarded the group with dark green eyes.
As they entered, Elliot swept his gaze around the room, gauging distances and possible places for weapons to be hiding, never more aware of his and his siblings' safety than right now.
Chapter 2: The Captain
Summary:
Captain Mag meets the royals and sets rules and expectations for their time aboard the Broken Blade.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Mag
Mag watched as Asher entered with the passengers. They examined them. They were an odd group, comprised of three men and one woman, all finely dressed, each in a unique, bright color, except for one—the man in the back, who was dressed in a mixture of browns, perhaps the only one of these four with any experience in stealth. It was a wonder they hadn't been robbed. Their clothes spoke of wealth, but not just wealth, royalty. There was only one family in Enia that dressed their children in such a manner. The only question was, what were these three princes and one princess doing attempting to flee the kingdom?
Mag set down their quill and capped their ink pot. "Gentlemen, lady. Welcome aboard the Broken Sword. Now," they stood and circled to the front of their desk, settling back against it. "I hear you four are looking for passage out?"
"Yes, xir, they are." Mag saw Olivver pop up from behind the group as he spoke, and they smiled.
"Ollie! I thought I threw you overboard and told you to never get back on my ship. What are you doing here?"
"Bringing you customers, of course, Captain! You and I have never had a problem that couldn't be solved with a bit of gold, have we?" They should have tossed him back into the sea, but he was right; he and they had always been much better friends when money was involved.
"As long as you aren't still here when we weigh anchor and set sail. Otherwise, you're going swimming again."
"Understood xir. I just wanted to make sure my friends here got settled in alright." He grinned at Mag, and they laughed and rolled their eyes as the newcomers shifted awkwardly on their feet.
"So, out. That's where you lot are headed? Nowhere specific? Must be running from something pretty serious if you're willing to pay my rates for all four of you without a destination in mind." They met each of their eyes individually before settling their gaze on the girl in front. "So, princess, what has you and your brothers running so far from home?" They all stiffened, and the young princess flinched. "Come on, now. You didn't really expect people not to notice three very well-dressed individuals, each in the traditional colors of the royal family, did you? The only one of you with an ounce of sense is him, it seems." They pointed to the man in the back of their group, the one in brown.
"Let me guess, you're going to keep us here and call the city guard to get the reward for turning us in?" It was the man in the back. His voice shocked Mag—it was more confident than they'd expected, commanding, bold despite the potential danger he and his siblings were in. He didn't seem angry, just resigned, but they watched his hand move towards his hip, where they expected a knife lay hidden beneath the fold of his cloak.
Mag barked out a startled laugh at the accusation. "Not at all, Your Highness. The guard and I—we don't exactly get along, you see. They'd be more likely to kill me on the spot than give me any reward. No, you and your family are in no danger of being sold out by me or my crew. However, before I can enter into a contract of transport, I need to know why. What has you so spooked that you aren't traveling along the proper channels?"
The princess spoke up, her eyes darting to her brothers as she did so. "It's my fault. Our parents—they decided I was too impertinent to remain at home, so they decided to marry me off to a slimy brat from the south. He's absolutely horrid." She made a disgusted face at the thought of her betrothed. "When I objected, things escalated." Her voice shook, and one of the princes, the one in yellow, put a hand on her shoulder in encouragement.
"And then Nancy came to me to ask for help. I knew if it was just the two of us, we wouldn't make it far, so I asked Baldrich and Elliot for help." He gestured first to the tall man in orange and then to the man in brown.
"And which one of you decided a pirate ship was the best option?" Mag would not turn them away. They knew what it was like to need to run from family in the wake of their hurtful decisions. They could see on their faces that these people were desperate to escape.
"I did, Captain," It was the man in brown, Elliot, who spoke, and Mag turned their attention to him. "I knew that any legal means would be of no help, and I've known a fair few pirates in my day, very few of whom would turn down gold, especially the amount of gold we're promising." They raised an eyebrow.
"And why not ask one of those 'fair few pirates?'"
"Time and location, mostly, xir. And their ships were never built for speed. So I reached out to Olivver here, and he said he could get me on a fast ship that would be willing to take us."
"Well," Mag glanced at Asher. They might have been the captain, but they'd never make such a large decision without consulting him first—their mentor would have killed them if they tried. When he gave a single nod, Mag turned back to the royals before them. "I suppose if Ollie sent you my way, then who am I to say no? But I want to make things perfectly clear," They raised their head, allowing the unfamiliar-to-them air of command to surround them. "You are paying for passage on my ship, not command of it. You will do as you are asked, you will stay out of my men's way, and, for the love of the gods, do not sleep with my crew. Asher can take the payment and show you to where you'll be sleeping. It's not nearly as glamorous as a palace, but I'm sure you'll manage."
Mag watched as they all filed out the door, and Asher led the group down to the crew quarters. They shut the door behind them and heaved a sigh. This was going to be a very interesting and, perhaps, very dangerous job.
Elliot
After taking the payment, Asher led the group down a set of stairs and through a narrow hallway to a room with four tiny beds built against the walls. Nancy turned up her nose, but the cramped quarters reminded Elliot of being on campaign, reminded him of... he shook the thought from his head. It wouldn't do to get caught up in the past now.
Asher spoke as they put their meager belongings into the tiny storage space allotted to them. "We should be setting off within the next hour or two. The men will be returning from shore leave soon if they haven't already. I know the captain didn't say it, so I will. Do not go wandering around the ship poking your nose in places unless you want personal experience regrowing your eyebrows."
"What, you think we're going to steal something? As if." Nancy said with a roll of her eyes.
"No, that's not it at all. There are several different devices of my creation aboard that are likely to explode or malfunction if handled incorrectly, and I have placed traps to discourage such snooping. I very much doubt you'd like to swim to the Eastern Isles." His voice gained a hard edge at the end. "And along the same lines, do not go into the captain's quarters without the express permission of myself or the captain."
Baldrich perked up at the mention of the devices, and Elliot had to stifle a groan. Of course, Baldrich would be interested, and now they would all be subjected to his theories and ideas of what the devices might be for. Nancy actually did groan when Baldrich began speaking. "Mr. Asher, might I be able to see these devices? I only ask because I am an inventor myself, and I would very much like to see your designs if you are willing."
Asher seemed intrigued by the question. "I'd be happy to discuss that option once we have set sail, but there is much I must do to prepare the ship and the crew. If you'll excuse me."
The group watched him leave before all of them turned to Baldrich with wide eyes, and Nancy and Chase had slowly widening grins. "Well, I guess Baldrich's going to enjoy our time at sea," Nancy teased.
"I'm sure he will," Chase joined. Baldrich blushed brightly, and Elliot rolled his eyes at the other two.
"Leave the man alone, you two. He's thirty years old. He's allowed to ask others about their inventions. And for the record, he's also allowed to flirt if he so desires." Elliot clapped Baldrich on the shoulder and had to fight back a laugh as his blush spread. "I'm gonna go speak with Olivver before he has to get off the ship. I'm gonna try to figure out the captain's deal."
Chase looked up sharply at that. "Be careful, Elliot. We don't need to be making enemies here. Especially not so soon."
"I promise I won't go antagonizing anyone, Chase. I'll be fine."
"That's not what I meant, Elliot. Just... be careful." Elliot gave him a confused look but nodded before making his way back to the upper decks.
Notes:
Thank you for reading! Comments and Kudos give me life! Thank you ThatOneSloth for beta reading.
Chapter 3: The Ship
Summary:
Olivver shares concerning details with Elliot about the Broken Blade, and Mag has to plan for the potential consequences of that action.
Notes:
Thank you to ThatOneSloth for beta reading again and for helping me get through writer's block! Thank you to my IRL friends who have had to suffer through my constant talk of this chapter. This chapter was rough, y'all. The first two I wrote in the span of 4 or 5 days altogether, and I have been working on this one since before I uploaded the first two. Hopefully it's worth the struggle though.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Elliot
Elliot made his way up the stairs back to the main deck, hoping to catch Olivver before he got off the ship. He found him, surrounded by what appeared to be members of the crew, trading stories and sharing old jokes. It seemed he was popular, which made Mag's claim of throwing him off the ship all the more baffling.
Elliot approached the group. "Olivver! I was hoping we could have a quick chat before you have to go."
Olivver's head shot up, and he smiled at him. "Prince Elliot! Come on over, hang out! I'm just catching up with the crew." Elliot felt his heart drop into his stomach, and he paled as the other said his name. Olivver just laughed. "Captain Mag doesn't keep secrets like that from their crew. The moment you stepped foot on the Broken Blade, every member of the crew was going to learn your name. But come here, have a drink! You'll be fine, milord. These here, they're trustworthy folk as long as you don't mind 'em disappearin' with a bit of your liquor." He was clearly drunk, and the crew around him cheered at his words.
"I was hoping to have a conversation in private, Olivver?" Elliot tried to keep the anger from his tone, remembering Chase's warning to not make enemies.
Olivver sighed and removed himself from the group. "I'll be right back boys. Just gonna go help this guy out." Elliot grabbed him by the bicep and pulled him to a quieter section of the deck.
"I thought you said you were friends with this captain, Olivver?" Elliot whispered harshly. "But they threw you off their ship and made you swim to shore? Who the hell have you gotten me involved with?"
"You'll be fine, milord. Mag and Asher's good people. Neither of them will do anything to you four unless you give 'em good reason. And you lot aren't the type to give enough of a reason for them to throw you off the ship." He didn't bother to keep his voice down.
"I'm sure you thought the same about yourself before they threw you off. And keep it down. Please."
Olivver laughed again. "I've told you, these people are trustworthy. But they aren't exactly the trusting sort. I'm sure Asher gave you the whole spiel about not going snooping through their things?" When Elliot nods, he continues, "Take it to heart and don't touch anything belonging to the murder twins. They won't kill you, and they probably won't try to throw you overboard in the middle of the sea if you do, but you won't like the consequences that come with it. I might've maybe blown a hole in the ship way back when while doing something I shouldn't've, but I paid for it to be repaired. We were at port, so it's not like the ship almost went down or anything. Captain's the one that pulled me out of the hole I'd made, and then, after they'd made sure I was alright, they threw me into the water and told me not to get back on their ship, ever. We meet up for a drink whenever they're docked somewhere I happen to be."
Elliot's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, 'murder twins?' And you're calling them that, but saying I don't need to be worried about them killing my siblings?"
Olivver laughed again. "Inside joke, sorry. And it's not the murder twins you need to worry about, it's murder grandpa. Thankfully, he retired ages ago, so you have no reason to worry about meeting him." The comments didn't help soothe Elliot's nerves.
"What sort of inside joke results in the nickname 'murder twins?'" Elliot whispered harshly.
"The kind Olivver shouldn't be sharing." Asher said from behind Elliot.
Elliot whirled around, hand on his dagger, only to stop short when Asher held up both of his hands, empty and in plain view. "I come in peace, Your Highness. Ollie, Mag's starting to get restless. It would probably be beneficial to your health to go ahead and get lost. Especially considering that you're starting to scare away the customers."
Olivver slumped and sighed. "Damn. I thought I'd be able to stay at least a little longer. Well, I guess it was more time than I should have expected to be given." He clapped a hand on Elliot's shoulder with a nod. "Best of luck, Your Highness." He left to return to exchange goodbyes with the other sailors as Elliot and Asher watched.
Asher turned to Elliot with a considering gaze. "Don't let anything he's said scare you, milord. We wouldn't put you or your family in danger. It's bad for business. He shouldn't be sharing those stories anyway."
Mag
Mag sat at their desk and sighed as they listened to the sounds of Ollie saying goodbye to the crew. They didn't like doing it, but he had proven himself to be a liability when aboard the ship. They couldn't risk the ship going down in the middle of the ocean because he decided to meddle again.
They buried their head in their hands with a groan. When they had agreed to take over from their mentor, they hadn't expected things to be this hard. They weren't cut out for leadership, but Asher would have hated it even more than they did. They had to hold back another groan when there was a knock on their door.
"Captain?" It was Asher's voice.
"Come in, Asher." They kept their head in their hands as he entered. "You know you don't have to call me that, right? I've told you at least half a dozen times since Ducky left." They looked up when they heard the door shut and noted the serious look on his face. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Olivver may have caused a problem. He was running his mouth and called us 'the murder twins' to one of the princes."
"Shit. That's just what we need. Which one? Did it look like he made the connection?"
"Prince Elliot, Xir. And it didn't appear so. I ran Ollie off before he could say too much, but I'm worried one of the others will recognize it. I'm particularly worried about the one in yellow, Prince Chase. He seemed to know a lot more than he was letting on, and listening to them in their cabin made it fairly obvious." Asher sat down on his bed against the far wall from Mag's as he spoke. "I don't know if he knows or if he simply has suspicions."
"Gods dammit, Olivver." Mag dragged a hand down their face. "Is it bad enough we need to return their coin and leave them at port?" They didn't want to. They had recognized the look on Princess Nancy's face, the look borne of a desperate desire to escape. After all, it had been a common enough view in their mirror until not terribly long ago.
"I don't think so, but there's no way to be sure until they react. I think our best bet is to sail for the Eastern Isles with all haste. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can be done with this whole business." Asher watched Mag as he spoke. They looked up at him when they noticed.
"What is it, Asher? You can talk to me." They could always tell when something was on his mind that he was hesitant to share.
He opened his mouth but hesitated. Mag watched as his face flickered through several emotions before settling on concern. "You seem tired. Is everything alright?"
They set down their quill and sat back in their chair, considering for a moment before answering. "I'm fine, Ash. Just trying to get my head on straight with this whole captain business. I don't know why he thought leaving the ship to me was a good idea. I've got no clue what I'm doing, and we're lucky we haven't been run out of town yet."
"You were the best option, Mag. If he'd left it to me, we'd have sunk by now, and there were no other options he could have left it with. You're doing right by the crew and by his memory. You should eat something and get some rest. I'll get the men squared away and get our trip started."
"No, I need to-" Mag started, but they stopped when Asher's hand fell on their shoulder.
"Mag. It will do us no good if you run yourself into the ground before we even set sail. Get some food, have a drink, and rest. I know what to do and so do the men. We'll be fine if you rest this once, okay?" He smiled at them.
They sighed. "Alright, fine. You're right. And you're sure our guests won't be a problem?"
"As sure as I can be. We'll keep an eye on them, and you know I have ears all over the ship. If they even think of doing something they shouldn't, I'll know, and I'll stop them."
"Okay. Thank you, Asher. You're a good brother, you know that."
He grinned back cheekily. "Of course, I knew that. I'm the best older brother ever."
"Oh my gods," Mag groaned and shoved his hand off their shoulder. "You're not even that much older than me. It doesn't count. Plus, I'm taller." They said, indignantly.
"When it comes to us, it absolutely counts. Who cares how tall you are anyway?" He laughed and stepped away from them, dodging the empty ink pot that flew past his head. "Get some rest, Captain. I'll come get you once we've been at sea for a few hours so you can take over." He left the cabin then, and Mag was left, once more, alone with their thoughts.
Notes:
Phew. Glad that's over with. What did Ollie mean, "murder twins", who is this mysterious "murder grandpa", why am I asking so many questions? We may never know. But you absolutely won't know if you don't come back and read the next chapter!
Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed. As always, if you noticed any grammar mistakes, please point them out and I'll fix them as soon as I have the chance. idk when chapter 4 will be out, but I'm working on it right now, so hopefully sooner than this chapter.
Kudos and comments give me more encouragement to keep writing, so please comment!
Chapter 4: The First Mate
Summary:
The first mate, Asher, listens in on some conversations as the crew sets off on their journey to the Eastern Isles.
Notes:
THANK YOU, ASHER!! Your character is such a joy to write, and I really hope I did him justice.
Thank you to my betareader ThatOneSloth who will probably yell at me for posting this without her looking over it, but it's fine. She probably won't actually hurt me. Probably. /j
And finally, THANK YOU STARRY!!! Starry wrote at least 100 words of this chapter and really helped me with getting the tone correct for some of the characters.
Wow, at this point I'm starting to ramble like a certain swordsperson turned captain I know, so I should stop and let y'all get on to the chapter!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Asher
Asher sighed as he closed the door behind him. Mag always put their needs behind the needs of all the people around them, and it wasn't sustainable. This insane decision to take the royals away from Enia, for example. If the guards were looking for the siblings as he suspected, then if they were caught, they could all be arrested at the very least. More than likely, the entire crew would be executed for abducting royalty.
He sighed again. Unfortunately, when Mag made a decision like this, the best bet was to follow them and keep the collateral damage to a minimum. He began making his way below decks to meet with the crew, and as he walked, he flipped open one of the bracers on his arm and fiddled with some components until he could hear voices from it.
"What do you suppose he meant when he said devices of his creation? Do you think he'll actually let me look at them? I'd love to see what he does for controlling power output. That's where I've had the most trouble." It was the eldest of the royal siblings, Baldrich, Asher thought.
"Baldrich, I swear on my crown that if you don't shut up about that pirate and his inventions, I will push you off the ship myself." It was the second eldest who cut in this time, Chase, and he spoke with an exasperated fondness that spoke of long suffering of these sorts of rambles. Asher smiled. It seemed their relationship was much the same as his and Mag's relationship.
"Chase, you know that none of us have a crown anymore, so I guess you're really swearing on nothing, or the memory of something. I know you wouldn't swear just on our bloodline, and we both know we won't have a crown ever again unless all of our brothers die and Mother's desperate, or rather unless we're caught, but even desperate Mother and Father might disown us anyway for abandoning the family name just to protect her from something they don't even see as a threat, which kinda removes your entire problem now, Nancy, they wouldn't marry off a disowned Princess. Well... if they didn't disown Elliot after everything he did when he was eighteen, then they may not disown us or you for that, so I guess you'd probably still have a crown. Except we left, so no, you don't. Unless you brought yours with you, but that wouldn't make sense because if you're caught with that, then they'll send you back, and then they may catch all of us and that wouldn't be good. Wait do you mean crown like bloodline? No I doubt you would and if you brought the actual crown— I don't think that was a good idea to bring that, Chase. You should probably throw it into the ocean or something after we've set sail and no one's looking because I don't think you want to be caught. At least, you didn't make it seem like you did when we ran. And you said that if we did this, it would probably be fine, and I trust your- "
Baldrich was interrupted by a thud and a yelp, and Asher could make every guess as to what happened. The guess was confirmed when Elliot spoke up. "Nancy, please don't throw things. Please. I do not want to have to explain dents in the walls of the cabin to our hosts."
Asher snorted and closed his bracer, cutting off Nancy's reasoning before he could hear it. It seemed the siblings were settling in nicely, and they weren't discussing Olivver's reveal of his and Mag's unfortunate monikers. That was good. It meant Elliot probably hadn't taken it as others had in the past.
He walked into the crew quarters and whistled loudly to get the men's attention. "Alright, listen up, y'all!" he called over the din and noise as the crew stowed their things within their compartments. "We're heading out in the next few minutes. Is anyone not back yet?" He began counting off sailors, nodding when he got to thirty-two. "Now, the captain has seen fit to hire us out for what may be a very hectic trip. We have been hired to help four individuals flee Enia, and we will be taking them to the Eastern Isles. These individuals are very high profile, and should we be boarded, we will have to do all in our power to keep them hidden. If they are found, there is a high likelihood that we will be imprisoned or worse. You have trusted us with your lives, as we have trusted you with ours. To put rumors to rest, yes, they are members of the royal family. Or at least, they were before they decided to flee."
Asher gave the gathered crew a few moments to discuss, shout, or object amongst themselves before he raised a hand for silence again. "The Captain and I are agreed on this matter, and both of us believe it is the right decision. If you have any objections, you are welcome to bring them to me after we have set sail; however, this decision is final." He watched their faces as he spoke. He knew the crew trusted him and Mag, but this was the most they were stretching that trust since Mag had taken over as captain. No matter his own opinion, he and Mag had to present a united front or risk the crew dividing themselves over this. "If you are not happy with this decision, you are welcome to depart the ship now, but know if you do, you will not be welcomed back." They all knew that welcoming scorned sailors back aboard was risking mutiny or capture because they'd decided to make a deal with the guard.
Asher waited a beat, then two, allowing time for any who wished to leave to do just that, but he was unsurprised when no one moved. Their crew had been with them through more than this. It was a bond forged in blood and hardship. He'd be shocked if anything would separate them now.
Asher's eyes crinkled with a smile they couldn't see behind his mask. "Alright then. In that case, let's get to work. I want us on course before the hour is up. And a few ground rules for our guests: do not harass them or try to swindle them, and for the love of all the gods, do not try to sleep with them. The last thing we need is to deal with that fallout." At that, he stared hard at a small group towards the back of the crowd: Xanthus, Ophelia, and Alex. Those three had a reputation for flirting or attempting to sleep with anyone who got onto the ship, be that crew, guests, or, on a few occasions, a member of the guard or navy. He stared until each of them had nodded before nodding back and returning his attention to the crew as a whole.
"You all know your posts? Good. Let's go." He gestured them out of the room and up the stairs to the deck above.
As Asher had said, they set sail and had started their course before the hour had passed. None of them preferred to set sail by moonlight, but with a situation this tense, it was better to be off before the city guard caught wind of the royals on board and attempted to stop them before they reached a full pace. The Broken Blade could surpass most ships the Navy sent after them, but that depended on being out in open waves and not boxed into the harbor. Once they were on the move, it would be near impossible for anyone to catch up to them without magical means. The coast of Enia faded into the distance as they sailed for the Eastern Isles.
Asher watched the sailors work and began to fiddle with his bracer, trying to get the new device he was testing connected around the other things within the bracer. He flipped open the top and began to disconnect and reconnect wires while being careful not to interfere with the runes circling the control panel. If he hit the wrong one, the whole thing could go off, taking half of his arm with it, and then Mag would kill him.
He did his best to keep an eye on the sailors as he worked, making sure no one needed help. He paid particular attention to the most recent addition to their crew, a young dark-haired man by the name of Bastian. He'd slotted into their crew quite well, learning quickly and finding his place among them. Asher laughed as Bastian scowled and began to argue with Xanthus. He could tell by the grin on Xanthus' face that it was all in good fun, and it was nice to see Bastian beginning to feel more comfortable with the group.
Asher opened his other bracer and calibrated it so he could hear the royal siblings once more. For a moment, nothing came through, and he frowned at his arm in confusion. Had they removed his bug? No, they couldn't have. There were four of them, all protected by rune circles to alert him if they were disturbed. He fiddled with the calibrators and stopped when he heard a low groan coming from his bracer. Ah. It would appear that at least one of the siblings was not suited for boat life. That certainly boded well for the two–month journey they had just begun. Hopefully, they'd get their sea legs quickly.
Notes:
Which of the siblings are sick? Leave your guesses in the comments below! Virtual cookies for anyone who gets it right.
Hey, why do you guys think Asher and Mag are called the murder twins? I'm genuinely curious to know your thoughts. Anyway...
Thank you so much for reading. I'll be honest, this chapter isn't my favorite. Writing it was like pulling teeth, and I'm only publishing it now because I don't want to look at it anymore. Good news, though, I have already written Chapter 5! I'm gonna sit on it a bit and do some more editing before I publish it, but it should be out sometime soon.
Thank you again to Starry for editing and adding to Baldrich's ramble and for always being so encouraging in my writing. Thank you, Asher, for lending me your character and helping me get him just right. We really do make great siblings, and I super appreciate how absolutely feral you are for this story. :D
As always, if you notice any glaring spelling or grammatical errors, please drop a comment and I'll get them fixed. Comments and kudos are genuinely what got me through writing this chapter, and I couldn't have done it without the support. You guys are the best. <3 Please leave kudos and comments if you enjoyed, and I'll hopefully have Chapter 5 out soon!
Chapter 5: The Sea
Summary:
Elliot suffers, the captain helps Nancy find a solution, and they talk.
Notes:
Sooo..... Guess who's had a migraine for 5 days and so couldn't put out this chapter any sooner, haha....
Thank you Asher and ThatOneSloth for beta reading! I couldn't have done it without you!!
Content Warning: Emitaphobia (skip paragraph 1), severe disorientation and illness (skip Elliot's entire section).
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Elliot
Elliot was dying. He must have been. That was the only explanation he could come up with. His head was pounding, and all he could taste was bile. He rolled onto his side and heaved towards a bucket, but nothing came up. He'd fully emptied his stomach a day before. Or was it two days? Three? He didn't know anymore. He knew his siblings were around him, but he couldn't tell anything about what was going on. That wasn't good. He needed to be able to protect them if it came to it, and he could barely move.
He groaned and leaned into the cool hand on his forehead. Someone wiped his face with a cloth, and he sighed as it soothed him. He could hear muttering over his head, but he couldn't make any sense of it through the ache and dizziness. Any sleep he'd managed over the past–however long they'd been at sea–had been restless and interrupted by nightmares, not all that different from normal, actually. It was the content of the nightmares that had changed. From what he remembered, he had been falling into the sea and was left adrift in dark currents. Sometimes he could hear laughter, and an echo of the words "murder twins" over the crash of water in his ears. Wakefulness was no better. His head pounded, and he could barely make sense of who or where he was.
There was that hand again, on his cheek this time, and someone was humming something. He turned his head into the touch. He could barely make out a brush of blonde hair and soft yellow sleeves. "Thorne? Where're the men?" His voice was weak, gravely, and strained from the days of sickness. The humming stopped as the hand froze. He heard muttering again. Someone shushed him, then there was a flash of light, and he was unconscious again. This time, his dreams were softer, kinder, memories filled with training and late-night talks with a boy with yellow hair and warm brown eyes.
Mag
The Broken Blade had been at sea for four days, and Mag had still yet to see two of the royal siblings above deck. The blonde ones, Nancy and Chase, had both been above deck, though never together, and Elliot and Baldrich were nowhere to be seen. From what the other siblings and Asher had said, they were both fighting terrible bouts of seasickness. Mag wasn't surprised. The Enian capital was landlocked, and most, if not all, of Enia could be reached by carriage or horseback. It was likely these royals had never had the chance to spend much time at sea.
Currently, Mag was charting the next leg of their course through the sea towards the Eastern Isles. They had a map spread across their desk, and Gry, the sailor with the most skill and experience in navigation, was at their elbow, watching and suggesting routes.
"Well, Captain, if we keep going the way we're headed, we'll get caught up in The Threnian Gulf and be dragged south, and given that one of our guests is unwillingly betrothed to someone from the south, I suspect that we would rather steer clear of those waters." Gry pointed to the place their course intersected with the current she spoke of. "I'd suggest going around this way. It will likely take us an extra few weeks to reach our destination, but I believe it will be safer for us and our guests."
"I agree. We'll have to spend more time in Enian waters, though, and I worry that we'll end up being boarded if we aren't careful."
"Xir, I hate to say it, but we're boarded almost every time we sail. We'll have to find out what to do with our guests when we are." Gry cringed visibly as she spoke.
Mag smiled. Gry seemed hesitant to correct them, but Mag appreciated that she had wanted to make sure they knew. "Asher and I are already working on something for that inevitability, but I appreciate your concern. We'll make sure things go smoothly." They didn't tell her what the plan was because, in the unlikely scenario that whoever boarded them discovered the hold Mag and Asher had in their quarters, it would be best for the crew to have plausible deniability. "So, we need to head north to dodge the current that will drag us further south than we want to be with our guests. Anything you think we should be on the lookout for as we swing north?" Before Gry could answer, they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Mag held out a hand to Gry to silence her while they addressed the person at the door. "Yes?"
Asher's voice came through the door. "Captain? One of our guests wishes to speak with you."
"Tell them I will be with them in a moment, Asher. I just need to finish up here." They called back and turned to their desk again, gesturing for Gry to continue. However, before she could, Asher's voice came through the door again.
"Captain, she is being quite insistent. It is about her brothers." Mag could recognize the tone in Asher's voice. It was the one he used when he was desperately trying to keep from tossing someone over the side of the ship. They sighed and began rolling the map back up without a word.
"My apologies, Gry. We will discuss this further at another time. For now, you are dismissed." They walked her to the door and opened it to see Asher standing there with the princess. Mag could tell by his stance and the look in his eyes that he was at his wits' end and moments away from doing something incredibly ill-advised. They nodded to him in understanding before turning to the princess. "Your Highness. You wished to speak with me?"
"Yes, Captain, I did indeed. I apologize for the trouble I have seem to have caused." Princess Nancy paused and waited for Asher and Gry to leave before returning her attention to Mag. "Xir, I am deeply concerned for the health of my brothers. Neither of them has been able to keep anything down, and it has been days. Elliot is barely aware of where he is and has started asking for- it doesn't matter. Baldrich is a bit better, but he is still having a hard time. None of us has very much experience at sea, as I am sure is obvious. I was hoping you would know if you have mint or ginger in your storage that I might use. In my studies at the temples, I learned that mint and ginger can help soothe nausea, and they desperately need to be able to keep something down. I already asked Mr. Asher, and he told me to check with you. I was also wondering if you knew of anything we could do to help them?" Her eyebrows were drawn together in concern, and Mag could see how she carried her worry in her frame.
"I have a few ideas that may help, Your Highness. I'm not sure if we have any of that in our stores, but we can check. Come with me." Mag began leading the princess deeper into the ship, through several doors and down into the stores. They were well aware that they could have one of the crew help the royals, but they recognized much of their younger self in the princess. They understood that what she really needed right now was something tangible that she could do to help.
"Xir, I'm not a princess anymore. You don't need to call me that. In fact, it would be better if you didn't because I need to get used to it. We all do." The prin- Nancy sounded saddened at that, almost as if she regretted leaving. Mag could understand that regret, and they smiled to themself, small and sad.
"In that case, I insist you call me Mag. I deserve the title of captain far less than others would, and it is still something I'm not quite comfortable with." Mag began looking into cases of storage for the jars that might contain what Nancy was looking for. "If we have any ginger, it will be in here, and any mint will be in that case there." Mag gestured to a crate a row away, and Nancy made her way over to it and began searching as well.
"So, you haven't been captain very long, then?" Nancy asked.
"No, not long at all. I took over from Asher's and my mentor. He left me the ship and the crew, though he knew Asher and I would do much of this together. Ah. Here we go." They raised up with a jar of dried ginger root and pulled out a few pieces to pass to Nancy. "Any luck with the mint?"
"No, it doesn't seem as if there is any. Thank you, though." She took the ginger with a nod and a smile. "Can I ask how you met your mentor? The one who left you the ship?"
"We met through the adventuring guild. Asher and I joined up as soon as we were able, and they decided to put us with a crotchety old man to teach us how to succeed within the guild. Their mistake, of course, because the three of us ended up causing so much havoc that they forced us into 'retirement.'" As Mag spoke, they began digging through other crates, searching for some ship's biscuits for Nancy to give to her brothers. It wouldn't be much, but it would be easy on the stomach and hopefully less likely to come back up. "Here. Give these to your brothers a little at a time. They don't taste like much, but they shouldn't make the nausea worse the way other foods can. And, if you can get them to move, they may benefit from being above deck where the fresh air can get to them this evening."
Nancy smiled gratefully as she took the things Mag passed her. "Thank you, Xi- Mag."
"You're welcome, Nancy." Mag turned to go back up the ladder to the decks above and didn't notice when Nancy's smile turned smug behind their back.
Notes:
Why's Nancy so smug? Guys, I'm scared. Also, who's Thorne? What were the flashes of light in the siblings' cabin? No one guessed right for who was sick (no one actually guessed...) so no cookies for anyone.
Anyway, thank you so much for reading!! Kudos and comments are much appreciated and give me encouragement to write more, so please leave them for me. The next chapter is written, I just have to wait for my beta readers to get back to me with it, and I'm gonna try (key word there being try) to update once a week or so.
As always, if you see any glaring grammaitcal or spelling errors, please point them out, and I will fix them as soon as I am able.
Chapter 6: Sailing
Summary:
The siblings get Elliot and Baldrich up on top deck, and argue the entire time they are out there.
Notes:
So... haha... the AO3 author curse got me. I might have dislocated my hip, which has made writing at my desk difficult, hahaha... but I wrote two chapters this week, so that's great :). Thank you, as always, to my wonderful beta readers, Asher and ThatOneSloth! They were a big help! Anywho, on with the story!
Content Warning: severe dissorientation
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Mag
Mag wasn't sure how, but Nancy had managed to convince several members of the crew to drag her brothers above decks right as the day was starting to cool. Baldrich was moving much under his own power, but Elliot was a different story. He was being dragged between two of the crew, head lolling to the side as he groaned. Despite the clear worry on Nancy's face, Mag struggled not to chuckle at the sight. Sea sickness was no joke, but it also wasn't usually deadly. It typically passed after the first few days on the boat unless they were caught in a storm.
Nancy directed the crew to set Elliot down against the railing at the bow of the ship, so he could get some fresh air. Baldrich already appeared to be in better spirits, some color returning to his cheeks from the ginger and breeze. Elliot, at the very least, did not appear to be death warmed over anymore. Mag hoped the fresh air and other things would help him to feel better. It wouldn't do to lose one of their guests so early into the journey, and to something as simple as a weak constitution.
Elliot
Elliot didn't know how long it had been since he was coherent enough to think as well as he was now. It was much brighter out here than in his family's little cabin, though that was rapidly changing as the sun began to set. The fresh air was helping his stomach to settle and his head to clear from the dizziness. He still felt weak as a newborn kitten, but at least now he could understand where he was.
He looked over to his siblings. They were all standing together, whispering not far from where he was sitting. Baldrich was still pale, but seemed to be doing better than Elliot was. Nancy seemed worried; though, as Elliot watched her, her worry seemed to be more of an affectation than true concern. He heard a few words drift towards him from their conversation. "...murder twins... adventuring guild... mentor..."
He groaned in discomfort, and their conversation stopped as their heads whipped around to face him. Nancy rushed over to him and knelt next to him, wiping his face clean with a cloth. He attempted to wave her off, but she stubbornly continued until the sweat was gone from his brow.
"How are you feeling, Elliot? Mag suggested we bring you up here to get some fresh air, and gave me some ginger so we could soothe your stomach." That explained the spicy taste in his mouth. He looked to her in confusion once he'd processed all she'd said.
"Mag? You mean the captain? Since when are you on a first-name basis with them?" His voice was rough, weak, and he coughed into a hand after he spoke.
"Since she got the captain to offer up some ideas for helping you two feel better and decided to use that chance to get them to spill about their history." Chase frowned at Nancy in disapproval as he spoke.
"Well, I didn't hear you coming up with any ideas." She whispered sharply at him. "Besides, we needed to know what Olivver meant by 'murder twins.' We needed to be able to make sure we weren't getting ourselves killed by staying on this ship before we got too far from shore."
"And I told you it would be fine, Nance!" Elliot could tell that Chase was struggling to keep his voice down. "I need you to trust me on this. I need you all to trust me and stop digging. Stop trying to get information you don't need, because you don't need it, Nancy. If you keep-" He cut himself off, and they all knew why. Chase couldn't talk about what he saw in any significant manner without it turning back on itself and causing the worst possible outcomes.
Elliot groaned. The argument was making his headache and subsequent dizziness worse. His siblings' eyes all locked on him as he groaned, and Nancy wiped his forehead again. "To answer your earlier question, Nance, I feel just great." His voice dripped with irony, and he batted her hand away from his face. "I'm fine. Quit it."
"It's been five days, Elliot. You are absolutely not fine." Nancy whispered harshly. She looked conflicted for a moment before she continued speaking. "You were asking for Thorne, Elliot. You haven't been that out of it since you almost died of pneumonia three winters ago."
Elliot felt his stomach drop, and he lost all ability to focus on the conversation around him at the mention of Thorne. He didn't notice his siblings pick their argument back up around him or the sunlight fading around him as the sun sank below the horizon. All he could think of was a yellow-haired boy with warm eyes and a crooked smile.
"Come on, Your Highness, keep up!" Elliot turned from where he was sitting and watched a boy, no more than ten summers old, sprint away from him. He smiled and gave chase.
"Get back here, Thorne!" He laughed as he followed the other boy, only just managing to keep pace. "We were practicing!"
The other boy only laughed as he continued his run. Thorne was already broadly built for a child so young. He had grass in his blonde hair and a wide, challenging grin lighting up his brown eyes as he turned back to look at Elliot over his shoulder. "If you want to practice, then you'll have to catch me first!" He called with a laugh.
Elliot continued to chase the other boy, but, maddeningly, he could never quite seem to catch him. He watched as space slowly began to grow between the two of them. He felt his heart rate pick up. "Thorne! Thorne, slow down! I can't keep up! Thorne!" He shouted after the boy. Elliot watched in horror as Thorne, now nineteen years of age, took an arrow through the ribs and fell to his knees, gripping the wound. "No! Thorne! Thorne!" Elliot felt the tears gathering in his eyes as he continued running, trying to reach the other.
Though the distance between them only grew, Elliot continued to run. He tightened his grip as he ran, only now realizing he was holding something. He didn't care; he just kept running until Thorne's body disappeared. He collapsed to his knees and cradled the object in his hands. He looked down to see a bow as he was shaken awake.
It was fully dark now, and Chase stood over him with a hand on his shoulder. Elliot's head no longer pounded as terribly as it had before he'd been brought outside, and his nausea had faded, hopefully for good. The lack of nausea did nothing to help the pit in his stomach. He ran a hand over his face, wiping at his eyes and the corners of his mouth to remove any residue from being asleep. "How long was I out, Chase?"
"A couple hours. You needed it. You look a bit better now, at least. Here, eat this." Chase pressed something into his hands, and when Elliot looked at it, he saw what looked to be a flat piece of bread.
"Great, trail rations. Yippee." Elliot broke off a small piece and put it in his mouth to soften before he tried to chew it. If he tried chewing it immediately, he risked shattering a tooth on the hard bread. He swallowed that bite before speaking again, "Where are Baldrich and Nancy?"
"Nancy stormed off to the cabin, and I think she's actually sleeping now. Baldrich went off with Mr. Asher to talk about their gadgets now that Baldrich is able to hold a conversation. How's your head?"
"Better now, though I imagine it will be a few more days for the sea sickness to fade entirely." He sat up a bit more against the railing and looked at Chase. "I wasn't, uh, being loud, was I?" He broke off another section of trail biscuit as he asked.
"You weren't. I'm the only one who realized you were having a nightmare. But even if you were being loud, little brother, there's no one out here but us and maybe four sailors. The sea is loud, and it would have drowned out most of the noise anyway. I'm assuming you'd rather not talk about it?"
"You'd assume correctly. Has anyone mentioned how long this trip is supposed to take?"
"The captain says about two months, but I wouldn't trust any estimate they give us," Chase answered with a sly smile. Elliot sighed. He could tell his brother knew something was going to go wrong, but he also knew Chase couldn't share anything about the specifics without things becoming much worse.
"You do realize we all hate it when you do that, right? We can't stand it."
Chase laughed. "I know. Trust me, Elliot. I know what I'm doing, and I have a very good feeling about this trip."
Elliot scowled. "I should toss you into the ocean. Just one shove and then we'd never have to be annoyed by your all-knowing smirk ever again."
Chase backed away from him very quickly at that. "Not while it's dark, Ellie. They won't be able to see me to fish me back out. Plus, I just got my hair to look right. I'd hate for you to ruin it by throwing me overboard. Plus, you don't actually want me dead. That would be bad for your plans, especially after paying for passage for all four of us." He gave another of the aforementioned all-knowing grins.
"I don't know, Chase. Just shove, splash, 'I have no clue what happened! He must have had another of his mushrooms! And now we're down a brother!' It would be so terribly tragic, but I'm so sick, so I clearly couldn't have done anything to cause it or to help." Elliot teased.
Chase's eyes flicked to the side right as another voice spoke up. "You'd best not be planning on throwing anyone off my ship, sir. No matter how sick you are or how dark it is." Captain Mag spoke from the darkness, anger coloring their tone.
Notes:
*suspenseful music plays* I guess we'll get to that argument next time. I hope this chapter was at least a little emotionally devastating. I really enjoyed writing it, and I'm excited to get into the history of these characters. Their backstories are so exciting and so emotional, and I can't wait to write more about them.
Speaking of emotions, thoughts on Thorne and ideas about what happened to him? I would love to hear any theories you may have.
Fair warning: The next chapter is *a lot*, and if you prefer to finish your reading on a happier note, then I would suggest waiting a couple weeks to get caught up. At this rate, I'm trying to post a chapter every friday or saturday, and the next couple of chapters are doozies.
Thank you all for reading, and as always, if you notice any glaring grammatical or spelling errors, point them out in a comment, and I will correct them. Comments and Kudos give me life, so please consider leaving them for me. See you all next week so long as the curse doesn't hit me again.
Chapter 7: The Fall
Summary:
Asher asks Mag to take their shift watching the ship early, and that has unforeseen consequences and leads to a clash of personalities.
Notes:
AHHHHHH I'M LATE!!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH SO SORRY! Read on! Thank you to Asher and ThatOneSloth for betareading!!
Content warning: Discussion of abusive older siblings. Skip everything between *** for the overt mentions, but probably best to skip the entire chapter if it is a bad trigger for you. I'll summarize the chapter in the end notes for those who need to skip.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Mag
Mag was on their bed trying to get some rest when Asher came into their shared quarters and began digging through his things. "Mag, do you think you could take over the watch for a couple hours? I'm gonna show Baldrich some of my things now that he's feeling better, and I'd rather not try to keep an eye on the ship while discussing my inventions. We all know how that went last time." They did, indeed, remember what had happened last time Asher had talked shop with somebody while he was meant to be watching the ship, and it was much of the reason they had taken over as captain instead of him. It happened back when Ducky was still around, and it was lucky he had been, otherwise the ship may very well have sunk to the bottom of the sea after they'd been attacked by a sea drake for drifting too close to its hunting grounds.
He was obviously already distracted, or he'd have noticed the dark circles under their eyes and the muffled groan as they sat up. "Yeah, I can do that. We weren't too close to any of the dangerous waters, from what I remember. Is that still the case?"
Asher muttered distractedly as he pulled various gadgets out of his trunk. "..so I have the automated grappler, and he'd probably like to see Benny and Rigby, so I'll have to talk to Zabs about getting them, but do I have enough power in the rune stones, and- huh? Oh yeah, yeah, I think so. Maybe he'd be interested in MICO? Or the hull-shrimp? Or maybe..." He trailed back off into his ramblings after barely acknowledging what Mag had said.
Mag sighed and swung their legs over their bunk. It was no use to get anything coherent out of Asher when he was like this. They'd have to hope someone on deck knew the answers they needed to keep the ship on course while Asher was distracted. They shook their head and tried to clear the weariness from their brain as they began putting on their boots. It would be better to get out there sooner rather than later if Asher had already been this distracted when he came in.
They exited their quarters and squinted as their eyes adjusted to the dim light on the deck. Once they could see a bit better, they approached one of the few sailors still outside their cots. "Clover, have you seen Gry or Todd recently? I'm trying to confirm our heading."
The younger sailor looked up at Mag and shook their head. "No, xir. Last I remember, they went to get some rest just after Todd helped bring one of our guests above decks." Mag had to fight back a groan at the response. That meant they'd have to get into the rigging and take the measurements themself.
"Thank you, Clover. Good work today." Mag smiled at Clover as they smiled from the praise. Mag had always found that a few kind words upfront often helped to smooth over problems that may occur later on.
"Of course, Captain. Happy to do it!" the younger sailor called behind Mag as they walked away.
The captain checked their pockets as they walked, wanting to ensure they had their Halcyran Sigil before climbing into the rigging. Ducky had made it for them years ago to help them keep their balance while high up after he had heard how many trees Mag had fallen out of as a child. They found it in their pocket and breathed out a sigh of relief as they began to climb, barely keeping their hands from shaking as they grabbed ropes and pulled themself up. They didn't want any of their sailors to see the shakes and realize how absolutely terrified they were of heights. After all, they hadn't just fallen from those trees.
Mag shook the negative thoughts from their head. They didn't need to be thinking of such things while actively in the air. Those could wait until they were safely back on deck, away from the risk of slamming into seasoned planks from fifty feet up. They got into the right place to take measurements and began doing the mental calculations of finding the position of the ship at sea.
It was a few minutes before they finished their calculations. They made a mental note of the coordinates and took a moment to stare up at the sky. Views like this were a big part of why they enjoyed being out on the sea. There was nothing but stars as far as the eye could see—no mountains or trees or buildings to get in the way of all the galaxies the universe had to offer. Mag smiled at the sight and began to descend from their position high above the decks.
They glanced down at the deck below them to see two of their guests having a conversation, Elliot and Chase, Mag thought. That was good. It meant the youngest prin- youngest of the brothers had recovered enough from his seasickness to hold a conversation. Maybe that would assuage some of Nancy's anxiety. They really felt for her. Mag knew what it was like to watch an older sibling be so unwell and not be able to do anything about it. Hopefully, Nancy's brothers would recover same as theirs had.
They yawned and tried to shake the melancholic direction of their thoughts and their weariness in the same motion. Shaking their head so viciously turned out to be the wrong move, which they only realized as their foot slipped as they reached for the next handhold. Their heart rate skyrocketed as they only barely caught themself, halting their fall by grabbing a rope—they preferred rope burn to the fall any day. Mag glanced around and released a shaky sigh of relief; it seemed none of the sailors or guests had noticed their fall. The last thing they needed was crew morale to drop because they were a klutz.
***
They carefully climbed the rest of the way down to the deck and stood there, hands and breath shaking as they tried to force themself to calm down. Their hands stung from the rope burn, but that wasn't what had caused the most pain. No, that was the memory that flashed through their mind of being six years old and watching Cals, their older brother, growing farther and farther away as the ground reached up to catch them from where he'd shoved them out of 'his tree' the first time, the pain of the thirteen stitches they'd needed in their hand from where a stray branch had torn into the back of it, the way the scar ached and stretched strangely as they gripped their sword when they trained or fought.
They fought to steady their breathing and quell the shaking in their limbs, and they heard a conversation drifting towards them from the front of the boat.
"I should toss you into the ocean. Just one shove and then we'd never have to be annoyed by your all-knowing smirk ever again." They recognized Elliot's voice, but their mind flashed back to Cals again.
"I only shoved you because you were being annoying, Mag. You deserved it, and Mom and Dad will agree." His favorite line echoed through Mag's head.
***
"Not while it's dark, Ellie. They won't be able to see me to fish me back out..." That was Chase, but Mag couldn't hear him through the echo of their own voice, years younger as they shouted that what he said wasn't true. It was, of course. Their parents had always favored Cals over Mag and-
"I don't know, Chase. Just shove, splash, 'I have no clue what happened! ...now we're down a brother!' ...terribly tragic, but I'm so sick ...clearly couldn't have done anything..."
"You'd best not be planning on throwing anyone off my ship, sir. No matter how sick you are or how dark it is." Mag didn't know when they'd decided to walk over to the arguing brothers, or when they'd made the choice to speak up. They glared at where Elliot was sitting on the ground. "I do not care who you are or how used to getting your way you happen to be. If you throw someone off my ship, then we're going to have a problem. Understand?" Their voice was dark, dangerous, and angry.
"I was just joking, Capta-"
"Do. You. Understand." They left no room for argument or excuses. They watched as a fire began to build behind the disgraced prince's eyes.
Elliot's jaw clenched, and he squared his shoulders as he answered. "Yes, I do. While we are on the subject of understandings, however, you will cease in referring to my sister so familiarly and drop your insistence that she does the same with you. You do not know her, you do not
know us, and it would be better for all of us if you keep things that way." Mag watched as Elliot pushed himself to his feet as he spoke, glaring at them the entire time.
"Excuse you, this is my ship, I am the captain, and I do not take orders from someone who has clearly never spent a day on the sea in his life! We are in foreign waters, Your Highness. You have no authority or power here. Oh wait, that's right! You ran away from your title, power, and responsibilities and hired me and my crew to get you far away from them!" Mag was seething, and their mouth had run away from them in their rage. Their entire body was shaking as they shouted.
"Yeah, well, at least I'm not on the run from murder charges!"
Mag's form froze at the accusation. Their hand dropped to their hilt, and they gripped it hard in their effort not to draw it. They spoke quietly, the kind of quiet that overtook a forest when a large predator was in its midst. "What. Did you just say. To me?" They were generously giving him a chance to reconsider his words.
"I said 'at least I'm not on the run from murder charges.'" Elliot, foolishly, didn't take the chance he was given. His response was just as quiet as their question had been.
Notes:
Hahahahaha, wow, who gave Elliot that shovel? Because he's really digging himself into a pit. He should have known better than to anger a captain on their own ship. I worry about what will happen to him next week. And who'd have thunk Mag was so afraid of heights?
Thank you so much for reading, Comments and kudos give me motivation to continue writing, and if you notice any glaring grammar or spelling errors, point them out, and I'll fix them when I get the chance. :)
Summary for those who needed to skip this chapter:
Mag is trying to rest but has to take over ship watch for Asher, who is distracted by showing his gadgets to Baldrich. Mag, tired and anxious, goes on deck, checks with a sailor about if someone who would know the Broken Blade's heading is awake, and climbs into the rigging to confirm it themselves when the sailor says the two Mag asked about had gone to bed. Mag, afraid of heights due to childhood trauma involving their brother Cals, has a hard time climbing up because of their fear and exhaustion. As they climb back down, they slip and almost fall, barely managing to catch themself on the rigging. Back on deck, Mag overhears Elliot and Chase arguing about Chase being annoying (the argument at the end of Chapter 6). The argument triggers flashbacks for Mag, and they step in pissed off and projecting their feelings about their own brother onto Elliot when he makes a joke about throwing Chase overboard. This escalates to a confrontation between Mag and Elliot, ending in Elliot accusing Mag of being a fugitive from murder charges.
Chapter 8: The Fallout
Summary:
Actions have consequences
Notes:
Thank you to Asher and ThatOneSloth for beta reading!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Mag
Mag let go of the hilt of their dagger and took two purposeful steps towards Elliot, intent on hitting him so hard he'd think the sea sickness was a mercy, but they were brought up short when a hand grabbed the back of their collar, pulling them to a stop.
"Mag! Stop it!" It was Asher's voice, but in their rage, Mag didn't care. They turned and swung on him, their recognition of him only softening the blow. Mag swung at him once more and then twice before sagging and coming to a stop, their gaze dropping so they couldn't see how many people they'd embarrassed themself in front of. They heaved for breath as Asher grabbed them by the arms and glared over Mag's shoulder at Elliot. "You know nothing about the captain or me, and you need to stop assuming that just because you had one conversation with one jilted ex-crew member that you know anything about our lives. You're lucky I stopped them, and it would be best if you went back to your cabin. Now. Show's over, people! Clover, have someone wake Todd. He can take his shift early tonight. The rest of you return to your posts or to your beds."
Mag stared at the ground as they heard multiple pairs of feet make their way below decks. Apparently, their fight had drawn a crowd. That wasn't good. The crew didn't need to see them like that. They let Asher lead them into their quarters and push them down onto their bed. They didn't hear him shut or lock the door, but he must have, because when he pulled a stool in front of them and sat down, his mask was off and his hood was lowered.
Asher set down his healer's kit on the bed next to Mag and took one of their hands in his. He gently loosened their fist and silently began cleaning the blood off their split knuckles. It was a song and dance the two had followed hundreds of times. Neither made any move to speak, but Asher's frown deepened when he turned over their hand and saw the rope burn for the first time. He sighed as he realized what must have happened and dug through his bag until he found the burn salve. He smoothed some of it over their hand and began wrapping it in bandages. Once he finished with the first hand, he moved on to the second, loosening their grip and cleaning out the crescent-shaped cuts and the rope burn on their palm. He wrapped this one in bandages, too.
Asher began to clean up his supplies, opening and shutting his mouth a few times as he seemed to debate what to say. Mag would have preferred him not to say anything at all, but they knew that wasn't an option. They were usually quite level-headed, but had exploded for seemingly little reason at someone who shouldn't have been able to get under their skin in the first place.
Mag sighed. "Go ahead. Let me have it."
"I'm not going to shout at you, Mag." Asher stood and moved to put the healer's kit back in his trunk, where it belonged.
"Well, you should. I almost killed him, and I hurt you."
"First of all, you wouldn't have killed him. Maimed, maybe, injured, definitely, but not killed. And secondly, you didn't hurt me. You've hit me a lot harder than that in the past, and you only hit my armor. I'd say you hurt yourself far more than you could have hurt me."
"Fine then. Yell at me because I embarrassed myself in front of the crew."
"That is somehow simultaneously the most and least true thing you've said this whole time. You may feel embarrassed, but I don't think you should be. There were only five or six crew members on deck, and they looked just as ready as you to murder our guests. That's why I made everyone leave. I was worried that if I let any of them stay that they'd decide to throw the mouthy one overboard." Asher made his way back to where Mag was sitting on their bed and sat on the stool next to them again. "What happened?"
"I fell out of the rigging."
"I'd guessed as much. After that, though."
"Brought up bad memories, and the 'mouthy one' as you called him was making jokes about shoving his brother overboard for being annoying." Mag attempted to swallow down the lump in their throat.
"And so you saw red." Mag's only response was a nod. "Well, good news, you didn't kill him. Did he say anything other than pushing his brother overboard and what I walked up to?" Neither of them wanted to talk about the supposed murder charges of which Elliot had spoken.
"Yeah, told me not to be familiar with his sister or his family, tried to order me around like I was one of his subjects." Mag crinkled their nose in disgust. They hated nobility with a passion, but they had hoped this group that was leaving their titles behind would be different. "So, you know, I of course lost it and reminded him that he had run away from his title, and then you know the rest." They looked down at the floor, not wanting to see the disappointment they were certain was on Asher's face. "I'm sorry I interrupted shop talk with the other one."
"I couldn't care less that shop talk was interrupted. I'm sorry I was so distracted that I didn't realize how tired you were when I asked you to take over. Speaking of, shoes off, and lay down. You need to sleep."
For once, Mag didn't argue. They just unlaced their shoes and lay down on the bed. "Keep the crew from killing anyone?"
"I will. Just sleep now."
Elliot
Elliot hadn't been expecting the captain to actually try to hurt him or for them to turn on their own twin when he stopped them. He watched the captain warily for a moment before he began to notice the angry looks being sent his way by the crew members who were surrounding him. Maybe pissing off the captain and crew of a ship he and his siblings were trapped on for the next two months hadn't been the brightest idea.
He kept quiet and made his way back down to the cabin he and his siblings had been given for this journey. He caught glares from each of the sailors he passed, and one shoulder checked him roughly as he walked into the stairwell. He didn't say anything about it and just continued down to the cabin.
He entered the small room with Chase and Baldrich following right behind him. Nancy was already in bed but sat up as they walked in. She frowned when she saw their faces. "What's happened? What did you do?"
Elliot could feel Chase's glare stabbing into him. He sighed and sat down heavily on his bunk, waiting for the shouting to begin.
"Elliot here decided to take matters into his own hands and piss off our host. Even though I explicitly told you not to make enemies, Elliot. But instead of listening to me, you decided to go and anger the captain by acting as if you have any standing on this boat. You don't, Elliot. None of us do, and you've made things so much harder. By the goddess, I should hit you right now. Maybe that would force some sense into your thick skull!" Chase didn't shout, and that almost made it worse. He was speaking sharply but keeping his voice down, and that wasn't something Elliot had often seen from Chase before. Chase was loud, boisterous, and shouted no matter the emotion. It was only when he was quiet that something was truly wrong.
"How bad are things going to get, Chase?" Baldrich asked hesitantly.
Chase sighed and sat on the bunk across from Elliot, shoulders slumping. "I don't know, and at this point, even if I did, I couldn't tell you. I'm sorry. I tried to help and made things worse again."
"Well, Mag seems to like me fine. Maybe I could talk to them? It might help." Nancy offered, a concerned look on her face.
Elliot was already shaking his head. "No, I probably ruined that as well. In my stupidity, I told them to stop treating you with such familiarity. I wasn't thinking, but it's probably better if none of us try to talk to any of them for a while. I imagine that tensions will end up being quite high, and I'd rather us not make it worse."
"Elliot, you son of a-" Nancy cut herself off and threw her pillow at him. It bounced harmlessly off his head and to the floor.
"I'm really not in the mood to be scolded right now, Nancy." Elliot huffed. He was still angry, and now that he was back in the stuffy cabin, his headache was returning. He was sure the dizziness and nausea wouldn't be far behind.
"If you aren't in the mood, then maybe you shouldn't have started a fight with our host!" Nancy whisper shouted at the back of his head.
"I know I messed up!" Elliot's voice began to get louder, and he stood up and turned to face Nancy. "I get it, okay! But I didn't start it! They were shouting as if it were an easy decision for us to leave home and leave behind our titles and everything we knew, and they were mocking me—us—for it. So yeah, I said something I shouldn't have, but so did they!" He was shouting now.
"Enough!" The youngest three all turned in shock to Baldrich, who rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly for shouting. "I- sorry. But we need to not be fighting right now. Especially not so loud. Sound carries in ships, and it would be better if the crew didn't hear our shouting, I think."
"Baldrich is right. And what's done is done. Now, all that's left is to let the consequences fall around our heads." Chase spoke in a voice that sounded older than his years. His eyes flicked around the room as if he was seeing something the others couldn't, searching the possibilities and timelines that sprawled out before him.
Notes:
I feel like I wrote this chapter in a fever dream, and I barely remember writing any of it. Updates may slow down because I'm working on another creative idea right now, but I will do my best to keep up with this as well.
Thank you so much for reading!! Comments and Kudos make me more likely to write more sooner. As always, let me know if there are any glaring grammar or spelling errors, and I'll get to them as I'm able.
Chapter 9
Summary:
Tensions rise, so Elliot approaches the captain with a possible solution
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Mag
Over the next few days, the ship was quiet, and tension was thick and heavy in the air. Sailors glared at the siblings, and the siblings glared right back. It was as if the entire ship was holding its breath, waiting for someone to make the first move and determine just how bloody the battle would be. What none of the pirates, especially Mag, had anticipated was for Elliot himself to be the one to break the silence.
Mag looked up when a knock sounded at their door. They were exhausted, and the rising tension on the ship had kept them constantly stressed, worried that one of the crew would do something stupid in the name of trying to avenge them. The last thing they needed was one of their foolhardy sailors deciding to exact revenge on their behalf.
"Come in." They sat up straighter when Elliot opened the door. They raised their eyebrows as they looked at him. "Your Highness. I hope you aren't here to accuse me of more crimes?" Their tone was accusatory, though they knew they were just as responsible for the argument as he had been.
"No, Captain, I'm not. I was hoping for the chance to speak with you." Elliot entered the room and shut the door behind him.
"Then you're here to offer an apology? Because I can certainly think of no other reason why you might be here unless there's another problem you and your family need solved with my personal time and effort?" Mag had not forgotten that the last time they had attempted to help any of the siblings, it had ended with the tension that currently permeated the ship. They turned back to the papers on their desk and looked over them as Elliot spoke.
"No, Xir. I came to offer a potential solution, because I, for one, do not appreciate the constant glares and regular threats of violence being made towards my family." He stood at attention, hands clasped behind his back as if he were presenting terms for a peace treaty, which, Mag supposed, he was.
"And what solution is that?" They would be lying if they said they weren't curious as to what the former royal had come up with.
"A sparring match, Xir, between you and me. In front of the crew and my siblings, so that afterwards both parties can know that it has been settled and no animosity remains."
Mag snorted, but didn't look up from their work as they spoke. "You've not been in many sparring matches for honor if you truly believe the animosity dies when a winner is declared.
Besides, you're no sailor, and if you tried to draw steel on my ship, you'd be just as likely to gut yourself with the first swell as manage to disarm me. No, Your Highness, your challenge is denied, but I will tell my crew that we have settled it between ourselves." They shook their head as they spoke. It wasn't a bad idea but for the prince's lack of sea legs, and they would rather not have to deal with the response from his siblings if he were to die. More than likely, all four of them would have to be killed in the event that one of them died, and that would be bad for business. "I will make it known to them that if they continue to outright threaten your family that it will be dealt with by me. Any further problems you experience with my men should be brought directly to me or Asher. Was that all, Your Highness?"
Elliot
Elliot rocked back on his heels as if he'd been slapped when they laughed at his proposal. He knew starting a fight would be a bad idea, but he could feel the anger bubbling up under the surface. "Fine, no blades. Hand-to-hand then." By the goddess, he wanted to hit the smug look off their face, and a spar was likely the only way he could without putting his family in further danger.
Mag looked up then, their eyes hard and expression flat. They leaned forward and clasped their hands together under their chin. "Your Highness, I recognize that you are accustomed to people giving you everything you want because of your station, but on my ship, when I say no, my word is final. I will not grant you the excuse for violence you are searching for. Besides," they sat back in their chair. "You'd only be embarrassing yourself. Now, if that was all, you are dismissed."
Elliot clenched his jaw. "Captain, I will have you know-"
"You. Are. Dismissed. I do not care who you were before you got on my ship; you do not get to do as you please, accuse me of murder, and then expect me to bow to your whims. After all, of the two of us, I expect I have the least blood on my hands. Now. Get out of my quarters before I remove you myself." Their eyes were dark, and the scars across their face cast harsh shadows on their skin. Their voice was quiet and sharp.
Elliot stormed from the captain's quarters without another word. He returned to the tiny cabin he shared with his siblings, mind reeling from the conversation. How dare they accuse him! Every bit of blood on his hands was there because of duty, a duty he had never asked for but had borne until it broke him. Did they think he had enjoyed killing people? That he had liked sending his men into battles from which they would not return? That he relished signing the letters that informed women that their children or husbands had died under his command?
He didn't realize what he'd done until he felt blinding pain in his hand. He looked down to find his knuckles bloody and cut open. There was a dent in the cabin wall with blood smeared across it. He shouted and hit the wall again, imagining Mag's face in the dent he was driving his fist into. This was why he'd wanted to spar with Mag. It would have helped lessen the aggression and probably would have stopped him before he'd damaged any property.
He hit the wall a few more times before taking a deep breath and looking back down at his hand. One of his fingers was out of place, and one looked like it was probably broken, but at this point, who cared anymore? He was sick and tired of the captain of this ship acting all high and mighty as though he and his siblings were lesser for having been born noble.
He sat down on his bunk and pulled his fingers back into place. He'd done it before—a quick fix on the battlefield was often all that could be managed, but the only other option was to go to the ship's doctor, and they'd go to Mag, and that would get him back where he'd started. The rocking of the ship was making him feel ill again. Adding to that the growing pain in his hand, he needed to rest, or maybe he needed to get Nancy to heal his hand. Either way, he probably needed to lay down.
Mag
Mag watched the disgruntled ex-prince storm out of their quarters, a self-satisfied smirk across their face. They'd absolutely be hearing about it from Asher later, but for now, it was nice to know they'd actually managed to ruffle his feathers. They stood and stretched as they walked towards the door, which the prince had quite rudely left open. They needed to call a meeting of the crew so they could follow through and tell them not to cause any more strife with their guests.
They made their way out of their room, pulling the door closed and searching the deck for Asher. They grabbed a passing sailor by the arm. "Tomo, where's Asher?"
She smiled at the captain. "Um, last I saw, he was in the hold with one of the guests." Her face twisted in disgust at the mention of the guest. Yeah, Mag was going to have to correct that with all of their sailors, weren't they?
"Hey, those guests are the reason any of us are getting paid, and trust me, it's a worthy sum. I'm going to go find Asher, but we will be holding a meeting during meal time. Help me make sure people are there, won't you?"
"Yes, Xir, Captain!" She smiled brightly up at them. It was reactions like this that had been why Mag had been chosen to be captain over Asher. For some reason, the crew always seemed so happy to be around them and to take orders from them. Asher had the potential to be just as inspiring, but he never worked towards it or maintained it.
Mag made their way down into the hold in search of Asher. They heard him before they saw him. "This is Benny. I know I showed you Rigby last time we spoke, but Benny was actively working at the time, so I couldn't show him to you."
"Is he very different from Rigby? I can see they both have similar powering structures."
"Yes and no. He is fairly similar because of the power supply, but Rigby was built to work in the rigging of the ship, while Benny was built to work on the underside, actually in the water. He cleans off the barnacles and algae that build up as we sail. It helps the ship sail more smoothly, and also makes it easier to know when there's any real damage."
"Oh, that's quite interesting. And how do you power them then?"
"Oh it's through-"
Mag butted in before Asher could finish. "Asher, I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."
Asher and Baldrich shot up like children who had been caught in the cookie jar. "Oh, uh, no. No Captain. We were just, I was just um. Showing Baldrich here some of my inventions, and the crew was being loud, so we came down here." Baldrich nodded, a faint blush dusting his cheeks.
Mag watched blush spread from under Asher's mask up to his forehead and grinned. "Well, I hate to pull you away from what must have been a truly riveting conversation, but we need to have a meeting with the crew over their treatment of our guests. I understand that there was a very public argument, but that doesn't make this acceptable."
Notes:
I don't know if anyone even reads these, so I'm not sure why I bother. Please leave kudos and comments, and if you see any obvious mistakes, point them out. I'll fix them as I'm able
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