A Change of Scenery

"Captain! There's a ship on the horizon!" The lookout called from the crow's nest on the Notturno.

The tall Captain Barone walked to the base of the mast. "Would you care to give any more details?" He sounded annoyed, but a little amused as well.

"Well, sir, it looks like she's got a standard flying on her mast!"

The pirate leader stroked his chin. "Is it something you recognize?"

The lookout shook his head. "It looks... purple and black. Can't make out much more, sir!"

Barone looked at his first officer, Patrice. "How about we go find out who's aboard?"

The short first mate nodded, a grin on his face. "If they've got a standard, they must have some good treasures."

The captain had the same thought. He raised his voice for the crew to hear. "Ready sails, get ready to run down that ship."

As they got closer to the ship, there were some murmurs among the crew. It became apparent that the ship they were chasing was larger than the Notturno. Even though it likely wasn't a fighting ship, there was a good chance its crew would outnumber that of the pirates.

Barone could feel the concern as the ship loomed in front of them. "Steady," he ordered. He had a trick up his sleeve. He just hoped the trick would be worth its while. "Do you remember the box that one merchant gave us? The one who took Elizabeth off our hands?"

Patrice nodded. "Mmhmm," he wasn't entirely sure, but he knew Barone didn't really care one way or another if he remembered.

"I think it's time we tried it out," Barone strode across the ship to his quarters, where he kept his favorite prizes from various expeditions. And of course, some special weapons. There was a small crate that was heavily padded both inside and out. He picked it up - it was incredible how powerful these were for something so light. He brought the box back to the deck and carefully opened it.

Patrice frowned, he peered in at the little dark spheres. "What are those?"

Barone grinned confidently. "Stun grenades, I believe they were called. That merchant was a tinkerer with sedatives and other drugs. He claimed each one of these could knock out anyone standing within a couple meters."

The first mate and some of the other crew waiting nearby took a reflexive step back.

"I see you understand how they could be useful, no?" Barone looked around to see impressed looks on the crew's faces. "They're said to be balanced well for slings, so Marc and Agnus, get ready to start launching these when we're within range."

Two of the pirate warriors nodded, taking one of the small bombs in their hands to get a feel for how they would fly.

It wasn't much longer before the other ship noticed them approaching. The dark sails and accelerated rowing let them know they were being approached by pirates. Men started gathering near the bulwarks, arming themselves.

Those aboard the pirate ship weren't strangers to being unwelcome guests. Most of them thrived on that. A few men on the royal ship were armed with bows and eagerly began to shoot at the oncoming pirates. The arrows clattered harmlessly off the bulwarks or the shields that had the rowers wore on their shoulders. The two pirate slingers stayed ready, loading up a bomb and picking out their targets. Once they judged themselves to be in range, they quickly whirled the slings around and let loose - both had picked an area with a crowd of enemy troops.

A thick blue smoke rose from the deck where the bombs had shattered. There was confusion among the troops, nothing really happened. But then the pirates heard the clatter of weapons and armor, and men fell to the deck without a fight.

"Again," Barone called softly. He had since armed himself and stood ready with a boarding party, crouched low to vault over the bulwarks when the ships came together.

Two more bombs landed on the ship, and more soldiers and rowers slumped over where they had been standing. In just a matter of seconds, the pirates had rendered almost half of the enemy force unconscious.

There were two more grenades, and the slingers picked their targets quickly before the enemy troops could think to spread out. At least another 15 men went down from afar. The pirates let out a battle cry as they closed the last few meters between the two ships.

There was a soft crunch as the bow of the Notturno rammed into the starboard side of the royal ship and it turned to draw alongside it. The boarding party leapt over, their mouths and noses covered with bandanas.

The remaining defenders tried to form up and provide resistance to the pirates, but they were confused and in shock at the sudden attack that rendered the rest of the crew dead? Asleep? They weren't sure yet. The defenders were brushed aside, cornered into the stern of the ship.

The pirates quietly and methodically searched the ship. In their search they found a decent haul of treasure. A small box of precious gems, some fine arms and armor, and gold. Barone let out a low whistle as he watched his men loot the ship. Barone looked over the men aboard the ship - none of them looked or acted like royalty. He'd gotten good at sniffing that out over the years.

"We're missing someone," he mused to no one in particular. His eyes lingered on the cornered troops. "Come now, you must know better than to fly a standard when you're all by your lonesome!" None of the men met his eyes.

Barone looked around the ship, walking over to a small door leading to something below deck. "Captain's quarters, no?" He turned and grinned devilishly at the defeated men. One of the soldiers jumped to his feet to protest something but was stunned by a swift blow to the head from a pirate.

Barone drew his dagger and kicked at the flimsy door. It swung open and he peered inside the room. Before he even processed who was in the room, a young woman stumbled at him. He caught her. A voice from deeper in the room blurted "Take her instead!"

The pirate looked down at the plainly-dressed young woman in his arms - she must be a servant. She looked offended, but not at him. The dark-skinned girl turned her eyes back at the unseen woman in the room who tried to give her up. "Stefan, come here and hold this one," Barone called over his shoulder. One of the other pirates came to hold the young servant back.

Captain Barone stepped into the room, his dagger out. There was a well-dressed woman standing against the wall of the room, looking very much as if she wished she could melt into the wood. The tall pirate lowered his dagger and smiled at the noblewoman. "I won't hurt you," he lowered his head in respect - the pirate could be quite charming when he wanted to. Barone held out his hand.

Tentatively, the woman stepped out of the shadows. She was surprisingly short - Barone judged her to barely come up to his shoulder. Despite the low light, her gray-blue eyes were piercing. She smiled weakly at the pirate but accepted his hand.

With snake-like speed and precision, Barone drew his dagger and swung it, the hilt connecting against the noblewoman's jaw. The piercing gray eyes were suddenly dull and unfocused, crossing slightly before straightening out. She opened her mouth to protest, only letting out a quiet undignified grunt before her knees wobbled beneath her and she staggered forward, slumping against the pirate.

He cradled her easily in his arms, turning to leave the room. One of his crew offered to take the woman's limp body from him, but he was happy to do this work himself. He jerked his head behind him. Search the room for anything else of value. Then set sail for Verdona." His voice carried on the last sentence and he looked pointedly at the cornered soldiers. "If you aren't going to fight for her, you should at least try to buy her back at the markets there!" His voice was sing-songy.

Barone hefted the noblewoman's body over his shoulder as he crossed back onto the Notturno. He dumped the dark-haired woman unceremoniously on the deck, her elegant clothes rumpled. The captain gestured behind him as Stefan brought the servant girl aboard. "Knock her out too, she can keep her lady company."

There was a sharp "no!" in protest from the servant girl, followed by a soft thud, a gasp, and a louder second thud. Barone looked over his shoulder to see the dark-skinned servant girl knocked out, draped across the slumbering form of her lady.

"Let's get out of here before they regain their courage," Barone called to his crew. The last of the boarding party backed onto the ship, and the rowers shoved off with their oars. The royal ship floated listlessly, no one at the oars, her men now trying to regroup and wake up their comrades.

This would be a profitable day. Barone smiled to himself as the enemy ship grew smaller in the horizon. His smile widened as he looked at the two women piled on top of each other on the deck of his ship. A very profitable day.

—

Jade woke up slowly, her head still pounding a little. She blinked a few times, not immediately recognizing where she was. There were purple and black fabrics, as she raised her head more, she began to put the pieces together. Underneath her was Queen Amanda, her eyes closed. "My lady?" She shook the older woman's shoulder gently.

The noblewoman didn't stir. Jade shook her head off and sat up more. She looked around - this was not the Raven. The men on this ship were unfamiliar. Slowly, she remembered what had happened aboard the Raven. There were the sounds of fighting, then a man burst into the Queen's room. Amanda had begged the attackers to take Jade instead, and the young woman's face soured as she remembered that detail. There was the vague memory of being brought aboard another ship, but then... nothing.

"Captain, the girl's awake!" A voice interrupted her thoughts.

The shadow of a tall, lanky man approached behind her, and Jade turned to look. The sun was directly behind the pirate, and Jade had to shield her eyes.

"Welcome aboard the Notturno, young lady." Jade didn't recognize the man's accent. He certainly didn't sound like one of the people from the surrounding lands of Queen Amanda's small nation.

"I am Captain Barone," he offered his hand to help Jade to her feet. "We are delighted to have you aboard..." the Captain trailed off and tilted his head, expecting Jade to offer her name.

"Jade," she said once she rose unsteadily to her feet. Barone nodded, his eyes focused keenly on Jade, as if trying to discern what she looked like beneath her simple clothes. There was something about Barone's piercing gaze that reminded Jade of the Queen. Jade hesitantly leaned away from the tall man. "You're pirates, aren't you?"

Barone pretended to yawn. "Finally figured that out, eh?"

Jade blushed. "I'm not stupid. I've seen people like you before."

The pirate turned his attention away from Jade, his boot nudging the still unconscious form of Queen Amanda. "Who's this, by the way?"

Jade kept her lips pursed.

"Oh come now, she tried to trade you for her freedom."

The young servant girl shrugged. "Her name is Amanda."

Barone made a gesture with his hand to continue.

Jade shrugged. "And she's the Queen of Aern."

Some of the pirates who had been eavesdropping made small noises of surprise. Others were a little more confused - Aern was not a place they were all familiar with. But the captain nodded his head thoughtfully, hiding his excitement. "I've heard of it. Very wealthy, no?"

The young woman shrugged. Barone pursed his lips distastefully. He narrowed his eyes at Jade one more time before turning away. He snapped his fingers and pointed at Amanda. "Wake her up, I'd rather tell the two of them what's going to happen once."

A crewman brought over a small bag of powder and held it under the raven-haired queen's nose. Her face twitched for a second, then shuddered and her eyes shot open as she hurriedly regained consciousness. Amanda's eyes were unfocused as she slowly tried to sit up. She squinted up at the pirates surrounding her. "Oh hello!" Her attention turned to Jade. "You're here too!" The queen giggled.

The servant girl looked at the pirates, half in shock, half in awe. "What'd you do to her?"

"That's just a side effect. It should wear off in a moment. She isn't that dense, right?" Barone whispered.

Despite herself, Jade snorted in laughter.

Barone offered his hand to the groggy noblewoman. "My lady," he said politely.

Amanda helped herself to her feet, still standing a little woozily on the gentle rocking of the deck of the ship.

"Jade, make sure she doesn't topple over," the pirate shoved the short servant girl in Amanda's direction. Reluctantly, Jade offered her hand to steady Amanda.

Barone rubbed his hands together excitedly - he was looking forward to watching their reactions to his next words. "Welcome aboard the Notturno. You will be brought to Verdona and put up for auction at the market there."

Jade showed no surprise, but she lowered her head, thinking back to the last time she was sold. The preparation, the exposure... it was not something to look forward to. Amanda's face was a little more quizzical.

Her features hardened a little as the words stuck in her mind, finally realizing that she was neither aboard the Raven nor in good hands. Her face froze in shock for a few seconds, then she sputtered out a protest. "Auction? Verdona? I am Queen of Aern!"

Barone smiled devilishly. "I know. And that will make you all the more tantalizing as merchandise. Who wouldn't want to own the stuck-up queen of that rich, faraway isle?"

Amanda blushed deeply. "You can't do this!" One of the pirates that was standing guard moved towards Amanda in case she started to cause problems. Barone nodded at him. The guard grabbed the dark-haired woman's wrists and held them firmly behind her back.

The pirate captain stepped closely, looking down at the short noblewoman. "Are you going to stop me?" He whispered. Amanda wouldn't meet his gaze. Barone grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him. "Are you?" He asked again, just as softly as the first time.

The queen's gray eyes were stormy. As she stared into Barone's dark eyes, she felt her will crumble. "No," she admitted.

Barone let out a satisfied grunt. "Time for you to start getting ready. No more clothes. Get undressed. Jade, you first."

The dark-skinned girl was happy to have the attention away from her as Amanda made a fuss, but hearing her name come out of the pirate's mouth jolted her back to reality. Her face must have betrayed her brief confusion, because she saw Barone nod expectantly, his eyes focused intently on her despite standing just a few inches from the Queen.

Jade knew she didn't have much of a choice. It hadn't been exactly like this the last time she was captured, but she knew the deal. Jade looked down and sighed softly to herself. Unlike Amanda, she was dressed simply in a light purple gown. There was a thin cord around the waist that she undid, then slid the shoulders of the garment lightly off, letting the thin dress fall to the decks. Jade still wore a fitted undershirt as well as loose shorts - provided 'graciously' by Amanda - but the shirt provided some push up to her smaller breasts and gave her impressive cleavage. Jade certainly heard the reaction of a few of the men - sharp inhales, little mutterings, a few soft laughs.

Waiting wasn't going to make it any easier, and she reached for the button on the back of her undershirt and lifted it up over her head. There was another reaction rippling through the throng of men as Jade's breasts sprung free. She ignored them and lowered her underwear. This time, there was a smattering of clapping from the pirates. Jade leaned down and picked up her clothes, balled them up, and tossed them in Barone's direction. "Happy?" She tried to sound calm, but the heavy heaving of her chest belied her nervousness.

Barone's gaze had never left her, but as Jade met his eyes again, his expression could only be described as appraising, not lustful. Which, given his claim that he would sell Jade and Amanda at Verdona, she expected as much. But she could almost feel his eyes scan up and down her body, she almost felt a tingle of pleasure as his eyes lingered for a second between her legs. Jade closed her eyes and tried to dismiss the feeling. The pirate slowly took his eyes away from Jade and looked expectantly at Amanda.

"What?" She said innocently, unbothered by her servant stripping down naked just a few feet away.

The captain didn't answer. Instead, he pulled on the short cloak that Amanda had draped over her shoulders. He balled up the thin fabric and rolled it between his hands. Amanda gasped and struggled against the pirate that held her arms back.

"Something tells me you won't behave, hmm?" Barone chuckled and patted the queen on the cheek. "Maybe you can prove me wrong. It would be a good surprise." He waved his hand at the guard, who let Amanda go.

The gorgeous queen looked at Jade. "Do something!" She hissed, pleading with her former servant. Jade didn't meet Amanda's eyes. Amanda's mind raced, trying to get herself out of this. "Why don't you take Jade to your bed! Look at her, how can you say no to that, Barone?"

Barone raised an eyebrow. "What an interesting woman you are. Knock her out," he sounded bored. The pirate behind her held Amanda in a bear hug, squeezing with one arm around her midsection, his other hand clamped over the queen's mouth and nose.

Her voice was muffled from behind the hand, and her face slowly reddened as the pirate lifted her higher in the air. Her legs tried to kick out but got lost in the folds of her dress. Amanda's eyes turned from angry to pleading, and then the exhaustion kicked in and it became harder for her to keep her eyes open. Amanda's head drooped down against the pirate's hand, and her struggles ceased. She was held aloft for a second before being dropped, crumpling to the deck in a heap of limbs and clothes.

Barone snapped his fingers at Jade. "Drag her to my quarters."

"What?" Jade had been happy to be forgotten for a second, taking the chance to shield her body behind one of the masts.

"Do you want to join her?" There was a twinkle in Barone's eye.

The young servant woman stepped out of the shadows. She didn't try to cover herself with her hands. She grabbed Amanda by the ankles, and pulled the unconscious queen back towards where Barone had gestured. The pirate captain was following her slowly, his long strides effortlessly covering the ground Jade was struggling with. The young woman wasn't sure how long it had taken her, but she finally deposited Amanda on the floor of Barone's quarters, taking the chance to sit down, her legs crossed, on the small cot in the room.

Barone closed the door behind him. He sat down on the edge of his bed, facing Jade. He regarded her closely before gesturing to the unconscious queen on the floor. "Undress her."

"Me? Why?"

A shrug. "Because I want you to." The pirate's eyes were unwavering, unblinking.

Jade looked away. "Fine," she muttered, kneeling down on the ground next to Amanda. She started with the queen's boots - it seemed easy enough. Jade struggled a surprising amount, the boots snugly fit the queen. The young woman looked up at the rest of Amanda's outfit and frowned. This was going to take a while.

The pirate captain seemed to come to the same conclusion. "I'll be right back, I think it's time for some food," he mused. He stood up to leave the small quarters, leaving Jade alone in the room with Amanda.

Jade half toyed with the idea of finding some weapon to attack Barone with when he returned. But then what? Where would she go? And he didn't strike her as the type of man that would be caught off guard so easily. Jade then settled on the idea that Barone was hoping she'd try something just so he had an 'excuse' to subdue her. She sighed again and got back to work.