For Honor And Glory

The young woman stood calmly at the end of the pier. She was alone. In her left hand she loosely carried a spear, and her right held a long, curved sword. "Captain Barone," she called out. "I wish to speak with you."

The pirate captain had just finished with some business in the small city of Litaria on the coast of the southern continent. He held his hand up to the few men that had joined him. He stepped forward, a confused smile on his face. The woman was dressed like a warrior, and held the weapons with ease and familiarity. But she was young, and alone. That was not usually a recipe for success against him and his crew. "Why?" He hadn't bothered to loosen his dagger in his belt, and he held up his hand to the five men behind him to do this same.

"It's regarding the business you do in this area," she said, calmly and confidently.

"Are you placing me under arrest?" His voice was mocking, like he didn't believe she had any authority.

"I could," if she noticed his disrespect, she didn't seem to care. "And I still might. But I would come with me, if I were you."

Barone heard the marching of feet behind his men. There was a small party of armored warriors - based on how they were dressed, they were undoubtedly with the young woman.

The pirate gestured to his men to stand down. "I will speak with you," he motioned to one of his crew - a large, capable warrior. "Willis, with me. The rest of you can wait on the Notturno." He raised his voice to address the young woman in front of him. "Lead the way, miss," he bowed with exaggeration.

The warrior curled her lip in disgust. "You will refer to me as Rayna." She walked back up the pier, brushing past Barone to join the rest of her armed force. They didn't go very far, there was a security office that Rayna led Barone to. She didn't disarm them.

She had her people stand guard outside the small building. She sat down at the lone table in the room. There were two short stools that were a few inches off the ground that Rayna gestured to Barone and Willis to sit down on. Barone smirked. "I think we'll stand."

Rayna shrugged. "You're a pirate - a slaver, correct?" She didn't try to hide her distaste.

If she was attempting to get under his skin, it was a weak opening. "I deal only in the finest and fairest merchandise." It wasn't the first time he had been questioned.

"I'll take that as a yes, then," Rayna pursed her lips. "Then I hope you can help me."

Barone regarded Rayna in a new light. "You wish for me to bring you someone?" It wouldn't have been the first time someone asked him for this. And for the right price, he would. Specific targets were a challenge, and Barone thought it was good to test his cleverness from time to time.

Rayna surprised him by shaking her head. "Are you familiar with the state of Kalistal?"

Barone inclined his head. He had seen their representatives many times at the markets in Verdona. From what he heard, they were a warlike state, intent on wiping out neighbors who got too powerful. "Vaguely." He wouldn't reveal too much.

The warrior narrowed her eyes. "Their ruler sent us a peace treaty." Barone knew who she was talking about - Ferik Atol. His 'peace treaties' were closer to ultimatums. They were usually the precursor to war.

"I see you know what I mean." Rayna noticed the almost imperceptible sign of recognition on Barone's face. "Then you will also know what will come next. I want to stop that."

Barone leaned over the table. "I think you have my crew mistaken for mercenaries," he said derisively.

"I know exactly what you are," Rayna said quietly, not lowering her eyes from Barone's gaze. Her heart leapt a bit before she said the next sentence: "I want you to abduct me." It took all her willpower to not look away from Barone now.

The pirate's mind raced. He didn't quite follow, which wasn't something that happened often. "You think offering yourself to him will appease him? I don't think that will work."

Rayna shook her head slowly. She spoke quietly, but confidently. "I am aware. No. I want you to get him to buy me. I will eliminate him." She hoped she sounded as confident as she felt.

"Rayna, are you sure you've thought this out?" Barone tilted his head in confusion. "You will not be auctioned off fully-armed." Barone was never one to turn down a good abduction - especially one of a woman as beautiful as Rayna.

She seemed unfazed by his question. "Yes, I know. I will explain it more on your ship. I cannot trust everyone in my guard." Her eyes flicked to the doorway.

"But you can trust me? I'm honored."

"Oh, I can't trust you one bit. But I trust your loyalty to gold more." She pulled a bag from her belt and opened it slightly. Inside were roughly 25 gold pieces. "I will pay you this now. And I will pay you tenfold upon my return. For that, you have my word."

Barone thought for a second. He met Rayna's dark, intelligent eyes. "And I will get whatever you sell for." His eyes flicked up and down the warrior's toned figure. "Which I imagine will be quite high." Rayna's cheeks flushed slightly at that comment. "Deal," he offered the warrior his hand.

She shook his hand. "Good. A trusted messenger informed your crew to expect you back in a hurry. If they believed him, they should be ready to go underway immediately."

"Why?"

Rayna stood up, her hands empty. "You're going to kidnap me."

"Now?"

"I cannot be seen willingly boarding your ship. I will not risk word getting out to Atol."

What she said made sense. Barone nodded. "I trust your guards will try to stop us?"

"Unfortunately, yes. But I can accompany you at least to your ship. You must take me aboard by force." There was some tension in her voice - the pirate guessed the reality was setting in more on the young warrior.

"I understand." Barone couldn't help but grin a little - the capture was always exciting to him.

"Good. Then you'll follow me." Rayna led the way out of the small room, past the few guards that had been stationed outside. She made no signal to them, but the guards closed in behind Barone and Willis.

As they walked, the pirate indulged himself and studied Rayna. He knew no one could see his face, so he had no need to be discreet. Her sandals ended a few inches above her ankles, tucked into the bottom of her flowy tan pants. Rayna wore a belt, with her long curved sword sheathed. Her top was sleeveless, and a few shades darker brown than the light shade of her skin. She wore a studded vest over the shirt, but her arms were bare, save for thick leather wrist sleeves that extended to below her elbow. Rayna had two golden bracelets wrapped around her biceps, and her dark hair was tied back. In short - Barone would've been happy to sell her, regardless of her little plan. Both he and the crew would enjoy having a woman like that captive aboard the Notturno.

Rayna may have been dressed like a warrior, and acted like a warrior, but the pirate captain noticed that she walked with the subtle but mesmerizing hip-swaying of a woman confident in her own beauty. In his eyes, that could only be a bonus.

She stopped abruptly. The pirate had gotten distracted - they were standing in front of his ship. "Do not return." Rayna mustered as much confidence into her voice as she could.

Barone was jolted back to reality. "Of course, Lady Rayna," he wasn't sure if he should call her that. He bowed and motioned to Willis. "Hit her," he gave the order calmly and quietly, with no real malice.

The large companion had been waiting for his time to shine. He drew his sword quickly, swinging the hilt in a swift and powerful arc. The top of the pommel connected against Rayna's head with a soft thud. The almond-skinned warrior's knees buckled, her eyes glazing over. "Ungh..." she muttered under her breath. Her long spear fell from her limp hand and clattered to the planks of the pier.

Willis stepped forward and scooped up Rayna - she wasn't a short woman, but she was a small ragdoll in his powerful arms. He made quickly for the ship - handing Rayna's body off to a waiting member of the crew. The rowers were indeed ready, and as soon as Rayna and Willis were aboard, they lowered their oars into the water and started to row.

Barone picked up the spear and wheeled around, pointing it at the members of the Litarian guard. They had been stunned briefly by the quick scene. But one gathered his wits faster than the others and charged at the pirate captain.

Barone was no real warrior, but he brandished the spear confidently. He noticed the Notturno starting to leave, then leapt to grab onto a ladder on the stern of his ship. He climbed aboard just in time, as a spear thrown by one of the guards impaled the wood where Barone had been clinging to just a second before.

"Get down!" He hissed at his crew. "Keep rowing." The captain noted that all the rowers tucked their heads low over their oars beneath the bulwarks to not give any of the guards on shore a target. Luckily, none of the guards had bows, and they were soon out of range for the soldier's spears.

He peeked over the stern of his vessel. The guards didn't seem to have any ships immediately at their disposal, and they stood angrily at the end of the pier. "We're clear, men." He called.

Collectively, the men sighed in relief. The rowers kept their intensity - they were keen to put as much distance between themselves and Litaria as they could.

Barone carefully stood up. His knees were a little weak after the adrenaline of the moment wore off, but he willed himself to not look weak in front of his crew. It wouldn't do much for his image to look scared.

He noticed Rayna was lying unconscious a few feet from him where one of the crew had deposited her. She was unattended in all the commotion. Her face was beautiful in her slumber - softened from her usual intensity as a soldier. Her striking eyes were closed, eyelids still twitching from being freshly subdued. Rayna's mouth hung open slightly, her tongue visible and a small trail of drool hanging out the side of her mouth.

Barone couldn't help but tease her. He pushed her head side to side with his foot. "Not so tough now, eh?" He noticed a few of the crew were stealing glances at her. They were accustomed to getting a show of some variety from whatever captive Barone brought aboard.

The captain had every intention of doing just that - there was no reason to treat her any differently from other merchandise he had brought aboard before. He scooped her up in a carry and walked her across the length of the ship to his quarters. Her head bounced limply with every step, her toned arms dangling harmlessly. There were some murmurs among the crew as she was carried past.

Barone deposited Rayna's unconscious form onto the small cot in his room and closed the door. He kept her lying down, gently posing her limbs. So she looked like she was sleeping peacefully.

After a minute, she seemed no closer to waking up, and Barone had a process for bringing a new girl on board. Naturally, that involved her wearing no clothes. He rolled Rayna's lithe body over, finding the straps on her thick vest and untying them. He pulled the armor off her body and set it on the ground. He sat her upright, letting her head flop limply as he moved her.

Barone pulled the tan padded undershirt up, first to expose her midriff, then to expose her petite breasts. He lifted her arms up over her head and pulled the garment off entirely, setting it down next to the armor on the floor. He held her hands in his and pulled off her thick leather wrist guards. Barone almost took the gold bracelets off her biceps, but something about them appealed to him, so he left them on.

He took a second to regard what he saw of Rayna's body so far. He held her face delicately in her hand, gently pulling back an eyelid to see her warm brown eyes glazed over and rolled back in her head. Her strong shoulders sagged weakly, and her hands rested at her sides. The gold bracelets emphasized her toned biceps, and then there were her breasts. Rayna was not the bustiest girl - that much had already been obvious. But her breasts were delicately curved, her darker nipples standing out against her light brown skin. Respectfully, Barone cupped her boobs with her hands. Rayna didn't have any reaction, so he groped her chest a little more liberally, tweaking her nipples between his forefinger and thumb.

A soft puff of breath went through Rayna's parted lips. Barone noticed, and smirked. He gave another, stronger pinch. This time, Rayna let out a soft moan, and her features tightened. "Oh ho! That got your attention?" Barone taunted quietly.

Apparently, that was all the reaction he was going to get out of Rayna, and her expression softened. The tall pirate leaned down to stare at her peaceful face. "Apparently not that much..." he pursed his lips.

She was propped up against the wall, but Barone gently shoved her shoulder, pushing her down back to the cot. He reached for her waist and undid her belt, wrapping the thick leather cord around the hilt of her sword. "Won't be needing that anytime soon!" He smirked.

Mentally, he admonished himself - even though Rayna had been unconscious from the moment she was brought aboard, it was never good practice to leave a damsel armed. Especially one as dangerous as Rayna appeared.

There was a lone button on the waistband of Rayna's tan linen pants, and in one deft motion Barone undid it. He reached below the waist of her pants and pulled the sides of the flowy garment as hard as he could. The pants came off a little, but they were more snug around her hips than the pirate judged, and it yanked Rayna's limp body off the cot. She balanced precariously on the edge of the cot for a second before sliding down to the floor.

Barone frowned. He grabbed her ankles and quickly removed her sandals, then pulled on the hem of her pants and pulled upwards. This time, the pants came free, briefly lifting Rayna's long legs up in the air, then just as quickly dropping her legs back to the floor as the pants were removed entirely.

The pirate balled up Rayna's vacated pants, a grin on his face. He tossed the garment to the corner of the room as well. Rayna lay sprawled on the floor, her arms splayed in different directions, and her legs were flat on the floor, unintentionally spread apart. The only thing that stood between Rayna and complete nudity was a surprisingly tight and small pair of thin shorts.

Barone sighed. "I'm not even going to try with that." He pulled out his dagger and knelt next to Rayna. He lifted the waistband of Rayna's last remaining clothing and stuck the dagger underneath, yanking upwards to rip the thin garment. It was much easier to pull the tattered fabric away from her body now, and it was just moments before her body was as bare as she was helpless.

The lanky captain smiled as he sat back on his bed, satisfied with the day's work. There was, of course, the brief moment that he feared for his life as a thrown spear embedded itself where he had stood just a second before, but sometimes that was part of the life of a prolific pirate.

He looked down at Rayna's nude body with an appraising glance. She was stunning, that was for certain. There was probably someone out there that was maddened by her choosing the lifestyle of a warrior. But on the other hand, it was just as likely that someone found that just another admirable quality of the young beauty. Barone might have even been that someone.

He thought back on everything Rayna had told him back in Litaria. He still wasn't sure how her plan was going to work. There was the 250 gold that Rayna had promised him upon the successful completion of her mission - and that was nothing to treat lightly. He knew his ship was still less than two days from Verdona, there would certainly be time to discuss details of Rayna's plan with the warrior. "If you ever wake up, that is," he nudged Rayna's thigh with his leg, but she was still fast asleep.

The captain was almost tempted to use one of the various potions and powders he had to forcibly wake her up, but that sometimes left the victim in an extended state of confusion. But on the other hand, there was her subconscious reaction as he gave her nipples attention. "Worth a shot," he muttered excitedly.

There was a brief moment of inspiration as he grabbed a small coil of rope and fastened her wrists together, setting the end of the rope tied to the base of his bed's frame. He crouched over Rayna's slumbering form and reached for her dark pink nipples, pinching firmly. Her face twitched slightly, but nothing else. He applied a little more pressure. This time her brow furrowed and her mouth moved, first silently, then it sounded like she was muttering something.

After a few more seconds of stimulation, Rayna's eyes shot open. "Get your hands off me or -" she tried to move her hands to strike Barone, but felt them secured in place. Her eyes were suddenly full of rage - this was a woman used to being in control.

Barone stepped back, watching as she struggled into a sitting position. "I don't think you'll cause much trouble at the moment, Lady Rayna."

Gone was the peaceful, harmless blank expression the warrior had worn while she slept off the blow to her head. Her eyes seethed, and she bared her teeth, as if mentally running through every way she would destroy Barone. "I can't believe I thought you would help me."

The captain held his hands up, offended. "What makes you think I'm not?"

She gasped. She waggled her bound wrists at him and looked down at her naked body. "What do you call this?"

Barone's eyes sparkled. "I thought we were going for authenticity on your kidnapping, Lady Rayna. And on my ship, merchandise doesn't wear clothing."

"Don't call me that. I'm no noblewoman."

Barone bowed in an exaggerated apology. He couldn't resist taunting ladies while they were helpless. "Forgive me. I assumed you had some title I should address you by."

Rayna didn't take the bait. "So what? Are you going to just sell me now and make off with your profits?"

Barone sat down in front of her. "Is that the new plan? I thought you wanted me to get you sold to... what's that nasty warlord's name? Atol?" He shrugged. "I suppose that's fine with me. But I was looking forward to having you pay me and my men even more once you staged your little 'escape.'"

The warrior's eyes regarded him coldly. "Are you saying you will still help me?"

"Help is a dangerous word. What else is there to do once we sell you?"

"I was hoping you could prove to be a getaway vessel. I will need to get back to my home to pay you, after all."

Barone nodded, expecting something like this. "I see. You do realize the Notturno isn't exactly... conspicuous. I have a reputation, you know. I can't just wait at the docks of Kalistal."

Rayna didn't smile, but her eyes seemed a little amused now. "I never said anything about escaping from Kalistal."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"The auctions at Verdona take place at night, do they not? I would assume that most buyers stay overnight before returning home. I was told sailing at night is never anyone's favorite."

What she said was true. Besides, Barone suspected most buyers were impatient. They would want to put their purchases to use as soon as possible.

"You could simply remain docked at Verdona, but stay ready for my return."

"Hmm, that could work. But I will say, the men usually like to party in the town. They might not be happy to have to leave so quickly. And again - a getaway ship isn't the safest job in the world, you know."

"I'm paying you 250 gold, aren't I?" She snapped.

"Only if your escape works. What if you don't? That'll be a whole night wasted for my men."

"At that point, that won't be much of my concern, will it?" She said bitterly.