For Honor And Glory

"You're right, it won't. I'm sure your main concern at that point will be satisfying Atol's desires. I wonder how long he's been waiting to put you in your place," Barone stroked his chin thoughtfully. "But! It'll all work just fine, won't it?" He said brightly.

Rayna didn't say anything.

"But there is still the small problem of an upfront payment to my men."

"Upfront?" Rayna said angrily. "What do you expect me to do? Have another bag of gold on me? I figured you already thoroughly searched me," her voice was accusatory.

"Hm, why don't you move your legs? I think there's a place I forgot to check."

"You disgusting..."

Barone held his hands up to appease her. "Why don't we ask the men? I'm sure they might be able to come up with something in terms of payment. After all, it is their evening you're robbing them of."

"I know what they'll suggest," she said huffily.

"You might be surprised. Some of them are really quite enlighted." Barone undid the loop of rope that kept Rayna secured to the bed and hauled her to her feet. He used the length of rope as a leash, leading her out onto the open deck of the ship.

Rayna took a second to adjust to the brightness outside of Barone's dimly lit quarters. She couldn't see anything, but she quickly heard an assortment of hoots, cheers, and whistles. She tried to cover herself by lowering her wrists.

"Men!" Barone's voice carried easily across the ship. "Rayna has a favor to ask of you." He tugged on the rope to bring Rayna out of his shadow.

Her eyes were no longer hurting from the bright sun reflecting over the clear seawater, but she still squinted. "Go on, ask them," Barone whispered in her ear.

Rayna tried to compose herself. "I need you to serve as a getaway ship for me."

There was confusion amongst the crew. Getaway ship? I thought we were selling her.

"They, uh, they might not know about that part yet," Barone muttered. "Keep explaining it though, you're doing great. You've got their attention."

That part was certainly true. The men's eyes were fixated on Rayna's body - they might have seen their share of captive women on board the Notturno, but she was still stunning. Many of them thought back to how the young warrior had been dressed when she was brought aboard the ship. She was less threatening this way. The sound of oars splashing in the water had grown quieter, the ship powered only by the sails now.

Rayna had led men into battle before, so she leaned on her experience to quickly explain what she needed a getaway ship for. "Men," she started confidently. "You may have gathered that I will be sold at the markets in Verdona. However, I do not plan to stay sold. I will escape from my new owner that night in Verdona, and I need you to serve as a getaway ship for me. You will be paid 250 gold upon my safe return home, and another 100 gold should you agree to serve as my escape."

There were some mutterings amongst the men. Between the payment from Rayna, and the payment for Rayna... the men could feel their coin purses getting heavier already.

Barone felt she was leaving out something important. "What she also will need from you," the crew fell silent as their captain started talking. "Is for you to give up your evenings to be ready to leave at a moment's notice. Instead of spending the night in Verdona, we will need to keep the Notturno outside of the port. We'll bring Rayna back here in the skiff. I'd rather not be recognized as helping a slave escape, even if we are doing it for a larger payday," he directed the last sentence to Rayna.

She nodded, understanding the logic behind that. The crew was nodding along as well.

"I understand we will camp for the night. I was hoping," Rayna struggled for a second with her words before continuing. She steeled her resolve, thinking of the good that would happen once Atol was disposed of and Kalistal, in the power vacuum left by Atol's death, would be conquered, or at least pacified. Her people - her own lord - would be grateful. "I was hoping that I could provide entertainment tonight."

The crew's reaction was joyous. Yes, they would usually get their fill with the entertainment the night life in Verdona provided, but Rayna was in front of them here and now. Patience was a virtue, after all, and many of the crew lacked it.

The mood on the ship was noticeably better as the afternoon dragged on to the evening. Rayna spent some time on the deck among the men, now that Barone had freed her from her binds. She had led men into battle before, and even though these pirates would not be doing any fighting, she thought it was important to be seen amongst the men since she was asking a favor from them. Rayna had more or less grown accustomed to being naked in front of others. In her mind, she had already been preparing herself for being sold for the last few weeks. Part of that was knowing that as she was placed on the auction block, she would not be afforded any clothes.

Occasionally, she would still feel a twinge of self-consciousness as one of the crew let his eyes linger a little longer on her breasts, crotch, or ass, but she resisted the urge to try and cover up. Some of the men took the opportunity as she walked past to smack her taut butt or cup one of her breasts in their hands. Rayna bit her lip to steel herself. She thought of it as mental strengthening - if she couldn't accept these men's gestures, she would be hard-pressed to behave herself in the Ferik's court. She closed her eyes and kept pacing, stopping if one of their hands grabbed at her to get a better grope.

She spent some time looking over the bow of the ship. She knew she would be putting her toned butt perfectly on display, but she didn't care this time. Rayna was lost in thought. The 'peace treaty' Atol had sent her town was nothing more than a veiled threat. It asked for unreal concessions - even if Rayna's lord had been willing, they could not have fulfilled the Ferik's wishes. Rayna shook her head ruefully. Litaria's leader, Bitel, was a kindly old man. He was open minded about the world, which was part of the reason Rayna had managed to rise to the rank of captain of the town's guard at such a young age, and as a woman.

She hadn't told Bitel of her plan. She knew he would reject it for being too dangerous. But it would be dangerous for everyone if Ferik Atol would be allowed to reign free. His armies would come and conquer her town. There was a high chance she would be taken as a slave to him anyway - she had played important roles in repelling some of Kalistal's early raids. At least now, it was on her terms. And she'd still have her town to return to. Whenever she was anxious, she would take to practicing her spear or swordplay. Barone had kept her weapons from her - "You don't get to be dressed, you certainly don't get to be armed."

She was in no real position to argue with that. And after all, she would most likely not have access to weapons when the time came to kill Atol and make her escape. She would have to rely on other means. She was accomplished in hand-to-hand fighting, and that was what would help her out.

Rayna watched the crew. She recognized Willis. "I want to fight you."

Willis was finishing his lunch. The large warrior looked up, his eyes soaking in every detail of her body. "Why?"

"I need to stay sharp."

"And you think you'll have a chance against me?"

Rayna wasn't surprised by his doubt. She shrugged nonchalantly. "Yes."

Willis laughed. "You have heart. But find someone else."

The young warrior didn't feel like trying to change his mind. She turned on her heel and walked away.

"Cute butt, little lady," Willis said. "Come back and put that on my lap."

She could hear his grin in his voice. Rayna didn't bother responding. She went to the stern and sat down against the railing, watching the crew. She didn't notice when Barone sat next to her. "We're going to camp for the night soon. Hope you've got something good planned for the men," he said knowingly.

Rayna had forgotten about that part of the deal. "I have some ideas."

Barone wasn't convinced. "Enlighten me." He called her bluff.

The brown-skinned warrior shrugged.

"That's what I thought. Do you dance?"

Rayna shook her head. "Don't have the time for that."

Barone sighed. "Well, one of my men is a competent musician. He will play. You will dance."

"Anything else?"

"Do you expect me to do all your work for you, Lady Rayna?"

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "I thought I told you not to call me that."

"Oh, what should I call you then?" He challenged her.

"The equivalent rank I think you would refer to as 'Captain.'"

Barone let out a low whistle. "Well, there can't be two of us."

Rayna shrugged. "Just call me Rayna."

"Suit yourself. Wanted to show a little respect I suppose." Barone reached over and grabbed her hip, his hand sliding down and smacking her butt.

Rayna glared at him. An idea popped into her head that would solve a few problems. "How about I fight your men?"

Barone almost started laughing. "I'm sorry, how is that entertainment?"

"If any of them can beat me hand-to-hand, I'll accompany them to bed tonight. Is that entertaining enough?"

The pirate captain's eyebrows shot up. "It's got my attention."

"One of your men mentioned that you don't allow them to 'use the merchandise', as he put it. But I am not your standard captive." The last statement was said simply, as if it were obviously true.

"Correct," Barone stroked his short beard. "I'll let you do that. Which of them do you hope to lose to?"

Rayna's eyes were again those of a warrior. Her expression was cold. If her face could be a weapon, she would be downright deadly.

Barone stood up. "Watch out for Willis," he said over his shoulder as he walked back to the front of the ship to give the orders to bring the Notturno ashore.

The sun was casting strokes of oranges, pinks, and purples when the crew started to disembark. She remained on the ship until all the men had disembarked. She felt a hand on her shoulder. "It's your time to shine, Captain Rayna." Barone said the word to match Rayna's own accent.

She didn't respond to his latest taunt. She walked down the gangplank and stepped onto solid ground. Rayna had sailed frequently before, but she was still grateful to be on solid ground. Barone's hand didn't leave her bicep, and he guided her through the camp, pointing to a spot on the ground next to a large rock. "Sit." The young warrior was surprised when he sat down next to her with food.

"You've got a long night in front of you. Eat."

She didn't have to be told twice. She gratefully gulped down the hearty stew. It was surprisingly good. "Thank you."

"Mmmhmm," Barone barely paid her attention.

The evening meal was winding down when she heard the sounds of an instrument being tuned. "I believe they're waiting for you, miss," Barone gestured to the camp. Most of the eyes were now turned to her.

Rayna sighed and stood up lightly. She stretched to get her muscles ready. She didn't know how to dance, but she thought she'd just try to do some of her combat training exercises. That was similar, right?

"Nice view," she heard Barone say. She looked over her shoulder. While she had been stretching, she was unintentionally giving the pirate a clear view between her legs.

"You like what you see?"

Barone almost spat out his drink.

"What, I figured I should practice my flirting too, no? I will have to seduce Atol, after all."

"Yes, yes, of course. I just wasn't expecting that from you. Please, carry on."

"Oh, I think I'm ready now," Rayna said airily. She was trying to lower all her inhibitions now. In her mind, this was her new mission. She would need to make herself as irresistible to Atol, and therefore, these men would be practice for her. As she walked away from Barone, she allowed her hips to sway a little further than she would normally. She tossed her dark hair over her shoulder, letting it flow behind her.

Barone watched her go. "Oh, she's dangerous," he muttered to himself, and he leaned back against a rock. This Rayna was almost unrecognizable to the Rayna that he had met back in Litaria. She smiled easily, her hand brushed gently against the men's hands that reached out to her as she walked past.

"You're very good at that, you know," she batted her eyes at the mandolin player. It was easy to flirt when one was as beautiful as her. He skipped a beat, but she pretended not to notice. She took a place in front of the fire. The musician had regained his composure and started to play in earnest. Rayna took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She let the music run over her and began to move to the music.

She stuck to what she knew first, simple turns and lunges. The men ooh'd and aah'd appreciatively. Emboldened, Rayna got more creative. She moved her hips more sensually, she threw her hair back, she moved more in rhythm. The warrior was just starting to enjoy herself when the song wound down.

"Another!" A voice from the group of men shouted. There were strong sounds of assent.

The mandolin player caught her eye and nodded approvingly. She blew him a kiss.

"Oooh!" The crew approved.

Rayna continued to ignore how out of character this was for her, and kept up her dancing. She wasn't able to belly-dance like some of the women in her town, but in her nude glory, the men certainly were unable to tell the difference. She ran her hands over her body as she moved to the music. The applause and catcalls only got louder.

She lost track of how many more songs she did, but it must have been over thirty minutes since she started before she gave a large bow to the crew. Dancing was hard work, she gratefully took some water from a canteen and caught her breath.

Barone's voice carried in the night air. "Rayna has so generously offered to accompany any man to bed that can defeat her in hand-to-hand combat." Barone looked pointedly at the beautiful warrior.

Her rest was coming to an end. She stood up and joined Barone back at the fire, standing with her arms crossed. The seductive, sensual Rayna was gone. This was again the warrior, daring any man to best her. As confident as Rayna the dancer had been in her beauty, the warrior was doubly as confident in her physical prowess.

Nearly every man was pleading his case to go first. Barone surveyed his crew and called on one of the rowers to give it his try. A few of his friends patted the broad man on the back as he headed up to the front. "There we go, come on up Flynn, let's see if you've got what it takes to tame the famed Rayna of Litaria!"

Barone laid out the rules - no weapons, a five-count pin would determine the winner. "Or, unless, Rayna takes a liking to you and simply wants to surrender early!" He teased.

Flynn's face was confident. He had not been in town with Barone, so he had only seen Rayna as she was brought aboard the ship as a ragdoll dressed like a warrior. He had no question that she would be his within a minute.

He was wrong. Rayna used his strength and size against him easily. She dodged his opening attack, pivoted lightly, and used a swift kick to buckle his legs, then jumped on his back to force him to the ground. Flynn might have still been able to put up a fight, but he lay on the ground in shock. Rayna sat on his back while Barone counted to five.

The crew was in stunned silence. The fight lasted less than thirty seconds. Rayna blew her air out of her face and stood again with her hands crossed. "Who thinks they've got what it takes?" She dared.

The response from the crew was less enthusiastic this time. But men were predictable - there were still some who believed where Flynn had gone wrong and that they were skilled enough to defeat the slender girl - and take her to their bedroll.

Another man stood up. Lukas was part of the usual boarding party when the pirates took over another ship. He wasn't the tallest man, but he was still broad chested with sturdy legs. He lasted barely a minute before Rayna grabbed his arm as he made a pass at her, swiftly flipping him onto his back. Lukas didn't even seem to care that Rayna pinned him by planting her taut butt on his chest, he was as eager to go back to anonymity as he had been to defeat Rayna.

A second member of the ship's boarding force stepped up to face the young warrior. Nils was one of the best fighters aboard, and he was a veteran, almost twice Rayna's age. He moved slower, not rushing into anything. There had been a moment where he managed to trip Rayna, but she rolled easily and got to her feet, sending a quick punch to Nils' jaw before he registered what she had done. Rayna kicked off his chest and sent him staggering backwards and lost his footing on a slick patch of grass.

Nils knew when he was defeated and held his hands up in surrender. "I think I'll save everyone some time and step aside," he smiled at Rayna. Rayna nodded her respect at Nils.

She turned back to the very quiet pirate crew. "Anyone left?" She stared over the men. "No one? Willis?"

She met the eyes of the tall warrior who had knocked her out on the pier of Litaria. "You know you want to."

Willis very much did not want to. But the encouragement of the other men in the crew gave him no choice. He stood up and drew himself to his full height and approached Rayna. "I'll go easy on you."

He may have been nearly a foot taller than her, but Rayna wasn't impressed. "That's what you're going to say, huh? And here I was, thinking you actually might be someone. Shame!"

Rayna turned away from him.

Willis sighed. He wasn't in the mood to fight. But he couldn't back down. He threw a punch at the naked woman in front of him. It never even got close. She swayed to the side, evidently watching the shadows in the fire. She pivoted quickly and dropped to a crouch, facing the tall pirate.

Willis focused on the slight woman. He kicked out at her, but she easily rolled to the side, springing to her feet and kicking at his knees. Willis wasn't going to go down as easily as the others, though. He was bigger and stronger than the others - and defeated more than his share of wannabe heroes aboard ships he'd boarded. Willis dodged as best he could and turned, keeping Rayna in front of him. The two sized each other up. Willis waited for Rayna to make the next move. When she did, he grabbed her forearm and pulled her into his body, wrapping her up in a bearhug. He lifted her up and started to squeeze against her ribs. Rayna gasped in his arms.

A smile started to spread across the massive pirate's face. "I don't even need my sword to take you down this time," he snarled. Somehow, Willis' height was his undoing.

As he lifted her up, slowly squeezing the air from her, Rayna stayed still. He held her up in his hands to show her off to the crew. There were some murmurs amongst the men.

Rayna judged how high she was off the ground, and kicked backwards against Willis as hard as she could. She misjudged where her kick would land and missed a few inches above her intended target. It didn't matter. The back of her heel connected with Willis' gut, driving the air from his lungs. Surprised, he lost his hold on her. She landed easily on the ground whipping around and sending an elbow into Willis' side. He grunted in pain, staggering away from Rayna.

She followed up her advantage. A quick and powerful step on his ankle followed by a shoulder to his ribs was enough to do the job. Willis lost his balance as he tried to backpedal, Rayna encouraged this by throwing her weight onto his front. Willis broke Rayna's fall nicely, but her weight did nothing for him, driving him down to the ground.

There was silence again. Rayna looked around at the crew, daring anyone else to try her. No one did. No one was sure what to do.