The huge Lake Potable was named for its very cold fresh water, icy because it is continuously fed by two frigid snow melt rivers from the North. These two rivers created strong Southward streaming currents along the East and West shores in the lake. Those navigating the lake always had to take note of these strong currents, the bane of many a small sailing ship.

The great lake was bordered by not only Watson Hold, but her nearest neighbor, Aristosa and many other kingdoms and territories for hundreds of miles of shoreline. The Aristos from that neighboring realm had invited the Watson Hold-ers to an overnight masquerade ball celebrating their beloved son's fifteenth birthday on board their much-ballyhooed party yacht, to be held on the vastness of the Potable.

The Aristosian Party Yacht was the pride of Aristosa's yachting-mad king, Karlssgard, crafted by Techlenborg of Germany. She was a 196-footer, the fastest sailing ship ever launched, sporting a multi-decked, 1900-ton work of the boatwright's artistry, requiring a surprisingly small compliment of only 23 crewmen to man the ship. (For this pleasure cruise there was an additional staff of 25 servants to accommodate the elite passengers. Most of the female voyagers also had a companion or her own lady's maid in attendance as well.)

Named after the favorite child of the royal family, Shelby, the Heir Apparent, "Shelby's Mariner" was a marvel unto herself, an hermaphroditic brigantine, the staysail and foresail designed to catch the wind first, square-rigged on the foremast and fore-and-aft-rigged on the main, her many-leveled sails so tall that they could be seen for nearly a league; her luminous yellow paint job so bright that it rivaled the noonday sun. Her special double keels ran so deep that the likelihood of a turnover was remote, but running aground was a real consideration. To reach "Shelby's Mariner" from the Watson's realm required ferrying from the nearest wharf, since she could not be docked in the relatively shallow waters near Watson Hold.

Already aboard were royals and officials from several states, causing much consternation for the Watson family. The requested date managed to be a most inconvenient time for the Hold's royals. They had two, (count 'em, "two"...) unavoidable prior commitments. King Eric and Queen Alicia were obligated to attend a public court hearing, regarding a highly-publicized trial verdict that required royal interpretation. Prince John wanted very badly to attend the party, but he could not weasel out of hosting a fete to honor another royal family that was visiting, the visitors, the Moriarty's of Diablo's Fjord, petitioning for a treaty with The Hold. As the Prince Regent, John was authorized, and in this instance, required to act on his father's behalf. The family he was hosting was definitely not invited aboard the Mariner.

So as not to insult Aristosa, the Regent's Consort, Sherlock, was "volunteered" to grace the Mariner with his unparalleled presence, much to his chagrin and the bantering jealousy of his Prince. Sherlock took the teasing in stride and determined to make the best of what he considered a less than ideal situation.

And, as was his wont, Locke had to look absolutely perfect, and his costume must reflect his perfection. After lengthy research in the Hold's historical reference library, he copied the costume details he wanted from a portrait of a much-celebrated privateer (spelled p-i-r-a-t-e), Captain named Jack Sparrow, (...apparently a very flamboyant fellow...) Locke found the captain's bio in a book of Watson Hold's shadier, less widely-known, (although admittedly colorful) history.

Having every confidence in Mrs. Haroldsson's expertise as a sempstress to provide him with a perfect, body-conscious fit, Locke allowed her pretty much free reign with his suit tailoring. Working in tandem, the two of them together chose lush, jewel-toned fabrics, such as amethyst suede for his wasp-waisted jacket and pigeon-gray satin for his silver-thread-embossed waistcoat. Wanting to add plush enrichments as ornamentation called for several purchases in the town, pleasing the local merchants no end. Locke ordered imported lace to decorate his ruffled white shirt front and mother-of-pearl studs on his soft lambskin gloves. He also selected luxurious and genuine embellishments, i.e. real ostrich feathers for his pressed velvet cocked hat, rich crimson watered silk for his head scarf and waist sash, and 24-carat gold hoop earrings. Never one to go halfway, he went to a jeweler and had his ears pierced to make the wearing of his heavy gold earrings look authentic.

He engaged the castle's cobbler to fashion not only soft, sturdy fingerless gloves to be studded with those the mother-of-pearl buttons, but knee-high, cuffed boots with sterling buckles on carved leather straps. The silver buckles wrapped completely around the boots and under the slightly raised heels. (Prince John was already overmastered with his Sherlock's six-foot-plus frame. The extra inches were breathtaking.) Silver threads were also woven into the leather laces that fitted the boots to Locke's well-formed muscular calves.

The one enhancement he just would not do was to wear a wig or add long hair extensions to his thick curly mane. He was too proud of his own dark tresses to go messing about with what was an already perfect component of his appearance. He did allow Lady Constance, the queen's number two "Waiting" to braid a couple locks and weave a few coins, charms, and wooden beads into the braids. The queen's Ladies all insisted that decorating his hair was de rigueur.

Although he felt he need not take any extra security precautions during a pleasure voyage, he decided to display an impressive array of weapons. He draped his own hand-carved baldric across his chest, with a special sheath lashing his Katana on his back, easily accessible at his shoulder. He added well-worn vintage belts, the Prince's jeweled short sword attached at his hip; a couple of his own specially-weighted throwing knives on his chest; and a set of the prince's guardian, Samson's, pearl-handled, four-barreled Lancaster pistols in hand-worked holsters at his waist.

These weapons would look natural and add to his consequence. His proficiency with weapons had reached all the way to Aristosa, and many of the guests aboard "Shelby's Mariner" might be expecting him to demonstrate his talents in that direction. There was a hint for a combat performance by the Prince Consort in the original written invitation. Locke was willing to comply (...spelled s-h-o-w o-f-f...)

Lady Constance convinced him not to wear an eye patch as his mask, since it would interfere with his depth perception and possibly affect his weapons performance. Instead, she "made him up" with a dark Kohl line encircling his eyes, crushed cherries staining his lips redder, and a small heart-shaped patch high on his cheekbone. The already gorgeous Sherlock had his beauty thus enhanced, creating an even stronger swoon response of all the "Ladies." Also, if one did not know him personally, the disguise, combined with the costume, was very effective.

Moving his plain gold wedding band to his index finger on his right hand, Locke sprinkled his exposed fingers with garnet, amethyst, and baroque gold rings to create sparkle on his hands. With a kiss to Locke's fingers for luck, the prince slid his pinkie signet ring onto Sherlock's little finger. This was the only concession to his real identity.

After days of preparation, the event was upon them. The evening of the voyage, Locke, with help from the Prince and both of their Personal Guardians, Samson and Adrian, assembled his "look" with obvious pride. But, surprisingly, when his ensemble was completed, an unexpected bout of timidity struck Locke. After gazing at himself in a full-length mirror, with head down, peeping up through his lashes, he eyed the Prince with a rather sheepish smile. "How do I look?"

"Handsome, dashing, and rakish, Love..." His prince whispered. "I'd hate to mess up your outfit, but I'd like to tear all that off you and let you ravage poor helpless me...Captain."

Locke grinned. "Do you think we have time?" Locke grabbed at John, while the two Guardians just threw their hands in the air.

Samson whined, "Come on, guys..."

With arms around each other's waists, the Prince and his Consort both turned and looked at Samson with big grins. "We're just kidding..." Locke looked down at John "...I think..." John was gazing at him with such need-filled warmth that Locke shivered. He gave John a quick peck on the lips and released him.

Holding hands, John and Locke moved past the exasperated guardians and lead them down the hall to the nursery. No one in the castle ever went anywhere for any length of time without spending a few minutes with the heirs. As they entered the nursery, John dropped to his knees and braced himself as two tiny persons slammed into him, squealing, "Papa...Papa..."

Locke stepped forward and placed a hand on the top of John's head, stroking his silky blonde hair. The two babes looked up at Locke, and their little mouths formed two tiny "O's".

Locksley was the first to regain his voice, "Daddy, you looks bee-yoo-tee-ful !" Locke dropped to one knee to hug his son. He reached out and touched Honny's curly blonde locks. She just shoved her fist against her mouth and moved slowly into her father's waiting arms.

She touched a gold earring hoop piercing Sherlock's ear. "Pretty..." she ventured. "You...pretty..."

Standing, Sherlock twirled around for his babies' benefit. "Do you know what kind of person this costume represents?"

Locksley's lips assumed a thoughtful pout. He looked down and then up, from Locke's shiny boots to the peacock feathers on his hat. "Lady at Sunday services?" he queried skeptically. Hearing John snicker in the background, Locke glanced at his prince and affected a faux frown.

Johonna pulled at his coattail. "A piwate...Capint Jack?"

"Why, yes, sweetie. How did you know that?"

She pointed a stubby finger toward the "fun" wall. There was a life size water color poster of Captain Jack Sparrow on the deck of his pirate ship (...The poster was euphemistically captioned "A Watson Hold Privateer"...), his legs spread apart, arms akimbo, his face in profile raised to the sky. Locke shook his head slowly. Exasperatedly, he mumbled to the prince, "I spent days researching in books to find a picture of this guy. Evidently, all I needed to do was play with the kids in here."

The prince responded sotto voce, "Well, you did learn some history." He shrugged with a smile on his face.

"Minx." The prince chuckled at Locke's "endearment."

The prince explained to the kiddies that Daddy Sherlock was going to a party on a fancy boat, and that he would be out on the lake for a day or two. After a round of "ooh's" and "aah's" from the babies, Locke hugged and kissed them both good-bye, amid sniffles, pouts, and coattail tugs. Locksley, in his usually too-mature manner, urged his father to be careful but have a good time. Sherlock's brows rose in astonished acknowledgement.

Sherlock dropped to one knee and gave both children another big squeeze and whispered "I love you," with a smacking kiss on each of their little cheeks. With a big lump in his throat and moistened eyes, he stood and strode out the door. His prince followed, throwing kisses back to the kids.

John decided that a distraction would be in order. "I'll come back after Daddy's away and play a game with you later. Pick out something that you'd like to do." This prompted a lengthy argument as to what would be the most fun to play with Papa. The Prince caught up to Locke and entwined his fingers into Sherlock's and pulled him close. They strolled down the hallway leaning on each other and softly smiling.