She had survived the sinking of the Acedia's Revenge, infiltrated the Krakens, raided a Greenlander village and almost met her demise in Whitecliff Bay. Yet still the Gods found new ways to surprise her. That the monster of Laneby had crossed her path on the day she had returned to Sundale was one thing, but that the Stephen had fetched her from a crowd of thousands to bring her to the armoury below the arena was something she had never believed to be possible. 

Once more, there was hope in this cruel world.

Seven feet above her, the crowd roared with delight, celebrating the height of male brawn and courage. Down below, the acid-etched sycamore tree on her wrist shimmered in the dim light of the sconces. Stephen tugged at the vambrace, then strapped the breastplate around her chest. Meant for eleven-year-olds as short (but not as plump) as Nick, the iron piece of armour was too large to fit her shoulders and too tight around her bosom. 

A small price to pay to be the first girl to wear Greenlander army gear.

To be the first to step onto the soft, golden sand of the arena with a bow on her back and the knowledge to wield it—Pan would never understand why this was so important for her. Back in the Cove of Elo, she had stood out because she was a Greenie, not because of what she had between in her legs. Female pirates commanded as many ships as their male counterparts. For the Jade Islanders, a woman working a weapon was as ordinary as a sunrise and a sunset. In the Greenlands, it was rarer than a drop of summer rain on the Scorching Plains.

This opportunity was about more than revenge for Laneby, more than retribution for the destruction of the Kraken's Kiss, and all the lives she had lost. Today's victory was in Lord Brandon's name, for tying her wild bush of hair into a tight tail and knocking a hard iron hat onto her head all those seasons ago.

Though Stephen was far gentler than her old Lord, there was no way that the scrutinising fashion in which he slid the gorget around her neck and attached the iron collar to her chest plate had anything to do with her being a girl. These were normal procedures. Once the General, the King, and Seb had finished praising the winner of the first Summer Games, they too would be clad in the same iron pieces to safely face the Jade Islandic magician.

"Nothing too loose or too tight?" Stephen asked, his eyes wandering up and down, then back up.

Alex posed a stance, pretending to have an invisible bow in her hand. "It's not perfect. But it'll do."

Uttering a short hum, Stephen dug his fingers in between the gorget and the breastplate. He began to tinker with the straps.

"Don't make it tighter—I still need to breathe."

"I'd rather have you struggling to catch your breath than have you turned into a heap of ashes."

"I managed to capture him without all these leaden, movement-limiting precautions," she reminded him.

"He's still a magician, and you'll be standing there with the most important people in our, country. I have to ensure their safety."

Loud thuds resounded above her. Instantly, loose particles of mortar and clay fell from the ceiling and into her hair.

"Anything you can do about that?" she asked with a jest. She was grateful for assisting in Katla's execution, but the hypocrisy irked her.

"Hard to stop the crowd from stomping their feet," Stephen said as he reached for the helmet. "Let them enjoy themselves now. When they hear what extra taxes to have to pay to finance the construction, they'll stomp their feet in their own house; and it won't be in excitement."

Before he managed to slip the helmet over her curls, she grabbed it from his hands. "I want the audience to see me."

He let go. "Our people or your pirate friends?"

She smiled, but the smile wavered as she pondered her next move. Stephen was easier to talk to than the King, less judgemental. Perhaps he would listen to her demands. "Both. The Pirates made me their Boyar."

"How did that happen?" There was genuine curiosity in his voice, though a tad of disbelief too.

"I discovered who killed their old Boyar. There was a popularity contest, and I won." A simplification, but it was easier and more credible than the full story.

"Impressive. Yet, back at the castle, you told me you hold no command over the pirates you brought into the city."

"I would let the God of Pride talk if I claimed to control their actions. No King or Queen ever manages to pull every single string. As Pirate Boyar, I... er... they're wild folk. I can nudge them a little." Depending on the outcome of the dice, but that was her secret.

"What are you trying to say, Alex?"

"I can tell you the way to the Cove of Elo where they gather yearly, and it will be a bloodbath with no winners on either side. Or we cross blades together. They're no evil sinners—not all of the time. The pirates hate the Silvermarkers too, especially magicians."

"The enemy of my enemy is my ally," Stephen mused.

"Something like that."

"What do you need?"

She sighed pensively. "A ship, a promise of gold. More gold than what they would earn, plundering and raiding."

"His Majesty wants them out of the city sooner than later."

"I'm aware. But the army has ships," she persisted. "And the treasury is full of gold."

"He has already declined your request for a ship."

"You're not me, Captain Stephen. The Greenlands is not Islands—not yet."

"And it will never be. Islanders are mad." He slowly released a deep breath, his lips pursed. "But a mad louse might be what stirs this listless, conservative country into proper action."

"So you'll do it? You'll ask His Majesty."

Captain Stephen nodded. "It's already a strange day. Let's make it even stranger."

Not much later, the royal family entered the armoury, flanked by Patrick and Michael. While the King, Seb, and the General were chattering away about the winning lad, the Queen's eyes widened upon seeing her. As she shocked as she was as giddy Lana skipped towards her, wrapping her arms around with no regard for her flawlessly flaunting lace dress or Alex's iron shell.

"They told me you had come home. Gods, warrior girl, you stink of moon-old herring, but I'm so glad I'm gonna pretend it's a fashionable perfume my nose is too sensitive for." She giggled, pushing her cheek against Alex's, then released her. "You're back, and how, with a bang too."

"Good to see you too. My trip was wild, but I got the Gods watching over me."

"And a strapping young Jade Islander," she cooed.

Alex snorted a soft chuckle. "The rumour mill churns as fast as ever."

"This is Sundale—what else would you expect?"

She decided not to reply but instead bowed at the Queen, who nodded courteously at her. She could tell Queen Crystal was relieved to see her, but unless Alex took a bath and dressed in something more ladylike, she wouldn't receive a grand welcome from the Ician woman.

Mischief glinted in Lana's blue eyes. She spoke in that annoying high-pitched voice of hers—the one she used when she wanted something, "Tell me everything about your fiancee. All the details, Alex."

"He's the son of a female Captain," she said dryly.

"And?"

"He's a pirate."

Alex's attention had shifted to the men dressing in their armour, and more in particularly Stephen talking to the General. She couldn't catch a word of what they were saying. Then Seb threw her a glance, the same sullen look on his face and when she had left the castle. Muttonhead, there was no future for them if she wanted to, and she didn't want to. He was a friend.

Lana turned her head as well. "Oh, Sebby hates your white-haired knight in tattered rags."

"I don't like him either," the Queen said. "Honey, don't you think there are better men for you out there than a Jade Islandic pirate?"

"Mama," Lana said through her teeth.

"Fine, fine. I won't get involved." Her lips widened, then hesitated. "But are you alright with this, with going out there, to face him?"

"Mama!" Lana covered her face with her hands, balancing a shudder and a frustrated grunt.

"It's just a question, Alana. You're being rude."

"You're acting as though you've never met Alex. She infiltrated a band of pirates—she can handle sticking an arrow through a murderer's throat."

The Queen's already stiff posture stiffened further, her eyes squeezed shut. A few heartbeats later, she murmured, "I can't be here."

The men hardly looked up from their conversation as she passed them by.

"So." Lana wrapped an arm around Alex. "Pirate boy—who is he, and how did he conquer your warrior's heart?"

"It's a long story," Alex said.

"Merchants selling dried fruit and drinks while some lads are preparing the arena and the magician for execution. We have time."

She felt cornered. "His name is Panu, but everyone calls him Pan. He's a few years older than me. His mother's the Captain and his father is the recently deceased Boyar Kalin, murdered by a Silvermarker pirate."

"They exist?"

"Not anymore, Pan killed him."

Lana put her finger against her chin. "So, he's basically pirate royalty. Way to go, warrior girl. So did you woo him or did he woo you?"

"Hmm." Alex tilted her head from side to side—she hadn't thought this part through. "There was a campfire. We kissed."

"Did you make the first move, or he?"

"Errr... he... I guess?"

"What, you don't remember?"

"Well, it's been a while. Jade Islanders and Palm Tears..."

"... or Laneby girls who don't want to get married," Lana said casually.

"What?"

"What?" She feigned innocence at first, stuck out her tongue, then started giggling. "Alex, did you really think I was gonna fall for that? You two look nothing like a merry twosome happily on love."

"But we are." Alex persisted. She had Seb's full interest now.

Lana shook her head. "I'm well aware of the condition Mama imposed on you. Your return to Sundale would come with a betrothal of her choice. I have to admire you, even more than before. Mama can't marry you off if your heart has been promised to someone else, so you're playing her with a pirate prince."

"He's not actually a prince. The pirates don't operate that way."

"So how do they?" The remark came from George.

"Yeah," Seb added. "What's a Boyaa?"

Alex swallowed. She was caught in between the fires of love and politics. "The leader of the Pirates. He or she determines where which crew raids which Greenlander village."

"Based on what?" King Thomas rubbed absently at the skin beneath his right vambrace, his right ear turned towards her. 

She couldn't tell him it was the rolling of dice that did it. Well, she could but choose not to. If she did, they would never believe the pirates could mean anything for the Greenlands. "You know how it goes. Size of the town, size of the crew, whoever the Boyar favours,..."

"And they made you their Boyar?"

"They vote with shells. I won because of unmasking that Silvermarker traitor who killed Kalin."

The King narrowed his eyes. "That sounds absurd, even for a bunch of pirates."

"Don't lie, Alex. Not to us," Lana whispered.

"I'm not lying." The God of Wrath held her in a tight grip, but not for long."I'm really their Boyar. I know which crew has or will raid which town. I..." She didn't know much more. "If you give Captain Ilona a ship, she will fight for you, Your Majesty. She has allies."

"And you?" The King asked.

Her iron sabatons clunk against each other as she shuffled her feet, her eyes drooped to the floor. "I'm the Pirate Boyar," she repeated. She faced the truth, the judgement in the men's eyes. "I may not control much of their behaviour, but I can achieve more for this country on the Jade Sea or in the shallow waters of Elo than here."

"That I agree on."

"So, that Jade Islander guy is not your friend?" Seb asked.

Alex shook her head. "I asked him to pretend he was my betrothed. He's an even bigger Muttonhead than you. With a grudge against Silvermark, of course."

"Right." George lowered the eyebrow he had raised at Seb. "And how do you see this promise of gold you requested to Stephen."

"Like a contract to keep Greenlander waters safe."

"We have the army for that."

"Who can't handle the pirates. You would save men in the south, women too. The smaller ports will flourish too, no more risk of plunderers stealing their wealth and gold."

Stephen whispered something in George's ear. The man uttered a low hum in understanding as the Captain proceeded to fasten the gorget around the General's neck. Not to her surprise, Sebastian shuffled towards his uncle and talked into his ear.

Seb receiving his breastplate disturbed their confident speech. The King gesticulated at him. "You can tell her."

"I don't want to talk about this now. There are more important things happening that I want to focus on first, and I need by my side for that, Alex. Close the past, then we'll talk about the future."

She could get behind that.