When Benedikt awoke the following morning, his hands burned like fire. His pulse throbbed in the tips of his fingers, and the red welts on his palms had turned to white blisters. The crew had readily accepted his willingness to help the previous day and had kept him on the lines until he could barely hold them anymore. Sleep had no trouble finding him that night, but he had missed dinner. With a grumbling stomach, he headed to the galley for a bit of breakfast.

When Benedikt entered the galley that morning, Moose was fretting over the lack of spices available in the ship's stores.

"We might be on a boat, but that doesn't mean we have to eat like barbarians. A little bit of turmeric and ginger root would make this gruel much more tolerable." He threw handfuls of chopped dried fruit into a steaming pot.

Benedikt took a seat beside Berne, and Yorick soon joined them. Benedikt glanced over at the massive human who leaned his head against the wall and dozed with his arms crossed. Berne had a scraggly beard and rust-colored hair that hung over his eyes. In such a tiny space as the galley, he seemed to fill half of the room with his large form.

Moose was equally large but he was much more kept in his appearance. His loose black curls were tamed and styled in the long, swept-back fashion of the Dankert court. The fine satin vest with and starched white cravat he wore under his apron looked remarkably well put together for having been slept in.

Benedikt accepted a slice of apple from Yorick to placate his grumbling stomach. Ludvig passed around a supply of grey biscuits that didn't look much more appetizing than the gruel. As Benedikt suspected, the biscuit had little flavor and the dry consistency of compacted sawdust. It took a couple swigs of watered wine to get the first bite down, but it was still food.

While Benedikt choked down his tasteless breakfast, Grielle, Reyn, and Ludvig soon arrived. Everything about Grielle confirmed her position as the crew's leader, from her ramrod-straight posture to the way the others moved around her. Her greeting was short, efficient. Before eating she pulled out an ornate stiletto blade, honing oil, and a sharpening stone. Each stroke of her blade against the stone sounded a perfect rhythm as she perfected the keen edges of her knife. Benedikt didn't let his eyes linger too long, but he couldn't deny the way she drew him in.

Moose paused his stirring as they heard the sounds of commotion above them.

"All hands on deck," the boatswain yelled.

"You heard him, everyone up!" Grielle shooed them all through the hatch.

When they emerged from below deck, they saw that the crew had been whipped into a full frenzy. Benedikt's head swiveled back and forth until he caught sight of the red sails on the horizon. He started when he realized Grielle was at his side. She took a step forward to place herself between him and whatever threat loomed before them. Her blade was drawn, still slick with oil.

"Friendlies?" he asked. "Don't the ships of Andor have red sails?"

"No, they have blue sails." Grielle grabbed Benedikt by the arm and pushed him back towards the hatch. "Get below deck. I'm not losing my fee because some pirates took you as a hostage!"

"Pirates?" Benedikt shook his arm free. "I can handle some pirates! I've slain dragons, I have!" He unsheathed his sword.

Grielle drew herself up to her full height, which was only about the same height as the prince. "I'm the captain and I have been charged with your safety and the safety of my crew — so what I say, goes! Now get yourself out of sight, understood?"

Heart pounding fiercely in his chest, Benedikt's glare matched hers. He resisted every urge to put up a fight, and for the sake of diplomacy, he climbed down through the hatch.

But he kept his sword at the ready.

~

Grielle ordered the crew to draw their weapons and took over the helm. They all waited in tense silence as the angular, red sails gained on their tail. She pulled a spyglass from her belt and held it to her eye. Even at a distance, she could still make out the other ship's crew swarming on deck.

They were certainly not just passing by.

Kai circled silently overhead, hunting. The crew continued to wait, the air thick with tension as they kept to their designated course. The other ship was large, and not one they would easily outrun. Grielle watched in earnest to see if they would raise a jolly roger, a black flag designating the ship as pirates. Her stomach sank as the vessel loomed within a cannon's range, and a dark flag unfurled on the ship's mainmast. They were, without question, pirates. And they weren't looking for a fight; they were looking for an immediate surrender.

When the large vessel pulled alongside the schooner, the pirate horde let out a menacing battle cry but didn't make a move to board. Their captain was easy enough to distinguish among the mass of vagrants. The pale ruddy-faced man wore a great feathered hat and his long black coat, adorned with all sorts of fancy brass buttons and tassels, billowed about his ankles.

Grielle scoffed to herself. Half of being a pirate seemed to be looking the part and the rest was just an ill-tempered nature brought on by scurvy and a poor diet. She pocketed the spyglass and approached the bulwark.

"We should have tried to outrun them," Yorick said from her side, arms folded across his chest.

Grielle shook her head. "It would have made it look like we had something to hide."

"We do have something to hide." He motioned to the prince's head which peered out at them from the hatch.

"Hey!" Grielle hissed, making Benedikt jump. She motioned for him to get down. He glared at her, but he obeyed and slowly disappeared below deck. With such a tiny crew, Grielle needed to avoid a skirmish. If anyone could get them out of such a situation, it was her and the Liberators.

She locked eyes with the captain and gave a slight bow at the waist as if acknowledging a superior. He tipped his plumed hat in return.

"Fellow travelers, are you in need of assistance?" Grielle called across to the other ship. She had hoped playing naive might gain their sympathy, but her question only seemed to draw jeers from the pirates. "We have nothing of value aboard."

She resisted the itch in her palms that begged her to draw her blades. But she knew better. More weapons never made a bad situation better. They only worsened it.

"Now, now, Captain, let's not jump to conclusions. We were passing by, merely curious — we see very few Stalvart vessels this far south — but your crew seems to be geared up for a fight." The pirate captain approached the bulwark of his own ship. "Here be my crew and I their captain, Tibbs, and we be pirates. But really the best sort of pirates. You will have to excuse the menacing show, but you never know who you are going to come across in these parts." He removed his hat at this part to reveal a shiny, bald head. "Perhaps we could trade for supplies?"

"I'm sure we could find a suitable trade," Grielle replied with a nod to the ship's quartermaster. The pirates lowered their gangplank to board the schooner. Captain Tibbs crossed first to show his trust, and several other members followed.

"Please do forgive the theatrics; we pirates can't resist." A smile spread across Captain Tibbs's creased cheeks.

Grielle forced a weak smile. "I'm sorry we thought the worst of you." She tried to hide her shock at finding Floryndal's politest pirate crew. "It's an honor to meet you, Captain Tibbs," she added.

"It's an honor indeed. And I do apologize but I don't seem to know your face or your name?"

"I'm Captain Grielle, but don't let the title fool you. We are nothing but a bunch of travelers." She held her head high and extended a hand toward the captain, which he accepted.

He bowed low and placed a kiss on her hand. "It is a great pleasure to meet you, Captain Grielle." A look of surprise flickered across his face. Of recognition. Grielle's heart jolted in her chest as she realized she was already too late. Captain Tibbs met the eyes of his first mate and they exchanged a silent signal.

Before Grielle could move, the pirates leaped into action and crashed into the Stalvart sailors. Captain Tibbs hooked her under his arm and pressed a dagger to her throat.

Grielle struggled against the knife, but the pirate's strength outmatched hers. "I'm sorry to do this to you, darling," he said softly. Then, roaring over the metallic clash of swords, he added, "Nobody move!"

The skirmish stopped and both crews turned to their captains. Berne paused with some unfortunate pirate raised above his head.

"I hate to be rude after you so kindly offered to trade with us, but I simply must take your Captain Grielle here prisoner."

"What?" Grielle interjected. "I thought you said you were good pirates?"

"We do pride ourselves on our politeness as good pirates, but I simply would not be a very good pirate if I didn't take you prisoner. The bounty on your head is just too high."

Grielle's hopes sank. Her job as a Liberator made her a great number of enemies, a large number of them pirates who tended to pillage without discretion. Her crewmembers watched her with pained expressions, silently begging for some sort of instruction. Fighting their way out didn't seem like a good idea, considering they were significantly outnumbered and taking life was never desirable.

"Fine." Grielle ceased her struggle against her captor. "Take me, but leave my crew to continue on their journey."

~

Below deck, Benedikt stood with an ear pressed to one of the hatches. He could only hear half of what transpired, but he had been certain he'd heard the sound of swords clanging against each other. A soft tap to his shoulder nearly stopped his heart. He spun to find Yorick behind him.

"How did you get down here? Berne is standing on this hatch so I can't move it," Benedikt whispered hurriedly. "What's going on up there? I heard fighting. Don't the rules say we should avoid that at all costs?"

"Whoa." Yorick held his hands up for Benedikt to slow down. "I came through the foremost hatch. The pirates are taking Grielle as prisoner. Apparently, we liberated something from someone, making them angry enough to put a bounty on her head."

"We have to stop them." Benedikt pushed past Yorick, determined to find the other hatch.

Yorick followed. "She can handle herself. Our first objective is to get you to your maiden. Safely."

"So we just abandon her?" Benedikt turned on Yorick. "She's your sister!"

"We don't have to. I'm asking what you want to do since this is your quest and you call the shots when Grielle is indisposed."

"And what would Grielle do?"

"She would have us carry on without her. But what do you say, Your Highness?"

"As far as I'm concerned we have only one option. We must rescue our captain."

Yorick gave him a small smile. He looked pleased with this answer. "Follow me."
Yorick led the way to the second hatch. They stopped at the galley on their way, where Benedikt grabbed his red cloak, the deep crimson cloak of his royal line. He'd discarded it during all the commotion, but he had an idea forming. A very stupid sort of idea.

When they reached the top deck, they huddled quietly behind the nearest sheet. The air among the sailors seemed to reverberate with tension. Between the huddled mass of bodies, Benedikt saw a tall and lavishly dressed pirate leading Captain Grielle to the ship's gangplank. He had to act fast and Yorick had already agreed to follow his lead.

With gusto, Benedikt pushed his way to the front of the crowd. "Stop! I, Prince Benedikt of Stalvart, command you to release my captain this instant," he said with grandiose authority. He had refastened his red cloak to give himself the full impression of royalty.

Grielle gave him a look that simply said, "You idiot."

The pirates, creatures of habit and easily predicted, grabbed him and took him hostage as well. Benedikt made sure to throw a big fuss, as any ordinary prince would, at being bound and gagged. The Liberators watched in shock, but Yorick gave them a look that said to go along with this.

Once the pirates disarmed Benedikt and transferred him to their ship, Captain Tibbs gave him a once-over. "It seems you did have something of value." He chuckled, his eyes alight with the good luck of finding what he probably thought was just another spoiled prince. "I'm sure your kingdom will pay a hefty price to have their prince safely returned."

Benedikt tried to yell, "You'll pay for this!" but the words were garbled by the gag.

As the ship pulled away from the Stalvart schooner, Grielle and Benedikt were poked and prodded and led roughly to the lower decks of the ship. They were locked in a tiny cell of metal crossbars by a mangy-looking pirate whose clothing and grooming embodied the meaning of filth.

The grey sea dog leered at them with a yellow smile. "Welcome ta the Waterlogged Weasel."

~

I hope you guys are enjoying this updated version of The Prince's Guide! What do you think of Benedikt and Grielle's interaction thus far?