The Pirate Queen

Chapter 25

Ariel was alone on the deck at sunrise when the Dauntless approached the Pirate King's Island from the northern tip. The dormant volcano that was the focal point of the island was swathed in fog. Large cliffs surrounded most of the rest of the island after falling into the sea, making the island easily defendable but the King's Island had never once been attacked because there was no reason to.

There was no town, no city, no port on the King's Island. There was a single dock, one long stairwell, and one lone mansion looking out over the cove carved from the black volcanic rock the island was made of. Ariel had only ever been once with Edward when she was seven.

"Papa, I wish you were here," she mumbled to herself. She was holding onto his cane, wrapped in his leather jacket. It had been over a year since his passing, but in that time she never really let herself grieve. She was too focused on keeping the Dauntless fleet running, keeping everyone's pockets full, trying not to get killed.

It was no small thing to want to save her world, however small or large it may be. There was a lot to do for a girl who was secretly running half of it.

But there would be nothing left for her to run if this war played out. They wanted the pirates to concede, to go back to their homelands and save thousands from dying. But thousands of pirates would die if they were forced to go back home. No one would accept them, most would try to murder them. Pirates weren't meant for solitary life on land, that's why they ruled the sea.

Then there was Ariel. Who felt comfortable in both places, but had never told anyone that except Edward. That she loved life on the waves, but found comfort digging her hands into the dirt as well. And now she was caught between the two.

Only the Pirate King can declare war and recruit the lords as well, Edward had explained to her. Each is free to fight their own battles, or ask for help from others, but only the Pirate King can make all seven lords fight for one cause.

It was a lot of power for one man to have. The power to start and end wars, to dictate who can use what resources, who was safe and who was marked for death. That's why there hadn't been a Pirate King in over fifty years.

"Ariel?"

Eric came up beside her, holding two mugs steaming in the morning air. He gave her one and she sniffed it then took a long sip. Black tea with honey, just how she liked it. The perfect thing to calm her nerves until they left in a few hours to meet with the other lords anchored in various places around the island.

"It doesn't look like much," he noted settling beside her on the railing.

She shrugged, resting the cane against the wood to cup both hands around the warm cup. Eric looked wide awake next to her and she wondered if he'd slept well after releasing so much of his pent up anxiety about his mother. Her heart had broken, shattered really, upon hearing what happened. It explained a lot, from his mother's compass to the tears he'd shed when she'd asked him to be a pirate. It also explained the princely side of Eric. That his mother's death by the hand of pirates being the defining moment for the young prince to fully accept his duties and role was an irony not lost on her.

It had cost a lot for him to tell her the entire story, she knew that. And she knew they had given each other a fair trade. Her tale for his. She just... She wished she could have kept him from hurting so much. She wished telling him had loosened her own internal hurt, and that it wasn't feeling so sharp right now. The idea of seeing Declan was not her ideal afternoon.

"It's a beautiful mansion, I think it'll suit your princely tastes quite well."

Eric turned to look at her, eyebrows raised. "Am I coming with you?"