The Trickster's Test {Prinxiety}

Chapter 18

Third Person

Nearly everyone was knocked to the ground, the rest fell overboard. As it turns out, cannonballs made quite the impact when they hit their target. Virgil decided he'd have to keep that in mind if he ever had to decide whether to travel by land or water. With that fact sorted away, he pushed himself up as quickly as he dared, given that the ship was still rocking violently.

"Roman!" He scanned the deck, easily finding his protector and Clemons.

Unfortunately, the pirate captain hadn't accidentally gotten his carotid artery cut when they were all knocked off their feet and had recovered faster than him. But, Clemons had bigger issues to focus on, namely all the yelling about their ship taking on water. He began barking orders, failing to find someone that could contain Virgil and Roman before the former had pulled them both into the lifeboat. The prince had already made good progress in lowering them to the water, and it seemed he wouldn't have to put any more effort into the task, as two pirates sawed through the rope still binding them to the larger vessel. Virgil personally didn't see how that helped them, but he had little reason to complain as they landed without immediately sinking or flipping over.

"I think I broke my arm again, if that's even possible," Roman complains, moving sluggishly away from the oars to give Virgil an easier path to them.

"It isn't possible to re-break a bone that's still broken," Virgil tells him unsympathetically, preferring to focus on getting away from the rapidly sinking pirate ship. If the other boat decided to fire off another shot to be safe, it was entirely possible they would get hit by something, whether it be splintered pieces of The Spear or the projectile itself didn't matter.

"You sure? It definitely feels possible," He curses under his breath, keeping an eye on the much larger ship as Virgil slowly propelled them away, wary of any long range weapons or desperate crew members, "Might have bruised a rib too. In the past two days I've felt more pain than in the rest of my life combined and I hope you know I'm blaming you wholeheartedly for that."

The sole heir of the Ouranian throne didn't bother to take his overdramatic whining seriously, "I can always add to that pain if you're going for a record, but right now I'd like to keep both of us from dying."

While sinking a pirate ship that weighs tons wasn't a quick process, it wasn't long before the offending vessel became visible. It was lighter in color, and a fair amount larger than The Spear. And with a black and yellow crest emblazoned on the mainsail, it didn't take Virgil long to figure out why they had attacked in the first place.

The kingdom of Correo had a long-running history with several pirate groups. An alliance to attack an enemy country without technically giving said country the right to declare war that ended in betrayal all around had left any sort of the relationship Correans and pirates had complicated. Depending on the generation, the royal family either utilized certain groups for their own purposes, even going so far as to welcome them into port cities, or treated them as a threat waiting to be made. It seemed this particular generation of rulers weren't entirely friendly with the sea-faring thieves. They would have to hope whatever quarrel they possessed at the moment wouldn't blind them to the fact that they aren't part of Clemons's crew.

"Roman, how do you feel about making a few new friends?" Virgil asks, not waiting for an answer as he decides it'd be in their best interests to get close enough to the royal vessel to be recognized. Of course, he'd also have to hope that someone on board could recognize him.

"I've always been a pretty social person," He responds easily, catching on to what the prince was suggesting, "Do you think they'd mind dropping us off somewhere with a bit more solid ground?"