Prince Emmet has longed to see the world and have an adventure since he was little, but with an arranged marriage looming over his head, it's looking like he'll never get that chance. When pirates raid his home city of Bricksport, he might get that...
King Sirius glanced up from his paperwork as the doors to his study slammed open, to see Rex roughly dragging the baker in by the arm. The Captain of the Royal Guard did not look happy at all. He gave Rex an equally unimpressed look as he pulled off his reading glasses and set them aside. "Might I ask what the meaning of this is?"
"Your Majesty," Rex greeted, giving a quick bow. "This idiot here lost your son."
The king frowned at that. "What do you mean, 'lost my son'? Emmet didn't retire to his chambers?"
Rex shoved Larry toward the desk to give his explanation. The baker managed to give a bow before beginning. "Your Majesty," he started, "Emmet came to the kitchens to calm down. I won't claim to know what's going on between him and the princess, but it had him very upset. I mean he was venting, Emmet never vents! And well, I thought maybe some time away from the palace would help him clear his head, so I took him out into the city for a bit... We were on our way back when the pirates attacked, I did everything I could to get to him, I swear-!"
The doors opened again halfway through his explanation, admitting Captains Callaghan into the study as well. Cary was fronting at the moment, if the frown was anything to go by. Larry shrank back at the intense stare he was given.
"I've heard enough." Larry tensed at the king's tone, mentally berating himself for making such a stupid decision. He would pay dearly for it, he knew, if that furious glower was anything to go by. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't personally escort you to the chopping block." Larry went pale at the threat.
"Your Majesty," a gentle voice called, and he turned his attention to Alastar, who had switched in to attempt damage control. "It was an honest mistake, one that the young man has clearly learned from. I don't think an execution will be necessary. Besides, he is the best baker we have, and Emmet's friend. The prince would be devastated to return and find him gone."
Sirius relented at that. Alastar did have a point- Emmet would be supremely unhappy with him if he ever found out his father ordered the execution of his only real friend, and he didn't think he could live with that. He nodded. "You've made your point. I'm assuming you came to ask permission to pursue these pirates?"
"Naturally," Alastar agreed. "Though I must admit, only as a formality. Our crew are already making preparations." Sirius smirked at them. Being granted permission was obviously a given, in this circumstance. "We've also come to request that May accompany us- the pirates that have taken Emmet are the crew of Captain Metalbeard, and even for all our skill, we're still only one body. We could use another skilled blade."
"How about two?" Rex asked. Alastar gave him a surprised look. "Look, I'm fond of the kid too, alright? I'd hate to see him get hurt when I could have done something to help."
"And who's going to take charge of the Guard if both you and Mayhem go?" the king pointed out.
"Barbara can hold down the fort until I get back, she's got a good head on her shoulders."
"Hmph." He waved them off. "Permission granted. Rex, make sure you speak with Barbara before you leave, I don't want this just dumped in her lap."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The Captains bowed and left. Larry shifted his weight as the king stared at him.
"Well? Don't you have work to be doing?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Larry gave a deep bow of gratitude before scrambling out of the study, unable to hold back his sigh of relief. That was the last time he'd fall for Emmet's kicked puppy face.
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Emmet's eyes widened when he was finally brought on board, and came face to face with the most unusual person he'd ever seen- and considering the ancestry of some of the people that worked at the palace, that was saying something. He'd never seen anyone with mottled skin like this man had, pale patches against dark brown. "Are... are you Metalbeard?"
The strange man laughed. "Do I look like I have a metal beard? Nah, I'm not the captain, I'm his first mate. You can call me Benny." He turned his attention to the two sailors keeping hold of the prince. "Take him down to the brig. Cap'n's about done writing up our demands."
"Demands?" Emmet parroted, and then it dawned on him. "You're holding me for ransom?!"
"Don't sound so shocked," Benny snickered. "Your kingdom's one of the wealthiest on the continent, I'm sure your father has the gold to spare."
"That's not the point-" Emmet did begin to struggle then, as the pirates attempted to drag him below deck. "You don't know my father, you don't know what he'll do-!"
"I'm sure we can handle whatever he throws at us." Benny waved them off, and Emmet gave up the fight, letting them haul him down to the brig without fuss. He sat down hard on the cot as they locked the cell door, finding himself wishing he'd never left the palace. They would have never caught him if he'd just followed the rules and stayed home like he should have. If he'd just... been a good little prince and not made such a fuss over his future marriage. His own father had gone through it, after all, and his father before him...
Emmet pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes, willing himself not to start crying, not to show weakness in front of these criminals. Instead, he tried to distract himself. He could- he could think of this as an adventure, like in his books! Although not one with a very auspicious start... He'd just have to make friends with the crew, maybe then they'd let him out of this smelly prison.
He wondered if he would get the chance to meet the captain. Struck by inspiration, he got back to his feet and approached the bars. "Excuse me," he said, trying to gain the attention of the pirate that stayed behind to guard him. Said pirate turned to him, giving him a displeased glower. "Might I have the chance to meet with your captain?"
His guard snorted. "What, ye think ye'll have any more luck talkin' the Cap'n around than ye did Benny? First mate's a bleedin' heart compared to Cap'n Metalbeard."
"Oh no, it's not that at all!" Emmet told him, all wide-eyed earnesty. "It's just- I've heard a lot of stories about him, and I'd like to see if the actual person measures up to the tales. He sounds fascinating."
The pirate gave him a long stare, unsure of what to make of his sudden change in attitude. Finally, he seemed to get that the prince was actually serious, and rolled his eyes skyward, as if asking for patience. "Aye, sure. I'll see if Cap'n's in a mood to humor ye."
Emmet glanced back at the bare cot in his cell. "And could I maybe get a pillow? And a blanket?"
"Anythin' else I can do for ye, Your Highness?" the pirate spat in annoyance.
"Well... I could really do with something to eat."
The pirate stomped away at that, muttering under his breath about 'spoiled princes'.
