The captain put a cloak over her as she jumped off the ship, and went into town. Sure they'd notice the ship, but whats so mysterious about a cloaked person? Well it seemed like a good idea at the time. She went to the market where usually the local news was heard. She didn't hear any rumors, so she went to a bulletin board, and looked at the papers. It showed that the Prince was wanted to be found. It also said that the king, and queen had yet to reply to the ransom note that they received. Victoria sighed. Bothersome, she thought.

The crew kind of slacked off on guarding Lance because of their exhaustion. They fought almost all night so they where completly bummed.

Lance watched as the captain jumped off the ship and walked into town. He sat down and watched as slowly the crew paid him less and less attention. After no one looked at him for a full five minutes he stood up and still no one looked at him. He turned and pulled himself up on the railing then looked around finding no one was looking. He slipped off the boat and started running.

He made it into town but kept running. He passed a few inns then stopped at a middle range inn. He quickly went inside. He turned to the first drunk man he found. "Sir, can you tell me if the King and Queen have sent any word about their son?"

The man hiccuped then turned to the man who had asked the question. "Where have ya been? Unde' a rock? Yeah they sent word. Everyon' is ta watch for 'im. That pirate wench asked for so much gold in ransam they decided just ta try ta fin him."

Lance sighed at the man then turned and left. He knew this town. There was a noble family he knew a days walk from here. If he could make it there then he would be safe. He started jogging to the edge of town.

Victoria sighed. "I bet the citizens thought I asked for gold. But I asked for something worth a lot more." She started rubbing the back of her neck, and then someone walked up to her. "Hey baby--Can I buy you a drink--" Victoria punched him in the face, before he could see her's. "No, I'm not thirsty thank you." She then made her way back to the Red dragon.

"Say that again." "We...Don't know where he is." "Again." "He...Just left." The crew started sweating as they noticed that she didn't show the slightest bit of anger, or any other emotion. "Hm. That's what I thought I heard." She sighed. "Why don't we show the prince that we mean business? He couldn't have gotten far. Search this town. Break into all the houses. Burn it as you go by. Slaughter them all. Take all the gold. Take it all until you find him."

Before you knew it, the town was in flames. The sounds of screams could be heard from miles away.

Lance had made it out of the town when he heard the screaming. He turned around and saw the town was in flames. People were running away from the town not trying to stop the fire. And he knew that only happened when a town was attacked. He froze knowing what that meant. The golden eyed lady had found him missing and wanted him back. He knew he could run fast enough to get to the nobles home and knew they had enough guards that they would be safe but he also knew that they would still come and would probably kill everyone on their way. Everyone that died would be on him. He had caused these deaths. He turned around and ran through the crowd. He made sure they saw him but kept running. These were men used to the water and he had always been fast. So he knew they wouldn't catch him. He ran up to the ship and jumped up grabbing the rope ladder. He pulled himself up to come eye to eye with the captain.

Victoria gave a smile as Lance came back. "Liked my little show Princey?" Her smile vanished. "Where did you think you where going?" She walked up to him, and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "I thought you where not going to run. Guess I was wrong." She let him go. "If you wanted to go someplace you could of asked me. But of course, there is a high chance that I'd say no. I thought you said everyone was out to kill you...So if you ran away...Who could you go to?" She looked into his eyes. "But there are people who'd take you in. Not like me..." She shrugged, before looking to the fire. "Watch it all burn Princey. Smell the fear in the air? With you gone or not, this was bound to happen."

Lance was taken off guard when she grabbed his collar then let go making him stubble back. He spat out angerly "I wasn't going anywhere. Just going for a run. Your lazy crew just couldn't keep up. Not everyone wants to kill me. Until now the commoners liked me. Though thanks to this," he waved a hand at the town, "it might be best if my parents left me to rot out on this ocean. They didn't deserve to die." He turned from the town.

Victoria took in a deep breath. "They didn't deserve to die? Oh yes they did." Her eyes showed pleasure as she stared at the destruction. "The same thing happened to my town." She whispered to herself. "Eh, I don't really care. I like this destruction. Hey Princey, still don't want to kill me? Don't want to execute me for 'justice'?" She grinned. "What a lovely day! Can't you just smell the destruction!" She giggled. Though she seemed insanely happy...Bad memories rushed through her head.

Pitchforks...Torches...Fire...Roars, and screams still heard from afar. She didn't let the memories get any further.

Lance wirled around. "No one deserves that," he flung out his hand, "not them or you! he screamed at her. He dropped his hand and spoke quieter this time. "I don't want to kill anyone. I've just learned what my place is now." He looked at her trying to decided if he could bargen at least a little with her. "If I do as you say will you not hurt them anymore? I understand your a pirate and what that means but will you not kill the ones that don't fight back? Not destroy everything they are? I will stay here till the ransem comes or you grow tired of waiting. I will do whatever you say. Just stop this." He looked down and tried not to think of what he was saying. He had just given his word to a pirate to obey. And he wouldn't break his word.

Victoria got closer to Lance, until they where face to face, "No matter how much you fight against it, you know that people have to die. I'm just speeding up the process...More painfully...For them. Don't you know I simply enjoy their pain? Misery? Come on Princey, don't tell me you don't want to see my blood?" She grinned, and then backed off. "I guess that's an obvious no. But, I guess it'd be bothersome if you didn't do as I say. Okay, fine. If you do as I say, then I won't kill the human's that don't fight back." She shrugged, gagging at the thought of no blood. She just didn't know she said "Human's" which he obviously meant. "Get back on the boat! You had your fun. We are done here!" Victoria shouted. The crew obeyed, and quickly came back to the boat.

Then, they raised the anchor, and sailed off. You weren't descriptive enough dear Lance. Don't you know Pirate's can use word's against you? She grinned as she looked out into the sea. "Let's go visit my dear friend. I think she can tell me what I should do with you." She scratched her head, and then turned to the man who was driving. "Make your way to Lavender Island. Here's the compass." She tossed a compass to the man. It was obviously broken, but the man knew how to control it. He sniffed the compass a couple of times, before turning the ship.

The crew knew Lance wouldn't get it, and they knew Victoria was in a bad mood that she wouldn't tell them. "Tis, a magic compass Lad. Only fer the direction to get yerself to Lavender Island. Take a wiff of it, and if you don't smell lavender, then the compass's direction would turn, until you smell Lavender. In this instance, he smelled Lavender to the west. Handy thing ain't it?"

Lance knew the way of the world. People died and many before their time. These people had died because of him though. Unlike the soliders that fought and died for the royal family these people shouldn't have had to. Lance knew that it had been stupid to come back and that very few would have done that. His parents would surely disown him if they found out. It was simply what the peasants did. They lived and died for the royal family. But Lance couldn't accept that. At least the killing had stopped for now.

He watched as the crew came back aboard. While he knew his ending probably wouldn't be pretty he could bring up any emotion to care.

He watched the man use the compass and listened as he explained how it worked. The man could be making fun of him but he didn't care. "That is fasinating. I suppose it is a good thing that the island is Lavender and not Skunk weed. I wonder how the magic was set?"

The crew laughed, except Victoria. He was about to tell them how they got the compass how the magic was set upon it. But Victoria brought a finger up to her lips, only showing it to the one who was telling the story. "E-Erm...Well, I don't really know. We 'borrowed' it." "Yeah, most of the stuff on this ship is 'borrowed.'" They all laughed. Except Victoria. She wasn't in a good mood because of Lance's parents. "You think they killed my bird?" She was thinking a loud. Not really meaning for anyone to hear, or answer her question. "I was starting to like that bird." She rubbed the back of her neck, before turning around. "Tell me Princey, what are your parent's like? I never really did any research on them, because I didn't really care until now..." She didn't care until she thought of her bird getting violently killed, and eaten for dinner by them.

Lance noticed how the man changed his words but didn't say anything. He turned to look at the captain. "My parents would not have killed the bird. No if they wanted the bird dead they would have a servant kill it. But they probably didn't. It is just a bird. Now if you had sent a human messanger they probably would have died. Can't let that person leave and spread word of what has happened." He waved his finger in the no sign. He looked away out over the water. "My parents are the perfect queen and king. They have an iron hand on the peasants and control the nobles. Though apparently not as well as they think. And really I know no more about them then the other nobles that stay at the palace. I was raised by servants. They are distant and as far as I can determine the only reason why they don't disown me is because I'm their only child. There was talk a few years ago of them trying to have another child but the idea was thrown out, at least for now, as it might kill the queen." What he said was the truth. He had rarely seen his parents as he grew up and his parents were extremly happy with what he had grown into. But he hadn't told all of the truth. His parents had lied to their advisors and told them the queen would die if she had another child. They wanted to give him more of a chance but if anything happened to him or they finally had enough they could easily have another child.

Victoria grinned. "Well I got to see my parent's everyday." Some of the crew perked up, wondering if they got to hear about Victoria's family. About two or three, started to shake. Those where the ones who have seen her family. "They where a lovely bunch, weren't they Rick?" "Uh...Yeah sure." Victoria seemed to be in deep thought as she went back into her past. Of course she was being sarcastic when she said that they where 'lovely'. "I'm not the only child though." The crew was shocked. Victoria had a sibling? No one knew that. "There was seven children in the family. Now there are two. Me, and my brother. He's older then me." They wondered how it got to seven, to two. But they knew Victoria wasn't going to tell.

Victoria stared into Lance's eyes for a while. She then walked over to him, and whispered into his ear. "I said I could tell a lie when I've seen it. So I guess your mother won't die if she conceives, will she?" Victoria then walked away. This was bothersome. They don't care about Lance do they? She wondered. Or actually, she knew. "Bothersome." She whispered in another language.

While Lance could tell from the looks of some of the crew that her parents were probably not the best of people he was a little jelous. He wondered about her older brother but knew better then to ask. He froze when she came over to him and whispered to him. The only people that knew that was his parents and him. Whenever he had done something to upset them they had made sure to remind him of it. "No, she won't," he whispered looking down.

It was actually took a day, until they finally caught sight of the island. The day was rather boring anyway, all they where doing where gambling, eating, drinking, and repeating what they had just done. Victoria, on the other hand locked herself in her Quarters.

"Captain, we are finally here."

A person knocked on her door. She immediately opened the door.

The man's mouth dropped open. "What? Never seen me in a dress before?" "Well actually...No Captain."

There she was. Victoria dressed up in a black dress that Noble's would wear. Her hair was tied up, held by a golden pen. Her eye patch was different. It looked more like a bandage. She wore makeup, dark eyeshadow, and red lipstick, making her look utterly beautiful, and completely different from the person before...Except...The golden eye. "Oh yeah, that's right...You're one of the 'newer' crew members aren't you?" "Well I've been here for six years---" "Still new." Victoria brushed past him, and to her way into the middle of the deck. Most of the guy's mouths where open. "Stop staring. I'm still your captain." She sighed, before looking out into the sea. "Ah, splendid. Just a few more minute's and we can dock."

Lance had spent the day sitting watching the crew. He didn't know what was going to happen so there was little point in thinking. It had been a long time since he had simply sat and done nothing. He was rather suprised that the captain wasn't on deck. He heard a crew member say she was in her Quarters and would not be coming out. She's probably planning something horrible for me. When land was sighted he stood up to look. He watched as one of the crew went to get the captain. He noticed first the looks on everyone's faces then turned to look at what they saw. They were all looking at a beautiful woman. It took him a moment to realize that it was the woman who would decide his fate. He looked her up and down. "Very nice. The gown is in the perfect style. One that is almost always in fashion. The cuff lines are a little out of date but other then that it looks fine. And well most don't wear black but no one would really fault it. So why is it your wearing a dress that could feed a common family for three years?"

Victoria shot a glare at Lance as he asked a question. "It is none of your business, but you are bound to find out sooner of later, so let me spare myself from explaining it later. My friend and I made a deal that whenever I visited her I had to look like a lady, or she'd turn me into a....Well, that's all your getting. But It's bothersome to wear a dress. This corset makes it really hard to move you know?" She let out a sigh. "But, she won't allow my crew on the island. So I guess you, and I are the only ones on the island." She held out her hand for him to take. "Come."

The ship finally stopped, they put the platform out so that instead of her usual way, jumping off the ship, she could walk off it. "Hurry up princey."

Lance smiled. Even if this person turned him into a a frog, which was possible since she apparently was a magic user, it was nice to find that there was someone that Victoria feared. He took her hand as he would any high class lady. "Coming dear." He laughed at how different this time was compared to the many times he had done this before. "You should have a dress and corset custom made then. Some of the ladies have taken to fighting but must do so undercover. They have made loose fitting corsets, that while they still restrict movement they are not hard to breath in. It also makes a nice place to hide blades. Then they've added slits in the dress so they can reach inside the dress and retreave more weapons."

Victoria shot another glare at Lance as she lead him off the ship. "That's bothersome. Why? I'd like to show my weapons. To show that I mean business. Even without my weapon's I'm deadly. In a corset, I wouldn't be that deadly." She shrugged.

But suddenly, she stopped and turned to look at Lance. "Do...You think this is a vacation or something...? I've never heard of someone saying "Dear" to their kidnapper? But I guess you get kidnapped a lot being a prince and all that huh?" She then continued to walk. "You know, I'm not much of a person to go undercover. I mean it's not like I can't tell you my past. It's just that I don't want to, and it'd be bothersome." She shrugged.

"Oh not to wear all the time. Just for these meetings. And any other time a dress is needed." He took an extra step after she stopped and had to stop suddenly. "Of course not. Force of habit. Sorry Captain. And no, this happens to be the first time." He started walking again when she did. "You do seem to prefer the frontal attack. Though I dare to wager you could make a small fortune by wearing that dress. Show up dressed like that at a noble's home and they would let you and your servents inside. But I understand if you don't like to do it. Personally I'm not one for fancy attire." He fell silent for a moment. "I do think I'll stop saying dear. The last time I said that to a woman she had much the same response as you. Told me I shouldn't say dear to a lady who could easily be my mother."

Victoria laughed. "So the Prince likes older women?" She grinned.

"We are here." She stopped walking, and looked at an old looking cottage. "Sorceress Alexandra! It is I. Cyzarine." The princess said in a different language. The old door on the cottage slowly creaked open by the sound of Victoria's voice. "...Is that you Captain?" A head peaked out. Revealing a beautiful woman with long dark black hair, and a purple dress. "Oh, and don't you look beautiful." She walked out from behind the door, and approached Victoria. She then glanced at the Prince. "Mmm, I smell blue blood. You brought me a prince didn't you?" She smiled. "Come in, come in." Victoria glared at the beautiful woman once her back was turned. "Come on," she yanked Lance and pulled him into the cottage.

Lance liked the sound of her laughter. "I wouldn't say that. No just following orders."

They reached a cottage and Victoria spoke in a language he had never heard. Which was something since he was fluent in several languages. He gasped when the lady stepped out of the door. She was beautiful. He stumbled forward when Victoria pulled on him. He righted himself and walked inside.

Inside the cottage looked as old as it looked outside. Still it looked nice and cozy...Except for the huge cauldron in the kitchen, and the potion's, and insects in bottle's on the shelves.

Victoria sat down on the dinning room chair, and placed both of her feet on the dinning table. It looked as if she was in agony doing it because of her corset, but she stayed that way. "Your beauty doesn't match your personality." "Well you have to deal with that. You said the deal was for me to look like a lady, and I look like a lady lazing around or not with this stuff on." The beautiful woman sighed. "You are indeed right." She sat down on the chair across from Victoria, then she looked over to the Prince. Gesturing for him to sit down. "What should I do with him Alexandra?" She tilted her head to the prince. "Do you want em'?" "Don't force yourself Captain. You don't have to speak in their language." "I have to practice you know." When Victoria spoke in the different language, her voice sounded more elegant. More womanly.

The two discussed in the language, before Alexandra looked back over to Lance. "You are in quite a pickle Captain." She spoke in the language Lance could understand. "...I could take him..." She placed a finger on her chin. "But he's not precious enough for me to break the deal." Victoria stood up, and slammed her hands on the table. "What do you mean he isn't precious enough? He's a prince! A Prince!" "But, you know his parent's have something far more precious then he is. But I'll still take him off your hands if you want." "Cheh. Well if it won't break the deal, then I won't give him to you. I know you'll only give me fake gold." The beautiful woman laughed. "Oh, you know me well." Victoria the walked over to Lance, "Let's go Prince." She hissed. "Oh no Princess, you can't leave this island just yet. I want to have a chat with the Prince. You can't leave the house until you do," Victoria walked over to the door, and tried to open it. But it wouldn't budge.

While Victoria, continued to try to yank it open, Alexandra motioned for Lance to come closer to her.

Lance walked inside and looked around. It was very different to say the least. He almost laughed when Victoria sat down. He tried to pay attention when they started talking but the languages were so different and he could tell they switched at least once. He finally gave up and just watched them. When they switched to a language he understood he paid more attention but he still didn't really understand. He knew his fate was on the line but he couldn't do anything. When the strange lady spoke about them not leaving till she talked with him he became more scared. He came forward when she asked for him.

Not thinking he took the woman's hand and bowed over it. He kissed it lightly before straightening. "Yes, milady?"

"My, my, You sure have a gentleman," Alexandra called out to Victoria, who ignored her. "My name is Alexandra. I am a Sorceress. I play with magic, and experiment with potions. I already know you're a Prince...Prince Lance Greenmen, correct?" She gave a small smile. Though, you could sense some evil behind it. "But, you seem to willing to be a Captive. I suppose you made a deal with her didn't you? If so, she won't keep it." The smile was still on her face. "She's a pirate captain after all. That's why we made a deal. I made it to where she can't run away from it." She sighed.

"But let me make a deal with you Dear prince. If you stay with me, then I'll make sure to keep the deal she promised you." Victoria suddenly turned around. "You wouldn't dare." "Quiet." Alexandra waved her finger, and Victoria suddenly couldn't talk.