06-09-2016, 03:26 AM
The windy sea air cleared Clark's mind a bit. Maybe the room was a little bit stuffier than he thought. Maybe he didn't have to be so cruel to her. Despite the fact that she would return home regardless, he couldn't help but feel rather shitty about her situation. If he was in her shoes, he probably would've reacted the same way. Stopping in his tracks, he cursed himself for seeing the situation in her eyes. This was something he learned to push away to be successful as a pirate.
The rest of his men noticed him walk around and yelled in congratulations, most of them with bottles of ales in hand, which reminded him of the secret stash that the serving girl talked about. And what was that wink about? Clark would have to keep his guard up around her, although it seemed as if Gerard would have more trouble with her. 'Better him than me, I suppose.' He decided to toss one of his apples to the younger crew members, some of them taking enough responsibility to keep the ship running. Better to have them learn young.
After a round around the ship, making sure that they were on course, Clark returned to his quarters, clapping Davey on the shoulder for a good job before he closed the door. Gerard and the serving girl had gone, probably knocking each other up in their quarters, but the princess was still there. Stock silent. It almost scared him. Scratching his head, he approached her and sat in the same chair. The food began to get cold.
"Princess," the coldness left his voice. "I'll make you a deal. I probably should've started off with this but, if we keep you for a few days, and get a good enough ransom and such, I'll leave you alone. I can't promise you a room by yourself; I don't trust my men enough to leave you alone. I won't touch you, my men won't touch you, all until we get this all sorted out. Entangling myself with royal affairs wasn't my strong point. I'm only hoping to get out of this alive.. and with a little more treasure of course."
Ariel shook her head as Gerard continued to stuff more food into his gut. She guessed he was sick of eating small meals, especially on a pirate ship. What kind of mindset did he have, that he would rather deal with the damage later than reassess it firsthand? It was almost...refreshing to say the least. 'Ah, why am I thinking that of a pirate?' she thought, looking over at Rose, who just remained silent. Her heart went out to her, but she had to serve herself first and foremost. Now that the circumstances changed, she could feel as if she was justified in taking this approach. Ariel felt the guilt creep up her throat, but that was something she could deal with later.
When the captain left and Gerard motioned for her to follow him, Ariel stood up, ready to leave the savory smelling room, but paused. The guilt came back with a vengeance; she couldn't leave her mistress. But would she give up her possible freedom for that? The turmoil in her made Ariel want to throw up. She ran over to the princess and held her hands together, careful with the bruise. She looked into her eyes, hoping that her worries for her was clear enough. Giving her a small squeeze, she left, fighting back tears. It was the first time she had gone against a mistress or master of hers, and the loss of direction made her chest feel heavy.
Once she entered Gerard's cabin, she swallowed whatever feelings she had to pay attention to him. She held him by the arms as he steadied himself. "There, there..." Ariel helped him move to his cot, refusing to lay him down because of the food he just ate. "Not good for your stomach, and probably worse for your wound right now."
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