Dawn stopped as he yelled at her then asked her a question before yelling for Akaya. "No. I do not, sir." Her eyes went to Akaya as she dropped off a pair pants and boots on Sirus's bed. She smiled only a little when Akaya smiled back at her before following her captain's order. "Yes, sir." The princess disappeared behind the divider and stepped out of her skirt and shoes. "I wanted to thank you for helping me..." As she spoke, Dawn stepped out in kind of tight black pants and a pair of leather boots. Her arms under her chest and tried not to look at Sirus as she stood there in front of him. Even though she had always enjoyed climbing trees, sword fights, and riding horses, when that man fondled her, she froze. "May I go now, sir?"

He never looked at her, "No, you may not." He simple stated in his normal harsh tone. "I made you my quartermaster for a reason, if you want to live then you need to toughen up or they will kill you. Weakness is not allowed my ship." He bluntly told her before looking her, he raised a eyebrow lightly when seeing her in the pants. "Your thanks is not needed or wanted with me. I have better things to do then fallow you around and save you." He didn't care if he hurt her feelings from that remark, "How well can you handle yourself?" He her asked her curiously while walking around his desks, his dagger was tucked back into his sleeve. "Hit me." He order her, he wanted to see if she could; well also how hard she could. If she tried to hit him, he would simply catch and twist her arm, but first she would have to try.

Dawn stood there and took his insults as she looked down at the floor. Her eyes went him as he told her to hit him. The princess looked at him for a moment before she tried to slap him. She knew he'd probably either grab her wrist to move out of the way. The hit wouldn't be that hard but it would sting for a few minutes. As she stood there, Dawn waited for him to hit her or stab her. She had been tougher in her younger years but when her parents got rid of anyone who let her be anything but a lady. Her parents got her a chaperone and made sure that she would be a lady. But her parents still considered her a black sheep.

He pushed her lightly after her attempt to slap, "I said hit, not slap." He told her slightly stern. "Ball your fist up and hit me." He grabbed her hand and forced it into a proper fist, "Keep your thumb tucked along your figures, always on the outside so you down break it." He patted the top of her fist, making sure it was steady before continuing. "Keep your fist and forearm level, never bend your wrist as you punch. Most of all put your weight behind each of your punches." He told her sternly as he let go of her hand. "Now, apply it. Hit me." He order her once more, he never thought this would be happening but he figured that her father would kill her anyways; after all she would be classified as a pirate even if she stayed as a fishwife. He readied himself for her punch, hoping she would actually listen to what he told her.

She looked at him as he pushed her attempt to slap him. Dawn nodded as she watched his hand mold hers into a fist and patted the top of her hand. Her eyes went to him as he gave her pointers on how to hit him. The princess looked at him as he said to hit him. Dawn nodded as she decided had to do this because she had to be tough for Sirus. She prepared herself as her hand rushed towards his face. Her eyes stayed on him as she watched her fist fly towards his face.

Sirus just softly caught her fist before she could hit him, "You need to work on your speed." He actually smiled at her nicely but realizing he did, the smile disappeared quickly. "Your hands are too soft, practice hitting a board til your knuckles bleed then continue." He plainly told her before letting her hand go, "Your knuckles will split if you hit anyone with a real punch." He told her before turning back to his desk, "Tell the men to break, dinner will be served soon." He order her before shooing her out of his cabin, he mentally was beating himself up for smiling at her. He never smiled, so why to her. He shrugged it off, it had to be from lack of sleep.

Akaya was busy making dinner, she missed the help Dawn had given her over the weeks but she was better ranked now. She was so happy for her and couldn't wait to hear about what Sirus had said. She began to peel potatoes for dinner, the meat was already on to cook and the soup was boiling softly all she needed was the potatoes for the soup.

Her eyes went to Sirus as he caught her fist in his hand. She noticed his smile before it disappeared from his face. Dawn looked at her hand as he said they were too soft and told her to hit a board. As he let go of her hand and walked back to his desk, the princess tried to figure out why he smiled at her. It only made her confused before she listened to his order and watched him shoo her out. "Tha..." Dawn almost thanked him but she just bowed to him then walked out of his quarters. She went to the deck and stood before some of the men. "Dinner will be ready soon, captain says to take a break."

Dawn almost ran to the kitchen and tried not to cry as she looked at Akaya. "I can't do this..." Her eyes on her friend as she worked on dinner. "I don't know what to do." She said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

After she left the room Sirus just continued to map out his charts that rested on his desk, he looked at the door for a few seconds before he returned his attention back to the maps. The princess was unique in a unusual way or so he was beginning to think, he shrugged it off for he didn't want to believe it or admit he liked her.

Akaya just watched her friend panic over the captain's choice of making her the second in command. "What?" She questioned her friend, she didn't understand her friend about panicking phase. "What are you talking about miss Dawn, the captain made you quartermaster for a reason." She told her friend softly, hoping to making her feel better.

She looked at Akaya and told her about the captain wanting her to practice her punches on a plank of wood. Dawn told her about her attempts to slap then punch him as he instructed her to. Her eyes on the floor as she tried not to hyperventilate like she normally does when she panics, which isn't too often. "I know but what if I can't do it...he might as well just kill me and get it over with." Dawn said as she sat down on a barrel of apples and closed her eyes. The princess let her tears flow as she covered her face with her hands.

Dawn thought of her father scolding her for getting into a fight with one of the stable boys. He slapped her face then told her she'd never be anything, especially a princess. She sat there and cried before leaving the kitchen to head to Akaya's room.

She just let her friend rant as her continued to work on dinner, "You will be fine if you listen to his words. You may not realize it but he is looking out for you sweetie." Akaya looked at her as she placed the potatoes into the soup, "He won't kill you Miss Dawn, I'm going to tell you a secret about the Captain." She stirred the soup as she continued to speak with her friend, "Elijah and Sirus dealt with abandonment of their father also, their mother committed suicide when they were little. The old captain took them in, he had caught them to be tough. He is just trying to do the same with you dear." She told her friend smiling at her in her motherly way. "I will make you a pie, makes everyone feel better yes?" She said before rushing to gather the needed supplies.

When she came back Dawn was gone, she sighed softly before starting on the pie. She knew Sirus would kill her for the information given out about his past but she didn't fear him; much. She started to make the crust as she hummed away in her native tongue as she went to work.

Dawn closed her eyes as she turned around to go back to the kitchen. She bent down and grabbed some apples from the barrel before walking over next to Akaya. "Thank you. For everything you've done for me." Her eyes went to the other woman as she smiled. Though the information about Sirus and his brother was unwanted, it helped her understand him and why he was pushing her to get tougher. She started to peel apples for the pie while standing next to Akaya. "I'll try what he told me to do. I may not like it but I'm going to try." Her eyes on Akaya as she peeled the apples for her.

Akaya just nodded at the Princess in her loving way as she began to sing softly. She slowly started to mix the dough for the crust, "Let us hope the Captain hasn't gone crazy, yes?" She told her friend in her loving tone. She didn't understand anything just like Dawn about why she was made the second in command. "You know the Captain is mysterious in his ways just like his brother. Oh, how I loved his brother." She said quietly, "This will give you a chance to see him clearly..." She paused, "As a person, not the blood lusting pirate he hides behind in public." She told her excitedly, she wanted to gossip about anything or everything. "Oh, what do you think of him? I personally always thought he was cuter then his brother. Always was the stronger of the two, but I fell in love with his brother over him." She shrugged waiting for her replies that she didn't really give her time to answer.

Her eyes went to Akaya as she started to sing and smiled while slicing the apples. "I think he has gone crazy if he thinks his crew will take orders from me." Dawn said softly. But she watched her friend as she started to talk about her lover. Her friend's words kept her attention as she listened to her friend's words. The princess smiled a little as Akaya talked about Sirus hiding his true self behind a pirate facade. "Sirus isn't bad looking but he doesn't want anything to with me besides making sure I'm not the weak link on his ship." Dawn said as she looked at the apples she had cut for her friend and waited for Akaya to tell her what to do next. She had to work on her punches but that could wait until after dinner.

The young woman was a bit worried about what kind of training he would have her do. His smile at her in the pants confused her. It made her wonder how he felt about her but she tried not to think about that.

Akaya smiled at her comment as she placed the pie crust in the pan, she took the cut apples from the counter and placed them in a pot of water. She placed seasoning into the pot and placed it over the fire to began boiling. "He has his methods, they work quiet well. I'm not sure how he really does it." She told her as she started to clean off the table, then stirred the soup. She checked on the meat before pulling it out of the oven and setting it on the table. "How do you know? I wasn't Elijah's type but he fell head or heels for me. He even taught me how to protect myself." She smiled thinking about the past, "We fought day and night, oh how we treated each other was horrible." She told her as she giggled lightly. "Then one day, he saved me from being raped. That day changed everything between us." She said sadly, she missed him dearly. She weakly smiled before she returned to making dinner and the filling for the pie.

"Do you like him?" Akaya asked her friend randomly, she was curious about it. She was half way cutting the meat and placing it on the serving tray. "I'm just asking, you seem confused about your feeling for him; at least that's how you act." She shortly fallowed with.

She sat back down on the barrel of apples and rested her head in her hands as she watched Akaya. The princess smiled at Akaya as she talked about how she fell in love with Sirus' brother. "Sounds like Sirus and me...the attempted rape...training..." Dawn blushed and shivered as she thought of the man fondling her and hugged herself. Her eyes closed as she tried to get the memory out of her head. Akaya's words brought her back to the present and blushed at her question. "I...I don't know. Why should I? He kidnapped me at gun point and made me a fishwife on his ship...He's rescued me but..." She brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and thought of Sirus. How he looked her over in her room, how he slammed her against the wall in the secret corridor, how he gave her his jacket to cover up, and how he smiled at her as she stood before him in pants. Dawn looked at her feet as she tried to shake Sirus from her thoughts. Her hands gripped the barrel as his memory still remained in her mind.

Once Akaya was done with the meat, she place a slice on a plate before going to the soup with a bowl. She placed the full bowl on the plate with a slice of bread, "I see, here eat this." She told her handling her the plate with a spoon before heading back to get the food ready for the crew. She made two other plates ready before she took the pot with the soup, the bread and a serving tray full of meat into the next room. She came back empty handed before she covered one of the plates. It was for Sirus he rarely ate so she offend would make him a plate to try and force him. She sat on barrel next to Dawn, she set her plate gently on her lap. "Was the man the one he tied to a barrel?" She asked curiously, "You know what, don't answer that." She said taking a small bite of the food, she didn't know what to tell her without sounded nosy. "He did that for his brother, for me." She replied softly after she swallowed. "His brother's only crime was living on this ship, he was a softy. Elijah couldn't hurt or kill anything. It was all Sirus that did his killing, just gave him the credit, he taught Elijah to act tough but he was a teddy bear. If he didn't, he would have been killed. Sirus has a strong family value that no other pirate has..." She said slightly in tears, "Like you, he never did anything but was classed as a pirate and he died." She told her friend while her tears began to softly fall from her eyes. "If he hadn't gone to see me on the beach he would still be alive and you would not be here." She said covering her face as she softly cried into her hands, her spoon had dropped onto the plate. "I am sorry, Princess." She barely muffled out for the tears.

Dawn looked down at the plate and whispered a thank you to her friend as she blushed. "I'm sorry if I said something hurtful." Her eyes went to Akaya as she watched her take the food into another room and covered another plate of food. "Yeah. That was the man who touched me..." She said as she sipped her soup and smiled at the food. "I'm so sorry, Akaya." The princess set their plates aside and hugged her friend as she rubbed her back. "You have no need to be sorry. You can cry around me, you lost someone who was very special to you. Please, don't cry, Akaya." Dawn closed her eyes as she felt the weight on her chest grow with every tear her friend cried. "Please, I'm glad I am here. I met you and I got away from my father." Her eyes opened as she tried to calm her friend down.

Akaya wiped the tears away from her face, "I'm sorry, I been fighting this guilt since Elijah was captured and I am the reason you are stuck here." She said sadly looking to her plate, she felt horrible from this. She never looked up at Dawn, she set her plate down. "I have to go give Sirus his plate, he would eat if I don't." She whispered before getting up and walking over to the plate. Her face we red from crying, with her free hand she took her apron and wiped her face once more before laying it back against her dress. She didn't mean to burst out crying from her guilt or pain. "I'll be back to finish the pie..." She said weakly before she left the room with the plate.

She knocked on her Captain's door before she entered, "I bought you dinner," she told him in a weak voice. He looked at her when she placed the plate down on his desk. "Why are you crying?" He asked her concern but she just shook her shake, "You should eat." He set down his quill and stood up, "Akaya what happen?" He demanded her to tell him, she was like a sister to him and he hated when she cried. She took a deep breath when she looked at his stern face, with great hesitation she told him before she ran back to the kitchen leaving him their confused on her actions.

Her eyes closed as she tried to comfort Akaya and looked down at her as she wiped at her face. Dawn rubbed her friend's back and smiled at the fish wife. "It's okay. I'm kind of glad to be here. I'm away from a father who never loved me and I met you, my friend." She said softly as she tried to comfort her friend but let her go since Sirus might be waiting for his food. "Okay..." The princess sat on the barrel of apples and forced herself to eat since she needed to keep her strength up. Dawn felt guilty because talking of Sirus stirred her friend's memory of his brother and worried what Sirus would do to her since she made the fish wife cry.

Dawn stood from the barrel and set her empty plate in the sink. She looked to the bare wall next to the doorway of the kitchen. Her eyes focused on the wall before reaching out and punching it. The pain shot through her hand as she tried to punch the wall harder and faster. Her anger, guilt, and depression flowed into her punch. After fifteen punches, her knuckles were bleeding and her whole hand was sore. The princess just let it bleed as she rested her head on the wall, next to where her blood now stained it.

Sirus left his cabin looking for Akaya, he took a deep breath as he walked around looking for her. Everywhere he looked he couldn't find her, "Akaya?" He called out walking into the kitchen, but she was not there. He turned to leave only to see Dawn with her head on the wall. He rolled his eyes, bad thing about women was when one was crying the other was or close to. He looked at the blood stained wall then to her hands, he grabbed her hand gently and looked at it; if she pulled away he didn't care. He let it go and went to the sink to get a wet rag. He returned shortly and grabbed her hand once again to clean her bleeding knuckles gently. "What were you talking about to make Akaya cry?" He simply asked her as he cleaned her hand.

She opened her eyes when someone entered the kitchen and looked at Sirus as he noticed her. Dawn's blue eyes were clear of any signs of crying or tears. Her eyes stayed on him as she realized he was looking for Akaya. The princess watched him as he noticed the wall then her bloody hand and winced as he took it in his. When he walked over to get a rag, she seemed a bit surprised but said nothing even as he walked back over to her. Dawn stayed quiet as he cleaned her knuckles gently and lowered her head he spoke to her. "We were talking about her relationship with your brother, sir. How much she admired him." Her eyes went to his face as she spoke softly and hoped that he and Akaya would not be mad with what she said. The princess left out the part about how she felt about him since she didn't know at the moment.

Sirus just listen to her as he continued to clean up her knuckles, once he was done he toss the rag onto the counter and ripped a little bit of his shirt off to use was a wrap. It was clean so he didn't care if it was ripped. Slowly he wrapped her hands with the ripped cloths, "His death was undeserved." He told her softly, his voice was sweet in a way. He looked at her in the eyes, they were pretty but he would never tell her that. He lightly leaned close to her face, he face was only a inch away. "Guess your not that much of a spoiled brat." He told her braking whatever mood she felt, he just wanted her to think he was going to kiss her just to torment her out of fun. He half expected her to not listen to him about punching the board to toughen her knuckles, he smirked teasingly before leaving the Princess alone to her thoughts; he wanted to talk to Akaya. After all she did confused him greatly with her actions.

Dawn watched as he ripped his shirt to wrap her knuckles and nodded when he spoke of his brother. "I'm sorry, Sirus." Her eyes stayed on him as she spoke softly as he did to her. The princess held her breath as he brought his face closer to hers and looked at him as she froze. When he spoke, she scowled at him and pulled her hands away from hers. "You're more of a spoiled brat than I am. You get what you want. I don't! And I don't have to steal them either!" Dawn yelled after him as she threw an apple at him. Her eyes followed him as she scowled and tried not to punch the walls with her wounded knuckles. The princess now felt like crying but would not let Sirus see her cry. "That bastard..." She said softly as she shook her head.

He just chuckled as he walked away, the sound of a apple hitting the door just made his amusement rise from the previous moment. Of course he got what he wanted, he was the Captain even before the title he always got what he wanted but mostly cause he worked for it. He smiled hearing her in the kitchen behind him, as she was fun to play with. He found Dawn very amusing when he was bored, she always seemed to reacted the way he wanted from her.

He never did see Akaya on the deck, he thought that maybe she was in her room but decided not to bother her. She always went to her room when she wanted to be alone. He made his way back to the cabin, yawning lightly. He never did eat his dinner, wasn't really hungry tonight. Once inside he pulled off his jacket and shirt, it was too hot of a night to sleep with shirts on in his opinion. He plopped on his bed after opening one of his window close to the bed, the sea breeze felt good on his bare skin. He forgotten to lock his door but figured it wouldn't hurt one night to have it unlocked, none of the men wanted to mess with him anyways.

- You can time skip if you want. -

Days passed as they approached an island. Dawn had barely seen or even spoken to Sirus since that night in the kitchen but then she hadn't been seeking him out lately. She was more worried about Akaya and how that scene effected their friendship. The princess mostly stayed in her new room, the one that needed cleaned desperately, or on deck but tried to stay out of the way. If they were still pissed at her presence on the ship, Dawn did not want to try her luck with the crew yet. She basically isolated herself except at meals but even then she barely talked to anyone. The only one who cared for her was Akaya and she had been very emotional last time they talked. Sirus was more of a shadow but he was rarely around her.

The princess grew more excited as she saw an island start to appear on the horizon. She couldn't wait to get off the ship and relax a bit even. Her eyes stayed on the slowly appearing island as she stood at the bow of the ship. The wind ran through her golden-brown locks.