((sorry it took so long t reply. Was on vacation for two weeks without internet and forgot to tell people here. ><))

Amelie tried to pull her chin away from him without revealing that she'd been untied. She glared at him, though she caught the message Aiden mouthed to her. She growled softly. "I don't know why he hasn't paid you."

Lev growled in frustration and backhanded Amelie hard, sending her to the floor. "Don't mess with me, girl! Tell me why your father has backed out of the deal now!" he shouted as he bent low towards her, his arm pulled back to strike again. Aiden grimaced, unable to just stand by and watch his friend go crazy like this. He strode forward and grabbed Lev's wrist, pulling the other man away from Amelie.

Lev turned to Aiden in surprise, his eyebrows nearly to his hairline. "What's the matter with you?" he demanded. Aiden let go of Lev's wrist and gestured to Amelie. "She may or may not be telling the truth, but I'm not going to let you beat up a woman just for that reason," Aiden answered. "We'll find her father ourselves, and we'll keep her on board until we do. Agreed?" Aiden asked, but his tone told that he wouldn't take no for an answer anyways.

Lev looked to Amelie, then back at Aiden with narrowed eyes. He whipped out his knife before Aiden could make a move, pointing it straight at the other man's throat. "Fine," he growled. "But if I find you helping that girl out behind my back, I'll have both your throats slit," he warned. Then he sheathed his knife and motioned to his men, stomping out the door with the others following close behind.

Once Lev was gone, Aiden sighed and went over to crouch down next to Amelie. "Are you alright?" he asked, reaching out his hand just in case.

Amelie gasped when his hand met her face and she sort of sprawled back onto the floor. Then just tensed and waited to be hit again. She didn't feel it though and looked up, surprise clear on her face. Then she took the opportunity to move back away from them and sort of cower back against a crate. She watched, sort of amazed. When the knife was to Aiden's throat her heart caught in her throat until it was gone. Then she looked down in her lap as he left, gently touching her stinging face. She nodded slightly to Aiden's question, but moved away from him slightly. "You shouldn't help me you know...I wouldn't want you getting hurt because of me..." She didn't look at him the whole time, hand over the spot where she'd been smacked.

Aiden sighed and rested his arms on his knees, one corner of his mouth quirking up. "The plan wasn't to harm you, and I'm going to stick by that. Lev is usually a good man of his word. He's just pissed off right now, don't worry about it."

He lowered himself sit back, wrapping his arms around his knees. Lev would likely be off somewhere breaking stuff to cure his rage, leaving enough time to visit with Amelie. Besides, he was just as curious to find out what was going on with the king. The man had been so adamant about getting her back at first. Now it was like the guy was a whole different person.

"You really have no clue why your father decided to dump the deal and disappear?" Aiden asked.

Amelie just stared at her feet for a moment. "Plans never really go the way they're supposed to." She had been planning something before she got taken, and of course now it wasn't going to happen. She was cautious of his movements, not completely believing she wouldn't be hit again. Though, she had no reason to think he would. She then looked sort of depressed at his question. "I truely don't know..."

Aiden shook his head. "Alright, I won't push it," he assured her, then leaned forward. His eyes had a soft warmth to them, like a smile. But he didn't dare do that at the moment, not after what just happened. He could tell she was still shocked and scared by the blow from Lev. Instead he reached out one hand to touch lightly to her shoulder. "Even if I have to do it all by my myself, I will make sure you are kept safe. Alright?"

Amelie did not catch the look in his eyes when he leaned closer, though she did feel a sudden chill go through her. What was wrong with her? It wasn't that cold down there. When he touched her shoulder, she automatically looked up at him, sort of freezing when she did. Why was he being so kind to her? She swallowed a lump in her throat that had suddenly formed, then moved slightly and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, closing her eyes tight. "You don't have to...but I love that you'd want to try.." Her voice was a little quiet and somehow suddenly scared that someone would come in and see this.

Aiden hugged her back and gently patted her shoulder. "Don't be scared, this won't last forever," he assured her, then pulled back from her a little to look her in the eye. He gave a small smile and pushed some strands out of her face. "Still holding off on that rum? It would help you feel better," he said, his smile forming into a smirk.

Amelie liked that he'd hugged her back, but the pat on the shoulder sort of ruined it for her. That made it feel like she was a child that needed comforting after a bad dream. She would've pulled away if he hadn't. Though she looked back at him, almost gazing at him. This close up, she could clearly see him and he...was gorgous. When he pushed the hair from her face, even that small gesture made her heart beat quicken and made her slightly nervous. "N-no...I'm fine...t-thank you..." She couldn't make herself look away, nor could she move away. What am I doing?! Why am I starring at him like some love struck puppy!?

Aiden laughed and got to his feet, patting her on the head. He couldn't afford to let her get all lovey eyed like that, so might as well keep treating like a kid. No more touching her face. Though she had such a pretty face. Now that he thought about it, she would be exactly the type of girl, if circumstances had been different, that Lev might approach with a flirtatious mind. Sad to think about, when Lev could have had an easier time getting this girl to open up and tell all she knows, if he'd treated her like any other woman they've come across. Or maybe his old friend just needed a little prodding...

Aiden focused back on her and gestured toward the door. "I might be gone for a good while, so try to get some rest. I know you think this room is disgusting, but if all goes well, you might have a better one sooner than you think," he said with a wink, then headed out the door for Lev's quarters.

The night was cool over the deck of the ship, sending soft breezes that were lulling the guards of Lev's quarters to sleep. Aiden smirked and gave them each a flick on the head before going in, startling them back to attention. Inside the room was not a pleasant sight. Lev sat slumped down behind his desk, feet on the surface, and a hat pulled low over his eyes. Aiden dismissed as to where his friend had managed to find a hat for now and looked around at the sorry state of the room. Everything was broken. Glass bottles, extra chairs, lamps, including several treasures gathered from voyages to foreign lands. All save for the scrolls and maps, which were thankfully still in their shelves.

Lev pushed one side of his hat up at the sound of Aiden's footsteps, then sighed and yanked it off his head, tossing it to the floor. "First time in our lives we've went straight after a king, and what does he do? Send his battleships out to meet us? Send spies to turn our ship inside out for the girl? No, of course not," Lev said, throwing up his hands. "The bastard runs away!"

Aiden only nodded in agreement, then stepped forward to stand in front of the desk, placing both hands on the edge to look straight at Lev. His friend stared back with a new curious light in his eyes. "What if," Aiden began, "We try a different tactic? The king might be a coward, but he might be trying to throw us off so he can get a spy in easier. But to find out the kings methods, we need to get through to his daughter..." Lev groaned at that mention. "Not that bloody girl again, Aiden..."

"Just hear me out," Aiden continued. "She's not going to give us anything right now, she's too scared. You know better than me how to get a girl to open up. You don't have to like her, but at least pretend that you do. Then she would tell you the whole truth."

Lev shook his head and stood up, hand on the hilt of his sword. "Normally I would brush you off and say you were joking. But I can see that look in your eyes. If this ass-backward scheme of yours doesn't work, I'm throwing her off the ship. No matter where we are," he added as a threat. Then Lev headed straight for the door, and Aiden smiled inwardly in relief. That was easier than he thought. Lev hadn't even tried to argue. So his friend had gotten a soft spot for the girl too. This would be fun to watch.

Lev entered the storeroom without warning, walking straight up to Amelie and leaning down, hand outstretched. Her waited for a bit, eyes impatient, then said, "Take my hand. I'm not going to hurt you." He tried to keep the demanding tone out of his voice as much as possible.

Amelie was slightly bewildered at Aiden's actions, but she just nodded slightly and watched him leave. She would love to get out of this stink hole. But...she doubted it would happen. Not after how that man had treated her. She curled her knees to her chest and thought about what had happened just now and found that this was not the best day of her life. She'd started to fall asleep when Lev came in. She heard him come and was immediately awake and on her guard, though she was tired. "What do you want?" She asked scornfully, instantly moving away from his outstretched hand.

Lev frowned and stepped forward, grabbing Amelie's hand to force her to her feet. He kept hold of her hand as he straightened, returning her glare. "To apologize for my earlier actions," he answered. "Now, come with me. You'll sleep in one of the spare bunks tonight," he informed her, his tone making it obvious that she had no choice. He unwound the old sheet from her shoulders before leading her out of the room, not bothering much to wait for her to keep up.

The spare bunk was down in the crew quarters, turned into a makeshift shelf for odds and ends by the other men. Lev let go of her hand finally to shove it all off with one sweep of his arm, then patted it once. A puff of dust rose from the thin mattress at the impact of his hand. "Here's your bed. Hopefully you find it more comfortable than the floor."

Amelie cowered slightly when he steped forward, thinking she'd be hit again. His roughness wasn't appreciated. She struggled, trying to get him to let go of her hand. Shit. He has a good grip. "Let go of me!" She said angrily at him, all kinds of thoughts going through her mind. If he wanted to apologize, he was doing a terrible job of it.

She look horrified when she learned that she'd be sleeping in the same place as the crew. "I can't sleep in here! Are you out of your mind?" She said to him in a sort of hushed, yet shocked and angry tone. She didn't know what sort of crew he had, she'd be raped for all she knew. As good as she was at fighting, she was no match for a whole crew.

Lev clenched his hands tight into fists, doing all he could to keep from punching her straight in the mouth. He barely kept himself from verbally exploding in her face. But he remembered the real reason he was doing this. To get the truth out of her about the king, and for the ransom. Both were worth more to him then beating the girl senseless and not getting anywhere at all.

"What did you expect?" Lev growled, his eyes furious. "This is a ship, if you haven't noticed. That bed and this room is as high class as you'll get under my orders."

Amelie looked desperate, though she looked as if she were trying to hide it. "Please. I can't stay in here, anywhere but here. I don't care if you leave me in that....place I was in before." She didn't like his tone, nor how angry he got over something that was vital to her survival.

Lev muttered something foul in frustration, then grabbed her arm and towed her along back out of the room and up to the door of his quarters. He threw the door open, dragged her inside amongst the broken objects and past where Aiden still stood, now staring dumbfounded at the two. Lev ignored him and went to another door in the far wall opposite the desk, opening it to reveal his bedroom. The bed was massive for such a comparatively small room, leaving only enough room to walk around it and use the wardrobe standing against the wall to the right.

Lev shoved her inside, then stepped in after her. "This will be yours for the night. No objections," he threatened, then stepped back out to slam the door shut. Only then did he let out a long sigh, leaning back against the door and pinching at the bridge of his nose. Aiden couldn't help but to laugh and shake his head, which did nothing for Lev's mood.

"What the hell is your problem now?" Lev growled. "I've given her my own bed. If she wants to complain about that, then I'll lock her in with the crew!" he said, raising his voice purposefully so she could hear.

Amelie winced slightly, thinking she'd be hit, then blinked and looked at him as he pulled her away. She knew she'd have bruises later....it didn't take much to bruise her. She'd always been covered in bruises and cuts after every training session. She thought maybe it was a medical condition, but just brushed it off as her being tender skinned.

When they passed Aiden, her face mirrored his own. She didn't know what the hell was going on with the captain either. When she was thrown inside, she was shocked, not really listening to his words. She looked around, then turned to ask him something, but he'd shut the door already. She winced at his threat he made through the door. She sighed and looked around. I wonder if he can lock me in here... She'd try later, she decided. She looked around for a blanket, other than the one on the bed. She refused to sleep in his bed...it just wasn't proper...nor did it feel right to her. She found one in a chest of some sort. She sat in a corner and wrapped it around herself, then almost immediately fell asleep with her head propped against the wall.

"I said to make friends with her, Lev. Not drag her around until she stops complaining," Aiden said with a low chuckle. Lev glared back at Aiden and pushed himself off the door to stride over behind his desk. He plopped down into the old chair, making it squeak horribly on the wood floor, and swung his feet up onto the desk. "I don't care how I make friends with her," Lev answered bitterly. "My only goal is to soften her up enough so she'll talk. Just like you suggested," he added with a sneer. Aiden shook his head and slid off the edge of the desk to turn and face the other. "Alright Lev, I won't say much more. But, you need to put on more of an act if you want her trust," he added. Lev sighed and looked away, clasping his hands over his stomach.

Lev work with a start to find the suns rays streaming through the windows of the room, a warm chink falling through a broken pane of glass to touch his face. He sighed and rubbed at his eyes, cursing himself for falling asleep in his chair. Again. He'd been doing that a lot lately, a trend which might have ended last night if it hadn't been for Aiden and that bloody girl. He heaved himself out of the chair, stumbling a little, then made his way over through the mess to peek into his room. His eyebrows rose when he saw the girl asleep, not in his bed, but wrapped in a blanket and propped up against the wall. Her soft snoring could be heard, like the sound of a sleeping bird.

Lev inched quietly over to her, making sure his boots made as little noise as possible on the wood floor, then reached down to gently scoop her up in his arms. She was lighter than he expected. How thin was this girl, he wondered to himself. He couldn't feel anything through the blanket, but it would be improper, and awkward if she happened to wake up, if he unwound the blanket just for that reason. So he turned toward the bed to set her down carefully, making sure he didn't move around too much.

Amelie hadn't had the best sleep, but she'd finally gotten comfortable about an hour before Lev came in and scooped her up. She moved slightly, but didn't wake. She started dreaming about some place she was at that she could only see Aiden and the cruel man that tried to be nice and was terrible at it. Yet...they both seemed to be good in her dream. Even though, only Aiden was smiling. She'd never seen Lev smile. She could feel she was being carried and moved again in his arms, but only to snuggled closer to him. It comforted her to be in someone's arms, though she knew not whose they were.

Lev almost dropped Amelie when she snuggled in against his chest, just managing to keep his composure long enough to set her down on the bed. Then he hastily jerked his hands away, as though he had just touched something foul. He left her at once to her dreams and hurried out of the door, shutting it quickly and rushing out to head up to the wheel.

Aiden happened to just be about to open the door when Lev came bursting out, jumping quickly to the side and staring after his friend curiously. What had happened to get Lev all riled up liked that? He looked like he'd seen a ghost. Or, Aiden thought with a grin, a girl who looked exceptionally pretty in her sleep. He chuckled to himself at that and went into Lev's quarter to check on Amelie.

Not knowing how she had come to lay on the bed all wrapped up like that, he paid it no mind as he tiptoed around to the side of the bed, kneeling down to cross his arms over the blankets. He stared straight at her sleeping face with a mischievous grin, reaching up slowly toward her face to poke her right on the end of her nose.

Amelie's dream turned bad when she felt like she'd almost been dropped, but they soon returned to peaceful sweet dreams. When she didn't feel anyone's arms, she moved around slightly, as if trying to fond them again. Though still very much asleep. When Aiden came in and poked her nose like that, her face wrinkled up slightly, then nuzzled her face into a pillow, as if her nose intched. After a moment though, she started mumbling in her sleep. "...why don't you smile....I want to see your smile..." Her voice had some longing in it, soft and sweet. "...Aiden's smile...is so...wonderful..."

Aiden grinned and laughed softly when Amelie wrinkled her nose and turned away from him. He couldn't help but to admit that she really was kinda cute, in looks and personality....

"...Aiden's smile...is so...wonderful..."

Aiden blinked, his grin disappearing. Wonderful...? His smile? He'd never gotten such a compliment before from a woman. Then again, the only women he and Lev had ever managed to snag were tavern whores. Quality of a smile was the least of concern for those type of women. Amelie was a princess, born and raised to be polite, kind, and ever courteous. Even though she was stubborn with a hint of a wildcat, he could see the princess in her. Especially now, as she smiled so peacefully in her sleep.

Aiden smiled and set his chin on his forearm, just to continue watching her and listening to her soft snores. Eventually he closed his eyes as well, his head tilting a little as he drifted off.

Amelie slept peacefully for another hour or two, before waking. She saw Aiden laying like that asleep and she blushed darkly. Had he been there the whole time? Then her eyes widened when she noticed she was on the bed and not on the floor. She had to process everything, then she slowly calmed down. Though, she was still confused as to how she got there and why Aiden was sleeping there as well. Shoot...now I have to go to the restroom...this just isn't my day. She glanced around, then looked down at herself and scowled. Umm...I'm going to need a wash...and perhaps some clothes too... She slowly and carefully slid off the bed, trying not to wake Aiden, then went to the door. Surely Lev wouldn't be there and she could slip out to find the restroom. She could've asked Aiden...but she didn't want to disturb him.

Lev strode back in just as Amelie had opened the door to the bedroom, not even glancing at her as his went straight to his desk with a huge old map gathered between his hands. He ignored the chair and instead remained standing, back to the bedroom door, as he roughly smoothed the map out over the desk surface. He was muttering curses and other incoherent things to himself as he did so. Once the map was smoothed out, he reached across the desk to yank open one of the drawers and fish around until he found a misshapen piece of charcoal. With that in hand, he began to scribble furiously here and there on the map. All the while never once noticing Amelie.

Amelie jumped when Lev came into the room, then she slowly stepped out when she saw that he hadn't noticed her. She shut the door behind her and moved over to Lev's side, gently touching his arm. "Umm...excuse me...is there anywhere I can go to the restroom without being watched?"