(I fell asleep just before you posted. It's just so quiet in my house, I love it. :D)

Aleksandra watch him bed down, and called her brothers' leering grins to mind. "I'm a gem born among the scum of the earth, more like," she murmured. "But a clouded gem, and so roughly cut as to be unrecognizable." She cleared their faces from her mind and, looking down at the prince, she had the sudden insane urge to tell him who she was. It was true, pirates were ruthless and rarely took prisoners. She'd been incredibly lucky that day. And it wasn't as if she'd come away from that stunt unscathed. The whip marks on her back ached just thinking about what happened when she'd displeased the captain.

"The daggers I bought weren't mastercrafted. You can't even get those in the average blacksmith's shop. I bought them from a famous blacksmith and they were of very fine make. In fact, they might be in storage somewhere in your castle. Along with my staff and my other belongings." Her mask, her signet ring. Things to easily identify who she was. But she supposed it might be easier once he knew the whole story. "I know my horse is definitely down in your stables. Caego is worth three mastercrafted swords," she said with a sigh. She almost wanted to see the look on Aulfr's face when he went to the stables and saw a Tirion river stallion munching on the oats. Just one more impossible thing to tack onto her mystery. She wondered if he'd try to mount Caego? Good luck with that. The horse was in a perpetually foul mood, and he liked to bite.

She lay down beside him and burrowed under the blankets, turning her back to him as she tried to go to sleep. She'd shared a bed with less honorable men before, and she had a feeling he wouldn't be trying anything now that he knew her skills. She found sleep hard to come by, though she could hear Aulfr relaxing behind her, could hear his breathing deepen. Saints, what kind of mess had she stumbled into? She had to live another year, or she'd never be able to go home and complete her task. She'd always be haunted by her brothers, and what they might have already done to other young girls, or what they might do in the future. She would stop them before it happened again. And no longer would they lay hands on anyone.