Blade tended all the patients and when he finish he sighed in relief and said," Anastasia I'm done." He was tired and it was obvious. @animera

Marybeth checked on the children and then went topside. She wanted to find out what it was that had attacked them. What was it that everyone had died for? She saw Arthur and some of the other pirates at the front of the ship so she went towards the back. She leaned against the railing and squinted. The city was getting so small now and it was mostly just smoke from here. Her nerves were frayed and she was so stressed out. How was she supposed to handle two children of royal blood on a pirate ship amidst a pirate crew? She was barely an adult herself. She was also aware how superstitious pirates were about women on the ship. She considered herself lucky that they hadn't taken Tiffany and herself as whores and killed the king and Alastair or decided to train him as a pirate too.

Her fears gave way to her hiding her dagger in the folds of her skirt so she would be easily able to defend herself but not outright threatening anyone. She closed her eyes as she inhaled the sea air. Marybeth didn't realize that she was gripping the rails so hard that her knuckles had turned very white.

Arthur looked over at Ulysses. “Yep, sure would be. When do you think we’ll see land by the way? I could really use a proper hunk of meat, not this bloody dried stuff!” He leaned over the railing and saw small fish swimming around in the water. “Maybe I should do some fishing…”

@ladyanglaise

@Wick

Beatrix was good at slipping under the radar… really good. When you owned a typically male dominated bar, you learned to do a multitude of things. Know which alcohol was which, know how to defend yourself from a particularly grabby customer, and when to make yourself blend in during any bar fights until you could load your rifle. And in such unfamiliar territory on a less open and free space, Beatrix was in her own type of peace just wandering around. She’d noticed the captain and Blade wander off somewhere and got a bad feeling in her gut yet she decided to leave them be.

And it was through her wandering that she came across Marybeth. Her head tilted to the side and she briefly considered leaving the woman to her own devices and instead going on her way. But, the tenseness in the woman tugged at the good inside of her and she was unable to leave.

“Hey… you okay there, Marybeth?” She asked the woman as she took a few steps closer yet still remaining a bit away. Just in case.

Marybeth hadn't even heard Beatrix come up she was so lost in thought. Wiping her eyes she nodded. "Yes I'm alright. Just the stress of the day catching up a little. I lost my parents today ... and somehow I gained the royal children and a comatose king to look after."

Smiling falsely, trying to seem better than she felt she asked, "How are you doing? Who did you lose?"

@BubblegumQueen

Nodding, Beatrix was unable to squash the sympathy that welled up inside of her after hearing of Marybeth’s parents’ death. It made her think of her own parents and she had to fight back emotion herself. “I’m sorry for your loss.” She muttered, a bit uncomfortable with the seriousness but she meant what she said none the less.

She’d caught onto the fake smile and attempt to switch focus easily. But, she didn’t point it out, instead deciding to just answer the question best she could.

“I don’t have many people in my life, really. I mean, I lost my brother a few years ago so it’s just been me and my parents. And uh… yeah. With the destruction, I’ve lost my parents. I’ve lost my bar and business that I put years upon years of my life into and I had a friend. He worked at the bar with me and, odds are, he didn’t…”

Her eyebrows furrowed together and she clenched her teeth as she felt the familiar sting behind her eyes. But, she tried to remain strong. She glanced up at Marybeth, not even bothering to force a smile as she clenched her book a bit too tightly in her hand. “But, uh… guess all we can do is look forward, yeah?”

"Yes, and that was actually what I was just thinking. I think the children should be treated as normal kids. The city is destroyed and who knows if their father is going to wake up or not. It would be safer for them if we just made them ordinary kids don't you think? It would certainly make the inhabitants of the ship more comfortable I believe."

Marybeth tried to read her expression as she spoke. She had caught the teary eyes and moved the subject away from the two women's losses to the future for the childrn.

@BubblegumQueen

@Wick
Beatrix nodded in agreement, thankful for the change of topic. Kids? She could do kids. “I agree entirely. I just believe that with the devastation that has occurred, giving them the opportunity to just be kids and to be able to focus more on themselves like kids should be able to do.”

She then paused, biting her lip as she thought of something in her head. She hesitated for a few seconds before just saying. “You’re not dense, I believe you’d understand… It also wouldn’t be safe for the children, them being royal. It already has such a target placed on their back that I believe a chance to put the ideal of being ‘royal’ behind them would be best. Even if it’s not an ideal solution, it is kind of all we have, yes?”

"Exactly!" Marybeth was thrilled that she agreed with her. "I'll have to make sure that the kids know that they won't be treated as anything other than kids. They are no longer Royal as long as they are on the ship. Pirate nicknames might even be in order."

Marybeth chuckled at the thought. Looking up at the rigging she would have loved being on a ship as a kid. She would have been in the sails as often as possible.

"Can you try to help me out with the Captain? I don't think he likes the kids and the king being on the ship, at all.I think he will do his darndest to get us off of the ship as soon as he can, possibly by any means necessary." She was nervous saying this last part out loud.

@BubblegumQueen

Anastasia
"Ye should get some rest kid" said Ana putting the cloth away," Ya seem tired". She walked out of the infirmary and entered the sleeping quarters for women. Instead of sleeping she laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
@Blade17

Marybeth left Beatrix while her idea was still fresh in her mind. "Thanks for the support! I'm going to go talk to the kids." Nearly running down the stairs she came close to sliding down them.

Barging into the children's room she squeezed in and shook Alastair and once both were awake she started. "I have made a decision that concerns you both." She looked from one kid's eyes to the other's. "For your safety and by extension my own I hereby declare you no longer royal. You will not be addressed by anything other than your names or a pirate nickname. No more "Your majesty, or m'lady" unless they are being normally polite. No more Prince or Princess. It is not safe for you on land or sea. The enemy that attacked us will be looking for you and your father and he will now be called your father and nothing else until he wakes up."

"You will do as the captain or the crew asks as long as it's dignified." She waited. Alastair would probably like it but Not his sister.

@Animera

Blade glanced at the king and yawned and left, to his quarter and layed down and passed out. He slept.

@Wick
Tiffany & Alastair
Tiffany narrowed her eyes at Marybeth while Alastair expression was indifferent"No! Since I was born, I was raised to be the future queen and I refuse to put that behind me, just to become one of t-them!" Tiffany exclaimed angrily. She was meant to be a proud leader, not a pirate. Alastair tried to calm his sister down, but she stormed out and hid in the infirmary

Alastair shrugged his shoulders and took out his book about mythology which he began to read.

Marybeth gave Alastair a small smile and she went after Tiffany. "Tiff, we have to do this to survive. You and your brother can be kids. I don't know what your father will do when he awakes, if he awakes..."

"Until he does I need you to just be a girl, not a princess. Your brother will adapt quickly I think. Women are considered bad luck on ships. Often times they are made to walk the plank and drown in the seas. Pirates also tend to hate royals. Without your castle I'm not even sure if you are royal still. By Blood I know you are but what kingdom are you going to rule? None... the reason for that is the instant we come out of hiding your father and your brother will be killed and you... will probably die as well."

Marybeth sighed in frustration. "This is the way it is going to be. I'm not asking you I'm telling you it is the only way. Discussion about it is over. We can ask some of the pirates to teach us how to do things to be helpful so that the captain doesn't throw us off at the first opportunity."

@Animera

Tiffany

" There's no if. He will awaken. And when he does we will rebuild the kingdom, starting with the castle." she said with tears in her eyes. Even though she knew there was no way to rebuild a kingdom without citizens, Tiffany would continue to fight for her opinion."Even if I'm forced to lose my title, I refuse to learn anything from these pirates".
@Wick

Marybeth said a silent prayer. "Well then my guess is you will either starve or get very lonely very quickly. There will be no one waiting on you hand and foot. You will dress yourself and go to the galley to eat like the rest of us and you will behave or the captain will punish you." Taking her hand in her own she looked into the girl's face seeing how terribly hard this was going to be on her.

"This is for the good of your remaining family. I'm doing what is best for you right now. Any other way gets you killed." Marybeth hugged her and prayed for an easier transition.

@Animera

"Hmmm . . ." muttered Frank, pressing his finger on his book. He enjoyed the few moments of rest he got, an escape from the surprising amount of paperwork that goes into the smuggler's networks spanning the kingdom. The captain never bothered with the administrative tasks, preferring to be on deck personally managing the crew. This left all of it to the humble captain's assistant, who has not left his cabin office in perhaps days. Then again, perhaps it was best that these reports get to the captain now. He gathered up some loose papers and headed up to the deck.

Marybeth shut the door quietly and laid her head against it with her eyes closed. She had known it was going to be difficult with Tiffany. She believed that at some point she would come around. She hated to think what might happen to her if she didn't. Trudging back up topside she didn't even look to see who was there. She just started climbing up into the lower rigging and took a deep breath of fresh air. It would be okay. She would make it be okay. She stared out over the sea for quite a while until she got sleepy. Then she got down and went to the ladies bunks.

@BobLeBoeuf

Come nightfall, we're setting course for the Golden Chain for supplies. Should only take two or three days, depending on the wind." Ulysses said, watching the fish as well. He realized how hungry he was; he'd hardly eaten since the night before. "I think the cook would be more than grateful for some fish... I know I would be." he smiled lightly, not looking up from the small school swirling about the ripples against the ship.

Tiffany

Tiffany quietly sneaked out onto the deck. Before the attack, she would always observe the night sky before going to sleep and she wouldn't abandon this habit of hers, just because her old telescope was gone- she still has her eyes after all. Not only she found stars interesting, but they somewhat helped her calm down. The girl stood near the edge of the ship and began the search for various constellations.