@Squirrel98@Blade17@Utrax

Surprisingly there were not too many questions. Nodding at Hope's optimistic reassurance, he ordered all the crew members that would remain on the ship to return to their normal activities and to stay on board unless there was an emergency. Beckoning the small group of those that would accompany him, he led the way back onto the docks. Although he tried to hide it, Marcus was slightly nervous. Despite being armed, the was the risk of the royals being able to overpower them. The fact that the guard didn't seem bothered by his request emphasised that. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume that amongst the aristocrats there were mages or alchemists- something that they wouldn't be likely to defeat with force alone. Nonetheless, he had to act like he had everything under control- someone had to figure their way out of this mess.

As soon as his feet touched the solid ground, he called out, slightly humorously in an attempt to calm his nerves: '' Oh kind sire! We're ready to depart. Where art thou?'' Not waiting for a response, he continued, '' Your highness! I hope that you found your horse. The thought of you not succeeding haunted my thoughts the whole time I was away!''

---

@Blade17

Anya looked at the map, before shrugging her shoulders helplessly: '' You know the rules, Blake. All maps go to Marcus because he's the captain. Just leave it here and I'll make sure it gets to him''. It was him who was in charge of choosing the routes- she was there to give advice and make sure they got there in one piece. Certainly, it was a sweet gesture but either way, she preferred more... natural methods of navigation. The captain's rules for once worked in her favour, allowing her to reject the present more gently then she would've otherwise.

Adjusting her coat, she eagerly followed Marcus hoping that nothing bad would happen in the coming hours.

Jack Pearson

He put his hands in the pockets of his pants and followed the captain with a bored expression on his face. He had preferred to stay behind until the others returned, but he couldn't refuse an order from the captain. @AnyAlex@Blade17

Hope Hopkins

She jumped off the edge of the deck as soon as it was time to depart. He wings lifted her body from the ground as she flew behind the captain close to the ground, following the captain back on the land again. @AnyAlex@Blade17

Prince Tol Anzi-de Carragua

^{@AnyAlex@Squirrel98}

As was likely expected, the Royal Guard and the Price were seated atop their horses. Apparently four more of the Royal Guard had arrived on horseback-- they seemed ready to go. At Marcus' shout, Prince Tol spurred his horse forward at a very gentle walk, then halted the beast only a few strides away from the crew. Silently, he gave them a long look over, which probably took enough time so as to be uncomfortable. Finally he said, "You'd best hope there is a very good explanation behind all of this-- that His and Her Highness grant you permission for your continued existence," Prince Tol said to Marcus in a dangerous tone. "Come along, commoners," he hissed, turning his horse and gesturing for them to follow all in one motion, "I'll be leading the escort to the castle."

---

Queen Celestius

Meanwhile in the Castle...

Stretching her wings widely, the Queen yawned, as she sat upon the stairs to the dual thrones for she and the King. In her hand, she cradled a bowl of fruit and seared meat, and ate it as she watched servants move this way and that-- they were preparing the chamber for audience. The King was soon to come into the room and he had made a rather peculiar request for the configuration of the room. Every single chair for nobility was removed, the floor had been bared of its usual ceremonial rugs, and the servants had brought in a single large table. Atop this table were items from a foreign land the Queen had never heard of. There was also a rather peculiar set of Royal Colors she'd never seen as well but the King insisted those arriving may recognize them. The amount of secrecy here would get on her nerves, were it not for the fact she operated in a similar manner.

Gesturing to a servant, some girl whose name she couldn't remember, the Queen told her, "Be a dear and see to it that our guests have adequate refreshments in the waiting chamber, upon their arrival. I fear His Excellence may yet be tardy to his own meeting."

@AnyAlex@Squirrel98@Utrax

Blake said," Yes i know just wanted you to see it." He got off the ship following the others he sighed and looks at the sky his hoodie now off not wanting to look suspicious in anyway. He heard the prince and thought to himself, spoiled brat. He looks at Anya and whispered," Hey who's that, that person you know?"

@Squirrel98@Blade17@Utrax

Marcus was disappointed at the lack of reaction from the prince. He found his rage entertaining and certainly preferred it over the current serious, snobby attitude. Looking around, he was unable to find anything that the crew could use to travel. Feeling the worst, he asked in an exasperated tone: '' You expect us to walk to the castle on foot? From my basic understanding of the land, our destination is a long way off''. Not only did the prince dare to look down upon them without bothering to even find out who they were but he expected the crew, who didn't have a chance to rest ever since they arrived, to walk miles while he trotted comfortably on a horse. Marcus found that distasteful. Out of all the royals he had encountered in his life, Tol seemed to be the worst.

---

@Blade17@Squirrel98

''Oh I don't know Blake, let me ask my aristocratic friends that I'm so fond of'' answered Anya sarcastically in a hushed tone, before turning to glare at the golem sat upon the horse. The insolence was astounding. She didn't spend so much time embellishing her clothes to be called a mere commoner. If it weren't for Marcus' orders she wouldn't hesitate to start a fight but since he was present, she felt less inclined to disobey in any way. Instead, she faced Hope and Jack, slightly agitated yet curious to get a clearer idea of what happened to get the crew discovered: ''Do you recognise any of those people?''

---

@Utrax

While down in the kitchen's, Jane got somehow wrapped up in helping the other servents prepare the throne room for something that she couldn't figure out. The princess was still deep in her slumber and didn't need Jane's services, so technically the maid had no other duties to attend to until she awoke but whatever the Queen required couldn't be possibly ignored. The large number of servants wandering around with various chests and objects prevented her from stealing anything, which on one hand relived her as she didn't want to steal another object such a short time after stealing the pearls and on the other hand, annoyed her as the unfamiliar objects fascinated her.

After placing one of the larger chests down, she resolved to find out more about what was happening. Once one of the maids left to prepare the refreshment she made her move. Bowing in front of the queen, Jane enquired meekly: ''Your Majesty, should I get the princess ready for the arrival of the guests or is this to be a private matter?''

Blake looks at Anya and sighed and said," Yeah, but let's find out." He looks around as they walk.
@anyalex

Prince Tol Anzi-de Carragua

^@AnyAlex

With a very forced laugh, Prince Tol replied to Marcus, "Of course we considered this! But you see, as this is all very last minute, we had difficulty acquiring adequate transportation for such esteemed guests." A rather grating screech sounded, followed by the cracking of a whip, and the sound of a cart rolling from a nearby alley. Proudly, Prince Tol announced, "I have secured hasty improvisation of transport-- behold!" From the alleyway emerged the hearty snout of two very large horses-- clearly bred for working unlike the warlike steed the Price was astride. Behind the horses was a very crude looking cage on wheels being pulled. Clearly this was meant for prisoners. "Rest assured, guests," shouted the Prince above the noise, "We have removed the locks from the outside of this carriage, so as to help you feel more at ease with it's appearance. So. YOU!"

Prince Tol pointed down at Marcus, "YOU! Get to decide if you would rather walk or embark on a trust exercise within this glorious carriage. I do give you my word that you are not prisoners. Not at all. You're simply to be transported in this. Waste no time in your decision for we must make haste." His tone said it all-- Prince Tol was very much enjoying himself.

---

Queen Celestius

For a silent moment of thought, the Queen stared at Jane, then answered,"Inform her, at the very least, that there is a meeting occuring. The likes of which requires great discretion. She may choose to attend or not." Her tone softened as she lifted a berry from the bowl she held, while telling Jane, "Please do... ensure she does not sleep in again. If you could? She had studies to attend to."

@Squirrel98@Blade17@Utrax

If the prince's behaviour was anything to go by, getting to the castle would be the least of the crew's worries. With his past encounters with wealthy families, Marcus could safely say that the apple usually doesn't fall far from the tree. The carriage didn't seem sturdy enough to hold everyone safely and Marcus wouldn't even bother to comment on the appearance of it. The golem clearly enjoyed trying to humiliate them but at least it was better than travelling in the cage as prisoners- even though Marcus felt like one currently. Taking a moment to consider his options he turned to the crew with a sigh: '' Anyone who feels too tired to walk, get into the carriage. Everyone else can walk with me''. Based on the fact that the prince's parents summoned them, they wouldn't be left behind if they walked, even if they were slow on purpose. Since Tol was so determined to humiliate them, Marcus could at least become a thorn in his side, a small one of course, but a thorn nonetheless.

---

@Utrax

'' Of course your majesty'' replied Jane before bowing in front of the queen and excusing herself. As she walked through the corridors, she realised how empty they all were. Every servant seemed to be doing something in the throne room, meaning that if she were to take one of the decorative vases on the windowsills no one would notice. On the other hand, it would delay her from getting to the princess and if she decided to attend the meeting, then she would likely be late. Trying to ignore the familiar itch in her hands, she picked up her pace and soon found herself in front of the princess' sleeping chamber.

Knocking gently on the door, she entered and quickly surveyed the room. The lady was still asleep and although the sun began to rise, the grandfather clock in the corner informed her that the lessons were still a couple of hours away. Jane walked up to the bed and delicately nudged the princess awake and explained the situation as briefly as she could. The princess burrowed further underneath her covers, stating that she would get someone to debrief her later. With nothing else to do, Jane began to get the princess' room in order before she woke properly, not without snatching a rarely worn brooch and hiding it in her apron.

[Anyalex]

Blake looks at the captain and he decided to walk. He looks at anya and the others and thought to himself,' i got a bad feeling about this.'he sighed and just nodded and followed the captain.

Jack Pearson

Jack decided to just walk as it was the least likely way to get in trouble. He walked a little behind the rest of the crew, not really interested in getting into a conversation with anyone. This was going to be hell. @AnyAlex@Blade17

Hope Hopkins

She was flying, very close to the ground, since flying was less tiring than walking and she preferred it over riding in the carriage. Hope got close to the captain as she put her hand on his back as a way of support. However, she retracted her hand fast as she didn't want to distract or annoy him. @AnyAlex@Blade17

Prince Tol Anzi-de Carragua

^@AnyAlex

As they began walking, a few of the Royal Guards gave the crew pitying glances, and some even mumbled apologies out of Prince Tol's earshot. Of course the walk to the castle was far and of course the Prince ordered that the cage follow behind them just in case. Still, the entire walk, the Royal Guards did keep an eye on the crew, at least suspicious enough to not let them run off I to alleyways. When eventually they did arrive at the castle, those same guards, following along behind the Prince, would escort them to a rather large waiting area with access to the throne room.

Two guards stay behind in the room, securing both exits, but at least the room is full of comfortable seats, refreshments, and plenty of food.

Prince Tol rather quickly left them upon entering the castle...

---

Queen Celestius

"MOTHER!"
Queen Celestius was still seated on the stairs to the throne as her "son" practically kicked the door to the throne room in. Irritation rose within her as he marched in-- all this time shed held on to that tiny strand of hope that it hadn't been Prince Tol to handle things with their guests. Closing her eyes, the Queen sighed deeply, then turned her head slightly as a second door into the room opened.

In walked the King. He seemed... weary. Perhaps he hadn't slept well but that was simply too bad. Slowly, he strode toward the throne. "Prince Tol handled your guests," announced the Queen tensely, "Do expect them to be full of greviences once they enter." Gathering her robes about herself, the Queen stood, then moved to take her seat.

Prince Tol shouted, "GREVIENCES?! MOTHER I PROTEST! I handled them as deftly as any Royal would, given the situation! My conduct was PRISTINE! KINGLY EVEN--"

"Silence," The Queen hissed, "And I'll need you to maintain that silence until his Highness finishes addressing them."Prince Tol actually shrank at her tone then went to sulk next to the throne stairs near the King. Shaking her head as she seated herself, the Queen gestured to a servant, then told them, "Welcome our guests into the Throne Room."

While she originally planned to walk with the rest of the crew, Anya's prolonged separation from water began to affect her. Feeling weaker with each passing second, she eventually entered the cage with as much dignity as she could muster. It beat falling over in the street at least. Once they arrived in the waiting room, she headed straight to the drinks table to hydrate herself enough not to pass out.

---

@Squirrel98@Blade17@Utrax

Marcus looked around the room with piqued curiosity. He wondered if this was a weird ploy to gain their trust and then execute them. Although if they were to be killed, then they would've been dragged to the cellars already. The prince had a chance to do so multiple times that night and clearly he had a reason not to. Facing the crew to give out an instruction, he was interrupted by a servant who told them to enter. Tiredly he beckoned everyone else to follow.

Much to his dismay, Prince Tol was still present, but that didn't mean that he needed to show how he felt about it. Even if the prince's parents were as awful as him, that didn't mean that Marcus had to stoop down to their level. Giving a small bow, he surveyed the room and couldn't hide the surprise on his face. Some of the objects displayed had the colour scheme that their ship originally had long ago when most of the crew were children. That was before they even began terrorising the seas so he had no idea how anyone but the crew could've even known about them. Straightening up, he forced on a smile and addressed the King and Queen: '' Greetings your majesties. While I can't deny meeting you is a pleasure, I'm afraid I don't know the reason for your summons. It's been such a long night and I would like to get down to the bottom of this issue as soon as possible. ''

Blake looks at Anya then nodded to what the captain in he looks around noticing something he kept to himself he sighed. He walked to Anya and said," You alright?" He looks at he knew she was weak cause she was being far from water from a long time.

Queen Celestius

^{@AnyAlex@Squirrel98}
Even the Queen looked toward the King as Marcus asked what the meaning of the summons was. Without much hesitation, the King stood, then descended the throne, where he began his explanation of what the summons was for. As he told the crew of what he needed them to do, the Queen sat then cast a very thoughtful glance toward Prince Tol. The Prince was rather antsy as his father spoke and he couldn't seem to stand still. Once the King had finished speaking, Queen Celestius looked to the crew, then told them, "And in order to ensure that this task is completed, as well as to catalogue the events as a first hand account, we will send with you a representative of the throne."

Queen Celestius gestured to the Prince, speaking rather coldly, "Prince Tol Anzi-de Carragua shall accompany you on this venture, along with a servant, and will be there to assist you and act on our behalf."

---

Prince Tol Anzi-de Carragua

Prince Tol straightened up, slowly turned his head to look at his Mother, and seemed to vibrate ever so slightly as he did his best to contain something. Had he not been a golem, there likely would have been more of a physical display of emotion, but for those that knew? Oh, they could tell that the Prince was completely taken off guard by this. The Queen had ordered him to shut up but... he had so many things to say! How could he possibly keep all of these things in? Rather unconsciously, Prince Tol was vibrating so hard that parts of him rattled softly.

Jack Pearson

For a moment, Jack looked up from the ground with a surprised look on his face as the King explained them the task they wanted the crew to complete. A group of pirates working for the royal family? The idea alone sounded mindblowing to him, but the thought of having to travel with the arrogant prince was even worse. Jack knew that there was no refusing the royal family, so the only thing he could do at that point was hoping that the servant wouldn't be as troublesome as the lady he met in the town.

Hope Hopkins

Hope fell on the ground out of surprise. Well, she didn't make an incredible scene or something, it was more that she tripped her ankle. A small sound came out of her throat as a reflex from the pain she was having, but she tried to keep her voice as silent as possible. She held her foot in her hand, spread her wings even wider than before and flew a little bit above the ground again. However, she couldn't fly in a stable way because of the uncomfortable position she was in, since she was still holding her ankle in her hand. She whispered a quick and polite 'sorry'. Why did she have to be so clumsy? But the bigger question was: what was the royal family thinking trusting a group of pirates?

@Squirrel98@Utrax

That was the last thing that Marcus had expected to happen. What was the royal family thinking? Putting pirates and royals together never ended well and bloodshed was something that Marcus had hoped to avoid for a while. Still, they were in the royal's territory and they could be executed at any moment. There was no way he could deny their request, although he could try to negotiate the terms, make the journey easier for the crew. With the prince on board, Marcus would probably lose some control as there was no doubt that the royal would insist on doing things his way and would disobey any order given whenever possible

He quickly looked back to see if Hope was alright and noticing the way she flew, he signalled to her to lean against one of the walls implying that she should lean against it for support. Marcus faced the queen and king again: ''Your majesties, we would be glad to fulfil your request, but I'm afraid that if the prince joined us it could be detrimental to our progress. You see, we haven't started off on the right foot and we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt for no good reason. Is there anyone else who can accompany us?''

---

@Blade17

Nodding quickly back at Blake, Anya attempted to listen to the King. The request was shocking, of course, but she was more annoyed than surprised. All of their routes for the next few months would have to be discarded and replaced with new ones which would probably take a while to plan and she felt like the royal family didn't want to wait around. Glaring briefly at Marcus for not denying the request, she tried to hide the anger that began to grow within by looking at the objects laid out on the table. Some of them she had never seen before in her life and memorising how they looked like could be useful in the long run.

---

Blake looks at Anya noticing her anger. He softly sighed. He leaned against a near by wall and closed his eyes and listened to not just the conversation but the surrounding. He figured the captain couldn't say no, but wondered why.

[Anyalex]

Queen Celestius

^@AnyAlex
"DETRIMENTAL!?" screeched the Prince, finally breaking his silence, and immediately receiving a withering glare from the Queen. He looked as if he he were primed up to say more but he ended up looking down at the floor instead.

It was then the King turned to look to the Queen and they shared a silent few moments. Eventually, the Queen breathed a deep sigh, "Have you time to wait then, Captain? It would likely be of great benefit for you to make use of our storeroom to resupply anyway. I'm also certain that your crew requires rest. Mayhap you would be able to delay your departure by five days? We need to confer with the rest of our prestigious candidates, as well as determine which servant will accompany them. Rest assured-- they will be instructed that they are to treat you and your crew with the utmost respect, as you are the Captain of your vessel and they will simply be a guest." As the King turned to resume his position on the throne, he nodded in agreement with the Queen, and mentioned how the crew might benefit from assistance from the navy-- at least in matters of ensuring their ship were as in good condition as possible before departure.

"If you find these terms agreeable Captain," said the Queen in a tone that really seemed to imply he'd better, "Then in five days hence, you will depart with a representative and their servant."

Jack Pearson

They were supposed to stay there for several days? Pirates and the royal family in one building for several days without fighting? That seemed impossible to him. However, the captain probably didn't have another choice than accepting the offer of the King and the Queen. He sighed deeply. In what kind of crazy situation had they ended up? He greatly regretted going off the ship and wandering around.

Hope Hopkins

She retraced her wings and leaned against the wall like the captain signalled her to do. She still held her ankle and had a painful look on her face, but with a little bit of rest, it was surely to be alright. She couldn't believe her own ears with the proposition of the King and the Queen. What were they thinking?

Not having a route to follow was bad, but having uncooperative crew members were even worse. It made Anya happy to see Marcus trying to get rid of the prince. Was it wrong of her to judge him so harshly after one bad encounter? Of course, she wouldn't deny that but based on what she saw so far, the nymph had come to the conclusion that there was no way that he had any redeeming qualities. Afterall she was sure there were other ways of being transported to the castle other than the cage. All of this confusion, just to investigate some weird place from which the objects came from. Unable to figure out anything remarkable about them, she dragged her gaze back to the Queen. Unlike her son, she clearly had some sense. Five days should be enough to draw out a route and to see if any stops were necessary - besides being so close to royalty would give her a chance to see some higher class clothing.

---

@Utrax

Seeing Tol shut up so quickly, filled Marcus with some glee. It seemed like there was someone who could control him- certainly something that was hard to achieve. If he didn't have any shred of respect for the Queen before, he did have some now. Dealing with the prince didn't look like it was enjoyable. Maybe he could get over his hate for the royalty as long as the other aristocrats weren't like Tol. Additionally getting to have some control over a ROYAL, would be somewhat hilarious- he nearly wanted to retract his previous statement and agree to take Tol on board. It would be a perfect come-back for the earlier treatment, but he didn't want to anger the Queen. Especially since she sounded agitated already:

'' Sounds perfectly reasonable Madam. Five days should be long enough to get ourselves and the ship ready. Thank you for obliging my request'' glancing back at the crew, Marcus continued '' We will make sure anyone you send with us makes it back alive''. Of course, that didn't mean they would be in one piece- but the royals didn't need to know that.

---

Once the princess had eaten and got dressed, Jane had a short period of time for herself before she had to escort the young royal to her tutors. Mindlessly she wandered the halls until she found herself in front of the door of the throne room. There was a suspicious lack of guards in the area and it's not like it was unusual for her to be in this area so she nonchalantly leaned towards the door in order to listen in to the meeting. Because it was closed, Jane found it hard to hear clearly, but she managed to make out some parts of the conversation. Someone from the castle was to travel with some crew and monitor their progress. Assuming that it was something about a political alliance, she backed away satisfied. It clearly was nothing to worry about- she was sure the queen would send out someone who could handle this. Although, it wouldn't hurt making sure the princess was on her best behaviour this week.