"Ekapan?" (Y/N) asked startled.

She was standing at the gangplank, Ivo already on his way down.

She was nervous knowing this was her brother's kingdom.

King Amun was the prince of Taycia until he married the princess of Ekapan. Amun was not like her parents, in fact he was kind and gentle like his sister. Still, she worried anyway, though she had not seen her brothers in years she was nervous that maybe he would be in town and maybe recognize her.

She told herself it was a silly thought as Amun probably would not recognize her in slightest, even if he just so happened to be in town.

She wore a pair of black trousers, a black short sleeve turtleneck, and a light linen cardigan that was black with a detailed red and white floral pattern, which stopped just above her knees. Around her right thigh was the holstered and sheathed dagger Kazumi had given her.

"Yes, we have someone we need to talk to here." Ivo held his hand out for her to hold but she did not immediately take it.

"Don't worry, little dove. This isn't Taycia territory, there won't be any children being beaten in the street." Ivo said, a little too cheerful for (Y/N)'s comfort.

She had no excuse to skip the excursion, so she took Ivo's hand and they made their way down to meet the other three at the bottom.

As (Y/N) walked through the town she was almost completely sidetracked from her nerves as she saw the prosperous state of her brother's kingdom.

The citizens seemed to help each other, no one looked overly fed, or scarcely underfed, and the scenery was beautiful. There were flowers plotted all throughout town.

(Y/N) told herself if she ever saw her elder brother again, she would congratulate him for his kingdom. She was proud, Amun had always been a kind soul and it seems like his kingdom took on that attribute as well.

"(Y/N), this way." Kazumi said as they turned a corner, (Y/N) was so distracted that she almost walked away from the group.

She quickly turned with the men down an alley, embarrassed by her mistake.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind, dear." Leopoldo patted her head.

"It is just bit overwhelming to be in a new place." She smiled, and he seemed satisfied with her answer as he did not press further.

At the end of the alley was a black, narrow door with a brass knob.

Kazumi knocked two times paused, then three times.

As they waited for the door to open (Y/N) noticed the men positioned themselves around her, two in front, two behind, so she was huddled in the middle. The princess was worried about what was on the other side of the door if they are taking a protective stance.

Finally, the door pulled up quickly, revealing an extremely short man.

(Y/N) cocked her head to the side in slight confusion and surprise.

"Kazumi Tachibana." The man 's voice was high pitched, he smiled opening the door all the way, revealing a tavern.

The group flooded into the room, (Y/N) staying close to Leven and Leo, as Ivo and Kazumi were being ushered by the small man towards the back.

"He's been waiting, it took you long enough to get here." The small man complained.

"Yes, I have been preoccupied." Kazumi simply said.

"I'll let him know that you've arrived, wait here." The man disappeared behind another door.

The group stood near the back; (Y/N) observed the bar closely. All the characters in the establishment looked pretty intimidating, covered in scars or muscles. They were either drinking by themselves, with their own group, or playing what looked to be a game in the middle, the most people crowded around that table.

"This is a secret hideout for pirates, dear." Leopoldo noticed her staring.

"Oh," She simply said continuing to eye the patrons.

She could not spot another female in the whole place.

"Okay, okay, you four, come back." The small appeared out of nowhere. "Leave your little girlie here, he insists it's a man's conversation."

A man's conversation? Her brow twitched a little.

"No." Kazumi said. "I am not leaving her out here."

The little man scoffed.

"Oh, please. Nothing is going to happen to her, not in my bar. Go, go." He started to swat his hands in the directions of the door.

(Y/N) looked to Kazumi and smiled.

"I'm okay," She reassured him. "I'll be waiting, please go have your important conversation."

"It might take a while, little dove."

Ivo also was obviously reluctant to leave (Y/N) in a bar full of pirates unattended.

"I will be fine," She waved them off.

With the urging of the small man the three disappeared into the back room.

(Y/N)'s stomach twisted into knots as soon as the door shut.

What am I going to do?

"Okay! Who's next?"

The young girl heard a female's voice and perked up, and like a puppy she followed it.

"Who's next I said!" The feminine voice shouted.

(Y/N) pursued it right into the middle where the game was being played.

When she came upon the table there was a raven-haired beauty sitting at the table, and in front of her sat the game she was playing.

"Come on, pussies! Scared of girl?" She called out to the men who surrounded the table looking at each other to see who will volunteer to be her next victim.

(Y/N) recognized the board, it was a simple enough game, Mamoru and she would play before he went away.

"I will play." (Y/N) offered excited, the woman looked her up and down with an evil smile.

"No one has beat me in this game yet," She praised herself. "You think a little girl like you could?" She scoffed.

(Y/N)'s brow twitched again.

What is with these pirates having something against women?

(Y/N) happily took a seat. As she settled into her seat, she felt the knot in her stomach tighten as the burly pirates towered over her shape.

"Well, you are a girl." (Y/N) surmised. "So maybe it takes girl to beat you." She smiled.

The female pirate laughed.

"Get a load of this chick." She sat forward in her chair.

"Okay, this is Renju, do I have to explain the game?" She said in a mocking town as if (Y/N) was a child.

(Y/N) did not know why she was being talked down to, as far as (Y/N) was concerned, she had a very womanly appearance.

"No," (Y/N) smiled at the woman. "Let's begin."

The object of the game is to connect five of your pebbles, either diagonally or straight. You can play offensive or defensive, trying to block your opponent from finishing their line.

"What are you betting?" The woman asked.

"Betting?" (Y/N) echoed.

"Of course, that's the whole reason we're playing!" The woman snapped.

"Oh, I didn't realize." (Y/N) said thoughtfully. "Well, I don't have anything to bet." She smiled, adjusting her cardigan to cover the dagger.

The woman smirked. "You have the clothes on your back."

Whistling and clapping erupted through the tavern, but she did not let it bother her.

"Okay, I bet the clothes I'm wearing." (Y/N) smiled.

She felt bad betting clothes Ivo had bought her, but she was confident.

"Well, then I'll raise and go all in." She tossed a small burlap sack onto the tabletop, it landed with a heavy thwack, and (Y/N) heard the coins jostle inside. The pirate men around her grumbled, the bag was probably filled with what they had just lost.

This woman was also confident.

"Let us start." The woman placed a black pebble in the middle of the gridded board. (Y/N) followed suit placing her white pebble below the woman's piece.

The game began.

"Would you like the play again?" (Y/N) asked the stunned woman with a sweet smile.

"How...?" The black-haired woman muttered.

"I can't believe it; someone finally beat the old hag." A man to side mumbled.

(Y/N) won the game rather quickly, she diverted the woman attention to a decoy line, while actively blocking the woman's sequence, as she built her real five in a row hidden in the mess of gridded pebbles.

"Play me again!" The woman demanded, she sound angry, as she threw her sword on the table as a bet.

"Okay!" (Y/N) happily agreed.

All four pirates were on edge during the entire meeting with a rebellion leader. They could not stop thinking if their sweet (Y/N) was okay.

"This will help you in your efforts, go to Bizia for the rest of the plan." The mysterious man said finally as Kazumi rolled the map up.

The man they were meeting with kept most of his features hidden by a hood and darkness, but his voice was gentle and kind. Not something the pirates were expecting from a rebellion leader when they first met him.

"Very well, we will take our leave now." Kazumi quickly stood, followed by the others, and left the room.

When they stepped out (Y/N) was not where they left her, and all their hearts dropped into their boots. But a peculiar cheering drew their attention to the large huddle of men in the middle of the room.

"(Y/N)! (Y/N)!" They boomed, mixed in the chant was laughter and joyous cheers.

The pirates roughly broke through the crowd, thinking the worst, only to behold quite a sight.

(Y/N) sitting at the table with the captain of another pirate ship, large sums of coins on the table, jewels, even a sword on the table.

"Play me again!" The female captain went to take off her ruby necklace.

(Y/N) looked up to the feeling of a new presence, when she saw her friends she smiled.

"Oh, no, we left her alone and now she has a gambling addiction." Leopoldo sighed.

"Are you guys done?" She beamed.

"Yes, we may leave now." Kazumi flatly said. (Y/N) nodded and looked back to the disheveled woman.

"I had fun, thank you for playing with me." (Y/N) smiled and stood from the table to walk away with her friends.

"Wait!" The woman called out before (Y/N) could take a second step, she turned to meet the green eyes of the woman. "Aren't you forgetting your loot, little girl?"

Even after being beaten twenty times the woman still had the drive to talk down to (Y/N).

"No," (Y/N) smiled. "I was only playing to pass the time. Keep it."

The woman's mouth gaped.

"You were playing like that to pass the time?" The woman barked.

"Yes." (Y/N) nodded.

If she was playing like that, and not giving it her all, I really never stood a chance, huh? The female captain thought in amazement.

As (Y/N) and the pirates began to walk out the tavern she called out once again. "Hey, little girl!"

(Y/N) turned with a smile.

"Since ya' kicked my ass, I owe it to ya'. You now got yourself an alliance with The Maiden Fair!" The woman held up a thumbs up.

To which (Y/N) just smiled, not understanding what that meant.

"Okay, thanks!" She called out as the men ushered her out the tavern.

The woman collected back her belongings, (Y/N) consuming her thoughts.

It was only Gomoku, but... that little girl played like she was devouring me. And she did it the whole while with that goofy smile. The woman smirked thinking back to the interesting girl who so easily bet the clothes on her back.

Once back onto the main street (Y/N) walked beside Leven and Ivo, Kazumi standing directly behind her, and Leopoldo walking just a few feet ahead.

It is like they are purposefully surrounding me, like I am going to run away. (Y/N) thought to herself. Well maybe that is fair, the last time I was in a town with them I did run away. She quietly sighed.

"When are you going to stop surprising us, little dove?" Ivo asked suddenly.

"Hm?" (Y/N) up to him, but he kept his eyes ahead.

"Gambling with that madwoman, Captain Ruby Grim." Leven clarified.

"Oh, I didn't really gamble." She giggled. "She seemed to insist on it, so I agreed only so I could play. She let me bet something really simple, too."

"How much did you bet?" Ivo asked.

"Just my clothes." She smiled, but all the men came to a complete stop, she bumped into Leopoldo's back, and staggered back into Kazumi's chest.

"Your clothes!?" Leven snapped.

(Y/N) looked at all the dark expressions on the faces of her comrades.

"Um, yes?" Am I in trouble?

"What if you were to lose? You'd strip in front of all those people?"

She heard Kazumi ask from behind her. She blushed at the thought of her undressed body in the game table.

"Well, no, I wasn't planning on losing." She defended herself.

"How could you be so sure? You did something reckless again, dear." Leopoldo turned to face her all the way, now all four men were boxing her in.

"No, it was not reckless." (Y/N) spat out quickly. "

I knew I could beat her. Besides, it was just for fun, she wouldn't really take my clothes." Would she have?

"That bloodsucker would pull out your gold teeth if you fell asleep with your mouth open." Leven said crossing his arms.

"It doesn't matter, you did good." Kazumi patted (Y/N)'s head.

"You managed to form an alliance with a pirate captain, which could come in use one day." He praised her with a monotone, serious voice.

She looked at him with sparkles in her eyes, Kazumi... She was swooned by his praise.

"I suppose that's true," Ivo said. "Well, let us be on our way now, the festival is starting."

The pirates walked a little past (Y/N) leaving her dazed.

"Festival?" She pondered aloud staring at their backs as they walked ahead.

"We noticed that you seemed very bored, lately." Leopoldo turned his head to look at her.

"We are hoping this will cheer you up." Ivo stopped as well to eye her with a smile.

Her heart started to thump faster in her chest.

"It supposed to be fun, or something." Leven grumbled crossing his arms and avoided eye contact with (Y/N) as a dust of pink hued his cheeks.

Kazumi turned as well and held out his hand to the girl.

"Come, (Y/N), lets enjoy ourselves."

Her heart crashed into her chest as she looked at all four men, looking back at her.

What is this feeling? I am so happy, yet my chest hurts so badly. Is it because of them? I feel so warm.

She ignored the emotion whirling in her core and gleamed up to the pirates.

"Okay!" She said moving quickly to catch up with the waiting men reaching out for them.

I do not know what this feeling is, but I never want it to stop, please keep holding your hand out to me everyone!