[[Sorry, this is a short transition chapter~ I do not own the music or art! Please enjoy and remember to vote please, it helps a lot! Comment: Who is your favorite PIRATE?- L RANDY]]

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(Y/N) sat on her bed in her cabin on the ship, embroidering another gift. The supplies were sprawled out in front of her, colorful threads unwinding themselves further down her red cover every time she shifted.

It has been five days since the group had left Kori, and (Y/N) was happy to be out of the ice land and back near her coal heater.

Once the ice around the ship was completely broken apart and the pirates got the contract for the soldiers, they collected (Y/N) and immediately went to the docks to set sail. They had little to say to the King once they got what they came for, and (Y/N) had no time to say goodbye to Koyuki nor Yukine. She could tell the pirates felt the same for Kazuyuki as she did, and she could not blame them.

She felt bad boarding the ship and seeing the rest of the crew blue in the lips and ice forming on their hair. She did not realize they had nothing to keep them warm besides clothes and blankets and had she known she would have offered her heater. It made her think harder about how distant the crew was as compared to the four she has gotten to know, and how Kazumi treats them.

As (Y/N) sat on her bed, she could not help but think about what Kazuyuki had told her in his bedroom.

"You will make a great queen one day."

At first, she brushed it off as a teasing flirt, as if he meant his queen. But the more she pondered it, the more it weighed on her to do something.

I just got the 'enemy' fifteen hundred wild soldiers when I should be thinking of how to prevent this war in the first place. (Y/N) scolded herself.

She was so stuck on helping the men she cared for achieving their goals, she did not even stop to think about how it affected hers.

I need to talk to Mamoru soon, hopefully, I will be able to give him the letters.

(Y/N)'s eyes flickered to her bag. She had written five letters in her solitary confinement period, all addressed to different people to help further her goals. She kept them in her overnight bag out of sight from the pirates.

Focusing back on the task at hand, she slipped the needle of dark green thread through the taut fabric, but she felt a sharp prick on her index finger, jolting her. She hissed in pain, yanking her finger up to her lips.

"Ouchy," (Y/N) whined examining her finger.

I was just attacked by five massive Shiro Bears and escaped without a scratch, yet I and a needle are a dangerous combination. (Y/N) rolled her eyes at her clumsiness.

A sudden and sharp knock on the door gave her another start, she clasped her shirt over her heart.

"Yes?" She called out as she quickly hid the embroidery under her pillow

"Come on deck," Leven called out on the other side. "Hurry." He added,

(Y/N) furrowed her brows and quickly slid off her bed, pulling on her floral cardigan.

Emerging from the lower deck (Y/N) immediately felt a cold chill race up her spine but looking around she met eyes with an impatient Leven who quickly ushered her to the starboard banisters without a word.

The three other men were on the stern watching her as well, amused by her bewilderment.

"What—" (Y/N) began but Leven cut her off by plopping his hand on the top of her head.

"Just look down." He physically turned her head down to the ocean.

(Y/N)'s breath caught in her throat at the view, the other three coming down from the stern to stand with the two on the deck.

"Wow," (Y/N) breathed in amazement.

She smiled so brightly it hurt her cheeks. The young woman leaned over the banister to get a better look at the creatures in the water.

Beast spirit-boned dolphins were leaping out the water beside the ship. Their skin looked to be midnight black, with an electric blue ring pattern. Their leaps were so powerful they came close to the banisters, but not quite.

"They're so pretty." (Y/N) smiled at the pirates excitedly.

"We thought you might like them, dear," Leopoldo commented with a soft smile of his own.

The pirates did not care to look at the spirited dolphins, they were much more content with the sight of (Y/N) smiling so brilliantly. She was like a dose of medicine for their hearts, a medicine that was turning out to be a drug they were addicted to.

Ivo thought to himself.

Kazumi fantasized about the girl in chains.

The two brothers dreamed similar thoughts of their girl.

I am so happy they thought of me, they are so kind to me. (Y/N) had innocent thoughts of the men she loved so dearly, the men who never showed the extent of themselves to her. I could cry thinking of leaving them.

"We will be docking tomorrow to celebrate," Kazumi mentioned.

"Celebrating?" (Y/N) peeled her eyes off the animals to look to the captain.

"My birthday, little dove." Ivo sweetly smiled. "We are going to celebrate in Ekapan."

Gods, why do you do this to me?