She had thought it was a fishing vessel, nothing more than that.

When the crew of the Crimson Songbird had returned to the ship, they had wasted away the night drinking and celebrating. The next morning anyone who didn’t have a headache hadn’t woken up yet at all. They returned to where they had left Ashvi’s ship and returned her to it, offering her a generous donation of ten volunteers from the Songbird’s crew, to instead join Ashvi’s crew.

Having parted ways with the Kapitan, The Crimson Songbird sailed off into the morning dawn. It had been Lynn who had first spotted the ship, Enoch offered her to try her hand at the topsail, a task she had been greatly enjoying. The wind in her hair made the sway of the ship far more bearable. She had spotted the ship distant on the horizon, nothing more than a fishing boat she was sure of it. She figured it not even worth calling out to the crew, but she smiled to herself. Where there was fish there was food, and she wasn’t the scared little girl the pirates had kidnapped back at the palace. She wanted some adventure to stave off her hangover.

She hadn’t expected there to be volley archers aboard a fishing boat, but she certainly wasn’t disappointed. Proudly she gave the order to return fire with the canon, cheering as the gunpowder blast echoed over the ocean. When the ships met side to side, she was more than elated to jump from the topmast and cushion her fall with the body of an enemy warrior. This was much more than a fishing boat, she had smiled to herself.

But everything had gone horribly wrong. Had she really been gone so long she didn’t even recognize her own land’s colors? She stared into Somwang’s rage-filled eyes, having saved Tai Hoa’s life from Somwang’s powerful attack. Lynn had never seen Somwang so angry, and she felt guilt welling up inside of her because of it. She felt her heart break when Somwang spoke her name.

“Lynn?”

Lynn stammered, thousands of emotions flooding her mind. “Somwang…”

The two simply stared at each other for a moment, both in shock. Then to Lynn’s right they heard a thud on the deck, and looked over as a warrior from Spine fell face-first into the wood. Lynn turned back to see rage fill Somwang’s face.

“Traitor!” Somwang bellowed. She raised her glaive and swung for Lynn’s head.

All of the emotions running through Lynn’s mind multiplied tenfold as she quickly raised her knives to counter the powerful blow. She slid across the wood as she caught Somwang’s weapon, Somwang had never displayed this kind of strength before during sparring, Lynn felt fear bubble to the top of the emotional wave riding her brain.

Lynn ducked as Somwang pulled back and swung at her from the other side, the blade whistling so impossibly fast that Lynn could swear she heard it tearing the air in two. Low to the ground, Lynn rolled under Somwang’s legs and came up behind her, “Somwang please! Wait!”

Somwang whirled to meet Lynn, making another pass with her glaive. Lynn saw tears stinging her eyes. “I swore! I prayed they were lying! I knew with all my heart they couldn’t be telling the truth!” Lynn blocked the swipe and Somwang pulled back and swung for Lynn’s ankles. “How could you! Lynn how could you betray all of Kumandra just to side with Piratas!”

Lynn felt her heart tear in two as Somwang’s words struck her deeper than any blade could. She jumped over Somwang’s glaive then hit the ground in a crouch, sweeping her leg and catching Somwang in the knees. Somwang dropped to the ground and Lynn pointed her knife to Somwang’s face.

“Somwang please, listen! I can explain!” Somwang snarled, small trickles of water ran across the bridge of her nose as tears fell from her eyes. Lynn felt time slow down as she held her friend at knife point. She looked up from Somwang, looking to her crewmates, the ruffian crew of the Songbird. They weren’t kind, they certainly weren’t easy on the eyes, but they were loyal, in little under a day they had welcomed Lynn into their crew. She watched them clash with the Kumandrans warriors. Her people, the land that had raised her, the people who had suffered the worst tragedy imaginable and had become stronger for it, herself included. She heard Tai Hoa behind her, fighting back to back with her, a man she had once looked at with malice who she now called her friend. His words passed through her head, Let the river take me home.

It was time to take a page from the Captain’s book. Not every decision could be dwelled over for days or weeks, not every situation allowed the time to analyze and make a well-thought-out solution. Sometimes victory took a little bravery and a lot of stupidity.

Lynn knew what she had to do, but she didn’t want to. She spun around and grabbed Captain Tai Hoa by his scarf. She spun the greasy pirate towards her and held her knife to his throat.

With her free hand, she looked to her left, and tolled the bell that rested on the ship’s deck. Then in a voice that bellowed louder than any horn, “DROP YOUR WEAPONS OR I SEND HIM TO THE DEPTHS!” Her voice echoed across the battle for a moment, then, one by one, the crew of the Songbird as well as the Kumandrans turned to Lynn. Everyone was giving her confused looks.

“I’m not quite sure this was our plan, butterfly.” Tai Hoa muttered, he gestured with his hands to his crew, signaling them to do as Lynn said.

“It is, Captain, it always has been.” That was a lie, but Tai didn’t need to know that, Lynn reasoned. “The gem, Captain.” Tai Hoa obliged and reached into his coat, producing the Dragon Gem, still shimmering with residual energy. Meanwhile, Somwang watched from the deck, her emotions suddenly as complicated as Lynn’s.

“KUMANDRANS! THIS IS THE MAN WHO STOLE OUR GEMSTONE! OUR PRIDE!” Lynn knew that at any moment this plan would fall apart. Either the Kumandran’s wouldn’t buy her lie and turn on her, or the Pirates wouldn’t go along with the plan and put up a fight. She locked eyes with Enoch, willing him to understand. “I AM LYNN! NO MORE THAN A MERE COOK IN THE PALACE KITCHENS! I WITNESSED THE GEM THIEVES AND CHOSE TO FOLLOW, SO THAT THE GEM WOULD NOT BE LOST! NOW I GIVE YOU THIS CREW’S FULL SURRENDER UNDER THE DIRECT ORDER OF THEIR CAPTAIN! Isn’t that right, Pirata?” She made sure to spit the word.

Tai Hoa nodded, “Do as she says! We surrender! No questions asked!” Lynn wasn’t paying full attention to his face, but she was certain she saw him wink.

Reluctantly, the crew of the Songbird dropped their swords, putting their hands up as the Kumandrans held blades to all of their necks. Lynn shrunk back as Princess Raya approached Somwang and Tai Hoa outstretching her arms for the Gem. Tai made a show of trying to keep it to himself, but eventually gave it up. “I hope you’ll be explaining this later.” Tai mumbled under his breath. Lynn hoped she would get a chance to.

Raya took the Dragon Gem and looked to Lynn. “I never doubted you for a moment, Lynn.” She said with a warm smile. Yet as Lynn watched the crew of the Songbird have their hands bound, she felt nothing but guilt. Not more than an hour ago she was finally beginning to see these people as her friends.

“We all do what we have to to survive, love.” She heard Tai say. At first she thought he was speaking to her, but she saw he was speaking to Raya. “Maybe one day you’ll come to forgive me.”

His words sat on Lynn’s heart. We all do what we have to to survive. As much camaraderie as Lynn felt with these pirates, she wanted to go home, and this was the only way she could do that.

She bound Tai Hoa’s hands, then turned to Somwang, who had gathered herself and had gotten to her feet. “Was…all of that true?” Somwang asked, “You followed them so the gem wouldn’t be sold or lost?”

Lynn bit her lip, as much as she knew she would have to, she couldn’t bring herself to lie to Somwang, hang the consequences. “It’s not quite as simple, but yes.” She landed on. Not quite a lie, but not the truth, not yet. There would be time to explain that later.

Suddenly she was swept up in Somwang’s arms, “Lynn I knew it! I knew they were wrong to accuse you!” Somwang cried, Lynn felt warm tears on her shoulder as her friend held her. Lynn smiled, hugging Somwang back.

“Thank you, Somwang.”