Lynn crept down the stairs to the palace dungeon. It had been a day since they had returned to Heart and Lynn had finally had a decent night’s sleep in her own bed. Now she made her way down into the musky darkness of the prison cells below Heart Palace. The dungeons didn’t get used much, it wasn’t often they had a criminal dangerous enough to warrant such a place. As such the dungeon was poorly kept, with walls that dripped with mold from the leaking ceiling.

Her bare feet padded across the cold stone, she shivered as her feet made contact. Each of the cells had a barred window due to the elevation, and so the dungeon was only lit with sunlight, which streamed in now. The walls were dark despite the light, as if they weren’t allowing it to shine on them. Lynn stepped back as a rat skittered across the floor and into a pile of straw that may have been used for bedding.

The wind passing through the cell bars and across the flagstone created an eerie creaking sound that gave Lynn a sense of unease.

Lynn looked to the first cell. There, with his hat tucked over his eyes as he sat against the wall, was Tai Hoa.

“Quite the brave little stunt back there, butterfly.” He said, his voice quiet.

Lynn kept her head down, “They say you’re to be executed.”

Tai smiled beneath his hat, “Oh yes I can imagine. Very brutally I should hope.”

Lynn rubbed her shoulder, “The rest of the crew as well, they’re being held in Fang. Even Enoch…”

Tai nodded, “Pity, that boy has good potential. Could be like me one day if he stays where he’s going.”

“This is all wrong, Tai I…” Lynn started to say.

“Let me guess, guilty over betraying your new life for the sake of your old one?”

Lynn nodded.

“Don’t be, butterfly. I expected nothing less. In fact, I was counting on it.” He smiled, tipping his head up so Lynn could see his eyes.

Lynn frowned, “Counting on it?”

The pirate nodded, “Oh yes, that was the most crucial part of the whole plan. Had you not performed your brave betrayal, we would have had no choice but to slay that whole crew of Kumandrans, and then we’d never have another opportunity to return the gem.”

Lynn stood up straight, leaning her hands against the bars. “What are you talking about? Crucial part? Plan? Did you… You planned this?” She stared in bewilderment at her strange and eccentric friend.

“Well, there were a few bumps and hiccups along the road but yes, to answer your question directly, I had planned everything from the start. Sort of.” He grinned up at Lynn.

“H-how? How could you have? How much did you plan?”

Tai sneered, “Butterfly, I’m Captain Tai Hoa. From the moment we took both you and the Gem, all the way to this very cell, was all according to plan.”

Lynn was shocked, “That’s not possible.”

“Not possible for those who do not pay attention. Everything has patterns, butterfly. You’ll see, should you travel with my crew often.”

Lynn gave a weak laugh, “Captain, I wish I could. But it doesn’t look like there’s much of a ‘next time’ for the Songbird.”

Tai Hoa counted something off on his fingers, “Butterfly, there’s always a next time. By now I’ve no doubt my crew has already sprung from their cells and is on their way with my ship.”

Lynn wanted to deny that possibility, but if Tai was telling the truth about having planned that entire adventure, she wasn’t too sure he was in fact lying about this. To her left, Lynn heard the door creak at the top of the stairs.

Tai Hoa got to his feet and brushed off his hat. “Now! I do recall we made a deal back on my ship. I break myself out of prison, and you…”

He was interrupted by a voice from the top of the stairs, Somwang’s, “Lynn? Are you down there? The princess is asking for you.”

Lynn looked toward the stairs, then back at Tai, who gave a knowing smirk, “Go get your girl.” Lynn widened her eyes, had Tai known Somwang was going to be there? She walked over to the base of the stairs, looking up she saw Somwang silhouetted in the door frame.

“Yeah, I’m here.” She saw Somwang’s warm smile and started to ascend towards her.

The dungeon rocked with an explosion, Lynn staggered on her feet and tripped backward down the few stairs she had climbed. She banged her head against the flagstone and cried out.

“He’s Gone!” Somwang cried. Lynn hadn’t even noticed her come down the stairs. “Lynn what happened to him? We have to alert the guards!”

Somwang helped Lynn to her feet and she looked to Tai Hoa’s cell, which was now empty. All that was there was a gaping hole in the wall. Lynn looked out of the hole and saw a dragon skipping across the rain, Pengudatu.

Lynn smirked, rolling her eyes, she liked living by Tai’s rules, no time for waiting. “Oh forget about him.” Before Somwang even had a chance to protest, Lynn reached up to her neck, pulled her down, and kissed her.