Elsanne

Lord’s Burrow

“KEEP IT STEADY!”

Elsanne gasped at the cry coming from the quarterdeck. It was their captain. She could see him in the light of the two moons, Ora’s Eye and Nesande’s Shade, a thin man wearing a green tunic, yellow sash matching the color of his ship. He had his eyes set on the narrow shallow cut between the rocks, the whole crew armed with long hardwood oars coordinating to propel the ship forward. The Pirate Reefs, black basalt rocks sprouting out of the sea, were looming large right and left. So close, one could touch them with a spear. There was almost no wind here, the narrow passage between them barely large to fit their ship.

She couldn’t tell if they were making any progress at all.

“This is scary,” Loes whispered standing on her right and Elsanne glanced at her profile.

“It is.”

Loes turned her head. “Did something happened?”

Oh, yes. Very much so.

“No, nothing,” Elsanne replied, her voice always low.

“Your Grace, appeared pretty flushed, when we were called outside,” Her maid noted.

Elsanne closed her eyes and smelled the sea, bitter and cold. The memories came, sweaty skin and hot passionate shadows dancing in the cabin’s candlelight. Her body reacted violently, breath cut short and nipples hardening. She remembered the feeling of his hands on them and inhaled, suddenly all lightheaded. Her bodice felt constricting and she placed a hand to calm her wild heart, thundering in her chest.

“Princess?”

Elsanne opened her eyes, felt her mouth dry and wetted her lips, stalling for time.

“I won’t give account,” She said finally, voice hoarse. “What happens between a husband and wife, stays between them.”

“Well that’s true… for the most part,” A voice said and Elsanne snapped her head over her left shoulder, to see who had snuck up on them, quite shocked. Selussa gave her a wink. She was resting on the rails same as they, her leather man’s trousers fitting her snuggly.

“You have something to say?” Elsanne asked, in a frozen manner.

Selussa threw her head back and laughed hard, tears in her eyes.

“Oh, my…” She gasped a moment later, Elsanne already contemplating to shove her overboard and into the murky waters. It was dark, everyone pretty busy guiding the ship through the narrow straits. The Cofol woman raised a hand to stop her, fingers kept close and straight, as if she’d read her mind. “Apologies Princess.” She said and Elsanne narrowed her eyes. “No, I’m sincere. It’s just, I thought you knew.”

“Know what?”

“The Prince might take another wife, or two. It’s the custom.”

“He won’t,” Elsanne said.

If he values his life that is.

Selussa scrunched her mouth.

“Ahm, it’s challenging to satisfy a man, or woman by—”

“He won’t.”

There was enough steel in her voice to force the Cofol to back away.

“Okay then,” She relented and paused unsure, as if thinking about a way to make amends. “There was a volcano here once, under the sea,” Selussa started, apparently she’d found something. “Where we are going to make our stop, it’s called Lord’s Burrow and it’s beautiful in the light of day, bizarre to see it in the night. A town built on water, it seems.”

“LEFT! FULL RUDDER!” Wayland Dawson roared and they grabbed the rails startled, as the ship turned violently, everything around them creaking, oars scrapping and men cursing.

“Don’t worry,” Selussa yelled as the basalt rocks around them moved away, the straits opening up and fresh wind rapped their faces.

“There’s a town here?” Elsanne asked in disbelief, watching the small docks coming to life in the distance.

Selussa laughed again, though this time she found her less annoying.

“Ayup, a pirate haven,” The Cofol said, when she came about. “Great black market, pretty nasty taverns and enough cock to satisfy yer needs Princess,” Selussa caught her livid stare and added with a shrug. “Or not.”

Wayland smiled showing her two rows of yellow teeth, half of them encased in gold. Elsanne returned his smile with a nod, walking gingerly on the wooden platform of the docks that seemed to have sprouted out the sides of the reefs. The whole town was built on platforms and you needed either small boats, or to chance the narrow bridges to go from one building to another. It was a web of interlocked platforms and lines, quarterdecks turned into balconies, even whole ships beached and turned into buildings with openings for windows and doorways.

She approached their captain gawking around her with interest. He was talking to an older male pirate and a younger woman probably a pirate as well, Elsanne supposed no one would bother with the term here, before a tavern aptly named ‘The Purser’. The older man, had a trimmed long beard, a full set of white hair caught at the nappe and the face of a Lorian. He wore a good quality red redingote, tall black riding boots and had at least eight rings on his fingers, mainly gold, a couple of big silver loops on his ears. The woman that bore a passing resemblance to him, had her eyes painted almost black, same as her hair and was armed to the teeth, under her long coat.

“…hear that? The weather is turning, no ships worth of note my dear,” The old man was saying, as she approached.

“Pfft. Not what I learned. The ‘Serpentine’ said a fast Barque escaped him at the straits, ducked into Castalor,” The woman replied.

“Was he drunk?” Wayland sneered.

“Can ye talk some sense to Rose for me?” The older man asked their captain.

Wayland raised his hands. “I ain’t gettin’ mixed up in this Pete, tried it once afore and was kicked in ‘em jewels hard enough to learn me lesson.”

“Hah! Sweet talkin’ me, ain’t gonna help ye get in my pants again, Yellow Dawson,” The woman replied with a big grin.

“Ye slept wit me bloody daughter?” The man asked dumfounded.

“Twas a fuck,” She replied with a frown. “There was no sleepin’ involved.”

Wayland saw her listening in, mouth half agape and cleared his throat, a bit of color on his pale face.

“Gentlemen and ehem… lasses, allow me to introduce to you, the Princess of Kaltha, Lady Elsanne,” He pointed to the old man first and then his daughter apparently. “This here old buccaneer, is ‘Red’ Pete Atterton, the commodore of this lovely place, our mayor if ye prefer and the beauty next to him, none oth’r than Pearly Rose, his daughter.”

“Well, Abrakas damns us all,” Pete Atterton exclaimed impressed and bowed his head once. “Princess, I never thought Issirian royalty will grace us, or this place. Any royalty,” He paused as if to think about it. “And if it ever did, it would come for me head more like.”

“Nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Atterton,” Elsanne replied with a small courtesy, deciding to keep her manners.

“The Princess is wed to Prince Radin,” Wayland explained, eager to show his knowledge to his colleagues.

“Will the Prince of the Khanate also grace us with his presence?” Pete asked and clearly amused added. “Your Grace?”

“He’s still recovering on our ship, I’m afraid.” Elsanne answered politely.

“That would be my ship,” Wayland corrected her and she threw him a spiteful glance that fetched a fresh round of laughter from everyone. Elsanne joined them with a blush.

“Well then,” Pete Atterton said, when they calmed down. “I won’t hold ye more and I’m sure you’ll want to see the sights, such as they are. I will see me daughter safe to her ship and join ye both for lunch later, if that’s alright. I shall be honored greatly, if thee accept,” He stopped and shook his head in disbelief. “An Eikenaar in Lord’s Burrow, good Gods. Now I’ve seen bloody everything.”

“That would be lovely,” Elsanne replied and caught a group of Cofols approaching from their ship. They had spent the night there, not wanting to disembark in the dark. This was a pirate port after all. “By the way, Mr. Atterton. Why Lord’s Burrow?”

The old pirate stopped and pulled at his beard for a moment, his eyes examining her face, as if to commit it in memory.

“It might please ye to learn this, or not. Politics change how we see people, even history. Truth is yer family had a hand in namin’ this little place Princess.”

Elsanne looked around her. She counted at least four pirate ships in the small natural port, but there was space enough in this large enclosed opening in the middle of the reefs for many more. But she knew nothing about any Issir ships ever using it, or even crossing in the Scalding Sea. Leave the Lorians to handle it, her brother always said.

Who then?

“What was the Lord’s name?” The Princess of Kaltha asked him and the old pirate answered her readily, hint of pride in his voice.

“Only one pirate we’ve ever called a Lord. Strange moniker this to give. I know ye family don’t like hearin’ it, but tis what it is,” Elsanne took a step back, a chill running down her spine. What was he talking about? She thought more shocked, than afraid. ‘Red’ Pete seeing she hadn’t figured it out, made it clearer for her.

“Lord Reinut,” He said voice rising and a couple of pirates exiting the tavern stopped, when they heard his name and offered a hoarse prayer to Abrakas to keep him, a mark of respect for her most famous ancestor that caught her again by surprise.

Their voice traveled down the docks and pirates ceased whatever work they were doing to cheer thunderously. The raucous sound traveling up and down the many platforms, reverberating on the former decks, turning into a pandemonium that made the approaching Cofols stop and watch them amazed. None more than Elsanne herself. The sound traveled through her and she felt it rattling her very bones. Abrupt and grandiose, as much as violently passionate, it was a fitting tribute to the infamous ‘Lord’ Reinut.

The biggest pirate of them all.