The waves from the crashing pirate ships went in every direction. The impact was so large that splinters touched both banks of the river. Water poured over the wooden hulls like grasping arms until only a set of new rapids remained in the flow.

One wave hit Devrim's small life boat and flipped it over. The grey-eyed man's training took over and he paddled to break the surface. He searched frantically for Mairwen and Eira, the other two people who had been with him.

He was relieved when their heads bobbed to the surface. "Get back to the boat!" Devrim yelled.

The two ladies struggled against their clothing and weapons to make it back to the overturned rowboat. Eira, who had not been trained to swim, relied purely on instinct to keep her alive. She almost gave up when her fingers brushed against the wooden rowboat. Grabbing it to stay afloat, three humans kicked the boat and themselves to shore.

By the time they made it to the muddy bank, they were far downstream from the crash. Devrim, Mairwen, and Eira lay flat on their backs on the soft ground to catch their breath.

"Are either of you hurt?" Mairwen asked between gasps.

"Only my pride," Devrim answered. He also had a small cut on his face from the debris and his body felt on fire, but he did not want to complain.

After retching the contents of her stomach, Eira was the first to stand. "We need to get out of here before the pirates find you both."

She was right. They had come too far to be captured now. Yet, Mairwen protested, "We have to gather the others. We have to make sure they are safe. Look there! I see Junayd!" The princess pointed back at the river.

Someone was floating in an eddy behind a protruding rock. His head and shoulders, and feet were barely visible.

Devrim did not hesitate. He dove into the river and swam toward his personal guard. Junayd's bad shoulder had prevented him from swimming properly, and he had wisely turned to his back to float instead of fighting against the current. The still water behind the large rock gave him a respite from the rapids.

"Do not worry about me," Junayd argued as the other man approached. "I can make it on my own."

"I know you need to practice your rolling skills, but I hardly think this river is a good place to do it," Devrim joked. He had no intention of leaving his faithful subordinate and friend to drown.

Junayd chuckled, "Perhaps I should have let my shoulder heal before I tried leaping from a height again."

"Glad we can agree on something. Now let us get out of here before the pirates find us."

"You should have brought the boat," Junayd observed.

Devrim scowled. "Yes I should have. Do you want me to go retrieve it for you?"

Junayd bobbed precariously at the surface. His energy was quickly being snapped by the water. "No," he gasped. "Let's get moving."

Together the two males worked their way toward the shore. It was difficult and a few times they nearly both drown as Devrim supported the large soldier in the current. After landing downstream , the two man walked slowly back toward the women. Junayd was worse for wear, and was still occasionally bending over to cough up water even as they approached.

"His Majesty said you located me in the water," Junayd said between coughs. "Thank you, Your Highness."

The soldier tried to bow, but Mairwen stopped him. "No thanks needed." She smiled sweetly.

"You aren't going to make some terrible water joke?" Devrim arched his brow at the general.

Junayd looked hurt. "Of course not. Any joke like that would be all wet. I would never be so wishy-washy. Anyway, I will not water down my humor just to get us through the current situation…"

The Emperor rolled his eyes. "I suppose I deserved that. I am glad you are fine." Devrim slapped the soldier on the shoulder.

Junayd winced. "Ouch! Humor can be so painful…"

"Over here!" Eira called. Others were gathering close to the tree line.

Once the group had assembled, there were over one hundred people. The Emperor had never thought about how many people it took to run the palace; this was only a fraction of the occupants.

Devrim led the group into the trees before addressing them. The few pirates they had seen were on the opposite bank of the river, but he did not want to take any chances.

"Guard the perimeter. Call if there is any trouble," he ordered Eira and Junayd. The pair saluted and left.

The others gathered round. They waited expectantly for the Emperor to speak. Devrim usually left the speeches to his wife. The Consort hated the attention, but it was necessary. He cleared his throat and tried not to show his fear.

"We have been displaced," he began. "While I hope this is only temporary, I cannot make a guarantee for your safety. As such, I release you from your bond with the royal family. You may leave without consequence." Devrim made a wide motion with his arm.

There was a murmur among the crowd. Their emotions ranged from eager to leave to confused to hopelessly loyal. At first, a few of the servants wandered off into the woods. Then a few more joined them. In the end, only the servant holding Bella, and the two sisters remained of those who worked in the castle. The nobility were split in two, with those leaving claiming that they needed to check on their family.

"But!" Mairwen objected. She wanted to stop those who were abandoning their post. Her father touched the princess's shoulder.

"Let them go," Devrim told her. "We do not want people who might betray us to stay."

The Emperor surveyed those who were left. Although the servants were all but gone, none of the soldiers had moved. Junayd and Eira stood at the back, smiling proudly. As a group, they knelt before Devrim.

"Don't any of you want to leave?" The grey-eyed man could not believe what he saw. Devrim had fully expected that no one would be left after his speech.

The general called from the back. "We will serve you faithfully, Your Majesty! Even unto death." The others murmured their agreement.

Feeling the strength of their loyalty, Devrim placed his hand on his heart. "I could ask for no better group. I will try to be worthy of your support."

The troops rose, awaiting their orders. There were seventy of them now including the nobility, and they would have to form a plan. Devrim looked at Bella, who was now conscious but unable to walk. They would need to tend to her soon.

"Does anyone know where the closest town is?" Devrim asked. A scout stepped forward. He told them of his home town that they could reach shortly after dark. Everyone agreed that it was their best option.

"What will we do after that?" Mairwen asked calmly. The shock and heartache of the day were put on hold as the princess tried think logically.

Devrim felt both sad and proud that his daughter was so mature. She should not have to be, but he would not change anything about her either.

"We will do what we have been planning. We will go to the Southern Fort. There we can regroup." Devrim nodded confidently even though inside he unsure.

But it was a plan, and that was enough.

——————-

Like a cockroach, Xander emerged from the water on the bank opposite the imperial troops. No shipwreck was going to kill him. He was a pirate! Shipwrecks were things he caused all the time with other's ships.

Xander reached into his clothing and was relieved to find his precious pearl was still with him. Then he scowled. Those no good fugitives had ruined his masterpiece. The pirate captain had spent years perfecting his ship and now the vessel lay at the bottom of the Great River. It was infuriating!

The other men who survived the wreckage began to limp onto shore as well. He called to a few of them.

"You there! Follow those traitors, and report back to the palace where they have gone."

The six men looked incredulous. "You want us to cross the river?" One asked, pointing to a muddy spot where one of the lifeboats was pulled out of the water and abandoned.

"I want you to obey!" Xander yelled. The six men scurried off to figure out how to complete their task.

"What will the rest of us do?" The first mate asked Xander.

The pirate captain looked at the setting Sun. "We head back to the palace," he growled. "The new Emperor owes me a new ship!"