The Rightful Queen

Deelah exhaled sharply, her flared nostrils relaxing. She shook her head as she bowed it and touched the scalp. The heavy air felt suffocating. No matter what the others had to say, she needed to be firm with them. The mess included 3 royal families for cupcake"s sake.

She lifted one finger, avoiding everyone"s eyes, "This mission ends here. We"ll stop by an inn for the night. Whether you want to continue or not, talk it out with the Captain. Mark my words, he won"t take this lightly."

Finished with what she had to say, the Pirate Queen walked away from the group. She headed for a path that led to a nearby town. She didn"t wait for them nor did she care about the corpses. Either way, someone would come by to collect. Better to leave their handiwork for some entertainment value.

Maia, Tylen and Cleon glanced towards Raz. Despite Deelah"s presence, they awaited her orders. She merely gestured the top of her head towards the Pirate Queen. Leader of the group or not, Deelah had higher authority than her as second-in-command. Not only did it mean that she a.s.sisted the Captain but also, in his absence, she took over the position as the head.

When neither of the boys moved, Maia reluctantly released Raz and walked towards Deelah. She peeked over her shoulder once. Cleon nudged the Prince"s side at the sight of it. Tylen felt his lead feet move. The blue-haired pirate stayed hot on his heels.

The sergeant occupied the tail of their line.

Everyone kept quiet, looking like children that had been scolded. Maia"s eyes stared at the Pirate Queen"s back. Steady and strong, she couldn"t find her voice to speak. The rigid posture never relaxed. If Deelah suddenly spoke to her, she might just release a series of squeak instead of words.

The most dejected from the group, unsurprisingly, turned out to be the Prince. His plan had been hasty, he admitted to himself. He had no one to rely on other than Hayden and they needed to split up. To request for the Phantom Pirates"s help had also been last minute. He had been in such a hurry, he didn"t go through the proper processing.

Well, could he really be blamed? His best friend risked his life by pretending to be the Crown Prince. They had guessed it wouldn"t take long for him to be discovered. Time was of the essence. Tylen felt lucky that the group he encountered decided to help him at all.

The trek lasted until night time fell. A small town stood near the outskirts of the forest. The inn they found only had two rooms available. Each one had cramped s.p.a.ce, fitting only one bed. The first floor bustled with activity.

Tylen sat in the corner. Defected shoulders, he bent his arms and rested his elbows on the table. His eyes casted downwards. He mulled over the events quietly. Again, the doubts in his head spoke louder.

Maybe the mission really wasn"t meant to be. Hayden had already warned him before. His hands clenched into fists. Deep inside, another power broke through his second guessing. The need to search for answers. The need to have closure.

The need to find Ariene.

"Nyt?" A voice across from him called out.

The Prince looked up.

Maia"s eyes drooped at the corners. Some of her hair strands fell off the hair tie. They framed the sides of her face. The apple red shade enhanced her fair skin and the warm tone of her eyes. She kept her hands under the table.

"I"m sorry things turned out this way." She breathed out, "Please don"t be so sad. I"m sure Captain Croc would see reason."

"Do you really?" Tylen spat, using a low tone.

The redhead gulped, "There"s—I mean—It"s complicated."

She bowed her head, sighing heavily. The Phantom Pirates had things they couldn"t talk about to outsiders—even among their group, only a few had been informed. The rift with The Nocti flowed deeper down the earth.

It had been in everyone"s best interest to not accept jobs that may directly involve those nighthawks.

"I thought so." The Prince went back to staring at the empty table. Their food order was still on its way. The others had other business to attend to. What they were, he hadn"t been informed.

"I know you really want to find her." Maia continued to say, "Please don"t lose hope."

Tylen gave her a small smile, "You"re like the only person who told me that."

Maia"s breath hitched. Her chest squeezed, seeming to block her airflow. She didn"t know if the Prince was aware of the depth of his sapphire eyes. Their profound hue revealed the sadness he hid.

He merely wanted to see the girl he loved again.

Why did he have to go through so much?

Small tears swelled at the corners of her eyes. She reached out and clasped one of Tylen"s hands in hers. She gripped it tight. With a hesitant voice, she said, "I"ve told you before that you could rely on us. Please thoroughly believe in it. No matter what setback we"ll face. I promise we"ll accompany you to the end."

Cleon leaned against a pillar near the bar. Arms crossed over his chest, as well as his legs, he scowled. Among the three of them, it had been him who protested against the mission. Now, they faced its consequences. He couldn"t comprehend why his companions agreed to it.

Sure, the time had been tight—and it still was. But it didn"t mean the job wouldn"t disobey the rules.

He proceeded to watch over the two. Deelah rested upstairs while Raz went somewhere. Even if the Prince had swordsmanship skills, he couldn"t bring himself to leave the redhead alone.

Not after last time, at least.

Her voice floated above the chatter around the room.

"Please don"t give up." Maia began to sob, "The truth will come out eventually."

Tylen squinted at her face. Something felt off about her statement. Somehow he picked up on an innuendo behind it. The expression on his face slowly morphed into disbelief. He leaned his head closer to hers.

His voice came out in a whisper, "Is there something you know that I don"t?"

The redhead pressed her lips together. She had done her best to sound indifferent. The words threatened to spew out of her mouth. She had to gulp them back down. Her tears spilled out, flowing down her cheeks.

"I don"t know what to tell you." Maia answered in the same tone. She could only hope the Prince would believe her, "But… I"d never intentionally hurt you. Please have faith in us. "

Did they have something to hide?

Tylen took his hand back. He saw her eyes widen in alarm. Standing up, he explained, "I need to use the toilet."

Then, he proceeded to the back. His back disappeared from Maia"s sight. She buried her head in her hands. She cursed herself. Her self-control had actually dwindled for a moment. Now wasn"t a good time nor the place—particularly with The Nocti on their trail.

They had been waiting for them to slip.

If she hadn"t restrained herself, she would have placed the entire crew in danger.

"What the h.e.l.l are you crying about, strawberry shortcake?" Cleon scoffed. He sat on Tylen"s seat. He placed an ankle over his knee, resting his back on the wall. His arms stayed folded and his eyes swept around the room.

He would have stayed on his post but… Raz might think he made her cry.

The least he could do was offer some comfort.

"What have I done?" Maia whimpered behind her hands, "I can"t believe I just said those to Nyt."

"Look," The blue-haired pirate groaned, "You tried to rea.s.sure the guy. There isn"t anything wrong with that. He is probably depressed. Over the years, this had been his only chance to seek out his fiance. Hearing how things turned out must have been quite the blow. Don"t beat yourself about it. It"s him who should handle his own turmoil."

He sneaked a peek at the redhead. Why were girls so emotional? He thought. He heard her take a deep breath. He took it as a sign of her calming down. A weight lifted off his shoulders.

Maia wiped the tears off her face, "Ugh, my period might be coming soon."

Cleon closed his eyes and grimaced. "Please, Maia. I didn"t need to know that."

"I"ll tell you when I have my period."

"I"m begging you. Don"t."

She laughed heartily. Nothing flowed out of her eyes anymore. She made a mental note to ask for some ice. Red swollen eyes looked unattractive. She also didn"t want the others to worry about her.

"Thank you for cheering me up, Cleon."

Maia smiled at him gratefully. He liked to act reckless and immature but he cared. Despite how many times she teased him about it, he always came to her comfort.

Cleon snorted in reply, "Yeah, whatever."

A barmaid came to serve the food. She placed them carefully on the table. Savory steam floated up their noses. It salvitated their palettes. Their stomachs grumbled in approval.

Once the barmaid finished, she held the tray over her torso. Her brown eyes landed on Maia, "Miss, are you okay?"

The redhead immediately shook her head and waved her hands in protest.

"I am perfectly fine. There"s no need to worry." She explained, "I just remembered a sad memory."

"Are you sure?" The crease on the barmaid"s brows deepened, "Did you not just have an argument with your boyfriend?"

Maia gaped. Did she hear what she thought she heard?

"What boyfriend?"

"The gentleman you had with you."

"Oh!" The redhead blinked several times. Her mind still felt surprised at the second time she had been mistaken to be in a relationship, "He"s a close friend."

The barmaid looked unconvinced. She bit her upper lip, an indecisive expression on her face.

"Look, if you have something else to say, just say it." Cleon cut in. He scowled, showing his irritation and impatience, "I can already tell if you don"t tell us, you"d keep worrying about it."

"That"s true... " She mumbled. Then, she exhaled sharply, "I just thought to ask you if you know your boyfr—companion left the vicinity?"

Cleon bolted upright in his chair. He grabbed her elbow, clutching it tight.

"What did you just say?"

"I—I—" The barmaid stammered. She tried to pull her arm back, "I just saw him go out the back. One of our suppliers came after he left. The supplier said a man came up to him and asked to purchase one of his horses."