A dinner meeting

Aurelia

On the ride to the ship, the smell of the flowers was beginning to give me a headache from their scents. Their beauty became lost on me. The driver was silent as we rode through the streets, the poor were glaring at the magnificent carriage. When we finally reached the pier, the salty air started to clear my head.

The ships had a new beauty to me today as the sunlight shone down on of each us. I could see more details of each ship. The largest ship at the end of this pier had to be Galorian’s. It was the largest and had the most flare to it. At the front of the ship was a large half woman half fish carved from wood.

Her upper body was completely naked, the carver had worked in every line and detail that a live woman would have on her breasts. The tail was long and wound around the side of the ship that we would enter onto the deck.

The colors were brilliant and seemed freshly painted on. The body of the ship was painted a dark blue while all the railings and masts were painted red. There were some gold embellishments that could only be seen when closer up.

Excitement filled me as I was about to take my first step onto a ship. I was sure not all ships were this clean and pristine. To my right led to the front of the ship where there wasn’t too much to look at. To my left was a cabin that had two sets of stairs on each side, with a double door between them.

At the top of the stairs was the captain himself. He was dressed as impressively as each other time I saw him. The brim of his black hat was big, it spread out past his shoulders. There was a giant feather on the side that was a mixture of reds, oranges and yellows. It looked like fire; it was so beautiful.

Galorian was wearing a captain's jacket that was black with gold buttons. He had no shirt on underneath, showing of his bare and very hairy chest. I could see that under his thick brown hair, he was very muscled.

“Welcome to my ship, my Lady. Your dress is breathtaking.”

At that moment I realized we were similarly dressed. Both of us showing off a lot more skin then would be advised.

“Thank you. As always you do not disappoint. Your ship is very, interesting. I’ve never seen one before. Will you show me more?” I was genuinely interested in what the interior would look like. I could tell that behind me Kairios was annoyed with my compliments and further interest to see the ship. I would have to work hard to ignore him and hoped that he would be forgiving of anything else I might do.

“For tonight I'll show you to my quarters, where I have a delightful meal waiting for us.” He had walked down each step slowly, giving off a very seductive vibe. Now standing in front of me, he gestured to the double doors.

He opened the door for me to enter then followed me through before Kairios could follow. I had stepped into a very small hallway. There was a tight staircase going down into what appeared to be a dark hole in the ships core. Past the stairs was a door that had a name plaque on it that said “Captain”.

I walked towards it thinking that was the right thing to do in that moment. Before my hand could touch the handle, it was opened from the other side.

“You could ask your guard to wait here if you like.”

“I am sure he will be much more comfortable being in the same room, as we still don’t know each other that well. Trust has to be built; do you not agree?”

“Very well.” he placed his hand to hover at my shoulder as a way to direct me into the cabin.

The room was larger than one would expect. The one wall that had to be the back of the ship was made of full-length glass windows. Along the wall that was to my left had a bookshelf built in to the full length. In the middle of that was a fire place. The right side of the room was set up for sleeping with a large bed encased in a large wood frame.

Scattered around the room was all kinds of random décor and maps in picture frames. There were also paintings of lands that looked far away and foreign. Under the window there was a single step up to a platform. A desk had been moved against the wall and had plates of different foods on it. Near that was a very small round table with a candle in the middle. The two chairs were facing each other but were so close that they were practically side by side.

“Come and join me for a drink?” Galorian had moved over to stand by the table.

When I took a step forward, I felt Kairios mimic my step forward as if he were a shadow. I put my hand out and gestured for him to stay there. It would give me the much-needed space to focus on Galorian. Thankfully he stayed by the door as I made my way closer to the table.

“What is it?”

“It's called fire wine. Very common in distant lands.”

When I took the glass, I could tell the fire part meant that it was warmed. When I took a sip, my fingers warmed as it spread through my body. It was very strong; I would have to drink slowly and only one cup at most.

“It is... strong.” I turned to look at the window as he laughed at me.

“You will get used to it. I invited you here for more than a simple exotic drink. However, each moment with you is quite enjoyable. Will you come and sit with me? I wish to know more about you.”

Mixed with the heat of the drink and the pressure of his comments had me feeling way too warm. I decided that I should take my cloak off and be as comfortable as I could. The eyes of the men in the room were heavy on my skin. I handed it to the servant next to me and walked over to the chairs.

When I took my seat, I could see the Captains eyes running all over the newly revealed skin. His eyes seemed to linger on the side that was permanently scarred by the spell from Saira’s brother.

“How did such a lovely woman come to have so many scars?”

“It's a long story of mistreatment that I would rather not get into. We all have scars from our past Galorian, would you like to tell me about all of yours on a first meeting?”

His booming laugh filled the room.

“I love the way you avoid all my questions. I can see what Lyanna saw in you to take her place. You are quick witted and bold. It's too bad that the Queen will take all of the wealth and you will have nothing left to inherit. What will you do then?”

“Thats not something that we have planned for. Lyanna is extremely capable. She will be able to survive this ridiculous attempt.”

“I have my doubts about that. It wouldn’t do anyone any good to have your talents go to waste. You could work for me. I could show you all the distant lands that you didn’t even know to dream about.”

I had not expected this turn of events from him. He truly was arrogant. To think he was planning that far in advance on how to get the best out of every situation. Lyanna was right, I was way over my head with this meeting.

“That would have to depend. What is your relation to the Queen?” I felt like I needed to be asking more questions.

“She has made me the Captain of her fleet now. I control every ship within these waters. Before this I was a simple trade sailor. Without her over the years I wouldn't have achieved anything and would remain a no one.”

So, she had lifted him up to a high standing. There was now little hope that I would be able to turn him to my side.

“So, you’ve been working with her for a long time then?” The more I learned the more I realized that I would never be able to trust this man.

“After she claimed the throne and married her husband, Marcus, I was a young reliable sailor and they wanted to pay for the exotic things.”

The servants brought over a plate with some small crackers that had soft cheese and different colored jams on top. Thankful for the little distraction I grabbed one to try it. I thought the jam would be sweet but it was spicy. Today was full of new favorite foods.

“What do you think about the poor people and the slaves?” He had to at least be bothered by the conditions of his people.

“The slaves don’t bother me any, they are just business. And the poor people? Well, I would challenge you to find me a place that didn’t have a poor population. You will find them in every Kingdom. Theres no reason for me to worry about it. This kingdom is doomed anyways.”

When he stared into my eyes after saying that, it was like he was trying to convince that it was the truth. Part of me was upset that he was so cavalier about children starving and slaves being sold off. The other part went off into a more shameful tangent.

I quickly pictured what it would be like to be free of my bonds. No longer the princess I could be free to see the world, like he had said. The temptation was overwhelming. There was no way that I could do it.

“I fail to see what you can offer me. All you see of these lands and its people, is what you can get from them. Above that they don’t matter to you. By extension, I would say that is the way you view any relationship with me?” My anger was building at both him and myself.

He didn’t say anything right away, just nibbled on some of the remaining crackers. His eyes seemed to bore into every part of my exposed skin. There was something odd in his expression as he got up and moved over to the window. He stood there looking over the scenes outside, not saying a word.

“What if I stopped the slave trading?” He turned to me again, his boring into mine.

“How would you be able to do that? They are under the order of the Queen, why would she listen to you?” I had serious doubts that he would be able to live up to any promises he made.

“If I make it so, will you agree to be mine?” He said this as a statement not a question. Bold indeed.

“I will not agree to be yours. I am not property. Do not mistake me for some livestock or a slave in your market.” He was really starting to make me angry beyond any control I might have gained.

This meeting was starting to become ridiculous and I felt it needed to end. There was nowhere else for us to go. If he thought I was something that could be owned from a deal then he showed me his true colors in that.

“A game to win your affections then.” He came close and go down on one of his knees in front of me. He took my hand and said,

“I vow to prove my loyalty and true affections to you.”

“Why?” A simple question that I was sure would yield an extravagant answer.

“There has never been a woman such as you in any land that I have traveled to. I have taken many women and they all proved meaningless in life and in my bed. It is my desire now to share all I have with a woman of worth. I see a woman like that in you.”

At this point I had had enough. It was too hard to war with myself about the way he talked to me. I loved and hated it. I wanted more and to never see him again at the same time.

“It seems only the future will tell what will happen between us. End the save trade, because it’s the right thing to do. Not because it's what I want.” If anything would come of him saving those poor slaves then this night had been worth it.

He stood up with a smile and his face and said,

“Time then.”