In The Name Of Love & Sin

Strelitzia took a deep breath, her eyes flitting open from the suffocating darkness that had been her unconscious mind. She was dry, warm even, tucked into a small wooden bed. There were no delicately painted flowers or the smell of fresh tea so she concluded that it wasn't her room on the ship. Where was she then and who had saved her? Vaguely she recalled the attack and almost drowning but things were a bit of a blur while she was still struggling to wake up.

Each gulp of air she took was a relief to the heavy feeling in her chest. An ache that she rubbed at idly while sitting up. Nothing hurt too bad, no crazy injuries. How had she gotten into such a mess? "Hello?" Strelitzia called out, hoping James would answer.

"Not him," The prince of Eli'ak said from the darkness. Whenever her eyes adjusted, she'd see that he was sitting far across the room from her in a chair, plucking the skin off a half eaten chicken. "But you're safe, as I said before. Come have some food. It isn't poisoned."

Her eyes narrowed at him, pulling the thin cover over her further. "How can I trust someone who kidnapped me? Poisoning me would be ridiculous at this point but it's the principle!" Dark brows dipped down and her lips pursed. "I was safe before."

Sam laughed, though it wasn't to mock her; he was just in disbelief at what she had to say for herself. "Is that how the world works? I guess it is. Judging people immediately. I didn't kill you, which is one good thing. Two," He plucked another piece of meat off the chicken and popped it into his mouth. "You aren't being kidnapped. I actually saved you. Not all smiles and not all friendly gestures mean good people. Don't be naive. He plays good music, looks handsome, and acts gentle. But I assure you there's a devil beneath that facade. You just wait and see." The prince shook his head, putting the rest of his food down. His meal was spoiled, and quite frankly, so was his mood.

Strelitzia could hardly believe that he could justify kidnapping her by the fact that she wasn't dead yet and that he thought he was saving her. "I don't think you're in a very favorable position to lecture me on my ethics. You took me by force even when I said I didn't want to go. If that's not kidnapping please enlighten me to its true meaning." She sighed and shook her head. "Clearly you have a personal problem with him but everyone's experience is different. A beloved father could very well be a villainous thief to others. Good or not, you've interrupted something important."

The fact that he thought she was only upset by being snatched away from a good time was testament enough to how little he knew. "When we were on the boat I recall you saying that some people valued family above all else. I believe you. I know it to be true. That ship was supposed to take me home." Her appetite was non-existent in light of the recent happenings and the tension she felt around the blonde man who seemed to think himself some sort of savior. "I didn't ask to be saved."

"Then I can take you back. You can be heartbroken to find your blonde friend was using you for money. Did you know you were seconds away from being a hostage? Did he not once mention your lineage slyly?" The man shook his head again. "You really are naive. I remember when I was oblivious to the world around me. You think it works one way then it doesn't. My sister is like you, I wonder if you two would've gotten along. Are you going to eat? Or are you going to sit there and complain about a situation you aren't capable of changing right now?"

She sighed, slipping out of the bed to join him at the small table. "Excuse me for being confused and upset." Somehow he managed to be insulting on top of clearly being a paid criminal. A self righteous hired hand was ironic and Strelitzia failed to see how he was blind to it. "What's your plan then? Where do we go from here?"

"There really isn't a we, and no offense. You really aren't in the position to ask questions. Remember? Hostage." He mimicked how she'd said it earlier, then pinched the bridge of his nose. "Doesn't matter. Like I said. You're going back to where you came from. We have one stop to make before that. Which we should arrive in about ten minutes. So, eat up."

Strelitzia fell quiet, picking at the food and eating little pieces. She didn't really feel like eating but she didn't want him to be upset by that either. Though he didn't seem like a genuinely bad person, he also didn't seem fond of her either. There wasn't much she could do about that and now that she had time to really process everything that happened, she found that it was all terribly disappointing. Her eyes welled with tears but she didn't let them fall, not in front of someone who might mock her for her pain. Instead she rubbed at her eyes harshly, pushing down her feelings. They could wait.

"Are you tired?" The Prince asked after noticing she had rubbed her eyes a bit too harshly. They seemed red too. "We'll be arriving back in D'treroh soon. I can get you a room where you can get some proper rest without the constant swaying of the boat across the waves. And get you changed up. I know your luggage was left behind."

"Not unless we have to. The sooner you take me back, the better." She pushed around more food absently. Resigned to quiet despondence. "At this point I just want to go home."

"Even when we dock, your home is a day away from the port we're closest to. Besides, there's someone we have to pick up before dropping you off." He poured her a glass of water and wine, then nudged both of them towards her using his knuckles.

Strelitzia took a long sip of wine, chasing it with a bit of water. Normally she didn't care for the way wine tasted but she needed something to get her through the next few days. "Who are we picking up?" The question was followed by her downing the last of the wine. Her Aunt Charlotte often allowed a glass at dinner, no more no less.

"Someone I have to work closely with for the evening. Then I have to feed my men." He tapped his fingers on the table while running his fingers through his hair. "It's going to be a long winter for me. Isn't your birthday coming up soon?" He asked. Her mother never shut up about her. There shouldn't have been a problem with celebrating it early.

"Yes, how do you know?" Her slanted eyes narrowed even further in suspicion. He seemed to know a lot about her for a self righteous kidnapper. "Why not just tell me who hired you and why? You're secretive and foul tempered with someone you've just snatched away while expecting me to cooperate and believe that you're really doing this as some personal favor." One leg crossed over the other and she leaned forward until their eyes met. "You clearly have some personal vendetta against the men but I still haven't quite put together what that has to do with me."

Sam sighed at the spicy nature of the girl. She may not have been a person that could take or throw a punch, but her words could surely be used as a weapon. Strelitzia's tongue seemed too sharp for her own good. He wasn't the type to hit a woman or call them out of their name, but someone else out here amidst the onyx sea would. All men who do what he does weren't exactly made with a moral compass. "I hope you learn to read a person. Had I been anyone else it could've cost you your tongue from where I'm from. I get the anger. I really do, but is it really necessary if I'm not treating you so bad?"

He stood from the table, staring down at her with dark brown eyes. "We don't get to choose what we do for a living. If you want to be angry at anyone, be mad at the woman who wishes she was your mother. Like I said. You're going home."

Her Aunt? In the back of her mind she thought that might have been the case though she never thought she'd stoop to hiring a pirate. They could have found a different way to work things out. What would her mother think? That she abandoned their home and their country to stay behind to be spoiled by her aunt? She doubted Charlotte had even sent word unless she wanted her mother to think she was dead or being held for ransom. Strelitzia sighed in genuine disappointment. "I can read people. I can try to be nicer but you aren't exactly making it easy. It sounds like I'll be out of your hair soon enough anyway."

"Clearly not." Was Sam's only comment. "Get up, you aren't eating anyway. You're just pushing your food around on your plate anyway." He opened the door and led her through the lower halls of the ship.

Strelitzia followed along without saying much. She'd rubbed him the wrong way though he didn't seem fond of her from the start. Demanding and impatient. She was making a list at this point. How could anyone be so unpleasant without any real provocation? "You're a pirate but you didn't choose to be?" She asked from behind.

"No, I didn't choose to be like this. I don't always approve of their life, but sometimes life calls for survival and this is the easiest option to turn to. You think Ragnar will open those gates to people with hollow bellies? No. And home isn't a choice I have any longer either. Out here is the only thing I have. Stolen coins, trades, and leverage." His noise curled at the last word.

"What's wrong with home? You spoke before about your sister." Her hands knit together behind her back while they walked. The smell of wood and must was nearly overpowering below deck. By now she had come to rather enjoy the gentle motion of the ship's steady rocking. It was like the sea trying to lull the people in its waters knowing they ached for violence and bloodshed in their hearts. "Why not bargain to become a privateer if you want to retain your morals?"

"It doesn't work like that," Was all he said again after taking a moment to himself. Sam wasn't the type to show his tiredness or anger through words or actions. He kept it to himself, where it slowly ate away at him from the inside out. After all, whether he let his struggles be known or not, it still hurt him in the end. It never fixed his problems either. Sam halted in front of a door. He nudged it open with his sword. "Pick something to wear and come out immediately. The windows bolted shut so there's no need to climb out or hurt yourself trying to pry the rusty nails out."

"I'm not sure if you recall but I can't swim. I certainly wouldn't try killing myself over this." He couldn't see it because he hadn't turned to look at her, but she made a face: lips pursed, nose scrunched, eyes narrowed, staring daggers right into the back of his head. Slipping past him and into the room she noticed that most of her options weren't exactly befitting for a lady of her standing, not that she expected as much. She changed quickly into a set of trousers and tunic, even finding a feathered hat to hide her bedraggled and dry hair. Salt water was terrible for hair. Then Strelitzia stepped back out. "I'm ready."