Worries of a sister
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden glow across the vast expanse of the ocean as Vivienne stood on the deck of her ship, the Sea Maiden, with her crew bustling around her.
The sea breeze tousled her hair, but her eyes held a hint of sadness as she gazed out at the endless waves, praying for her brother's safety.
Suddenly, the confident stride of the ship's captain, Captain Mary, approached her. The captain had a strong, weather-beaten face, her eyes sharp and experienced. The sea maiden originally belonged to Victoria, as Mary used to serve under her, but after her disappearance, Isabella tried to recruit all of these people into her service, but a lot of them refused.
She could sense that something was amiss with Vivienne and decided to check on her.
"Lady Vivienne, is everything alright?" Captain Mary asked, her voice filled with genuine concern.
Vivienne turned to face the captain, offering a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm just worried about my brother, Mary. He's out there, and I don't know if he's safe."
Just by imagining some unknown woman looking at him in the wrong way, Vivienne felt like her stomach was bubbling with anger.
Captain Mary placed a comforting hand on Vivienne's shoulder. "I understand, my dear. We all have loved ones we worry about. But have faith, and let's hope for the best. Young lad Oliver is not weak at all, in fact, we both know, he is a beast just like your mother,"
The Bloodborne family had a long history of maritime adventures, and Captain Mary had sailed alongside Vivienne's mother, Victoria, for many years before her disappearance. They had shared countless triumphs and faced harrowing challenges together on the open seas.
Captain Mary's loyalty to the Bloodborne family extended beyond mere duty; it was born out of genuine friendship and camaraderie. She had known Vivienne and Oliver since they were children and had watched them grow into the courageous individuals they had become. In many ways, Captain Mary saw herself as a protector of the Bloodborne legacy and felt a personal responsibility to ensure their well-being.
"Mary, I have a question," Vivienne looked at her with genuine confusion. "If you serve my sister, Isabella, you could easily live a luxurious life and your crew won't starve like this in the middle of nowhere, so why did you decide to accept my request?"
Captain Mary laughed at her words, as she touched the head of Vivienne like a kind mother.
"I will be honest with you, I never liked your sister, neither my crew. People in your mother's service hated her, as she only brought more problems to them, I know your mother loved all three of you equally, but I didn't-" She expected to see a pissed-off face from Vivienne, but instead, she was met with a surprising calmness.
Vivienne kept looking at the waves that kept increasing the beauty of the ocean. The sun had begun its slow descent on the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow across the water. With each crashing wave, the sea sprayed a fine mist into the air, creating a mesmerizing dance of light and colour.
"Mary, we might not be able to go back to the empire, we are going to go against the law and take my brother out of that cursed place, we might even die trying that because the security on that land is horrendous," With a guilty look decorating her face Vivienne decided to tell them the truth, but Mary could only sigh at her words.
"You think I'm stupid, Little girl? I have experienced a battle with Ironwall of our empire, I know the risk, don't worry about me, we should worry about that thing instead," Captain Mary suddenly pointed at a woman, who was lying on the corner of the boat tied up. "Do you think it's okay to treat the first princess like this?"
Vivienne's eyes blazed with anger as she looked at the woman tied up in the corner of the boat. She didn't know how or when she sneaked into their ship, but somehow Lilith managed to enter the ship without anyone noticing at least until she got tied up by Vivienne.
"Let her be, we didn't ask her to come and sneak here," Vivienne answered Mary.
"Mmmmh~ Mmmh~" She kept trying to talk with her gagged mouth, but Vivienne didn't even care to listen as she knew nothing good would come out of her mouth.
She had been friends with her from their childhood and supported her for the throne when all the other nobles decided to choose Raven as the crown princess with the help of her mother, Vivienne, however, was infuriated that Lilith couldn't lend a hand to her brother, who eventually sided with first princess faction when the most needed moment came.
"Now, Now, let's just release her, after all, she is the princess," Mary released the wet saliva-soaked gag from Lilith's mouth and cut all the ropes, granting her the freedom to move.
"Old lady, thank you for helping me, I don't know how to express this gratitude," Lilith muttered as soon as she got up, but Mary had nerves popping out of her head hearing this girl calling her an old lady when she was only in her thirties. "Lady Vivienne, maybe we should have kept that gag,"
Lilith's eyes widened in surprise and confusion at Mary's response. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," she stammered, realizing her mistake in addressing Mary. "I just... I don't know what to call you."
Mary chuckled softly, her stern expression softening a bit. "No need to apologize, Princess. You may call me Mary, as you did before, beside it was just a joke," she said kindly. "It's just that being called an 'old lady' by a young princess like you can be quite unsettling for someone in her thirties."
Lilith blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed at her blunder. "I understand, Mary. I'm really grateful for your help. Please forgive my impoliteness."
Mary waved her hand dismissively. "There's nothing to forgive, Princess Lilith You're going through a lot, and it's understandable. Besides, your regret is more than enough."
Vivienne ignored their casual conversation and started thinking about how she could secretly get into Havoc Bay without being seen. But before she could leave, Vivienne was taken aback as Lilith unexpectedly reached out and clasped her hand. With a heartfelt gesture, Lilith sought forgiveness for her past actions.
"I regret not standing up for Oliver when he needed me the most. I allowed fear and the pressure of my position to cloud my judgment, and for that, I can never forgive myself." Vivienne looked at her with a hard look on her face. Even though she wanted to forgive her, Vivienne didn't have any kindness in her heart to overlook what happened. "Please let me come so I can help with whatever you're going to do, I will make sure nothing happens even if we enter the empire back,"
"Do what you want, I don't care," Shrugging her hand off, Vivienne suddenly looked at her. "Forget about my promise about letting you marry him, I won't let you even get close to my brother after this,"
Mary knew it wasn't her place to talk, so she stayed silent until she noticed something strange. Initially, she dismissed it as mere hallucinations, but before long, she realized that it was something else entirely.
Her eyes widened in alarm as she spotted a large ship approaching them from the horizon. It seemed to be heavily armed and had a foreboding aura about it. Before she could say anything, a blinding light appeared in the distance, followed by the distant sound of cannon fire.
"Get down! Everyone, get down!" Mary shouted, instinctively grabbing onto Vivienne and Lilith, pulling them to the deck as well. The crew quickly followed suit, crouching low to avoid the incoming danger.
Vivienne and Lilith, shaken by the sudden turn of events, clung to each other with wide eyes. "What's happening? Who are they?" Lilith whispered, fear evident in her voice but none of them knew what they were facing until the fog gradually dissipated.
As soon as that happened the true identity of their adversary's ship was unveiled through the fluttering of their enemy's flag.
"Pirates!" Mary shouted in anger, as she knew it would be a long night for her and her crew from now on.