**************
“What are the United Lands?” Yasmin asked.
“A high kingdom made of many formerly independent states.” Aisha answered.
“What are these states?”
“Dechaine, Eklund, Francisque, Barak, Lochwayn, Lux-et-Nox, Sand’or, Hombourg, Bret, Bourgonne, and Tara. They also have colonies in the archipelago in-between Ghazan and the Old Continent. The Gabrielle Islands.”
“What is the specificity of the realm?”
“All these nations still exist officially. The High King is also at the same time duke of Dechaine, king of Eklund, king of Francisque, king of-”
“Good.” Yasmin interrupted her.
Aisha smiled, a bit provocatively. She wanted to prove to her sister she could learn all these diplomatic things.
“Who is the current high king?”
“Léon-Alexandre XII of Dechaine. He has four daughters: Louise, Marguerite, Blanche, and Dominique.”
Yasmin thoughtfully bit her lower lip. “You’ve learned your lessons.”
“I can be a good student when I want.” Aisha teased.
Her sister wasn’t impressed. “Then hopefully you’ll be able to apply your knowledge. I’ve talked with the captain. We’ll reach the Gabrielle Islands today. We’ll stay in the city of Plaisance the time to resupply.”
Aisha perked up, suddenly forgetting all her etiquette lessons. “Finally!” she beamed. “I have to tell the others!” The rebellious princess rushed outside.
Her twin sighed. “I suppose the lesson is over…”
**************
“Ah… Good old Plaisance… The pearl of the Gabrielle Islands…” Eloise commented.
She passed a hand through her auburn hair tied into a ponytail. She had a light skin. There were a few freckles on her cheeks. Her figure was slim and fit. However, the most noticeable thing about her appearance were her eyes. They were a captivating shade of blue and green – as deep and changing as the Sea.
The pirate looked at her accomplice. “Ivette. You’re done?”
“Almost.”
Ivette was a lanky woman with long arms, shaggy black hair, dark brown eyes, and a tanned skin. Her haircut was a plain ponytail.
She finished putting on a brown long skirt, a white cloth sash, a blue baggy blouse, and a pink bandanna in her hair.
Eloise adjusted her own clothes – brownish red skirt, orange cloth sash, pale yellow blouse, and blue bandanna. She looked at the sea nearby, more precisely at the bottom of the cliff.
“Nothing personal by the way.”
Lying under the see, there were the naked corpses of two women, who had the misfortune of having vaguely similar physical appearances to Eloise and her accomplice. They were the original owners of the clothes the disguised pirates were currently wearing.
Eloise didn’t relish murder, but she was also a wanted criminal and a mercenary for hire. She wasn’t stranger to death and killing. And she was pragmatic.
She needed inconspicuous clothes to walk in the town. She was supposed to make a move against two foreign princesses and their armed escort.
She couldn’t leave unwanted witnesses behind.
Sometimes, she needed survivors to spread the tale. And sometimes she didn’t.
Dead women tell no tales…
**************
Aisha insisted to stay on the bridge while the ship was entering the harbor.
Plaisance didn’t look like any town she had seen. Aisha was used to Ghazan’s architecture. She was used to smooth buildings made of white stones. She was used to paved streets, tall minarets, red roofs, silvery spires, and golden domes.
By comparison, Plaisance looked a lot less sophisticated. A lot of the houses were still made of wood – stone was scarce on the Islands, only the rich citizens and the town’s officials could afford it. The facades of the building were painted with bright colors: yellow, green, red, blue… However, the overall view of the city looked mismatched and ostentatious. In many aspects, Plaisance was still a frontier town. Some streets weren’t even paved yet.
But Aisha didn’t care. It was the first time she was outside her kingdom. She knew it was because of dire circumstances. She knew of the underlying threat to her and her retinue’s safety. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of excitement at the prospect of exploring other realms.
Even the vegetation and the climate felt different from her home… Greener, more humid, and cooler.
I have to show Zaïde that sight!
**************
You’re a careful one, that’s for sure… But it won’t take me much longer to find out who you are...
Zaïde was muttering to herself. The busty woman had spent most of the trip holed up in her cabin, deciphering the documents Aisha stole in the temple of the Great Goddess, and crossing the information with the documents stolen in Esteban’s office. She was on the verge of finding her culprit, she knew it.
Just a few more names to rule out-
Her door was slammed open.
“GAK!” Zaïde squeaked. She fell from her chair. (She was happy no member of the king’s court, especially not her mother, was here to witness her lose her composure.)
Aisha loudly entered the room. “Zaïde! We’re about to land! Finally! Some solid ground!” The young princess eventually noticed her cousin’s predicament. “Why are you sitting on the floor?”
“Oh, I was trying to bulk up my butt.” the busty woman snarked. “For sure, it can’t be because you barged inside my cabin like some savage.”
Aisha scratched the back of her head. “Sorry…” She helped Zaïde get back on her feet.
The busty woman dusted herself. “So we’ve reached the Gabrielle Islands? Deciphering all these files has taken me more time than I thought.”
“You’re done?”
“I’ve narrowed it down to a few names, but I’m not completely done. Our culprit is more clever than I thought. We’ll have to be careful. They-”
However, her cousin was suddenly interrupted when someone slammed the door open once again.
“GAK!” she squeaked.
It was Rasha.
“Aisha. Your sister wants to see you. She says it’s important.” The thief then noticed Zaïde, whose heart was pounding against her chest. “What’s wrong? Seasick?”
“More like fed up I’m always interrupted. I’m about to find out who’s our enemy. Gabrielle Islands or not, I refuse to leave my cabin before I found out Esteban’s accomplice. So you better-”
The door was slammed open a third time.
“GAK!”
It was Beatrix.
“You better hurry up, Aisha. Yasmin says it’s important.” The bounty huntress noticed Zaïde’s face. “What’s wrong? You’re afraid of her reaction?”
Zaïde took a deep breath.
“ALL OF YOU! OUT! NOW!” she bellowed.
Aisha, Rasha, and Beatrix swiftly fled the room before she could think of using force.
**************
When Aisha regrouped with her twin, Yasmin had already changed clothes. She was now wearing the kind of outfit she put on for official meetings.
Her green-and-blue long dress was adorned with arabesques of silver threads. A sash of precious silk, tinted in blue, was tied around her waist. Her haircut was a tight ponytail, and her hair ornaments were displaying black pearls. She had earrings, a few bracelets, and a thin diadem – all made of silver. Elegant, and luxurious enough to convey her status, but also comfortable and not too ostentatious.
Ezgi was standing next to her. She was holding a similar-looking garment, albeit one that was red-and-orange, with golden arabesques and gold jewels.
“We’ve been invited to the vice-regent’s palace.” Yasmin announced.
Aisha glanced at the princess dress she would be forced to wear, and frowned. “Let me guess. Refusing would be a diplomatic insult.”
“You guessed right. Ezgi and I will help you change yourself.”
Aisha sighed. “Why do I feel I just set foot in a snake’s nest...”
**************
In an inn’s discreet private room, a secret meeting was ending.
“So this is my new mission.” Eloise concluded. The pirate was feeling wary. “You want me to kidnap the princess.”
“Yes. In the scroll I gave you, you’ll find details on how you can infiltrate the building.” a cloaked woman answered. “I have an ally inside the vice-regent’s palace. They helped me set things up to help you.”
The pirate’s employer was concealing her identity with a mask and a hood. However, her voice and demeanor were a clear giveaway she was a powerful aristocrat.
In fact, not just any powerful aristocrat...
The disguise was purely for show anyway – and for potential witnesses. Eloise herself knew for whom she was working.
This was the reason why the pirate was wary. She knew full well the kind of woman she had in front of her. She knew full well what would befall on her if she failed to show proper respect…
In Eloise’s back, two bodyguards were standing watch. One gesture of their employer, and they’d grab the captain and break her neck. The female one looked particularly nasty. An army veteran, without a doubt.
A man was standing behind the cloaked woman. The tattoos on his hands were a proof he was some sort of enchanter. Her boss most likely was employing him to open portals in-between the Gabrielle Islands and the United Lands, to scheme in peace.
Eloise wasn’t surprised. Magic was officially outlawed in the United Lands, just like in most realms of the Old Continent, but any rich merchant or noble got around the ban. Such powerful tool couldn’t be cast away easily...
“There is a mole in Ghazan’s expedition. Her name and description are also in the scroll.” the cloaked woman added. “Unfortunately, she was hired by my ally in El Idriss, and I have no way to directly contact her. You’ll give her this message if you come across her. She’ll help you.” She gave Eloise a sealed letter.
“Understood. I’ll put my crew on the job.”
The pirate mercenary stood up to leave.
“One more thing.” the cloaked woman interrupted her.
Eloise stopped.
Her employer’s voice was now as cold as a crime baron’s.
“The people of this island are subjects of the United Lands. They belong to me. I don’t appreciate when someone breaks my belongings.”
“I understand. I’ll make sure no harm comes to them, unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
She chose to not mention the two women who were lying dead at the bottom of the sea. What her employer didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her...
“And the princess?” Eloise added.
“She has to be taken alive and unharmed, no matter the circumstances. I will suffer no excuse.”
“Understood.”
Eloise left the room.
Ivette was standing watch in the corridor, and was waiting for her.
“So. How did it go?” she asked.
Eloise took a few breaths to calm herself. She hadn’t met her boss often, but each meeting had been a trial for her nerves.
It was the eyes... Colder than ice… She could always see them through the mask… The eyes of someone with no moral limits.
“You alright?”
Eloise shook her head.
“We must go to the harbor, and gather the rest of the crew as quickly as possible. We have a new mission.”
“Looks like stealing these lasses’ clothes was superfluous…” Ivette remarked.
The pirate captain shrugged. “Sad for them.”
**************
Zaïde tallied the content of an inventory with a list of ships. It was the last cross-checking she needed. There were still five potential names, but now she would be able to eliminate the four wrong ones.
Finally! I found your identity… God above, you were good at concealing yourself! Kept the suspense till the end! Crafty little bastard... Now, let’s see who you are, you clever-
Zaïde couldn’t help but drop the paper.
[]It can’t be… It can’t be her...[/i]
She double-checked everything. And then she triple-checked. But every time she got the same result.
Esteban’s employer wasn’t just anybody. She was a high-ranked aristocrat. And not your run-of-the-mill high-ranked aristocrat.
She was one of the most dangerous women of the world. Heiress of the empire that controlled most of the western half of the Old Continent.
Princess Louise of Dechaine.
The daughter of the high king of the United Lands…
… the realm to which they were traveling!
This is bad! Aisha’s in danger! We’re all in danger!
Zaïde hurriedly exited her cabin.
There weren’t many people left on the ship’s deck. Thankfully, Rasha and Beatrix were still shilling near the bow. The thief was lazily taking the sun like some cat, while the redhead was busy cleaning her jezail.
“Where are Yasmin and Aisha?”
Beatrix shrugged. “They’ve been summoned to the palace of the vice-regent. Apparently, the princess of Dechaine is visiting the island. She wanted to meet them.”
“The PRINCESS of Dechaine?!”
“Yep. It’s a big event on this island, or so I’ve heard. Commoners like us aren’t invited.” Beatrix added, having not noticed the busty woman’s turmoil.
Zaïde’s mind was racing. Louise of Dechaine was here, on the Islands, just as they were landing. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Anybody knew Plaisance was a mandatory stop for ships traveling between Ghazan and the United Lands. And therefore anybody could anticipate their ship’s schedule… That fortuitous meeting had been planned in advance, there was no other way! Her cousins were most likely in danger! Zaïde muttered a curse. Their enemy was making her move sooner than she was expecting…
The noblewoman quickly weighed the pros and cons. She could cause a diplomatic incident… But at the same time, she couldn’t let something bad happen to Aisha or Yasmin. Zaïde made up her mind.
“Not invited you say? Then let’s rectify that.” she finally stated.
**************
Cosette and Éponine were washing the palace’s laundry.
Both maids were wearing similar-looking uniforms: black mules, a dark grey long skirt, a yellow tunic with white sleeves and a white collar, a white apron, and a pink cloth bonnet adorned with white frills.
Cosette was blue-eyed blonde, with big breasts and plump hips. Éponine was a hazel-eyed brunette with shallow cheekbones. Both women had tied up their hair into a loose low bun.
It was a busy morning. In-between the vice-regent, the officials, and the staff of the palace, there always was a lot of laundry to wash.
At least, the weather was warm, as it often was in the Gabrielle Islands. In fact, because of their work, the maids were even feeling a little too hot.
Éponine took a break, the time to wipe her forehead. “You ever get tired of washing laundry?”
Cosette shrugged. “Eh. It’s a living. I consider myself lucky to have been hired by the palace. If not, I’d be working in a brothel of the docks.” She wasn’t trying to hide her resentment.
Éponine nodded. She understood her friend’s feeling. She too had one day taken a boat to the Gabrielle Islands, hoping to escape the drudgery of a peasant’s life. Only to then discover, like many before her, that life in the Islands was rarely kind to women with no ties or networks of friends.
“One thing’s sure, I prefer to be here this morning.” Cosette added. “At least, we can take our time.”
Two foreign princesses were supposed to visit the vice-regent’s palace today. The staff was most likely slaving to make sure everything was perfect.
“Yeah… It’ll be one quiet uneventful morning…” Éponine concluded.
**************
Zaïde used the cover of the drying sheets to approach the maid unnoticed. Then, she struck, wrapped her arms around Cosette’s throat, and squeezed.
The surprised washerwoman let out a gurgle, and sent her laundry flying with her struggles.
“Nothing personal dear, but I really need your clothes…” the busty woman whispered in the maid’s ear.
At the same time, Rasha assaulted Éponine. She clamped a rag soaked with sleeping potion over the maid’s face. The girl struggled madly, but she was too amateurish to put up a decent fight against the thief.
Cosette was the first to pass out, her body becoming limp in Zaïde’s arms. Éponine followed suit. She fell asleep, and Rasha laid her onto the ground.
The thief glanced sideways at Zaïde. “You know… Usually, I’m all for jumping women and sneaking into fancy buildings… But I wonder if you’re not overreacting a little…”
Zaïde glared at her. “My cousins are in danger.”
“Shouldn’t they be protected by the laws of diplomacy, or something like that?”
“Diplomacy can only protect you as long as the other party agrees to follow the rules. Now, hurry up, or I’m leaving you behind with Beatrix.”
Rasha grimaced. “Please no... She’s been so cranky lately…”
“Then complain less, and strip more. Beatrix will be watching our backs. Especially yours.”
Apparently, a cranky Beatrix was an effective threat. Rasha stripped Éponine in record time. Or maybe she was trying to beat her record – the thief always strived for perfection. Zaïde did the same with Cosette. The mules were slipped off first. Then the bonnets and aprons came off. Next, they shimmied the skirts down the women’s legs. Finally, they pulled off the tunics.
Cosette was left clad in light green bloomers, and a matching sleeveless chemise. Éponine was wearing similarly-cut undergarments, albeit of different colors. Her bloomers were white, and her sleeveless chemise was blue.
Zaïde and Rasha quickly cut some of the laundry into makeshift ropes, blindfolds, and gags. They used the strips to truss up Cosette’s and Éponine’s legs, shoulders, and wrists. They also blindfolded and cleave-gagged them.
Next, they dropped each washerwoman in her laundry basket. Cosette and Éponine were each left in a curled up position. Zaïde and Rasha concealed the maids under piles of clothes.
Then, Zaïde and Rasha quickly slipped into the servant uniforms – the former in Cosette’s since she was big-breasted, the latter in Éponine’s.
Zaïde used make-up to whiten her and Rasha’s faces, hands, and forearms. Thankfully, people in the Islands often had a tan, even when they originally were white-skinned. Therefore, even though the make-up was hastily put on, the result was decent enough to fool an untrained eye.
The women copied the two maids’ low buns. Then, Zaïde grabbed Rasha by the arm. “Hurry up. We may have to mug someone else inside the palace.”
**************
Plaisance – both the town and the island – was administrated in the name of the high king by a vice-regent, an official chosen by Léon-Alexandre XII himself. Their palace was built on top of a hill, and had a view of the entire city and its bay. With its façade made of white stones and its roof of blue tiles, the building stood out because of its sobriety.
Aisha and Yasmin were greeted by an official in front of the palace’s main door. He saluted them, using the complex formal way of the United Lands. Yasmin saluted back, following the etiquette perfectly. She even afforded the luxury of using the United Lands’ official language, which she spoke fluently and with barely any accent. Aisha did her best to hide her jealousy at her sister’s ease.
The herald led them inside the building. Aisha took a deep breath, and followed Yasmin’s lead, trying to mimic her regal way of walking.
“The Princess will see you after you’ve enjoyed some refreshments in the salon.” the official explained. “She thinks you need some rest after such a long journey.”
Yasmin nodded. “A generous attention. Please transmit her our humble thanks.”
**************
On her ship, Eloise finished exposing the main lines of the plan to her gathered crew.
Some crew members exchanged whispers.
Eloise raised her hand. “I know we don’t have much time to prepare ourselves, but our employer trusts our skills.”
Louise also wasn’t leaving them the choice, but Eloise certainly wouldn’t mention that in her motivational speech.
“Our boss has inside help in the palace. She has set up things to give us a window of opportunity, but we can only make it work if we act immediately.”
The declaration eased her crew’s worries. These men and women were all hardened criminals. They were used to dangerous situations.
“The men stay on the ship. Get ready to set sails at any moment. The women, come with me.”
“Why only the women?”
“I said our employer’s mole in the palace had set things up to facilitate our infiltration. You’ll see why when I explain you how.”
**************
Zaïde observed the vice-regent’s palace from afar. There was a wall around the estate, but its purpose was more to delimit than to protect. While the front gate was closed, the backyard’s metal gate was open. There were two guards, but they didn’t seem to fear any attack. In fact, they were idly chatting with each other.
Zaïde chose to take a gamble. She and Rasha walked in open view, using their servant bonnets to conceal their heads. The guards paid them a disinterested glance, but as Zaïde expected, they didn’t bother to interrogate them. They were too busy gossiping to try and look closely at their faces.
In the backyard, Zaïde spotted a backdoor used by servants. She and Rasha discreetly entered the building.
Once they were inside the secondary corridors of the palace, near the kitchens and the storage rooms, Zaïde pondered her options.
She didn’t want to keep her current disguise. Maids could roam the estate unnoticed, but they lacked any authority, and Zaïde anticipated she may have to bluff her way out after finding Aisha and Yasmin.
“We need a change of clothes.” she told her accomplice.
Zaïde hid in the alcove, watched the area, and noticed the tall woman wearing a bright blue tabard adorned with a white Seahorse, symbol of the Dechaine dynasty. The rest of her uniform were shiny black high boots, white trousers, a white button up uniform shirt with puffy sleeves, brown gloves, and a brown wide-brimmed hat with a black feather. A rapier was strapped onto her belt.
Her skin was white, albeit with a slight tan. She had green-brown eyes, and dark auburn hair tied into a neck bun, with one strand on hair resting on each of her cheeks.
The woman was a musketeer. An elite soldier. These men and women were usually sent to carry on important missions for the Crown, or to protect important people.
“And I just found what we need.” Zaïde concluded.
**************
Mathilde was feeling a mixture of annoyance and resentment. She often was lately, except when she could get drunk off-duty.
The woman hated Plaisance. She hated the hot damp weather. She hated the harsh sun. Her assignment there looked like a punishment.
Which it actually was. But it was so unfair. How could she have known the young man she had slept with was the heir of an important noble family? He was dumb as an ox, and barely competent in the bed. His parents had made a fuss, sent a letter to the head of the musketeer corp himself, and next thing Mathilde knew she was sent to Plaisance for an indefinite time.
Today was even worst than usual. The vice-regent was welcoming two foreign princesses from Ghazan. Important guests.
And who had to deal with all the logistic problems this visit was causing?
“I haven’t joined the musketeer’s corp to work as a steward…” the auburn-haired woman grumbled to herself.
Though hopefully, things would soon change...
The musketeer was interrupted in her train of thoughts when she saw two maids who were looking hesitant in the middle of the corridor. Great… Just what she needed… An other problem to solve...
She blocked their way. “What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
The servant flashed Mathilde her biggest smile, but the musketeer refused to be swayed by her pretty face and big breasts.
“I’ve just been hired today, and I’m having a hard time remembering the palace’s layout. I’m looking for the storage room used for the laundry.”
“I wasn’t informed new servants had been hired.”
“It’s because of the foreign princesses.”
Mathilde groaned in annoyance. “Figures… Follow me.”
She opened a nearby door.
“It’s here.”
The busty maid beamed. “Thanks a lot! You’re of great help!”
There was a strange intonation in her voice.
One that made Mathilde reflexively grab the hilt of her rapier.
But she was too slow.
The maid hit Mathilde’s neck with the sharp edge of her hand, knocking her lights out instantly.
The musketeer was unconscious before her mugger caught her falling body in her arms.
She cursed her bad day before everything went black.
**************
Zaïde dragged the unconscious musketeer inside the laundry storage room. She laid the woman onto her back, and started to strip her. She started by removing the belt, the gloves, and the boots. She struggled a bit with the footwear, both because the boots were tight and because Mathilde was wearing grey socks.
“No clothes for me?” Rasha commented after closing the door.
“Nobody should question a maid following a musketeer to do her errands. Not the best excuse, but we can’t waste time.” Zaïde explained while she slipped the trousers off Mathilde’s long legs. Once again, she was struggling a bit because the garment was form-fitting.
Rasha observed her sideways. “You do care a lot about your cousin…” she finally commented.
The removed trousers revealed Mathilde’s plain white underdrawers. Zaïde then pulled off the tabard. “What made you think otherwise? Because my mother is Istir?”
Rasha remained silent.
“People are all the same. They always assume I’m up to no good.” Zaïde muttered bitterly. “Sure, I’m no paragon of virtue. Many girls wish they never crossed paths with me. I learned how to play the court’s game. Only a fool wouldn’t. And yes, I like playing it.” She unbuttoned Mathilde’s uniform tunic, and took it off. Underneath, the musketeer was wearing a white brassiere. Zaïde glanced at Rasha. “But one can be a schemer AND care about her family.”
Zaïde grabbed a sheet on the pile of laundry to clean, and used Mathilde’s rapier to cut it into strips. She used the makeshift ropes to bind the musketeer’s wrists and ankles.
Rasha warily approached to give her a hand. “No need to get all defensive. I’ve always thought you and Aisha were hugely mismatched, that’s all.”
The thief used an other sheet to mummify Mathilde’s upper-body, and wrapped a third one around her legs.
Zaïde stuffed a rag into the unconscious musketeer’s mouth, then tied an other piece of cloth over her mouth and behind her neck. “Sometimes, she annoys me. Sometimes, I want to grab her by the collar, and show her what the real world looks like. How different it is from her dreams of adventures. But I can never bring myself to do it. Aisha is many things, but in a way she’s also pure. Pure things should be preserved. They rarely last long.”
To make sure Mathilde would stay put, Zaïde poured some sleeping potion onto the cloth gag, ensuring the musketeer would breath the narcotic fumes.
“And I’m ready to do many things to preserve Aisha.” the busty woman concluded. “Now, help me stash her inside one laundry basket. We-”
The two women jumped when the door was suddenly opened.
“Mathilde. You’re here? I heard some voices.”
A guard entered the room. She was a brown-haired brown-eyes plain woman of average size, with her hair tied into two ponytails with black ribbons. She was wearing a black three-cornered hat, white long trousers, a white tunic and a white uniform jacket with blue cuffs and a tight blue collar, and black shoes. The buttons of her tunic and jacket were black. A brown leather belt was tied around her waist.
“Cosette and Éponine haven’t come back yet. Do you know where they are?”
The woman frowned at Zaïde and Rasha.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?”
She saw Mathilde lying on the floor behind them. All trussed up and in her undies.
“Oh.”
Zaïde grabbed the guard by the shoulders, and pulled her further inside the room. Rasha swiftly closed the door to conceal the noises. It didn’t take them long to send the soldier to slumberland.
Zaïde let the unconscious woman fall into Rasha’s arms. “Looks like you have your change of clothes after all.” she dryly commented. “Be quick.”
**************
Rasha was indeed quick. While she was undressing the guard, Zaïde put on Mathilde’s musketeer uniform.
Soon, the brown-haired guard was lying next to Mathilde, clad in a grey brassiere and grey panties. Zaïde swiftly bound and gagged her with rags and sheets, while Rasha slipped into the guard uniform.
The busty woman tied the soldier’s wrists behind her back, mummified her upper-body, then tightly wrapped several layers of cloth around her legs. She stuff-gagged and cloth-gagged her with towels.
Zaïde and Rasha dragged Mathilde and the guard in a corner of the room, stashed them inside some baskets, and used piles of laundry to conceal the two half-naked bound-and-gagged women.
Then, they adjusted the weapons strapped onto their belts, and left the storage room.
Zaïde was aware they didn’t have much time left before the Dechaine princess would make her move.
*************
“See these girls? They’ll be our ticket to enter the palace.”
Eloise discreetly pointed at a group of women who were clad in various-looking colorful dresses, including headscarves covering the hair. Some of them were holding masks and other accessories. They were busy loading them into a wagon.
“Who are they exactly?” Ivette asked.
“Theater singers. A small troupe. All women. Tomorrow, they’re supposed to perform in the vice-regent palace for the princesses. They’ve been allowed to stay the night before in the building, to prepare the spectacle.”
“I like the idea. Nobody will question if these women look eccentric… And we can use the accessories and scarves to obscure our faces.” Ivette pondered for a moment. “But how do you intend to nab the entire troupe in one go?”
Eloise smiled ominously.
**************
When the Dechaine princess entered the salon, Aisha was a bit surprised by her outfit. According to the fashion of her home country, she was wearing man’s clothes – gentleman’s clothes in fact. Shiny black boots, white tight trousers, a white shirt, a blue jacket with gold buttons and threads and a tight collar, as well as a black three-cornered hat. A rapier was strapped onto her belt, though it was only a ceremonial blade.
A herald was following her, one step behind.
The official who had greeted the twin sisters stepped forward, and announced: “Yasmin and Aisha El’Haroun, princesses of Ghazan, first and second daughters of king Rashid IV, first and third heiresses to the throne.”
The woman saluted them. “It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Dominique of Dechaine.”
Yasmin immediately bowed her head to salute. Aisha followed her example.
The herald behind Dominique coughed slightly.
The latter took a small breath. “Apologies. I meant: My name is Dominique of Dechaine, princess of the United Lands, vice-regent of Plaisance, fourth daughter of high-king Léon-Alexandre XII, and second heiress to the High Throne of the United Lands.”
Dominique smiled faintly. There was a mischievous spark in her blue eyes, as if she was feeling a mixture of amusement and annoyance when forced to spout her full titulature. Her skin was slightly tanned – the kind of tan someone would get because they were outdoors a lot –, and her brown hair were tied into a practical ponytail with a blue ribbon of precious silk.
Aisha decided she liked this woman.
**************
The small café called the “Rose Gem” was a cosy-looking building on the hills of Plaisance, a few blocks away from the vice-regent palace itself. The owners were a widow and her daughter named Marian and Wynnefreede Davis.
They were employing three wenches – all women.
Given its location and staff, it was obvious the “Rose Gem” wasn’t a tavern for the brutish sailors of the harbor. In fact, the city watch would quickly intervene if one dared set a foot and cause a fuss. The tavern’s clientele included the notables of the colony, the officers, and most importantly the women of the city’s upper-crust. The rich clients could enjoy refined alcohols; or coffee or hot cocoa (imported from Pakal), while eating Marian’s delicious pastries.
Eloise and her crew of women walked the wealthy block unnoticed. Their boss had provided them with fancy clothes. The pirates were unrecognizable. They looked more like a group of aristocrats enjoying their afternoon.
Besides Ivette, the captain was accompanied by five women.
Jill and Jan were sisters, something they proudly showed with the matching sea dragon tattoos on their arms and their similar-looking braid. Jill, the eldest, had black hair. Jan, the youngest, had orange brown hair. Both had a light skin, tanned because of days spent under the sun, and brown eyes.
Ingela was a tall broad-shouldered blonde with blue eyes and a square jaw.
Jacquotte was a petite redhead with blue eyes and two braids.
Rachel was the youngest woman of Eloise’s crew. Her light brown hair were tied up into a ponytail, her eyes were green, and there were freckles on her cheeks, shoulders and arms.
Even though Eloise was a female captain, she didn’t have many women in her crew – female pirates were hard to find. However, she trusted her small team with her life. They were all hardened fighter who had to make their mark in a ruthless underworld which was dominated by men.
They would be enough to accomplish the mission.
**************
A lone wench was busy with some laundry in the backyard of the inn. She was a thin young woman, barely entering adulthood, with huge freckles on her cheeks, red hair tied into a neck bun, a light skin, and green eyes. She was wearing a long one-piece pink dress, trimmed around the waist, with a white apron tied around the waist as well. The collar, sleeves, and bottom edge of the dress were white. There was lace around the collar and cuffs. Her servant cloth bonnet was pink.
The young wench looked surprised to see a group of women enter the backyard, but not particularly alarmed. The neighborhood was wealthy and quiet. The city watch was making sure the harbor’s riffraff wouldn’t enter the block. Plus, the fancy clothes Eloise and her crew were wearing put the girl at ease.
“Excuse me, mesdames, but this area is not meant for the guests...”
Since there were walls surrounding the backyard, preventing anyone from seeing what was taking place, Eloise and her crew didn’t bother with subtlety.
Jill and Jan jumped and immobilized the redhead. The point of a knife against the rear and the blade of another against the throat were enough to make the girl docile.
“How many people are in the kitchen?” Eloise asked her.
“P- Please don’t hurt me.”
“That’s not what I asked. Last chance. Answer me, or die.”
The girl gulped nervously. “T- Two.”
“Other wenches?”
“Y- Yes. Madame and her daughter are in the main room.”
“Perfect.”
Eloise left the servant under the watch of the two sisters. She and the rest of her team entered the tavern through the backdoor.
Two young women were indeed working in the kitchen. They were wearing the same pink-and-white dresses, white aprons, and pink bonnets as the redhead. Their haircuts were also neck buns.
“Nobody moves, nobody screams, and nobody will get hurt.” the pirate captain declared.
One wench, a dark-eyed light-skinned brunette, was actually quick-witted. She attempted to run away to the main room.
Eloise intercepted her, punched her in the stomach, and knocked her out with one swift neck-chop. The brunette collapsed onto the floor like a sack of potatoes.
The other servant wisely raised her hands, and allowed herself to be immobilized. She was a black-haired dark-skinned woman with brown eyes. Most likely a descendant of the original inhabitants of the archipelago, before the arrival of the United Lands’ settlers.
The red-haired wench was escorted inside the kitchen. Jill closed the door. Jan roughly pushed her next to the captive black-haired servant.
Eloise smiled. The kitchen was theirs, and nobody outside the building was aware the tavern was being taken over.
The pirate captain glanced at her crew. “Ivette, Jill, and Jan. You grab the ‘Madame’ and her daughter.” she instructed.
Her second-in-command nodded.
Eloise looked at the servants. “As for you, let’s get you out of your clothes.”
The red-haired servant gasped and paled.
Her black-haired colleague blinked. Then she started to strip.
Eloise smiled at her. “I love smart people.” She glanced at the redhead, and barked: “What are you waiting for?”
“S- Sorry!” The redhead hastily unlaced her apron.
One woman of Eloise’s crew divested the brown-haired unconscious servant of her clothes down to her undergarments; a faded pink sleeveless undertunic, and grey underdrawers.
The red-haired wench was the quickest to strip herself. She took off her shoes, long white socks, and her bonnet, then she let her long dress fall onto the floor, and stood in the middle of the room, wearing a thin white calf-long slip with no sleeves and pink trimmings around the collar. The black-haired servant stepped out of her last garment a couple of seconds later, and was left clad in blue bloomers and a matching frilly brassiere.
Eloise nodded appreciatively.
She opened the storage room, and whistled between her teeth when she noticed the coils of ropes dangling on a hook.
The pirate captain glanced at the half-naked wenches, and smiled derisively. “Well, well, would you look at that… It’s almost as if you girls were waiting for us...”
**************
Marian and Wynnefreede Davis, mother and daughter, owners of the Rose Gem, were strawberry-blond-haired women with dark blue eyes. The daughter was sharing her mother’s busty curvy figure and round-shaped face. They also had the same haircut: a crown braid. Marian was shorter, and had more wrinkles on her face, than her daughter. The two women were emigrates from the Kingdom of Eklund, who had come to the Islands twenty years ago – Wynnefreede was still a child at the time – when the sergeant Marian was married to was assigned to the Gabrielle Islands.
The mother and daughter were sitting at a table of the currently-empty inn’s main room, busy keeping the accounts.
They were clad in clothes which were both practical and of good quality. Marian was wearing a green one-piece dress with white sleeves, a white collar and a blue skirt. A yellow sash was tied around her waist. Wynnefreede was clad in a scarlet red one-piece long-sleeved dress adorned with black trimmings and white lace with a black collar, and a black cloth sash.
When Ivette and her team barged inside the room, Marian got up.
“Who are you?! What are you doing here?!” she asked with an imperious tone of voice. “The café is closed!”
Ivette grabbed the older woman by the collar, and showed her her knife. “Shut your mouth, you old crone!”
Marian squeaked, all her bravado going down the window.
Wynnefreede screamed in horror, but before she could recover of her shock, she was grabbed by Jill and Jan.
Ivetted looked at the young woman from head to toe. Her eyes lingered on Wynnefreede’s breasts and hips.
“I like this one’s dress. Take it off, girls!”
Wynnefreede’s eyes widened. “What? No!”
But of course, the pirates didn’t listen to her pleas.
When Marian moved to help her daughter, Ivette put the blade of her knife against her throat.
“I’d stay put if I were you…”
The older woman bit her lower lip, and watched powerlessly as her daughter was divested of her dress, and left clad in a night blue slip with white straps and black trimmings.
Ivette whistled in-between her teeth, and moved to give the young woman a slap on the ass. “Now, that’s what I call a booty!”
Wynnefreede yelped, and took refuge in her mother’s arms.
Ivette mock-cooed. “Oh… Familial love… So pure…” She pretended to gag. “It makes me wanna puke. Jill! Jan! Take them in the kitchen.” She picked up Wynnefreede’s discarded dress. “I need to have a change of clothes.”
**************
Yasmin and Dominique were busy with the usual diplomatic exchange of courtesies.
Bored out of her mind, Aisha was doing her best to look interested. She did not appear rude. However, she was constantly glancing at the door, hoping something would happen.
Therefore, she was the first to notice the two soldiers entering the room. One was a musketeer, the other a normal guard.
Both were looking familiar.
Aisha’s eyes widened. “Zaïde?! Rasha?!”
There was a short blank.
Her cousin grimaced. “Couldn’t you keep your mouth shut?”
Aisha realized too late she had goofed. “Sorry…”
Dominique glanced at the two newcomers. “You’re not part of my staff.” she dryly stated.
“Care to explain what happened?” Yasmin added. Her voice was neutral, but her eyes were betraying her anger.
“I heard you were summoned by the princess-” Zaïde started to explain.
“Yes. Princess Dominique.” Yasmin intervened.
“Dominique? Not Louise?”
Zaïde glanced at Yasmin, then at Dominique. She was realizing her blunder. Even Aisha could understand her cousin had let out too much information.
It wasn’t like Zaïde to make such a mistake. Was it because she was worried for my safety? Aisha thought.
Her cousin tried to come up with an excuse, but Dominique spared her the trouble.
“I see you’ve already heard about my half-sister. Perfect. I was wondering how I could broach the topic. It saves me the trouble. Thank you.” The princess looked at Zaïde’s and Rasha’s clothes. “I will even overlook the fact you mugged some of my staff, if you tell me where they are, so that they can be released.”
“Apologies. I thought-”
“- that your family was in danger. A reasonable thought. Please tell me where you hid my people, and put on more appropriate clothes. We have much to discuss.”
**************
A couple of men of Eloise’s pirate crew were dressed as merchants, and were driving a carriage.
They loaded four burlap sacks. An outside observer would have thought these were mere goods. They had no idea of knowing each sack actually concealed a trussed-up half-naked woman.
The ship’s first mate, posing as the head merchant, dusted his hands. “We’re finished!” he announced to his captain.
Eloise nodded. Wynnefreed and the three wenches weren’t needed for the next step of her plan. Therefore, she wanted them out of the way.
Each half-naked woman was cleave-gagged with a thick rag, and blindfolded with a scarf. Her wrists were cross-tied behind her back with ropes. Her ankles and her knees were also bound, and so were her shoulders.
“Good. Keep these ‘sacks of good’ on the ship until we set sail.” Eloise grabbed her first mate, and whispered in his ear. “And tell the men they’re off limits. One does NOT trifle with Princess Louise. If someone does so much as touching them, I’ll cut his balls off, and feed them to the morays.”
“Aye, aye, captain.”
Eloise watched the carriage depart, then glanced at Marian.
The owner of the tavern was looking paler than death.
Eloise put a hand on her shoulder. “Keep it together, lady. You’re the face of this establishment, that’s why we kept you with us. We need you to put on a good show.”
“Please don’t hurt them… Ever since her father died, Wynnefreed is the only family I have left…”
“And that’s why we’re keeping her as our guest. To make sure you’ll cooperate. We need your building for our base of operation. Do as we tell, and we’ll release your daughter and your staff unharmed. Are we clear?”
Marian was shaking slightly.
Eloise clenched her hand on the woman’s shoulder until her grip was painful. “Are we clear?” she asked again, this time threateningly.
“Y- Yes.”
“Good. Rachel, accompany our good host to her kitchen. She has drinks to prepare for her next guests. Special drinks...”
The young pirate girl dressed in the red-haired wench’s clothes escorted Marian back inside the building. Jan and Jill were waiting for them inside, also clad in wench outfits. Eloise was left alone with Ivette, who was clad in Wynnefreede’s outfit.
“Things are simpler when we can simply slit their throats, and dump their bodies into the sea…” the latter remarked.
“Do you want to get on Princess Louise’s bad side?” Eloise retorted.
No answer.
“I thought so.”
Eloise started to put on the uniform of an officer of the vice-regent palace.
“Still amazed we didn’t have to kill a guard for that outfit. Or even mug one.” Ivette remarked after glancing at the clothes.
“It pays to work for the fancy nobles. They can provide you with clothes. Now, tell everyone in the tavern to get ready. I’ll intercept the troupe, and tell them the vice-regent is offering them a drink in the Rose Gem...”
**************
Eloise’s timing was perfect.
The small troupe of singers were leading two their wagons in the same district. In fact, she didn’t have to wait long before they passed near the tavern.
The pirate captain in disguise adjusted her uniform, got in-character, then walked in front of the small convoy to block their path.
“Is there a problem officer?” the leader of the troupe asked.
Eloise resisted the urge to smile, to not break character. Apparently, she was a good enough comedian to fool professional performers…
She mimicked the military voice tone most soldiers liked to use.
“Not at all. I was sent to greet you. The vice-regent is currently busy with her foreign guests. She offers you to wait at the Rose Gem until she’s available to greet you properly. The drinks are on her.”
“Oh, we’d prefer to go to the palace immediately, and rest in our rooms.”
A complication. Eloise thought fast.
“The vice-regent reserved the entire tavern for you. Refusing would be an offense.”
The performers exchanged whispers. Most of them were flattered by such consideration.
The leader of the troupe gave up. “Well, if she was so kind, we can’t refuse...”
Eloise resisted the urge to smile.
**************
“Louise of Dechaine is Esteban Mendoza’s accomplice.” Zaïde stated. “She is also the one financing the pirate raids on Ghazan, as well as all of Esteban’s attempts to weaken the kingdom from the inside.”
Dominique nodded. “Most likely, yes.”
Yasmin and Zaïde were a bit surprised by the woman’s bluntness.
“I take it you don’t agree with her.” the former commented.
“My half-sister and I indeed don’t agree on many things.”
“How exactly can Louise be a threat?” Aisha intervened. “She’s not the ruler of the United Lands. The high king is still lucid and in great shape.”
“Louise is the first heiress. Her power is informal, but great.” Dominique explained.
Yasmin looked at her sister. “You seem to not understand how dangerous our enemy is. Have you not heard something odd in Dominique’s full titulature?”
Aisha awkwardly scratched the back of her head. “Well...”
“Dominique is the fourth daughter, and yet she’s second-in-line to the throne. Don’t you find it strange?”
“I admit it was too fast for me to follow...”
“That’s because Louise destroyed her first two half-sisters’ social standing so thoroughly the High King had no choice but to remove them from the succession line. Permanently. The poor girls now live recluse away from the court. They barely see anyone.”
“That’s horrible…”
Dominique intervened: “What your sister forgot to mention is that Louise did it while she was making her debut at the court, as a teenager. And her two half-sisters were still children. If you have the time, ask the old courtiers in my father’s palace. They had never seen something as cold, and yet at the same time as ingeniously-put-together, as Louise’s maneuvering to socially put to death her first stepmother and her infant half-sisters.” The princess paused, and concluded: “She ruined the lives of two children who had never done anything wrong to her, simply because they were in her way. That’s the kind of woman who’s after you.”
“Strange she didn’t do the same with you…” Aisha remarked.
Dominique shrugged. “I suppose our father finally realized the succession line would be too vulnerable if Louise kept destroying the lives of any potential candidate save for her.”
Aisha had a hunch she wasn’t telling the entire truth, but it was clear Dominique didn’t want to dwell on the topic.
“My half-sister is obsessed with the throne. She thinks she has to prove herself worthy of our dynasty’s legacy of conquest.” the princess added.
“And she has set her eyes upon Ghazan.” Yasmin deduced. “Why?”
“Louise is a schemer, not a conqueror. She uses infiltration, manipulation, and deceit. She doesn’t have the military genius to lead a new campaign of conquest, and she knows it. However, our neighbors are all well-aware of her nature. They are wary of her tricks and false promises. Ghazan’s aristocrats are not. The pirate raids and Esteban’s slanders were merely the first step of her plan. They were a way to weaken king Rashid’s power before her real move. While you were traveling, she has moved to the next step. She is now making offerings to the faction opposed to king Rashid. Money. Prestige. Commercial contracts. Loans. She only asks for one thing in exchange. That they strip the king of his power.”
Yasmin glanced at Zaïde, but the latter didn’t show any emotion. Aisha realized Istir was most likely among the people contacted by Louise.
“What they don’t understand is that, once their trade becomes too dependent on the United Lands, once they are in debt with her, Louise will have them by the throat. She’ll turn Ghazan into a vassal state in everything but name. Once her plan succeeds, she hopes to control all the trade between the two continents with our nations’ combined fleets and her deals with pirates.”
“And the main obstacle to her scheme is the king’s faction.” Zaïde concluded.
“That’s why she’s a danger to us.” Yasmin added. “She knows the best way to weaken a dynasty… is to attack its heirs.”
Dominique didn’t try to sugarcoat things. “Yes.”
“That’s why Esteban tried to ruin Aisha’s reputation, and then maneuvered to have us sent to the United Lands, where Louise is at her strongest. She wants to hurt our father… through us.”
“Yes.” Once again, Dominique was blunt. This reinforced Aisha’s initial liking of her.
“Any idea of what she’ll try?”
“As I said, Louise is a schemer. Expect manipulation and social conflicts. She’ll most likely attempt to stage a diplomatic scandal.”
“And when the United Lands will demand a compensation, Father’s enemies will seize the opportunity to force him to relinquish some of his powers to them.” Yasmin concluded.
“So convoluted…” Aisha complained. “But at least we know she’s the culprit now. We can counter her tricks.”
Zaïde looked at her cousin, and intervened in the conversation: “I need to stress one important point. We have no official proof against Louise. All we have are documents we stole, so mentioning them will work against us. No matter what Louise says, do not confront her directly.”
“I will not ask how you got the documents for now.” Yasmin added. “But I agree with you. Louise will most likely try to provoke us. We better prepare ourselves for her assaults.”
**************
Ivette watched Marian as she finished pouring the sleeping potion into the drinks. “You think they’ll be prepared for our assault?”
Eloise shook her head. “Of course not. They’ll expect social conflicts. They’ll expect jibes and subtle innuendos during court events. They’ll never expect something as unrefined as a raid. That’s the beauty of this plan. It’s hopelessly straightforward, and that’s why they won’t expect it. Say what you want about Louise, but she’s smart.”
Ivette nodded. “I’ve noticed some of these lasses are beauties… I know the exact person who’d be interested in buying a few. We were asked to leave them alive, but boss never said anything about selling them to make extra money...”
Eloise pondered for a moment, but then shook her head. “Princess Louise isn’t a forgiving woman. She doesn’t like it when wisecrackers find loopholes, and use the letter of her deal to betray its spirit.”
“Such a shame…”
“We’ll leave them here. There’s enough sleeping potion in their drinks to make them sleep for one day.”
Sure, after spending all this time trussed up, these girls were going to feel very sore.
But at least they would be left alive…
