A Noble Cause

"I'm tellin' ya, it was Lady Jessica! Down by the river!" The man at the bar continued his ramblings, insisting that the innkeeper listen to him.

"Oh, give it a break, Piers," the innkeeper rolled her eyes. "I told you last time - you're just seeing things."

Piers had a bit to drink already, and like any drunk person, wasn't keen to have his sanity questioned. His face was already red, and he scrunched up his face at the innkeeper. "I'm not just seeing things! She was just taking a bath in the river, and then in no hurry to get dressed! I know I shouldn't have watched but -"

The innkeeper cut him off. "Alright, that's enough. There's no reason to talk badly about the Lady."

"Talk badly?" Piers looked incredulous. "I would never! Her fair skin, her figure, that red hair - it's a shame she wears all those fancy clothes the rest of the time!"

"Ok, that's enough. I gave you a chance. Go home. Ambrose?" The innkeeper was serious now. She motioned for one of the other customers at the counter, a large mill worker, to help Piers out of the tavern.

Piers looked up as he felt two strong hands clamp down on his shoulders.

"Come on, Piers. Time to leave," Ambrose rumbled.

The smaller Piers tried to slap away at the bigger man's hands, but it was useless. He resigned himself to being dragged away from the counter.

The pair had almost made it through the door when Piers felt the need to get one last comment in. "Just because yer a prude doesn't mean -"

He never finished making his accusation towards the innkeeper, as the larger man clamped a hand over Piers' mouth before giving him a shove and sending him stumbling out into the road. "Go home. You don't want to spend a night in the lock-up again."

Piers brushed himself off and made a rude hand gesture towards the mill worker, before stumbling off down the road. "You know I'm right, Ambrose!"

Ambrose rolled his eyes and went back into the tavern. He shook his head as he approached the counter. "You'd think he'd learn when to shut up, right, Gwen?"

The tired innkeeper shrugged. "I think the same thing... I don't think he's dangerous to anyone but himself so I don't want to kick him out for good."

"Fair enough. If he gives you any more trouble," Ambrose said knowingly.

Gwen allowed herself a tired smile. "I know, thank you, Ambrose."

The big man nodded slowly before returning to his seat to finish his drink.

It was getting late so Gwen knew that business would be slowing down at the tavern. Normally it was always a little sad when the night started to end, but tonight she didn't mind it as much. It had been a long week - she hadn't felt as amused by Piers' drunken ramblings as she normally did. Her main thought was finally closing up for the night and heading to the top floor and crashing down into bed herself.

She didn't even notice a cloaked man stand up and head for the door himself alone. In fact, she hadn't noticed him all night. Almost no one had.

-

It was a little after daybreak when Lady Jess took her regular ride down to the river from the castle. She glanced behind her every minute or so, checking to see when the castle was finally obscured from her view. The young noblewoman knew that the sentries on the castle walls probably were keeping an eye out. In reality, they were doing that for her safety. But part of her wondered if they kept an eye out hoping for a show.

The statuesque redhead was careful with her early morning escapades. She took care to go alone and in the morning when as few people as possible would notice her leaving. And the morning was when the sentries were usually on highest alert - making it unlikely that one of them would follow her. Regardless, she rode out dressed in simple clothes, tucking her vibrant red hair underneath a riding hood. Anything to keep as much of her anonymity as possible.

Ten minutes after she left the castle gates, she heard the quiet rush of water and she couldn't help but smile a little. Most days, her schedule was filled with just 'appearances' - visiting the town, dinner with visiting dignitaries, all dull, boring activities with attendants waiting on her every move. But her morning rides were different. Alone, no one watching her, no one waiting on her, and no guidelines for her to follow.

As she approached the river, she dismounted and led her horse on foot. She tied the sturdy animal's reins to a tree. "Shh," she whispered and walked down by the shore, taking a small bag that was hooked onto the side of the saddle. She knew that the small horse wouldn't make any noise unless it sensed something was wrong. But she also wanted it to stay a little further away - she wasn't keen on having the horse watch her as she bathed.

Jessica could feel her heart pounding a little bit with the anticipation that had built up so far. She quickly scanned the treeline on the opposite shore and looked down to her right and left. Everything seemed clear, and with the cheerful songs of the morning birds, Jessica felt safe. She finally pushed her riding hood back, shaking her hair free. She unclasped the short riding cloak and let it fall to the ground. The noblewoman slipped off her thin leather shoes, setting them besides the cloak. She slipped her baggy riding pants down her legs easily and stepped out of them. Underneath her outerwear, Jessica was wearing a cropped black top and a matching black pair of underwear, bedazzled by a large gold chain. Impractical, maybe, but it made the noble woman feel magical.

She almost yanked off her undershirt and underwear immediately, but she was still careful - she looked around tentatively one more time. Satisfied that no one was watching, Jessica lifted the undershirt off and lowered her underwear, setting the two undergarments beneath the rest of her clothes to ensure they wouldn't blow away.

Jessica stepped down by the edge of the river and let the water run over her toes. The water was cold to the touch, and Jessica took a sharp breath at first in reaction before gently giggling to herself. She stepped another step into the cold water, letting it rush over her legs and thighs as she got deeper into the river. This part of the river got deep quickly, as it was partially separated from the main body by a large rock, making it almost more of a pond. Jessica took another step in, letting the water get just beneath her armpits. The elegant woman took another sharp breath as the cold water welcomed her in.

She braced herself before fully submerging herself. Jessica could only stay underwater for a second or two, the cold made it too hard to hold her breath. She surfaced a second later, gasping for air and wiping the water and hair from her eyes. When she caught her breath, Jessica couldn't help but laugh - first it was a cold, tentative laugh, but then she laughed for real, not caring if anyone heard her. She stayed in the water for another minute or two before she finally half-swam, half-walked to shore.

The morning breeze made the water on her skin feel even colder, so she hurriedly pulled out a towel from the small saddlebag, firmly rubbing it up and down her body to dry herself off. She wrung out her long hair. The noblewoman shivered slightly, keeping the towel wrapped around herself, trying to regain some warmth.

She turned to collect her clothing and get dressed but stopped. There was a tall man standing over her clothes. He had a scar just above his left cheekbone and his black hair pulled back in a long ponytail. He was grinning, and his perfect teeth made him all the more unnerving.

"Good morning, Lady Jessica," he said slowly, his voice an unrecognizable accent. "You're going to make me rich."

Jessica didn't have a response - she was frozen in fear. The newcomer didn't bother giving her a chance to recover. He signaled to someone in the trees behind her. Before Jessica had a chance to turn, a thick padded bag was shoved over her head and shoulders and was quickly followed by a sharp blow to the side of her head to stun her.

The padding served its purpose - it provided some padding to make sure the blow didn't seriously injure the woman, but it still allowed the force of the blow to travel into the young woman's head. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, her arms trapped at her sides as the bag was tightened around her arms. "No..." Jessica muttered. Her protests were either ignored or unheard, as a second blow hit her in the head, and everything went dark.

The brigand watched the bagged woman keel over onto her side. He motioned for his two henchmen to take a step back. He leaned down and rolled Jessica over onto her back. The thick wet towel was staying secure on her body, and he was content to leave it like that for now. The bag, he felt, should come off. He loosened the drawstring and slipped it off. Jessica's face was peaceful, oblivious to the predicament she was in. The tall man let his hand caress the side of Jessica's cheek, delicately playing with her lips.

"Sir we should-"

The leader held his hand up to silence the henchman. He didn't want to be bothered right now. He turned his attention back to the limp noblewoman, gently peeling back an eyelid - her hazel eyes unfocused. "I heard you're popular with the people. Let's see just how much they want you back." He reached behind her shoulders and thighs, scooping her up into a cradle carry.

He nodded at his two henchmen. "Let's go. Set her horse loose, and pick up her clothes and bags. No sense in stranding the animal out here, and we can't take it with us." They scurried off to follow his orders. He looked down at the unconscious beauty in his arms, whose head bounced along with every step. The brigand smiled. He knew he had plenty of bounties on his head, and plenty of enemies - but things like this made his profession worth it sometimes. This, and the price tag he was planning to put on Jessica.

-

The three brigands had a small covered wagon, and Jessica's unconscious form was put in the back. There was a small fold-out overhang that she was hidden beneath, and the small crew had a few other crates of generic 'goods' to help disguise their motives.

The spot by the river was only a few kilometers upstream to a larger port in town. It was still the early morning as the wagon rattled into port. The brigand's speedy ship was waiting for them at the end of the pier. A small crew had been left behind, and had the ship ready to leave at a moment's notice. The wagon wheeled in beside the gangplank, and the crew got to work.

A member from the ship brought out a canvas sack, and with the help of the expeditioners, they shoveled the limp form of Lady Jessica into the sack, and carried her onto the ship, stowing her away below decks. The rest of the crew helped in the disguise, bringing the rest of the storage crates aboard the ship and milling around so any watching eyes might not pick up on anything out of the ordinary. It took less than five minutes for the crew to load up the ship with their various cargo.

As the crew began to depart, the portmaster approached their ship. "Captain Barone, leavin' so soon?"

The tall brigand turned his head, seeing the small man from the tavern who had been rambling about Lady Jessica's adventures. "Piers!" He smiled broadly and held out his hands in welcome. "Just the man I wanted to see." He embraced the small, confused man. "Our business took less time than I thought it would, and as lovely as your town here is, I'm afraid I'm on time-sensitive business, I'm sure you understand."

He kept one arm around Piers' shoulder and walked towards the ship. "I trust there's nothing additional to do before leaving port? No 'inspections'?" He added sarcastically.

Piers shook his head. "Nope. Only if there's a reason. If we searched every ship that wanted to leave, things would slow down here."

"Excellent!" Barone exclaimed. Then, in that case, here's the rest of the port fee. There's also a little note in there for you to read. I'd read it soon though, if I were you. Good day!"

Piers greedily took the small bag with coins and jingled them around. He started to walk away from the ship and its captain and checked to see that all the coins were in there. He also pulled out the small note and unfurled the piece of parchment. Reading wasn't his strongest suit, so it took him a second try, but he certainly understood its meaning.

In our cargo hold is Lady Jessica. We found her by the river - just where you said we could find her. Thank you for that. I will give you and your village a chance to get her back. I will wait a mile offshore until the fourth hour past noon for you to collect payment and deliver it. I expect payment to be at least 250 gold pieces to be delivered via a small trading boat. No warship. No funny business, or I will outrun them and sell the good Lady in one of the slave markets across the sea. -

Barone

The small portmaster paled as he read the note. He whipped around, but saw that the small foreign ship had already made it a few hundred yards offshore, and continued to head further away from the port. Piers wasn't sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he could've sworn he saw Captain Barone standing on the stern of the ship, smiling and waving mockingly at him.

Breathing heavily, Piers ran to his small office on shore. He closed the door and sat down, trying to think about what he could do. He was also trying to think of how he could've told Barone where to find Jessica. He didn't think he told anyone, did he? And then he remembered the nights at the bar. Somehow, Barone must've overheard him. He was crestfallen. He had liked Lady Jessica - she was pretty and kind the one time that he had talked to her. Piers knew that the rest of the townspeople liked her as well. He didn't know how to take charge of the situation himself, so he headed up to the castle.

-

When Jessica woke up, she tried to sit up. Her head throbbed and her vision was dark. She also couldn't move her hands. She tried to turn her head. "Ow..." she muttered. She tried to think about what had happened to her. The last thing she remembered was being by the river and then... nothing. No, that wasn't quite right. There was someone else there. Then there was a blow to the head. She winced as she thought of the sharp pain.

She felt her face get red as she remembered what she had been doing down the river. She looked down at herself and was barely relieved to see that she was at least still in her towel. But she didn't have many other comforts. The noblewoman realized that she was tied up - she could feel rope around both her wrists and ankles. "Hello?" She ventured. "Let me go!"

There was silence for a few seconds and then she heard footsteps from above her. A trapdoor above her was lifted up, allowing sunlight to stream in. The curvy woman squinted, unable to shield her eyes from the light. A face peered in. "Capitan! The girl's awake."

A second pair of footsteps approached. "Out of my way, Ricardo." The voice said calmly. One of the men lowered himself down into the cargo hold. He leaned down next to Jessica. "I see you are awake. I am Captain Barone. You will come above deck."

Jessica felt a hand roughly on her arm, dragging her sideways in the cramped section below deck. He stood her up and then a second pair of hands reached beneath her armpits and lifted her up onto the deck. She wasn't ready and when she was placed back down, she lost her balance, unable to stop her fall as she crashed to the deck. "Ugh..." she groaned.

She could hear the laughter of quite a few men. Their laughter turned to oohs and ahs as the towel was ripped from her. Jessica felt herself flush red, unable to cover up.

A hand reached for her again, dragging her in an upright position. The captain crouched next to her and undid the bounds on her ankles. When he stood back up, he smiled at her. "I trust you won't be foolish enough to run. There's nowhere to go, after all, madam!" Her captor gestured expansively to the open sea. Jessica could just barely make out her town far away on shore.

She turned to try and face the captain. "Give me my clothes back! What do you want with me anyway?"

"Ah, madam, I cannot do that. You see, I need to pay my crew. And well, you would fetch quite the pretty penny." There were a few whistles among the crew.

"Then why are we stopped?" Jessica said angrily.

"Excellent question! You see, I kidnapped you, but I'll give your town the chance to 'buy you back', so to speak," the captain explained, reaching for her breast and squeezing gently.

Jessica flushed. "Why?"

The captain shrugged, but didn't take his hand off Jessica. "Well, you see..." he thought for a second. "I'm not sure actually. Thought it'd be fun." He smiled impishly. "But! If they don't pay up by the evening, well..." he made a knowing expression to Jessica.

"What? What'll happen?" Jessica said nervously.

"Then I'll simply get paid by someone on the mainland. I'm sure there's someone who'd pay to have royalty from your little island as their house servant. And you're easy on the eyes too, you know," he said offhandedly.

Jessica didn't respond.

The captain spoke louder now so his crew could hear him as he removed the bonds around her wrists. "Well, it's only a little past noon. We've still got some time to pass. Who would like the lovely lady to put on a show for us?"

There were raucous cheers from the crew.

The redhead shot daggers at the captain. "You must be crazy. I'm not doing anything for you."

The captain showed no reaction to her answer. If anything, he barely seemed to process it. He grabbed his dagger from his belt and made a fist around the studded hilt, driving it into her bare stomach.

"Oooomff..." Jessica gasped as the air was squeezed from her lungs. She doubled down to protect herself. There was another blow to her head - not as hard as the one that knocked her out earlier, but hard enough to send her to her knees. "Ow..." she muttered, her head still throbbing from the first two blows as well.

She wasn't afforded any time to recover. The captain grabbed her by the hair and pulled forward, forcing her onto her hands and knees, crawling behind the captain. He led her down the center of the ship from bow to stern. The eyes of the crew were on her as she went past. A few of the hands were on her as well, as some took the opportunity to smack her juicy ass as she went past.

The captain paraded her back up from stern to bow again before thrusting her down on a bench just at the far end of the ship. Jessica groaned, her hair a tangled mess over her face. Barone stood behind her, facing his crew. "I think it's time for lunch. We'll let our guest get some rest." He leaned down and brushed Jessica's hair out of her face. "Now good night,

mi amor."

He wrapped his forearm around her neck and squeezed, using his free hand to hold the back of her head in place.

It was just a matter of seconds before Jessica's vision got even fuzzier and she struggled to breathe. When her vision went dark and she slumped against the captain, he released her, letting her fall forwards into a heap on the deck.

The crew cheered. Captain Barone laughed and took a bow. He leaned down to bring Jessica's unconscious body to her feet, mockingly holding one of her hands above her head to acknowledge the crew. He kissed her unresponsive lips strongly before letting her fall back to the wooden planks, where she landed with a thud.

The crew recognized that the show was over - for now - and they pulled rations out of the packs out of their feet and began to take their lunch break.

-

The afternoon went surprisingly quickly. Every once in a while, a crew member would get up from their seat and head to the front of the ship to get a better look at Jessica. Their journey's at sea didn't frequently let them spend time with ladies. And the idea of spending time with a noblewoman - no matter how minimal her actual influence - was a dream come true.