All Fun and Games

Captain Barone had been grateful for the evening. Duke Vallese was a gracious host, and Barone and his men had been at sea for a while. The pirate looked down at the feast on the table and could feel his stomach rumble. Rations and street foods in different towns and cities could only go so far. But they could never replace the rich, aromatic foods of his homeland. He waited for the Duke to start before digging in - he could hear sounds of enthusiastic eating from his crew that had joined him.

"You do feed your men at sea, right, Barone?" The Duke asked, his voice clearly joking.

The tall pirate sat back in his chair and smiled ruefully. "Of course. But we haven't come across anyone who does food like your kitchen."

The Duke grinned. "Good." He leaned over to say quietly to his friend: "My chef isn't cheap."

Barone, his crew, and the other assorted nobles, warriors, and high-ranking castle workers enjoyed their meal. As the plates were cleaned off and servants bustled around clearing plates, Vallese stood up and walked away from the table. "Join me, Barone."

The pirate walked next to Vallese. "Thank you for hosting my crew, my Duke. It's been too long."

"A few years, no?"

Barone nodded. "I've been busy."

"No need to explain. I can tell you're doing well for yourself. That ship you came in -"

"The

Notturno,

" Barone interrupted.

"The

Notturno

is quite the upgrade over that glorified fishing boat I gave you."

"It served my purposes well at the time. I wouldn't have gotten the

Notturno

without it."

Vallese nodded. "Now, my friend, I have a favor to ask you."

Barone paused his stride for a split second. "A favor?" Favors could be dangerous. Even to old friends.

"From what I've heard of your adventures, it should be your specialty."

The pirate pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. "My specialty? You should be more specific."

Vallese rolled his eyes. "Oh you know what I mean. I've heard the reputation you've gotten in Verdona. I'm impressed, by the way."

The taller man smiled. "Apologies, I had to make sure I knew what you were referring to."

The Duke looked behind him in the corridor before stopping, putting his hand on Barone's shoulder to signal him to do the same. "I'm having a little problem with a merchant on the edge of my fief."

Barone furrowed his brow. "I see."

"Holding out on taxes, turning away my collectors, you know the type."

"Of course, but with all due respect, how is this 'my' specialty?"

"Ah, here's the part you'll like. Giorgio, the merchant, has a sister, Lucia. That's the only family he has, as far as I know. I want you to bring her to me."

Barone nodded slowly. It made sense. "I see. And you can't send a ship of your own?"

Vallese's good humor wasn't infinite. His face darkened. "Giorgio has a lot of influence in this region. You're a stranger to him. My men are not."

The reasoning was sound enough to Barone. "So this might be dangerous, then?"

"Dangerous? No, I wouldn't say that. No one should know you're coming. But I will give you fifty gold pieces when you bring her to me."

"And another fifty before I go?" The pirate ventured.

Vallese scrunched up his face in thought. "I did gift you your first ship, didn't I, Barone?"

Barone offered his hand. "It's a deal. Can't fault me for asking," he said with a wry smile.

The Duke shook his hand. "Good man. You can leave first thing in the morning. I'll get you a map to help you find Lucia. It should take less than a day to get there."

"Good. My men and I have had too many long voyages recently."

"Well, I hope Lucia can keep you entertained on the return journey at least. Rumor has it she's gotten plenty of attention from suitors," he added pointedly.

The pirate rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Then I look forward to seeing her, my friend."

Vallese smirked. "Good." He turned on his heel and headed back down the corridor to the dining hall.

The meal was wrapping up - a minstrel now stood between the two main tables, singing and playing a lute. The castlefolk seemed entertained, and Barone was pleased to see his men behaving themselves as well. The guests listened as the minstrel continued through his repertoire. They applauded heartily when he was finished, and Barone rose to toss a few coins in the musician's shapeless hat.

The pirates were grateful to be provided beds at the end of the night - even if it was just an unused barracks detached from the castle. No matter how grizzled the pirate, they could all appreciate the chance for a comfortable night's sleep.

—

A shadowy figure moved swiftly along the dock after midnight. There was only a sliver of the moon out. The only light was provided by two torches at the front of the guardhouse nearest the dock, but the figure stayed well clear of it. The figure paused briefly as they took stock of the ships moored, delicately vaulting aboard the

Notturno.

Slowly and carefully, the newcomer lifted up the small entrance in the deck that led to the cargo hold and slipped inside.

As the trapdoor was closed again, the figure finally sighed in relief. She threw the hood of her cloak back and tried to take a better stock of her surroundings. She smiled wryly to herself - it had been dark enough outside. In the cramped cargo hold of the ship, she would be unable to see anything at all. Tentatively, the stowaway felt around for the wall of the cargo hold, lying down next to it, rearranging her cloak around her to hide any of her features. She didn't expect the crew to come back anytime soon, so she took the chance to doze off for a few hours at least. She was confident her instincts would wake her up as soon as she heard the commotion of a crew boarding the ship.

She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep, but she woke suddenly to the sound of voices. The ship started to rock gently as footsteps appeared on board. She didn't move, only pivoting enough so she could look up at the deck and the few streams of light that had started to come in between the planks.

A voice was barking commands. She hoped to get a peek through the planks, but the gap was not nearly large enough to see details. The woman could only guess the voice belonged to Captain Barone. She nodded to herself, now confident that she was in the right place. There was nothing else to do for now besides wait. A few times the cargo hold was opened and men brought supplies in, but they weren't looking for stowaways, so she went unnoticed beneath her cloak.

A few more minutes passed and she felt the ship start to lurch and sway a little more. She closed her eyes to steady herself - it took her a little bit of time to get accustomed to a moving ship, and she did her best to keep the queasiness from growing. The woman did, much to her relief. She didn't have an idea how long the

Notturno

would be at sea, but she had to know she was ready to be here for a few days. Food and water would be tricky, but she kept a small pack of rations and waterskin beneath her cloak that would hopefully last her.

The steady rhythm of the oars in the water began to lull her to sleep - after all, she had relaxed, knowing that she would likely be undiscovered here in the hold.

—

It was a little past noon when the lookout called down to Barone from the crow's nest. "Cap'n! I see the forest you wanted to find."

The pirate captain nodded and looked back at the map the Duke gave him. There was a forest noted as a landmark - on the northern edge of the forest the home of Lucia was marked. Barone smiled. "Thank you, Nigel," he called up to the lookout. "We're less than an hour away, men. Good work. If we do this quickly, we should be able to be back by nightfall," he called to the rest of his crew.

There were murmurs of understanding. The usual boarding party members were busying themselves with their weapons. Vallese hadn't told them to expect guards, but only fools would go unarmed. They would be ready for whoever was in the cottage.

The rowers kept their pace, their usual chanting quieted as they got closer to land. Everyone aboard knew that surprise would be important. The sail was brought in, making the ship harder to spot from shore.

It wasn't much longer before they passed by the outskirts of the forest. Barone was standing at the bow, squinting his eyes to catch his first glimpse of the cottage. A smile crept across his face - the little home was there, just as the Duke had said. Barone studied it quickly for signs of movement, either inside or outside. There was a small stable to one side of the house, and Barone saw that there was only one horse. There wasn't any sign of movement in the house from what he could tell, but the windows were small.

He nodded slowly to himself. That made it seem more likely that Lucia would be alone there. There was a chance that there were guards who kept their horses separately, but he doubted that. The pirate touched the thin sword sheathed at his side - he and his men would be ready regardless.

The captain turned back to the ship, nodding his approval at the three men who had armed and readied themselves. "Remember, the Duke doesn't want to hurt her... too much," he added with a mischievous smile. "But if she's alone, I don't suspect there will be much of a fight." His men nodded their understanding. As far as some of their missions went, this would not be their toughest.

The ship had since come to a standstill a few meters offshore and dropped anchor. Any closer, and it would be slower to get the ship out in a hurry. And Barone was willing to trade wading through a foot or two of water for a few extra minutes, if needed.

Barone was the first man off the ship, vaulting lightly into water and clambering ashore, alert and ready now that he was in 'enemy territory'. The three warriors followed him. They didn't run towards the house, walking calmly, staggered a few feet apart in case of a guard or someone else with a bow.

The pirate captain was the first to reach the cottage and stepped up onto the small verandah. Once his comrades were behind him, Barone knocked on the door. He motioned to one of his men to go around back should Lucia have some notion to make a run for it.

He knocked again, louder this time. A few seconds later he heard footsteps. A soft voice called from the other side of the door. "Who is it?"

"We're on official business from the Duke. Open your door." Barone said, hiding a smirk. His men chuckled softly behind him - 'official business' never really described what they did. But this wasn't a complete lie this time either.

Barone was surprised when the door opened in front of him. The woman stood almost a full head shorter than the lanky Barone. Her darker blonde hair was combed back, not quite reaching her shoulders. She was dressed simply, but the clothing was good quality. Barone noticed she carried a heavy-looking rolling pin in her right hand.

"Are you Lucia?"

Her eyes flicked between the three men in front of her. She tightened her grip on the rolling pin. "I am. You said you were on official business. I do not see your men dressed in that fool Vallese's colors," she sneered. "Why are you here?"

Lucia's voice was deep for a woman, and she spoke with confidence. Barone was almost taken aback. "Come with us, madam," Barone held out his hand and smiled at her.

Lucia didn't buy it. Her nostrils flared and anger flashed in her eyes. She moved to slam the door. The pirate had been ready and pressed his foot against the door to hold it open. Lucia wasn't giving up so quickly. She raised the rolling pin and swung it at Barone. He threw up his hand quickly, snatching her wrist and turning her swing into a half-hearted blow that landed on his shoulder.

Barone pushed back against her wrist, forcing it against the door frame. Lucia gasped, her fingers loosening from the brief pain of being slammed against the door frame. Barone rammed her hand against the door frame one more time and the rolling pin clattered to the floor.

The blow to his shoulder certainly didn't hurt much at all, but something about her attack angered him more than it should have. The pirate drew back his hand and slapped Lucia across her face.

Lucia gasped indignantly. She tried to rip her hand away from the pirate, but his grip was tight on her wrist. "Let go -" she snarled before Barone's strong hand clamped over her mouth and nose.

"Quiet, woman," Barone sneered. "You're coming with me." His hand let go of her wrist and grabbed her around the wrist. In a swift motion, he swung her around and heaved her up onto his shoulder, his shoulder driving perfectly into her belly.

The blonde woman let out a surprised "whoomph!" as the air was driven from her lungs, and any protests were stifled as she now just tried to get her breath back as her world was spun upside down. Lucia felt her eyes flutter and she groaned again. She closed her eyes and tried to steel herself.

Barone repositioned the woman on his shoulder so she was stable. Her simple dress was long, but that didn't stop him from deftly flipping Lucia's dress up and patting her soundly on the butt. He turned and smiled at his men - but heard a soft thud and another groan. He had accidentally knocked the woman's head into the door frame. He gave a slight look over his shoulder, and she seemed fine enough. If she was a bit concussed, that wasn't his problem.

He looked back at the men with him and smiled. "Let's go bring the Duke this little troublemaker."

His crew smiled, their eyes lingering on Lucia's form. They all certainly hoped they'd get to see more of her aboard the ship. After all, she was supposed to be punished, according to what Barone told them. With Lucia subdued, their job here was done. The four pirates headed back across the grassy field to their ship.

Barone allowed himself a smile. This job had been surprisingly simple. Catching Lucia hadn't created any problems. And as Vallese said, she was beautiful. The pirate's hand wandered underneath her skirt again. The woman groaned in protest as she felt his hand groping her butt, although Barone had no intention of taking her protests seriously.

Already the pirate was starting to imagine the payment for Lucia. It wasn't as much as the bounties Barone collected for other women he collected and sold, but for only a day's work, it was solid.

His daydreaming was brought to an abrupt halt. "Don't move. Let her go." The voice came confidently, at least a few meters away. Barone, naturally, turned to look for the source of the voice.

Standing at the edge of the treeline was a cloaked and hooded figure. In his hands was a shortbow, cocked and aimed directly at the pirate captain. The thrum of the bow reached Barone a split second before he felt a rush of wind past his left shoulder, the arrow shooting harmlessly into the grass behind Barone. But the point was clear. Already, the unknown assailant had another arrow nocked and drawn, aimed directly at Barone's chest.

"I said, do not move." The voice repeated. "Let her go."

Barone shrugged and glanced at his men, shaking his head once almost imperceptibly:

don't do anything

. He relinquished his hold on Lucia, shrugging her off his shoulder and letting her body crash in a heap in the grass.

"Ungh..." Lucia groaned. Barone didn't bother to check on her. She was dazed enough to be of no harm.

The cloaked figure showed no reaction to the unceremonious fall Lucia took, his attention never turning away from Barone. "I should shoot you. But the bounty is for you alive."

Barone frowned. The voice didn't sound like a man's voice. He kept that in the back of his mind. "Bounty?" He asked.

"Captain Luciano Barone, are you not? You're wanted by a great many people."

The pirate raised his eyebrow upon hearing his full name. "Flattered, I'm sure. And who are you?"

The cloaked figure didn't answer that question.

"So I take it you're not with Lucia, then?"

"Her? No. You're to come with me. Your men can return to the ship."

"Very generous. But ah, how exactly are you going to force me to go with you? As you said, I'm wanted alive." Barone beamed.

The intruder made a soft growl. And then there was a blur of motion followed by a dull clunk, and the figure collapsed to the ground. Barone just had enough time to drop to the ground as the arrow was released from the bow and sailed harmlessly over his head.

He sprung back up to his feet, nodding gratefully at Willis, who had perfectly thrown a stone that connected with the side of the hooded figure's head. The other pirate had drawn his sword and approached the crumpled ambusher.

Barone held up his hand in caution. "Wait, I want to see something." He slowly approached the hooded figure, drawing his own sword and using it to flick back the cowl of the cloak. He nodded, his suspicions confirmed. Beneath the hood was the face of a young woman, whose almond shaped eyes were fluttering and glazed from the blow to her head. The hood must've provided some cushion, because there was no visible wound. He smirked and looked at his companion. "Bring her with us."

Willis smiled. He scooped up the now-harmless ambusher easily in his powerful arms. The woman groaned softly, but made no moves to escape or protest further. Barone rubbed his hands together and turned back around. "Now, where's my other little prize?" He mused.

Lucia had evidently used the distraction as an opportunity to try to escape, albeit feebly. She was no more than a few meters from where Barone had dropped her, crawling slowly on her hands and knees. Barone strolled over and stood in front of her. His shadow cast itself on Lucia, and the groggy woman looked up at the pirate. "No..." she whimpered.

Barone reached down for the woman's mussed hair and pulled - just hard enough to encourage her to try to stand. "That's right, up you go."

Lucia's hazel eyes glared at Barone, but she was forced to do as he 'encouraged'. She staggered a bit as she kept her balance, but managed to do so. Barone's hand moved from her hair to her shoulder and nudged her in the direction of his ship. "Let's hope no one interrupts us this time," he mused.

The pirate crew had remained ready to leave during the Captain's brief excursion to kidnap Lucia. A few extra men came ashore, creating a sort of assembly line to easily pass the two women between them and onto the ship.

The ambusher - no one knew her name - was a simple matter to get aboard. She hovered on the edge of consciousness and was passed along like a sack of potatoes. Lucia was a bit more troublesome. She had regained most of her senses and balked when she saw the imposing pirate ship and awaiting crew.

Lucia tried to slap away Barone's ever-present hand from her shoulder and turn away from him. Barone's free hand wandered to his belt, where he brought a small pouch up to Lucia's face. "Just breathe that in, would you?" He said softly, squeezing the pouch to send a puff of blue dust up into Lucia's face.

"Wha - oh that's so..." her low voice murmured, her words slurring quickly. Barone saw her head tilt back, and her body sagged against him, turned into a ragdoll in just a few quick seconds. Barone held her upright and handed her off to one of the waiting rowers. She was passed along and hoisted up onto the deck, where she was put next to the crumpled form of the mysterious ambusher.

Barone and the boarding party pulled themselves aboard the ship and accepted towels to dry off their legs.

The first mate, Patrice, approached Barone and motioned to the two women. "So which one's this Lucia, then?"

"The blonde. Not the one dressed like some wannabe bounty hunter."

"Bounty hunter? I was going to ask who the second one was."