**Meely Plantation**

After the Hanarthian men had been allowed to wash and eaten, Lucille Meely sat down with them in the large gathering room. Satisfied, she had personally ordered her servants to rid the men of their muck and dirt from weeks of travel. Then, she had ordered their food prepared. As of result, the men had eaten like Manathian Upperclass, treated with many plates of the most delicious food at hand.

She cared for these foreign strangers, like they were her brothers. This was how she thought of them. She wondered how their journey through the lands of Hanarth had been. What had these men seen through their travels?

Now, she sat next to the eldest of the Hanarthian men. Bowing her head, she spoke. "Tell me. What news do you bring for the kingdom of Manas, which I represent? It is true. I am not my mother, the Queen of Manas. But I can tell you about her. I know how she thinks. I can tell you what policies, laws, and ideas she will find acceptable. Please accept me as her representative."

===

**Coastal Dockyards, Northern Manas**

Ser Rolan hated the pirates. Maybe it's because they harassed the shipping lines, or maybe he just grew tired of hearing of them. 

Everyday, it was about the pirates. The damn Cicilian pirates who couldn't be stopped, who always got what they wanted, and had innumerable resources. The damn pirates! He hated those ruthless scum of the earth, and rightly so! He wanted to tear them apart, each and every one of those low lifes until they were all dead.

Rolan growled at the scene before him. The yard workers were in full force, moving essential containers and boxes in preparation for the Imperial fleet's sortie to finally get rid of the pirates. All around him, the dock was filled with imperial ships, wooden galleons crewed by hundreds of men each. The ramming fleet was tasked to head towards the Cicilian seas north of Manas and rid the pirate presence once and for all.

Oh, how much he hated them! 

He hated what they had done to his mother. His mother had been traveling with a band of merchants when her ship had been ambushed by Cicillian pirates. The damn pirates had demanded ransom and Rolan had paid with all he had. The only thing Rolan had gotten back was his mother's skull. The pirates had killed her! They had raped and killed her!

He wanted to destroy them! To mutilate their bodies -- each and every one. He longed for the day when their entire fleet would be defeated. He longed for their deaths. He wanted each and every one of them to suffer like he had, like the pain they had inflicted on his mother.

"Pirates..." mumbled Rolan.

"Captain," said a voice.

"What?" Rolan twisted around and stared straight into the eyes of his wife of four months. 

Cecillia Rolan was a tall blonde woman with bright almond eyes. She wasn't pretty by any far stretch of the imagination, but she was strong and well built. Tough. The fact that her name coincided phonetically with the Cecillian pirates gave the whole situation an ironic slant. But by gods, she was helping him hunt those outlaws, and he could use any help he could get!

"Captain, the dock commander says they're short on fresh water and meat. They state that it'll take a couple of days for the supplies to be rerouted through the nearest supply base."

Ser Rolan growed in disdain.

"... I'm afraid, Captain," continued Cecillia Rolan, "that we won't be able to sail with the main fleet when it leaves port tomorrow. We'll be a couple of days short."

Ser Rolan couldn't hide his anger. How dare they? How dare they keep his ship out of the main fleet when the fleet starts sailing? "It's okay, my love," growled Ser Rolan, "we can catch up with the main the fleet later after they set sail. At most, we'll be three -- four days behind. It's not like we're stranded on an island without a means of travel. She's a fast ship -- this Pinafore," Ser Roland grinded his teeth.

Cecillia nodded. "Am I dismissed?"

"Not at all, dear. While you're here, can you give a report on the crew?"

"They're clear-headed and ready, sir..."

At times, Ser Rolan couldn't distinguish the person in front of him from his wife and his first officer. "Continue..."

"... They're ready as they'll ever be. Crew morale is high ever since our expeditionary forces captured that pirate turncoat who revealed the location of the main pirate base. I personally watched our knight interogators torture the lights out of him until he finally gave us the information we wanted."

"Excellent," Ser Rolan couldn't help but start smiling. "At last, we will smash those bastards alive and make their nest a grave for eternity. Tell the dock workers to hurry up. I want to roundevouz with the main fleet as soon as possible after they leave before us. Oh, and dear?"

"Yes?" Cecillia Rolan's large almond eyes with blue irises looked straight at Ser Rolan.

He loved it. He loved the way his wife looked when she was concentrating. "Do tell Admiral Jezalt that we'll be late and we'll be trailing behind the main fleet because of a supply deficit. Convey the message, dear."

She nodded. "Will do, sir --- I mean, my husband." She grinned and picked up her blue sailor's cap. "Is that all?"

"Not yet," said Ser Rolan. "Have you noticed something strange lately?"

"No, sir. I haven't. What do you mean?"

Ser Rolan pondered. "Like misplaced items. Things that are rearranged. Items on tables where they shouldn't be. Have you heard any strange noises?"

"No, sir. I must say I haven't. And I take it you have?"

"I don't know," Ser Rolan dug into his memory. "I may have heard it. I may not have. It may just be my imagination."

"These noises... you mean on board this ship?" asked Cecillia.

"Yes," Ser Rolan nodded.

"Shall I ask the crew what they think -- whether they've heard any mysterious noises or slight discrepancies such as misplaced items?"

Ser Rolan nodded. "It wouldn't hurt if you did. We definitely have enough time now that we are waiting for supplies to get any.... odd occurances sorted out."

"Yes, sir. I will ask the crew if they've seen anything odd."

Ser Rolan smiled. "One more thing."

"Yes?" asked Cecillia.

"From now on, when we are alone together, you don't have to call me sir. You can drop the formalities. We are married after all."

Cecillia paused a moment. "I'll try doing that, sir -- I mean, nevermind. It's hard when you're my captain and commanding officer. When we're both dressed in our naval black and blues, I can't help it."

"Try," Rolan grinned. "You're dismissed, my love."

Cecillia nodded and blew a kiss then exited the high deck.

For a brief moment, Ser Rolan enjoyed the thought of basking in the comfort of his wife and fellow shipmate. For a moment, he was at peace. But when that moment passed, ill thoughts and anger flowed once again in his veins. The second he started thinking about the pirates, his mood dropped to another low. His anger... he wanted to control it but he couldn't.

He kept thinking about how his mother died, how he would never know whether they killed her first before decapitating her or whether they killed her by decapitating her. He would never know how much pain his mother suffered. He wanted to capture this pirate who decided his mother wasn't worth the investment to keep alive any longer, that it was a better idea to send her skull to her son, even though the ransom money had already been given. He wanted to find this pirate and torture him until the very last moments of this pirate's life was filled with the same pain and misery that had wrecked Ser Rolan's consciousness for the past year and a half. 

He wanted to get this pirate... and all of this pirate's accomplices... and skin them alive. "I will get you. I will find you. I will have my revenge," he said, as he stared out from port at the horizon of endless blue ocean.