It wasn't long before the ship was deemed finally ready and Aurelia and Willa were escorted aboard, led to a large cabin at the stern by two of her personal guard, accompanied as always by the Firthian ambassador. 

"Are you quite sure, Your Grace?" asked the Ambassador with that weasely little mouth of his as Aurelia invited him to take his leave.

"Oh, I [i]insist[/i]," Aurelia purred dangerously, Willa already helping her out of her cloak, "[i]Please[/i] Ambassador, go make yourself comfortable somewhere." 

The Ambassador looked displeased for a moment before schooling his features back into his practiced shifty grin and bowing. "As you wish," he conceded, skulking out the door with his minions.

"Greasy rat," Aurelia spat as soon as the door had closed behind him.

"Maybe he'll fall overboard..." Willa wondered aloud, eliciting a chuckle from the Princess. 

The cabin was suitable enough, Aurelia supposed. Decently sized, with a large feather bed for her on one end and a smaller one on the other for Willa, a vanity, private lavatory and a table with a few chairs in front of large windows. Her most immediately needed belongings, a few trunks of clothing and other essentials, were stacked neatly in one corner, as was a trunk filled with Willa's belongings. At the very least, it would be nice to be sleeping in the same bed for more than one night as they made the two-week crossing to Sommerfirth. 

With a long sigh, Aurelia fell back onto her bed, thankful for the chance to rest and only slightly unnerved by the gentle rocking of the ship beneath her. For a moment, both she and Willa were silent, Willa having sunk into a chair near the window.

The moment was short-lived, however, as suddenly a chorus of muffled shouts rose from the deck, accompanied by the sound of clashing steel and pounding feet. 

"What on the Gods' good earth-" Aurelia's exasperated complaint was cut short by another sound, a much louder [i]thud[/i] against the wall of her cabin. The shining point of a broadhead peeked through a split in the wood. 

Aurelia shot up, started to her feet, and Willa rushed to the door, throwing the deadbolt down across it before retreating back to the window. Aurelia joined her, putting as much space between her and the door as possible.

"What's happening?" Willa cried, voice shaking with fear and eyes watering. 

Aurelia kept her eyes trained on the door, frozen, listening over the sound of her own racing heart for any more activity. Indeed, the din on deck grew louder, footsteps thundering this way and that and shouting much closer now. 

"Bandits," she gasped, snapping out of her shock and grabbing hold of Willa's arm, dragging the younger girl to the corner furthest from the door. She looked desperately around for another exit, but there was none. 

"What do we do?!" Willa's voice was becoming more frantic, and she was beginning to panic. 

Aurelia turned to her, eyes hard and deadly serious. For a second she thought, and noticed the gleaming jewelry Willa wore, a small but valuable necklace and a matching set of earrings. Her service staff had always been adorned like this; Aurelia would accept nothing less from the women and girls who attended her. 

Without explanation, Aurelia grabbed hold of Willa's necklace and pulled, snapping it from her neck and throwing it behind her. Precious stones scattered across the floor, but Aurelia paid them no mind. 

"[i]You[/i] are going to run," she commanded, going for Willa's earrings next. 

Willa's eyes finally overflowed, but her expression was shocked. "What?"

Once Aurelia had rid Willa of her earrings (thinking the girl would be safer from bandits if she weren't wearing anything obviously valuable) she jabbed a finger into the girl's abdomen, where a delicately embroidered pattern sparkled. "Take off the dress." 

The din outside grew closer still, and Aurelia could now make out a few words, though nothing any more useful than "There!" and "Halt!" and a particularly disturbing "Where is she!?"

Aurelia was eerily calm as she searched the room for an escape, but found nothing except the window. 

She whipped back to Willa. "Can you swim?"

Willa was a mess, standing there with her dress pooled on the floor, wearing nothing but a linen slip. "What?"

Aurelia marched over to the girl and pinned her to the wall, forcing the maid to look at her. "[i]Can. You. Swim.[/i]"

Willa nodded. 

Aurelia released her and crossed the room to the table, where a heavy bowl filled with fruit had been set out. She dumped out its contents, turned and threw it as hard as she could through the window, spinning unsteadily with the effort. The window broke with a deafening [i]crash[/i] and the bowl sailed down into the harbour. Glass scattered across the floor.

Aurelia turned back to Willa and pointed to the now-broken window. "Jump."

Willa looked on helplessly, frozen in place. 

Aurelia marched back over to her and took her urgently by the arm, half-dragging the poor maid to the window. Willa looked out of it and down, where the harbour rocked leisurely about three storeys below. 

"I can't!" Willa cried. 

Aurelia's expression was firm. "Yes you can," she stated, more a command than a reassurance. She took Willa's wrist and lifted it up. On it the maid wore a form-fit silver cuff, with the royal crest stamped on one side and Aurelia's personal crest, a songbird with wings spread and a magnolia in its beak, stamped on the other. It was a symbol of status, marking Willa as a personal attendant to the Princess. 

"Swim to the docks, and when you get there, hide this as best you can until you find the Wickport Garrison." Aurelia tried to keep eye contact with the Willa, but the girl kept sneaking terrified glances at the ocean below. "When you do, show them this and tell them who you are. They will protect you."

"But Princess-"

"They do not want [i]you![/i]" Aurelia shouted, pointing to the ever-louder squabble of probably-bandits outside the door, "But if you stay here I cannot guarantee your safety."

"Bu-"

"[i]Go![/i]" Aurelia shrieked. The look in her eyes could draw blood. "That [i]is[/i] an order!"

Willa flinched but did as she was told, looking back at the Princess only once with fearful eyes before taking several quick breaths and willing herself out of the window. Aurelia watched her fall, kept her eyes trained on the spot where she landed until she was satisfied that Willa had indeed resurfaced and was making her way back to the docks. 

With Willa gone, Aurelia's boldness disappeared almost immediately, and she backed against the window still intact, sinking down to the floor. She wanted to jump too, to get away, but she had no way of knowing she wouldn't be found by the ship's attackers if she left. Not to mention, if she were to run, her guards - wherever the hell [i]they[/i] were - might not know where she was to protect her. She was fairly confident that the bandits - Gods, let it be bandits and not something worse - wouldn't kill her if they found her. She was far too valuable alive. 

The thought was not of much comfort and Aurelia's heart raced. She had been aware that attacks were a risk on the road, especially for a company of this caliber, but she had never seriously considered that it would actually happen to [i]her.[/i] Aurelia's breathing became erratic. Inky blackness pressed in at the edges of her vision. Her hands shook as she grabbed a nearby piece of broken glass, wrapping the hem of her dress around the bottom of it to protect her hands and brandishing it like a weapon, trained on the door. 

Suddenly, there was much louder banging. Her door convulsed with every impact, deadbolt rattling in its braces. They'd found her.