The King stood with his arms outstretched on either side of his small, frail body, palms facing the ceiling as his seamstress finished pinning the hem of his pants. His cough was gone, his energy returned, and he had grown two inches overnight it seemed. When the doors to his chambers opened, he grinned at the sight of his naval Captain holding the door so his personal Healer… the gifted and lovely Lady Kennard… could enter before her. Christopher was delighted to see the duo.

“Ahhh! Welcome! What do you think of this outfit, Captain Porter?” He turned first one way then the other, clearly delighted with his own appearance. “How do I look? I am having a whole new wardrobe made for our voyage north.”

“Our voyage?”

“Yes! Our voyage! I intend to come with you! I told you this already. Did you forget? I wouldn’t miss it for the world…” stepping down from the stepstool, Christopher approached the couple, Bette trying unsuccessfully to hide the look of utter horror at the very idea of the King traveling with them.

“On your own ship… right? Your Majesty? I mean you wanted the King’s Maiden to be your vessel… it’s been outfitted for the trip and Lord Ivan will be your Captain…”

He waved a hand at the brunette to be quiet, jewels on four of his five fingers.

“Details, details, Captain. Boring. That is your job…” Twirling, Christopher beamed at the couple.

Bette took a step towards the door, wanting to escape, even as Tina curtsied, extending one hand for the King to kiss, her other finding Bette’s, keeping the brunette close, their fingers linking. No way was Bette leaving without her.

She knew Bette was impatient, ready to leave the King and his soggy kingdom behind. It had been many weeks of nonsense from the King. Changes in battle plans, meaningless dinners and celebrations, long, dreary meetings with the King’s Council that led nowhere and drove the brunette to the very edge of her dwindling tolerance.

“Your Majesty…” the blonde purred, hoping to keep the tiny King’s attention on her instead of Bette…. “… you look well, I am pleased. Your new outfit becomes you.”

“I feel grand, my Lady. Just grand, thanks to you. I’ve ordered some fabulous decorative garlands for the launch of our fleet. Bright, new paint for the Maiden and flags as well. The ships can sail off into the seas with all the beauty that only a King’s navy commands…”

And so it was that Tina answered the knock on the door, receiving news from their guard, bringing happiness to her captain after waking her with kisses and gentle touches. It took a minute, Bette under a smog of sleep, her hair in her eyes as she lifted her head, eyes wide with worry, soon replaced with joy.
“You mean, the King… he is going to let us see the children?”
“Yes, my Love. In one hour.” She cupped Bette’s cheeks, bringing her closer for more kisses, covering her flushed cheeks, her forehead, her nose, in between her eyes.
“Tell me again, Tee. Tell me again what the guard said.”
“He said the King is moving us to the tower, to stay with the children. He said we should be ready in one hour and that we are expected to have more of my tea with the King before dinner.”
“Tina… our babies… your tea, it worked…” She blinked back tears, still waking, one hand laying on Tina’s cheek, her chocolate eyes watery.
“Our babies…” and she snuggled in the warmth of Bette’s neck, strong arms coming around her to hold her close, Bette’s mouth and tongue fully awake now.

*****

It was a long climb up the stairs to the north tower but neither woman broke stride, the out of shape guards pushing themselves to keep up. Each step was a reminder of how far apart they were from their babies and Bette reached for Tina’s hand rather than smash the face of the nearest guard.

“Small victories…” Tina had counseled her brunette fiancé before they left their room. Bette knew that without Tina’s unyielding tolerant resolve and strength she would not have handled this separation well at all.

The children were playing when the door opened, Bette holding the door so Tina could enter first, and they were met by a squeal from Gracie who tripped over the carpet in her haste to get to her mothers, falling to her knees and howling in outrage. She sat there looking at her bruised knees, tears streaming down her face as Bette came in behind Tina. Rowan reached them first, talking a mile a minute… wanting to show them how big he was now, how high he could jump, how fast he could climb and did they know he met the King?

Bette stood patiently, arms out wide as Tina stood in front of her with the straps for her knives. The boat rocked under their feet, closing the final leg of their long trip, entering the harbor before docking. Wearing nothing but her underwear and the chainmail shirt, the captain watched as Tina knelt and secured the first strap, the one around her left ankle. Kissing Bette’s knee, then her inner thigh, Tina secured another strap as she stood, placing a wet kiss on Bette’s lips.

The room was quiet, the ship too… a pregnant pause, suspense thick in the air. They could both feel it, had talked about it, resigned themselves to the course set before them. The course set by the Boy King who outright demanded Bette’s appearance in his kingdom.

“Is this overkill, Tee? They may strip me of my weapons anyway before they let me stand in the presence of his Worshipfulness, the Boy King. At the very least they will take my sword, those assholes.”

Her arms around the slim waist as she threaded the strap, Tina smiled fondly. “Don’t call him that to his face, Honey. We are giving them what they expect to see. Slayer of Souls, Death Bringer, Black Bette. They will respect power, Babe. And you, my Love, exude it.”

“Then they should have nothing but the utmost respect for you. You are the power behind everything I do.”

Smiling, Tina moved behind her, wrapping the strap carefully, making sure it was not too tight, one hand trailing over the firm ass as she rounded to face Bette again, hazel eyes lifting to make eye contact.

“It will be important to keep your temper in check, Honey… no impulsive moves. Stay calm. Be alert. Please, Bette, trust me on this.”

“My temper? What temper….” One elegant eyebrow raised, reaching for the front of Tina’s robe to pull her closer, planting a hard kiss on the smiling mouth. Then another, deeper, more tongue. “I don’t have a temper…and I trust you implicitly my Beauty…”

“Don’t distract me…” Tina admonished sweetly, granting another kiss, this one longer, wetter.

Jesus. Bette tasted of lemons and something so unique to the captain that Tina knew she would spend the rest of her life trying to figure it out. The kiss made her skin tingle, little fires lighting her gut, her center. She could see the desire in Bette’s eyes, but they would be in port soon and had spent most of the night making love, whispering long into the night. But…then again… this was Bette… and … her lips… her tongue… her mouth…

”By order of His Majesty, King Christopher, Son of Charles IV and First of His Name…This Decree Hereby Summons Captain Elizabeth Porter to the Royal Court…. You are Hereby Commanded to appear In Person… before the High Court at a time no later than thirty days from the date of this Royal Summons. Failure to show shall result in Harsh and Exacting Punishment. Anyone aiding or abetting Captain Porter in disregarding this Royal Summons shall join in the Imprisonment of one Alice Pieszecki until such a time as decreed by His Majesty, King Christopher. May all who read this Obey and Act Accordingly.”

Still seething as the ship set sail, Bette paced the captain’s deck, chewing on her anger, her mind racing with the implications of where they were going, what was being ask … demanded…. of her. A Kingly Summons. Her long black coat trailed behind her, muscular legs eating up space as she went from one end of the deck to another.

“That little boy King, that… that… petulant child dares to summon me? Me, Shane?” she spat, Shane leaning on the rails to look over at the water as the ship navigated into deeper water before building speed, the sails billowing above them. “What could he possibly want from me? From us?”

“He has Alice. I can’t believe he has Alice…” Shane said softly, shaking her head and Bette came to a halt, realizing the bigger significance in The Whisperer being a captive in Kingsport.

The things Alice knew, the people who might wish her harm. Alice had never been in captivity before, not like this. Usually, Alice saw any attempt at imprisonment a mile away, the whispers raising alarm. Bette’s crew had enemies, many of them, and Alice was a big part of the reason why given her proclivity for rumors and gossip. She would not be a popular cellmate or prisoner.

Running her hands through her thick hair, Bette swore. “Fuck, Shane. I have no earthly idea about how to approach this. How to win over a fucking King. I can barely stand to be in the same room as the nobility let alone enter fucking Kingsport. All that kneeling and posturing. What am I supposed to do, waltz in there in a corset and silk? Wave a fan and bat my fucking eyelashes like a damsel in distress? Yes, my Lord… please, my Lord…”

Cold rain continued to fall without reprieve. Unrelenting, merciless in it’s intent to turn the ship into a water logged vessel of pure misery. Every inch of the ship was soaked, saturated to the point where the water just sat unabsorbed, there was no possibility that it could get any wetter. The sails hung limply, soggy patches of white against the dark sky. This was not the time to fight the waves or force direction. This was a time to grip the helm and hold on, staying upright the only goal.

Shane’s hands were wrinkled prunes and Bette felt the cold dampness down to her very bones. It was her turn at the wheel, her feet planted, her eyes scanning the horizon and skyline. All she saw was white capped waves, dark clouds and streaks of lightening.

“I’d be drier if I lived in the bottom of the sea…” Passing a bottle of rum to the Captain, Shane squeezed out her hat, plopping it back on her head with a grimace.

“You’d be warmer too. Fuck…” Bette took a long draught from the bottle, the bite from the liquor moving down her throat nicely.
And on and on it went, no end in sight… dark and stormy, lightening off in the distance and thunder rumbling overhead. The ship valiantly met each drop with all the gusto Bette demanded of it. Cresting another wave, the bow rose high then came crashing down on the other side and Bette felt the pull of the rope around her waist to keep her onboard.

There was no time to dry out, no time to sleep, no time to take a break. She missed the sun, she missed being warm, but mostly she missed Tina. Missed her with a yearning in her heart that ate at her insides, her own dark cloud over her head. Gulping hot coffee with a splash of rum, she urged her trusty crew on, determined that today would not be the day her ship sank.

When she could, she made time to check on the blonde every few hours, worried more than she could say about the arrow injury and Tina’s fragile heart. Killing Sir William unraveled the healer, this Bette knew. Tina had never killed before. And it ate at her like an insidious poison, this Bette knew as well.