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“Well, I should certainly hope so – otherwise we might have to put that to the test.”  She continues to smirk at him as she says this, though, and it is quite clear that she would never do it.  Though she does more or less expect everyone to cater to her desires, there is no threat of punishment in this expectation.  Not from her, at least, unless that punishment happened to be the extreme disappointment of the kingdom’s most delightful princess, which was clearly punishment enough.  She would leave the real punishment to everyone else; she personally had very little interest.

“Oh, it sounds so exciting!  You know, sometimes I have to wonder if it is anywhere near as thrilling as you describe, or what could possibly draw you back?”  She said this, but while there was a part of her that desired adventure, another part was quite convinced that she would have had enough before the adventure had even properly begun, and she would wish to return to her luxurious life at home.  Most likely, it was better to leave the adventures to those more suited for it, and let them bring the stories and the treasure back to her.  “I will have to see this dress, but I believe you may be right, my dear Captain.  Your taste has not failed me yet.”

Westley found the youngest princess to be absolutely endearing. He hadn’t spent as much time with her as he had with Sylvia but he was determined to change that from here on out. He found it was quite easy to talk to Rosamund; though he was sure that was simply because of her playful and light hearted personality. Wes definitely enjoyed anyone who seemed to not take things too seriously unless it was absolutely necessary.

“Perhaps you should depart with me one day to get a feel of the excitement for yourself,” he flashed her his signature smirk as they leisurely strolled through the palace corridors. “Home is where the heart is, I suppose... Really though, I return for a few varied reasons... First and foremost, to replenish provisions and repair the vessel,” he began to explain, looking down at the petite young woman. “Also to share the wealth I acquire with the loveliest princesses in any land,” subtly, he winked at the youngest Vidar sister, fiddling with his fingers behind his back. “Aye, that is comforting to hear. I will have the gown brought to your bed chambers promptly.”

xenia hadn’t expected to find anyone she knew out here—she wasn’t sure if many of the nobles often ventured into the market or the surrounding city, but she was certainly glad to see westley’s smiling face. “why, thank you,” xenia said, accepting the pie and tasting it immediately. “this is excellent.”

her face lit up at his suggestion. “i accept! thank you. i’ve always wanted to see the inside of a ship.”

While Westley spent a good amount of his time at court while he was ported in Oscana, he would say he spent just as much time at the docks and marketplace. It was mostly to ensure the proper repairs were being made to the ship, of course. He smiled softly and gave Xenia’s thank you a soft nod of acknowledgement before beginning to taste his own pie. “Aye, they are quite delicious, indeed.”

He chuckled at her excitement, “Alright. Off we go then, lovely,” his smirk returned to his lips as he offered her his free arm, leading her towards the docks afterwards. “How has court been treating you?” He asked curiously. “Terrific, I hope.”

Roman snorted, though he didn’t look amused. “You can say that again. Unpredictable is the exact right word. So far, a woman has fallen out of a tree as we were talking, one princess has basically threatened me, another offered to give me a dog, and then I ran into this warrior lady.” After downing a generous gulp of ale, Roman wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “Have you been here long? Your accent doesn’t quite sound like you’re from this capitol.”

As Westley downed his tankard of ale, he stifled back a laugh. The poor bloke definitely seemed like he was having quite an interesting time at court. Though, not in a very good way, he supposed. “Well, I say make the bloody best out of it, mate. I would prefer a woman falling from a tree than one breaking me heart,” he offered with a shrug of his shoulders. Perhaps he was getting a little too drunk now ... “Aye, well, yes and no,” he smirked softly, very relieved that he didn’t have to slap on an overly proper accent at the moment. He reserved that for when he was actually at court or speaking to a nobleman. It didn’t help that he was slightly inebriated; that was when the pirate really came out of him. “I come from a village just outside of the Capital City but I’ve been out at sea since I was wee boy. And what of you? Your garb seems a bit ... foreign.”

“Well, I suppose that is reassuring.”  Honestly, it was a bit, although she had heard that before from people who were no longer living.  In such a life as his, it seemed that eventually everyone ended up being the one who came out worse.  “Don’t get too cocky, though – you’ll get sloppy.”  She smiled, nodded in response to his question.  “I have been very well, as a matter of fact.  There are a number of new faces here in town, which does wonders for business – and they are very interesting to talk to as well.”  She did not travel very much, but she liked to hear from people who lived different lives than she did.  It was nice to meet so many people from a neighboring country, which she had never visited before herself.

Oh, to be lost in the memory of what they used to be, to experience that happiness again - if only just once. Annette would trade anything in the world to be that happy, that carefree, again. When they were together it had seemed that nothing could have made her unhappy, or if it did it never lasted long. 

Her unhappiness, though, was far from her mind now. Now, as he kissed her and as he touched her, her skin seemed to tingle. “And I have missed you.” Being so close to him now felt like a miracle, and it was one she was going to savor. She pressed a kiss to his jaw and then his neck, just above the collar of his shirt. “More than I can say.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Westley was having an internal struggle with himself; Part of him so desperately wanted to cling to Annette, to never let her go ever again. However, the other (perhaps more dominant) part of him told him to pull away, that this was the ultimate recipe for heartbreak and it was definitely not something he could go through again. During the year they had been apart, a barrier had formed around the captain’s heart and that was the one reason why he pulled his body away from Annette’s.

“We can’t...” He finally said, his voice low and shaky. Although, what he really wanted to say was: My heart can’t take it if I lost you again. His forehead pressed against her’s for a moment longer and he held her hand in his as he pulled away. “We can’t,” he repeated, reluctantly taking a step back. “I’m sorry, Annie, I have to go...”

A normal afternoon did not call for nearly as much as a banquet, and so she was not as dressed up as she had been the last time she saw him, but she would never be caught dead looking anything less than exquisite, even on the most mundane afternoon imaginable.  She was not surprised, therefore, when her favorite pirate approached, that smirk on his lips as always.

“You might, indeed,” she said, her lips quirking up in a teasing smile.  “And in fact, I would be quite hurt if you did not.”  She could not flirt quite so brazenly in the tearoom with other nobles present as she could at a banquet full of people, but she can still be friendly.  “And how were your voyages?  We hardly had a chance to speak at all at the banquet.”

“And I would much rather hang from the gallows than to ever hurt you, my dear princess,” Westley smirked softly down at Rosamund. It was certainly unfortunate that he had not been able to converse with her as much as he would have liked at the banquet, but they still had some time before he departed out to sea yet again. He began strolling leisurely down the corridor with the princess (away from nosy noblemen ears), his hands clasped behind his back.

Annette knew it was probably a bad idea chasing after him. She knew that it very likely could end with both of them getting a lot more hurt. But she couldn’t stop herself. It had been a year, and nothing else had compared - that tiny taste had been enough to have her running after him for more. And while she, too, was grateful for the relatively empty hallway, she couldn’t say if she might have cared if someone came upon them.

But when he pulled her into the empty room, pressed her against the door, her heart beat a bit quicker in her chest. Oh, how many times had they done exactly this? His question gave her the briefest pause. She could say no, back away and they could both go on with their lives, separately. “I’m sure.” She pressed her lips to his as one of her hands wrapped around the back of his neck.

Westley felt as if he had just been traveled back to a time where him and Annette were effortlessly happy. Back then, they never questioned a single thing.  They just did what felt right and what felt right was usually falling into bed with one another, all while the people around them were none the wiser. All that mattered was that they loved each other and that they spent every moment that they could with one another. Oh, how he longed for that now. 

Somewhere along the way, things went wrong. Maybe if Westley wasn’t such a hard headed man, he could have found it in him to forgive Annette for her mistake. Maybe they would have been out at sea together. Maybe they would have been happy. Happy together.

His thoughts were completely cut off the moment he felt her lips on his once again. All logical thinking was out the window now, and the pirate pressed her body flush against his own. He practically melted into her kiss and he wondered how the hell he was able to go so long without her touch. His hands moved up and down her sides gently, his fingertips still remembering every curve of her body. Breathlessly, he murmured, “I missed you so much.”

Bea smiled when she heard Westley’s entrance.  Though they lived very different lives, she had grown to consider him a friend somewhere amid his many visits over the years.  It was always a pleasure to see him, if nothing else because it meant that he was not dead.  “Welcome back.  It is a pleasure to see you as well.”  

Her smile disappeared, her eyes widening just a bit, when Wes lifted his tunic.  “Oh, dear, what happened there?”  She was not a physician, so her medical knowledge was much more centered on illness than on wounds, but it was concerning nevertheless.  She turned to her supply of herbs, pulling out a few.  “I can make double this time, but you all really ought to be more careful too.”

Westley had gotten used to the bewildered look on her face whenever he stopped by her shop; he never made it easy on the poor woman and he just hoped he didn’t worry her too much. He knew that he should probably stop by the castle’s infirmary eventually to have his wound looked at, but for now, he could rely on Bea’s concoctions to keep infection away. The pirate let his tunic fall back down and he leaned against the wooden counter once again, lifting a hand up to pet the woman’s pet cat. “Oh, just the usual shenanigans. I’ll have you know, the other men look much worse and the gold was certainly worth it,” he smirked, shrugging his shoulders. “Ah, we try our very best, milady, but rest assured, I will try even harder. If only so you won’t miss this mug of mine,” the pirate’s smirk widened.

“How have you been though, dear Bea. Has business been thriving lately?”

xenia had so far only seen mostly the inside of the castle walls. despite her mother’s wishes, she’d decided today was the day to venture out and explore the city. she’d only just started her journey at the marketplace and had already gotten distracted by a peddler selling hot pies out of a cart. before she had a chance to buy one, a familiar face approached. “captain, hello! i’m just trying to broaden my horizons. see new things. i was just about to try one of these pies, would you like one?”

Westley was admittedly very surprised to see Xenia out here but he certainly wasn’t complaining. He hadn’t gotten to speak to her nearly as much as he would have liked to at the banquet and he was quite curious about this newcomer to court. “Ah, yes. I would love one. These pies are simply delicious. They’ll be my treat,” he replied with a soft grin, handing some coins over to the merchant once they had both picked one out. “Tell me, Lady Xenia, have you been on a ship before? I would love to give you a tour of The Marauder.”

“Believe me, captain. I have never been one for jokes.” Elisa could imagine how confusing the whole scene was for Wes, and, had she not known about his history with Annie, she would have been more sympathetic to him. But the facts stood, she couldn’t risk having him around thinking she was someone else; and worse even, she couldn’t have him around hurting her friend even more.

“Watch your tongue, pirate. All the ladies in this court have, at least, ten times the respect and reputation that you could ever dream of having.” She thought of who he was refering to, and hell would freeze before Elisa let anyone speak of her lady-in-waiting in such ways. “I will not hear you speaking ill of any lady again. Am I understood?”

Elisa gave one last squeeze to the man’s arm before she let go of him. For a second she remembered their previous meetings. Her nails had drawn blood off his back and arms many times before, it had never seemed to bother him. She pushed herself back to the present, and straightened her back as much as she could. “Take it as a reminder, sir. At this court, I can do much worse than draw a few drops of blood.”

This was absolute madness and Westley wondered how much of Oscana court he was going to be able to deal with after this. His mind was racing; so much so that he felt a serious headache beginning to take its toll. For a moment, he wondered if her angered reaction had been amplified for some reason and it was only then he put two and two together; he remembered that Annette was Elisa’s lady. Had been for quite some time. So, now Westley was the big bad man who had broken the princess’s best friend’s heart. Fantastic.

“Understood loud and clear, Highness,” he pressed his lips together tightly, finding it very difficult to bite his tongue at the moment. Perhaps he would go to Sylvia if things went too awry, but he didn’t want to bother his friend with trivial matters if he didn’t have to. He groaned once she released his arm but the pain was merely a scratch in comparison to some of the wounds he had sustained out at sea. Westley eyed Elisa, choosing his response to her vague threat carefully. “Oh, I’m sure you can, Princess; I certainly have no doubts. Now, if you’ll be so kind as to excuse me, I have some festivities to partake in,” he bowed rather unenthusiastically before beginning towards the door. “Pity our... encounters have to end. Though, I am rather confident you will not soon forget about them.”