The streets were too crowded. All around him, the folk would roam and chatter, zealous in their own preoccupations. He had many of his own; due to them, his focused eyes pierced every single figure skeptically. Merchants, laborers, artisans… Every single inconspicuous individual could be a threat. There could be terrible malice hidden under apparent smiles and common gestures. Many did scowl at the sight of his uniform and sheathed sword, but their discreet resent was no real evidence of what he hunted for.

As a member of the royal navy, roaming through a city prone to rebellion was not easy. The local insurgents had spent decades resisting the authority of the kingdom, only to end up resorting to underhanded terrorism after great shortfalls. Amity had been enforced in the islet, even if a fragile one. Unfortunately, that temporal peace was shattered once again a month ago. There had been an incident in one of the fisher encampments that bordered the main hamlet. A peasant had supposedly stabbed a tax collector. That one act brought great repercussions, of course… The regional guard was swift in executing the criminal and his associates, something that only added fuel to the disputes between the public and administration.

Such notions were not easy to ponder. For it, he took a deep breath, tensing while he pushed closer to the edge of the market. The fort where he and his crew were staying loomed over both the city and the lowlands where the most troubled folk resided. 

They were here to bring order. That, he believed with all his heart. His captain was a highly regarded man, one of the few officials that could be trusted to bring peace and restrain unruly territories. On land or at sea, he would always contemplate the situation critically, showcasing a quiet and unreadable thoughtfulness. He had been taught well under his frequently reserved command. Perhaps so keenly that he grew too fixated with his own rationale and zeal. In his mind, every single moment was an opportunity. He wished to help his master’s cause, never debating its rightful intent. 

Today, he was ready to serve dutifully again. His hand slammed onto the handle of his sword when he noticed five shifty figures trudging through an alley, in the most secluded parts of the market. Their hurried steps were suspicious all on their own, but their direction made them more denouncing. They were holding crates, moving away from the streets that led to a warehouse.

The local rebels rarely dared reveal their identities. Due to it, all crimes against the rule of the kingdom were shadowy in nature: thievery, slander, destruction of property, and sabotage in the docks. As per law, each crime was to be answered strictly to ensure concord. With that conviction, he crept closer, signaling a few nearby guards and deployed crewmates to tag along. They unsheathed their blades slightly, marching in different directions to block the path of those scoundrels.

The five figures noticed that they were being trailed in a subtle manner. Their subsequent diverting dashes through the crowds were indeed sly and adept, but they were futile; they had been noticed, and they could do nothing to prevent being cornered by a squad of soldiers.

When the women tried to slide between two big stalls and into a small street to lose him, they finally found a dead end. Two guards turned the corners ahead and blocked their paths, hinting clearly with their stances that they should pause in their stride.

He stood right behind the five when they tried to turn back, seeing right through their distasteful disguises and apparent oblivious demeanor. They were no priestesses, no matter how well they dressed themselves. There was no way to conceal their real mindsets and mischievous expressions.

“Drop the crates.” The one pretending to be the lead priestess eyed him with a cold smile. Her derision was barely concealed as meekness. That piercing glower made him nervous, but he did not falter in his approach. “Those materials belong to the royal trading company, and if indeed stolen, they shall be confiscated and repaid with due penitence.”

Those green eyes narrowed slowly. Her four accomplices debated dropping the crates to reach for the daggers and pistols hidden below their beautiful stolen dresses, but a relaxed sway of hips was enough to signal them to stay their hands… at least for the time being. She liked to play all the cards in her hands.

“Oh, young sir, how would a daughter of the gods steal? Everything in this world has been created by their grace; we merely distribute it all to their children in need!” The tall woman did not have any qualms in swaying closer to taunt, even going as far as to poke his chest with one finger. “We are principled servants! How dare you accuse us of larceny?! We provide those camps with the food and resources they lack! Our hard work aids the destitute! We are unlike the guards, who keep confiscating goods under the ruse of criminal suspicion! We shall not stand for this slander!”

He snarled, hating the way some of the guards doubted under her judging stare. She did showcase the pride and firmness of a grand priestess, but she was not one. He knew that for a fact after having dealt with so many brigands.

“If you are so unequivocal in your ways, venerable priestess…” She did tense when he demanded, doubling down in his lead for a search. “You can’t possibly frown upon us looking into the crates, correct? We would be pleased to help you carry these materials to the camps, once we ensure they are truly acquired with the coin of the temples.”

One of the women almost hunched in a feral stance, which she tended to showcase when pouncing on her foes. Luckily, another one stopped her from jumping to protect their boss. That buff woman nudged her and kept her calm, knowing how to communicate nonverbally. There was a snarl, but no instinctive tackles or bites.

The pirate captain now knew well that she could not weasel herself out of the situation with sweet words or well-worded lies. Their contraband operation was finally over. For it, she decided to prolong the pretense for a little longer, just to aid her next moves.

“Of course, you may, sir.” She began to let down the crate, extremely slowly. No guard ever dared look shamelessly at a priestess, so she had it easy to reach below the folds of her robes for a smoke bomb. “Just let me-“

As soon as her fingers brushed the trinket, she stopped, surprised by a voice that called behind the soldiers.

“Benjamin!”

The young mariner blinked, hearing that loud but calm shout. Much like the pirate, he directed his gaze to the man that pushed past the curious crowd; he looked at him in apprehensive surprise, not only for his direct stride and judging glance but for the medal on his high-ranked uniform. A respectful salute was in order, and after it, he promptly explained himself to his superior.

“Sir! I’ve finally tracked the scoundrels that have been robing the warehouse!” He gave way to his captain, uneasy under his caring but scrutinizing approach. “These are no priestesses, but filthy thieves! With your permission, I shall apprehend them and send them to the fort, where they shall await-“

He shut up abruptly, because his mentor rested a heavy hand on his shoulder, moving him aside to walk closer to the perpetrators. His bright blue eyes narrowed as much as the green ones of the pirate once both overcame their shocked recognition.

“These women…” Barbara pierced Olve with her gaze, letting go of the smoke bomb due to her startled heart. He had changed a lot, but she could still recognize those foolish blue eyes. Years older, brandishing a very thick beard and long braided hair… His stern stance hinted the same doubt as hers, and his paused speech was indecipherable, something that kept her quiet when she had been ready to bolt before. Somehow, she did not find the spirit to strike while he questioned warily, even if he was a royal official and had them surrounded. “Are you certain these are the thieves that have been supplying those downtrodden sites with wares, Benjamin?”

Barbara was taken aback by that question; he had recognized her, after all. His uniform was one of high standing in the navy, one that only an experienced and honored veteran would attain. He had kept serving the kingdom after their parting, and now he could arrest her with ease. However, he was pondering silently instead.

“Without doubt, sir!” Ben unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the five, sure that he would have Olve’s unfaltering support like all other times they dealt with corrupt officers and murderous pirates. “I know a rat when I see one! These are no faithful servers of the gods, but heretic impostors! Just look at them! That dreary one is missing an eye! The one at the right is far too brawny to work at a temple! That pale brat does not look from these parts, and the supposed high priestess promises homicide with her current glare!”

Benjamin looked at Olve again, expecting him to agree with his words. He had always been fast to reach sensible conclusions, yet now he was keeping quiet. It truly alarmed him, and the worst of all was that his mentor did not seem to mind it much.

Olve never looked away from Barbara, Maria, Dolores, and Majtek. After so many years, he was seeing the pirate who had chased him, and it was not her who had his life in her hands. The fort loomed darkly above them, housing gallows that the local guard was very fond of.

He remembered the siege of his ship, his tutor and crew dead on deck, the eels, the jungle, the dangerous underground, the fiery furnace, and the swarm. It all had been engraved in his mind; in a way that he had struggled to decipher. She was not any better.

Time truly seemed to come to a halt when they exchanged an unreadable stare, even if soldiers and figures stood all around them. Her infamy with the kingdom had only grown, while he had been favored by the royals themselves.

He slowly looked at her right wrist. Her heartbeat fastened when he inspected the bracelet without ever stepping closer, contemplating the gem encased in it. It was the other half of the heirloom she stole, the one she broke to allow him to live under the strict rule of the kingdom. He had returned the chain to acknowledge her gesture, and she had conserved the grand jewel to give meaning to her ardent plunder.

If he were to arrest her and take that bracelet, perhaps he would not only be praised by the highest officials, but ascend to stand by the very throne of the kingdom. The retrieval of the engraved chain was indeed commended, but he never received direct appreciation from the queen. Folks spoke of her incensed grievances for months; they were not so much for how the gem symbolized her lost son, but the notion of it being carried by a lowlife.

Olve only needed to say one word for his subordinate to act, and Barbara knew it as much as him. That was why everyone blinked in bewilderment when he spoke words that did not seem to befit a stern captain of the navy like him.

“The loss of an eye does not hinder the perception of principles, physique does not determine aptitude, and foreignness does not make one ignorant to benevolence. Likewise, an ominous expression may conceal many sentiments.” Barbara’s expression lost its vigilant anger when Olve whispered next, in a way that seemed mournfully determined. “Let these women resume their journey; their gracious acts vouch for their integrity.”

Of course, he was not only referencing how she was smuggling resources into the areas where the government kept strict embargos, but all her past impulsive schemes as well. There had always been a hidden motive in all her acquisitive ventures. She was selling these essential goods at a low cost to the ones who couldn’t attain them, at least according to the rumors he heard in his scour through the island.

Benjamin stared blankly for a second, but then he reacted. He questioned with a stammer, finding Olve’s judgment and command uncharacteristically unwise.

“Sir, you surely must reconsider?! These are the thieves! I can prove it!” He made a move to grab a crate from the green-eyed buccaneer, something that made his mentor tense knowingly. “If we open the crates, we’ll see-“

There came the slap, which luckily was given to his hand. Olve cringed when Barbara struck Benjamin’s grasp off the crate, with a motion that only the most elegant and rightful of priestess would display. She stood tall and scolded the young nervous lad, finding confidence in the discretion of her former captive.

“Dare not set your hands on these hard-earned supplies, you insolent urchin! Be glad your superior is here to keep you off, for the goddess of the seas and gales would surely strike you down for your audacity!” Olve almost rolled his eyes when he heard Barbara imply that she was a punitive deity, but he kept quiet in a stoic manner while she turned sharply to leave and taunt. “We shall abandon you to your committed duties; be sure to not disrupt our steadfast endeavors again! Greed shall not be ignored by benevolence!”

That was a threat. One that Olve ignored completely, having heard all too many before. A faint smile grew on his lips when Barbara strode away through the crowd and snapped her fingers, prompting the other four to follow her down the street towards the distant camp and beach.

He stood there, ignoring the baffled stare and murmurs of his pupil in favor of exchanging one last contemplative glance with a pale girl. She had attained a little more color after spending years in a vessel kissed by the sun, and she was not as scrawny anymore. His heart knew he chose wisely when she mouthed words in a language that she had learned while sheltered from sightless subservience. It was a thankful farewell.

The five women walked away without looking back again, past the crowds and into the dense rainforests that divided the city from the coastal camps. He only averted his gaze when he could no longer see the captain and her long black hair swaying in the breeze. Still, her green eyes never left his thoughts, not now or ever before.

Without word or question, the soldiers and sailors dispersed to keep watch on the market and city. Olve tucked his hands into the pockets of his long coat and nodded sideways, inviting Benjamin to follow him back to the fort.

“Come, let’s go watch the sunset from the tallest parapet.”

“But-“ The young lad shook his head upon his serenity, restless. “We should send a patrol to the warehouse and camps! Those are the materials we were appraising and requesting for distribution! They’ve been stolen, and they will be taken away into the sea!”

That was a plea. Their battleship was docked at the northern port of the city. If they acted quickly, they could sail to the western cliffs of the island and find the pirate vessel hidden there. Alas, that idea was discarded.

“No need to march to those camps. Those supplies won’t leave this land. The coast must stay clear.” Olve’s words were not understood, as expected. That was why he laid an arm over Benjamin’s shoulders and began to lead him away, knowing. “We shall continue safeguarding the fishermen and their settlements tomorrow. Today, we shall step back and watch.”

Benjamin did not dare interject again, seeing those bright eyes glint in an unreadable way. Olve’s silence was a command on itself, one that led them both to the tops of the fort, which loomed by the tallest cliffs of the island.

As the sun lowered closer to the waters and horizon, the ragged royal captain climbed over a parapet and onto the lower rocks, to then sit calmly to gaze over the sea below. His adopted son did not sit with him, staring much more grimly at what both could see sailing past the gulfs and bays. There came the whisper, melancholic and nostalgic.

“Still as red as the blood and fire…” He closed his blue eyes, capable of seeing her standing on that mighty deck even if the sails of La ostra were growing faint in the twilight. “How long has it been since you forced me to question my principles, Barbara? And how long will it be until I see you defy the ones you proclaim?”

They crossed paths once more, without ending their lives when the opportunity presented itself. Those olden crimes and debts would never be settled, forever to be remembered and acknowledged in unspoken gestures.

As he related to his devoted pupil the reason of his abstract vassalage to the kingdom, she stood by the only one that truly knew of her conflicted thoughts towards her supposed foe. Her second in command whispered caringly while she observed those cliffs silently, steering the helm to take them deeper into the sea.

“You could have unsheathed a knife right then and taken out an official known to sink pirate ships…”

Barbara nodded and grasped her bracelet, the one she had forged to remember a blind fervent chase. She admitted to her lover, slightly despondent as her eyes stopped being able to see the figure in the distance.

“I could have.”

With that, she turned and marched down to deck, passing by the beastly black maws that adorned her ship. A determined smile replaced her sorrowful scowl, knowing she would spare that foolish sailor again, one day.