Oh, well, I suppose that pretty well tells you all what the character reactions to living through this chapter were. They’re currently on strike and close to being in open revolt here. Sigh.

Come to think of it, with all the problems our heroines, heroes, and villains are coping with I can’t really blame them.

Now Deirdre, put the mace down, it’s okay.

Garret, do something with her!

Oh, you can’t? Won’t?

Anyone?

Okay, okay!

I give up, you win! There will be no chapter thirteen. Yo! Characters! Satisfied now?

What’s that Igor? An unruly mob of torch and pitchfork waving fans are on the front lawn?

Hmm. They’re threatening to do what?

Quick! Throw this to them!

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During lunch, Garret innocently informed Deirdre. “Oh, Mother and Father have invited us to go with them when they return to Chalmnessa.”

“Have they?” Pushing an errant strand of hair away from her face, the beauty gave him a slightly suspicious look. “Why is that? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh, they’d really love to have you visit, and it would give you the chance to meet the rest of my family.” The man shrugged with a little too much nonchalance.

“Is that so?” Deirdre gave him another long look that changed from suspicion to outright skepticism. “I don’t suppose there’s another reason or two for this sudden invite is there?”

“Whatever gave you an idea like that?” Looking convincingly offended, he shook his head. “And why are you so suspicious of our motives in this?”

“Well, let’s see.” Tapping a fingernail on the table to emphasize each point. “One - someone tried to kill me. Two – I seem to have made some pretty nasty enemies around here recently, which leads back to point one. Three – You, and everyone else don’t seem to think I’m either safe, or observant enough to remain here in the palace, or Jhalmar right now. Four – you, Jessica, and just about everyone else who knows me around here are almost frantic about keeping me both alive and whole. Which you all seem to think is something that won’t be too easy to accomplish around here. How am I doing so far?”

“You don’t wish to see my ancestral home and meet the rest of my immediate family?” Garret gave her a wounded look.

“Of course I’d like – no, love to do that.” Deirdre gently answered, then added. “But this sudden invitation following on the heels of that poisoning incident does seem as if you’re trying to get me out of the way just now.”

“Well, a change in scene would be good for you right now.” He admitted then rushed on. “It’s a beautiful place, with a nice, relaxing sea voyage to the port of Hynik then a leisurely ride through some of the richest, lovliest country in all of Jhalmar or on the continent, to be honest.”

“Uh huh.” The dark haired young woman pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I’ve never been more than ten miles from the city here. I’d be so completely lost in another place I’d very likely be a much easier target there than here. At least around here I know of more than a few boltholes to run to if things got too dicey.”

“All right.” Garret shook his head in exasperation. “I do want you out of the palace and city for a while. It’s getting too dangerous for you around here whether you want to admit the fact or not. Satisfied?”

“Yes.” Grinning, she lightly waved a hand back and forth in front of her. “That helps clear the air. Why didn’t you just tell me you and other concerned parties think I’d be better away from here for the time being?”

“Because none of us expected you to accept that explanation without a fight.” He answered levelly then gave her a questioning look. “You are going to fight the idea, aren’t you?”

“Oh, yes.” She nodded firmly. “Running away from this trouble isn’t an answer and you know it. And if I was to leave the capitol right now, more than one group would think I was running with my tail between my legs and yelping in terror. That can’t be a good thing no matter how you might look at it.”

“I told everyone that you’d be just as stubborn about this idea as you have been about everything else.” Garret snorted. “That and the fact that this is your home and getting run out of it would gall you beyond words.”

“Exactly.” She responded with a nod. “So no matter how much I’d like to visit your ancestral home and meet your family now isn’t the time to do that. Besides, that would get me that much closer to admitting that I’m going to marry you eventually.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” He asked with a pained tone in his voice.

“That depends.” She shot back.

“Depends on what?”

“On whether or not I ever manage to get used to the idea that I’m a viable candidate for marriage as a bride instead of as a husband, comes to mind right off the top of my head.” She shrugged with a delicate lift of one shoulder that was more than a little fetching and quite feminine. “It also depends on whether or not I think marrying you would be right for me.”

“Right for you?” Leaning back in his chair, he gave her a disbelieving look. “How can it not be right for you? I love you. You admitted to loving me. So what’s the problem?”

“That is one of the things I need to find out.” Shaking her own head, she gave him a direct look that was not something most ladies turned on men in general. “If there is a problem, I mean. You never know, we might not be all that compatible in the long run. Maybe I like eating crumbly cakes in bed, or you fart all night. Who knows?”

“You’re being silly with those examples.” He stiffly replied. “And trying to change the original subject.”

“I thought I had changed it.” She smirked.

“It doesn’t matter.” He told her flatly. “You’re going, I’m going. No arguments accepted.”

“And what makes you think you can so blithely order me around?” Deirdre’s ice blue eyes flashed like sun on a glacier and were nearly as warm as that glacier would have been. “Even after we’re married – if that happens – I won’t meekly jump at your whims, Sirra.”

“That isn’t the point here.” He argued then sighed. “Besides, it isn’t my order, it’s from the King and Queen themselves.”

“Oh, really?” Rolling her eyes, she made an uncouth gesture and chuckled. “What makes you think I’ll fall for that one? I changed sex here, I didn’t lose any of my brains or the ability to use them.”

“I’m not even implying that you did.” He placated her outrage. “But nevertheless, I’ve told you the truth. I could get it in writing from them if you insist on being so stubborn over this.”

“That would go a long way to convincing me it’s true.”

“Besides, if you don’t go willingly…”

“What are you going to do?” She challenged.

“If I have to truss you up and throw you on the ship like baggage I’ll do it, dear.” Garret gave her a nasty little grin. “Plus, if you continue being so obstinate, I swear that I’ll take you over my knee and give that pretty backside of yours a sound thrashing.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Eyes wide with both disbelief and growing anger she scooted her chair back from the table and planted hands on her hips. “I’d never forgive you if you did either one of those things!”

“Then start packing, my lady.” The tone of his response left no room for doubt. “Because not only would I dare, I’ll do it if you keep arguing with me about this.”

“Try it.”

“All right.” Getting up from his own chair, Garret began moving in her direction. “You just won’t be reasonable about this thing will you?”

Edging away from him while keeping the table strategically between them, Deirdre shook her head. “Stay away from me, I’m warning you.”

“I can’t do that, dear.” Giving her a beatific smile he continued stalking her until she made a break for the door. With a quick dive he snared one of her ankles, pulling her off her feet and then away from the sanctuary offered by the door leading to the hallway.

“Let go of me!” She demanded in a rising voice. “I’ll scream, I swear I’ll scream.”

“Go ahead.” Garret moved his hands up her legs and over her hips until he had a good, solid grasp of her narrow waist. “Everyone has been instructed to leave us alone no matter what they might hear in here. Jessica and I suspected this could get kind of ugly for awhile.

Now, for the last time.” He questioned in soothing tones. “Are you going to listen to reason here, it would make things so much easier, you know.”

In answer, she drew in a deep breath and let out a bloodcurdling scream right in his ear.

“Ouch.” Shaking his head half regretfully, Garret told her. “You can’t say I didn’t give you the chance to avoid this, young lady.”

She kicked at him which he easily avoided without letting go of his grip, then dragged her kicking, screaming form towards a nearby couch.

“Just remember that you asked for this.” He informed her once she was sprawled across his lap on the couch and began lifting her skirts and petticoats away from the part of her anatomy he’d threatened.

“I still don’t believe you’d do…” SWAT!! “Owww! Stop that!”

He didn’t. Not for awhile anyway.

“I still can’t believe you did that.” Rubbing her sore bottom, Deirdre gave Garret a hurt look. “I thought you loved me!”

“Oh, I do, dear.” Sighing, he ruefully gave a reddened hand a shake. “But sometimes one has to hurt the one he loves whether he wishes to or not just to keep that one safe.”

“You big Bully.” She snorted. “Girl beater. You’ll regret that, I promise.”

“Oh, I’m sure I will.” Nodding agreeably Garret gave her a sunny smile. “But now it’s time to start organizing for our trip.”

Letting out a heavy, put upon sigh, she asked. “When do we leave?”

“When the tide goes out in the morning.”

“That’s awfully early, isn’t it?” Deirdre made a moue of distaste.

“A bit before dawn, yes.” Garret nodded. “So since when did you complain about being up and about at the crack of dawn?”

“Since I got beaten into agreeing to go on this trip.” She grumbled then gave him a sour look. “You remember, the beating you just gave me?”

“It wasn’t a beating.” He corrected. “It was a spanking, which you richly deserved and have for a while now.”

“All right, all right.” She grumped, still rubbing her stinging backside. “You win. I’ll go, but I’m not doing this willingly.”

“Just so you do it, dear lady.” He answered.

“I said I would, didn’t I?”

“Then maybe you should, you know, go see what your maids are packing for the trip.” Garret answered easily. “They might even let you veto some choices, or make a few of your own if you get there soon enough.”

“Hmmph!” Was all the answer she gave, other than carefully slamming the hall door behind her with all the force she could muster.

“You planned this!” Deirdre accused then paused in her glaring at Garret to throw up in the bucket once again. “Oh, it will be a lovely, relaxing sea voyage, dahhrliiin… Urgghhh!”

“How was I to know that you’d be prone to seasickness?” The knight asked reasonably between bites at the still steaming leg of Turkey he was munching with great enjoyment.

“Do you HAVE to do that in front of me?” She asked plaintively then after another look lunged for the bucket again.

“Do what?” Garret innocently questioned after taking another bite of the succulent fowl.

“That!” Waving towards the meat she made a face and worked to keep from throwing up again. “Can’t you just throw that out the window?”

“It’s a porthole on a ship, love.”

“Whatever.” She grumbled. “Just, please get it out of my sight.”

“I’m finished with it anyway.” The man shrugged and tossed it into the bucket Deirdre had been using. “Though it’s almost time for dinner. The captain would really like to see you for at least one meal aboard.”

“Don’t talk to me about fooooo.”

“Oh, stop tormenting the poor girl, Garret.” Jessica admonished from the doorway. “I think she’s suffering quite enough without that.”

“Jess.” Deirdre almost begged. “Kill me now, I won’t even fight. You’d be doing me a real favor since I’m going to die anyway pretty soon It would save me lots of needless suffering.”

“Oh, don’t be so melodramatic.” Jessica chuckled. “You aren’t going to die. You’re getting better, I can see that. You aren’t nearly as bilious a green in the face or heading for the bucket as often as you did yesterday.”

“Fine friends I have.” The ragged looking black haired beauty grumbled. “Won’t even give a girl the mercy stroke when she begs for it.

While the man who supposedly loves me.” Her glower was much more the usual Deirdre than it had been the day before on their first day at sea as she regarded Garret with a venomous look. “EATS in front of me when he knows just the thought of food, let alone the sight and smell of it is something I CAN NOT TOLERATE!!”

“Yes, she is getting better.” Garret nodded to his sister. “She’s actually yelling again when she gets herself into a snit.”

“OUT!” The subject of that observation screamed. “GET OUT AND LET ME DIE IN PEACE!”

The contents of the bucket, noxious in the extreme, splashed against the closed cabin door just after an amused Garret and Jessica slammed it behind them on their way out.

“No one on the crew is going to want to clean that up.” Garret observed as the vile stuff began leaking out from the crack under the door.

“Well, I guess your little darling will do it then.” Jessica grinned half maliciously. “Either that or get sick every time she takes in a breath.”

“She’d do that just to spite me.” The knight ruefully answered.

Care to make a wager on that?” Jessica questioned with a grin.

“How much or what?” He asked.

“How about that gown I’ve been wanting if she does clean it against that saddle you’ve been drooling about?”

“Done!”

“Twenty minutes later a smirking Jessica patted Garret on the shoulder. “The color I want is dusty rose, brother dear.”

“You two planned that, didn’t you?”

Jessica simply shrugged in answer and flashed him a mischief filled grin.

The next morning, their third day at sea, Garret walked up on deck to find a once again resplendent Deirdre watching the rising sun as the crewmen worked at their various tasks. Moving to stand beside her, he carefully didn’t look at her while saying. “You appear to feel better this morning.”

Well enough to halfway scandalize my maids by having the cook’s boy haul hot water for a proper bath to my cabin before I was ‘suitably’ dressed.” She answered then chuckled. “None of the maids, by the way, would clean up the mess I made yesterday even when I threatened dire things if they kept refusing. Mina simply handed me a bucket of soapy water, a mop, and some rags then left.”

“Well, Mina isn’t exactly your run of the mill maid, you know.”

“No, she isn’t.” Deirdre shrugged then actually laughed. “She informed me that they had all cleaned up following my tantrums enough and that it was time that I started paying the price for my tempers.”

Garret winced. “What did you do after she told you that?”

“Agreed with her.” Sighing, she gave him a glance full of humor at her own expense. “Then I cleaned up my mess. It isn’t as if I hadn’t done things like that before. Though I did have to throw the clothes I was wearing overboard after that. Though they would have likely gone that way without the cleaning given the fact that I hadn’t changed them for two days and actually was quite ill that first day at sea.”

“I know you were.” Garret carefully reached out an arm and put it lightly around her shoulder. “Though you just being petulant that second day, weren’t you?”

“I was still ill.” She retorted and stiffened then let out a small laugh while she relaxed. “But yes, I was being a bitch because I was feeling well enough to take things out on someone else but not really well enough to feel good.”

“Would you be interested in breakfast then, M’lady?” Garret asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

“A light one.” Deirdre nodded then swallowed as the ship lurched from a larger wave than usual. “Maybe I’d better start with some broth to see how that sets once it’s down in my stomach.”

“I think that would be wise.” He agreed.

“Wouldn’t do at all to puke on the Captain’s table, would it?” She grinned at him.

“Probably not the best way to make an impression, no.”

“Have a bucket handy though.” She told him. “Just in case.”

“Of course.” Garret nodded as he took her arm and guided her to Captain’s cabin.

Captain Jared Wolfe, commander of the Jhalmarian Sloop Christina had been delighted when Deirdre joined his other illustrious guests for breakfast in his cabin.

“Welcome, my lady.” He graciously greeted her with a bow and light kiss that fluttered on the palm of her hand. “I am pleased that you are feeling better, and please forgive the roughness of the voyage those first few days.”

“Thank you, Captain.” Deirdre smiled at the man, noting that his lean if short form was not only well muscled, but more than a little appealing. Especially with his squarish face strong features and sharp hazel eyes. “And the roughness of the early voyage wasn’t your fault, I know that. The gods give whatever they please, I just thank them that they didn’t send a storm to test me on my first time at sea.”

“I’ll add my thanks to your’s M’lady.” Captain Wolfe smiled. “No sailor enjoys navigating in a storm, not even a small one.”

“Oh, stop with the courtly manners, Jared.” Duke Lamont chuckled. “The lady is quite comfortable with plain words and honest intents.”

“Trust me, Captain.” Dierdre agreed. “I am not your usual shrinking violet or social butterfly flitting around the reflected light of their majesties Cedric and Evaine.”

“So I’ve heard.” The Captain nodded with a grin then turned to Garret. “Boy, if you manage to do something to drive this one off, I’ll personally tie the rope to keel haul you with.”

“I’d deserve that if I did drive her away, uncle.” Garret answered with a too serious expression on his face. “And would probably help you tie that rope should that happen.”

Deirdre gave Garret a narrow eyed look then quietly asked. “Is there anyone in this kingdom you aren’t related to?”

“You are something of a surprise, m’lady.” Mina told Deirdre as they shared enjoyment of the sunshine and breeze at the starboard mid-ships rail of the Christina.

“I’m a surprise?” Deirdre snorted. “How do you think I felt when I discovered I had both a one-time assassin, and evidently a very good one, along with one of Lord Vertigan’s better protégés posing as two of my maids?”

“Oh, we aren’t posing.” Mina answered easily. “We are maids. Just rather unusual ones.”

“Fit companions for a ‘lady’ who still has trouble with the idea that she has the needed physical characteristics to be a lady, I suppose.” Deirdre shrugged then chuckled. “Quite a group, aren’t we, Mina?”

“Oh, yes, m’lady.” Mina smiled in response to that question. “A trio no sane person, male or female, would try to harm, I can assure you.”

“I’m nowhere near as formidable an opponent as either you or Bertelle would be.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Deirdre.” Mina answered firmly. “You survived running the streets of Jhalmar until Garret found you, and I’m certain you managed to learn a few tricks and nasty surprises to spring on anyone stupid or uninformed enough to think of you as nothing more than a fluttery little lady of the court.”

“When mother or Katrina weren’t actively boxing my ears for such – umm – exploits.” Deirdre smiled then winced at some of the memories that brought up. “And believe me when I tell you that both of them got lots of practice at hitting my poor ears. Not to mention other body parts.”

“So you’ve always been willful and intransigent with authority?” Mina questioned with a chuckle.

“Up until Garret chose me at that tournament.” The dark haired lady – in spite of her protests of the fact, she was one already – nodded. “I was always at odds with someone who had my ‘better interests and welfare’ at heart. Or so they would tell me while applying that so-called strong hand.”

“If it’s any help.” Mina offered. “My childhood was pretty much the same in that respect.”

“Did you ever knuckle under?” Deirdre questioned.

“ Did you?”

“No.”

“We have more in common than you may think then, m’lady Deirdre.” Mina grinned. “Including all the bruises we accumulated while growing up.”

“Are those sails?” Deirdre pointed at the horizon just as the lookout called out. “Sail Ho!”

“Good eye, m’lady.” Mina approved as she watched the horizon. “I see another set of them, too. Two ships and heading towards us.”

“Am I being needlessly paranoid, or is that a bad thing?”

“Paranoia when people actually are trying to kill one is a survival characteristic.” Mina answered as the crewmen began filing to the armory to collect weapons.

“I was afraid of that.” Deirdre breathed.

Mina started removing weapons from the bag she had carried with them when they had come from below decks. Deirdre watched for a few moments then asked. “What have you got there that would be useful in this kind of situation?”

“These, for one.” The one time assassin showed a brace of hiltless daggers. Then produced another with a leather wrapped hilt. She offered that one to Deirdre.

“No thanks.” The other waved it away as she produced a finely made dagger of almost priceless Imlarian steel. “I have one of those. Got anything else?”

“You should get below where it will be safe.” Mina shook her head and tried to pull Deirdre towards a hatch leading to below decks.

“If those ships manage to catch us, I’d probably be a whole lot safer up here knowing what was happening.” Deirdre’s chin was set and her eyes flashed. “Now what else have got in that bag, Mina?”

“These.” The other unwrapped a slender sword and finely made mace with a wickedly barbed head. “Though I really think you should go below.”

“Not going to happen, Mina.” Deirdre shook her head, then pointed at the mace. “Give me that one.”

“At least do something about those skirts you’re wearing.” Mina pleaded, thinking Garret would probably kill her for this one, but the headstrong young woman at her side wouldn’t go easily to the dubious safety of her cabin. That much was obvious.

“All right.” Deirdre started to lean forward so she could rip her skirts away then caught the slight motion of Mina lifting a sap behind her and turned with a glare that would have stopped a charging bull in its tracks. And sent it running the other way. “Don’t even think of trying that, Mina. You’d win, I’m sure, but we’d be wasting time while you did and those ships are coming at us pretty fast.”

“How does Garret put up with you?” The supposed maid questioned while helping the recalcitrant and too observant lady to cut her skirts away.

“Ask him, not me.” Deirdre replied with a half smile as she experimentally moved in nothing but her underwear, and gave the mace a tentative, exploratory swing. “Nice.”

“I intend to.” Mina answered then under her breath added. “Providing I can keep you alive so he won’t have me drawn and quartered because I let you do this idiotic thing.”

“Give it up, Mina.” The dark haired girl was tying her hair up out of the way, and grabbed a kerchief off the belt of a passing sailor. That she wrapped around her head to keep the hair out of the way. Then snatched a pair of pants that had been drying on the rigging. As she pulled those one, Deirdre gave Mina a long, somber look. “I’ve been in life or death situations before, believe it or not, and am no tyro when it comes to fighting.”

“You might want to strap those down.” Mina gestured at Deirdre’s breasts thrusting against the corset and corset cover. They could be distracting for you.”

“And for them.” Deirdre grinned nastily.

“Garret is going to kill me.” Mina moaned. “Slowly, over a low fire.”

“Worry about that later.” Deirdre advised.

“Good point.” Mina drew in a breath and shrugged. “Well, who wants to live forever, anyway? I’ll have your back, m’lady.”

“I know you will, Mina.”

The two women, standing among sailors ready for a fight, managed to remain largely unnoticed. But to be fair, everyone’s attention was on the pair of ships closing on the Christina.

“Sloops, Cardasian from the sail configuration.” Jared told Garret who was beside him on the quarterdeck. “Bastards are faster than we are, but we can steer into the wind a bit better. They carry too much sail to tack as well as we can.”

“Does that give us any advantage?” Garret questioned quietly as his father the Duke emerged from belowdecks in leather armor similar to what his son wore to join them.

“Probably not.” Jared responded honestly then bellowed a series of commands to the sailors swarming the rigging before returning his attention to the approaching vessels and the conversation. “But I’ll take whatever the gods give me.”

“Are the women safely below?” Garret asked his father.

“Your mother is fuming and protesting.” Lamont grinned. “And you lady’s cabin is locked tight with some of my personal guards warding it.”

“You heard nothing at all out of Deirdre?” Garret nervously questioned as he scanned the sailors gathered on the main deck.

“No.” Lamont cast a curious then worried look at the companionway leading down.

“That’s worrisome.” The younger man began to move towards the ladder leading to the main deck only to be stopped by the Captains hand on his arm.

“If she’s down there, nephew.” Jared bared his teeth. “It’s too late for you to find her before the action starts, and besides, my men will protect her with their lives.”

“That little idiot.” Garret grated. “If she thinks she got a spanking before…”

“A story I’ll look forward to hearing, boy.” Jared showed his teeth in a feral grin. “But later. They’re closing to within catapult and ballista range.”

Christina’s own catapults and lone ballista awaited the command to loose as the pair of approaching ships neared. Jared bellowed at the crews of those weapons. “Hold your fire! This is no friendly visit, but don’t waste shots at this range! Canon crews, be ready!”

“Canons?” Lamont gave the main deck a closer look then grinned. “So you managed to snag some of Harald’s new toys did you?”

“That I did.” Jared nodded. “Even if they don’t prove to be very effective as weapons they ought to at least scare the shit out of those bastards.”

“What’s grapeshot?” Deirdre asked Mina.

“No idea.” The former assassin answered, scanned the deck then pointed. “Look, just below decks there. See it?”

“A tube of iron?” Deirdre looked then shook her head. “What good will that be in a fight?”

“I think we’re about to find that out.” Mina replied then pushed the other towards the deck. “Down!”

The bolt from the attacking ship’s ballista thrummed through the space they had recently vacated.

“Cardasian regular navy.” Jared decided as the shots began to fly from the opposing vessels. “Though not flying the colors and definitely not it uniform, but it is their navy. I’m sure of that.”

“Can we get proof?” Lamont questioned as both attacking ships moved closer and some of their shots struck home, raising screams of pain and dying as they did.

“Not likely.” Jared answered. “These jackals have been raiding shipping for months. All we’d find aboard any of them would likely be things consistent with pirates.

“All weapons fire as you bear!” He bellowed even louder than before.

Thumps of ballista and catapults as they loosed their missiles were drowned out by a booming roar, fire, and belching smoke from the newly acquired canons.

“Gods.” Deirdre stared in disbelief as the effects of those ‘tubes of iron’ she had questioned earlier came clear through the acrid smoke they created.

Ears still ringing, she saw splintered railing, a demolished catapult, and a swath cleared through the men who had gathered on the facing side of the pirate in anticipation of a quick boarding. The sailors who had sent the fires of Hells at the opposition were laboriously dragging the monster back, swabbing its insides with rams tipped with dripping wet cloth, and were assembling more of the things that had wrought such noisy devastation.

“Prepare for boarders!” A petty officer yowled as the shaken, but undeterred pirates swarmed back to the rails and grabbed lines to swing aboard. The same petty officer roared. “Ware the grapples, lads!”

Deirdre suddenly found herself facing a savagely grinning sailor from one of the other ships raising a heavy, curved bladed weapon with intent to use it on her. Dropping to the deck and rolling away from the blow she heard a sickeningly heavy thunk as the weapon impacted the deck where she had stood. But while rolling she struck out with the mace in her hand and solidly hit the other’s knee. As he fell the mace met his descending head with a meaty thud and cracking of bone. “Eww!”

But she was up on her feet a moment later. “Oww!”

“Are you hurt, m’lady?” Mina anxiously looked her over for wounds.

“Squashed them when I rolled.” Deirdre grimaced.

“Told you to tie them down.”

“Oh, shut up.”

Another boarder was closing but stopped when Deirdre straightened her back and extended her considerable even if not huge assets.

“You’re drooling.” She calmly informed him then flattened the man with a sidearmed swing of her mace so fast it was hard to follow with the eye. “That’ll teach you to leer at a lady.”

“Less talk more action!” Mina hollered over the din of clashing blades and screams.

“Well, that was interesting.” Deirdre commented once the mayhem had subsided and the last of the raiders had been killed, driven off, or subdued.

“Speaking of interesting.” Mina tilted her head towards an obviously angry Garret stalking in their direction.

“Oh, hi, Garret.” Deirdre greeted him absently while examining one of the new canons. She turned to face him and grinned while patting one. “You know, we need more of these.”

“I told you it was a mistake to let her run around loose.” Mina commented as the man reached them.

“You were supposed to be keeping her out of trouble.” He glared at both of them for a minute, trying to decide which one deserved the first of his ire and settling on Mina. “What were you thinking?”

“On second thought.” Deirdre gave the canon a speculative look. “If we use these, pretty soon everyone will be. What a mess that would be.

“Then again, if we didn’t use them and someone else did...” The little beauty twisted her mouth into a little moue of concern. “This is giving me a headache.”

“Deirdre.” Garret interrupted the monologue in a dangerously quiet voice. “What were you thinking, standing here in the middle of a battle?”

“I wasn’t exactly standing here watching you know.” She answered tartly then lifted the mace still in the hand that hadn’t been touching the canon. “I was really too busy to just stand there looking pretty.”

“You could have been killed!” He moved to take her by the shoulders and shake her, but stopped at the directness in her ice blue eyes as they held his.

“Garret, I wasn’t a complete innocent before you found me, not even close.” She quietly informed him, then quirked her mouth in a one sided grin. “An idiot, maybe, an innocent, no. Life on the streets, even when you have some sort of home to go to when you’re done running around, is dangerous at times. Even in Jhalmar.”

“Even so.” Garret shook his head with a sigh and gave up. “What am I going to do with you, Deirdre?”

“I guess we’ll figure it out as we go, won’t we?”

“Are you hurt?”

“Well, I squashed my breasts rolling on the deck.” She told him with a grimace. “I don’t recommend that for fun, by the way. And I broke a nail.”

Garret gave Mina, who was actually stifling laughter, a helpless look that clearly asked. What am I supposed to do with her?

“Don’t ask me.” The former assassin smirked. “She’s your fiancée.”