Alwilda IV

“Excuse me,” she said, coming to a man who looked the best dressed out of the group. “Would you mind telling me why everyone looks like they’re at a funeral?” He looked up at her from his posture of despair on the deck.

“That’s because everyone is, or just was. What do you want anyway?”

“I would say to rob you but it doesn’t look like there’s much around here to rob. Whose funeral was it anyway?”

“Our captain’s, so if you don’t want to rob us get lost. I’m not in the mood to chat at the moment and I doubt anyone else does.”

“But I’m curious about how you’re going to deal with the situation. That way I can tell my crew what to do if I ever die. I’ve never thought about dying before, I would hate for my crew to be put in an awkward position by my death,” Alwilda said. The man glared at her.

“Have you no idea how much you are bothering me at the moment?”

“No, and I don’t really care,” Alwilda declared. “You still haven’t told me what you’re going to do.”

“Elect ourselves a new captain, now get lost.”

“Will you be the new captain, or could I be?” Alwilda asked, her face now looking calculating. She looked around at the ship, now properly taking inventory of her surroundings. “You have a pretty large crew here, and a nice ship, though not as nice as ours. So what do you say? Interested in joining forces under me?”

“No, now go away,” said the man. Unfortunately his head was at a level, while he was sitting on the deck, that Alwilda’s foot could connect with his jaw.

“Wrong answer, you see I have decided that I am taking over both this ship and this crew. If you would like to fight me for them I am willing.” The man wasn’t actually capable of answering from where he lay, spitting blood on the deck. The rest of the crew of course had gathered around by now, both the men from the ships crew and Alwilda’s crew. The men grew quiet when they saw Alwilda standing over their fallen second in command, regal and victorious. Slowly, very slowly, they joined in the cheering of Alwilda’s crew.

“Does this mean that I am accepted as this crew’s captain?” Alwilda asked them. The men looked around, they were surrounded by girls who were heavily armed, at the moment things were friendly but they could only guess what things would become if they said no. They cheered again, a little more weakly, but it was approval nonetheless.

The king of Denmark had returned to his kingdom and was now listening to reports on matters that his ministers thought of as important. Prince Alf was absent, though he was supposed to be in attendance at such things. He never went to public affairs unless he was ordered to, specifically, by his father. Many of his father’s advisors cited these tendencies as proof that the monarchy was going to take a disastrous turn in the next generation. There was nothing they could do about it however. Prince Alf was the only son that the king of Denmark had, and therefore was the only possible heir.

“There is a new pirate crew that has been preying on our shipping that we might want to do something about, Your Majesty,” said the eldest and most trusted attendant of the king. “They were only pests before but they have now gained more men and are becoming a problem. Our trade revenues are shrinking quickly and if we don’t do something soon our treasury will be completely depleted.”

To be continued...