Excalibur's Seven - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

FOR A PRINCESS AS important as herself, Giselle hadn't been on such an adventure in what felt like ages. Maybe that's why she didn't want to go home yet. There was something so compelling about these four strange humans and their quest.
There was also something compelling about the lady knight in particularly, in front of whom she sat on the back of a dark mare as they rode through rolling green fields in search of a port city called Redbágh. Her arms were strong as they held the princess in place and commanded the horse forward with a powerful flick of the reigns.
Perhaps if she or Morgana had the slightest idea how to ride a horse, the poor man wouldn't have had to ride with Kit, clutching loathsomely to the crevices of his armor, cheek pressed to his back because there was nowhere else to put it. She liked Selene's company, though, so she couldn't complain.
Morgana was dear to her, more dear than anyone else she knew, but she couldn't look at him without fearing for him. Selene knew how to handle herself, and it was refreshing. Giselle could relax with her. And Selene had long since made her point by now that she was on Giselle's side, so nothing about her made her afraid for her own safety.
Her thoughts traveled from her companions to the scenery as they got closer to the seaside. It was a refreshing change, no longer surrounded by trees, instead racing through green hills of fragrant flowers and birds flying high in the sky. She felt much freer in the open space.
The sea began to stretch out before them, a glistening body covered in thick fog. Once they got to the shore, they would continue on until they found Redbágh, a busy port village where most of Avalon's trade came in. All they could do was pray that no one too important recognized Kit and Selene while they were there.
The village began to peek through the mist, giving way to the glorious sight of enormous ships and hustling townspeople going about their business with purpose. The village was much larger than Fells, though not nearly as big as the capitol city.
"We're here," Chalice shouted over the wind as they slowed to a walking pace. "This is Redbágh."
Selene jumped to the ground, but didn't urge Giselle to do the same as she followed Chalice into the village, leading her mare as she went. They stopped first at a public stable, where Selene lifted the Seelie from the horse with strong hands at her waist, setting her gently down onto the hay-covered ground.
There wasn't much talking from anyone but Eurion, who was telling Chalice about the town. Giselle observed her to be familiar with the area, and she had to wonder whether it had anything to do with the fact that she was a foreigner. Perhaps this was the first she'd seen of Avalon.
No one gave them so much as a glance so far. They were all too busy to care, and if anything, they were probably used to people who didn't fit in. This was a port, after all. Giselle assumed they'd encountered their fair share of bizarre ensembles. They wouldn't be any different.
Eurion took the lead this time, showing them to a tower standing near the busy docks. Inside the tower looked to be a small shop of supplies and maps. There was a counter there meant for a worker, but no one was there. Eurion took the liberty of stepping behind it and examining wooden boxes full of various books, flipping through pages until she found what she was looking for.
"Here he is. Hyatt Conrad, Lady of Neptune. He's a greedy son of a gun, but he's not that dangerous to my memory," she told them, finger tracing down the page. Finally, she just tore the paper away, folding it up and stuffing it into her pocket. Chalice helped her put the books back to normal, and soon Eurion was leading them right back out of the tower.
"What's that?" Kit asked, watching Eurion with a curious eye.
"It's his record, it'll tell me when he's meant to come in and out and where he is now. What's the date?"
Only Chalice seemed to know, everyone else had lost track already. Of all of them, Giselle thought Chalice to be the smartest, and perhaps the most useful. Everything they did only succeeded because of them. They were becoming one of Giselle's favorites.
Eurion took the information Chalice gave and scanned the page again, until her eyes lit up.
"He should be here right now if I'm reading this right," she said. "He leaves at nightfall."
"An odd time to sail," Kit noted.
"He says it makes good time, or something."
"So how do we get onto this Lady of Neptune?" Selene wondered, eyes already searching for the ship.
"Pay him for a ride. Offer him money and a hand on his crew, I guarantee he'll let you on. But you're going to need to get rid of... all that." She gestured to her armor, then looked to Kit as well. "You'll need to look like anyone else he lets onto his ship, not a pair of royal knights who could very well be there to arrest him."
Selene looked down at her armor with a pout. It was like a second skin to her, even Giselle wasn't used to seeing her without it when she took it off to sleep. She herself wouldn't know how to move with such heavy attire, but Selene had likely trained with it since she was a child and felt at home in it.
"It's okay, my dear," Giselle told her, placing a hand on her arm. "I'm sure you'll be fine without it. You've got excellent swordsmanship."
A blush dusted the Lady's cheeks, and Giselle pretended she didn't know why.
"What about Morgana and Giselle?" Kit wondered. "I'm sure he wouldn't want to sail with faeries."
"I can glamour us," Giselle offered. As a Seelie, she tried to be sparing with her glamour, but this was a moment that needed it, so she'd be willing to share hers.
That seemed to satisfy Eurion. "He's sailed with some tricky folk, but you're safer if you don't draw attention. Glamour is a good idea." She tossed a glance back at the docks, then to the group once more. "So it's settled. We're a crew looking for a ride to the deserts, and we're willing to pay extra. As soon as I can, I'll go search for the shard, but you all need to cover me."
Selene and Kit offered dutiful nods, like they'd just received orders from a respected leader. Of all the members of their little ensemble, Eurion was the last Giselle expected to be a leader. But she knew the most about this little endeavor so far, it only made sense.
There would be no need to find an inn tonight, they would be staying on the ship if things went their way. But first they had to eat and find somewhere to change.
Kit and Selene shed their armor behind a building and left it at the stables with the horses, and Giselle took a moment to glamour herself and Morgana. All she did for him was cover his skin and his wings the way he'd glamoured himself when he was drawing strength from Kit, but she needed to do more for herself.
She pulled her lavender hair back out of her face and glamoured it into a dusty black, covering the vines growing from her arms and the shimmer of her skin, then the wings at her back and the glow of her cheeks. She didn't know what she looked like, but she hoped it was human enough.
"Is this alright?" she asked, giving Selene a little twirl.
The Lady was quiet for a moment, lips parted as she stared at her, eyes moving up and down. "Yeah," she managed. "Yeah, it's good."
Giselle knew her to be stoic and hard to read, but when it came to herself, the Seelie didn't miss the way she stared. She didn't miss the intensity of her longing, like she finally knew what she wanted when her eyes fell on the princess. She had to say, she liked the attention.
Their little moment was interrupted when Morgana cleared his throat. "We're going to eat," he said. "You ladies coming?"
It was easier for Giselle to break away, nodding at him and taking his hand, following after him on the short walk to a lively pub.
The sun was lowering now, and the drunkards were finding their way to the bar. Giselle didn't much care for crowded pubs, but it would get them what they needed. Thankfully, Eurion found a table tucked away in the corner, isolated from everyone else filling the space.
Their disguises seemed to work just fine. Kit looked plenty raggedy, and Selene knew how to play the part of pretty, mysterious lady well enough that no one was suspicious of how pristine she still looked. Giselle's glamour was holding up, no one pointed out the girl with purple hair so far. She hoped it would stay this way.
For once, they were able to eat better meals than fish and berries from the woods, and Kit helped himself to perhaps one too many drinks. He wasn't falling over by the end of their trip to the pub, but his words slurred just enough that Giselle worried whether he could keep up their act.
Night had fallen by the time they came back outside, the town now lit up by torches and lanterns, bathing the village with an orange glow. They headed back for the docks, all keeping an eye out for the Lady of Neptune. Eurion said the ship wasn't the biggest there, but it was big enough to be noticed.
Giselle must've been too distracted looking for the ship to watch her step, as she ran right into a tall man. His face was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't tell who it was under the dim lights. "Apologies," she muttered, hurrying on to catch up with the others again.
"I found it!" Selene said proudly. She was the one to lead the group, they decided, marching up to the captain of the Lady.
"Hyatt Conrad," Selene announced. The man looked up with a bored expression, like there was a hundred other things he'd rather be doing.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Fiona, this is my crew. Our ship crashed here a week ago and we haven't been able to recover it but we've all got to get back to the deserts. I heard you're passing through." The lie fell so effortlessly from her lips, Giselle almost felt inclined to believe her herself.
"That sucks, hope you get your ship back soon."
Selene sighed and tossed a bag at his feet.
He froze, looking up at her with a high brow. "I'll take three of you, that's it."
She tossed down another bag. "I can just keep it coming if that's what you want."
He huffed and picked up the pouches of money. Once he'd deemed them legitimate, he looked up at the men already on the ship. "Ease up, boys, we got six temps."
A cheer was heard from the ship, the man probably happy to get a small load off of their hands. Conrad helped them onto the ship, handing them off to the crewmates to get them settled in.
Eurion felt right at home, already beginning a banter with the boys. Morgana and Chalice stuck to one corner in introverted silence, while Giselle kept close to Selene. She wasn't afraid of a couple crude sailors, but she didn't exactly enjoy their company either.
She couldn't say the same for Kit, still-tipsy and incredibly loud, gathering a small crowd of rowdy crewmen.
"Now listen here, I'm not unpopular, I'm just saving myself. All this—" he gestured to his body. "It can't be given out for free."
The men erupted into laughter.
"Tell me about your first," one said. Kit went on to recount all two of his past lovers, a maid he never saw again and then a woman he almost married.
"That girl was smart," Selene murmured. "Kit is a good kid, but I don't think he's ready for love, even now."
"How is she now?"
"She's well, I believe she married a merchant. Lovely woman, not a good fit for him."
Giselle simply nodded. She studied Kit a bit longer, tilting her head. She didn't really know what to think of him. He had an odd way of thinking, an odd list of priorities. But she could see good in him. She didn't miss how his people became more important than his mission to impress the King. She didn't miss how, no matter how angry Morgana made him, he seldom raised a fist to him.
She noticed that he was good, as flawed as he was. A small smile lifted the corners of her pink lips.
"Well, then," Conrad announced as he stepped into the ship, pulling her from her thoughts. "Welcome aboard the Lady of Neptune. Boys, lift the anchors and set our course for the Southern Deserts."