Obey Your Captain

A light emanated from within the house, a candle flickering to light. He didn’t have much time.

Baron squeezed her hand that was nestled on his forearm, a very gentlemanly posture. Not that he was not a gentleman, but she had to smile as they walked to her childhood home. A new fern decorated the front garden. Apart from that, the house was as she remembered the last time she was there.

Baron led her past the brick wall, up the stone path, stopping at the large heavy front door. She knocked, a faint smile at seeing their butler, Cormack. He had brought her and sister up as much as her parents had. They couldn’t afford to pay him as they once had… nevertheless he stated he would stay with the family. It was a sense of comfort knowing he was looking after her.

The door opened to display a man she did not recognise. “Can I help you?” he asked sharply.

“Where’s Cormack?”

“Who?”

“Is my mother here?”

“No.” The door began shutting but Baron was quick to barr the way, sticking his boot between the door and frame.

“This is the Warren residence. Who are you?” Baron barked, forcing the door open.

“The Warrens are gone. Remove your foot from my property.”

“What do you mean gone!” Kaliyah thundered. “This is my house!”

“Not anymore.” The man struggled with the door, trying to shut them out.

Kaliyah had had enough, she pushed on the door, forcing it open and the man behind it, stumbling backwards.

“Get out of my house,” she demanded, waltzing in to quite an unfamiliar entrance hall. Portraits and paintings adorned the walls she had never seen before. The table that was ornate and kept her father’s equipment was gone. “Where are my possessions?”

“Miss Warren. The house was taken by the city. It is not yours anymore. I apologise you were not informed but I kindly request you leave my property.”

“Where is my mother!?”

“I do not know. Please, before I call the guards.” He gestured more forcefully back towards the door she had burst from.

“Kaliyah, we shall go speak to the Lord Neverember. I apologise that we disturbed you, sir,” Baron announced, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“No! This is my father’s house!”

“Come, Kaliyah.” Baron dragged her from the entranceway, out through the door whilst she struggled.

“That is my house!” she screamed.

He dragged her further away before sitting on a nearby bench, twisting her arms around her body for everyone’s protection. “Shh, we will get to the bottom of it, my Pouco. Yes it is your house but we must go about this properly.”

“No!” She struggled against him, wanting to go back and blast that bastard to kingdom come!

“Shh, shh. We will find your mother and make everything how it should be. Hush now. You must calm for us to do what we must.”

She swallowed. He was right. He was always annoyingly right.

Calming herself purely for the fact if she didn’t they would not be able to find her mother, her sister. She wouldn’t be able to find out why a stranger was in her home.

Wiping her eyes from her furious tears with her shoulder, she took a few steadying breaths. Just trying to control the torrent of red hot anger.

“I must find her, then we can speak to the Lord. I cannot fathom where she would go.”

“Many know your family, we will ask around. Someone will have seen her,” Baron reassured.

“I do not understand,” she mumbled. “Why would the city force my mother from her house? I had a deal. She could stay.”

“I do not know, Pouco, we will find out. I promise.”

She stood, swiping her hair back into place before scanning the streets as if they may give her a clue. As if she could see her mother fleeing the house and map where she had gone.

Why hadn’t she said anything? She had received a letter from her mother not two months before… surely this hadn’t happened within that time?

Surely she would have written to inform her?

Baron fell in step as she made her way towards the market, thinking that would be the best place to begin.

The baker was her first stop. After her customer was finished, Kaliyah stepped up to the stall outside the baker’s house. “Xion, have you seen my mother?”

“Oh, Miss Warren. I didn’t know you would be back so soon. You want a rye loaf?”

“No… I was hoping you would know where my mother is.”

“Oh, a terrible state of times, miss.”

“What happened?”

“Middle of the night, there was braying on my door, I have always been sweet for your family, Miss. Mrs Warren, in her nightclothes! So improper of her.”

“Xion,” Kaliyah prompted.

“Oh, she would not say! I think she was in panic, she just disappeared.”

“My sister?”

“She was not with her, I’m sorry Miss Warren.”

Kaliyah glanced to Baron in concern, her jaw clenching, “When was this?” her question came out more forceful than she wanted.

Xion flinched before responding, “Two month? A while, Miss.”

“You have not seen her since?”

“No Miss.”

“Where could they have gone?” she asked of Baron.

“I don’t know, Pouco, we shall ask around. Do you wish to split up?”

“Yes, we’ll cover more ground.”

“Very well, meet here in an hour.”

Kaliyah made her way through the market, unsure where her mother could have possibly gone. Asking shop keepers and market stall owners kept giving her the same response “Sorry, miss, haven’t seen her.”

She couldn’t have just disappeared into thin air! But that is what it appeared. She hadn’t been to the market for even bread in a month! She had to eat. She could only hope Baron had had more luck at the docks as she traipsed back to their meeting place.

“Mamma!” She started running as, next to Baron, was her family. “Seirra!” As soon as she reached them, she grabbed her sister, taking in her grubby, torn clothes. “What happened?”

“Let’s go somewhere with privacy,” Baron announced, his arm gently going around her mother’s shoulders, “Come, Mrs. Warren.” He directed them back to the dock until they reached his ship. Kaliyah was anxious for her question to be answered. She needed the story. Her stomach was in knots!

Baron directed her mother to a chair before going to his store, pulling out bread and cheese. Seirra’s face lit up at the food. Breaking the bread, he handed a chunk to each of them.

Seirra instantly took large mouthfuls before stiffening. “Thank you, sir.”

“Eat,” Baron encouraged, placing the cheese before them.

Kaliyah managed to wait for her mother to take two mouthfuls before she could contain herself. “Please, what happened?”

She bowed her head. “They came in the night. I couldn’t stop them.”

“What do you mean?”

“Guards. There was a writ of possession, they ordered us to leave. C-Cormack tried to stop it,” she sobbed. “They arrested him!” The bread fell from her hands as she buried her face.

“But… I made a deal.” Kaliyah could only search her mother’s hidden face. Look over a woman that looked greatly different from the last time she’d laid eyes upon her. Her usual perfectly done hair lay lank, the pins holding it in place long gone. Her face thinner, she was sure her frame beneath her torn dress was leaner also. It didn’t make sense.

“They seized everything. I couldn’t take anything. I didn’t know what to do.”

“You should have wrote to me… or gone to one of daddy’s friends.”

“They didn’t pay me any attention. I went to Canterberry, and Storsome. They acted as if I were just a common beggar!”

“How could everyone turn on us, so?” Seirra muttered in morose.

“I do not know, little sister. I will find out.”

“I will deal with this. You are welcome to reside on my ship whilst we look into this.”

“You cannot help, Captain. Thank you, but there is nothing that can be done. We have nothing.”

“You have me. I have taken responsibility for the Warren family.”

Her mother’s eyes narrowed towards the large male. “What do you mean?”

“I am taking your daughter’s hand in marriage. We plan on having our unity in the next few days.”

She looked to her daughter, “I… I cannot accept Seirra to-”

“You misunderstand me, Mrs Warren. Kaliyah is my intended.”

“Kaliyah? Are you sure?” The unspoken truth behind her words were clear to Kaliyah.

“He knows who I truly am. I’m sure.”

“She is not coming to you with a dowry of a-”

“I care nought for a dowry, Mrs Warren. I care I can look after your daughter. I care her burdens are put onto my shoulders. I care her family is in a place of safety.”

“You do not have to do that, sir.”

“On the contrary. It is my obligation. I never walk from obligation.”

“It is not your obligation, sir.” Her mother sat straight, prim and proper. “Thank you for your offer but we shall be departing.”

“Mother! I cannot pay the debt alone. It…” Kaliyah took a breath, giving a sideways glance to Baron, as if needing his encouragement. He stretched his hand out so she moved towards him, facing her family on the other side of his desk. “The debt and taxes are higher than I expected. It is more than my wage. I could sell Daddy’s ships and probably not raise enough. I made an agreement that increased the tax… Doubled it. I did not want to lose our home or Daddy’s ships. I’m sorry.”

“You should have told me. I’d have helped you.”

“It is not your responsibility, mother… it is mine.”

“Do not treat me like a child, Kaliyah. I could have helped you make the decision. Cormack could have helped!”

“You were ill with grief, mother. I just wanted to help.”

She sniffed, her nose going in the air. “That was not your decision, Kaliyah, and now we have no home.”

The guilt punched her harder than a sword to the gut. She felt herself recoil from the blow. It was her fault… but she was doing what she felt was best! Surely… surely that was clear.

“With all due respect, Mrs Warren, an agreement was made which appears to have been broken. While I understand your upset, I feel blaming your daughter will hinder any progress we will make. Have you heard anything from the city? Any information.”

“No. We have been doing what we can but no one would tell us anything.”

“Where have you been?” Kaliyah whispered.

Her mother looked away, putting her attention back to Baron. “Do you have a relationship with Lord Neverember?”

“Somewhat. I have contacts within the court.”

“I pray you will be able to put a word in on our behalf.”

“Mother? Where have you been? Why didn’t you write!”

“I do not have to answer you,” she snapped.

Kaliyah frowned, her chest tight. She couldn’t understand her mother’s hostility… they’d always been somewhat close. There had never been an ounce of disdain between them until today. She shuffled a touch closer to Baron.

“I will do all I can, in the meantime, please, the cabin next door is available for your use. You must be tired,” Baron announced, cutting the tension.

Her mother gave a stiff nod, leaving without another word.

Seirra hesitated. “Much has happened. She doesn’t mean her words.” Stepping around the table, she found Seirra’s arms tightly around her, “I missed you.”

“What happened, Ira?”

“Elves are not treated to kindness. She protected me… but we have had to eat.”

“You have full access to the galley here. Help yourselves.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“And no harm will come upon you on this ship. You have my word.”

“Thank you, sir.” She curtsied. “Please don’t be mad at her.” She gave Kaliyah another hug before following their mother out.

She stood there in silence a while, barely noticing Baron was sitting there. She had an inkling what may have happened… but she did not wish to believe it. She couldn’t understand how far her family had been forced to fall.

Where had they been sleeping? Why had none of their friends helped?

“Pouco.”

She looked up, startled that he had spoke.

“Come.” He tapped his thigh.

Usually, she’d roll her eyes, huff at his wish for closeness… right now, however, she needed that closeness. Grasping his hand, she straddled him, a position her mother would faint at. But as she glued herself to his chest a level of comfort washed over her. The words her mother said melted away with his arms wrapping her tightly in an embrace.

“She is angry, my Talpa. It is not you. I found them in the smuggler’s tunnel. It is no place for a creature, let alone a lady. The last two months have not been kind.”

“How can this happen?” Her face buried into his neck, his heart thumping against her nose. “I made an agreement, Baron. They cannot go against it… it cost me a fortune… it cost me daddys ships!”

“I know. We will get to the bottom of this. I wrote to a friend a few weeks ago, he should have some answers. Lord Torlar’s Captain of the Guard is coming to Blackwater, he should arrive on the morrow.”

“Thank you.”

“I told you. I’m looking after you.” His hand landed on her backside, rubbing soothingly over her breeches.

“We will get your mother and sister safe and situated. I have set our union for three days time…”

“It’s not enough time.”

“We can only see where we get with Lord Neverember. Try not to worry.”

“I worry my name is just a joke.”

“Of course you are not a joke. There has been a mistake, that is all. Your family will be compensated for the distress and blemish on the name.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I am the Captain Torlar, or did you forget?”

“So modest.” She snuggled closer to him, not feeling even Baron could find an answer or solution to what had happened.

It was a mess.