Canary in a Cage (Also, Pirates Raid the Kingdom)

[Doeteain Ean Evariic]

It hurt. It hurt so fucking bad. Doeteain's face still felt hot and damp from the genuine tears he'd shed through that last bout of torture, but at least they'd been shed and the king was satisfied for the time being. It left Doeteain to his own devices, curled into the foetal position on the cold stone floor. Behind him, one of his broken wings twitched, pulling at the chain that bound the two useless appendages together.

"Oi! Kid!" one of the guards barked, making Doeteain's entire body jolt. "Eat your dinner!"

Slowly, Doeteain sat, dragging the metal tray toward him. It wasn't much. A crust of bread, a cup of water. It was, however, enough to keep him alive. He'd tried hunger strikes in the past, but that had only resulted in a particularly unpleasant force-feeding session during which the king had made it very clear he was not to die. After all, keeping an Evariic hostage unknown was one thing; kidnapping one was entirely another.

Doeteain began picking his bread apart, trying to build an appetite. He should have been hungry. He should have been ravenous, really. But his stomach was churning, and the thought of trying to shove anything down his gullet only made him want to find a very dark place and curl up and die.

"How's the prince?" Doeteain asked quietly.

"Mind your own business," the guard sneered. Doeteain just sighed and sipped at his water.

He couldn't drink fast or swallow too large a bite, which made these meals all the more torturous. The collar around his neck was tight, and he'd discovered the hard way that it did, in fact, place limitations on his consumption. That in mind, he took as small a bite of the bread as physically possible, the movement chafing his wrists even more. That didn't bother him so much, though. He was used to that.

His other wing twitched this time, and Doeteain shot it a dark look over his shoulder when it rattled the chain. How did it expect him to do anything about the situation?

[Niya]

A few hours ago, Niya had stared across the expanse of ocean at the city of Ciimre and thought, "We are going to die."

He wasn't generally a pessimist by any stretch of the word. In fact, most people would consider him to be the most optimistic individual in existence. But Ciimre? They were going to attack CIIMRE?

"We," he had said to one of the deckhands, "Are going to be attacking that?"

"Yeah. That's what the Cap'n said anyways. Think we have a chance?"

"Of course we do," he had said. Like one in a million, but it was a chance. "I mean, I'm here. We can't lose."

"We are doomed," the deckhand had responded and had gone off somewhere else. Niya had smiled and leaned on the railing of the ship, watching as the foreboding city rose up in the distance.

Now, they were here. The attack had begun, and Niya was on the foot-party that would be going into the town while the ship blew apart the city's walls with huge cannons.

One of the city's guards jumped from one of the turrets above him. Niya quickly ducked out of the way and parried the blow with one of his daggers. With the other one, he quickly pulled it up and smacked the guard on the side of the head, then kneed him in the stomach before tossing his unconscious body to the ground. He didn't like killing if he could help it, so he was careful not to use the blade if he was able to get away with it.

Cheerfully, he ran towards the wall that would lead into the castle. A small grate lead down into the dungeons. That was his entrance point. He was going to rob this guy blind and walk away with enough gold to be a king of his own private island. Mae would be proud.

You'd think it would be obvious, but the grate was small. Only someone with his figure was able to get inside that way, and he planned to take full advantage.

Quickly, he began sawing at the bars. They were surprisingly strong, and he kept on getting distracted when things started blowing up everywhere. It was one of the most annoying things about this lifestyle. The noise. It was really very stressful.

Finally, he managed to break some of the bars and slipped into the thing.

"Hey!"

"Shit!" Niya cursed to himself. He had been noticed. The guard quickly trotted over to him and held up his sword. "Hello!"

The guy looked confused for a moment, as if he couldn't quite figure out why a pirate who had just snuck into the castle was smiling and pleasantly greeting him. The moment of hesitation was all he needed.

Niya grabbed the guard and slammed him into the wall several times, until he stopped moving and then, Niya skipped off into the dungeon, whistling as he went. At least, until he suddenly spotted something and drew up short.

There was someone in one of the cells...

He squinted his eyes in the darkness. "Are you dead?" he asked curiously.

[Doeteain Ean Evariic]

When Doeteain heard the sound of chaos erupting, he knew that his life was over, and he couldn't say that he was unhappy about that. The king has a reason to keep him alive, but he was sure that none of these people would give a second thought to killing him. Pirates... He didn't know that they wouldn't regret attacking Ciimre, but maybe in the meanwhile, he could catch a spare arrow? He scoffed at himself. Not likely. How much fighting was going to be done in the dungeons?

"Hey!" Doeteain heard the guard shout, and he scurried up into the corner before he realized he wasn't the object of the shouting. His eyes snapped toward the entrance to his cell. Perhaps his wish had come true, then?

There was a scuffle. Doeteain wasn't sure what had happened, but something had. Then, it was silent. He was pretty sure that the guard had won this battle and was marching back off for some reason or another, to do whatever it was guards did when the castle was attacked, until he caught a different figure walking. The guard hadn't been quite so slender...

"Are you dead?"

Doeteain gasped, his wings smacking against the wall with a clank of metal on stone. Well, any element of surprise he had to his advantage was gone now. Not that he could have done much. He could barely move with these stupid chains. He could only pray that these were pirates who dealt swift deaths. He shook his head before realizing that maybe that wasn't visible in the darkness... Others weren't as accustomed to it as he was, he was sure.

"U-umm, n-not yet," Doeteain stammered out. He tried to back against the wall more, but his wings-- the useless, stupid, irritating bulges that they were-- prevented that. He sorely missed being able to retract them, but he couldn't while they were bound. He didn't know if he could while they were broken, either, though... He swallowed, the collar feeling even tighter around his throat than normal. Man, he'd never felt more like a caged and cornered animal before...

[Niya]

"U-umm, n-not yet," stuttered the startled captive.

Niya stared for a long moment at the other. "Are those...wings...?" he asked, then shook his head."I'll get you out in just a moment."

Quickly, he moved over to the unmoving and silent guard, quickly patting down the body for keys. Finally, his fingers closed around them and he let out a sound of victory before moving over to the cell. He slid the key into the lock and pushed open the door and then stepped into the cell, kneeling down in front of the captive.

"What are you in here for? You're not dangerous or something are you?"

Upon closer inspection, Niya saw that yes, this creature did indeed have wings. That alone would have made him nervous. He didn't much like magical creatures, and people with wings tended to fall into that category. But somehow, he didn't feel at all threatened by this creature.

Without waiting for a response, he reached up and unlocked the collar at the creatures throat, then got the chains that bound his wings. One of them appeared to be broken. "That has got to hurt...you should come back to the ship with me. We have a physician on board. I'm sure they'd take a look at this for you. But first...I have some pillaging to do. I don't suppose you know where I can find the royal coffers?"

[Doeteain Ean Evariic]

"Are those...wings...? I'll get you out in just a moment."

Doeteain blinked, his wings doing their best to drop from attention. Had he said that? Was he being released? Or was it more of, I'll get you out in a moment, because it's better to rape, pillage, and plunder when no one's chained up? That didn't seem to matter, as soon, the pirate returned, the keys in his hand jingling. When the door was opened, Doeteain couldn't help but be a little intimidated. He was, after all, still chained to the wall and helpless. He barely even noticed the squeak that left his mouth when the intruder knelt in front of him.

"What are you in here for? You're not dangerous or something are you?"

Doeteain opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, the man reached up and removed the collar around his throat. He really meant it about getting him out... Reaffirming that even still, the man unchained his wings.

"That has got to hurt...you should come back to the ship with me. We have a physician on board. I'm sure they'd take a look at this for you. But first...I have some pillaging to do. I don't suppose you know where I can find the royal coffers?"

Blinking, Doeteain gave his unbroken wing a tentative flap. It felt stiff, but at least it moved; he didn't dare attempt the same action with the other wing.

"I-- I think I do..." If he could still remember how to get there from twelve years ago. He tried to stand, like other people stood. It had been a while... His legs suddenly buckled beneath him, and he grabbed onto the pirate to steady himself. "Oh-- I-- I'm sorry," he stuttered, releasing him and taking a step back. His legs gave out again, and he collapsed to the cold ground, eyes wide. Standing was hard...

[Niya]

"I-- I think I do..."the creature stuttered, trying to stand. Unfortunately, his legs gave out on him and Niya had to rush to catch him lest he fall and hurt himself. From what he could tell, he was already hurt fairly bad. The king obviously didn't take good care of his prisoners. In fact, it seemed like the king took great pleasure in treating his captive poorly."Oh-- I-- I'm sorry," he stuttered, quickly trying to get away.

Niya shook his head; he didn't mind. It wasn't like he had a thing with personal space. In fact, he was more often than not the one invading it. Still, it wasn't right that this creature had been treated like this.

Irritation swept through Niya. How could someone willingly hurt others like this? Keep them captive, torture them...and for what? What could possibly be the reason for such treatment?

"Here, I'll help," Niya told the other, maneuvering so that the other could lean on him. "What's your name? I feel somewhat awful referring to you as 'the creature' in my head. My name's Niya. At least, that's what I call myself and what I tell others to call me. I really don't know my real name. But what do they call you?"

[Doeteain Ean Evariic]

"Here, I'll help," the guy said, moving so that Doeteain could lean against him. Wide-eyed, Doeteain didn't know what to do except stand and take the offer for some support. He hadn't known people like this existed in real life. "What's your name? I feel somewhat awful referring to you as 'the creature' in my head. My name's Niya. At least, that's what I call myself and what I tell others to call me. I really don't know my real name. But what do they call you?"

"Th-they call me Ean here," he said. After a moment's pause, he added, "My name was Doeteain... Th-thank you. For un...unchaining me." He swallowed, bracing himself more firmly on Niya. Niya was warm, warmer than the king's clammy hands, and Doeteain found himself just wanting to collapse and nap for a good century. But no, they were supposed to be walking now. Heading to "the royal coffers." Doeteain gripped more tightly to Niya and tried to lead the way, but he barely remembered how to stand, and walking was proving to be harder. Still, he gave it his best effort. He just wished he could give it up and fly... Thinking of flying, Doeteain glanced back at Niya.

"Y-you think of me as-- as 'the creature'?" he asked quietly. He hadn't seen anyone except the guards and the king for the longest time. He didn't know how weird he was. Sure, he wasn't human, but that wasn't too abnormal, was it? He'd heard there was a whole tribe of beings like him... "Creature" made him sound more like an animal. Was he an animal? He didn't know, and thinking about that sort of thing made his brain hurt. He tried not to, and instead focused on walking. He really wanted out of these dungeons. He remembered liking the outdoors.

[Niya]

"Th-they call me Ean here. My name was Doeteain...Th-thank you. For un...unchaining me," said the winged boy. Niya made a note to call him Doeteain, or Doe for short. The people here had treated him awful. It wasn't right to call him the same thing as these guys had after what they'd done to him.

They began walking--more like hobbling--up out of the dungeons. Niya really hoped that Doe knew where he was going, because it would be a really bad thing if they got caught. It wasn't like they could run very fast. In fact, walking was proving to be pretty difficult. And if it came to a fight, he'd have to let Doe go, and that wasn't very nice, he didn't think.

"Y-you think of me as-- as 'the creature'?" Doeteain asked quietly.

Niya realized that it must have seemed like an insult, so he quickly moved to correct this. "Oh, I didn't mean it as a bad thing! But, I mean, people with wings...not exactly normal, y'know? And I've never seen someone like you. What are you?" he asked, then, backtracked, "Wait. That's probably rude to ask isn't it? Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I don't think of you as the creature anymore. You're Doeteain now. Or Doe, for short. I just didn't know what to refer to you as before you told me your name, see."

Niya grinned broadly at Doe, then, he heard the unmistakable sounds of boots. Gently, he pushed the winged-boy to the wall, careful not to hurt the injured wing. "Shh..." Niya held a single finger to his mouth, then, when the moment was right, he quickly held out his arm and caught one of the guards in a clothes-hanger. He dropped and Niya quickly stuffed a hand over his mouth and nose so he couldn't breathe. The second he passed out, Niya took his hand away and dragged the guard off to the side.

That done, he dragged a hand over his sweating brow. "Man, being a pirate is hard work..." he managed, "But c'mon. Let's continue."

He had barely stepped back out in the open, however, when he realized he'd made a grave mistake. That mistake had been assuming that there was only one guard to worry about. His eyes widened when he saw that there was in fact another guard, and he had aimed an arrow right at him.

Niya tried to get out of the way. He tried to also make sure that Doeteain got out of the way. He quickly grabbed him and pulled him to the ground, and the arrow flew. The guard's aim was true, though, and it slammed into Niya's shoulder. Thankfully, while the wound was agonizingly painful and knocked the breath out of him, it was not a fatal hit due to him jumping out of the way. It probably would have lodged in his throat if he hadn't moved.

Still, he sucked in a painful breath and then reached for one of his daggers, dragging it out of its sheath. The guard was rushing towards him, probably to capture him, but Niya wouldn't be captured. He flung the dagger at the guard and it landed in his throat between where his chainmail ended and the helmet began. Blood gurgled out of the wound and the man's lips before he fell limp to the ground.

Guilt filled Niya at the loss of a life, but it couldn't be helped. It was kill or be captured. "We h-have to hurry. The other guards are going to want to find out what happened to their friends."

He helped Doe to his feet as best he could, trying not to let the pain in his shoulder keep him occupied for long. They needed to get to the coffers quickly, or else Mae would be furious with him for not only letting himself get hurt, but for not bringing her any treasure as compensation.

He only hoped they wouldn't meet any more opposition on the way.

[Doeteain Ean Evariic]

"Oh, I didn't mean it as a bad thing! But, I mean, people with wings...not exactly normal, y'know? And I've never seen someone like you. What are you? Wait. That's probably rude to ask isn't it? Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I don't think of you as the creature anymore. You're Doeteain now. Or Doe, for short. I just didn't know what to refer to you as before you told me your name, see."

Niya smiled brightly, and Doeteain blinked at him, not knowing what to think. He couldn't seem to figure out what exactly it was that Niya thought of him, or what he wanted with him, for that matter. Maybe he was just being nice so that Doeteain would show him the way. Yes, that must have been it...

"Shh..." Niya pushed him against the wall gently, and Doeteain felt his wings try to retract, but when he saw Niya attack the guard, they shot back out of his back at the surprise. In the back of his mind, he'd known that Niya was dangerous-- he had taken out the guard in the dungeon-- but it was still weird seeing him attack someone. It completely went against the kindness he'd shown to Doeteain.

"Man, being a pirate is hard work... But c'mon. Let's continue."

"You are a pirate, then," Doeteain said quietly, moving to follow. He was still having trouble understanding Niya and his motivation. He gasped when suddenly Niya pulled him to the ground, his initial reaction being to scramble away. He didn't much like being pulled or pushed anywhere. But then he saw the arrow shoot into Niya's shoulder, and guilt overtook him. He really should have seen that one coming...

He watched, wide-eyed, as Niya withdrew a knife and flung it at the charging guard. It struck him, a fatal blow. Doeteain covered his mouth and pressed himself against the wall, a gasp catching in his throat.

"We h-have to hurry. The other guards are going to want to find out what happened to their friends."

Doeteain felt motionless as Niya helped him to his feet. He'd never seen anyone die before... That was one thing the king had never done. Still, he reasoned, he had seen (and been put through) worse torture than that. He swallowed the fear and latched on to Niya. He tried to move into a position more comfortable for both of them, but then his hand hit the arrow.

"Oh-- I'm sorry-- h-here, hold on." He grabbed the arrow and snapped it, pulling each end from Niya's shoulder, leaving the wound by itself. He'd seen worse, at least... Doeteain extracted himself from Niya, leaning against the wall, and took a deep breath. He was going to hate this.

He reached around himself and grabbed a hold of his broken wing. It needed to disappear, anyway, he supposed... At least now, his tears wouldn't be a waste. The things were so sensitive... He shut his eyes and pushed it against his back. A soft noise of protest escaped his lips, and he felt the tears welling up behind his eyes, but he kept pushing. He let out another small cry when the wing folded itself, and then it finally retracted; the only sign of either wing was the thin black outline of them he knew was on his back. He'd heard it looked like what they called a tattoo, but he didn't really know what that was, so it didn't help much. It had just always been there.

When he opened his eyes, a tear escaped his left one, and he caught it with his thumb. With a glance back to Niya's face, he pressed the thumb against the wound. When he took it away, it was almost healed. Not quite-- that would take another tear or two, and Doeteain didn't really feel up to that. But it at least was no longer a gaping hole.

"There... th-that should be okay until you get back to your ship. Just... don't make me do that again, okay?" Doeteain said shakily.

[Niya]

As they began escaping, Doe's hand brushed against the arrow and Niya sucked in a breath, trying not to make a sound. It wasn't like Doe had meant to, as was proven a moment later when the winged boy said, "Oh-- I'm sorry-- h-here, hold on."

Niya hadn't been sure what he had expected. But it certainly wasn't what happened. Doe snapped the arrow and Niya cried out. "Wh-why?" he asked, "Goddess, that bloody hurts!" he ground out.

He clenched his eyes shut against the pain, trying to squirm away from Doe, who was doing something weird to his wing. Suddenly, the wing retracted and Niya stared. He wasn't sure what was happening, but a moment later, Doeteain cried into his hand and pressed the tear against the wound. "What are you--"

Suddenly, he felt the wound sizzle for a minute and some of the pain receded. Niya stared at Doeteain. What the hell had just happened? Had his tear...had it healed him? Had he just used magic on him?

Magic had always made him nervous. Terrified him, really. He knew that it wasn't always used for bad. But something about it set him on edge. Any time he was near someone who used magic profusely, his heart would find its way into his stomach and wouldn't come out until that person was gone.

"There... th-that should be okay until you get back to your ship. Just... don't make me do that again, okay?"

"H-hey. I didn't make you do it the first time. That was entirely your choice," Niya managed, pressing a hand to the wound. It still hurt, but it wasn't quite so bad as it had been before. "What the hell was it? That thing you did...was it magic? Is that what they kept you in here for?"

[Doeteain Ean Evariic]

"H-hey. I didn't make you do it the first time. That was entirely your choice. What the hell was it? That thing you did...was it magic? Is that what they kept you in here for?"

Doeteain was still trying to find his breath when he answered, "That... depends on what you call magic... I'm... I'm an Evariic, and-- I think that's normal, for us. I heard somewhere an ancestor was a phoenix somewhere along the line. I mean-- I don't really know-- I never met any of my family... I was born into this. W-well, not the dungeon, originally-- I used to be a servant... But then the prince fell ill, and... I'm sorry; you don't care about all that," Doeteain muttered, shaking his head. Niya just wanted to get to the treasure. Doeteain owed him at least that much, for releasing him from the dungeons. Even if now, he seemed to be on edge, thanks to the healing. Was magic forbidden in Ciimre? Was what he did even magic? He felt so out of the loop...

Doeteain took a tentative step on his own shaky legs, like a fawn learning to walk. Niya was injured too, and without his wings, Doeteain felt a little more steady; he shouldn't have to lean on the pirate. Having the large, unwieldy wings retracted dulled the pain in them a little, and even that slight relief was glorious. Plus he didn't feel like the weight was about to rip his shoulders off.

"Follow me," Doeteain said quietly, snaking his way along the passage. Without looking back at Niya, he wound his way through a series of passages that left him a little dizzy; it had been a while since he'd moved so much. He'd definitely have to have a sit-down when they reached their destination.

Finally, as a passage broke into two separate halls, Doeteain paused.

"There are two guards at the base of this tower," he whispered to Niya, pointing in the direction they would be. "If you can take care of them, we'll want to go the other way."

[Niya]

"That... depends on what you call magic... I'm... I'm an Evariic, and-- I think that's normal, for us. I heard somewhere an ancestor was a phoenix somewhere along the line. I mean-- I don't really know-- I never met any of my family... I was born into this. W-well, not the dungeon, originally-- I used to be a servant... But then the prince fell ill, and... I'm sorry; you don't care about all that," Doeteain explained.

In actuality, Niya was very interested in what Doe was saying. He was curious, to say the least. Unfortunately, now was certainly not the right time to hear the story. They were in the castle of Ciimre, in the middle of a pirate raid, and Niya had just killed a guard and been shot with an arrow. The only thing he needed was to get the treasure and then disappear.

"Follow me," Doeteain said, and Niya did his best to keep up. Wasn't too difficult considering how hard it was for him to walk, but Niya was trying his best to do so stealthily. He didn't want to fight anymore if he could help it.

They finally came to a split in the halls. "There are two guards at the base of this tower," he whispered to Niya, pointing in the direction they would be. "If you can take care of them, we'll want to go the other way."

"So, basically, I gotta go and take out the guards and then we're home free?" Niya asked, "Easy! Wait here."

Niya darted down the hall and quickly dispatched the two guards. He thankfully had the element of surprise, so it wasn't too hard even with his injuries. He returned to Doe. "So, now we just gotta get the treasure and get out. We still haven't been noticed so--"

Niya's words were cut off as an alarm bell began ringing throughout the castle. "Shit," Niya muttered, "Doe...think you can run...? Because we'll need to!"

Without waiting for a response, Niya grabbed hold of Doe's hand and began running full-tilt. They had to be fast. It looked like Niya wouldn't be getting any treasure after all. Mae would be pissed, but there wasn't a lot he could do. Just to ease his fears, though, he nabbed a vase from the hallway as he ran. Maybe it'd be worth something. Besides. He'd found a new member of their crew. It wasn't like Doeteain had anywhere else to go. Maybe Mae would be happy he'd at least found him.

[Doeteain Ean Evariic]

"So, basically, I gotta go and take out the guards and then we're home free? Easy! Wait here."

Doeteain blinked and nodded as Niya ran off. He hadn't particularly planned on following after him and getting in the way, so that was an easy enough order to follow. Sooner than he'd expected, Niya was back, looking victorious.

"So, now we just gotta get the treasure and get out. We still haven't been noticed so--" As if cued, Niya's words were interrupted by an alarm reverberating through the castle. It couldn't have chosen a better time to resound, frustratingly enough. "Shit. Doe...think you can run...? Because we'll need to!"

Doeteain didn't think he could run, but that didn't seem to matter; without waiting, Niya grabbed onto his hand and started running. Doeteain stumbled, and after the first step, his wings burst back out into the open. He grimaced, the pain shooting to every extremity he had, but he didn't have much of a chance to pay attention to that. Instead, he was stumbling along behind Niya, doing his best to keep up.

As they passed another turn, Doeteain suddenly remembered a shortcut to a different exit. He immediately turned, tugging Niya along with him.

If you were large, the hallway was a dead-end. However, if you were Niya's size, there was an exit. Without his wings, Doeteain was smaller; with them out, it was still almost a competition if he folded them just right. They were both certainly smaller than any of the guards, probably even put together.

Doeteain knelt down and pushed open the small door.

"Squeeze out through here," he said quietly, giving Niya the go-ahead. Once that was done, Doeteain wrapped his wings around him, having to forcefully pull at the broken one. He weaselled out behind Niya, stood, and then paused.

Doeteain hadn't liked the nighttime much when he'd been allowed outside. But now it was probably the most astounding sight he'd ever seen. It was brighter than the dungeons, and silvery, and so, so pretty.

"Wow," he breathed. Then he shook his head; he'd forgotten that they were still supposed to be running. He edged closer to Niya, managing to tear his eyes away from their surroundings to look the pirate in the face. "Where to now...?"

[Niya]

As they had been running through the halls, Doeteain suddenly stopped and tugged Niya the other way. Trusting the dark-haired boy, Niya didn't protest. He simply did as Doeteain had suggested in the tug and took off that way.

"Squeeze out through here," Doe told him, and Niya quickly nodded and did as he was told. He waited patiently for the other to join him, and a moment later, there he was, staring around the place with a look of awe on his face. "Wow..."

Niya tried to be patient; after all, if he'd been locked in some gods-forsaken dungeon, he'd want a moment to enjoy the view, too. Still, if they didn't move soon, they were going to get recaptured and both of them would be spending the next century or two locked up in that same gods-forsaken dungeon. At least, they would be until they hanged Niya for piracy.

Luckily, Doe seemed to realize the seriousness of their situation and finally pulled himself out of his reverie long enough to look Niya in the face. "Where to now...?" he asked.

"Now," Niya said, "We get back to the S.S. Chimera. You have to meet the Captain. She's a little scary at first, but she's really not all that bad."

Niya smiled and then offered his arm to the phoenix-boy. "Let's go. You should meet your new family."

[Doeteain Ean Evariic]

"Now," Niya said, "We get back to the S.S. Chimera. You have to meet the Captain. She's a little scary at first, but she's really not all that bad. Let's go. You should meet your new family."

Niya extended an arm to him, and Doeteain couldn't do anything except gape at him. Not only had Niya rescued him from the dungeon, but now he was offering to take him away from Ciimre altogether? To let him become a part of something? He felt tears well up in his eyes again, out of joy this time, and he had to choke them back. He'd never been happier... He didn't even know how to tell Niya how grateful he was.

He flew at Niya, wrapping his thin arms around the pirate's neck tightly. In that moment, he would have given his life to Niya had the question arose. Something like this-- being told to follow a pirate and join their band-- wouldn't have made an ordinary person so ecstatic, but for Doeteain, it was a welcome change. He could leave Ciimre and its king, and anywhere he went would be better than that.

"Thank you," Doeteain kept repeating, "Thank you so much."

Sniffling and trying to hide how red his eyes must have been, he pulled back. He had to admit, he was a little ashamed at how he'd suddenly latched on to a complete stranger like that, but no one had ever been so kind to him. It was hard to react any other way. This was the only person he'd ever met who had even pretended to care...

"Oh no," Doeteain suddenly said, the fear of being stuck in Ciimre for all eternity returning, "What if-- what if your captain doesn't want me there? I mean-- I'm really not all that useful or anything..."