The Plan

Ilona had hoped to sleep in late the next day, exhausted after so long at sea. She had known it wasn't going to happen though. With so many younger siblings the house began to grow slowly louder from the moment the sun came up.

Rolling over she groaned and pulled her pillow over her head. She would swear being on a pirate ship with more than thirty men was quieter than this house. The ocean during a storm was probably quieter.

The downside to being away at sea for so long was when she returned home it took some time to adjust. There were no longer strict routines to be followed and hard work always waiting to be done. Even just having good, fresh food available to eat whenever she wanted was something that took some getting used to again.

Pillow blocking out some of the noise and any light managing to slip in through the curtains, Ilona dozed off again.

The next thing she knew the door to her room was thrown open and feet came flying across the wooden floor sounding like a small animal stampede. A moment later and she felt herself under attack, dozens of little hands, feet, knees, and elbows smashing into her body from all sides.

"Lona wake up," one of the little voices called, "Wake up!"

"Come on Ilona Mother says you don't have time for sleeping," an older voice spoke, finding her hand under the covers and pulling on it, trying to pull her towards the edge of the bed.

A chorus of little but loud voices continued as they tried to get her to wake up and out of bed. When they managed to pull the pillow from over her head, Ilona knew she'd lost the battle. Groaning, she rolled over and blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the bright light they'd let into her bedroom.

When she was able to see, at last, Ilona found herself facing the youngest six of her siblings. As annoyed as she was, she couldn't help but smile when she saw the grins on the mischievous little Blacks. It was always times like this that they looked the most like their father.

Ilona opened her arms to them with a little chuckle, and the youngest five immediately scrambled over the bed to smash her in a hug. Ivan who was the youngest of Ilona's full-siblings and the oldest of this group, stood beside the bed watching them.

Having spent the last half a year as a cabin boy aboard their brother Lucas's ship and away from his mother for the first time, Ivan had now matured beyond the point of snuggling up to his older sister for hugs. Ilona found she missed it now.

She loved her own childhood aboard ships but Ilona knew if she ever decided to have children of her own she wouldn't do things like her parents. She would give her children more time to just be children.

Not that this would ever be something she would have to worry about. Being the Captain of a pirate ship, especially as a woman, was a fairly lonely life as far as romance was concerned. The only men she was ever around were the members of her own crew and she knew better than to get involved with any of them.

She didn't need children of her own anyway. She had more than enough siblings to take care of.

That thought made her cringe. Isaac and Willow. She hadn't taken care of them. The reality of her lost siblings came crashing back down on her as it had every morning since they'd been taken and she hugged the siblings in her arms a bit tighter. Sadness and guilt settled in once again.

"Mother says you have a lot to do," Ivan said again as if he could read her thoughts.

"I know," Ilona sighed and let go of the younger children so she could rub her eyes, "Are Nick and Jamie awake?"

"They're sleeping," said Pearl from her lap, her dark black hair looking just like her mother Tess's.

Ilona smiled at her and kissed her forehead, "Can all of you go and wake them up for me? Tell them to get ready because we're going somewhere."

The younger children all cheered and agreed, scrambling down from her bed and thundering across the floor again as they ran from her room on their way to attack their older brothers. Before Ivan could leave, Ilona reached out and grabbed him, giving him a tight hug as he squirmed trying to get free.

When she finally let go he looked annoyed but she saw the hint of a smile on his lips as he turned and hurried for the door, swinging it closed behind him as he ran off to find where the younger children had gone.

Ilona climbed from her bed and washed up before going to pull on her clothes. Breeches, a shirt, a corset to keep everything in place, and a belt. She looked at her reflection as she brushed out her long chocolate curls. Knowing they were going to the estate they had attacked just the night before, she decided to wear her swords as well, one on each hip, just in case there was any trouble.

Once she was ready she went downstairs, all the way to the kitchens on the very bottom floor. Her father kept all kinds of servants like a proper estate should but since Ilona and her siblings weren't real nobles they had never bothered following the rules as nobles did.

None of them had lady's maids except Lucia and her mother. The last time Ilona had worn a dress was when she was still young enough for her mother to help her get ready. She didn't bother ringing for servants to bring food to her in her bedroom. Instead, she went to the kitchen to get something for herself.

Ilona wasn't surprised when she found both Nick and Jamie propped up on stools sipping cups of strong coffee while watching the cooks work. She took a seat beside them and was handed her own cup.

Coffee wasn't common in these lands. It was very popular in The Red Lands where the pirates had originated from however, so her father made sure their home was always well stocked with the stuff.

Ilona added sugar to her cup and thanked the cook that handed her a plate with fruits and sweet bread. With her younger brothers in tow, she headed up the stairs to try to find somewhere they could eat and talk that wasn't already swarming with people.

They tried the sitting room, the library, her father's office, and even the small breakfast room but there were people in each one. Finally, Ilona decided to just try the grand dining room and was surprised when she found it empty except for her mother sitting alone with her coffee.

She moved to leave but Anja called for them to come in and sit down. Stopping herself from groaning out loud, Ilona did as she was told. She wasn't the Captain here after all and she had to obey her mother.

She sat at the head of the table with her brothers on one side and Anja on the other. As they began eating, she told them of the plan to see Ian and hope he might help her convince the Duke and Duchess to take her to see the King.

"Why would they do that?" Nick asked with a frown.

"I don't know," Ilona sighed, "I'm hoping Ian can convince them. They seemed to really like him so maybe they'll do it for his sake."

Anja stared at her daughter, "So after your men attacked them last night you think they're just going to take you to see the King as a favor? Why would they be so kind?"

"I don't know," Ilona said again, growing annoyed, "I suppose we could try to pay them for their help."

"They didn't seem like they were in need of money," Nick commented, taking a big bite of his bread.

"Look this is the best plan we have," Ilona snapped, angry now, "So this is what we're going to do."

"This isn't a plan Ilona, it's just an idea for a plan," Anja argued, "There are too many things you haven't considered. This is the problem with your plans."

"We have to do something," Ilona hissed at her, "We can't just sit here until we think of some perfect plan. Who knows how long that would take and meanwhile, my brother and sister are trapped!"

"You can't rush in with a half-baked idea and simply hope it will work! What if you blow your only chance because you didn't consider everything? The Duke could go to the King and tell him you're dangerous and advise him to never see you. Then you've ruined your chance."

"What would you like me to do then Mother?" Ilona demanded, smacking her hands down on the table, "I don't have anything to offer them in exchange for their help but without it, I may never get in to see the King."

"That's not true," Jamie spoke up for the first time, "You do have something to offer them, Lona."

Everyone at the table turned to look at him in confusion. Jamie took a sip of his coffee and cleared his throat.

"When I was outside earlier I heard some of the men talking. They'd gone to the village for supplies and while they were there they got into a fight with some of the Duke's guards. The people in the village had to break them up."

"Are you trying to add more things to my plate for me to worry about?" Ilona asked him, "That's just one more thing Father can be angry at me about when he hears of it."

"There's more," Jamie continued quickly, "The men said the guards were angry and complaining because of something the Duke did. They told him they wouldn't continue to work for him as long as he had a pirate living under his roof. The Duke refused to send Ian away and instead, he told the guards to leave."

The room fell silent with this news. Ilona blinked slowly as she processed it. The wealthy Duke had chosen to dismiss his guards instead of sending Ian away? Her brother was a pirate and pirates had attacked them. She couldn't blame the guards for not wanting him around which made it even more surprising the Duke hadn't made him leave.

"Ian must be valuable to them," Nick said slowly, "He's in charge of guarding that Duchess. He must have proven his worth more than the guards have."

"They seemed to really like him," Ilona spoke quietly, "It was as if they were... friends."

"Well, then that means the Duke is a loyal man," Anja said, folding her hands on the table in front of her, "I'm glad to hear it."

"Apparently more than half their guards are gone," Jamie said, "You can offer him your men to replace them for his ride from here to The King's City. I think that, along with how much they care about Ian, will be enough to make your deal."

"That sounds more promising than hoping he would do it simply because of his appreciation for Ian," Anja sighed, "Thank god Jamie heard about his guards."

Ilona nodded, "Alright so we'll ride to the Duke's estate and I will offer him the use of my men as his guards in exchange for an introduction to the King. That will be our plan."

"And you're going to apologize to them," Anja added, looking at her seriously.

"Yes," Ilona groaned, "And I'm going to apologize to them."