The Embrace

Alexandra knocked on the cabin's door.

"Come in"

Eleonora said.

She opened the door and then looked at Sophia.

"Your prince charming has woken up."

Sophia's eyes widened. She wiped her tears off her face and dashed outside towards the cabin Sib was in.

"That was fast"

Christina said.

Alexandra turned to see the captain having her back turned, looking at the chest.

"So how did the scolding go?"

Alexandra asked

"Surprisingly, calmer than I expected"

Christina said

Alexandra raised an eyebrow

"Explain"

"Well"

Christina came closer to her and whispered

"The captain spoke in a soft tone"

Alexandra's eyes widened.

"You mean /that/ soft tone?"

She whispered back.

"Yes! Crazy ain't it?!"

Christian answered

"She only uses that voice with animals what the f-"

"You know I can hear both of you right?"

Eleonora cut Alexandra's words

"*Ahem* sorry"

Christina said looking the other way

"Wait. So does that mean you truly have grown fond of her?"

Alexandra asked.

Eleonora sighed and then turned to look at them.

"I will admit, I have a... soft spot for her but don't take this out of context! I'm just have grown to like her"

Christina and Alexandra looked at each other in shock and then at the captain.

The three stared at each other for a while before Eleonora finally read their expressions

"NOT IN THAT WAY, YOU IDIOTS! I meant {like} in a friendly way! Like a sister relationship!"

Alexandra and Christina sighed in relieve

"Oh, thank goodness I thought you lost your mind!"

Christina said

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Alexandra started giggling while Christina tried to find the words to explain.

"Well, I don't know! Like you and her mom then all of a sudden you like her and after Marina-"

Eleonora's face shifted from confusion to a serious one.

Alexandra put a hand on Christina's shoulder, signaling her to stop talking.

Christina looked at her and understood that she shouldn't have mentioned that name in Eleonora's presents.

"I'm sorry I-"

Suddenly, Eleonora started laughing. Confusion was written all over Christina's face. Alexandra was in a state of shock. Usually, they would get scolded for even mentioning Marina's name but today something was different.

Eleonora looked at them and started laughing even harder than before.

"Uh Oh, this is not normal"

Christina said as she slowly hid behind Alexandra.

"Captain? Are you alright?"

Alexandra asked

"...I'm fine... Just... Your expressions!...Ahahah... I can't breathe! hahaha."

Eleonora said in-between breaths.

"Soooo you're not mad?"

Christina said poking her head behind Alexandra's shoulder.

"Ahaha... Why would I be mad? You suggesting that would even think of the princess like that is ridiculous!"

Eleonora answered

"Then how about mentioning Marina?"

Alexandra asked

Eleonora's face slowly shifted back to a serious one.

"It's alright. It's not like I've forbidden you to talk about her and besides it happened a long time ago"

Eleonora headed towards the chest. She took it and sat down on her chair.

"And I should start moving on"

Christina and Alexandra turned to look at one another before nodding and approaching the captain slowly. Eleonora was holding the chest in her hands when the two pulled her into a tight hug. Eleonora shut her eyes and smiled.

...

Sophia ran from one side of the ship to another. Her footsteps could be heard from every part of the ship. She jumped down the small staircase and dashed towards the room. Sophia slammed the door open.

"Ah! Princess!"

Sib screamed. His face of terror turned into surprise when he saw the princess. She was looking down at the ground and didn't enter the room any further.

"Princess? Come in. Don't just stand there."

Sib said as he slowly lifted his torso up.

Sophia slowly stepped inside and walked towards the bed. She embraced Sib, trying her hardest not to cry. Surprised, Sib smiled into her arms and hugged her with one hand.

"It's okay, my love. I'm alright. Everything's okay"

Sophia pulled away.

"No! Nothing is okay! You're here because of me! If I just didn't act out and didn't try to run away from the captain you wouldn't be covered in bruises right now!"

Sophia could no longer hold back her tears.

"Princess."

Sib said trying to put his hand on hers.

"I'm so sorry! I promise I won't put you in danger again"

Sophia began to cry even harder. Sib grabbed her hand and pulled closer to him.

"Sophia, I don't care for what happens to me. I would jump off a bridge if it mean keeping you safe. So please, stop crying, my love."

Sib said as he put his hand on her cheek, whipping her tears away. Her face was in pure shock. He had never called her by her name before. Sib just looked her in the eyes and smiled warmly.

"Please stop blaming yourself for what happened. You did nothing wrong. It hurts me more to see you cry than all these bruises on my body."

He said as he kissed her forehead. The two looked at each other in the eyes one more time before pulling into a passionate kiss. Sophia wrapped her hands around his neck, careful not to touch his bruised spots. He, on the other hand, put his hand around her waist. He was pulling her even closer. Suddenly, his bruises did not hurt anymore, having Sophia safe in his arms was all he needed to feel good again.

...

Early in the morning, Eleonora stepped inside the room where Sib was resting, only to see Sophia sleeping on the chair next to him. Holding each other's hands together.

She smiled softly before stepping in and walking slowly towards Sophia. She puts her hand on her shoulder and gently shakes her body.

Sophia's eyes began to open slowly, she turned towards the hand on her shoulder to see with blurry vision her captain.

"Captain?..."

She mumbled

"Come, princess"

Eleonora whispered. Sophia looked at Sib and gave him a soft kiss on the hand before letting go and standing up.

The two walked out of the room. Sophia yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Captain, what's going on?"

The princess asked

"Get ready and met me outside in 5' "

"...Yes, captain"

Sophia, still half-asleep, was trying to process what's the captain thinking. It was unusual for Eleonora to wake her up so something must have happened.

...

"Are you ready?"

The captain asked.

"Yes."

"Good. Come with me."

Eleonora said as she began walking down the docks.

Sophia walked right next to her.

"So captain, where are we going?"

"It's a surprise"

Eleonora said smiling.

"What kind of a surprise?"

Sophia said raising an eyebrow

"One you might not enjoy much."

Sophia's curiousness turned into confusion.

She began to notice that they were not heading towards the city but towards the woods.

The princess began to worry. Suddenly, the captain stopped. She looked around for a bit as if she was looking for something.

When she made sure that there was no one around, Eleonora turned to Sophia and threw a gun at her.

"Catch!"

The princess struggled and almost dropped the guy to the ground.

"Wha-what is this for?!"

Sophia asked.

"I'm teaching you how to use it."

"What?!"