Author's Notes:

First and foremost, I would like to apologize to everyone.

I promised to myself and to others that I would get the next chapter done earlier this month on the 10th but clearly I have broken that promise by having this one come out ten days later.

It's not even the full chapter I intended.

I was editing the original chapter and it was close to 10,000 words in length. A decently sized chapter I thought. But when I read through the whole thing twice it felt like I was reading nothing but an over-sized piece of filler that only advanced the plot slightly and accomplished nothing story wise except prepare for the next chapter.

...Actually that's still what this one is if I think about it...

Well, except this one's only a short and sweet 3000 word filler instead of a triple sized 10,000 word filler.

I hope this is enough in the mean time. School has started again for me and I'll have to work around classes and my addiction to video games before I can write up the next chapter after this one. It's probably going to be another 2-parter but rest assured that both parts will come out at the same time. I've already got a head start though so I plan to have it done sometime in the middle of February.

Only darkness. Only the Queen. Only her song.

“La la la la la la la…”

Oh sweet little fish, hear my song

Give in to the rhythm and know no wrong

I could feel water, cold and heavy, flowing past my scales as I paddle downwards into the depths. I find my objective and I search for a crevice underneath to grab hold and lift upwards. I grunt, I growl, but eventually, I manage to lift my objective. It’s heavy, maybe too heavy, but I will not stop until I’ve completed my task. Even if it killed me.

My ears ring again at the beauty of her song.

Feel your determination rise

And soon you will see the skies

Something stirs within me and I feel newfound strength coursing through my muscles. I push off the ocean floor with a grunt and my heavy objective creaks above me loudly as I rise through the water. My legs pump through the currents with powerful, fast strokes and the constant heavy pressure of the sea begins to lighten after a couple minutes pass. Soon rays of sunlight begin to appear and the melody of my Queen’s song becomes louder within my ears.

Her song fills me with DETERMINATION

Your heart belongs to the will of the sea

Now rise with the ship to me

Nothing would give me more pleasure than to have her wish fulfilled. Every note of her song filled me more and more with DETERMINATION’S amazing power. It was all so blissful… the power, the music, the release from worry and strife. Just a duty to my Queen and the world of pleasure that would follow would appear just as naturally as the sun would rise in the morning.

However, there was something within me that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around. The more I felt DETERMINATION’S power, the more I felt like I was missing something. Or perhaps it was someone?

With one last final push upwards I finally lifted my objective past the surface of the sea but the sense of loss continues to plague me. It was as if DETERMINATION was awaking something within me and was warning me of a danger I couldn’t grasp or see. Something WAS wrong and I needed to do something. Something that would free me from…

“La la la la la la la…”

There was the song again, her sweet lullaby, and so once again my world exploded into absolute pleasure. Thoughts of alarm were dismissed from my thoughts as my need for DETERMINATION’S power was no longer required.

I could only feel my Queen beckoning me to rise from the depths.

“She is becoming harder to control with every hour that passes.”

I stood at attention like a statue with my hands behind my back as darkness clouded my vision and only the voices of my Queen and others surround me. Water dripped from my scales and onto a wooden floor I could feel beneath my toes. The voices continued to speak out of the darkness but I only listened with mild interest. I would soon forget what was said as the majority of my focus was centered on the afterglow of bliss that was given to me after the end of my Queen’s song.

“What do you mean? She looks like she’s in the middle of happy land after the end of your last song. Is she suddenly going to erupt like a mad diamond dog or something soon?”

“No not at the moment,” my Queen spoke up in reply. “It’s odd, the more I sing to her the more powerful she becomes but every time I sing she slowly starts to realize that she is under the effects of an illusion. Eventually, she’ll be conscious of what’s happening to her soon so we’ll have to think of a new way to keep her restrained. I don’t think a simple brig with iron bars will do the job.”

“I’ve got a former zebra wisemare on board who could make up a couple sedatives for us. Both me and my crew can vouch that it is the good stuff. Can make a griffon think that their wings are as heavy as iron cannonballs.”

“That’ll do. Make sure that it is potent enough to drop an elephant and that she makes a hefty batch. While we’re at it, have your crew find the thickest anchor chain they can find and convert it into restraints to tie her up.”

“Do we really need to go that far, my Queen? I mean this all seems a little too much work for one wretched little hostage.”

“Do NOT underestimate her Vile.” My Queen warned. “If I wasn’t here Ms. Krieger would have thrashed you and your entire crew then would’ve been on her merry way.”

“I’m not sure it would’ve gone that far my-”

A cold silence filled the air and the previous speaker coughed awkwardly after a few moments passed. The previous speaker spoke again but with a submissive hush.

“Of course my Queen.”

“Lastly have her outfitted with a magic nullifier ring used for unicorn horns. Her magic will become an issue if we allow it to become one again.”

“How will we even put one on her? I don’t see no horn on her.”

I could hear my Queen sigh wearily.

“Her fingers Vile. Put the ring around one of her fingers and use some string to keep her from pulling it off.”

“Right, of course. I’ll get my crew working on this right away.”

A few more voices sounded out from the darkness but I couldn’t be bothered to listen too intently. A wonderful shudder passed through my spine as I continued to bathe in the afterglow of my Queen’s song and a soft sigh escaped my lips as I stood at attention. I heard something faintly that sounded like “Yes sir” and heard a door creak open and close. Then I heard my Queen speak again along with the voice she was speaking to before.

“Ms. Krieger did an excellent job in lifting that ship out of the depths. She is far stronger than she looks.”

“Why do we even need that ship, my Queen? Granted, it’s in amazing condition considering where she pulled it from, but the things looks too old to be considered of any use to our fleets. The fish told you it was some sort of treasure ship right?”

“You’ve obviously never picked up a book on griffon history when it comes to magic Vile,” my Queen said with a delightful laugh. “That ship belonged to Sagacious Solon, the first griffon mage. Or really, the first one of any worthwhile notice at the time.”

“Oooh, that mean it has some old magic toys in it we can loot?”

“That and probably more. I met the griffon only a few times back then and there was no denying that the old bird was a genius. But Solon was arrogant to a fault and he was far from sagacious. What little magic he taught to others was a far cry compared to what he kept hidden to himself. Whatever valuables he had kept on his ship is probably protected by something we are ill-equipped to handle.”

“We talking traps or something?”

“Oh yes. Solon’s time was before Cerberus’s time and fewer safeguards were used to guard the gates of Tartarus. Demons were more rampant at the time and Solon loved binding them to his will and have them protect his secrets. He’s probably got a whole hoard of old world demons and magical traps in that ship ready tear apart any treasure hunter daring enough to explore it. I know personally from experience how deadly a demon can be.”

“You’ve fought a few demons in the past, my Queen?”

“Indeed, Solon sicced a few on me one time after I irritated him with a rather impolite comment after I delivered to him some contraband he needed for one his spells. Never worked with him again after that but I never sought retribution either. The old bird wasn’t worth the trouble.” My Queen hummed something to herself as if she was lost in a memory but then spoke again a few moments later. “We’ll use the ship in our hostage negotiations with the Hiallans and up our price on both the ship and Ms. Krieger’s safe return.”

“About that…my Queen, I would like to propose something. If you’ll allow me.”

There was a long pause before My Queen replied.

“…Go on.”

“The Hiallans may pay a handsome sum to have us return the fish to them…but what if we sold her to their rivals at House Ridara? King Stormbeak clearly has been looking for advantages over House Hialla for quite some time and the consistent growth of his forces is clear evidence of this. But all of his military might means little when the Hiallan’s have an ally like Equestria and their alicorns in their war chest.”

“What’s your point Vile?” My Queen asked with no emotion.

“My point is that Stormbeak may be getting desperate. He’s a paper tiger trying to intimidate his rivals into submission. I heard a rumor that House Ridara just spent a huge sum of money to hire some dragons up north as mercenaries to safeguard their borders. They called it “A precaution for the dark forces bound to arise in response to the Elements of Harmony,” If you can believe that tripe.” The other voice laughed hideously before he delved into a short coughing fit before continuing. “Having a hostage like the sister to House Hialla’s newest Warden may be something that could be of great interest to Stormbeak. The desperate ones always pay the most coin.”

There was another long pause after the other voice finished his argument. Out in the darkness, my queen made a sound I couldn’t interpret clearly. Then my Queen spoke again.

“No, we stick with my plan and have the Hiallans pay for the ship and the hostage.”

“But-… my Queen, surely you see the logic in my proposal. We have a golden opportunity here and we should consider all of our options at the very least. The Hiallan’s will pay good coin sure but the Ridaran’s are the ones spending money left and right at the moment.”

“The Hiallan’s will be just as desperate as the Ridaran’s Vile. Like you said, Ms. Krieger is the sister to the newest Warden of the Shattered Isles. They’ll pay good coin and then some.”

“All the more reason to dangle her in front of Stormbeak now! It’ll show him how much of a hot item she is right now.”

“Vile you may have found her but you offered Ms. Krieger to me as a tribute. She is mine to do as I wish and my decision on this matter is final.” My Queen said in a commanding tone that hushed the other voice’s frustration.

I had no idea who this Ms. Krieger was but that didn’t matter to me at the moment as another pleasurable shudder worked its way up my spine again.

“Fine then, however, I do have one last proposal, my Queen.”

“Make it quick.”

“Grinnail’s brats are now in the middle of the sea. Exhausted after just fighting through a storm and are far, far away from the nearest safe harbor. They’re alllll alone.” The other voice drawled out.

“I take it you want to take advantage of their current circumstances. Am I right?”

“Right you are my Queen. We’re on the same current,” The other voice chuckled. “This is the perfect opportunity to really get back at those Hiallan bastards and especially Grinnail himself. We’ll take my fleet and a couple of yours and scour a section of the sea based off the information the fish so eagerly provided for us. We’ll hunt the royal brats down like Grinnail did when he hunted us and slaughtered pirates like we were nothing but animals. I had a few friends that became blocks on the line for the bastard’s pleasure and I would love nothing more than to lord his children over him with a cutlass on their necks.

“We capture the royal siblings on their vessel and use them as extra hostages to milk more money out of the Hiallans,” The other voice continued. “Even if they pay a good sum for the fish, they’ll empty their entire treasury to get the royal children back. But, in order to keep the Hiallans from seeking retribution we sell 2 of the siblings back to the Hiallans but keep one of the siblings indefinitely.”

My Queen was oddly silent after the other voice finished his last sentence. When my Queen offered no immediate reply the other voice continued where he left off.

“Now I personally will take up the duty of…“caring” for the royal hostage after all of the initial business is taken care of. I was thinking of the youngest daughter Falca if I was being completely honest.”

“…”

“I’ll handle all of the responsibilities and dangers that come with keeping a royal Hiallan hostage. But I’ll gladly do it for all the pleasures that come with it.”

“…”

“I’ve seen pictures of the princess in the papers and I must say… little Falca has grown into a very healthy looking lass over the years. Having her chained to my cabin wall like a decoration would bring me nothing but purest satisfaction. We can consider it as a reward for offering the fish to you as tribute.”

“…”

“Mmmmhmm, I can see her right now. Those innocent but steadfast golden eyes looking up at me in defiance. Her legs forced open while I hold her by the tail. Breaking her beneath my talons would be the ultimate revenge. Oh the things I’ll do to her will- AACKK!”

A grunt of alarm, a crash, and a violently vibrating floor were all I could sense in my surroundings. The other voice uttered pained grunts and surprised cries as something prevented him from speaking. Then there was a cold silence in the room after the floor stopped vibrating. Half a minute passed and only a few more pained grunts could be heard before my Queen spoke once again. Her voice was as cold as the room and every word she spoke sounded like it was laced with a sharp knife.

“The royal siblings will NOT be touched. Understand?”

“But-AACKK!” The other voice cried out painfully again.

“Vile, I have been tolerant of your behavior because of your past and because of the fellow pirates you’ve saved when I was absent. But I will not tolerate your depravity any longer.”

“My Queen… we-Gahh!...I deserve revenge for what Grinnail has done to me. For what he has done to all of us!”

A door could be heard creaking open before it was hastily closed from a shout emitted from my Queen. She then returned her attention to the other voice.

“The last time a royal Hiallan spilled his blood to pirates half the sea was bathed red in our blood. Holding and torturing another one will only secure our doom.”

The other voice grunted again but this time in defiance.

“You were the one who killed Grinnail’s brother!” The other voice said in a strangled shout. “You were the one who brought the wrath of the entire Hiallan fleet down upon us! Half the sea was bathed in our blood because it was your fault…“my Queen.” The least you can do is give us the revenge we so rightfully deserve.”

“The royal siblings will not be touched.” My Queen emphasized once again rather eerily. “And if I hear another one your proposals I will slit you down the middle and feed your heart to the Leviathan. Do you understand?”

The unnerving silence was all that could be heard.

“Do. You. Understand.”

More silence, then…

“Yes”

“Good. Now get out.”

The other voice coughed and wheezed as if something had relieved some pressure over his throat and then a resentful grunt could be heard before a door opened and was slammed shut. I could hear my Queen sigh as if exhausted before I felt her come near and caressed my right cheek with her talons. Her touch was very gentle and both the touch and the new pleasurable shudder passing up my spine made me sigh like the happiest girl in the whole world.

“Thankfully you won’t remember any of that disgusting old bird’s filth. This will all be just another blissful little dream to you.”

Her talons left my cheek and then I felt both of her talons groping the muscles around my hips and abdomen.

“I’ve never seen anything quite like you before. If you weren’t so difficult to control I might’ve kept you as a plaything for a little while before I released you back to your loved ones. I might’ve even released you from my song and see if I could convince you to join my crew. But… I’m not that kind of Pirate Queen anymore.”

My Queen released me from her talons. Then after a few blissful minutes passed a knock could be heard from a door I couldn’t see and I was led somewhere new as the sound of heavy chains surrounded me.

“Is she still under the Queen’s spell?” Another voice could be heard as cold heavy chains were tied around me to prevent me from moving. This voice was familiar and I only faintly realized that it was the same voice from before that had angered my Queen.

“She is, but I’ve no idea for how long Cap’n Vile. The zebra is still brewing the potion.” The voice that responded came from one of the ones that were busy tying me up.

“All right, finish up then leave me alone with her for a little while.”

“Uhh, I’m not sure we supposed to be doing that Cap’n. The Queen gave us orders not to leave the hostage till she was under the effects of the potion.”

“Well, you’ve got new orders lad. From your Captain no less.”

“But-”

“Lad if you don’t shut up and get on with it I’m going to have you swabbing my deck until you’re in your fifties.”

A few more chains were fastened to my wrists behind my back before the others got up and left me alone with the other voice. Having not heard my Queen’s song for quite a while the darkness that had limited my vision was beginning to lighten up and only a single shadowy griffon-like figure could be seen in the gloom.

“Here she is, just like I told you. She’s the real deal.”

The shadowy figure pulled something out of his coat pocket that vaguely resembled a small mirror. He reached out and pointed the mirror facing me before a flash of light emitted from the reflective surface and showed me the face of another griffon-like figure. Another voice could be heard but this one was feminine and sounded awfully unnatural. It was like this new voice had the capability to sound soothing but chose to sound malicious and wicked.

“Yes, she is. So… what kind of deal do you wish to make with House Ridara today Captain Vile?”