Mary
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﹌﹌﹌ 𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖑𝖚𝖗𝖐𝖘 𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖍𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖟𝖔𝖓?

 The night was tranquil and dark, with a full moon's reflection rippling gently over the ocean. The atmosphere was stable, and a dense layer of fog had settled upon the surface. It was just past midnight, and the majority of the Riable Isles' inhabitants had gone to sleep long ago. However, something stirred the waters. A menacing presence loomed over the peaceful, cold depths; undetected by most.

 It began in the archipelago's quiet outskirts, where a few merfolk from a village claimed to have spotted something large emerging from the fog. Perhaps it was the kraken, or some other monstrosity from the depths. To those living in the underwater cities, however, it was far clearer that this was a ship - they could feel its wake turbulence, and looking up, could observe its large, oval-shaped silhouette moving slowly across the water's surface. Soon enough, the inhabitants of every island and sunken city near its course were awake. 

 News travel quickly in this archipelago, moving from island to island through underwater messengers and word of mouth. This applies especially to outsiders and strange visitors; especially ones that were uninvited. Being so isolated from the mainland, the Riable Isle only expects ships in the form of scheduled trading and tourism - but rarely did these ever arrive in the middle of the night. 

 Soon, even the Archduke himself was made aware of the unexpected visitors. He quickly departed the Red Palace, arriving at Varrim City in mere minutes. From his appearance, it was clear that he had just been awoken - instead of his usual regalia, he donned a loose, white linen gown adorned with some simple ruffles. His long, silver hair was tied into a thick braid, which he typically wore overnight to give it a wavy look. His light blue eyes looked even more tired than usual, and he hadn't even had the time to put on shoes before leaving his palace.

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`"Go from door to door and ensure all of the citizens are awake. Instruct them to find a safe hiding place. It is crucial that they do not light any lanterns - we do not want our position to be visible from the bay."`

 Heeding the Archduke's instructions, the armor-clad Palace Guards began to fortify the city, focusing on areas near the shoreline. Soon, the city's winding streets were abuzz with panic and anticipation. Nobody knew exactly what was coming, but everyone had an idea of what it may be. In fact, Adalius himself was rather apprehensive. As he gave out orders and tried to prepare his people, he could not help but feel his chest becoming tight with pent up stress. The Riable Isle had not faced pirates in years, and having ascended to the throne mere months ago, the Archduke was not sure he could deal with them properly.

 Within half an hour, windows and doors were boarded up, and a legion of about a hundred armored soldiers stood waiting. Groups of brave locals stood watch as well, arming themselves with rudimentary spears and daggers. The atmosphere had grown tense and quiet as everyone waited for the ship to arrive. The archduke stood at the edge of a rock which oversaw the ocean, accompanied by a small group of guards. A cool sea breeze blew against him, causing a shiver to travel down his spine as he looked out onto the ocean. With the darkness and the fog, the ship was nowhere in sight. Anxiously waiting, he tried to mentally calculate how far along it might be, taking into account wind direction and where it was last spotted. He desperately hoped it was a lost merchant ship of some sort, but given the circumstances, it seemed likely that something more sinister was afoot. 

All they could do was wait.

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Willie
In the darkness of the night life forces swirl and plans begin to unfurl, the night as it was, was hardly any different from other nights. Cool breezes carried the familiar smell of salt and the gentle rolling of waves a calming backdrop to the night. The stars twinkled brightly in the sky unfettered and kind as they gazed down on the seas, but their light was overshadowed by the pale light of the full moon. A perfect night as all the other nights were in the almost paradisical Isle capitol. It would have stayed that well if the air was not laced with a seemingly terrifying presence. Even under the sea, fish fled their otherwise protected area, sharks bolted as if they were being chased by a predator that could not be seen. 

Fog. An unusual sight in these parts began to roll in slowly at first but it became thicker and too dense to see much as if a silent tsunami was overcoming the city. The odd lit lantern was blown out, the sounds of creaking lanterns and ringing chains overcame the sleeping city. Then came the dark storm clouds in the distance, rumbling thunder and brief flashes in the distance. Strom clouds rolled over the moon hiding her gentle light from the cities inhabitants. Gentle waves swelled as winds began to blow a little harder, the occasional spray of water jetting into the air above as the waves slammed into the rocks. For some under the sea one moment they saw the ships hull churning through the water and the next it seemed to have vanished. 

In a moment the ship far from the city on the horizon a simple but still alarming silhouette had seemed to close the distance rather rapidly. While word rang out for the people of the city aboard the ship it was silent as not a soul seemed to stir. No lanterns on the deck to illuminate, it would have appeared to be a ghostly pirate ship to those close enough to observe it.

Suddenly, a fire split through the fog as one of the two figure heads on the front, a dragon in this case, began to burn casting a great orange light on the young archduke, soldiers, and brave admittedly foolish citizens who stood at the ready. The ship approached the sounds of sails in the breeze, creaking wood, and swishing ropes from the rigging offered a welcome change from the dreadful silence that had been offered with the preparations put in place. A man stood at the helm, alone and without any sailors or seeming life of any kind aboard the ship. Without seeming to waste a second the ghostly seeming figure walked across the deck and as the figure walked across the deck and disappeared behind one of the large masts harboring the black sails of the apparent pirate ship. It was as the ship got close did a few of the citizens begin to walk away, the symbol on the sail was familiar to some... A skull with a quarter note underneath... The Broken Melody. 

It was as the realization of the ship and then the knowledge of the man who made it so infamous settled did some flee in terror a few shrieking a bloody cry, one in a certain case crying out for mercy as they fled back into their homes. It was only then did the shadows give up their master, in the very shadow of the archduke, hidden by the fog and only illuminated by the fire from the dragons head the figure from the ship rose. The figure stood between the armed guards and the archduke. With a snap a eruption of black magic slammed into the small escort sending some smashing against the rock and into the water strangely not appearing to surface once more.

Turning the figure towered over the archduke, shoulders broad with a thickly muscled frame hidden by a gorgeous black tunic and overcoat accented heavily in gold. Pale skin shone brightly as the fog dissipated some and a hole split in the clouds casting light upon the now only two figures standing on the rock. The man had dark slightly messy hair, pale almost corpse-like skin, and most of all two shining gold-amber eyes that glowed like molten gold. Gazing down upon Adalius the figure spoke a deep and almost alluring voice, with the same charm as a foreign prince. 

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, chancellor, you may call me Drake or any other names your people have so graciously given me. I am here to conduct business so dismiss those soldiers and people, lest you wish for conflict to erupt and we both do not want that, now do we?" 

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Mary
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﹌﹌﹌ 𝔄𝔫 𝔲𝔫𝔢𝔵𝔭𝔢𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔳𝔦𝔰𝔦𝔱𝔬𝔯 

 The suspense was finally over as a hulking pirate ship emerged from the fog. The panicked cries of citizens tore through the air - and as the Archduke's head snapped toward them to see what was going on, he stood in shock seeing them flee. Even his own guards seemed to back off in fear, clutching their spears as they braced themselves for an attack. He flinched as a jet of fire spurred from the ship's dragon-shaped bow, backing off and holding his hands out in front of his face to protect himself from the searing heat.

 Before he'd even realized that the captain had disembarked, a sudden burst of dark magic had decimated the guards that stood along side him. His heart sank as he heard the guards fall; screaming as their armor clashed loudly against rock, and as one of them plunged into the cold waters below. His eyebrows knitted as he gritted his teeth, nervous eyes darting around as he searched for the source of this wretched magic - only to realize the culprit was standing right in his shadow. Adalius looked up to see this 6'8 mountain of a man looming over him, horrified as he realized the pirate's golden stare was tearing into him like a hawk examining its prey.

 The Archduke was speechless. He wanted to interrupt the pirate's introduction - that false display of amiability - and shout, reprimanding him for what he'd just done to those poor guards. However, he found himself unable to do so. The elf's menacing presence had him frozen in place. He could feel his own heart pounding behind his ears - it felt like his lungs had been ripped out and replaced by a hornet's nest. He tried desperately to regain his composure, to disguise his fear with some semblance of dignity. 

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`"Why, of course not."` He shakily replies, before waving a hand to the remaining soldiers - which, mind you, was not many - and, in the most confident voice he could muster, ordering; `"You may stand down - return to your posts immediately. Notify the others that this was a false alarm, and I shall deal with our visitors personally."`

 The Archduke made sure to speak in Common Imperial so that the captain could understand him - heavens forbid that the man misunderstood and took this as another threat. He spoke with a slight Nevian accent, which mostly came through in the way he rolled his rs and pronounced his vowels. This became especially noticeable given how abrupt the language switch had been, and how much fear and discomposure permeated his tone. Looking back up towards Captain Kreshlovik, he took notice of how nicely the man was dressed - the sharp silhouettes of his ornate gold and black suit. Suddenly, the Archduke felt that he was obscenely underdressed, and his fear began to morph into shame, a flustered expression replacing his frown. 

`"Well, Captain Kreshlovik - or, shall I say Grimtide - it is a pleasure to meet you as well. I sincerely apologize for the rude welcome you received, though I hope you can understand that the Riable Isle does not usually receive unannounced visitors at such late an hour, and we were simply preparing for the worst. This overreaction of ours could have very well been avoided if you had sent a letter in advance, so do keep that in mind if you wish to visit us again in the future."`

 Despite how much of a wreck his mind was at the moment, he had managed to pull himself together enough to speak in a dignified way, his soft voice holding an air of regality as he welcomed the pirate. But even so, he felt absolutely ridiculous; standing there in what was essentially his nightgown, with no crown, no jewelry, no entourage of guards - hell, not even shoes. *This* Was the Archduke of the Riable Isle? What a joke.
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`"Now, you and your men must be exhausted from the long journey you've just endured. Might I invite you all to the Red Palace so we may discuss your offer over some refreshments?"`

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Willie
A grin seemed all to bright for the darkness they now found themselves in as the pirates gaze met with the small detachment of soldiers. Ecstasy. A sick pleasure poisoned his mind for if just a moment upon seeing the pulverized metal shattered and twisted by the force. Broken limbs lifelessly coated in dripping crimson blood into the water as he watched it blossomed in its new home. Sick twisted voices only spoke and gave him more, he was deeply pleased at the sight. Never was he allowed to enjoy something for long, the man behind him was of greater importance than the guards would ever be. Lifting his hand a wave rushed over the rocks sweeping the bodies and gore into the sea like sweeping dust under a rug, 

Turning around slowly he could practically feel the fear radiating off the smaller man, it was addicting, the fear so many felt. The control, something he had yearned for was now his at a whim and the Archduke seemed to be no many of fortitude. Admittedly, he wasn't sure what to expect from a young ruler - but it wasn't this. He was young to be sure, not too much younger than himself by the looks of it. Drakes gaze looked him over, it shifted to a look of... Intrigue? His eyes were something people struggled to look at, they held no lively glitter, it was akin to looking at a murky liquid. Difficult to understand to read what was going through them, but if one thing was certain. He exuded an aura of mysterious danger, likely a mix of the well groomed appearance and calm, if anything, polite demeanor just made him more confusing to understand.

He did not offer any gloat, no frightful displays of intimidation... Nothing. Drake simply stared him down soaking in everything he could before he snapped in an instant. A large hand reached out and gave a squeeze to the archdukes shoulder. "Are you quite alright? I apologize for the fear I may have caused you, I like to make an entrance and your guards seemed more than ready to kill me out of fear. I assure you, you will be compensated for their deaths. Unfortunate as the sea may be, she wont give up her dead and as such I can only seek to apologize for my behavior." His voice was deep, smooth and seeming to come across as genuine. But more surprisingly is he kneeled and lowered his head to gaze upon the rocks in front of the smaller man. As such, when he returned to a standing position he produced a gorgeous gem. Deep blues and greens swirled in the crystalline structure like a galaxy. However, as he offered the object, it began to glow, casting an ethereal light between the two men. "Let me begin our exchange more properly with a gift, I offer you the Heart of Durenous. A relic I acquired in my voyage to the far east, it was difficult to acquire it but it is of great importance. Now it is yours." 

The sounds of armor clanking as the remaining soldiers returned to their posts resounded in the empty air, a wise choice for the duke to make. He may have been offended by the language shift in a potentially different circumstance, he knew the Merfolk's language fluently, but the fact the Archduke went out of his way to ensure he wouldn't distrust him was... Positive. He gave Adalius a charming smile upon seeing the shameful flustered expression on his face, a silent way of communicating he didn't care. Well as far as could be told from his body language.

"No, no, by all means simply call me Drake. I am not a man deserving of your formalities, but if you so with your grace then feel free to call me whatever you may like. It is quite alright, not many would expect a ship such as mine to arrive so suddenly and it was not my intention to terrify you or your people. I will do well to keep what you said in mind for the future, wouldn't want a potentially disastrous situation on our hands." Certainly, despite all that would say otherwise, the ability to pull oneself together in such a situation is a trait found in leaders. Even should they be terrified to their core at whatever they faced, Drake certainly appreciated it more than he would acknowledge. "Do not worry about my crew, they slumber and I would hate to bring them to intrude on such important grounds. But I would be a fool to deny that being the perfect place for our... Business."

As he stepped aside for the other he made a movement to indicate for the other to lead the way to the palace out of respect. However, placing a hand to block his way at the last minute he looked him over. "If you wish to spare some of the potential embarrassment for how you are clothed, take my hand and I will ensure we get there far faster and avoid any potential mishaps. You came this way in nothing but what seems to be bed clothes to face a potential enemy, you have earned my respect as such I believe it wouldn't be a problem to aid you even if only a little?" With that his cloved hand turned upside down in an offering to the Archduke, would he entrust Drake or would he turn away such a kind offer... 

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