//------------------------------//
// Bk13/Ch3 The Pieces in Place 
// Story: Love's Lost Decade 
// by Priceless911 
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Bk13/Ch3
The Pieces in Place
(Year 09, Month 10, Day 07)

In the large temple centered in the heart off the Northern Tribe, Chief Basarum sat in his throne with his head resting on his hoof which rested on the throne’s arm. With little interest in his expression, the chief sat silently as the Envoy from the Storm Kingdom stood about ten paces in front of him as the storm beast spoke with his groggy voice. Though Chief Basarum had little interest in his words, Lady Zera stood beside his throne as she listened to every word with a polite smile on her face. After a few more minutes Chief Basarum sighed as she raised his hoof and spoke, “I’ve heard enough.”
Confused the storm beast silenced himself as Chief Basarum stood from his throne and spoke, “I understand you king’s concern, and if I could, I would certainly help you to identify this… Zeil changeling. But I assure you, there is no, nor has there ever been a changeling residing amongst my tribe. I'm sorry, but I simply cannot provide information of which I do not have.”
The storm beast spoke again, but this time lady Zera replied, “I'm afraid that is impossible. If the changeling disguised himself and stayed within our tribe, then I the oracle of Zebrica would have certainly seen his true self by simply looking into his future. Sadly I have seen no future of any changeling in my lifetime.”

The Storm beast looked back to Chief Basarum as he nodded, “I'm afraid, what information your king seeks isn’t here. All I can do is direct you to the other tribes, as we of the Northern Tribe cannot help you.”
Disappointed the storm beast bowed slightly and thanked him in his own language before turning away and leaving the temple. Once the beast was gone Chief Basarum sat back in his throne as Lady Zera smiled, “Seems our future son in law made it to his next destination safely.”
Chief Basarum looked to the entrance to the temple and spoke quietly, “Should we get involved? They have him locked in a prison condemned to death… or so they say.”
She shook her head, “We both know that a cell won't hold the Mage of Zebrica. Not to mention fate requires him to be there in the first place. We will just let it play out as is. Are we so sure that the other tribes will keep silent?”
Chief Basarum nodded, “They will follow tradition as we did. All who are banish are denied recognition, meaning they don’t exist, nor did they ever. Let’s just hope, Mage Zeil knows how to conduct himself now that he is the Mage of Zebrica.”

Back in the Storm Kingdom, King Typhen stood with a blunted sword in his hoof as he waited for the three storm beast surrounding him to strike. The first to attacker charged him from behind as the king turned and parried a vertical attack away before turning around and kicking with his hind hooves as the kick hit the attacker in his face while simultaneously disarming and knocking him to the ground. With the first guard down, the next one attacked as the king dodged a diagonal slash before using the hilt of his sword to bash the beast in his gut causing the guard to stumble back before taking a knee in pain. As the king looked to the last guard, he realized the guard had already charged as King Typhen only had a split second as he blocked three attempts by the attacker before blocking the sword on the fourth swing as he locked his opponent in place. With the small unicorn being slightly weaker than the lager beast, the king knew he wouldn’t last long as he shifted his stance causing the guard to lose his balance. With the guard’s concentration broken, the king began rotating his blade around as he made multiple rotations to lessen the guard grip on his weapon. Once the guards grip was loose enough, King Typhen flung his sword upwards, disarming the guard before bringing his weapon back and shifting the grip of his weapon to punch the guard in his face knocking him to the ground and leaving only the king standing.

Annoyed the king lowered his weapon as he spoke in anger, “Pathetic… all of you!”
He turned to the guard who was on his knee as he raised his weapon up and put the point against the guard throat, “You… why did you go easy on me? Do you have such doubt in your king as to show mercy?... SPEAK!!!”
With the king’s anger apparent, the guard hesitated in worry as the king realized is raised voice before looking to the sword in his hoof and sighing, “Forget it…”
Dropping his weapon and turning away from the fallen guards he spoke, “Apologies… it would seem that I mistook my own progression, for your mercy… you three take the rest of the week off. You may pass the time as you please, but I suggest getting stronger. I won't be as strict as the last king but I don’t want weak soldiers.”
The guard’s looked to each other and nodded as they each stood from their position, bowed in respect, and dismissed themselves as the king looked down at the sword he just dropped before mumbling to himself, “Are you happy? I'm resembling you more and more with each day. To think I may actually be like you someday… It sickens me…”

Although she didn’t hear his words, Commander Tempest entered the room as she spoke, “Excellency? I just passed your sparing partners… seems like you are progressing well.”
Typhen nodded, “Yes but I can't let my progress dwindle now… there is always a stronger enemy over the horizon.”
She nodded, “Either way… I came to tell you that the pirate you asked to see is here.”
The king nodded, “Ah, very good… I’d assume he is waiting for me in the…”
She nodded, “The Throne room.”
The king didn’t reply, instead he only gave her a dull look and held it for a few second before Tempest sighed as she spoke, “I'll send him to your study… but you know you will have to use that throne sooner or later.”
The king nodded as he turned to leave the room, “Later will be most likely. For now, I need to clean myself up. Just wait in my study, and… be respectful to him… he is a legend after all.”

Thirty minutes later, the king entered his study as he saw Captain Sail sitting at a table in front of his desk wearing shackles on his hooves. Seeing this the king trotted passed him to his desk as he spoke with a polite tone, “My apologies Captain, but I was in the middle of my training and I didn’t want to meet with you with a soiled coat.”
Captain Sail nodded as he replied, “S’pose a king such as you would have many duties to attend. But a humble sailor such as I sees it as odd that you would make time for me.”
King Typhen sat at his desk as he opened a drawer and replied, “On the contrary, I’ve been expecting to meet with you for quite a while. To meet with the legendary Captain Crimson Bartholomew Sail… it’s an honor in itself.” He pulled out a bottle of fine rum and sat it on his desk, “I apologies if this isn’t within your tastes, but I felt that such an occasion as this calls for something familiar to you. I personally don’t drink rum but in hopes of showing respect, I felt it nessisary to give it a try. Provide you do me the honor of drinking with me.”

As that was said, Tempest unlocked the shackles on Captain Sail’s hooves as the captain couldn’t help but feel confused, “Respect? Not to be offensive, but why would a king such as yourself show me this kind of respect?”
King Typhen smiled as he poured them both a drink as he replied, “A few reasons actually… first because a king such as myself will always show respect to those in high position, generals, nobles, ship captains included. And the second reason, because you are Captain Sail… need I say more.”
Captain Sail gave him a suspicious look, “I s'pose…”
After the drinks were poured, King Typhen used his unicorn magic to hand Captain Sail his drink as he continued, “Also, I hear that you often use this form of setting to… ease the tension when speaking with those of separate social classes. After all when discussions are made over a drink, titles become irrelevant… or do you word it differently?”

Captain Sail looked into the glass but hesitated as he replied, “You aint wrong… but givin’ my stay in your kingdom, I can't help but feel… doubtful of your hospitality.”
The king noticed Captain Sail’s hesitation in drinking as he nodded, “I understand.” He raised his glass and observed the contents, “One would assume that after all you’ve been through in the Bastille that I would lure you here just to poison you correct?” He drank the contents in one swift gulp, cringed at the drink’s strength, then replied, “But I'm not like the former king. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t be so low as to poison you. I would face you blade to blade with honor.”
Captain Sail was still skeptic but he felt the drink was safe as replied, “Then you and I have something in common.”
That said Captain Sail drank the drink as the king replied, “Not so… I myself have never had the pleasure of killing a ghost. Please enlighten me… what does it take to achieve such a feat. And… what sort of ghost was he anyways?”

Captain Sails expression sank as he replied, “She… was what captains hope to be. She could hold more faces then one, acting as frail as a rose one minute then bearing her thorns the second. Her voice alone could lift the lowest moods and if she sang, it’s as if the angles above were serenading your soul to the blissful beyond. And when she died, she died at the helm of her ship, with cannons loaded ready to fight her way through hell itself. As any respectful captain should, she died with more honor then even I could muster.”
Hearing his words clearly, the king smiled, “That’s it… that is what all life in this world should strive to be. Anypony can hold the respect his subornments or even his superiors alike, but to be respected by your enemies… that makes you a true warrior. And that is what we all should strive for.”
Captain Sail nodded as he took another drink, “Aye, s'pose it is.”
The king smiled as he opened a file on his desk and spoke, “Anyways, I’ve been going over your file and I noticed you were imprisoned for piracy… and your argument to that is that you were pardoned by an Equestrian princess.”

Captain Sail nodded as he replied with a displeased tone, “Aye… and I was told that it was Equestria where a pirate helped to kill the former Storm King. Which is why I'm imprisoned.”
King Typhen nodded, “I know this pirate, Captain Celaeno. She was a great help in liberating Equestria and disposing of the former Storm King. But she is an ally and in her own way, pardoned by myself personally for her actions that day. The reason your pardon isn’t recognized is because we don’t recognize pardons from Equestrian rulers. As far as we are concerned, you still stand unpunished for your crime of piracy which in this kingdom, is a life sentence. We would resort to death, but for a legend such as you, we choose to show a bit of mercy. Which… brings us to this.” He poured himself another drink, “How would you like to return to the sea… with pay?”
Captain Sail was skeptic, “Go on…”
The king smiled, “I want you to become the admiral of my navy. With your reputation alone, the Storm Kingdom will surely become a force to be reckoned with.”

Captain Sail decided to play along, “So you feel the name of Admiral Sail would be enough to make your enemies flee in fear?”
King Typhen shook his head, “Not at all, it’s more of an insurance policy. Unlike the former king, I have no interest in conquest. I would much rather protect my own kingdom then to claim others. What I want to ensure is that with a Captain of your reputation, we could sway other nations to hesitate before attempting to invade. At least by sea anyway.”
The king used his unicorn magic to hold the bottle toward Captain Sail as he filled his glass with the captain replying, “I s'pose that makes sense, but somehow I feel that there is something you want first. After all you’re offering to release me from your prison, and give me something as prestigious as an entire navy at my command. But besides security, what is it that you get out of this generous offer?”
Smiling at where the conversation sat, the king dodged the question as he opened a different drawer on his desk and pulled out a book, “Are you a reader captain? I'm sure your time at sea isn’t always full of ship raiding and battles with other pirates.”

Captain Sail was annoyed his question was dodged but he understood that it wasn’t an unrelated topic so he replied, “I’ve been known to look through a few books, mainly sea charts though.”
The King nodded as he placed the bottle back on his desk, “Interesting, I myself started taking an interest in a subject that I didn’t quite expect. And this particular series caught my eye… I'm sure you’ve heard of it, it’s quite popular in Equestria.”
The king used his magic to take the book from his hooves and move it towards the captain as he place it on the table in front of Captain Sail as the captain looked at the book, which was titled, Daring Do and the Pirates of the Frozen Sea. As he looked at the book, Captain Sail shook his head, “Doesn’t ring any bells.”
The king nodded, “Interesting… this happens to be the first of Miss Yearlings books and I was surprised how for the first adventure this Daring Do requested the help of an old pirate friend… a captain who commands a crew of pirates and sails aboard a vessel with Crimson sails… hence the captain’s name suggests. Sound familiar?”

Doing an intently bad job at playing dumb, Captain Sail smiled, “Does she now… seems Miss Yearling heard my stories and wanted to use my character in her book then. I'm flattered.”
The king knew he was being played as he replied, “And yet she describes him to a perfect tee. As if she had actually met you in person.”
Captain Sail nodded, “A coincident perhaps?”
King Typhen used his magic to carry a stack of books with him as he stood from his desk approached the table Captain Sail was sitting at and sat down beside him. After sitting at the table he placed the stack of books next to him as he replied, “I considered that… but then I continued into her series and he appeared again,” he took a book from the top of the stack and sat it down as it read, Daring Do and the curse to cross the sea, “And again,” he placed another book this one titled Daring Do and the journey into Home “And again.” He placed one last book with the rest, this one titled, Daring Do and the Race to Prance. “Somehow… I don’t think multiple references count as a single coincident.”

Captain Sail looked at the books as he spoke sarcastically, “Seems I got some royalties to collect, I wasn’t aware of this last one. And to think the race was dull to me. She must have spruced it up with cleaver word play.”
The king ignored the disrespect as he replied, “But it’s not these stories that interest me the most… it’s a few of her more recent books that caught my attention.” He place two more books on the table, the first was titled Daring Do and the Knight of Lilith, and the next was Daring Do and the Voyage of Betrayal. Seeing these easily told Captain Sail what the king wanted as he smiled, “Hmm… these look interesting.”
The king nodded, “Yes, but the new character she includes is what caught my attention. A changeling knight known as Sir Zeil who often travels in the form of a Zebra.”
Captain Sail shook his head, “Never heard of him.”
The king started to get annoyed, “Are you sure? In this second book, you yourself convers with him multiple times. Not to mention he happens to be the same zebra of whom you currently share a cell.”
Captain Sail could sense the kings irritation as he smiled, “That right? But I hardly see how that has anything to do with me being your Admiral.”

The king chuckled to calm himself as he replied, “Well, you ask what’s in it for me… if you want that position, all you have to do is tell me everything you know about this Sir Zeil. Anything would be helpful, but what I want to know is who he is, why he is here, where he is going, and for what reason. And you can also include if you know, why he’s hidden his… suspected knighthood from me. If this Lilith story is true, then I know why he is knighted, but coming from an author of fiction adventure stories, I can't rightly trust its events are true. And my sources have stated that you have referred to him as Sir Zeil while in custody so, you can see why I'm a little conflicted. So tell me this… is he truly a knight?”
Captain Sail hesitated at the possible outcomes of his answer before replying, “He is… though I only know what Miss Do has told me, and nothing more. S'pose these book hold more then what I know.”
King Typhen sighed, “I assumed they would, but Miss Yearling is very vague of his origin or intention. She only talked about his appearance and his involvement with the whole Lilith incident. And I'm going to glance over the whole love interest she seemed to put with Daring Do.”
Captain Sail nodded, “Yes that would be wise.”

King Typhen spoke with a serious tone, “So… now that you know what I want… will you tell me? Tell me everything you know about this Sir Zeil, and your pardon will be processed by the end of the day. You won't even have to return to the Bastille. I'll even process the paperwork to have all who were in your company released with you. That’s a full pardon for both you and your crew.”
Captain Sail nodded, “And all I have to do is betray Sir Zeil.”
The king smiled, “He won't ever need to know. We can keep it just between all who stand in this room. Just you, me, and Commander Tempest. So… do we have a deal?”
Captain Sail looked to the collection of books that were scattered out in front of him as he replied, “These stories… s’pose you’ve already read them cover to cover aye? In a few of them… there were some incidents that involved… traitors and mutineers. Of which, I dealt with in a particular way that is so independent to my vessel, that we even coined a term for it… Foddering.”
The kings smile faded into an angry expression as Captain Sail continued, “If I were to tell you all I know… then I’d be no better than those who’s minds’ I’ve scattered across the waves with a cannon. Even if we were the only ones to know… it doesn’t change anything. So thanks for the offer, but I know where my loyalty lies.”

The king tried to keep his composer as he replied in anger, “So… that’s a no then…”
Captain Sail nodded, “Aye, that’s a no.”
King Typhen couldn’t hold in his anger anymore as he stood from the table and yelled, “Are you that big a fool!?! You know that if he were in your horseshoes he would sell you out in a second.”
Despite the king’s yelling and anger, Captain Sail sat casually without even a flinch as he replied, “I doubt that… but even if he would. That’s his decision… not mine.”
The king glared at him from close up as he replied, “Just tell me why then… what debt could you possibly owe him to keep silent. Exactly why are you protecting him?”
Captain Sail chuckled at the king’s anger before replying with a serious tone, “I ain’t protecting him from you your majesty. I'm protecting you from him.”
The king continued to give Captain Sail an enraged glare as the look didn’t seem to faze the captain in any way. After a brief hesitation, King Typhen turned away and trotted back to his desk, “See the captain back to his cell. We are done here.”
With nothing more to say the king trotted back to his desk and looked out onto the balcony behind it as Tempest nodded, “Understood your excellency.”
Those were the last word spoken in the company, as Tempest put the shackles back on Captain Sail’s hooves and escorted him out of the room.

Later Captain Sail sat in the caged prison carriage on his way back to the bastille with only a smile of victory on his face after leaving the king in such a mood. As he sat, a small ball of paper fell between the bars on the top of the carriage as Captain Sail showed little interests in the ball of discarded trash. With his movement casual, Captain Sail slowly moved his hoof over the ball and placed it down on top of it, as he shifted his glance to each guard that escorted him back to his imprisonment. Once he realized the paper ball wasn’t noticed, Captain Sail lifted his hoof and quietly opened the wadded paper to reveal a lead musket ball and a written message on the paper that read, The Tide is safe… your orders? After reading the message, Captain Sail panned his eyes over the passing pedestrians until he saw a familiar figure standing on a rooftop just down the road. As the cloaked figure watched him, the hippogriff lowered his hood as Jim gave his captain a greeting nod. Nodding back, Captain Sail smiled as he took the lead ball that was wrapped within the note, and wrote only four things on the paper, latitude, longitude, date, and time. After finishing, Captain Sail rapped the lead ball back in the paper as he slid it off the caged carriage and watched it fall off the cart and into the street behind him. After the prison convoy passed, Jim glided down to the street and picked up the note as he read what was written and nodded, “Aye aye captain… we will be there.”

Back in the Bastille, the prisoners were on recreational time where they were allowed to walk the floor with the cells freely as Zeil stopped at another cell and looked to the inmate inside, “Axel…”
The large minotaur quickly realized who was talking as he turned around and replied in worry, “Oh um… Sir Zeil… H-how are you doing today? Um… s-sir.”
Zeil got straight to the point, “Do you have it?”
Axel nodded, “Oh, right yea right here.”
Axel handed Zeil a small roll of string as he explained, “I managed to get this from the burlap sacs we use at the farm… I hope it’s enough.”
Zeil took the string as he nodded, “Not sure… but that’s for Powder Keg to decide. Anyway… have you been keeping an eye on your cellmate?”
Axel nodded, “Oh… yea… um. Your right about this Khan character. He acts all smiley and friendly… but he is defiantly a rat. After lockup, he hangs around the bars as if he is trying to listen to what someone down the corridor is saying. And other times, like now for instance… he’s been… disappearing.”
“Disappearing?”
“Yea, most would think he is going to work at the farm or kitchen. But rumor is he has been escorted away by a guard on occasion. If you ask me… he is keeping tabs on someone. Mainly you and Captain Sail.”

Zeil gave Axel a skeptic look as he replied, “Is that so… I assumed as much. Looks like the Captain and I have the right idea about him. Thanks Axel… you’ve earned my trust.”
Smiling with relief, Axel replied, “O-of course Sir Zeil. If I can help you or the captain with anything at all, just say the word.”
Zeil nodded, “Noted… in fact, we have a little task for you later, but I'll wait till the captain is here to explain. We wouldn’t want t-”
“Prisoner returning! CLEAR THE GATE!!!”
Hearing the order, Zeil looked towards the main stairwell as the gate leading onto the floor opened allowing Captain Sail to enter. As soon as he entered the guard spoke, “You got ten minutes of recreational time left. Then it’s back to your cell.”
Captain Sail tuned back to the guard who locked him in as he nodded, “Much obliged.”
As soon as the gate was shut, Captain Sail trotted to Zeil as Zeil spoke, “Welcome back captain… how did the conversation with the king go?”
Captain Sail smiled, “Just as expected, but now… all is set for the plan.”
Axel was confused, “Plan?”

Before Captain Sail could reply, Zeil held out the string to him, “Speaking of which, seems Axel here has proven himself useful. He managed to get us this and to confirm our suspicion on Khan.”
As Captain Sail looked to the thread, Powder Keg who trotted up behind him, took the string and smiled, “I'll take that, hmm… seems a little thin but I can weave it before adding the proper lacing. Should make for a fine fuse.”
Once again Axel was left clueless as Captain Sail nodded, “Then it’s agreed, Axel, Sir Zeil, Mr Keg… gather all key roles at our cell. It’s time we discuss the plan… and Axel? You’ve earned yourself a part in it. I promise you won't regret it.”
Although he felt concerned, Axel still felt better to be on both Zeil and Captain Sail’s good side as he nodded, “Um… thank you captain.”

As Powder keg and Axel went off to gather some of the crew, Zeil and Captain Sail started trotting back to their cell as Zeil spoke first, “Captain… our suspicion of Khan may not be as accurate as we thought. We may need to tread lightly if my second hypothesis is true though.”
Captain Sail nodded, “Is that right? Then that’s what we will do.”
Zeil added, “Will we still have Axel join us then?”
Captain Sail smiled, “Actually… Yes I think we will. The king ain’t a fool so if he finds out about the plan this late, he won't act hastily. And on that decision… the plan can still work, it will only make it more… fun. Regardless, there is a traitor in this prison. They’ve been talking to the King, and to add insult to injury, the king has been looking extensively into you Sir Zeil. Though all he could muster was from the books Miss Doo wrote."
Zeil thought to himself, “Really… then I can trust that he still doesn’t know I'm the mage then. She and I had an understanding to keep that between us.”
Captain Sail nodded, “Sounds right, she didn’t mention anything like that to me. Anyways, seems the king was convinced I would sell you out. Even offered me a cushy admiral position in exchange. I don’t know what you did… but you put the fear of the devil into him. He didn’t show it, but he was practically begging me to tell him anything he could use against ya.”

Zeil chuckled at the idea, “Sounds interesting. I almost wish I was there to see it.”
Captain Sail nodded, “Either way, it was as ya said… he seemed somewhat… imbalanced. He keeps talkin’ of fillin’ his ranks with soldiers of strength and reputation all to keep his kingdom safe from invasion. Not to mention just listenin’ to him talk makes him seem like he is trying to act as tough as the former king… even if he doesn’t seem to have the same attitude as him. As much as he acts like he doesn’t, he agrees with how the former king ruled and does so without even realizing it. A fool by his own worry, and imbalanced in the means.”
Zeil nodded as they entered the cell and replied, “Yes, and he will remain that until I can show him his own strength… which will be in the form of our… plan. Speaking of which,” He gestured to the cell window, “The anchor vines are ready. And hidden in the shadow of the balcony. On the day before when they move me to the holding cells, I'll do what I can to grow the rest of the vines. But I'll warn you… I may have mastered this spell but with the amount I’ve been using it, I feel a little worn out.”
Captain Sail nodded, “Just do what ya can lad, it don’t have to be pretty, it just has to hold tight.”
Zeil smiled at the agreement as he replied, “Good, but what about our escape?”
Captain Sail smiled, “I got it covered lad, don’t you worry.”
As that was said, A small number of Captain Sail’s crew gathered in and around the cell as Axel and Powder Keg entered as Powder keg spoke, “All are present captain.”

Captain Sail looked through those around him as he smiled, “Good… then let us begin. First off, I would like you lot to welcome Axel to the crew. Because of his help, he will be joining us… provided he keeps quiet about the plan.”
Axel asked, “Plan? What plan?”
Zeil replied, “We intend on getting out of here. And if you want to join us… your free to. But… ONLY if you do your part.”
Realizing he was in a dangerous situation, Axel hesitated for a second before replying, “If it will get me out of here… I'll do what I can.”
Captain Sail smiled, “And that’s all I ask. So since everyone is ready… here is the plan. Sir Zeil is scheduled for Execution this coming Friday. Less then, six days away. And with it… Tropical Storm Hera should be here at about that time. So it will be a rough and stormy morning.”
Axel asked, “With all due respect captain… how do you know that storm will be here? The sky looks just as gloomy as it always looks.”

Captain Sail smiled sinisterly, “Trust me lad, when it comes to the sea and its weather, nothing gets by me. Either way, the day prior, as usual. Sir Zeil will be moved from this floor to the execution floor and spend his supposed final night in one of the condemned cells. There, he will complete the rope bridge he has been growing under the gallows balcony and await his execution which should be at noon that day. From there, sorry to say… he will be on his own.”
Zeil nodded, “Don’t worry about me captain. I'll manage.”
Captain Sail nodded as he continued, “As for the rest of us… we know that one hour prior to the execution, we will all be ordered back to our cells for lockdown. When that happens, Axel, with your help we will begin a… little riot.”
Axel was confused, “A riot? But… what will that do, we will be on lockdown anyways?”
Captain Sail explained, “Yes, whenever a riot breaks out the floor is locked and no entry or exit is permitted by anyone. And to add to it, the floor will be left to starve with no access to food or water until we disperse. This will ensure we aren’t disturbed for the next phase of the plan. Mr. Keg?”

Powder keg smiled as he started his explanation, “During the last refurbishing of the cell walls, I added a little surprise to Captain Sail’s Cell it will insure us an escape when we need it.”
Immediately all members of the crew who weren’t filled in felt worried as Captain Sail continued, “Thanks to the thread provided by Axel, Powder Keg can begin making a fuse to detonate this surprise just after they lock down the floor. Once the wall is opened, we will make our way out of the tower and across the bottom of the gallows balcony towards the sea.”
Another Sailor spoke, “What then Captain? With no ship, and Hera overhead, we will be at the mercy of rough seas.”
Captain Sail nodded, “No… we will be at the mercy of the Tide.”
The crew gave him a clueless look as Powder Keg smiled, “Ah… so Jim pulled through did he?”
Captain Sail nodded, “Aye he did. I ran across him in town today. I gave him a time and place, so I guarantee Jimbo will have the Tide there and waiting. From there we will board and wait.”
Zeil nodded, “You won't wait long… once I free myself, all I need to do is retrieve my book then I'll get back to the ship.”
Axel asked, “What about the guards? Are you sure you can free yourself Sir Zeil?”
Zeil gave him a serious look, “You doubt me?”
Feeling nervous about his answer, Axel replied, “N-not at all. I'm just concerned for your safety is all.”

Captain Sail replied, “I doubt Sir Zeil will have any trouble with the guards, Even if Commander Tempest is there, she won't last against Sir Zeil… not long anyways.”
Feeling a dark and foreboding feeling in the room, Axel kept quiet as Zeil added, “My intent is to leave here without killing anyone. But if I'm forced to act early or if I feel the plan goes awry… I'll do whatever it takes to get out alive… even if I'm the only one to do so.”
Captain Sail cleared his throat as Zeil added, “Of course that is assuming you and your crew have already cleared the area and are safely away.”
Axel felt uneasy as he nodded, “Oh um r-right… so… what about the rat? What will we do about Khan?”
Captain Sail smiled, “I have a plan for him. We will involve him in the riot. By then it will be too late for him to act, and… we can use him as… a distraction should we need one.”
Zeil nodded, “So… if that’s all, then we know the plan and will be ready.”
Captain Sail nodded, “Aye… till then we continue our days as normal. That includes telling no one about this. If it goes accordingly, we will all be free by the end of next week. If not… most likely we will all be dead.”

Before anything else could be said, the main gate to the floor opened as a guard entered and called, “RECREATION TIME IS OVER!!! BACK TO YOUR CELLS!!!”
With that, the herd broke apart and went back to their cells as Captain Sail and Zeil stayed where they were until the guards came by and closed all the cells leaving the two alone. After the guard left Captain Sail chuckled, “That was a good idea making that threat about acting early and killlin’ everyone… that should keep our rat on his hooves.”
Zeil smiled, “Just a little warning to the king should he find out and tries to stop us too soon. So… you think this will be a simple plan?”
Captain Sail shook his head, “Nothing is simple lad, it’s only a test to see how well you are at adapting. As for our rat.” Captain Sail approached some of the chained shackles on the wall of the cell as he examined the chain and spoke, “I wonder if these will be strong enough to get our message through.”

That night, far off in the capital City of Prance, two royal guards entered a pub as they were stopped at the door by a bouncer, “Messieurs, you know ze rules. All weapons must be held by myself to ensure no violence takes place.”
The two royal guards nodded in agreement as they each handed the bouncer their swords before approaching the bar and sitting down. Once there, one of the guards spoke, “So what was all the commotion today? I heard a royal envoy from the Storm Kingdom was seen entering the castle to see the king.”
The second guard nodded, “Nozing to worry about, just some guard who was asking about a changeling.”
The second gaurd was confused, “Changeling? What changeling?”
“Not sure, but Ze Storm King was trying to find any information he could about this random changeling. Says his name was Zeil or somezing like that.”
As that was said, a cloaked mare at the end of the bar overheard the name as she started listening closely as the second guard continued, “Really? Was this Zeil character a criminal on the run?”
the first guard shook his head, “Actually no. Zis Zeil is already locked up in Ze Storm Kingdom but the king was still wanting to know all he could about him. Supposedly, he snuck into ze city disguised as a zebra and claimed he is on his way to Equestria. But Ze Storm King is convinced zis is a lie since he sent envoys to many kingdoms in hope of discovering ze truth. From the way it sounds. I would guess zis Zeil changeling scares Ze Storm King for some reason. I would probably say he even terrifies him.”

As the two guards laughed about the subject, the cloaked mare placed money on the counter and stood up before trotting to the door to leave the tavern.”
As she approached the bouncer at the door she spoke, “Pardonnez moi monsieur? But could you please return my weapon? It would seem I'm needed elsewhere.”
The bouncer nodded as he turned around and retrieved her weapon before handing it to her as he spoke, “Forgive my curiosity madam… but zis weapon… a scythe with lightning on it… it’s a weapon I’ve heard of before… you madam… you wouldn’t happen to be ze Reap-“
At that moment, the mare narrowed her nocturnal eyes at the bouncer as she held her hoof to her mouth in a shushing manner before replying, “I’m gonna stop you there. Let’s just act like we both know who I am, and pretend I wasn’t here. I’d rather not kill any innocent bystanders… today.”
With that the mare took her scythe and trotted outside as she seemingly vanished into the night leaving the guard speechless of who he had just met.