[once upon... a while ago]

Estel, for as long as she could remember, wanted to go to sea, to feel the wind in her hair, to sail her own boat and know that she was its captain. In her imagination, possessing her own ship became synonymous with freedom, independence, accomplishment, and pride. This might not seem like such an impossible dream for an islander. After all, she could swim almost before she learned to walk. But Estel was born a girl. She had come to her parents late in life, an only child, and though Estel meant 'hope', females and the ocean did not mix.

Estel's father was a fisherman, while her mother made and mended nets. He worked outdoors, but she took care of the house. And neither, according to them, was more important; it was simply the way that things were. They shared responsibility for their child, their lives, and their future. A fisherman with no nets catches very few fish. On the other hand, a net lying on the beach remains largely empty, as well. Estel was not a major supporter of "separate yet equal" as a system for assigning gender roles. However, she accepted that maybe her parents had a point and resigned herself as best she could to netmaking.

This was before her father, Ello, had his stroke when she was 13. He survived, he even did well, but his recovery was not entirely complete; there remained some lingering weakness in his left side. Trying not to hope too much, Estel pointed out that she was left-handed. Essentially, she could be his left hand, and it would not be at all like a girl putting to sea. It would simply be a man who needed a little help to get things done, just as elders sometimes carried canes to walk with. And so, secretly, they began. Because, despite the polite fictions they professed, it was very much like a girl setting to sea.

At first, it was truly all Estel could do to be her father's left hand. It took her full strength to haul ropes and pull on rigging. But she learned quickly and was very clever about tacking against the wind, and her muscles adapted just as her eyes became used to the glare off the water. She had always known she did not get seasick, for if a family wants to visit relatives on another island, there are only two ways to get there, and swimming such a long distance is as foolish as it is impractical.

However, as the years passed, Estel became... less resigned to creating nets. She did not lack for suitors, yet she did not particularly like any one of them above the others, at least not very much, and that was not enough for Estel. Then, suddenly, her father died and not only was this a personal tragedy, but she and her mother could not earn enough money by selling their nets, alone, to put food on the table. Estel began sailing at night, not the safest thing to do but better than being seen in broad daylight, and she attributed the fish she caught to anonymous charity from her suitors.

This arrangement could not last forever, of course, but then, it didn't have to. Her mother Marré was certain she would not live out a whole season beyond the death of her beloved husband. Estel, however, was just as stubbornly sure that she would and, as it happened, the daughter was right. What Estel feared was less getting caught by her neighbors during the day, though that would swiftly end her nocturnal expeditions, than being discovered by those who also sailed at night for lawless reasons of their own. Her own death would not help her mother.

It seemed probable that if she knew the local smuggling routes and signs and flag signals, that the actual pirates would assume she was just a booze-runner and hence leave her alone. Therefore, Estel formulated a risky, and possibly crazy, plan. She would go fishing for the petty neighborhood smuggler.

On a soft, breezy, moonless but starlit night, Estel took her specially made net, and tucked knives into her belt and boots, and haunted the coast. Sure enough, she found her man, one alone thankfully, and sailing into what shadow he cast, threw her net over him, leaped aboard, and threatened to slit his throat, all before he could get untangled. "What do you want, Hellcat?" he spat.

"Hellcat..." she tested. "No," concluded Estel, "I don't think I like that. I want your boat and cargo."

"You're crazy! How will you sail my boat by yourself, and where will you sell my cargo without getting caught?" asked the smuggler belligerently, although the questions were perfectly apt.

2 been bound for. "Would you like to tell me where to go aground, or do you prefer to wait for the navy sweeps in the morning?" queried Estel.

In the smuggler's cave, since he'd chosen the latter option, she found a number of empty casks to match the full ones she didn't bother to unload... not yet... and some odds and ends, including a rather rust spotted and dull, old sword. But it was still good, more or less, and it prompted her to form another, even crazier, plan of action. Estel decided to turn herself in to the local, Royal Navy garrison commander. He'd known and adored her since she was four. So, taking the sword, she requested a private appointment.

"I wish to confess to my crimes," Estel began.

"Oh really, heartbreaker, what have you done?" asked the middle-aged gentleman who was like her uncle.

"I've been smuggling," she stated truthfully. "And I have a sword. See?"

"Goodness, put that down!" he ordered. "And what, exactly, have you been smuggling?"

Estel could tell that he was not taking this very seriously. "Fish," she replied, incurably honest to this man, "and... most likely alcohol of some home-brewed variety. In casks."

"Ran over a smuggler, did you?" the doting garrison commander surmised. "You're lucky you didn't get hurt. I suppose you'd better tell me where you left him."

"That's just it," said Estel reasonably, "I am lucky I didn't get hurt. If I'm going to keep smuggling... fish... I need to be able to defend myself."

"With that sword?" he said, disdainful of the weapon.

"With a better sword when I can handle one better, perhaps," mused Estel. "Are you going to arrest me, shun me, or teach me swordplay?"

[present day]

After his sister Summer Wind tells Silver Fox to head for the Thedhis T’al Archipelago, the young man immediately makes plans to go, to right wrongs, to be a hero of the sea. As it happens, his old teacher Maestro Sun Son and his new wife Falling Leaves are going east to see the ocean as well.

So, when the newlyweds invite him to accompany them part way, Silver Fox reluctantly accepts, journeying east to the ocean and then south, hopefully by water, along the coast. On the southbound portion of his travels, he does indeed get shuttled from one craft to the next, learning as he goes: starboard from port, what a belaying pin is, how to trim a sail and when to do it, and other useful nautical information. Silver Fox is pleased to discover that he is a natural seaman and that he climbs well.

With every change of conveyance, Silver Fox does away with a few more of his wealthier looking clothes, so by the time he arrives at the base of the Visharvé mainland and is about to venture into the T’al, the Thedhis term for the Archipelago itself, he is traversing the docks, looking for work as a deckhand, in what appears to be a nightshirt and a short robe over his pants. The young man does look rather like his pockets, if he has any, are empty. And yet he's thrilled. On the way south, he's heard of a female pirate captain, who preys on other pirates, named Shooting Star.

This is exactly the sort of woman he would like to meet and perhaps get to know extremely well. Silver Fox's sister hinted that true love was a possibility for him on this trip, but with the caution that foretellings are always uncertain. Unfortunately, Shooting Star does not take on new crew. Her men, and it is reputed even some other women, remain remarkably healthy, and she would rather pay to have a trusted comrade healed than take chances hiring complete strangers, as she is wanted by both law and pirate, alike.

The waters of the Thedhis Archipelago support this woman well, for they teem with ordinary pirates. It is easier to take from the top than glean from the bottom, if you can get away with it. And the current government is not doing well either suppressing or punishing piracy; it is a bicameral system, with a man from one main island ethnicity married to a woman from the other. Rumor whispers that they hate each other and take every opportunity to ensure that the other is able to accomplish nothing.

However, all those are concerns of the future. First, Silver Fox must get someone to take him seriously as a sailor and hire him. In just a few days, someone does; not just anyone, because Silver Fox is picky, but a fairly prosperous-looking mercantile captain. What he gets to exhibit mainly during his brief stay on this ship are his deck swabbing skills. But the merchant has been laying on extra men to fortify the vessel for a trip through pirate-infested waters. And indeed, the commercial craft is attacked.

Silver Fox remembers quite well that first battle at sea, with people apparently being slashed at indiscriminately. He recalls with perfect clarity the face of the pirate captain who locks him and those others of the crew who have fought well, and therefore live, in the hold, chained to an oar.

The days and nights after that become blurry, but he also remembers with a crystalline quality, the face of the woman... angel?... goddess?... who frees him from slavery. She unlocks the shackles, gives each man who can still stand a confiscated sword, and lets them out on deck to face the captive, and now bound, pirate crew. That is a bloodbath not soon to be forgotten. But a few, like himself, instead of instantly climbing above howling, stay to thank the woman. It is Shooting Star.

She does not speak to the liberated prisoners at all, but someone from above addresses her as "Captain" and she answers. Unfortunately, the rest of what the voice says is, "We must be going now, if we want to vanish before the navy catches our wind."

"Aye," she agrees, and indeed, it does seem as though they have disappeared, for it's not too long before the flag of the Royal Navy of the Thedhis Islands is seen on the horizon, coming to fetch the survivors, whether honest sailor, or pirate for trial.

Following these events, he decides he will take many more risky ventures across that, and other dangerous areas of the ocean near the islands, for Silver Fox is smitten and must see Shooting Star again. If he has to pay for it by watching men around him die and ultimately being tethered to an oar until he is freed, it is a heavy price, but one that he is willing to endure. After all, he will do all he can to save as many of his comrades as possible.

Once again, as in the Uman Shikù Greenwood when he needed to be wary of Jade Black Rose, he resumes the changing of his name, this time so that he will not become synonymous to the superstitious sailors with bad luck. And some of the ships he sails on do happen to make port.

Of course, it isn't that easy. Sometimes the pirates make the sailors walk the plank and attempt to swim to whatever shore is nearest, hoping to be rescued instead of eaten by sharks. Thankfully, he's never been captured by any rogues who merely execute their prisoners; perhaps Silver Fox is destined for some other fate, or simply fortunate. At other times, the Royal Navy aprehends the pirates, and he is released, but not by so comely a deliverer.

And upon still other occasions, Shooting Star may send one of her crewmen on this mission below decks instead of going herself. Her first mate, in particular, is delegated this task more frequently than the others, and Silver Fox develops a vague acquaintance with the dignified Thedhis T'al native, although they never talk, either. Yet, as the weeks go by, his face becomes familiar to Shooting Star and, finally, she speaks directly to Silver Fox.

"Again? I have to unchain you, again?" For a moment it isn't clear whether she will opt to unlock him this time or not. "What is your problem, man? Are you cursed? Have you a death wish? Or maybe you're just crazy?" the young Captain demands, exasperated.

"My name," he says, "is Silver Fox," and his former shipmates look sharply at him as that is not the alias they have been calling him by. "And I have only one problem, well... only one overarching and sublime problem, but perhaps I am crazy." He smiles, aiming for a charming expression and not unhinged. "Maybe you can advise me. How does a man get to know a woman whom he only sees when he's chained to an oar?"

Shooting Star blinks. This approach seems to be entirely new in her experience. "I freed you, so now... you love me?" she guesses, flabbergasted.

"Not exactly," says Silver Fox wryly. "Various Royal Naval sailors have freed me, but I don't love any of them. Your commander has freed me once or twice, yet I don't love him either. Only you. It's very strange, I know, but I do, and I can’t help it."

"Stay here!" Captain Shooting Star orders and goes up on deck.

Those who are already on deck, finishing off the original pirates, view Shooting Star having a small conclave off to the side with her commander and a rascally looking man whom she apparently trusts implicitly. "He says he loves me, wants to get to know me. Do you think he's a spy?" asks Shooting Star, apparently out of her depth.

"I think maybe he's infatuated with your pretty face. Maybe. But unless he does get to know you, he can't really say he loves you, for you," says the scruffy man.

"Agreed," says her commander, a man of middle years, and usually one to give the benefit of the doubt to things like love at first sight. "And yet, on the occasions when I have taken the shackles off of him myself, I did not get the impression that he was a spy."

"So, what do we do with him? Now that he's made this declaration, rumor will spread. If we take him on board,” reasons the captain, already thinking of doing just that, “every spy in the islands will lose his heart to me immediately.”

"He has chosen a very risky means of demonstrating his infatuation," says the scruffy man. "He could have been killed at least a dozen times, maybe twice that."

"He is very brave, and courteous," adds the commander, "as well as possessing either tremendous luck, supreme skill with a blade, or both."

The rascally man gives a lopsided grin. "Tell him that you'll take him aboard, IF he's willing to be chained to an oar in your ship."

"But..." Shooting Star begins, shocked.

"For other ears," he swiftly assures her.

"Yes, by all means, tell him that," says the statelier commander. "If he's not at least willing, then he's not good enough for you."

"Thank you for your counsel, gentlemen. I shall so inform the prisoner," Shooting Star nods to each, and strides off.

"’What do you think?’ the pair exchange the message with a mere head tilt, no speaking necessary. "He'd be a fool not to accept," says the scruffy man, aloud.

"He's no fool," the commander asserts. "I will confess that I do not want to share our Shooting Star, but she needs... Well, we'll see."

Still shackled, Silver Fox is led across to Shooting Star's ship, the Firebrand, and virtually tossed below. But, contrary to his expectation, he is caught and lands softly. A huge man puts him down and releases his bonds. Silver Fox is confused. Shooting Star is there, though, so most of his attention is on her. "You are to stay below. Find whatever work requires doing, just so long as you never, ever, appear on deck. If you are above hatches, the ship had better be on fire. That is all."

"My name is Irayo," says the enormous man. "I am the cook, so you will do as I say unless someone specifically gives you an assignment." Silver Fox notices that Irayo has spectacles; he's never seen them outside of a city. "I was taken as a slave from very far away. Now I fight for Shooting Star."

For several days, Irayo is Silver Fox's only friend, that he knows of, aboard the Firebrand. But the big man is impressed by the fact that this obviously eastern Seo Hán Nì young man is not prejudiced against Irayo's dark skin. And when told to chop tubers, he chops tubers. Gradually the cook warms to the self-professed, unrequited lover. "Why is it that you think you love our Shooting Star?" he asks one night.

Silver Fox, feeling whimsical, tells his massive friend, "Because my sister danced on it for me. My half-sister is a shaman of the steppes," Silver Fox explains dreamily. "When I asked my sister where to go, she said to come here, and that I also might find true love. But I confess that Shooting Star's name was never mentioned."

"Still, this is a serious thing," says Irayo. "Perhaps, if you cannot be allowed to go up, she might be induced to come down. Why else bring you here?" He wipes his hands on his apron. "But for now, set that dried meat to soak," and they are back to the world of cookery.

Then, the next day, the ship is involved in a sea battle. Everyone, Irayo included, grabs his sword and rushes up on deck. Silver Fox amuses himself fretting about the safety of his beloved stranger and his new friend and pumping out the bilges. But, yet again, none of her crew are seriously hurt! The woman must have phenomenal luck, because not even the combination of her skill and the fear she inspires in normal pirates can account for it.

She does not fly any variation on the skull and crossed bones or sabers, but a flag with her own design. It is a torch with a star at the top, sending out a long, serpentine, comet's tail: Shooting Star's Firebrand. How it manages to look both ethnic and classically heraldic, Silver Fox isn't sure, but he knows that he likes it. And after this fight, the captain descends below decks, ostensibly because swordplay, and net-casting, make her very hungry. True to her word, Shooting Star eats like she's starving. "So," she asks Irayo, totally ignoring Silver Fox's existence, "how's the new recruit?"

Silver Fox half expects that Irayo will report that he chops tubers when told to chop tubers. Instead, the large cook says, "He is a good man, a good friend, and I would rather let him run tame down here than most."

Shooting Star also looks a bit taken aback by this. "You know this after six days?"

“I knew this after about six minutes, but Silver Fox, that's his name, has done nothing to change my mind but improve my opinion of him," Irayo assures her.

"I still cannot let him above the hatches," Shooting Star says with something that might have developed into a sigh if allowed to do so. "But... I have heard that there are new games being played in the Central Kingdom... Do you know any?"

This was an open invitation, and all Silver Fox could think of were completely unsuitable games. Either the games require pieces that he doesn't have or are too... frisky... to be played with someone who is his superior and his crush or are glorified gambling when he hasn't got a cent. Then, a favorite traveling game of Maestro Sun Son's comes to him. "Well, there are many for which I do not have the proper board or markers, but here is one you might like," offers Silver Fox, and he proceeds to teach the intelligent young captain a game using numbers in boxes, that can be scribbled on paper, or any surface, really.

Shooting Star gets the hang of it quickly, and Silver Fox explains to her that there are puzzles for game players at all levels, from simple to quite complex. He himself is good, but no better than that. "If you continue to improve so rapidly, I will soon no longer be able to make up squares challenging enough for you," Silver Fox tells her.

"That's fine; then I can devise boxes for you," she replies. "For now, create another puzzle for me, please. I'm enjoying this very much."

"I'm glad," says Silver Fox simply, praying she can hear his sincerity.

As they play, Shooting Star begins to, not chat, but occasionally let fall the odd personal remark. Silver Fox feels that it is only fair that he should do the same and, in fact, surpasses her in this, in hopes of encouraging these tiny confidences. They don't play for very long on any one day, and often not at all some days, but both start to look forward to this interaction.

He does, because time with her is precious, and he enjoys stretching his mind even if he can't stretch his legs much. She does, because it has been a while since she has made a new friend, and that is what he is turning out to be... at the least.

Silver Fox doesn't ever tell her he loves her, which is good because she would have to scoff, but it shows in a thousand little ways that Shooting Star the pirate is ignorant of, but Estel the woman knows from watching the affection between her parents. Often, now, the commander and the scruffy man exchange satisfied glances behind her back, pleased with their advice.

The Firebrand is heavy with loot and the crew is getting anxious to spend it. Shooting Star knows that it is time for shore leave. She debates long and hard with herself about what to do with Silver Fox, but he has earned a holiday as much as anyone above decks. So, he will be allowed this treat.

Nevertheless, Silver Fox will come ashore only in the dead of night when he will not be seen, or if he is, he will not be recognized because those who frequent the wharves then make it their business to notice as little as possible. "Be inconspicuous!" Shooting Star tells him perhaps a dozen times before she leaves with the first party of her men and women. The women sleep in a communal cabin on deck, and not in the bunks or hammocks in the hold, so Silver Fox has barely seen them, even at meals.

If only Shooting Star knew just how inconspicuous Silver Fox can be when he chooses to. There isn't much point in putting on his fox form at sea, but he's definitely looking forward to coming ashore and having a good, long, midnight run. The captain, herself, plans to return to safeguard the ship during the watches of the night, along with Silver Fox for the first half and Irayo for the second half, so that there are always at least two people on board. However, she doesn't come back on time.

In fact, although he waits with Irayo, Shooting Star doesn't return to the ship all night. So, in the morning, after some of the crew have come back from a night's carousing of whatever form, Silver Fox and Irayo go looking for her. Irayo knows where her mother lives and thinks she might have gone that way... posted a letter, perhaps, using the ferry servicing that island. Silver Fox knows better; he can smell her. And her traces show that she's fine all down this lane, and then... there's fear sweat, some of it even hers!

Two men, distinctly, maybe a third? But although Silver Fox is almost sure steel was drawn, there's no blood to be seen or scented. Surrounded, then? Whatever happened, Shooting Star proceeded this way, not entirely under her own power, undoubtedly against her will, and went into this house. It looks just like any other stucco and half-timber house of the port town. The shop on the first floor is a bakery, hardly sinister, yet it is into the basement of this house that Shooting Star, consciously or not, went and stayed.

Basement is a Central Kingdom word; Shooting Star thinks of her prison as a cellar. And while, normally, her ship's people cause little enough damage that they are at least semi-welcome in many ports, it seems that the latest royal proclamation has put a considerable bounty on her head. Alive only.

Still, a lot of unpleasant things can happen to a person that leave them alive, the three bounty hunters from the night before were quick to point out to her. If she didn't cause a fuss, Shooting Star would remain relatively unharmed. Hence, she had not caused a fuss... largely because she couldn't see any immediate advantage in creating a disturbance. The captain is rated a good swordswoman, but not at three to one odds. She has been left with water, but she is very hungry, and also quite tired.

She still has the knife in her boot, which with incredible luck they seem to have missed. Therefore, when she gets free, Shooting Star will either eat an entire bakery full of pastry, or never touch the stuff again. Already, she is making plans to escape, none of which seem feasible yet, but one idea leads to another. So far, she can't account for the third man; her stratagems will stretch as far as disabling two rogues, at least for long enough to get away, but in each scenario, the pesky third kidnapper always catches her.

Shooting Star has been able to get a little sleep, but not much and very fitful, only. She is not bound, but there is magic on the hatchway leading down into the cellar, and they've taken the ladder back up with them. There is no light, but she hasn't noticed the scrabbling sounds of rat feet, at least. Idly, Shooting Star wonders where the three bounty hunters are sleeping, since she has no doubt that they are resting well after a successful night's work, and in preparation for another one tonight.

Not waiting for Irayo, or other help, since you never know when time will be of the essence, Silver Fox walks whistling into the bakery. From the street, he has noticed that this building has a second story, presumably where the shopkeeper lives. And, in an attic above that, he can hear men snoring.

Again, he cannot be sure from the sound that there are three distinct snores, but Silver Fox is certain enough. Therefore, it is his goal to get up to that attic and stop the men from snoring. First, however, he must order bread... a vast amount of bread. "How many dozen loaves do you have on hand?" he asks, and then demands twice that number, vacuously following the man behind the counter back towards the ovens, gabbling about the fictious wedding of even more imaginary cousins all the way. But now he knows where the open staircase is located.

Droning on in his bored courtier voice, he presently opens and allows the front door to swing shut again. The person behind the counter, now replaced by a woman, cannot see the small grey form slinking along the base of the raised food cases, and does not notice the furry body gliding up the steps to the first upper floor. The entrance to the attic is up a ladder, so Silver Fox is a man once again, briefly. But the intruder alert spell is designed for humans only; a fox sets off no alarms.

Once inside the attic and the perimeter of the charm, it is much easier to bash on the head and tie up three men as a human than a fox. The third one wakes before Silver Fox is done binding the second and almost cries out before the young man punches him in the jaw and knocks him unconscious that way. Silver Fox swears fluently under his breath; that hurts! But his hand isn't fractured, so he can afford to be only mildly vexed with himself. Time to go find Shooting Star and avoid her knife!

There's a spell on the trapdoor to the basement, but it's only operative from the inside. The bakers, naturally, claim to be shocked that those three nice, law-abiding men would have kidnapped a girl and imprisoned her in their very own cellar. Silver Fox professes not to care, as long as she is now set free, and the bread he ordered is ready on time. That is non-negotiable; he must have that bread. Accordingly, the bakers scurry away. By this time, Silver Fox is aware of the bounty on her.

He is not sure even what to call Shooting Star that will not bring greedy people out of the woodwork, and he certainly doesn't want an audience. She will have a plan, Silver Fox knows, and he must identify himself as a friend if he wants to prevent her from skewering him. Eventually he decides that simple is best. "Beloved," he calls, "it's me, Silver Fox. I've come to rescue you and beg you to purchase a monumental amount of bread, as I'm running a bit short on cash at the present moment."

Shooting Star doesn't use her knife on Silver Fox, and arrangements are made to deliver the excessively large quantity of bread to the Firebrand in the morning. The captain wants to keep and interrogate the three bounty hunters, but Silver Fox persuades her that selling all their valuables is vengeance enough.

Regarding her rescue itself, Shooting Star is both amazed and suspicious that one man alone could accomplish it so easily. There is clearly something about Silver Fox that he is not telling. But then, there are a lot of things that Shooting Star hasn't told him. Maybe it is time to exchange a few more confidences. First, however, they must get from the bakery to the ship, make sure all the crew are aboard, and be ready to cast off tomorrow morning. The captain still has her knife, of course.

It becomes clear to her that telling Silver Fox to be inconspicuous was unnecessary. He is like a faintly purple wraith in the shadows. Shooting Star, however, stands out much more evidently, because women simply don't go down to the wharves. It's a tense walk, with a couple of close calls, but once again, Shooting Star is preternaturally lucky. Oddly enough, Silver Fox always senses danger before the captain is remotely aware of it, and her luck and his perception suffice to get them through.

Once back on board the Firebrand, Shooting Star addresses the entire crew, including Silver Fox who has apparently been promoted from his below decks existence. "There is," she informs them, "a substantial price on my head. Alive, as it happens." The captain is flanked by her commander and the rascally looking man. "Anyone more interested in it than in me, had better depart now, because I'm about to give some particularly crazy orders." No one leaves. The two men note those who hesitated.

"Since the reward was issued by royal decree, every bounty hunter, or even citizen who thinks he or she might be able to catch me, will try to capture me and bring me before the double crown. This will not cease until the source of the problem is dealt with; that proclamation must be renounced. And only the royal couple can do so. Therefore, we must abduct the dual monarchs, and... persuade them... of the error of their ways," Shooting Star tells her loyal pirate sailors. "Also, eat bread!"

Later, the five of them, Shooting Star, her commander or first mate, the scruffy man, Irayo the cook, and Silver Fox, are alone in her quarters. The rascally looking boatswain (pronounced, inexplicably, bosun) is the first to speak. "Yes, that's insane, all right. Do we make for the big island and Watchtower Castle, then? I need a heading."

"Yes, for the moment I think we do, although we'll never be able to abstract them from inside the castle. Mondhintor city on Rres’ea is where the information will be found, and that's what we need most right now," answers the captain.

"Who can you trust to spy for you whose face is not known?" asks the commander, already cognizant that the best candidate is Silver Fox.

The young Central Kingdom man ponders for a moment; the bicameral Thedhis T'al monarchs, King Galadh and Queen Rian have visited the Celestial City Imperial Court once or twice, but he no longer closely resembles a Seo Hán Nì minor nobleman, if he was even noted on those fleeting occasions. Hence, he feels confident in stepping forward. "I can, especially with this new tan," says Silver Fox with just a touch of irony since, due to all of his time spent below decks, his fairer skin continues to set him conspicuously apart, "but I'll need a contact on the outside to pass what I've learned along to."

"I am not known, either, since I spend most of my time in the ship's galley," volunteers Irayo, "and I am a decent blacksmith, but I do stand out in a crowd," he almost apologizes.

"Nevertheless, I think the two of you will do," decides Shooting Star. "You work well together anyway. Irayo, you have my leave to seek employment as a blacksmith in the capital of Mondhintor as soon as possible; catch the nearest ferry when we make port. I trust your ability to manufacture an alias. Silver Fox, I still have need of you, here, for now."

"We can make further fine revisions to the plan as we go, but I think we have a working outline," concludes the commander.

"Yes," agrees Shooting Star.

Silver Fox lingers for a moment after the rest file out of the cabin. "I'll need an authentic Thedhis islander name, and an identity. Am I a servant, a merchant, a minor lordling? You don't have to think of all or any of that tonight, but I wanted to leave it percolating in your head," he tells Shooting Star.

"Of course, you're right. You don't have the history here to make up a cover story of your own. I will think about it. Tomorrow," and she doesn't quite shut the door in his face, but it comes close.

The captain does not disappoint. The next day she summons Silver Fox to the upper deck, and tells him, "Your name is Methriel, which means... silvery, in the same Silwani ethnic group as mine and Rian's. You are a prosperous merchant, dealing in maritime supplies... NOT bread, and you are from the island of M’ellion; it’s big enough that no one will remark upon not recognizing you. I think it would be easier if you were all alone in the world, but if you wish to be provided with a fictitious wife and children, or parents, living at home, I can generate names for them as well. However, you are half descended from the Central Kingdom on your mother's side."

"You're right, that explains much, and I can take care of the Central Kingdom mother, but if I could have a father's name, dead or alive, I think that would be useful," Silver Fox replies.

After a couple of tries, they have a satisfactory answer for this question, and he is turning to go when the captain says, "Before we arrive, I want to have a talk with you. Alone. About how you managed to rescue me. Alone. Not that I'm ungrateful, yet I am curious, and I think I have a right to know.”

Shooting Star invites Silver Fox to eat dinner with her in her cabin. They are still two or three days from the castle side of the big island of Rres’ea but, apparently, she wants time in case this takes a while. "I'll start," the captain says. "My true name is Estel. It means 'hope'."

"That's beautiful.” It’s a conventional, yet genuine, response.

"Thank you. Is your name Silver Fox?" she inquires.

"Yes," he replies. "My family name is Silver, and my mother named me Fox. I actually am only half from the Central Kingdom, but on my father's side. My mother came from farther north."

She eats a bit. Bread, ironically, but not the same bread he bought. "I have a little magic, I believe, although I've never had it tested. I'm just absurdly lucky. It lies in my nets and other things that I craft with my own hands. Many of the crew members carry my talismans."

"I also have a little magic, but I prefer not to conjure unless there is no choice; my father was an evil sorcerer, and I have no desire to be like him. The one thing that I do use is my ability to shape-shift," he volunteers, trusting his most secret talent to this woman.

"Ah, so that explains... maybe... I'll have to think about it. What shapes can you assume?" Estel asks.

"Without an essence, a statuette that I sculpt, only the grey fox. It is my preferred form, anyway," he confesses.

"That makes sense," she remarks. "You speak of your parents in the past tense. Are they both dead, then?"

"Yes, fortunately and sadly, respectively, but I have one older half-sister and one younger full sister. Both my siblings have very strong magic, and I'm glad for them, yet in no way jealous."

The captain nods. "I can understand that, I believe. I am an only child, and my father is dead, but I still send money and letters to my mother and visit when I can."

Now, Silver Fox pauses to eat and drink a little. "Even when I am human," he says, "my senses, especially hearing and smell, are abnormally keen. Your scent led me to the bakery. I can jump several times my own height, and I heal more quickly than average."

Estel smiles. "That must be convenient... as well as a nuisance aboard ship."

"Not as much as you would think; you adapt," Silver Fox tells her. "I once led a small army and retook a town. Since then, I have been a bandit who preyed on other bandits as well as official scoundrels."

Estel is impressed. "That sounds very brave, and slightly foolhardy. No wonder I like you," and, to her surprise, she blushes a tiny bit. However, there is no awkwardness.

"Your pirate name is much better than my bandit name 'Sword of Justice', though. How did you come to be called Shooting Star?" he asks, cocking his head to one side curiously.

"Ah, now that's an extremely long story and will have to wait for another occasion. See that nothing happens to you so that you can hear it all when that time comes," the captain says, smiling.

Silver Fox establishes his cover in the royal court and starts sending back information almost immediately. Much of his first report is confirming rumor. Galadh and Rian hate each other passionately and do everything they can to keep the other from succeeding at anything. They have no children.

Galadh, the King, is from the predominantly town-dwelling Qanyi’o ethnic group of the islands, while Rian, the Queen, represents her more rural, ocean-side ethnicity, the Silwani. Galadh is bright enough to know that his wife, by an arranged marriage, is much smarter than he is, and resents this highly. Furthermore, he faults her for their lack of progeny. Rian hates town life and blames Galadh for the fact that they must reside in Watchtower Castle in the capital. She also despises his assumption that urban equals urbane and, therefore, cultured.

In short, he tries to lord it over her because he outclasses her socially and is richer, whereas she tries to rule him because she outsmarts him and thinks he's inbred. It is not a happy union, and in their supreme inefficacy, piracy and to some extent banditry on land, have flourished during their joint reign. Each alone would be a moderately good leader and head of state and try to address these, and other, pressing issues if they weren't too busy accusing the other of being the problem.

It is amazing, "Methriel" concludes, that any bounty at all got laid on Shooting Star's life, and he suspects that the bureaucracy did it of their own volition, which is the only way that roads get maintained and some law and order is enforced. "Methriel" is not sure why Galadh is so keen on having children, as they won't inherit anything. When one of this pair dies, a new marriage will be brokered, although next time the man must hail from the countryside Qanyi’o and the woman must be an ethnic townswoman.

The spy "Methriel" also includes, as a personal opinion, that kidnapping the spouses won't achieve anything. Neither the court nor the government will miss their constant arguing, and even if the royal couple could be made to agree upon something and then mysteriously returned to the castle, no one would believe an amicable duo was truly them. Nonetheless, Shooting Star is determined to attempt the abduction. Therefore, "Methriel" sets his mind to thinking up ways and means that this goal might be safely accomplished.

Shooting Star already has the second part of the plan, if not perfected, then well thought out. There is an islet she knows, tiny and out of the way, with fresh water and some edible jungle plants, as well as fish to eat. It is too far removed from everything important to hope for random rescue, regardless of how much of the forest were hypothetically made into a signal fire.

The idea is simple; Galadh and Rian must stay there until they prove that they can get along and cooperate on something, anything. At first, Shooting Star had considered leaving them there by themselves, but not only did she have no faith that they would not accidentally poison or otherwise harm themselves, moreover she felt, based on Silver Fox's data, that the monarchs might need a referee or two. Ideally, they will be so pleased with their new state of accord that they will pardon Shooting Star.

If the worst happens, however, and the bounty is increased and specified alive or DEAD, Estel does not believe that she will be in much more horrible straits than she is now. It's not as though they wanted her still living so that they could have a nice, little chat with her or make her the new ambassador to the Seo Hán Nì Central Kingdom, after all. Also, she reminds herself, she is magically lucky, and Estel means hope. Therefore, she will proceed with her strategy, and perhaps... um... inspire by example.

Just to keep suspicion away from what she really plans to do, Shooting Star amuses herself by taking a couple of pirate ships out of commission while she waits for her competent crew to invent a viable first part to the mission. Her men and women do suffer a few minor injuries, but nothing that would maim or even cause more than the most transitory damage. Finally, however, "Methriel" sends word that he has important news which may make it possible to abscond with the rulers nearly risk-free.

A royal procession, of sorts, has been arranged; King Galadh and Queen Rian are taking a tour of the islands of the T’al. They will be on board their ship, the Swan, for at least two months journeying about the archipelago. The itinerary is set, of course, but there are always storms and other unexpected delays at sea.

"Methriel" is not certain how they propose to keep from strangling each other, confined in such a small space for so long, yet that is beside the point. It would be impossible for Shooting Star to remove the ruling pair from the fortified castle; Watchtower is an apt name. However, once they are out upon the open ocean, it is another matter entirely. There will be escorts of troop boats, naturally, and their captain is sure to be the best legitimate sailor in the region, but these contingencies were only to be expected.

After confirming the departure date and time of the royal couple immediately before they are expected to leave, "Methriel" once again becomes Silver Fox, and he and Irayo the gigantic cook go down to the harbor. Irayo stands guard while Silver Fox sneaks around to the troop boats and very subtly sabotages them. The damage will not be visible and, in fact, will not incapacitate the vessels for many hours yet, but when Shooting Star attacks, they won't be able to respond, having lost maneuverability.

Silver Fox and Irayo take a longboat and rejoin the Firebrand, and the young man is surprised to learn that after weeks of absence, it feels... well, not like coming home, exactly, but certainly like being liberated from an oar. And then, of course, there is being reunited with Shooting Star, which he enjoys more than she does, as he isn't the captain of a ship about to go into battle. But as he has been leader of a small army about to go into battle, he understands. "Get some sleep," he advises.

Shooting Star is ready. She waits behind an atoll until the formation of the tiny armada begins to come apart, the troop boats going this way and that, apparently at random. The captain of the Swan, the royal vessel, attempts to remain largely within the cover of the... clump of troop supports.

Unfortunately, there is a lovely, freshening breeze, and he can't quite alter his sails in time. The Swan floats majestically out of the chaos, slowing as it goes... until the captain gets an inkling of what might be up, and lays on all possible speed. It is too late. The Firebrand is already swooping down upon the royal transport. Shooting Star is in her element, climbing here and there over the ship, giving orders, giving encouragement, giving inspiration. Her plan doesn't seem crazy, now.

This, ironically, is the tamest sea combat that Silver Fox has ever participated in. When fighting pirates, real pirates, you are struggling for your life, and you know it. There is no guarantee that even those who surrender will be spared, although it is good policy for the pirates themselves not to make it a battle to the death. In this assault, the first combatants lined up against the side of the Swan get weighted nets thrown over them, and this sets the tenor of the rest of the fight.

Soon there is only a small contingent of protectors gathered around the royal pair. Queen Rian is shrieking orders at the top of her lungs, which are being totally ignored. King Galadh is trying to figure out how to draw his ceremonial sword and join the fray himself. Irayo knocks a few heads together. The commander disarms a couple. The scruffy boatswain's mate tangles several together in a net and tosses them overboard. A female warrior incapacitates quite a number who underestimate her.

Silver Fox personally has done very little fighting. He has defended himself expertly, of course, and opened a couple of corridors his crew needed access to, but mostly he has been sticking to his self-appointed post, guarding Shooting Star's back. Because she is clearly the captain, obviously the one in charge, and often field promotions are given in the navy if a sailor can take the opposing leader out of the battle. No fewer than four men, wounded or ostensibly surrendered, have tried to stab her so far.

Finally, however, it is over, and Galadh and Rian are locked on the Firebrand in a cabin denuded of sharps and breakables. Once again, Shooting Star's worst casualty consists of one slash that needs rough and ready stitches, and to be kept clean for the next several days. All other wounds are minor. They spend a long time fleeing, throwing off pursuit both ordinary and magical, before they get around to heading for their destination. Shooting Star and Silver Fox will take the rulers ashore.

"Harmony Islet" is beautiful. It has a small but lush section of jungle around the spring, white sand beaches and palm trees, and cerulean blue waters. Galadh and Rian hate it. They hate Shooting Star. They hate Silver Fox. They may even hate some of these things more than they hate each other.

Galadh will go no further than the beach. Rian, on the other hand, will not leave sight of the ocean. Both of them believe that any minute someone will come to rescue them. Minutes go by. They turn into hours. It is getting dark, and Rian is thirsty. Conversely, Galadh wants a drink of water. Shooting Star has expected a little initial, royal stubbornness, so she has come with water skins, and even a bit of food. All they have to do is say 'please'. Galadh, in a burst of chivalry, does.

Unfortunately, his chivalry does not extend to giving any of his water to his lovely wife. Rian is furious and feels that somehow her spouse has won some kind of points over her already. Quite prettily, she says 'please' as well, and also 'thank you'. So there! Silver Fox prays that when they all go to sleep, the headache the two monarchs are giving him will subside. But the couple doesn’t intend to go to sleep. Driftwood will be gathered, somehow, and a bonfire will be lit, somehow, to guide rescuers.

Shooting Star feels that perhaps it is time to explain a few things. She is an outlaw and they, as king and queen, have decided to put a hefty price on her head. Favors from her will be few and far between. Silver Fox is not from the archipelago of Thedhis T’al at all and is a citizen of the Central Kingdom of the Seo Hán Nì Empire. He owes them no allegiance; it is only due to his strong sense of courtesy that he is even here. No one is going to, somehow, gather driftwood for a bonfire unless they do it themselves, somehow.

With that, Shooting Star and Silver Fox head for the nearest stand of palm trees, to provide some shade and a bit of bedding, if their majesties are going to be so obstinate as to spend the night on the beach gathering wood. Of course, Galadh and Rian trail after them like little children, and no wood is gathered at all. Silver Fox suspects Rian of harboring thoughts of stealing his sword and knife while he is sleeping. Presumably, with this coercion, he would gather driftwood for the Queen.

King Galadh has a similar idea but is foolish enough to think that taking blades from a woman will be easier than sneaking them out of the grip of a man, so his target is Shooting Star. The idea of cooperation, of two against one, never even occurs to them. Happily, it does cross the minds of Silver Fox and Shooting Star. They make a pile of weapons between them, and curl up, one on either side of it. A couple of abortive tries for the tempting steel are made anyway, but the owners of the metallic treasure trove always awaken.

The next morning, Shooting Star and Silver Fox have slept lightly but well. However, the king and queen do not look as though they have closed their eyes at all. In truth, they did try, once they gave up their attempts to steal from or overpower their captors, but sand is just not a feather bed and half-buried shells are never a welcome surprise to tender flesh.

"Today," Silver Fox informs the unhappy royal couple, "we must go to the spring, since we drank all of the water Shooting Star brought yesterday."

"In there?" Galadh can't quite stop himself from saying as he surveys the dark green expanse of jungle.

"Yes, in there," snipes his wife, proud to be of more rural stock. "What are you afraid of, a tiger?"

"No," the man says abstractedly, "a wild boar would be enough."

"Oh," she replies. Feral pigs are a problem in the islands of the archipelago.

Along the way, Shooting Star points out edible fruits, as she is sure the ruling duo is hungry enough to try food that they have to peel themselves. Most hang from the branches of trees, and Queen Rian, who is quite a bit shorter, gets less to eat than her taller husband. Shooting Star begins to get somewhat annoyed with King Galadh, although she swore to herself that she would not take sides. Then, Rian is inspired to use her newfound 'please'-saying skills on Silver Fox and he rewards her efforts with extra fruit. Shooting Star is annoyed with Rian also.

Although Silver Fox has mysteriously acquired a bow and a quiver full of arrows, previously hidden here for this occasion, he does not offer to shoot anything so that their majesties may eat meat. "If you want something other than fruit, you'll have to fish for it," he tells them. "These are for defense, just in case." Whereupon Galadh goes stiff with dread of wild pigs and Rian starts looking for giant snakes and jungle cats. Now Shooting Star feels a smidgen sorry for the sheltered pair.

The spring, however, is reached without mishap, the water skins are filled, the gentlemen walk a few tree spans away so the ladies can bathe in the refreshingly chilly pool. Then, Shooting Star, gallantly, and King Galadh, markedly less selflessly, insist that the men should get their turn as well. During these moments of isolation, Galadh and Rian become almost tolerable and manage to treat their same sex protector as human, possibly out of desperation, but nonetheless, they do it. Shooting Star wants very much to talk to Silver Fox alone to see what he thinks.

After this brief interlude, though, genuine disagreements arise. Galadh wants to turn around and go back, so naturally, Rian desires to proceed on and see the other side of the islet. The king would like to fish, but the queen wishes to look for crabs and oysters. King Galadh is all for catching up on some lost sleep during the hottest part of the day by napping in the shade, while Queen Rian has her second wind and would rather turn in early that night to attempt to get more rest, then. He is bull-headed; she is manipulative.

Shooting Star is discouraged. She had hoped, if their lives more or less depended on cooperating, that the Thedhis royalty would be able to set aside their mutual loathing and do it. Apparently, she was wrong. There are a few more days to go before the Firebrand comes to check on them, even, but things do not look good as they stand, now.

Silver Fox very much wants to speak to her alone, to see what her opinion is. But… maybe because he is an outsider and not from the archipelago, he thinks he may see a solution. That evening, while King Galadh tries to use a fishing pole, and his wife attempts to cast a net successfully, he and Shooting Star go a little way down the shore, out of earshot but not out of sight. "It's hopeless," she says. "They'll never work together. They despise each other too much."

"Maybe not," he temporizes. "What if they only had to agree enough to rule together? What if they didn't have to be married to each other?" he asks the native islander.

"I don't know. That hatred is pretty ingrained. But not having to live together and pretend to be a pleasant, nonhomicidal couple would remove a lot of stress..." Shooting Star looks at Silver Fox in inquiry. "What are you thinking?"

"Well, the law says that they have to be married, right? But does it actually specify that they must be married to each other to reign?"

"That's a question for Rian; she'd know," says Shooting Star.

"Is there a procedure for divorce in the Thedhis T’al archipelago?" Silver Fox asks very tentatively.

"Yes,” replies Shooting Star. "In the event that your spouse proves in all ways unsatisfactory, you can throw his or her belongings into the ocean and lock him or her out of the house. After three days of this, you are considered legally divorced."

"What if the disharmony is mutual?" Silver Fox is curious.

Shooting Star smirks. "Then neither one can use the house for those three days, and by the time they’re done it’s mostly empty of furnishings, anyway."

When Queen Rian is queried, she looks thoughtful for a long time. King Galadh starts to bluster about tradition, but she tells him to shut up, and amazingly, he does. "You're right," she says slowly. "It is everywhere implied that the bicameral body, the king and queen, shall be married to each other, but it is nowhere put into exactly those words." Rian beams at Silver Fox. "Galadh and I could enter into a binding contract to rule jointly, so long as we were both married to... someone."

"A divorce is so sordid," King Galadh complains. "And what will happen in the three days that we aren't married to anyone? Can we be replaced just as if we were dead?"

"That's a good point," Shooting Star praises him. "What you need is some force behind you to back up your position."

"What do you mean?" asks Galadh.

"If you can't count on either your army or navy to support you, then you need a third source. It's likely that most official troops won't engage until they see a clear advantage in it," explains the pirate captain.

"Spend some time thinking about who might marry you on zero notice and then contact that person to give them a tiny bit of warning," Silver Fox grins.

Shooting Star adds, "And by force, I meant the Firebrand, and as many local garrisons and smaller boats, fishing craft even, as you can gather to your cause."

The rest of the time spent on "Harmony Islet" lives up to its name. Galadh and Rian are so thrilled with the prospect of no longer having to be married to each other, that they are in bright, sunny moods, and even able to work together without snippy comments and recriminations... mostly. They agree right away to remove the price from Shooting Star's head, but instead of thinking that it's funny, at the idea of wanting to talk to her ‘to make her the next ambassador to the Central Kingdom’ they grow quiet.

As it happens, Queen Rian is still in love with her childhood sweetheart, and as far as she knows he remains single. So, with a message to him sent, hopefully one problem is solved. King Galadh's fancy hasn't lit especially on just one woman in a while, though. There is an unmarried lady of the court who sets out lures for him, but he's somewhat leery of her. "Why?" Shooting Star demands. It appears that she's indiscreet and any degree of intimacy with her would cause a scandal; and, of course, Galadh abhors anything that smacks of being common and tawdry.

"But if you were married to her, then it wouldn't be scandalous, would it?" Silver Fox reasons. "Do you think you could be happy with this woman otherwise?" The king is not sure, but he thinks so. Silver Fox proclaims that to be good enough to go on.

Next, all they have to do is win local support for this plan, from among the regular folk of the T’al, the island archipelago. Shooting Star is inclined to think the... well, silly aspect of it will do much to persuade the people of the brilliance of this idea.

And, indeed, she is correct. Shooting Star grants everyone that she can possibly spare from the Firebrand an extended furlough, so they can go to whatever home they have in the islands and spread gossip. The general feeling is "It's about time someone exercised a little common sense!", but the common citizens of both main ethnicities are willing to give Galadh and Rian a second chance at ruling in their new matrimonial states. By the time the Firebrand is back up to her full complement of sailors, the ordinary people are ready to back a divorce.

King Galadh and Queen Rian each have a wonderful time flinging their spouse's most cherished possessions into the sea. Of course, the antiques that belong to the castle itself can't be gotten rid of but out goes her astrolabe and his favorite painting of himself, along with many other personal items.

Since neither can use the castle for three days, he spends the time aboard the more military Firebrand, and she passes the interval on the Swan, which is smaller but more comfortable. Then, their prospective bride and groom are fetched, both charmingly willing to be called the Grand (or the more feminine, Grande) High Spouse, and the weddings are performed by appropriate clerics, since Shooting Star flatly refuses to do the honors as a captain at sea. A fancy legal document is drawn up detailing the specifics of joint rule by Galadh and Rian, and it's done.

Another measure designed to appeal to the hearts of the common people of the islands is that, during this three-day period and every third anniversary of it, a huge holiday is declared wherein basically the rulers feed and entertain everyone within range, and set up fairs for those who are too far away to travel conveniently to the castle on the big island of Rres’ea. It is inevitable, of course, that some grumbling occurs amongst the nobility who might have been chosen as the next lucky royal couple, but all they do is gripe.

The first thing the newly unwed pair does is to review the structure and personnel of the army and navy, since soldiers or sailors who essentially sit around dithering until they see which way the wind is blowing, are deemed... unsatisfactory by Galadh and Rian. All those who preferred not to commit are reassigned by the king and queen to pirate patrols at sea, which is where most of the military ends up, or smuggling and banditry raids on land. Soon, Shooting Star finds she has less pirate prey.

The civic-minded portion of Shooting Star rejoices that their majesties are becoming increasingly effective rulers, and that the amount of piracy is dwindling. As a pirate captain who attacked and looted other pirate ships, however, she is less thrilled. Economically, she and her crew are well off.

Led by example, all those aboard the Firebrand have plundered and buried wisely. Some have even invested in... whatever. Yet, as much as a respite from constant fighting is welcome, too extended a period of peace and quiet can become tedious. In short, they are growing restless and long for a little excitement. Shooting Star admits it to herself: she is bored. Therefore, when the dual crown summons her, she is not as unwilling to go as she would normally be. At least there is no bounty this time.

"We have considered it, and we have decided to take you up on your offer," Queen Rian begins. Shooting Star does not recall making any offer; this is not a good sign.

"It does you credit that you wish to serve your country in this manner," adds King Galadh fulsomely. "Lately we have turned our minds from internal troubles to affairs of state between nations, and we feel that you are peculiarly well suited for the position you propose to fill." An apparently ill-timed joke comes rushing back to the captain’s mind.

"For how long," Shooting Star inquires with superhuman patience, "do you suggest that I remain the new ambassador to the Central Kingdom?"

Rian's eyes twinkle... almost. "At first, we shall experiment; this is understood to be on a trial basis only, but perhaps two years?"

"Two. Years," Shooting Star repeats after her flatly.

"The Celestial City of the Seo Hán Nì Empire is reputed to be quite hidebound. We fear that to set a shorter term would be to inhibit your efficacy by making you too transient to notice,” the queen explains rationally.

"You will have plenty of time to arrange your affairs: explain to your crew and grant promotions on the Firebrand as desired; visit whatever Thedhis family you may have; acquire funds from any… er, resources that you have available; and do whatever else you deem necessary before such a prolonged absence from the T’al Island Archipelago," the king says.

"We also highly recommend that you make use of all the advice Silver Fox can provide you with, as he is a native citizen of the country… excuse me… Empire, and knows its laws and customs," adds Queen Rian.

When Shooting Star returns to her ship, she has a difficult time restraining herself from pulling her knives on Silver Fox. Instead, she compromises by pushing him overboard. "This is your fault," snarls his captain when he surfaces. "Your country, your advice, your fault! And I was thinking..."

"What?" he asks, bewildered, climbing back aboard.

"Never mind what I was thinking! They want me to be an ambassador! Me! Ambassador to the Central Kingdom! For two years!" she fumes.

"By ‘they’ you mean Galadh and Rian?" he surmises.

"YES!" Shooting Star hisses.

"You were very diplomatic, although unconventional, with them, I suppose," Silver Fox says.

"Your fault! Your country! Your advice! Your fault!" she begins her litany again.

"But I'm here with you," Silver Fox defends himself.

"You see? That proves it! No one wants to go to the Central Seo Hán Nì Kingdom for two years! And I thought..." he gets the impression that she changes her sentence as she talks, "...that I was bored here and now!" Shooting Star finishes, at least temporarily.

"I take it you weren't given the option of saying no," Silver Fox comments quietly. Shooting Star merely glowers at him. She turns her back, stalks into her cabin, and slams the door. "They shouldn't have asked her to leave her ship," he says quietly.

Later, when she has had a little time to calm down, Silver Fox knocks on the door of her cabin with a mop and a bucket, just in case she wants to throw more water over him. She takes one look at him and smiles a bit, saying, "Also your fault for having a fondness for wearing purple. What kind of a pirate wears purple?"

"The kind who doesn't mind getting wet, apparently," he laughs softly. Yet when he is admitted, Silver Fox's first question is very strange: "Do you know and trust any really strong magicians?”

"Maybe. Maybe as Estel I might, but as Shooting Star? No. Why?" she replies.

"Well, there is a new sort of magic that will create a doorway from virtually anywhere to essentially anywhere else. I don't understand it very well, but I've gone through one, and I know a man I trust in the capital of the Central Kingdom who has one. It's extremely secret; their majesties don't know about it," is Silver Fox’s unexpected response.

"So, you're asking me..." Shooting Star prompts.

"It would be a way of coming home, secretly, when things were just too much." He bites his lip, then risks looking up into her eyes.

"It could...these things could… even connect to a ship?" she asks, clearly as Estel, now.

"I don't see why not," says Silver Fox. "My sister has one in her tent and she's a plains nomad. But if you don't know or trust anyone as Shooting Star, then what..." he trails off.

"I'll have to think," she says, managing to be both Estel and Shooting Star at once for an instant. "Was that all?" asks the captain of the Firebrand.

"No,” Silver Fox feels safe teasing her gently. “You did promise to tell me how you became Shooting Star. But you can tell me on the way to the Central Kingdom... IF we go."

In a couple of days, Shooting Star again calls the crew together. "For the first time, we are going to attack a civilian ship. Hear me out before stating whether or not you have a problem with that. Our target is a boat which is carrying a priest to a conclave of influential religious figures for a symposium on some sort of theological interpretation. This event is to be held at Mondhintor city on the big island. There should be minimal resistance, as this is primarily an ecclesiastical vessel. I want no unnecessary casualties and zero looting. Only the cleric interests us. We take him, unhurt, and we leave."

No one speaks or even shifts their feet. Shooting Star has everyone's complete attention and total loyalty. She continues, "Be prepared, however, for this cleric is a powerful magician. He will, being a priest, not try to kill you. But he may stop you quite effectively. We will take him, anyway. Any questions?"

"We can still use the weighted tactical nets?" yells a voice from the middle of the ship.

"Yes, the nets will be most useful. I expect to deploy them liberally. Anything else?" Yet it appears that there is, at the moment, nothing else. No one asks why Shooting Star wants that specific priest. Maybe she's feeling religious... or romantic. Yet her newly found piety, or nuptial plans, are her own business. As the crew disperses, the captain whispers to Silver Fox, "Do you have one of those magical doorways with you, now?"

He smiles, "Yes, I brought a portable portal just in case. They don't look like much, so it doesn't risk the secret to pack one."

"Good," says Shooting Star, and Estel goes to prepare spiritually for attacking a religious transport, although she would never admit it. When they are gathered for final instructions, it is asked if causing the cleric to faint is permissible. She considers for a few moments. "Yes. Carefully," the  captain responds.

When the time comes, though, the operation is rather anticlimactic. The other vessel is sighted, overtaken, and boarded. A few sailors feel a moral duty to fight pirates and are quickly, and not fatally, incapacitated. Then, the magician cleric emerges from his cabin. "What is all this ruckus?" he demands and, raising a hand, everything ceases. Literally. No one can move more than an inch or two in any direction.

Shooting Star's commander bows his head and tells the priest, "Allow me to state our intentions; we are from the Firebrand. Unfortunately, we lack a ship's chaplain. If you would please come with us willingly, sir, we'd appreciate that."

The elderly man's lips twitch at this. He appears to be about seventy, but still hale, as though he plans to continue living quite healthily for another five decades or so. "It is an interesting request, yet I was under the impression that I was on my way somewhere else," he replies.

"So was I, several years back," says Irayo, the colossal cook. "Sometimes you go where you are meant to go."

"Very true," agrees the priest. Shooting Star, herself, is oddly nowhere to be seen.

Therefore, Silver Fox steps in, figuratively speaking. "Our... invitation... is sincere. Would you care to pray on the situation, sir?"

"Yes," he responds simply.

Everyone remains stock still, since they have no choice, while the old man prays. Periodically he opens his eyes to ask a question. "You have men and women both on your ship?"

"Yes, sir,” one of the female crew members answers.

Or, likewise, "If I consent to come, will it be as easy for me to leave again if I find this is not, after all, my place?" The priest is nobody’s fool, obviously.

That query is harder. All eyes look to Silver Fox as the default authority, including the bosun's mate and the commander. "I believe so, sir. You will be as free as any of the crew, provided you do not mean to do us harm."

"All right. I will come," and the man lowers his hand, allowing everyone else to return to mobility. "You may call me Uncle Aindhuin," he introduces himself. And that appears to settle the matter. Surprisingly spryly, he clambers aboard the Firebrand, and the rest of the crew follow him across.

"Show him immediately to my quarters," comes the voice of Shooting Star, floating above the crowd. "I will be there presently. The four of you also invited know who you are."

Priests and priestesses in the islands are addressed as aunt or uncle, the scruffy man explains to Silver Fox on the way to Shooting Star's cabin. Here, there is evidence of "division of labor" as well, since Uncles preach, marry people, and bury the dead, while Aunts pray for others, marry people, and bless new infants.

Uncle Aindhuin stands staring out the wide and expensive glass windows while the commander, the disreputable boatswain's mate, Irayo the cook, and Silver Fox file in after him. "I would like to meet your captain," the old man says.

At that moment, the door opens again, and Shooting Star comes through. "Uncle Aindhuin," she greets him.

"Estel! You are a member of Shooting Star's crew?" he exclaims, clearly surprised.

"In a way, sir. I am Shooting Star," she informs him, and winces a little.

"The pirate who preys on pirates," says Uncle Aindhuin contemplatively. "You have done much that was good." Shooting Star... no, Estel... waits for him to finish. "And also, you have much to answer for. But, on the whole, I am very glad to see you, my child. Is it true that you abducted the king and queen, and forced them to work together by living separately?"

Estel blushes. "It wasn't all my idea," she says bashfully.

The cleric has a rich and hearty laugh. "You had best introduce me."

As it turns out, Uncle Aindhuin is the ‘floating priest’ who ministered to Estel's childhood parish, making the rounds of Ren, D’ell, and a few other small islands, and the only powerful magician she knows well enough to trust. Of course, the present difficulty of the ambassadorship to the Seo Hán Nì Central Imperial Kingdom arises fairly early on in conversation. Then Silver Fox must take out the magic portal and show it to everyone and explain how it would work if it weren't inert at the moment. "So, you plan to come and go? Become the ambassador yet remain Shooting Star? My child, you cannot,” the old man manages to forbid her gently.

"No," she acknowledges sadly. "Shooting Star must retire. I won't be able to spend enough time here, and the captaincy of the Firebrand must pass to another. Yet, I will pine for the sea. I was thinking perhaps I could be a passenger, since sporadically joining the crew would only confuse matters."

The cleric ponders. "It might work, or it might break your heart. I suppose there's only one way to find out for sure."

"Thank you, Uncle," answers Estel. "Then, will you do it, sir?"

Laying a hand on top of her head, he responds, "Yes."

The commander is promoted to captain of the Firebrand. He's busy trying to think up a good pirate name but is still very sad to see Shooting Star go, as are all of the crew. Irayo the huge cook is promoted to second in command, but the scruffy bosun's mate is happy with his position and remains in it.

Of course, now there is also a ship's chaplain and resident magician. Speculation is rife among the crew regarding what his scruples will allow him to do, magically speaking, and what must be allowed to happen as nature would otherwise intend. Only time will tell. Now the Firebrand makes its own tour of the islands, collecting Shooting Star's buried assets, and visiting favorite ports. Shooting Star herself becomes more and more withdrawn, possibly to let the crew acclimatize to her absence.

She spends increasing amounts of time with her four, now five, including Uncle Aindhuin, favorites, discussing old times, or wondering what will happen now that piracy is less omnipresent than it was, or learning about laws and customs of the dreaded Central Kingdom. Silver Fox asks her one day what she will call herself, since Galadh and Rian appear to be granting her this assignment as Shooting Star. Will it be too... nostalgic, for her? No, she will remain Shooting Star in public life; it sounds good.

Many of the traditions of the Imperial Court of the Central Kingdom shock Shooting Star into raging against their stupidity, and on these occasions, Silver Fox says, "I agree completely. And it is better to rave now than to tear your hair out later. Diplomacy is not easy!" He talks about his sisters and their... problems with the system in place in the Celestial City. Slowly, he breaks it to Shooting Star that she must buy more restrictive clothing and shorten her stride, even as an emissary.

"Two years," she groans, then. "Two years!"

"That is unfortunate," Silver Fox consoles her, "but you have the Firebrand to return to at need. Also, I have a house in the capital city of the Central Kingdom, and you may wear whatever you like for as long as you are my guest."

"Wouldn't I need a chaperon or a duenna or some respectable female to visit your house?" Shooting Star gleans from her memory. He has hoped she would forget or, more accurately, he treasures entirely different aspirations that he's not ready to share. Nevertheless, he praises her recall of foreign culture.

There is one last thing to be done, of course, and that is for Estel to visit her mother and tell her that she may be gone for longer than usual and therefore not be able to visit as soon this next time, even though she plans to sneak home every now and then. Shooting Star is hopeful that her mother will be proud that she has actually been given a legal job.

Taking Silver Fox aside, Shooting Star tells him, "I don't like to go armed to my mother's house. It's disrespectful. And it doesn't suit my cover story as a young widow. You, however, can carry whatever weapons you please. Will you come with me?"

"Of course," he replies, honored to share, however briefly, in her secret. Estel's mother, Marré, still lives in the same house by the ocean where she spent her life with her husband, Ello, and raised such a strong and... inventive... daughter. Shooting Star has offered to buy her a nicer house, but she is very stubborn about that, and Estel doesn't really blame her. It is the same choice that she would make, under similar circumstances.

Silver Fox assumes that his function is merely to guard Estel's back during the trip to and from her mother's house, and that he will be left loitering in the street while the two women talk, as it is not a large dwelling. But Shooting Star confesses to him, with an odd sardonic shyness, "I fear my mother will not believe that I have turned legitimate without some corroboration. Will you come with me?"

And again, he answers, "Of course." It remains an honor to be privy to her home life, to be allowed to see past the part of her that is Shooting Star. Estel's mother is an old woman, not as ancient as Uncle Aindhuin, but not as hearty, either. Silver Fox can see a resemblance between the mother and daughter, despite Estel saying that she favors her father more.

Now Estel's mother laughs. "I like you," she tells Silver Fox. "What is it that you do with yourself, when you're not busy being a pirate, or following my girl around?"

Silver Fox chuckles, now. "I actually find it quite rewarding to follow your girl around. Honestly, I haven't had this much fun since I helped my sister overthrow an evil tyrant by ruining her sanity. Not that I was involved much with the 'driving the queen crazy' part of the plan; I'm better at handling small armies of magical and regular troops." As casual as he's attempting to appear, even Silver Fox isn't above showing off in front of his prospective in-laws, it would seem.

"You command armies?" Marré comments with a wicked gleam in her eye. "Good. Then perhaps, just perhaps, you can keep up with Estel. I never saw a child so drawn to getting herself into trouble!"

"I've noticed," murmurs Silver Fox, thinking that Estel's Nana is perfectly cut out to be a grandmother.

The old woman beckons him over, close to her face. "I'll give you a piece of advice about my daughter for free, since you're such an entertaining boy. And that's this: if you get the chance to marry her, do it quick! Don't wait for me, or Uncle Aindhuin, or anyone; you can always celebrate again, later. She won't change her mind, I think, but she may make you wait a long time for her second consent, so marry her quick if you can!"

This is finally too much for Shooting Star. She is bright red. "A’hanam, please!" she begs, half laughing herself. Silver Fox grins but subsides into the corner to let the two women chat more comfortably.

"So, I hear that you abducted Uncle Aindhuin, as well." Clearly, the elderly lady keeps herself remarkably well abreast of current events for a resident of such a small island.

"Yes, Ma'am. I need him on the Firebrand," Estel admits.

"It's about time that you had some spiritual guidance, young lady," her mother tells her. "But what, exactly, do you suddenly need him for? If not to marry you to this boy?"

"There is a way of traveling from one place to another instantly by magic. I need him because he is such a powerful wizard. I need him..." Shooting Star's voice almost breaks, "... so that I can come home more often than every two years!"

"Ah, that makes good sense, then," approves her mother.

"I have some news, A’hanam," offers Estel, using a Silwani maternal term of endearment.

"You're finally settling down and getting married?" demands the old woman, who is obviously sharp as a tack despite her seeming frailty.

"No, Ma'am, not yet," Estel responds, trying not to lose all control over the subject, and not, thereby, to get conversationally swept away. Not yet.

"Not YET? That sounds promising. I may live until your next visit! Tell me then, what is this news of yours?" asks Estel’s mother, Marré.

"Well, I'll be gone a bit longer than usual. The king and queen have dragooned me into becoming the next Royal Ambassador to the Central Kingdom. I’ll be going to the mainland, to the Seo Hán Nì Empire itself. Silver Fox, here, tells me I may not hate it," the soon-to-be diplomat pronounces.

"Silver Fox... is that a pirate name?" asks Shooting Star's mother.

"No, Ma'am, it's a Central Kingdom name," he informs her, “My father was one of the Seo Hán Nì people on the mainland.

"Good!" she responds. "Not that I care where you're from, but you have to admit that Silver Fox does sound suspiciously pirate-like. It's good that you go by your own name, though." For a few minutes she gazes somnolently at him. Estel merely rolls her eyes; apparently this is standard behavior. Anyway, Silver Fox is not fooled. Marré is absolutely bright, alert, and sizing him up. "Tell me, boy, is this idiocy true about my daughter kidnapping the royal couple, and as a reward getting made an emissary or something?"

"Oh yes, Ma'am! You couldn't make up anything so far-fetched," he says, which apparently pleases her. "It's completely true."

The elderly lady casts a glance at Estel. "Do you plan to marry my only child?" The query sounds offhand; it is definitely not. Estel blushes.

Knowing that it may embarrass Shooting Star further, but that it will comfort the old woman, Silver Fox answers, "Oh yes, Ma'am, but not yet."

Marré smiles. "Not YET? That, also, sounds promising. I hope to see you again, soon!" A fretful look crosses the elderly lady's face. "Will she hate it? The Celestial City and all?"

"Being the ambassador will chafe a bit, especially at first," Silver Fox says. "She'll miss her ship, her life at sea." Now he smiles and nods. "But she will very much like being married to me!"

"But if I were you, I might also get myself a two-man catamaran, or whatever type of boat pleases you, that you can sail... virtually by yourself. You'll want to be your own captain again sometimes," concludes the wise, if feisty, old lady.

Estel immediately looks speculative, and behind her, Silver Fox nods. "What about you, A’hanam? How have you been?" the daughter inquires.

"Oh, very much the same. Too much arthritis in my hands to make proper nets, but it doesn’t bother me, not to complain about, unless I do finicky work,” her mother responds. “Although, they say there's a new cure out. I might even try it... to make your bridal canopy. An ambassador will need something a bit fancy."

"Oh no, Ma'am, I'd far rather have yours that's been passed down in the family," blurts out Shooting Star. "When the time comes, I mean."

The mother laughs, and the conversation runs on in more ordinary lines: gossip about what has happened locally since the last time Estel was home, guesses about how the new, divorced and remarried governmental arrangement will go, talk of days long gone and those yet to come.

"Baby swaddles!" says Shooting Star's mother suddenly. "It gets cold on the mainland, doesn't it? That Central Kingdom is up north?"

"Yes, Ma'am, in the winter season it can get rather cold," Silver Fox interjects, seeing that Estel is stunned. "If she's still ambassador, then, we'll cope.” The look he earns is pure pirate captain ire, or at least irritation. "Both my sisters are married, and one has children already. She lives in the steppes to the west, and it gets cold there, as well," he adds, thinking intuitively that one mother might feel more at ease with the experience of another.

"Good," says the old woman. "You listen to your sisters, and it will be all right."

“Of course, Ma’am.” Silver Fox smiles and half-snorts. "I like you, too," he says audaciously.

Shooting Star's mother laughs again. "Estel will stay the night," she tells him. "You'll sleep on the floor in here."