Aquatic Nightmare

Great shadow, I hereby command you to carry out my order, and find the individuals most likely to shape the world. If my son is so intent on learning magic, I won't miss the chance to teach him some real politics as well. Of course, this will be a great opportunity to take a peek at potential brides. My son shouldn't stand alone in the future, and that would be a true miracle to put the lichdom in its place.
-The Emperor adressing <REDACTED>

"How did you not know you count as royalty?" Gaston says some really annoying stuff sometimes.

"It's very simple, you see, prison. I only knew about Mazurian royalty and their strength in a broad sense, and wasn't really interested in knowing about them beyond that." The trip out of Bartholm was stupidly easy, there were no guards on the way back, despite the huge racket all the undead made. By the time we made it out through the sewers Jimmy had vanished most likely not wanting to have an attempt at entertaining any royal guards with his party tricks.

"But this makes you a princess! This is so exciting, we can do our make-up together or do each other's hair!" At this point, I'm starting to respect Jeanne a little with how much she can ignore details she doesn't want to know.

"Please no name-calling, now where is our ride away from here?" The royal guards actually give me a really confused look as I say that, luckily Pierre answers for me.

"We have a horse and wagon parked not far from here, after that we will head for Rivka. That is a major island city located at the border, which is protected firmly by the army. After crossing the bridge there, we will send word of our success back to the capital."

I try to follow them but come across a unique issue I don't remember having before.

"Uhh, can one of you carry me? I have no legs and was getting carried by Jimmy's undead until a short while ago."

The silence, it is so deafening I have a hard time thinking. Jeanne however saves me by walking forward wrapping her arms around me and... failing to carry me as she is too weak, and I'm too slippery for her to get a good grip. She throws a pleading glance in the direction of the royal guards, who collectively look at each other before moving to pick me up.

"How did you lose? What went wrong?" Gaston asks with genuine curiosity in his voice.

"Nothing really went wrong and that is the real scary part, we ambushed her while she wasn't expecting us, she didn't know anything about us, we knew plenty of her and had her practically disarmed and unarmored during a coronation. The crowd was suppressed during the entire fight, and our weapons were uniquely suited for taking her out. Yet even with all that we lost simply because we were outclassed."

Some awkward silence ensues.

"You guys don't happen to have someplace for me to sleep, do you? As a half fish, I do so appreciate no drying up."

"When we were assigned this mission we received multiple barrels of foodstuffs and drink for the travel, we still have some empty barrels we can fill up that should do." So the royal guard can be helpful, good.

The next hour goes by smoothly as the group all load up the wagon and prepare to head out again. I take my place inside the cart, as the horses to their credit only get mildly scared by me.

"Why didn't you guys come by eagle?" Flying seems much more useful for something like this, but Pierre interjects.

"Great eagles have a large and distinct mana signature, it would take some strong mages constantly working on keeping them cloaked or we would get spotted."

Other than the occasional tree shooting seeds in the direction of us or the horses, there aren't any significant threats, and we mostly make small talk until...

"Drop your weapons and nobody gets hurt!" The bushes yell out with a voice of gravel. Of course, no one of our party actually does so as the figures start stepping out of the bushes. Seven half wolves step out from the bushes surrounding us with weapons drawn as their leader moves forward seemingly nonplussed.

"I smell a part of your cargo that does not belong to you slavers." Everyone starts drawing weapons and gets ready for a fight before I make myself known.

"I believe it is rude to talk about a lady while ignoring her presence." I say this while showing myself on the cart to the group of wolfmen and try to channel some kind of inner spoiled brat. "What do you think you are doing, trying to attack my escort? Have you no shame?"

The wolfmen quickly switch expressions between baffled, awed and ashamed. "M-m'lady what are you doing in the presence of solars? They are vile and would seek to harm you!"

"They are indeed quite vile, but they are also my escort, so leave." I retreat back into the wagon and ignore what goes on in the outside world until the cart starts moving again.

"That worked? Why?" Gaston looks flabbergasted at that and directs the question at me.

"Why do I have to explain everything? Go ask the actual royal guards a question of why they were scared of a wagon transporting a royal, you meathead!" I say this as I retire to my barrel. These damn kids are working on my damn nerves.

Just as I try to sleep the rest of the way in my barrel, I'm approached by another person who only offers complaints or questions. "That was probably a bad idea you know, letting them go." Royal guard one looks tired as well as he says this.

"Could be, they will certainly pass this on to their command. Good thing *I* was never the one to let them go, I merely gave the opportunity to spare them." The guard simply nods and heads off to sleep as well. "The horses are trained to keep going until they reach their destination, we will handle the watch rotations under ourselves, goodnight."

I try to sleep inside the cramped barrel and have a hard time doing it until I'm suddenly awakened by the shouts of a man who is clearly tense.

"I am going to have to inspect you all before you are allowed entry, during this I request your full co-operation and no sudden moves! We don't exactly get visitors from this side!" It seems I managed to sleep until the gate, as I emerge the gate guards go from tense to combat positions as they get within ten meters of a mermaid royal.

"FREEZE! DAMN, GET REINFORCEMENTS OVER HERE!" More and more guards start appearing on the wall pointing mostly crossbows at me, they also raise the bridge behind us to lock us in. Even while being a fish in a barrel, it doesn't seem like too great of an idea, since I could just jump in the water below.

"STAND DOWN! THIS IS AN OFFICIAL EXPEDITION BY THE ROYAL GUARD, AND I ORDER YOU TO CONFIRM OUR PAPERS!" An odd if effective way to go about it as the gate guards send a nervous looking captain up front, after he checks our credentials he gestures for the gate to open and lets us through.

"Lovely atmosphere, I could really see myself settling down here" Gaston actually snorts at that while some of the gate guards within earshot who heard it give him some dirty looks. "Right? I don't blame them too much though, this is a frontier port city after all"

"There is a port? I would like to visit there if possible." I think I see our royal guard escorts actually gesturing to stop the conversation towards Gaston, but while its clear he sees them he decides to ignore them. "Sure, my dad was a sailor, so I would like to go myself as well."

"We should get the message ready, you guys can head there in the meantime. Do take one of the horses with you, I get the feeling people will stop looking at you with so much fear if you are on a horse." Pierre is clearly tired of things and just wants to get his mission over with. Royal guard one is about to speak up, but Pierre holds his hand on the shoulder of the man. "Come on, our job is done, don't you think?"

The man tries to say something, but Pierre is just shoving him along, and the other guards decide to timidly follow after. "I wonder what the hell all that was about."

"Don't care, let's go." And let this be known as one of the rare moments I would agree with Gaston.

As we arrive at the pier, garnering plenty of odd stares along the way, I am greeted by an awful sight.

Cages.

A lot of cages are scattered over the pier, some still being offloaded from a ship but it's clear that the process has been going on for a while. All of them filled with mermaids and mermen, kids and elderly, the strong and the sick. I had without noticing been moving toward a fat man adorned in gold and silk. He carries a dagger too well decorated to be useful. "You the boss of this?"

The fat man turns around from inspecting one of the mermaids in the cages and briefly flashes with surprise when he sees me on a horse, but recovers quickly as he sees Gaston.

"That's quite correct, have you come to inspect if everything is up to standard, Ma'am?"

I ignore his attempt to gain information and put up an uncaring tone.

"Is this a slave trading operation? Or just subjects for live experimentation?" The fat man recoils slightly at my words before retorting.

"Heavens no, this is not the empire or the lichdom. We don't have such vile practices you speak of no, these mermaids are the lucky few. The navy was planning on an offensive on the demon lord over sea, and these mermaids were moved away from the combat zone in the meantime. From here they will be sent inland towards a set of lakes called sanctuary, where they can work in fisheries and live in peace away from the war. I am surprised your friend from the palace didn't inform you."

I shoot a glance towards Gaston as I dismount and notice him shrugging. Gaston is visibly from the palace? I couldn't tell.

"So these people are like serfs?" And ones acquired by raiders, no less.

The merchant thinks for a bit before silently nodding his head while smiling.

Of course they are, why wouldn't they be? A light feminine giggling can be heard. Why else would troops from the red star end up in this place? The giggling turns to chuckling as the fat man gives me a strange look. He said it with such confidence, then again what did I expect from a world where monarchs are a genuine thing, these disgusting freaks summoned kids to do their dirty laundry. The chuckling turns to laughter, and the mermaids in cages nearby start staring at me, eyes wide. There is crazy magic and monsters always threatening people, but I guess people never change. The laughter grows louder, and I can feel the stares of nearby sailors on my back. I get it now, there is truly only one reason for the red star to have been brought to this place. The laughter goes shrill and turns to mad cackling. Serfs? In another world? And they were still hungering for others to do their work? Ridiculous.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" And the laughter dies.

"I get it now, I'm not going insane, it's all of you who are insane, and I'm the last sane person on the planet"

Before anyone can process my words, I dash for him and steal his dagger, using it to hold him hostage.

"EVERYONE GET BACK OR I WILL SHOW YOU HOW GOOD I AM AT GUTTING GROWN MEN LIKE FISH WITH A DEMONSTRATION!" Several sailors who were moving closer now take a few steps back, Gaston shouts in surprise.

"What are you doing?!"

"Something I should have done when there was still a we. Alright, fat boy, tell the men here to release everyone here from the cages or else."

"B-but my investments!" I decide to continue his train of thought for him. "Are worthless if you die, besides the people of the palace are sure to be willing to listen to your grievings considering the palace brought me out of prison."

The merchant almost doesn't hesitate the moment I give him a way to reimburse his losses, predictable.

"D-do as she says! Release them!" The sailors simply look at each other before shrugging and moving to unlock all the cages.

"Don't do this Esstrey! You can still go back!" Gaston tries to reason with a sane woman in futility.

As the mermaids leave their cages, I gesture for them to jump into the river and give one final yell as I see guards toting crossbows approaching.

"ЛЮДИ ПОЮТ, ВЫ ИХ СЛЫШИТЕ?"