"Oh, that's good," Aliana replied softly as the buildings near the dock became closer and closer. Aliana adjusted herself so most of her identifying features were hidden in Lorelei. The last thing the princess wanted to do was get recognized by someone and have the guards come rushing after. Her head was pressed against the crook between Lorelei's neck and shoulder. Hopefully Lorelei understood why she was doing this.
Lorelei had an idea why Aliana had moved but didn't say anything. She didn't mind. Though the most noticeable feature, in her opinion, was the ludicrous wedding dress the Princess was wearing. Anyone could tell its “elegance”, not to mention the jewelry.
“We're almost there.” she whispered, feeling a sense of relief starting to grow as they got closer, turning to kiss Aliana’s temple.
“Ahoy, Captain!” a cheerful voice called down from the ship.
“I see everything went well.” another laughed.
Lorelei rolled her eyes and gave a short nod. “Nic. Niki. I hope everything is ready.”
“Oh, just about.” one twin smiled.
“We're just waiting for everyone else to get on board.” the other clarified.
Aliana knew the dress was a dead giveaway, but she was trying her hardest to ignore it. When she heard Lorelei tell her they were almost there she pulled her head away (after the kiss of course) so she could see the Song in all her glory. Aliana heard voices shout down from the ship and glanced up to see who was calling out. At least it was members of the Song and not random sailors. Aliana was smiling as she quietly said to Lorelei, "Crew members of yours?"
“Aye.” she nodded as she carefully made her way up the gangplank. “Nic and Niki. Identical twins and very… chaotic when they're included in anything on land and typically in charge of weapons and explosives.” she said as a way of introduction. “They do just about everything together, so you don't have to worry about mixing them up.” she added with a chuckle.
"I still will worry about mixing them up," Aliana replied with a soft laugh as she held on tightly to Lorelei going up the gangplank. They were so close to getting away. She would be able to live with Lorelei in peace, or as close to peace as they could be, without any fear. The first thing she would do with this new found freedom, sell all of the stupid jewelry she was currently wearing. Aliana glanced down at her dress, "Do you think it will take long for the remainder of the crew to come back?"
Lorelei laughed again as she reached the deck of her ship. “They shouldn't be too far behind us. They just would need to make sure that there aren't any guards following them.” she assured the woman in her arms.
“Captain! I see them!” a young voice called down from the Crowsnest.
“Anyone missing, Tommy?” Lori called back.
Tommy took a moment to check the crowd before answering. “No! All there, Captain!
“Good lad!” she smiled. “The rest of you, get ready to make sail! We leave this dock the moment everyone's on board!”
Aliana smiled as they arrived on deck, and she realized it would be fine for Lorelei to put her down now. Aliana wasn't going to say anything though as she was enjoying being so close to Lori again. And the fact that none of Lori's crew had gotten… Killed, because of Aliana. She had a big smile on, "Lori, this is it. We are going to get away."
Lori matched her smile and spun them around in a tight circle, laughing. “I told you I would get you out of there!” she reminded her, holding her closer. Of course, there would be time for a real celebration later, once they were further out to sea. But right now, Lorelei felt invincible. She was on her ship, surrounded by her crew, and had the woman she loved in her arms. She couldn't think of anything that could stop her.
Aliana laughed as she was spun around and she couldn't contain herself any longer. She was free, actually free. She was free and being held by the woman she loved and had missed so dearly. Aliana continued to laugh as she hugged Lore tightly and then kissed Lori's cheek. Her face was absolutely beaming, "You did! And you really did it!"
“Yes. I did.” she smiled as members of the crew cheered at the kiss, playfully teasing their Captain. “Oy! We're not out of this yet!” Lorelei scolded her crew, spurring them back into motion. “Come on, my dear. I believe I said that I would help you out of that ridiculous dress.” she purred before heading to her cabin… Which caused another round of teasing whistles and cheers. “Shut up and get us out of here!”
Aliana was blushing heavily as she had forgotten about the crew around them. The cheering and whistles were all too much for her (not to mention Lorelei's purr) as she elected to bury her head as far into the crook of Lorelei's neck and shoulders as possible. Then she remembered the stupid undergarments her father had made the maids dress her in and her cheeks were practically aflame. She croaked out so only Lorelei could hear, "Yes please."
Lori bit her tongue to keep from laughing at Aliana’s shy reaction, finding it adorable, and nodded. “Alright.” she smiled and pushed in the door to her private cabin. “Until we get some decent clothes in your size, you can borrow some of mine.” she offered.
The cabin was obviously the largest room on the ship but perhaps not quite as big as what Aliana was used to. There was a desk near the stern windows covered with maps, papers, and all sorts of navigation tools. A short but long chest sat under a set of built-in shelves on the immediate right as you walked in. On the left side was a built-in closet next to a decorative folding screen, granting privacy to one corner of the room. And in the back corner, was a simple but comfortable bed just big enough for two people to sleep close together. Which is probably what Lori was planning.
"That is fine with me," Aliana hoarsely replied finding her voice once more. She pulled her face away from Lori only once she heard the door closed so she could observe Lori's, their, room. This is probably where Lori intended for her to stay if the size of the bed was any indication. Her cheeks were still very much red as she observed the area and kept her arms around Lori, "Your room is very nice, Lori."
“Thank you. It's nothing fancy but it's comfortable.” Lori admitted before kissing Aliana’s cheek. “Now, I'm going to have to put your down so we can get you into something… simpler.” she said, a little reluctant to actually let go of her.
"That you do," Aliana agreed though she made no movement to actually get out of Lori's arms. She knew that she had to get down to change, but she didn't want to. Then again… She would need help meaning that Lori didn't have to leave her alone yet. Aliana decided to voice this aloud her cheeks now closer to a deep blush than a furious red, "Do you think you could help me undress? I am unable to undo the laces and corset on my own."
“Of course, I can help.” she smiled as she carefully set Aliana back on her feet. “I have to say that while you look stunning, this dress doesn't suit you, Aliana.” she smirked, still helping the Princess stand since she most likely didn't have strong sea legs yet. “Have you ever been on a ship before?” she decided to ask.
"Thank you," Aliana replied as she stood on her own two legs. Almost immediately she grabbed onto what Lorelei offered in order to steady herself. She didn't expect standing on a ship to be this different from standing on land. The tips of her ears were red as she looked up at Lori, "No I can not say I have. But I think I can stand long enough to get this. This. This stupid dress off! Oh, how I hate this stupid dress so very much!"
Lori laughed a little at how passionately she expressed her hatred of the dress. “Alright. You can lean on me as much as you need to.” she assured, holding out her arms enough for the Princess to turn around so she could start taking off the offending clothing. “Is there anything you want to save from this?” she smirked, almost teasing.
Aliana turned red as Lori laughed. It was truly an awful dress for Aliana! She held no fondness towards how tight it was against her body nor how much of her breast it showed. Aliana slowly turned around in Lori's arms though stayed close enough so she could use Lori to catch herself. She managed to successfully turn around when Lor asked her the question. Aliana let out a little huff as she grabbed back onto one of Lori's arms, but she could hear the tease in Lori's voice. She decided to attempt to tease Lori back, "Possibly. Just in case you want to see me in it again. Otherwise only the diamonds, they worth quite some gold."
Lori laughed again and nodded. “Honestly… I would rather see you without the dress but I’m sure we can salvage the jewels.” she said in a calm, nonchalant tone though she was smirking. “We know where to go for a good trade and how to get a good profit from treasures like that.” she continued before starting to unfasten the dress.
Aliana felt her face and the tips of her ears go aflame once more. She didn't understand how Lori could say such things so nonchalantly! Though as Lori unfastened the back of her dress, Aliana went to attempt to take off her gloves and some of the jewelry, namely the bracelets and tiara. Aliana was very quickly re-reminded of the string-like undergarments she was wearing as the dress began to fall away as it was unfastened and the corset and garments were slowly being revealed. She did her best not to react hoping Lorelei wouldn't notice, "That is good. And I have plenty of other jewels to sell with the diamonds too."
Lorelei bit her lip to hold back another laugh as Aliana became more flustered. “Yes. I saw the large sapphire around your neck. Your father really overdid it with showing off his wealth.” she sighed. “I’m so sorry you had to go through this.” she said sincerely, thinking it was very wrong for her to be treated this way. Ali deserved so much better.
"I, thank you," Aliana replied sincerely her eyes shutting slightly. She went to remove the earrings and then the necklace afterward. As she removed the earrings she decided to speak, "It was not my father showing off his wealth. All the jewelry is from the man my father was making me marry. And while none of it is to my tastes, I am fond of the earrings. Might as well keep something from the whole ordeal."
“Ah!” she nodded at the explanation. “Well, makes more sense. That spoiled prince had a very high opinion of himself.” she couldn't help but growl at the thought of him. She shook her head to push away those thoughts and focus on helping Ali out of the ridiculous dress. “You don't need my permission to keep whatever you want from this day.” Lori reminded her softly before raising a brow at the sight of the strange undergarments. “Though I doubt you’ll want to keep these. They look like they're trying to strangle you.”
"I know," Aliana huffed a bit of a laugh at Lorelei's growl but her voice was sincere in her response. She slipped off the heels before immediately blushing at Lori's comment. It seems that her lover had finally seen the horrid undergarments she had been forced to wear. She went to undo the bun holding her hair up as a distraction to the situation. Her voice was quiet and a bit shakey, "I, uh, do not want to keep them. Can you please get my corset off so I can properly change?"
“Of course.” Lori said gently, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. After being a sailor for so long, she was able to make short work of the strings and carefully removed the corset, her calloused fingers occasionally lightly brushing against Aliana’s soft exposed skin. It was exceedingly tempting for the raven-haired woman to turn her lover around and kiss her senseless… But somehow she managed to hold back for now. “Better?” she asked, almost whispering.
"Much," Aliana whispered back her cheeks were a flame and her body shuddered when Lori touched her. She had never been touched so gently by someone she loved there. The moment felt so soft, so intimate and Aliana was scared to ruin it. The final pin was removed from the bun and her curly golden locks cascaded down her back. She hesitated before slowly turning around to face Lori her whole demeanor being bashful, "Thank you, Lorelei."
“Good.” she nodded taking a small step back. “It's no problem, Aliana.” she smiled softly, reaching up to brush back a strand of her beautiful blonde hair. Lori swallowed a nervous lump that formed upon seeing the sweet shy expression on her face. It had been so long since they’d been alone together like this… It almost reminded Lorelei of the first time they snuck away to see each other. How young they had been… But no less in love with each other.
It had been so long since Aliana had felt this bashful or loved. She was so glad to be back with Lori and the fact it felt like almost no time had passed felt like a miracle. Her head leaned into Lori's hand which had brushed back her hair. Aliana really hoped she wasn't reading the room wrong, "No really. Thank you for. For coming back and rescuing me."
Lori let out a soft sigh and smiled at the gentle encouragement, moving to cup the side of Aliana’s face. “Saving you was a pleasure. And I may be a pirate now, but I will never break a promise to you.” she swore as she took a couple steps closer to the escaped bride. “I love you, Aliana. Just as much as I did when I was forced to leave, if not more.”
Aliana took a hesitant step toward Lori still getting used to standing on a ship. She had a very small smile and a dusting of blush across her nose and cheeks. Her voice was soft and hesitant, "And I love you, Lorelei. There was not a day that passed where I did not think about you. You were the only thing I thought about for years, my love."
