The aftermath of the battle was something that no one would write about, Jaehwan thought as the crew set to stack the bodies of their attackers on the pier. Their own dead they kept, moving them to the highest deck and covering them with sheets. They worked in silence mostly, shock and anger almost a palpable thing amongst the survivors. The magical lights that lit the deck only made the blood shine more brightly, a reminder of the loss that night. Tears streaked the faces of many of the sailors as they worked, having to carry off the bodies of their friends. 

Jaehwan hadn't known most of the crew, but when he saw Daniel's lifeless face among the bodies, he felt himself go numb. He had gone up the hatch before everyone else and engaged the attackers, and was wounded before Krystal could even get the cabin door open to yank him inside. Jaehwan could hardly believe he was dead: the man had been the first to welcome him to the crew, the first to try and find a place for him and make him feel less like a stranger. He remembered Sohee speaking of Daniel's wife waiting for him back in Remasan, and it was then that a hot anger sparked through the cloud of sadness.

"Where is Sohee?" he asked a crew member who passed carrying a bucket of sand. "Why wasn't she here to help?" A magician woould have been a great boon in the battle, and maybe even have kept so many from losing their lives!

The sailor shook his head mutely and continued about his job, leaving Jaehwan to turn in a circle, feeling lost. Unsure of what to do or who to ask, he finally caught sight of Joe, and though that wasn't the ideal person, he approached the short man. "Joe," he called, catching the other's attention.

The other man gave him a grim nod, with none of his usual glares. "Nice shooting there," he said, motioning at the bow. "We don't use those ourselves, usually. Too much training, you know." 

Jaehwan nodded, once again feeling sick at what he had done and uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation. "What can I do to help?" he asked, to which Joe heaved a sigh.

The short man looked around the bloody deck, the bodies mostly already cleared away, and shook his head slowly. "I really don't know. I don't even know what to do. Eric!" he called, catching the older man's attention from where he spoke with Krystal and Dara. 

Jaehwan felt a slight relief at seeing that they were all three okay, though they all had wounds bound with bandages taken from Sohee's quarters. Dara nodded with respect at Jaehwan, again a thanks for his shooting, and though he cringed he did give her a nod back.

Before Eric could answer, though, they all heard the tramp of marching feet. Anger flared in Krystal's eyes and she stood up straight as she turned to face the pier. Her sleep skirt was bloodied and torn halfway up her thigh, her once white shirt now colored red, but her posture could have commanded gods. Or at least, that's what Jaehwan thought, and from the look on the face of the apparent leader of the approaching troop, he thought he wasn't the only one.

"Hail the Lion Heart," the man called as the troop neared the ship's gangplank. 

"Who are you and what do you want?" Krystal shouted back, her voice cold as a winter sea. 

The man raised a hand to halt his troops and gave a bow to her, one leg sliding behind him as he wrapped one arm around his chest. "Sergeant Doojoon, of the King's army. We heard the skirmish here, Your Majesty. Will you come down to speak to me? May we be of assistance?"

"Maybe before half our crew was slaughtered," Joe grumbled darkly from where he stood beside Jaehwan. Doojoon either didn't hear him or ignored him, his eyes on Krystal only.

"Come aboard," she said after a long moment. 

Jaehwan gave a start of surprise that she would allow them on the ship after what had just happened, and turned to look at Joe for explanation. "We're a sovereign nation here: as long as she stands on our decks, she is immune to any charges they might try to make against her."

"Charges? For what?" he asked, incredulous.

Joe snorted and motioned at the stack of bodies on the pier. "For those!" He shook his head at Jaehwan's expression. "You can take the boy out of the farm but you can't take the farm out of the boy. It's all politics. If the attack was sent by Sukjin, then it would be clever to just charge Krystal with murder. As long as she won't come off the ship, though, he'd have to take her down in battle."

He wasn't a farmer, but he didn't think it was the right time to correct Joe on that aspect. "Understood," he said, and turned to watch as Doojoon selected two men to come with him aboard the Lion Heart. They made their way up the gangplank, past sailors with grim, blood streaked faces, and came to a stop before Krystal.

"My sister?" was the first thing the Princess said, her tone still icy as she addressed the man. 

His brow creased slightly as he shook his head. "I'm not sure, Your Majesty. I'm just a dock guard," he began. 

He was cut off by a crack of lightning overhead, the appearance of it from a clear sky making Jaehwan and the sergeant startle. To their credit, none of Jessica's crew moved a muscle, though a tiny smile made it way to the edges of Dara's lips. "Get out of my way!" came Jessica's voice, and the waiting troop obeyed the small woman and parted to allow her through.

She was clad in a gown, to Jaehwan's shock: the long pale dress was fancier than anything he had ever seen or imagined. But her face was anything but beautiful, a dangerous cold anger painted across her usually calm features. She climbed the gangplank and it was only then that Jaehwan realized that she was followed by the missing officers: Brian, dressed in a fine white suit, and Sohee, who was clad in a fancy dress as well, though her's was a deep red. It was her magic that had crackled in the sky, he had no doubt, and he had another thought of if only she had been there! She seemed to hear his thoughts as she passed him: her lips pressed together in a thin line, though she held her back straight as she followed her Princess to stand on the upper deck.

Jessica didn't even pause at the blood soaking into the hem of her fine gown. She stepped up to her sister and enveloped her in a hug, uncaring of the eyes on them for once, though the hug did not linger. She turned to Doojoon immediately afterward and said, in a voice like a whip crack, "Why are you standing here? Why aren't you finding out who attacked my ship, in the night like thieves, as I dined with your King? Go! Now!" 

Doojoon flinched at her last word, and with several hasty bows he and the other two men hurried off the deck and back to the waiting troop. Jessica waited for them to begin their retreat before she turned to Krystal. 

"Daniel," Krystal told her as soon as she turned. "He fell while coming to the defense. He was the first on the deck here, coming up the hatch, and if it weren't for him then I would be dead. They had nearly broken in the door when he arrived, and he was mortally wounded before I could open the door and join the battle. He made it inside the cabin and we barred the door again, but he did not survive his wounds."

Sohee's hand had darted to , covering a cry of anguish when Krystal said the first mate's name. Tears now streamed freely down the magician's face. Jessica did not cry, though her face had gone still and her