More than thirty sailors, soaked to the bone, knelt with faces pressed flush against the deck of the ship. They quivered and shook, though if it was more from fear or cold, who could say?

Nystri frowned. They look so much alike to Pebble.

"I'm--" she began, but Amorastra raised a quick hand, waving her off, then caught her eye and shook her head once. She mouthed, "It will be alright." Nystri's eyes went wide as she realized that Amorastra wore no glamour, and the cloak she had donned before they flew up was missing.

Amorastra motioned towards Nystri, still on her shoulder, with two fingers, up and down twice. 

Nystri's own glamour was missing, as well. She closed a single hand near her forehead, dragged it down along her body, then back up. Her glamour was perfectly formed, back to being Tully. Two months of practice with Amorastra had paid off. Though none of these sailors were like to be able to sense her magic anyway, she knew that her glamours no longer gave off a whiff.

Satisfied, Amorastra adjusted her stance and bearing. Shoulders back. Chin up, eyes fixed down her nose at those gathered. 

"Spare you?" Amorastra's voice blanketed the entire deck. The sailors pressed themselves harder against its planks, as though her voice alone had the weight to crush them. Maybe it did. "You have been so fortunate to have seen my true form. Any mortal would be lucky to find their end after such a sight." She pointed at the captain, then turned her hand palm up and curled her finger in. "Stand."

The man nearly leapt to his feet, shock and fear etched into his face.

"What do you know of me? Speak."

The captain stammered as he found his tongue. "If I'm not mistaken, you are Princess Amorastra, among the Seventeen. You are Beauty Incarnate. Daughter of Desire. Devo--" His mouth clamped shut and he gasped for breath. Amorastra released a clenched hand and he breathed more easily.

Amorastra raised her head a little further, as if staring off into the distance. "So, you are aware of my reputation, I take it?"

The captain tried to look away. It seemed to Nystri as though he might throw himself into the water. He did not move, feet planted as firmly as any oak.

"M-most benevolent in all the rings."

Amorastra laughed lightly, her veneer of dominance slipping but a moment before she recovered. She looked back to the captain. "I suppose I might just be. And? Anything else?"

"A-and least forgiving."

"There." She smiled and her voice was of icy satisfaction. "You've hit upon it, indeed." She took two deliberate, exacting steps, letting the footfalls of her bare feet resonate throughout the ship. She stood towering over the captain as he cowered slightly. Average for a human of his region, he was still nearly six inches shorter than Amorastra. 

She raised a hand and dragged the needle-nail of her middle finger gently over the man's shaved cheek, leaving a sharp red line of a welt. "I'm sure many of the stories told of me are apocryphal. Tall tales to suit the fancy of storytellers around a fire, scaring children into behaving. But what you say is undoubtedly true."

Amorastra stepped behind the captain and looked out among the mass of cowering sailors. She did not turn back to the captain as she spoke. "None who cross me know peace. Not even the peace of an easy death." She stepped around to the front of the captain again. Her voice was hard and cold as it fell upon the deck once more. "Would you ever cross me, Captain?"

"No! Of course not. None aboard this ship would dream of it. Please. Spare us."

Nystri held her breath as Amorastra turned and strode toward the aft, then faced them again and crossed her arms lightly. She brought one hand up and tapped her index finger on her lips. She released the captain and he fell to his knees, then pressed his head to the deck.

"I don't know, Captain. A mortal's word is worth so little. As are their lives. What do you think, Tully? Shall I deign to let them live?" Amorastra turned her head and winked at Nystri.

Nystri smiled and nodded, then cleared her throat. "I've spent some time with them, Mistress. I would beseech you, be lenient with them. I believe them to be worth more to you alive than not."

"Is that so?" Amorastra's voice was severe, but her eyes twinkled with familiar mischief.

"Of course, Mistress! They could work to right those apocryphal stories about you. You could simply bind their tongues in regards to today."

Amorastra nodded thoughtfully, then walked back towards the sailors. "What say you lot? Can you speak for your crew, Captain?"

The captain stood shakily and placed a hand over his heart. "I believe I can. We shall pledge ourselves to your betterment and swear to never speak of this day again."

Amorastra smiled, wide and predatory. "Let's work out the details, then."

They spent the afternoon drafting a contract. Each and every sailor signed their name to it, bound by name, soul, and deed.

Doubtlessly others would notice that the storm had dispersed in an instant. Even so, they had secured their secret aboard the ship.

Nystri summoned a strong wind and they sailed on to Rouge, pulling into the bay just an hour before sunset. Rouge loomed large, buildings covering every bit of land that could be seen.

The carrack sliced through the calm water of the bay as the crew hauled up most of the sails. A ways beyond the ship a huge spout blew up from the water, sending shimmering rainbow drops in the light of late day. A whaler slowly surfaced and Nystri marveled at its size. She had seen half a dozen such ships in Brise, but none even half as large.

The whaler pulled into port ahead of them and Nystri watched a team of dock workers tying the enormous vessel to the dock.

"Quite the sight," Amorastra said. She leaned against the rail. She had taken on the glamour of a sailor.

Nystri rested heavily against Amorastra's cheek. "Not as much as you were today, Am'ai. I'm sorry to have rushed out like that. Though, you were remarkably gallant."

"You're too kind, my Queen. In truth, I think you were more gallant than I. I could see the fear on you as you went outside. I wanted only to grab you and fly away. Seeing you clutching the railing and screaming up to the sky, well. I just knew I was powerless to do anything but follow your lead."

Nystri kissed Amorastra's cheek and they watched the whaler together as their own ship docked. Once the ship was secured and the gangway was in place they departed in the middle of a small group of other sailors. The others worked the ropes as Amorastra and Nystri slipped off into the bustle of the busiest port city in all of creation.

Amorastra took them through some lesser known paths until they found a small hotel. Not some small roadside inn, but a proper hotel. The building was eight stories tall and made of brick. Amorastra changed her glamour again, this time assuming the guise of a wealthy merchant. 

Inside the lobby were several groups of people with clothes Nystri had never seen and languages she had never heard. As Amorastra booked their room she heard two men conversing in Tradestongue.

"In the morning?" the shorter one said.

"Yes! There's going to be a parade and everything." 

"And you're sure. The dragon nobles? Truly?"

"It's true! They're traveling somewhere. We've got to go see them. We'll never again get such a chance!"

Nystri inhaled sharply. Dragons!

Amorastra took a key from the clerk and trudged up five flights of stairs to their small suite. She opened the door, closed and locked it, then fell face-first onto the bed.

Nystri jumped back easily from Amorastra's shoulder as she had begun to fall, and flew around the suite, exploring.

Amorastra sighed and turned over. "At last. After nearly three months, a bed that doesn't move!"

Nystri flew to the curtains and pulled them open. She gasped as she looked out over the bay, the sun dipping below the horizon and the sky a brilliant mix of pinks and oranges. 

Nystri landed on the windowsill and Amorastra got up and joined her, kneeling beside her.

"Am'ai," Nystri said, "I heard there's a parade in the morning. With dragons!" She turned to Amorastra. "Can we go?" 

Amorastra smiled. "Dragons? Ah, I suppose it is that time of year for Grand Duke Sthraxius and his wife to head to their winter home. Of course we can go! I know just the spot to get a good view of them."

Nystri squeed and cheered, then pressed herself into Amorastra's waiting lips. Nystri could not bring herself to pull away. Each movement of those lips pressed warmth into her body, which she met eagerly, pushing her body into the kiss, twisting back and forth, letting the lips nearly surround her.

She slipped a hand past Amorastra's teeth and swiped her hand across the waiting tongue, wetting herself up to the elbow. She brought the hand back and Amorastra's tongue darted out in chase. 

Amorastra licked her lips slowly, letting Nystri revel in the feeling of the enormous tongue sliding over her face and neck and chest.

They kissed until the sky was a deep purple. 

"Thank you, Am'ai. For everything."

"You are most welcome, my Queen. Now, shall we continue our fun in bed?"

Nystri pulled back, her smile wide. "We shall. I command it."