Eijnar led Narrita to the side of the ship's bow. He stood with his hands over the railing and looked down at the pier below. The Cutthroats all remained motionless as they were on their knees with their hands behind the back of their heads as the Ghenkans surrounded them with weapons brandished.

"Evening, gentlemen!" Eijnar shouted. The rest of the Ghenkans made an uproar as they all looked up to face their captain. "I have a proposition for our guests!"

All the Ghenkans quieted down while the Cutthroats stared at Eijnar. Narrita walked over and stared down at the railing, fighting back tears from streaming out her eyes. Eijnar stood beside her and embraced her in a one-armed hug. 

"Tonight, Ghenkans and Cutthroats will unite!" the captain boasted. His men down below raised their weapons and stomped their feet in thunderous applause.

"Not much of a proposition, Eijnar," Narrita mumbled. "You didn't even ask them a question."

"Oh, right," he whispered back. The captain turned back to the crowd by the entrance of the ship. "For all the Cutthroats here. How far are you willing to go survive?"

The Cutthroats all looked towards one another and began whispering. Eijnar waited for their murmuring to die down before addressing the men again. "We'll be sieging the upper part of the island. As you know, the Farrowport Guard will be there to defend the area to their very last breath. It's a dangerous task, I know. I can't promise that all of you will survive. But I can promise you that if you do decide to join forces with the Ghenkans, your odds will be far better than if you chose not to."

Horace stood up despite the surrounding captors. "Did Narrita agree to all this?" he called out.

Eijnar glanced at the woman to his side and then looked down at the second in command of the Cutthroats. "Her predicament shouldn’t be any of your concern. I always treat captured leaders... differently. I'd worry more about yourself if I were in your position. So, what's the choice, men? We're on a schedule, so we don't have all night for you to deliberate."

Narrita's gang resumed their chatter. After a bit more whispering, Horace looked up at Horace. "Looks like we'll be joining you," he said with a scowl as he clutched his fists tight by his sides.

"Excellent! I'm glad you men are quick thinkers." Eijnar looked at his own men. "Come on, Ghenkans. Herd them inside to the bottom of the hull. Brief them on the mission."

Weapons clattered as the Ghenkans ushered the Cutthroats onboard by butting them with the blunt end of their weapons. As the passengers boarded the ship, Eijnar turned to face Narrita again. She kept her eyes focused on the scene below, shaking her head in dismay. "See? What did I tell you? You'd be surprised at how effective the threat of death can be."

"I know, Eijnar." 

The captain put a hand underneath Narrita's chin and tilted her dark brown eyes so they locked with his. "Don't feel so down. Those Cutthroats of yours will serve their purpose. Those that die will do so honorably. And if their numbers dwindle once our siege is done, there's always room for a clever and… lovely leader such as yourself in my crew."

Narrita lifted her arm and swatted Eijnar's hand away. "I'd rather fall with the rest of the Cutthroats. Let me talk to them."

"But they acted just as I said they would! It didn’t even take them a minute to decide whether they wanted to help lay ruin to upper Farrowport!" Eijnar said as he shook the sting from Narrita's smack from his wrist. "They've made their choice. Do you really think a few words from you is enough to change their mind?"

The Cutthroat leader turned her back to Eijnar. "I want to talk to my crew. They won't do anything without my saying. If you really wanted your plan to work, you'd need an organized formation. Without me, the Cutthroats are nothing more than a band of pickpockets. Is that who you really want your strategy to be dependent on?"

"No, I suppose not. But I'll take whatever I can get at this point. However, I am in a good mood so I'll grant you your wish, Narrita." Eijnar moved back towards the shattered door that led to the lower deck. "Let's have a chat with your men. Let's see if you can get them organized. For your sake. And theirs. A coordinated attack will mean more survivors." The captain vanished beneath the steps. Narrita stood over the entrance to the steps and wiped away a tear that escaped with the back of her hand before following Eijnar. 

The captain took a turn down a different hall from the one that led into the treasure room. From there, the sound of grunts and obscenities echoed throughout the wooden halls. Once Eijnar stepped into the main area, all eyes turned to him. Narrita stood behind the captain, glancing over his shoulder at her captured men.

"All right Cutthroats. Narrita is here to talk to you."

She walked inside and entered the hull. Despite the cool air making her frightened men shiver, she remained confident. The Ghenkans stared at her with contempt as they kept their weapons ready to strike.

"Narrita," Horace said as he stood up to his knees. A Ghenkan holding a sword prepared to lunge, but Eijnar waved the man down. "What did their captain tell you?" he said weakly with desperation lingering on every word.

"He wants us to siege the Governor's District," Narrita said calmly.

"What? Why us? Not like we're soldiers."

"I told Eijnar that. But according to him, we're his best option considering their time span."

"That's right," Eijnar said as he inserted himself into the conversation. "But tell him about what you said. About what you thought of them, Narrita. That's the real reason I let you reunite with your men.”

Narrita looked down, too embarrassed to make eye contact with Horace. "What did you say about us?" Horace barked. "Come on! After all that we've been through... we deserve to know!"

"I-I told him... that you'd rather die than lay siege." Narrita looked at her second-in-command with soggy eyes. He stepped back with a look of disgust. 

"What? Why would you..."

"Because! I know we're not cold-blooded killers!"

"But we're cowards, either Narrita!" Horace shot back. "You see how ruthless Ghenkans can be! They caught all of us like that!" he said as she snapped his fingers. "If it weren't for their need for us, we would be dead!"

"You don't think I thought of that?" Narrita replied, her tone matching that of her angered subordinate. "It wasn't an easy choice to make!"

"It was the wrong choice, Narrita. You of all people should know how much trouble the Farrowport Guard has caused over our years. And you know those people in the upper part of Farrowport are no better than us!"

"What are you saying, Horace?" Narrita said, now confused. "I know we had that argument earlier back at the inn... but I didn't think you'd seriously consider doing something so… savage."

"Not if I didn't have to." Horace turned around faced the rest of the Cutthroats. "But now we have to. It's our lives or theirs. And for some reason, you think those spoiled, good-for-nothing clods living it up at the top of the island are worth more than the men that you've spent your entire life with!"

The rest of the Cutthroats soon turned restless. Even in their captive state, they turned angry, clenching their fists and shouting at Narrita. All the while, Eijnar grinned as he watched the scene unfold.

"What are you doing, Horace?" Narrita put a hand on his shoulder and turned him around to face her again. "We've gone through our entire lives getting by taking what we deserve. Sure, those people up the island don't deserve their riches, but they certainly don't deserve a violent death! And especially not the men of the Farrowport Guard. They're just trying to get by like the rest of us!"

"It's us or them. And I say that we're more deserving than they are!" Horace faced the rest of the Cutthroats. "What do you fellas think? It's between us or those snobs in upper Farrowport that have always looked down on everyone else. It's us... or the Farrowport Guard that have always been trying to lock us up for the rest of our lives. Us... or that Governor that sits in her pampered home while the rest of the people are forced to struggle! I don't know about you, but I think this decision is an easy one!"

The Cutthroats stood up and made a ruckus. They stomped their feet and clapped their hands as they showered Horace with praise. 

"Narrita here thinks we should give up our lives for those that don't care about us!" Horace shouted. The raucous cheering immediately turned to boos and hisses. Narrita stepped back, her eyes darting from each of her men as they looked at her with scorn. Some stepped forward with their fists clenched only to have a Ghenkan pull them back.

"Don't worry, Narrita. I'll keep you safe," Eijnar said as he stepped in front of the woman. He walked up to Horace and gave him a hefty slap on the back. "I'm sorry we had to meet like this," he said. "But I appreciate how you managed to get your men riled up!"

Horace tore his arm away from the captain. "Don't act like we're friends, either."

"No, but we can be allies." Eijnar stretched out one hand. "I know we didn't meet on the best of terms but look at it from my perspective. We didn't have the time to commit a more peaceful negotiation."

"What you did was a bit of a drastic measure, don't you think?" Horace replied.

"Yes. But you seem onboard. Just think about all of the loot you could get." Eijnar stood to Horace's side and extended his hand, his fingers walking through an imaginary trail up to the Governor's estate. "Every home between here and along the path to upper Farrowport, just waiting to be raided. Everything in those homes could be yours once everything is said and done."

"We could finally leave Farrowport!" one of the Cutthroats shouted. Other chimed in with a loud and unanimous "Yeah!"

"Sure could," Eijnar said as he gave Horace a friendly jab in the shoulder with his elbow. "That was a mighty good talking you gave them," he said in a low voice. He stuck out one hand, ready for a shake.

"It was just something that's been pent up in me for a while now," Horace said as he shook Eijnar's hand.

"Good. I'm glad we can see eye to eye. Tonight, we'll both finally get what's ours!" the captain said. "One of my men get you folks debriefed on the next step."

Horace smiled. "Looking forward to it." 

"As am I," Eijnar said as he let go of Horace's hand. "Now if you'll excuse me, your leader and I have a bit discussion to do." 

Horace looked at Narrita. She stared back, her arms crossed as she fought back tears. "She's not our leader anymore."

"Well then," Eijnar said as he forced his face to form an embarrassed expression. "Maybe it's best if we get going now. Perhaps you could help the Cutthroats accustomed to their new leadership."