The Princess’s Scandal OxO (reboot)

"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.

“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.

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!”

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.

“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!”

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.

“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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.”

“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.

“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.

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.”