The Princess' Scandal (o/o Closed)

Lori grinned mischievously and rolled so that Ellie was pinned beneath her. “Aye. That I am.” she said as she leaned down and captured her wife’s lips in a kiss.

Ellie's eyes widened, and she grinned before she let Lori's lips dominate hers. She hummed happily into the kiss and tilted her head slightly to deepen it. A large wave struck the side of the ship, causing the former princess to jolt in surprise.

Lori smiled into the kiss and hummed softly at Ellie’s response. But she pulled away quickly as she felt her ship lurch beneath them and looked out the window. “I’m afraid we'll have to cut this short, my love.” she said apologetically. “I need to see how bad this storm really is.”

Ellie whined softly, but she nodded with understanding. "Alright, my darling. Do you need me for anything, or shall I remain in here?"

“It would probably be safer if you stayed in our cabin until we know for sure how serious this is.” Lori sighed as she got up and started putting on a couple more layers of clothes. “If you need to come out on deck for any reason, there should be a long coat and spare hat you can wear.”

Ellie sat up and watched her wife get dressed. "Alright," she said, trying to keep the worry out of her tone. "Be safe, my darling. Promise me."

Lori smiled softly at her wife and sat on the edge of the bed as she put her boots on. “I promise, my love. This isn't the first storm I’ve sailed through.” she said with a small smirk before kissing Ellie’s cheek. “I'll be fine.”

Ellie smiled softly and closed her eyes. "I know," she murmured. "But I still fear desperately for you, my love. It's a comfort even just to hear you promise."

Lori sighed and kissed her cheek again. “I won't leave you. Especially not so soon after having you back in my life.” she promised before standing and putting on her hat. “I’ll have Marc or Jax check on you if I have to stay on deck for a while.”

Ellie opened her eyes and sighed. "Thank you. My darling wife," she murmured, smiling as she watched Lori don her hat.

Lori smiled roguishly as she met Ellie’s blue eyes, tapping the brim of her hat before she opened the door to the deluge outside.

Ellie smiled sweetly before Lori disappeared out the door. She sighed and stood up to get dressed herself in case Lori sent in Jax or Marc.

“Oh, bloody hell.” Lori grumbled as she climbed the stairs to the helm. “Jax! Why didn't you get me? How big have these waves gotten?”

“Gist got this strong, Cap’t.” Jax answered. “We can handle it. T’e waves ‘ave gist started reaching t’e deck.”

“Tie down the sails! If the wind gets any stronger, we could lose them.” she said, taking over the steering.

“Aye, cap’t.”

Ellie slipped into a soft grey gown and hurried to sit back on the bed. She kept an eye on the storm out the window and breathed deeply.

Lori gripped the helm tightly as another wave slammed against the hull. “Marc! Check on, Ellie! Make sure that she's not too worried or shaken up by the storm.”

“Aye, Captain.” Marc nodded, quickly running to the cabin. Though he slid a little and slammed into the wall next to the door before he knocked.

Ellie's breath hitched as she felt another large wave strike against the ship's hull. She gripped the bed's sheets tightly and trembled with nerves.

Then, something slammed into the wall, causing her to shriek. Though hearing the knock reassured her. "L-Lori?" she called out.

“Uhh, no. It's just me. Marc.” he replied. “Captain Lori is still at the helm. She just wanted me to check on you with the storm.” Marc explained, keeping the door closed.

"Oh," Ellie said, clutching the bedsheets tighter with worry. "I'm fine in here. Is she alright?"

“She’ll be fine.” Marc answered with an audible smile. “We've been through our fair share of storms. We can handle this one too.” he assured before Drake came up to him with a taunt line of rope. “What's that for? The storm isn't that strong?”

Drake rolled his eyes and quickly pointed at the door and made a series of gestures to get his point across.

“Oh! Ok. Good idea.” Marc nodded before taking the rope and tying it near the door. “Hey! If you need to come out on deck for any reason, there's a strong rope to your… right when you walk out.” he said, turning his attention back to Ellie. “Just hold on to it and it’ll lead you to the galley.”

"Alright," Ellie replied, still worried as she glanced out the window to see the rising waves. She heard the doorknob jostle, and then Marc's explanation. "Thank you!" she called out, unsure of what else to say. Maybe she should go now. Being with Charlie and Tommy would likely help to ease her anxiety.

“Any time.” Marc replied before he and Drake raced back to their posts.

Drake’s main reason for the rope was that Ellie still didn't seem to have very good sea legs and with this being her first storm on a ship, he didn't want her to lose her balance or get swept overboard by a wave. The rest of the crew, even young Tommy, were skilled enough to avoid such an accident in this weather.

Ellie slipped out of bed and stumbled across the room to the door. After a moment to steel herself, she opened it and reached for the rope. Slowly, she made her way across the deck, whimpering nervously and occasionally sliding on the slick wood. Once, her foot completely slid out from under her, and she yelped in fear. She would've completely fallen if it weren't for her intensely tight grip on the rope.

Unfortunately the storm drowned out Ellie’s cry and everyone else on deck was focused on their tasks to keep the ship out of danger.

Though, below deck, Tommy perked up and grabbed a blanket before heading towards the stairs.

Ellie's white-knuckled grip on the rope urged her on, and she held on for dear life as she continued to cross the deck. Her entire body was drenched as she finally made it to the stairs, cold, wet, and shivering.

“Miss Ellie!” Tommy called from the bottom of the stairs before throwing the blanket over himself and running up to meet her.

Ellie staggered down the stairs, wrapping her arms around herself to keep from trembling. "T-Tommy," she stammered. "Be c-careful." Her blonde hair was stringy around her face, and she looked pale from both the cold air and fear.

Tommy met her on the stairs and threw the blanket over her, but carefully stayed out of the rain as he held her hand and lead her to the galley. “Don't worry about me, miss Ellie.” he smiled softly. “I'll be fine. You… you need to sit down and dry off.”

Ellie clutched the boy's hand and easily let him lead her. "D-Dear Tommy, what w-would I do without y-you?" she asked, smiling warmly at him despite her stammering from the cold. She listened to his instructions and sat on the nearest chair she could find while wrapping the blanket he'd given her firmly over her slender frame. "Th-Thank you."

Tommy smiled up at her as she sat down. “Mama Charlie can make you something warm. It might help.” he offered, though the boy seemed a little reluctant to leave her alone right now.

Ellie nodded eagerly. "Yes, th-that would be lovely," she murmured. "Go on and f-fetch her. I'll b-be alright here."