On the other side of the ship, Sean scowled to himself in a dark corner. He cursed in his head at his losses tonight. Indeed Captain Dune was not wrong for being wary of Sean and his ilk. Sean had been long planning the downfall of Captain Dune, and Dune's little heir presented a perfect opportunity to help him become closer in relation to the throne of Watermoore tribe. He had planned to marry off his bastard daughter to the child, but the wily captain Dune had seen through his plans. Now he was not only out a daughter, who had no allegiance to him, he was also no closer in relations to the throne. With this one move Dune had not only dealt a blow to Sean's schemes, he had also claimed Sean's pawn as his own by making his daughter a companion to the heir. Sean thought carefully about how he could regain the advantage as the banquet wore on. Slowly the sun peaked over the horizon, as the Banquet came to an end, the captains reappeared before the throne. Captain Dune stood casually at the stern, looking down at his captains. "Today Is a day of rest. We shall require no work today. Tomorrow we will resume our posts as commanded." Dunes Booming voice scattered across the ship as he spoke. The crew looked relieved at not having to work after a full night of partying. The single men and women slunk into their cabins respectively, while the mated and married went to their shared cabins. The vast ship deck of La Maria was peacefully still. Below deck, within the Captains quarters Syresa sat with Malaki as she fed Kelpie. The child woke up several hours ago, in the blanket of night. Malaki who had fallen asleep next to the little princess, woke with the resounding sounds of her cries. Syresa, very alert after hearing her child's cry had almost instantly appeared next to Malaki. As she had scooped her up, she said to Malaki " Child, dress. Get ready for the day. we have much to do." Malaki Had hurriedly gotten into fresh clothes that had been brought over along with her belongings the night before. Casting aside the dirty clothing, Malaki quickly scrubbed her face. She quietly snuck her head into the captains quarters, looking around for Kelpie. As her catlike eyes swept the room, they landed on Syresa and the tiny bundle in her arms. Her small frame dipped into the room, slowly moving towards Syresa. She sat down quietly next to her. Waiting for something although she wasn't quite sure what. Her small legs swung as she waited for Syresa, looking around the warm room. Light shone through the large window that lined the back of the room. The small bench beneath the window was littered with cushions and blankets, while a large bed sat in the left hand corner. Its frame and headboard made of the same Cherrywood as the ship itself. Off to the right hand side of the room, sat a desk. Strewn with papers, and ink grinding materials as well as a large amount of writing quills. There was a large rug of white fur that Malaki had never seen before laid across the Cherrywood floors. Where she and Syresa were sitting was to the left of the door. The chairs here were slightly odd she felt. They were lined with some sort of material that had been stretched over the chair frame. Three or four pillows had been wedged into the chair, making Malaki sink into the cushioning. He looked over at Syresa and Kelpie. Since last night, she had felt confused and betrayed. Her father, though a cold man had always taken care of Malaki. So she found herself in a conundrum when her father had hoisted her off to the King and Queens quarters with a small child in her arms. A little Heir nonetheless. Malaki felt very confused, she instantly liked the small child Queen Syresa had lain in her arms. His small frame and pink skin made her want to smile. Although he was mostly bald and toothless, and should be considered ugly by all rights he was quite cute in his own ugly way. However she also felt upset for being taken away from her father. Unfortunately, she didn't have a mother to miss. She had died in her child birth from what Malaki had been told. She supposed that was why her father had such a cold attitude towards her. Malaki looked over at Kelpie to find Kelpie staring straight at her. She cocked her head at him, her yellow cat eyes lighting up in amusement. His eyes unlike normal children weren't milky grey with blindness, but black with small refractions of green when the light hit them. They looked much like a part of the sea Malaki had once sailed through with her father a few months ago. The water had looked so clear, and there was a shadow of the bottom of the ocean that could be seen through it. But the color of the water itself had looked dark, black in places of shadow, and green fading into darkness in places of light. Malaki had started to climb down the side of their ship The Guiles to take a small dip within the waters, only to be yanked up forcefully by an old man on the deck. " Girl, these waters be a tad to dangerous for a swim." Malaki looked up confusedly at Old man Rogan "Why be that, Sir?" "Girl, what do you see in that water beneath you?" Rogan questioned in curiosity. " Well, the water looks murky and kind of green, but I think I can see the bottom. So it mustn't be too dangerous." Malaki said as he looked back down at the black green water. Old Man Rogan laughed and shook his head derisively. "Boy, this be deep water. You'll find no bottom there, no matter how deep you look. This is where the monsters swim." Malaki's eyes widened as she suddenly popped back onto deck. Malaki came back to the present, her cat eyes focusing in on Kelpies. Syresa looked between the two and secretly chuckled to herself. Malaki looked up at Syresa "Why are his eyes black?" Malaki asked confused. "He is of the dragon clan, he is born a predator, child. His eyes are functioning already three hours after birth, her teeth are sharp, and her canines will be fully grown within the week. It's like our dragon shifter forms way of giving our child a head start. He will be stronger and faster than most children when he grows. This is just part of what he was gifted." Syresa paused, looking at Malaki " You, yourself have shifter traits your mothers shifter has passed to you." Malaki looked at Syresa blinking his eyes and cocking his head" What do you mean? I don't feel I'm much different than regular children." Her serious childish voice made Syresa smile slightly. "But you are. You can climb faster than others, can you not, you see clearer from a distance, your sure footed on the ropes and the mast. I've seen your strength. You show it every time you tie knots, or when you move the canopies. You do it as fast as a full grown man." Malaki nodded her head slightly as she thought about situations where she had also noticed this. "Did you know my mother?" "Yes my child, she was a strong and fierce woman who had the heart of a lion and the strength of many men. She was strong and as she bore you into this world she gave her last breath to you. Never forget her testament to you with that. She believed you were worth everything she had and she knew you would be a strong and courageous woman when you grew up." Malaki looked up at her queen and suddenly she realized that for all her yearning she had for her mother there was also resentment. For she had never known the love of her mother. Malaki blamed her mother for leaving her to despair in the coldness of her father. But as the queen had said her words, Malaki's resentment shifted, and some of what was hatred turned into gratefulness and her heart felt fuller. "Come, let us go child, we have much work to do today. And I will need your help with the child." So Malaki rose to trail along after her queen and prince.