Naramis smiled upon her. “Yes, I shall indeed have to remind you of that moment very soon indeed.” The whole situation the other day had allowed them to bridge that gap that he would never have had the courage to cross. There were some lines that one shouldn't cross and for him he had immersed himself into duty. Serving her and her family came first after all.

They had Jack with them now and he still did not know if he could be trusted or not. He would have to keep an eye on him. Was he a rival for her attention? Was he misleading them? Was he actually on their side?

Who could really say though he doubted that he could remind her tonight. Oh, well, there would be others. And that was reason enough to look forward to.

“We may have an easier time avoiding matters but go see Jack, we'll have to head out soon.”

Victoria nodded and went off in search of the thief. She hadn't really had a moment to speak with him privately about what had happened since she'd last seen him. It was evident that his trip to the temple had been just as eventful as theirs had been. She longed to question him about it. But most of all she wished to discover if he'd uncovered anything about her sister's involvement with all this. She was determined to learn that now, before they walked back into her home city to meet more possible treachery. She found the thief making his preparations to leave and cleared her throat to get his attention. "Jack, do you have a minute? I know there are many preparations let to me made but I need to have a word with you before we take our leave of this place. We may not have a quiet minute to speak again for some time."

She finds Jack making preparations. He's glancing over maps marking out a path in his mind. Getting through the forest will be the easy part he thinks though it is getting beyond the desert that that is the main issue.

There was a village beyond the forest right before the desert and then there was the desert itself that was the challenge. They can get some supplies there but it was the efreeti that had him worried, the genies of the desert plus the other desert denizens that they would be unable to negotiate with.

“Yeah, I have a minute.” He looks up from his maps, his eyes scanning her remembering their kiss. She was quite the sight that he would have to admit. He liked what he saw, indeed he did. He could not help but smile at her as he looks her over, his eyes roaming her body for a moment before he settles on her lovely eyes waiting for her to begin. He could guess that she was eager for some sort of news but ensured that by letting her address it first.

She nodded and came the rest of the way into the room, closing the door behind her to minimize the chance that they are overheard. "I'd like to know what you have learned since last we spoke in Urik. You said you would try to gather some intelligence on my sister's involvement in my capture if you could. I realize you already had a lot on your plate at the time but if there is anything you news you can tell me I would be most grateful to hear it."

God she was gorgeous, though he nodded as the Princess came forth. He had uncovered a little more in the matter and he had indicated for her to sit.

“They were conducting executions so I was only able to save the eight sailors, regrettably. Naamathite had not considered them valuable.

“Apparently he has arrangements to be the next king of Brindel and all this was a plot hatched by your sister taking advantage of the fact that the regalia had been stolen she sent word to Naamathite to capture you after you recovered the regalia and return it to her.

“She still needs the regalia to ascend to the throne though, hypothetically speaking she probably has a counterfeit made encase she doesn't receive the original, something that will fool the public in the short term until she gets her hands on the real deal and no longer needs it.”

He let her digest that bit. “Apparently she wanted you out of the way, sided with Naamathite to do it and will reward him with a portion of the Kingdom. I have not worked out all the technical stuff, the Queen to be lessens in power through a marriage so she's probably going to screw him over or has some way to deal with him, such as an accident happening in his return trip from delivering the regalia for instance to keep him from blabbing about this too the public. I can only speculate there but apparently word has already spread of our ship being lost and your sister being coronated on the night of the next full moon. We could just get back by then I think but it will be pushing it.”

She sat down, needing a moment to process this news. A part of her had still been holding onto the hope that her sister was innocent in this but now... How could she have been so blind? She had never suspected her sister of having aspirations to steal the throne prior to her having been captured by Naamathite. Was Natalie that good of an actress or had she just not wanted to see the signs.

She sighed. "I would be tempted to give it to her..." She said after a moment. "I don't know that I am any better suited to rule than the next person and I do not relish the thought of always having to be looking over my shoulder for possible traitors. But I cannot let her profit from her scheming. We must get back in time to stop her."

“Unfortunately the right to succession is hereditary so you cannot just give it away. And as long as you are free she has to pursue you as the birthright to the throne of Brindel is yours and she forever will have to look over her shoulder for you to oppose her with the support of a foreign nation perhaps.”

Jack shook his head. “I have not determined if she wants to kill you or simply lock you away someplace out of sight.”

Jack considers her reasoning for opposing Natalie. “Besides, twice my weight in gold. If we don't get you there to stop this coronation then I don't get paid.”

It was best to play it all mercenary like to keep her somewhat distant. He'd just brake her heart in the end and he swore allegiance to the crown, taking an oath when he was a young man. Of course there was ha kiss to look forward to as well, he gave that a little thought before dismissing the notion.

“Unless there is something else we should get going, time is of the essence as it is and we'll have to be quick and lucky. Hopefully they take he bait and waist time chasing down that ship but we still have pursuers by land behind us. I might manage to slow them down at the forest though I have no tricks for the desert beyond.”

Victoria doesn't respond to the birthright comment but internally she knows it isn't a good enough reason. Natalie and her were from the same line, if bloodlines meant anything then they should technically both be equally suited to rule. But Natalie clearly did not see the role of ruler as the same burden that Victoria recognized it to be. She saw the power and thought nothing of the responsibility that came with it. Jack tried to reassure her that her sister might not be so heartless as her actions implied but Victoria could not believe it. "Whether she wanted me dead or locked away doesn't matter. She feigned sisterly affection as she delivered me into the hands of an enemy. Being alive and enduring the fate Naamathite had intended for me would have been no blessing." She shook her head. "No, I cannot defend her actions. I must stop her then... I don't know. I shall have decide what to do with her then but until then, you are right, we must move on. There is still a long journey left ahead of us. We must get through that first."

She stood to take her left but stopped before passing Jack. She took his hand briefly and squeezed it gently. "Thank you for saving my men. I know you did your best to save as many as you could. I will not forget that. I am deeply indebted to you. I am sorry about your friend Frances. He was traveling with us to the temple but we were attacked and..." She looked down, ashamed that she had not been able to prevent what had happened. "I am sorry. I cannot repay him now for his aid but I will try to somehow. And you as well, I will see to it that you are rewarded for your aid. You who owe me no loyalty." She leaned in suddenly and gave him the briefest kiss on the lips. Then smiled playfully. "I have nothing of greater value to give you until we return home but I believe you have earned that much of your reward already."

He nodded at her explanation. She was right, regardless of her intention Naalie would have left her sister in dire straights. Victoria had been lucky to chance upon him that evening.

“Francis knew the risks. He was willing to take them. Had I been with you I may have been able to save him but I was stretched thin being back in Urik trying to save lives. I only managed eight, eight of twenty-two souls so I lost more than half.”

He sighed a little, his eyes sweeping to her and he nodded to her comment of loyalty. He had not been a native to Brindel bu as a young man he immigrated there and pledge a loyalty to the crown along with the other immigrants to pledge his loyalty which he took seriously.

“I shall continue to do my best. I have taken a pledge to uphold and I intend to keep it.”

The kiss came as a surprise to him he had only braced himself against it a mere moment before she had leaned in tasting his lips with her own.

It was brief but thrilling shooting a warmth through his member causing him to get semi erect. When she pulled back he me her gaze with his own.

“I beg to differ but I cannot afford to get distract as easy as that would be. Every second will count. Oh, to hell with it.” He stepped forward planting a deeper kiss on her lips capturing her mouth with his own for a moment before releasing her. She smelled so good, tasted better.

“Encase we don't make it back in time.”

The princess was alarmed by the suddenness of his passion and her color was high when he broke the second kiss. She had thought their intercore had been not but harmless flirting but that kiss had opened her eyes to an attraction she had not been able to recognize before. She glanced down absently and she saw the tenting of his pants. Flustered she took a step back and forced her eyes back up to his. "Forgive me. I did not mean to... distract you." She weaved around him and started for the door again. "I will leave you to finish your preparations. Naramis and I will be ready to leave soon. We will meet at the back of the inn in one hour."

That having been said she hastily took her leave. She would have to be more guarded with the thief from here on. She was attracted to him too which made it all the more dangerous. She had already promised herself to Naramis. Someone was bound to get hurt if she continued this flirtation with Jack.

“There is no harm done,” he assured her though it was soon thereafter that he had meet with the pair. The ship had been sent on it's way, the sailors had been back at the temple safe for the time being.

“On the other side of the forest is a little village that we'll have to stop at but I got us horses to carry us there to hasten our journey a bit.”

When they had been ready to go Victoria noted that they had few provisions. It was to travel light until they got through the forest since they could get what they needed there.

“Let me ride ahead,” Jack stated before spurning his steed into motion.

He left the pair and Naramis considered something. “There seems something off about him that I cannot place my finger on.”

Victoria gave Naramis a searching look and wondered what had brought this on. "You don't trust him? After everything he has done for us?" She frowned slightly, wondering if he was picking up on the thief's attraction to her and his distrust was really just jealousy. She felt a twinge of guilt for her own part in that. In truth she was attracted to Jack too. Still, she loved Naramis and she didn't want to do anything to hurt what they had finally began together. "I admit I had my doubts about him too. Especially after he told Naamathite about the regalia. Still, he got it back for us, aided our escape and rescued as many of our men as he could. He risked much to bring them back to us. He is a thief and I am sure he has not completely mended his ways but I don't see how it would benefit him to betray us now."

Victoria gave Naramis a searching look and wondered what had brought this on. "You don't trust him? After everything he has done for us?" She frowned slightly, wondering if he was picking up on the thief's attraction to her and his distrust was really just jealousy. She felt a twinge of guilt for her own part in that. In truth she was attracted to Jack too. Still, she loved Naramis and she didn't want to do anything to hurt what they had finally began together. "I admit I had my doubts about him too. Especially after he told Naamathite about the regalia. Still, he got it back for us, aided our escape and rescued as many of our men as he could. He risked much to bring them back to us. He is a thief and I am sure he has not completely mended his ways but I don't see how it would benefit him to betray us now."

“I did not say that I distrust him, just that there seems something hidden about him. It is true that he is a thief and out to score a profit though back in Urik there was no reason for him to help us. It wasn't as if you were in a position to pay him unless you made it back then he was out of luck as far as getting paid goes. He's supporting a long shot, while I have no doubts that we'll make it back alive we are not guaranteed to do it with enough time. Even now, he rides ahead for whatever reason. He is hiding something.”

Naramis added though he glanced in the direction that Jack road in though as they caught up Jack was waiting for them in the forest.

“We might be in luck, or rather our pursuers will be having a bit of bad luck.”

Jack returned before she could answer Naramis' concerns. Not that she had one. He made a valid point. It wasn't the thief's traitorous or mercenary behavior that made him suspicious, it was the lack of it. She had thought this before, that Jack had no reason to back her. Her status was questionable and there was no guarantee that she would ever be able to pay him what she had promised so the question remained, why was he helping her?

She gave the thief a searching look and wondered if she should ask him about it when next she had the chance. She wondered if she had the courage to do so? She might not want to know the answer. She put the thought away for now. There was another issue to worry about right now. "And why is that exactly, Jack?" She asked the thief. "What has happened that will be such bad luck for our pursuers?"